Patent Application
20170305631
The present invention is directed to moving supplies and more particularly to a protective cover for preventing damage to items during a move.
A moving company helps people and businesses move items from one place to another. Items may include, but are not limited to furniture, appliances, electronics, kitchenware, office supplies, and home goods. A moving company may pack, load, move, unload, unpack, and arrange items at a new location. Do-it-yourself movers choose to move items without the services of a moving company. Regardless of the type of mover, moving items, particularly antique, fragile, odd-shaped, and/or expensive items, need to be protected from damage that might occur during the course of moving.
Furniture blankets/pads protect furniture from scratches and scuff marks when moving. A mover places one or more loose pads (typically each 72″×80″) over a piece of furniture and then tightens/secures those pad(s) to the furniture by wrapping tape, rope, straps, large rubber bands, and/or plastic (plastic wrap or bubble wrap) around the pad(s). Although the furniture is generally protected from damage, the use of furniture pads requires labor and time to tighten/secure the pads to each individual piece of furniture and the purchase of additional moving supplies such as tape, rope, straps, etc., which increases the time and expense of the move. Customized covers that fit the exact shape of a sofa, washer, dryer, or stove, are also available for damage protection. However, these customized covers are expensive and useful for only one item and cannot be used among differently shaped items.
The present invention overcomes these and other deficiencies of the prior art by providing a resilient and tough, but flexible protective cover that hugs and squeezes various types of moving items without usage of any external securing means such as tape, rope, straps, large rubber bands, plastic, etc. The protective cover of the present invention (sometimes referred to as the “Hugger”) prevents damage that might occur during the course of moving. It eliminates, among other types of damage, scuffs, scrapes, dents, and scratches that could happen when items are being moved. While the protective cover is “hugging” the items, it also keeps items with moving components (e.g., drawers or doors) such as desks, dressers, cabinets, armoires, and appliances, in place by preventing shifting or movement of the moving components.
A device for protecting a moving item during a move, the device comprising: a protective cover comprising stretch fabric, the protective cover having a top surface and one or more side surfaces, and an opening formed by the one or more side surfaces at a bottom of the protective cover; and a plurality of pads disposed on or within the protective cover. The size of the opening is less than a size of a top surface of the moving item. The moving item can be a dresser or a flat screen television. The plurality of pads are hexagonally shaped and uniformly spaced apart. The plurality of pads can comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: rubber, urethane, polypropylene, vinyl, air bladder, latex, neoprene, sponge, polyether, polyester, polyethylene, volara, cellulose, and a combination thereof. The stretch fabric can comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: spandex, vinyl, velvet, denim, cotton, polyester, and a combination thereof.
This Hugger has significant advantages over the prior art. For example, the Hugger reduces packing time. The Hugger is easily slipped over a moving item and requires no external securing means such as tape, rope, straps, large rubber bands, plastic, etc. to secure it to the item. There is no need to remove anything, e.g., drawers, from the moving item. The Hugger is also reusable, fits differently shaped items, and is easy to clean.
The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows:
Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages may be understood by referring to
The protective cover 200 comprises a number of pads 211A-N joined to and spaced throughout the fabric 210. The pads 211 provide additional cushioning to help prevent damage to the dresser 300. In an embodiment of the invention, each pad 211 is formed by a pocket on the outer surface of the fabric 210. A soft material (not shown) such as, but not limited to rubber, urethane, polypropylene, vinyl, air bladder, latex, neoprene, sponge, polyether, polyester, polyethylene, volara, cellulose, or a combination thereof is inserted into the pocket, which is sewn shut. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, each pad 211 is shaped as a two inch (2″) diameter hexagon, which is one centimeter (1 cm) in thickness. Any shape pad 211 can be used. The hexagon shape is preferred because of its six sided polygon angles which provide the best conformity to corners of various moving items such as, but not limited to utilities, dressers, night stands, and refrigerators, which are usually four sided.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pads 211A-N are spaced one centimeter (1 cm) apart from one another and are formed throughout the entire outer surface of the fabric 210. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, pads 211A-N are formed on the inner surface of the fabric 210 as well. One of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that the pads 211A-N can be configured in various shapes, sizes, thicknesses, and layouts. For example, the pads 211A-N can be shaped as circles, squares, or rectangles. The surface density of the pads 211A-N may also vary. For example, the number of pads 211 at the top 220 (or at areas more prone to damage) can be greater than the number of pads 211 at the bottom 230 (or at areas less prone to damage). In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a dresser with the dimensions of three feet (3′) by four feet (4′) can have fifteen hundred (1500) hexagonal pads to completely cover the fabric 210.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the protective cover 200 is manufactured as follows. For each side of the protective cover, hexagonal pockets are sewn on to one side of a spandex material. Foam padding is inserted into the hexagonal pockets, which are sewn shut with elastic threading. A second piece of spandex is sewn to the pocketed side and will become the inside of the protective cover 200. The four sides of finished material are then sewn together to form a square or rectangular shaped protective cover 200 with an opening 230 at the bottom. All pieces sewn together will be less than, e.g., two or more inches (2″+) smaller, than the actual size of a dresser or moving item to create compression. Alternatively, the protective cover 200 is constructed from two pieces of finished material: one piece for the top surface 220 and one piece for all four sides of the protective cover 200. The top surface piece 220 is sewn to one top edge of the piece for all four sides.
The present invention can vary in shape and sizes. For example, protective cover 200 may be shaped as a square, circle, octagon, triangle, rectangular, pyramid, or parachute. Various sizes and shapes can be implemented to fit various types and shapes of moving items.
In other embodiments of the invention, the protective cover 200 or 700 can comprise additional materials such as, but not limited to lace, Velcro, drawstrings, zippers, buttons, and holding straps. For example, zippers may provide access to drawers of a dresser when the protective cover is placed over such.
The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments for the purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the invention can be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not be regarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with the following claims.
