Patent ID: 7108902

Claim:
A floor mat comprising: a plurality of elongated rails each having a rail deck configured to receive a tread strip, each said rail deck having edge portions; a first downwardly facing groove having spaced substantially parallel walls, said first groove depending from said rail deck and extending therealong adjacent one of said edge portions of said rail deck; a second downwardly facing groove having spaced substantially parallel walls, said second groove depending from said rail deck and extending therealong adjacent the other one of said edge portions of said rail deck; said plurality of elongated rails being arranged in side-by-side parallel relationship; a plurality of connectors connecting said plurality of rails together; each said connector having a first upwardly projecting tab received in a downwardly facing groove of one of said rails and a second upwardly projecting tab received in a downwardly facing groove of an adjacent one of said rails to connect said rails together, each of said tabs formed of a substantially rigid first material; each of said upwardly projecting tabs carrying flexible friction ribs in sliding frictional engagement with said walls of said grooves to resist lateral removal of said tabs from said grooves, said friction ribs being formed of a resilient second material having a lower durometer than the substantially rigid first material of the tabs and being compressed between said tabs and said walls of said grooves.