Patent ID: 7638739

Claim:
In combination with a thermostat having a front surface with at least one operating means, the cover comprising: a flexible elastic material forming a front cover portion a plurality of edge portions that define an opening that is smaller than the thermostat, and an outer edge along the opening that extends inwardly towards the center of the cover, wherein the edge portions are configured to be stretched to cover at least a portion of the sides of the thermostat, and the outer edge of the cover an outer edge along the opening that extends inwardly towards the center of the cover is configured to engage the edges of the sides of the thermostat such that the cover is secured to the thermostat by the outer edge engaging the sides of the thermostat and by the tension of the edge portions when stretched to cover the thermostat and snugly conform to the contour of the thermostat, whereby the thermostat is protected from contaminants when the cover engages the thermostat, while still being allowed to operate normally.