Protective end for furniture leg
A protective end for a furniture leg is disclosed. The protective end includes a substantially spherical element comprised of an elastomer and having a hollow interior. The protective end further includes an orifice in the spherical element for accepting insertion of a furniture leg. The protective end further includes a raised ring disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element comprised, wherein the raised ring prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element. In one alternative, the protective end further includes a smooth layer disposed on an outer surface of the spherical element and an adhesive layer for securing the smooth layer to the outer surface of the spherical element. In another alternative, the elastomer comprises rubber, the smooth layer comprises felt and the orifice comprises a slit.
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Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISCNot Applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to furniture and other articles used in a home or room, and more particularly to protective ends for furniture legs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONProtective furniture feet, or protective ends, provide protection from damage to floors and furniture legs and reduce noise caused by shuffling or sliding of furniture. Protective ends can protect a fragile floor, such as hard wood or carpet, from damage caused by hard and inflexible furniture feet. Furniture feet themselves can also be protected from rugged floors by protective ends. Various types of protective ends abound, from felt pads adhered to the bottom of furniture legs, to plastic caps that cover the end of the furniture leg. Most solutions, however, can be expensive and only fit a single or limited size of furniture leg.
A common approach in classrooms and child care facilities is to use old tennis balls as furniture feet. Slits or orifices are made in the surface of the hollow tennis ball and the end of a furniture leg is inserted into the orifice. This allows furniture, such as chairs and desks, to be slid smoothly across a floor without causing much noise or damage to the floor or furniture leg. Although effective for providing some protection and reducing noise, this approach has its drawbacks. First, the solution involves tennis balls which come in a limited range of colors and sizes. Second, tennis balls typically include an outer surface made of a particular type of felt, which exhibits coarse qualities such that a tennis racquet can better grip the ball when contacting it. The coarse nature of the felt is contrary to the purpose of allowing smooth sliding of furniture across a floor. Third, the inside of a tennis ball is uniformly smooth and round, which allows the end of a furniture leg to travel unobstructed within the interior surface of the tennis ball. Thus, when the furniture is pushed or slid across the floor, the tennis ball may rotate around the furniture leg end and eventually completely rotate off. This is detrimental as it could result in uneven furniture legs, lost tennis balls and damaged floors.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly for a more efficient and secure protective end for furniture legs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBriefly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a protective end for a furniture leg is disclosed. The protective end includes a substantially spherical element comprised of an elastomer and having a hollow interior and an orifice in the spherical element for accepting insertion of a furniture leg. The protective end further includes a raised ring disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element comprised, wherein the raised ring prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element. In one alternative, the protective end further includes a smooth layer disposed on an outer surface of the spherical element and an adhesive layer for securing the smooth layer to the outer surface of the spherical element. In another alternative, the elastomer comprises rubber, the smooth layer comprises felt and the orifice comprises a slit.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a protective end for a furniture leg is disclosed. The protective end includes a substantially spherical element comprising a first hemisphere having a first radius coupled with a second hemisphere having a second radius greater than the first. The protective end further includes an orifice in the first hemisphere for accepting insertion of a furniture leg. The protective end further includes a raised edge disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element comprised of a junction between the first and second hemispheres, wherein the raised edge prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element. In one alternative, the spherical element is hollow and is comprised of an elastomer, the smooth layer comprises felt and the orifice comprises a slit.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a protective end for a furniture leg is disclosed. The protective end includes a substantially spherical element comprised of an elastomer and having a hollow interior. The protective end further includes a smooth layer disposed on an outer surface of the spherical element and an orifice in the spherical element for accepting insertion of a furniture leg. The protective end further includes a raised ring disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element, wherein the raised edge prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element. In one alternative, the spherical element is comprised of an elastomer, the smooth layer comprises felt and the orifice comprises a slit.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and also the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Additionally, the left-most digit of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.
The present invention provides an inexpensive protective end that fits securely on a furniture leg. The protective end includes a substantially spherical element comprised of an elastomer, such as rubber, and having a hollow interior and an orifice in the spherical element for accepting insertion of a furniture leg. The protective end further includes a feature disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element, wherein the feature prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element. In one alternative, the feature that prevents travel of the furniture leg may comprise a corner or edge disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element. In another alternative, the feature that prevents travel of the furniture leg may comprise a raised ring disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element.
The features of the present invention are advantageous as they prevent or restrict traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element. This is beneficial as it secures the protective end on the furniture leg, even when the furniture leg is being pushed or slid across the floor and causes rotation of the protective end. The present invention also allows for the protective end to be rotated at a wide angle while continuing to secure the protective end on the furniture leg. This is advantageous as it allows users of the furniture continued unfettered use of the furniture without worrying that a protective end will be rotated or pushed off of the furniture leg.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the protective end 100 further includes a smoother outer layer 120 disposed over the protective end 100. The outer layer 120 may be a smoother fabric such as felt or wool. Also, protective end 100 may further comprise an adhesive layer (not shown) that secures the outer layer 120 to the protective end 100.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the protective end 100 is manufactured from an elastomer, comprising any of various elastic substances resembling rubber. For example, the protective end 100 can be manufactured from a polyvinyl elastomer or from synthetic or natural rubber. In another embodiment of the present invention, the protective end 100 is manufactured using a rubber molding process. Rubber molding is a molding process that produces a useable rubber product. Rubber products are made from uncured rubber or elastomers. An elastomer is any material with sufficient resilience or memory for returning to its original shape in response to pressure or distortions. Some commonly used examples include hypalon, viton, latex rubber, silicone rubber, nitrile and neoprene. Rubber and elastomers can be derived from natural sources, although they are mostly synthetic, produced through highly controlled chemical processes.
While there are variations in specific methods, rubber manufacturing uses heat and pressure to form molded rubber products. The three most common methods in the rubber molding process are injection molding, compression molding and transfer molding. Each of these is different, but they all involve pouring liquid rubber material into a mold where it is cured in an oven and cooled, thus creating the finished product. Some examples of molded rubber parts include rubber grommets, tubes, shock mounts, stoppers, hoses, bumpers, washers, gasket and seals. Foam rubber goods are also significant due to their many applications.
Various other types of rubber molding exist. Blow molding is a less-common process of placing a hollow tube between the two halves of a blow mold. The blow mold then closes, pinching off the bottom half of the tube, and air is injected into the top, forcing the material outwards to the walls of the blow mold. Compression molding is a process that compresses the rubber material in a mold under heat and pressure to achieve the desired shape. Injection molding involves melting rubber in an injection unit and then injecting it into the mold where it stays until after cooling when the finished product is ready. Transfer molding involves building a “piston and cylinder”-like device in the mold and squirting the rubber into it through small holes. The mold is then closed and under hydraulic pressure the rubber or plastic is forced through a small hole into the cavity where it cures.
The obtuse-angled corner created by the surface 504 and surface 502 serves to arrest the sliding or traveling of the end 404 of the furniture leg 402 along the interior surface 302, as one corner of the end 404 becomes entrenched in the gutter. That is, one corner of the end 404 of the furniture leg 402 may become embedded or implanted in the corner created by the surface 504 and surface 502. Thus, as the end 404 slides along the surface 302, it eventually reaches the obstacle created by surfaces 504, 502 and continued travel of the end 404 is restricted or stopped. As shown in
In another embodiment of the present invention, the corner created by surfaces 504, 502 is not obtuse but rather a right angle, thereby similarly restricting travel of the end 404. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the obstacle within the protective end 100 that functions to restrict travel of the furniture leg 402 within the interior 302 comprises a raised ring. The raised ring may be composed by the same material as the surface 302 and may run substantially along a horizontal equator of the protective end 100. The raised ring would provide a protruding member that would arrest or restrict travel of the end 404 along surface 302. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the obstacle within the protective end 100 that functions to restrict travel of the furniture leg 402 within the interior 302 comprises a raised edge. The raised edge would comprise the junction of two surfaces that, similar to the junction of surfaces 504, 502, would create an obstacle to the smooth surface of 302 as the end 404 slides across it.
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is not to be restricted, therefore, to the specific embodiments. Furthermore, it is intended that the appended claims cover any and all such applications, modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A protective end for a furniture leg, comprising:
- a substantially spherical element comprised of an elastomer and having a hollow interior;
- an orifice in the spherical element for accepting insertion of a furniture leg; and
- a raised ring disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element comprised, wherein the raised ring prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element.
2. The protective end of claim 1, wherein the elastomer comprises rubber.
3. The protective end of claim 2, further comprising a smooth layer disposed on an outer surface of the spherical element.
4. The protective end of claim 3, further comprising an adhesive layer for securing the smooth layer to the outer surface of the spherical element.
5. The protective end of claim 3, wherein the smooth layer comprises felt.
6. The protective end of claim 2, wherein the orifice comprises a slit.
7. The protective end of claim 2, wherein the spherical element comprises a tennis ball.
8. A protective end for a furniture leg, comprising:
- a substantially spherical element comprising a first hemisphere having a first radius coupled with a second hemisphere having a second radius greater than the first;
- an orifice in the first hemisphere for accepting insertion of a furniture leg; and
- a raised edge disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element comprised of a junction between the first and second hemispheres, wherein the raised edge prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element.
9. The protective end of claim 8, wherein the spherical element is hollow and is comprised of an elastomer.
10. The protective end of claim 9, wherein the elastomer comprises rubber.
11. The protective end of claim 9, further comprising a smooth layer disposed on an outer surface of the spherical element.
12. The protective end of claim 11, wherein the smooth layer comprises felt.
13. The protective end of claim 9, wherein the orifice comprises a slit.
14. The protective end of claim 9, wherein the raised edge comprises substantially a right angle between the first and second hemispheres.
15. A protective end for a furniture leg, comprising:
- a substantially spherical element comprised of an elastomer and having a hollow interior;
- a smooth layer disposed on an outer surface of the spherical element;
- an orifice in the spherical element for accepting insertion of a furniture leg; and
- a raised ring disposed along an inside surface of the spherical element, wherein the raised edge prevents traveling of the furniture leg within the spherical element.
16. The protective end of claim 15, wherein the elastomer comprises rubber.
17. The protective end of claim 15, wherein the smooth layer comprises felt.
18. The protective end of claim 15, wherein the orifice comprises a slit extending through the spherical element and the smooth layer.
19. The protective end of claim 15, wherein raised ring is positioned substantially at an equator of the spherical element.
20. The protective end of claim 15, wherein the spherical element substantially comprises a tennis ball.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 24, 2006
Publication Date: Sep 27, 2007
Applicant:
Inventors: Amy LaPointe (Plantation, FL), Melissa Stines (Miami Beach, FL)
Application Number: 11/388,434
International Classification: A47B 91/06 (20060101);