GLASS CHAIR MAT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

Abstract

A glass chair mat having a substantially planar sheet of tempered glass. The tempered glass has a thickness of between ⅛ to 1 inch, and an area of the glass chair mat is selected to cover an area that is greater than an area between the legs of the office chair, such that all legs of the office chair can rest upon the glass chair mat at the same time. The glass chair may further includes a printed layer disposed over at least part of the glass chair mat. In one embodiment, the glass chair mat of includes a printed layer that is formed by digital UV printing. In another embodiment, the glass chair mat of includes a printed layer that is formed by digital ceramic printing.

Claims

1. A glass chair mat for use with an office chair having legs, the glass chair mat comprising: a substantially planar sheet of tempered glass having a thickness of between ⅛ to 1 inch, wherein an area of the glass chair mat is selected to cover an area that is greater than an area between the legs of the office chair, such that all legs of the office chair can rest upon the glass chair mat at the same time; and a printed layer disposed over at least part of the glass chair mat.

2. The glass chair mat of claim 1, wherein the printed layer is formed by digital UV printing.

3. The glass chair mat of claim 1, wherein the printed layer is formed by digital ceramic printing.

4. A glass chair mat for use with an office chair having legs, the glass chair mat comprising: a substantially planar sheet of tempered glass having a thickness of between ⅛ to 1 inch, wherein an area of the glass chair mat is selected to cover an area that is greater than an area between the legs of the office chair, such that all legs of the office chair can rest upon the glass chair mat at the same time, but the glass chair mat having dimensions that do not exceed 6 ft in any dimension; and a printed layer disposed over at least part of the glass chair mat.

5. The glass chair mat of claim 4, wherein the printed layer is formed by digital UV printing.

6. The glass chair mat of claim 4, wherein the printed layer is formed by digital ceramic printing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass chair mat according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the glass chair mat.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of the glass chair mat.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a glass chair mat that includes a digital printed layer.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass chair mat 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the glass chair mat 10 includes a substantially planar sheet of tempered glass 20 having a thickness of between ⅛ to 1 inch. The glass chair mat 10 includes a top surface 22 and, opposed, a bottom surface 24, which together extends to an outer perimeter 26, in this case to a top edge 28, a bottom edge 30, and side edges 32.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the glass chair mat 10 has dimensions that are selected to fit behind a desk 12 and cover an area that is greater than an area between legs 16 of an office chair 14, such that all legs 16 of the office chair 14 can rest upon the glass chair mat 10 at the same time, but the glass chair mat 10 having dimensions that are smaller than 6 ft in any direction, in this case having a width W and a depth D that are smaller than 6 ft wide and 6 ft deep. In one embodiment, the width W is about 5 ft and the depth D is about 4 ft., although these dimensions may vary, so long as they are sufficient to support the office chair 14, without being so large that they can't readily be shipped or moved around. The general shape and size of the glass chair mat may vary, and while the glass chair mat 10 of FIG. 1 is rectangular, other shapes and configurations may be used without departing from the inventive concept disclosed herein.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the glass chair mat includes a printed layer 40 disposed over at least part of the glass chair mat 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the printed layer 40 forms an image 42 that is visible to the user. The printed layer 40 may be formed on either the top or bottom surfaces 22 or 24, in this embodiment it is printed on the top surface 22 of the sheet of tempered glass 20. In this embodiment, the printed layer 40 forms the image 42 in the form of a panoramic image that covers substantially all of one or both surfaces 22 and/or 24 of the tempered glass 20.

[0028] In this embodiment, the printed layer 40 is formed by digital ceramic printing. In production, a digital printer, in this embodiment a flatbed digital printer, applies a digital ceramic ink (which includes ceramic frit and inorganic pigments) directly to a sheet of untampered glass. Drop fixation may be used to prevent dot gain, and an inline dryer may be used. The glass is then tempered, resulting in the sheet of tempered glass 20 with the printed layer 40 integrally formed. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the printed layer 40 is formed on the top surface 22, but it could alternatively be formed on the bottom surface 24 in another embodiment.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the glass chair mat 50. FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the printed layer 40 is formed by digital UV printing. In this embodiment, the printed layer 40 forms the image 42 in the form of a sports logo. In this embodiment, an organic ink is used to form the printed layer 40, which is then cured, and the cured ink may be covered with a protective layer 52 (shown in FIG. 4).

[0030] Since the organic ink may be more easily scratched, in this embodiment it is formed on the bottom surface 24, as shown in FIG. 4; however, in alternative embodiments, the ink may be applied to the top surface 22. The protective layer 52 may include a print flood of a solid ink (e.g., white ink), and it may include an adhesive backed vinyl (which may also be white or some other solid color), for providing a backdrop as well as protection.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of the glass chair mat 60. FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view thereof. As shown in FIGS. 5-6, the glass chair mat 60 may have any shape desired for fitting behind or adjacent a desk or other piece of furniture, for protecting the floor from wear and tear, typically from an office chair. In this embodiment, a generally rectangular base 62 includes a protruding portion 64 that is intended to fit under the desk. Obviously, a person skilled in the art may devise a large number of sizes and shapes, and some shapes may be customized to a particular customer, to fit their unique work space, and such alternative sizes and shapes should be considered within the scope of the present invention.

[0032] The title of the present application, and the claims presented, do not limit what may be claimed in the future, based upon and supported by the present application. Furthermore, any features shown in any of the drawings may be combined with any features from any other drawings to form an invention which may be claimed.

[0033] As used in this application, the words “a,” “an,” and “one” are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. The terms “approximately” and “about” are defined to mean +/− 10%, unless otherwise stated. Also, the terms “have,” “include,” “contain,” and similar terms are defined to mean “comprising” unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application. While the invention has been described with reference to at least one particular embodiment, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather the scope of the invention is defined by claims made to the invention.