GB2214422A

GB2214422A - Furniture support

Info

Publication number: GB2214422A
Application number: GB8801233A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Roger Bull
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-01-20
Filing date: 1988-01-20
Publication date: 1989-09-06
Also published as: GB8801233D0

Abstract

A furniture support suitable for use on a carpeted floor comprising a substantially circular disc (10) mounting on one side (12) thereof, pointing away therefrom, three substantially equispaced conical spikes (40). <IMAGE>

Description

Article Support Apparatus This invention relates to article support apparatus and particularly but not exclusively to apparatus for supporting furniture on a carpeted floor.

Conventionally cup castors are provided to protect carpets from being marked by furniture. While such castors do spread the weight of the furniture on the carpet, it is still usual for such castors to cause a depressed area to be formed in the pile of the carpet.

According to the present invention there is provided article support apparatus comprising a body providing one or more support members projecting therefrom, the latter being adapted to be capable of passing through the pile of a carpet substantially without causing any damage thereto into engagement with an underlying supporting structure.

Preferably the or each member is pointed, and the widest part of each member is sufficiently narrow to pass through the pile of a carpet substantially without causing any damage thereto. The support members may be conical.

Preferably also the support members project from one side of the body and the other side thereof presents a substantially planar support surface. The latter may be substantially circular and may also be concave upwardly in use. A lip may be provided around the upper periphery of the support surface.

Preferably the body and support members are made of a plastics material, and the body and members may be integrally formed.

Also according to the present invention there is provided a method of supporting furniture on a carpeted floor, the method comprising interposing between each of the ground engaging components of the furniture and the floor, an article support apparatus as described in any of the proceeding four paragraphs, with the support members thereof engaging a supporting structure underlying the pile of the carpet.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a perspective view from above of an article support apparatus according to the invention.

The drawing shows a furniture support suitable for use on a carpeted floor. The support comprises a substantially circular disc 10. Mounted on a one side 12 of the disc 10, and pointing away therefrom, are three conical spikes 14 which are substantially equi-spaced from each other and from the centre of the disc 10. The support is preferably formed from plastics material using injection moulding.

In use, the support is placed beneath a ground engaging part of an item of furniture, for example a leg, to be supported on a carpeted floor with the spikes 14 pointing into the carpet. When the weight of the furniture is applied to the support this causes the spikes 14 to pass through the pile of the carpet, to engage the carpet backing or floor therebeneath.

There is thus described a furniture support for a carpeted floor that is simple and thus inexpensive to manufacture. The weight of the furniture is borne by a surface beneath the carpet pile, thus substantially alleviating damage thereto.

It is to be realised that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example the disc may be upwardly concave, thus reducing the possibility of wheeled articles of furniture rolling off. Another way of reducing the possibility of this happening is to provide a lip around the upper periphery of the disc. The disc need not be circular and may be made in any desired shape. The support could be made from material other than plastics material, such as metal or wood. Any number of spikes can be used and it would be possible to use a single spike.

The spikes need not be conical, and their free ends can be blunt in order to avoid damaging the carpet backing or the floor beneath the carpet and to distribute the weight of the furniture over a wider area.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

Claims:

1. Article support apparatus comprising a body providing one or more support members projecting therefrom, the latter being adapted to be capable of passing through the pile of a carpet substantially without causing any damage thereto into engagement with an underlying supporting structure.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the or each support member is pointed.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which the or each support member is conical.

4. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, in which the widest part of the or each support member is sufficiently narrow to pass through the pile of a carpet substantially without causing any damage thereto.

5. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the support members project from one side of the body and the other side thereof presents a substantially planar support surface.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, in which the support surface is substantially circular.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6, in which the support surface is concave upwardly in use.

8. Apparatus according to any of claims 5 to 8, in which a lip is provided around the upper periphery of the support surface.

9. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the body and support member(s) are made of a plastics material.

10. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, in which the body and support member(s) are integrally formed.

11. A method of supporting furniture on a carpeted floor, the method comprising interposing between each of the ground engaging components of the furniture and the floor, an article support apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 10, with the support members thereof engaging a supporting structure underlying the pile of the carpet.

12. Article support apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

13. A method of supporting furniture on a carpeted floor, the method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

14. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter herein disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.