Floor corner guard

Abstract

A corner guard made for installation in floor corners is disclosed. The corner guard may be made of flexible material and have three seating surfaces and a front face. Two of the seating surfaces are positioned adjacent to intersecting wall sections, and the third surface is positioned adjacent to the floor. The edge of the guard adjacent the floor will often be radiused to facilitate cleaning. Once installed the guard improves the overall cleanliness and appearance of a room by preventing dirt or debris from accumulating in difficult to clean corners.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/757,174 filed Jan. 6, 2006, which is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to corner guards for use at corners of hard floors.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Hard floors are often swept, mopped and waxed to preserve a good-looking perception and a clean environment. Over time the process of sweeping and mopping floors traps debris in corners. The current processes for cleaning are labor intensive and inefficient. In most cases, corners are a neglected area of floor maintenance.

Most rooms have some type of baseboard between the wall and floor. It would be difficult and cost prohibitive to remove the baseboard to install a corner piece to prevent dirt from accumulating in the corner.

The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a corner guard made for installation in floor corners. The corner guard may be made of flexible material and have three seating surfaces and a front face. Two of the seating surfaces are positioned adjacent to intersecting wall sections, and the third surface is positioned adjacent to the floor. The edge of the guard adjacent the floor will often be radiused to facilitate cleaning. Once installed the guard improves the overall cleanliness and appearance of a room by preventing dirt or debris from accumulating in difficult to clean corners.

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a corner guard system installed in a corner comprising a corner guard including a floor seating surface adjacent a floor, a first wall seating surface adjacent a first wall, and a second wall seating surface adjacent a second wall intersecting the first wall.

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a corner guard for installation in a corner, the corner guard comprising a front face, a floor seating surface defining a floor edge between the front face and the floor seating surface structured and arranged for installation against a floor, a first wall seating surface defining a first wall edge between the front face and the first wall seating surface structured and arranged for installation against a wall, and a second wall seating surface defining a second wall edge between the front face and the second wall seating surface structured and arranged for installation against a wall.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a method for installing a corner guard in a corner comprising the steps of providing a corner guard and conforming the corner guard to a corner comprising intersecting walls and a floor.

These and other aspects will be more apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view a corner guard installed in floor corner according one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a centered cross section of the corner guard shown in FIG. 1 showing an adhesive adhering the corner guard to the corner according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a corner guard showing a front face and a wall edge angle according one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of a corner guard showing seating surfaces, ridges and a center surface of a rear face of a corner guard according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a corner guard according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a center cross section of a pyramidal corner guard adhered to a corner by an adhesive according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is cross section of a corner guard made of shapeable which has deformed to conform to a corner using a forming tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a corner guard held into a corner by a die cut, one-sided tape according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a corner guard 1 is positioned in the corner of a room at a wall-to-wall intersection 21 where the walls 20 meet the floor 24. Often the area where the wall 20 meets the floor 24 is covered with a baseboard 22. Baseboards 22 are often made of wood, ceramic tile, linoleum and rubber baseboards. The corner guard 1 may seal to a baseboard 22 and floor 24 or may be sealed directly to the walls 20 and the floor 24. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the corner guard is triangular in shape and has a front face 2, which is the exterior of the guard when installed. The corner guard 1 also has wall edges 3a and 3b at the intersection of the front face 2 and each wall-seating surface 8 (not shown in FIG. 1). A third edge of the guard 5 is located at the intersection of the front face 2 and the floor seating surface 9 (not shown in FIG. 1).

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-section of the corner guard 1 along wall-to-wall intersection 21 is shown. In one embodiment the corner guard 1 is adhered to a baseboard 22 or wall 20 using an adhesive 12. The corner guard 1 may be made of flexible material so that it will conform to the shape of an irregular corner. The adhesive 12 forms a seal between the baseboard 22 and corner guard 1 and also forms a seal between corner guard 1 and the floor 24. In another embodiment the corner guard may be held to the wall and by mechanical fasteners such as screws.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the front face 2 of corner guard 1 is shown. In this embodiment the front face 2 is a substantially flat surface outlined by wall edges 3a and 3b and floor edge 5. Angle ε is also shown in FIG. 3 between wall edges 3a and 3b. The wall edge angle ε may be may be between about 20° and about 120°, depending on the particular angle of the intersecting walls at the corner in which the guard is installed. For example, for walls which intersect at an angle of 90°, a typical wall edge angle ε may be about 50° to about 70°, for example about 60°. For intersecting wall angles such as 60°, 135°, etc., the wall edge angle ε may be increased or decreased as desired.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the rear face 4 of one embodiment of the corner guard is shown. In this embodiment the rear face 4 has two wall seating surfaces 8 referred to above when defining the wall edge 3a and 3b and floor seating surface 9 referred to above when defining the floor edge 5. The intersection of each of the aforementioned seating surfaces creates ridges 10 which define the boundaries between each seating surface and also conforms to the corners formed between the baseboards 22 and the floor 24. A wall-to-wall tip is located at the intersection of the wall seating surfaces 8 and the front face 2. Two wall-to-wall tips 7 are formed at the intersections of the front face 2 with wall seating surface 8 and floor seating surface 9. The corner guard 1 has a height shown as h in FIG. 4, h may be from 1 inch to 8 inches, for example 2 21/2 inches. The corner guard 1 also has a width shown as W in FIG. 4, W may be from 1 inch to 16 inches, for example 2½ inches. Angle α shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the angle between ridges at wall-to-wall tips 6 and either ridge at floor-to-wall tip 7. Angle α may be between 100° and 170°, for example 120° and 140°, for example 120°. Angle β shown in FIG. 4 is located between ridges corresponding to floor-to-wall tips 7. Angle β may be between 20° and 160°, for example 90° and 130° for example 120°. A center surface 11 makes up the remaining portion of the rear face 4.

Referring now to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the corner guard 1 has a depth shown as d. In this embodiment d may be between 1/16 inch and 5 inches, for example ¼ inch. Angle θ represents the angle between the ridge 10, corresponding to wall to wall tip 6, and the front face 2. θ may be an angle from 5 to 45 degrees, for example 15 degrees. Angle λ is a represents the angle between the ridge 10, corresponding to floor to wall tip 7, and the front face 2. λ may be an angle from 5 to 45 degrees, for example 20 degrees.

In one embodiment the corner guard 1 is made from a flexible material, for example natural or synthetic rubber, urethane, sanoprene, fabric or cardboard.

The corner guard 1 in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 thru 4 is sealed with an adhesive between at least each of the seating surfaces 8, 9 and the baseboard 22. The adhesive 12 may be for example an epoxy, a two-sided tape, caulk, silicone or one-sided tape on the front face. The adhesive functions to keep dirt and moisture from getting behind the corner guard 1. In one embodiment, the corner guard 1 may be adhered to corner by using a friction fit between the wall and corner guard 1.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the corner guard 1 is a solid piece, pyramidal in shape that fills the entire void of corner 26. Adhesive 12 is used to seal the corner guard.

In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a formed corner guard 40 is made from a pliable self-hardening material, which is molded into corner 26 using a forming tool 41. No additional adhesive is needed because the formed corner guard 40 bonds directly to the floor 24 and baseboard 22. The forming tool 41 may be substantially flat to on a forming surface 42 to create a substantially flat formed front face 43 of the formed corner guard 40. Alternatively, the forming tool 41 may have a convex forming surface 42 so that a concave formed front face 43 is shaped. Extra material may be wiped away with a damp cloth prior to removing the forming tool.

In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a die cut triangular piece of tape 32 covers the front face 2 of the corner guard 1 and holds the corner guard 1 to the wall 20 and floor 24 at the wall edges 3a and 3b and the floor edge 5 of corner guard 1. Tape 32 may also be may of a flexible material to more easily conform to the corner guard 1 and corner 26.

The corner guard and adhesives may be colored or textured to match the surrounding baseboard 22 or wall 20. Alternatively, the corner guard may be transparent to allow the existing baseboard 22 or wall 20 to be seen through the corner guard. It is contemplated that the corner guard may be washable and used indoors and outdoors. It is also contemplated that the corner guard may be used on a surface that is not a floor, for example to seal dirt and grime from a corner of a workstation, workbench or other elevated surface. It is also contemplated that the corner guard could be used on a carpeted floor wherein only the wall seating surfaces 8 are used to adhere the corner guard 1 to the corner 26.

Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A corner guard system installed in a corner comprising:

a corner guard including a floor seating surface adjacent a floor, a first wall seating surface adjacent a first wall, and a second wall seating surface adjacent a second wall intersecting the first wall.

2. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the floor seating surface is substantially flat.

3. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the first and second wall seating surfaces are substantially flat.

4. The corner guard system of claim 1, further comprising means for securing the corner guard to the corner.

5. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for securing the corner guard to the corner comprise an adhesive.

6. The corner guard system of claim 5, wherein the adhesive comprises an epoxy adhesive.

7. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for securing the corner guard to the corner comprises two-sided tape.

8. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for securing the corner guard to the corner comprises one-way tape.

9. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for securing the corner guard to the corner comprise a mechanical fastener.

10. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for securing the corner guard to the corner comprises a friction fit between the walls and the corner guard.

11. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the corner guard is sealed to the corner.

12. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard comprises a front face and wherein the corner guard is frusta-pyramidal in shape.

13. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard further comprises a center surface intersecting a the first seating surface, the second seating surface and the floor seating surface.

14. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard further comprises a front face intersecting the floor seating surface along a floor edge defined by intersection of the floor seating surface and the front face, the front face intersecting the first wall seating surface along a first wall edge defined by a the intersection of the first wall seating surface and the front face, and the front face intersecting the second wall seating surface along a second wall edge defined by a the intersection of the second wall seating surface and the front face.

15. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the front face is substantially flat.

16. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the front face is substantially triangular.

17. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the corner guard comprises a flexible material.

18. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the front face is concave when installed in a corner.

19. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the floor edge is radiused.

20. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the first and second wall edges form an angle between is between 50 and 70 degrees.

21. The corner guard system of claim 20, wherein the angle between the first and second wall edge is about 60 degrees.

22. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard has a height of between 1 to 5 inches.

23. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard has a width of between 1 to 5 inches.

24. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard has a depth of between ⅛ to ¾ inch.

25. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the seating surfaces intersect a rear face of the corner guard to form.

26. The corner guard system of claim 25, wherein the angle θ between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the intersection of the first and second wall seating surfaces is between 5 and 45 degrees.

27. The corner guard system of claim 25, wherein the angle θ between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the intersection of the first and second wall seating surfaces is about 15 degrees.

28. The corner guard system of claim 25, wherein the angle λ between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the intersection of a wall seating surface and the floor seating surface is between 5 and 45 degrees.

29. The corner guard system of claim 26, wherein the angle λ between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the intersection of a wall seating surface and the floor seating surface is 20 degrees.

30. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard comprises a substantially transparent material.

31. The corner guard system claim 1, wherein the corner guard comprises a material of similar color and texture as the surround floor and/or wall.

32. A corner guard for installation in a corner, the corner guard comprising:

a front face;

a floor seating surface defining a floor edge between the front face and the floor seating surface structured and arranged for installation against a floor;

a first wall seating surface defining a first wall edge between the front face and the first wall seating surface structured and arranged for installation against a wall; and

a second wall seating surface defining a second wall edge between the front face and the second wall seating surface structured and arranged for installation against a wall.

33. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the floor seating surface, the first wall seating surface and the second wall seating surface are substantially flat.

34. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the floor edge is radiused.

35. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the first and second wall edges are substantially straight.

36. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the front face is concave.

37. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the first and second wall edges form an angle of from about 20 to about 120 degrees.

38. The corner guard of claim 37, wherein the first and second wall edges form an angle of from about 50 to about 70 degrees.

39. The corner guard of claim 37, wherein the first and second wall edges form an angle of about 60 degrees.

40. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the seating surfaces intersect to form ridges.

41. The corner guard of claim 40, wherein an angle between a ridge formed at the intersection of the wall seating surfaces and a ridge formed at the intersection of a wall seating surface and a floor seating surface is between about 100 and about 170 degrees.

42. The corner guard of claim 41, wherein an angle between a ridge formed at the intersection of the wall seating surfaces and a ridge formed at the intersection of a wall seating surface and a floor seating surface is between about 120 and about 140 degrees.

43. The corner guard of claim 42, wherein an angle between a ridge formed at the intersection of the wall seating surfaces and a ridge formed at the intersection of a wall seating surface and a floor seating surface is about 120 degrees.

44. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the corner guard comprises a flexible material.

45. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the corner guard deforms when the corner guard is installed in a corner.

46. A method for installing a corner guard in a corner comprising the steps of:

providing a corner guard; and

conforming the corner guard to a corner comprising intersecting walls and a floor.

47. The method of for installing a corner guard of claim 46, wherein the corner guard comprises a floor seating surface adjacent the floor, a first wall seating surface adjacent a first wall and a second wall seating surface adjacent a second wall.

48. The method of for installing a corner guard of claim 46, wherein the corner guard comprises a flexible material.

49. The method of for installing a corner guard of claim 46, wherein the corner guard is conformed to the corner by deforming the flexible material.