U.S. patent application number 11/649964 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-02 for floor corner guard.
This patent application is currently assigned to New Pig Corporation. Invention is credited to Scott C. Broughton, Mark A. DeYulis, Mark S. Woytowich.
Application Number | 20070175133 11/649964 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38320610 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070175133 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woytowich; Mark S. ; et
al. |
August 2, 2007 |
Floor corner guard
Abstract
A corner guard made for installation in floor corners is
disclosed. The corner guard may be made of flexible material and
have three seating surfaces and a front face. Two of the seating
surfaces are positioned adjacent to intersecting wall sections, and
the third surface is positioned adjacent to the floor. The edge of
the guard adjacent the floor will often be radiused to facilitate
cleaning. Once installed the guard improves the overall cleanliness
and appearance of a room by preventing dirt or debris from
accumulating in difficult to clean corners.
Inventors: |
Woytowich; Mark S.; (State
College, PA) ; DeYulis; Mark A.; (Ebensburg, PA)
; Broughton; Scott C.; (Hollidaysburg, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PIETRAGALLO, BOSICK & GORDON LLP
ONE OXFORD CENTRE, 38TH FLOOR, 301 GRANT STREET
PITTSBURGH
PA
15219-6404
US
|
Assignee: |
New Pig Corporation
Tipton
PA
|
Family ID: |
38320610 |
Appl. No.: |
11/649964 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60757174 |
Jan 6, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/287.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 2019/0422 20130101;
E04F 21/165 20130101; E04F 2019/0413 20130101; E04F 19/04 20130101;
E04F 21/1652 20130101; E04F 19/045 20130101; E04F 21/0069 20130101;
E04F 19/0477 20130101; E04F 21/1655 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/287.1 |
International
Class: |
E04B 2/00 20060101
E04B002/00 |
Claims
1. A corner guard system installed in a corner comprising: a corner
guard including a floor seating surface adjacent a floor, a first
wall seating surface adjacent a first wall, and a second wall
seating surface adjacent a second wall intersecting the first
wall.
2. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the floor seating
surface is substantially flat.
3. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the first and second
wall seating surfaces are substantially flat.
4. The corner guard system of claim 1, further comprising means for
securing the corner guard to the corner.
5. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for
securing the corner guard to the corner comprise an adhesive.
6. The corner guard system of claim 5, wherein the adhesive
comprises an epoxy adhesive.
7. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for
securing the corner guard to the corner comprises two-sided
tape.
8. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for
securing the corner guard to the corner comprises one-way tape.
9. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for
securing the corner guard to the corner comprise a mechanical
fastener.
10. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the means for
securing the corner guard to the corner comprises a friction fit
between the walls and the corner guard.
11. The corner guard system of claim 4, wherein the corner guard is
sealed to the corner.
12. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard
comprises a front face and wherein the corner guard is
frusta-pyramidal in shape.
13. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard
further comprises a center surface intersecting a the first seating
surface, the second seating surface and the floor seating
surface.
14. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard
further comprises a front face intersecting the floor seating
surface along a floor edge defined by intersection of the floor
seating surface and the front face, the front face intersecting the
first wall seating surface along a first wall edge defined by a the
intersection of the first wall seating surface and the front face,
and the front face intersecting the second wall seating surface
along a second wall edge defined by a the intersection of the
second wall seating surface and the front face.
15. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the front face is
substantially flat.
16. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the front face is
substantially triangular.
17. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the corner guard
comprises a flexible material.
18. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the front face is
concave when installed in a corner.
19. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the floor edge is
radiused.
20. The corner guard system of claim 14, wherein the first and
second wall edges form an angle between is between 50 and 70
degrees.
21. The corner guard system of claim 20, wherein the angle between
the first and second wall edge is about 60 degrees.
22. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard
has a height of between 1 to 5 inches.
23. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard
has a width of between 1 to 5 inches.
24. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard
has a depth of between 1/8 to 3/4 inch.
25. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the seating
surfaces intersect a rear face of the corner guard to form.
26. The corner guard system of claim 25, wherein the angle .theta.
between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the
intersection of the first and second wall seating surfaces is
between 5 and 45 degrees.
27. The corner guard system of claim 25, wherein the angle .theta.
between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the
intersection of the first and second wall seating surfaces is about
15 degrees.
28. The corner guard system of claim 25, wherein the angle .lamda.
between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the
intersection of a wall seating surface and the floor seating
surface is between 5 and 45 degrees.
29. The corner guard system of claim 26, wherein the angle .lamda.
between the front face and a ridge corresponding to the
intersection of a wall seating surface and the floor seating
surface is 20 degrees.
30. The corner guard system of claim 1, wherein the corner guard
comprises a substantially transparent material.
31. The corner guard system claim 1, wherein the corner guard
comprises a material of similar color and texture as the surround
floor and/or wall.
32. A corner guard for installation in a corner, the corner guard
comprising: a front face; a floor seating surface defining a floor
edge between the front face and the floor seating surface
structured and arranged for installation against a floor; a first
wall seating surface defining a first wall edge between the front
face and the first wall seating surface structured and arranged for
installation against a wall; and a second wall seating surface
defining a second wall edge between the front face and the second
wall seating surface structured and arranged for installation
against a wall.
33. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the floor seating
surface, the first wall seating surface and the second wall seating
surface are substantially flat.
34. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the floor edge is
radiused.
35. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the first and second wall
edges are substantially straight.
36. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the front face is
concave.
37. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the first and second wall
edges form an angle of from about 20 to about 120 degrees.
38. The corner guard of claim 37, wherein the first and second wall
edges form an angle of from about 50 to about 70 degrees.
39. The corner guard of claim 37, wherein the first and second wall
edges form an angle of about 60 degrees.
40. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the seating surfaces
intersect to form ridges.
41. The corner guard of claim 40, wherein an angle between a ridge
formed at the intersection of the wall seating surfaces and a ridge
formed at the intersection of a wall seating surface and a floor
seating surface is between about 100 and about 170 degrees.
42. The corner guard of claim 41, wherein an angle between a ridge
formed at the intersection of the wall seating surfaces and a ridge
formed at the intersection of a wall seating surface and a floor
seating surface is between about 120 and about 140 degrees.
43. The corner guard of claim 42, wherein an angle between a ridge
formed at the intersection of the wall seating surfaces and a ridge
formed at the intersection of a wall seating surface and a floor
seating surface is about 120 degrees.
44. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the corner guard
comprises a flexible material.
45. The corner guard of claim 32, wherein the corner guard deforms
when the corner guard is installed in a corner.
46. A method for installing a corner guard in a corner comprising
the steps of: providing a corner guard; and conforming the corner
guard to a corner comprising intersecting walls and a floor.
47. The method of for installing a corner guard of claim 46,
wherein the corner guard comprises a floor seating surface adjacent
the floor, a first wall seating surface adjacent a first wall and a
second wall seating surface adjacent a second wall.
48. The method of for installing a corner guard of claim 46,
wherein the corner guard comprises a flexible material.
49. The method of for installing a corner guard of claim 46,
wherein the corner guard is conformed to the corner by deforming
the flexible material.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 60/757,174 filed Jan. 6, 2006, which is
herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to corner guards for use at
corners of hard floors.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0003] Hard floors are often swept, mopped and waxed to preserve a
good-looking perception and a clean environment. Over time the
process of sweeping and mopping floors traps debris in corners. The
current processes for cleaning are labor intensive and inefficient.
In most cases, corners are a neglected area of floor
maintenance.
[0004] Most rooms have some type of baseboard between the wall and
floor. It would be difficult and cost prohibitive to remove the
baseboard to install a corner piece to prevent dirt from
accumulating in the corner.
[0005] The present invention has been developed in view of the
foregoing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides a corner guard made for
installation in floor corners. The corner guard may be made of
flexible material and have three seating surfaces and a front face.
Two of the seating surfaces are positioned adjacent to intersecting
wall sections, and the third surface is positioned adjacent to the
floor. The edge of the guard adjacent the floor will often be
radiused to facilitate cleaning. Once installed the guard improves
the overall cleanliness and appearance of a room by preventing dirt
or debris from accumulating in difficult to clean corners.
[0007] An aspect of the present invention is to provide a corner
guard system installed in a corner comprising a corner guard
including a floor seating surface adjacent a floor, a first wall
seating surface adjacent a first wall, and a second wall seating
surface adjacent a second wall intersecting the first wall.
[0008] An aspect of the present invention is to provide a corner
guard for installation in a corner, the corner guard comprising a
front face, a floor seating surface defining a floor edge between
the front face and the floor seating surface structured and
arranged for installation against a floor, a first wall seating
surface defining a first wall edge between the front face and the
first wall seating surface structured and arranged for installation
against a wall, and a second wall seating surface defining a second
wall edge between the front face and the second wall seating
surface structured and arranged for installation against a
wall.
[0009] A further aspect of the present invention provides a method
for installing a corner guard in a corner comprising the steps of
providing a corner guard and conforming the corner guard to a
corner comprising intersecting walls and a floor.
[0010] These and other aspects will be more apparent from the
following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view a corner guard installed in
floor corner according one embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a centered cross section of the corner guard shown
in FIG. 1 showing an adhesive adhering the corner guard to the
corner according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a front view of a corner guard showing a front
face and a wall edge angle according one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a rear view of a corner guard showing seating
surfaces, ridges and a center surface of a rear face of a corner
guard according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a side view of a corner guard according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a center cross section of a pyramidal corner guard
adhered to a corner by an adhesive according to an embodiment of
the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 7 is cross section of a corner guard made of shapeable
which has deformed to conform to a corner using a forming tool
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a corner guard held into a
corner by a die cut, one-sided tape according to one embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Referring now to FIG. 1, a corner guard 1 is positioned in
the corner of a room at a wall-to-wall intersection 21 where the
walls 20 meet the floor 24. Often the area where the wall 20 meets
the floor 24 is covered with a baseboard 22. Baseboards 22 are
often made of wood, ceramic tile, linoleum and rubber baseboards.
The corner guard 1 may seal to a baseboard 22 and floor 24 or may
be sealed directly to the walls 20 and the floor 24. In the
embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the corner guard is triangular in shape
and has a front face 2, which is the exterior of the guard when
installed. The corner guard 1 also has wall edges 3a and 3b at the
intersection of the front face 2 and each wall-seating surface 8
(not shown in FIG. 1). A third edge of the guard 5 is located at
the intersection of the front face 2 and the floor seating surface
9 (not shown in FIG. 1).
[0020] Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-section of the corner guard
1 along wall-to-wall intersection 21 is shown. In one embodiment
the corner guard 1 is adhered to a baseboard 22 or wall 20 using an
adhesive 12. The corner guard 1 may be made of flexible material so
that it will conform to the shape of an irregular corner. The
adhesive 12 forms a seal between the baseboard 22 and corner guard
1 and also forms a seal between corner guard 1 and the floor 24. In
another embodiment the corner guard may be held to the wall and by
mechanical fasteners such as screws.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 3, the front face 2 of corner guard 1
is shown. In this embodiment the front face 2 is a substantially
flat surface outlined by wall edges 3a and 3b and floor edge 5.
Angle .epsilon. is also shown in FIG. 3 between wall edges 3a and
3b. The wall edge angle .epsilon. may be may be between about
20.degree. and about 120.degree., depending on the particular angle
of the intersecting walls at the corner in which the guard is
installed. For example, for walls which intersect at an angle of
90.degree., a typical wall edge angle .epsilon. may be about
50.degree. to about 70.degree., for example about 60.degree.. For
intersecting wall angles such as 60.degree., 135.degree., etc., the
wall edge angle .epsilon. may be increased or decreased as
desired.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 4, the rear face 4 of one embodiment
of the corner guard is shown. In this embodiment the rear face 4
has two wall seating surfaces 8 referred to above when defining the
wall edge 3a and 3b and floor seating surface 9 referred to above
when defining the floor edge 5. The intersection of each of the
aforementioned seating surfaces creates ridges 10 which define the
boundaries between each seating surface and also conforms to the
corners formed between the baseboards 22 and the floor 24. A
wall-to-wall tip is located at the intersection of the wall seating
surfaces 8 and the front face 2. Two wall-to-wall tips 7 are formed
at the intersections of the front face 2 with wall seating surface
8 and floor seating surface 9. The corner guard 1 has a height
shown as h in FIG. 4, h may be from 1 inch to 8 inches, for example
2 21/2 inches. The corner guard 1 also has a width shown as W in
FIG. 4, W may be from 1 inch to 16 inches, for example 21/2 inches.
Angle .alpha. shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the angle between
ridges at wall-to-wall tips 6 and either ridge at floor-to-wall tip
7. Angle .alpha. may be between 100.degree. and 170.degree., for
example 120.degree. and 140.degree., for example 120.degree.. Angle
.beta. shown in FIG. 4 is located between ridges corresponding to
floor-to-wall tips 7. Angle .beta. may be between 20.degree. and
160.degree., for example 90.degree. and 130.degree. for example
120.degree.. A center surface 11 makes up the remaining portion of
the rear face 4.
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the corner
guard 1 has a depth shown as d. In this embodiment d may be between
1/16 inch and 5 inches, for example 1/4 inch. Angle .theta.
represents the angle between the ridge 10, corresponding to wall to
wall tip 6, and the front face 2. .theta. may be an angle from 5 to
45 degrees, for example 15 degrees. Angle .lamda. is a represents
the angle between the ridge 10, corresponding to floor to wall tip
7, and the front face 2. .lamda. may be an angle from 5 to 45
degrees, for example 20 degrees.
[0024] In one embodiment the corner guard 1 is made from a flexible
material, for example natural or synthetic rubber, urethane,
sanoprene, fabric or cardboard.
[0025] The corner guard 1 in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 thru
4 is sealed with an adhesive between at least each of the seating
surfaces 8, 9 and the baseboard 22. The adhesive 12 may be for
example an epoxy, a two-sided tape, caulk, silicone or one-sided
tape on the front face. The adhesive functions to keep dirt and
moisture from getting behind the corner guard 1. In one embodiment,
the corner guard 1 may be adhered to corner by using a friction fit
between the wall and corner guard 1.
[0026] In another embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the corner guard 1 is
a solid piece, pyramidal in shape that fills the entire void of
corner 26. Adhesive 12 is used to seal the corner guard.
[0027] In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a formed corner
guard 40 is made from a pliable self-hardening material, which is
molded into corner 26 using a forming tool 41. No additional
adhesive is needed because the formed corner guard 40 bonds
directly to the floor 24 and baseboard 22. The forming tool 41 may
be substantially flat to on a forming surface 42 to create a
substantially flat formed front face 43 of the formed corner guard
40. Alternatively, the forming tool 41 may have a convex forming
surface 42 so that a concave formed front face 43 is shaped. Extra
material may be wiped away with a damp cloth prior to removing the
forming tool.
[0028] In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a die cut
triangular piece of tape 32 covers the front face 2 of the corner
guard 1 and holds the corner guard 1 to the wall 20 and floor 24 at
the wall edges 3a and 3b and the floor edge 5 of corner guard 1.
Tape 32 may also be may of a flexible material to more easily
conform to the corner guard 1 and corner 26.
[0029] The corner guard and adhesives may be colored or textured to
match the surrounding baseboard 22 or wall 20. Alternatively, the
corner guard may be transparent to allow the existing baseboard 22
or wall 20 to be seen through the corner guard. It is contemplated
that the corner guard may be washable and used indoors and
outdoors. It is also contemplated that the corner guard may be used
on a surface that is not a floor, for example to seal dirt and
grime from a corner of a workstation, workbench or other elevated
surface. It is also contemplated that the corner guard could be
used on a carpeted floor wherein only the wall seating surfaces 8
are used to adhere the corner guard 1 to the corner 26.
[0030] Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been
described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to
those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of
the present invention may be made without departing from the
invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *