Reusable placemat

Abstract

A cost effective, durable, safe, and washable placemat that remains in place during use, contain spills that arise during meal time, and collects food and other debris before it falls on the floor is disclosed. In one disclosed embodiment, the reusable placemat has a substantially planar eating surface that is encircled by a spill retention rim with a food retention gutter detachably secured thereto. A resilient strip of material preferably encircles the lower side of the placemat thereby defining a non-slip foot. The planar eating surface may be substantially transparent, thereby allowing one or more activity cards to be displayed therethrough.

1 . A reusable placemat having: 
 a substantially planar eating surface;    a spill retention rim encircling said substantially planar eating surface; and,    a food retention gutter detachably secured to the substantially planar eating surface.    
   
   
       2 . The reusable placemat of  claim 1 , further including a slip-resistant foot operably secured to the planar eating surface.  
   
   
       3 . The reusable placemat of  claim 2 , wherein said foot is more resilient than said substantially planar eating surface.  
   
   
       4 . The reusable placemat of  claim 1 , wherein said substantially planar eating surface is substantially transparent.  
   
   
       5 . The reusable placemat of  claim 4 , further including an activity card having surface indicia thereon, said activity card positionable below said transparent substantially planar eating surface so that said surface indicia is viewable through said substantially transparent planar eating surface.  
   
   
       6 . The reusable placemat of  claim 5 , further including a plurality of activity cards, each card of said plurality of activity cards having different surface indicia thereon, thereby allowing a user to select which card of said plurality of cards to display through said substantially transparent eating surface.  
   
   
       7 . The reusable placemat of  claim 6 , further including packaging containing said reusable placemat, and a portion of said packaging defining at least one activity card.  
   
   
       8 . The reusable placemat of  claim 1 , wherein said substantially planar eating surface is integrally molded with said spill retention rim.  
   
   
       9 . The reusable placemat of  claim 8 , further including a slot operably received within said spill retention rim and further including a strip of slip-resistant material operably received within said slot thereby defining a slit resistant foot.  
   
   
       10 . The reusable placemat of  claim 1 , wherein said placemat has a lower edge and said food retention gutter is operably secured along a lower edge.  
   
   
       11 . The reusable placemat of  claim 10 , wherein said placemat is substantially rectangular.  
   
   
       12 . The reusable placemat of  claim 11 , wherein said substantially planar eating surface rests substantially horizontally on a table with said food retention gutter extending over an edge of said table.  
   
   
       13 . The reusable placemat of  claim 1 , wherein said substantially planar eating surface has a top edge and bottom edge, and said rim has a defined height, and said defined height is higher at said rim positioned toward said top edge than said defined height of said rim positioned toward said bottom edge.  
   
   
       14 . The reusable placemat of  claim 1 , wherein said gutter is detachably secured to said substantially planar eating surface adjacent to said bottom edge.  
   
   
       15 . The reusable placemat of  claim 1 , wherein said substantially planar eating surface includes an anti-bacterial material operably secured thereto.