Roll-up furniture leg floor protector

Abstract

The present invention relates to a furniture leg floor protector. The invention is an improvement over the prior art in that firstly it has a flexible upper sleeve which is stretchable and adapted to receive a leg of many dimensions. This overcomes previous problems with floor protectors which after a certain age and wear, and because of semi-rigid construction, tend to fall off the furniture legs. The invention also presents a method of installing the felt pad on the bottom of the floor protector by means of molding around the pad during molding of the floor protector. This not only fixedly secures the pad to the rest of the floor protector in an integral manner; but also alleviates applying the pads to the floor protector by means of adhesive as a second step in the manufacturing process after molding.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from Canadian Patent Application no. 2,585,597, filed in Canada Apr. 20, 2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to furniture leg floor protectors, and more particularly those adapted for use with chair, table, stool, sofa, or any other furniture leg.

BACKGROUND

Furniture leg floor protectors have commonly been in use for many years. These are used to avoid damage to for example hardwood floors when a chair or table is moved. They also reduce noise in the classroom where children tend to move their desks and chairs around often making an irritating noise.

Almost all furniture leg floor protectors suffer from two problems which the present invention seeks to solve. Most present day floor protectors are injector molded out of a transparent, rubber-like material such as plasticized thermo-plastic elastomer. The product is semi-rigid, including the upper sleeve with circular side walls. The upper sleeve is adapted to receive a leg of furniture such as a chair or table. After the molding process, a pad is applied to the bottom of the elastomer rubber-like body on the bottom thereof. The pad may be constructed of wool or felt. The pad can also be formed of a deformable resilient material to stabilize the object to give a support surface. The pad is usually secured to the floor protector body by mechanical bonding or adhesive bonding.

The addition of the pad is an extra step in the manufacturing process, which must sometimes be done by hand and thus is labor intensive. Moreover, overtime the adhesives tend to wear out, and by constant movement of the furniture leg, the pad finally becomes detached and a new pad must be added. The other problem with the semi-rigid elastomer protectors is that the upper sleeve, after significant use, becomes somewhat enlarged and the protector tends to fall off the chair or table leg.

Attempts to increase friction and long life of the upper sleeve of a floor protector have been mildly successful. For example, in United States Publication No. 2004/0123421 A1, a corrugated sleeve having folds therein to increase friction has been utilized. It would appear however that the complexity of the molding process could make this option uneconomical.

The present inventor has set out to remedy these two problems. With regard to the first, the present inventor has found by surprise that if, a for instance, a 100% wool felt is placed in a mold in a centralized position on the bottom of the mold with some frictional fit within the mold, that when the injection molding process takes place, the thermo-plastic elastomer is injected in the mold and surrounds the felt on its top planar surface and also forms a circumferential lip around the pad. Once set, cooled and removed from the mold, the pad becomes an integral part of floor protector, and cannot be separated therefrom without damage. That is to say, it is permanently affixed.

With regard to the second problem, by molding the floor protector with an upper flexible, stretchable sleeve, i.e. a circular side wall, the protector can be rolled up or folded up the chair leg during installation and frictionally stretches and adheres to the chair leg, constantly exerting an inward force towards the leg and thus preventing the floor protector from falling off the furniture leg. Moreover, in the folded down or rolled down sleeve position, the protector is smaller and easier to ship and handle, as it takes up a smaller volume.

Therefore, it is the first object of this invention as to provide an easier way to attach a pad of felt to the bottom of a floor protector. The second object of the present invention is to increase friction between the upper sleeve or circular side wall of the protector and the furniture leg.

Therefore, this invention seeks to provide a furniture leg floor protector adapted for use with chair and table legs comprising: a semi-rigid body of rubber-like material; said body including a lower, circular side wall, a bottom wall, and a lower circumferential lip; said protector further comprising a stretchable flexible circular upper side wall; said lower circular side wall, said bottom wall, said circumferential lip, and said stretchable flexible circular upper side wall being integrally formed together as one during molding; said protector further comprising a pad; said pad being adapted to fit below said bottom wall and within said circumferential lip and be permanently affixed to said semi-rigid body during said molding.

This invention also seeks to provide a method of manufacturing a furniture leg floor protector comprising the steps of: (a) placing said pad in a friction-fitted centralized position on the bottom of an injection mold; (b) injecting a transparent rubber-like material, such as plasticized thermoplastic elastomer, into said mold over and around said pad; and (c) removing said protector with said permanently affixed pad from said mold after cooling and setting.

General Description

The furniture leg protector of the present invention is a one piece plastic elastomer body with a felt pad, preferably 100% wool, embedded in the bottom during the molding process. The protector can take many shapes, providing that there is sufficient friction between the upper sleeve/circular side wall and the chair leg. The pad can be rounded or have an aperture therein or simply one piece with planar top and bottom surfaces. After molding, the pad must protrude slightly from the elastomer body in order to have proper contact with the floor. The upper sleeve is generally constructed to be much thinner than the lower circular wall, which must be more rigid to support the bottom of the chair leg. The thickness of the sleeve can diminish from the bottom to the top, i.e. the remote end which provides access for the chair leg during installation. It may also be tapered or in some cases cone-shaped. In other embodiments, the sleeve upper side wall can have a concave outer side and a convex inner side. It is of course possible to also have an upper sleeve or upper side wall of equal thickness in the form of a cylinder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in detail in conjunction with the following, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a transverse cross section and top view of a prior art floor protector;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of a prior art floor protector;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross section of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, wherein the upper circular side walls have been rolled down for transport and pre-installation;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, wherein the upper sleeve or side walls have been folded down for transport and pre-installation;

FIGS. 6, 6a, and 6b are a longitudinal cross section, top view, and bottom view, respectively, of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7, 7a, and 7b are respectively a longitudinal cross section, top view and bottom view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 8, 8a, and 8b are respectively a longitudinal cross section, top view and bottom view of a cylindrical embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9, 9a and 9b are respectively, a longitudinal section, top view, and bottom view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10, 10a and 10b are respectively a longitudinal cross section, a top view, and bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 11, 11a and 11b are respectively a longitudinal cross section, a top view, and bottom view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 12, 12a and 12b show an embodiment of the invention showing a curved felt bottom pad;

FIGS. 13, 13a, and 13b show a circular bottom pad, having planar top and bottom surfaces; and

FIGS. 14, 14a and 14b show a bottom pad having a circular aperture in the center thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a prior art furniture leg floor protector device. It has a bottom wall (3). The configuration is generally cylindrical and it is basically composed of an elastomer rubber-like product. A pad or felt (5) is added by double face tape to the bottom of bottom wall (3) and a screw adheres the protector to a furniture leg bottom portion in the normal course of construction.

FIG. 2 shows another prior art floor protector. It is comprised of a furniture leg floor protector having a semi-rigid circular body (2). A bottom wall (3) is integrally molded as a part of the circular body (2). A circumferential lip, descending from body (2), is marked (10). A pad 5 is paced in the recess below bottom wall (3), and secured with pressure sensitive hot-melt adhesive.

FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross section. One notes that the upper circular, flexible, stretchable wall (8) is much narrower than the lower circular wall (7). Wall (8) has an outside surface (8a) and an inside surface (8b). The lower portion of lower circular wall (7) also includes a circumferential lip (10). This is adapted to seat a typical circular wool pad or felt (11) which is planar in design on its upper and lower surfaces. Lower circular wall (7) is semi-rigid and has an outer side (7a) and an interior side (7b). It is integrally connected to bottom wall 9 and circumferential lip (10). The advantage of the upper circular wall (8) is that it becomes, with lesser thickness, very flexible and adapted with greater friction to adhere to a bottom of a chair leg or table leg. The thicker lower portions (7), (9), (10), provide some rigidity to the floor protector.

FIG. 4 shows a rolled storage position longitudinal cross section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The upper circular side wall or sleeve (8) being thin, is able to be rolled downwardly to abut lower side wall (7). Lower side wall (7) has an inside wall (7b) and an outside wall (7a). Similarly, the bottom wall (9), which is integrally joined to lower circular side wall (7) during molding, has an upper side (9a) and a lower side (9b). The pad or felt (11) is adapted to fit upwardly under the bottom side (9b) of the bottom side wall. FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal conventional shipping and handling configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows another shipping and handling configuration of an embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3. Thinner flexible and stretchable side (8) has been folded downwards to be adjacent to lower circular side wall (7). Felt or pad (11) remains attached after the molding process, thus the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 4, can be shipped in a relatively compact state to save volume requirements.

FIGS. 6, 6a and 6b show a variant of the present invention. Upper circular side wall (8) is concave outwardly, and adjoins lower side wall (7). This concave wall increases flexibility and fits more furniture leg shapes. The curved conical shape increases grip at the top of the protector.

FIG. 7 shows another variant of the present invention wherein the semi-rigid circular lower side wall (7) merges almost imperceptibly into the upper side wall (8). The two walls apparently having the same thickness. The circumference of the top portion of flexible, stretchable side wall (8) at its top is significantly less than the circumference of circular side wall (7). A felt (11) has been appropriately applied to the product.

In FIG. 8, the cylindrical side walls are basically vertical with no tapering. Upper side walls (8) are perfectly in line with lower side walls (7). This particular embodiment of the invention, with a cylindrical shape, improves production speed, but is not as strong.

It should be understood that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are not preferred embodiments of the invention, since their ability to frictionally attach to furniture legs are limited.

FIGS. 9, 9a, and 9b show a variant of the present invention. There is a tapered side wall (8) commencing at the top of the lower circular side wall (7) and ending at the upper end of the side wall (8). This tapered wall increases stability at the bottom of the protector, and its curved conical shape, which is concave on the outside of the side wall (8) and convex on the inside of the side wall (8), increases grip at the opening of the protector.

FIG. 10 shows another variant of lower circular side wall (7) and upper circular side wall (8) which is tapered inwardly and upwardly and the side wall (8) is thinner at the top than at the bottom. The usual lower circumferential lip 10 surrounds the felt pad (11), which is situated under the bottom wall (9).

FIGS. 11, 11a and 11b, showing a longitudinal cross section, a top view and a bottom view, respectively, show a substantially cylindrical upper and lower sleeve. However, there is a tapered wall to increase stability at the bottom of the protector. The cylindrical shape improves production speed, because it's easier to remove from the mold. The upper circular side wall (8) can, for the purposes of shipping and handling, be either folded downwardly or rolled downwardly, as its flexibility and stretchability is significantly greater than that of lower circular side wall (7).

FIGS. 12, 13 and 14, show longitudinal cross sections of varying embodiments of the invention, along with their counterparts 12a, 13a and 14a top views, respectively, and 12b, 13b and 14b bottom views, respectively.

In FIG. 12, pad (11) has a bottom side which is outwardly convex.

In FIG. 13 the pad or felt (11) has a planar upper surface and a planar lower surface and is circular in form.

Finally, in FIG. 14 a pad or felt is shown having an aperture (13). It is believed that injection through the bottom hole could increase clarity of the product and visual appeal. In terms of production, a hole or aperture (13) in felt or pad (11) will decrease cost and not particularly sacrifice stability.

In conclusion, it is to be understood that the two specific improvements in this invention are (1) the flexible, stretchable upper side wall, circular in form, adapted to frictionally engage a furniture leg of any dimension, and (2) the manufacture of the integrally molded furniture leg protector, wherein the injection molding takes place on and around the pad or felt. It is a novel and effective way to ensure fixation of the pad or felt to the thermoplastic elastomer body to ensure long life of the product.

Claims

1. A furniture leg floor protector adapted for use with furniture, comprising: a semi-rigid body of rubber-like material; said body including a lower, circular side wall, a bottom wall, and a lower circumferential lip; said protector further comprising a stretchable flexible circular upper side wall; said lower circular side wall, said bottom wall, said circumferential lip, and said stretchable flexible circular upper side wall being integrally formed together as one during molding; said protector further comprising a pad; said pad being adapted to fit below said bottom wall and within said circumferential lip and be permanently affixed to said semi-rigid body during said molding.

2. A method of manufacturing a furniture leg floor protector, as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of: (a) placing said pad in a friction-fitted centralized position on the bottom of an injection mold; (b) injecting a transparent rubber-like material, such as plasticized thermoplastic elastomer, into said mold over and around said pad; and (c) removing said protector with said permanently affixed pad from said mold after cooling and setting.

3. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pad is a felt-like substance comprised of any one of the group of polyester, wool, nylon, rayon, Teflon, and cotton.

4. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pad is comprised of a mixture of any two of the group of polyester, wool, nylon, rayon, Teflon, and cotton.

5. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flexible stretchable circular upper side wall is thinner than said lower circular side wall.

6. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 5, wherein said upper side wall in a first position is folded downwardly for shipping and handling, and in a second position is folded upwardly to engage a furniture leg during installation.

7. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 5 wherein said upper side wall in a first position is rolled down around said lower side wall during shipping and handling; and in a second position is unrolled to engage a furniture leg frictionally during installation.

8. A furniture leg floor protector, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circumference of a top edge portion of said upper side wall is less than that of said lower side wall.

9. A furniture leg floor protector, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said upper side wall is tapered inwardly and upwardly.

10. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1 wherein an upper most portion of said upper side wall is thinner than a lower most portion of said upper side wall.

11. A furniture floor protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein an outer side of said upper side wall is concave and an inner side of said upper side wall is convex; and the circumference of a top portion of said upper side wall is less than the circumference of a bottom portion of said upper side wall.

12. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1 wherein a top portion of said upper side wall is of the same thickness as a lower most portion of said upper side wall.

13. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of said upper side wall decreases from a lower most position to an uppermost position.

14. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pad is round with planar top and bottom surfaces.

15. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pad includes a convex lower outer surface.

16. A furniture leg floor protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pad includes a central aperture.