Wege-Shaped Tile Spacer

Abstract

The disclosure relates to tile spacing devices for insertion between tiles being spaced apart from one another and/or from other features on a surface. The spacers include a wedge portion and a tongue portion. Unlike previous wedges used for tile spacing, at least one face of the wedge described herein is indented. When inserted between adjacent tiles, at least the indented portion of the face will not contact a tile, which can minimize adhesion of grout, mortar, and adhesives to the spacer, facilitating its removal. The tongue portion of the spacer extends beyond the face of adjacent flat tiles, even when the entire wedge portion is inserted into the inter-tile space. The tongue portion can be gripped by a user to facilitate removal of the spacer from set tiles.

1 . A device for spacing tiles on a surface, the device comprising
 A) a wedge portion having a vertex end, an apex end, a support face, an indented face, an indentation floor, and at least one indentation sidewall, wherein
 i) the support face is substantially planar, 
 ii) the indented face includes a substantially planar portion, 
 iii) the support face and the indented face are positioned such that the plane of the support face and the substantially planar portion of the indented face intersect at a line that is substantially parallel to the vertex end, the intersecting planes defining an acute angle, 
 iv) the indentation sidewall extends along the wedge portion between the vertex end and the apex end and between the support face and the substantially planar portion of the indented face, and 
 v) the indentation sidewall and the indentation floor define an indentation into the indented face, the indentation floor not being coplanar with the substantially planar portion of the indented face; 
   and   B) a tongue portion connected to the wedge portion at the apex end, the tongue portion extending away from the wedge portion sufficiently that the device can he gripped by a user when the entire wedge portion is inserted between two adjacent tiles having substantially co-planar exterior surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wedge and tongue portions are integral. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the floor extends from the vertex end to the apex end. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the floor is surrounded on all edges thereof by the substantially planar portion of the indented face. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wedge portion has at least two indentation sidewalls situated on opposite sides of the indentation floor. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wedge portion has two indentation sidewalk located at and spanning the entire length of the lateral edges of the wedge portion. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the indentation floor is substantially parallel to the support face. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , having a thickness indicator thereon. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , having a distal end opposite the vertex end of the wedge portion and having side walls, wherein each of the vertex end, the distal end, and he side walls are substantially planar and perpendicular to the plane of the support face of the wedge portion. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the tongue portion has a substantially planar support face and a second face opposite the support face. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the support face of the wedge portion is substantially coplanar with the support face of the tongue portion. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the second face of the tongue portion is not co-planar with the substantially planar portion of the indented face. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the second face of the tongue portion and the substantially planar portion of the indented face intersect at a line that is parallel to the support faces, wherein the shortest distance between the line and the plane of the support faces corresponds to an indicium associated with the device. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the indicium is selected from the group consisting of the color of the device, a symbol on the device, and the shape of the tongue portion. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the second face of the tongue portion is substantially parallel to the support face thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein tongue portion bears a gripping element for facilitating gripping of the tongue portion by a user when the entire wedge portion is inserted between two adjacent tiles having substantially co-planar exterior surfaces. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the gripping element is a depression in the second face. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the gripping element is a hole defined by and extending through the tongue portion between the support and second faces thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein a portion of at least one of the support face of the wedge portion and the support face of the tongue portion bears a plurality of traction elements. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the traction elements comprise ridges extending substantially entirely across at least one of the support face of the wedge portion and the support face. 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein the ridges are substantially parallel to the vertex end of the device. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 2 , being made of a molded thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 22 , being made of an acid-resistant thermoplastic. 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the material is substantially incompressible when subjected to the forces normally incident to tile setting. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the material is resiliently deformable when subjected to the forces normally incident to tile setting.