Patent ID: 7566374

Claim:
A method of making a floor mat with a tufted pile textile surface and an elastomer backing, the method comprising the steps of (a) mixing elastomer crumbs and a binder, (b) depositing the crumb/binder mixture to form a crumb/binder layer, (c) placing a textile surface element comprising tufts of yarn tufted into a tufting substrate on the crumb/binder layer to form a mat assembly, (d) pressing the mat assembly in a heated press, the heated press having an inflatable diaphragm and a single heated platen having a plurality of zones, a first zone being a low temperature zone and a second zone being a higher temperature zone, said pressing step being used to set the binder, thereby consolidating the elastomer crumbs comprising the crumb/binder layer to form an elastomer backing that includes voids between the elastomer crumbs, and bonding the textile surface element to the elastomer backing, wherein the mat assembly is pressed at a pressure in the range 2-8 psig (14-55 kPa) and is heated at a maximum temperature of 200° C. or less to form an elastomer backing with a density in the range 0.5 to 0.9 g/cm 3 , wherein the elastomer backing thickness has a deformability of about 14-25% when the thickness is measured after application of 60 g weight and a 800 g weight are applied to the backing with a 10 mm diameter foot, wherein the mat assembly is pressed in a plurality of stages, wherein the thickness of the elastomer backing comprising the mat assembly is within the range of 60 to 100% of the thickness of the unpressed crumb/binder layer, wherein the mat assembly is transported through the press on a conveyor, and wherein the crumb/binder mixture is deposited on the conveyor using a spreader device that moves at a constant speed relative to the conveyor.