Abstract:
An automobile floor mat with increased added value is provided by making an insect repellent member, an odorizing member, or a deodorizing member continuously replaceable. The automobile floor mat includes a mat body that is laid on a floor of an automobile and a storage portion that is fixedly attached to the mat body and stores at least one member selected from the group consisting of an insect repellent member, a deodorizing member, and an odorizing member.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DEVICE 
       [0001]    (1) Field of the Device 
         [0002]    This device relates to an automobile floor mat. 
         [0003]    (2) Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Conventionally, automobile floor mats are preinstalled in automobiles as basic equipment. 
         [0005]    The automobile floor mats are known for having an antimicrobial function imparted by applying insect repellent treatment to the surfaces or the fiber itself of the mats. For example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. Hei 61(1986)-105241 (PTL 1) discloses an automobile floor mat whose raised yarn tufts are made of yarns kneaded with an insect repellent agent in advance to prevent bacteria, mites, and so on from occurring or growing. 
         [0006]    In addition, deodorizers and fragrances for automobiles are also known. The deodorizers for automobiles, and so on, are mostly not basic equipment in the automobiles, but they are attached by drivers to any places the drivers choose, for example, in the vicinity of an air conditioning vent. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DEVICE 
       [0007]    The automobile floor mat disclosed in PTL 1 loses its insect repellent effectiveness over a certain period of time, and therefore the whole floor mat needs to be replaced to keep the insect repellent effect. 
         [0008]    The deodorizer, or the like, also loses its effectiveness over a certain period of time, and there is no place in an automobile specifically designed to attach the deodorizer. Even after the effective period of the deodorizer expires, many drivers do not buy a new deodorizer. 
         [0009]    The present device has been made to solve the aforementioned problems and has an object to provide an automobile floor mat with increased added value by making an insect repellent member, an odorizing member, or a deodorizing member continuously replaceable. 
         [0010]    For this object, the automobile floor mat according to an embodiment of the device includes a mat body that is laid on a floor of an automobile, and a storage portion that is fixedly attached to the mat body and stores at least one member selected from the group consisting of an insect repellent member, a deodorizing member, and an odorizing member. 
         [0011]    Preferably, the storage portion is in the form of a bag. 
         [0012]    Preferably, the storage portion is made of a breathable material. 
         [0013]    Preferably, the storage portion has an upper edge fixedly attached to the mat body and a lower edge extending outward from a rear edge of the mat body. 
         [0014]    Preferably, the automobile floor mat is a floor mat for a front passenger&#39;s seat area. 
         [0015]    Preferably, the automobile floor mat is a floor mat for a rear passenger&#39;s seat area. 
         [0016]    Preferably, the rear passenger&#39;s seat area is positioned diagonally backward with respect to the front passenger&#39;s seat area. 
         [0017]    The device can provide an automobile floor mat with increased added value by making an insect repellent member, an odorizing member, or a deodorizing member continuously replaceable. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a front view of an automobile floor mat according to an embodiment of the present device; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a front view showing a part in  FIG. 1  on an enlarged scale; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a storage portion taken along a line III-III in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a schematic side view of an automobile in which the automobile floor mat is laid; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a schematic plan view of areas where the automobile floor mat is laid in the automobile. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    With reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the present device will be described in detail. The same or similar components are denoted by the same reference symbols or reference numerals throughout the drawings, and the description thereof will not be reiterated. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an automobile floor mat  1  according to an embodiment will be described. 
         [0025]    The automobile floor mat  1  includes a mat body  10  that is laid on a floor in an automobile, and a storage portion  20  that is fixedly attached to the mat body  10 . The storage portion  20  is provided to store an insect repellent member  30 , which will be described later. 
         [0026]    Firstly, a description will be made about the mat body  10  and the storage portion  20 .  FIG. 2  is a front view of the storage portion  20  in  FIG. 1  on an enlarged scale, and  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the storage portion  20  taken along a line III-III in  FIG. 2 . In  FIG. 3 , the arrow&#39;s tip points upward, while the arrow&#39;s tail points downward. 
         [0027]    Referring to especially  FIG. 3 , the mat body  10  includes a surface layer  11  that is a carpet, and a backing layer  12  that is provided on a back face of the surface layer  11 . The mat body  10  can be made of only the surface layer  11 . As will be described later, an interior carpet  44  ( FIG. 4 ) is laid on a floor of the automobile. Since the mat body  10  is laid on the interior carpet  44  (in most cases, a carpet with napped pile yarns) for use, it is preferable for the mat body  10  to have anti-slip effect. Thus, the mat body  10  is preferably provided with the backing layer  12  having the anti-slip effect. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the storage portion  20  takes the shape of a bag to store the insect repellent member  30  indicated by a dot-and-dash line. The storage portion  20  includes a bag  21  and a pair of touch-and-close fasteners  22  used to close the opening of the bag  21 . The size of the bag  21  is set to be big enough to store the insect repellent member  30 , and is made by folding a piece of rectangular fabric as viewed in plan and hemming both side edges  23  on the right and left sides. The touch-and-close fasteners  22  of the pair are attached to interior faces of the bag  21 , separately. This configuration can facilitate replacement of the insect repellent member  30 , while preventing the insect repellent member  30  from easily coming out of the bag  21 . 
         [0029]    The bag  21  is made of a breathable material, and more particularly is made of a mesh fabric. In addition, the bag  21  is made of a material capable of resisting cleaning along with the mat body  10 , for example, synthetic fiber fabric such as nylon. 
         [0030]    The storage portion  20  has an upper edge  24  that is fixedly attached to the mat body  10 . Specifically, the upper edge  24  of the bag  21  is sewn to an outer edge of the backing layer  12  of the mat body  10 . Therefore, the bag  21  projects from a lower end of the mat body  10  at nearly the center in the width direction of the mat body  10 . In other words, the storage portion  20  is disposed on the outside of the mat body  10  without being overlaid. This configuration allows wind to hit the insect repellent member  30  efficiently even when it is stored in the bag  21 , and therefore does not inhibit the effectiveness of the insect repellent agent by blocking the spread thereof. 
         [0031]    The insect repellent member  30  is made of a plate material, which is rectangular as viewed in plan, kneaded with ingredients of an insect repellent agent. The insect repellent agent is formulated for flying insects, such as flies and mosquitoes, and is harmless to mammals. The insect repellent agent volatilizes with wind hitting thereon to keep the flying insects, such as flies and mosquitoes, away from the automobiles. The effective period of the insect repellent agent is, for example, from thirty days to one year. Because the insect repellent member  30  has a limited effective period, the storage portion  20  can be provided on its front face with a label where a user can fill in the date of the effective period. 
         [0032]    The insect repellent member  30 , which has an effective period as described above, needs to be replaced periodically according to the effective period. The automobile floor mat  1  according to the embodiment makes it possible to replace the insect repellent member  30  with a new one at the time of periodic automobile checkups by the automobile dealer, or at other periodic intervals. This can add a continual value, which is periodic replacement of the insect repellent member  30 , to the automobile floor mat  1 , thereby increasing added value of the automobile floor mat  1 . 
         [0033]    Incidentally, the storage portion  20  can store not only the insect repellent member  30 , but also a deodorizing member or an odorizing member. As in the case of the insect repellent member, the deodorizing member and odorizing member also have their own effective period, and thus can impart an equivalent added value to the automobile floor mat  1 . 
         [0034]    Next, a description will be made about how the automobile floor mat  1  is laid.  FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of an automobile in which the automobile floor mat  1  is laid. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the automobile floor mat  1  is laid so that the storage portion  20  is disposed below a seat  41  of an automobile  40 . In other words, the storage portion  20  is disposed between seat legs  42  which support the seat  41  from below. The storage portion  20  disposed as above avoids contact with a passenger&#39;s feet, and does not become an obstacle. In addition, wind from an air conditioning vent  43  provided in a footwell hits the insect repellent member  30  to volatilize the insect repellent agent, thereby effectively filling the automobile  40  with the insect repellent agent. Thus, flies and mosquitoes can be prevented from entering the automobile  40 . 
         [0036]    If the seat  41  is the type of a seat supported by a seat base and has no space under the seat  41 , the storage portion  20  leans against the seat base in an almost upright posture. Even in this case, the storage portion  20  avoids contact with a passenger&#39;s feet without becoming an obstacle, and also wind from the air conditioning vent  43  hits the insect repellent member  30 , thereby providing effectiveness of the insect repellent agent. 
         [0037]    A description will be made about areas where the automobile floor mat  1  is laid in the automobile  40 .  FIG. 5  is a schematic plan view of the areas where the automobile floor mat  1  is laid in the automobile  40 . 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , an interior carpet  44  in an automobile  40  is an interior carpet designed for automobiles and laid on the entire floor of the automobile  40 . Specifically, the interior carpet  44  is laid on the entire floor including a driver&#39;s seat area A, a front passenger&#39;s seat area B, a rear passenger&#39;s seat area C behind the driver&#39;s seat area A, and a rear passenger&#39;s seat area D behind the front passenger&#39;s seat area B, and the interior carpet  44  includes pile yarns napped on a front surface. On the interior carpet  44  laid is the automobile floor mat  1  under and around the feet of the driver or passenger. 
         [0039]    Preferably, the automobile floor mat  1  is a floor mat for the front passenger&#39;s seat area B. This is because in the vicinity of the front passenger&#39;s seat area B there is the air conditioning vent  43 , but not an accelerator nor other pedals. Such an environment does not require rigorous safety standards. The storage portion  20  that is designed to be disposed below the seat  41  is not obstructive in any areas A to D; however, the driver&#39;s seat area A needs to meet high safety standards, and therefore it is not preferable to lay the automobile floor mat  1  in the driver&#39;s seat area A. 
         [0040]    The automobile floor mat  1  can be laid in the rear passenger&#39;s seat areas C or D instead of the front passenger&#39;s seat area B. In this case, the mat body  10  is laid across the rear passenger&#39;s seat areas C and D, and the storage portion  20  can be disposed in either one of the rear passenger&#39;s seat areas C and D, or between the rear passenger&#39;s seat areas C and D. 
         [0041]    As shown by hatch patterns in  FIG. 5 , the automobile floor mat  1  can be laid on a diagonal line in the automobile  40 . Specifically, in addition to an automobile floor mat  1  laid in the front passenger&#39;s seat area B, another automobile floor mat  1  can be laid in the rear passenger&#39;s seat area C diagonally backward with respect to the front passenger&#39;s seat area B. The automobile floor mats  1  disposed as above can spread the effectiveness of the insect repellent agent into nooks and corners of the automobile  40 , even if the automobile  40  is a large car such as a van. 
         [0042]    Although the storage portion  20  is in the form of a bag in this embodiment, the storage portion  20  may be a slit formed in the surface layer  11  of the mat body  10 . 
         [0043]    In addition, the storage portion  20  in this embodiment is made of a mesh material; however, this device is not limited thereto. The storage portion  20  can work as long as it allows air to pass through, and therefore, for example, the storage portion  20  may have a bag  21  made of an air-impervious material with a plurality of openings. 
         [0044]    Although the embodiment of the present device has been described with reference to the figures, the present device is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. Various modifications and variations can be made to the above illustrated embodiment within the same scope as, or an equivalent scope to, the present device.