Synthetic textile material door-mat

Abstract: Mat (1) comprising a slab-shaped textile body (2), fixed to a base (3) made of a non-slip material, also comprising a projecting all-round reinforcing frame (4), which is integral with the base (3) because it is moulded over the latter. The inside edge (5) of the frame (4) is made with an all-round recess (6), into which the outside edge of the said slab-shaped body (2) is inserted. This inside edge (5) of the reinforcing frame (4) covers the outside edge of the said slab-shaped body (2) at an oblique angle and has a lower all-round grid part (9) that improves the adhesion of the reinforcing frame (4) to the base (3).

Description: The present invention relates to mats in general, and more specifically to a textile mat of the type that comprises a slab-shaped body that is made of one or more interwoven yarns on a support and is fixed to a base made of a non-slip material, a projecting all-round reinforming frame, which is permanently fixed to the base and whose inside edge is made with an all-round recess, into which the outside edge of the said slab-shaped body is inserted, wherein said all-round recess is formed between an upper all-round lip and a lower all-round lip of the reinforcing frame. A textile mat of this type is described and illustrated for example in European Patent EP-A-0804898, filed in the name of the present Applicant. The patent application WO 92/02163 discloses a carpet tile mat comprising a mat base formed by connecting mat pieces together using mat joining means, a mat frame attached to the perimeter of the mat base forming a smooth inclined border around the mat frame and carpet tiles inserted into the mat frame over the mat base. The document DE-A-3712882 discloses a bordered carpet, wherein the border is formed from a full-profile plastic element, which is integrally formed directly on the edges of the carpet layer. In the region of the edge of the carpet layer its pile is embedded in the plastic element. The aim of the present invention is to improve such textile mats as regards their robustness, service life and efficiency in use. This aim is achieved according to the invention by a mat according to the independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. The aim mentioned above is achieved in this solution owing to the following three effects: structural reinforcement of the textile body of the mat; holding and protecting the outside edge of the textile body; making the mat heavier as a whole and so more stable in use. The inside edge of the reinforcing frame preferably covers the outside edge of the slab-shaped body at an oblique angle and in doing so, compresses the latter. This characteristic further helps to achieve the advantages listed above, in particular the greater robustness and the outer protection of the mat. The all-round frame is suitably made of a thermoplastic material and is moulded over the base of the mat, which is in turn suitably made of a fluorosilicate rubber latex. One embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in figures 4-7, is described below in more detail with reference to the attached drawings, which are only intended as non-limitative examples and where: Fig. 1 is a perspective diagram showing a reinforced textile mat, Fig. 2 is a cross section taken along the line II-II but drawn on a larger scale than Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a partial plan view from below, on a smaller scale, in the direction of the arrow III shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a partial plan view from above, on a larger scale, showing part of a mat according to the embodiment of the invention, Fig. 5 is a plan view from below, showing the object illustrated in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line VI-VI shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is a cross section taken along the arrow VII-VII shown in Fig. 6. Figs. 1-3 show the textile mat 1 as a whole, which comprises a slab-shaped body 2, made of one or more interwoven yarns on a support, generally by using the conventional method. The yarn or yarns can all be suitably made of a synthetic material such as polypropylene, and can be joined to a stiffening core, made of a nylon yarn, as described in the European Patent EP-A-0804898. With this structure, the body 2 of the mat is considerably more robust, more resilient and has a higher abrasion resistance, without jeopardizing its non-slip property and the possibility of washing it even in a washing machine. The colours and the designs of the yarn or yarns of the slab-shaped body 2 can of course be entirely chosen at will. The bottom surface of the support of the slab-shaped body 2 is permanently fixed in the well-known manner to a base 3, made of an elastomeric material. According to a special variant , the base 3 suitably consists of a layer of fluoro-silicate rubber latex, which is spread onto the bottom of the slab-shaped body 2, and the bottom surface of the base is then embossed to give it a non-slip finish. The slab-shaped body 2 is reinforced, bounded externally and is made heavier by equipping it with an all-round frame 4 that is relatively massive and is permanently fixed to the base 3. The all-round frame 4 is suitably made of a thermoplastic rubber, for example of the fast-setting two-component type, and is permanently fixed to the base 3 by close physicochemical adhesion. For this purpose, the mat 1 is constructed as follows. After the textile body 2 is made, it is fixed to the base 3, and the latter is dried. The resulting semi-finished product is inserted in an injection-moulding press, and the all-round frame 4 is moulded over it by injection. The inside edge 5 of the frame 4 is made with a relatively deep all-round recess 6, into which the outside edge of the textile body 2 is inserted. As can be clearly seen from Fig. 2, the all-round recess 6 lies between an upper all-round lip 7 and a lower all-round lip 11, the latter being slightly shorter than the upper lip 7. The upper lip 7 suitably covers the outside edge of the textile body 2 at an oblique angle, thus compressing it. The connecting piece between the inside edge 5 and the outside edge 8 of the all-round frame 4 suitably has a convex top. Furthermore, the all-round frame 4 is provided with an integral grid part 9 below the lower all-round lip 11. This grid part 9 extends either right around the perimeter or at least along two opposite sides and is composed of a continuous series of small depressed window-like apertures (see Fig. 3). The grid part 9 ends in an all-round inner extension 10, arranged below the base 3. After the injection-moulding stage, the all-round frame 4 is permanently fixed to the base 3 by physicochemical adhesion over the inside surface of the lower lip 11 over the grid part 9 (with partial interpenetration), and over the all-round extension 10. Therefore, in practice the frame 4 and the base 3, which is closely connected to it, jointly form a tray, which not only holds and reinforces the textile body 2 and so effectively protects its outside edge by the all-round recess 6, but also increases the mass of the mat 1 as a whole, thus making it more stable in use. The mat variant embodying the invention and shown in Figs. 4 to 7 is on the whole similar to the mat described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, and therefore only the differences will be described below in detail, using the same numbers to denote the parts that are identical or similar. In this variant, the all-round frame, indicated by 4a, has its lower all-round lip 12 made with a thickened inside edge 13, while its outside edge is at a distance from the frame 4a, so as to form a lower all-round recess 14. In this case, the extension 10 shown in the previous embodiment is absent, and the base 3 is fixed below the lower lip 12 by physicochemical adhesion, while its all-round edge 3a is turned up inside the lower all-round recess 14. The lower lip 12 has a series of spaced-out apertures 15 facing the all-round recess 6 and traversed by the pile of the textile body 2, which therefore partly penetrates the all-round recess 6, interpenetrating with the lower all-round lip 12 of the frame 4a. This embodiment ensures the best connection between the textile body 2, the base 3 and the all-round frame 4a. In this case, the outside edge 16 of the all-round frame 4a has a rounded profile. The structural details and the embodiment can of course be considerably different from the one described and illustrated here, without violating the scope of the claims below. For example, the material used for making the all-round frame 4 and the method of fixing it to the textile body 2 and to the base 3 can be different from the previous description, which is only given by way of example.

Claims: Textile mat comprising a slab-shaped body (2) formed by one or more interwoven yarns on a support, fixed to a base (3) made of a non-slip material, a projecting all-round reinforcing frame (4a), which is permanently fixed to the base (3) and whose inside edge (5) is made with an all-round recess (6), into which the outside edge of the said slab-shaped body (2) is inserted wherein said all-round recess (6) is formed between an upper all-round lip (7) and a lower all-round lip (12) of the reinforcing frame (4a), characterized in that the said base (3) is fixed below the said lower all-round lip (12), and the said lower lip (12) has a series of spaced-out apertures (15) facing the said all-round recess (6). Mat according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said inside edge (5) of the reinforcing frame (4a) covers the outside edge of the said slab-shaped body (2) at an oblique angle. Mat according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reinforcing frame (4a) is made of a thermoplastic rubber and is moulded over the said base (3). Mat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said reinforcing frame (4a) has a rounded connecting surface (7) between its inside edge (5) and its outside edge (16). Mat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there is a lower all-round recess (14) between the said lower all-round lip (12) and the said reinforcing frame (4a), and in that the all-round edge (3a) of the said base (3) is turned up inside the said lower all-round recess (14). Mat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said base (3) is made of fluorosilicate rubber latex.

Inventors: DE GRANDI GIAMPIERO, DE GRANDI, GIAMPIERO
Applicants: ROBERT ROSS S P A, ROBERT ROSS S.P.A.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A47L23
IPC codes: A47L23