EP1529464A1

EP1529464A1 - Felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like

Info

Publication number: EP1529464A1
Application number: EP04105133A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe Righini
Original assignee: Packcenter SRL
Current assignee: Packcenter SRL
Priority date: 2003-11-06
Filing date: 2004-10-18
Publication date: 2005-05-11
Anticipated expiration: 2024-10-18
Also published as: EP1529464B1; DE602004003768T2; ES2277203T3; ITBO20030114U1; PL1529464T3; DE602004003768D1; ATE348550T1

Abstract

A felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like, comprising at least one layer of felt (3), coupled to at least one layer of substantially elastic shock-absorbing material (4).

Description

The present invention relates to a felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like.
Felt pads having various shapes and dimensions, applied under the feet of chairs, pieces of furniture and any other item that rests on the floor in order to prevent accidental scratching or denting of said floor, are widely used in the home, in offices or in other environments.
However, these felt pads are often ineffective as regards the noise caused by the movement of the pieces of furniture to which they are applied and as regards the compensation of any slight differences in the length of said feet, which as is known cause evident instabilities of the pieces of furniture.
The aim of the present invention is to obviate the above-mentioned drawbacks, by providing a felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like that is suitable to ensure effective damping of the noise produced by the movement of the pieces of furniture to which it is applied.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a felt pad that is suitable to compensate for the differences in length of the feet of the pieces of furniture to which they are applied, so as to ensure their stability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a felt pad that is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation, and has a relatively low cost.
This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by the present felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like, characterized in that it comprises at least one layer of felt coupled to at least one layer of a substantially elastic shock-absorbing material.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like according to the invention, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a partially sectional perspective view of a first embodiment of a felt pad according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the felt pad during its application under the foot of a chair;
Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the felt pad applied under the foot;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the felt pad according to the invention.
In the embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other embodiments.
Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.
With reference to Figure 1, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like according to the invention.
The felt pad is of the type suitable to be applied under feet 2 of chairs and under pieces of furniture or items that rest on the floor of any environment.
According to the invention, the felt pad comprises at least one rectangular layer 3 made of felt, which is associated with at least one layer made of a substantially elastic shock-absorbing material 4 that has the same surface. Advantageously, the shock-absorbing elastic material is constituted by highly elastic closed-cell rubber. The rubber may be natural, synthetic or mixed.
The felt pad shown in Figure 1 is constituted by two flat and mutually parallel layers of felt 3, an upper layer and a lower layer, between which a layer of shock-absorbing elastic material 4 is interposed. The felt layers 3 and the layer of shock-absorbing elastic material 4 are mutually connected preferably by adhesive bonding or by way of other fully equivalent means.
The upper felt layer 3 is conveniently covered by an adhesive coating 5, which is suitable for fixing under the feet 2 of chairs and pieces of furniture; a protective film 6 is in turn applied to the adhesive coating 5, protects the characteristics of the coating 5, and is designed to be removed before fixing under the foot 2.
The method of use of the felt pad according to the invention is as follows. After cleaning carefully the surface of the foot 2 or of the part of the piece of furniture involved, the protective film 6 is removed and the felt pad is applied, applying a gentle pressure in order to make the adhesive coating 5 adhere perfectly to the contact surface (as shown in Figure 2).
Figure 3 is a view of the felt pad loaded by the weight of the piece of furniture: the layer of shock-absorbing elastic material 4 is highly compressible in a vertical direction and thus allows to cushion impacts on the floor when moving the piece of furniture or chair and to compensate for any small differences in the length of the feet 2, which cause static instability of the piece of furniture.
It has thus been shown that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.
In particular, in order to meet particular requirements of application, it can be advantageous to associate a plurality of layers of felt 3 (for example three or four or more) with a plurality of layers of shock-absorbing elastic material 4, obtaining the same result.
Figure 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the felt pad according to the invention, in which the layers of felt 3 and the layer of shock-absorbing elastic material 4, as well as the protective film 6, have a circular surface.
It should be noted, moreover, that instead of the adhesive coating 5 it is possible to provide advantageously on the felt pad a layer of adhesive for fixing under the foot 2; instead of the adhesive coating 5, it is also possible to provide interlocking means of a substantially known type for fixing under the foot 2.
All the details may be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the protective scope of the appended claims.
The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. BO2003U000114 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A felt pad for chairs, pieces of furniture and the like, characterized in that it comprises at least one layer of felt (3), coupled to at least one layer of substantially elastic shock-absorbing material (4).
The felt pad according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two layers of felt (3), an upper one and a lower one, between which said layer of shock-absorbing elastic material (4) is interposed.
The felt pad according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of layers made of felt (3), which are alternated with a plurality of layers made of shock-absorbing elastic material (4).
The felt pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said shock-absorbing elastic material is constituted by natural rubber.
The felt pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said shock-absorbing elastic material is constituted by synthetic rubber.
The felt pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said shock-absorbing elastic material is constituted by mixed natural and synthetic rubber.
The felt pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said rubber is of the closed-cell type with high elasticity.
The felt pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is covered in an upper region by an adhesive coating (5) for fixing under chairs and pieces of furniture.
The felt pad according to claim 8, characterized in that said adhesive coating (5) is covered by a protective film (6) to be removed at the time of application under chairs and pieces of furniture.
The felt pad according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is covered in an upper region by a layer of adhesive for fixing under chairs and pieces of furniture.
The felt pad according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it can be fixed to chairs and pieces of furniture by way of interlocking means.