US20100212789A1

US20100212789A1 - Door cover

Info

Publication number: US20100212789A1
Application number: US11/917,434
Authority: US
Inventors: Victoire De La Croix
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-06-13
Filing date: 2006-06-12
Publication date: 2010-08-26
Also published as: WO2006134255A3; EP1891294A2; WO2006134255A2; EP1891294B1; FR2886828A1; ATE532935T1; FR2886828B1; JP2008544117A

Abstract

A device enabling dressing up or covering at least in part an opening such as a door, includes a flexible material (Z), and closure elements (E, F) suited for configuring the flexible material in the shape of an adjustable sleeve in order to adapt it to doors of different heights while allowing a good opening and closing operation of the door.

Description

The present invention relates to the domain of interior decoration or renovation of a residence.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a door cover intended to be configured in the form of a sleeve to dress up a door of a residence or apartment. However, the invention applies generally to the dressing-up of any type of opening. In the following, however, it will be considered that the invention applies to the dressing-up of a door.
The object of this invention is thus to respond to the need for decorating an element of our habitat that is often neglected: the door.
In the prior art there are various types of covers enabling dressing up a door or, in general, an opening.
In this respect one can refer to the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,237 which describes a dressing for a garage door.
However, in the prior art and in particular in document U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,237, the dressing is not configured in the form of a cover covering both mutually opposed surfaces of an opening, since only one of the two surfaces of the door is intended to be dressed up.
The object of the invention is therefore to remedy the drawbacks of the covers from the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a door dressing capable of simultaneously covering both surfaces of a door.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a dressing with simple structure, that is easy to install and capable of being manufactured at low cost.
The subject of the invention is therefore a device enabling dressing up or covering at least in part an opening such as a door, characterized in that it includes a flexible material, and closure means suited for configuring the flexible material in the shape of an adjustable sleeve in order to adapt it to doors of different heights while enabling good door opening and closing operations.
This device thus acts as a sleeve around the door and makes it possible to decorate both surfaces of the door without damaging it because the mounting of the sleeve does not require the use of aggressive attachment means of the screw, nail or adhesive type.
Preferably a material for the sleeve will be chosen which is sufficiently thin for decorating both surfaces of the door without hindering the opening and closing operations.
In different embodiments, the invention can further comprise one or more of the following features taken in isolation or according to all technically possible combinations:

- the closure means include eyelets placed in the area of one of the end zones of the material and ribbons placed in the area of the other end zone of the material;
- the eyelets and ribbons are arranged linearly and transversely;
- the eyelets are each associated with a ribbon intended to be knotted with the ribbons from the other end zone for closing the sleeve;
- the closure means comprise hook-and-loop closure means: of the Velcro© strip type;
- the closure means comprise a set of buttons and buttonholes;

the closure means comprises a set of press studs;

- the material is elastic and sewn to form the sleeve;
- the closure means comprise one or more adhesive bands and
- the closure means include a set of straps attached to one end of the material and a corresponding set of loops with tongues intended to be engaged in an orifice made in the strap, where said loops are provided at an opposite end of the material.

The flexible material is made in the form of a set of pieces connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

The invention will be better understood by reading the description made in reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the drawing of a door cover whose closure system includes cords or ribbons and eyelets;

FIG. 2 shows the front side of a door dressed up with a door cover whose closure system includes ribbons and eyelets;

FIG. 3 shows the back side of a door dressed up with a door cover whose closure system includes ribbons and eyelets;

FIG. 4 shows the front side of a door cover whose closure system includes Velcro strips;

FIG. 5 shows the back side of a door cover whose closure system includes Velcro strips;

FIG. 6 shows a door dressed with a door cover whose closure system is made up of Velcro strips;

FIG. 7 shows a door cover whose closure system includes a set of buttons and buttonholes;

FIG. 8 shows a door dressed with a door cover whose closure system includes a set of buttons and buttonholes;

FIG. 9 shows the front side of a door cover whose closure system includes a set of press studs;

FIG. 10 shows the back side of a door cover whose closure system includes a set of press studs;

FIG. 11 shows a door cover whose closure system includes a row of elastic elements;

FIG. 12 shows a door dressed with a door cover whose closure system includes elastic elements;

FIG. 13 shows a door cover whose closure system includes eyelets and a lace;

FIG. 14 shows a door dressed with a door cover whose closure system includes eyelets and a cord;

FIG. 15 shows a door cover whose closure system includes an adhesive strip and

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment of a device according to the invention whose closure means are formed by a set of belt buckles and straps.

FIGS. 17 and 18 again show another embodiment of a device according to the invention in which the device is arranged in the form of several panels linked together by strips.

As shown in FIG. 1, the door cover H has the form of a piece of rectangular flexible material Z equipped with adjustable closure means suited to conform the cover to the shape of a continuous sleeve around the door. This material can be made up of a material type appropriate for the use considered such as cotton, jersey, etc. It will be noted, however, that in certain applications, this material could be made up by a nonwoven material, for example polyethylene or EVA (ethylene/vinyl acetate), in order to make a disposable cover.
It will be noted that the rectangular form in the drawings is simply illustrative and can be replaced by any other geometric element such that the material Z can at least in part cover the two heights of the door in order to form a continuous sleeve around the door (FIGS. 2 and 3).
The material Z is not as wide as a standard door.
Thus, to use the sleeve, it is sufficient to wind the material Z around the door and adjust this fabric to the door in such a manner that the sleeve perfectly matches the contours of the door through its adjustable closure system.
This invention can be described with faces A and B which represent respectively the front and back of the door once the device is in place.
In other words, the device comprises two zones 1 and 2 which are intended to flatten themselves respectively against the front and rear surfaces of the door, and two mutually opposed surfaces one of which flattens itself on the door and the other makes up the visible outer surface of the cover.
In reference to FIG. 2, on the outer surface A a decoration I (FIG. 1) is applied to the material. The representation of the decoration I in the drawings is simply illustrative and can be replaced by any other decorative element. This decoration can be serigraphed, digitised, sewn, painted, embroidered-appliquéd, woven in the fabric etc. It can extend over the entire surface of the rectangle or on only a part.
The closure system for the cover is located on the back face B, or inner surface of the cover. In an embodiment of the closure system, the closure is obtained by making knots with the cords (or ribbons) (FIG. 1).
A row of cords E is thus sewn linearly at the end of the rectangle surface in the direction of the width, meaning on the transverse side 3 of the rectangle. The length of the material Z is longer than twice the height of the door. This forms a flap A′. On the inner surface B of the rectangle, on the edge of the flap A′ is attached linearly a row of eyelets F whose number corresponds to the number of cords E located on the other end of Z and a cord G is sewn under each eyelet. Each cord E corresponds transversely to an eyelet F and passes through this eyelet F to be knotted with a cord G. It is then sufficient to pull on the cords E to adjust the device to the size of the door.
As a variant, the closure means are:
a—Velcro Type Closure (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6)
On the material Z, on the front surface A, is sewn or bonded a row of Velcro® strips O on the flap A′, these Velcro® bands being parallel to the longitudinal sides 4 and 5 of the rectangle Z. On the back surface B of the material Z will be sewn a Velcro® strip P on the edge 3 of the rectangle Z. The material Z is wound on the door in the long direction with the male and female parts of the Velcro adhering to ensure the closure of the cover in order to form the sleeve. The length of the Velcro strips O makes it possible to adapt to different door heights;
b—Button and Buttonhole Type Closure (FIGS. 7 and 8)
On the cover Z, at the height of the flap A′ are sewn a few rows of buttonholes N parallel to the longitudinal edges 4 and 5 of the rectangle Z. On the lateral edge 3 of the fabric rectangle Z is sewn a row of buttons M. The material Z is then wrapped around the door (FIG. 8) in the length direction. It is sufficient to button the buttons in the buttonholes to close the cover and form the sleeve. The various heights of buttonholes make it possible to adjust the cover to various door heights;
c—Closure by Pressure (FIGS. 9 and 10)
On the front face of the fabric rectangle Z, on the flap A′ several rows of press studs R are arranged parallel to the edges 4 and 5. On the back surface B of the fabric rectangle Z, a row of press studs S is applied across the width along the lateral side 3. The fabric Z will next be wound around the door. Then it will be sufficient to press the press studs to close the sleeve. The number of press studs R per row will enable adjusting Z to different door heights;
d—Closure by Elastic Elements (FIGS. 11 and 12)
On the cover Z is sewn a row of elastic elements Q on the edge of the cover, along the side 3 whose length is approximately one third of that of the flap A′. Then the end of the elastic elements Q is sewn in the area of the flap A′, and this closes the sleeve (FIG. 12). Then the sleeve Z is slid on the door along its height. The elasticity of the elastic elements will enable the sleeve to adapt to doors of different sizes;
e—Closure by Laces (FIGS. 13 and 14)
In this figure case, the length of the cover Z will be about twice the height of a standard door. On the lateral edges 3 and 6 B a row of eyelets T is formed. In this embodiment the sleeve is formed by winding the cover around the door (FIG. 13). To close the sleeve a cord U or a ribbon is laced as for a shoe to close the sleeve around the door (FIG. 14). The length of the cord will enable adapting to different door heights;
f—Door sleeve whose material is flexible and elastic (like a cotton jersey), whose narrow ends are sewn edge to edge to form a sleeve. The elasticity of the material will enable adapting to different door heights.
As it is designed, the invention which has just been described uses a cover of generally rectangular shape provided with attachment means for configuring the cover in the shape of a sleeve which is positioned around a door, enabling proceeding with a dressing of the door by means of a device with a particularly simple structure, which is easy to install and at a relatively reduced manufacturing cost.
The manufacturing cost can be further reduced when the cover is made of nonwoven material.
In the different embodiments considered, the closure means are constituted either by cords provided on one of the ends of the cover and intended to be inserted in the corresponding eyelets made in the other end in order to be knotted with the corresponding cords, or by Velcro-type closure means provided on both ends of the surface of the cover intended to constitute the outer surface of the sleeve and, further, at the other end of the surface of the cover intended to constitute the inner surface of the sleeve, or by button and buttonhole type closure means provided respectively at the mutually opposed ends of the sleeve, or by press stud type closure means, or by elastic cords connecting the two mutually opposed ends of the cover, or even by laces.
However, it is not outside the scope of the invention when the cover is provided with any other type of closure means capable of configuring it in the shape of a sleeve.
Thus, as indicated previously, it is not outside the scope of the invention when the mutually opposed ends of the cover are sewn to each other, the cover then being made of elastically deformable material.
In this case, use can also be made of any other closure means previously described or of Eclair® closure type closure means.
Similarly the invention is not limited to the embodiments described.
In fact, referring first to FIG. 15, it is also possible, as a variant, to provide at one of the ends of the cover one or more transverse adhesive strips V provided on the recto side of the cover, meaning the side intended to constitute the outer surface of the sleeve, this adhesive being intended to receive the opposite end of the cover.
Such an adhesive strip could be made by any other appropriate means, for example by using a thermal adhesive strip or by using a double-sided adhesive material. Use could also be made of a single-sided adhesive material which extends projecting beyond the cover.
Similarly, as can be seen in FIG. 16, the closure means can be made up by a set of loops such as W with tongues provided at one end of the cover, each intended to mate with a perforated strap X xed to the other end of the cover.
Finally, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, it is not outside the scope of the invention when the cover is formed from a set of panels, such as Y and Y′ connected together so as to form the sleeve by means of systems of closures Y″ such as those described previously.

Claims

1. Device enabling dressing up or covering at least in part an opening such as a door, characterized in that it includes a flexible material (Z), and closure means suited for configuring the flexible material in the shape of an adjustable sleeve in order to adapt it to doors of different heights while enabling good door opening and closing operations.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means include eyelets (F) placed in the area of one of the end zones of the material and ribbons (E) placed in the area of the other end zone of the material.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the eyelets and ribbons are arranged linearly and transversely.

4. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the eyelets are each associated with a ribbon (G) intended to be knotted with the ribbons from the other end zone for closing the sleeve.

5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means comprise hook-and-loop (O and P) closure means of the Velcro© strip type.

6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means comprise a set of buttons and buttonholes.

7. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means comprise a set of press studs.

8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the material is elastic and sewn to form the sleeve.

9. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means include an adhesive.

10. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means include a set of straps attached to one end of the material and a corresponding set of loops with tongues intended to be engaged in an orifice made in the strap, where said loops are provided at an opposite end of the material.

11. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

12. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the eyelets are each associated with a ribbon (G) intended to be knotted with the ribbons from the other end zone for closing the sleeve.

13. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

14. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

15. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

16. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

17. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

18. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

19. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.

20. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the flexible material is made in the form of a set of panels (Y, Y′) connected two by two by said closure means in order to form the sleeve.