Abstract:
The electrical cover is a flexible, friction-held electrical cover that guards outlets from finish materials such as paint, spackling, and other foreign materials. The frictionally-held finish material electrical covers utilize specifically shaped features on the surfaces, such as negative draft, that contact the electrical components to increase the hold on the electrical device. Some of the shaped features of the frictionally-held covers also help minimize stress in the cover. The electrical covers are shaped with an arched rear surface that assists in minimizing edge warping when the electrical cover is positioned against the wall surface. Features are also molded into the parts to assist and strengthen the cover flatness once installed, and thus protect against the intrusion of finish material behind the cover.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent No. 62/331,962 entitled GuardSpark Covers and filed on May 4, 2016, which is specifically incorporated by reference herein for all that it discloses and teaches. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The invention relates generally to the field of commercial and residential electrical construction; and more particularly, to the field of preparing electrical wiring components prior to painting/texturing or otherwise finishing surrounding surfaces; and more particularly still, to electrical covers designed to fit over one or more electrical outlet(s) [[switches, and recessed light fixtures]] to protect said component during painting/texturing/finishing processes. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    There are many products designed to cover and/or protect electrical outlets (hereinafter, “electrical components”) from receiving paint, texture, or other finishing materials (collectively, “finish materials”) during finishing projects. This is important as such materials can enter electrical components and cause malfunctions, be unsightly, reduce functionality, or even create electrical wiring hazards. In such situations, removing materials from electrical components can be time consuming and difficult; it is a much better approach to keep such materials from entering the electrical components in the first place. One common partial solution is to tape over the electrical components before commencing finish work. However, this is a laborious and time consuming process that ultimately yields unimpressive results as the gaps between rows or columns of tape allow materials to enter the electrical components. Furthermore, during the taping process, it is easy to accidentally make contact with the interior of the electrical components leading to potential electrical shock hazards. Tape is not reusable and often lets loose or fails when touched, vibrated, or otherwise moved—simple exposure to sunlight can also cause tape to fail. Not to mention the unsightly residue that tape often leaves behind. The prior art has seen the shortcomings of tape and attempted to address them with plastic paint shields. However, most such shields utilize prongs that either project into the outlets or into the electrical boxes. Many modern outlets have safety tabs that defeat insertion of such prongs causing such paint shields to be unusable. Further, depending on the installation of electrical components, there may be no room for insertion prongs to fit into an electrical box to the side of switches or outlets. Again, failure of such paint shields results. Additional problems with prior art paint shields is that they are flat, flimsy and prone to cracking, so they often gap or buckle, leaving spaces through which finish materials can enter. Thicker, more rigid shields fail to account for variations in manufacturing tolerances between electrical components, so may not fit all electrical components. What is needed is an electrical cover that is arched instead of flat so as to provide a better seal once installed, is able to be pressure-fit so that no insertion prongs are necessary, and is easy to quickly add or remove in order to save labor during finishing projects. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The electrical cover comprises a friction-held electrical cover. Embodiments of the electrical cover described herein provide flexible finish material covers that guard outlets from paint, spackling, and other foreign materials. The frictionally-held finish material covers utilize specifically shaped features on the surfaces, such as negative draft, that contact the electrical components to increase the hold on the electrical device. Some of the shaped features of the frictionally-held covers also help minimize stress in the cover. The electrical covers are shaped with an arched rear surface that assists in minimizing edge warping when the electrical cover is positioned against the wall surface. Features are also molded into the parts to assist and strengthen the cover flatness once installed, and thus protect against the intrusion of finish material behind the cover. 
         [0005]    The above summary provides a basic understanding of some aspects of the specification. This summary is not an extensive overview of the specification. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the specification nor delineate any scope of particular embodiments of the specification, or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present some initial concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The aforementioned and other features and objects of the present invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following descriptions of a preferred embodiment and other embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover in place on an outlet and electrical box; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover shown about to be emplaced on an outlet and electrical box; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  illustrates a rear perspective view of the inside of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    In the following discussion, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. Furthermore, lists and/or examples are often provided and should be interpreted as exemplary only and in no way limiting embodiments to only those examples. Similarly, in this disclosure, language such as “could, should, may, might, must, have to, can, would, need to, is, is not”, etc. and all such similar language shall be considered interchangeable whenever possible such that the scope of the invention is not unduly limited. For example, a comment such as: “item X is used” can be interpreted to read “item X can be used”. 
         [0014]    Exemplary embodiments are described below in the accompanying Figures. The following detailed description provides a review of the drawing Figures in order to provide an understanding of, and an enabling description for, these embodiments. One having ordinary skill in the art will understand that in some cases well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. Further, examples described herein are intended to aid in understanding the principles of the embodiments, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. As a result, the inventive concepts are not limited to the specific embodiments or examples. 
         [0015]    Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover  10  in place on an outlet  92  and electrical box  90 . The main body of the electrical cover  10  extends vertically and curves horizontally so as to form an arch when viewed from above (see later FIGs.). The materials comprising the electrical cover in this embodiment can be transparent, other embodiments may utilize translucent and/or opaque components. Running vertically along both sides of the of the main body is a plurality of scored cut-lines  20  and  22 , these provide a simple guide for the user to cut away excess materials when using multiple electrical covers  10  on multiple side-by-side outlets. In other embodiments, the scored cut-lines  20  and  22  can be deep enough that a user can simply bend the cover along those lines and snap off the excess rather than requiring cutting. 
         [0016]    Note that  FIG. 1  illustrates the electrical cover in place on an outlet and mated electrical box  90 . As such, the un-installed arch of the rear surface of the electrical cover is difficult to make out, see later FIGs. for more detail of the arch. 
         [0017]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a raised plateau  40  is shown surrounding the outlet  92  (not visible in  FIG. 1 , see  FIG. 2 ). The raised plateau  40  provides clearance for outlet bracketry and helps to sustain contact between the rear surface of the cover and the box and/or surrounding surfaces/walls. Extending up from the plateau  40  is the receptacle guard  30 , comprising an upper receptacle grasp  31  and a lower receptacle grasp  32 . The receptacle grasps  31  and  32  are designed to surround the individual receptacles and pressure-fit over them in order to hold the electrical cover in place. See later FIGs. for additional explanation of the subcomponents that help the receptacle grasps  31  and  32  grip and hold the outlet. 
         [0018]    Note that as the electrical cover  10  is pressed onto the outlet, the receptacles grasps  31  and  32  grip the electrical receptacles from the top, sides, and bottom with a friction fit. The arched shape of the back surface of the electrical cover is pressed approximately flat so that no gaps are available through which finish materials can enter either the outlet or the electrical box. The electrical covers protect not only the outlet itself, but associated wiring, wiring connections, and the walling materials (e.g., drywall) that surrounds the perimeter of the outlet. The electrical covers shield the electrical components from paint and/or other surface finishing materials such as plastering or spackling that is sprayed and/or rolled onto a wall surface or surface finishing treatments such as grouting tiles. The electrical covers may be reused, and may be washable or disposable. The electrical covers can be fabricated from a low-cost thermally formed polymer plastic. The covers utilize negatively drafted contact surfaces to improve the overlapping friction holding force while minimizing material stress. A second arched surface formed into the center of the electrical covers improves the holding force as well. Rounded surfaces are designed into the covers to minimize the risk of cracking, make the covers easier to form during fabrication, and improve the covers&#39; holding frictional force as well as the life-cycle for reusability. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover  10  shown about to be emplaced on an outlet  92  and electrical box  94 . The same components from  FIG. 1  are illustrated and referenced but since the electrical cover  10  is spaced away from the outlet  92 , the various relationships can be better seen and understood. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover  10 . In this view, the arch that is formed into the rear surface of the electrical cover  10  can be seen in the top rim  80 . The arch is more easily discernable here than in  FIG. 1  as this electrical cover is not installed. See  FIG. 5  for an additional depiction of this feature. The right side rim  81  and left side rim  83  are depicted in this FIG., as is the bottom rim  84 . As can be seen in the illustration, the rims are preferably somewhat thin so that they can be flexible and mold to the underlying surfaces once installed in order to minimize any gapping therebetween. 
         [0021]    Moving from the top down, the first feature that is encountered on the raised plateau  40  is the fastener clearance  50 . This feature allows the cover to clear any screws or other fasteners used to install the outlet  92  in the electrical box  90 . A second fastener clearance  52  is present near the bottom edge of the raised plateau  40 . Between the two fastener clearances  50  and  52  is the receptacle guard  30 , comprising an upper receptacle grasp  31  and a lower receptacle grasp  32 . Between the two is a strengthening bridge  75  which strengthens resistance against pinching the plurality of finger holds  74  and  76  and increases the cover holding force to the outlet. The outer front face surfaces of the grasps  31  and  32  can be arched as well (see first grasp arch  72  and second grasp arch  78  in  FIG. 3 ) to strengthen the electrical cover and assist in the grasping functionality. 
         [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover  10 . In addition to all the subcomponents discussed above,  FIG. 4  highlights a number of additional components that are instrumental in the grasping functionality that provides the pressure-fit of the electrical cover  10  to the outlet. 
         [0023]    The standard outlet is made up of two, vertically-stacked receptacles. The upper receptacle grasp  31  can utilize a top grasp wall  37  to grasp the upper edge of the top receptacle. Similarly, a right side grasp wall  73  grasps the right side of the top receptacle and a left side grasp wall  71  grasps the left side of the top receptacle. These grasp walls  37 ,  71  and  73  work in combination with each other and with those of the lower receptacle grasp  32  to securely grip and hold the outlet receptacles. The lower receptacle grasp  32  has grasp walls similar to those detailed above: a right side grasp wall  79  grasps the right side of the bottom receptacle, a left side grasp wall  77  grasps the left side of the bottom receptacle, and a bottom grasp wall  38  grasps the bottom edge of the bottom receptacle. The grasp walls  37 ,  38 ,  71 ,  73 ,  77  and  79  all angle slightly inwards as they extend out from the raised plateau  40  in order to accommodate outlet receptacles of various sizes due to manufacturing tolerances, etc. 
         [0024]    Additionally, the contact surfaces of the grasp walls may incorporate a modified surface friction material (such as a laminate material, tape, additional layer of plastic, etc.), coating (such as lacquer, polyurethane, etc.), or roughening (during or after formation). Modifying the surface roughness further enhances the electrical cover&#39;s ability to accommodate size variations in the outlet receptacles without introducing too much overlap. 
         [0025]    The cover is designed with pressure points that allow the user to engage and disengage the friction surfaces that hold to the electrical device. In  FIG. 4 , these pressure points comprise the plurality of finger holds  74  and  76 . By squeezing at these key points, the user causes the grasp walls to separate and release the electrical cover from the receptacles. The plurality of top spacer corners  33  and  35  and bottom spacer corners  34  and  36  provide flexibility to the grasp walls therebetween and help the finger holds  74  and  76  function properly. As noted above, the cover utilizes surfaces that are negatively drafted relative to other drafted features on the surfaces that contact the electrical device to increase the overlap and help minimize stress in the cover. 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  illustrates a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover  10 . Note the accentuated arch shape apparent in the top rim  80 . The perimeter of the electrical cover is approximately flattened against the installation surface (wall, outlet box, etc.) once installed and the arch causes constant pressure to be applied to the top, left, right, and bottom rims forcing them against the installation surface and minimizing gaps therebetween. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  illustrates a rear perspective view of the inside of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical cover  10 . Note that components referenced on earlier Figures are referenced here. This view is showing the rear of these components; said view can also be termed as an inside view as the previous views showed the front or external surface of the electrical cover while this view shows the internal surfaces. 
         [0028]    While particular embodiments have been described and disclosed in the present application, it is clear that any number of permutations, modifications, or embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of this disclosure. Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the embodiments should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects with which that terminology is associated. In general, the application should not be construed to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the inventions encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the claimed subject matter. 
         [0029]    The above detailed description of the embodiments is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise embodiment or form disclosed herein or to the particular fields of usage mentioned above. While specific embodiments and examples are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the embodiments provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
         [0030]    Any patents, applications and other references that may be listed in accompanying or subsequent filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references to provide yet further embodiments. 
         [0031]    In light of the above “Detailed Description,” the Inventors may make changes to the disclosure. While the detailed description outlines possible embodiments and discloses the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, embodiments may be practiced in a myriad of ways. Thus, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the spirit of the embodiments as disclosed by the inventor. As discussed herein, specific terminology used when describing certain features or aspects should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the embodiments with which that terminology is associated. 
         [0032]    The above specification, examples and data provide a description of the structure and use of exemplary implementations of the described systems, articles of manufacture and methods. It is important to note that many implementations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.