Counter Edge Guard

Abstract

A counter edge guard formed of a durable, semi-rigid material for protecting a countertop and the edge of a countertop. The edge guard has a first, main elongated section that is substantially flat over the bottom surface area. A second, side elongated section that is substantially flat over a second bottom surface is joined to the first, main elongated section at a corner joint having an angle that is approximately perpendicular to the first, main section. An optional third elongated portion is joined to the first, main section opposite the second, side section. The length of the elongated sections is much greater than the width of these sections. The counter edge guard is placed over a counter to protect the counter and the counter edge.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This application claims priority benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/181,134, filed on Jun. 17, 2015.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Portions of this disclosure contain material in which copyright is claimed by the applicant. The applicant has no objection to the copying of this material in the course of making copies of the application file or any patents that may issue on the application, but all other rights whatsoever in the copyrighted material are reserved.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to protective covers for countertops, and more particularly to a removable cover for use with a countertop to prevent damage that may occur from regular everyday use.

Countertops are a major investment for a homeowner. In today's building business, it is common practice to install various types of countertops including marble, granite, tile, wood, cement, glass and other materials that may be difficult or easy to clean. A major problem with any of these materials, even materials that are formed of stone, is that they can be damaged in everyday use. It is not uncommon for a counter, particularly at an exposed edge to be nicked or chipped by a pot or pan or other utensils during use or cleaning. The problem is particularly acute in the area surrounding a sink. For this reason, a variety of protective devices have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,468 to Maggio, entitled Edge Guard for Undermount Sinks is directed to a protective cover for lining one or more edges of a countertop. The Maggio edge guard includes a strip of pliable material with two longitudinal edges, each with a plurality of cuts that form foldable flaps. The cuts are oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal edges. A suction pad is used to attach each foldable flap to an interior ledge of the countertop or a side of the sink. The Maggio edge guard is unattractive and is not something that a homeowner would leave on the countertop on a permanent basis. Other protective liners or mats are also known, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,856 to Dore and Pat. No. 6,338,171 to Dandridge. However, the designs in those patents have similar drawbacks to Maggio.

The present invention is a countertop edge guard that is designed to snugly fit over sections of the counter, including an edge. The edge guard protects the countertop, including the edge while also providing an attractive, protective cover that a homeowner can leave in place at most times, but that is easily removable for cleaning the countertop and the edge guard as required. The edge guard may be formed with a surface pattern to match the countertop, or to otherwise add to the aesthetics of the room in which the counter is located.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it functions, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show embodiments of the present invention in which:

FIGS. 1A-D show a counter edge guard in a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A-C show a counter edge guard in a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A-C show a counter edge guard in a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A-C show a counter edge guard in a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a counter edge guard of the present invention shown over a counter around a sink.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout FIGS. 1-5, like elements of the invention are referred to by the same reference numerals for consistency purposes.

The present invention is an edge guard for a counter golf. The edge guard is a removable cover for use on a countertop to prevent damage that may occur from regular every day use. There are a number of different embodiments.

FIGS. 1A-D show a first embodiment of an edge guard 100 for use on a countertop 105 with countertop edge 110 shown as a dotted line that is protected under edge guard 100. Edge guard 100 is in an L-shaped configuration. In this configuration, edge guard 100 is formed with a first elongated portion 115 and a second elongated portion 120 that come together along a corner joint 125 where the angle between first elongated portion 115 and second elongated portion 120 is approximately ninety degrees (90°), which is typically the angle between a top surface 130 of countertop 105 and a side surface 135 of countertop 105. As can be seen in FIGS. 1A-D, the length of each of elongated portions 115, 120 is far greater than the width of each elongated portion 115, 120. While the dimensions may be different for any particular edge guard, representative dimensions are shown in FIGS. 1B-C where all measurements are provided in inches and the term “R” represents a rounding measurement by a degree of “roundness” or “radius size” at a corner, such as at a ninety degree (90°) corner as shown in detail in FIG. 1C.

FIGS. 2A-C show a second embodiment of an edge guard 200 for use on a counter 205 in an area surrounding an undermount sink or other cut-out in countertop 205 where the edge guard extends from a first squared side 235 to a second, rounded or bull-nosed side 240 over a portion of countertop area 230 that typically surrounds the interior perimeter of the cutout for a sink. In this configuration, all of the components of an edge guard 200 are similar to those shown for edge guard 100 in FIGS. 1A-1C, including a first elongated portion 215, a second elongated portion 220 and a corner joint 225. In the second embodiment, a rounded or bull-nosed elongated portion 245 of edge guard 200 is joined to a second side of first elongated portion 215 opposite second elongated portion 220. This configuration allows edge guard 200 to fit over portion 230 of countertop 205 between the edge and the cut out.

Edge guard 200 is formed of a durable, semi-rigid material which may be rubber, vinyl, plastic or another suitable material with a limited range of flexibility. Edge guard 200 is designed to snugly fit over sections of a countertop, including over an edge 250. Edge guard 200 protects countertop 205, including edge 210 while also providing an attractive, protective cover that a homeowner can leave in place at most times, but that is easily removable for cleaning the countertop and the edge guard as required. Edge guard 200 may be formed with a surface pattern to match the countertop, to be decorative, or to otherwise add to the aesthetics of the room in which the countertop is located. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2A-C, edge guard 200 may be “snapped” into place over countertop portion 230. This is done by placing corner joint 225 along edge 210 and pressing down on first elongated portion 215 until it flexes and bull-nosed elongated portion 245 snaps into place over corresponding bull-nosed side 240 of counter 205.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2A-C, the length of each of elongated portions 215, 220, 245 is far greater than the width of each elongated portion 215, 220, 245. While the dimensions may be different for any particular edge guard, representative dimensions are shown in FIGS. 2B-C where all measurements are provided in inches and “R” represents the radius measurement of the corner.

FIGS. 3A-C show a counter edge guard 300 in a third embodiment of the present invention that is generally similar to counter edge guard 200 of FIGS. 2A-C except with different dimensions for bull-nosed elongated portion 345. In this embodiment, bull-nosed elongated portion is deeper and is intended to fit over a thicker countertop 305.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3A-C, the length of each of elongated portions 315, 320, 345 is far greater than the width of each elongated portion 315, 320, 345. While the dimensions may be different for any particular edge guard, representative dimensions are shown in FIGS. 3B-C where all measurements are provided in inches.

FIGS. 4A-C show a counter edge guard in a fourth embodiment of the present invention that is generally similar to counter edge guards 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2A-C and FIGS. 3A-C, respectively, except with different dimensions for bull-nosed elongated portion 445. In this embodiment, bull-nosed elongated portion is even deeper than in FIGS. 3A-C and is intended to fit over a very thick countertop 405.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4A-C, the length of each of elongated portions 415, 420, 445 is far greater than the width of each elongated portion 415, 420, 445. While the dimensions may be different for any particular edge guard, representative dimensions are shown in FIGS. 4B-C where all measurements are provided in inches.

FIG. 5 is a counter edge guard 100 of the present invention shown over a counter 105 around a portion of a sink.

For all of the different embodiments, it may be desirable to include a layer of non-slip material on one or more of the interior surfaces of the edge guard to hold it in place against the counter and to prevent it from scratching the countertop over which it is fitted. Such material may also provide cushioning against the counter to improve the feel for a user pushing down on the edge guard. Such material may be made of silicone or another gel, or it may be simply a relatively high friction material such as rubber or vinyl.

Edge guards 100, 200, 300 and 400 may also be produced with an ornate or aesthetically pleasing decorative design on the upper surface. The design may be chosen to match or complement the counter on which it is to be produced, either as part of a standard catalog of designs or a custom design chosen by a person buying it.

It is to be understood that the above descriptions and drawings are only for illustrating representative variations of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof. Any variation and derivation from the above description and drawings are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, counter dimensions for any particular counter, including the area surrounding a sink or other cut-out area vary greatly. The edge guard of the present invention may be formed to accommodate any countertop by varying the dimensions.

Claims

1. A counter edge guard apparatus formed of a durable, semi-rigid material, comprising:

a first elongated portion that is substantially flat over a first bottom surface area with a first length and a first width, wherein the first length is greater than the first width;

a second elongated portion that is substantially flat over a second bottom surface with a second length and a second width, wherein the second length is approximately equal to the first length and the second elongated portion is joined to the first elongated portion at a corner joint having an angle that is approximately perpendicular along the first and second length; and

wherein, when the counter edge guard is placed over a counter, the first bottom surface contacts a top, horizontal surface of a counter, the second bottom surface contacts a side, vertical surface of a counter, and an edge surface along the corner joint contacts an edge of a counter between the top, horizontal surface and the side, vertical surface of the counter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the durable, semi-rigid material is formed from one of a group comprising rubber, vinyl and plastic.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an interior surface layer of adhesive material covering a substantial portion of at least one of the first bottom surface, the second bottom surface and the edge surface, and that provides a removable contact against the counter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a third elongated rounded portion that is rounded in shape across a third bottom surface with a third length and a third width, wherein the third length is approximately equal to the first and second lengths, and the third elongated rounded portion is joined to the first elongated portion opposite the second elongated portion such that the rounded portion substantially matches an opposing rounded side portion of a counter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a decorative design printed on an exposed surface of the apparatus.