FR2865693A1 - Floor covering, e.g. for motor vehicle, has non-slip plastic backing layer with projecting studs bonded to underside of mat - Google Patents

Abstract

A floor covering (1) consists of an upper carpet, felt or fibre mat layer (2), backed by a layer (3) of a supple sheet material with its upper surface (30) in contact with the underside (21) of the mat, and its under-surface (31) made with a series of studs (4) that prevent any substantial lateral movement. The floor covering (1) consists of an upper carpet, felt or fibre mat layer (2), backed by a layer (3) of a supple sheet material with its upper surface (30) in contact with the underside (21) of the mat, and its under-surface (31) made with a series of studs (4) that prevent any substantial lateral movement. The two layers are bonded together, and the studs are distributed at a preferable rate of 90-110 per sq. dm. The backing layer has a weight of not more than 3 kg/sq m.

Description

2865693 1

  Non-slip and repositionable article for protecting a floor covering, especially carpet of a motor vehicle, method of preparation and use.

Field of the invention

  The present invention relates, as a new industrial product, to a non-slip and repositionable article for protecting fibrous floor coverings, especially carpets of motor vehicles, said article being a composite comprising a support (in particular of the carpet, carpet, felt or mat) and a flexible layer associated with the back of said support, the anti-slip function being obtained by means of a plurality of pins disposed on said layer facing the floor covering to be protected. It also relates to a method for preparing this article and its use.

  PRIOR ART It has been known that in the past composite articles have been used comprising a support of the carpet, carpet, felt or doormat type and a repositionable adhesive mass, the latter acting as anti-slip means, in particular for the aftermarket motor vehicles. This adhesive mass, deposited by coating on the back of the support, has a superficial adhesive power (ie "tack", "tackyfiant" or "tackiness") reduced to be able to glue and then peel off the resulting composite article. See for this purpose the publications: US 6106916 A, FR2 708533 A, FR 2810002 A, FR 2830258 B, WO 01/94150 A, JP 11/255838 A and JP 08/103365 A. Or the use of an adhesive mass as anti-slip means has drawbacks. On the one hand, if the adhesive mass is from a solution in an organic solvent, an expensive installation is required to recover said organic solvent to protect the personnel and the environment. On the other hand, if the adhesive mass is from an aqueous solution, energy must be expended to remove the water, especially a long drying time (with a long storage under an air current). In addition, as the adhesive mass sets the dust its superficial adhesive power decreases.

  OBJECT OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, it is proposed to provide a new solution, without adhesive mass or welding point, to solve the technical problem of anti-slip of protective articles of flooring. There is indeed a need for new articles of the family of anti-slip composites to protect the floors and their coatings, and in particular the original carpets (i.e. original) motor vehicles.

  In short, we are looking for motor vehicles a so-called aftermarket item that is anti-slip, repositionable, washable with water after being removed, able to protect the original carpet, able to ensure the comfort of the driver and his passengers, and especially the safety of driving, avoiding the displacement, which is dangerous, of the second-wheel article under the pedals, and if necessary, advantageously free of coated adhesive mass and welding points (especially hot soldering points), to avoid the aforementioned drawbacks.

  OBJECT OF THE INVENTION This object has been achieved thanks to the new technical solution according to the invention, which relies on the use of a plurality of pins intended to ensure a contact without substantial slip with respect to the floor covering that the we want to protect, said pins inserted into the fibrous composition of said floor covering to be fixed.

  According to a first aspect of the invention, as a new industrial product, a composite article (1) is provided for protecting a fibrous floor covering, particularly a motor vehicle carpet, said article (1) being characterized in that it comprises: (a) a fibrous carrier (2) of the carpet, carpet, felt or mat type, provided with an upper surface (20) and a lower surface (21) constituting the back of said support, and (b) a sheet-like flexible material (3) which is provided with an upper surface (30) intended to be in contact with said lower surface (21) forming the back of said support (2) and a surface lower part (31) provided with a plurality of pins (4) intended to provide a connection without substantial slip with respect to said coating, said support (2) and said material (3) being secured together.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for preparing said article (1), in which said support (2) and said material (3) are secured.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, it is recommended to use a plurality of pins (4) disposed on a flexible sheet material (3) as anti-slip means.

Brief description of the drawing

  In the accompanying drawing, the single figure 1 schematically shows a section of an article according to the invention for protecting a fibrous floor covering.

  Detailed description of the invention

  The flexible support 2 is a fibrous product such as carpet, carpet, felt or mat. Its upper surface 20 constitutes the face of the article 1 which is exposed when said article is put in place on a floor covering, such as a carpet of original equipment of a motor vehicle; its lower surface 21 is presented here, for convenience, as schematically constituting the back of said support. If this back has a certain thickness, considering the embodiment of the support 2, said surface 21 is of course the underside of said back.

  Where appropriate, the flexible support 2 of an automobile repair article 1 may comprise on its upper surface 21 at least one reinforcing zone (not shown in FIG. 1) designed to protect said support from wear by at least a shoe of the user and in particular of the friction wear due to the heel of said shoe.

  The flexible material 3 is a product of rubbery nature. It can be advantageously designed in synthetic rubber or similar flexible plastic material. Conveniently, said material 3 will be made of PVC, polybutadiene, polyisoprene or a polymer mixture based on PVC, polybutadiene and / or polyisoprene.

  In the article 1 according to the invention, the upper surface 30 of said material 3 is in contact with the lower surface 21 of said support. The pins 4, essentially vertical with respect to the plane of the lower surface 31 of the material 3, are advantageously regularly distributed over said surface 31, in particular according to a system of rows and bays with substantially identical spacing gaps. Advantageously, the material 3 is obtained provided with its pins 4 by molding in one piece.

  In practice, the material 3 will comprise 60 to 120 barbs / dm2 and better 90 to 110 barbs / dm2, each pin 4 will exceed the surface 31 by a height less than or equal to 5 mm, and better each pin 4 will have a height between 1.8 and 3 mm, and E each pin 4 will have a mean diameter decreasing from its base on said surface 31 towards its tapered free end, the diameter of the pin 4 at its base at said surface 31 being in particular of the order of 2 to 3 mm.

  Advantageously, the material 3, provided with its pins 4, will have a basis weight of less than or equal to 3 kg / m 2, and better a surface density of between 2.3 and 2.7 kg / m 2.

  The flexible support 2 and the material 3, cut to an identical size or the like, are advantageously secured to one another by means known per se. In this view, a peripheral seam, in particular a loop or an overlock 5 over the entire periphery of the support assembly 2 + material 3 may be used. It is also possible to use an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the interface 21. 30, in particular this adhesive is optionally distributed in one or more strips, according to several pads, and / or at several points. It can also be associated for securing a peripheral seam and an adhesive. Furthermore, the adhesion at the interface 21/30 can also be achieved by a set of hot spot by point and partial melting of the flexible material 3.

  Thus one can provide a securing mode using a double-sided adhesive, disposed in whole or in part at the interface between the lower surface 21 of the back of said support 2 and the upper surface 30 of said material 3.

  According to the invention, the securing of the support assembly 2 + material 3 by means of an adhesive can be rendered superfluous. Indeed, when the basis weight of the material 3 is less than or equal to 3 kg / m 2, the single overlock thread 5 at the periphery of the support assembly 2 + material 3 is amply sufficient to make said support 2 and said support integral. material 3.

  In addition, the implementation of the overlock 5, as a securing means, is an important advantage when one wants to ban any use of adhesive in the article 1 according to the invention. In particular, the use of a double-sided adhesive, arranged according to several ribbons (one substantially parallel to each other, the others substantially perpendicular to the previous ones), could lead to the formation of one or more air pockets between these ribbons, which would be a nuisance for the user driving a car.

  The overlock thread 5, disposed over the entire peripheral edge of the support assembly 2 + material 3, is therefore the preferred fastening means according to the invention.

  If necessary, pins 4 of the periphery may be present in the space formed by the overlock 5.

  The pins 4 provide a stable connection (i.e. fixation) of the article 1 to the fibrous floor covering, in particular a carpet of automobile original equipment, which one wants to protect. The resistance to lateral displacement of the article 1 with respect to said fibrous coating is substantially obtained by blocking the pins 4 by the fibers of said fibrous coating. For said blocking to be effective, it is sufficient to apply a relatively low pressure, especially manually, to the entire upper surface 20 of the support 2 of the article 1, during the introduction of said article 1 on the coating fibrous.

  To separate the article 1 from the fibrous coating, it is sufficient to pull it by one of its edges at an angle of about 7r / 2 with respect to its horizontal plane to release the pins 4 of the fibers of said coating.

  The method of preparation of article 1, which is recommended according to the invention for protecting a floor covering, is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: (1) using a fibrous support 2 of type carpet, carpet, felt or doormat, provided with an upper surface 20 and a lower surface 21 constituting the back of said support, (2) use a flexible material 3 in the form of sheet, which is provided (i) an upper surface 30 intended to be in contact with said lower surface 21 forming the back of said support 2, and (ii) a lower surface 31 provided with a plurality of pins 4 intended to provide a connection to the fibrous coating, that it is desired to protect, without substantial lateral slip with respect to said coating, (3) if necessary, cut said support 2 and / or said material 3 into a specific flat shape, and (4) to join together said support (2) and said material (3).

  As indicated above, the sheet material 3 involved in step (2) of this process is a rubbery polymer product. Advantageously, it is recommended to use a material 3 provided with its pins 4 which has been prepared in one piece, in particular by molding.

  In step (3), the support 2 and / or the material 3 are cut so that the geometric shape of one is identical or substantially similar to that of the other. Of course, step (2) can be omitted if the support 2 of step (1) and the material 3 of step (2) have already been obtained in the required geometric form. Said geometrical shape is determined according to the final destination, in particular according to a given vehicle in the form of the automobile racing carpet that is to be protected against the feet of the driver, the front passenger and, where appropriate, the other passengers.

  In step (4), the best embodiment consists, as indicated above, in making the support 2 and the material 3 integral with a peripheral overlock.

  Finally according to the invention, it is recommended a new use of a flexible material 3 comprising a plurality of pins 4, said use being characterized in that said pins 4, which extend from the lower surface 31 of a material flexible 3 secured to a fibrous support 2, are used for fixing an article 1, consisting of said fibrous support 2 and said flexible material 3 secured to a floor covering to be protected without substantial lateral sliding of said article 1 relative coating audit.

  In the use according to the invention, the article 1 is put in place on said coating to be protected by pressure on the upper surface 20 of said support 2, and can be removed or removed, when the time comes (especially for the cleaning with water), by traction at an angle of about 712 °.

  Other advantages and features of the invention will be better understood on reading the following examples of embodiments. Of course, all of these elements is not limiting but is provided by way of illustration.

  EXAMPLE 1 Automotive Rework Protection Mat A fibrous support 2 is used which is a felt having a thickness of 5 mm and which is provided on its upper surface with a zone of reinforcement against wear by at least one shoe heel, on the one hand, and a flexible material 3, provided with pins 4 of 2.3 mm in height and regularly distributed on the lower surface 31 at a rate of 90-100 pins / dm2, made of PVC in one single piece and having a mass per unit area of 2.5 kg / m2, on the other hand.

  These fibrous support 2 and flexible material 3 are cut to the required size in order to protect the motor-car investment carpet on the driver's side. Finally, said fibrous support 2 and flexible material 3 are made integral with a peripheral suture thread 5. A protective mat is obtained at a very economical cost.

  Advantageously, the method of Example 1 can be implemented on a continuous production line comprising the cutting of said fibrous support 2 and flexible material 3 and the production of the overlock 5 of the article 1.

  EXAMPLE 2 Automobile Rebuild Protection Mat The procedure is as in Example 1, with the difference that the fibrous support felt 2 is replaced by a 4.5 mm thick carpet. An automotive aftermarket protection mat is inexpensively obtained without adhesive or spot welding.

Claims (10)

  1. Composite article (1) for protecting a fibrous floor covering, particularly a motor vehicle carpet, said article (1) being characterized in that it comprises: (a) a fibrous support (2) of the carpet, carpet type , felt or mat, having an upper surface (20) and a lower surface (21) constituting the back of said support, and (b) a flexible sheet-like material (3), which is provided with a upper surface (30) intended to be in contact with said lower surface (21) forming the back of said support (2), and of a lower surface (31) provided with a plurality of pins (4) for providing a connection without substantial lateral sliding with respect to said coating, said support (2) and said material (3) being joined together.   2. Article according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible material (3) is a rubber product, in particular made of PVC, polybutadiene, polyisoprene or a polymer mixture based on PVC, polybutadiene and / or polyisoprene.   3. Article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flexible material (3) is obtained provided with its pins (4) by molding in one piece 4. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the flexible material (3) comprises 60 to 120 spikes / dm2 and better 90 to 110 picotsldm2.   5. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the flexible material (3) has a basis weight less than or equal to 3 kglm2.   6. Article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fibrous support (2) and the flexible material (3) are secured by means of a peripheral seam, in particular an overlock 5.   7. A method of preparing an article (1) according to claim 1 for protecting a fibrous floor covering, especially a motor vehicle carpet, said method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of: (1) making use of a fibrous support (2) of the carpet, carpet, felt or mat type, provided with an upper surface (20) and a lower surface (21) constituting the back of said support, (2) using a material flexible sheet-shaped device (3) which is provided with (i) an upper surface (30) for contact with said lower surface (21) forming the back of said carrier (2), and (ii) a lower surface (31) provided with a plurality of pins (4) for providing a connection to the fibrous coating, which is to be protected, without substantial lateral sliding with respect to said coating, (3) if necessary, cutting said support (2) and / or said material (3) according to a specific planar shape, and (4) securing together said support (2) and said material (3).   8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises the production of said flexible material (3) provided with its pins (4) in one piece by molding.   9. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that integral said support (2) and said material (3) are secured by a peripheral seam, in particular by an overcast (5).   10. Use of a flexible material 3 comprising a plurality of pins (4), said use being characterized in that said pins (4), which extend from the lower surface (31) of a flexible material (3) rendered integral with a fibrous support (2), serve to fix an article (1), consisting of said fibrous support (2) and said flexible material (3) secured to a fibrous floor covering to be protected without slipping substantially lateral of said article (1) with respect to said coating, said article (1) being placed on said pressure coating on the upper surface (20) of said support (2), and being pullable at an angle of about n / 2.