GB2400302A

GB2400302A - Table mats with heating or cooling means

Info

Publication number: GB2400302A
Application number: GB0308245A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mahendrabhai Kikubhai Patel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-04-10
Filing date: 2003-04-10
Publication date: 2004-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 2023-04-10
Also published as: GB0308245D0; GB2400302B

Abstract

A table mat, place mat or coaster is formed with an internal cavity 126 which contains a gel material 130 which can be heated or cooled prior to use, so that, in use, the mat or coaster heats or cools a dish, glass or other container placed on it. The mat has a sandwich construction having upper and lower layers sandwiching a spacer layer defining a cavity containing the gel. The upper layer may be transparent or translucent. There may be more than one cavity 126.

Description

TABLE MATS

This invention relates to table mats, which term is used herein to include all items of tableware such as "place mats", "table mats", "coasters" and so on which consist of a relatively thin, planar item which is intended to receive a plate, dish, cup, glass or other vessel for food or drink.

The plate, dish, cup, glass or other vessel may be one which is used directly by an individual or it may be a serving vessel from which individuals are to be served.

Known table mats afford protection to surfaces, particularly polished or delicate surfaces, from hot items and from spillage of liquids. Typically, mats are used domestically on kitchen worktop surfaces and dining and coffee tables and commercially in hotels, bars and restaurants.

The mats are available in differing sizes according to their intended use: "place mats" are normally used under dining plates and light dishes and bowls; "table mats" are normally used under larger serving dishes, casseroles and saucepans; "coasters" are normally used under glasses, cups and similar items.

Although fulfilling their protective role adequately, the known table mats have the disadvantage that they are used at substantially ambient temperature and therefore tend to have no effect on keeping hot food or drink hot or cold food or drink cold. The hot or cold food or drink therefore becomes undesirably cooler or warmer than its best temperature for consumption.

The present invention provides a table mat having a substantially planar top surface and at least one internal cavity containing a material which can be heated or cooled prior to use to, respectively, a temperature above or below ambient and which is in heat-transfer relationship with the top surface so that, in use, the top surface is, respectively, heated or cooled for a prolonged period to a temperature above or below ambient.

Preferably, the mat has a sandwich construction comprising an upper planar member providing the top surface, I a lower planar member and, positioned therebetween, a spacer member defining the internal cavity or cavities.

The overall thickness of the mat, excluding any supporting feet which may be provided, is preferably not greater than 20 mm, more preferably not greater than 10 mm, most preferably not greater than 7 mm.

The mat may however have no support feet and has a substantially planar bottom surface on which the mat rests where placed on a table for use. The bottom surface may be the lower surface of a cork or felt layer, or a layer of another insulating material.

The mat may be any suitable shape, including rectangular, circular and oval. The top surface area of the mat is preferably not less than 50 cm2 and preferably not more than 1250 cm2.

Within the range of surface areas, typical mats which can be provided are: a circular coaster having a surface area of about 75 cm2i a square coaster having a surface area of about cm2i a rectangular place mat measuring about 25 cm by about 20 cm and having a surface area of about 500 cmi a I table mat or large place mat measuring about 30 cm by about 22 cm and having a surface area of about 660 cm2i and a large I table mat measuring about 40 cm by about 30 cm and having a surface area of about 1200 cm2.

There may be a single cavity extending beneath substantially all of the top surface or a plurality of cavities which together extend beneath substantially all of the top surface.

Advantageously, the lower surface of the closed cavity is a heatreflective surface.

The material contained in the cavity or cavities in the mat may be any suitable material providing the heating or cooling properties required. The material is preferably a gel. Any gel having suitable exothermic or endothermic properties, or both, may be used. These properties may typically be affected by the water content of the gel which can therefore be suitably chosen. The gel material may undergo a phase change on heating or cooling but is preferably in a gel state at room temperature (around 20 C). Materials other than gels may however be used, for example wheat grains which have suitable thermal properties.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings of this

specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a table mat; Figure 2 is a section on the line II-II of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a spacer layer of the mat of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the spacer layer of another mat; Figure 6 shows the spacer and lower layers of the mat of Figures 1 to 4; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of yet another table mat.

Figure 1 shows a table mat 10. The mat is rectangular in shape, except for its rounded corners, and measures approximately 30 cm by 22 cm. The mat 10 serves to protect a surface on which it is placed from items placed on the mat.

The top surface of the mat 10 has a heat resistant, wipe clean surface. The appearance of the top surface of the mat 10 may be varied as desired in colour and/or decorative design. This allows the mat to be used in a variety of settings, especially settings where colour coordination is important. The heat- resistant top surface may be provided by a transparent or translucent surface layer overlying a coloured surface or a surface carrying a decorative design.

As will be seen from Figure 2, the mat 10 is formed from a lower layer 14, an upper layer 16 and, between these layers, a spacer layer 18 which is secured to the lower and upper layers 14, 16 by respective layers of adhesive 15, 17 to form a composite whole. The overall thickness of the mat is approximately 10 mm. The layers 14, 16, 18 are formed from a suitable high impact thermoplastic material which is capable of withstanding high temperatures, for example those achieved in a microwave oven. If desired, the bottom and/or top layers 14, 16 may be made entirely from translucent or transparent material.

Figure 2 also shows that the lower layer 14 of the mat has at each corner a non-slip pad 22 which prevents the mat sliding over a surface 24 on which it is placed, particularly in situations where liquid has been spilt on the surface 24.

The material of the pads 22 is any suitable thermoplastic, rubber, felt or cork material or may be glass or wood depending on the design of the table mat. The pads 22 are secured to the lower layer 14 by adhesive layers 26. In an alternative arrangement, the non-slip material extends over the whole of the lower surface of the lower layer 14 and is not simply placed only at the corners. In another alternative, the non-slip material is omitted altogether and the lower surface of the lower layer 14 rests directly on the surface 24.

Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings shows that the spacer layer 18 is shaped to provide two hollow rectangular cavities 26, 28 which together extend over the greater part of the area of the mat 10 and which are filled with a suitable gel material 30, in this case a hair gel, as can be seen in Figure 3. The gel material is any suitable material which takes in or gives up heat when heated or cooled, respectively, and which subsequently provides a prolonged heat or cooling effect in use of the mat. By suitable selection, a gel can be provided which gives a desired heating or cooling effect, depending upon whether the mat is heated or cooled. If the upper layer 16 is formed from a transparent or translucent material and the gel is coloured in a suitable way in which provide a desired appearance to the upper surface of the mat.

The upper surface of the lower layer 14 within the area of the cavities 26, 28 is covered by a heat-reflecting layer 20.

Figure 4 of the drawings shows the spacer layer in perspective separately from the other components of the mat shown in Figures 1 to 3.

Figure 5 shows the spacer layer of a coaster measuring approximately 10 cm by 10 cm which is constructed in the same way as described above with reference to the table mat of Figures 1 to 3 and which has a single gel cavity.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the lower layer 14 and the spacer of layer 18 of the mat described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a place mat which is formed from three layers in exactly the same way as the table mat of Figures 1 to 4, except that the spacer layer defines a single gel cavity. Reference numerals increased by "100" compared with those in Figures 1 to 4 are used. The upper layer 116 is transparent.

The table mats and coasters described above are used in the following way. Assuming that the gel contained in the cavity or cavities of the mat is a gel which is suitable for heating, the mat is placed in an oven which may be a conventional or microwave oven depending on the nature of the gel, and heated for a suitable period of time until the gel has absorbed a quantity of heat sufficient to be given out during subsequent use of the mat. If a cooling effect is required a suitable gel is used and the mat first frozen in a refrigerator or freezer until sufficient heat has been given up by the gel for the mat to provide a suitable cooling effect over a period of use of the mats. The suitable gel may be the same gel which provides a heating effect in the first case and a cooling effect in the second.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A table mat having a substantially planar top surface and at

least one internal cavity containing a material which can be heated or cooled to, respectively, a temperature above or below ambient and which is in heat- transfer relationship with the top surface so that, in use, the top surface is, respectively, heated or cooled for a prolonged period to a temperature above or below ambient.
2. A table mat according to claim 1, having a sandwich construction comprising an upper planar member providing the top surface, a lower planar member and, positioned therebetween, a spacer member defining the internal cavity or cavities.
3. A table mat according to claim 2, wherein the overall thickness of the said members is not greater than mm.
4. A table mat according to claim 2, wherein the overall thickness of the said members is not greater than mm.
5. A table mat according to any preceding claim having a top surface area of not less than 50 cm2 and not more than 1250 cm2.
6. A table mat according to any of claims 2 to 5, in which the upper planar member is transparent or translucent.
7. A table mat according to any preceding claim, having a single cavity extending beneath substantially the whole of the top surface.
8. A table mat according to any of claims 1 to 5, having a plurality of cavities together extending beneath substantially the whole of the top surface.
9. A table mat according to any preceding claim, in which the lower surface of the closed cavity is a heat- reflective surface.
10. A table mat according to any preceding claim, wherein the material contained in the internal cavity is a gel material.
11. A table mat according to any preceding claim, in which the material contained in the cavity can be either heated or cooled to provide the said heating and cooling effects respectively.
12. A table mat according to any preceding claim, having a substantially planar bottom surface on which the mat rests when placed on a table for use.
13. A table mat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.