US3093924A - Corner cap for furniture - Google Patents

Description

June 18, 1963 J. B. POMPA CORNER CAF FOR FURNITURE Filed Dec. 18, 1961 Fig.2

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3,0%,924 Patented .Inne 18,` 1963 Free 3,0a3,924 CORNER CAP FOR FURNITURE Joseph B. Pompa, West Los Angeles, Calif. (151 S. Westchester Drive, Anaheim, Calif.) Filed Dec. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 160,133 4 Claims. (Cl. 45-68.4)

This invention relates to 'an improved and structurally unique corner cap for furniture corners which, if sharp, as is often the case, present ever present d'anger to persons who accidentally come into collision therewith, said cap constituting 'a protective guard and gre'atly lessenin-g the likelihood of serious injury, particularly wherein small children are involved.

Stated otherwise `the invention pertains to a safeguarding or Safety cap or pad which -is desir'able for intended purposes in that it embodies cushioning properties and is -t'herefore capable of achieving the end result desired.

In 'carrying out the invention a simple, practical and economical adaptation is employed. To this end the cap 'is made of moldable plastic material, for example polyvinyl plastics. The finished product is triple-walled, having a top wall to reside in contact with the table or other furniture top and having depending Vertical wall-s to bridge the corneris sharp edge 'and to attach themselves to :the adja'cent rim 'or equivalent surfaces.

The invention further relies for novelty on 'a one-piece molded cap which may be (1) transparent (2) colored to 'correspond with `the color of the job 'at hand or (3) lInade opaque and finished to represent a metal cap, whereby .to thus oifer protection and 'to enhance the 'ap'- pear'ance that it Will be ple'asing to the eye of the observer.

Then, too, the interior surfaces of the three component walls are fiat `and coated with pressure responsive 'adhesive material whereby to permit ready application 'and removal of the cap.

These together with other objects and 'advantages which Will become subsequently apparent reside -in the details of construction and operation -as more fully herenafter described and claimed, reference 'being had to the accompanying drawing forming `a 'part hereof, wherein like numerals refer 'to like parts throughout, and -in which:

FIGURE 1 is 'a view in perspective showing a coifee table, this being 'the example of one 'article of furniture herein under consideration, said table being provided on the four corners thereof 'with the improved Safety cap;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View on 'an enl'arged scale showing one corner portion of the table and how the cap is applied and appears in top plan;

FIGURE 3 is a section on 'the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; 'and FIGURE 4 is :a perspective view of the 'cap by itself.

As 'above implied the word "furniture is used to cover the v'arious 'articles 'herein under consideration. The typical table shown in FIGURE 1 will vsufiice to illustrate the principal 'purpose of the invention; n'amely, covering What may be called the dangerous point 6 'at 'the top 'of the Vertical corner edge 8. The invention comprising 'a small cap is not intended to cover the en'tire edge 8 or to extend any 'appreciable extent -to the left or right thereof. The top surface of the table top 10, described -as the 'horizont'al surface is denoted at 12. The 'margin'al 'skirt or rim of the table is denoted at 14.

The novel safety cap depicted in the views of the drawng is denoted as an entity by 'the numeral 16. It is small, relatively speaking, is of one-piece, moldable plastic 'construction. It is preferably -m'ade from compressibly resilient relatively sof-t polyvinyl plastic material 'and may be either transparent or opaque. The top Wall is denoted at 18 'and shown in FIGURE 3 is tapered and tenmin'ates in a fe-ather edge 20. The marginal edges 22 of the depending walls 'are 'also gradually reduced in thickness or tapered to provide fe'ather edges 22. One depending wall is denoted 'at 24 'and the other one 'at 26. The interior surfaces of the walls -are subst-antially fl'at 'and are coated with a transparent pressure sensi'tive adhesive material 28 similar to that employed on various types of 'adhesive tapes. The exterior surfaces 'are substantially lconvex 'as brought out 'conveniently at the point 30 in FIG'. 3. The several walls 'are of triangulate `Shape in elev'ation. Thus it will be seen that the cap is a guard and also a cushion, its purpose, 'as suggested, being to minimize the likeli'hood of injury to any persons Who by accident should collide with or fall against 'an otherwise unprotected sharp pointed corner. Such corners are usually present on coffee tables, end tables, card tables, sink top's, 'cahinets, etc. While the invention was expres'sly designed to 'accord protection to small children it is obviously 'a source of protection to any person who might encounter the misfortune of a slip and fall 'adjacent to the ta'ble or similar corner. The cap is provided with transparent mucilage 'and is therefore self-retaining. Consequently =it can be pressed on or pulled olf with ease. W'hen 'a transparent plastic materi-al is used the cap is hardly noticeable and allows the shade or finish of the furniture to be seen through the Walls of the cap. When using 'a plastic material With 'a properly sh'aded color incorporated therein the cap 'actually cont'ributes to the orn-ate appearance of the corner which is covered thereby. Using opaque metalli'c covered caps actually enh'ances the appeanance of the piece of furniture so that the cap `becomes not only a safeguard but 'an orn'ament.

Since it is known that perm'anent ri'gid corner caps 'are used 'and made of aluminum 'and some are highly polished and chromium plated 'and perhaps brass these types of caps are not readily 'applicable 'and removable 'as is the herein disclosed cap. P[his is to say the 'caps can be sold in packages with instructions for use. Therefore, it is believed that the instant invention, simple and practical as it is, nevertheless constitutes a significant advance in the vart of s'afety caps.

It is believed that 'a careful consider'ation of the specification in conjunction With the views of the drawing will enable the reader to obtain a clear 'and comprehensive understanding of the construction, features 'and 'advantages of the unique cap. Therefore, 'a more extended description is believed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is 'considered 'as illu'strative only of the princi'ples of the invention. Furt'her, 'since numerous modifications 'and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to 'limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown 'and described, 'and 'accordingly all suitable rnodifications 'and equiv'alents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention 'as claimed.

What is claimed `as new is as follows:

1. For use on 'a 4sharp 'corner on a piece of furniture 'such as, for example, 'an end table, coffee table, metal cabinets vand the like; an accident forestallin'g 'and preventing cap which is applicable to 'and designed and ad'apted to safely cover the dangerous 'components of a corner of said table, said cap being m'ade from moldable compressibili'ty resilient material, being possessed of prerequisite shock 'absorbing and cushioning properties 'capable of safegu'arding children, adults too, who might accident'ally or otherwise forcibly 'collide with the 'aforernentioned corner, said cap being of one-piece 'construction -an'd embodying 'a top wall having 'an interior flat surface adapted to superirnpose itself upon 'and confor'mingly overlie 'an intended rninim-al `surface portion of the furniture's top in proxirnity to said corner, 'and -a pair of depending complement'al Walls having contiguous edges thereof adjoined to each other and additional `contiguous edges 'adjoined with coinciding marginal edges of said top wall, also having flat uninterrupted attaching and retaining surfaces designed and adapted to confor'rnably contact the furniture surfaces to the left and right of the usual sharp vertioal edge portion of said corner, the entire 'attacha'ble portions of the fiat surfaces having flatwise contact with the cooperating furniture surfaces and being coated with pressureresponsive adhesive media, said cap being limited in its makeup to three walls which 'are complemental to each other 'and substantially identical in 'construction and are generally trian-gulate in plan and are e'aoh provided with a conveX eXte-rior rounded surface.

2. The structure yaccording to cla'im 1, and wherein said cap is made from transparent plastic material.

3. The structure according to 'claim l and wherein said cap is molded from plastic material (polyvinyl) and co'- 4 ored to match the color of the particular surface to which it is attached.

4. The structure according to cla'im 1, and Iwherein said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,6`99,628 Auer Jfan. 18, 1955 2,995,863 Bright Aug. 15, 1961 3,030,728 Wesrn'an Apr. 24, 1962 3,041,775 Brown et al July 3, 1962

Claims (1)

1. FOR USE ON A SHARP CORNER ON A PIECE OF FURNITURE SUCH AS, FOR EXAMPLE, AN END TABLE, COFFEE TABLE, METAL CABINETS AND THE LIKE; AN ACCIDENT FORESTALLING AND PREVENTING CAP WHICH IS APPLICABLE TO AND DESIGNED AND ADAPTED TO SAFELY COVER THE DANGEROUS COMPONENTS OF A CORNER OF SAID TABLE, SAID CAP BEING MADE FROM MOLDABLE COMPRESSIBILITY RESILIENT MATERIAL, BEING POSSESSED OF PREREQUISITE SHOCK ABSORBING AND CUSHIONING PROPERTIES CAPABLE OF SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN, ADULTS TOO, WHO MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY OR OTHERWISE FORCIBLY COLLIDE WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED CORNER, SAID CAP BEING OF ONE-PIECE CONSTRUCTION AND EMBODYING A TOP WALL HAVING AN INTERIOR FLAT SURFACE ADAPTED TO SUPERIMPOSE ITSELF UPON AND CONFORMINGLY OVERLIE AN INTENDED MINIMAL SURFACE PORTION OF THE FURNITURE''S TOP IN PROXIMITY TO SAID CORNER, AND A PAIR OF DEPENDING COMPLEMENTAL WALLS HAVING CONTIGUOUS EDGES THEREOF ADJOINED

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