Tile Leveling System

Abstract

A novel form of tile leveling system is disclosed which is made of a metallic material and used for aligning and leveling tiles as they are laid in floors, walls, countertops, or the like. The device has a locking assembly and a bottom plate combined with a shaft that extends from the bottom plate through the locking assembly so that the locking assembly is movable along the length.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to improvements in system for leveling adjacent tiles as they are laid in floors, walls, countertops, and the like.

Description of the Related Art

Tile has become a popular choice for use in floors, walls, countertops, and the like. Both professional tile installers and do-it-yourselfers spend a great deal of time aligning and leveling tiles as the tiles are being placed on a substrate's surface. Proper alignment and leveling of each tile is important for a number of reasons. One reason is that if one tile is improperly placed, the error will continue in adjacent tiles such that the installation will be unacceptable and the tiles will have to be replaced and/or ground and polished until the tiles are level or flat. In addition to aesthetic reasons, a level surface is important in tile floors so that people do not trip and fall on unevenly laid tiles. Replacing or otherwise correcting errors in tile installation takes time that adds to the total cost of the installation.

Laying and leveling tile can also be problematic because tiles can shift and sink into mortar as the mortar dries, making it necessary to continually monitor newly laid tiles as the mortar dries to ensure that the tiles remain level. This can be very time consuming and frustrating for an installer. Tile installers have used a variety of devices and methods to maintain quality tile installation while completing the installation process. However, conventional devices and techniques are labor intensive, expensive, time consuming, complicated, and do not always work properly.

By looking at prior art multiple advancements have been seen in similar regards. For instance, EP2573296A1 discloses a leveling spacer for laying wall tiles, floor tiles and the like with interposing spaces, comprising a base, a threaded stein and a button. US20100287868 discloses a device for aligning and leveling tiles as they are placed on floors, walls, countertops, or the like. The device has a locking assembly and a bottom plate. Document US20100263304 discloses a leveling device for the placement of pieces to cover floors and the like. The device comprises a tile spacer comprising a base for engaging a bottom surface of each of the four adjacent tiles to be spaced and leveled and a stein projecting upward from the base, the stein comprising a tile alignment portion which it has a cross-shaped profile, a frangible portion located between the base and the tile alignment portion, a plurality of teeth located on top of the tile alignment portion, said device further comprising a tile leveler for engaging an upper surface of the four adjacent tiles, the tile leveler comprising an opening to receive the stein portion of the tile spacer, a ratchet mechanism so that the tile leveler is restricted to move only down the length of the stein toward the base, a stein engaging portion comprising one or more projections to engage with the plur tooth portion of the stein portion, wherein at least one of the projections and teeth are elastic and oriented to allow one-way movement of the stein relative to the stein engaging portion; wherein, in use, the tile spacer is located at the intersection of the four adjacent tiles so that the base is below the four adjacent tiles, and each tile rests on one corner of the alignment portion to space the four adjacent tiles at a predetermined distance from each other; and wherein, in use, the four adjacent tiles are leveled by applying a clamping force on the four adjacent tiles between the base and the tile leveler, to simultaneously level the four adjacent tiles.

WO2011012994 discloses a hand tool for applying a tile laying device to a surface to be coated comprising a work head having a support surface that is disposed, in use, next to a face of a portion of the device.

There is thus a need for a method and system for leveling tiles that is versatile, reusable, reliable, and fast.

None of the previous inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Hence, the inventor of the present invention proposes to resolve and surmount existent technical difficulties to eliminate the aforementioned shortcomings of prior art.

SUMMARY

In light of the disadvantages of the prior art, the following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.

The primary object of the invention is related to providing a smart tile leveling system and is versatile, reusable, reliable, and fast in nature.

Another object of the present invention is related to providing a smart tile leveling apparatus where the accuracy is ensured which provides the perfect finish to all type of masonry blocks including tiles, wood, paper, plastic and other which can be of any shape or size.

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a smart apparatus which is also economical and environment friendly.

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a device for leveling and aligning the position of tiles, for use when laying tiles on a base, such as floors, walls, topcoats, etc.

It is further the objective of system which is able to level and secure tiles for curing without having to rotate any parts on the top surface of the tiles. This is advantageous because rotation of parts on the top of the tiles may in some instances entrap debris including sand, which has the potential to scratch the tiles, especially softer marble tiles with highly polished surfaces.

It is also the objective of system which can be re-used in dozens, hundreds, or any other suitable number of jobs.

It is also the objective of invention to provide assembly which is faster, more affordable, and easier to use.

This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a back view of the arrangement according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

Tile has become a popular decorative and functional article for use in floors, walls, countertops, and the like. Both professional tile installers and do-it-yourselfers spend a great deal of time aligning and leveling tiles as the tiles are being placed on a substrate's surface. Proper alignment and leveling of each tile is important for a number of reasons. One reason is that if one tile is improperly placed, the error will continue in adjacent tiles such that the installation will be unacceptable and the tiles will have to be replaced and/or ground and polished until the tiles are level or flat. In addition to aesthetic reasons for properly laying tile, a level surface is essential in tile floors so that people do not trip and fall on unevenly laid tiles. “Lippage” occurs when the edge of one tile is higher than the adjacent tile to a degree where someone could trip. Replacing or otherwise correcting errors in tile installation (such as lippage or improper tile alignment) takes time that adds to the total cost of the tile installation.

Laying and leveling tile can be difficult because many substrates are uneven, such as the ground when laying tile for an outdoor patio. In this case, it can be difficult to raise the low areas of the substrate with mortar or other objects so that all the tiles are level. Further, tiles can shift and sink into mortar as the mortar dries. It has traditionally been necessary to continually monitor newly laid tiles as the mortar dries to ensure that the tiles remain level. Tile installers have used a variety of devices and methods to maintain quality tile installation while completing the installation process as fast as possible. One basic method uses markings on the substrate surface. Marking the installation surface requires the mortar to be carefully applied such that the marks remain visible. Although this technique aids in the alignment of the tiles, it does not keep the tiles level as they are laid in the mortar. Further, the use of this marking technique increases the amount of time required for the installation which results in increased cost.

Another device used for laying and leveling tile is a frame designed to space tiles an appropriate distance. This type of frame is typically a fixed grid which is designed for a specific tile size. One disadvantage of this type of device is that it is a fixed size which requires a professional installer to carry multiple frames in order to be capable of installing various tile sizes. A further disadvantage of this type of frame is that it is only capable of installing one type of tile at a time.

The present invention is directed to a tile leveling and alignment device for use in installing tiles on substrates such as floors, walls, countertops, or the like. The invention comprises a main assembly and a bottom plate combined with a shaft that extends from the bottom plate through the locking assembly so that the locking assembly is movable along the length of the shaft.

While a specific embodiment has been shown and described, many variations are possible. With time, additional features may be employed. The particular shape or configuration of the platform or the interior configuration may be changed to suit the system or equipment with which it is used.

Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

Claims

1: The present invention is a tile leveling apparatus where:

a shaft having an upper portion and a lower portion;

a “V” shaped bottom plate combined with the lower portion of the shaft, said bottom plate having a center portion, a top surface, a bottom; and,

where the bottom surface provides the leveling system for the tiles in a convenient manner.

2: A tile leveling system wherein:

As per claim 1, wherein structure is able to level and secure tiles for curing without having to rotate any parts on the top surface of the tiles;

As per claim 1, wherein structure is advantageous because rotation of parts on the top of the tiles may in some instances entrap debris including sand, which has the potential to scratch the tiles, especially softer marble tiles with highly polished surfaces;

As per claim 1, wherein the system can be re-used in dozens, hundreds, or any other suitable number of jobs; and,

As per claim 1, wherein structure does not require proprietary tools to the loading system and tensioning member from a cured tile project, making the system faster, more affordable, and easier to use.