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`APPLICATION FOR UNITED STATES PATENT
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`INVENTOR:
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`DAVID F. MACNEIL
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`SCOTT A. VARGO
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`ASSIGNEE:
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`MACNEIL IP LLC
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`TITLE:
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`DESIGNING AND
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`MANUFACTURING
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`VEHICLE FLOOR
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`TRAYSTRAY
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`MOMKUS MCCLUSKEY, LLC
`1001 Warrenville Road, Suite 500
`Lisle, IL 60532
`Attorneys
`Telephone: (630) 434-0400
`Facsimile: (630) 434-0444 www.momlaw.com
`
`EX1027
`Yita v. MacNeil
`IPR2020-01139
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`Attorney Docket No. 31700.000322
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`Attorney Docket No. 31700.000254
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`DESIGNING AND MANUFACTURING VEHICLE FLOOR
`TRAYS
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`RELATED APPLICATIONS
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`[0001] This application is a continuation of copending United States Nonprovisional
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`Application No. 12/879,899 filed on September 10, 2010, which is in tum a continuation of
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`United States Nonprovisional Application No. 11/463,203 filed on August 8, 2006, now
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`abandoned, which is in tum a division of United States Nonprovisional Application No.
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`10/976,441 filed on October 29, 2004, now United States Patent No. 7,316,847. The
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`disclosures and drawings of those applications are fully incorporated by reference herein.
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`[0002] Motor vehicles are almost always operated in the out of doors and are frequently
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`parked there. It is therefore very common for their occupants to have wet or muddy feet - if
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`the occupants have not just finished an outdoor activity, at least they have had to walk across
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`a possibly wet, snowy or muddy surface to access their vehicles. For decades, therefore,
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`vehicle owners have been attempting to protect the enclosed interiors of their vehicles (cars,
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`trucks, SUVs) from what they themselves track into them. The conventional solution to this
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`has been to provide a vehicle floor mat which may be periodically removed by the owner
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`and cleaned.
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`[0003] Human beings have a tendency to move their feet around, and foot motion is an
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`absolute requirement in operating most vehicles. This has caused a problem, in that the
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`occupants of a vehicle have a tendency to push around the floor mats with their feet. The
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`floor mats end up not being centered on the area protected, or pushed up so as to occlude the
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`gas, brake or clutch pedals, or bunched up or folded over - all undesirable conditions. One
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`objective of floor mat manufacturers has therefore been to provide a floor mat that will stay
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`put and which will not adversely affect vehicle operation.
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`[0004] The foot wells of cars, trucks and SUVs vary in size in shape from one model of
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`vehicle to the next. Floor mat manufacturers have noticed that floor mats which at least
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`approximately conform to the shape of the bottom surface of the foot well stay in place
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`better and offer more protection. It is also common for such floor mats, where provided for
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`front seat foot wells, to have portions which are meant to lie against the firewalls or front
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`surfaces of the foot wells. Even as so extended it is not too hard to provide a floor mat of
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`flexible material that will approximately conform to these two surfaces, as the designer only
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`has to mark a two(cid:173) dimensional periphery of the mat in providing one which will fit
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`reasonably well.
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`[0005] More recently, vehicle floor trays have come onto the market. Most front-seat
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`vehicle foot wells are actually three-dimensional concave shapes, typically with complex
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`curved surfaces. Floor trays have sidewalls that offer enhanced protection to the surfaces
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`surrounding the vehicle floor, as might be needed against wearers with very muddy or
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`snowy shoes. Conventional vehicle floor trays try to fit into these three-dimensional cavities,
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`but so far their fit to the surfaces that they are supposed to protect has been less than
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`optimum. A conventional vehicle floor tray is typically molded of a single-ply rubber or
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`plastic material, exhibits enough stiffness to retain a three-dimensional shape, but is also at
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`least somewhat flexible. Fitting such a tray to the complex three-dimensional surface of a
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`vehicle foot well has proven to be difficult, and the products currently in the marketplace
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`have limited consumer acceptance because of their loose fit inside the foot well. There is
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`often, and in many places, a considerable space between the exterior wall of these
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`Attorney Docket No. 31700.000322
`conventional trays and the interior surface of the foot well. This causes the wall to noticeably
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`deform when the occupant's foot contacts it. Vehicle owners have a tendency to dislike floor
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`trays which rattle, deform, shift and flop about. A need therefore persists for a floor tray that
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`will have a more exact fit to the vehicle foot well for which it is provided, that stays in place
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`once it is installed, and that provides a more solid and certain feel to the occupants' feet.
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`[0006] Some vehicle floor mats that are now on the market have fluid reservoirs built into
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`them. Particularly in cold or wet climates, dirty water has a tendency to be shed onto the
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`floor mat, where it persists until it evaporates. If there is enough of it, it will leak off of the
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`floor mat and stain the carpeting of the foot well that the mat was meant to protect. These
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`reservoirs typically are recessed areas in the mats that provide the mats with an enhanced
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`ability to retain snow-melt and the like, until the water evaporates or can be disposed of by
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`the vehicle owner or user. One advanced design places treads in the middle of the reservoir,
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`such that the feet of the occupant are held above any fluid that the reservoir collects. But
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`including such a reservoir within a floor tray that otherwise has an acceptable fit to the
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`surface of a vehicle foot well has not yet been done, since there are problems in
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`incorporating a three-dimensional liquid-holding vessel into a product that ideally conforms,
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`on its lower surface, to the surface of the foot well. Further, a reservoir which collects drip
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`water from a large surface, such as a vehicle floor tray, will exhibit more problems in
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`keeping the collected fluid from sloshing about in a moving vehicle.
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`[0007] Conventional vehicle floor mats and trays are molded from a single rubber or plastic
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`material. The selection of this material is controlled by its cost, its resistance to shear forces,
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`its tensile strength, its abrasion resistance, its ability to conform to the surface of the vehicle
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`foot well, its sound-deadening properties and how slippery or nonslippery it is relative to the
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`occupants' feet, with nonslipperiness (having a relatively high coefficient of friction) being
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`advantageous. Often the designer must make tradeoffs among these different design
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`constraints in specifying the material from which the tray or mat is to be made.
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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`[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle floor cover, mat
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`or tray which is removably installable by a consumer and which is formed of at least three
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`layers that are bonded together, preferably by coextrusion. The three layers include a central
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`layer whose composition is distinct from a bottom layer and a top layer. Preferably, all three
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`layers are formed of thermoplastic polymer materials. In another aspect of the invention, the
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`top layer exhibits a kinetic coefficient of friction with respect to a sample meant to emulate a
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`typical shoe outsole (neoprene rubber, Shore A Durometer 60) of at least about 0.82.
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`[0009] Preferably, a major portion of the central layer is a polyolefin. More preferably, the
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`polyolefin is either a polypropylene or a polyethylene. Most preferably, the polyolefin is
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`high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE) as herein defined. In an alternative
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`embodiment, the central layer can be a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) or an
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`acrylonitrile-butadiene(cid:173) styrene (ABS) polymer blend.
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`[0010] Preferably, a major portion of the top layer is a thermoplastic elastomer, such as one
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`of the proprietary compositions sold under the trademarks SANTOPRENE®, GEOLAST®
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`and VYRAM®. VYRAM® is particularly preferred. In another embodiment, a major
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`portion of the top layer can be an ABS polymer blend. Where ABS is used in both the top
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`and central layers, it is preferred that the amount of the polybutadiene phase in the top layer
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`be greater than the amount of this phase in the central layer.
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`[0011] It is further preferred that a major portion of the bottom layer likewise be a
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`thermoplastic elastomer, and conveniently it can be, but does not have to be, of the same
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`composition as the major portion of the top layer.
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`[0012] Preferably one or more of the layers is actually a polymer blend, in which a minor
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`portion is preselected for its coextrusion compatibility with the adjacent layer(s). Thus, a
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`minor portion of the top and bottom layers can consist of a polyolefin, while a minor portion
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`of the central layer can consist of a thermoplastic elastomer. In each case, it is preferred that
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`the minor portion be no more than about one part in four by weight of each layer, or a
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`weight ratio of 1:3. Where all three layers are preselected to be ABS blends, the amount of
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`polybutadiene preferably is decreased in the central layer relative to the top and bottom
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`layers.
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`[0013] While the preferred embodiment of the vehicle floor cover consists of three integral
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`layers, any one of the recited layers can in fact be made up of two or more sublayers, such
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`that the total number of sublayers in the resultant mat or tray can exceed three.
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`[0014] In another embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer constituent of the top, central
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`and/or bottom layers described above can be replaced with a natural or synthetic rubber,
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`including styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)
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`or ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM).
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`[0015] According to a related aspect of the invention, a vehicle floor cover is provided that
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`has three layers bonded together, preferably by coextrusion. Major portions of the top and
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`bottom layer consist of thermoplastic elastomer(s). The top and bottom layers have
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`compositions distinct from the central layer, which can be chosen for its relatively low
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`expense. It is preferred that a major portion of the central layer be a polyolefin and that
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`major portions of the top and bottom layers be one or more thermoplastic elastomers. The
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`polyolefin may be selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and polyethylene,
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`and preferably is a high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE). The thermoplastic
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`elastomer can, for example, be SANTOPRENE®, GEOLAST® or VYRAM®, with
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`VYRAM® being particularly preferred. It is also preferred that each of the layers be a
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`polymer blend, with a minor portion of each layer being chosen for its coextrusion
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`compatibility with adjacent layers. For example, the top and bottom layers can consist of a
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`3:1 weight ratio of VYRAM®/HMPE, and the central layer of a 3:1 weight ratio of
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`HMPENYRAM®.
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`[0016] In an embodiment alternative to the one above, the top and bottom layers can consist
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`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.
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`[0017] In yet another embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer recited in this aspect of the
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`invention may be replaced with a natural or synthetic rubber, such as styrene butadiene
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`rubber (SBR), butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) or ethylene propylene
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`rubber (EPDM).
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`[0018] In a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle floor tray or mat according to the
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`invention is made of three layers, wherein a top layer and a bottom layer have
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`composition(s) distinct from the central layer, and wherein at least one of the shear strength
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`per cross-sectional area, tensile strength per cross-sectional area and stiffness per cross-
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`sectional area is greater than any one of the layers from which the tray or mat is composed.
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`It has been found that a triextruded vehicle mat or floor tray according to the invention
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`exhibits a tensile strength at yield, a tensile stress at break, a tensile modulus, a shear
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`strength and a flexural modulus (stiffness) which are superior to either a polyolefin-
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`dominated single extrusion or a thermoplastic elastomer-dominated single extrusion. The
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`triextrusion tray demonstrates these enhanced physical properties while at the same time
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`affording an enhanced coefficient of friction to the feet of the occupant and improved tactile
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`properties. By presenting such a surface to the shoe of the driver or passenger, the footing of
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`the driver or passenger will be more sure and comfortable.
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`[0019] In a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle foot well tray is provided as a part of a
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`system that has the vehicle foot well as its other main component. The tray has a greatly
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`enhanced conformance to the surface of the vehicle foot well for which it is provided. At
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`least two upstanding walls of the tray, both extending from the tray floor to a top margin,
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`conform to respective surfaces of the vehicle foot well such that at least within that one-third
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`of the area of the outer surface of these upstanding walls of the tray which is adjacent the top
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`margin, 90% of that top third area departs by no more than about one-eighth of an inch from
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`the foot well surfaces to which they mate. These upstanding tray surfaces may be opposed
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`surfaces or adjacent surfaces, and preferably are both. In a preferred embodiment, the tray
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`departs from a door sill surface of the vehicle foot well, and/or a sill curve of the vehicle
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`foot well, by about 0.025 inches. The upstanding sidewalls of the floor tray conform to the
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`foot well surfaces which they cover, even where such foot well surfaces present both
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`concave and convex surface elements.
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`[0020] In a still further aspect of the invention, a top margm of a vehicle floor tray is
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`substantially coplanar on at least two upstanding sidewalls thereof. Preferably, the top
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`margin of the tray is substantially coplanar through three or even four continuous upstanding
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`sidewalls. This eases the design of the floor tray, increases hoop strength and assures that all
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`upstanding surfaces of the vehicle foot well will receive adequate protection from muddy
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`footwear. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the plane of the top margin is forwardly
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`and upwardly tilted relative to a horizontal floor. This provides enhanced protection to the
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`vehicle foot well precisely in the place where muddy footwear are likely to be, near the
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`accelerator, brake and clutch pedals or the firewall. In a preferred embodiment, the tray is at
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`least five inches deep at its deepest part.
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`[0021] In a further aspect of the invention, the above mentioned tight tolerances are made
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`possible by a novel vehicle floor tray manufacturing method. In a first step according to the
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`invention, points on a surface of the vehicle foot well are digitally measured with a
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`coordinate measuring machine (CMM). These points are stored in a computer memory. A
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`foot well surface is generated which includes these points, preferably by connecting linear
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`groups of the points together by using B-splines, and lofting between the B-splines to create
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`areal portions of the foot well surface. Using this typically complex three-dimensional,
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`predominately concave surface, which may have several concavely and convexly curved
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`portions, a corresponding substantially convex outer floor tray surface is built up such that
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`in many regions, the distance between the outer surface of the tray and the surface of the
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`foot well is no more than about one eighth of an inch, insuring a snug fit.
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`[0022] In one embodiment of the invention, a reservoir is incorporated into the tray floor as
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`a collection and evaporation area for drip water from the feet and legs of the occupant.
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`Combination baffles/treads are provided in the reservoir to impede lateral movement of the
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`collected fluid. Longitudinal and transverse portions of these baffles are joined together.
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`Channels are cut into another portion of the central area of the tray to direct fluid to the
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`reservoir, such that the bottom of the channels is beneath a general tray floor surface but
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`above the bottom of the reservoir. In a preferred driver's side embodiment, the channels are
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`omitted from a portion of the floor tray upper surface to leave a blank space where the
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`driver's heel will rest when operating the gas and brake pedals.
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`[0023] In a further aspect, a vehicle floor tray has a central panel for placement on the floor
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`of a vehicle foot well, and at least first and second upstanding panels, joined to respective
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`longitudinal and transverse margins of the central panel, for substantial conformance to side
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`walls of the vehicle foot well. The tray is thermoformed from a sheet of polymer material
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`having substantially uniform thickness, and this means that the components of the tray after
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`thermoforming will have a substantially uniform thickness. A reservoir is formed in the
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`central panel for collection of snow melt and other fluid. Multiple treads/baffles are disposed
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`in the reservoir. The treads/baffles each have at least two opposed ends and are elongate.
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`Each tread/baffle is hollow and has a width, in any horizontal direction, which is more than
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`twice its thickness as measured from the top surface thereof to the nearest point on the
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`bottom surface thereof. The treads/baffles are adapted to elevate the foot or shoe of the
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`occupant out of the fluid collected by the reservoir. At the same time they are adapted to
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`impede lateral movement of the collected fluid within the reservoir, as might occur when the
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`vehicle turns, accelerates or brakes. The fluid is forced around ends of the treads/baffles in
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`order to reach any remote portion of the reservoir. Since any portion of the reservoir is
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`connected to any other portion of it, a large surface area of the reservoir is available for the
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`collected fluid to spread out and evaporate.
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`[00230024] Further aspects of the invention and their advantages can be discerned in the
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`following detailed description, in which like characters denote like parts and in which:
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`[00240025] FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a vehicle floor tray
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`according to the invention;
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`[00250026] FIGURE 2 is a top view of the floor tray illustrated in FIGURE 1;
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`[00260027] FIGURE 3 is an isometric and transverse sectional view of the floor tray seen
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`m FIGURES 1 and 2, the section taken substantially along line 3 -3 of FIGURE 2;
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`[00270028] FIGURE 4 is an isometric and longitudinal sectional view of the floor tray
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`shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the section taken substantially along line 4 - 4 of FIGURE 2;
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`[00280029] FIGURE 5 is a side view of the tray illustrated in FIGURE 1, taken from the
`outer side;
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`[00290030] FIGURE 6 is a highly magnified sectional view of a vehicle floor tray, showing
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`triextruded layers;
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`[00300031] FIGURE 7 is a schematic block diagram showing steps in a design and
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`manufacturing process according to the invention; and
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`[00310032] FIGURE 8 is an isometric and schematic view of a digitally acquired vehicle
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`foot well floor surface from which the illustrated floor tray was made;
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`[00320033] FIGURE 9 is a partly transverse sectional, partly isometric view of both the
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`floor tray illustrated in FIGURE 2 and the vehicle foot well surface illustrated in FIGURE 8,
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`taken substantially along line 9 - 9 of FIGURE 2 and substantially along line 9 - 9 of
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`FIGURE 8;
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`[00330034] FIGURE 10 is a partly transverse sectional, partly isometric view of both the
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`floor tray illustrated in FIGURE 2 and the vehicle foot well surface illustrated in FIGURE 8,
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`taken substantially along line 10 - 10 of FIGURE 2 and substantially along line 10 - 10 of
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`FIGURE 8;
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`[00340035] FIGURE 11 is a detail of a firewall region of FIGURE 10;
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`[00350036] FIGURE 12 is a detail of a seat pedestal region of FIGURE 10;
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`[00360037] FIGURE 13 is a partly longitudinal sectional, partly isometric view of both the
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`floor tray illustrated in FIGURE 2 and the vehicle foot well surface illustrated in FIGURE 8,
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`taken substantially along line 13 - 13 of FIGURE 2 and substantially along line 13 - 13 of
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`FIGURE 8; and
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`[00370038] FIGURE 14 is a detail of a kick plate region of FIGURE 13.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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`[00380039] An isometric view of one commercial embodiment is shown in FIGURE 1.
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`The illustrated vehicle floor tray indicated generally at 100 is preferably molded from a
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`blank, in sheet form, of water-impervious thermoplastic polymer material having a uniform
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`thickness, although the present invention could be fabricated from another process such as
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`injection molding. The floor tray 100 is preferably formed of a triextruded thermoplastic
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`material such that the properties of a central or core layer can be different than the properties
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`of the external or jacket layers, and such that the triextrusion is tougher and stiffer per unit
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`thickness than any of the layers from which it is made, as will be described in more detail
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`below.
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`[00390040] The vehicle floor tray or cover 100 is meant to protect both the floor and at
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`least the lower sides of a vehicle foot well, and thus takes on a much more three-dimensional
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`shape than is typical of prior art floor mats. The floor tray 100 includes a floor or central
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`panel 102, which in the illustrated embodiment includes a plurality of fore-to-aft or
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`longitudinal parallel straight channels 104 that are disposed in a forward region 106 of the
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`floor panel 102. Preferably these channels are about an eighth of an inch deep so that they
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`will correctly channel runoff, and can be about one-quarter of an inch wide. In FIGURE 1,
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`forward is a direction to the upper left, while rearward is the direction to the lower right, and
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`the terms are used in conformance with the orientation of the vehicle in which the tray is
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`designed to be placed. As used herein, "longitudinal" means for-and-aft or along the axis of
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`vehicle travel, while "transverse" means at a ninety degree angle to such an axis, or side-to-
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`side.
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`[00400041] A rearward or back region 108 of the floor panel 102 is largely occupied by a
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`reservoir 110, whose bottom is made up by a substantially planar general surface 112.
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`General surface 112 is situated to be below a general surface 114 of the forward region 106.
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`Preferably, the general bottom reservoir surface 112 is also below the bottommost points of
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`the respective channels 104, as by about one-eighth of an inch, so that fluid in the channels
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`104 will empty into the reservoir 110.
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`[00410042] The channels 104 are designed to channel liquid runoff from the user's feet or
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`footwear to the reservoir 110. In many vehicles, the portion of the vehicle floor (not shown
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`in this Figure; see FIGUREs 8 - 11) which underlies the forward region 106 slopes from
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`front to rear, and thus the tray 100, by simply conforming to the contour of the underlying
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`vehicle floor portion, will channel fluid to the reservoir. For those vehicle designs in which
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`the underlying vehicle floor is not pitched in this manner, the tray 100 can advantageously
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`be designed to create this fluid flow, as by making the material thicker in portion 106 than in
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`portion 108, or by giving the bottoms of channels 104 a front-to-rear slope.
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`[00420043] The channels 104 occupy most of the forward region 106, although in this and
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`other commercial embodiments a space 116 on the forward right hand side has been left
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`open to receive the foot of the driver that operates the accelerator and brake pedals. In the
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`illustrated embodiment, this space or clear area 116 is a delimited by a 180 degree arc of a
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`circle of about four inch radius (shown in dashed line). The clear area 116 is provided so
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`that the relatively deep channels 104 do not catch the heel of the driver's shoe. In other
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`embodiments, the clear area 116 can take other shapes or positions, so long as the heels of
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`almost all drivers, while operating the brake and accelerator pedals of the vehicle for which
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`the particular tray is designed, will rest within its confines.
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`[00430044] The reservoir 110 has interspersed within it a plurality of tread surfaces or
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`baffles 118, which have two purposes. The first purpose is to elevate the shoe or foot of the
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`occupant above any fluid which may have collected in the reservoir 110. The second
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`purpose is to prevent this accumulated fluid from sloshing around. To this end, most of the
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`tread surfaces/baffles 118 have both fore-to-aft or longitudinal portions 120 and side-to-side
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`or transverse portions 122. This prevents large fluid movement in a forward or rearward
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`direction, as would otherwise happen during acceleration or braking of the vehicle, and also
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`large fluid movement side-to-side, as when the vehicle is turning. Preferably, each or at
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`least most of the fore-to-aft portions 120 are joined to respective side-to-side portions. This
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`further compartmentalizes and restricts the movement of collected fluid. Fluid in one portion
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`of the reservoir 110 may make its way only slowly and through a complicated path to
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`another distant portion of the reservoir 110, through channels 124 around the ends of the
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`treads or baffles 118. The reservoir design thus creates a large surface area which promotes
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`evaporation of the fluid, while at the same time restricts fluid movement prior to such
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`evaporation.
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`[00440045] Disposed around the central or floor panel 102 are a series of upstanding side
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`panels, which will vary in number and configuration from one vehicle model to the next. In
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`the illustrated embodiment these upstanding panels include a back panel 130 that is disposed
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`adjacent the bottom of a vehicle front seat, or a vehicle pedestal for receiving same; an inner
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`side panel 132 that closely fits a transmission tunnel or "hump" in this vehicle; a forward
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`panel 134 that closely conforms to a vehicle firewall; and an outer side panel 136. In most
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`embodiments, the outer side panel or kick plate panel 136 will only extend from its
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`transition with panel 134 to a comer 138, at which point there begins a door sill curve 208
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`which transitions into a door sill panel 140. Unlike the other panels, the sill panel 140 is not
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`generally upstanding but instead conforms to the sill of a vehicle door and lies in a
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`substantially horizontal plane. In this way occupant ingress and egress is not occluded. In
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`many embodiments, including the illustrated embodiment, the sill panel 140 is at an
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`elevation below that of the general surface 114 of the floor forward region 106 and even
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`below the general surface (bottom) 112 of the reservoir 110. Very large amounts of fluid (in
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`excess of the reservoir capacity) may therefore flow right out of the vehicle without having
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`the opportunity to damage the vehicle interior. It should be noted that in these FIGUREs,
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`the lines dividing the panels are conceptual only and do not appear in the final part. As
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`will be described in further detail below, the tray 100 preferably is integrally molded as a
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`one-piece construction.
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`[00450046] In one important aspect of the invention, the tray 100 is closely fitted to the
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`vehicle foot well in which it is designed to be placed. Panels 130, 132, 134, 136 and 140 are
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`all formed so as to as closely conform to the vehicle surfaces against which they are
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`positioned, to an extent not found in prior art vehicle floor trays. In a preferred embodiment,
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`at least throughout the top one(cid:173) third of the areas of these panels that is adjacent a vehicle
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`tray top margin 150, at least ninety percent of the points on the outer surface of the
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`peripheral or side panels 130-136 are no more than about one-eighth of an inch from the
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`corresponding points on the surfaces that they are formed to mate with. This close
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`conformance occurs even where the underlying vehicular surface is complexly curved or
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`angled. Certain portions of the vehicle foot well surface, such as kick plate transition plate
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`214, can have both convexly and concavely curved elements. The preferred tolerance of
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`door sill curve 208 and sill plate 140 is even tighter, about 0.025 in.
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`[00460047] The close conformance of the tray side panels to respective surfaces of the
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`vehicle foot well produces a protective tray which will not be horizontally displaced under
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`lateral forces created by the occupant's feet, or by the motion of the vehicle. Opposing pairs
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`of the peripheral panels "nest" or "cage" the tray 100, preventing its lateral movement. Thus,
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`outer side panel or kick plate panel 136, which closely conforms to a vehicle side wall at
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`that position, has as its counterpart a portion 142 of the inner side panel 132. Any tendency
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`of the tray 100 to shift leftward is stopped by panel 136; any tendency of the tray 100 to shift
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`rightward is stopped by panel portion 142. In a similar manner, the upstanding rearward and
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`forward panels 130 and 134 cooperate to "cage" any forward or rearward motion of the tray
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`100 within the vehicle foot well.
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`[00470048] The close conformance of the outer or lower surfaces of panels 130-136, 218,
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`140 to their respective mating surfaces of the vehicle foot well also increases the frictional
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`force which will oppose any lateral movement. The result of this close conformance is to
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`provide a floor tray which will not undesirably shift position, and which will provide a
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`steady and sure rest to the feet of the occupants.
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`[00480049] In most commercial embodiments of the vehicle floor tray 100, the side panels
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`130 - 136, 140 will not be formed to abruptly extend from the bottom panel 102, but rather
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`will be joined to the bottom or central panel 102 through transitions. These transitions may
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`be sloped or curved and will have a varying degree of gradualness. According to the
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`invention, the transitions between the outer and bottom surfaces of the tray 100 conform
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`wherever possible to underlying surfaces of the vehicle foot adjacent these transitions.
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`[00490050] In FIGURE 2, for example, there is seen a large transition or subpanel 200
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`which extends from forward portion 106. A further subpanel 202 joins transitional subpanel
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`202 to the forward sidewall 134. Inner or transmission tunnel sidewall 132 is joined to the
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`pan 102 through a curved transitional fillet 204. The rear upstanding panel 130 is joined to
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`the rear portion of bottom panel 102 through a small transition 206. A transition or sill curve
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`208 between the outer sidewall 136 and the sill panel 140 takes the form of a gradual curved
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`surface.
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`[00500051] The present invention also employs (typically) curved transitions between
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`adjacent side panels. For example, a curved transition 210 joins the back panel 130 to
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`the inner side panel 132. A curved transition 212 joins the transmission tunnel or inner