Macneil IP LLC

Scott A Vargo

David F MacNeil

Frederick W Masanek, Jr

Allan R Thom

Judd C Kaufman

Quin Gifford

David F Macneil

Frederick W Masanek

Set of vehicle floor mats

The three-dimensional positions of points on a surface of a vehicle foot well are digitally measured and are stored in a memory. The stored points are used to construct an electronic model of the vehicle foot well surface. The electronic model of the vehicle foot well surface in turn is used to construct an electronic three-dimensional image of the vehicle floor tray. A vehicle tray data file is created from the electronic three-dimensional image. The data file is in turn used to make a mold for a vehicle floor tray, and vehicle floor trays are manufactured by molding polymer material in the mold.

Designing and manufacturing vehicle floor trays

In a vehicle floor tray thermoformed from a sheet of thermoplastic polymeric material of substantially uniform thickness, a central panel includes a reservoir that has plural elongate hollow baffles which act to elevate the foot or shoe of the occupant above fluid collected by the reservoir, and also act to impede lateral movement of fluid in the reservoir. Heights of first and second side panels, measured at their junction, are substantially similar to each other. The vehicle floor tray may be one of a product line of such floor trays having the same functional characteristics but substantially conforming to respective and differently shaped foot wells in different vehicles.

Thermoformed vehicle floor tray with treads

Points on a surface of a vehicle foot well are digitally measured with a coordinate measuring machine. A vehicle foot well surface model is recreated in an electronic memory to include these points. The foot well surface model is in turn used to construct a mold for a vehicle floor tray, which ensures a snug fit.

Manufacturing vehicle floor trays

A product line of vehicle floor trays each are molded from a polymeric material to substantially conform to respective ones of a plurality of differently shaped foot wells of different vehicle makes and models. In an embodiment, the trays each have a reservoir in their central panels for collecting meltwater and the like, and baffles which retard the movement of the collected fluid.

Molded vehicle floor tray product line

A vehicle floor tray is molded from a sheet of polymeric material of substantially uniform thickness. A reservoir is formed in a portion of the central panel of the tray. Hollow upstanding baffles disposed in the reservoir impede movement of collected fluid. In a system embodiment including the floor tray and a vehicle foot well, upstanding first, second and third tray walls exhibit a close conformance to respective vehicle foot well walls, such that a large part of the external surface area of the first, second and third tray walls is within one-eighth of an inch of a respective vehicle foot well wall.

Molded vehicle floor tray and system

A cut-to-fit universal vehicle floor mat has arrays of peripheral cells separated from each other and from a central area of the mat body by indented trim lines. The arrays of cells can include an array for a transmission tunnel bulge.

All vehicle mats

A vehicle floor tray is thermoformed from a polymer sheet of substantially uniform thickness. The tray has a central panel and at least first and second upstanding side panels joined to the central panel by curved transitions. Within a reservoir disposed in the central panel are plural, hollow treads/baffles. The treads/baffles have a width, in any horizontal direction, which is more than twice the substantially uniform thickness of the tray as thermoformed. The treads/baffles impede lateral motion, due to changes in vehicle speed or direction, of liquid collected in the reservoir.

Vehicle floor tray

A vehicle floor tray thermoformed from a sheet of thermoplastic polymeric material includes a floor substantially conforming to a floor of a vehicle foot well, a first panel integrally formed with the floor of the tray and upwardly extending from a transversely disposed lateral side of the floor of the tray, and a second panel integrally formed with the floor of the tray and the first panel and upwardly extending from a longitudinally disposed lateral side of the floor of the tray. A third panel is integrally formed with the floor of the tray and to one of the first and second panels. For each panel, at least ninety percent of at least one-third of the first outer surface of the tray wall which is adjacent to the respective top margin of the wall is no more than one-eighth of an inch from the upper surface of the foot well.

A product line of consumer-installable thermoformed vehicle floor trays has first and second floor trays for insertion into first and second driver's side vehicle foot wells. The first and second vehicle foot wells have a different shape from each other. The first and second floor trays each have a floor that substantially conforms to the floor of its respective vehicle foot well. Each tray also has an upstanding transverse first panel, an upstanding longitudinal second panel connected to the first panel, and an upstanding longitudinal third panel connected to the first panel. Each upstanding panel is integrally formed with the floor of the tray and conforms to the walls of its respective foot well.

A cut-to-fit universal vehicle floor mat has arrays of peripheral cells separated from each other and from a central area of the mat body by indented trim lines. The arrays of cells can include one or more of the following: an array adjacent a deadpedal notch, an array for accommodating a gas pedal, an array for a transmission tunnel indentation, an array for a transmission tunnel bulge and an array to fit a passenger's side wheel well. The cells are formed by intersections of the trim lines, and a cell may have convexly curved transition segment between a longitudinal trim line outboard of the cell and a transverse trim line.

A vehicle floor tray is molded from a multiple extrusion polymer sheet such that it has high shear and tensile strength, an acceptable degree of stiffness and a high coefficient of friction on its upper surface. The floor tray design is digitally fitted to a foot well of a particular vehicle such that large areas of at least two upstanding walls of the tray depart from respective surfaces of the foot well by no more than an eighth of an inch.

A pair of cut-to-fit universal vehicle floor mats includes a driver's side floor mat and a passenger's side floor mat, each with a plurality of peripheral cells separated from each other and from a central area of the mat body by indented trim lines. The passenger's side mat is not a mirror image of the driver's side mat but differs therefrom in the shape of its exterior margin and the number, length, positioning and shape of the trim lines. The driver's side mat has cells which can be selectively trimmed away to accommodate a gas pedal, deadpedal, transmission tunnel indentation and fuel filler door/trunk release levers. The passenger's side mat has arcuate trim lines and cells adapted to fit a transmission tunnel bulge and a right front wheel well which often delimit the passenger's side foot well.

Growing community of inventors

Lombard, IL, United States of America

Scott A Vargo