Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02511387 2005-07-05
FLOOR MAT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to floor mats suitable for use in automobiles
and
other motor vehicles and more particularly, relates to floor mats which may be
arranged to
completely protect the floor area of the vehicle and which can be custom
designed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Accessory floor mats are well known in the art and are widely used to protect
the
carpeted floor of vehicles. The mats may be made of various materials and some
are
formed by injection molding of thermoplastic materials. It is also known in
the art to
have an upper portion thereof formed of a different material such as a textile
material.
Frequently, the floor mats are formed with prongs on the side facing the
carpet of
the vehicle which dig in or grab the carpet fibers to prevent sliding movement
so as to
keep the floor mat in position. Alternative methods include the use of various
straps, or
snaps or a foam and loop type of attachment such as those marketed under the
trademark
"VELCRO".
A problem with floor mats, particularly in climates which have a lot of snow,
is the
disposal of the snow or ice brought into the vehicle. Thus, the snow or ice,
once melted,
tends to accumulate on the floor of the vehicle. In the case of thermoplastic
mats, it has
been proposed in the art to make them deeper and to have high interior ribs
such that the
mat will be able to contain a substantial volume of liquid to prevent damage
to the pant
legs of the driver or passenger. In the case of floor mats having a textile
upper surface,
attempts have been made to make the surface as absorbent as possible.
-1-
CA 02511387 2005-07-05
A further problem which is encountered relates to common use of sodium
chloride
or calcium chloride to melt the snow on the road. This salt is brought into
the vehicle and
tends to stain the carpets and area around the carpet. After a certain period
of time it
becomes next to impossible to remove these stains.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a floor mat suitable for
use in
automobile interiors which overcomes the above disadvantages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a floor mat system
which is
designed to retain liquid therein.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided, a mat
suitable for protecting the floor of a vehicle, the mat comprising an upper
fabric layer
permeable to a liquid, a central absorbent layer underlying the fabric layer
and an
impermeable layer underlying the absorbent layer.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carpet
protection
system comprising a mat and a tray, the mat comprising an upper fabric layer
permeable
to a liquid, a central absorbent layer underlying the fabric layer, an
impermeable layer
underlying the absorbent layer and the tray having a bottom with a plurality
of ribs
extending outwardly from the bottom, and a plurality of apertures formed in
the bottom
such that liquid on the tray will drain to the mat.
The upper layer is utilized to protect the surface of the layer below and also
to
direct any liquid into the layer below. The upper layer may be formed of any
suitable
fabric, either of a natural or synthetic material. A preferred material is
polyester.
-2-
CA 02511387 2005-07-05
Needless to say, the upper layer is designed to be permeable to liquids.
The second layer comprises an absorbent material. In this respect, the most
important characteristic of this layer is the ability to absorb a liquid and
retain the liquid
within the layer. Preferably, this layer also provides the characteristics of
being relatively
firm while still retaining a certain flexibility. Preferably, the material is
one which has the
ability to be washed. The material may be formed of many different natural or
synthetic
materials including polyesters, polymeths, acrylics, polypropylene,
combinations thereof,
etc. Preferably, the material is formed of a recycled material.
The absorbent layer preferably has a capacity of absorbing between 600 and
800%
of its own weight of a liquid, this being done at a relatively rapid rate. The
total capacity
of the mat will naturally depend upon the thickness of the material. To this
end, a
thickness of between 5 and 20 mm is preferred while a more preferred thickness
is
between 7 and 12 mm. At a thickness of approximately 10 mm, the layer would be
capable of absorbing at least 7500 grams of liquid per square meter.
Laying underneath the absorbable layer is a impermeable film layer. This layer
can
be relatively thin and formed of any suitable material such as a plastic or
rubber material.
A preferred material would be a polyurethane thermoplastic which would
generally have a
thickness of between l and 3 mm.
Underneath the impermeable layer, there may be provided a lower fabric layer
to
protect the surface of the impermeable layer. Again, any suitable material,
either
synthetic or natural, may be utilized with a preferred material being a
polyester material.
The mat is designed to be machine washable and dryable. Naturally, the
capability
of washing and drying will depend upon the capacity of the appliance used.
-3-
CA 02511387 2005-07-05
In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a carpet
protection
system which utilizes the above defined mat in conjunction with a conventional
floor tray
mat which is designed to retain water therein. Preferably, the tray is formed
so as to have
drainage apertures therein to drain to the mat of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the
accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments thereof, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a tray and mat according
to
the present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the tray and mat;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the mat prior to placement in the vehicle;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the one embodiment of a tray according to the
present invention;
Figure 5 is a top plan view of a different arrangement of the tray and mat;
Figure 6 is a top plan view illustrating a different configuration for a mat;
and
Figure 7 is a top plan view of a still different configuration of a mat
according to
the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters
thereto,
there is illustrated in Figure 1 a carpet protection system suitable for use
in one type of
automobile configuration. In this system, there is provided a mufti component
mat which
is generally designated by reference numeral 10 and an upper tray thereon, the
tray being
-4-
CA 02511387 2005-07-05
generally designated by reference numeral 12.
As may be best seen in Figure 2, mat 10 is formed to have an upper fabric
layer 14.
Upper fabric layer 14 is preferably formed of a polyester material so as to be
permeable to
liquids. The upper fabric layer 14 may be fabricated with different textures
and colors to
match/contrast with the seat upholstering and/or floor carpeting.
Underneath upper fabric layer 14, there is provided absorbent layer 16 which
is
designed to absorb liquid passing through upper fabric layer 14. Preferably,
absorbent
layer 16 has a thickness of between 5 and 20 mm and more preferably, between 7
and
12 mm. It preferably can absorb at least 6 times its weight in water and may
be formed of
many different suitable synthetic materials.
Underlying absorbent layer 16 is an impermeable layer 18 which would typically
have a thickness of between 1 and 3 mm and preferably is formed of a
polyurethane. It is
secured to absorbent layer 16 by any suitable means such as by an adhesive.
There is also
provided a lower fabric layer 20 which may be similar to upper fabric layer
14. It also can
be formed of a suitable material such as polyester. It can be formed of a
different color or
texture than upper fabric layer 14. 'The primary function of lower fabric
layer 20 is to
provide a protective coating for impermeable layer I 8.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the carpet protection system
utilizes
tray 12 which may be formed of a conventional rubber or plastic material used
for such
trays. Tray 12 will have a bottom 24 with upstanding ribs 26 therebetween.
Tray 12 has a
plurality of drainage apertures 28 formed therein to permit drainage of liquid
to mat 10.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, which would typically be used in a
vehicle
-5-
CA 02511387 2005-07-05
having bucket seats, there is provided a central mat portion 32 along with a
front mat
portion 34. A right hand side mat portion 36 and a left hand side mat portion
38 complete
the protective portions. It will be noted that between left hand side portion
38 and central
portion 32, there is a space 40 for typical levers such as used to release the
trunk and/or
gas cap cover.
Naturally, many different configurations may be utilized depending on the
particular vehicle and the amount of protection desired. Thus, referring to
Figure 5, there
is illustrated a mat 110 which is operative to protect the central floor
portion in a
conventional manner.
In Figure 6, there is illustrated a floor mat 210 which may be utilized by
itself on
the floor or in conjunction with a tray. A still further configuration of a
mat 310 is shown
in Figure 7.
It will be understood that the above described embodiments are for purposes of
illustration only and that changes and modifications may be made thereto
without
departing from spirit and scope of the invention.
-6-
