Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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HAND SANDER THAT IS SELECTIVELY ATTACHABLE TO A DUST-
VACUUM SYSTEM
Field:
The present patent application relates to a hand sander. More particularly,
and
according to an illustrative embodiment, the present application relates to a
hand
sander that is selectively attachable to a dust-vacuum system.
Background:
For centuries, dry sanding tools have been developed and used to smooth
and finish surfaces such as plaster, clay, metal, drywall and wood. Coated
abrasives such as sandpaper date to at least as early as 13th-Century China.
An
undesirable consequence of dry sanding is the creation of dust that is both
messy
and potentially dangerous to inhale.
One method of reducing sanding dust is "wet sanding". In wet sanding, the
sanding implement (e.g., sanding sponge or sandpaper) and/or the surface being
sanded is made wet or damp with water or a liquid solution. However, wet
sanding
is generally more time consuming, presents its own inconveniences and hazards,
and is inappropriate for some situations and surfaces.
Accordingly, a need exists for sanding apparatus that facilitate the
convenient
removal and centralized collection of dust created during dry sanding.
Sum ma ry:
An object of the present invention is to provide a hand sander configured
for selective attachment to a dust-collection system and comprising:
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a housing having at least one wall defining a housing-interior surface, a
sponge cavity and a recessed sponge seat configured for removably receiving
and
retaining a determinately-dimensioned sanding sponge with an abrasive sanding
surface, a back surface opposite the sanding surface and at least one side
surface
extending between the sanding and back surfaces and defining a sponge
periphery,
the housing further defining a fluid port through which a fluid can pass from
the
sponge cavity to the exterior of the housing and a sponge opening through
which
the sanding sponge is alternatively introduced into and removed from the
sponge
cavity; and
a plurality of sponge-seating protrusions extending into the sponge cavity
from
the housing-interior surface and configured to contactably engage at least one
of the
sponge periphery and the back surface of the sanding sponge such that, when
the
sponge is retained within the sponge cavity, (i) the abrasive sanding surface
can
engage a work surface to be sanded, (ii) spaces are maintained between the
sanding
sponge and the housing-interior surface and (iii) the spaces are in fluid
communication with the fluid port.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a
sponge sander configured for selective attachment to a dust-vacuum system and
comprising:
a sanding sponge of predetermined geometric dimensions having an
abrasive sanding surface, a back surface opposite the sanding surface and at
least
one side surface extending between the sanding and back surfaces to define a
sponge periphery;
a housing having at least one wall defining a housing-interior surface and a
sponge cavity configured for retaining the sanding sponge, the housing further
defining a fluid port through which a fluid can pass from the sponge cavity to
the
exterior of the housing and a sponge opening through which the sanding surface
of
the retained sponge is exposed to the exterior of the housing for selective
engagement of a work surface to be sanded; and
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a plurality of sponge-seating protrusions extending into the sponge cavity
from
the housing-interior surface and configured to support within the sponge
cavity at
least one of the sponge periphery and the back surface of the sanding sponge
such
that (i) fluid-flow channels in fluid communication with the fluid port are
defined
between the sanding sponge and the housing-interior surface and (ii) a
negative
pressure applied through the fluid port draws sanding dust created by
engagement
of the sanding surface with the work surface into the fluid-flow channels and
out of
the housing through the fluid port.
Other aspects, embodiments, possible variants and/or resulting advantages of
the present invention, all being preferred and/or optional, are briefly
summarized
herein below.
For example, in an illustrative embodiment, a hand sander configured for
selective attachment to a dust-collection system includes a housing having at
least
one wall defining a housing interior surface, a sponge cavity and a recessed
sponge
seat configured for removably receiving and retaining a determinately-
dimensioned
sanding sponge. The sanding sponge has an abrasive sanding surface, a back
surface opposite the sanding surface and at least one side surface extending
between the sanding and back surfaces and defining a sponge periphery. The
housing further defines a fluid port through which a fluid can pass from the
sponge
cavity to the exterior of the housing and a sponge opening through which the
sanding sponge is alternatively introduced into and removed from the sponge
cavity.
In each of various versions, the sponge seat is defined by a plurality of
sponge-seating protrusions that depend from the housing-interior surface and
extend
into the sponge cavity. The protrusions are configured to contactably engage
and
support at least one of the sponge periphery and the back surface of the
sanding
sponge such that, when the sponge is retained within the sponge cavity, (i)
the
abrasive sanding surface can engage a work surface to be sanded, (ii) spaces
are
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maintained between the sanding sponge and the housing-interior surface and
(iii) the
spaces are in fluid communication with the fluid port. The spaces act as fluid-
flow
channels such that application of negative pressure (e.g., suction from a
vacuum
system) through the fluid port draws sanding dust created by engagement of the
sanding surface with the work surface into the fluid-flow channels and out of
the
housing through the fluid port.
Although the particular predetermined geometry of the sanding sponge is not
of any particular importance, the sponge cavity and sponge-seating protrusions
of
various alternative embodiments are configured for receiving and retaining
sanding
sponges of at least one of rectangular, triangular, circular and elliptical
periphery.
Included within these illustrative shapes, are sponges having peripheries that
are
generally or substantially one of these shapes, even if they do not meet a
strict
geometrical definition as rectangular, triangular, circular or elliptical. For
example, a
sponge that has rounded corners, but otherwise suggests a rectangle or
triangle is
within the scope of "rectangular" or "triangular" as defined in this
description and the
claims appended hereto. Moreover, as is already understood as a matter of
mathematical fact, a square is a special case of a rectangular and is
therefore
within the meaning of rectangle.
Additionally envisioned within the scope of the invention as defined in the
claims are embodiments configured for accepting conventionally sized and
configured sanding sponges that are already widely available. Such embodiments
require no specialized sponge shape, such as, by way of example, sponges with
undulated peripheries that serve to define fluid-flow spaces between the
sponge
and housing-interior surface. More specifically, various such embodiments
accommodate sponges having peripheries defined by planar or "smoothly curved"
side surfaces.
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The manner of retaining sponges within the sponge cavity might also vary
among embodiments, but as with sponge geometry, sponge-retention mechanisms
are not central to the overall inventive aspects. In various versions, a
sponge is
retained by its being slightly compressed to fit within the sponge cavity. In
such
instances, friction between the sponge periphery and the peripherally-disposed
protrusions extending into the sponge cavity retains a sponge. In alternative
embodiments, selectively releasable mechanisms such as adhesive, hook-and-loop
fasteners or magnetism might be employed, by way of non-limiting example.
Representative embodiments are more completely described and depicted in
the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
Brief description of the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a left and rear side view of a hand sander configured for retention
of
a sanding sponge and selective attachment to a dust-collection system;
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a hand-held sponge sander; and
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a hand-held sponge sander retaining and
supporting a sanding sponge.
Detailed description:
The following description of variously embodied hand sanders is
demonstrative in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or its
application of
uses. Accordingly, the various implementations, aspects, versions and
embodiments
described in the summary and detailed description are in the nature of non-
limiting
examples falling within the scope of the appended claims and do not serve to
define
the maximum scope of the claims.
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Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, an illustrative hand sander 10 is
configured
for selective attachment to a dust-collection system such as a dust-vacuum
(not
shown). The hand sander 10 includes a housing 20 having at least one wall 22
defining a housing-interior surface 24 and a housing-exterior surface 26. The
housing-interior surface 24 defines a sponge cavity 30 with a recessed sponge
seat 31 defined by sponge-seating protrusions 32 configured for retaining and
supporting a sanding sponge as shown in FIG. 3. At least a portion of the
housing-exterior surface 26 is configured to serve as a handle 28 suitable for
grasping by a user's hand.
As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the housing 20 further defines a fluid port
50
through which a fluid (e.g., air) can pass, through a fluid conduit 52, from
the
sponge cavity 30 to the exterior of the housing 20. In the particular versions
depicted
in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fluid conduit 52 is integrally formed with the housing
20 and
thus forms a part of the housing 20. However, versions in which the fluid port
50 is a
simple opening in at least one housing wall 22 configured to couple with a non-
integral conduit are expressly within the scope and contemplation of the
invention.
With continued reference to FIG. 2, and additional reference to FIG. 3, the
sponge cavity 30 is configured to retain a sanding sponge 200 of predetermined
dimensions having a front abrasive sanding surface 210, a back surface 220
opposite the sanding surface 210 and at least one side surface 230 extending
between the sanding and back surfaces 210 and 220 to define a sponge periphery
235. The sanding surface 210 of a retained sanding sponge 200 is exposed to
the
exterior of the housing 20 through a sponge opening 60 for selective
engagement of
a work surface to be sanded. In embodiments in which the sanding sponge 200 is
replaceable, the sponge opening 60 also facilitates removal from and insertion
into
the sponge cavity 30 of sanding sponges 200.
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Referring still to FIGS. 2 and 3, the sponge-seating protrusions 32 depend
from and extend inwardly into the sponge cavity 30 from the housing-interior
surface
24. The sponge-seating protrusions 32 are individually configured, and
mutually
arranged, to support by contactable engagement at least one of the sponge
periphery 235 and the back surface 220 of the retained sanding sponge 200 such
that spaces 70 are defined and maintained between the sanding sponge 200 and
the housing-interior surface 24. The defined spaces 70 serve as fluid-flow
channels
75 and are in fluid communication with the fluid port 50. More specifically,
the
channels 75 and fluid port 50 are configured such that a negative pressure
applied
through the fluid port 50 draws sanding dust created by engagement of the
sanding
surface 210 with a work surface (not shown) into the spaces 70 and out of the
housing 20 through the fluid port 50. In association with various embodiments,
the
negative pressure is applied through the fluid port 50 by a dust-vacuum system
(not
shown) coupled in fluid communication with the fluid port 50. In the specific
example
of FIGS. 1-3, the fluid conduit 52 integrally formed with the housing 20 is
selectively
coupleable to a non-integral secondary conduit 55 for establishing fluid
communication between the fluid port 50 the dust-vacuum system.
The foregoing is considered to be illustrative of the principles of the
invention.
Furthermore, since modifications and changes to various aspects and
implementations will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from
the
scope and spirit of the invention, it is to be understood that the foregoing
does not
limit the invention as expressed in the appended claims to the exact
construction,
implementations and versions shown and described.
