FOLDING QUIK MAT CATCH-ALL APPARATUS

Abstract

Improvements in a multiple use mat are disclosed that provides for a variety of uses. The QUIK MAT is formed from a semi rigid plastic material having a number of bi-folding hinged panels. The peripheral edge of the panel is tapered to allow the panel to lay flat on a surface and for debris to be easily pushed onto the QUIK MAT. The center portion of each panel and or the entire center of the panel are surrounded by a raised lip to prevent material from spilling off the edges of the QUIK MAT. The QUIK MAT further incorporates carrying handles and magnetic inserts that maintain the QUIK MAT in a folded configuration when the QUIK MAT is not in use. One or a series of holes are placed along one side of the QUIK MAT to allow the QUIK MAT to be hung on a wall.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Provisional 61/010,890 filed Jan. 10, 2008 the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a folding mat. More particularly, the folding mat is a multi-foldable rigid apparatus having handles for holding material within the mat, a raised lip around the periphery of the mat for collecting liquids, a non-skid under surface for maintaining the mat in position and magnets the maintain the mat in a closed configuration when the mat is not being used.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

Most foldable mats are configured for a specific purpose such as collection of oil dripping, carrying firewood, collecting or transporting debris. Because these products are fabricated for a specific purpose they are not useful for other unrelated purposes or are ineffective in these other uses. Exemplary examples of products that are specifically designed for these distinct uses are disclosed herein.

Patents that are for use with the collection of oil or liquid drippings include U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,030 issued on May 2, 1989 to Charles R. Valley and U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,052 issued on May 8, 1990 to Gary L. Englebert. These two patents use an absorbent pad to collect any dripped oil. The pads do not have a tapered lip around the pad for the collection of solid debris and they further are not foldable for easier transportation and storage.

Patents for the collection and transportation of debris include U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,477 issued Jan. 20, 1998 to Piero Schinasi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,596 issued Jul. 6, 2004 to John McDonough and U.S. D422,855 issued Apr. 18, 2000 to Del Rosso all disclose leaf or garden collecting bags. These bags are generally fabricated from flat material that is folded to retain the debris within the folds. There are no provisions for tapered sides to allow the collection of small sized particles and there is no provision for collecting fluid upon the bags. The bags also do not allow for magnetic catches to keep the bag in a collapsed configuration.

A patent that is equally useful to transport firewood, leaves or other elongated debris is U.S. Design Pat. D322,014 that issued on Dec. 3, 1991 to James Weihe. The carrier is configured with a series of elongated slats that are connected to a spine with carrying handles. The material to be transported is placed onto the slats and the carrying handles are used to lift the material. Any liquid material would pass through the slats. The design does not have tapered edges, a recess for holding liquids and while the spine allows the carrier to be flexible the spin does not allow the slats to be folded upon them.

What is needed is needed is a foldable collection and transportation mat that can collect small and large items as well as collect fluid material. The ideal device would be foldable, both to allow its use within a confined space and to fit in a smaller space when it is stored and not being used. The proposed QUIK MAT satisfies these needs with a foldable mat surface that has a tapered edge and an internal recess to retain fluid.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the QUIK MAT to have a hole for a hook or similar hanger to allow the mat to store when it is not being used. The hole also allows the mat to be hung for sale at a store. The hole is a combination of a center hole with an elongated slot for placement on a variety of hanging mechanisms.

It is an object of the QUIK MAT to be constructed in multiple rigid sections that allows the mat to be folded into a flat smaller size for use in a confined space and for storage and transportation. The sections can be as few as two to many additional sections depending upon the size and use of the mat.

It is an object of the QUIK MAT to be constructed from a semi-rigid material that allows for the mat to lay flat and also have some strength for bending and hinging.

It is an object of the QUIK MAT to have multiple living hinges allows the different sections of the mat to be folded in either direction to provide maximum versatility and user convenience.

It is an object of the QUIK MAT to a beveled edge that extends around the entire mat to allow the mat to be used as a dustpan or collection device where debris is swept raked into the mat. The mat further has a raised lip that extends around the entire mat or extends around each individual panel. A foot can optionally exist under some, all or just around the periphery of the mat to prevent unintended movement of the mat.

It is another object QUIK MAT to have a handle that is accessible when the mat is folded in either direction. Since the living hinges allow the mat to be folded in either orientation the handle can exist on either side of the mat. The handles are hinged and have a finger opening to allow the handle to be raised for gripping regardless of which side of the mat is sitting on the ground.

It is still another object of the QUIK MAT to have magnetic inserts that are attracted to complimentary magnets on adjacent sides of the mat together when the mat is not being used.

Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 shows a top view of the QUIK MAT.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a flattened QUIK MAT.

FIG. 3 shows the QUIK MAT in a slightly folded orientation.

FIG. 4 shows the QUIK MAT folded flat with the handles in an inward orientation.

FIG. 5 shows the QUIK MAT folded flat with the handles in an outward orientation.

FIG. 6 shows the QUIK MAT made with smaller inner panels that allows the handles to fold within the QUIK MAT.

FIG. 7 shows the QUIK MAT in an open orientation to allow the QUIK MAT to carry material.

FIG. 8 shows the QUIK MAT folded with the handles in an adjacent orientation.

FIG. 9 shows the QUIK MAT folded as a “V” shaped display board.

FIG. 10 shows the QUIK MAT folded as a “W” shaped display board.

FIG. 11 shows the QUIK MAT folded as a “C” shaped display board.

FIG. 12 shows a sectional profile of a corrugated plastic cardboard QUIK MAT.

FIG. 13 shows a sectional profile of a corrugated QUIK MAT.

FIG. 14 shows a detailed view of the peripheral lip of the QUIK MAT.

FIG. 15 shows an alternate view of the peripheral lip of the QUIK MAT.

FIG. 16 shows an alternative folding of the QUIK MAT.

FIG. 17 shows a detailed view of the handle of the QUIK MAT.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a top view of the QUIK MAT 20. In the preferred embodiment the mat 20 is configured in a size of 32 inches by 48 inches with four sections that are each separated with bi-directional folding hinges 60. Each hinge 60 allows each panel section 61 to be folded in either direction. The folding is shown and described in more detail with FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11. In the preferred embodiment the mat is made from a semi-rigid polypropylene material, but other materials are contemplated that would provide similar or superior properties as described herein. The interior area 21 of the mat has a tapered beveled edge 22 that exists around the exterior of the mat. The beveled edge allows the exterior of the mat to lay flat against the ground for the mat to be used as a dust collection pan. A detailed view of the tapered edge is shown and described in more detail with FIGS. 8 and 9. The exterior edge also has a raised lip that forms a ‘dam’ that enables the mat to retain liquid to allow the mat to be used to collect dripping of oil or water and prevent runoff of any fluid that falls onto the mat. In the preferred embodiment the raised lip runs around the entire mat, but it is also contemplated that the lip could run around each panel section 61. Details of the raised lip are shown and described in more detail with FIGS. 8 and 9.

At two ends of the mat handle hold holes 30 exist. Each handle 30 is hinged and has a finger opening 31 to allow a person to easily grip and lift the mat. A plurality of magnet inserts 40 exist in the field of the mat. It is contemplated that these magnet inserts 40 are made of a rubberized magnet to prevent potential rusting of the magnet. The magnet inserts 40 are located to attract to each other to retain the mat in a closed configuration to prevent the mat from opening while in transport or storage. A series of holes 50 are placed along one side of the mat to allow the QUIK MAT to be hung on a wall. The hole is a combination of a center hole with an elongated slot for placement on a variety of hanging mechanisms.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a flattened QUIK MAT 20. This side view shows the tapered edges 22 of the mat to allow a person to sweep or rake items or debris onto the mat surface. The bottom 25 of the mat is essentially a flat planar surface and the tapered edges 22 exist all around the perimeter of the mat to allow for sweeping onto the mat from any side of the mat. A portion of the handle 32 is visible in this view. The handle 30 is formed or punched from three sides of the mat where it is held to the mat from only one hinged side. From this view the three hinge areas 60 are visible showing that they are slightly thinner than the remainder of the mat. The hinges allow each mat section to be folded in either direction, and the hinge is configured to allow the mat material to fold upon itself as is shown and described in FIGS. 3-5.

FIG. 3 shows the QUIK MAT in a slightly folded orientation. From this figure the mat is being folded in a zigzag manner, as shown with arrows 70, 71 and 72 that allows the mat to be folded into a smaller configuration that is shown in FIG. 4. The living hinges 60 exist between the panels. While the QUIK MAT is shown with four panels and three hinge areas, it is contemplated that the mat can be made from a single panel or from many more than four panels. The number of hinges. It is also contemplated that the center panel could be twice as large as the outer panels and the outer panels hinge onto the center panel.

FIG. 4 shows the QUIK MAT folded flat with the handles in an inward orientation while FIG. 5 shows the QUIK MAT folded flat with the handles in an outward orientation. The hinges 60 are shown on the outside of these folded panels. In FIG. 4 the beveled edge 22 is located on the outside of the panel(s) with the handle portion 30 shown on the inside of the panel. In FIG. 5 the beveled edge 22 is shown in the inside with the handle portion 30 being shown on the outside of the panel. In FIG. 6 the inner panels are shorter than the outer panels 61. In this configuration, when the handles 30 are folded inward, they occupy the same dimensional space as the inner panels thereby making the folded QUIK MAT easier to grasp.

FIG. 7 shows the QUIK MAT 20 in an open orientation to allow the QUIK MAT to carry material while FIG. 8 shows the QUIK MAT 20 folded with the handles 30 in an adjacent orientation. The configuration shown in FIG. 7 is typical when the mat is being used to transport material that exceeds the volume that can be contained in the mat where the ends of the mat can touch as shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 7 the beveled edge 22 exists around the outside of the mat. The two handles are shown on the outsides of the mat with the hanging holes or notches 50 on the upper end of the mat. Some of the magnets 40 are visible in this view. The mat 20 is shown bending along the living hinge portions 60. In FIG. 8 the handles 30 are brought in close proximity. In this configuration a user can place their fingers or hand through both sets of handle holes 30 to carry the mat with just one hand.

FIG. 9 shows the QUIK MAT folded as a “V” shaped display board. FIG. 10 shows the QUIK MAT folded as a “W” shaped display board. The handles 30 are folded flat with the panels. The QUIK MAT is folded along only the center bend thereby creating a display board. The panel shown in this figure uses corrugated plastic cardboard, and a typical cross section of this material is shown in FIG. 12. The beveled or periphery edge 22 is shown bending away on both sides of the panel. In FIG. 10 the QUIK MAT is configured in a “W” with the handles 30 also shown folded flush with the panels. In this figure the inner panels are shown with smaller widths and shown in FIG. 6. The beveled or periphery edge 22 is tapered inward with this view. In FIG. 11 the QUIK MAT is shown folded as a “C” shaped display board configuration.

FIG. 12 shows a sectional profile of a corrugated plastic cardboard QUIK MAT. From this profile the material is constructed with two outer panels having perpendicular member extending between and connecting the outer skins. To create the bend area's the outer skin is slit 51 or a portion of the skin is removed 52. In the case where the handles are formed an arced area is cut through the material and one skin remains intact on one side of the handle to form the hinge. In another contemplated embodiment a compressed or thinned area 53 is used to form the bi-directional hinge. To create the tapered edge 22 or edges the material is crushed, melted, heat staked, ultrasonically welded or formed with the manufacturing of the material. A raised lip area 24 is shown along the tapered side to allow for collection of any liquid fluid that is brought into the center field of the QUIK MAT.

FIG. 13 shows a sectional profile of a corrugated QUIK MAT. This material is formed from a true corrugated material where the inner core corrugated between the two outer skins. To create the bend area's the outer skin is slit 51 or a portion of the skin is removed 52. The handles and tapered edge is formed in a similar manner as described with FIG. 11 above.

FIG. 14 shows a detailed view of the peripheral lip of the QUIK MAT. In the preferred embodiment the edge feature has a raised perimeter feature with a height of approximately 0.090 inches in height 24 while the remainder of the mat has a height of approximately 0.060 inches in height 23. The raised lip 24 enables liquid retention; added rigidity provides a dam thus allowing the mat to retain liquid material without absorption or spilling of the liquid outside of the mat. The tapered edge 22 is placed at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to allow debris to be easily swept over the lip 24 and into the depressed mat area.

FIG. 15 shows an alternate view of the peripheral lip of the QUIK MAT. In this figure a recess exists around the underside of the mat for a gasket 25 or foot to be placed to reduce movement of the mat. The gasket or foot 25 is made from a rubber or other similar material to increase the friction of the mat against the ground.

FIG. 16 shows an alternative folding of the QUIK MAT 20. This folding is contemplated where the middle sections of the mat 20 are placed on a table or counter and the back of the mat 20 sits against a backsplash while the front of the mat drapes over the front edge of the table or counter. This configuration might be used when cutting items on a kitchen counter and the QUIK MAT 20 is simply lifted away to ease in clean-up. Another use might be as a cover on a bench vehicle seat to catch cargo debris or spills. The handles 30, wall hanger 50 and magnets 40 are visible in this figure.

FIG. 17 shows a detailed view of the handle of the QUIK MAT. The mat handle hold holes 30 consists of two separate hinged 34 parts that exist on the mat 21. The first part is a band 32 that hinges 34 near the outer edge of the mat 21. The second part is a tab 33 that is hinged 34 between the band 32. The tab 33 has an ellipse 31 formed on an elongated end to create a finger opening 31. The combination of a ban 32, tab 33 and finger ellipse allows the mat to be more easily lifted from a flat surface where a user can grasp the band 32 or the tab 33 to raise one panel of the QUIK MAT.

Thus, specific embodiments of a QUIK MAT have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A foldable multifunctional mat comprising:

a flat essentially planar semi rigid platform having a top surface and a bottom surface wherein said bottom surface is essentially flat;

at least two parallel linear elongated hinge sections running in one dimension along at least one surface of said platform as a hinge means for folding said platform along said hinge section(s);

a periphery edge of said top surface of said platform being tapered to said bottom surface to reduce an edge height, and

at least two handle areas extending through said platform that have a hinged connection to said platform to allow said at least two handles to be folded against said platform and or into said at least two handle area(s).

2. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said hinged connection is with removal of some material along the length of one or both of said sides.

3. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein that further includes magnets located on or within said panels that attract adjacently folded panels.

4. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said platform fold in halves.

5. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said platform folds in four panels.

6. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 5 wherein inner said panels are narrower than said outer panels.

7. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 6 wherein when said platform is folded into four panels said at least two handles fold with an area created from the void of said inner narrower panels.

8. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said mat is made from synthetic cardboard and said hinge is formed from slitting or removal of a portion of an outer skin.

9. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said mat is made from cardboard.

10. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said periphery tapered edge is formed from crushed, melted, heat staked, or ultrasonically welded an edge of said mat.

11. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 has at least three parallel linear elongated hinge sections thereby allowing said mat to fold into four sections.

12. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 that further includes at least one notch slot or hanger hole or recess.

13. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said elongated hinges allow for two directional folding of said mat sections.

14. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said tapered periphery edge exists on at least two sides of said mat.

15. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said tapered periphery edge exists on all four sides of said mat.

16. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said handle further includes a square or arched finger opening to allow a person to easily grip and lift the mat from the floor ground or flat surface.

17. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 that further includes a raised lip extending around said mat to retain fluid.

18. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 that further includes a gasket or pad under said mat to reduce movement of said pad.

19. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 wherein said at least two handles can be brought together to retain material within an interior volume formed by said mat.

20. The foldable multifunctional mat according to claim 1 that further includes a handle band that exists as a narrow strip between said handle and said platform.