AU636099B1 - - Google Patents

Description

S F Ref: 217289

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 0 EI PETTY PATENT SPECIFICATION

ORIGINAL

a Name and Address of Applicant: Formosa Saint Jose Corporation 11FI-2. No. 109, Ho-Ping East Road Sec. 3 Taipei TAIWAN R.O.C.

a a. a, *a a.

Actual Inventor(s): Wen-Hwang Yang Address for Service: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Invention Title: An Improved Structure for a Foot Pad in an Automobile Rug The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5843/5 TITLE: AN IMPROVED STRUCTURE FOR A FOOT PAID IN AN AUTOMOBILE RUG BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: Automobiles (or cars) have become an indispensable transportation means at the present time; the automobile industry and its satellite industries have become highly developed in all developed countries.

Various models of cars with different features have also been designed and manufactured to meet the market demand. Therefore, all car manufacturers lose no time in researching and developing new cars.

However, a perfect car not only has excellent functions and outer design, but it also should have a complete set of accessories and inner decorations to show the prominent features of a deluxe car. Therefore, the inner accesso,ies of a car are very important to the same features of the car.

The rug in a car is to be stepped on by a driver or passengers, and to provide a decorative function for the car; consequently, the rug has become an indispensable accessory. A car owner usually adds a set of foot pads four pieces of foot padding with a given pattern and colour, which are on sale as a complete set) so as to protect the rug in the car. It is well-known that each pad of a set of foot pads has a small part which is susceptible to wear-and-tear; that small part is called the "pedalled part". The pedalled part of a driver's foot pad is a small part which is usually stepped on by a driver's two feet. Nhen a driver steps on the accelerator, the clutch or the brake pedal with force, his (or her) shoe heel would first contact the pedalled part of io *oeo *4 4.

4 o* 9 4 the foot pad; the pedalling force of the shoe heel is similar to a vertical impact to be applied to the foot pad, it is not a parallel rubbing force. After a long period of time of such vertical impact, the pedalled part will be broken with a through hole, and it would become useless (thi!; is particularly true for female drivers who usually wear high heel shoes). As a result, the foot pad has to be replaced quite often, even though the particular foot pads with the same pattern and color might not be available. Usually, the supplier of such foot pads will recommend to the car owner to replace the whole set of foot pads four pieces), which would cost the car owner more money just because of tlhat small part being broken, quite apart from the inconvenience to the owner. If the broken foot pad is not replaced with a new piece, the whole car looks like an imperfect one, and the rug under the foot pad would be damaged soon in addition to an abnormal or strange pedalling feeling to the driver.

In view of the aforesaid drawbacks of foot pads, manufacturers have developed an improved foot pad as shown in Fig. 1, in which a pedal piece made of plastic material is attached to the pedalled part of the foot pad for preventing the pedalled part from impact and tear at least for a given period of time. However, as soon as the pedal piece is broken the rug in the car will soon be damaged (as indicated by P in Fig. In .0.0 so 0* 0 .000 *oo *o *Oo *oe *o *oo*« oo* -2that case, the rug and the whole set of foot pads in a car have to be replaced at a considerable amount of money because the broken "pedalled part" is unable to be replaced. In other words, the aforesaid improved foot pad set is unable to solve the problem of the vulnerable foot pad.

Moreover, the aforesaid foot pad made of plastics is harmful to a shoe heel because both of them are made of rigid materials, plastics is considered not to be a good material for making foot pads.

In view of the aforesaid drawbacks, the inven.or has developed an improved structure of a foot pad which is to be attached to a rug in a car. According to the present invention, the drawbacks of the conventional foot pad can be eliminated, or at least reduced, and such a foot pad can provide a car with a practical function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: Accordingly, the present invention provides a foot pad for an automobile rug, the food pad comprising: a foot pad member having a rectangular hole in a front part thereof; a base plate larger than said rectangular hole being sewn to as under surface of said foot pad so as to cover the rectangular hole, an upper surface of said base plate being provided with several slots arranged in parallel with one another for receiving a number of strips of Velcro material or two-sided adhesive tape; an under surface of said base plate being provided with a plurality of slip-resistant beads; and a pedal piece of substantially the same size and shape as said rectangular hole for fitting therein; an upper surface of said pedal 25 piece being provided with a brush-type elastic pile; an under surface of said pedal piece being provided with means for fastening said pedal piece to said base plate, said fastening means corresponding in number and position to said strips of Velcro material or two-sided adhesive tape in :said slots, said pedal piece and said base plate being releasably fastened together by means of said strips contacting said fastening means.

*to -3- STA/0901 E" Thus, whenever the pedal piece is broken as a result of wear and tear, it can easily be replaced with a new one without spending much money by replacing the whole set of foot pads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a set of conventional foot pad for an automobile (or car).

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the conventional foot pad.

Fig. 3 is a disassembled view of an embodiment of a foot pad according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 Is a sectional view of the foot pad according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a disassembled view of another embodiment according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of showing the wear-and-tear condition of a conventional foot pad in a car.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION: Figs. 1 and 2 show the structure of a conventional foot pad for a car. (This invention is described with a foot pad which is to be mounted in front of a driver's seat.) The foot pad is usually made of a high value material. In order to increase the serviceable life of the foot pad, the manufacturer usually mounts oos.

9 09 6.

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9 04 STA/0901E a pedal piece (11) made of hard or plastic material above a small area on the foot pad, where is susceptible to wear and tear as a result of pedalling of driver's foot; however, the material of such pedal piece (11) is not fit in color and pedalling feeling to the foot pad and the rug in a car; moreover, after being used for a given period of time, the pedal piece (11) is subject to becoming broken by the shoe heel of driver, and the car owner or the manufacturer would not repair or replace the broken pedal piece in other words, the car owner has to buy a new set .10 (four pieces) of conventional foot pad (10) with additional cost.

It is deemed economical.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the present invention comprises a foot pad a base plate and a pedal piece The front part of the foot pad (20) has a rectangular hole (21) which is usually the part to be pedalled by driver's foot. The base plate (30) is slightly larger than the size of the rectangular hole the base plate (30) is to be fitted in place along the edge of the rectangular hole (21) by means of sewing method "A" so as to have the foot pad (20) and the base plate fixed together.

As shown in Fig. 3, the base plate (30) is substantially a flat piece, of which the front side has several slots (31) arranged in parallel for receiving a corresponding number of Velcro strips (50a) (a hook surface or a pile surface);the strips (50a) are to fasten together with Velcro strips (50b) (a pile 5 surface or a hook surface) on the back side of a pedal piece The back side of the base plate (30) is provided with a plurality of slip-resistant beads ,.,-reby the base plate can be adhered together with the car rug under the foot pad (20) so as to prevent the foot pad (20) from slipping on the car rug.

As shown in Fig. 3, -he size of the pedal piece (40) is exactly fit to the rectangular hole (21) of the foot pad to fill the space of the rectangular hole to have the pedal .i0"10 piece and the foot pad become one single piece. The front side *goo eo"* of the pedal piece (40) is planted with a brush-type elastic pile surface in the same color and pattern same as those of the foot pad such a pile surface can prevent a driver's shoe heel from being wear and tear. The back side of the pedal piece is furnished with several Velcro strips (50b) (a pile surface or a hook surface) corresponding to those Velcro strips (50a) (a hook surface or a pile surface) in the slots (31) of the base plate; after the pedal piece is put above the base plate both the pedal piece and the base plate (30) will be fastened together by means of the Velcro strips (50a) and (50b); in that case, the pedal piece (40) and the foot pad (20) will become one single piece.

Fig. 5 illustrates another embadiment according to the present invention, in which the slots (31) in the base plate are filled with a two-side adhesive tape whereby the base 6 plate (30) and the pedal piece (40) are glued together directly; the aforesaid gluing method can provide the same fastening result as that of the Velcro strips.

In brief, since the pedal piece (40) of the present invention is made of a brush-type elastic pile, it would not harm the shoe heel. The pattern and color of the pedal piece may be varied, being not limited to that of the foot pad.

Whenever the pedal piece becomes worn and torn, it can easily be removed from the base plate to replace it with a new one; in "TO other words, the present invention is deemed much convenient to a user in comparison with the conventional foot pad, and saving an amount of money to replace a whole piece or set of the foot pad.

It is apparent that the present invention is practical without having the drawbacks of the conventional foot pad, aside from the simple and novel features thereof.

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Claims (3)

1. A foot pad for an automobile rug, the food pad comprising: a foot pad member having a rectangular hole in a front part thereof; a base plate larger than said rectangular hole being sewn to as under surface of said foot pad so as to cover the rectangular hole, an upper surface of said base plate being provided with several slots arranged in parallel with one another for receiving a number of strips of Velcro material or two-sided adhesive tape; an under surface of said base plate being provided with a plurality of slip-resstant beads; and a pedal piece of substantially the same size and shape as said rectangular hole for fitting therein; an upper surface of said pedal piece being provided with a brush-type elastic pile; an under surface of said pedal piece being provided with means for fastening said pedal piece to said base plate, said fastening means corresponding in number and position to said strips of Velcro material or two-sided adhesive tape in said slots, pedal piece and said base plate being releasably fastened together by means of said strips contacting said fastening means.

2. A foot pad according to claim 1, wherein said strips are of Velcro material and said fastening means comprise corresponding strips of Velcro material.

3. A foot pad according to claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4, or 5 of the drawings. DATED this THENTY-FIRST day of JANUARY 1993 g Formosa Saint Jose Corporation S" Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON 48 *e S- 8 A-8- STA/0901E An Improved Structure for a Foot Pad in an Automobile Rug Abstract A foot pad structure (20) on a rug in an automobile, of which the prime features are that the part to be pedalled on the foot pad has a rectangular hole and a base plate (30) being fixed under the rectangular hole the base plate (30) has several slots (31) arranged in parallel, in which a corresponding number of Velcro strips or two-side adhesive tapes are to be mounted. There is a detachable pedal piece of which the front side is to be pedalled by a driver, while the back side thereof is fixedly attached with a plurality of Velcro strips corresponding In number and position to the slots (31) In the aforesaid base plate by means of such a structure, the pedal piece (40) can directly be fastened together as one 0 piece with the base plate (30) of the foot pad (20) in an automobile. Whenever the pedal piece (40) becomes worn and torn, It can be replaced with a now one without replacing the whole foot pad F.i.. Figure 3