Floor Mat with Removable Pads

Abstract

A floor mat system comprising a base mat having at least one recess for accommodating at least one machine washable shoe cleaning pad. The base mat can be made out of any suitable material such as a polymer. In one embodiment the base mat is made of rubber. In one embodiment the base mat is made up of four edges which slope inwards at an acute angle. In one embodiment the mat of the invention includes a shoe cleaning pad fastening system made up of a plurality of studs which are integral with and extend from corners of the recesses to secure shoe cleaning pads. In one embodiment a shoe scuff member is located in the center of a shoe cleaning pad. The shoe scuff member can have a curved shape such as a spherical or spheroid shape to manually clean the medial side of a shoe.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to floor mats to protect floors from incoming traffic and to provide a surface upon which soiled footwear may be wiped. More specifically, the invention is a mat with at least one removable pad located in complementary recesses in the mat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,481, floors immediately within entrances and doors leading into buildings rapidly become soiled. To prevent the transfer of mud and dirt from the outdoors onto expensive carpeting and other floor coverings, mats upon which the soles of shoes and boots may be wiped are usually placed either just outside or immediately inside entrances to buildings.

There are two primary disadvantages of floor mats commonly used for this purpose. Either the mats move too easily on the floor and persons using them are liable to slip and fall, or, if the mats are fastened to the floor so that they cannot move, then they are virtually impossible to clean properly.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,546 discloses a holder useful for containing disposable floor mats for use, for example, in entryways to plants and factories, retail stores, and for industrial applications such as clean rooms, hospitals, laboratories, and the like. The holder includes a flat base adapted to hold the mat and at least one hingedly connected side flap adapted to fold over on top of an edge of the mat and securely retain it in position.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,481 discloses a floor mat having a nonslip flexible plastic base with flaps on the respective ends thereof forming flat pockets to receive the ends of a removable washable mat element which is replaceable, with means for holding the removable element securely in place when in use.

U.S. Patent Publication Number 2007054083 describes a rubber or plastic floor mat has a series of parallel upper ribs on its upper surface which define slots in which respective strips or carpeting or the like are removably held. The strips are retained along their lengths by retaining means which run continually or continuously along the slots. The strip retainers include hook-and-loop fasteners, and/or overhanging edges above the strip edges, preferably formed in one-piece fashion along the side of the upper ribs adjacent the slots. The overhangs may be interrupted, e.g., crenelated as seen from above, and may include bevels.

U.S. Patent Publication Number 20060107480 describes a door mat particularly of the type comprising a body made of textile material or the like suitable for wiping the soles of shoes, and a generally tray-shaped base, within which said textile body is inserted in a removable way.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A floor mat system comprising a base mat having at least one recess for accommodating at least one machine washable shoe cleaning pad. The base mat can be made out of any suitable material such as a polymer. In one embodiment the base mat is made of rubber. In one embodiment the base mat is made up of four edges which slope inwards at an acute angle. In one embodiment the mat of the invention includes a shoe cleaning pad fastening system made up of a plurality of studs which are integral with and extend from corners of the recesses to secure shoe cleaning pads. In one embodiment a shoe scuff member is located in the center of a shoe cleaning pad. The shoe scuff member can have a curved shape such as a spherical or spheroid shape to manually clean the medial side of a shoe and/or the sole on the medial side of a shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show environmental views of a floor mat system, according to the present invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the floor mat system of FIG. 1 before and after use with dirt outlines evident in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show exploded views of two configurations of the floor mat system, according to the present invention.

FIGS. 8 and 9 respectively show section views with respect to lines 3-3 and 4-4 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the floor mat system of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 11 and 12 respectively show side and end views of the floor mat system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 shows a view of a corner of the floor mat system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 shows an elevated perspective view of an embodiment of the floor mat system, according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 shows a partial cut-away view, according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 shows a table listing part numbers.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to floor mats to protect floors from incoming traffic and to provide a surface upon which soiled footwear may be wiped. More specifically, the invention is a floor mat system 100. The floor mat system 100 is typically used to help maintain floor cleanliness in a domestic or industrial setting.

In a preferred embodiment the floor mat system 100 includes at least one shoe cleaning pad 120 (represented by first and second cleaning pads 120a and 120b in, e.g., FIG. 1) and a base mat 140. The base mat 140 defines bottom and top surfaces 180 and 200, respectively. The top surface 200 defines first and second recesses 220 and 240 therein. The first and second recesses 220 and 240 are used to accommodate first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b. A recess dividing wall 230 separates the first and second recesses 220 and 240.

The first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b each have a length and breadth sufficient to accommodate a pair of typical adult size shoes 160 laid flat thereon (see FIGS. 1 through 3); alternatively, the first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b each have a length and breadth sufficient to accommodate smaller pairs of shoes such as those typically worn by children. The first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b respectively define first and second top surfaces 120at and 120bt. The first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b respectively define first and second bottom surfaces 120ab and 120bb. It will be understood that the numeric label “120” is used to collectively refer to the shoe cleaning pads.

The floor mat system 100 further comprises an optional means for removably fastening the first and second cleaning pads 120a and 120b to the first and second recesses 220 and 240, respectively. It will be understood that the term “removably” refers to the recyclable nature of the cleaning pads wherein the cleaning pads 120a and 120b are not permanently affixed to the first and second recesses 220 and 240. A plurality of shoe cleaning pad retaining studs 320 are optionally used to removably secure the cleaning pads 120 to the recesses. The cleaning pads can be detached from shoe cleaning pad retaining studs 320 and thence placed in a washing-machine and once washed and dried can then be returned to be once again affixed to studs 320 to the first and second recesses 220 and 240, and removed once more when dirty for washing and so on.

The first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b are made up of washing-machine washable material. The first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b can sit flush with respect to the first and second recesses 220 and 240; in the alternative, the first and second shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b may protrude upwards between 0.25 inches and 1 inch out of the first and second recesses 220 and 240, respectively. But it is preferred that the thickness of the cleaning pads is less than the depth of the recesses.

In one embodiment the first shoe cleaning pad 120a defines a shoe scuff member 130 to enable a user to manually clean the sides of a shoe 160, particular the inward facing curved or medial side of a typical shoe. The shoe scuff member 130 can be curved in shape and located in the center of and extending upwards from the top surface 120at of the first shoe cleaning pad 120a as shown in FIGS. 7 and 14. The shoe scuff member 130 can be filled with any suitable filler such as mildew resistant filler, polyester fiberfill, Mountain Mist Pillowloft®, Eco-Friendly Fiberfill, Fiberloft® Polyester Stuffing, and Morning Glory® Premium Polyester Fiberfiller all available from major suppliers such as Walmart®. It will be understood that more than one shoe scuff member 130 can be fitted to the first cleaning pad 120a; also, one or more shoe scuff members can be fitted to the top surface of the second cleaning pad 120b.

The shoe scuff member 130 can take on any suitable shape such as a 3D (three dimensional) oblong shape with a rectangular footprint, an irregular 3D-polygonal shape, or a 3D curved shape such as a spherical shape (sphere), or a spheroid shape, e.g. a spheroid shape such as an oblate spheroid (flattened spheroid like a lentil) or a prolate (elongated) spheroid shape like a rugby ball. The only issue is that the elevated pad region 130 is useful in cleaning a dirty shoe. A 3D shape with curves such as a spherical, spheroid, or pear shaped shoe scuff member 130 is considered particularly useful and adept for scuffing and cleaning the sides of shoes including the medial region of shoes. It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art of shoes that the medial side of a shoe is the side of a shoe that is adjacent to a wearer's foot arch, i.e., the medial sides face each other when a pair of shoes are placed together facing in the same direction.

In one embodiment, the first shoe cleaning pad 120a defines a plurality of edges 280a through 280d each of which define a dirt containment flap 300 (represented in FIG. 7 by alpha-numeric labels 300a through 300d). During normal use the dirt containment flaps 300 extend upwards from the edges of the first shoe cleaning pad 120a. The flaps 300 help keep dirt from spreading outwards away from the top surface 120at of first shoe cleaning pad 120a. Optionally, the second shoe cleaning pad 120b can also include flaps 300 along the edges of the second cleaning pad 120b.

In a preferred embodiment, the base mat 140 defines a perimeter 145 made up of four base mat edges 150a through 150d (see, e.g., FIG. 1). The base mat edges 150a through 150d optionally slope inwards at an acute angle and as such, the mat edges 150a through 150d help prevent people, particularly children, hurting themselves upon stubbing their toes on the edges 150a through 150d of base mat 140. This feature is useful in a domestic setting where the floor mat system 100 is deployed inside a domestic dwelling where young children might be playing without foot protection. For example, the floor mat system 100 can be deployed inside a dwelling's hallway extending from and adjacent to a hallway entrance door.

The floor mat system 100 optionally includes at least two washing-machine washable replacement shoe cleaning pads for fitting to the first and second recesses 220 and 240 when the first and second cleaning pads are removed for washing. The first and second shoe cleaning pads are laid out flat in, and removably fastened to, the first and second recesses 220 and 240. Any suitable fastening system can be used such as a retaining hook or retaining stud and grommet fastening system as used to attach car mats to the floors of year 2001 models of the Toyota® Corolla. For example, shoe cleaning pad retaining studs 320 (see, e.g., FIG. 6) fit through holes 340 pierced in the corners of the cleaning pads 120a and 120b to secure the cleaning pads 120 to the base mat 140 and more specifically to the recesses 220 and 240. Conventional grommets can be fitted to the through holes 340 to prevent fraying of the cleaning pads 120.

The studs 320 can be made out of any suitable material such as rubber (e.g., silicone rubber) and can be made simultaneously with the base mat 140. For example, the studs 320 can be formed in the same mould as the base mat 140 thus making the studs 320 an integral part of the base mat 140.

During use, the first shoe cleaning pad 120a may be wetted with a shoe sole cleaning solution. Suitable shoe cleaning solutions that can be applied to the first shoe cleaning pad 120a include products such as, but not limited to, Lysol® cleaning products and disinfectant sprays; OdoBan® products have been found to be useful as cleaning agents in their original concentration or diluted; OdoBan® cleaning products are available from outlets such as Home Depot® and Walmart®. It should be understood that the first shoe cleaning pad 120a merely refers to the cleaning pad placed in recess 220. Likewise, the second shoe cleaning pad 120b refers to the cleaning pad placed in recess 240.

The shoe cleaning pads 120 are made out of any water absorbable material such as, but not limited to, woven fabric with loops that can absorb water. Suitable fabrics include Terry cloth (also referred to as Terry fabric; the terms “Terry cloth”, “Terry fabric” and “Terryfabric” are hereinafter regarded as equivalent terms), which is typically made of cotton or cotton combined with polyester. Towel Terry fabric has been found to be particularly useful and eminently washable using regular laundry washing-machines. The shoe scuff member 130 can be made out of Terry fabric or a combination of Terry cloth and polyester and stitched or otherwise fastened to the top surface 120at of the first shoe cleaning pad 120a.

Suitable washing machines for washing the cleaning pads are front and top loading washing-machines available from suppliers such as Sears and Lowes. Examples of suitable washing machines are the Whirlpool and GE range of washing-machines. It is envisaged that regular dryers can be used to dry the shoe cleaning pads such dryers purchasable from retail outlets such as, but not limited to, Lowes and the Sears chain of retail outlets. For example, the Whirlpool WED4800XQ dryer can be used to dry the shoe cleaning pads 120.

The overall thickness of shoe cleaning pads 120 can be any suitable thickness but it is preferred that the thickness of the cleaning pads is less than the depth of the recesses. The term “uncompressed form” refers to the shoe cleaning pads 120 laid out flat without a weight, such as a person's foot, placed on them.

The shoe cleaning pads 120 can, for example, be made out of layers of Terrycloth, wherein the layers are stitched together; a plurality of layers can be employed. For example, three layers of Terrycloth have been found to be useful. Alternatively, the shoe cleaning pads may comprise of a single layer of Terrycloth. The shoe cleaning pads 120a and 120b can be made out of a different number of layers of Terrycloth. For example, shoe cleaning pad 120a can be made up of a single layer of Terrycloth and shoe cleaning pad 120b made up of a plurality of layers of Terrycloth and vice versa.

The base mat 140 can be made out of any suitable material such as, but not limited to, a polymer. Suitable polymers include, but are not limited to, synthetic rubber. For example, the base mat 140 can be made out of silicone rubber. In one embodiment the recesses 220 and 240 respectively define recess surfaces 222 and 242. Surfaces 222 and 242 can be lined with textured silicone rubber with, for example, a knurled crisscross diagonal pattern to provide a non-slip surface. Textured silicone rubber is available, for example, from RSR (Rubber Sheet Roll), PO Box 171, Shippensburg, Pa. 17257, USA. In the alternative, the base mat 140 can be manufactured using a mold such that the mold produces non-slip surfaces 222 and 242 as an integral part of the molding process in which the base mat 140 is manufactured with non-slip surfaces in recesses 220 and 240 without requiring non-slip liners to be added post molding step.

Referring now to the Figures with regard to which the meaning of labels and numbers shown in the Figures are described in Table 1 (see FIG. 16).

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show environmental views of the floor mat system 100 in which FIGS. 1 and 2 each show a person placing their shoes 160 on the floor mat system 100 at a perpendicular angle with respect to the overall length of the floor mat system 100. However, a user of the floor mat system 100 is not limited to any particular angle of contact as shown in FIG. 3 in which the shoes 160 are placed in contact parallel to the overall length of the floor mat system 100. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 are found in Table 1.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the floor mat system 100 before and after use with dirt outlines evident in FIG. 5. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are found in Table 1.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show exploded views of two configurations of the floor mat system 100. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are found in Table 1.

FIGS. 8 and 9 respectively show section views with respect to lines 3-3 and 4-4 of FIG. 6. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are found in Table 1.

FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the floor mat system 100. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIG. 10 is found in Table 1.

FIGS. 11 and 12 respectively show side and end views of the floor mat system 100. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 are found in Table 1.

FIG. 13 shows a view of a corner of the floor mat system 100 in which a cleaning pad retaining stud 320 is displayed. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIG. 13 is found in Table 1.

FIG. 14 shows an elevated perspective view of an embodiment of the floor mat system 100 in which a shoe scuff member 130 is shown extending upwards from top surface 120at of shoe cleaning pad 120a. Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIG. 14 is found in Table 1.

FIG. 15 shows a partially cut-away view showing a non-limiting preferred embodiment in which the edges that make up the perimeter 145 of the base mat 140 slope inwards at an acute angle represented by Greek letter symbol alpha (α). Explanation of the part numbers shown in FIG. 15 is found in Table 1.

FIG. 16 shows a table listing part numbers.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A floor mat system for maintaining floor cleanliness in a domestic or industrial setting, said floor mat system comprising:

first and second shoe cleaning pads, wherein each of said first and second shoe cleaning pads define a top surface; and

a base mat having a bottom and top surface, said top surface having first and second recesses therein for accommodating said first and second shoe cleaning pads.

2. The floor mat system according to claim 1, wherein said first shoe cleaning pad defines a shoe scuff member, wherein the shoe scuff member extends upward from the first shoe cleaning pad, wherein said shoe scuff member has a curved three dimensional surface.

3. The floor mat system according to claim 1, wherein said first shoe cleaning pad defines a shoe scuff member, wherein said shoe scuff member of said first shoe cleaning pad is spherical in shape and located in the center of and extending upwards from the top surface of said first shoe cleaning pad, wherein shoe scuff member is particularly useful for cleaning the medial parts of a pair of shoes.

4. The floor mat system according to claim 1, wherein said first shoe cleaning pad defines a shoe scuff member, wherein said shoe scuff member of said first shoe cleaning pad is spheroid in shape and located in the center of and extending upwards from the top surface of said first shoe cleaning pad, wherein shoe scuff member is particularly useful for cleaning the medial parts of a pair of shoes.

5. The floor mat system according to claim 1, wherein said first shoe cleaning pad defines a shoe scuff member, wherein said shoe scuff member of said first shoe cleaning pad has a prolate spheroid shape and is located in the center of and extending upwards from the top surface of said first shoe cleaning pad, wherein shoe scuff member is particularly useful for cleaning the medial parts of a pair of shoes.

6. The floor mat system according to claim 1, wherein said first shoe cleaning pad defines a shoe scuff member, wherein said shoe scuff member of said first shoe cleaning pad has an oblate spheroid shape and is located in the center of and extending upwards from the top surface of said first shoe cleaning pad, wherein shoe scuff member is particularly useful for cleaning the medial parts of a pair of shoes.

7. A floor mat system for maintaining floor cleanliness in a domestic or industrial setting, said floor mat system comprising:

first and second shoe cleaning pads, said first and second shoe cleaning pads each having a length and breadth sufficient to accommodate a pair of adult size shoes laid flat thereon, said first and second shoe cleaning pads made up of washing-machine washable material, wherein each of said first and second shoe cleaning pads define a top surface; and

a base mat having a bottom and top surface, said top surface having first and second recesses therein for accommodating said first and second shoe cleaning pads; and

a fastening means for securing said first and second cleaning pads to said first and second recesses, respectively,

wherein said first shoe cleaning pad defines a shoe scuff member, and

wherein said first shoe cleaning pad defines a plurality of edges each of which define an upward extending flap for dirt containment.

8. The floor mat system according to claim 7, wherein said shoe scuff member of said first shoe cleaning pad is spherical or spheroid in shape and located in the center of and extending upwards from the top surface of said first shoe cleaning pad.

9. A floor mat system for maintaining floor cleanliness in a domestic or industrial setting, said floor mat system comprising:

first and second shoe cleaning pads, said first and second shoe cleaning pads each having a length and breadth sufficient to accommodate a pair of adult size shoes laid flat thereon, said first and second shoe cleaning pads made up of washing-machine washable material;

a base mat having a bottom and top surface, said top surface having first and second recesses therein for accommodating said first and second shoe cleaning pads;

a fastening means for fastening said first and second cleaning pads to said first and second recesses, respectively; and

at least two washing-machine washable replacement shoe cleaning pads for fitting to said first and second recesses when said first and second cleaning pads are removed from said first and second recesses, wherein said first and second shoe cleaning pads are laid out flat in, and fastened to, said first and second recesses.

10. The floor mat system according to claim 9, wherein said first shoe cleaning pad is wet with a shoe sole cleaning solution.

11. The floor mat system according to claim 9, wherein said first and second shoe cleaning pads and said replacement shoe cleaning pads are made out of Terry fabric.

12. The floor mat system according to claim 9, wherein said first and second shoe cleaning pads and said replacement shoe cleaning pads are each made out of a plurality of layers of Terry fabric.

13. The floor mat system according to claim 9, wherein said first and second shoe cleaning pads and said replacement shoe cleaning pads are each made out of a single layer of Terry fabric.

14. The floor mat system according to claim 9, wherein said first and second shoe cleaning pads and said replacement shoe cleaning pads are each made out of a different number of layers of Terry fabric.

15. The floor mat system according to claim 9, wherein a shoe scuff member is fitted to the first and second cleaning pads.