Semi-Rigid Vehicle Floor Liner With Reusable Anti-Shift Anchors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle floor mats struggle to securely fit and remain stationary on the intricate three-dimensional surfaces of vehicle footwells, often deforming during installation and failing to provide effective protection against moisture and dirt, leading to consumer dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A semi-rigid floor liner with a tortional reusable anchor and a replaceable absorbent fabric layer, connected via snap or positive connection, is designed to conform to the vehicle footwell, featuring multiple upstanding walls and a smooth surface to prevent shifting and facilitate easy cleaning, while the reusable anchoring device includes axially extending tines for secure attachment to the vehicle floor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional floor trays are molded from rigid materials to maintain three-dimensional shape, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility for easy removal and ability to conform to complex curved surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from rigid to semi-rigid, allowing the floor tray to maintain structural stability while gaining the flexibility to conform to complex curved surfaces and be easily removed. The semi-rigid material property enables both shape retention and adaptability to footwell contours.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional floor trays include reservoirs, channels, treads, or valleys to retain moisture, then moisture retention capability is improved, but ease of cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex internal features (reservoirs, channels, treads, valleys) from the floor tray design. By eliminating these moisture-retaining structures, the floor tray becomes much easier to clean while still providing protection through its semi-rigid conforming shape that prevents moisture from reaching the vehicle floor.
3Strength
If conventional affixation devices use axial extending connectors to secure floor trays, then anchoring strength is improved, but device reusability and resistance to deformation during installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite anchoring system combining a rigid anchor body with flexible radial extending connectors. This composite structure provides strong anchoring while allowing the connectors to flex during installation without deformation, enabling the device to be reused multiple times.
4Stability of the object's composition
If floor mats are designed to conform precisely to the three-dimensional surface of the vehicle footwell, then stability and prevention of shifting is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses semi-rigid material that can be molded into complex three-dimensional shapes conforming to vehicle footwells. This material property allows precise conformance for stability while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard molding processes, avoiding excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle floor mat system comprising a vehicle floor tray molded from an extrusion polymer sheet, a vehicle floor mat affixation device containing a circular shaped body with axial extending tines, and a removable carpet attachment is disclosed. The vehicle floor mat system resists affixation device pull-out and shear forces applied to the mat with respect to the original equipment manufacturer's floor covering on which the mat is placed but allows for easy removal and replacement of the vehicle floor mat and of the affixation devices.