(NOT APPLICABLE)
This invention is in the field of chairs, more specifically of coverings for chairs, and still more specifically of coverings for folding chairs. It is also in the field of flexible bags, more specifically flexible decorative coverings that are meant to be put in place when the article being covered is to be used and removed when the article (such as a chair) is taken out of use.
Generally, chair covers are intended to protect the chair from dirt and moisture and are intended for removal prior to use. U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,335 to Meek, et al. describes a cover for a folding chair that keeps dirt and moisture off it prior to use and has a decorative appearance. Other chair covers such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,353 to Goddard are meant to stay on the chair and provide both decoration and functional aspects. There is a need for a temporary folding chair cover that decorates the chair when it is unoccupied, is intended to remain in place while someone is sitting in the chair, but is intended to be removed when the chair is not in use. It is also desirable for the cover to be inexpensive and either disposable or reusable.
The invention is a flexible bag of plastic or paper shaped to fit over the back of a typical folding chair, possibly including means to retain the bag on the chair against e.g., the force of wind in an outdoor setting. In an embodiment, the bag includes vertical adhesive strips with peel covers placed on the back of the bag proximal to the chair edges so that if the cover is put on a smaller chair, the sides of the bag can be folded toward the back of the bag and taped out of the way. In another embodiment, multiple bags may be concatenated on a roll and separated by perforations, and the adhesive strips may be placed so as to fold the corners down over the rounded corners of the chair back.
In an exemplary embodiment, a seat back cover includes a first side sized larger than a seat back over which the seat back cover is intended to mount, and a second side connected with the first side and sized larger than the seat back over which the seat back cover is intended to mount. The first side being connected to the second side defines a bag assembly having an open end, a closed end and an interior space. The interior space is sized to fit over the seat back, and the seat back cover is formed of plastic or paper.
The first side and the second side may be rounded at corners of the closed end. The seat back cover may be formed of paper. The seat back cover may be folded into the bag assembly from a flat piece of paper.
The seat back cover may further include a fastener secured to at least one of the first side and the second side and disposed adjacent the open end of the bag assembly. The fastener may selectively secure the first side to the second side adjacent the open end of the bag assembly. The fastener may be a two-piece fastener, with one piece each secured to the first side and the second side, respectively.
The seat back cover may further include a pair of adhesive strips positioned on the second side and covered with a corresponding pair of protective strips, where the adhesive strips are exposed by removing the protective strips. The adhesive strip may be positioned to secure a folded edge portion of the bag assembly to accommodate an alternate seat back that is smaller than the seat back over which the seat back cover is intended to mount. The adhesive strips may be positioned vertically adjacent left and right edges of the second side relative to the alternate seat back.
A pocket may be secured to the second side, and a loop may be secured to the second side spaced from the pocket.
In another exemplary embodiment, a party kit for decorating a plurality of seat backs includes a plurality of seat back covers, where each of the seat back covers includes a first side sized larger than a seat back over which the seat back cover may be intended to mount, and a second side connected with the first side and sized larger than the seat back over which the seat back cover may be intended to mount. The first side being connected to the second side defines a bag assembly having an open end, a closed end and an interior space. The interior space is sized to fit over the seat back, and the seat back cover is formed of plastic or paper. The plurality of seat back covers may be concatenated in a strip. The concatenated seat back covers may be separated from one another by perforations. Each of the seat back covers may include a heat welded bottom at the closed end and heat welded sides.
Each of the seat back covers may further include adhesive strips positioned on the second side and covered with a corresponding pair of protective strips, where adhesive strips are exposed by removing the protective strips. The adhesive strips may be positioned proximate to corners of the closed end.
These and other aspects and advantages will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings, which are not to scale, and in which like reference characters refer to like elements among the drawings,
In all of the above-described embodiments, the invention may further comprise printed matter on either side of the bag, for example, but not limited to, ceremonial decorations.
It is evident from the above description that the seat back cover of the described embodiments is highly functional and advantageous and provides a decorative appearance to a simple folding chair while being less expensive to manufacture than existing chair covers and the like.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/007,780, filed Jan. 27, 2016, pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/108,687, filed Jan. 28, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/120,619, filed Feb. 25, 2015, the entire content of each of which is herein incorporated by reference.
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0457992 | Nov 1991 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210267383 A1 | Sep 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62120619 | Feb 2015 | US | |
62108687 | Jan 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15007780 | Jan 2016 | US |
Child | 17322327 | US |