AU2010100968A4 - A mat - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A INNOVATION PATENT (Original) APPLICATION NO: LODGED: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION LODGED: ACCEPTED: PUBLISHED: RELATED ART: NAME OF APPLICANT: Austming Trade Pty Ltd ACTUAL INVENTOR(S): Ming Luo ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: LORD AND COMPANY, Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, of 4 Douro Place, West Perth, Western Australia, 6005, AUSTRALIA. INVENTION TITLE: "A MAT" The following Statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us: TITLE "A MAT" The present invention relates to a mat. 5 Mats for use in wet areas such as bathrooms or toilets are generally made from materials that are capable of absorbing water. These materials once wet are known to present conditions for microbial activity allowing contagions such as bacteria, fungus and mould to grow. 0 The present invention attempts to overcome at least in part the aforementioned disadvantages of previously known mats. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided an absorbent mat having a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers comprising a layer of a material treated with a colloidal silver or silver ion containing material so as to inhibit microbial activity and a layer of a material that is able to conform to a shape of a load placed upon the mat. Preferably, the mat further comprises a layer which acts as an upper cover. Also, the mat preferably comprises a lower cover which has reduced slip properties. !0 The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a mat in accordance with present invention shown in perspective view; and Figure 2 is a cross section of a mat of Figure 1, 2 Referring to the Figures, there is shown an absorbent mat 10 for use on a floor or chair that is arranged to inhibit microbial growth such as bacteria, fungus and mould. 5 Referring to figure 1, the mat 10 is shown in a rectangular form, although it would be apparent that the shape and size of the mat may be varied to any particular size or shape as required. Referring to figure 2, there is shown a cross section of the mat 10 in accordance with of 0 the present invention. The mat 10 comprises a plurality of layers 12, 14, 16, 18 of different materials as described below. The upper layer 12 of the mat 10 comprises a material that is absorbent and soft and has a high permeability to air. The upper layer 12 is arranged to allow water to be absorbed 5 and for air to pass through to the layers 14, 16 underneath. Preferably, the upper layer 12 comprises a polyester fiber with the preferred characteristics for this upper layer. 0 The second layer 14 preferably comprises a material that has the qualities of being absorbent, having high permeability to air and the ability to conform to a shape that places a load upon it, Preferably, the second layer comprises memory foam with the preferred characteristics 3 for the second layer. Further, the second layer 14 preferably comprises polyurethane resin memory foam that has the qualities of being absorbent and having softness allowing it to conform to the 5 shape of what is placed upon it and having a high permeability to air. The third layer 16 preferably comprises a material that is treated to inhibit microbial growth, such as, a material that has been treated with colloidal silver or silver ion containing material. Colloidal silver particles or silver ions act as an effective method of inhibiting microbial growth such as bacteria, fungus and mould. Further, the colloidal silver containing material may contain nano silver particles. Preferably, the third layer 16 may comprise of a material with the following attributes: Synthetic fiber 60 ~ 70% by weight 5 Viscose 20 ~ 30% by weight Colloidal silver particles 3 - 5% by weight Anion powder 5 ~ 15% by weight The anion powder referred to hereinabove is a powder which has high-anion content or 0 high anion-generation capacity, by way of example a tourmaline powder related to a tourmaline ore, The lower layer 18, preferably comprises of a material which has reduced slip characteristics on hard surfaces (particularly in wet environments), good permeability of 4 air and that are impervious to water. The lower layer 18 is preferably formed of a rubber material. 5 Preferably, the lower layer 18 comprises a styrene-butadiene rubber. The lower layer 18 may have a pattern embossed onto the lower side. In use, the separate layers of the mat 10 are typically placed in close abutting contact prior to be stitched together around the periphery thereof. Additional lines of stitching may be 3 introduced as necessary to shape the mat. The mat 10 is intended for use in areas where it is likely to come into contact with water, where other textiles materials would be prone to having microbial growth upon or within the weave therein. Once placed in an area the mat 10 acts to absorb any water it comes into contact with. By way of example, the mat 10 is placed on a floor and used by someone exiting a shower to stand upon whilst drying themselves, water in the form of droplets will fall upon the mat 10 and be absorbed by the upper layer 14. 0 In particular, it has been found that once wet the colloidal silver or silver ion containing material acts to release silver ions which have anti-microbial properties. The silver ions act to inhibit growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungus and mould. 5 In an area that has become wet mats may have a tendency to slip and slide particularly on hard floors such as tiles commonly used in bathrooms. The lower layer 18 of the mat 10 of the present invention is chosen from rubbers that have a tendency to stick and not slip. Further, it is preferred that the lower layer 18 be formed with an embossed pattern to 5 further aid the lower layer 18 to grip the floor and inhibit slipping. Although the present invention as described herein contains a plurality of layers arranged in a certain order it would be apparent to the skilled addressee that it is possible to arrange the layers in a number of different combinations to achieve similar results. Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. 6

Claims (5)

1. An absorbent mat comprising a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers comprising a layer of a material treated with a colloidal silver or silver ion containing material so as to inhibit microbial activity and a layer of a material that is able to conform to a shape of a load placed upon the mat. Preferably, the mat further comprises a layer which acts as an upper cover. Also, the mat preferably comprises a lower cover which has reduced slip properties.

2. An absorbent mat according to claim 1, wherein the layer of material able to conform to a shape of a load placed upon it is disposed above the layer of material treated with colloidal silver or silver ion containing material.

3. An absorbent mat according to claim 2, wherein the mat comprises a layer arranged as an upper cover.

4. An absorbent mat according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the matt comprises a lower cover which has reduced slip properties..

5. An absorbent mat according to any of the previous claims, wherein the colloidal silver or silver ion containing material that is formed of nano particles. 7