Mat for protecting floors in an animal confinement pen

A mat for protecting a floor in an animal confinement pen. The mat is formed of a durable material which is corrosion and abrasion resistant, impact absorbing, and fluid impermeable, and has a plurality of protrusions disposed on an upper surface of the mat, with the plurality of protrusions being regularly spaced and functioning to provide traction to animals but without accumulating debris on the mat, and also having a plurality of grooves disposed on the upper surface of the mat, with the plurality of grooves being spaced regularly apart and extending between opposite edges of the mat, and having a beveled edge extending around a perimeter of the mat so that animals may not be able to chew on the mat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to a mat for protecting a floor in an animal
 confinement pen.
 2. Description of Background Art
 Animal confinement pens are commonly used to feed livestock in preparation
 for market. Confinement pens hold animals in a restricted space where they
 can be heavily fed in order to promote fast growth. Confinement pens may
 additionally prevent the animals from fighting or injuring each other, and
 the close quarters prevents the animals from being too active, which
 results in an overly muscular and tough food animal.
 Confinement pens are commonly constructed with a flooring upon which the
 animals stand or rest, as a dirt floor in a confinement pen quickly
 becomes wet or muddy and may be a cause of disease or infection.
 Therefore, slat floors, having regularly spaced openings, are commonly
 used to keep the confined animals up off of the ground while yet allowing
 animal wastes to fall through and be disposed of. Slat floors are commonly
 constructed of pre-fabricated concrete panels placed together upon a
 supporting structure.
 Confinement pens for animal feeding are used to promote fast growth in the
 animals. The quantity and quality of the feed can be highly regulated and
 controlled. As part of the feed mixture, a feedlot operator may add
 ingredients such as acids, salts, and whey to stimulate appetite and
 weight gain, and also to increase water consumption and retention by the
 animals. Although the additives may achieve the desired goals, they have a
 negative consequence on the floor of the confinement pen. Because the
 additives have a corrosive effect, especially on concrete, feed spilled on
 the floor has a deleterious effect on the flooring. The additives cause a
 softening and crumbling of the concrete.
 In the past, feedlot operators had few ways in which to combat such
 corrosion. Often, the corrosion was simply ignored and the slat flooring
 was replaced when it had deteriorated too much. Alternatively, raised
 concrete pads were constructed for feed dispensers to rest on, basically
 adding more concrete for the corrosion to attack as a way of postponing
 the problem. Coatings were painted on the flooring that provided a
 protective layer. Occasionally mats have been used under and around feed
 dispensers, but not as a protective barrier.
 All of these prior art approaches had their drawbacks. Ignoring the problem
 completely meant that a concrete floor could become dangerous or unusable
 in the span of a few years. A raised concrete pad lengthened this period
 by providing more concrete to be corroded before the slat flooring was
 destroyed, but did nothing to slow or prevent the actual rate of decay.
 Painted-on coatings were capable of providing an effective barrier to
 corrosion, but had difficulty in withstanding the wear and tear of animal
 hooves. Some animals, such as pigs, are very competitive in feeding, and
 continuously fight for a place at the feed dispenser. The sharp and active
 hooves of swine will damage a painted-on covering. Rubber mats have been
 used in order to retain feed, but not to prevent corrosion of the
 underlying floor. Although rubber mats may protect the underlying floor,
 they have disadvantages such as being susceptible to wear and abrasion,
 and can be chewed up by animals. Pigs are notorious for chewing on exposed
 edges. Hard plastic mats may be tough and abrasion resistant, but may
 become slippery when wet.
 What is needed therefore is a mat of a durable material that is corrosion
 and abrasion resistant and fluid impermeable that can be used to protect
 the flooring in an animal confinement pen.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a mat for protecting
 a floor in an animal confinement pen.
 It is another object of the invention to provide a mat for protecting a
 floor in an animal confinement pen from corrosion.
 It is yet another object of the invention to provide an impact and abrasion
 resistant mat for an animal confinement pen.
 It is yet another object of the invention to provide a mat having grooves
 upon an upper surface for liquid drainage.
 It is yet another object of the invention to provide a mat having regular
 projections upon an upper surface to provide traction for animals.
 It is yet another object of the invention to provide a mat having beveled
 edges so that animals using the mat are prevented from chewing on the mat.
 A mat for protecting a floor in an animal confinement pen is provided
 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The mat is formed of a
 durable material which is corrosion and abrasion resistant, impact
 absorbing, and fluid impermeable, having a plurality of protrusions
 disposed on an upper surface of the mat, with the plurality of protrusions
 functioning to provide traction to animals but without accumulating debris
 on the mat, and having a plurality of grooves disposed on the upper
 surface of the mat, with the plurality of grooves extending between
 opposite edges of the mat.
 A mat for protecting a floor in an animal confinement pen is provided
 according to a second embodiment of the invention. The mat is formed of a
 durable material which is corrosion and abrasion resistant, impact
 absorbing, and fluid impermeable, having a plurality of protrusions
 disposed on an upper surface of the mat with the plurality of protrusions
 being regularly spaced and functioning to provide traction to animals but
 without accumulating debris on the mat, a plurality of grooves disposed on
 the upper surface of the mat, with the plurality of grooves being spaced
 regularly apart and extending between opposite edges of the mat, and a
 beveled edge extending around a perimeter of the mat so that animals may
 not be able to chew on the mat.
 The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
 invention will become clear from the following description of the
 preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
 drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a mat 100 according to the present
 invention. The mat 100 is of a substantially rectangular shape, although
 it will be obvious that the perimeter of the mat 100 may be formed to any
 desired shape, including irregular shapes. In the prefered embodiment, the
 mat is a rectangular shape of forty-six and three quarters of an inch on a
 side, although the dimensions are not critical and the mat 100 may be made
 to any desired size. The perimeter of the mat 100 preferably has a beveled
 edge 110, and the mat 100 has a plurality of grooves 120 and a plurality
 of protrusions 130.
 The mat 100 is preferably composed of high density polyethylene.
 Alternatively, the mat 100 may be made from any plastic material that is
 sufficiently abrasion and corrosion resistant. The beveled edge 110 is
 formed on the perimeter of the mat 100 in order to prevent chewing by
 animals. Because pigs have an underbite, a beveled edge makes it very
 difficult for animals to chew on an edge, and pigs in particular. The
 thickness of the mat in the preferred embodiment is approximately one half
 inch, although the mat 100 may range from one quarter inch to one inch in
 thickness. Thinner or thicker mats can be produced and used where
 appropriate or desired. In the preferred embodiment, the bevel is at an
 angle of approximately forty-five degrees, but the angle of the bevel is
 not critical and may range from, for example, thirty degrees to sixty
 degrees. The depth of the bevel 110 (i.e., the vertical depth of the
 material removed) in the prefered embodiment is approximately two-thirds
 of the thickness of the mat 100, although the depth of the bevel may
 alternatively range from one quarter of the thickness of the mat 100 to
 the full thickness of the mat 100.
 The grooves 120 are for the purpose of draining liquids from the mat 100,
 and also serve the purpose of providing traction to animals using the mat
 100. The grooves 120 are preferably a series of equally spaced, parallel
 grooves formed in the mat 100, however, alternatively the grooves 120 may
 be spaced in different configurations. In the preferred embodiment, the
 grooves 120 are semi-circular in cross-section, but alternatively the
 grooves 120 may be of any cross-sectional shape capable of draining
 liquids from the mat 100. In the preferred embodiment, the grooves 120
 have a diameter of approximately seven thirty-seconds of an inch, and
 occur at a spacing of two and thirteen sixteenths of an inch. It will be
 obvious to one skilled in the art that the size and spacing of the grooves
 120 may be varied according to the desired liquid-carrying capacity.
 The protrusions 130 are preferably semi-spherical in shape and extend above
 the top surface of the mat 100. In the preferred embodiment, the
 protrusions are approximately one eighth inch in height, with a diameter
 of seven sixteenths of an inch. The purpose of the protrusions 130 is to
 provide traction and prevent slipping of animals walking or standing on
 the mat 100. In an alternative embodiment, the protrusions 130 may be
 polygonal or irregular in shape. The protrusions 130 are spaced in a
 regular grid pattern. In the preferred embodiment the spacing of the
 protrusions 130 alternates between rows, but the pattern disclosed is only
 one possibility, and the pattern is not critical to the invention.
 FIG. 2 shows a mat 100 being used underneath a feed dispenser 200. The mat
 100 may be formed of a size that will provide a substantially consistent
 uncovered portion when the feed dispenser 200 is roughly centered on the
 mat 100. Preferably, the portion of the mat 100 not under the feed
 dispenser 200 will be of a size that does not extend to the rear end of an
 animal using the feed dispenser 200, so that animal waste material will
 not fall on the mat 100. The mat 100, because it extends a distance from
 the feed dispenser 200, will catch feed dropped by animals using the feed
 dispenser 200, and prevent corrosion of the underlying floor due to
 corrosive materials in the feed by providing a protective barrier between
 the spilled feed and the floor. As a further protection against curling or
 lifting of the edges in order to prevent chewing by animals, the mat 100
 may optionally be fastened to the floor by bolts, screws, or other
 appropriate fasteners. Fastening the mat 100 to a floor may also guarantee
 that the mat 100 remains in position over an area of the floor desired to
 be protected from corrosion.
 While the invention has been disclosed in detail above, the invention is
 not intended to be limited to the invention as disclosed. It is evident
 that those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses and modifications
 of and departures from the specific embodiments described herein without
 departing from the inventive concepts.