Formatted: Pattern:
`Clear
`Formatted: Pattern:
`Clear
`
`Designing and Manufacturing Vehicle Floor Trays manufacturing vehicle floor trays
`
`RELATED APPLICATIONS
`
`[0001] This application is a divisionalcontinuation of copending U.S. Nonprovisional application
`Ser. No. 11/463,203 filed on Aug. 8, 2006, which is in turn a division of U.S. Nonprovisional
`application Ser. No. 10/976,441 filed on Oct. 29, 2004., now U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,847. The
`disclosuredisclosures and drawings of that application those applications are fully incorporated
`by reference herein.
`
`
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0002] Motor vehicles are almost always operated in the out of doors and are frequently parked
`there. It is therefore very common for their occupants to have wet or muddy feet--if the
`occupants have not just finished an outdoor activity, at least they have had to walk across a
`possibly wet, snowy or muddy surface to access their vehicles. For decades, therefore, vehicle
`owners have been attempting to protect the enclosed interiors of their vehicles (cars, trucks,
`SUVs) from what they themselves track into them. The conventional solution to this has been to
`provide a vehicle floor mat which may be periodically removed by the owner and cleaned.
`
`[0003] Human beings have a tendency to move their feet around, and foot motion is an absolute
`requirement in operating most vehicles. This has caused a problem, in that the occupants of a
`vehicle have a tendency to push around the floor mats with their feet. The floor mats end up not
`being centered on the area protected, or pushed up so as to occlude the gas, brake or clutch
`pedals, or bunched up or folded over--all undesirable conditions. One objective of floor mat
`manufacturers has therefore been to provide a floor mat that will stay put and which will not
`adversely affect vehicle operation.
`
`[0004] The foot wells of cars, trucks and SUVs vary in size in shape from one model of vehicle
`to the next. Floor mat manufacturers have noticed that floor mats which at least approximately
`conform to the shape of the bottom surface of the foot well stay in place better and offer more
`protection. It is also common for such floor mats, where provided for front seat foot wells, to
`have portions which are meant to lie against the firewalls or front surfaces of the foot wells. Even
`as so extended it is not too hard to provide a floor mat of flexible material that will
`approximately conform to these two surfaces, as the designer only has to mark a two-
`dimensional periphery of the mat in providing one which will fit reasonably well.
`
`[0005] More recently, vehicle floor trays have come onto the market. Most front-seat vehicle
`foot wells are actually three-dimensional concave shapes, typically with complex curved
`surfaces. Floor trays have sidewalls that offer enhanced protection to the surfaces surrounding
`the vehicle floor, as might be needed against wearers with very muddy or snowy shoes.
`Conventional vehicle floor trays try to fit into these three-dimensional cavities, but so far their fit
`to the surfaces that they are supposed to protect has been less than optimum. A conventional
`vehicle floor tray is typically molded of a single-ply rubber or plastic material, exhibits enough
`stiffness to retain a three-dimensional shape, but is also at least somewhat flexible. Fitting such a
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`tray to the complex three-dimensional surface of a vehicle foot well has proven to be difficult,
`and the products currently in the marketplace have limited consumer acceptance because of their
`loose fit inside the foot well. There is often, and in many places, a considerable space between
`the exterior wall of these conventional trays and the interior surface of the foot well. This causes
`the wall to noticeably deform when the occupant's foot contacts it. Vehicle owners have a
`tendency to dislike floor trays which rattle, deform, shift and flop about. A need therefore
`persists for a floor tray that will have a more exact fit to the vehicle foot well for which it is
`provided, that stays in place once it is installed, and that provides a more solid and certain feel to
`the occupants' feet.
`
`[0006] Some vehicle floor mats that are now on the market have fluid reservoirs built into them.
`Particularly in cold or wet climates, dirty water has a tendency to be shed onto the floor mat,
`where it persists until it evaporates. If there is enough of it, it will leak off of the floor mat and
`stain the carpeting of the foot well that the mat was meant to protect. These reservoirs typically
`are recessed areas in the mats that provide the mats with an enhanced ability to retain snow-melt
`and the like, until the water evaporates or can be disposed of by the vehicle owner or user. One
`advanced design places treads in the middle of the reservoir, such that the feet of the occupant
`are held above any fluid that the reservoir collects. But including such a reservoir within a floor
`tray that otherwise has an acceptable fit to the surface of a vehicle foot well has not yet been
`done, since there are problems in incorporating a three-dimensional liquid-holding vessel into a
`product that ideally conforms, on its lower surface, to the surface of the foot well. Further, a
`reservoir which collects drip water from a large surface, such as a vehicle floor tray, will exhibit
`more problems in keeping the collected fluid from sloshing about in a moving vehicle.
`
`[0007] Conventional vehicle floor mats and trays are molded from a single rubber or plastic
`material. The selection of this material is controlled by its cost, its resistance to shear forces, its
`tensile strength, its abrasion resistance, its ability to conform to the surface of the vehicle foot
`well, its sound-deadening properties and how slippery or nonslippery it is relative to the
`occupants'feetoccupants' feet, with nonslipperiness (having a relatively high coefficient of
`friction) being advantageous. Often the designer must make tradeoffs among these different
`design constraints in specifying the material from which the tray or mat is to be made.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle floor cover, mat or
`tray which is removably installable by a consumer and which is formed of at least three layers
`that are bonded together, preferably by coextrusion. The three layers include a central layer
`whose composition is distinct from a bottom layer and a top layer. Preferably, all three layers are
`formed of thermoplastic polymer materials. In another aspect of the invention, the top layer
`exhibits a kinetic coefficient of friction with respect to a sample meant to emulate a typical shoe
`outsole (neoprene rubber, Shore A Durometer 60) of at least about 0.82.
`
`[0009] Preferably, a major portion of the central layer is a polyolefin. More preferably, the
`polyolefin is either a polypropylene or a polyethylene. Most preferably, the polyolefin is high
`molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE) as herein defined. In an alternative embodiment, the
`central layer can be a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) or an acrylonitrile-butadiene-
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`styrene (ABS) polymer blend.
`
`[0010] Preferably, a major portion of the top layer is a thermoplastic elastomer, such as one of
`the proprietary compositions sold under the trademarks SANTOPRENE.RTM.,
`GEOLAST.RTM. and VYRAM.RTM.. VYRAM.RTM. is particularly preferred. In another
`embodiment, a major portion of the top layer can be an ABS polymer blend. Where ABS is used
`in both the top and central layers, it is preferred that the amount of the polybutadiene phase in the
`top layer be greater than the amount of this phase in the central layer.
`
`[0011] It is further preferred that a major portion of the bottom layer likewise be a thermoplastic
`elastomer, and conveniently it can be, but does not have to be, of the same composition as the
`major portion of the top layer.
`
`[0012] Preferably one or more of the layers is actually a polymer blend, in which a minor portion
`is preselected for its coextrusion compatibility with the adjacent layer(s). Thus, a minor portion
`of the top and bottom layers can consist of a polyolefin, while a minor portion of the central
`layer can consist of a thermoplastic elastomer. In each case, it is preferred that the minor portion
`be no more than about one part in four by weight of each layer, or a weight ratio of 1:3. Where
`all three layers are preselected to be ABS blends, the amount of polybutadiene preferably is
`decreased in the central layer relative to the top and bottom layers.
`
`[0013] While the preferred embodiment of the vehicle floor cover consists of three integral
`layers, any one of the recited layers can in fact be made up of two or more sublayers, such that
`the total number of sublayers in the resultant mat or tray can exceed three.
`
`[0014] In another embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer constituent of the top, central and/or
`bottom layers described above can be replaced with a natural or synthetic rubber, including
`styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) or ethylene
`propylene rubber (EPDM).
`
`[0015] According to a related aspect of the invention, a vehicle floor cover is provided that has
`three layers bonded together, preferably by coextrusion. Major portions of the top and bottom
`layer consist of thermoplastic elastomer(s). The top and bottom layers have compositions distinct
`from the central layer, which can be chosen for its relatively low expense. It is preferred that a
`major portion of the central layer be a polyolefin and that major portions of the top and bottom
`layers be one or more thermoplastic elastomers. The polyolefin may be selected from the group
`consisting of polypropylene and polyethylene, and preferably is a high molecular weight
`polyethylene (HMPE). The thermoplastic elastomer can, for example, be SANTOPRENE.RTM.,
`GEOLAST.RTM. or VYRAM.RTM., with VYRAM.RTM. being particularly preferred. It is also
`preferred that each of the layers be a polymer blend, with a minor portion of each layer being
`chosen for its coextrusion compatibility with adjacent layers. For example, the top and bottom
`layers can consist of a 3:1 weight ratio of VYRAM.RTM./HMPE, and the central layer of a 3:1
`weight ratio of HMPE/VYRAM.RTM..
`
`[0016] In an embodiment alternative to the one above, the top and bottom layers can consist of
`ABS polymer blends and the central layer can consist of SAN or an ABS in which the
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`polybutadiene phase is present in a smaller concentration than in the top and bottom layers.
`
`[0017] In yet another embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer recited in this aspect of the
`invention may be replaced with a natural or synthetic rubber, such as styrene butadiene rubber
`(SBR), butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) or ethylene propylene rubber
`(EPDM).
`
`[0018] In a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle floor tray or mat according to the invention
`is made of three layers, wherein a top layer and a bottom layer have composition(s) distinct from
`the central layer, and wherein at least one of the shear strength per cross-sectional area, tensile
`strength per cross-sectional area and stiffness per cross-sectional area is greater than any one of
`the layers from which the tray or mat is composed. It has been found that a triextruded vehicle
`mat or floor tray according to the invention exhibits a tensile strength at yield, a tensile stress at
`break, a tensile modulus, a shear strength and a flexural modulus (stiffness) which are superior to
`either a polyolefin-dominated single extrusion or a thermoplastic elastomer-dominated single
`extrusion. The triextrusion tray demonstrates these enhanced physical properties while at the
`same time affording an enhanced coefficient of friction to the feet of the occupant and improved
`tactile properties. By presenting such a surface to the shoe of the driver or passenger, the footing
`of the driver or passenger will be more sure and comfortable.
`
`[0019] In a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle foot well tray is provided as a part of a
`system that has the vehicle foot well as its other main component. The tray has a greatly
`enhanced conformance to the surface of the vehicle foot well for which it is provided. At least
`two upstanding walls of the tray, both extending from the tray floor to a top margin, conform to
`respective surfaces of the vehicle foot well such that at least within that one-third of the area of
`the outer surface of these upstanding walls of the tray which is adjacent the top margin, 90% of
`that top third area departs by no more than about one-eighth of an inch from the foot well
`surfaces to which they mate. These upstanding tray surfaces may be opposed surfaces or adjacent
`surfaces, and preferably are both. In a preferred embodiment, the tray departs from a door sill
`surface of the vehicle foot well, and/or a sill curve of the vehicle foot well, by about 0.025
`inches. The upstanding sidewalls of the floor tray conform to the foot well surfaces which they
`cover, even where such foot well surfaces present both concave and convex surface elements.
`
`[0020] In a still further aspect of the invention, a top margin of a vehicle floor tray is
`substantially coplanar on at least two upstanding sidewalls thereof. Preferably, the top margin of
`the tray is substantially coplanar through three or even four continuous upstanding sidewalls.
`This eases the design of the floor tray, increases hoop strength and assures that all upstanding
`surfaces of the vehicle foot well will receive adequate protection from muddy footwear. In a
`particularly preferred embodiment, the plane of the top margin is forwardly and upwardly tilted
`relative to a horizontal floor. This provides enhanced protection to the vehicle foot well precisely
`in the place where muddy footwear are likely to be, near the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals
`or the firewall. In a preferred embodiment, the tray is at least five inches deep at its deepest part.
`
`[0021] In a further aspect of the invention, the above mentioned tight tolerances are made
`possible by a novel vehicle floor tray manufacturing method. In a first step according to the
`invention, points on a surface of the vehicle foot well are digitally measured with a coordinate
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`measuring machine (CMM). These points are stored in a computer memory. A foot well surface
`is generated which includes these points, preferably by connecting linear groups of the points
`together by using B-splines, and lofting between the B-splines to create areal portions of the foot
`well surface. Using this typically complex three-dimensional, predominately concave surface,
`which may have several concavely and convexly curved portions, a corresponding substantially
`convex outer floor tray surface is built up such that in many regions, the distance between the
`outer surface of the tray and the surface of the foot well is no more than about one eighth of an
`inch, insuring a snug fit.
`
`[0022] In one embodiment of the invention, a reservoir is incorporated into the tray floor as a
`collection and evaporation area for drip water from the feet and legs of the occupant.
`Combination baffles/treads are provided in the reservoir to impede lateral movement of the
`collected fluid. Longitudinal and transverse portions of these baffles are joined together.
`Channels are cut into another portion of the central area of the tray to direct fluid to the reservoir,
`such that the bottom of the channels is beneath a general tray floor surface but above the bottom
`of the reservoir. In a preferred driver's side embodiment, the channels are omitted from a portion
`of the floor tray upper surface to leave a blank space where the driver's heel will rest when
`operating the gas and brake pedals.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[0023] Further aspects of the invention and their advantages can be discerned in the following
`detailed description, in which like characters denote like parts and in which:
`
`[0024] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a vehicle floor tray according to the
`invention;
`
`[0025] FIG. 2 is a top view of the floor tray illustrated in FIG. 1;
`
`[0026] FIG. 3 is an isometric and transverse sectional view of the floor tray seen in FIGS. 1 and
`2, the section taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
`
`[0027] FIG. 4 is an isometric and longitudinal sectional view of the floor tray shown in FIGS. 1
`and 2, the section taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;
`
`[0028] FIG. 5 is a side view of the tray illustrated in FIG. 1, taken from the outer side;
`
`[0029] FIG. 6 is a highly magnified sectional view of a vehicle floor tray, showing triextruded
`layers;
`
`[0030] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram showing steps in a design and manufacturing process
`according to the invention; and
`
`[0031] FIG. 8 is an isometric and schematic view of a digitally acquired vehicle foot well floor
`surface from which the illustrated floor tray was made;
`
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`[0032] FIG. 9 is a partly transverse sectional, partly isometric view of both the floor tray
`illustrated in FIG. 2 and the vehicle foot well surface illustrated in FIG. 8, taken substantially
`along line 9-9 of FIG. 2 and substantially along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;
`
`[0033] FIG. 10 is a partly transverse sectional, partly isometric view of both the floor tray
`illustrated in FIG. 2 and the vehicle foot well surface illustrated in FIG. 8, taken substantially
`along line 10-10 of FIG. 2 and substantially along line 10-10 of FIG. 8;
`
`[0034] FIG. 11 is a detail of a firewall region of FIG. 10;
`
`[0035] FIG. 12 is a detail of a seat pedestal region of FIG. 10;
`
`[0036] FIG. 13 is a partly longitudinal sectional, partly isometric view of both the floor tray
`illustrated in FIG. 2 and the vehicle foot well surface illustrated in FIG. 8, taken substantially
`along line 13-13 of FIG. 2 and substantially along line 13-13 of FIG. 8; and
`
`[0037] FIG. 14 is a detail of a kick plate region of FIG. 13.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`[0038] An isometric view of one commercial embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. The illustrated
`vehicle floor tray indicated generally at 100 is preferably molded from a blank, in sheet form, of
`water-impervious thermoplastic polymer material having a uniform thickness, although the
`present invention could be fabricated from another process such as injection molding. The floor
`tray 100 is preferably formed of a triextruded thermoplastic material such that the properties of a
`central or core layer can be different than the properties of the external or jacket layers, and such
`that the triextrusion is tougher and stiffer per unit thickness than any of the layers from which it
`is made, as will be described in more detail below.
`
`[0039] The vehicle floor tray or cover 100 is meant to protect both the floor and at least the
`lower sides of a vehicle foot well, and thus takes on a much more three-dimensional shape than
`is typical of prior art floor mats. The floor tray 100 includes a floor or central panel 102, which
`in the illustrated embodiment includes a plurality of fore-to-aft or longitudinal parallel straight
`channels 104 that are disposed in a forward region 106 of the floor panel 102. Preferably these
`channels are about an eighth of an inch deep so that they will correctly channel runoff, and can
`be about one-quarter of an inch wide. In FIG. 1, forward is a direction to the upper left, while
`rearward is the direction to the lower right, and the terms are used in conformance with the
`orientation of the vehicle in which the tray is designed to be placed. As used herein,
`"longitudinal" means for-and-aft or along the axis of vehicle travel, while "transverse" means at a
`ninety degree angle to such an axis, or side-to-side.
`
`[0040] A rearward or back region 108 of the floor panel 102 is largely occupied by a reservoir
`110, whose bottom is made up by a substantially planar general surface 112. General surface 112
`is situated to be below a general surface 114 of the forward region 106. Preferably, the general
`bottom reservoir surface 112 is also below the bottommost points of the respective channels 104,
`as by about one-eighth of an inch, so that fluid in the channels 104 will empty into the reservoir
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`110.
`
`[0041] The channels 104 are designed to channel liquid runoff from the user's feet or footwear to
`the reservoir 110. In many vehicles, the portion of the vehicle floor (not shown in this Figure; see
`FIGS. 8-11) which underlies the forward region 106 slopes from front to rear, and thus the tray
`100, by simply conforming to the contour of the underlying vehicle floor portion, will channel
`fluid to the reservoir. For those vehicle designs in which the underlying vehicle floor is not
`pitched in this manner, the tray 100 can advantageously be designed to create this fluid flow, as
`by making the material thicker in portion 106 than in portion 108, or by giving the bottoms of
`channels 104 a front-to-rear slope.
`
`[0042] The channels 104 occupy most of the forward region 106, although in this and other
`commercial embodiments a space 116 on the forward right hand side has been left open to
`receive the foot of the driver that operates the accelerator and brake pedals. In the illustrated
`embodiment, this space or clear area 116 is a delimited by a 180 degree arc of a circle of about
`four inch radius (shown in dashed line). The clear area 116 is provided so that the relatively deep
`channels 104 do not catch the heel of the driver's shoe. In other embodiments, the clear area 116
`can take other shapes or positions, so long as the heels of almost all drivers, while operating the
`brake and accelerator pedals of the vehicle for which the particular tray is designed, will rest
`within its confines.
`
`[0043] The reservoir 110 has interspersed within it a plurality of tread surfaces or upstanding,
`hollow elongate baffles 118, which have two purposes. The first purpose is to elevate the shoe or
`foot of the occupant above any fluid which may have collected in the reservoir 110. The second
`purpose is to prevent this accumulated fluid from sloshing around. To this end, most of the tread
`surfaces/baffles 118 have both fore-to-aft or longitudinal portions 120 and side-to-side or
`transverse portions 122. This prevents large fluid movement in a forward or rearward direction,
`as would otherwise happen during acceleration or braking of the vehicle, and also large fluid
`movement side-to-side, as when the vehicle is turning. Preferably, each or at least most of the
`fore-to-aft portions 120 are joined to respective side-to-side portions. This further
`compartmentalizes and restricts the movement of collected fluid. Fluid in one portion of the
`reservoir 110 may make its way only slowly and through a complicated path to another distant
`portion of the reservoir 110, through channels 124 around the ends of the treads or baffles 118.
`The reservoir design thus creates a large surface area which promotes evaporation of the fluid,
`while at the same time restricts fluid movement prior to such evaporation.
`
`[0044] Disposed around the central or floor panel 102 are a series of upstanding side panels,
`which will vary in number and configuration from one vehicle model to the next. In the
`illustrated embodiment these upstanding panels include a back panel 130 that is disposed
`adjacent the bottom of a vehicle front seat, or a vehicle pedestal for receiving same; an inner side
`panel 132 that closely fits a transmission tunnel or "hump" in this vehicle; a forward panel 134
`that closely conforms to a vehicle firewall; and an outer side panel 136. In most embodiments,
`the outer side panel or kick plate panel 136 will only extend from its transition with panel 134 to
`a corner 138, at which point there begins a door sill curve 208 which transitions into a door sill
`panel 140. Unlike the other panels, the sill panel 140 is not generally upstanding but instead
`conforms to the sill of a vehicle door and lies in a substantially horizontal plane. In this way
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`occupant ingress and egress is not occluded. In many embodiments, including the illustrated
`embodiment, the sill panel 140 is at an elevation below that of the general surface 114 of the
`floor forward region 106 and even below the general surface (bottom) 112 of the reservoir 110.
`Very large amounts of fluid (in excess of the reservoir capacity) may therefore flow right out of
`the vehicle without having the opportunity to damage the vehicle interior. It should be noted that
`in these FIGUREs, the lines dividing the panels are conceptual only and do not appear in the
`final part. As will be described in further detail below, the tray 100 preferably is integrally
`molded as a one-piece construction.
`
`[0045] In one important aspect of the invention, the tray 100 is closely fitted to the vehicle foot
`well in which it is designed to be placed. Panels 130, 132, 134, 136 and 140 are all formed so as
`to as closely conform to the vehicle surfaces against which they are positioned, to an extent not
`found in prior art vehicle floor trays. In a preferred embodiment, at least throughout the top one-
`third of the areas of these panels that is adjacent a vehicle tray top margin 150, at least ninety
`percent of the points on the outer surface of the peripheral or side panels 130-136 are no more
`than about one-eighth of an inch from the corresponding points on the surfaces that they are
`formed to mate with. This close conformance occurs even where the underlying vehicular
`surface is complexly curved or angled. Certain portions of the vehicle foot well surface, such as
`kick plate transition plate 214, can have both convexly and concavely curved elements. The
`preferred tolerance of door sill curve 208 and sill plate 140 is even tighter, about 0.025 in.
`
`[0046] The close conformance of the tray side panels to respective surfaces of the vehicle foot
`well produces a protective tray which will not be horizontally displaced under lateral forces
`created by the occupant's feet, or by the motion of the vehicle. Opposing pairs of the peripheral
`panels "nest" or "cage" the tray 100, preventing its lateral movement. Thus, outer side panel or
`kick plate panel 136, which closely conforms to a vehicle side wall at that position, has as its
`counterpart a portion 142 of the inner side panel 132. Any tendency of the tray 100 to shift
`leftward is stopped by panel 136; any tendency of the tray 100 to shift rightward is stopped by
`panel portion 142. In a similar manner, the upstanding rearward and forward panels 130 and 134
`cooperate to "cage" any forward or rearward motion of the tray 100 within the vehicle foot well.
`
`[0047] The close conformance of the outer or lower surfaces of panels 130-136, 218, 140 to their
`respective mating surfaces of the vehicle foot well also increases the frictional force which will
`oppose any lateral movement. The result of this close conformance is to provide a floor tray
`which will not undesirably shift position, and which will provide a steady and sure rest to the feet
`of the occupants.
`
`[0048] In most commercial embodiments of the vehicle floor tray 100, the side panels 130-136,
`140 will not be formed to abruptly extend from the bottom panel 102, but rather will be joined to
`the bottom or central panel 102 through transitions. These transitions may be sloped or curved
`and will have a varying degree of gradualness. According to the invention, the transitions
`between the outer and bottom surfaces of the tray 100 conform wherever possible to underlying
`surfaces of the vehicle foot adjacent these transitions.
`
`[0049] In FIG. 2, for example, there is seen a large transition or subpanel 200 which extends
`from forward portion 106. A further subpanel 202 joins transitional subpanel 202 to the forward
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`sidewall 134. Inner or transmission tunnel sidewall 132 is joined to the pan 102 through a curved
`transitional fillet 204. The rear upstanding panel 130 is joined to the rear portion of bottom panel
`102 through a small transition 206. A transition or sill curve 208 between the outer sidewall 136
`and the sill panel 140 takes the form of a gradual curved surface.
`
`[0050] The present invention also employs (typically) curved transitions between adjacent side
`panels. For example, a curved transition 210 joins the back panel 130 to the inner side panel 132.
`A curved transition 212 joins the transmission tunnel or inner side panel 132 to the front or
`firewall panel 134. A transition 214, which in this embodiment takes the shape of an S-curve and
`conforms to a portion of vehicle wheel well, joins the front panel 134 to the outer side panel 136.
`The close conformance (preferably to a tolerance of about 1/8 in.) wherever possible to the
`transitions of the vehicle foot well surface by the outer surface of the tray 100 enhances a close
`fit.
`
`[0051] In the illustrated embodiment, the tray according to the invention has been made by
`placing a sheet of substantially uniformly thick triextruded thermoplastic material into a mold
`and heating the mold. When this process is used, discrete layers having different characteristics
`can persist into the final product, as will be described in more detail below. On the other hand, as
`using this manufacturing process it is difficult to provide the channels and reservoir structure
`according to one aspect of the invention while closely conforming the bottom surface 300 (FIGS.
`3 and 4) to a mating surface of the vehicle foot well. In this central area, and according to the
`preferred manufacturing process, a departure away from 1/8 in. tolerance must be made in order
`to obtain the above-described benefits of fluid flow and retention. But because the side panels
`130-136, 140 and their associated transitions continue to closely conform to most of the
`remaining vehicle foot well surfaces, the tray 100 continues to be locked in one place.
`
`[0052] FIGS. 10-14 superimpose a floor tray 100 on a surface 802 of a vehicle foot well for
`which the tray is designed according to the invention. In the part-isometric, part-longitudinal
`sectional view seen in FIG. 10, It can be seen that on the section taken there is a quite tight
`conformance of the lower surface 300 of the tray 100 to the modeled surface 802 of the vehicle
`foot well. As best seen in FIG. 11, the outer surface of the firewall sidewall 134 stays within one-
`eighth of an inch of the firewall surface 826 for at least three-quarters of the length of surface
`826 as measured from the top margin 150 of the tray. In areas 1000, 1002 and 1004 (FIG. 10),
`the modeled surface 802 of the vehicle foot well is actually above or to the interior to the tray
`100. This negative interference is tolerable and in some instances is even desirable because the
`surface 802 is that of a vehicle carpet, which can or even should be depressed upon the
`installation of the tray 100 into the vehicle foot well. Such a tight fit is particularly desirable, for
`example, in the region of the tray around the accelerator pedal.
`
`[0053] FIG. 12 is a detail of FIG. 10 in the area of the seat pedestal and a portion of the reservoir
`110. Once again, there is a very tight conformance of the outer surface of the back panel 130 to
`the modeled seat pedestal surface 828 throughout most of its length on this section, well within
`1/8 inch.
`
`[0054] FIG. 13 shows a side-to-side or transverse section taken in a relatively forward location,
`so as to cut through the kick plate tray and foot well surfaces 136, 830 on one side and the tray
`
`MacNeil Exhibit 2005
`Yita v. MacNeil IP, IPR2020-01138
`Page 9
`
`

`

`and foot well transmission tunnel surfaces 132, 810 on the other. As can be seen, tolerance to
`within 1/8 of an inch is maintained at least for the upper one-third of the surface area of these
`mating surfaces. Areas 1000, 1002 (partially represented in FIG. 13) and 1006 are areas of
`negative