CONVERTIBLE END CAP AND BASEBOARD HEATER COVER ASSEMBLY

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a heater cover assembly for baseboard heater units and components thereof. The components include convertible end caps having a knock-out plate. This accommodates pipes or other obstructions that would otherwise prevent or hinder installation of the end cap.

Claims

1. An end cap for a heater cover assembly, comprising: a closed face comprising an interior surface, exterior surface, and a knock-out plate; an open face that accommodates the insertion of an associated heater cover panel; a top face; and a front face comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface.

2. The end cap of claim 1, further comprising a rear face that comprises at least one aperture positioned along an edge of the rear face, which is adapted to accommodate a fastener for attaching the end cap to a wall.

3. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the front face comprises an angled upper surface and a vertical lower surface.

4. The end cap of claim 1, further comprising a retainer fixed to the interior surface of the front face adapted to hold the associated heater panel in place.

5. The end cap of claim 1, wherein a rear face is formed from a first strip located along a top rear edge of the top face.

6. The end cap of claim 1, wherein a front side edge of the front face is nonlinear or formed from multiple straight edges angled relative to adjacent edges.

7. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the knock-out plate is rectangular.

8. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the knock-out plate has a height/length ratio of about 1.0 to about 2.0.

9. The end cap of claim 1, wherein a perimeter of the knock-out plate extends to a rear side edge of the closed face.

10. A heater cover assembly for covering a baseboard heater, comprising: a first end cap and a second end cap, wherein each end cap comprises: a closed face comprising a knock-out plate; an open face that accommodates the insertion of an associated heater cover panel; a top face; a front face comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface; and a rear face; and a first heater cover panel having a first panel end and a second panel end, wherein the first panel end is inserted into the open face of the first end cap.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein each end cap further comprises a retainer fixed to the interior surface of the front face adapted to hold the first heater cover panel in place.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the first panel end is held in place by the fixed retainer on the interior surface of the front face of the first end cap.

13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the second panel end is inserted into the open face of the second end cap and held in place by the fixed retainer on the interior surface of the front face of the second end cap.

14. The assembly of claim 10, wherein each end cap further comprises a top aperture positioned along a top edge of the rear face;

15. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the rear face of each end cap is formed from a first strip located along a top rear edge of the top face. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the knock-out plate is rectangular.

16. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the knock-out plate has a height/length ratio of about 1.0 to about 2.0.

17. The assembly of claim 10, wherein a perimeter of the knock-out plate extends to a rear side edge of the closed face.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The following is a brief description of the drawings, which are presented for the purposes of illustrating embodiments disclosed herein and not for the purposes of limiting the same.

[0008] FIGS. 1-6 are different views of a first embodiment of a left-side endcap having a knock-out plate. FIG. 1 is a front view. FIG. 2 is a left side view. FIG. 3 is a right side view. FIG. 4 is a rear view. FIG. 5 is a right rear perspective view. FIG. 6 is a left rear perspective view.

[0009] FIGS. 7-12 are different views of a first embodiment of a right-side endcap having a knock-out plate. FIG. 7 is a front view. FIG. 8 is a left side view. FIG. 9 is a right side view. FIG. 10 is a rear view. FIG. 11 is a right rear perspective view. FIG. 12 is a left rear perspective view.

[0010] FIGS. 13-18 are different views of a second embodiment of a left-side endcap having a knock-out plate. FIG. 13 is a front view. FIG. 14 is a left side view. FIG. 15 is a right side view. FIG. 16 is a rear view. FIG. 17 is a right rear perspective view. FIG. 18 is a left rear perspective view.

[0011] FIGS. 19-24 are different views of a second embodiment of a right-side endcap having a knock-out plate. FIG. 19 is a front view. FIG. 20 is a left side view. FIG. 21 is a right side view. FIG. 22 is a rear view. FIG. 23 is a right rear perspective view. FIG. 24 is a left rear perspective view.

[0012] FIGS. 25-27 are different views of one embodiment of a heater cover assembly that includes two endcaps and a heater cover panel. FIG. 25 is a rear view of one end, showing the heater cover panel being retained within an endcap. FIG. 26 is a rear perspective view of the heater cover panel in the endcap, with the knock-out panel removed. FIG. 27 is a front perspective view showing the two endcaps and the heater cover panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] A more complete understanding of the devices and components disclosed herein can be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings. These figures are merely schematic representations based on convenience and the ease of demonstrating the present disclosure, and are, therefore, not intended to indicate relative size and dimensions of the devices or components thereof and/or to define or limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0014] Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of the embodiments selected for illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the disclosure. In the drawings and the following description below, it is to be understood that like numeric designations refer to components of like function.

[0015] The singular forms a, an, and the include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0016] As used in the specification and in the claims, the terms comprise(s), include(s), having, has, can, contain(s), and variants thereof, as used herein, are intended to be open-ended transitional phrases that require the presence of the named components/parts and permit the presence of other components/parts. However, such description should be construed as also describing devices consisting of and consisting essentially of the enumerated components/parts, which allows the presence of only the named components/parts and excludes other components/parts.

[0017] All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the recited endpoint and independently combinable (for example, the range of from 2 watts to 10 watts is inclusive of the endpoints, 2 watts and 10 watts, and all the intermediate values). Numerical values should be understood to include numerical values which are the same when reduced to the same number of significant figures and numerical values which differ from the stated value by less than the experimental error of conventional measurement technique of the type described in the present application to determine the value.

[0018] As used herein, approximating language may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that may vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as about and substantially, may not be limited to the precise value specified. The modifier

[0019] about should also be considered as disclosing the range defined by the absolute values of the two endpoints. For example, the expression from about 2 to about 4 also discloses the range from 2 to 4. The term about may refer to plus or minus 10% of the indicated number. For example, about 10% may indicate a range of 9% to 11%, and about 1 may mean from 0.9-1.1.

[0020] Some of the terms used herein are relative terms. For example, the terms front and rear and side are relative to a center, with the front being spaced apart from and in the opposite direction of the rear, and opposite sides being spaced apart from each other along an axis normal to the axis from front to rear. Top and bottom are also relative terms. As used herein, the front and rear are located along an x-axis, the left and right are located along a y-axis, and the top and bottom are located along a z-axis, wherein the three axes are perpendicular to each other.

[0021] The terms horizontal and vertical are used to indicate direction relative to an absolute reference, i.e. ground level. However, these terms should not be construed to require structures to be absolutely parallel or absolutely perpendicular to each other. For example, a first vertical structure and a second vertical structure are not necessarily parallel to each other. The terms upward and downward are also relative to an absolute reference, i.e. the surface of the earth. Put another way, an element that extends upward always extends away from the surface of the earth, opposite an element that extends downwardtoward the surface of the earth.

[0022] The term parallel should be construed in its lay term as two edges or faces generally continuously having the same distance between them, and should not be strictly construed in mathematical terms as requiring that the two edges or faces cannot intersect when extended for an infinite distance. Similarly, the term perpendicular should not be construed as requiring that two faces meet at an angle of absolutely 90.

[0023] The present disclosure relates to convertible end caps with cover plates for a baseboard heater cover assembly. The end caps include a knock-out plate that allow them to be installed over piping or other obstacles included in the original baseboard heating assembly, when the cover plate is removed. The devices described herein can be used in combination with any baseboard heater, e.g. baseboard heaters having a resistive heating element or a fluid heating element. It is further contemplated that the present devices can be used wherever it is desirable to cover baseboard heaters, air vents, or the like. The present devices address the shortcomings of prior devices with respect to ease of use and versatility.

[0024] FIGS. 1-24 illustrate exemplary embodiments of an end cap 100 for a heater cover assembly including a knock-out plate. Referring to all figures together, the end cap is formed from a closed face 110, an open face 120, a top face 130, a front face 140, and a rear face 160. The bottom of the end cap is open.

[0025] The closed face 110 has an interior surface 112 and an exterior surface 114, and can be considered a first side of the end cap. As best seen in FIG. 5, the perimeter of the closed face is formed from a first top side edge 175, a first rear side edge 174, a first front side edge 173, and a first bottom side edge 172.

[0026] The open face 120 is on the other side of the end cap opposite the closed face 110, and can be considered a second side of the end cap. The open face gives access to the interior volume of the end cap and accommodates the insertion of a heater cover panel, as will be described further herein. As best seen in FIG. 6, the perimeter of the open face is formed from a second top side edge 179, a second rear side edge 178, a second front side edge 177, and a second bottom side edge 176.

[0027] The top face 130 is generally solid, i.e. has no holes or vents. As best seen in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the perimeter of the top face is formed from a top front edge 180, a top rear edge 181, a first top side edge 175, and a second top side edge 179.

[0028] It is noted that no bottom face is present. The sides of the end cap should be sized so that the top face is generally parallel to the bottom face, which could be defined by bottom front edge 170, bottom rear edge 171, first bottom side edge 172, and second bottom side edge 176 (see FIG. 6).

[0029] As illustrated here, the front face 140 is made of an upper surface 146 and a lower surface 148, with the lower surface being vertical and the upper surface being angled relative to the lower surface. The design of the front face can contain one surface or multiple surfaces, based upon design preferences. The perimeter of the front face is formed from the top front edge 180, a bottom front edge 170, a first front side edge 173, and a second front side edge 177 (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). It is noted that here, the front face is rectangular, with first front side edge and second front side edge being substantially parallel to each other.

[0030] The front face has an interior surface 142 and an exterior surface 144, with a generally constant thickness therebetween. A retainer 150 is fixed along the bottom edge 170 on the interior surface 142 of the front face 140. The retainer is adapted to hold a heater cover panel in place.

[0031] As best seen in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the rear face 160 is defined by the top rear edge 181, a bottom rear edge 171, the first rear side edge 174, and the second rear side edge 178. As illustrated here, the rear face includes a first strip 162 which is located along the top rear edge 181, and also includes an opening 168. In these figures, the opening 168 is the portion of the rear face between the first strip 162 and the bottom rear edge 171.

[0032] In some embodiments, the rear face contains at least one aperture 164, which is adapted to accommodate a fastener (e.g. screw, nail, staple, etc.) for fixing the end cap to a wall. As illustrated here, a top aperture is present in the first strip.

[0033] The end cap includes a knock-out plate 190 on the closed/abutment face. This allows for the end cap to be placed over a radiator section that may have a pipe or protrusion that would otherwise block the end cap from fitting over the radiator in an appealing manner. In particular embodiments, the knock-out plate is rectangular, with a height/length ratio of about 1.0 to about 2.0. The perimeter 192 of the knock-out plate is thinner than the remainder of the closed face, to make it easier to remove the knock-out plate. This line may be made, for example, by cutting with a laser. As illustrated here, the perimeter extends to the first rear side edge 174, although this is not required.

[0034] The end caps of FIGS. 1-12 differ from the end caps of FIGS. 13-24 only in their height. The end caps of FIGS. 13-24 are taller.

[0035] Referring now to FIGS. 25-27, the end cap is designed such that it can accommodate the heater cover panel 195 as well as fit over the end of a baseboard heater unit. When two end caps 100 and a heater cover panel 195 are fully assembled, i.e. an end cap over each end of a baseboard unit and a cover panel with each panel end inserted into an end cap shielding the underlying baseboard unit, the end caps can be fastened to a wall to fix the heater cover panel in place and restrict its removal. A fastener may be threaded through at least one aperture and into a wall such that the end caps are then secured to the wall. While the end caps holding the heater cover panel are fixed to the wall, access to the underlying baseboard heater unit may be restricted. This can deter unwanted tampering of the baseboard heater unit (e.g. removing metal for scrapping or rewiring of the unit). In FIG. 26, the knock-out panel has been removed.

[0036] The heater cover panel 195 includes vents through which heated air passes. The vents themselves can be of any desired shape: rectangular, square, triangular, oval (elliptical), circular, etc. The heater cover panel should retain sufficient solidity that the internal components of the baseboard heater themselves are still fairly well hidden and difficult to see through the cover panel. In preferred embodiments, the end caps are made from steel, specifically galvanized steel and preferably at least 22 gauge steel. The end caps can be power coated or painted to a desired color and to resist rusting of the steel.

[0037] The convertible end caps and cover plates described herein are particularly advantageous. Removal of the knock-out plate provides easy installation around piping or other components (obstacles) of the baseboard heater unit. In cases where there are no piping or obstacles, the knock-out plate remains part of the end cap for aesthetic purposes.

[0038] The presently disclosed end caps with cover plates can be easily adapted to meet the needs of any project. As such, there is no inherent limit on their size, shape, or length, or the material from which they can be composed or the items they can be used to cover. In preferred embodiments, any one or more of the end cap and cover plate are made from steel, specifically galvanized steel and preferably at least 22 gauge steel. Any one or more of the end cap and cover plate can be power coated or painted to a desired color and to resist rusting of the steel.

[0039] The present system can be quickly and easily installed by sliding associated heater cover panels through the open side faces, which cover panels may be secured using one or more retainers. Associated fasteners may then be passed through the one or more apertures of the rear face(s) to secure the cover to a wall.

[0040] The present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the present disclosure be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.