Improvements in and relating to mat holders

Abstract: A holder (6) for a floor mat comprises at least one connecting means (14, 16) and at least one connecting member (20, 26, 30) which has complementary connection means (22, 28, 32), whereby the connecting member may be connected in a releasable manner to at least two adjacent mat holders so as to secure the mat holders together. Preferably at least one of the holder or the connecting member are made from flexible material or are designed to be slightly flexible.

Description: This invention relates to mat holders generally and more particularly to holders for disposable floor mats. Floor mats which are intended to be disposable may be made of paper or synthetic fabrics and rest directly on the floor. However, in this case, the mats tend to become displaced and/or torn and so do not adequately carry out the function for which they are designed. Holders have therefore been developed to hold the mats in position on the floor and to protect the edges of the mat. This greatly prolongs the life of each disposable mat. One such mat holder is described in our European Patent Publication No. 260864. The holder has a base on which the mat rests and side flaps which clamp the mat in place. The holder is then placed in the desired location. Another such holder is described in the Applicant's British Patent Application No. 8920349. These mat holders are suitably manufactured in one piece and are usually made in a limited number of standard sizes. When a mat is required to cover an area greater than the maximum available size of a holder, more than one holder will therefore be required. With this arrangement, the holders tend to become separated when walked over, and so undesirably expose areas of the floor and also edges of the holder over which people may trip. EP-A-125618 discloses a grid for holding strips of bristle mat or the like and comprising a multiplicity of parallel U-shaped bars connected together by strip like connecting members, which have a shallow U-shaped cross-section, the strip of mat being held in U-shaped rails which are held between the bars. In accordance with the invention a holder is provided for a disposable floor mat, the holder being configured so as to clamp the edge portions of a disposable floor mat and having a top surface upon which the disposable mat is held and a bottom surface and at least one connecting means provided on the bottom surface of the holder and at least one connecting member, the or each connecting member having spaced complementary upstanding connecting means but being otherwise substantially flat therebetween, the or each connecting member being releasably connectable by means of the complementary connecting means to the connecting means on the bottom surface of the mat holder whereby two mat holders may be releasably held adjacent one another edge-to-edge. This allows two adjacent holders to be connected together in such a way that the holders are generally unable to be separated when a lateral force is exerted on the holder, for example when a person walks across the area of matting. The connecting member may consist of an elongated body having connecting means at either end. The connecting means may be in the form of a lug, which cooperates with a complementary hole provided in the holder, or vice versa. Alternatively, the connecting member may cooperate with connecting means which extend for a significant fraction of a side of the holder. A narrow channel may be provided in either the holder or the connecting member, with complementary connecting means, in the form of ridges or the like, being provided on the connecting member or holder respectively. The connecting member may be made from a flexible material, for example rubber or a rubber substitute, or may be relatively stiff, for example, made of polypropylene or any other suitable plastics material. In the latter case, the connecting member may include at least one aperture between the connecting means of the member and these apertures may take the form of thin elongated slots which extend generally between the connecting means of the member. These slots or apertures allow one end of a connecting member to move slightly relative to the other end, in a direction in the plane of the member perpendicular to the slots. This means that if the connecting means on adjacent holders are not directly opposite each other, as may be the case with holders from different manufacturing batches or plants, the connecting member may be attached to one holder, slightly twisted and attached to another mat holder. Each mat holder may be provided with both forms of connecting means, but preferably only one form is provided. It is preferred that at least one of the holder or the connecting member be flexible, so that the connection will yield slightly. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partial plan view of three holders in accordance with two embodiments of the invention; Figure 2 is a section through the holders of Figure 1 along the line A-A; Figure 3 is a section through the holders of Figure 1 along the line B-B; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the connection member of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a plan view of a further embodiment of a connecting member. Figure 6 is a plan view of a mat holder, incorporating the connecting member of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along the line VII-VII of Figure 6. The figures show a number of mat holders 6, each of which has a base 8 and side walls 10. In use, a mat is placed on the base 8, within the recess defined by the side walls, and flaps 12 resiliently close down over the edges of the mat, so holding the mat in place. A number of holes 14 are provided around the edge of the holder 6, beneath the flaps 12. Alternatively, a recess 16 may be provided which extends for a substantial fraction of a side of the holder. A connecting member, which is further described below, fits into the holes 14 or the recesses 16. One embodiment of the connecting member is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The connecting member 18 consists of an elongated body 20 having, at either end, a lug 22, each of which fits snugly into adjacent holes 14 of two juxtaposed holders 6, in order to hold the two holders together. Another embodiment of the connecting member is shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4. The connecting member 24 consists of a strip 26 having connecting means, in the form of two ridges 28, which extend for the length of the strip 26. The length of connecting members 24 is intended to be of the same order of magnitude as the length of the edge of the mat holder 6. This means that the connection between two holders is firmer and stronger than with connecting member 18. Another embodiment of a connecting member for use with a mat holder is shown in Figure 5. The connecting member 30 has four lugs 32 and a plurality of elongated slots 34 which extend between the lugs. The slots 34 allow one end of the connecting member 30 to move slightly, in the direction shown by the arrow, relative to the other end. The member 30 may also be provided with a tongue 36 at either end, the purpose of which will be described hereafter. The lugs 32 of the connecting member 30 are intended snugly to fit within holes 14 provided on the mat holder. The member 30 requires two holes to be provided in the base of the holder, as shown in Figure 6. The lugs may pass through the base 8, as shown in Figure 2, or may fit with holes 14 provided in the side walls 10 of the holder as shown in Figure 7. A slit 38 is provided in the base 8 of the holder, adjacent the holes 14 and beneath the flap 12, to accept the tongue 36 of the connecting member 30 as shown in Figures 6 and 7. This serves to provide a stronger connection between adjacent holders than would be provided solely by the engagement of the lugs 32 by the holes in the base of the holder.

Claims: A holder for a disposable floor mat, the holder being configured so as to clamp the edge portion of a disposable floor mat and having a top surface upon which the disposable mat is held and a bottom surface and at least one connecting means provided on the bottom surface of the holder and at least one connecting member (10,26,30) the or each connecting member (20,26,30) having spaced complementary upstanding connecting means (22,28,32) but being otherwise substantially flat therebetween, the or each connecting member (20,26,30) being releasably connectable by means of the complementary connecting means (22,28,32) to the connecting means (14,16) on the bottom surface of the mat holder (6) whereby two mat holders (6) may be releasably held adjacent one another edge-to-edge. A holder (6) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting means (14,16) on the bottom surface of the holder (6) comprises one or more recesses engagable with lugs (22,28,32) provided on the connecting member (20,26,30). A holder (6) as claimed in claim 2 wherein the recesses (14) extend through the holder (6). A holder (6) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the connecting member (30) includes a tongue (36) which extends through a slot (38) provided in the holder (6), such that the tongue (36) lies against the top surface of the holder (6). A holder (6) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the holder (6) and/or the connecting member (20,26,30) is made from a flexible material. A holder (6) as claimed in claim 5 characterised in that the flexible material is rubber or a rubber substitute. A holder (6) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the connecting member (20,26,30) is made of polypropylene. A holder (6) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the connecting member (20,26,30) comprises an elongated body having connecting means (22,28,32) at or adjacent either end but which is otherwise substantially flat. A holder (6) as claimed in claim 8 wherein the connecting member (30) includes at least one aperture (34) extending between the upstanding connecting means (32) of the member (30) in the flat part thereof. A connecting member (30) as claimed in claim 9 wherein the apertures (34) comprise thin elongated slots (34) which extend between the connecting means (32).

Inventors: CALVERT JOHN, MOGEL PHILIP, CALVERT, JOHN, MOGEL, PHILIP
Applicants: KIMBERLY CLARK LTD, KIMBERLY-CLARK LIMITED
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A47G27
IPC codes: A47L23, A47G27