GB2098120A - Trimming device for wall paper or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The device comprises an elongate body 10 and a rotary cutting knife having a cutting wheel 3 which is arranged to be advanced along a cutting groove 24 extending lengthwise of the body 10 in a second limb 20. This limb 20 provides a support face 23 over which the end of wall paper may be laid to trim the end to fit an internal angle, such as between a ceiling surface 13 and a wall surface 17. The body includes a location face 12, edge location 16 and an abutment face 22 which, on abutting the internal angle faces, positions the body 10 so that the cutting groove 24 is aligned correctly to trim the wall paper to fit neatly to the internal angle. The body may be attached temporarily to the wall surface by steel pins 18. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Trimming device for wall paper or the like This invention relates to a trimming device for wall paper or other similar wall covering materials which are applied as lengths to a wall or ceiling for a decorative finish. Herein the term "wall paper" means such wall covering materials whether of paper base or not.

When hanging lengths of wall paper it is necessary to trim the ends so that the wall paper fits neatly into internal angles or corners. Often at the ceiling line, the intersection of the ceiling and wall is not square or level, and it has been the practice to brush the wall paper up to the intersection and to crease or otherwise mark the wall paper. Following such marking, the wall paper is pulled back and trimmed by scissors or a knife. A similar method is used for other internal angles such as at a dado, skirting, architrave or door casing.

This procedure is laborious, and many people find it difficult to cut the edge neatly or to follow the marking. Thus it is often found that a neat finish to internal angles is not achieved and this can spoil the aesthetic appearance of the finished decor.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple device for accurately trimming wall paper to fit such internal angles and to avoid the problems arising with the prior practice such as just mentioned.

According to the broadest aspect, this invention consists of a device for trimming wall paper, the device comprising a rotary cutting knife and a body having a first substantially planar elongate limb providing a location face on one side and along one side of the limb providing an edge location, the location face and edge location extending in planes substantially normal to each other and extending lengthwise of the body, the body further having a second substantially elongate limb extending axially aligned from the side of said first limb opposed to the location face, the second limb providing along it's free edge remote from the first limb an abutment face arranged in spaced alignment from said edge location, the second limb further providing a support face extending in a plane inclined with respect to the plane of the location face of the first limb, a longitudinal cutting groove extends in the support face and is both parallel to the abutment face and spaced therefrom by a distance corresponding substantially to the distance between the abutment face and the intersection of the edge location and location face of said first limb, and the cutting groove being arranged so that in use of the device the location face is butted up to one face of an internal angle, the edge location and abutment face are aligned with the other face of the internal angle and the end of the wall paper is laid over the support face to extend over the cutting groove to be cut by the advancement of the rotary cutting knife along the groove to trim the wall paper to the length required to fit the internal angle on removal of the body.

As will be appreciated, in using the device the body is designed to trim across the width of the wall paper to the desired length to suit the selected internal angle againstwhich faces the body is positioned. The untrimmed end of the wall paper, which may be pre-pasted, is brushed or laid across the support face and then the rotary cutting knife is pressed into and along the groove to cut or sever the paper to be precise length required to fit the internal angle. As the body is aligned to the faces of the internal angle, the body also permits non-horizontal or non-vertical cuts to be made to accommodate variations in the ceiling line or like internal angle.

Preferably, in the device the first limb is in the form of a substantially flat plate with the second limb extending intermediate the edge location and the opposed free edge of the plate to provide a shield face contiguously extending from the support face of the second limb.

By such an arrangement the shield face of the plate can serve two functions, one is to extend the support face of the second limb to enable a short end of wall paperto be brought over the cutting groove, and the other is to protect the face of the internal angle against paste or damage whilst the device is being used.

Conveniently, in the device the edge location of the first limb comprises a flange extending lengthwise of the plate.

In use of the device with the plate engaging one face of an internal angle, the flange provides a face for abutting the other face of the internal angle.

Preferably, the second limb comprises a second plate of which the free edge is formed with a bead defining the abutment face.

By providing the bead on the second limb, the limb is strengthened along it's free edge to assist in maintaining rigidity during use.

The support face provided by the second plate may be planar or curved.

The one side of the cutting groove in the support plate preferably is formed with a cutting edge which may be a hard metal inlay or insert, the cutting edge being engaged by the wheel or the rotary cutting knife.

Other features of this invention will now be described with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the device depicted in the accompanying drawings. wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rotary cutting knife; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the body; and Figure 3 is a sectional view depicting t'-.e use of the device.

With reference to the drawings, the rotary cutting knife 1 has a handle 2 rotatably mounting a cutting wheel 3 on an axle 4 carried between trunnions 5 extending from the end of the handle. The cutting wheel has a peripheral cutting edge 6 which may be serrated if desired. The wheel has a peripheral chamfered face 7 to serve as a guide and the opposed face 8 is planar and radially aligned with the cutting edge.

The rotary cutting knife 1 is arranged for use with the body 10 of the device.

The body 10 is elongate and of substantially uniform section and may be an extrusion of metal or plastics. However, the body may be an assembly of suitable parts fulfilling the same functions as described herein. The length of the body 10 may be selected as desired, for instance slightly longer than the width of wall paper to be trimmed.

The body 10 comprises a first limb 11 which is like a plate defining a location face 12 arranged in use to abut a ceiling surface 13 adjacent an internal angle.

The limb 11 may have longitudinal ribs 14 upstanding from the location face 12 to reduce frictional engagement with the surface 13 thereby to ensure minimal damage on engagement.

The first limb 11 has a flange 15 along the one edge which is to be confined into the internal angle.

The outer face 16 of the flange 15 provides the edge location for the body to engage a wall surface 17. A series of steel pins 18 may be removably mounted in the flange 15 to project outwardly therefrom. The pins 18 may be removed by unscrewing the retainer heads 19, or if required may be used to temporarily attach the body into the internal angle by forcing them into the plaster or board wall finish.

The body 10 further comprises a second limb 20 which extends from the first limb 11 and is inclined thereto. The second limb extends co-axially and lengthwise of the first limb and is joined thereto substantially along the centre line. The second limb 20 is also like a plate and the free edge is formed with an edge bead 21 providing an abutment face 22 aligned with the outer face 16 oftheflange 15 and spaced therefrom. In use, the abutment face 22 also engages the wall surface 17.

The outer face ofthe limb 20 provides a support face 23 which is inclined towards the second limb.

The face 23 may be planar as shown or could be curved.

Acutting groove 24 extends lengthwise of the second limb and is spaced a specific distance from the free end of the second limb which is calculated to correspond to the distance between the free end of the second limb and the corner of the body. The inclination angle of the second limb may be varied as long as this specific distance is maintained for reasons which will be apparantfrom the description later herein. A hard steel insert 25 is fixed to the second limb in a recess lying alongside the groove 24 and the edge 26 of the insert provides a cutting edgeforengagementforthecutting edge6ofthe wheel 3 during rotary movement of the wheel 3 along the cutting groove 24.The groove 24 provides a clearance for the cutting edge 6 and the side of the groove opposed to the cutting edge 26 is provided with a chamfered face 28 which is engaged in use by the guide face 7 of the wheel 3.

The support face 23 is contiguous with the outer face 29 of the first limb 11. If desired these contiguous faces 23 and 29 may be ribbed or grooved.

The outer face 29 shields the underlying ceiling surface in use of the device.

In use of the device, for example to trim the end of a length of wall paper (not shown) to fit into the internal angle between the ceiling surface 13 and the wall surface 17, the body is located in the internal angle with the surfaces abutting and attached by the pins 18 if desired.

The top end of the wall paper is swept up to overlie at least the support face 23 and thereby extends over the cutting groove 24. The pre-pasted paper adheres to the support face 23, and by engaging the wheel 3 in the cutting groove 24 near one side edge of the overlying wall paper, the wheel 3 may be run along the groove 24 cutting the paper as the cutting edge 6 advances relative to the edge 26 of the insert.

During such advancement, the wheel 3 is guided within the groove to give a perfect linear cut across the width of the paper. The rotary action of the wheel is important to obtain a clean edge to the cut and the action is such that the wheel is self-cleaning during advancement.

As previously mentioned, the specific distance of the groove from the free edge of the second limb is selected and this distance is to ensure that the paper is trimmed to the exact length required to fit into the internal angle.

It will be appreciated that the device may be used in the inverted or upright position to trim wall paper to fit other internal angles.

It is envisaged that the body could be of different form, particularly if an extrusion is not used. In an assembly, the two limbs may be flat plates connected together by brackets or the like, and a suitable spacer or extension of one or more brackets may provide edge location of the plate constituting the first limb.

It is also envisaged that it is not essential to have a metal insert to provide a cutting edge to one side of the cutting groove. The cutting edge may be just one sharp edge of the groove if the material used for the second limb is sufficiently strong.

Furthermore, although the cutting edge and guide face of the wheel of the rotary cutter is described as the preferred form, other peripheral configurations may be employed with suitable forms of cutting groove.

The simplicity of operation and construction of the device will be understood from the foregoing description, and the advantages and merits in providing an easy solution to the problems of getting a neat finish to the edges of wall paper are exemplified herein.

Claims (15)

1. A device for trimming wall paper, the device comprising a rotary cutting knife and a body having a first substantially planar elongate limb providing a location face on one side and along one side of the limb providing an edge location, the location face and edge location extending in planes substantially normal to each other and extending lengthwise of the body, the body further having a second substantially elongate limb extending axially aligned from the side of said first limb opposed to the location face, the second limb providing along it's free edge remote from the first limb an abutment face arranged in spaced alignment from said edge location, the second limb further providing a support face extending in a plane inclined with respect to the plane of the location face of the first limb, a iongitudinal cutting groove extends in the support face and is both parallel to the abutment face and spaced therefrom by a distance corresponding substantially to the distance between the abutment face and the intersection of the edge location and location face of said first limb, and the cutting groove being arranged so that in use of the device the location face is butted up to one face of an internal angle, the edge location and abutment face are aligned with the other face of the internal angle and the end of the wall paper is laid over the support face to extend over the cutting groove to be cut by the advancement of the rotary cutting knife along the groove to trim the wall paper to the length required to fit the internal angle on removal of the body.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the first limb is in the form of a substantially flat plate with the second limb extending intermediate the edge location and the opposed free edge of the plate to provide a shield face contiguously extending from the support face of the second limb.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein the edge location of the first limb comprises a flange extending lengthwise of the plate.

4. The device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second limb comprises a second plate of which the free edge is formed with a bead defining the abutment face.

5. The device according to claim 4 wherein the support face provided by the second plate is curved.

6. The device according to claim 4 wherein the support face provided by the second face is planar.

7. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 6 wherein the flange extending lengthwise of the plate includes means for attaching the body temporarily to the adjacent face of the internal angle.

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein said attachment means comprise pins for driving engagement with a wall or ceiling.

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the body comprises an extrusion of metal or plastic.

10. The device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one side of the cutting groove defines a cutting edge against which the wheel of the rotary cutter bears to sever the wall paper.

11. The device according to claim 10 wherein the cutting edge of the groove is defined by a hard metal inlay or insert secured to the second limb and aligned beside the cutting groove.

12. The device according to claim 10 or claim 11 wherein the cutter has a serrated peripheral cutting edge.

13. The device according to any one of claims 10, 11 or 12 wherein the cutter wheel has a guide face remote from the cutting edge and which guide face is arranged to engage the side of the cutting groove opposed to the cutting edge.

14. The device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the support face and any contiguous extension thereof is grooved or ribbed.

15. The device comprising a rotary cutting knife and a body substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.