Abstract:
An L-shaped rug that fits in a hallway corner. The rug traps dirt so that substantially no dirt reaches the underlying floor or material. The rug is easily removed and cleaned.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to floor coverings and more specifically to a rug made for corners of halls.  
         [0002]     Hallways are one of the most traveled portions of a building, so they tend to collect the most dirt. Unfortunately, however, hallways are particularly difficult to clean because there is limited space in which to maneuver a broom, vacuum or mop. The residue left at the intersection of the walls is nearly impossible to remove because standard floor cleaning devices cannot get into the corner. Particularly avid cleaning people may use small devices such as toothbrushes to clean crevices in the corner, but that is time-consuming and inefficient. It would be desirable to have clean hallway corners.  
         [0003]     Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus that makes it easier to have clean corners in hallways.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention is device for making it easier to have clean corners in hallways. The device is an L-shaped rug that fits in a hallway corner. The rug traps dirt so that substantially no dirt reaches the underlying floor or material. The rug is easily removed and cleaned. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hallway showing the present invention.  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the present invention in a first configuration.  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the present invention in a second configuration.  
         [0008]      FIGS. 4   a, b  and  c  illustrate how pieces may be combined to form the invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the present invention showing a first means for attachment to the floor.  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the present invention showing a second means for attachment to the floor.  
         [0011]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a hallway showing the preferred embodiment present invention installed snugly between the hallway walls.  
         [0012]      FIG. 8   a  is a cross-section of the rug in the cut pile material.  
         [0013]      FIG. 8   b  is a cross-section of the rug in the loop pile material. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     The present invention is an L-shaped rug that traps dirt and prevents it from  FIG. 1  shows the rug  10  installed on the floor  11  of a hallway  12 . The rug  10  comprises a first arm  20  at substantially a right angle to a second arm  21 . The length of the arms is determined by the configuration of the hallway and the appearance desired by the user.  FIG. 2  shows the preferred embodiment in which the first arm  20  and second arm  21  are of different lengths.  FIG. 3  shows the first arm  20  having the same length as the second arm  21 .  
         [0015]     In the preferred embodiment, the rug is a single piece, with the first arm  20  integral with the second arm  21 . See  FIGS. 2 and 3 . It may be desirable, however, to make the rug  10  from separate pieces.  FIG. 4  shows several ways to accomplish this, whether the adjoining edges are indicated by dashed lines. For example, in  FIG. 4   a,  the first arm  20  and second arm  21  are joined along the line connecting the corners  40 . In  FIG. 4   b  the end of the first arm  20  is joined to second arm  21  along the edge  41  of the second arm  21 . In  FIG. 4   c  the end of the second arm  21  is joined to first arm  20  along the edge  42  of the first arm.  
         [0016]     The rug  10  is removable from the hallway so that it can be easily cleaned. Preferably the rug is easily cleaned by means of, for example, vacuuming, washing, or shaking. The rug  10  can be made of any material suitable for rugs, including woven fibers such as silk, wool, cotton, nylon, polyester, or polyethylene; or non-woven materials such as rubber or plastic. Preferably the rug has fibers, natural or synthetic, that have interstitial spaces to trap dirt, such as cut or loop pile.  FIG. 8   a  shows cut pile  80  with interstitial spaces  81  and  FIG. 8   b  shows loop pile  85  with interstitial spaces  86 .  
         [0017]     To prevent the rug from inadvertently moving out of place or slipping on the floor in the hallway, the rug  10  may be attached to the floor  11  of the hallway  12  using a variety of means for removeably attaching the rug. To attach the rug to a hardwood, tile, or cement floor, for example, the attachment means can be adhesive.  FIG. 5  shows the bottom of the rug  10  with adhesive  50  on all or a portion of its periphery. The means for attachment may also be rubber or plastic that does not easily slide on hard floors. In the event the floor of the hallway has carpet, the rug can be laid over the carpet. In such case, the rug may be equipped with means for attachment that hook into the carpet.  FIG. 6  shows a rug  10  with means for attaching the rug to carpet  60  made of the hooked portion of the hook-and-loop device known as VELCRO®. In the preferred embodiment, however, the rug  10  fits snugly between the walls  70  of the hallway so that it does not shift when walked on or vacuumed. See  FIG. 7 .  
         [0018]     While there has been illustrated and described what is at present considered to be a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.