Furniture-glide assembly

• US 7,757,346 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hiwatt Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Hiwatt Products LLC
• Inventors: Chase, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Batson; Victor
• Assistant Examiner(s): O BRIEN, JEFFREY D
• Application Number:
  US11/784,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20080245944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 16/42.R, 16/42.T, 16/18.CG, 16/30, 248/188.9, 248/188.4, 248/346.11, 248/677, 248/188.8, 297/16.1, 297/16.2, 297/463.1, 297/463.2, D82/74
• US Class Current: 16/42.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 91/06 Gliders or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 91/12 Leg supports, e.g. cup-shaped , also under castors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/002 Chair or stool bases A47C3/20 takes precedence

Abstract

A glide assembly is adapted to be mounted about an existing foot attached to the free end of a leg of a piece of furniture. The glide assembly includes a body defining an exterior surface and a bore extending partially through the body to define a hollow interior, an interior surface, and an open end of the body. An insert assembly is removably mountable about the foot and adapted to be received through the open end and fixedly secured within the hollow interior of the body so as to mount the body about the foot.

Claims

1. A glide assembly comprising:

an existing foot attached to the free end of a leg of a piece of furniture, the foot including an attachment portion that attaches the foot to the leg and a gliding portion having a floor engaging surface, the foot having a diameter greater than a diameter of the leg of the piece of furniture;

a body defining an exterior surface and a bore extending partially through the body to define a hollow interior, an interior surface, a closed end and an open end, wherein the foot is received through the open end of the body;

an insert assembly including at least two insert parts assembled about the foot and securely attached to each other, wherein the insert assembly defines an exterior surface and a passageway extending at least partially through the insert assembly to define an interior surface and at least one open end of the insert assembly, the passageway of the insert assembly having an upper portion that conforms to the attachment portion of the foot and a lower portion that encompasses the gliding portion of the foot with the closed end of the body being disposed below the floor engaging surface of the gliding portion of the foot; and

wherein the insert assembly is received in the hollow interior of the body.

2. The glide assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said insert assembly defines a pair of opposed ends of said insert assembly such that a closed end of said body operatively supports a bottom surface of the foot.

3. The glide assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said interior surface of said body includes at least one groove and said exterior surface of said insert assembly includes at least one rib operatively cooperating with said at least one groove to fixedly secure said body about said insert assembly.

4. The glide assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least two insert parts are operatively snappingly engaged to each other to mount said insert assembly about the foot.

5. The glide assembly as set forth in claim 4, wherein each end of one of said at least two insert parts combines with a corresponding end of the other of said at least two insert parts to form a snapping mechanism such that when said at least two insert parts are brought into contacting relationship with each other, said at least two insert parts snappingly engage to each other to mount said insert assembly about the foot.

6. The glide assembly as set forth in claim 5, wherein said snapping mechanism includes a stud located on a side edge of one of said at least two insert parts and a hollow flange located spaced from and substantially directly beneath said stud and extending circumferentially outward from said side edge, an aperture defined into an opposed side edge of the other of said at least two insert parts and operatively receiving said stud when said at least two insert parts are brought into contacting relationship with each other, and a boss located spaced from and beneath said aperture on said exterior surface of the other of said at least two insert parts and operatively received within said hollow flange when said at least two insert parts are brought into contacting relationship with each other.

7. The glide assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body is substantially spherical such that substantially the same amount of surface area of said glide assembly contacts the floor independent of the angle at which the free end of the leg is engaged relative to the floor.