Patent Abstract:
A floor mat clip assembly adapted to attach a floor mat to the interior carpet of a vehicle is disclosed. The clip assembly includes a floor clip attached to the carpet and a mat clip attached to the floor mat. The floor clip includes a base member and a top member having a locking member rotatably attached thereto. The base and top member of the floor clip are adapted to cut through the carpet and interlock to sandwich the carpet therebetween. The mat clip includes a top member and a base member, each having an aperture and adapted to interlock to sandwich the mat therebetween. The mat can then be positioned to insert the locking member of the floor clip through the aperture of the mat clip. A subsequent rotation of the locking member locks together the respective clips to secure the floor mat to the interior carpet.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/948,066 filed on Jul. 5, 2007 herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a floor mat clip assembly, and more specifically to a pair of cooperating clips adapted to attach a floor mat to the interior carpeting of a vehicle. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Floor mats are a typical accessory for vehicles. Floor mats serve to protect the more permanently installed carpet or other flooring material of the vehicle. The floor mats are typically arranged so that the feet of the occupants of the vehicle rest on the floor mat rather than the installed flooring material. Dirt and moisture that may have accumulated on the shoes of the occupants is received by the floor mat rather than the installed flooring material, thus facilitating the preservation of the installed flooring. The floor mats may be removed from the vehicle as desired to vacuum or wash in an effort to remove any dirt that accumulates thereon. 
   The purpose of the floor mat is to protect the installed flooring from dirt and moisture, but often times this purpose is not achieved. If the floor mat is displaced from its intended position, it will no longer be situated in a position for the feet of an occupant to rest thereon. The feet of the occupants will instead rest on the installed flooring material causing any dirt or moisture on the shoes of the occupants to be transferred to the installed flooring. Accordingly, it is desirable to maintain the floor mat at its intended position. However, the method used to maintain the desired position of the floor mat must allow for the floor mat to be easily removed for cleaning or the purpose of the floor mat will be defeated. 
   Various fasteners have been employed to facilitate maintaining a floor mat at its intended position. For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,819 to Iverson et. al. discloses a hand mountable device for affixing a carpet mat to the carpeting of an automobile. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,792 to Frano discloses a removable floor mat fastener. These and other fasteners typically have not achieved a maximized balancing of the two competing objectives for such fasteners, namely to secure the mat at its intended location and allow for the easy removal of the mat for cleaning. The current fasteners typically do not adequately secure the floor mat to the underlying flooring or, alternatively, secure the floor mat semi-permanently making it necessary to use tools or other cumbersome procedures to disengage the fastener from the floor mat and remove the floor mat. 
   Vehicle manufactures often include such fasteners for the floor mats of a new vehicle. The vehicle manufacturer has a need for the fasteners to facilitate an efficient installation thereof to minimize the overall assembly cost of the automobile. Additionally, the vehicle manufacturer typically requires the cost of the fastener be minimized while maintaining the functions of securing the floor mat at the desired location and allowing easy removal and reattachment of the floor mat. 
   It would be desirable to provide a floor mat clip that secures a floor mat to an underlying flooring material at an intended location; facilitates the removal and reattachment of the floor mat to the underlying flooring material; facilitates the installation thereof into the floor mat and the underlying flooring material; and may be economically manufactured. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Compatible and attuned with the present invention, a floor mat clip that secures a floor mat to an underlying flooring material at an intended location; facilitates the removal and reattachment of the floor mat to the underlying flooring material; facilitates the installation thereof into the floor mat and the underlying flooring material, and may be economically manufactured, has surprisingly been discovered. 
   In one embodiment, a floor mat clip assembly for attaching a floor mat to an underlying flooring material comprises a floor clip having a base member and a cooperating top member; the base member including a boss extending upwardly therefrom and terminating at a cutting edge; the top member including a lower surface with a boss depending therefrom and terminating at a cutting edge, and an upper surface having an upstanding boss with a locking member attached thereto; wherein the boss of the base member and the boss of the top member cooperate to join the top member to the base member and secure the underlying flooring material therebetween; and a mat clip having a base member and a cooperating top member; the base member including an aperture having at least one detent extending upwardly therefrom; the top member including an upper surface having a recessed portion with an aperture formed therein, and a lower surface having at least one detent depending therefrom adjacent a periphery of the aperture; wherein the detent of the base member and the detent of the top member cooperate to join the top member to the base member and secure the floor mat therebetween, the upstanding boss and locking member of the floor clip adapted to be received by the aperture in the mat clip and to provide for the manipulation of the locking member to secure the mat clip to the floor clip. 
   In another embodiment, a floor mat clip assembly for attaching a floor mat to an underlying flooring material comprises a floor clip having a base member and a cooperating top member; the base member including an annular hollow boss extending upwardly therefrom and terminating at a cutting edge; the top member including a lower surface with a generally annular hollow boss depending therefrom and terminating at a cutting edge, and an upper surface having an upstanding oblong boss with an aperture formed therein for rotatably attaching a locking member thereto; wherein the annular boss of the top member is received within the annular boss of the base member to join the top member to the base member and secure the underlying flooring material therebetween; and a mat clip having a base member and a cooperating top member; the base member including an oblong aperture having a plurality of detents extending upwardly therefrom; the top member including an upper surface having an annular recessed portion with an oblong aperture formed therein, and a lower surface having a plurality of detents depending therefrom adjacent a periphery of the oblong aperture; wherein the detents of the top member are received within the detents of the base member to join the top member to the base member and secure the floor mat therebetween, the upstanding boss and locking member of the floor clip adapted to be received by the oblong aperture in the mat clip and to provide for the manipulation of the locking member to secure the mat clip to the floor clip. 
   In another embodiment, a flooring system comprises an underlying flooring material and an overlying floor mat removably attached thereto; a floor clip secured to the underlying flooring material having a base member and a cooperating top member; the base member including a hollow boss extending upwardly therefrom and terminating at a cutting edge; the top member including a lower surface with a hollow boss depending therefrom and terminating at a cutting edge, and an upper surface having an upstanding boss with a locking member attached thereto, wherein the hollow boss of the top member is received within the hollow boss of the base member to join the top member to the base member and secure the underlying flooring material therebetween; and a mat clip secured to the overlying floor mat having a base member and a cooperating top member; the base member including an aperture formed therein having a plurality of detents extending upwardly therefrom; the top member including an upper surface having a recessed portion with an aperture formed therein, and a lower surface having a plurality of detents depending therefrom adjacent a periphery of the aperture; wherein the detents of the top member and the detents of the base member cooperate to join the top member to the base member and secure the floor mat therebetween, the upstanding boss and locking member of the floor clip adapted to be received by the aperture in the mat clip and to provide for the manipulation of the locking member to removably attach the overlying mat to the underlying flooring material. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above, as well as other advantages of the invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a floor mat clip assembly according to an embodiment of the invention with an associated flooring material and an overlying floor mat shown in phantom; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view in partial section of the floor mat clip assembly with the associated flooring material and the overlying floor mat; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the floor mat clip assembly showing the overlying floor mat attached to the flooring material; and 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a base member of the floor mat clip assembly illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  according to another embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. 
   A floor mat clip assembly for securing a floor mat  4  to a flooring material  2  of a vehicle such as carpeting, for example, is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 . The assembled floor mat clip includes a floor clip, generally indicated by reference numeral  10 , and a mat clip, generally indicated by reference numeral  40 . 
   The floor clip  10  includes a base member  12  and a top member  20 . The base member  12  of the floor clip  10  includes an upwardly extending hollow boss  14  terminating at a cutting edge  16 . An annular detent  18  is formed on an inner surface of the boss  14 . 
   The top member  20  includes a lower surface  22  with a downwardly depending hollow boss  24  terminating at a cutting edge  26 . Annular detents  28  are formed on an outer surface of the boss  24 . Protuberances  30  may be provided that depend from the lower surface  22  of the top member  20  to militate against relative rotation of the floor clip  10  in respect of the flooring material  2 . Favorable results have been obtained employing a height of between about 2 to 5 millimeters in respect of the lower surface  22  for the protuberances  30 . 
   The upper surface  32  of the top member  20  has a centrally located upstanding oblong boss  34  including an aperture  36  therein. The aperture  36  is adapted to rotatably receive an oblong locking member  38 . It should be understood that other shapes may be employed for the boss  34  and the locking member  38  as desired. 
   In assembling the floor clip  110  to the flooring material  2 , the top member  20  is positioned with the lower surface  22  facing an upper surface of the flooring material  2 . The base member  12  is positioned on an underside of the flooring material  2  with the boss  14  in substantial alignment with the boss  24  of the top member  20  at a desired location in respect of the flooring material  2 . The base member  12  and the top member  20  and are urged together causing the cutting edges  16 ,  26  of the base member  12  and the top member  20 , respectively, to cut through the flooring material  2 . The boss  24  of the top member  20  is received within the boss  14  of the base member  12 . The detents  18 ,  28  of the base member  12  and the top member  20 , respectively, interlock to snap fit the top member  20  to the base member  12  and sandwich the flooring material  2  therebetween. 
   The mat clip  40  includes a base member  42  and a top member  52 . The base member  42  of the mat clip  40  includes a centrally located oblong shaped aperture  44  formed therein. An upper surface  46  of the base member  42  includes detents  48  which extend upwardly from a periphery of the oblong aperture  44 . Protuberances  50  may be provided that extend upwardly from the upper surface  46  of the base member  42  to militate against relative rotation of the mat clip  40  in respect of the floor mat  4 . Favorable results have been obtained employing a height of about 2.5 millimeters in respect of the upper surface  46  for the protuberances  50 . 
   The top member  52  has an upper surface  54  including a recessed portion  56  having an oblong aperture  58  formed therein. It should be understood that other shapes can be used for the apertures  44 ,  58  provided the shapes of the apertures  44 ,  58  are adapted to cooperate with each other to receive the upstanding boss  34  and the locking member  38  of the first clip  10 . Detents  60  are formed on a lower surface  62  of the top member  52  which depend therefrom adjacent a periphery of the oblong aperture  58 . 
   A base member  70  illustrated in  FIG. 4  shows an alternative embodiment of the base member  54  for the mat clip  40 . Similar structural features of the base member  70  include the same reference numeral and a prime (′) symbol. The base member  70  of the mat includes a centrally located oblong shaped aperture  44 ′ formed therein. An upper surface  46 ′ of the base member  70  includes detents  48 ′ which extend upwardly from a periphery of the oblong aperture  44 ′. Protuberances  50 ′ may be provided that extend upwardly from the upper surface  46 ′ of the base member  70  to militate against relative rotation of the mat clip  40  in respect of the floor mat  4 . Favorable results have been obtained employing a height of between about 2 to 6 millimeters for the protuberances  50 ′. Wall sections  72  are formed on the upper surface  46 ′ of the base member  70  and extend upwardly therefrom to militate against relative rotation of the mat clip  40  in respect of the floor mat  4 . It has been found that the wall sections  72  are especially effective to militate against a relative rotation of the mat clip  40  in respect of a floor mat having a minimal thickness. Favorable results have been obtained employing four wall sections  72  having a height of about 2.5 millimeters in respect of the upper surface  46 ′. It should be understood that additional or fewer wall sections  72  may be provided, and that taller or shorter wall sections may be employed. Additionally, it has been found that employing the wall sections  72  together with four protuberances  50 ′ having a height of about 4.5 millimeters in respect of the upper surface  46 ′ maximizes a resistance to relative rotation of the mat clip  40  in respect of the floor mat  4 . The remaining structure and function of the base member  70  is substantially the same as the base member  42  described herein. 
   The assembly of the mat clip  40  is accomplished by initially cutting an opening in the floor mat  4 . The opening is formed to substantially match the outer periphery of the apertures  44 ,  58  in the base member  42  and the top member  52 , respectively. The detents  48 ,  60  of the base member  42  and the top member  52 , respectively, are forced through the opening of the floor mat  4  from a top side and a bottom side of the floor mat  4 , respectively. The detents  60  are thence received by the detents  48  of the base member  42 . The detents  48 ,  60  of the interlock to snap fit the top member  52  to the base member  42  and sandwich the floor mat  4  therebetween. 
   In the final assembly, the floor clip  10  and mat clip  40  are locked together to secure the floor mat  4  to the flooring material  2 . The oblong apertures  44 ,  58  of the mat clip  40  attached to the floor mat  4  are positioned over the floor clip  10  attached to the flooring material  2 . The upstanding oblong boss  34  and locking member  36  of the floor clip  10  extends through the oblong apertures  44 ,  58  of the mat clip  40 . The locking member  38  is rotated through ninety degrees effectively locking the clips  10 ,  40  together and securing the floor mat  4  to the flooring material  2  in the final assembled form shown in  FIG. 3 . It should be understood that a plurality of the floor mat clip assemblies may be employed to secure a single floor mat  4 , and typically at least two floor mat clip assemblies would be employed to secure the floor mat  4  at its desired location in respect of the flooring material  2 . 
   Favorable results have been obtained by employing an injection molding process to form the members  12 ,  20 ,  42 ,  52  of the floor clip assembly. It should be understood that other methods now known or later discovered may be employed to form the members  12 ,  20 ,  42 ,  52 . Additionally it has been found that the material Polyamide 6, also known as PA6 or Nylon 6, provides desired physical properties to the members  12 ,  20 ,  42 ,  52 . However, it should be understood that other materials having suitable physical properties may be employed to form the members  12 ,  20 ,  42 ,  52 . 
   In use the floor mat clip assembly secures the floor mat  4  to the flooring material  2  of the vehicle in a location where the shoes of passengers therein will rest on the floor mat  4  rather than the underlying flooring material  2 . Any dirt, moisture, and other contaminants that typically accumulate on the shoes will not contact the flooring material  2 , but instead be collected by the floor mat  4 , thus facilitating the preservation of the flooring material  2  in an unsoiled condition. The floor mat clip assembly allows for an ease of removal of the floor mat  4  from the vehicle to clean, for example, by a rotation of the locking member  38  and lifting of the floor mat  4  to disengage the mat clip  40  from the floor clip  10 . No tools or other cumbersome procedures are required to disengage the mat clip  40  from the floor clip  10  and remove the floor mat  4  from the vehicle. 
   The floor mat clip illustrated and described herein provides a low cost method of securing the floor mat  4  to the flooring material  2  of a vehicle. Additionally, the cutting edges  16 ,  26  of the floor clip  10  facilitate the installation of the floor clip  10  to the flooring material  4 ; thus, reducing the costs associated with the installation of the floor clip  10  during the assembly process of a new vehicle. 
   From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1