Spill Guard Clamp for Countertops
A spill guard clamp (10) for use on countertops, comprising of a spring steel clamp (20), upper and lower sealing pads (30a and 30b respectively), and two removable lever arms (40). The spill guard clamp (10) is installed by first pressing the removable lever arms (40), and then sliding the spill guard clamp (10) over the edge of the countertop. It is the upper sealing pad (30a) that provides a boundary for preventing liquids and food particles from spilling over the countertop onto below cabinetry and flooring.
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
The kitchen countertop is found within many homes as an area where, for example, food is prepared. Additionally, as is well known, kitchen countertops generally contain a sink. In preparing food or in operating the sink, food substances or liquids may spill from the edge of the countertop, onto the cabinetry and flooring directly below. As a result, unsightly food markings and food substances are left to be cleaned from contacted surfaces. In the long term, cabinetry and flooring may experience damage in the form of warping or discoloration.
Several types of guards for the kitchen countertop, particularly for the sink area, have been proposed—for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,398 (2003) to Trott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,910 (1997) to Erickson et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,808 (1947) to Warman, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,302,658 (1919) to Henning Although capable of guarding against splashes, these guards are relatively large. The splash guard shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,398 (2003) to Trott incorporates a panel portion to direct liquids from the faces of cabinet doors and drawers below the kitchen sink. However, during use, this restricts the ability to open and close cabinet doors and drawers.
There is a need for a device that can: prevent food substances and liquids from spilling over the countertop edge, be easily installed and removed when desired, and mitigate the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY—In accordance with one embodiment, a spring steel clamp is provided with removable lever arms and sealing pads of either elastic or sponge material.
Advantages—Accordingly, several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide a spill guard clamp that can prevent food substances and liquids from spilling over the countertop edge, that can be easily installed and removed, that is constructed of lesser parts, that can be easily manufactured, that is economical, and that can work in series using multiple units to extended the spill guard boundary.
Referring now to the figures,
Referring to
Sealing pads 30a and 30b have an equal length as that of the jaw ends 24, and are to be attached to the jaw ends 24 by a means of mounting and fastening, such as screws, rivets, adhesives, sliding holder, etc. The sealing pads 30a and 30b are an elastic material such as rubber, but can also consist of a porous material such as a polyester sponge for absorbing water and water-based solutions. Sealing pads 30a and 30b are of a rectangular shape, typically with a 3 mm to 15 mm thickness.
The lever arms 40 consist of a metal rod, which is bent into a single open loop shape by conventional metal rod bending methods. However it is to be understood that the lever arms 40 can also consist of a plate that is formed and cut into a shape consisting of a handle extension.
Operation—The manner of installing and using the spill guard clamp 10 to prevent spills over the countertop edge is described in this section.
When unstressed, the spill guard clamp 10 takes the position shown in
While the spill guard clamp 10 is engaged, the upper sealing pad 30a creates a wall barrier 32 (
For removing the spill guard clamp 10, one inserts and presses the removable lever arms 40 together similar to the installation method, and removes the spill guard clamp 10 away from the edge of the countertop 12.
Claims
1. A clamp mountable on a countertop surface to prevent spills onto cabinetry and flooring, the said clamp comprising:
2. A spring steel clamp and removable first and second pivot arms for opening the said spring steel clamp.
3. The clamp of claim 2, wherein the inner surface of the jaw ends comprise of a sealing pad of an elastic material.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 31, 2013
Publication Date: Mar 5, 2015
Inventor: Christian Oziel Quinones (Winter Park, FL)
Application Number: 14/016,068
International Classification: A47B 97/00 (20060101);