Wall design imprint tool

Abstract

The present invention is a tool for forming aligned repeating pattern impressions in a deformable material. This tool comprises an upper support plate with at least one handle and a lower forming surface adjacent the upper support plate. The lower forming surface has raised elements designed to form pattern impressions in the deformable material. The raised elements are defined in part by four opposite edges forming a lower perimeter adjacent an upper perimeter of the upper support plate. One of two edges of the lower perimeter is designed to create a respective impression that will match only with an impression created by a respective one of two opposite edges. To ensure proper alignment of the impression, the tool also is provided with alignment indicia to align a first impression made by one continuous perimeter edge of the raised elements to a subsequent impression made by the opposite perimeter edge of the raised elements. The alignment indicia includes both the upper perimeter of the upper support plate corresponding to the edges forming the lower perimeter or the upper support plate being transparent. Either alignment indicia will ensure that an operator can align a prior impression made by the tool with one of the perimeter edges of the tool so that the subsequent perimeter impressions will overlap one another.

1 . A tool for forming aligned repeating pattern impressions in a deformable material, comprising:
 an upper support plate;   a lower forming surface adjacent the upper support plate having raised elements designed to form the pattern impressions in the deformable material, the raised elements defined in part by four opposite edges of the raised elements forming a lower perimeter adjacent an upper perimeter of the upper support plate, one edge of the lower perimeter of raised elements being designed to create an impression which will match only with an impression created by an edge of the lower perimeter opposite said one edge;   at least one handle fixed to the upper support plate; and   alignment indicia designed to align a first impression made by said one edge of the raised elements to a subsequent impression made by said opposite edge of the raised elements to create the repeating pattern impressions with properly aligned impression edges.   
     
     
         2 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the alignment indicia is a profile of the upper perimeter in the upper support plate which corresponds to the edges forming the lower perimeter of the raised elements. 
     
     
         3 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the raised elements of the lower forming surface having portions which extend away from the lower forming surface and ending in raised sections. 
     
     
         4 . The tool as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein the raised elements are fixed to the bottom of the upper support plate and are defined by raised section walls extending a defined distance from the lower forming surface toward the raised section and the lower forming surface and further wherein the raised section walls form chambers with the lower forming surface which will maintain a preset amount of deformable material within the chambers so that the impression of the deformable material made by each impression will have a thickness which consistent with the thickness made by subsequent impressions made by the tool. 
     
     
         5 . The tool as set forth in  claim 4  further including a filet formed at the vertex between the raised section walls and the lower forming surface so that deformable material has a reduced tendency to adhere to the lower forming surface and the raised elements. 
     
     
         6 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the raised elements of the lower forming surface are formed from portions of the lower forming surface which remain after portions of the lower forming surface have been removed. 
     
     
         7 . The tool as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein the raised elements have walls extending a defined distance from the lower forming surface toward an upper surface and form chambers which will maintain a preset amount of deformable material within the chambers so that the impression of the deformable material made by each impression will have a thickness which consistent with the thickness made by subsequent impressions made by the tool. 
     
     
         8 . The tool as set forth in  claim 6  further including a filet formed at the vertex between the imprint walls and the lower forming surface so that deformable material has a reduced tendency to adhere to the lower forming surface and the raised elements. 
     
     
         9 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the upper support plate is transparent and the alignment indicia include the four opposite edges of the lower perimeter of raised elements which edges are observable through the transparent upper support plate. 
     
     
         10 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the upper support plate is formed from a flexible material. 
     
     
         11 . The tool as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein said flexible material is substantially constructed from polyurethane. 
     
     
         12 . The tool as set forth in  claim 10 , further comprising two handles attached to said upper support plate. 
     
     
         13 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the lower perimeter formed by the four opposite edges of the raised elements is continuous. 
     
     
         14 . The tool as set forth in  claim 4 , further comprising an opening in both the lower forming surface and the upper support plate communicating with the chamber so that a small amount of deformable material can exit from the chamber through the opening to further ensure a consistent thickness of the impressions. 
     
     
         15 . The tool as set forth in  claim 7 , further comprising an opening in both the lower forming surface and the upper support plate communicating with the chamber so that a small amount of deformable material can exit from the chamber through the opening to further ensure a consistent thickness of the impressions. 
     
     
         16 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1  wherein two handles, each having a longitudinal axis, are fixed to the upper support plate wherein the longitudinal axis of both handles are parallel to one another. 
     
     
         17 . The tool as set forth in  claim 1  wherein two handles, each having a longitudinal axis, are fixed to the upper support plate wherein the longitudinal axis of both handles are perpendicular to one another.