Abstract:
A floating mat is presented. The floating mat includes a core having a top, a bottom and a plurality of sides. The core is buoyant and non-inflatable. The core includes at least one aperture, wherein the aperture accommodates removably connecting and disconnecting the core to at least one additional floating mat.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     It is known to use rafts on water. Some rafts are used for recreational purposes, such as with a pool, on ponds, on lakes and on oceans. Rafts have also been known to be used as swim platforms or as floating devices to escape the crowds. Many such rafts used for recreational purposes require inflation or have sharp edges or hard surfaces.  
         [0002]     Known inflatable and hard edged rafts may require quite a bit of maintenance to set them up and take them down. The inflatable rafts require maintenance to fill the raft with air and to maintain the air pressure in the raft. Such inflatable rafts lose buoyancy when punctured. The air pressure may lessen with use and over time and thus require periodic re-inflation. Inflatable rafts also typically require to be deflated before being taken out to the water and stored.  
         [0003]     Rafts manufactured from wood or metal may also be difficult to assemble and the size and weight of such rafts may make them difficult to position in the water. While rafts that are constructed out of wood or metal may be more durable than inflatable rafts, the hard surfaces and edges of such rafts can cause severe injury to people who fall while playing on them. Typical wood or metal rafts may also require people to be somewhat agile to play on them. Since wood or metal rafts are often raised out of the water, they often include ladders to climb to reach a platform and it may be difficult or impossible for obese or handicapped individuals to enjoy such rafts. Some manufacturers have tried to soften the traditional wood and metal rafts by placing padding on the corners or rounding the sharp corners of the raft. This still leave much of the wood and metal exposed on the other parts of the raft. Other rafts offer a lower profile which requires less of a ladder. But such rafts still require a ladder and may be difficult to maintain as described above.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY  
       [0004]     A floating mat includes a core having a top, a bottom and a plurality of sides. The core is buoyant and non-inflatable. The core includes at least one aperture, wherein the aperture accommodates removably connecting and disconnecting the core to at least one additional floating mat.  
         [0005]     Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a water mat in a playing environment.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top view of two mats connected side by side.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is partial diagram of the mat including an exemplary attaching mechanism.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating two mats connected end to end.  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a diagram of the mat including one or more dive holes.  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a diagram of the mat including game indicia or markings.  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating objects held to the mat. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a mat  100  in a playing environment  110 . The playing environment  110  may include a body of water  120  such as a lake. The mat  100  may also be used on land  130 , for example, as a water slide or gymnastic mat. The mat  100  includes a buoyant core  140 . The buoyant core  140  may include a floatable foam, such as a polyurethane foam. The buoyant core  140  may include other materials such as polyethylene. The buoyant core  140  is non-inflatable. A thickness of the buoyant core  140  includes about a ¾ to about 2 inches. A gymnastics or cheerleading mat may be suitable for the buoyant core  140 .  
         [0015]     The mat  100  may be constructed of one layer or multiple layers. A top  150  of the mat  100  may by manufactured of the same material as the buoyant core  140  or other materials such as a polyurethane, to give a soft feel to a user  160 . A bottom  170  and the sides  180  of the mat  100  may be constructed from the same material as the buoyant core  140  and may include other materials such as a durable polyethylene material to protect the foam from being punctured. The top  150 , bottom  170  and/or sides  180  may also be constructed of other material such as vinyl and/or a combination of heavy vinyl and high weave count polyester to provide for puncture and tear resistance. At least an outer layer of the mat  100  may be weather proof, to withstand heat, cold, wind, rain and snow.  
         [0016]     The mat  100 , whether constructed of one or multiple layers, may include a total thickness of about ¾ of an inch to 2 inches, and more particularly about  1¼ inches thick. The mat 100 may include various shapes such as a generally rectangular shape. The mat 100 may also include other shapes such as generally circular, generally triangular, and generally elliptical, or other shapes such as a trapezoid. The mat 100 may also include an abstract shape that is not generally defined. A rectangular shaped mat 100 may be about six feet wide by eighteen feet long. Other sizes may also be used. Even though the mat 100 may include multiple layers, the finished product may include a substantially uniform structure such that there are no bend or gaps in the map 100.    
         [0017]     The playing environment  110  may also include other users  190  that can interact with and/or observe the users  160  of the mat  110 . The other users  190  may be located near the mat  100  such as on a dock  192 , inflatable water raft  194  or another mat  110 . The users  160  and  190  may include users of all ages and sizes.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a top view of two mats  100  and  100 ′ connected side by side. To accommodate the easy connection and separation of mats, the mats  100  and  100 ′ include a plurality of attaching mechanisms  200 . The attaching mechanisms  200  may also be used to connect the mats  100  and  100 ′ to other objects, such as the dock  192  ( FIG. 1 ). The attaching mechanism  200  may also be used to secure other objects, such as by fixing one end of a rope to the attaching mechanism  200  and the other end to an anchor.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is partial diagram of the mat including one of the attaching mechanisms  200 . The attaching mechanisms  200  may include a grommet hole  300  or other type of aperture positioned through the mats  100  and  100 ′, such as from the top  150  to the bottom  170  of the mats  100  and  100 ′, and through the buoyant core  140 . The grommet hole  300  is positioned generally perpendicular to the water  120  when the mat  100  is laying on the water  120 . Multiple grommet holes  300  may be positioned around the periphery of the mat  100 . The grommet hole  300  may include an insert, such as a plastic insert, positioned to provide mechanical strength to help reduce wear and tear to the hole. A binding  310 , such as a rope, twine, lock-tie, or other binding, can be fed through the apertures and fastened to secure the mats  100  and  100 ′ to each other and/or another object. The attaching mechanism  200  may also include other fasteners, such as a male portion of a snap and a corresponding female portion of a snap. The snap may be integral to the mat  100  and/or attached by a tab thereto. Other attaching mechanisms  200  may also be used, such as a button and a corresponding loop hole. The attaching mechanisms  200  may also be used during storage of the mat  100 , such as to maintain the mat  100  in a rolled up position, or in other ways, such as to suspend the mat  100  off the ground in a boat house or garage to dry the mat  100 . VELCRO or other fasteners may be used in conjunction with the attaching mechanisms  200  to secure the mat  100 . The attaching mechanisms  200  may also be used with stakes to anchor the mat  100  to the ground.  
         [0020]     When unrolled, the mats  100  and  100 ′ may be used as a floating platform on which to run, jump, climb, sit, lie down and swim under. Since the mats  100  and  100 ′ may be less than about 2 inches thick, the tops  150  of the mats  100  and  100 ′ are located near the surface of the body of water  120  and does not require a ladder or agility to mount. The mats  100  and  100 ′ may be easily accessed by anyone, such as users  160  and  190 . The mat  100  may be rolled up or folded for convenient moving and storage and may be easily placed in and taken out of the water such as by one user  160 ,  190 . The mats  100  and  100 ′ may also be used on the water  120  in a rolled up or folded position, and multiple mats  100  and  100 ′ may be stacked one on top of another.  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , it is noted that the mats  100  and  100 ′ may also be connected end to end. The top  150  and/or bottom  170  of the mats  100  and  100 ′ may be connected with a friction or frictionless surface. The friction surface may include a carpet  400  fastened to the mat  100 , such as to provide a slip resistant running surface for the user  160 ,  190 . The carpet  400  can include an outdoor rated carpet that resists damage from the sun and water. The frictionless surface may include a plastic coating  410 , such as to provide a slippery surface for the user  160 ,  190  to slide on. Other surfaces may be used such as by adding a laminated film any non-carpeted portions of the mat  100  to increase durability in the water. Using such carpet  400  and coating may eliminate the need to maintain the condition of the mat  100 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a diagram of the mat  100  including one or more dive holes  500 . The dive hole includes an aperture positioned through the mat  100  and sized such that a user, such as users  160  or  190 , can fit through it. The dive holes  500  allow a user to dive through the mat  100  and swim up from underneath the mat  100 . The dive holes  500  may also be used for other activities such as to train people or to allow a handicapped individual to snorkel while having their body supported by the mat  100 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is a diagram of the mat  100  including game indicia or markings  600 . The game indicia  600  may be printed on the top  150  and/or bottom  170  of the mat  100 . The game indicia  600  may also be supplied to the mat  100  in other ways, such as by embossing the indicia on the mat  100 . The games may include checkers, tic tac toe, hop scotch, twister and/or shuffleboard. Other games could be played such as by providing ruler markers, such as in feet, for determining a distance jumped or yardage gained, a wrestling circle and/or jumping targets. A shape, size and color of the mat  100  may be determined based on the particular game indicia  600  printed on the mat  100 . The game indicia may also be included with inflatable mats.  
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating objects  700  held to the mat  100 . The objects may include varying geometric shapes such as cubes and squares. The objects may include a piece of fabric with small hooks, such as is used with VELCRO, on at least one side to hold the object to the carpet  400 . The objects  700  may be used as an object to jump off or over, or objects to run around, such as with an obstacle course constructed from the objects  700 . Other objects could be used such as big, waterproof checkers with VELCRO on at least one side to be used with checkerboard indicia marked on to the carpet  400 .  
         [0025]     The mat  100  may be used in other ways such as by combining the mat  100  with other foam pieces to form a climbing ramp. The mat  100  may be rolled to form a barrel. The mat  100  may include no sharp edges or hard surfaces, such as wood or metal that could injure the user  160  and  190 . If no wood or metal is used, the mat  100  may require no maintenance, such as repairing rotting wood or rusted metal. Since the mat may be non-inflatable, no punctures need be repaired.  
         [0026]     While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.