Patent Application
20190376299
Wall and door mounted guard structures for buildings are useful to protect doors and walls from impact damage especially in high traffic areas. Walls are typically constructed of plaster wall board and are susceptible to impact damage. High traffic areas can be in hallways in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and other buildings where there is heavy pedestrian traffic. These locations must also accommodate the movement of equipment in and out of hallways and doors that are vulnerable to impact damage. Such equipment can be patient beds, gurneys, wheel chairs, etc. Accordingly, these locations often employ wall and door guards and other such protection structures to guard against the wear and tear often associated with these uses.
Corners are susceptible to impact damage because it is often difficult to navigate corners with large wheeled equipment. Corner guards are useful to absorb impacts by moving equipment. Horizontal wall guards are useful in high traffic areas of buildings to deflect and deform under impacts from objects to prevent damage to the underlying wall. These wall guards are widely used in hospitals and nursing homes, as wall protection where carts, wheelchairs and the like are moved through hallways and are likely to strike the walls.
A prior art wall guard 10 and a corner guard 14 are shown n
As shown in
The wall guard and the corner guard, if assembled correctly, can provide a smooth visual transition between cover and end cap. However, the present inventors have recognized that assembling and installing the cover member and end cap onto the base member is time consuming and requires accurate measuring and precise installation. In some cases, inaccurate installation results in a visual gap between the cover member and the end cap.
The present inventors have recognized that it is desirable to provide a wall guard that is not susceptible to the foregoing problems. The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide a corner guard that is not susceptible to the foregoing problems. The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide a wall guard and a corner guard that are aesthetically pleasing by providing a smooth, flush transition between an elongated cover member and an end cap. The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide a wall guard and a corner guard that are more easily and quickly installed, and require less accuracy and precision for installation.
Embodiments of the invention provide a wall guard cover and a corner guard cover, and a method of installing the wall guard cover and corner guard cover that reduces the installation time and provides an improved aesthetic appearance. The embodiments of the invention provides a wall guard cover and a corner guard cover that include an elongated cover member that is terminated at one end, or both ends, by an end cap. According to the embodiments, the end cap is sonically welded directly to, or otherwise integrated with, the cover member rather than being attached to an underlying base member. The cover member with end cap can then be slid on, or snapped onto, the underlying base member.
According to another enhancement, an arrangement allows for an end cap to be attached to an end adaptor wherein each of the end cap and the adaptor have attachment tabs for attaching to two cover members to form a wall guard corner cover that overlies a building corner.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will be become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, and from the accompanying drawings.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
The cover member 50 is elongated and intended to be mounted onto a base member in similar fashion to the wall guard illustrated in
The end cap 54 includes an outer wall 58 with a first outer surface 60 that forms a rounded 90 degree angle in profile or cross section between a vertical face 54a and a horizontal end face 54b as shown in
Attachment tabs 86 are arranged extending perpendicularly from the end wall 66 to fit snugly against inside surfaces 50a, 50b, and 50c of the cover member 50. The connection between the end wall 66 and the outer wall 54 is stepped around its perimeter so that the end wall fits snugly just within a perimeter formed by the cover member 50 and the wall upon which the wall guard is mounted, and the outer wall 54 abuts an end 50d of the cover member 50.
The attachment tabs 86 are sonically spot welded, shown as 86a, or otherwise attached to the inside surfaces 50a, 50b, 50c of the cover member 50. This attachment can advantageously be done in the factory before the stock components are sent to the work site for installation. Because the end caps are installed to the cover members and not to the base member, it is assured that the end caps 54 will fit tightly and flushly to the cover members 50 without gaps and without depending on precise installation of the cover members to the end caps already installed onto the base members.
The corner guard cover member 100 and the end cap 104 are configured to fit together and protect a 90 degree building corner. The cover member 100 has an angular outer surface 112 forming substantially a right angle. The end cap 104 includes an outer wall 108 formed as a right angle and having a first outer surface 110 that forms a rounded 90 degree angle in profile or cross section between a vertical face 104a and a horizontal face 104b as shown in
The attachment tabs 126 are sonically spot welded or otherwise attached to the inside surfaces 100a, 100b of the cover member 100. This attachment can advantageously be done in the factory before the stock components are sent to the work site for installation, but can also be done at the work site. Because the end caps are installed to the cover members and not to the base member, it is assured that the end caps 104 will fit tightly and flushly to the cover members 100 without gaps and without depending on precise installation of the cover members to the end caps already installed onto the base members.
The cover member 100 includes vertical edge, curved lips 151, 153 that are used to snap or slide the cover member onto a base member, such as described in the next embodiment and
The corner guard cover member 200 and the end cap 204 are configured to fit together and onto a base member 206 (
The cover member 200 has an angular outer surface 212 forming substantially a 135 degree angle in horizontal cross section. The end cap 204 includes an outer wall 208 formed as a 135 degree angle and having a first outer surface 210 that forms a rounded 90 degree angle in profile or cross section between a vertical face 204a and a horizontal face 204b as shown in
The attachment tabs 226 are sonically spot welded or otherwise attached to the inside surfaces 200a, 200b of the cover member 200. This attachment can advantageously be done in the factory before the stock components are sent to the work site for installation. In this manner, it is assured that the end caps 204 will fit tightly and flushly to the cover members 200 without gaps and without depending on precise installation of the cover members to the end caps already installed onto the base members.
The embodiments of the invention, shown in the
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein, to the extent that the references are not inconsistent with the present disclosure.
