U.S. patent application number 10/680143 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-14 for bumper guard.
Invention is credited to MacEachern, James L..
Application Number | 20050076445 10/680143 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34422166 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050076445 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MacEachern, James L. |
April 14, 2005 |
Bumper guard
Abstract
A bumper guard for an obstruction such as furniture legs, which
is removable, flexible and of resilient construction having a
rectangular or quadrilateral pad, with inner and outer layers of
fabric and a resilient core in between affixed together and having
fastenings on the inner sides of the pad at each end of the pad by
which the two ends may be fastened together around an obstruction.
A sleeve may be attached to the exterior of the pad to provide a
decorative appearance.
Inventors: |
MacEachern, James L.; (St
Catherines, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
James L. MacEachern
25 LinField Drive, Unit 28
St. Catherines
L2N 5T8
CA
|
Family ID: |
34422166 |
Appl. No.: |
10/680143 |
Filed: |
October 8, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/663 ;
5/658 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 7/002 20130101;
A47C 31/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
005/663 ;
005/658 |
International
Class: |
A47C 031/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A bumper guard for an obstruction, the guard being readily
attachable to such an obstruction and removable therefrom, without
moving or lifting the obstruction, and comprising: a wrap around
pad of a length sufficient to extend around the obstruction and
formed of two layers of fabric, the fabric defining two ends of the
pad, and outer and inner surfaces; a resilient core in between the
fabric layers, and releasable fastening adjacent the two ends of
the pad, on the inner faces of the fabric layer for releasably
fastening the two ends of the pad together around an obstruction
whereby to form a generally tubular wrap around pad.
2. A bumper guard as claimed in claim 1, in which said pad consists
of front and rear or inner fabric layers of rectangular shape
having elongate front upper and front lower edges and rear upper
and rear lower edges, the said front and rear edges defining
generally transverse length said pad having normally vertical ends
and, side edges and a predetermined height.
3. A bumper guard as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient core
between the layers is made from urethane foam material.
4. A bumper guard as claimed in claim 2, including a fastening flap
on one end of said pad, said flap defining inner and outer
surfaces, and said releasable fastening on said end of said pad
being secured to the outwardly facing surface of said flap whereby
to overlap and close the junction between said ends.
5. A bumper guard as claimed in claim 4, in which said fastening
means at the other end of said pad are provided on the inwardly
directed one of said layers of fabric, and positioned to overly
said flap when said pad is wrapped around an obstruction.
6. A bumper guard as claimed in claim 1, in which said pad is a
parallelogram shape having upper and lower edges which are
generally horizontal and parallel and having ends extending between
said upper and lower edges which are inclined at a non-vertical
angle, and are parallel to one another.
7. A bumper guard as claimed in claim 6, in which said pad has a
resilient core between the layers made from urethane foam
material.
8. A bumper guard as claimed in claim 6 in which said pad is
provided with fastening arranged along axes parallel to said ends
on each end of said pad whereby to close the junction between said
ends.
9. The bumper guard as claimed in claim 1, including a fabric
sleeve adapted to wrap around said pad, and wherein said pad is
provided on its outer surface with a sleeve fastening to receive
said fabric sleeve.
10. The bumper guard as claimed in claim 9, wherein said fabric
sleeve is of rectangular shape and has elongate front upper and
front lower edges and normally vertical ends.
11. The bumper guard as claimed in claim 9 wherein said sleeve is
provided on its inner upper edge with sleeve attachment, to attach
to said pad.
12. The bumper guard as claimed in claim 9 wherein said sleeve
defines upper and lower edges, and including pleats formed
therealong, whereby said lower edge is fuller than said upper edge
and hangs loosely around said pad.
13. A bumper guard for an obstruction the guard being readily
attachable to such an obstruction and removable therefrom, without
moving or lifting the obstruction, and comprising: a wrap around
pad of a length sufficient to extend around the obstruction and
formed of two layers of fabric, the fabric defining two ends; a
resilient core in between the fabric layers; releasable fastening
adjacent the two ends for releasably fastening the two ends of the
pad together around an obstruction whereby to form a generally
tubular wrap around pad; a fabric sleeve dimensioned to wrap
loosely around said pad; sleeve fastening on the outer surface of
said pad to receive said fabric sleeve; and, sleeve attachment on
said sleeve to attach to the said pad.
14. A bumper guard for an obstruction the guard being readily
attachable to such an obstruction and removable therefrom, without
moving or lifting the obstruction, and comprising: a wrap around
pad of a length sufficient to extend around the obstruction and
formed of two layers of fabric, the fabric defining two ends, said
pad being of quadrilateral shape and defining upper and lower
generally horizontal edges and two ends, said ends being parallel
to one another and aligned along axes which are non right angular
relative to said upper and lower edges; a resilient core in between
the fabric layers; releasable fastenings adjacent the two ends for
releasably fastening the two ends of the pad together around an
obstruction whereby to form a generally tubular wrap around pad; a
fabric sleeve dimensioned to wrap loosely around said pad; sleeve
fastening on the outer surface of said pad to receive said fabric
sleeve; and, sleeve attachment on said sleeve to attach to the said
pad.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a bumper guard for
furniture legs, posts and other such obstructions at or close to
floor level. The bumper guard is in the form of a wrap around pad
with overlapping fastenings which can be quickly attached and
detached where required.
[0002] The bumper guard may be provided with a sleeve of designer
fabric attached to the wrap around pad fastened by its own
fastening means, for various decorative effects.
BACKGROUND OF THE APPLICATION
[0003] In households or in any other like environment where there
are different types of furniture and where occupants are walking or
moving particularly during the night or in unlighted circumstances,
there is a risk for an occupant to hit or to bump the lower parts
of the furniture especially when the person is barefoot or is
inadequately protected or covered by shoes, slippers, sandals or
the like.
[0004] Any occupant, adult or child, walking barefoot or in thin
slippers may hit the legs or lower parts of the bed, a chair or a
table.
[0005] The risk is higher during the night, especially in
unexpected instances such as night phone calls, night visits to the
bathroom or to the child's room, and even in emergency
situations.
[0006] In such cases it is not uncommon for such an occupant to
strike a toe or any part of the foot against a leg of a furniture
piece, or other obstruction. A special offender which may cause a
serious injury are the caster supports for bed or armchair or the
like furniture.
[0007] Such a situation is not confined to household or bedroom
areas.
[0008] Certain basements, offices, waiting halls, or the like
places may well have support posts or beams, or furniture legs or
casters offering hazards to feet and toes.
[0009] The need to protect inadequately shod feet with respect to
furniture legs, equipment supports, bed casters and the like is
well known.
[0010] There is also the need to protect the furniture legs from
the shoes of a shod person. Accordingly it is desirable to provide
adequate protection on furniture legs, casters, posts, and any
other such hazards located on or near floor level all of which are
collectively but not exclusively referred to herein as
"obstructions" in many areas and to provide protection for
supporting equipment, furniture legs, and the like from the feet of
the occupants, in an efficient, simple, cheap, convenient and
removable manner. U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,578 describes a molded
protective guard for casters on furniture adapted for use with a
bed frame. The guard fits over an existing leg of the bed frame.
The guard has a specially shaped shell-like body with an opening in
the upper surface to fit up along the leg of the bed. The
shell-like guard fits over the caster assembly on the existing leg,
thus holding the protective guard in position permanently affixed
to the bed frame.
[0011] The protective guard has to be shaped in a shell-like
configuration adapted to the leg and caster of the bed.
[0012] Such protective guards if made, would not have the capacity
to be adapted to any kind of furniture piece, since they are
structured specially for the casters from the bed legs. Attachment
or removal of the protective guard would require lifting of the
furniture.
[0013] The guard would have had to be slid down the length of the
leg, and off the lower end, in order to remove it. Replacing it on
another leg would require the same operation. The furniture would
have had to be lifted up, to raise the leg off the floor. The
guards would have had to be placed under the leg and slid up the
leg, before the furniture could be lowered down.
[0014] Also, such a protective guard as proposed has a complicated
configuration. It would not be a cheap solution and would not be
easy to affix it or to remove in case there is a need to. It would
not be suitable for heavy items of furniture, and would be useless
for fixed obstructions such as posts and columns.
[0015] It is not known in fact whether such a complex protective
guard was ever made or used.
[0016] There is a need for a bumper guard for any kind of furniture
which is cheap, easily attached and removed, without disturbing the
furniture, having both the function to protect the feet, and also
to suit the design and decor of the environment where it is used,
as well as to be reused any time the user needs.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] With a view to answering at least some of the foregoing
problems, the invention provides a bumper guard for furniture
supporting legs, casters, beams, posts and other like equipment,
named herein "an obstruction".
[0018] The bumper guard is removable, flexible, resilient and of
protective construction, having a wrap around pad extending around
the obstruction with two layers of fabric and having a resilient
core in between them, the two layers being affixed together and
designed to wrap loosely around the obstruction, and fastened up by
fastenings, such as buckles, tapes, straps and the like, and in
particular a hook and pile fastening such as "Velcro" (Trademark),
affixed to the ends of the wrap around pad. The bumper pad will
thus cover the obstruction to provide protection against injury
from unexpected moves or bumping of the obstruction by occupants
walking or standing nearby.
[0019] The bumper guard can be designed in different ways imposed
by the shape and size of the legs.
[0020] The bumper guard is openable for ready application to and
removal from the obstructions to be protected, without moving of
lifting the furniture. In some cases the obstructions can be
enclosed indefinitely. In other situations, the bumper guard will
be used only at specific times or short intervals.
[0021] Preferably the bumper guard is made from a material which is
sufficiently strong, and resilient that the occupant 's toe in a
barefoot encounter, simply does not push through the bumper guard,
without protection, to the obstruction surrounded. On the other
hand, it may be resilient enough to yield before the occupant's
foot so contact with it will not itself injure the occupant's foot.
A certain amount of warning and protection comes from the initial
contact with the bumper guard which is spaced circumferentially and
loosely outwardly from the obstruction.
[0022] A backup amount of protection and warning comes from the
impact of the bumper guard against the obstruction itself if the
occupant's foot drives it there against.
[0023] The uniform character of the bumper guard, its substantially
smooth surface and its yielding impact upon the obstruction all aid
to protect the occupant's foot. By not being integral with or
connected to the object it surrounds, other advantages are
obtained. The invention is directed to an improved and simpler
bumper guard for obstructions, especially furniture, for
surrounding the feet of furniture pieces, equipment and legged
structures in home, offices, commercial and the like areas where
frequently there are occupants walking around in regular or
unlighted conditions with insufficiently protected feet.
[0024] The bumper guard may have connections at the ends, in which
a flap extends from the inside edge of the pad at one end and
overlaps and overlies the inside edge of the pad at the other
end.
[0025] The fastening is carried on the flap and the adjacent inside
edge of the pad.
[0026] In addition there may be fastenings on the opposed end faces
of the opposite ends of the pad. The pad may be attached to and
detached from an obstruction as desired.
[0027] In another embodiment the bumper guard has oblique angled
edges, to improve the protection and security.
[0028] In another embodiment the bumper guard may have a decorative
cloth sleeve. The sleeve can be separate from the bumper guard and
can be releaseably attached.
[0029] Other and further objects of the application will appear in
the course of the following description thereof.
[0030] The various features of novelty which characterize the
invention are pointed out with more particularity in the claims
annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
[0031] For a better understanding of the invention, its operating
advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference
should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter
in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments
of the invention.
IN THE DRAWINGS
[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an obstruction with a first
form of the bumper guard shown around the obstruction;
[0033] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bumper guard showing the
inner surface;
[0034] FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a bumper guard in another
embodiment of the invention which is in the form of a
parallelogram;
[0035] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bumper guard of FIG. 3
showing the inclined junction; and,
[0036] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bumper guard of a further
embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF A SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT
[0037] Referring to FIG. 1 a bumper guard or pad (10) In the form
of a panel arranged into a generally tubular wrap around member
with a join (12), located around an obstruction, in this case a
furniture leg (14) having a wheeled caster (16).
[0038] The caster and leg in this embodiment are is connected in
the usual manner to a frame (18) of a piece of furniture. It may be
seen that an obstruction, such as in this case a typical depending
leg construction offers numerous points which may be hit by a bare
toe or a toe through a cloth slipper, etc. These include the
support itself, any part of the caster, the wheel of the caster or
the like, or any other obstruction at or near floor level. The
bumper pad (10) comprises what is shown as a generally wrap-around
panel forming what appears as a cylindrical tube. The pad (10) fits
loosely around the obstruction, and rests on the floor. In this
embodiment the pad (10) has a configuration of a panel with a
rectangular elongate length (FIG. 2) with an elongate front upper
edge (24) and front lower edge (26), and a rear or inner upper edge
(28) and rear or inner lower edge (30). The front and rear edges
define generally transverse length dimensions equal to one an
other. The pad has vertical ends (32) (34) defined, at each end, by
front and rear side edges (36) and (38).
[0039] A fastening flap (40) provided attached to rear or inner
side edge (38) at end (34), and projects outwardly beyond the
length of the panel. Fastening means (42) are affixed on the flap,
on its outward facing surface.
[0040] The pad is provided at the rear or inner side edge (36) of
the adjacent end (32) with complementary fastening means (44),
located in its inwardly facing surface. Such fastening means may be
such as buckles, tapes, straps and the like and in a particular a
hook and pile fastening such as "Velcro" (trade mark).
[0041] The fastening means (42) and (44) are positioned so as to
permit fastening between the flap (40) and the rear or inner side
edge (36) which results in a generally tubular wrap around pad as
shown in FIG. 1.
[0042] The pad of FIG. 2, in this embodiment is preferably made of
two fabric layers (46) and (48), enclosing a resilient core (50),
particularly a core of urethane foam.
[0043] The outer face of the pad (10), may have a nap of strong and
resistant fabric, which may be more resilient and absorbent of
shock into the occupant 's foot for protection.
[0044] FIG. 1 shows the application of the bumper guard to an
obstruction such as a piece of furniture such as bed leg (14).
[0045] It is preferable to have a bumper guard which is not either
integral with or connected with the obstruction to be surrounded.
In this manner, the bumper guard can be positioned entirely free
thereof and if struck by an occupant's toe or the like there will
be no contacting the obstruction.
[0046] The bumper pad (10) can be wrapped around and attached to an
obstruction without moving furniture. The pad can be moved from
place to place as required.
[0047] This embodiment of bumper guard provides a supplementary
warning.
[0048] The pad (10) contacts the obstruction before the toe of the
occupant will strike same giving additional warning and additional
protection. Conversely, a glancing or slight strike of the occupant
's toe, by both giving warning and limiting contact with the bumper
guard. In addition the bumper guard offers greater protection to
the obstruction. The fabric used for outer or inner surfaces may be
conventional fabric, piece of carpet, foam rubber, foam plastic,
leather, quilted cloth, or vinyl or the like for the outer and
inner layers. The core of urethane may be replaced by any other
suitable resilient cushioning material such as foam rubber,
inflated plastic packaging material, natural materials such as
kapok, cotton batting and the like.
[0049] The height may be subject to variations, in order to fit the
kind, and size of the obstruction such as legged furniture.
[0050] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show another embodiment of the invention.
The pad (60) is in the form of a panel in the shape of a
parallelogram with an elongate front upper edge (62) and front
lower edge (64), parallel to one another and a rear or inner upper
edge (66) and a rear or inner lower edge (68). The front and rear
edges define generally transverse length dimensions equal to one
another. The pad (60) has inclined non-vertical and substantially
parallel ends (70) and (72) defined by front and rear side edges
(74). Ends (70), (72) lie on axes parallel to one another and
non-right angular relative to upper and lower edges (62) (64).
[0051] Fastenings are provided as in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Flap
(76) on rear edge (74) of end (72) overlaps fastening means (78) on
end (70). The fastenings are again provided on the inner side of
the two adjacent ends of the pad.
[0052] The adjacent ends of the pad are inclined in a non-vertical
fashion parallel to each other. This permits closing the pad (60)
in a generally cylindrical tubular shape. The inclined junction
provides a longer angled closure giving a more resilient outer
face. The diagonal junction line also provides a smoother
encirclement of the obstruction, a more resistant wrapped around
pad which reduces the risk to open the bumper guard
accidentally.
[0053] In FIG. 5 shows another embodiment bumper guard (80).
[0054] The guard illustrated is similar to the guard (10) of FIG.
1, in this case.
[0055] However it could equally well be the guard of FIG. 4. In
this embodiment the outer face (82) of the bumper guard (80) is
provided on its upper edge with a sleeve fastening strip (84) of a
fastening system or material, for example a hook and pile fastening
such as "Velcro" (trade mark). Other fasteners would also serve the
purpose.
[0056] This fastening strip (84) allows a sleeve (86) of a designer
fabric to be attached so as to wrap around the exterior of bumper
guard (80). The sleeve (86) consists of a rectangular piece of
fabric. On its inner face there is an attachment strip (88). The
strip (88) can be attached to the fastening strip (84) on the guard
(80). The sleeve (86) can be longer than the guard (80). The colour
and design of the sleeve (86) can vary to suit the decor where the
bumper guard is mounted.
[0057] Hems, borders and ruffles might be provided on the sleeve
(86) to meet design or decorative objectives. The upper edge of the
sleeve is preferably pleated or gathered so as to allow the lower
edge to hang loosely around the guard (80). Thus it can be seen
that the bumper pads or guards operate not only to protect the foot
of the occupant, but also the obstruction encircled. The bumper
guards are readily applied and removed by simply wrapping around
the obstruction, without moving or lifting furniture They are
simple, economical, and long lived and rugged.
[0058] The rectangular shape of the sleeve can be modified or
changed to suit a variety of purposes.
[0059] From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is
one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects set forth
together with other advantages.
[0060] It will be understood that certain features and
subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without that
certain features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and
is within the scope of the claims.
[0061] The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of
the invention which is given here by way of example only. The
invention is not to be taken as limited to any of the specific
features as described, but comprehends all such variations thereof
as come within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *