US006027782A
`6,027,782
`(114) Patent Number:
`United States Patent 55
`Sherman
`[45] Date of Patent:
`*Feb. 22, 2000
`
`
`[54] AUXILIARY MOLDED FLOOR MATS
`
`[75]
`
`Inventor: Raymond O. Sherman,Fairfield, Ohio
`
`[73] Assignee: Nifty Products, Inc., Hamilton, Ohio
`
`[*] Notice:
`
`This patent is subject toa terminal dis-
`claimer.
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 09/169,433
`[22]
`Filed:
`Oct. 9, 1998
`Related U.S. Application Data
`[63] Continuation of application No. 08/818,713, Mar. 14, 1997,
`Pat. No. 5,891,546.
`Tint, C07 occcceseseeeeccccesssneeeseesssssnneneeeees B32B 3/02
`[SD]
`[52] U.S. Ch. oes 428/88; 428/95; 428/99;
`428/120; 428/192; 15/217; 296/97.23
`[58] Field of Search 0...eee 428/88, 95, 99,
`428/120, 192; 15/217; 296/97.23
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5/1983 Reuben ...ccccssecccsssssssssesessessnsneees 428/88
`7/1985 Peoples, Jr. et al.
`.
`
`4,382,986
`4,529,639
`
`
`
`.
`
`4/1986 Peoples, Jr. et al.
`4,579,764
`1/1988 Bailey .
`4,721,641
`5/1989 Bailey .
`4,828,898
`7/1991 Grace.
`5,034,258
`5,362,544 11/1994 Reuben .
`5,474,829
`12/1995 Woosley .
`5,891,546
`4/1999 Sherman bee eee eeeeee see eee sees ees eeseeeeees. 428/88
`Primary Examiner—Alexander Thomas
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Charles R. Wilson
`[57]
`ABSTRACT
`An auxiliary molded floor mat is producedto fit the carpeted
`floor compartment area of a van, pickup truck, sport utility
`vehicle or other vehicle having a floor whichis substantially
`flat and even with a doorsill. The floor matis @ one piece
`composite of a tufted carpet layer, a thermoplastic mid-layer
`and a non-slip substrate bottom layer. The floor mat hasa flat
`base with raised walls near each ofits outside edges which
`form a tray-like central area. At least one of the raised walls
`is double walled with a substantially horizontally extending
`floor engaging peripheral lip. Molding of the composite
`imparts a desired contoured shape which neatly fits the
`vehicle’s floor compartment area without substantial folds or
`wrinkles. The tray-like central area of the floor mat catches
`debris.It is readily cleaned simply by removingthe full mat
`from the vehicle.
`
`11 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
`
`EX1025
`Yita v. MacNeil
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`IPR2020-01139
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`EX1025
`Yita v. MacNeil
`IPR2020-01139
`
`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Feb. 22, 2000
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`Sheet 1 of 5
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`U.S. Patent
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`Feb. 22, 2000
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`Sheet 2 of 5
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`U.S. Patent
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`Feb. 22, 2000
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`Sheet 3 of 5
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`U.S. Patent
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`Feb. 22, 2000
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`Sheet 4 of 5
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sheet 5 of 5
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`Feb. 22, 2000
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`6,027,782
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`1
`AUXILIARY MOLDED FLOOR MATS
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`2
`SUMMARYOF INVENTION
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`6,027,782
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`This is a continuation of “Auxiliary Molded Floor Mats”,
`Ser. No. 08/818,713, filed Mar. 14, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No.
`5,891,546.
`
`FIELD OF INVENTION
`
`This invention relates to floor mats. Moreparticularly, the
`invention relates to auxiliary molded floor mats which are
`designed to overlie a carpeted floor area of a van, pickup
`truck, sport utility vehicle or other vehicle havinga flat floor
`surface substantially even with a doorsill.
`BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
`
`Carpeting is now extensively used in vehiclesofall types.
`Automobiles have long been built by the manufacturer with
`carpet. Other vehicles including vans, pickup trucks and
`sport utility vehicles typically now also come equipped with
`carpet in the driver and passengerareas as well as in a back
`cargo area. The carpeting is usually a high quality item
`designed to look and feel nice. The carpet must also be very
`durable, given its nature of use. The aesthetic and construc-
`tion requirements of vehicle carpet necessitates relatively
`expensive raw goodsin the original production of the carpet.
`Adding to the expensive nature of the carpet is the fact it
`must be installed in a small but very irregular shaped area.
`Automobiles typically have a power train center hump
`extending along the interior floor area. Additionally, a front
`foot area is almost always sloped wherea firewall is located.
`More abrupt direction changes occur at wheel well areas and
`side areas. Such irregular shapes are difficult to cover with
`a normally planar carpet material. Substantial cutting, piec-
`ing and sewing of the carpet has to be done, or in recent
`years, molding specially backed carpet to produce a carpet
`shaped to fit
`the surface it covers. Replacement of the
`original carpet is even more expensive due to the need to
`removeseats, etc.
`For the above reasons, purchasers of new automobiles
`quite often buy auxiliary floor mats to cover at least the
`carpeted front floor area. Floor mats to cover the carpeted
`back seat floor and cargo compartmentareas are also often
`purchased. The floor mat’s primary purposeis to protect the
`underlying carpeted floor. However, the floor mat itself must
`lookattractive. It is necessary that the floor mat neatly fit the
`surface area it covers. Folds, wrinkles and buckles in the
`mats are not tolerated. The floor surfaces of most automo-
`biles built in recent years are three dimensional and in the
`form of a floor well. As a result, it is a relatively easy task
`to form auxiliary floor mats to fit the surface areas without
`particular concern with folds, etc. and without undue con-
`cern with mat movement.
`
`Vans, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles are becom-
`ing increasingly popular with the general driving public.
`They are no longer being used just for light commercial
`usage. As a result,
`their floors are also being carpeted.
`However,the floors of such vehicles do not typically have a
`floor well. The floors, other than at the firewall or center
`hump areas, are more flat and substantially even with an
`exterior doorsill. Producing floor mats at a reasonable cost
`to neatly fit such a floor and capable of remaining in place,
`yet removable for cleaning purposes, has been difficult.
`There has now been developed an auxiliary floor mat for
`van, pickup truck and sport utility vehicle use which fills a
`great need. In accord with the need, the floor mats of this
`invention are contoured to neatly fit any floor compartment
`area and are produced at an acceptable cost.
`
`Molded floor mats are dimensionedto fit neatly into floor
`compartment areas of vans, pickup trucks, sport utility
`vehicles and vehicles with similarly configured floors. The
`floor mat hasa flat base and four raised walls which form a
`
`tray-like central area to catch debris. A raised wall which is
`adjacent a doorsill is double walled and has a substantially
`horizontally extending floor engaging peripheral lip. Other
`raised walls are either double walled with the floor engaging
`peripheral lip or are single wall with a peripheral lip which
`structurally blends with the vehicle’s interior contour. The
`mat is a composite of a tufted carpet top layer, a moldable
`thermoplastic mid-layer and a non-slip substrate bottom
`layer. The use of the thermoplastic mid-layer allows the
`composite to be molded to a desired contoured shape which
`is maintained. The floor matis contouredtofit the floor area
`without the formation of folds, wrinkles, buckles, etc.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is an environmental view showing an auxiliary
`floor mat of the invention in perspective.
`FIG. 2 is a top plan view ofthe auxiliary floor mat of FIG.
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`1.
`
`FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the auxiliary floor mat of
`FIG. 1.
`
`FIG. 4 isa side elevational view of the auxiliary floor mat
`of FIG. 1.
`
`FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the auxiliary floor mat of the
`invention taken along line 5—5 of FIG. 2.
`FIG. 6 is another sectional view of the auxiliary floor mat
`of the invention taken along line 6—6 of FIG. 2.
`FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a non-slip gripper plate
`found on the auxiliary floor mat of FIG. 1.
`FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view in section taken along line
`8—8 of FIG. 6 showing the non-slip gripping plate and its
`attachment to a bottom surface of the molded floor mat.
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`FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an auxiliary floor mat of
`the invention designed to fit onto a back seat carpeted floor
`of a vehicle.
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`FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an auxiliary floor mat of
`the invention designed to fit onto a cargo carpeted floor of
`a vehicle.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
`
`The auxiliary floor mats of this invention are intended for
`use in the carpeted floor compartmentareas of those vehicles
`having substantially flat floors which extend to the exterior
`at a doorsill. These vehicles primarily include vans, pickup
`trucks and sportutility vehicles. Different makes and models
`of such vehicles have different shaped floor compartment
`areas. However, all lack a floor well and instead have a
`substantially flat floor which lies in substantially the same
`plane as a doorsill.
`The invention herein is described with reference to the
`drawings wherein a particular shaped floor mat intended for
`one commercially available pickup truck model is shown.It
`should be understood that other floor mats having similar
`contoured areas designedfor use in other vehicles of the type
`envisioned in this invention are contemplated.
`With reference to FIG. 1 there is shown an auxiliary floor
`mat 10. The floor mat has a substantially flat base 11 and
`raised walls 12, 13, 14 and 15 near outside edgesofthe flat
`base 11. The four walls form a tray-like central area 16 in the
`floor mat. The floor mat 10 has two peripheral lips near the
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`6,027,782
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`3
`raised walls 12 and 13 whichare substantially flat and on the
`sameplaneas the flat base, while as further discussed below
`with reference to FIG. 9, some floor mats of the invention
`have all four peripheral lips near raised walls which are
`substantially flat.
`The shape of the depicted floor mat 10 fits the profile of
`the driver’s side of the pickup truck. As typical with current
`pickup trucks and as best seen in FIG. 1, the underlying
`carpeted floor surface is substantially flat and substantially
`even with the doorsill. That is, there is no floor well as is
`typical with current automobiles. As a result, the auxiliary
`moldedfloor matof the invention also has a substantially flat
`underside and at
`least one peripheral
`lip which makes
`contact with the substantially flat carpeted floor.
`With reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, the first raised wall 12
`of the floor mat 10 is substantially vertical. It is double
`walled with an inside wall 17 which extends substantially
`vertically from the flat base 11 up to about three inches,
`preferably about one inch to about two inches, a substan-
`tially horizontal top wall 18, and an outside wall 19 which
`extends substantially vertically down to the approximate
`same plane as the flat base 11. A floor engaging peripheral
`lip 20 extends substantially horizontally from the outside
`wall 19. Similarly, and with reference to FIG. 5, the second
`wall 13 which extends at an aboutright angle to thefirst wall
`12 is also double walled with a substantially horizontally
`extending floor engaging peripheral lip 21. The peripheral
`lips 20 and 21 lie in substantially the same planeas the flat
`base 11 of the floor mat.
`The third wall 14 of the floor mat 10 extends at an about
`
`right angle from the second wall 13 and runs in the same
`direction as the first wall. The third wall 14 of the floor mat
`
`10 is intended to lie along the center hump of the pickup
`truck. Accordingly, as seen in FIG. 6,
`the third wall 14
`extends vertically upwardly with a substantially horizontally
`extending peripheral lip 22. The lip 22 abuts against the
`center humpofthe truck andis intendedto structurally blend
`with it to present a smooth line of contact.
`Extending at another about right angle from the third wall
`14 of the floor mat 10 back towardsthe first wall 12 is the
`fourth wall 15. The fourth wall 15 slopes upwardly and away
`from the substantially flat base 11. It is angled to fit flush
`with the firewall of the pickup truck. As best seen in FIG. 5,
`a peripheral lip 23 extends substantially horizontally from
`the fourth wall to engage a surface ofthe firewall in a smooth
`continuousline.
`
`As should be evident, the molded floor mat 10 conforms
`to the driver side front floor area of the pickup truck by
`abutting against the center hump and being flush with the
`firewall and by sitting flat at the door sill and the seat area
`opposite the firewall. The profile of the raised wall adjacent
`the doorsill is low and as a result does notinterfere with the
`
`driver getting into or out of the pickup truck.
`The auxiliary floor mat 10 is a composite of one piece
`construction. Thatis, it is unitary in structure, there being no
`seams, overlapping edges or anything of this sort. As seen
`best in FIG. 8, the floor mat has twodistinct layers. A tufted
`carpet 30 represents the top layer. The carpet 30 includes a
`backing 31 and pile yarns 32 which are secured to the
`backing and extend therefrom to form a pile surface on the
`carpet’s top surface. The backing 31 is a woven or non-
`wovenfibrous material. The pile yarns 32 can be made from
`natural or synthetic materials. Typically they are made from
`a synthetic material because such materials are more durable
`and clean better. Polyester, polypropylene, and nylon are
`examples of widely used pile yarn materials. The yarns are
`usually secured to the backing by a binder composition.
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`A thermoplastic material 33 represents the second layer
`and covers the underside of the carpet 30. The thermoplastic
`plastic provides a tough, elastic and non-tacky backing.
`Primarily, it imparts stiffness and moldability to the carpet so
`that the carpet can be molded to a desired deeply contoured
`shape and such shape be retained. Examples of suitable
`thermoplastics include polymers of ethylene and propylene,
`copolymers of ethylene with ethylenically unsaturated
`monomers, e.g. ethylenevinyl acetate, acrylates, polyvinyl
`chlorides and styrene-butadiene polymers. Preferably, as
`explained below, the thermoplastic material is capable of
`being softened at a temperature of from about 300 degrees
`F to about 500 degrees F to become readily moldable. The
`backing is applied to the carpet in any manner, e.g. by
`dispersion coating, extrusion coating, calendaring and lami-
`nation. Thermoplastic backed carpets of the nature described
`are commercially available in a range of colors and weights.
`The auxiliary floor mat of the invention has a non-slip
`substrate to help retain it in position on the carpeted floor
`surface during use. The non-slip substrate is any material
`which has the capability of physically interacting with the
`vehicle’s carpeted floor surface to create a sufficient resis-
`tance to lateral forces. At the same time, the interaction of
`the non-slip substrate with the vehicle’s floor is not so strong
`that the mat cannot be periodically removed and cleaned or
`discarded. A foam material is one example of a suitable
`non-slip substrate. Synthetic foam sheets of a closed-cell or
`open-cell nature are capable of being adhered to the mid-
`layer thermoplastic material and presenting an outer surface
`which has sufficient irregularities as to not slip. Preferably
`for cost and production reasons, the non-slip substrate is an
`open-cell polyester or polyether foam. An adhesive can be
`used to hold the non-slip substrate permanently to the
`thermoplastic layer. Normally though, softening of the ther-
`moplastic material during a molding step is sufficient to
`present a tacky surface to which the foam adheres.
`Other non-slip substrates can be used. For example, a
`flexible plastic layer with protrusions uniformly spaced over
`its bottom surface provides an excellent non-slip surface.
`The protrusions interact with the carpeted floor of the
`vehicle to prevent substantial lateral movement. However,
`the floor mat can be readily removed by simplylifting it in
`a vertical direction.
`
`In accord with a preferred embodimentof this invention,
`the non-slip substrate is a discreet gripping plate perma-
`nently attached to the underside of the carpet’s thermoplastic
`material component. The gripping plate is described in detail
`in USS. Pat. No. 5,034,258, column 2, line 57 to column 4,
`line 27, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
`reference.
`
`With reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the gripping plate 35
`is a thin plate of a polymeric material having sets of
`vertically extending protrusions on each side. One set of
`protrusions 36 is used to permanently hold the gripping plate
`to the carpet component while the secondset of protrusions
`37 is used to hold the floor mat in position when placed on
`a carpeted floor. The size of the gripping plate is notcritical.
`It can have a length and width sufficient to substantially
`cover the carpet component’s underside. Maximum holding
`power would be attained in this instance, though is more
`than is needed under normal use circumstances.
`
`Preferably, small carpet floor mats such as the mat 10 of
`FIG. 1 use a single gripping plate 35 ranging in size from
`aboutfive inches to about ten inches in length and width and
`centrally placed near a back edge. Floor mats such as used
`on a back seat floor compartment or a cargo floor compart-
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`6,027,782
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`5
`ment will use a series of similarly shaped and dimensioned
`gripping plates placed strategically in the corners and/or
`along the edges of the mat’s underside.
`Thefirst set of vertically extending protrusions 36 on the
`gripping plate 35 covers one surface. They are preferably
`uniformly spaced over the surface. After the gripping plate
`is positioned on the carpet component, a force is applied by
`a hydraulic press with force platens. As best seen in FIG. 8,
`the protrusions 36 are distorted at their tips 38 in a random
`fashion. Someof the protrusions are bent in essentially right
`angles to the base portionsof the protrusions while other tips
`are “mushroomed”. The random distortions of the tips are
`responsible for the permanent attachment of the gripping
`plate to the carpet component. The protrusion tips interlock
`with the component’s fabric backing so that vertical as well
`as lateral forces in any direction will be resisted by several
`protrusion tips which are bent in the same direction as the
`force and thus are locked against a part of the fabric backing.
`The second set of vertically extending protrusions 37
`cover the opposite side of the gripping plate 35. They too,
`are preferably uniformly spaced over the surface. These
`protrusions are used to interact with the underlying carpet
`floor to prevent shifting of the mat when placed thereon.
`Optionally, a heel pad is permanently positioned on the
`auxiliary molded floor mat to be used on the driver’s side.
`A finished edging such as serging or stitched binding can
`also be provided for appearance purposes. Again, with
`reference to FIG. 1, a heel pad 39 is dimensioned and
`secured to the top surface of the carpet to cover an area
`where the driver’s heel makes repeated contact while driv-
`ing.
`The auxiliary molded floor mats of the invention are also
`useful in the back seat carpeted floor area and, when present,
`the carpeted floor cargo area of the van, pickup truck or sport
`utility vehicle. As seen in FIG. 9, the floor mat 40 has a
`profile to fit into the back floor area and over the center
`hump. A substantially flat base 41 has raised walls 42, 43, 44
`and 45 near outside edges of the floor mat and extending
`substantially vertically from the flat base 41. Each raised
`wall is double walled similar in construction to the double
`walls 12 and 13 described above with reference to the floor
`mat of FIGS. 1-6. Further, each of the raised walls has a
`substantially horizontally extending floor engaging periph-
`eral lip 46-49.
`As seen in FIG. 10, an auxiliary molded floor mat 50 has
`a profile to fit onto a carpeted floor of a cargo area. It has a
`flat base 51 and raised walls 52, 53, 54 and 55. The raised
`wall 53 adjacent a back doorsill and the opposed raised wall
`55 are double walled and each has a substantially horizon-
`tally extending floor engaging peripheral lip 57 and 59. The
`raised walls 53 and 55 and their peripheral lips 57 and 59 are
`similar in construction to those of the floor mat 10 described
`
`above. The raised walls 52 and 54 are single walls, each with
`a peripheral
`lip 56 and 58, respectively, which extends
`substantially horizontally to structurally blend into side
`walls of the vehicle’s cargo area.
`It should be understood the auxiliary floor mats of the
`invention all have at least one raised wall which is double
`
`walled with a substantially horizontally extending floor
`engaging peripheral lip. The raised wall which is double
`walled is always adjacent an exterior doorsill in use. The
`other raised walls of the floor matare either single wall with
`a peripheral lip whichstructurally blends into a center hump,
`firewall, seat structure, or side wall or are double walled with
`the floor engaging peripheral lip. The mats of the invention
`are custom made to conform with a particular vehicle’s
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`interior carpeted area. The use of the double wall or single
`wall construction is dictated by the intended vehicle’s inte-
`rior lay-out. In all instances, raised walls are present to
`create the tray-like central area.
`The auxiliary floor mats of the invention are produced by
`a molding operation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,963 describes one
`very efficient carpet molding process,
`though other pro-
`cesses are usable. Male and female moldsare initially made
`with profiles which match those of the portion of floor
`compartment area to be covered. Generally, a fiberglass
`reinforced resinous material is used to produce the mold,
`though other molds made of cast metal, e.g. aluminum can
`as well be used. A blank of the thermoplastic backed carpet
`and, in certain embodiments, a sheet of the non-slip material
`are cut to a size which is sufficient to result in a complete
`molded floor mat, yet with as little excess as possible.
`Obviously, any excess carpet and non-slip material must
`ultimately be trimmed off the molded floor mat and dis-
`carded as waste.
`
`The carpet blank is positioned in a heat zone to heat its
`thermoplastic backing. A convection oven can be used,
`though this phase of the molding operation is more practi-
`cally done using a bank of heaters which directs its heat to
`the thermoplastic backing. For example, quartz heaters are
`able to quickly heat the plastic to the required softening
`point without adversely affecting the yarn piles. The amount
`of heat and dwell time in the heat zone will depend on the
`particular plastic backing and its thickness. Normally, suf-
`ficient heat is applied until a 300 degrees F to 500 degrees
`F surface temperature is reached.
`The heated carpet blank is then promptly transported to
`the aforementioned molds. The heated blank can be manu-
`ally transported to the molds and manually suspendedther-
`ebetween. A moreefficient process results when the heated
`carpet blank is suspended in an open rack by clamp means.
`The rack is used for moving and holding the heated blank.
`The heated carpet blank and non-slip substrate are sus-
`pended between the molds and together molded to the shape
`of the molds whenthey are closed under pneumatic pressure.
`The molds are held together to impart the desired configu-
`ration to the composite. The molds are allowed to cool either
`by loss of heat to the surroundingsor circulation of a coolant
`in the molds. The cooling has the effect of allowing the
`thermoplastic backing to reharden in the molds. Eventually,
`the molds are opened and the molded floor mat removed.
`Excess material is trimmed from the floor mat’s edges either
`while still in the molds or after removed.
`
`The resultant molded floor mat is a dimensionally stable
`article having a desired contoured shape. As should be
`evident, the floor mat is a one piece construction. No seams,
`overlap areas, etc. appear in the article. Most importantly a
`high quality floor mat is efficiently produced. The floor mat
`fits onto the carpeted floor compartment areas of the van,
`pickup truck or sport utility vehicle with no substantial folds
`or wrinkles.
`
`In use, the auxiliary molded floor matis simply positioned
`on the carpeted floor to be protected. When the preferred
`floor mat is used, a slight downwardpressure is exerted to
`cause the protrusions on the underside of the gripping plate
`to interact with the carpeted floor. The floor mat will remain
`in place under normal use. The gripping plate remains
`permanently attached to the carpet component due to the
`first set of vertically extending protrusions and remains in
`place on the carpeted floor due to the secondsetof vertically
`extending protrusions. The tray-like central area of the mat
`catches debris and holds it within its confines. Most
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`6,027,782
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`7
`importantly, the debris remainsin the tray-like central area,
`including whenthe floor mat is removed from the vehicle for
`cleaning purposes. In due course, the floor mat is readily
`removed from the vehicle simply bylifting it vertically from
`the carpeted floor. Once cleaned, the mat is reinstalled.
`Having described the invention in its preferred
`embodiment, it should be clear that modifications can be
`made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is
`not intended that the words used to describe the invention
`nor the drawings illustrating the same be limiting on the
`invention.It is intended that the invention only be limited by
`the scope of the appended claims.
`I claim:
`
`1. A molded floor mat for positioning in a carpeted floor
`compartmentarea of a vehicle to catch debris,said floor mat
`being contoured to neatly conform to the carpeted floor
`compartment area, further said floor mat having a flat base
`with a first raised wall, a second raised wall, a third raised
`wall and a fourth raised wall near edges of the flat base to
`form a tray-like central area and wherein at least one raised
`wall is double walled with an inside wall which extends
`substantially vertically upwardly from the flat base, a top
`wall which extends substantially horizontally from the
`inside wall and an outside wall which extends substantially
`vertically downwardly from the top wall, said inside and
`outside walls each being from about one inch to about two
`inches in height and further a substantially horizontally
`extending peripheral lip which extends from a lowertermi-
`nus of the outside wall for sitting substantially flat on the
`carpeted floor compartmentarea, each ofsaid first, second,
`third and fourth raised walls being at about right angles to
`one another thereby forming the tray-like central area and
`further wherein the peripheral lip of the at least one raised
`wall has a finished edging and each of the other raised walls
`has a peripheral lip with a finished edging.
`2. The molded floor mat of claim 1 wherein the floor mat
`
`is a one piece composite of a tufted carpet top layer having
`a backing and pile yarns secured thereto with an underlying
`moldable thermoplastic layer.
`3. The molded floor mat of claim 2 further having a
`non-slip substrate bottom layer at least partially covering the
`thermoplastic layer.
`4. The molded floor mat of claim 1 wherein the finished
`
`edging is serging.
`
`8
`5. The molded floor mat of claim 1 wherein the finished
`
`edging is stitched binding.
`6. A molded floor mat for positioning in a front seat
`carpeted floor compartmentarea of a vehicle to catch debris
`and for temporary removal from the vehicle to extract the
`debris, said floor mat having a tray-like central area and
`being contoured to neatly conform to the carpeted floor
`compartment area, further said floor mat having a flat base
`with a first raised wall which is double walled with a
`
`substantially horizontally extending floor engaging periph-
`eral lip, a second raised wall which is double walled with a
`substantially horizontally extending floor engaging periph-
`eral lip, a third raised wall which has a substantially hori-
`zontally extending peripheral
`lip for abutting against a
`center hump of the vehicle and a fourth raised wall which
`slopes upwardly from the flat base and has a peripheral lip
`for engaging a firewall of the vehicle, each of said first,
`second, third and fourth raised walls being at about right
`angles to one another thereby forming the tray-like central
`area and each peripheral lip of the first, second, third and
`fourth raised walls having a finished edging.
`7. The molded floor mat of claim 6 wherein the first raised
`
`wall comprises an inside wall which extends substantially
`vertically upwardly from the flat base, a top wall which
`extends substantially horizontally from the inside wall and
`an outside wall which extends substantially vertically down-
`wardly from the top wall and the peripheral lip extends from
`the outside wall.
`8. The molded floor mat of claim 6 being a one piece
`composite of a tufted carpet top layer having a backing and
`pile yarns secured thereto with an underlying moldable
`thermoplastic layer covering the tufted carpet
`top layer
`backing to maintain the molded floor mat in a contoured
`shape.
`9. The molded floor mat of claim 8 further having a
`non-slip substrate bottom layer at least partially covering the
`thermoplastic layer.
`10. The molded floor mat of claim 6 wherein the finished
`
`edging is serging.
`11. The molded floor mat of claim 6 wherein the finished
`edging is stitched binding.
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`10
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`15
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`20
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`25
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`30
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`35
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`40
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