Furniture-glide assembly

• US 8,037,574 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2008
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• 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): Sandy; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): O BRIEN, JEFFREY D
• Application Number:
  US12/106,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20080244870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 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, 297 161- 162, 2974631-4632, D82/74
• US Class Current: 16/42.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 91/06 Gliders or the like

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 that is adapted to be supported upon a surface. 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, a top, open end of the body, and a bottom, closed end of the body disposed opposite the open end. An insert assembly is 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. A cap is designed to be replaceably attached to the closed end of the body and adapted to engage the surface upon which the leg is supported.

Claims

1. A glide assembly assembled to an existing foot that is attached to a free end of a leg of a piece of furniture, the glide assembly comprising:

an insert assembly including at least two insert parts securely attached to each other about the existing foot, a body defining a bore extending from an open end and partially through the body to define an interior surface that engages the insert assembly, and a lower surface that is at least partially convex and disposed below the existing foot, and

a cap having an upper surface that is at least partially concave, wherein the cap is assembled to the body with the upper surface of the cap abutting the lower surface of the body.

2. The glide assembly of claim 1, wherein the insert assembly defines an exterior surface and a passageway extending at least partially through the insert assembly to define a hollow interior, an interior surface, and at least one open end of the insert assembly, the existing foot adapted to fit within the hollow interior of the insert assembly to mount the insert assembly about the existing foot.

3. The glide assembly of claim 2, wherein the insert assembly defines a pair of opposed open ends of the insert assembly such that a closed end of the body operatively supports a bottom surface of the existing foot.

4. The glide assembly of claim 2, wherein the interior surface of the body includes at least one groove and the exterior surface of the insert assembly includes at least one rib adapted to cooperate with the at least one groove to fixedly secure the body about the insert assembly.

5. The glide assembly of claim 2, wherein the interior surface of each of the pair of insert parts is adapted to be nested with a corresponding portion of the existing foot.

6. The glide assembly of claim 2, wherein the pair of insert parts are adapted to be snappingly engaged to each other to mount the insert assembly about the existing foot.

7. The glide assembly of claim 6, wherein each end of one of the pair of insert parts combines with a corresponding end of the other of the pair of insert parts to form a snapping mechanism such that when the pair of insert parts are brought into contacting relationship with each other, the pair of insert parts snappingly engage to each other to mount the insert assembly about the existing foot.

8. The glide assembly of claim 7, wherein the snapping mechanism includes:

a first protrusion located on a side edge of one of the pair of insert parts,

a hollow flange located spaced from the first protrusion and extending circumferentially outward from the side edge,

an aperture defined into an opposed side edge of the other of the pair of insert parts and adapted to receive the first protrusion when the pair of insert parts are brought into contacting relationship with each other, and

a second protrusion located spaced from the aperture on the exterior surface of the other of the pair of insert parts and adapted to be received within the hollow flange when the pair of insert parts are brought into contacting relationship with each other.

9. The glide assembly of claim 1, wherein the 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.

10. The glide assembly of claim 1, wherein said cap is bonded with a suitable adhesive to the convex lower surface of the body.

11. The glide assembly of claim 1, wherein the body further includes a rim extending about a perimeter of the convex surface, and the cap further includes a side wall extending about a perimeter of the concave surface, such that the rim frictionally engages the side wall when the cap is assembled to the body.

12. The glide assembly of claim 11, wherein said rim surrounds at least a portion of the cap.

13. The glide assembly of claim 12, wherein the cap extends downward a substantial distance below the rim so that the cap rests on the underlying surface without the rim contacting the floor.

14. The glide assembly of claim 11, wherein the cap is made of plastic.

15. The glide assembly of claim 11, wherein the rim is made of rubber.

16. The glide assembly of claim 11, wherein the cap is removable from the body.

17. The glide assembly of claim 7, wherein each one of the pair of insert parts includes:

a pair of protrusions extending from the insert part, and

a pair of apertures spaced from the pair of protrusions to receive the pair of protrusions from the other of the pair of insert parts in a snapping engagement.