Patent Application
20240148141
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The disclosure relates to barrier devices and more particularly pertains to a new barrier device for inhibiting an object from sliding beneath an article of furniture and becoming lost. The device includes a pair of arms that each includes a hinged member that is positionable in either a first position or a second position. The device includes a panel that is attached to the pair of arms such that the panel extends between the article of furniture and a floor upon which the article of furniture is positioned. In this way the panel inhibits an object from sliding beneath the article of furniture.
The prior art relates to barrier devices including a variety of barriers that each at least includes a plurality of intersecting sections such that the barriers form a rectangular shape which surrounds an article of furniture to inhibit objects from sliding beneath the article of furniture. The prior art discloses a member that has a plurality of fold notches for folding the member into a rectangle which can be positioned around an article of furniture to inhibit objects from sliding beneath the article of furniture. The prior art discloses an ornamental design for an object barrier that comprises a curtain that can be positioned beneath an article of furniture.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pair of arms that each has a hinged member which is positionable in a first thereby facilitating each of the arms to be slid beneath a cushion on a first article of furniture. The hinged member of each of the arms is positionable in a second position having each of the arms defining an angle thereby facilitating each of the arms to be hooked onto a second article of furniture. A panel is attached to the pair of arms and the panel extends between the first article of furniture and a floor upon which the first article of furniture is positioned to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the first article of furniture. The panel extends between a lower threshold of the second article of furniture and a floor upon which the second article of furniture is positioned to inhibit an object from sliding beneath the second article of furniture.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the arms 12 has a first end 34 and a second end 36 and each of the arms 12 has a bend 38 positioned between the first end 34 and the second end 36 to define a first portion 40 of the arms 12 forming an angle with a second portion 42 of the arms 12. The first end 34 is associated with the first portion 40 and the second end 36 is associated with the second portion 42. Each of the arms 12 includes a hinge 44 that is movably disposed on the second end 36 and the hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 has a coupled end is attached to the hinge 44 on respective one of the arms 12. As is most clearly shown in
The hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 is oriented to extend along a lengthwise axis of the second portion 42 of the respective arm 12 when the hinged member 14 is positioned in the first position. The hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 is oriented to extend downwardly from the second portion 42 of the respective arm 12 when the hinged member 14 is positioned in the second portion 42. Additionally, the hinged member 14 of each of the arms 12 extends along a line that is oriented parallel with a lengthwise axis of the first portion 40 of the respective arm 12 when the hinged member 14 is in the second position.
A panel 50 is attached to the pair of arms 12 and the panel 50 extends between the first article of furniture 18 and a floor 52 upon which the first article of furniture 18 is positioned when the arms 12 are slid beneath the cushion 16 on the first article of furniture 18. In this way the panel 50 inhibits an object from sliding beneath the first article of furniture 18. The object may be a remote control, for example, or other object that is commonly dropped by a person sitting or sleeping on the first article of furniture 18. Furthermore, the panel 50 may inhibit the collection of dust beneath the first article of furniture 18. The panel 50 extends between a lower threshold 54 of the second article of furniture 20 and a floor 52 upon which the second article of furniture 20 is positioned when the arms 12 are hooked onto the second article of furniture 20. In this way the panel 50 inhibits an object from sliding beneath the second article of furniture 20.
The panel 50 has a front side 56, a back side 58 and a perimeter edge 60 extending between the front side 56 and the back side 58. The perimeter edge 60 has a top side 62, a first lateral side 64 and a second lateral side 66; the panel 50 is elongated between the first lateral side 64 and the second lateral side 66. The first end 34 of each of the arms 12 is coupled to the top side 62 such that the first portion 40 of each of the arms 12 extends upwardly from the top side 62. Each of the arms 12 is spaced from a respective one of the first lateral side 64 and the second lateral side 66. The second portion 42 of each of the arms 12 lies on a plane that is perpendicularly oriented with the front side 56 of the panel 50 having the second portion 42 of each of the arms 12 extending rearwardly away from the back side 58 of the panel 50.
In use, the hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 is positioned in the first position and the hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 and the second portion 42 of the arms 12 are extended beneath the cushion 16 on the first article of furniture 18. In this way the panel 50 is horizontally oriented to extend between the first article of furniture 18 and the floor 52 upon which the first article of furniture 18 is positioned. Thus, the panel 50 inhibits objects from sliding beneath the first article of furniture 18 and becoming misplaced. The hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 is positioned in the second position and the second portion 42 of the arms 12 are extended into a hole 68 in a front wall 70 the second article of furniture 20 such that the hinged member 14 on each of the arms 12 extend downwardly along the front wall 70 of the second article of furniture 20 through which the hole 68 extends. Thus, the panel 50 is retained in a horizontal orientation to extend between the lower threshold 54 of the second article of furniture 20 and the floor 52 upon which the second article of furniture 20 is positioned. In this way objects are inhibited from sliding beneath the front wall 70 of the second article of furniture 20 and subsequently becoming lost.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
