Patent Publication Number: US-6669153-B1

Title: Furniture foot

Description:
TECHNICAL AREA 
     This invention relates to the area of furniture and in particular to improvements in feet that are found on many types of furniture. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     On many types of flooring including tiles, floor boards, parquetry floors, cork floors and slate floors it is well known that existing furniture feet are prone to slide. This can result in scratching or scuffing of the floor and may also be unsafe for the furniture user as the furniture may slide from under them. 
     An aesthetic problem also arises with furniture items which are meant to be configured in a certain manner but in practice slide apart leaving gaps between them. 
     There exist a range of such feet which permit easy manoeuvrability of furniture over such surfaces but none provide the ability to maintain the furniture item in position once located. 
     OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a furniture foot which maintains furniture in a required position and minimises any damage to an underlying floor. 
     The invention is a foot device for use with furniture which device includes a rigid portion having a body with a first face which contacts the furniture and a second face which is directed towards a floor with low slip material protruding from at least one recess in the second face. 
     Preferably the resilient material is located in an annular groove which is concentric with the mid point of the foot device body. 
     It is also preferred that where ease of furniture movement is desired the second face is provided with a curved outer periphery and at least one recess through which means for connecting to the furniture may pass. 
     It is further preferred that, where the foot device is required to support in situ furniture legs or supports, a recess be provided in the first face to accommodate said legs or supports. 
    
    
     In order that the invention may be more readily understood we shall describe by way of non limiting example two specific embodiments thereof, in relation to the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURES 
     In these drawings: 
     FIG. 1 shows the components of a first embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows the components of FIG. 1 assembled; 
     FIG. 3 shows the above embodiment of the invention located on the furniture and angled for movement; 
     FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the second face of a second embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first face of the embodiment shown in FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     In a first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the foot device  10  has a body member  11  made, preferably by injection moulding, of a hard polypropylene plastic with a face having a recess  14  into which a ring  20  of a low slip material such as Santoprene, which has a high coefficient of friction when placed on a floor, can fit. The arrangement is such that the ring protrudes from recess  14  so that when the furniture item is standing upright the ring  20  provides a good grip on the floor surface. 
     This face is also provided with a curved periphery  12  so that tilting the furniture item  40  as shown in FIG. 3 causes the ring  20  to cease contacting the floor and the furniture item can slide on the curved periphery  12 . The foot device is attached to the furniture item  40  by a screw  30  passing through an aperture  16  in recess  15 . 
     The body shape may be of any shape or height desired although it is envisaged that it will most likely be circular or rectangular. 
     The ring material and body material likewise may be of any desired material however it is envisaged that the body be made of a hard plastic which has good dimensional stability and would slide well over a floor while the ring which can be of a soft material has good gripping qualities. Because the major portion of the ring is in the recess  14  deformation of this is restricted. 
     In another embodiment of the invention  50  the foot device can stand alone and be used to support existing furniture legs or other devices such as castors fitted thereto. In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 a face  51  incorporating the grip ring  20  is provided to contact the floor while the opposing face  52  of the device is provided with an excised portion  60  capable of holding a wheel device in situ when such a castor or the like is attached to a furniture item. 
     This arrangement permits a wheel mounted item of furniture to be held in a given position with the additional benefit of not marking the floor. It is envisaged that the shape of the excised portion  60  may be varied to fit any particular furniture mount or to directly receive a leg of a piece of furniture being supported by the device. 
     Whilst we have described herein two specific embodiments of the invention it is envisaged that other embodiments of the invention will exhibit any number of and any combination of the features previously described and it is to be understood that variations and modifications in this can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.