US2032832A - Floor covering and the like - Google Patents
Floor covering and the like Download PDFInfo
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- US2032832A US2032832A US696136A US69613633A US2032832A US 2032832 A US2032832 A US 2032832A US 696136 A US696136 A US 696136A US 69613633 A US69613633 A US 69613633A US 2032832 A US2032832 A US 2032832A
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- Prior art keywords
- floor
- mat
- rubber
- sheet
- hump
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60N3/00—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for
- B60N3/04—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for of floor mats or carpets
- B60N3/048—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for of floor mats or carpets characterised by their structure
Definitions
- Fig. 1 is a stop or plan view of an automobile mat or floor covering constructed in accordance with our invention
- Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof as it appears from a position at the left of Fig. 1;
- Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;
- Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing an automobile mat or floor covering of another form
- Fig. 5 is an edge view of the mat of Fig. 4 as I it appears from a position at the left of said Fig. 4;
- Fig. 6 is vs. transverse sectional view on the line- "HofFigj; I
- Fig. Bis a central longitudinal sectional view rof'a form that may 'be employed for making the mat shown in Fig. 1, asheet of rubber being shown 55,
- Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view on the line ioisatopviewof the rubber blank that is usedinmakingthematofFigA;
- Fig. 11 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a form that may be employed in making the mat of Fig. 4. a sheet of rubber being shown in the forming position thereon;
- Fig. 12 is an enlargement of a fragmentary central portion of Fig. 3 showing a modification of the mat of Fig. 1 with portions of the car structure shown in connection therewith;
- Fig. 13 is an enlargement of a fragmentary central portion of Fig. 6 showing a modification of the mat of Fig. 4 with portions of the car structure also shown in connection therewith.
- Mats or fioor coverings made in accordance with this invention are of rubber or the like and preferably have a base of felt or similar material attached to the under side of the rubber, although the base material may be omitted and the rubber used alone if desired.
- the rubber is prepared by calendaring in sheet form with any desired pattern impressed on the surface thereof and the uncured rubber sheet laid on a form. the top surface of which corresponds to the particular form of the floor, toe board, transmission top and other parts that are to be covered by the finished mat,
- the rubber is softened sufilcientlyso that it sinks down around elevated portions of the form and into recesses thereof so that it assumes the shape of the top surface of the form, after which the rubber is cured on the form and permanently set in the shape that it has assumed thereon.
- facilities are provided to insure apositive shaping of the rubber to accord with the top surface of the form without materially disturbing or disfiguring the pattern that may have beenimpressedinthesurfaceof therubbersheet .in calendering.
- any suitable ma- 'teriai may be used for such backing, a loose texture felt punched on burlap and stripped therefrom having been found particularly adaptable for the purpose as it requires no pre-forming.
- the surface of the felt is merely treated with a suitable cement or adhesive and. pressed on the under surface of the pre-formed rubber sheet and because of its loose texture the felt readily assumes a shape corresponding to that of the rubber to which it is applied.
- FIG. 1 shows an automobile mat or floor covering for a make of car having a moderately elevated portion in the floor of the driver's compartment
- FIGs. 8 and 9 which show a form suitable for making the mat of Figs. 1, 2 and 3
- the reference numeral I 5 indicates the rubber layer of the mat and IS the felt backing, said mat having a main iioor portion I1 terminating at the front in a toe board portion i8 which is bent upwardly aiong the transverse line I! at an angle to the main floor portion I I.
- the inverted pan like member or hump of the car floor which is covered by said embossment has an attaching flange along the edge which rests on the top of and is secured to the floor proper of the car and the mat is formed along the forward end and sides of the raised portion 20-2i and along the sides of the transversely arched portion 22, with a ledge portion 23 which is raised sufficiently to provide thereunder a shallow recess 24 to accommodate said flange.
- This mat l1-l8 which is of suitable marginal contour with the usual notches 25 in the rear edge where required to fit in the compartment of the car, has anopening 26 in the top of the raised portion 2 ⁇ -2I for a boss of thetransmission housing whl re the gear shift lever is connected, and said man. also has the usual steering post opening 21, brake and clutch pedal openings 28, brake lever opening 29 and such other openings as are required for parts that must extend therethrough, and when placed in position on the car floor fits neatly and satisfactorily thereon at all places.
- a form such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is employed, which may be of sheet metal or other suitable material, and has a flat portion 30 corresponding to the floor proper of the car and the inclined portion 3i corresponding to the toe board of the car, and said form 30-3! is shaped with raised portions 32 and 33 corresponding in shape and size to the raised portions of the car floor, said portions 32 having inclined sides 34 and there being a slightly raised-ledge 35 along the sides of the raised portions 33 and 32 and across the front of the latter.
- a sheet of uncured rubber is provided which is calendered to the proper thickness and provided on one side, if desired, with a surface design, said sheet being substantially of the same area as the combined area of the portions 30 and 3i of the form, and this sheet is laid on the form iii-3
- the rubber of the sheet 38 is then softened by heat sufficiently so that it yields at all unsupported points and sinks down into close contact with the form at all places thereby assuming the shape of the top surface of the form 30-, the form being preferably provided at all places where air is likely to pocket between the rubber and the form, with facilities such as the holes 33 to permit free escape of pocketed air which might otherwise delay or interfere with the settling and proper shaping of the rubber.
- the sheet 33 while remaining on the form, is vulcanized and thus permanently shaped in the form of the top surface of its form
- the mat not only is fashioned with the parts I!
- the heating and shaping of the rubber sheet 38 may be accomplished before placing in the vulcanizer by subjecting to a preliminary heating, as for example, by heating the form 303l to the required temperature either before or after the rubber sheet 38 is placed thereon, or the shaping of the rubber may be accomplished in the initial stage of the vulcanizing operation.
- the sheet 38 which is then of a permanent form corresponding to that of the rubber layer i5 of the mat of Fig. 1, may be trimmed to the proper size and shape and provided with the necessary holes and used alone as a mat. It is preferred, however, to provide a backing on the under side of the rubber sheet, which said backing is preferably a loose texture felt prepared by punching on burlap and stripping therefrom. A piece of such felt of dimensions corresponding to the shaped rubber sheet is sprayed on one side with a suitable cement or adhesive and pressed onto the under side of said shaped sheet, and said felt, by reason of its loose texture readily conforms to the shape of the raised portions 20 and 22 of the rubber sheet without the necessity of any preliminary shaping thereof.
- the combined structure is trimmed to the proper size and shape and has the notches 24, openings 26, 21, 28, 29 and such other openings as may be required cut therethrough to provide a mat which in the finished form corresponds to that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8.
- the raised portions over and onto which it is desired to fit the mat may be so abrupt and high that the rubber will not readily assume the desired shape by the mere heating thereof, an example of such mat being shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 wherein there is a raised portion 40 with ledge 4
- the mat of Figs. 4 the mat of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 wherein there is a raised portion 40 with ledge 4
- Fig. 11 The form that is employed for making this mat is shown in Fig. 11 and is similar to that of Figs. 8- and 9 except that it has a raised portion 43 of diiferent form and a vertical extension 44 on the top thereof to' form the covering for the gear case protuberance above mentioned.
- a plate 4! is secured to the bottom of the form aroundthe base of the raised portion 43 to provide a chamber 40 which communicates through small openings 41 which are located around the base of the raised portion 48 and around the base of the extension 44.
- a pipe 48 leads from the chamber 46 and is preferably provided with a valve 4! and adapted to be temporarily connected with an air exhausting device.
- the sheet of rubber for making the mat is prepared as in the making of the previous mat and placed on the top surface of the form as indicated at 50 in Fig. 11 and subjected to suitable heat to soften the rubber suillciently so that it may be readily shaped in the required form.
- air is gradually exhausted from the chamber 46 through the pipe 48 and as this chamber communicates through the openings 41 with the low places and corners where air will pocket between the rubber and the form. the air will be exhausted from these pockets and the rubber drawn down into close fitting contact with the form at these low places and corners.
- the valve 49 is closed to maintain in the chamber 4!
- This pre-formed rubber sheet which is indicated at SI in Figs. 4. 5 and 6, may be used alone as the floor covering for the car, but preferably has a felt base or backing i2 cemented onto the under side in the same manner as in the previously described mat.
- This felt layer 52 preferably has a large hole 53 therein corresponding to the bottom of theraised portion 42 as shown in Fig. 6 so that the portion 42 is unlined,
- the portion 42 is preferably made slightly larger than the transmission protuberance that it is designed to encase so as to afford clearance therebetween and avoid contact of the rubber with oil or grease that may be present on the outer surface of said protuberance.
- said transmission protuberance which is indicated at 54 in Fig. '13 projects up through the floor pan which as hereinbefore suggested, is employed to accommodate the topportion of the transmission case, and said protuberance has a cap 66 at the top through which the gearshift lever 51 extends.
- This cap 56 has a small annular flange 58 around the base and the raised portion 42 of the mat is provided at the top withan opening 59 of suitable size to fit down-around the cap 58 above the flange I!
- a disk N of uncured rubber is preferably applied to the under side of the rubber sheet 50 before it is placed on the form, said disk being located on the sheet so that it will rest on the top of the form projection 44 when said sheet is located in the proper position on the form and when the opening 59 is cut.
- the rubber around this open ing is accordingly thicker than that of other portions of the rubber sheet.
- the hole II is preferably formed after the mat parts SI and 52 have been assembled, at which time the mat is trimmed to the required shape and provided with edge notches I where required, and also with the brake lever opening 62, steering column opening 63, brake and clutch pedal openings 64 and such other openings as may be required for parts that extend through the mat.
- a pattern surface may readily be employed as there is no substantial distortion of the rubber or disflguration thereof in forming that would impair the finished surface.
- This surface finish or pattern may be impressed on the face of the rubber in calendering by passing the rubber between rolls 5 and ,66 as shown in Fig. 7, one of which rolls, for example, the roll 68, has marked on the surface thereof the design or pattern that is to be impressed on the rubber.
- This pattern may be the same" throughout the entire surface of the mat as shown in Fig. 1 or the mat may have a body of one design as indicated at 61 in Fig. 4 with a border portion 68 of another design.
- the impression roll 66 of the calender is made of a-suitable diameter so that one revolution thereof will produce a length of rubber sheet sumcient for a mat and this cylinder has the design of a complete mat formed on the surface thereof.
- the strip of rubber issuing from the rolls 65 and 66 is thus formed with successive portions each bearing a complete design for a mat and by cutting the sheet at the proper place between the body designs 61, pieces such as shown in Fig. 10 are provided from which the mat of Fig. 4 may be made with the bordered design.
- the form of Figs. 8 and 9 on which the rubber sheet is shaped is provided on the top of the raised portion 32 with a protuberance such as shown by dotted lines at 15 of a shape corresponding to the interior of the desired rubber extension, and to insure shaping of the rubber over and around this higher elevation of the form it is preferable that an air chamber be provided under the elevations of the form, as in the form of Fig. 11, with openings leading from this air chamber to the top surface of the form at places where it may be desired to exert suction on the rubber to insure the shaping thereof snugly against the surface of the form at all points.
- Fig. 13 shows a modification of the mat of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 with an extension to encase the lower end of the brake lever which, in the particular case for which said mat is designed, extends up through the opening 62 of the mat of Fig. 4.
- the brake lever which is indicated at 16 in Fig.
- rubber or the like may be of any suitable material having characteristics, like rubber, which permit it to be shaped in a form corresponding to the elevational features or characteristics of the floor and which may be set in that form so as to have an inherent form which corresponds to and causes the mat to conform to the elevational peculiarities of the particular floor in accordance with and for which it has been preformed.
- a pre-shaped. integral automobile floor mat or the like of soft, flexible floor covering ma- I terial having an internal bulge and with portions of the floor covering material extending laterally from the base of the bulge at opposite sides thereof, said bulge having side wall portions suitably contoured at the base to impart to each of said-laterally extending portions a bend which is similar to and substantially in alignment with the bend in the portion at the opposite side of the bulge.
- a pre-shaped integral automobile floor mat or the like of soft, flexible floor covering material formed with an internal bulge and with portions of the floor covering material extending laterally from the base of the bulge at opposite sides thereof, each of said portions being formed with a crease extending laterally from the base of the bulge and substantially in alignment with the crease at the opposite side of the bulge, the opposite sides of the bulge being contoured at the bottom in a substantially angular form at the inner end of the respective crease.
- a pre-formed integral automobile floor mat or the like of soft, flexible floor covering material having separate aligning laterally extending and correspondingly formed bends with a reentrant bulge therebetween, said bulge having opposite side wall portions contoured at the bottom to correspond to the inner end of the respective bend.
- a pre-formed integral automobile floor covering or the like comprising a sheet of soft, flexible rubber substantially coextensive with the floor area and having a patterned top face, said sheet having aninternal area enlarged and distended to form a bulge and the pattern of said internal area being correspondingly distended.
- a floormat for humped automobile floors comprising a blank of flexible floor covering materiallysubstantially coextensive with the floor to be covered and having an integral, upstanding, hollow and self-sustaining embossment of awedetermined size and shape to receive and conform to a hump on said floor, said embossment being open at its bottom to receive therethrough the floor hump and closed at at least three of its sides and at the top to house the floor hump.
- a floor mat for humped automobile floors comprising a blank of vulcanized flexible rubber composition substantially coextensive with the floor to be covered and having an integral, upstanding. hollow and self-sustaining embossment of a predetermined size and shape to receive and conform to a hump on said floor, said embossment being open at its bottom to receive therethrough the floor hump and closed at atleast three of its sides and at the'top to house the floor hump.
- a pre-shaped floor mat for humped automobile floors comprising a blank of flexible floor covering material substantially coextensive with the floor to be covered and having a selected area thereof corresponding to the floor hump enlarged and set in the form of an upstanding, hollow, ir-
- said hollow embossment being of such a predetermined shape and size as will enclose and conform to the floor hump with interior walls of the embossment in engagement with the floor hump, thereby to hold the mat against edgewise displacement on the automobile floor.
- a preformed integral floor mat substantially coextensive with and conforming to said floor, said mat comprising a layer of soft, flexible floor covering material having level and sloping portions corresponding respectively to the level and sloping portions of the floor and fashioned with a re-entrant hump fitting bulge extending across the intersection of the level and sloping portions of the floor covering, said bulge being adapted to cooperate with the floor hump to position and maintain the aforesaid portions of the covering. material in coinciding relation with the corresponding portim of the floor.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Passenger Equipment (AREA)
Description
FLOOR COVERING AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 1, 19 5 4 Sheets-Sheet l I I I I hg/zzrja r'yf $Z/g/f a? March 3, 1936.
G. w. BLAIR El AL 2,032,832
FLOOR COVERING AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 1, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 'fflllillll 'HIHIII HIM 'C/ m/ /z Ma rch 3, 1936. G. w. BLAIR ET AL 2,032,832
FLOOR COVERING AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 1, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 6207' a fiXg/ra (/22 "@5202 March 3, 1936. a, w. BLAIR ETAL 2,032,832
FLOOR COVERING AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 1, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 J: %ae///27w g 717 2 (6% 52/7 01? Patented Mar. 3, 1936 rnooaoovaanvasnnmun}. I Geommannmsuhnnsommmsnh.
Ind, assignors to w l u: mshawaka Rubber 00 calls! m Ind., a corporation of Indiana and ,Mishawaka,
Application November 1. 1m, Serial no. m ss 7 I 10 Claims. (0:. its-oat) transmission case or housing 'or with the proiectr ing top of such case or housing itself serving as an elevated or raised part ofthe compartment floor, and it is desirable in the case of such fioors.
or other floors which have portions thereof at diiferent elevations that the mat or fioor covering should be shaped or fashioned to conform to the eievational features of the particular fioor and cover the raised portions or parts thereof. Moreover, it may be desirable in some of these mats to extend portions of the mat or floor covering up above the raised portions or parts of the floor to encase any protuberances thereabove or to extend the floor covering material up around certain levers and operating parts so as to permit freedom of operation thereof and at the same time close their floor openings against entrance of drafts, improve the appearance of the car interior, and protect the shoes of the car occupants against soiling and scufilng by contact with such levers or operating parts,these and other objects being accomplished with the present invention as disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is a stop or plan view of an automobile mat or floor covering constructed in accordance with our invention;
Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof as it appears from a position at the left of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing an automobile mat or floor covering of another form;
Fig. 5 is an edge view of the mat of Fig. 4 as I it appears from a position at the left of said Fig. 4;
' Fig. 6 is vs. transverse sectional view on the line- "HofFigj; I
I Fig. 'I shows the manner of preparing the rubberstock forthe mats:
Fig. Bis a central longitudinal sectional view rof'a form that may 'be employed for making the mat shown in Fig. 1, asheet of rubber being shown 55,
in the forming position thereon Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view on the line ioisatopviewof the rubber blank that is usedinmakingthematofFigA;
Fig. 11 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a form that may be employed in making the mat of Fig. 4. a sheet of rubber being shown in the forming position thereon;
' Fig. 12 is an enlargement of a fragmentary central portion of Fig. 3 showing a modification of the mat of Fig. 1 with portions of the car structure shown in connection therewith; and
Fig. 13 is an enlargement of a fragmentary central portion of Fig. 6 showing a modification of the mat of Fig. 4 with portions of the car structure also shown in connection therewith.
Mats or fioor coverings made in accordance with this invention are of rubber or the like and preferably have a base of felt or similar material attached to the under side of the rubber, although the base material may be omitted and the rubber used alone if desired. The rubber is prepared by calendaring in sheet form with any desired pattern impressed on the surface thereof and the uncured rubber sheet laid on a form. the top surface of which corresponds to the particular form of the floor, toe board, transmission top and other parts that are to be covered by the finished mat,
and by a preliminary heating before placing in the vulcanizer or by the heating in the initial stages of vulcanization, the rubber is softened sufilcientlyso that it sinks down around elevated portions of the form and into recesses thereof so that it assumes the shape of the top surface of the form, after which the rubber is cured on the form and permanently set in the shape that it has assumed thereon.
In some cases wherein there are abrupt or relatively high elevations over which the rubber sheet is to be formed, facilities are provided to insure apositive shaping of the rubber to accord with the top surface of the form without materially disturbing or disfiguring the pattern that may have beenimpressedinthesurfaceof therubbersheet .in calendering.
If the rubber sheet is to be provided with a backing on the under side, allowance should, of
the under side and in any of the depressions thereof that are to be lined. Any suitable ma- 'teriai may be used for such backing, a loose texture felt punched on burlap and stripped therefrom having been found particularly adaptable for the purpose as it requires no pre-forming. The surface of the felt is merely treated with a suitable cement or adhesive and. pressed on the under surface of the pre-formed rubber sheet and because of its loose texture the felt readily assumes a shape corresponding to that of the rubber to which it is applied.
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which show an automobile mat or floor covering for a make of car having a moderately elevated portion in the floor of the driver's compartment, and Figs. 8 and 9, which show a form suitable for making the mat of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reference numeral I 5 indicates the rubber layer of the mat and IS the felt backing, said mat having a main iioor portion I1 terminating at the front in a toe board portion i8 which is bent upwardly aiong the transverse line I! at an angle to the main floor portion I I. Between the lateral edges of the mat is a raised portion or bulge of a shape corresponding to an inverted pan like member with which the floor of the car is provided to accommodate thereunder the transmission case or housing, which said raised portion 20 extends onto the inclined toe board portion ll of the mat andforms in the under side of the mat a recess which is open at the front end. This raised portion 20, which has a flat top with inclined sides 2!, narrows toward the rear. as shown particularly in Fig. 1 and terminates in a somewhat lower transversely arched portion 22 which extends to the rear end of the mat thereby forming an irregular embossment of a form to accommodate and lit neatly over the hump formation of the iloor. The inverted pan like member or hump of the car floor which is covered by said embossment has an attaching flange along the edge which rests on the top of and is secured to the floor proper of the car and the mat is formed along the forward end and sides of the raised portion 20-2i and along the sides of the transversely arched portion 22, with a ledge portion 23 which is raised sufficiently to provide thereunder a shallow recess 24 to accommodate said flange.
This mat l1-l8, which is of suitable marginal contour with the usual notches 25 in the rear edge where required to fit in the compartment of the car, has anopening 26 in the top of the raised portion 2\ -2I for a boss of thetransmission housing whl re the gear shift lever is connected, and said man. also has the usual steering post opening 21, brake and clutch pedal openings 28, brake lever opening 29 and such other openings as are required for parts that must extend therethrough, and when placed in position on the car floor fits neatly and satisfactorily thereon at all places.
In making this mat of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a form such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is employed, which may be of sheet metal or other suitable material, and has a flat portion 30 corresponding to the floor proper of the car and the inclined portion 3i corresponding to the toe board of the car, and said form 30-3! is shaped with raised portions 32 and 33 corresponding in shape and size to the raised portions of the car floor, said portions 32 having inclined sides 34 and there being a slightly raised-ledge 35 along the sides of the raised portions 33 and 32 and across the front of the latter.
A sheet of uncured rubber is provided which is calendered to the proper thickness and provided on one side, if desired, with a surface design, said sheet being substantially of the same area as the combined area of the portions 30 and 3i of the form, and this sheet is laid on the form iii-3| as shown at 38 in Figs. 8 and 9 with the pattern side of the sheet uppermost. The rubber of the sheet 38 is then softened by heat sufficiently so that it yields at all unsupported points and sinks down into close contact with the form at all places thereby assuming the shape of the top surface of the form 30-, the form being preferably provided at all places where air is likely to pocket between the rubber and the form, with facilities such as the holes 33 to permit free escape of pocketed air which might otherwise delay or interfere with the settling and proper shaping of the rubber. After this shaping has occurred, the sheet 33 while remaining on the form, is vulcanized and thus permanently shaped in the form of the top surface of its form Thus the mat not only is fashioned with the parts I! and IS in an angular relation corresponding to the main and toe board portions of the car floor for which it is designed, but is also fashioned with an elevated area or bulge 20 corresponding in location and shape to the hump of the car floor, said bulge being marginally contoured at each side or shaped along the base in the angular form, as shown in Fig. 2, with the vertex of the angle at the point I! and the mat being formed with a bend or crease I! extending laterally from each side of the bulge 20 at the vertex of said angle so that the parts l1 and i8, by reason of the angular contour of the sides of the bulge 20 and the crease at [9, meet at each side of the bulge in a trough-like form extending laterally from the base of the bulge.
The heating and shaping of the rubber sheet 38 may be accomplished before placing in the vulcanizer by subjecting to a preliminary heating, as for example, by heating the form 303l to the required temperature either before or after the rubber sheet 38 is placed thereon, or the shaping of the rubber may be accomplished in the initial stage of the vulcanizing operation.
After vulcanizing, the sheet 38 which is then of a permanent form corresponding to that of the rubber layer i5 of the mat of Fig. 1, may be trimmed to the proper size and shape and provided with the necessary holes and used alone as a mat. It is preferred, however, to provide a backing on the under side of the rubber sheet, which said backing is preferably a loose texture felt prepared by punching on burlap and stripping therefrom. A piece of such felt of dimensions corresponding to the shaped rubber sheet is sprayed on one side with a suitable cement or adhesive and pressed onto the under side of said shaped sheet, and said felt, by reason of its loose texture readily conforms to the shape of the raised portions 20 and 22 of the rubber sheet without the necessity of any preliminary shaping thereof.
After the felt backing has been attached to the shaped rubber sheet, the combined structure is trimmed to the proper size and shape and has the notches 24, openings 26, 21, 28, 29 and such other openings as may be required cut therethrough to provide a mat which in the finished form corresponds to that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8.
In some automobiles the raised portions over and onto which it is desired to fit the mat may be so abrupt and high that the rubber will not readily assume the desired shape by the mere heating thereof, an example of such mat being shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 wherein there is a raised portion 40 with ledge 4| along each side which fits over a corresponding shaped pan like member which forms part of the car fioor and accommodates the top ofv the transmission case, said pan member of the floor being quite abrupt at some places and necessitating a corresponding abrupt shaping of the rubber with sharp bends that would not readily be formed by mere heating of the rubber on a corresponding form. Moreover, in the particular make of car for which the mat of Figs. 4, 5 and 8 is designed, there is a protuberance from the transmission case which projects up through the floor of the car and carries the gear shift lever and as it is desirable to extend the rubber of the mat up around this protuberance to the top thereof as indicated at 42 special facilities are desirable to insure shaping of the rubber in the desired form.
The form that is employed for making this mat is shown in Fig. 11 and is similar to that of Figs. 8- and 9 except that it has a raised portion 43 of diiferent form and a vertical extension 44 on the top thereof to' form the covering for the gear case protuberance above mentioned. In
this form, however, a plate 4! is secured to the bottom of the form aroundthe base of the raised portion 43 to provide a chamber 40 which communicates through small openings 41 which are located around the base of the raised portion 48 and around the base of the extension 44. A pipe 48 leads from the chamber 46 and is preferably provided with a valve 4! and adapted to be temporarily connected with an air exhausting device.
The sheet of rubber for making the mat is prepared as in the making of the previous mat and placed on the top surface of the form as indicated at 50 in Fig. 11 and subjected to suitable heat to soften the rubber suillciently so that it may be readily shaped in the required form. Either during or after the heating of the rubber 50, air is gradually exhausted from the chamber 46 through the pipe 48 and as this chamber communicates through the openings 41 with the low places and corners where air will pocket between the rubber and the form. the air will be exhausted from these pockets and the rubber drawn down into close fitting contact with the form at these low places and corners. when the air has been sunlciently exhausted to accomplish the required shaping of the heated rubber, the valve 49 is closed to maintain in the chamber 4! a low pressure condition which will insure the holding of the rubber sheet during vulcanization in the shape that it has assumed on the form, and the form with the rubber sheet thereon is then vplaced in the vulcanlzer and cured, and the rubber sheet thus permanently shaped in the form of the top surface of the form.
This pre-formed rubber sheet, which is indicated at SI in Figs. 4. 5 and 6, may be used alone as the floor covering for the car, but preferably has a felt base or backing i2 cemented onto the under side in the same manner as in the previously described mat. This felt layer 52 preferably has a large hole 53 therein corresponding to the bottom of theraised portion 42 as shown in Fig. 6 so that the portion 42 is unlined,
and in the particular car for which this mat is designed the portion 42 is preferably made slightly larger than the transmission protuberance that it is designed to encase so as to afford clearance therebetween and avoid contact of the rubber with oil or grease that may be present on the outer surface of said protuberance. In this particular make of car said transmission protuberance which is indicated at 54 in Fig. '13 projects up through the floor pan which as hereinbefore suggested, is employed to accommodate the topportion of the transmission case, and said protuberance has a cap 66 at the top through which the gearshift lever 51 extends. This cap 56 has a small annular flange 58 around the base and the raised portion 42 of the mat is provided at the top withan opening 59 of suitable size to fit down-around the cap 58 above the flange I! as shown in Fig. 13. For the purpose of reinforcing the rubber around the opening I! a disk N of uncured rubber is preferably applied to the under side of the rubber sheet 50 before it is placed on the form, said disk being located on the sheet so that it will rest on the top of the form projection 44 when said sheet is located in the proper position on the form and when the opening 59 is cut. in the vulcanized sheet Ii the rubber around this open ing is accordingly thicker than that of other portions of the rubber sheet.
The hole II is preferably formed after the mat parts SI and 52 have been assembled, at which time the mat is trimmed to the required shape and provided with edge notches I where required, and also with the brake lever opening 62, steering column opening 63, brake and clutch pedal openings 64 and such other openings as may be required for parts that extend through the mat.
In making mats as described above, a pattern surface may readily be employed as there is no substantial distortion of the rubber or disflguration thereof in forming that would impair the finished surface. This surface finish or pattern may be impressed on the face of the rubber in calendering by passing the rubber between rolls 5 and ,66 as shown in Fig. 7, one of which rolls, for example, the roll 68, has marked on the surface thereof the design or pattern that is to be impressed on the rubber. This pattern may be the same" throughout the entire surface of the mat as shown in Fig. 1 or the mat may have a body of one design as indicated at 61 in Fig. 4 with a border portion 68 of another design. To produce a sheet of rubber with this bordered pattern or design, the impression roll 66 of the calender is made of a-suitable diameter so that one revolution thereof will produce a length of rubber sheet sumcient for a mat and this cylinder has the design of a complete mat formed on the surface thereof. The strip of rubber issuing from the rolls 65 and 66 is thus formed with successive portions each bearing a complete design for a mat and by cutting the sheet at the proper place between the body designs 61, pieces such as shown in Fig. 10 are provided from which the mat of Fig. 4 may be made with the bordered design.
In forming or contouring the mat iii the above described manner, after the pattern has been impressed on the sheet, the portion of the pattern at the bulge location is merely distended in forming the bulge and the pattern is accordingly quite faithfully preserved without any ob- Jectionable distortion or disfiguration. Moreover, by shaping the patterned sheet in this manner any embossing that is applicable to a flat sheet may be readily employed without the difficulties that are oftentimes experienced in impressing designs on curved or uneven surfaces, and in the contouring of the sheet the embossings merely adapt themselves to the immediate contour of the bulge.
In some cases it may be desired to provide the mat with flexible rubber portions which extend up around the gear shift lever, brake lever or other parts to seal the flo'or'openings of said parts and prevent entrance of air and also to improve the appearance of the car interior and prevent soiling or scufling of the shoes of the car occupants by contact with such parts. such an extension for the gear shift lever being sho'wn in Fig. 12. In said figure a fragmentary portion of the transmission housing is indicated at 89 with a boss I which extends through the elevated top of the floor pan H, and I2 is a portion of the gear shift lever which is swiveled in the boss I0, this being substantially the arrangement of the parts in the make of car with which the mat of Fig. l is designed to be used and the mat being the same as shown in' Figs. l, 2 and 3 with the top layer ii of rubber and the backing ll of felt, except that. around the hole 2'6 in 'the rubber layer I! of the mat of Fig. 1 there is, in this modified form of Fig. 12, an inverted somewhat cup like extension I8 which is integral with the rubber, layer l and provided with a hole 14 in the top through which the lever 12 extendsin snug fitting relation, said extension 13 being sufllciently flexible to permit free operation of the lever 12 without restraint and said extension I3 preferably having ample clearance around and over the boss to prevent contact of the rubber with any oil or grease on the boss and-to encase the lower portion of lever I2 to the desired height.
For forming the rubber layer I! with this extension 13 for the gear shift lever, the form of Figs. 8 and 9 on which the rubber sheet is shaped, is provided on the top of the raised portion 32 with a protuberance such as shown by dotted lines at 15 of a shape corresponding to the interior of the desired rubber extension, and to insure shaping of the rubber over and around this higher elevation of the form it is preferable that an air chamber be provided under the elevations of the form, as in the form of Fig. 11, with openings leading from this air chamber to the top surface of the form at places where it may be desired to exert suction on the rubber to insure the shaping thereof snugly against the surface of the form at all points.
As a further example of extensions with which the rubber layer of the mat may be provided to encase parts that project up through the car floor, Fig. 13 shows a modification of the mat of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 with an extension to encase the lower end of the brake lever which, in the particular case for which said mat is designed, extends up through the opening 62 of the mat of Fig. 4. The brake lever which is indicated at 16 in Fig. 13, extends up through the car floor, a fragmentary portion of which is indicated at 55 in said figure, and the rubber layer Ii of the mat is provided, at the place where thebrake lever extends therethrough, with a flexible, somewhat tubular extension 18 with a hole 18 at the upper end through which the brake lever extends in snug fltting-relation, said extension ll being preferably formed on the rubber layer in the same manner as the other elevations by providing on the form on aoaasas:
which the rubber sheet is shaped, a suitable pro- Jection over and around which the rubber inits heated and softened formis drawn as the sheet is shaped in the desired floor co'vering form. Such extensions might, of course, be formed separately of uncured rubber and adhesively aflixed to the rubber sheet before the latter is vulcanized so as to become an integral part thereof in the curing operation and it is to be understood that while particular shapes of mats and certain flexible extensions are shown and described herein, these are intended to be illustrative only and it is contemplated that the mats may be made in other shapes and with any other elevational oflsets or formations that may be desired to conform to elevational features or characteristics of the particular floor for which it is intended, and said mats may have flexible extensions other than those specifically illustrated and described herein. Moreover the preformed layer which is re.-
ferred to herein as rubber or the like may be of any suitable material having characteristics, like rubber, which permit it to be shaped in a form corresponding to the elevational features or characteristics of the floor and which may be set in that form so as to have an inherent form which corresponds to and causes the mat to conform to the elevational peculiarities of the particular floor in accordance with and for which it has been preformed.
While we have shown and described our invention in a preferred form, we are aware that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the principles of our invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.
We claim as our invention:
1. A pre-shaped integral floor mat fashioned in conformity with a humped automobile floor or the like, said mat comprising a flexible plastic material layer substantially coextensive with the floor, a selected area of said layer corresponding to the floor hump being deformed and set in a permanently imparted hump-fitting bulgeform of substantially the same shape and size as the floor hump.
2. A pre-shaped integral floor mat fashioned in conformity with a humped automobile floor or the like, said mat comprising a sheet of soft, flexible rubber like material substantially coextensive with the floor, said sheet having an internal area thereof corresponding to the floor hump enlarged and distended laterally from the body of the sheet and forming a hump fitting bulge of substantially the same shape and size as the floor hump.
3. A pre-shaped, integral floor mat fashioned in conformity with a humped automobile floor or the like, said mat comprising a sheet of soft, flexible rubber substantially coextensive with the floor, said sheet having an internal area thereof corresponding to the floor hump enlarged and distended laterally from the body of the sheet and forming a hump fitting bulge of substantially the same shape and size as the floor hump, and a soft layer of material attached to the under side of said rubber sheet and correspondingly enlarged and distended.
4. The combination with an automobile floor or the like having an upwardly extending hump internally within its area, of a pre-shaped, integral combined floor and hump covering comprising a sheet of soft, flexible rubber like material substantially coextensive with the floor area and pro-formed in conformity with the floor and hump, said sheet having the portion thereof at the hump location distended and inherently formed in the floor hump form.
5. A pre-shaped. integral automobile floor mat or the like of soft, flexible floor covering ma- I terial having an internal bulge and with portions of the floor covering material extending laterally from the base of the bulge at opposite sides thereof, said bulge having side wall portions suitably contoured at the base to impart to each of said-laterally extending portions a bend which is similar to and substantially in alignment with the bend in the portion at the opposite side of the bulge.
6. A pre-shaped integral automobile floor mat or the like of soft, flexible floor covering material formed with an internal bulge and with portions of the floor covering material extending laterally from the base of the bulge at opposite sides thereof, each of said portions being formed with a crease extending laterally from the base of the bulge and substantially in alignment with the crease at the opposite side of the bulge, the opposite sides of the bulge being contoured at the bottom in a substantially angular form at the inner end of the respective crease.
'7. A pre-formed integral automobile floor mat or the like of soft, flexible floor covering material having separate aligning laterally extending and correspondingly formed bends with a reentrant bulge therebetween, said bulge having opposite side wall portions contoured at the bottom to correspond to the inner end of the respective bend.
8. The combination with an automobile floor or the like comprising a substantially level main floor portion and a toe board portion sloping upwardly from the main portion and a reentrant hump extending across the intersection of said portions, of a pre-formed integral floor mat substantially coextensive with and conformed to said floor, said-mat comprising a layer of soft, flexible floor covering material having level and sloping portions corresponding respectively to the level and sloping portions of the floor and fashioned with a reentrant hump'fltting bulge extending across the intersection of the level and sloping portions of the floor covering, said bulgebeing co-operable with the floor hump to position and maintain the aforesaid portions of the covering material in coinciding relation with the corresponding portions of the floor.
9. A pre-formed integral automobile floor mat or the like of soft, flexible floor covering material bent along transverse lines to provide a level portion and a portion sloping upwardly from the level portion, said covering material being fashioned with a reentrant bulge extending across the bend and having the sides thereof contoured at thebottom in a form corresponding to the bend, and said bulgehaving a substantially tubular lever sheath extending upwardly from the top wall thereof.
10. A pre-formed integral automobile floor covering or the like'comprising a sheet of soft, flexible rubber substantially coextensive with the floor area and having a patterned top face, said sheet having aninternal area enlarged and distended to form a bulge and the pattern of said internal area being correspondingly distended.
11. A pro-shaped integral floor mat for humped automobile flooracomprising a blank of flexible ing, hollow, permanently imparted embossment of a predetermined size and shape to receive and conformto the hump onsaid floor, said embossment being open at its bottom to receive therein the floor hump.
12. A floormat for humped automobile floors, comprising a blank of flexible floor covering materiallysubstantially coextensive with the floor to be covered and having an integral, upstanding, hollow and self-sustaining embossment of awedetermined size and shape to receive and conform to a hump on said floor, said embossment being open at its bottom to receive therethrough the floor hump and closed at at least three of its sides and at the top to house the floor hump.
13. A floor mat for humped automobile floors, comprising a blank of vulcanized flexible rubber composition substantially coextensive with the floor to be covered and having an integral, upstanding. hollow and self-sustaining embossment of a predetermined size and shape to receive and conform to a hump on said floor, said embossment being open at its bottom to receive therethrough the floor hump and closed at atleast three of its sides and at the'top to house the floor hump.
14. A pre-shaped floor mat for humped automobile floors, comprising a blank of flexible floor covering material substantially coextensive with the floor to be covered and having a selected area thereof corresponding to the floor hump enlarged and set in the form of an upstanding, hollow, ir-
regularly bulged embossment of a predetermined.
its bottom to receive therethrough the floor hump, said hollow embossment being of such a predetermined shape and size as will enclose and conform to the floor hump with interior walls of the embossment in engagement with the floor hump, thereby to hold the mat against edgewise displacement on the automobile floor.
16. For use with an automobile floor having a substantially level main floor portion and a toe board portion sloping upwardly from the main portion and a re-entrant hump extending across the intersection of said portions, a preformed integral floor mat substantially coextensive with and conforming to said floor, said mat comprising a layer of soft, flexible floor covering material having level and sloping portions corresponding respectively to the level and sloping portions of the floor and fashioned with a re-entrant hump fitting bulge extending across the intersection of the level and sloping portions of the floor covering, said bulge being adapted to cooperate with the floor hump to position and maintain the aforesaid portions of the covering. material in coinciding relation with the corresponding portim of the floor.
' GEORGE W. BLAIR.
JOHN F. SCHO'I'I.
DISCLAIMER 2,032,832.-George W. Blair and John F. Schott, Mishawaka, Ind. FLOOR COVERING AND THE LIKE. Patent dated March 3, 1936. Disclaimer filed March 1,
1944, by the assignee, Miahqwak a Rubber &: Woolen Manufacturing Company- Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1, 2, 4, 10-, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 of said patent [Qfi'ic'ial Gazette March 28, 1944.]
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US696136A US2032832A (en) | 1933-11-01 | 1933-11-01 | Floor covering and the like |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US696136A US2032832A (en) | 1933-11-01 | 1933-11-01 | Floor covering and the like |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US2032832A true US2032832A (en) | 1936-03-03 |
Family
ID=24795856
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US696136A Expired - Lifetime US2032832A (en) | 1933-11-01 | 1933-11-01 | Floor covering and the like |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US2032832A (en) |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2429122A (en) * | 1947-10-14 | Method of making robber gloves | ||
US2429121A (en) * | 1942-06-17 | 1947-10-14 | Seamless Rubber Co | Method of making rubber goods |
DE905531C (en) * | 1950-06-30 | 1954-03-04 | Lothar Herzog Fa | Doormat for typewriter and typewriter tables |
US2821236A (en) * | 1951-10-31 | 1958-01-28 | Us Rubber Co | Method and machine for applying valve bases to inner tubes |
US2915427A (en) * | 1955-02-11 | 1959-12-01 | Eagle Picher Co | Method of making a contoured floor mat |
US3123863A (en) * | 1959-12-04 | 1964-03-10 | Method of and apparatus for forming | |
US3129972A (en) * | 1962-02-12 | 1964-04-21 | Victor H Vodra | Automobile floor mat |
US6361099B1 (en) | 1999-06-25 | 2002-03-26 | Collins & Aikman Products Co | Vehicle floor covering with integral threaded drain tube and method of making same |
US20080197661A1 (en) * | 2006-09-29 | 2008-08-21 | Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. | Combination harness protector and carpet |
US10674701B2 (en) | 2015-06-19 | 2020-06-09 | Titan International, Inc. | Agricultural mat and associated systems and methods |
-
1933
- 1933-11-01 US US696136A patent/US2032832A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2429122A (en) * | 1947-10-14 | Method of making robber gloves | ||
US2429121A (en) * | 1942-06-17 | 1947-10-14 | Seamless Rubber Co | Method of making rubber goods |
DE905531C (en) * | 1950-06-30 | 1954-03-04 | Lothar Herzog Fa | Doormat for typewriter and typewriter tables |
US2821236A (en) * | 1951-10-31 | 1958-01-28 | Us Rubber Co | Method and machine for applying valve bases to inner tubes |
US2915427A (en) * | 1955-02-11 | 1959-12-01 | Eagle Picher Co | Method of making a contoured floor mat |
US3123863A (en) * | 1959-12-04 | 1964-03-10 | Method of and apparatus for forming | |
US3129972A (en) * | 1962-02-12 | 1964-04-21 | Victor H Vodra | Automobile floor mat |
US6361099B1 (en) | 1999-06-25 | 2002-03-26 | Collins & Aikman Products Co | Vehicle floor covering with integral threaded drain tube and method of making same |
US20020079621A1 (en) * | 1999-06-25 | 2002-06-27 | Mcintosh William Duncan | Vehicle floor covering with integral threaded drain tube and method of making same |
US6905650B2 (en) | 1999-06-25 | 2005-06-14 | Collins & Aikman Products Co. | Method of making a vehicle floor covering with integral threaded drain tube |
US20080197661A1 (en) * | 2006-09-29 | 2008-08-21 | Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. | Combination harness protector and carpet |
US7530620B2 (en) * | 2006-09-29 | 2009-05-12 | Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. | Combination harness protector and carpet |
US10674701B2 (en) | 2015-06-19 | 2020-06-09 | Titan International, Inc. | Agricultural mat and associated systems and methods |
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