FIELD OF THE INVENTION
A floor mat or pad that may include a removable cover is disclosed that may be used in a residential, commercial, or industrial setting.
Reference to Related Art
Floor mats or pads are used in a variety of different settings. In one typical commercial application one or more floor pads may be positioned behind display counters to provide support to personnel who must stand and work the display. In industrial settings floor pads may be located next to machinery to provide additional support for the machine operator who may be required to stand in a single location for an extended period of time. Likewise, in a medical setting, a floor pad may be positioned in an operating room proximate an operating table to provide additional comfort and support for the surgical staff.
Floor pads have also found their way into residential kitchens to provide homeowners with additional support when cooking or doing dishes. Indeed, one particularly popular type of high-end floor pad has a dense polyurethane foam construction and is often advertised in gourmet cooking magazines. To ensure long-term durability and resistance to (household or other) chemicals, these high-end floor pads may be molded as a single unit. Although, it will be appreciated that bi- and tri-layer pads may also be constructed. These high-end pads may be molded in a variety of colors, designs, textures, and patterns. However, once molded, the design and the color of these high-end pads are permanent and cannot be altered. It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a covering for a floor pad that may be interchanged with one or more other covers to allow for subsequent modification in the exterior appearance and/or functionality of the pad.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will be made below to the attached images, wherein like reference numbers refer to like parts throughout, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a planar view of an embodiment of a pad apparatus including a pad and a removable cover;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the pad partially inserted into the cover;
FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the pad partially inserted into the cover;
FIG. 4 is a planar view of the pad partially inserted into the cover; and
FIG. 5 is a planar view of the pad fully inserted into the cover.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, mat or pad apparatus 10 may include one or more pads 12 or mats and a removable cover 14 operable to at least substantially envelope the pad 12.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-5, and as best shown in FIG. 1, the pad 12 of the apparatus 10 may have one or more high-density polyurethane foam pads molded as a single unit using known molding techniques. In one embodiment, the mat or pad 12 may be a WELLNESS MAT® of the type produced by Wellness Mat L.L.C. of Troy, Mich. It will, however, be appreciated that the pad 12 may also include an open-cell structure, be constructed of one or more layers that are adhesively bonded together, and/or include a gel core. Thus, in another embodiment, the mat or pad may be a mat of the type commercially available under the GELPRO® or IMPRINTS® comfort mat marks. The pad 12 may be constructed in a variety of dimensions, e.g., 3′×2′×3/4″ thick. The pad 12 may also include a front surface featuring a three-dimensional design or pattern and be used, e.g., in a kitchen, bathroom, living room, laundry room, craft room, or a garage setting, or in connection with commercial or industrial applications.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-5, and as best shown in FIGS. 3-5, the cover 14 may be dimensioned to conform to the shape of the pad 12 or mats (e.g., two, three, four or more pads 14 (up to, e.g., 10) are positioned side-by-side or otherwise interlocked). The cover 14 may also be constructed of one or more layers of material and include a front face 16 and a rear face 18 that define a hollow interior 20 accessible by an opening 22 defined in the rear face 18. The material for the cover 14 may include a polymer, natural or synthetic fibers or a blend thereof. It will, for example, be appreciated that blend of fibers for the cover 14 may include elastic fibers for the cover 14 that function to allow the cover 14 to closely fit the enclosed pad 12. The fiber may, for example include a stain, spill, odor and bacteria resistant fabric, such fabrics being available under the name CRYPTON®.
The front 16 and rear 18 faces of the cover 14 may be constructed of two, three, four or more different materials and/or each face 16, 18 may be constructed of two, three, four or more different materials.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-5, and as best shown in FIG. 6, at least the front face 16 of the cover 14 may be transparent (in whole or in part) and/or may include indicia 24. The indicia 24 may be printed thereon or formed integral with the cover 14. In one embodiment, for example, the indicia 24 may include a decorative floral pattern. However, it will be appreciated that the indicia may also include the trademarks or service marks of others.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-5, so that an otherwise uncovered smooth pad 12 (see FIG. 1) may be provided with additional safety features, the front face 16 of the cover 14 may also be formed with, or coated to include, a textured surface 26. For example, the front face 16 of the cover 14 may include one or more lengths of grip tape (not shown). Additionally, or alternatively, the front face 16 may be manufactured to include an integral textured surface 26 such as a high grip surface or three-dimensional design or pattern.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-5, the rear or back face 18 of the cover 14 may likewise include one or more safety features. For example, in one embodiment, the rear face 18 may include one or more rubber (or the like) anti-slip pads 28. Additionally, or alternatively, all or a portion of the rear face 18 may be constructed from a slip-resistant rubber or similar material.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-5, and as best shown in FIGS. 2-4, in operation, the pad 12 may be removably inserted into the interior 20 of the cover 14 through the opening 22 in the rear face 18. It will be appreciated that a user may thus have a collection of different covers (purchased, e.g., as a kit with the pad 12) and swap out predetermined covers 14 from around a particular pad 12 as desired.
Having thus disclosed embodiments of the invention, various other embodiments will become apparent to those of skill in the art that do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.
Patent Application
20130078412
