Some standard toilet stiles use steel cores and are typically manufactured by gluing one sheet of particle board onto each side of a sheet of steel. The sheet of steel typically has a shorter length and width than the particle board sheets, so a filler of wood or filler, such as Masonite™, is typically used to fill the gaps between the particle board sheets. After the gaps are sufficiently filled, a laminate is glued along the entire periphery of the stile to cover the exposed edges of the particle board and wood or filler. This three-layer design allows the stile to have sufficient strength to withstand the daily wear and tear that is common for a toilet stile, particularly in a public toilet.
The process of creating this three-layer toilet stile design involves first cutting relatively thin, for example, ⅜″ thick, and wide sheets of particle board, which usually requires the cooperation of at least two workers. Then, wood or filler, such as Masonite (R), is cut into pieces sufficient to fill gaps along both sides and the top edge of the steel sheet.
Glue is then placed between the steel sheet, particle board sheets, and the wood or filler and the components are cold pressed together for a period of around 45-60 minutes. Because of the number of components and the large size of the surfaces that must be glued together, this step requires the storage and use of large amounts of glue. Moreover, special machines designed for batch gluing of these surfaces are expensive and generate large amounts of glue waste during every cleanup. The stile is then trimmed to a desired width with an industrial saw and the stiles can be stored until the particular width is needed to fill an order.
A plastic laminate is then hot pressed along the entire periphery of the stile to cover the exposed junctions between the wood or filler and the particle boards.
This process can be time consuming, labor intensive, expensive, and can require a wide assortment of materials to be stored and used. Because many materials must be stored and many steps require a large amount of floor space, setup, and cleanup, environmental and safety concerns may be raised. A need exists, therefore, for a slotted stile system and manufacturing method requiring fewer materials and work space, easier handling, less expensive machinery, and less waste, while maintaining the strength necessary to withstand the normal wear and tear of a toilet stile.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds