AU2004100387B4 - Non-slip absorbent mat - Google Patents

Description

P001 Section 29 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: Non-slip absorbent mat The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: NON-SLIP ABSORBENT MAT FIELD OF THE INNOVATION The innovation relates to the field of disposable household fabrics. In particular, the innovation relates to an improved mat for lining the shelves of refrigerators.

BACKGROUND) TO THE INNOVATION Many containers which are used to store fluids in refrigerators are not fluidtight, and may tend to leak or drip liquids during storage. Consequently, a common problem for refrigerator owners is the collection of such residues on the surface of refrigerator shelves. These residues can cause staining, tend to be malodorous, and are a potential hygiene hazard. Therefore, it has been desired to contain such residues.

A typical approach to this issue is to place an absorbent lining on the shelf, such as a cloth or paper towel. However, such shelf linings tend to become easily displaced from their position on the shelf due to their relatively low coefficient of friction with the relatively smooth plastic materials commonly used to construct some shelves.

An improvement to this approach has been to place adhesive material on the underside of the absorbent lining. However this tends to be inconvenient, may leave stains or tacky residues on the shelves and may make the overall shelf surface uneven, affecting its ability to stably hold tall items.

SUMMARY OF THE INNOVATION It is therefore an object of the innovation to provide a liner for refrigerator shelves which can effectively absorb spilled fluids, while resisting accidental displacement.

According to one aspect of the innovation, there is provided a disposable mat, suitable for use as a liner for refrigerator shelves, consisting of an upper absorbent layer and a lower non-slip layer, wherein said absorbent layer is adapted to absorb spilled liquid and wherein said non-slip layer has a relatively high coefficient of friction with said refrigerator shelf material and is thereby adapted to minimise accidental displacement of said mat.

The addition of the non-slip layer, which contacts the refrigerator shelf upper surface, contributes substantially to the working of the mat, in that it prevents the accidental displacement of the mat during removal and/or replacement of items from the refrigerator shelf, while the absorbent layer fulfils the function of soaking up any spillage or leakage of fluid occurring on the shelves. The provision of two separate layers to perform these two functions contributes to the overall working of the mat, in that even as the absorbent layer becomes engorged, the mat nevertheless retains its ability to maintain its position on the shelf.

Preferably, said absorbent layer includes an open-weave rayon cloth, reinforced with ethylene vinyl acetate. Such material is quite absorbent, while retaining a good level of strength upon wetting.

Preferably, said non-slip layer includes a refrigerator contact material consisting of about 70% poly-vinyl chloride and about 30% polyester. Such material has a relatively high coefficient of friction with typical refrigerator plastics, thereby allowing the mat to retain its position even when heavier refrigerator objects are dragged across it, without being sticky or tending to leave residues on said plastics.

In an advantageous embodiment, one or more of the layers comprising the mat are impregnated with a scent, such as vanilla or lemon. This has the effect of freshening the overall odour of the refrigerator, and works especially at the base of the refrigerator shelves, where many unpleasant refrigerator odours originate.

In an even more advantageous embodiment, the absorbent layer contains an odour absorbing compounds, such as activated carbon, which is capable of removing malodorous compounds from the refrigerator environment. This would tend to be especially effective, as the mat may be positioned in the places where many such malodorous compounds originate.

Now will be described, by way of a specific, non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment of the innovation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The innovation provides a mat, suitable for use as a refrigerator shelf liner, which is capable of absorbing spilled fluids such as water, milk, soft drinks, wine and syrups, which has a lower surface having a relatively high coefficient of friction with the plastic materials commonly used in refrigerator shelf construction.

A preferred embodiment of the mat according to the innovation consists of a multi-layer construction. This structure includes an upper layer or layers which is adapted to absorb fluids of the type listed above, and a lower layer, intended to directly contact the surface of the refrigerator shelf, which has a sufficiently high coefficient of friction that the casual removal or replacement of containers from the shelf does not tend to cause the mat to be displaced from its position.

It is preferred that at least one of the absorbent layers is an open weave rayon cloth, reinforced with a binder. This kind of rayon cloth has already found use as a fluid absorber, due to its absorbance and durability. Preferably the binder is EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), which provides structural strength to the cloth when the rayon fibres have absorbed water. Materials of this kind are presently marketed in Australia by Clorox Australia Pty Ltd, 36 Gow St, Padstow, NSW 2211 under the CHUX brand.

Alternatively, the absorbent layer may be a synthetic sponge. However, it is preferred that the overall thickness of the mat is less than 5mm, in order to avoid diminishing the available storage height of the shelves.

It is preferred that the lower layer is an open-weave cloth consisting of, or coated with, a polymer material being made up of a mixture of about 70% PVC (poly vinyl chloride) and about 30% polyester. Such material is readily available from suppliers such as Cork International, 105 Vanessa St, Kingsgrove, NSW 2208. This material has been found to have a relatively high coefficient of friction when placed in contact with refrigerator shelf materials, to the extent that dragging typical fluid containers across its surface does not tend to cause the material to become displaced from its position.

It envisaged that the mat will be sold in rolls or a similar continuously dispensable format, so that the consumer can simply cut off the desired length to fit their refrigerator shelf. In particular, it is envisaged that the roll should be sold as a continuous mat of width of approximately 100 120mm, as this is a common width for refrigerator shelves.

The absorbent and non-slip layers may be bonded together using adhesive techniques that are well known in the art.

Further enhancements may be made to the preferred embodiment by including other layers or materials which improve the sensory properties of the mat. For example, the mat may be impregnated with pleasantly odorous materials, such as lemon or vanilla essence. Even more preferably, odour absorbent materials or layers may be incorporated in the mat, which will prevent malodorous compounds escaping the mat as a result of fluid spillage. Techniques for including such materials are well known in the art.

The outer appearance of the mat may be enhanced by the application of printed and/or textured patterns to the mat surface, according to techniques wellknown in the art.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that there are alternative materials and techniques of construction which may be applied to the preferred embodiment, while nevertheless remaining within the scope of the innovation.

Claims (4)

1. A disposable mat, suitable for use as a liner for refrigerator shelves, consisting of an upper absorbent layer and a lower non-slip layer, wherein said absorbent layer is adapted to absorb spilled liquid and includes an open-weave rayon cloth and wherein said non-slip layer has a relatively high coefficient of 00 friction with said refrigerator shelf material and includes a refrigerator contact Smaterial consisting of about 70% poly-vinyl chloride and about 30% polyester thereby being adapted to minimise accidental displacement of said mat. c

2. The disposable mat of claim 1, wherein said absorbent layer is reinforced with ethylene vinyl acetate.

3. The disposable mat of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein one or more of the layers comprising the mat are impregnated with a scent, such as vanilla or lemon.

4. The disposable mat of any preceding claim, wherein said absorbent layer contains odour absorbing compounds, such as activated carbon. A disposable mat suitable for use as a liner for refrigerator shelves, substantially as hereinbefore described. DATED this 17th day of February 2005 JANE HOGG WATERMARK PATENT TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA UIP1075AU00 CJS:ALH