Abstract:
A replaceable furniture glide assembly for use with articles of furniture. The furniture glide assembly includes a base member removably attached to the undersurface of an article of furniture and a cup member which snap fits to removably engage with the base member. The cup member includes a glide member which engages with and protects the floor. The cup member can be easily removed by disengaging the snap fitting when the glide member becomes worn or needs to be replaced.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to furniture glides, and particularly to replaceable furniture glides used on the undersurfaces of articles of furniture to assist in moving furniture along a flooring surface and protecting the floor from scratching. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Furniture glides are used on the undersurfaces of furniture, particularly tables and chairs, to keep the furniture legs from scratching or wearing on floor surfaces. In prior art patents of this general type, arrangements are disclosed which include units which are removably attached to the feet of chairs and tables. As the ground engaging surface of the glide wears or becomes dirty through use, the entire unit must be replaced. After multiple replacements, the nail or screw securing the unit to the chair no longer holds with the desired force as the hole in which it is fastened becomes compromised. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    The present disclosure relates to a furniture glide with a replaceable ground engaging surface which includes a base component and a cup component which snap fit together. The base component is secured to a furniture leg or other undersurface with a fastener such as an annular brad or nail or screw. The cup component is attached to a ground engaging surface made of a non-scratch material such as, for example, felt or plastic. The ground engaging surface is positioned to lie between the cup component and the floor to prevent scratches or wear on the floor as the furniture rests or moves along the floor. 
         [0004]    The snap fit arrangement is important because this configuration allows the base and cup to securely fasten together for operation, preventing unintended loosening or separation of the two parts, but also provides for disassembly of the two components when the glide member becomes worn and needs to be replaced. When the ground engaging surface becomes worn or dirty, the cup component can be removed from the base component, which remains attached to the furniture by unsnapping and disengaging the base component from the cup component by hand or with an instrument such as a knife or screwdriver. A replacement glide member is then snapped over the base component without the need to replace the entire assembly. 
         [0005]    Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The present disclosure and the advantages thereof will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a chair fitted with a furniture glide on the undersurface of each of its four legs. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2A  is a cutaway side view of one embodiment of the furniture glide assembly. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2B  is an enlarged cutaway side view of the furniture glide assembly, detailing the snap fit engagement of the annular flange of the base member and the recessed cavity of the cup member. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a furniture glide adapted to be coupled to a furniture leg showing the furniture leg, base member, annular brad fastener, cup member, and glide member. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4A  is a side view of the furniture glide assembly with a cutaway portion showing the snap fit engagement between the base member and the cup member. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4B  is an enlargement of the side view of the furniture glide assembly detailing the snap fit engagement of the base member and cup member. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which the fastener is a screw. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5B  is a perspective view showing an assembled furniture glide of the embodiment of  FIG. 5A . 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an alternate configuration of the furniture glide assembly in which the cup member is comprised of or coated in a ground engaging plastic material with a high degree of lubricity such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). 
           [0016]      FIG. 7A  is perspective exploded view of another alternative configuration in which the cup member includes a radially extending lip for ease of removal from the base member. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7B  is a perspective view of the assembled unit shown in  FIG. 7A . 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  illustrates the separation of the cup component from the base component using a screwdriver. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates the separation of the cup component from the base component by hand, utilizing the radially extending tab. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    While the present disclosure may be susceptible to different embodiments, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, embodiments with the understanding that the present description is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  depicts a replaceable furniture glide  10  coupled to the underside of four furniture legs  12 . The furniture glide  10  includes a base member  14 , shown in  FIG. 2A , which is adapted to be secured to the furniture leg  12  with one or more fasteners  16  such as an annular brad  18 . Attachment of the base member  14  to the bottom of the furniture leg  12  can be achieved by using a hammer if the fixture is an annular brad  18  or nail, as depicted in  FIG. 2A , or with a screwdriver if the fastener  16  is a screw or other rotary fixation device, as shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . 
         [0022]    The annular brad  18 , depicted in  FIG. 2A , may be formed to include a flange  36  extending radially from its base. Flange  36  anchors the annular brad  18  within the base member  14 , to add stability and prevent dislodgment of the connection between the base member  14  and the furniture leg  12 . 
         [0023]    In an alternate configuration, the fastener  16  may be a screw, as depicted in  FIG. 5A . In this configuration, the base member  14  includes a recessed inlet  23  and aperture  25  on its bottom wall  24 . Recessed inlet  23  is configured to create a shelf of the same dimension as the head of the screw or nail fastener, countersinking the screw or nail fastener within the base member  14 . Positioning the screw or nail fastener  16  within the base member  14  prevents interference between the base member  14  and the cup member  34  to allow the cup member  34  to rest flatly against the base member  14 . 
         [0024]    The base member  14  is preferably formed as a single piece of plastic or rubber. The base member includes a top wall  20 , a sidewall  22 , and a bottom wall  24 , as shown in  FIG. 2A . When assembled, the top wall  20  is located in proximity to the bottom surface of a furniture leg. The sidewall  22  includes an annular flange  26  that extends radially from its periphery. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2B , the annular flange  26  includes a planar sidewall  28  and a top wall  30  that is generally perpendicular to the sidewall  28 . The annular flange  26  is receivable in a groove  44  formed in lower cup member  34 . 
         [0025]    Once the base member  14  has been attached to the furniture leg  12  with fastener  16 , the base member  14  and cup member  34  are easily assembled by aligning the two pieces with respect to each other and applying pressure to the cup member  34  so that cup member  34  snaps over annular flange  26  of base member  14 , as detailed in  FIG. 2B . 
         [0026]    Cup member  34 , as shown in  FIG. 2B , is configured to be removably coupled to the base member  14 . As shown in  FIG. 2A , the cup member  34  includes a top wall  38  formed to include a recess  32 . Recess  32  is defined by an annular sidewall  40  formed to include a tapered surface  41  extending downward at an inward angle from the top wall  38 , as shown in  FIG. 2B . Tapered surface  41  of cup member  34  facilitates the assembly of the cup member  34  and base member  14  by expanding the sidewall  40  of cup member  34  to outwardly flex sidewall  40  over the annular flange  26  of the base member  14 . Tapered surface  41  also provides a point of entry for a screwdriver or other implement to aid in the removal of the cup member  34  from the base member  14 . 
         [0027]    Cup member  34  includes a retainer  43 , depicted in  FIG. 2B , formed by the inward protrusion of the tapered surface  41  of the sidewall  40  of the cup member  34 . Retainer  43  is necessary to secure the annular flange  26  in the groove  44  of the cup member  34 , forming the secure snap fit arrangement. Retainer  43  has a second tapered surface  45 , shown in  FIG. 2B , which tapers into the groove  44  where the sidewall  40  connects to a bottom wall  42 . 
         [0028]    The groove  44  is dimensioned to accept the annular flange  26  of the base member  14  to secure the unit in an interconnected snap fit engagement, as depicted in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . This arrangement maintains the position between the base member  14  and the cup member  34  even though the furniture leg  12  may be moved, jostled, or otherwise repositioned. Second tapered surface  45  of the cup member  34  facilitates the removal of the annular flange  26  of the base member  14  from the groove  44  of the cup member. 
         [0029]    The cup member  34  also includes a bottom surface that is provided with a ground engaging glide member  46 , as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . Glide member  46  is preferably formed of felt or another scratch-resistant material such as plastic, including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Any plastic with a high degree of lubricity to facilitate sliding of the furniture across a flooring surface will work for the intended purpose. The glide member  46  is positioned to lie between the cup member  34  and the floor to prevent scratching or wear on the floor as the furniture leg  12  rests or moves along the floor surface. The glide member shown in  FIG. 4A  includes a top surface  48  lying in proximity to the bottom wall  42  of the cup component  34  and a bottom surface  50  adapted to engage the floor. 
         [0030]    When the glide member  46  becomes worn or dirty, the cup member  34  can be pried from the base member  14 , which stays fixed to the bottom of the furniture leg  12 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 8 . This can be accomplished by use of a screwdriver, knife or other implement to pry apart and separate the cup member  34  from the base member  14 , unsnapping the flange  26  on the periphery of the base member  14  from the groove  44  in the cup member  34 . The screwdriver can also be wedged between the leg of the chair and the cup member  34  to effectuate its removal. A replacement cup member with a new glide member can then be snapped into place. 
         [0031]    In an alternative configuration, depicted in  FIG. 7A , the cup member  34  may include a radially extending tab  52  extending from the periphery of the cup member  34 . Radially extending tab  52  facilitates removal of the cup member  34  from the base member  14  when the glide member  46  becomes worn, as depicted in  FIG. 9 . The base member  14  and cup member  34  can more easily be separated by applying pressure to the radially extending tab  52  and pulling the base member  14  and cup member  34  apart. The radially extending tab  52  also forms a pry point to allow removal of the cup member  34  with the screwdriver or other implement when attached to the furniture surface. 
         [0032]    In an alternate configuration, as depicted in  FIG. 6 , the entire cup member  54  can be formed of or coated in non-scratch material, such as a plastic with a high degree of lubricity, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In this configuration, the removable cup member  54  is not provided with an additional glide member because the entire cup member  54  is formed to provide a non-scratch barrier between the furniture leg  12  and the floor. 
         [0033]    In this alternate configuration, the entire non-scratch or non-scratch coated cup member  54  can be unsnapped from the base member  14  and replaced if it becomes dirty, worn, or in the case of the coated cup member, loses its non-scratch coating. 
         [0034]    While embodiments have been illustrated and described in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustrations and descriptions are considered to be exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected. The description and figures are intended as illustrations of embodiments of the disclosure, and are not intended to be construed as having or implying limitation of the disclosure to those embodiments. 
         [0035]    There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from various features set forth in the description. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the disclosure and associated methods, without undue experimentation, that incorporate one or more of the features of the disclosure and fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.