FLOOR PROTECTOR

Abstract

An improved floor protector comprising: a body made from a material having a desired shape and thickness, said body having a plurality of surfaces wherein at least one surface has a slip reducing feature.

Claims

1. A floor protector comprising: a body made from a material comprising wood pulp and rosin having a desired shape and thickness, said body having a plurality of surfaces wherein at least one surface has a slip reducing feature, wherein said slip reducing feature includes dot technology, wherein each dot has a center C, a diameter D and a height H, a contact surface CS, a space S between each dot, wherein S is substantially common.

2. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said body is made from a material further comprising recycled paper.

3. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said floor protector is made from a material having a thickness in the range of about 1 mil to about 21 mils.

4. A floor protector as in claim 1, where said slip reducing feature populates about one percent of at least one surface.

5. A floor protector as in claim 1, where said slip reducing feature populates about five percent of at least one surface.

6. A floor protector as in claim 1, where said slip reducing feature populates about twelve and one-half percent of at least one surface.

7. A floor protector as in claim 1, where said slip reducing feature populates about twenty-five percent of at least one surface.

8. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said slip reducing feature comprises a non-linear contoured topographical surface.

9. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said slip reducing feature is infused with said material.

10. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said slip reducing feature is made from material selected from the group comprising of polyvinylchloride, rubber, and a light, strong para-aramid synthetic fiber.

11. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said contact surface is selected from the group comprising of smooth, and non-smooth.

12. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein each dot has a common diameter and a common height, wherein said diameter is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about one-half () inch, and said height is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about one quarter () of an inch.

13. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said dots have a plurality of common diameters, wherein said diameters are about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about one-half () inch, and said height is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about one quarter () of an inch.

14. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said dots have a common height.

15. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein said dots have a plurality of common heights.

16. A floor protector as in claim 1, wherein each dot is spaced equidistant, or with plurality of common distances therebetween, wherein each space is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of an inch to about one-half () inch.

17. A floor protector comprising: a body made from a material comprising wood pulp having a desired shape and thickness, said body having a plurality of surfaces wherein at least one surface has a slip reducing feature, wherein said slip reducing feature includes dot technology, wherein each dot has a center C, a diameter D and a height H, a contact surface CS, a space S between each dot, wherein S is substantially common.

18. A floor protector as in claim 17, wherein said body is made from a material further comprising recycled paper, and rosin.

19. A floor protector as in claim 17, where said slip reducing feature populates at least about one percent of at least one surface.

20. A floor protector comprising: a body made from a material comprising wood pulp having a desired shape and thickness, said shape having a length and width, said body having a plurality of surfaces wherein at least one surface has a slip reducing feature, wherein said slip reducing feature forms a pattern that contains at least one stripe.

21. A floor protector as in claim 20, wherein said material further comprises a material selected from the group comprising recycled paper and rosin.

22. A floor protector as in claim 20, wherein said pattern is substantially parallel to said width.

23. A floor protector as in claim 20, wherein said slip reducing feature is infused with said body via a method selected from the group comprising rolling, or spraying.

24. A floor protector as in claim 20, wherein said slip reducing feature populates at least about one percent of at least one surface.

25. A floor protector as in claim 20, wherein said slip reducing feature is made from material selected from the group comprising of polyvinylchloride, rubber, and a light, strong para-aramid synthetic fiber.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The following drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, are provided for illustration of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any manner whatsoever.

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of the preferred embodiment;

[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the preferred embodiment;

[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a magnified view of a portion of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a magnified front view of an alternative embodiment;

[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates an additional alternative embodiment; and

[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a further alternative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The following descriptions of the preferred embodiments are presented to illustrate the present invention and are not to be construed to limit the claims in any manner whatsoever. In reference to the drawings, namely FIGS. 1 to 6, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed, which is directed to an improved floor protector 1 comprising: a body 10 made from a material having a desired shape and weight, such as a square, rectangle, triangle, circle, oval, or other practical shape, common sizing includes but is not limited to 912, 1012, or even a stair blanket having the approximate dimensions of 415. Often this may be sold in rolls, wherein some rolls are sold in lengths of upwards of 520 feet, having thickness of about 11 mils. It is envisioned the thickness, although substantially uniform for each piece of stock, may be manufactured with varying thicknesses (1) of at least about 1 mil; or (2) of about 1 mil to about 21 mils, although other thicknesses are envisioned.

[0016] In practice, in a first scenario, once a floor/stair is installed, e.g, wood flooring/stairs, e.g, oak flooring, a roll of the floor protector 1 is purchased by a contractor/worker, and the passage ways and oak flooring are covered by rolling out the supply roll, cutting the stock to desired length and/or width, and often taping any adjacent pieces of cut stock together. The worker thereafter can walk on top of the floor protection device 1 minimizing wear and tear on the wood floor therebeneath. Once the job is completed, the floor protection device 1 pieces can be easily removed, discarded, or even recycled.

[0017] In a second scenario, the floor protector 1 may be deployed on top of floor tile that has been installed, similarly to the first scenario above. In other scenarios, it is envisioned that the floor protector 1 may be deployed on carpet, or any other flooring or surface in need of protection.

[0018] Nonetheless, FIG. 1 exhibits a more common shape, namely, a rectangle. Said body 10 having a plurality of surfaces 12a, 12b wherein at least one surface 12a has a slip reducing feature 14 wherein said body 10 is made from a material comprising wood pulp, recycled paper, taken alone, or in any combination thereof with rosin, or along with another material commonly known in the industry.

[0019] The slip reducing feature 14 comprises a non-linear contoured topographical surface, both from a side and top view perspective, wherein such top view perspective is illustrated in FIG. 1. The dot technology, wherein each dot 14a has a center C, a diameter D, a height H, a contact surface CS, and a space S between each dot. Although the spacing S between each of the dots 14a may vary, it is preferred that each S is substantially similar, if not equidistant S1=S2=S3. It is preferred that the pattern of dots 14a on the surface 12a are in rows and columns forming a matrix, it is envisioned that subsequent columns and/or rows may be offset to harmonize the spacing S between each and every dot 14a. See FIG. 3.

[0020] The material is infused with said feature 14, although it is envisioned that other shapes maybe used, e.g., stars, squares, or other polygons having a contact surface CS that is either smooth or non-smooth, i.e., the CS is topographical itself, wherein the contact surface CS is defined as the surface of the dot 14a that ultimately interfaces with the desired work surface, e.g., floor, staircase etc., as this promotes the looseness, malleability of the floor protector 1 to conform to the shape of the object(s) it is covering, for example, a staircase has risers, runners, along with the stringers, this is a three-dimensional object and the floor protector needs to emulate for optimization of egress for the end user, i.e., to identify where the steps are to navigate accordingly. Thus, by having feature 14 limited to the surface CS of the dot 14a, and not the space S therebetween, the floor protector 1 is more malleable.

[0021] The slip reducing feature 14 is made from polyvinylchloride, rubber, or material having similar properties of a product called KEVLAR (hereafter KEVLAR), taken alone or in any combination thereof, or with any other common material known in the industry, wherein KEVLAR is the registered trademark for a light, strong para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora.

[0022] Developed at DuPont in 1965, it was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Typically, it is spun into ropes or fabric sheets that can be used as such or as an ingredient in composite material components. Currently, KEVLAR has many applications, ranging from bicycle tires and racing sails to body armor because of its high strength-to-weight ratiofamously: . . . 5 times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis . . . When KEVLAR is spun, the resulting fiber has great tensile strength (ca. 3 620 MPa), and a relative density of 1.44. When used as a woven material, it is suitable for mooring lines and other underwater applications.

[0023] There are three grades of KEVLAR: (i) KEVLAR, (ii) KEVLAR 29, and (iii) KEVLAR 49. Typically, KEVLAR is used as reinforcement in tires and rubber mechanical goods. KEVLAR 29's industrial applications are as cables, in asbestos replacement, brake linings, and body armor. KEVLAR 49 has the greatest tensile strength of all the aramids, and is used in plastic reinforcement for boat hulls, airplanes, and bicycles. The ultraviolet light component of sunlight degrades and decomposes KEVLAR, a problem known as UV degradation, and so it is rarely used outdoors without protection against sunlight.

[0024] Fibers of KEVLAR consist of long molecular chains produced from PPTA (poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide). There are many inter-chain bonds making the material extremely strong. KEVLAR derives part of its high strength from inter-molecular hydrogen bonds formed between the carbonyl groups and protons on neighboring polymer chains and the partial pi stacking of the benzenoid aromatic stacking interactions between stacked strands. These interactions have a greater influence on KEVLAR than the van der Waals interactions and chain length that typically influence the properties of other synthetic polymers and fibers such as Dyneema. The presence of salts and certain other impurities, especially calcium, could interfere with the strand interactions and caution is used to avoid inclusion in its production. KEVLAR's structure consists of relatively rigid molecules which tend to form mostly planar sheet-like structures rather like silk protein.

[0025] For a polymer, KEVLAR has very good resistance to high temperatures, and maintains its strength and resilience down to cryogenic temperatures (196 C.); indeed, it is slightly stronger at low temperatures. At higher temperatures the tensile strength is immediately reduced by about 10-20%, and after some hours the strength progressively reduces further. For example, at 160 C. about 10% reduction in strength occurs after 500 hours. At 260 C. 50% strength reduction occurs after 70 hours. At 450 C. KEVLAR sublimates.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, each dot 14 has a common diameter D (e.g., D1=D2) and a common height H (e.g., H1=H2), wherein said diameter D is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about one-half () inch, and said height H is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about three-eighths () of an inch.

[0027] In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, said dots 14a, 14b have a plurality of common diameters D1D2, wherein dots 14a have diameter D1 and dots 14b have the diameter D2, wherein said diameters D1, D2 are about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about one-half () inch, and said height is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of inch to about three-eighths () of an inch, but have a common height H (e.g., H1=H2). Whereas in a third embodiment (not shown), said dots 14a have a plurality of common heights H1H2 (e.g., H1=H3, and H2=H4, or e.g., H1=H4=H7, H2=H5=H8, and H3=H6=H9).

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, each dot 14a is spaced equidistant S1=S2=S3 etc., wherein each space S is about one-sixty fourths ( 1/64) of an inch to about one-half () inch. Although it is envisioned that there may be a plurality of spacing therebetween, e.g., S1S2S3 (e.g., non-equidistant or random spacing). Optionally, said dots 14a viewed collectively may form a pattern comprising a word, number, artistic design or any combination thereof (not shown).

[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a floor protector 101 having a body 110 made from a material comprising wood pulp having a desired shape and thickness wherein the shape has a length L and width W. The body 110 having a plurality of surfaces, wherein at least one surface 112a has a slip reducing feature 114, wherein the slip reducing feature 114 forms a pattern that contains at least one stripe. Each stripe having a width SW and length SL. In the case where a plurality of stripes are used, there is a gap G between each successive stripe. The material further comprises a material selected from the group comprising recycled paper and rosin.

[0030] The slip reducing feature 114 forms a striped pattern that is substantially parallel or preferably parallel to the short end (aka width W) of the roll of stock. One advantage of having the stripe(s) in this direction is that the protector 101 is more malleable to match the flooring such as a staircase or stoop, presuming the staircase or stoop is linear. In the case of a staircase or stoop which curves or changes directions, it might better to use multiple shorter pieces cut to fit to more adapt to the curvature of the staircase or stoop.

[0031] In this embodiment the slip reducing feature 114 is infused with the body 110 via the method of rolling the material on to the body 110 via a roller like painting with a roller, and via spraying the material onto the body 110. The slip reducing feature 114 is made from a material such as polyvinylchloride, rubber, and a light, strong para-aramid synthetic fiber. It is envisioned that the slip reducing feature 114 populate of least about one percent of one of the surface, although coverage may populate of at least about five percent, of at least about twelve and one-half percent, or even of at least about twenty-five percent or more.

[0032] Moreover, it is envisioned that the stripe may be alternatively substantially parallel or preferably parallel to the long edge of the roll L (aka length) however, this envisionment is not shown. This arrangement might be more practical when the staircase or stoop is wider than the width of the stock.

[0033] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment wherein the floor protector may contain stripes that intersect with different angles. Each stripe having a width SW and length SL. In the case where a plurality of stripes are used, this first set is substantially parallel to each other, and there is a gap G between each successive stripe wherein the gap G between the stripes has no slip reducing feature 114.

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates a first set of stripes 120 running on a first angle that are substantially parallel, here shown as 45 degrees, and a second set of stripes 140 running on a second angle shown as 135 degrees which are substantially parallel, wherein the second set of stripes 140 intersect the first set 120, here shown as perpendicular, although any angle may be incorporated. The width SW of a given stripe can either be consistent or vary, and the shape of each stripe may be identical or not, including the width, e.g., one stripe may have a different width from a second stripe, etc. (not shown) Moreover, the width of a given stripe may vary over the length of the stripe itself (not shown).

[0035] In this embodiment the slip reducing feature 114 is infused with the body 110 via the method of rolling the material on to the body 110 via a roller like painting with a roller, and via spraying the material onto the body 110. The slip reducing feature 114 is made from a material such as polyvinylchloride, rubber, and a light, strong para-aramid synthetic fiber. It is envisioned that the slip reducing feature 114 populate of least about one percent of one of the surface, although coverage may populate of at least about five percent, of at least about twelve and one-half percent, or even of at least about twenty-five percent or more.

[0036] In all scenarios, it is envisioned that the slip reducing feature 114 populates surface 112a of about at least one percent. However, other higher percentages may be warranted and desired depending on the application. For example, the percentage of surface 112a may need to be increased to of about at least five (5) percent, or, of about at least about twelve and one-half (12.5) percent, or even as much as at least about twenty-five (25) percent, or even more. In fact, it is envisioned that the floor protector might even be double sided, wherein the density and coverage of each side may be identical or non-identical (not shown), in this regard, the worker is further protected by anti-slip feature. Moreover, by having it double sided, it can be made reversable.

[0037] All of the above referenced patents; patent applications and publications are hereby incorporated by reference. Many variations of the present invention will suggest themselves to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above detailed description. All such obvious modifications are within the full-intended spirit and scope of the claims of the present application.