Patent ID: 8251018

Claim:
A floor covering apparatus for placement on at least one floor slat of a slatted floor in an animal house for housing animals, the floor slat being a narrow elongate support structure, the floor covering apparatus comprising: an elongated elastomeric mat adapted to be fitted to at least one floor slat, the mat having a rigid fixing base, a flexible core of deformable material providing cushioning support for animals thereon, and an outer skin having a curved upper surface promoting the movement of animal urine and feces off the elongated elastomeric mat, with the rigid fixing base, the flexible core and the outer skin being discrete from one another and formed together as a unitary structure, the rigid fixing base including a leg at each longitudinal side of the mat, each leg extending from the rigid fixing base away from the mat, wherein each leg is resiliently biased toward the other of the legs to grip an outermost side of the floor slat, wherein the rigid fixing base and the outer skin form a cavity there between, the flexible core being encapsulated within the cavity, the outer skin including two lateral side walls that are continuous with and extend from the curved upper surface, the lateral sides walls flanking the curved upper surface, a full extent of the lateral side walls being exposed to permit the movement of animal urine and feces thereon to a slurry collection tank beneath the slatted floor and to reduce the retention of such materials on the mat.