Patent Application
20170058541
The invention relates generally to a cover for the protection of doors during construction and painting.
Currently there are a number of solutions for protecting a door during remodeling and painting. Some of these solutions attempt to cover the door with drop cloths, but these solutions fail to meet the needs of the market because a drop cloth can slip off and is otherwise not easily secured to the door. Another solution is to attempt to tape the edges around a door, but this solution is similarly unable to meet the needs of the market because the opposed faces of the door are still generally exposed and susceptible to marring or damage during painting and construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,656 to Kahre discloses an envelope-like structure for the placement over doors to protect the door from damage during painting or construction projects. This envelope is generally disposable and enclosed upon three sides and open on one side to form a type of sheath for placement over the door; the open side acting as a mouth and defining an interior for placing the envelope over the door. The Kahre device is limited to a given size of door as it is sealed on three sides. Further, it is additionally difficult to place over the hardware of the door as the flexibility and give of the material is restrained by this predetermined fixed size and sealed edges. The present invention is designed to provide an improved door cover that is applicable to multiple sizes of doors, is designed to easily cover a door with the hardware affixed, and additionally provided on a roll for easy transport and use.
An improved door cover is disclosed. The door cover is generally disposable and designed to fully cover multiple sizes of doors to protect the doors from paint or damage during remodeling, construction, decorating or other similar tasks. Furthermore, it would also be advantageous to have a door-covering device that is provided on a roll of multiple covers for people who work in home decorating, remodeling and the construction fields. Still further, it would be advantageous to have this door cover placed on a roll and available in multiple roll counts to accommodate the homeowner or professional using the door cover device. Therefore, there currently exists a need in the market for an apparatus that is a roll of plastic covers to be taken off the roll and slipped over a door to completely protect it from painting and construction jobs.
The invention advantageously fills the aforementioned deficiencies by providing a plastic door cover or a roll of plastic covers to protect doors during construction and painting, which provides options for do-it-yourself types and professionals alike.
The invention is a large plastic cover that is cut to a width and length and length. Preferably this width and length is provided to fit on a majority of doors that are available within the marketplace. Preferably, this cover is provided on a roll of several covers, although the covers could alternately be provided in any combination of configurations. The cover is sealed on the top and one side with the opposed side and the bottom having an opening slit to allow the cover to be easily opened and placed over a door.
Preferably, the cover will be provided in widths to accommodate 32″ and 36″ doors and alternately may be provided in a single width or multiple widths accommodating a variable range of door widths.
The apparatus fulfills the need for a quick, easy and inexpensive way to cover doors during painting and construction jobs.
Among other things, it is an advantage of the invention to provide a roll of plastic covers to protect doors during construction and painting that does not suffer from any of the problems or deficiencies associated with prior solutions.
It is still further an advantage of the invention to be precut to the door size. It is slit only on a side and the bottom for easy application over the door. It only has to be taped on one side for quick taping.
The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be read in conjunction with both this summary, the detailed description and any preferred and/or particular embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of illustration only and so that this disclosure will be thorough, complete and will fully convey the full scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
The following detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments, which are also referred to herein as “examples,” are described in enough detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. The embodiments may be combined, other embodiments may be utilized, or structural, and logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
Before the present invention is described in such detail, however, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular variations set forth and may, of course, vary. Various changes may be made to the invention described and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, process, process act(s) or step(s), to the objective(s), spirit or scope of the present invention. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure made herein.
Unless otherwise indicated, the words and phrases presented in this document have their ordinary meanings to one of skill in the art. Such ordinary meanings can be obtained by reference to their use in the art and by reference to general and scientific dictionaries.
References in the specification to “one embodiment” indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
The following explanations of certain terms are meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive. These terms have their ordinary meanings given by usage in the art and in addition include the following explanations.
As used herein, the term “and/or” refers to any one of the items, any combination of the items, or all of the items with which this term is associated.
As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As used herein, the terms “include,” “for example,” “such as,” and the like are used illustratively and are not intended to limit the present invention.
As used herein, the terms “preferred” and “preferably” refer to embodiments of the invention that may afford certain benefits, under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances.
Furthermore, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful, and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the invention.
These terms are not meant to limit the elements that they describe, as the various elements may be oriented differently in various applications.
As used herein, the term “coupled” means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature and/or such joining may allow for the flow of fluids, electricity, electrical signals, or other types of signals or communication between two members. Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.
The invention is directed to a cover to protect doors during construction and painting. Preferably the cover is constructed out of plastic and provided on a roll.
The door cover is provided in an approximate size and precut to fit the door the cover is placed upon. The cover is enclosed on two adjacent sides so as to be easily slipped over the door. The cover completely covers the door and is secured in place through its inherent weight and gravity. If desired, open ends of the cover can be secured with external tape, such as masking tape, to ensure total coverage and protection. The cover ensures that doors are covered and protected for easy protection from paint and damage.
Referring to the figures,
Accordingly, the cover 10 has a generally sealed top side 101 correspondingly placed on a top side of a hung door in use, a generally sealed second side 102 adjacent to the topside 101 and placed on an open side of a door during use, an open bottom side 103 opposite the top side 101 and adjacent to the top side 101 and the second side 102, and an open side 104 opposite the second side 102 and adjacent to the top side 101 and bottom side 103, the sides 101-104 forming a generally rectangular structural and planar surface corresponding generally to the size of the door the cover is placed upon. The cover 10 is preferably constructed out of a disposable plastic material that offers affordability and protection for a user of the cover 10.
In use, the cover 10 is placed upon a door with the top side 101 resting on the top side of a hung door and the sealed second side 102 placed adjacent to the open side of a hung door, wherein the cover 10 is placed over a hung door with the bottom side 103 and open side 104 aligned with the door bottom and side that is hung and affixed to hinges or corresponding wall.
Preferably, the cover 10 is provided on a roll, wherein the user may select an individual cover 10 from a roll. Accordingly, the user will unroll the cover 10 and open it up from a folded state. The user will then open the door and place the open side 104 around the door moving the cover around the door until it is flush with the hinges of the door. The user may then use tape to secure the cover 10 to the door. Typically, it is not necessary to tape the bottom side 103, as the cover will naturally drape over and protect the bottom of the door.
The cover 10 may be assembled or manufactured in various configurations to aid in delivery and use. The preferred method provides for the sealed second side 102 being configured from a fold, wherein the cover 10 is constructed from a larger sheet, folded along a plane corresponding to the position of the second side 102 and sealed along the top side 101. During use, the open sides 103 and 104 are provided to allow for flexibility in installation and to provide a cover that is applicable to several types and sizes of doors.
While the invention has been described above in terms of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Upon reading the teachings of this disclosure many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains, and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure and the appended claims. It is indeed intended that the scope of the invention should be determined by proper interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their legal equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached drawings.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/210,750 filed 27 Aug. 2015 to the above named inventors, and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62210750 | Aug 2015 | US |
