Slip resistant mat with stabilizing projections

Abstract

A slip resistant floor mat includes a number of upstanding projections in the form of blades or teeth arranged on an upper surface thereof. The blades or teeth deflect under a load and dissipate the force of the load so that the tendency of the mat to slip on the underlying floor is reduced.

Claims

1. A slip resistant mat comprising: a mat body having an upper surface and a lower surface for juxtaposing next to a floor surface; and a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the upper surface, the plurality of projections each being capable of deflection from a generally vertical orientation relative to the upper surface of the mat in response to a load applied to the plurality of projections to hereby inhibit movement of the mat relative to the floor surface; wherein at least some of the plurality of projections contact adjacent projections when deflected; wherein the plurality of projections are arranged in a plurality of quadrants, with the projections in some of the quadrants being arranged in a perpendicular orientation relative to the projections in other quadrants.

2. The slip resistant mat of claim 1: wherein a first set of the projections are of one height and a second set of projections are of a second height, different from the first height.

3. The slip resistant mat of claim 1 further comprising: a peripheral ramp edge extending around a substantial portion of a perimeter of the mat body.

4. The slip resistant mat of claim 1 further comprising: a channel formed at a perimeter of the mat body to provide for discharge of accumulated fluids from the upper surface of the mat body.

5. The slip resistant mat of claim 1 wherein each of the projections is equally spaced from an adjacent projection.

6. The slip resistant mat of claim 1 wherein a cross-sectional configuration of each of the projections is substantially identical to a cross-sectional configuration of each other projection.

7. A slip resistant mat comprising: a mat body having an upper surface and a lower surface for juxtaposing next to a floor surface; and a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the upper surface, the plurality of projections each being capable of deflection from a generally vertical orientation relative to the upper surface of the mat in response to a load applied to the plurality of projections to hereby inhibit movement of the mat relative to the floor surface; wherein the plurality of projections is arranged in a plurality of generally equally spaced rows and the projections in a first row are staggered relative to the projections in an adjacent row; wherein the plurality of projections is arranged in a plurality of quadrants, with the projections in some of the quadrants being arranged in a perpendicular orientation relative to the projections in other quadrants; wherein at least some of the plurality of projections contact adjacent projections when deflected.

8. The slip resistant mat of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of projections has a generally rectangular cross-section.

9. The slip resistant mat of claim 7 wherein a first set of the projections are of one height and a second set of projections are of a second height, different from the first height.

10. A slip resistant mat comprising: a mat body having an upper surface and a lower surface for juxtaposing next to a floor surface; and a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the upper surface, each of the projections is equally spaced from an adjacent projection and is capable of deflection from a generally vertical orientation relative to the upper surface of the mat in response to a load applied to the plurality of projections to hereby inhibit movement of the mat relative to the floor surface; wherein the plurality of projections is arranged in a plurality of generally equally spaced rows and at least some of the plurality of projections contacts adjacent projections when deflected; wherein the plurality of projections is arranged in a plurality of quadrants, with the projections in some of the quadrants being arranged in a perpendicular orientation relative to the projections in other quadrants; wherein the projections in a first row are staggered relative to the projections in an adjacent row.

11. The slip resistant mat of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of projections has a generally rectangular cross-section.

12. The slip resistant mat of claim 10 wherein a first set of the projections are of one height and a second set of projections are of a second height, different from the first height.

13. A slip resistant mat comprising: a mat body having an upper surface and a lower surface for juxtaposing next to a floor surface; and a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the upper surface, each of the projections is equally spaced from an adjacent projection and is capable of deflection from a generally vertical orientation relative to the upper surface of the mat in response to a load applied to the plurality of projections to hereby inhibit movement of the mat relative to the floor surface; wherein the plurality of projections is arranged in a plurality of generally equally spaced rows and at least some of the plurality of projections contacts adjacent projections when deflected; wherein the plurality of projections are arranged in a plurality of quadrants, with the projections in some of the quadrants being arranged in a perpendicular orientation relative to the projections in other quadrants.

14. The slip resistant mat of claim 13 further comprising: a peripheral ramp edge extending around a substantial portion of a perimeter of the mat body.

15. The slip resistant mat of claim 14 further comprising: a channel formed at a perimeter of the mat body to provide for discharge of accumulated fluids from the upper surface of the mat body.

16. The slip resistant mat of claim 13 wherein a cross-sectional configuration of each of the projections is substantially identical to a cross-sectional configuration of each other projection.

17. A slip resistant mat comprising: a mat body having an upper surface and a lower surface for juxtaposing next to a floor surface; and a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the upper surface, each of the projections is equally spaced from an adjacent projection and is capable of deflection from a generally vertical orientation relative to the upper surface of the mat in response to a load applied to the plurality of projections to hereby inhibit movement of the mat relative to the floor surface; wherein each of the plurality of projections has a generally rectangular cross-section; wherein the plurality of projections are arranged in a plurality of generally equally spaced rows and at least some of the plurality of projections contact adjacent projections when deflected, wherein the projections in a first row are staggered relative to the projections in an adjacent row; a first set of the projections are of one height and a second set of projections are of a second height, different from the first height; wherein the plurality of projections are arranged in a plurality of quadrants, with the projections in some of the quadrants being arranged in a perpendicular orientation relative to the projections in other quadrants; a peripheral ramp edge extending around a substantial portion of a perimeter of the mat body; and a channel formed at a perimeter of the mat body to provide for discharge of accumulated fluids from the upper surface of the mat body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a slip resistant mat according this invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion 2 of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a top plan and enlarged view of the mat of FIGS. 1-2; and

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the mat of FIG. 2 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a slip-resistant mat 10 with stabilizing projections 12 according to this invention is shown. The mat 10 includes a mat body 14 having an upper surface 16. A number of projections 12 extend upwardly from the upper surface 16 of the mat body 14. The projections 12, according to various embodiments of this invention, are arranged in multiple-spaced rows 18, and are similarly oriented in one embodiment of this invention. In various embodiments of this invention, the projections 12 may be arranged in an orderly consistent uniform arrangement, at least in portions of the mat 10. In alternative embodiments of this invention, the projections 12 are arranged in sections, or quadrants 20, with the orientation of the projections 12 and the rows 18 being generally perpendicular to the orientation of the projections 12 and rows 18 in adjacent quadrants 20 or sections of the mat 10. This arrangement is readily seen in FIG. 1.

(7) The mat 10 includes a peripheral ramp edge 22 extending around a perimeter of the mat body 14. The ramp edge 22 provides an angled transition from the mat body 14 to a floor 24 upon which the mat 10 is positioned. As such, in various embodiments of this invention, the mat 10 may be considered a scraper mat. A channel 26 is formed at the juncture between two portions of the ramp edge 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The channel 26 provides an avenue for the discharge of any accumulated water, fluids, or other materials, from the upper surface 16 of the mat body 14 toward the surrounding floor 24 or other surfaces.

(8) The projections 12 extending upwardly from the mat body 14 may be in any arrangement, configuration, shape, or size, according to this invention. The projections 12 shown in FIGS. 1-4 are each rectangular in cross-sectional configuration and the height of the projections 12 in alternating rows varies, for example. The projections 12 in one row 18 may be less than the height of the projections 12 in an adjacent row 18. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the height A of the lower projections 12 may be 0.125 inches, and the height B of the taller projections 12 may be 0.1875 inches, according to one embodiment of this invention. Similarly, the width of each projection 12, as indicated by C in FIG. 3, may be 0.09375 inches, and the length of each projection 12, indicated by D in FIG. 3, may be 0.375. The spacing between the adjacent rows 18 of projections 12 is indicated by E in FIG. 3, and may be 0.125 inches in one embodiment of this invention. The projections 12 in each row 18 are spaced longitudinally from one another as indicated by F in FIG. 3 and this dimension may be 0.125 inches in one embodiment.

(9) Additionally, as is readily evident from FIG. 3, the projections 12 in one row 18 are staggered, or offset, from the projections in an adjacent row, such that the gap between the projections in a given row is centered on the projections in each of the adjacent rows.

(10) In various embodiments of this invention, the projections 12 may be considered upstanding teeth or blades; however, the configuration of the projections 12 and their arrangement and spacing may be any of a wide variety of designs within the scope of this invention, with only one such embodiment of this invention being shown and described herein.

(11) In use, when vehicular or foot traffic passes over and atop the mat 10 situated on the floor 24, the projections 12 are able to deflect or bend, relative to the upper surface 16 of the mat body 14. As such, the projections 12 may bend to such a degree as they impact the projections 12 in an adjacent row 18. The interaction of the projections 12 during such loads serves to cushion the user's impact with the mat 10, and likewise, dissipate the lateral and other forces resulting from the interaction with the mat 10 that might otherwise tend to shift, translate, or move the mat 10 relative to the floor 24. It is believed that the ability for the projections 12 to bend relative to a remainder of the mat 10 and the interaction between the bending projections 12 increases the resistance of the mat 10 to slipping relative to the floor 24. Once the load is removed from the mat 10, the projections return to their upright orientation, as shown generally in FIG. 4. A lower surface 28 of the mat 10, as shown in FIG. 4, may have additional friction coating or features to further minimize the slippage of the mat 10 relative to the floor 24. The projections 12 in combination with the exposed upper surface 16 of the mat body 14 contribute to form an upper surface of the mat 10 as shown generally in FIGS. 3-4.

(12) From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, we desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.