EP0011468B1

EP0011468B1 - Stair mat

Info

Publication number: EP0011468B1
Application number: EP79302537A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hiromitsu C/O Tokyo Kenkyusho Of Kabushiki Naka
Original assignee: Naka Technical Laboratory Co Ltd
Current assignee: Naka Technical Laboratory Co Ltd
Priority date: 1978-11-13
Filing date: 1979-11-12
Publication date: 1985-03-13
Also published as: DE2967407D1; EP0011468A1

Description

This invention relates to a stair mat adapted to be installed on stairs, especially stairs arranged to the inside of the building.
In general, stair nosings are installed on the edge of steps for the purpose of preventing a person from missing his footing on the stairs and of obviating the danger of the missed footing, and carpeting is applied to the stairs for the purpose of giving an ornamentality, further of giving a sound absorption, a buffer action, a thermal insulation and a flexibility, conventionally the carpeting is fixed by stair rods.
However, with stair nosings, the sound absorption, the thermal insulation and the flexibility are lacking on the steps and the buffer action is insufficient, and with continuous stair carpets, the carpets are worn away at the edge of the steps. Such carpets should be changed when dirty, which is uneconomical. There is a tendency to connect the stair nosing and the narrow carpet in one united body, or to combine stair nosing and the narrow carpet separately installed on the steps. However, the former must be uneconomically changed when the stair nosing or the carpet is worn away or damaged and changing work is difficult, the latter is not fixed firmly and its installing work is difficult; furthermore it brings into existence undersirable dispersion, for it may be installed in a manner that the stair nosing and the carpet are put side by side or one above the other by driving in of nails or screwing.
United States Patent Specification No. 1789875 shows a stair mat which is formed with a recess to hold a tread carpet. However, such a stair mat is expensive to make and has poor cushioning. Also, carpet retention is not good with such an arrangement.
One object of the present invention is to provide a stair mat which can be made economically by an extrusion process and which allows the mat itself to be retained by specially shaped grooves.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stair mat which can alleviate the problem of missed footing on the stairs and to obviate the danger of missed footing, by covering the edge of the stair, and which gives effect of non-skid and cushioning, and further gives sound absorption, thermal insulation, flexibility and ornamentality.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stair mat which can easily be installed on each of the steps, and being free of undesirable dispersion.
According to the invention there is provided a stair mat comprising a tread base sheet member adapted to cover the tread of a stair and having a setting area and a tread mat detachably secured on to the setting area; wherein the tread base sheet member has a framing bead at the rear edge of the tread base sheet member so as to define the rear of the setting area, an edge covering bead positioned at the front edge of the tread base sheet member so as to define the front of the setting area, a skirt extended downwardly from the front edge of the covering bead so as to secure on to the riser of the stair, and the framing, bead and edge covering bead protrude upwardly from the plane of the tread base sheet member and have openings facing each other for forming setting grooves so as to insert the front and rear edge of the tread mat into the setting grooves, respectively, when the tread mat is attached on the setting area, characterised in that the edge covering bead has a non-skid top surface portion and a longitudinal hollow portion along the inside thereof, said tread base sheet member which has the framing bead, edge covering bead, and skirt is made by extrusion of flexible synthetic resin, being of uniform cross-section in width (from side to side), and said grooves are such that the mat can be held on the tread base sheet member thereby.
The tread base sheet member may be provided with a plurality of longitudinal hollow portions.
The non-skid top surface portion may have serrations on the upper surface thereof.
The tread mat can be easily and firmly fixed on each step, is free of undesirable dispersion, and can be easily changed according to the extent to which it is worn out, damaged, dirty and the detached tread mat can be washed. The stair mat protects the forward edge of the step, and gives effects of non-skid and cushioning, further gives sound absorption, thermal insulation, flexibility and ornamentality. The stair mat can alleviate the problem of missed footing on the stairs and obviate the danger of missed footing. The stair mat is economical and suitable for the stairs, and can diminish the quantity of carpet required.
Furthermore, a stair mat comprised as above-mentioned of the present invention may be provided with a fluorescent strip on the upper surface of the front edge of the tread mat or the edge covering bead. Thus the forward edge of the step can be visible in the dark at the night so as to maintain the safety of those going up and down the stairs.
To help understanding of the invention, various specific embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view, for explanatory purposes, of a stair mat which is installed on the stairs of a building, but which does not embody all of the features of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stair mat as shown in Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of an embodiment of the stair mat of the present invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show a stair mat which is adapted to the stairs 80 of a building.
The stair mat 20 includes a tread base sheet member 21 adhered on a tread 81 of the step 80, and a tread mat 22 adhered on a tread mat securing area 25 of the base sheet member 21.
The tread base sheet member 21 is integrally provided with an edge covering bead 23 covering the forward edge of the step 80 at the front edge, and is integrally provided with a framing bead 24 at the rear edge, so as to form the securing area 25 between the edge covering bead 23 and the framing bead 24.
The edge covering bead 23 is provided with a skirt 26 adhered on the riser 82 of the step, having hollow portions 27, 28 at the inside, and further having a serrated non-skid top surface portion 29.
The tread base sheet member 21 is provided with a plurality of hollow portions 30 at the inside between the edge covering bead 23 and the framing bead 24. The edge covering bead 23 and the framing bead 24 are integrally formed of flexible synthetic resin, heightening the cushioning effect of the hollow portions 27, 28, 30.
The tread mat 22 may be formed of a sheet of brake lining, a sheet mainly composed of carborundum, a sheet blended of non-skid particles (coating plate), a granulated sheet or the like, having high non-skid effect, which is fixed on the securing area 25 of the tread base sheet member 21 by the use of an adhesive agent or an adhesive tape.
By installing the stair mat 20 on the step 80, the stair mat 20 shows the effects of cushioning, sound absorption, and so on, in addition to the non-skid effect, since the tread mat 22 is secured almost all over the surface of the tread 81 of the step, and the edge covering bead 23 covers the forward edge 83 of the step 80 and the tread base sheet member 21 is between the tread mat 22 and the tread 81 of the step 80. A person can safely go up and down the stairs without a feeling of physical discomfort.
The tread base sheet member 21 of the stair mat 20 as above-mentioned is constructed having a flexibility in order to give the cushioning effect to the tread mat 22.
The stair mat 20 comprised as above-mentioned can be firmly fixed on the stairs 80, whilst being easy to handle and install, and give the non-skid and cushioning effects. Further it impresses a person going up and down the stairs with a good foot feeling, without feeling physical discomfort at the portion between the edge covering bead 23 and the securing area 25.
Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the stair mat of the present invention.
The stair mat 70 as shown in Figure 4, has the skirt 26 of Figures 1 and 2 (not shown in Figure 4) and comprises a tread base sheet member 71 adhered on the tread 81 of the step 80 and a tread mat 62 secured on the securing area 25 of the base sheet member 71. The edge covering bead 23 and the framing bead 24 are provided with securing grooves 72, 73 formed integrally with the front and the rear edges of the base. sheet member 71 respectively. The stair mat 70 is made by extrusion, being of a flexible synthetic resin, and the edge covering bead, the framing bead, the tread base sheet member and the skirt and all integrally formed, with the hollows as appropriate, by the extrusion process.
Thus, the securing grooves 72, 73 are formed at the edge covering bead 23 and the framing bead 24, respectively, so the tread mat 62 is fixed on the securing area 25, with the front and the rear edges 65, 66 of the tread mat 62 inserted into the securing grooves 72, 73 respectively.
Therefore the tread mat 62 can be firmly fixed on the securing area 25 and falling out and fraying at the front and rear edges 65, 66 of the tread mat 62 can be prevented.
As above-mentioned, the tread mat 62 of the stair mat 70 can be firmly fixed by the tread base sheet member 71, and it is easy to handle and install the stair mats 70. The tread mat 62 can be easily changed. Further, it is easy to clean the stairs and the tread mat 62 can be washed if the tread mat 62 is detached.
As mentioned above, the described stair mats of the present invention are suitable for a mat installed on the stairs of the building, especially where deadening of the sound of footsteps is required.

Claims

1. A stair mat (70) comprising a tread base sheet member (71) adapted to cover the tread (81) of a stair and having a setting area (25) and a tread mat (62) detachably secured on to the setting area; wherein the tread base sheet member has a framing bead (24) at the rear edge of the tread base sheet member so as to define the rear of the setting area, an edge covering bead (23) positioned at the front edge of the tread base sheet member so as to define the front of the setting area, a skirt (26) extended downwardly from the front edge of the covering bead so as to secure on to the riser (82) of the stair (80), and the framing bead and edge covering bead protrude upwardly from the plane of the tread base sheet member and have openings (72, 73) facing each other for forming setting grooves so as to insert the front and rear edge of the tread mat into the setting grooves, respectively, when the tread mat is attached on the setting area, characterised in that the edge covering bead (23) has a non-skid top surface portion (29) and a longitudinal hollow portion (28) along the inside thereof, said tread base sheet member (21) which has the framing bead (24), edge covering bead (23), and skirt (26) is made by extrusion of flexible synthetic resin, being of uniform cross-section in width (from side to side), and said grooves (72, 73) are such that the mat can be held on the tread base sheet member thereby.

2. A stair mat as claimed in claim 1, in which the tread base sheet member (21) is provided with a plurality of longitudinal hollow portions (30).

3. A stair mat as claimed in claim 1, in which the non-skid top surface portion (29) has serrations on the upper surface thereof.