Improvements in Door-mats and Mats or Coverings for Floors or Stair-treads and other Surfaces on which Persons may Walk, or Stand, or Rest their Feet; Mats for Use in Railway and other Carriages, and Mats or Coverings for the Treadles of Sewing Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 27th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Door-mats and Mats or Coverings for Floors or
Stair-treads and other Surfaces on which Persons may Walk,
or Stand, or Rest their Feet; Mats for Use in Railway and other
Carriages, and Mats or Coverings for the Treadles of Sewing
Machines.
We JOHN CRAIG of Manchester Road, Broadheath, near Manchester, in the
County of Chester, Engineer and WILLIAM HENRY EASTWOOD of 14 Market
Place, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention consists in improvements in door-mats and mats or coverings for
floors or stair-treads and other surfaces on which persons may walk or stand or
rest their feet; mats for use in railway and other carriages, and mats or coverings
for the treadles of sewing machines. The objects of this invention are the
production of door-mats which shall be cleanly, easily folded together when
required to be cleaned or for other purposes, effective in removing dirt from the
soles of boots and durable; the production of mats or coverings for floors or
stair-treads or other surfaces for people to walk or rest their feet upon, which shall
be durable cleanly, easily folded together when required to be cleaned or for other
purposes, and afford a secure or comfortable foothold to persons walking or
standing or resting their feet thereon, and the production of mats or coverings
for the treadles of sewing machines which shall afford a secure and comfortable
foothold to persons using such machines and be durable and cleanly, and the
utilization in the production of such articles of waste pieces of leather.
In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of a
portion of a mat or covering constructed according to this invention.
In the construction of a mat or covering according to this invention, we employ
links or pieces (a) (b) of leather of two sizes of which the shorter ones which are
marked (a) in the accompanying drawing are arranged with their length parallel
to the length of the mat or covering to be produced and of the longer links
marked (6) in the accompanying drawing, some marked with the additional
reference letter (1) in the accompanying drawing, are placed with their length
parallel to the length of the mat or covering to be produced, while others of
such longer links or pieces (b) are placed with their length inclined to the length
of such mat or covering, and other pieces marked (c) in the accompanying
drawing which are employed to render the ends of the mat or covering straight.
The said longer pieces (b) of leather which are placed with their lengths inclined
to the length of the mat or covering to be produced are caused to be and remain in
inclined positions by pieces (b) which are in contact at one end being made to
embrace at their other ends shorter pieces (a) placed between them. Each of the
pieces (a) (b) of leather is formed with two holes, which may in any cases in
which it may be thought desirable be provided with metal or other eyelets or
bushes and is preferably rounded at its ends. The pieces of leather (a) (b)
employed are threaded upon wires (d) of any suitabie metal or alloy such for
instance as iron, brass or copper, each of which is formed with a head (d') at one
end and provided at the other end with a washer (d2) which is secured thereon by

page_text: the end of the wire being rivetted up or expanded or in any other suitable manner.
If it be considered desirable each of the wires may be also provided with a washer
placed against its head (d'). The pieces (a) (b) of leather employed are threaded
upon the wires (d) in the orders and relative positions indicated in the accompanying
drawing, so as to form rows of long links or pieces (b) and rows of short links or
pieces (a) placed alternately and extending laterally across the mat or covering. In
order that the ends of the mat or covering may be made straight and neat there are
placed upon the wires (d) nearest to the ends of the mat or covering pieces of
leather (c) which are furnished with only one hole and are notched or hollowed at one
end to embrace the adjacent ends of the adjacent longer pieces (b) and to be thereby
kept from turning round upon the said wires (d) but instead of the pieces (c)
of leather round pieces may be employed. Although only one end of the mat
or covering is shown in the accompanying drawing, it is obvious that the other
end will be formed in au analogous manner as has just been described above.
The shorter pieces (a) of leather employed are shown as being placed in pairs or
groups of four and the longer pieces (b) of leather employed are shown as being
placed in pairs but it is obvious that so long as in the central portion of the mat the
longer pieces (b) are inclined to the direction of the length of the mat, the longer
pieces (b) may be placed singly or be placed in groups of three or four or more,
and that the shorter pieces (a) may be placed singly or in other groups as may be
considered desirable.
The placing of the said longer pieces (b) of leather in an inclined position
relatively to the length of the mat or covering renders the mat or covering stiff
laterally and also renders the mat or covering more efficient in affording a good
footbold than it would otherwise be, and if the mat or covering be used as a door-
mat renders it more efficient in removing dirt from boot-soles.
The use of the longer pieces of leather marked (61) imparts a neat appearance to
the longitudinal edges of the mat or covering.
In cases in which the pieces of leather to be employed are not all of one thickness,
they may be employed singly or two or three or more together as may be necessary
in order to render the general arrangement of the longer and shorter pieces employed
in a mat or covering substantially the same as that hereinbefore described in reference
to the accompanying drawing.
Mats or coverings made according to this invention may be made of any size
which may be requisite and by the width and length of a mat being made different
in different parts by the omission of pieces of leather or the use of thinner pieces in
certain parts in modes which are obvious, mats or coverings made according to this
invention may be made of any shape which may be requisite.
Door-mats made according to this invention are durable and effective in removing
dirt from boot-soles and are easily cleaned by shaking and easily folded up for
cleaning or other purposes and afford a secure foot-hold.
Mats or coverings made according to this invention are very efficient for use as
stair-treads or floor-coverings for billiard-rooms or other places or purposes for
which coverings which are durable or afford a secure foothold are necessary or
desirable.
Mats made according to this invention are also very useful for use in carriages or
other purposes for which a durable, cleanly and comfortable foot-rest for persons'
feet may be desirable or necessary.
Mats or coverings made according to this invention are also very useful for
application to the treadles of sewing machines in order to afford a secure foothold
and render the working of such machines more comfortable by preventing the metal
treadles from abstracting so much heat as is ordinarily the case from the feet of the
persons working the treadles of such machines.
Mats or coverings made according to this invention being made of waste pieces of
leather are also cheap.
When mats or coverings made according to this invention are used as stair-treads
or coverings for the treadles of sewing machines or for other purposes for which it

page_text: is necessary that they shall be secured in position, any suitable devices or means
may be provided or employed to secure such mats in the positions which they are
required to occupy.
When mats or coverings made according to this invention are intended to be used
as stair-treads or for other purposes in which the edges or other parts of such mats
or coverings will be subjected to greater or harder wear than the other parts thereof,.
pieces or links of metal similar in shape and size to the pieces or links of leather
hereinbefore described may be employed in the formation of the edges of such mats.
or coverings or employed amongst the pieces or links of leather in the other parts of
the said mats or coverings.
The employment of long and short pieces of leather arranged and connected
together in the manner hereinbefore described enables the mats or coverings made
according to this invention to be readily folded together for purposes of removal,.
cleaning and transport and other purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven--
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
In a mat or covering for a floor, or stair-tread or other surface on which persons-
may walk or stand or rest their feet, or mat for use in a railway or other carriage,
or mat or covering for the treadle of a sewing machine, the combination of short
and long links or pieces of leather threaded or placed upon wires so as to form rows
of long links or pieces of leather and rows of short links or pieces of leather placed
alternately and extending laterally across the mat or covering and so that the long
links or pieces of leather in the central part of the mat or covering are placed with
their lengths inclined to the direction of the length of the mat or covering for the
purposes and substantially in the manner hereinbefore described.
Dated this Ninth day of February 1897.
HOWARD
CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicants..