Patent Application
20150093548
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to protective mats, and particularly to chair and floor mats used in the office and home to cover selected areas of carpeting and/or bare flooring having an anti-slippage means.
2. Background of the Invention
Floor mats and chair mats, for office and home use are well known and typically used on hard flooring and/or carpeted flooring. Floor mats are often used in high traffic areas to protect the underlying flooring. Likewise chair mats are typically used to reduce the impact and wear that can be caused by the chair rollers on the supporting chair spider. With both floor mats and chair mats it is desirable that any movement between the mat and the underlying flooring caused by the activity occurring on the upper surface of the mat be minimized. Floor mats and chair mats can include an array of short point-like protrusions on an underside surface of the mat, that are intended to hold the mat firmly in place on carpet, but such protrusions do not interact sufficiently with hard flooring to prevent movement of the mat. This is because of the lack of penetration of the protrusions into the hard flooring and the reduced surface area contact between the chair mat and the floor. Mats can also be made without any protrusions, which increases the surface area contact between the mat and the hard floor, which as a general rule aids in preventing slippage. The mats without protrusions perform less well with carpeted flooring. Some large area mats, and particularly runners, have included an adhesive coating on a lower surface to enhance the stability of the mat on the carpet, but when removed often leave behind sufficient adhesive on the carpet surface as to significantly increase the later bonding of dirt and grime to the surface of the carpeting.
Therefore, what is needed is a single mat that is capable of being used on hard flooring and/or and carpeted flooring to minimize slippage. It is desirable that these features be incorporated in a single unitary mat having other features that contribute to reduced costs in manufacturing and sufficient anti-slippage.
A single unitary mat is provided for use on an underlying surface including a carpeted surface, a hard floor surface, or both. The mat can have a substantially planar upper surface suitable for walking traffic and for interaction with a chair support structure that typically includes a plurality of wheels or casters on the lower outside points of a spider. The mat upper surface can include small variations that reduce the chance for slipping. The mat can include a body, typically made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, high density polyethylene, polyester copolymers, or polycarbonate, of a variety of thicknesses. When the mat is to be used in an office situation to support a wheeled chair, the thickness of the body can be sufficient to exhibit very little deflection at the points supporting the chair. When the mat is to be used in a high pedestrian traffic area, the body thickness can be reduced to the point that the mat can be easily rolled up for storage between uses. The lower surface of the mat can include a thin coating, not greater than 0.5 mm (0.020 in.), and possibly as little as 0.125 mm (0.005 in.) in thickness, of a polymer selected because of its high static coefficient of friction of at least about 0.50, and preferably 0.60 or higher. The slip-resistant layer can be bonded to the mat lower surface to space at least part of the mat lower surface away from an underlying surface with which the mat is aligned. The slip-resistant layer can be co-extensive with the mat lower surface to facilitate stable placement on any underlying surface. The slip-resistant layer can be formed from a polymer such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or polyurethane. The slip-resistant layer can be co-extruded with or laminated to the body-forming layer.
One feature of the mat is that the mat can be used on multiple surfaces, such as hard flooring and carpeting flooring, simultaneously or independently, in order to substantially decrease the risk of slippage along the surfaces. Another advantage is that a mat having sufficient anti-slippage can be manufactured less expensively.
The above, as well as other advantages, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments may be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the embodiments.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like components, there is shown in
The material of the mat body 11 can possess various physical characteristics that are adaptive for use and protection of a floor. The material can be selected so that the mat 10 is non-absorbent, water repellent, and not easily affected by changes in temperature or humidity. In addition, the mat 10 can expand and shrink without any curling effect, while being compatible with the other layers in this respect. The material can maintain the mat 10 as a whole in proper shape, i.e. flat, and can resist accidental misshaping. Preferably, the body 11 is continuous and substantially uniform in a thickness dimension. The body 11 can be adapted to formation in uniform thickness, such as by extruding, where uniformity and thickness of the body 11 is not adversely affected by outside influences in the extruding step. The thickness can be between about 0.635 mm (0.025 inch) and about 6.5 mm (0.25 inch). The mat 10 can be washable with, for example, soap and water type cleanser, and can be solvent resistant. With these characteristics in mind, the material can be a thermoplastic material, and, in an embodiment, an easily extrudable thermoplastic material. Exemplary thermoplastic materials include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high density polyethylene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyester copolymers, and polystyrene.
As used herein, “high coefficient of friction” means a coefficient of friction between the mat 10 and an underlying surface, such as a floor, that is sufficient to facilitate stable placement or to substantially resist slippage of the mat 10 relative to the underlying surface when walking on the mat and/or when rolling an occupied desk chair along the mat. Sufficient friction to resist slippage can depend on a variety of factors, including the type of underlying surface, the relative surface area of the mat, raised elements, as well as other environmental factors such as relative humidity and dust. For this reason, a high coefficient of friction is not meant to denote any absolute number or level, but is generally substantially higher than the coefficient of friction between a conventional chair mat and the underlying surface regardless of the surface type. It is desirable that the static coefficient of friction be at least about 0.50 and preferably 0.60 or higher. It is otherwise simply descriptive in principle of the desired characteristic of a suitable material for use as the slip-resistant layer, which has a higher coefficient of friction than the body 11 of the mat 10.
The slip-resistant layer 32 can include high coefficient of friction polymeric materials, such as low durometer polyurethane, or poly vinyl acetate. The slip-resistant layer 32 can be fixedly applied to the body 11 to form a unitary single structure. The body 11 and the slip-resistant layer 32 can be coupled together by, for example, a lamination process, co-extrusion, or any other mechanism or process to fixedly couple the body 11 and the slip-resistance layer 32. Preferably, the slip-resistant layer 32 includes has a low adhesive characteristic in order to avoid the potential of dust or dirt buildup on the slip-resistant layer 32, and includes no adhesive substance that can be subject to dust or dirt. It is to be understood that other polymeric materials having the characteristics of the aforementioned materials may be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The slip-resistant layer 32 preferably has a thickness of less than about 0.5 mm (0.020 in.), and possibly as little as 0.125 mm (0.005 in.). The slip-resistant layer in combination with the structural features of the mat can allow placement of the mat for applications requiring simultaneous placement on both carpeted and hard floor surfaces, yet facilitating stable, non slippage, placement on both surfaces. In addition, the combination can facilitate stable, non slippage, placement on either carpeted floor surfaces or hard floor surfaces when independently used thereon.
A method of making the mat 10 to facilitate stable placement on both carpeted and hard floor surfaces is also provided. Steps can include at least one of providing a polymer material for the body of the mat, and affixing a slip-resistant layer material to the surface of the body by a lamination process or by co-extrusion. Other steps for making the mat 10 can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,743 to Robbins, which is herein incorporated by reference. In addition, other methods, such as spraying the slip-resistant layer material will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
While various embodiments have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/884,329, filed Sep. 30, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61884329 | Sep 2013 | US |
