Furniture Barrier Assembly

Abstract

A furniture barrier assembly includes a pair of arms that each has a hinged member positionable in a first position allowing each of the arms to be slid beneath a cushion on a first article of furniture. The hinged member is positionable in a second position defining an angle facilitating each of the arms to be hooked onto a second article of furniture. A panel is attached to the pair of arms and the panel extends between the first article of furniture and a floor upon which the first article of furniture is positioned to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the first article of furniture. The panel extends between a lower threshold of the second article of furniture and a floor upon which the second article of furniture is positioned to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the second article of furniture.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to barrier devices and more particularly pertains to a new barrier device for inhibiting an object from sliding beneath an article of furniture and becoming lost. The device includes a pair of arms that each includes a hinged member that is positionable in either a first position or a second position. The device includes a panel that is attached to the pair of arms such that the panel extends between the article of furniture and a floor upon which the article of furniture is positioned. In this way the panel inhibits an object from sliding beneath the article of furniture.

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to barrier devices including a variety of barriers that each at least includes a plurality of intersecting sections such that the barriers form a rectangular shape which surrounds an article of furniture to inhibit objects from sliding beneath the article of furniture. The prior art discloses a member that has a plurality of fold notches for folding the member into a rectangle which can be positioned around an article of furniture to inhibit objects from sliding beneath the article of furniture. The prior art discloses an ornamental design for an object barrier that comprises a curtain that can be positioned beneath an article of furniture.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pair of arms that each has a hinged member which is positionable in a first thereby facilitating each of the arms to be slid beneath a cushion on a first article of furniture. The hinged member of each of the arms is positionable in a second position having each of the arms defining an angle thereby facilitating each of the arms to be hooked onto a second article of furniture. A panel is attached to the pair of arms and the panel extends between the first article of furniture and a floor upon which the first article of furniture is positioned to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the first article of furniture. The panel extends between a lower threshold of the second article of furniture and a floor upon which the second article of furniture is positioned to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the second article of furniture.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a furniture barrier assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing a pair of arms being slid beneath a cushion on a first article of furniture.

FIG. 5 is a front in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing a pair of arms being inserted into a hole in a front wall of an article of furniture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5 thereof, a new barrier device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the furniture barrier assembly 10 generally comprises a pair of arms 12 that each has a hinged member 14 which is positionable in a first position having the arms 12 being oriented to extend along a straight line thereby facilitating each of the arms 12 to be slid beneath a cushion 16 on a first article of furniture 18. The first article of furniture 18 may be a bed, a couch or other type of article of furniture commonly employed for sleeping or sitting. The hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 is positionable in a second position having each of the arms 12 defining an angle thereby facilitating each of the arms 12 to be hooked onto a second article of furniture 20. The second article of furniture 20 may comprise a chest of drawers, a dresser or other article of furniture that has an opening into which the arms 12 can be extended.

Each of the arms 12 has a first end 34 and a second end 36 and each of the arms 12 has a bend 38 positioned between the first end 34 and the second end 36 to define a first portion 40 of the arms 12 forming an angle with a second portion 42 of the arms 12. The first end 34 is associated with the first portion 40 and the second end 36 is associated with the second portion 42. Each of the arms 12 includes a hinge 44 that is movably disposed on the second end 36 and the hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 has a coupled end is attached to the hinge 44 on respective one of the arms 12. As is most clearly shown in FIG. 3, the hinge 44 may include a primary roller 46 that is rotatably integrated into a secondary roller 48.

The hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 is oriented to extend along a lengthwise axis of the second portion 42 of the respective arm 12 when the hinged member 14 is positioned in the first position. The hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 is oriented to extend downwardly from the second portion 42 of the respective arm 12 when the hinged member 14 is positioned in the second portion 42. Additionally, the hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 extends along a line that is oriented parallel with a lengthwise axis of the first portion 40 of the respective arm 12 when the hinged member 14 is in the second position.

A panel 50 is attached to the pair of arms 12 and the panel 50 extends between the first article of furniture 18 and a floor 52 upon which the first article of furniture 18 is positioned when the arms 12 are slid beneath the cushion 16 on the first article of furniture 18. In this way the panel 50 inhibits an object from sliding beneath the first article of furniture 18. The object may be a remote control, for example, or other object that is commonly dropped by a person sitting or sleeping on the first article of furniture 18. Furthermore, the panel 50 may inhibit the collection of dust beneath the first article of furniture 18. The panel 50 extends between a lower threshold 54 of the second article of furniture 20 and a floor 52 upon which the second article of furniture 20 is positioned when the arms 12 are hooked onto the second article of furniture 20. In this way the panel 50 inhibits an object from sliding beneath the second article of furniture 20.

The panel 50 has a front side 56, a back side 58 and a perimeter edge 60 extending between the front side 56 and the back side 58. The perimeter edge 60 has a top side 62, a first lateral side 64 and a second lateral side 66; the panel 50 is elongated between the first lateral side 64 and the second lateral side 66. The first end 34 of each of the arms 12 is coupled to the top side 62 such that the first portion 40 of each of the arms 12 extends upwardly from the top side 62. Each of the arms 12 is spaced from a respective one of the first lateral side 64 and the second lateral side 66. The second portion 42 of each of the arms 12 lies on a plane that is perpendicularly oriented with the front side 56 of the panel 50 having the second portion 42 of each of the arms 12 extending rearwardly away from the back side 58 of the panel 50.

In use, the hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 is positioned in the first position and the hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 and the second portion 42 of the arms 12 are extended beneath the cushion 16 on the first article of furniture 18. In this way the panel 50 is horizontally oriented to extend between the first article of furniture 18 and the floor 52 upon which the first article of furniture 18 is positioned. Thus, the panel 50 inhibits objects from sliding beneath the first article of furniture 18 and becoming misplaced. The hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 is positioned in the second position and the second portion 42 of the arms 12 are extended into a hole 68 in a front wall 70 the second article of furniture 20 such that the hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 extend downwardly along the front wall 70 of the second article of furniture 20 through which the hole 68 extends. Thus, the panel 50 is retained in a horizontal orientation to extend between the lower threshold 54 of the second article of furniture 20 and the floor 52 upon which the second article of furniture 20 is positioned. In this way objects are inhibited from sliding beneath the front wall 70 of the second article of furniture 20 and subsequently becoming lost.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.

Claims

1. A furniture barrier assembly for barrier objects from sliding beneath an article of furniture, said assembly comprising:

a pair of arms, each of said arms having a hinged member being positionable in a first position having said arms being oriented to extend along a straight line thereby facilitating each of said arms to be slid beneath a cushion on a first article of furniture, said hinged member of each of said arms being positionable in a second position having each of said arms defining an angle thereby facilitating each of said arms to be hooked onto a second article of furniture; and

a panel being attached to said pair of arms, said panel extending between the first article of furniture and a floor upon which the first article of furniture is positioned when said arms are slid beneath the cushion on the first article of furniture wherein said panel is configured to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the first article of furniture, said panel extending between a lower threshold of the second article of furniture and a floor upon which the second article of furniture is positioned when said arms are hooked onto the second article of furniture wherein said panel is configured to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the second article of furniture.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of said arms has a first end and a second end, each of said arms having a bend positioned between said first end and said second end to define a first portion of said arms forming an angle with a second portion of said arms, said first end being associated with said first portion, said second end being associated with said second portion, each of said arms including a hinge being movably disposed on said second end.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein said hinged member of each of said arms has a coupled end being attached to said hinge on respective one of said arms, said hinged member of each of said arms being oriented to extend along a lengthwise axis of said second portion of said respective arm when said hinged member is positioned in said first position, said hinged member of each of said arms being oriented to extend downwardly from said second portion of said respective arm when said hinged member is positioned in said second portion having said hinged member of each of said arms extending along a line being oriented parallel with a lengthwise axis of said first portion of said respective arm.

4. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein said panel has a front side, a back side and a perimeter edge extending between said front side and said back side, said perimeter edge having a top side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, said panel being elongated between said first lateral side and said second lateral side, said first end of each of said arms being coupled to said top side such that said first portion of each of said arms extends upwardly from said top side, each of said arms being spaced from a respective one of said first lateral side and said second lateral side.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein said second portion of each of said arms lies on a plane being perpendicularly oriented with said front side of said panel having said second portion of each of said arms extending rearwardly away from said back side of said panel.

6. A furniture barrier assembly for barrier objects from sliding beneath an article of furniture, said assembly comprising:

a pair of arms, each of said arms having a hinged member being positionable in a first position having said arms being oriented to extend along a straight line thereby facilitating each of said arms to be slid beneath a cushion on a first article of furniture, said hinged member of each of said arms being positionable in a second position having each of said arms defining an angle thereby facilitating each of said arms to be hooked onto a second article of furniture, each of said arms having a first end and a second end, each of said arms having a bend positioned between said first end and said second end to define a first portion of said arms forming an angle with a second portion of said arms, said first end being associated with said first portion, said second end being associated with said second portion, each of said arms including a hinge being movably disposed on said second end, said hinged member of each of said arms having a coupled end being attached to said hinge on respective one of said arms, said hinged member of each of said arms being oriented to extend along a lengthwise axis of said second portion of said respective arm when said hinged member is positioned in said first position, said hinged member of each of said arms being oriented to extend downwardly from said second portion of said respective arm when said hinged member is positioned in said second portion having said hinged member of each of said arms extending along a line being oriented parallel with a lengthwise axis of said first portion of said respective arm; and

a panel being attached to said pair of arms, said panel extending between the first article of furniture and a floor upon which the first article of furniture is positioned when said arms are slid beneath the cushion on the first article of furniture wherein said panel is configured to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the first article of furniture, said panel extending between a lower threshold of the second article of furniture and a floor upon which the second article of furniture is positioned when said arms are hooked onto the second article of furniture wherein said panel is configured to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the second article of furniture, said panel having a front side, a back side and a perimeter edge extending between said front side and said back side, said perimeter edge having a top side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, said panel being elongated between said first lateral side and said second lateral side, said first end of each of said arms being coupled to said top side such that said first portion of each of said arms extends upwardly from said top side, each of said arms being spaced from a respective one of said first lateral side and said second lateral side, said second portion of each of said arms lying on a plane being perpendicularly oriented with said front side of said panel having said second portion of each of said arms extending rearwardly away from said back side of said panel.

6. A furniture barrier system for barrier objects from sliding beneath an article of furniture, said assembly comprising:

a first article of furniture having a cushion and a support panel;

a second article of furniture having a forward wall, said forward wall having a hole extending into an interior of said second article of furniture;

a pair of arms, each of said arms having a hinged member being positionable in a first position having said arms being oriented to extend along a straight line thereby facilitating each of said arms to be slid beneath said cushion on said first article of furniture, said hinged member of each of said arms being positionable in a second position having each of said arms defining an angle thereby facilitating each of said arms to be hooked onto said second article of furniture, each of said arms having a first end and a second end, each of said arms having a bend positioned between said first end and said second end to define a first portion of said arms forming an angle with a second portion of said arms, said first end being associated with said first portion, said second end being associated with said second portion, each of said arms including a hinge being movably disposed on said second end, said hinged member of each of said arms having a coupled end being attached to said hinge on respective one of said arms, said hinged member of each of said arms being oriented to extend along a lengthwise axis of said second portion of said respective arm when said hinged member is positioned in said first position, said hinged member of each of said arms being oriented to extend downwardly from said second portion of said respective arm when said hinged member is positioned in said second portion having said hinged member of each of said arms extending along a line being oriented parallel with a lengthwise axis of said first portion of said respective arm, said second portion of each of said arms extending through said hole in said forward wall of said second article of furniture such that said hinged member is positioned within said second article of furniture having said hinged member extends downwardly in said second article of furniture; and

a panel being attached to said pair of arms, said panel extending between said first article of furniture and a floor upon which said first article of furniture is positioned when said arms are slid beneath said cushion on said first article of furniture wherein said panel is configured to inhibit an object from sliding beneath said first article of furniture, said panel extending between a lower threshold of said second article of furniture and a floor upon which said second article of furniture is positioned when said arms are hooked onto said second article of furniture wherein said panel is configured to inhibit an object from sliding beneath said second article of furniture, said panel having a front side, a back side and a perimeter edge extending between said front side and said back side, said perimeter edge having a top side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, said panel being elongated between said first lateral side and said second lateral side, said first end of each of said arms being coupled to said top side such that said first portion of each of said arms extends upwardly from said top side, each of said arms being spaced from a respective one of said first lateral side and said second lateral side, said second portion of each of said arms lying on a plane being perpendicularly oriented with said front side of said panel having said second portion of each of said arms extending rearwardly away from said back side of said panel.