Floor mats using rigid rails

Abstract

A floor covering has a plurality of extruded rigid rails that are placed side-by-side, and are held together with flexible junction members that fit into bottom opening slots in adjacent rails. Each rail also has a guide for receiving tread inserts, as shown, strips of carpeting, on an upper side thereof. The tread inserts are slid into place longitudinally under overhanging shoulders. An end cap is placed on each end of each rail for preventing the junction members and the tread inserts from moving longitudinally to keep the rails and the tread inserts in an assembly.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A floor covering comprising a rail having a longitudinal length, the rail having slots formed therein open to a wall thereof along longitudinal edges of the rail, a junction member for joining adjacent rails together comprising a flexible strip having tracks which fit into the slots, said slots having an enlargement spaced inwardly from a bottom plane of the rail, and said tracks having a mating enlargement that holds the tracks in position in the slots of the rail from removal except in a longitudinal direction.  
     
     
         2 . The floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein said enlargement is part circular in cross section, and the tracks having a narrower neck joining the part circular cross section to the flexible strip.  
     
     
         3 . The floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein said junction member has a pair of tracks spaced apart such that they will support longitudinal edges of adjacent rails in a substantially parallel position.  
     
     
         4 . The floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein said rail has a hollow longitudinally extending receptacle open to at least one end, and an end cap friction fitted in the receptacle, said end cap having a barrier wall which prevents movement of the junction member longitudinally of the rail when the end cap is in position in the rail.  
     
     
         5 . The floor covering of  claim 4 , wherein said end caps have wedge members that engage surfaces defining the receptacle.  
     
     
         6 . The floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein said rail has a receptacle at each end thereof, and an end cap friction fitted into each end of the rail.  
     
     
         7 . The floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein said flexible strip forms a bottom wall that extends laterally and is positioned below portions of the rail.  
     
     
         8 . The floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein said slots are formed to open to a bottom wall of the rail, and said junction member fitting under the bottom wall of the rail with the tracks in place in the slots.  
     
     
         9 . The floor covering of  claim 4 , wherein said hollow receptacle in the rail comprises a central opening, and a pair of laterally extending narrow slots forming wings joining the central opening, said end cap having mating wings that slide into the narrow slots.  
     
     
         10 . The floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein said rail has an upper wall, a pair of ribs along longitudinal side edges of the upper wall, said ribs forming shoulders facing the upper wall, and the shoulders being spaced from the upper wall sufficiently to receive a tread insert between the upper wall and the shoulders.  
     
     
         11 . A floor mat comprising a plurality of rails having a longitudinal length, said rails having an upper wall, a lower wall, and side walls forming a hollow interior, a pair of slots formed in the rails along lateral side edges thereof, said slots being open to the bottom wall, a junction member comprising a hinge strip, said hinge strip having a pair of tracks, each of the tracks fitting into a slot on one edge of a pair of adjacent rails, the junction member being flexible between the tracks to permit hinging of the adjacent rails relative to each other about a longitudinal axis.  
     
     
         12 . The floor mat of  claim 11 , wherein said junction member has a base wall that has portions extending under each of the adjacent rails in which the junction member is mounted.  
     
     
         13 . The junction member of  claim 11 , and an end cap for fitting into the hollow interior of each of the rails, said end cap having a flange around the periphery that covers ends of the slots in the rails to restrain longitudinal movement of the junction members beyond the ends of the rails.