Foldable Mat

Abstract

A foldable elongate mat ( 10 ) comprising seven cushioning panels ( 1 - 7 ) hingedly connected to one another and moveable relative to one another between a folded stacked position and an unfolded position. The mat ( 10 ) further comprises a retaining flap ( 20 ) and a carrying handle. Each panel ( 1 - 7 ) has a flexible covering and a cushioning foam rubber insert. The coverings are provided by a fabric sheet, the inserts are sewn into the sheet, ends ( 13 ) of the panels ( 1 - 7 ) correspond with seams extending across the mat ( 10 ) between adjacent inserts, and the hinging action is largely provided by fold lines at the seams and adjacent regions of the sheet extending alongside the inserts. The mat ( 10 ) may be configured for many different uses, and for ready transportation and stowage in a compact form.

1 . A foldable elongate mat comprising:
 a plurality of cushioning panels hingedly connected to one another and moveable relative to one another between a folded stacked position and an unfolded position, wherein:   each said panel has a top surface and a bottom surface;   in the folded stacked position the respective top or bottom surfaces of any two adjacent said panels extend substantially co-planarly and are in direct contact with one another; and   in the unfolded position said surfaces of the two adjacent panels are not in direct contact with one another.   
   
   
       2 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 1 , wherein each said panel comprises a cushioning insert contained within a covering, and each said insert is readily compressible under the weight of a user of the mat. 
   
   
       3 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 2 , wherein each said insert consists of readily compressible foam selected from the group consisting of rubber. 
   
   
       4 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 1 , wherein each said panel has a pair of opposed ends and a pair of opposed sides that extend between the top and bottom surfaces, and the panels are connected end to end. 
   
   
       5 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 4 , wherein the ends of the panels are hingedly connected to one another by way of a fold line in a flexible sheet. 
   
   
       6 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 2 , wherein the coverings of the panels are provided by a flexible fabric sheet, the inserts are sewn into the sheet, and the panels are hingedly connected to one another by way of regions of the sheet extending between adjacent said inserts. 
   
   
       7 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 6 , wherein the mat has seven said panels connected end to end that have a combined length of about 1.8 m and each said panel has a thickness of about 20 mm. 
   
   
       8 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 1 , wherein said mat comprises retaining means for holding together the panels when in a fully folded stacked position. 
   
   
       9 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 8 , wherein said retaining means comprises a retaining flap extendible around the panels when in the fully folded stacked position and a free end of the flap is detachably connected to another region of the flap by way of a fastener. 
   
   
       10 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 9 , wherein the retaining flap extends from an end cushioning panel of the mat, one portion of the fastener is located at one end of the retaining flap and another portion of the fastener is located at another end of the retaining flap. 
   
   
       11 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 10 , wherein said fastener is a hook and loop type fastener. 
   
   
       12 . The foldable elongate mat of  claim 10 , wherein said mat comprises a carrying handle having ends that are attached to the retaining flap.