Anti-fatigue mats and methods for making the same

• US 10,639,831 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiamen Sheep Anti-Fatigue Mat Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Xiamen Sheep Anti-Fatigue Mat Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lu, Xiangyang
• Primary Examiner(s): Khare, Atul P.
• Application Number:
  US15/727,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20190021534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 27/0231 for fighting fatigue A47G27/0218 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 15/10 Coating or impregnating independently of the moulding or shaping stepapplying liquids in general B05
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14729 decorations not in contact with injected material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2793/0009 Cutting out
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/7604 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76076 duration
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/42 characterised by the shape of the moulding surface, e.g. ribs or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/02 Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mouldcold vulcanisation B29C35/18 ; vulcanising tyres, presses therefor B29D30/0601
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/1252 Removing portions of the preformed parts after the moulding step
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/1271 the preformed parts being partially covered
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/14 the preformed part being a lining B29C44/1209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/5627 by mechanical deformation, e.g. crushing, embossing, stretching
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/0001 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14008 Inserting articles into the mould B29C45/14827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1418 the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/263 with mould wall parts provided with fine grooves or impressions, e.g. for record discs
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/372 provided with means for marking or patterning, e.g. numbering articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 71/00 After-treatment of articles without altering their shape; Apparatus therefor B29C44/56, B29C73/00 take precedence; surface shaping B29C59/00 ; for joined or sealed parts B29C66/03; after-treatment specially adapted for vulcanising tyres B29D30/0633
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0057 Producing floor coverings
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/06 PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 : Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2711/08 : Leather
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2827/06 : PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses an anti-fatigue mat and methods for making the same. The method for making an anti-fatigue mat includes providing a leather comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, forming a color layer on the first surface, cutting the leather, putting the cut leather into a mold, injecting an elastomeric material into the mold, curing the elastomeric material to form an elastic layer on the second surface and a plurality of concave structures corresponding to the plurality of protruding structures on the first surface, and polishing the first surface to remove the color layer without caving towards the second surface. The anti-fatigue mat can have anti-fatigue performance and vivid stereoscopic impression, where being simple to fabricate with low costs and can be industrialized.

Claims

1. A method for making an anti-fatigue mat, the method comprising steps of:

S1 of providing leather comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and forming a color layer on the first surface, wherein a color of the color layer is different from a color of the leather;

S2 of cutting the leather;

S3 of putting the cut leather into a mold having a plurality of protruding structures, wherein the plurality of protruding structures contact the color layer, and injecting an elastomeric material into the mold and curing the elastomeric material to form an elastic layer on the second surface and a plurality of concave structures corresponding to the plurality of protruding structures on the first surface, wherein the cut leather and color layer cave toward the second surface to form the plurality of concave structures; and

S4 of polishing the first surface to remove portions of the color layer outside of the concave structures thereby obtaining the anti-fatigue mat.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step S1, the step of forming the color layer on the first surface comprises sub-steps of:

S11 of drawing the color layer on the first surface; and

S12 of baking the leather with the color layer drawn thereon at a baking temperature ranging from about 45°

C. to about 55°

C., and for a baking period ranging from about 25 seconds to about 40 seconds.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of baking the leather after step S2 at a temperature ranging from about 110°

C. to about 150°

C., and a baking period ranging from about 45 seconds to about 60 seconds.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step S3, a temperature of the mold ranges from about 30°

C. to about 50°

C.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step S3, an injecting period of injecting the elastomeric material is less than about 12 seconds.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein in step S3, a curing period of the elastomeric material ranges from about 3 minutes to about 6 minutes.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step S4, the step of polishing the first surface to remove the portions of the color layer outside of the concave structures comprises sub-steps of:

S41 of providing a polished head coated with a dilute solution; and

S42 of applying the polished head on the first surface to remove the portions of the color layer outside of the concave structures.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein an intensity of pressure of the polished head applied on the first surface ranges from about 1.9 newtons per cubic centimeter to about 2.80 newtons per cubic centimeter.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising dye-fixing treating the color layer after step S4.