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US 2012/0066862 A1Published application
Floor protectors for casters
OwnerPierre Desmaraisinventor
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OwnerPierre Desmaraisinventor
Estimating the term…
To protect floors against marks or damage from casters , a shrinkable tire, for example, a piece of heat-shrink tubing, in its unshrunk condition, is fitted around the caster circumference and then is shrunken. The dimensions and shrinkage ratio of the shrinkable tire are selected such that, when shrunken onto the caster, the tire grips the caster securely. If desired, the frictional grip between the tire and the caster circumferential surface may be enhanced by applying to the interior of the unshrunk tire a hot-melt adhesive which will be activated by the heat applied to shrink the tire. Additionally or alternatively, the width of the tire may be greater than the width of the caster so that, when the tire has been shrunken onto the caster, marginal portions of the tire form flanges gripping the caster on opposite sides.
A floor protector adapted for use on a caster of a caster unit attached or attachable to an item of furniture or other movable object comprises a tire of shrinkable material that can be shrunk by a predetermined shrinkage ratio by application of heat or by other suitable means, the tire having, at normal room temperatures, a predetermined unshrunk cross-sectional size that allows the tire to be fitted around the circumference of the caster, the cross-sectional size and the shrinkage ratio being such that, when shrunk, the tire will conform to the caster and adhere thereto.
A floor protector for attachment to a foot portion of an item of furniture or other moveable item, or to a caster of a caster unit attached or attachable to an item of furniture or other movable item, the floor protector comprising a tube of heat-shrinkable material having, at normal room temperatures a cross-sectional size sufficient to fit onto said foot portion or caster, and a shrinkage ratio such that, when shrunken, the tube will grip the foot portion or caster, at least part of the interior of the tube being provided with heat-sensitive or hot-melt adhesive that will melt at temperatures required to shrink the tube onto the foot portion or caster, such that the adhesive will melt contemporaneously with the shrinking of the tire and, when cooled, adhere the shrunken tire to said foot portion or caster.
A method of installing a floor protector onto a caster of a caster unit attached or attachable to furniture or other movable equipment, comprising the steps of:
A method of attaching a floor protector to a foot portion of an item of furniture or other movable item, or to a caster of a caster unit attached or attachable to an item of furniture or other movable item, the method comprising the steps of fitting onto the foot portion or caster a tube of unshrunk heat-shrinkable material having heat-sensitive or hot-melt adhesive applied to at least a part of its interior, applying sufficient heat to shrink the tube of heat-shrinkable material onto the foot portion or caster and cause the adhesive to melt and on cooling the tube and foot portion or caster so that the cooled adhesive adheres the tube to the foot portion or caster.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.