Patent Publication Number: US-2001000233-A1

Title: Mold and method of forming vehicle floor mat

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       1. The present invention relates to vehicle floor mats, and more particularly to vehicle floor mats which releasably attach to carpeted floor boards of a vehicle.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       2. It is often desirable to protect factory installed carpeting in a vehicle, and particularly carpeted floor boards from wear and tear, with floor mats. Such floor mats typically have an upper surface covered with a carpeted material.  
       3. A familiar and long-standing problem associated with the use of such floor mats is that the floor mats have a tendency to move or shift (e.g., due to the action of the driver&#39;s feet on the floor mat during normal use and operation of a vehicle) and interfere with the operation of the brake and/or accelerator pedals.  
       4. Numerous attempts have been made to address the problem of movement of a floor mat relative to the carpeted floor board. One attempt is to provide fasteners or retainers which extend through holes in the floor mat, the carpet overlaying the floor board, and/or the floor board to attach the floor mat to the carpeted floor board. While suitable for maintaining the floor mat in a fixed position relative to the floor board, a drawback with the use of such fasteners is that the floor mat is not easily and quickly removed, cleaned, and reinstalled.  
       5. Another attempt is to provide disks or strips of VELCRO® brand (i.e., hook and loop-type) fasteners, for example, a first disk or strip having mechanically interlocking members (e.g., loops) secured to the back of the floor mat and a second disk or strip having mechanically interlocking members (e.g., hooks) secured to the carpeted floor board in registration with the first disk or strip. Drawbacks with this attempt are that only a small portion, e.g., the corners, of the bottom of the floor mat is secured to the carpeted floor board, and the floor mat must be properly aligned relative to the floor board for the portions of the VELCRO® brand fasteners to fully engage each other.  
       6. It has also been proposed to just attach, e.g., adhesively attach, strips of the hook portion of the VELCRO® brand fastener to the back or bottom of the floor mat for use on carpeted floor boards having loop-pile fibers so that the hooks engage the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor board to hold the floor mat in place. A drawback with this approach is that the hooks of the VELCRO® brand fastener are formed from a rigid material which damages the carpeted floor board when the floor mat is removed, i.e., the hooks pull the loop-pile fibers of the carpet material and cause the fibers to break and extend above the remaining intact loop-pile fibers. Furthermore, in manufacturing such a floor mat, separate operations or steps are required to adhesively attach each of the plurality of strips to the back of the floor mat.  
       7. Still another attempt is to provide an anti-skid foam backing to the floor mat to increase the resistance to motion between the floor mat and the carpeted floor board.  
       8. Still yet another attempt is to provide downwardly-depending conical or frustoconical projections or nibs extending from the bottom surface of the floor mat. A related attempt also includes providing a separate retainer member, which is positionable between the bottom surface of a floor mat and the top surface of the carpeted floor board, and includes upwardly-extending nibs for engaging the bottom of the floor mat and downwardly-depending nibs which engage the top surface of the carpeted floor board.  
       9. A floor mat with a plurality of nibs is typically molded using a first die having a plurality of apertures therethrough and a second die which provides a backing to the first die to form a flat lowermost bottom surface of the nibs. In production of floor mats having nibs, a heat formable/curable moldable material is forced into the apertures to form the nibs. The pressure used to force the moldable material is selected so that the moldable material is forced into the apertures while avoiding the occurrence of flashing, i.e., a fin or excess material along the mold joint line between the mating faces of the first and second dies. In addition, reliefs have been provided along the surface of the second die, some of which may extend below some of the apertures, to allow air to escape when forming the nibs. In producing finished floor mats having nibs, flashing and/or excess material entering the reliefs while infrequently occurring is unwanted and intentionally avoided to produce floor mats having cleanly formed nibs.  
       10. While floor mats having a foam backing or nibs increase the resistance to sideways motion and readily allow the floor mat to be removed for cleaning (e.g., providing no resistance to the nibs being vertically lifted from the carpeted floor board), such floor mats over time still move or shift during normal use and operation of a vehicle.  
       11. Therefore, there is a need for a floor mat which releasably attaches to a loop-pile carpeted floor board to inhibit movement of a floor mat relative to the carpeted floor board and which can be readily repeatedly removed for cleaning thereof while not damaging the underlying carpeted floor board.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       12. The above-mentioned drawbacks are overcome by the present invention which provides a vehicle floor mat releasably attachable to loop-pile fibers of a carpeted floor board in which the floor mat includes a generally planar member having a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending, carpet-engaging members interlockably engageable with the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor board.  
       13. In one aspect of the present invention, the plurality of carpet-engaging members is desirably configured and fabricated from an elastic material so that the plurality of carpet-engaging members are disengeable from the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor mat generally without breaking the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor board. For example, the generally planar member and integrally formed carpet-engaging members may comprise a rubber-like material, a thermoplastic elastomer, or a thermoplastic olefin elastomer.  
       14. In another aspect of the present invention, the planar member includes a bottom surface and the plurality of carpet-engaging members extend from and are distributed generally evenly spaced-apart over substantially the entire area of the bottom surface. Each of the plurality of carpet-engaging members may include a downwardly-depending projection having one or more outwardly-extending elongated portions. Desirably, the planar member has a top surface and a carpet material attached thereto.  
       15. In another aspect of the present invention, the planar member further comprises a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending nibs. Desirably, the ratio of carpet-engaging members to nibs is between about one to about four carpet-engaging members per every ten nibs.  
       16. In still another aspect of the present invention, a mold is provided for forming a vehicle floor mat having a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending, carpet-engaging members interlockably engageable with loop-pile fibers of a carpeted floor board. The mold includes a first die having a first surface and a second surface, and a plurality of spaced-apart apertures extending through the die from the first surface to the second surface. A second die has an outer surface positionable adjacent to the second surface. At least one of the second surface of the first die and the outer surface of the second die comprises at least one groove extending from and opening onto each of the plurality of apertures of the first die.  
       17. In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for forming a vehicle floor mat having a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending, carpet-engaging members interlockably engageable with loop-pile fibers of a carpeted floor board. The method includes the steps of providing a mold as noted above, providing a moldable elastomeric or rubber-like material, heating and contacting the moldable material to the first surface of the first die, forcing a portion of the moldable material into the spaced-apart apertures and into at least one of grooves in the outer surface of the second die or grooves in the second surface of the first die.  
       18. Desirably, the method further includes the steps of providing a carpet material and bonding the carpet material to a top surface of the moldable material.  
       19. Advantageously, the floor mat of the present invention is operable to securely attach to a loop-pile or combination loop-pile and cut-pile carpeted floor board to inhibit lateral motion of the floor mat relative to the carpeted floor board while allowing the floor mat to still be generally readily removed from the carpeted floor board. Desirably, the floor mat of the present invention, while interlockably engaging and the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor board, does not damage the fibers when the floor mat is repeatedly removed, for example, for cleaning.  
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     20. The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of practice, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings in which:  
     21.FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of a vehicle floor mat according to the present invention with one corner of the mat shown in a raised position;  
     22.FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partial bottom view of the floor mat shown in FIG. 1;  
     23.FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial bottom perspective view of the floor mat shown in FIG. 1;  
     24.FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 1 illustrating the floor mat engaging the carpeted floor board;  
     25.FIGS. 5-7 are enlarged cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of carpet-engaging members according to the present invention;  
     26.FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a mold for forming the floor mat shown in FIG. 1;  
     27.FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment for a mold for forming the floor mat shown in FIG. 1; and  
     28.FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of an apparatus for forming the floor mat shown in FIG. 1.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     29. Referring now to the drawing figures, in which like elements are identified by like reference numbers, FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a vehicle floor mat  30  according to the present invention. Exemplary floor mat  30  is illustrated being disposed upon a carpeted floor board  20  of an automobile or other motor vehicle  10 .  
     30. For the driver&#39;s side of a vehicle, floor mat  30  typically has a main body portion  32  designed to rest on the generally flat portion of carpeted floor board  20  and may have a front body portion  34  which overlies an inclined portion or front firewall  12 . The shape of floor mat  30  desirably reflects the contours of carpeted floor board  20  and accommodates vehicle controls such as an accelerator pedal  14 .  
     31. Floor mats for the passenger side of a vehicle or the foot area of the back seats are typically simpler in shape. The principles of the present invention are applicable to all such floor mats for use in loop-pile carpeted floor boards, as well as to mats designed to overlie loop-pile carpeted flooring in other floor areas such as in the trunk or cargo area of a vehicle. Although the present invention is directed to floor mats for use on loop-pile carpeted flooring, the floor mats of the present invention may also be used with combined loop-pile and cut-pile carpeted flooring.  
     32. With reference to FIGS. 1-4, floor mat  30  is releasably attachable to loop-pile fibers  22  (FIG. 4) of a carpet material  25  (FIG. 4) of carpeted floor board  20 . In this exemplary embodiment, floor mat  30  includes a generally planar member  40  having a top surface  42 , a carpet material  45  attached and/or bonded to top surface  42 , a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending nibs  44 , and a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending, carpet-engaging members  46  interlockably engageable with loop-pile fibers  22  of the carpeted floor board  20 .  
     33. Exemplary nibs  44  may be tapered projections, preferably fruostoconically-shaped, and connected to a lower surface  43  of planar member  40 . The nibs are intended to engage the underlying carpet and to prevent lateral floor mat movement. However, the nibs fail to catch or interlock with loop-pile fibers  22  of the carpeted floor board  20 , i.e., there is no resistance to lifting the floor mat away from the carpeted floor board since there is no catching or interlocking of the nibs with the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor board. In addition, during lateral movement of floor mat  30  relative to carpeted board  20  there is no catching or interlocking of the nibs with the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor board.  
     34. Carpet material  25  of carpeted floor board  20  generally has a conventional construction having a support layer  27  with a plurality of loops tufted fibers or loop-pile fibers  22  therein and bound in place. The carpet can be constructed by use of weaving, knitting, tufting, or needle punching technologies. Yarns used to form the loops can be produced from a variety of materials including nylon, polyester, polypropylene, or a combination thereof, etc., and in any suitable denier. The loops can be napped or unnapped. Napped loops typically allow for greater carpet-engaging member engagement opportunities. The dispersion of the loops can be random or uniform, and preferably, multifilament yarns form the loops.  
     35. Desirably, the plurality of carpet-engaging members  46  is configured and fabricated from an elastic material so that the carpet-engaging members  46  are disengeable from loop-pile fibers  22  of carpeted floor board  20  generally without breaking or damaging loop-pile fibers  22  of carpeted floor board  20 . For example, the planar member  40 , and thus, integrally formed carpet-engaging members  46  are desirably formed from a heat formable/curable, elastomer or rubber-like material such as a thermoplastic elastomer, e.g., a thermoplastic olefin elastomer.  
     36. Desirably, planar member  40  comprises bottom surface  43  from which the plurality of carpet-engaging members  46  extend and are distributed over substantially the entire area or all of bottom surface  43  of floor mat  30 . Advantageously, the plurality of carpet-engaging members  46  extends from and is generally equally distributed over substantially the entire area of bottom surface  12 . Providing carpet-engaging members over substantially the entire area of the bottom surface of the floor mat ensures that the entire bottom surface is substantially fully engaged with the loop-pile carpeted floor board regardless of mat placement. Accordingly, the floor mat is always securely retained in place regardless of the care, or lack thereof, with which it is placed on the carpeted floor board. Skew, or lateral or longitudinal misalignment of the floor mat relative to the carpeted floor board does not adversely affect the retention power of the carpet-engaging members of the present invention.  
     37. The ratio of carpet-engaging members  46  to nibs  44  is illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 as being equal or fifty-fifty (i.e. alternating every row). The elasticity and/or resiliency of the carpet-engaging members, the configuration (e.g., size and shape) of the carpet-engaging members, and the spacing of the carpet-engaging members, are chosen for the floor mat according to the present invention so that the floor mat may be repeatedly removed for cleaning and reinstalled in the vehicle generally without damaging or breaking the loops of the carpeted floor board. Accordingly, the floor mat may have no nibs (i.e., solely downwardly-depending, carpet-engaging members therefrom) or a ratio of between about one to four carpet engaging members per every ten nibs. Other ratios and patterns thereof are also possible.  
     38. As best shown in FIG. 4, each of the plurality of carpet-engaging members  46  includes a downwardly-depending projection  48 , desirably fruostoconically-shaped, having a pair of outwardly-extending, generally elongated portions  49 . Desirably, the pair of outwardly-extending portions  49  extend generally orthogonally from the axis of downwardly-depending projection  48 .  
     39. The configuration of the carpet-engaging member may alternatively include a single outwardly-extending projection  52  as shown in FIG. 5, a single outwardly-extending projection  62  extending from a middle portion  64  between a bottom surface  63  of a planar member  60  and a bottom portion  67  of a downwardly-depending projection  66 , as shown in FIG. 6, or outwardly-extending hook-shaped portion  72  as shown in FIG. 7.  
     40. From the present description, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other configurations which engage or interlock with the loop-pile fibers would be equally suitable. In addition, the plurality of outwardly extending portions may be orientated in the same (e.g., unidirectional or aligned) or in different directions (e.g., multidirectional). The carpet engaging members may have a height on the order of about one-tenth to three-tenths inch (2.5 mm to 7.6 mm) and a spaced-apart distribution of about one-quarter to about one-inch (6.4 mm to 25.4 mm). The outwardly-extending portion may have a length extending from the side of the nib of about 0.16 inch (4 mm) or less.  
     41. The present invention is intended to enhance retention of a floor mat on an underlying carpeted surface to ensure substantial resistance to mat movement due to exertion of lateral forces (shear strength), while permitting somewhat relatively easy removal of the floor mat for cleaning and other purposes (peel strength), and generally not damaging or breaking the loop-pile fibers of the carpeted floor board.  
     42.FIG. 8 illustrates a mold  100  for forming vehicle floor mat  30  (FIG. 1) having a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending nibs  44  (FIG. 1), and carpet-engaging members  46  (FIG. 1) interlockably engageable with loop-pile fibers  22  (FIG. 4) of the carpeted floor board  20 .  
     43. Exemplary mold  100  generally includes a first die  110  having a first surface  112  and a second surface  114 , and a plurality of spaced-apart apertures  116  extending through first die  110  from first surface  112  to second surface  114 . A second die  120  having an outer surface  122  is positionable adjacent to second surface  114  of first die  110 .  
     44. Outer surface  122  of the second die  120  comprises a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel grooves  125  alignable with (i.e., registrable with) and extending from and opening onto each of the plurality of apertures  116 . Grooves  125  may be continuous or discontinuous and in registration with some or all of aperture  116 . First die  110  and second die  120  are illustrated as having a planar-shaped configuration.  
     45. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a mold  102  includes a first die  130  having a first surface  132 , a second surface  134 , and a plurality of spaced-apart apertures  136  extending through first die  130  from first surface  132  to second surface  134 . Second surface  134  also includes a plurality of spaced-apart grooves  135  extending from and opening onto each of apertures  136  of first die  130 . Grooves  135  may be continuous or discontinuous and in registration with some or all of apertures  136 . A second die  140  having a second surface  142  provides a backing for second surface  134 .  
     46. Preferably, the first die and the second die have planar, curved-shaped configurations wherein they are readily suitable for use on a rotating drum  200  in conjunction with a pressure carrier roll  210  as shown in FIG. 10 for use in an automated, continuous extrusion production of floor mats.  
     47. A method for forming vehicle floor mat having a plurality of integrally formed, spaced-apart, downwardly-depending, carpet-engaging members interlockably engageable with loop-pile fibers of a carpeted floor board includes the step of providing, for example, a die  110  as described above. Next, a moldable material  240  (FIG. 10) such as a thermoplastic elastomer is provided and heated and contacted with first surface  112  of first member  110 . A portion of the moldable material is forced into spaced-apart apertures  116  and partially into the plurality of grooves  125  in second surface  122  of second member  120 . Desirably, the method further includes the steps of providing a carpet material and bonding the carpet material to a top surface of the moldable material.  
     48. Carpet material for the floor mat can be woven, knitted, tufted, needle punched or otherwise constructed and can be produced from any textile fiber, e.g., nylon, polyester, polypropylene, etc., and in any construction pattern, gauge, stitches/inch, etc. suitable for application in an automotive accessory floor mat.  
     49. Preferably, the carpet material and planar member forming material of the floor mat according to the present invention, and any peripheral trim and/or bonding agents are each comprised of a material from a common chemical family. The olefin family is preferred because of its low moisture retention and low specific gravity. A floor mat in which all components are comprised of either a material from a common chemical family, e.g., olefins, or inert materials, has the additional major advantage of being recyclable, for example, into feedstock for forming subsequent floor mats, without requiring separation of the components.  
     50. Thus, while various embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.