Abstract:
A door trim floor gap cover system includes a trim piece operable to cover a gap between a bottom edge of door trim and a walking surface of a flooring material under the door trim (i.e., casing, jamb, and optional door stop). The trim piece may be one piece that bends about the door trim. The trim piece may be a resilient material that deforms while being positioned and is biased toward its original shape to hold onto the door casing. The trim piece may be more than one piece wherein a first portion is positioned on the casing and jamb and the second portion is then interlocked with the first portion to complete the trim piece, covering the floor gap. A pair of hooks extend behind the casing to engage a distal face of the casing, retaining the system against the door trim (casing and jamb).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and hereby incorporates by reference in its entirety U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/811,521 entitled “Metal ornamental piece that makes a clean transition from door casing to floor, Casing Plate” filed on Apr. 12, 2013. 
    
    
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to interior trim work in buildings. More particularly, this invention pertains to trimming door casings, jambs and stops. 
     Various flooring materials have different thicknesses. For example, hardwood flooring has a thickness of about ¾″, vinyl flooring has a thickness of about ⅛″, laminate flooring has a thickness of about ½″, and tile has an overall thickness of about ½″ (i.e., raises the walking surface approximately ½″ above the top of the subfloor). When trimming hardwood, vinyl, laminate, or tile along a wall, a baseboard is laid along the wall above the walking surface of the flooring material (approximately 1″ above the subfloor), and quarter round is put down to close the gap between the bottom of the baseboard and the walking surface of the flooring material. 
     Carpet has an actual thickness of about ⅜″, but can fill gaps up to 1″ under baseboards and other trim work. Carpet is typically not trimmed with quarter round because the carpet covers the bottom edge of the baseboard and door trim (i.e., door casing, jamb, and/or door stop) along the edges of the room. One popular renovation is to change common areas of residential dwellings from carpet to hardwood or tile. In areas with baseboard, the addition of quarter round covers the gap between the bottom edge of the baseboard and the walking surface of the new flooring material. However, around door trim (i.e., door casing, jamb, and/or stop), a gap of about ¼″ to ½″ exists between the bottom of the door trim the walking surface (i.e., top) of the new flooring material. Caulk cannot be used to fill a gap this large, and replacing the door casing with one that extends from the top of the door opening to the walking surface of the flooring material involves removing all of the current door trim (i.e., casing, jamb, and stop if any) and hanging a new door with trim. Installing a new door and trim to achieve an extension of the door trim down to the walking surface of the flooring material is cost prohibitive. This same situation arises when there is a change order regarding the flooring material during construction or a door casing is simply cut too short during installation. Further, the situation is compounded when the gap may be uneven because the flooring material changes at the doorway. That is, new hardwood replacing carpet that previously met hardwood in the doorway typically has a wider gap than on the side of the doorway with the preexisting hardwood because the door trim was cut to fit hardwood on one side and carpet on the other when the doorway and flooring were originally installed. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of the present invention provide a door trim floor gap cover system including a trim piece operable to cover a gap between a bottom edge of door trim and a walking surface of a flooring material under the door trim (i.e., casing, jamb, and optional door stop). The trim piece may be one piece that bends about the door trim. The trim piece may be a resilient material that deforms while being positioned and is biased toward its original shape to hold onto the door casing. The trim piece may be more than one piece wherein a first portion is positioned on the casing and jamb and the second portion is then interlocked with the first portion to complete the trim piece, covering the floor gap. Each of a pair of hooks extends behind the casing to engage a distal face of the casing, retaining the system against the door trim (casing and jamb). 
     In one aspect, a. door trim floor gap cover system is configured to cover a gap between a bottom of a door trim and a walking surface of a flooring material under the door trim when installed on the door trim. The system includes a center portion, a first longitudinal portion, a second longitudinal portion, a first hook, and a second hook. The center portion extends laterally and is configured to extend along an outer face of a jamb of the door trim. The first longitudinal portion extends generally longitudinally from a first end of the center portion and is configured to extend along an outer face of a first casing of the door trim. The second longitudinal portion extends generally longitudinally from a second end of the center portion and is configured to extend along an outer face of a second casing of the door trim. The first hook extends longitudinally beyond the first longitudinal portion and generally inward toward the second longitudinal portion such that the first hook engages a distal face of the first casing when the system is installed on the door trim. The second hook extends longitudinally beyond the second longitudinal portion and generally inward toward the first longitudinal portion such that the second hook engages a distal face of the second casing when the system is installed on the door trim. 
     In another aspect, a method of installing a door trim floor gap cover system on a door trim to cover a gap between a bottom of the door trim and a walking surface of a flooring material under the door trim includes positioning an inner face of a first interlocking section of a center portion of the system against an outer face of a jamb of the door trim such that an inner face of a first longitudinal portion of the system contacts an outer face of a first casing of the door trim, a bottom of the first interlocking section contacts the walking surface of the flooring material, and a first hook of the system engages a distal face of the first casing. The first interlocking section of the center portion has a recess or protrusion adjacent a lateral edge of the first interlocking section. The center portion extends laterally when the system is installed on the door trim. The first longitudinal portion extends generally longitudinally from a first end of the center portion when the system is installed on the door trim and is configured to extend along the outer face of the first casing of the door trim when the system is installed on the door trim. The first hook extends longitudinally beyond the first longitudinal portion and generally toward a second longitudinal portion of the system when the system is installed on the door trim. The method continues with positioning an inner face of a second interlocking section of the center portion of the system against the outer face of the jamb of the door trim such that an inner face of the second longitudinal portion of the system contacts an outer face of a second casing of the door trim, a second hook of the system engages a distal face of the second casing, and the second interlocking section is not in contact with the walking surface of the flooring material. The second interlocking section of the center portion has a recess or protrusion adjacent a lateral edge of the second interlocking section and the recess or protrusion of the second interlocking section is substantially complementary to the recess or protrusion of the first interlocking section. The second longitudinal portion extends generally longitudinally from a second end of the center portion when the system is installed on the door trim and is configured to extend along the outer face of the second casing of the door trim when the system is installed on the door trim. The second hook extends generally longitudinally beyond the first longitudinal portion and generally toward the first longitudinal portion of the system when the system is installed on the door trim. The second interlocking section is then lowered to the walking surface of the flooring material such that the recess or protrusion of the first interlocking section interlocks with the complementary recess or protrusion of the second interlocking section. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a system for covering a door trim floor gap. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the system of  FIG. 1  wherein the system is separated into two pieces at an interlocking joint of the system. 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the system of  FIGS. 1 and 2  wherein the system the interlocking joint is assembled. 
         FIG. 4  is a cutaway isometric view of a doorway showing door trim components. 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a door trim with a door stop cut during installation of the door trim floor gap system. 
         FIG. 6  is an elevated perspective view of a door trim and door trim floor gap system during installation. 
         FIG. 7  is an isometric view of a door trim and door trim floor gap system being caulked. 
         FIG. 8  is a top plan view of a malleable door trim floor gap system. 
     
    
    
     Reference will now be made in detail to optional embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawing and in the description referring to the same or like parts. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. 
     To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, a number of terms are defined below. The terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but rather include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as set forth in the claims. 
     As described herein, an upright position is considered to be the position of apparatus components while in proper operation or in a natural resting position as described herein. Vertical, horizontal, above, below, side, top, bottom and other orientation terms are described with respect to this upright position during operation or use unless otherwise specified. The term “when” is used to specify orientation for relative positions of components, not as a temporal limitation of the claims or apparatus described and claimed herein unless otherwise specified. The terms “above”, “below”, “over”, and “under” mean “having an elevation or vertical height greater or lesser than” and are not intended to imply that one object or component is directly over or under another object or component. 
     The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , a door trim floor gap cover system  100  is configured to cover a gap  102  (see  FIG. 5 ) between a bottom  104  of a door trim  300  and a walking surface  106  of a flooring material under the door trim  300 . The door trim  300  includes a first casing  302 , a second casing  304 , and a jamb  306 . Optionally, the door trim  300  may also include a doorstop  308 . The first casing  302  has a proximal face  310 , a distal face  312 , and an outer face  314  having a profile. The jamb  306  has a first lateral end  316 , a second lateral end  318 , and an outer face  320 . The second casing  304  is a proximal face  322 , a distal face  324 , and an outer face  326  having a profile. 
     The system  100  includes a center portion  400 , a first longitudinal portion  402 , a second longitudinal portion  404 , a first hook  406 , and a second hook  408 . The center portion  400  extends laterally and is configured to extend along the outer face  320  of the jamb  306 . The first longitudinal portion  402  extends generally longitudinally from a first end  410  of the center portion  400  and is configured to extend along the outer face  314  of the first casing  302 . The second longitudinal portion  404  extends generally longitudinally from a second end  412  of the center portion  300  opposite the first end  410  of the center portion  400  and is configured to extend along the outer face  326  of the second casing  304 . The first hook  406  extends longitudinally beyond the first longitudinal portion  402  and generally inward toward the second longitudinal portion  404  (e.g., toward the second hook  408 ) such that the first hook  406  engages the distal face  312  of the first casing  302  when the system  100  is installed on the door trim  300 . The second hook  408  extends longitudinally beyond the second longitudinal portion  404  and generally inward toward the first longitudinal portion  402  (e.g., toward the first hook  406 ) such that the second hook  408  engages the distal face  324  of the second casing  304  when the system  100  is installed on the door trim  300 . In one embodiment, the first hook  406  and second hook  408  cooperate to at least partially hold an inner face  502  of the center portion  400  against the outer face  320  of the jamb  306 . In another embodiment, the inner face  502  of the center portion  400  is maintained at a relatively small distance (e.g., less than ⅛″) from the outer face  320  of the jamb  306 . As described herein, the latitudinal and longitudinal directions are substantially horizontal and parallel with the floor walking surface  106  when the system  100  is installed on the door trim  300 . The vertical direction is perpendicular to the latitudinal and longitudinal directions. In one embodiment, the center portion  400  has a longitudinal depth of approximately ⅜″. In one embodiment, the center portion  400  has a vertical height of approximately ⅝″. In one embodiment, the first longitudinal portion  402  is integral with the center portion  400 , and the second longitudinal portion  404  is integral with the center portion  400 . In one embodiment, the first hook  406  is integral with the first longitudinal portion  402 , and the second hook  408  is integral with the second longitudinal portion  404 . 
     In one embodiment, the center portion  400  of the system  100  includes 2 interlocking sections. Each interlocking section has a lateral edge where the 2 interlocking sections interlock with one another. The lateral edges of the 2 interlocking sections may be offset from a center of the center portion  400  by at least ¾″. In one embodiment, the center portion  400  includes a first interlocking section  602  and a second interlocking section  604 . The first interlocking section  602  has a recess  606  extending vertically through the first interlocking section  602  adjacent a lateral edge  608  of the first interlocking section  602 . The second interlocking section  604  has a protrusion  610  extending vertically across the second interlocking section  604  from a lateral edge  612  of the second interlocking section  604 . The protrusion  610  is generally complementary to the recess  606  such that the recess  606  is operable to receive the protrusion  610 , and the lateral edge  608  of the first interlocking section  602  and the lateral edge  612  of the second interlocking section  604  engage one another. In one embodiment, the recess  606  and the protrusion  610  are substantially cylindrical. In another embodiment, the recess  606  and the protrusion  610  have a substantially triangular cross-section. It is contemplated that the interlocking joint formed by the recess  606  and protrusion  610  may be in either the first longitudinal portion  402  or second longitudinal portion  404 . It is also contemplated that the recess  606  may be formed in the second interlocking section  604  while the protrusion  610  is formed on the first interlocking portion  602  within the scope of the claims. 
     Walls are typically made with either 2×4 construction or 2×6 construction. To adapt a system  100  designed for a 2×4 wall to a 2×6 wall, the center portion  400  may include an extension. The extension has vertical height and longitudinal depth equal to a vertical height and longitudinal depth of the rest of the center portion  400 . The extension has a first end having an adjacent recess, and a second end having an adjacent protrusion. The recess of the extension corresponds to the recess  606  of the first interlocking section  602 , and the protrusion of the extension corresponds to the protrusion  610  of the second interlocking section  604 . In one embodiment, the extension is approximately 2 inches from the first end to the second end. 
     In one embodiment, the outer face  314  of the first casing  302  of the door trim  300  has a profile, and the first longitudinal portion  402  has an inner face  702  with a profile generally complementary to the profile of the outer face  314  of the first casing  302 . In one embodiment, the first longitudinal portion  402  has an outer face  706  having a profile generally matching the profile of the outer face  314  of the first casing  302 . In one embodiment, the outer face  326  of the second casing  304  of the door trim  300  has a profile, and the second longitudinal portion  404  has an inner face  704  with a profile generally complementary to the profile of the outer face  326  of the second casing  304  of the door trim  300 . In one embodiment, the second longitudinal portion  404  has an outer face  708  having a profile generally matching the profile of the outer face  326  of the second casing  304 . 
     In one embodiment, the system  100  further includes a first filler section  720 , and a second filler section  722 . The first filler section  720  is located where the first longitudinal portion  402  meets the center portion  400 . First filler section  720  is configured to a butt a first lateral face  740  of the jamb  306  and the proximal face  310  of the first casing  302  of the door trim  300 . The second filler section  722  is located where the second longitudinal portion  404  meets the center portion  400 , and the second filler section  722  is configured to a butt a second lateral face  742  of the jamb  306  of the door trim  300  and the proximal face  322  of the second casing  304  of the door trim  300 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5-7 , a method of installing the door trim floor cover system  100  on the door trim  300  to cover the gap  102  between the bottom  104  of the door trim  300  and the walking surface  106  of the flooring material under the door trim  300  includes positioning the inner face  702  of the first interlocking section  602  against the outer face  320  of the jamb  306  such that the inner face  702  of the first longitudinal portion  402  contacts the outer face  314  of the first casing  302 , a bottom of the first interlocking section  602  contacts the walking surface  106  of the foreign material, and the first book  406  engages the distal face  312  of the first casing  302 . An inner face  704  of the second interlocking section  604  is positioned against the outer face  320  of the jamb  306  of the door trim  300  such that the inner face  704  of the second longitudinal portion  404  contacts the outer face  326  of the second casing  304 , and the second interlocking section  604  is not in contact with the walking surface  106  of the foreign material (see  FIG. 6 ). The second interlocking section  604  is been lowered to the walking surface  106  of the foreign material such that the recess  606  and protrusion  610  of the first and second interlocking sections  602 ,  604  interlock with one another to retain the first hook  406  and second hook  408  in contact with the distal faces of the first and second casings  302 ,  304 . If the door trim  300  includes the doorstop  308 , the method includes cutting off the doorstop  308  at a point approximately ⅝″ above the walking surface  106  of the foreign material under the door trim  300  (see  FIG. 5 ). In one embodiment, completing installation of the system  100  on the door trim  300  includes caulking a seam  800  formed between the system  100  and the door trim  300 . The system  100 , door trim  300 , and caulk may all then be painted for consistency. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the system  100  is formed from a unitary section of malleable material in one embodiment. In this embodiment, the inner face  502  of the center portion  400  is placed against the outer face  320  of the jamb  306  for installation. The first and second longitudinal portions  402 ,  404  are then bent toward one other (e.g., forced together via a C-clamp) and into contact with the first and second casings, respectively. Thus, the first and second hooks  406 ,  408  engage the distal faces of the first and second casings, respectively. In this embodiment, the system  100  optionally includes bending points  900  at the junctions between first and second longitudinal portions  402 ,  404 . The bending points  900  act as stress points that collapse when the first and second longitudinal portions  402 ,  404  are forced together, preventing pending of the first and second longitudinal portions and ensuring a proper installation with the system  100  fitted to the door trim  300 . 
     In one embodiment, the system  100  is formed from a unitary section of resilient material. During installation, the first and second longitudinal portions  402 ,  404  are temporarily pulled away from one another (i.e., spread apart) to enable the inner face  502  of the center portion  400  to be placed against the outer face  320  of the jamb  306 . When the first and second longitudinal portions  402 ,  404  are released, the resilient material resumes its original shape, forcing the first and second hooks into contact with the distal faces of the first and second longitudinal portions, respectively. 
     This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims. 
     It will be understood that the particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention may be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims. 
     All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein may be made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of the embodiments included herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful DOOR TRIM FLOOR GAP COVER SYSTEM it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.