Doormat or floor covering intended for use, inter alia, in an entrance hall or the like

Abstract: The invention relates to a mat, in particular a doormat or such a textile product consisting of an alternation of stips (2) with brushing and strips (3) with drying properties for the soles, characterised in that said mat consists on its useful side of needle felt and channels (4) being provided between strips of needle felt (2) provided thereto and consisting of felt threads with brushing properties, in which channels strips (3) with drying properties are fixed to the mat.

Description: A mat, in particular a doormat or such a textile product comprising a support layer on the useful side of which an alteration is provided of strips with brushing and strips with drying properties for soles, the strips with drying properties being glued in channels on the support layer. Doormats or floor coverings in which surfaces, generally strips, with brushing properties alternate with strips with scraping properties are known and an example of such a mat can be found in EP-A-541 191. In EP-A-514 191, the support layer is made of rubber or plastic moulded material, the strips being attached to the support layer by adhesive or heat fusion. An object of the invention is to provide a mat, in particular a doormat or a similar textile product which can be manufactured in a technically reliable way. In order to reach the above indicated object, support layer and the strips with brushing properties together are constructed in needle felt, the strips with brushing properties consisting of felt threads with brushing properties, the support layer consisting of needle felt, which provides the channels with a rough surface whereon the strips with drying properties are glued, and that the channels on the support layer are delimited along their longitudinal edges by a supporting needle felt structure. In an embodiment appropriate for an excellent industrial production, said strips with drying properties are composed of water absorbent fibres which are connected to a carrier which is itself glued in said channels to the needle felt of which the mat is made. Other details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a doormat or floor covering according to the invention destined amongst others for an entrance hall or the like. This description is only given by way of example and does not limit the invention. The reference numerals relate to the figures annexed hereto. Figure 1 is a top view on a preferably applied embodiment of a doormat according to the invention. Figure 2 is a section according to line II-II from figure 1. Figure 3 shows on a larger scale a portion of the section according to figure 2, wherein a strip with drying properties is represented before being glued onto the support layer. The doormat as illustrated in these different figures is clearly only a possible embodiment. This example is therefore only destined to illustrate the idea of the invention. Further the term "doormat" has to be understood in a wide sense and embraces here both smaller according to predetermined dimensions finished doormats and larger products which may be placed in entrance halls and which are whether or not delivered in rolls. These latter products correspond therefore also to the term doormat. The doormat according to the annexed figures is composed of the alternation of strips 2 with brushing and strips 3 with drying properties onto a support layer 1. The term "strip" refers to all geometrical shapes, i.e. elongated strips, herringbone or twill effects, block patterns etc. Referring to figures 1 to 3, the support layer 1 can be seen with the alternation of strips 2 with brushing properties and stips 3 with drying properties. The brushing effect is achieved by making use of needle felt, the texture of the felt showing a rough surface thanks to the technical characteristics of the used monofilaments. Indeed, a good brushing effect can only be obtained by using resilient synthetic fibres which, thanks to the needle felt structure, form loops enhancing the brushing effect. Between the strips 2 and the strips 3 are provided deeper channels 1' for receiving released materials such as dust, sand, mud. The strips 3 with drying properties consist in a preferably applied embodiment of tufted material. The tufted fibres 5 are connected in a usual way to a carrier 6 (figure 3) and are edged along their longitudinal edges by a supporting needle felt structure (figures 2 and 3) causing the fibres of the strip 3 with drying properties to remain nicely compact and providing a protection along their bumper edges. The carrier 6 to which the fibres 5 of the strips 3 are connected, consist of any material, usually a synthetic material which is itself glued onto the support layer of the doormat. Figure 3 shows very clearly how the strips 3 will be fixed onto the support layer 1. Usually, the layer 6 is glued onto the felt layer 1. In practice, when the strips 3 with drying properties consist of tufted fibres, these fibres are also present below the layer 6. In this case, these fibres are impregnated with glue. Consequently, these fibres can be identified then with the layer 6. As it can be deduced from figure 2, the felt thickness is considerably reduced below the carrier 6 belonging to the strips 3 with drying properties. This reduced felt thickness is substantially equal to the reduction at the channels 1'. Thanks to the appropriate choice of the dimensions of the strips composing the doormat, a shoe sole can be subjected at the same time to a scrubbing and a drying action. The distance measured from centre line to centre line between the strips with scrubbing properties and the strips with drying properties equals about 6 cm. Clearly, this choice of dimension is in no event limiting for the invention. In the preamble, it has already been set forth that instead of parallel strips other patterns can be applied. Essential remains the provision of choosing the alternation of strips with different properties in such a manner that a shoe sole is subjected at the same time to a scrubbing and to a drying action. Further it is useful to provide between strips with the same or with similar properties channels 4 for receiving dirt, dust, mud, etc. The clear advantage of the invention may certainly be seen in the possibility to join two textile components with one another without having to use components of metal or synthetic profiles and the like.

Claims: A mat, in particular a doormat or such a textile product comprising a support layer (1) on the useful side of which an alteration is provided of strips (2) with brushing and strips (3) with drying properties for soles, the strips (3) with drying properties being glued in channels (4) on the support layer (1), characterised in that the support layer (1) and the strips (2) with brushing properties together are constructed in needle felt, the strips (2) with brushing properties consisting of felt threads with brushing properties, the support layer (1) consisting of needle felt, which provides the channels (4) with a rough surface whereon the strips (3) with drying properties are glued, and that the channels (4) on the support layer are delimited along their longitudinal edges by a supporting needle felt structure. A mat according to claim 1, characterised in that the strips (2) with brushing properties have such a structure that, in cross section, the strips (2) have a rounded profile and further a slope whereby the scraped dirt is removed laterally. A mat according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the strips (3) with drying properties consist of a so-called tufted material. A mat according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the strips (3) with drying properties consist of a woven material. A mat according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the strips (3) with drying properties have a knitted structure. A mat according to any one of the claims 1-5, characterised in that the strips (3) with drying properties are composed of water absorbent fibres which are connected to a carrier (6) which is itself glued in the channels (4) to the needle felt of which the mat is made. A mat according to any one of the claims 1-6, characterised in that the strips (2) with brushing properties and the strips (3) with drying properties are lying in the form of belts with an optimum interval of 6 cm.

Inventors: DE BONDT JOZEF, DE BONDT, JOZEF
Applicants: DEBOTREND NV, N.V. DEBOTREND
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A47L23
IPC codes: A47G27, A47L23