Patent Publication Number: US-11653780-B2

Title: Electrical cord receiving anti-fatigue mat assembly and method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to anti-fatigue mat device and more particularly pertains to a new anti-fatigue mat device for allowing the passage of elongated members thereunder so that the electrical cord does not affect the top side of the mat. The elongated members may include articles commonly found in processing and manufacturing plants such as electrical cords, compressed airlines, data cables, hydraulic lines, water lines and the like. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to anti-fatigue mat devices which are typically used by workers who are required to stand for several hours on a hard surface such as on concrete in a manufacturing or sorting warehouse. Such tasks are often performed adjacent to electrically powered equipment requiring power cords which may be positioned adjacent to the feet of the worker. The prior art provides for anti-fatigue mats upon which the workers stand to prevent soreness to worker&#39;s feet and legs to reduce fatigue associated with standing in one area for several hours. However, the electrical cords, or analogous data conduits or other wiring, are often routed under the anti-fatigue mats when required to reach equipment and electrical outlets. The electrical cord creates an elongated raised area in a top side of the mat opposite of the electrical cord. This raised area, or hump, is uncomfortable for the worker to stand on. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a panel that has a top side, a bottom side and a perimeter edge. The panel is comprised of a resiliently compressible material. The bottom side has a trough therein with the trough having a pair of ends each comprising an opening extending through the perimeter edge. The trough receives an electrical cord such that the bottom side abuts and is flush with a floor surface when the electrical cord is positioned within the trough and extends through each of the openings. The trough has a depth and width each being greater than 0.40 inches. 
     In another embodiment, a method is provided which includes positioning an electrical cord on a floor surface. A panel is placed on the electrical cord, wherein the panel has a top side, a bottom side and a perimeter edge. The panel is comprised of a resiliently compressible material. The bottom side has a trough therein and has a pair of ends each comprising an opening extending through the perimeter edge. The trough has a depth and width each greater than 0.40 inches. The electrical cord is positioned in the trough such that the electrical cord extends through the ends of the trough and the bottom side abuts, and is flush with, the floor surface adjacent to the trough. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG.  1    is a top isometric view of an electrical cord receiving anti-fatigue mat assembly and method according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a bottom isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    is a top isometric in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    is a top in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG.  6   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS.  1  through  7    thereof, a new anti-fatigue mat device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS.  1  through  7   , the electrical cord receiving anti-fatigue mat assembly and method  10  generally comprises a panel  12  that has a top side  14 , a bottom side  16  and a perimeter edge  18 . The panel  12  is comprised of a resiliently compressible material. The panel  12  may be comprised of materials conventional to anti-fatigue mats such as foam, rubber, gel, and the like and is generally a conventionally constructed anti-fatigue mat. The panel  12  has a length and width each being greater than 1.5 feet wherein the top side  14  has an area greater than 4.0 ft 2 . More typically the panel  12  will have size equal to greater than 6.0 ft 2 . The panel  12  has a depth from the top side  14  to the bottom side  16  that is equal or greater than 0.5 inches and will more typically be greater than 0.75 inches. 
     The bottom side  16  of the panel has a trough  20  therein. The trough  20  has a pair of ends each comprising an opening  22  extending through the perimeter edge  18 . The trough  20  is configured to receive an electrical cord  24  such that the bottom side  18  abuts and is flush with a floor surface  26  when the electrical cord  24  is positioned within the trough  20  and extends through each of the openings  22 . The electrical cord  24  may comprise a power cord for equipment, extension cords, data conduits, and the like and may further comprise hardened tubular conduits. This would prevent a bulge in the top side  14  corresponding to and opposite of the position of the electrical cord  24 . The trough  20  has a depth and width each being greater than 0.40 inches and each being typically less than 0.75 inches. The trough  20  extends along a straight line. 
     In some embodiments the trough  20  is one of a plurality of troughs  20  positioned in the bottom side  16 . In such embodiments, the troughs  20  may each be linear, terminate with a pair of openings  22  extending through the perimeter edge  18 , and have a same depth and width with respect to each other. The troughs  20  may comprise a plurality of longitudinal troughs  28  being spaced from and oriented parallel to each other. The assembly  10  may further include a plurality of latitudinal troughs  30 . The latitudinal troughs  30  are oriented perpendicular to and extend through the longitudinal troughs  28 . The latitudinal troughs  30  are spaced from each other. Alternatively, an embodiment may include a single longitudinal trough  28  and a single latitudinal trough  30  which intersect each other. Embodiments may be provided wherein the troughs  20  are curved for custom projects. 
     Alternate embodiments, not shown, may include openings extending through the top side  14  which extend into the trough  20  to allow electrical cords  24 , or other elongated members as described above, to move through the panel  12 . In one example an airline could include a splice to allow a portion of the airline to extend through the panel  12 . 
     While the above describes troughs  20  that extend either along the width or along the length of the panel  12 , the troughs  20  may be provided at angles not equal to 90° with respect to straight edges of the panel  12 . Thus, the trough  20  may be positioned and oriented as needed for particular tasks. The troughs  20  may also be provided with different widths and depths with respect to each other to accommodate electrical cords  24  of different sizes. 
     In use, the assembly  10  may be utilized as a conventional anti-fatigue mat. However, the assembly  10  includes one or more troughs  20  such that when an electrical cord  24  positioned on a floor surface  26  is positioned in the trough  20 , the trough  20  prevents any bulging in the top side  14  opposite of the electrical cord  24  as would be the case with a conventional anti-fatigue mat. Should the assembly  10  include a plurality of the troughs  20 , the user would select the trough  20  that was most useful for the location of the panel  12  and the electrical cord. Once the electrical cord  24  is within the trough  20 , the bottom side  16  of the panel  12  will lie flush against the floor surface  26 , particularly in areas adjacent to the selected trough  20 . In this way, the electrical cord  24  will not create a raised area of discomfort for the user of the panel  12 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.