A floor protection apparatus for use under parked snowmobiles or the like. The apparatus features a mat having longitudinally opposing first and second ends, and laterally opposing first and second sides. Longitudinally channeled areas reside respectively adjacent the sides of the mat at a topside thereof, and each feature a set of longitudinally running channels separated from one another by longitudinal ribs. One or more collection areas reside between the channeled areas at the topside of the mat and are of recessed elevation relative to the longitudinal ribs. A laterally ribbed central area resides between the first and second channeled areas and comprising a series of lateral ribs spaced from one another in the longitudinal direction. The mat is assembled from sections that fastened together through raised, abutted boundary edges.

An interlocking modular mat having four sides has female connectors on two sides and male connectors on the other two sides so that the modular mat can interlock with an adjacent mat and its connectors. The modular mat is configured with a plurality of structures surrounding a periphery of a top portion of the mat. The plurality of structures in combination with an underside of the top portion of the mat form a cavity. A sponge insert is configured to fit in the cavity and have a height such that a portion of the sponge insert extends from a bottom side the mat body. With the sponge insert extending beyond the bottom side of the mat body, the sponge insert bottom face generally become the supporting bottom of the modular mat to provide a more cushioned feel for a mat user.

A load distributing and absorbing system that lies below a barrier layer that is exposed to percussive and/or point-applied forces. The load distributing and absorbing system has one or more load distributing and absorbing tiles. At least some of the tiles have an underlayment infrastructure positioned below a barrier layer. The underlayment infrastructure includes one or more hat-shaped absorbing members. Each has a ceiling primarily for load distribution and a curvilinear wall primarily for load absorption extending from the ceiling. A transition feature is provided to smoothly graduate from one height and type of load distributing and absorbing tile to a load distributing and absorbing tile of another type and height. He system distributes and absorbs forces applied to the barrier layer over a broad area when applied either on a seam between adjacent tiles or within a tile.

A load distributing and absorbing system that lies below a barrier layer that is exposed to percussive and/or point-applied forces. The load distributing and absorbing system has one or more load distributing and absorbing tiles. At least some of the tiles have an underlayment infrastructure positioned below a barrier layer. The underlayment infrastructure includes one or more hat-shaped absorbing members. Each has a ceiling primarily for load distribution and a curvilinear wall primarily for load absorption extending from the ceiling. A transition feature is provided to smoothly graduate from one height and type of load distributing and absorbing tile to a load distributing and absorbing tile of another type and height. He system distributes and absorbs forces applied to the barrier layer over a broad area when applied either on a seam between adjacent tiles or within a tile.

A method of manufacturing a substantially flat foam floor mat is described. The raw materials for each color layer are separately mixed and heated below their foaming temperature in different batches, and separately pressed through heated rollers to form a plurality of unfoamed sheets. The temperature of the rollers are maintained within a range of 5° C. or less. Two or more unfoamed sheets from each batch are stacked together in a press and heated above their foaming temperature to permit the stacked sheets to foam, expand, and heat-weld together. The press restricts the sheets from vertical expansion while allowing horizontal expansion. Once the sheets are foamed, a series of alternating teeth and receiving slots are cut around the boundary of the mat to form an interlocking peripheral wall.

An interlocking modular mat having four sides has female connectors on two sides and male connectors on the other two sides so that the modular mat can interlock with an adjacent mat and its connectors. The modular mat is configured with a plurality of structures surrounding a periphery of a top portion of the mat. The plurality of structures in combination with an underside of the top portion of the mat form a cavity. A sponge insert is configured to fit in the cavity and have a height such that a portion of the sponge insert extends from a bottom side the mat body. With the sponge insert extending beyond the bottom side of the mat body, the sponge insert bottom face generally become the supporting bottom of the modular mat to provide a more cushioned feel for a mat user.

A connectable floor tile has a flexible, top layer, a flexible, middle layer or core, and a flexible, bottom layer. The combination of the top layer and bottom layer has sidewall portions having opposed marginal perimeter portions. The sidewall portions have an interior sidewall surface that abuts the middle core. The central portion defines a land that has a support surface. A plurality of spaced-apart cleats extend upwardly to respective distal surfaces and define channels therebetween.

The subject invention is directed to a method of exercising the human body comprising the steps of executing a training program on a floor mat consisting of a multiplicity of boxes arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns to form a checker board pattern of boxes on the surface of the floor mat with only one box located in common at the intersection between each horizontal row and each vertical column with each of the multiple boxes being equal in size and adapted to accommodate the foot size of substantially any person exercising on the floor mat such that the location of each foot on the floor mat will correspond to substantially only one coordinate box position with little or no overlapping, with said method comprising the steps of: using a human individual or a recording machine to execute the training program by calling out a sequence of steps corresponding to at least the movement of one leg of the person exercising on the floor mat relative to the other leg which is held stationary so that the moving leg moves from one specified coordinate box position on the floor mat to another specified coordinate box position, with each leg movement selected from the group consisting of a forward leg movement, a backward leg movement, a lateral forward or lateral backward leg movement and a rotational leg movement, and with each step being called out in a predetermined consecutive sequence corresponding to, at least, the leg movements of the person exercising on the floor mat with at least one of the steps, or a consecutive combination of the steps, in said sequence requiring the moving leg to cause the body and/or pelvis of the person exercising on the floor mat to rotate, at least partially, relative to the non-moving leg and in unison with the rotation of the body such that the person exercising on the floor mat forms a pattern of movements corresponding to movements of the person in their everyday lifestyle integral to his or her occupation or to a pattern of movements corresponding to a given gym exercise or for simulating a given sport.

A foldable surface for supporting a user relative to a support surface during an activity includes at least three surface panels that are movably coupled to one another with one or more panel connectors. Each of the surface panels includes (i) a rigid base layer having a base layer first surface that faces in a first direction, and (ii) a resilient layer that is adjacent to the base layer, the resilient layer having a resilient layer second surface that faces in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction. The surface panels are movable between an open configuration wherein the surface panels cooperate to form a substantially planar surface that can be positioned adjacent to the support surface, and a stacked configuration wherein the surface panels are positioned substantially side-by-side with the base layer first surface of one surface panel directly facing the base layer first surface of an adjacent surface panel.

A portable support platform may include a plurality of elongate segments arranged substantially parallel and adjacent to one another. The segments may be configured for spanning a space between two support points to support a user. The platform may also include a tying portion configured for flexibly securing the plurality of segments together. The platform may be arranged in a substantially flat open position for supporting a user and a substantially rolled up closed position for convenient transport and storage.