TOOL FOR SANDING AND BUFFING AND METHOD OF USE

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface that includes a head having a rounded surface, a first abrasive material adapted for sanding or buffing, the first abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via an adhesive substance or other attaching means and at least partially covering the rounded surface, and a handle attached to the head. The tool may further include a second abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via the adhesive substance or other attaching means that at least partially covers a portion of the rounded surface not covered by the first abrasive material. If the first and second abrasive materials have varying properties such as their coarseness, the user may find each material to be especially efficient for use in separate sanding, buffing, or polishing processes.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 62/616,301, filed Jan. 11, 2018. The provisional patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, including without limitation, the specification, claims, and abstract, as well as any figures, tables, appendices, or drawings thereof.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to a tool for sanding and buffing a surface. More particularly, the present disclosure relates generally to a specially adapted mounted point for use in conjunction with an automobile.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in the present disclosure, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art.

Tools for sanding, buffing, and polishing automobiles have traditionally comprised circular sanding, buffing, or polishing pads made up of a uniform abrasive material, such as sandpaper, foam, felt, or fabric. To use the traditional tool, a user or a machine, or the combination of a user and a machine, manually or automatically rotates and translates the tool while the tool is in direct contact with the surface that is to be sanded, buffed, or polished. Various lubricants or other buffing/polishing agents are often applied directly to the surface to be sanded, buffed, or polished or directly to the traditional tool to aid in the sanding, buffing, or polishing processes.

While these traditional tools are quite effective at sanding, buffing, and polishing large and generally flat surfaces, they lose their effectiveness when used in conjunction with an irregularly shaped surface. Such a situation occurs frequently in the automotive industry, where automobiles regularly suffer from defects such as scratches to defects caused by the oxidation of iron (rust) within components of the automobile.

Furthermore, for one who wishes to repair automobiles by engaging in a plurality of the previously mentioned processes, one has traditionally been required to use multiple tools or has been required to substitute the abrasive material of the circular pad for a different abrasive material, thereby resulting in further inefficiency.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a tool that is specially adapted to be used in conjunction with irregular surfaces and for a tool that reduces the need for the use of additional tools or for the substitute of different materials to be used in conjunction with the tool.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide a tool that overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies and improve upon the state of the art.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a tool that can be easily used and assembled by the user.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a durable tool and method of use that results in a long and useful operational life.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a tool and method of use that improves the safety of the user.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a tool that is of a robust design.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a compact tool that can be stored easily within an auto body shop.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a tool and method of use that reduces the amount of cleanup necessary after use of the tool.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a tool and method of use that is high quality.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the invention is to provide a tool and method of use that can adapt to practically any automobile, motorcycle, or other power sport vehicle.

Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a tool that is cost effective.

It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to incorporate the tool into a power tool system accomplishing some or all of the previously stated objectives.

It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide methods of using, manufacturing, installing, and repairing a tool or power tool system accomplishing some or all of the previously stated objectives.

The following provides a list of aspects or embodiments disclosed herein and does not limit the overall disclosure. It is contemplated that any of the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined with other embodiments, either in full or partially, as would be understood from reading the disclosure.

According to some aspects of the disclosure, a tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface preferably includes a head having a rounded surface and a first abrasive material adapted for sanding or buffing. The first abrasive material is attached to the rounded surface via an attaching means and at least partially covers the rounded surface. A handle is attached to the head.

The tool may optionally include a second abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via the adhesive substance that at least partially covers a portion of the rounded surface not covered by the first abrasive material. The second abrasive material may be coarser than the first abrasive material. The attaching means may be an adhesive substance, and the adhesive substance may be a cyanoacrylate. Alternatively, the attaching means may be a hook and loop fastener. The head may be spherical. A portion of the handle may be enclosed within the head. The handle may a cylindrical shaft or may include grooves that fit to a user's hand.

According to some other aspects of the present disclosure, a method for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface preferably includes providing a tool comprising a head having a rounded surface, a first abrasive material adapted for sanding or buffing, the first abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via an attaching means and at least partially covering the rounded surface, and a handle attached to the head; sanding the irregularly shaped surface with the tool; and buffing the irregularly shaped surface with the tool.

The method may optionally include polishing the irregularly shaped surface, painting the irregularly shaped surface, or that the irregularly shaped surface is the body of an automobile.

These or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments, accompanied by the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front elevation view of a tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface, the side and rear elevation views being substantially identical in appearance to the front elevation view, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a front elevation view of another embodiment of a tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface, the side and rear elevation views being substantially identical in appearance to the front elevation view, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of another embodiment of a tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure illustrate several ways in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views. Reference to specific embodiments does not limit the scope of the present disclosure and the drawings represented herein are presented for exemplary purposes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following definitions and introductory matters are provided to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the present invention pertain.

The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, the word “or” is intended to include “and” unless context clearly indicate otherwise. The word “or” means any one member of a particular list and also includes any combination of members of that list.

The terms “invention” or “present invention” as used herein are not intended to refer to any single embodiment of the particular invention but encompass all possible embodiments as described in the specification and the claims.

The term “about” as used herein refers to variation in the numerical quantities that can occur, for example, through typical measuring techniques and equipment, with respect to any quantifiable variable, including, but not limited to, mass, volume, time, distance, wave length, frequency, voltage, current, and electromagnetic field. Further, given solid and liquid handling procedures used in the real world, there is certain inadvertent error and variation that is likely through differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of the ingredients used to make the compositions or carry out the methods and the like. The claims include equivalents to the quantities whether or not modified by the term “about.”

Terms such as first, second, vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, upper, lower, front, rear, end, sides, concave, convex, and the like, are referenced according to the views presented. These terms are used only for purposes of description and are not limiting unless these terms are expressly included in the claims. Orientation of an object or a combination of objects may change without departing from the scope of the invention.

The apparatuses, systems, and methods of the present invention may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of the components of the present invention described herein. The term “consisting essentially of” means that the apparatuses, systems, and methods may include additional components or steps, but only if the additional components or steps do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed apparatuses, systems, and methods.

The following embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention however other embodiments may be utilized. Mechanical, procedural, and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

FIGS. 1-2 show a tool 10 for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface.

The tool 10 includes a head 12 having a rounded surface and a rod 18. In the embodiment shown, the rounded surface of the head 12 is spherical and appears convex from the viewer's vantage point. However, it should also be appreciated that the rounded surface of the head, or at least some portions of the rounded surface of the head, is not limited to a spherical shape, and could possess concave surfaces that are specially adapted to sanding, buffing, or polishing the surfaces of an automobile that bulge outward from the body, such as the corners of the automobile.

Also included in the tool 10 is a first abrasive material 14 attached to the rounded surface of the head 12 via an attaching means 20. The first abrasive material 14 at least partially covers the rounded surface of the head 12. Non-limiting examples of abrasive materials that may be used in conjunction with the tool 10 comprise sandpaper, foam, felt, or fabrics. The first abrasive material 14 may be located at any position on the head 12 such that it may be specially adapted to buff or sand any irregularly shaped surface.

When contacting the irregularly shaped surface, the abrasive nature of the first abrasive material 14 allows the first abrasive material 14 to buff out or sand away deformities, such as scratches or dents, within the irregularly shaped surface. Contact caused by moving the first abrasive material 14 in a circular manner relative to the irregularly shaped surface often improves the buffing and sanding processes. Repeated use of the tool 10 causes the first abrasive material 14 to wear down over time, eventually causing the first abrasive material 14 to lose its abrasive nature. When this occurs, the first abrasive material 14 can be replaced with a new first abrasive material 14 or even a second abrasive material 16 (not shown in FIGS. 1-2) different from the first abrasive material 14 to improve the lifetime of the tool 10.

The tool 10 be configured to be used with a machine that rotates the tool, such as at high speeds. Such high-speed rotation will allow the first abrasive material 14 to interact with the surface in a way that will alter the surface, such as by buffing a painted surface. Such a machine could be hand operated, or operated by a motor, such as an electric motor. The machine, for example, could be an electrically powered hand drill which secures the tool 10 by clamping or otherwise securing the rod 18. Attaching the rod 18 to the drill will cause the tool 10 to rotate with the rotation of the drill. However, other ways to rotate the tool are to be included and are envisioned as part of the disclosure.

A user may find that a tool 10 having a single abrasive material 14 located perpendicularly to a handle 22 throughout the circumference of the spherical head 12 may be useful for applications where the user is obstructed from applying the tool 10 to the irregularly shaped surface from all positions that are not generally parallel to the irregularly shaped surface. Even in the event a user is not obstructed in any way, the user may find it useful to include a coarser abrasive material near the parts of the head that are perpendicular to the handle 22 (shown in FIGS. 3-4) when using the tool, because such a configuration would in effect allow the user to more easily create the torque necessary to perform more labor-intensive processes such as sanding or buffing, rather than polishing or painting.

A second abrasive material 16 (also shown in FIGS. 3-4) may be attached to the rounded surface of the head 12 via an attaching means 20 and may at least partially cover a portion of the rounded surface not covered by the first abrasive material 14. The first and second abrasive materials 14, 16 may have varying properties such as their coarseness, such that the abrasive materials 14, 16 are especially efficient for use in separate sanding, buffing, or polishing processes. For example, a second abrasive material 16 may be coarser than a first abrasive material 14 so that the user can utilize the second abrasive material 16 to sand the irregularly shaped surface before the user utilizes the first abrasive material 14 to buffer the irregularly shaped surface. The present disclosure is not limited to the use of just two abrasive materials, and could potentially use more than two abrasive materials if desirable. A non-limiting example of this situation may occur where the situation calls for three abrasive materials to be used because the user wants to initially sand the irregularly shaped surface with a very coarse sandpaper, follow up the initial sanding process by sanding the irregularly shaped surface with a less coarse sandpaper, before finally buffing or polishing the irregularly shaped surface with an even less coarse third abrasive material.

In an alternative embodiment, the first abrasive material 14, the second abrasive material 16, or the third abrasive material (not shown), may integrally form a part of the head 12. Such a configuration eliminates the risk of the abrasive materials 14, 16 moving with respect to the head 12 (e.g. prevents the abrasive materials 14, 16 from slipping).

In yet another alternative embodiment, the abrasive materials 14, 16 may be layered on top of one another to improve the lifetime of use associated with the tool 10. For example, the coarsest material may be initially included on the surface of the head 12 such that after repeated use (for example in sanding applications), the second abrasive material 16 will become exposed and will become available to provide an abrasive material 16 having a varying level of coarseness to increase the number of uses for the tool 10. Layering the abrasive materials 14, 16 allows the user to effectively customize their own tool 10 to adapt to their own specific needs through nothing more than simple, repeated use of the tool 10. In this way, the user may be able to customize and alter the shape of the tool 10 into the surface configuration that is not sold or otherwise provided by the manufacturer.

The attaching means 20 may be any known attaching means, non-limiting examples of which would include adhesive substances, hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro), screws, other mechanical fasteners, etc. In an embodiment wherein the attaching means comprises an adhesive substance, a cyanoacrylate (Superglue) may be used.

The handle 22 is operatively attached to the head 12 and may be partially or completely enclosed within the head 12. The handle 22 may enclose the rod 18 or be used in lieu of (e.g. replace) the rod 18. The handle 22 may take any known shape to assist the user in sanding, buffing, or polishing the irregularly shaped surface. A non-limiting example of which would be a cylindrical shaft which encloses the rod 18, as is shown in the FIGS. 3-4. The handle 22 may also take any known shape to assist the user in gripping the tool 10. Accordingly, the handle 22 may include grooves that fit to a user's hand during use.

In use, the sanding and buffing of an irregularly shaped surface may be accomplished by providing the tool 10, sanding the irregularly shaped surface with the tool 10, and buffing the irregularly shaped surface with the tool 10. Optionally, the user may choose to polish or paint the irregularly shaped surface once the surface has been sanded or buffed. The irregularly shaped surface may be the body of an automobile.

According to other aspects of the disclosure, the tool 10 may also be referred to a specially adapted mounted point. The tool 10 may be considered specially adapted because traditional mounted points have not yet been adapted to sand, buffer, or polish irregularly shaped surfaces, as traditional mounted points are generally use for grinding and cutting.

Traditional mounted points are very small bonded abrasives or superabrasive wheels with a ball, point, cone, cylinder, or bullet shape. They are mounted on a pin or mandrel for portable die grinder and deburring applications. Their geometrical configuration may sometimes appear similar to the tool 10, but their compositions (and thus functions) are vastly different. As is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,708,619, the harsh coarseness of the abrasive material bonded to the tool in a traditional mounting point is particularly useful for grinding complex shapes in other objects, rather than retaining the same general shape of the object in an effort to sand, buffer, or polish the object. Furthermore, because the traditional mounted point must travel at high enough speeds to be able to quickly grind a complex shape into another object, the traditional mounted point is limited in that the traditional mounting point generally must be mounted on a pin such that the traditional mounted point may be attached to a machine. This is in effect loses some of the variability the mounted point could otherwise have if it were able to be wielded manually by a user.

The tool 10, while not limited to manual use by a user, does not suffer from this sort of deficiency because the specially adapted mounting point 10 is not required to travel at high enough speeds in order to grind complex shapes into other objects. Instead, the specially adapted mounting point 10 still functions to sand, buffer, and polish at speeds that are attainable through manual use by a user.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of the stated objectives.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

The following list of reference numerals is provided to facilitate an understanding and examination of the present disclosure and is not exhaustive. Provided it is possible to do so, elements identified by a numeral may be replaced or used in combination with any elements identified by a separate numeral. Additionally, numerals are not limited to the descriptors provided herein and include equivalent structures and other objects possessing the same function.

• 10 tool
• 12 head
• 14 first abrasive material
• 16 second abrasive material
• 18 rod
• 20 attaching means
• 22 handle

The present disclosure is not to be limited to the particular embodiments described herein. The following claims set forth a number of the embodiments of the present disclosure with greater particularity.

Claims

1. A tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface, comprising:

a head having a rounded surface;

a first abrasive material adapted for sanding or buffing, the first abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via an adhesive substance and at least partially covering the rounded surface; and

a handle attached to the head.

2. The tool of claim 1 further comprising a second abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via the adhesive substance and at least partially covering a portion of the rounded surface not covered by the first abrasive material.

3. The tool of claim 2 wherein the second abrasive material is coarser than the first abrasive material.

4. The tool of claim 1 wherein the adhesive substance is a cyanoacrylate.

5. The tool of claim 1 wherein the head is spherical.

6. The tool of claim 1 wherein a portion of the handle is enclosed within the head.

7. The tool of claim 1 wherein the handle is a cylindrical shaft.

8. The tool of claim 1 wherein the handle includes grooves that fit to a user's hand.

9. A tool for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface, comprising:

a head having a rounded surface;

a first abrasive material adapted for sanding or buffing, the first abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via an attaching means and at least partially covering the rounded surface; and

a handle attached to the head.

10. The tool of claim 9 further comprising a second abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via the adhesive substance and at least partially covering a portion of the rounded surface not covered by the first abrasive material.

11. The tool of claim 10 wherein the second abrasive material is coarser than the first abrasive material.

12. The tool of claim 9 wherein the attaching means is a hook and loop fastener.

13. The tool of claim 9 wherein the head is spherical.

14. The tool of claim 9 wherein a portion of the handle is enclosed within the head.

15. The tool of claim 9 wherein the handle is a cylindrical shaft.

16. The tool of claim 9 wherein the handle includes grooves that fit to a user's hand.

17. A method for sanding and buffing an irregularly shaped surface, comprising:

providing a tool comprising: a head having a rounded surface; a first abrasive material adapted for sanding or buffing, the first abrasive material attached to the rounded surface via an attaching means and at least partially covering the rounded surface; and a handle attached to the head;

sanding the irregularly shaped surface with the tool; and

buffing the irregularly shaped surface with the tool.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the irregularly shaped surface is the body of an automobile.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising polishing the irregularly shaped surface.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising painting the irregularly shaped surface.