Screw cover and method

• US 5,997,229 A
• Filed: 07/17/1998
• Issued: 12/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Paul Akers
• Original Assignee: Paul Akers
• Inventors: Akers, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Boucher, Darnell M.
• Application Number:
  US09/118,454
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 411/910, 411/399, 411/372.5, 411/372.6, 411/373-377
• US Class Current: 411/373
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 3/00 Removable ornamental heads for nails, screws, or the like specially-shaped, non-removable heads for nails F16B15/02, for screws F16B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 12/14 using threaded bolts or screws
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/14 Cap nuts; Nut caps or bolt caps

Abstract

A method of covering the head of a screw which has been inserted into a wood structure, such as a cabinet, a bookshelf, etc. There is a planar circular cover member made of a moderately flexible plasctic and having an adhesive surface. The diameter of the cover member is moderately greater than the diameter of the screw head and the opening in which the screw head is placed. The cover member is placed by positioning a first side portion of the cover member adjacent to the opening, and then deflecting cover member downwardly in a curved position above the screw head opening, keeping the cover properly positioned. Then the person'"'"'s thumb which grasps an end of the cover member is moved to release the cover member which then snaps into position to cover the opening and become bonded to the surface of the wood structure.

Claims

1. A method of covering an exposed fastener in a structure where;

i. the structure has a structure surface

ii. a fastener, is positioned in the structure in a manner that there is a surface opening in the structure, said surface opening having a perimeter edge with a predetermined maximum edge to edge lateral dimensions;

said method comprising

a. providing a generally planar cover member comprising

i. an exposed surface on one side and a contact surface on an opposite side, and a perimeter edge portion having lateral dimensions greater than corresponding lateral dimensions of the surface opening, said perimeter edge portion having a perimeter surface contact portion;

ii. an adhesive material located at least at a perimeter contact portion of the contact surface;

b. applying the cover member to the structure surface to cover the surface opening so that the perimeter portion of the cover member is properly positioned relative to the perimeter edge portion of the surface opening, and moving the cover member into engagement with the surface of the wood structure so that the perimeter contact portion of the cover member becomes bonded to at least a surface portion of the structure surrounding the surface opening;

c. said cover member being sufficiently resistant to bending so that in the application of the cover member to the structure surface, with the cover member being positioned so that with a first edge portion of the cover member being located at a first location of the structure surface near the perimeter edge of the surface opening, a second portion of the cover member may be grasped in a manner to manipulate the cover member to cause enough force to be transmitted from the second portion through the cover member to the second portion of the cover member to press the first portion of the cover member into engagement with the surface structure at the first location so that resistance to lateral movement of the first portion of the cover member at the first location is sufficiently great so that the cover member can be moved toward the structure surface into its proper position with the perimeter contact portion of the cover members surrounding the surface opening to cover the surface opening, and with the first portion of the cover member remaining at the first location to stabilize the cover member as it is moved to its covering position, said cover member having a reference deflection less than 1.0 inch and greater than zero.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said cover member is sufficiently flexible so that when the force is transmitted from the second portion of the cover member to the first portion of the cover member, said cover member is caused to bend with an upwardly concave curvature to cause the first portion of the cover member to be slanted to be more closely in alignment with the surface structure at the first location.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said cover member is sufficiently flexible to enable a surface contact portion at the first portion of the cover member to come into surface to surface engagement with an adjacent portion of the surface structure so as to resist lateral movement of the first portion of the cover member relative to the surface structure.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said cover member is sufficiently flexible so that with the contact portion of the cover member in surface to surface engagement with a portion of the surface structure, the cover member is curved in an upward curve away from the structure surface to enable at least a portion of the opening to be visible and permit a person manipulating the cover member to properly view alignment of the cover member.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said cover member is sufficiently resilient so that when a part of said cover member is released so that a bending moment on the cover is released and a downward force continues to be exerted against a top surface of said cover member, said cover member snaps into its cover position against the structure surface.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said cover member is applied to said structure surface in a manner that with the cover member positioned so that the first edge portion of the cover member is located at the first location of the structure, the cover member is manually grasped by a person positioning a thumb of the person at an opposite edge location of the cover member approximately diametrically opposed to the first edge portion of the cover member and a finger of the person being positioned against a top surface portion of the cover member between the first edge portion and the opposite edge portion, and the person applies a force toward the structure surface with the finger and a force away from the structure surface with the thumb to transmit the force through the cover member, and said cover member is caused to come into engagement with the structure surface by the thumb being released from the cover member.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the cover member is sufficiently flexible so that when the finger and thumb of the person each apply said forces to the cover member, said cover member is caused to bend with an outwardly concave surface to cause the first portion of the cover member to be slanted to be more closely in alignment with the surface structure at the first location.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein said cover member is sufficiently flexible to enable a surface contact portion of the first portion of the cover member to come into surface to surface engagement with an adjacent portion of the surface structure so as to resist lateral movement of the first portion of the cover member relative to the surface structure.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said reference deflection value is no greater than about 0.8 inch.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said reference deflection value is no greater than about 00.6 inch.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said structure is made of a wood or woodlike material having a natural wood surface, a veneer surface or some other surface material.

15. The cover member as recited in claim 9, wherein said reference deflection value is no greater than about 0.6 inch.

12. A combination comprising

a. a structure;

b. a fastener, positioned in the structure in a manner that there is a surface opening in the structure, said surface opening having a perimeter edge with predetermined maximum edge to edge lateral dimensions;

c. a generally planar cover member comprising

i. an exposed surface on one side and a contact surface on an opposite side, and a perimeter edge portion having lateral dimensions greater than corresponding lateral dimensions of the surface opening, said perimeter edge portion having a perimeter surface contact portion;

ii. an adhesive material located at least at a perimeter contact portion of the contact surface;

d) said cover member having been applied to the structure surface to cover the surface opening so that the perimeter portion of the cover member is positioned relative to the perimeter edge portion of the surface opening so that the perimeter contact portion of the cover member is bonded to at least a surface portion of the structure surrounding the surface opening;

e. said cover member being sufficiently resistant to bending so that in the application of the cover member to the structure surface, with the cover member being positioned so that with a first edge portion of the cover member being located at a first location of the structure surface near the perimeter edge of the surface opening, a second portion of the cover member may be grasped in a manner to manipulate the cover member to cause enough force to be transmitted from the second portion through the cover member to the second portion of the cover member to press the first portion of the cover member into engagement with the surface structure at the first location so that resistance to lateral movement of the first portion of the cover member at the first location is sufficiently great so that the cover member can be moved toward the structure surface into its proper position with the perimeter contact portion of the cover members surrounding the surface opening to cover the surface opening, and with the first portion of the cover member remaining at the first location to stabilize the cover member as it is moved to its covering position, said cover member having a reference deflection less than 1.0 inch and greater than zero.

13. A generally planar cover member to cover an exposed fastener in a structure where;

i. the structure has a structure surface;

ii. a fastener such as a screw, is positioned in the structure in a manner that there is a surface opening in the structure, said surface opening having a perimeter edge with a predetermined maximum edge to edge lateral dimensions;

said cover member comprising

a) an exposed surface on one side, a contact surface on an opposite side, and a perimeter edge portion having lateral dimensions greater than said lateral dimensions;

b) an adhesive material located at least at a perimeter contact portion of the contact surface;

c) said cover member being sufficiently resilient and sufficiently resistant to bending so that in the application of the cover member the cover member may be grasped in a manner to manipulate the cover member to cause enough force to be transmitted so that the cover member can be bent in being moved into its proper covering position and sufficiently resilient to be able to return to its original shape, said cover member having a reference deflection less than 1.0 inch and greater than zero.

14. The cover member as recited in claim 13 wherein said reference deflection value is no greater than about 0.8 inch.

16. The cover member as recited in claim 13 wherein said cover member is sufficiently flexible so that when the force is transmitted from the second portion of the cover member to the first portion of the cover member, said cover member is caused to bend with an upwardly concave curvature to cause the first portion of the cover member to be slanted to be more closely in alignment with the surface structure at the first location.