US20140259398A1

US20140259398A1 - Conductive Exercise or Sleep Mat for Grounding a User

Info

Publication number: US20140259398A1
Application number: US14/198,048
Authority: US
Inventors: Christopher Reid Kendall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-03-15
Filing date: 2014-03-05
Publication date: 2014-09-18
Also published as: CA2845343A1

Abstract

A mat, such as an exercise, sleep, or floor mat comprising at least one electrically conductive member that traverses the mat, forming an electrically conductive connection between the upper and lower surfaces of the mat. This conductive connection allows a user to be electrically grounded when using the mat on a grounded surface. Further provided is a conductive mat cover that can be used with an existing mat to provide grounding.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/792,948, filed Mar. 15, 2013.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of conductive mats, and particularly to the field of conductive exercise mats that allow for electrical grounding of the user.

BACKGROUND

Mat-based exercises, such as yoga, martial arts, Pilates, and tai chi are highly popular activities and are commonly carried out on exercise mats. Exercise mats are designed to provide a cushioning and non-slip surface and are commonly made of low conductivity or nonconductive members such as foam, for example polyurethane foam or ethylene-vinyl acetate foam, and natural or synthetic rubber. These materials are flexible and provide the required comfort and support desired during mat-based exercise. However, they have an undesired effect of insulating the user from the ground. Another exercise mat material, cork, provides cushioning and is electrically conductive but provides an exercise surface that is undesirably slippery in use.
Earthing, also known as grounding, is the process of providing a human or animal body an electrical connection to the Earth. It is believed that grounding can help the body naturally and effortlessly discharge stress, pain and inflammation. Grounding also provides electrons that the body needs in order to stabilize and modulate electric potential. Modern day exercise mats and shoes have become highly insulative, disconnecting the user or wearer from the Earth's electrical field. Historically, humans have spent their time sleeping on the ground and walking barefoot, providing a natural connection to the earth. Modern accessories have provided comfort and protection from injury but have also had the effect of disconnecting people from their natural electrical connection to the earth. This disconnect is believed to be associated with a wide array of maladies.
Mat-based exercises, such as yoga, are intended to stimulate health and well-being. Yoga in particular is intended to provide a deep awareness of energy and to provide a connection to the Earth's energy. In light of this, it is paradoxical and may even be counterproductive to carry out yoga on an insulating mat that disconnects the practitioner from the Earth's electrical field.
Grounding and anti-static mats are known in the art, for example the Earthing universal mat sold by Earthing.com in Palm Springs, Calif. at www.earthing.com and anti-static floor mats that are designed to help eliminate the build-up of static electricity. Both types of mat are designed for indoor use and must be grounded by plugging the mat into the grounded outlet of an electrical line or through connection to a grounding rod. Another example of a grounding mat is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,775.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,323,461 teaches a sparkproof flooring solution for industrial applications, where a layer of conductor material is adhesively applied to a subfloor, and a top flooring layer featuring electrically conductive discs or studs is then overlaid atop the conductively coated subfloor. However, the reference is directed to permanent flooring installations for industrial settings, and thus does not provide solutions for a portable, resiliently cushioned mat suitable for establishing electrical contact with an outdoor ground surface, for example during sleep or exercise.
There remains a desire in the art for a modern, durable, and comfortable mat that will allow a user to maintain their connection with the Earth's electrical field while using the mat.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an electrically conductive exercise or sleep mat for grounding a user, the mat comprising
(a) a body of resilient support material having a topside and an opposing underside;
(b) topside conductive material exposed at the topside of the body of resilient support;
(c) underside conductive material exposed at the underside of the body of resilient support; and
(d) linking conductive material providing an electrically conductive link between the topside conductive material and the underside conductive material.
In one embodiment:
the topside of the body of resilient support material comprises a plurality of discrete recesses that are separated from one another by unreccessed areas of the topside of the body of resilient material;
the topside conductive material is located within said recesses in a position placing an upper surface of the topside conductive material in an intermediate plane residing between the underside of the resilient body of material and the unrecessed areas of the topside thereof; and
the body of resilient material is compressible from the topside thereof at said unrecessed areas to a degree forcing said unreccessed areas downwardly to the intermediate plane so that compression of the body of resilient material to said degree at any of said unrecessed areas by a user's body part that also overlies at least one of said recesses will act to place said body part in contact with the upper surface of the topside conductive material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided conductive mat comprising topside conductive material exposed at a topside of the mat, underside conductive material exposed at an underside of the mat and linking conductive material providing an electrically conductive link between the topside conductive material and the underside conductive material.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a conductive mat comprising:
(a) a support material, said support material comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, and side edges; and
(b) at least one conductive member traversing said support material, said conductive member exposed at both the upper and lower surface of the support material at a plurality of locations distributed over the surface of the support material,
wherein the conductive member provides an electrically conductive connection between the upper surface of the mat and the lower surface of the mat for transferring an electrical charge between the upper and lower surfaces of the mat.
In an embodiment, the conductive member is woven through the support material. In another embodiment, the conductive member is embedded in the support material.
In an embodiment, the conductive member is a conductive mesh or grid.
In another embodiment, the conductive member comprises a plurality of discrete conductive members.
In yet another embodiment, the conductive member comprises a conductive ribbon, strip, thread, cloth, fiber, or wire. In a further embodiment, the conductive member is woven or sewn through the support material.
In an embodiment, the conductive member comprises a plurality of conductive pins, rivets, rods, staples, clamps, or springs.
In an embodiment, the support material comprises a material of lower conductivity than the conductive member.
In an embodiment, the support material comprises foam or rubber.
In an additional embodiment, one or more conductive members are visible against the background of the support material. In a further embodiment, at least one of the one or more conductive members that are visible against the background of the support material forms a design against the background of the support material. In yet another embodiment, the design is a pattern, image, character, or symbol. In a still further embodiment, the design is representative of a marketing brand.
In an embodiment, at least one conductive member is exposed at a plurality of positions on the upper surface of the mat with a distribution and density sufficient to ensure that a user of the mat would be in contact with at least one conductive member when using the mat.
In an embodiment, the mat is an exercise mat, sleep mat, or floor mat.
A further embodiment is a conductive mat comprising:
(a) a support material, said support material comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, and side edges;
(b) an upper conductive layer covering the upper surface of the support material;
(c) a lower conductive layer covering the lower surface of the support material; and
(d) at least one conductive member that traverses the support material to electrically connect the upper and lower conductive layers.
In an embodiment, at least one of the upper and lower conductive layers comprises a conductive textile, mesh, grid, or coating.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a conductive mat cover comprising:
(a) an upper portion having side edges; and
(b) a lower portion, said lower portion joined to at least one side edge of the upper portion to form an opening between the upper and lower portions,
wherein the upper and lower portions each comprise a conductive material, the upper and lower portions are electrically connected, and said opening is arranged to receive a mat, thereby securing the mat between the upper and lower portions of the mat cover.
In an embodiment of the mat cover, the upper portion comprises a conductive textile, mesh, or web.
In a further embodiment of the mat cover, the lower portion comprises a conductive textile, mesh, web, ribbon, elastic, or strap.
In an embodiment of the mat cover, the lower portion comprises side edges and the side edges of the upper and lower portions are joined. In a further embodiment, at least one side edge is joined by a releasable fastener, such that release of the fastener provides access to the opening between the upper and lower portions.
In a further embodiment, the mat cover comprises a carrying strap or handle fastened to a surface of the mat cover.
In an additional embodiment, the mat cover comprises a retaining member joined to the surface of the mat cover wherein the retaining member is arranged to retain a mat, when the mat is secured within the mat cover, in a storage or transport configuration. In an embodiment, the storage or transport configuration is a rolled or folded configuration.
Yet another embodiment is a conductive mat comprising a woven conductive material. In an embodiment, the woven conductive material is a conductive textile. In another embodiment, the conductive textile is a conductive ribbon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a top plan view of a conductive mat of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a sectional view of a portion of the mat of FIG. 1 as sectioned along line 1 to reveal one possible construction technique employing electrically conductive staples to conductively link the topside and underside of the mat.

FIG. 2A depicts a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating a variant in which each electrically conductive staple is engaged to a support material of the mat in a respective recess in the topisde of the mat.

FIG. 3 depicts a top plan view of the portion of the mat shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3A depicts a top plan view of the portion of the mat shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 4 depicts a sectional view of a portion of the exercise mat of FIG. 1 as sectioned along line 2 to reveal another possible construction technique employing sewn or woven conductive material to conductively link the topside and underside of the mat.

FIG. 4A depicts a sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating a variant in which the top half of each stitch through the support material of the mat is in a respective topside recess of the mat, similar to the staple-equipped mat of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 5 depicts a top plan view of the portion of the mat shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5A depicts a top plan view of the portion of the mat shown in FIG. 4A.

FIGS. 6 to 9 depict top plan views showing use of conductive materials, such as those of FIGS. 2 to 4, to create visual patterns or designs on electrically conductive mats of varying shape.

FIG. 10 depicts a top plan view of a conductive mat based on another construction technique employing electrically conductive rivets to form the conductively link between the topside and underside of the mat.

FIG. 11 depicts a sectional view of a portion of the mat of FIG. 10 as sectioned along line 3.

FIG. 12 depicts a top plan view of the portion of the mat shown in FIG. 11.

FIGS. 13 and 14 depict top plan views showing use of conductive rivets like those of FIGS. 10 to 12 to create visual patterns or designs on electrically conductive mats of varying shape.

FIG. 15 depicts a partial top plan view of a conductive mat based on another construction technique in which the mat is formed of woven conductive material that forms both the topside and underside of the mat.

FIG. 16 depicts a side elevation cross-sectional view of the mat shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 depicts a top plan view of a rectangular conductive mat cover.

FIG. 18 depicts a bottom plan view of the rectangular conductive mat cover of FIG. 17, secured to a mat, wherein the conductive mat cover covers the portion of the underside of the mat adjacent to the side edges of the mat.

FIG. 19 depicts a side elevation view of the rectangular conductive mat cover of FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 depicts a top plan view of a circular conductive mat cover.

FIG. 21 depicts a bottom plan view of the circular conductive mat cover of FIG. 20, secured to a mat, wherein the conductive mat cover covers the portion of the underside of the mat adjacent to the side edges of the mat.

FIG. 22 depicts a top plan view of a conductive mat cover.

FIG. 23 depicts a bottom plan view of the conductive mat cover of FIG. 22, secured to a mat.

FIG. 24 depicts a side elevation view of the conductive mat cover of FIG. 22, secured to a mat.

FIG. 25 depicts a bottom plan view of an alternate embodiment of the conductive mat cover of FIG. 22, secured to a mat.

FIG. 26 depicts a top plan view of a conductive mat cover.

FIG. 27 depicts a bottom plan view of the conductive mat cover of FIG. 26.

DESCRIPTION

Throughout the following description specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding to persons skilled in the art. However, well known elements may not have been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure. Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
Provided generally is a conductive mat comprising a support material and a conductive member traversing the support material, said conductive member extending from an exposed upper surface to an exposed lower surface providing an electrically conductive connection between the upper and lower surfaces of the mat; said electrically conductive connection allowing for the transfer of an electrical charge between said surfaces. The conductive member may traverse the support material by passing through the support material and/or by passing along a side edge of the support material. In an embodiment, the mat is an exercise mat, though it could also be another type of mat, such as a sleep mat or floor mat. Examples of exercise mats include yoga mats, floor covering mats, fitness mats, and Pilates mats. The conductive mat, also referred to as a grounding mat or Earthing mat, is designed to allow a user to be grounded to the earth when using the mat.
Further provided is a conductive mat cover that can be used with an existing mat to provide grounding functionality. Additionally provided is a mat comprising a conductive material; particularly a woven conductive material.
A first embodiment of a conductive mat 10 is depicted in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the conductive mat 10 comprises a support material 14 and at least one conductive member 12. The conductive member 12 extends through the support material 14; said conductive member 12 being exposed on both the upper and lower surfaces of the support material 14 at positions that are distributed substantially evenly over each surface. FIG. 1 depicts the upper surface of the conductive mat 10. The lower surface of conductive mat 10 is not shown but has essentially the same appearance as the upper surface.
The conductive member 12 may be any type of conductive member that spans the full thickness of the mat and is sufficient to transmit an electrical charge or current between the upper surface of the mat and the lower surface of the mat. In an embodiment, the conductive members are arranged to allow the mat to be sufficiently flexible to be rolled for storage or transport. Further, the conductive member 12 should allow the mat 10 to support at least a portion of the weight of a user without causing significant discomfort or physical injury to the user. Examples of suitable conductive members include, but are not limited to a conductive or semi-conductive: textile such as a ribbon, thread, cloth, or fabric; strip; fiber; wire; mesh; pin; rivet; rod; staple; clamp; and/or spring. In an embodiment, the conductive member is flexible while in another embodiment, the conductive member is a rigid or semi-rigid member.
Suitable conductive textiles and fibers will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. For example, conductive textiles can be made with metal strands woven into the construction of conventional textiles such as cotton, polyester, and nylon. Further, conductive textiles may be conventional textiles that have been impregnated with carbon-based or metal-based powders. Similarly, conductive fibers may be produced, for example, by coating or embedding a fiber substrate with an electrically conductive element such as carbon, nickel, copper, gold, silver, or titanium.
The support material 14 may be any type of support material that is sufficiently durable, supportive, and flexible to be used as an exercise, sleep, or floor mat. For example, the support material may be resilient and provide a cushioning effect. When intended for use during impact exercises, the support material may be energy absorbent to help reduce or prevent injury to a user. Further, the support material may be inflatable or comprise one or more gaseous layers. Suitable support materials will be readily understood by one skilled in the art and include but are not limited to, for example; foam, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, cloth, cork, natural rubber, and/or synthetic rubber. The foam may be, for example; polyethylene, polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate, or neoprene. In an embodiment, the support material is a low-conductivity or non-conductive support material; either way having a lower electrical conductivity than the conductive member(s). Further, the support material may comprise a single layer of material or may comprise a laminated or layered material comprising 2, 3, 4, 5, or more layers. In all cases, the conductive member(s) should traverse any and all layers of the support material to reach the exposed top and bottom surfaces and not be concealed by any additional layers. To traverse the support material the conductive member(s) may pass through the support material and/or extend over the surface of an outside edge of the support material.
When the conductive member 12 is a rigid or semi-rigid member such as a pin, rivet, rod, staple, clamp, or spring; the conductive mat 10 may be formed by inserting a plurality of such conductive members through a sheet of support material 14. Alternately, the support material 14 may be molded or formed around the plurality of conductive members 12. For example, when the support material 14 is a foam, the support material 14 may be direct injection molded around a plurality of conductive members 12 resulting in the plurality of conductive members being embedded in the support material 14.
An example of a conductive mat 10 comprising a rigid or semi-rigid conductive member 12, specifically a staple, is detailed in FIGS. 2 and 3. Another example of a conductive mat 10 comprising a rigid or semi-rigid conductive member 12, specifically a rivet, is depicted in FIGS. 10 to 14.
When the conductive member 12 is a flexible material, such as a ribbon, strip, thread, cloth, fiber, or wire the mat 10 may be formed by stitching or weaving the conductive member 12 through the support material 14. In this embodiment, either a single conductive member 12 or a plurality of conductive members 12 may be used to ensure that the conductive material 12 traverses the mat, forming an electrically conductive connection between the upper and lower surfaces of the mat 10, and to ensure that the conductive member(s) is/are exposed at a plurality of locations distributed over the upper and lower surfaces of the mat 10. An embodiment of a conductive mat 10 comprising a conductive thread, ribbon, or wire 12 is detailed in FIGS. 4 and 5.
In the cross sectional views of FIGS. 2, 4 and 11, the topmost surface of the conductive member resides above the plane of the flat topside of a uniform-thickness body of support material 14. FIGS. 2A, 4A and 11A illustrate a variant which may be employed to increase user comfort during use of the mat. In these figures, the body of support material does not have a uniform thickness throughout. Instead, a plurality of discrete recesses 14 a are laid out in the topside of the body of support material 14. These recesses in the topside of the mat, are separated from one another by unrecessed areas 14 b where a full thickness of the body of support material 14 is intact. In FIG. 2A, each conductive staple 12 is engaged through the body of support material 14 at a reduced-thickness portion thereof defined by (i.e. intact beneath) one of the topside recesse 14 a. As a result, the top of the staple resides in the recess 14 a, and thus is recessed downwardly from the plane of the unrecessed areas 14 b and toward the underside of the body of support material 14.
The top of the staple thus occupies an intermediate plane that is located part way between the parallel planes of the underside of the body of support material 14 and the unrecessed areas 14 b of the topside of the body of support material 14. When the mat is laid on the ground with the underside of the body of support material facing downward toward the ground, the bent bottom legs of the staple 12 will be placed in conductive contact with the ground. When a user steps or lays on the topside of the mat, their body weight will compress the support material at unrecessed areas 14 b thereof that underlie the body part. This will deflect these unrecessed topside areas 14 b downward toward underside of the body of support material. The compressibility of the mat and the depth to which the top of the staple is recessed from the unrecessed areas 14 b of the support material 14 is selected so that the user's body weight will be sufficient to the force the unrecessed area of the topside at least as far down as the intermediate plane in which the top of the staple resides, whereby the body part will make physical contact with the top of the staple in order to place the body part in electrical conduction with the bottom of the staple at the underside of the mat.
FIG. 4A shows similar placement of the top part of each stich or weave of a sewn or woven conductor 12 within a respective topside recess 14 a of the mat, so that the top of this upper stitch normally resides in an intermediate plane between the underside and the unrecessed topside areas of the support body 14 of the mat, but will come into physical contact with a user's body under compression of the normally full-thickness areas of the mat. FIGS. 3A and 5A show the use of rectangular recesses in the support body of a mat to receive the elongated shape of the top bar of a staple or the top stitch of a sewn conductor.
FIG. 11A shows similar engagement of an electrically conductive rivet 12 through a reduced-thickness portion of the support material 14 beneath a topside recess 14 a thereof so as to place the head of the rivet within the recess 14 a with the top face of the rivet in the intermediate plane of the body of support material 14. FIG. 12A shows that round recesses may be used so as to conform to the circular shape of the rivets engaged therein, much like the elongated rectangular recesses of FIGS. 3A and 5A generally match the elongated form of the respective staples and stitches. It will be appreciated however that the shape of each recess need not necessarily be similar to the shape of the conductive element situated therein.
This recessing of the topside of the conductor from a remainder of the mat's topside that is not occupied by the conductors is intended to increase user comfort, as the compression of the resilient support material at the unrecessed areas of the topside of the mat will act to carry some of the user's body weight, thus reducing the weight that is exerted directly on the conductive material when compared to embodiments where the conductors reach upwardly past the uppermost surface of the support body, even before the mat is compressed. However, as outlined elsewhere herein below, there may be other benefits or different uses for embodiments in which the conductors intentionally protrude from the uppermost surface of the mat regardless of its compressed or uncompressed state.
Where recessing of the conductors is desired, different manufacturing techniques may be employed. For example, the topside recesses 14 may be molded into the body of foam or other resilient support material, either with the conductive members also being molded in place for a substantially one-step manufacturing process, or with the conductive members subsequently added after the support body has been molded. Accordingly, conductors may be sewn, stapled riveted or otherwise fastened to a support body 14 at areas thereof featuring pre-molded recesses.
Alternatively, engagement of staples, rivets, or stitches of conductive material may be engaged sufficiently tight with a uniform thickness support body that this tight fastening of the conductive member to the support material will alone be sufficient to automatically cause a slight recessing or depression of the originally flat topside of such a support body at these areas, thus eliminating the need for pre-molded recesses.
While the illustrated recess configurations of FIGS. 2A, 4A and 11A feature pre-molded recesses in only the topside of the support material 14, with the bottom-most portions of the conductors protruding downwardly past a flat underside of the support material 14, other embodiments may feature recessing of the conductors at both the topside and underside, thereby providing user comfort regardless of which side of the mat is faced up or down during use. However, recessing of the conductor on only one side may better ensure that electrically conductive contact takes place between the bottom of the conductor and the underlying ground. Like the conductors which reside in them, the recesses can be arranged in any layout or pattern, for example in a rectangular array like those of FIGS. 1 and 10, or a swirl or other ornamental pattern or design, like those of FIG. 13.
The conductive member 12 may also be a conductive fabric, mesh, layer, or coating (not depicted) that covers, forms, or is exposed on the upper surface of the mat 10. Optionally, a conductive fabric, mesh, layer, or coating may form the lower surface of the mat 10. The conductive fabric, mesh, layer, or coating on the upper surface of the mat 10 must be electrically connected to the lower surface of the mat 10, thereby allowing an electrical charge or current to pass between the upper surface of the mat and the lower surface of the mat. This electrical connection is accomplished by at least one conductive member 12 that traverses the full thickness of the support material 14, forming an electrical connection between the lower surface of the mat and the conductive member 12 on the upper surface of the mat. When a conductive fabric, mesh, layer, or coating forms the lower surface of the mat, the at least one conductive member 12 traverses the full thickness of the support material 14 to form an electrical connection between the upper and lower conductive members.
An additional embodiment of a conductive mat is illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16. In this embodiment, the mat 10 comprises a conductive member 12; optionally comprising a support material that is sandwiched between upper and lower layers of conductive material 12, said layers of conductive material 12 electrically connected by at least one conductive member that traverses the full thickness of the mat. When the mat comprises a conductive member 12, but does not comprise an additional support material, the conductive member may comprise a conductive textile and/or a conductive thread, ribbon, or fiber that is woven to form a mat. In another embodiment, the mat comprises a layer of conductive textile and/or a layer of woven conductive material such as thread, ribbon, or fiber; said layer covering the upper and/or lower surface of a support material. In all cases, the upper and lower layers of conductive material are electrically joined to allow transfer of an electrical charge between the upper and lower surface of the mat.
In an embodiment, examples of which are depicted in FIGS. 6 to 9, 13, and 14, the conductive member 12 is visible against the background of the support material 14 and may thus be used to form one or more designs such as a pattern, image, character, and/or symbol. The design may be purely aesthetic or it may be functional. For example, the design may convey information and/or the design may convey a branding or marketing message such as a brand-specific logo, design, or slogan. For example, a manufacturer may wish to produce a mat 10 that visually represents a brand, such as the brand of the manufacturer or of a client, while simultaneously providing the grounding functionality of the conductive mat 10, as discussed above.
A further embodiment is a conductive mat cover 1700 that is arranged to be used over an existing mat 1800. The existing mat 1800 may be electrically non-conductive, semi-conductive, or conductive. Examples of different embodiments of a conductive mat cover are depicted in FIGS. 17-19, 20-21, 22-25, and 26-27. The conductive mat cover comprises an upper portion comprising a conductive material 1710, wherein the conductive material may be a textile, fabric, sheet, mesh, or web, said upper portion arranged to cover at least a substantial portion of the upper surface of the mat. The conductive mat cover further comprises at least one conductive member that extends over the full thickness of the mat to form an electrical connection extending from the lower surface of the mat to the upper portion of the mat cover, thereby enabling an electrical charge to be transferred between the upper portion of the mat cover and a grounded surface underlying a mat that is secured within the mat cover. The conductive member may be an integral extension of the conductive material 1710 or it may be joined to conductive material 1710. In an embodiment, the conductive mat cover is arranged to receive an exercise mat.
In a further embodiment, the conductive mat cover 1700 comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, for example formed by two separate pieces or sheets of material, each comprising side edges. In an embodiment, the upper and lower portions are fastened together along at least one side edge. In a further embodiment, each upper and lower portion is substantially rectangular, comprising four side edges; said upper and lower portions fastened along at least three of said side edges. The upper and lower portions may be left unfastened or unattached at the fourth edge, thus creating an opening into which the mat can be slid. In another embodiment, the upper and lower portions each comprise side edges and are fastened along said side edges, with at least one of said side edges being fastened by a releasable fastener. Suitable releasable fasteners will be readily understood by one skilled in the art and include, but are not limited to; zippers, snaps, buttons, hook and loop closures, pins, lacing, and hook and eye closures. With releasable fasteners between at least one pair of matching edges of the upper and lower portions of the mat cover, separation of these edges by release of the fasteners again allows sliding of a mat into or out of a position sandwiched between the upper and lower portions of the cover.
In an embodiment, the conductive mat cover 1700 comprises one or more side walls that join the side edges of the upper and lower portions. In an embodiment, at least one side wall comprises an opening that allows for insertion of a mat into the mat cover through said opening. In a further embodiment, at least one side wall comprises one or more releasable fasteners allowing an opening to be formed in the side wall by release of said fastener(s), wherein the mat may be inserted into the mat cover through said opening. FIGS. 17 to 21 show embodiments in which the bottom portion of the cover spans only a partial area of the underside of the mat, i.e. where the cover wraps around the edges of the mat to fully cover the topside of the mat but only partially cover the underside of the mat due to a central hole or opening in the bottom portion of the cover. For example, the cover of FIGS. 17 to 19 for covering a rectangular mat features a rectangular top sheet fully covering the topside of the mat, and a bottom sheet with a central rectangular cutout so that it only covers edge-adjacent portions of the underside of the mat. The cover of FIGS. 20 and 21 features a circular top sheet and ring-shaped bottom sheet with a central circular cutout in order to similarly secure to a round mat in an edge-wrapping fashion. Other embodiments in which the top and bottom portions are left unfastened or selectively openable at one or more pairs of matching side edges may have full-size top and bottom portions that both fully cover the entire surface area of the mat
Turning to FIGS. 22-25, in another embodiment, the upper portion of the conductive mat cover 1700 comprises a single sheet, fabric, mesh, or web of material having side edges; said upper portion of the conductive mat cover being arranged to extend over at least a substantial portion of the upper surface of a mat, while the lower portion of the conductive mat cover comprises at least one conductive joining member 2110, said joining member 2110 having opposite ends, each opposite end of the joining member 2110 joined to a side edge of the upper portion of the conductive mat cover and arranged to secure the conductive mat cover to a mat. Examples of joining members 2110 are depicted in FIGS. 23-25 where the joining members reach across the underside of the mat from one side edge thereof to another to secure the upper portion in place over the topside of the mat.
In extending over a substantial portion of the upper surface of the mat, the conductive mat cover should extend over a sufficiently large portion of the upper surface of the mat to allow at least one point of physical contact between a user of the mat and said conductive mat cover without requiring the user of the mat to deliberately localize their activities to the area of the mat covered by the mat cover. For example, the mat cover may cover at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 95% of the upper surface of the mat.
In an embodiment, the conductive joining member 2110 is a conductive ribbon, elastic, or strap. For example, the mat cover may comprise one or more conductive joining members 2110, such as straps, that are joined to opposite side edges of the upper portion of the mat cover, allowing the mat cover to be secured to the mat by positioning the mat between the at least one conductive joining member and the upper portion of the mat cover, for example as depicted in FIGS. 23 and 24. As another example, the upper portion of the conductive mat cover may have corners, for example the upper portion of the conductive mat cover may be rectangular, and one or more joining members may be joined diagonally to adjacent side edges of the upper portion of the mat cover, allowing the mat cover to be secured to the mat by positioning the corners of the mat between the one or more joining members and the upper portion of the mat, for example as depicted in FIG. 25. In an embodiment, the conductive mat cover comprises a plurality of conductive joining members. For example, the conductive mat cover may comprise at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more joining members.
In yet another embodiment, the conductive mat cover 1700 may comprise a conductive material 1710, wherein the conductive material 1710 is a textile, fabric, sheet, mesh, or web of material having an upper portion arranged to cover the entire upper surface of a mat; side portions joined to the upper portion and arranged to fully cover the side edges of the mat; and a lower portion joined to the side portions that is arranged extend over the lower surface of the mat to cover a portion of the lower surface of the mat. Examples of this embodiment are depicted in FIGS. 17-21. In particular, the lower portion is arranged to cover the portion of the lower surface of the mat that is adjacent to the side edges of the mat. In this embodiment, the conductive upper, side, and lower portions of the mat cover may be integral and formed from a single piece of material of they may be joined. The mat cover 1700 may optionally comprise one or more elastic or retaining members joined to the outer edges of the mat cover to retain the lower portion of the mat cover beneath the lower surface of the mat; similar to a fitted sheet for a mattress.
In all cases, the conductive mat cover 1700 should comprise a conductive material 1710 that is exposed to allow direct contact with a user. For example, the conductive mat cover may comprise a conductive textile. The mat cover may further comprise a non-conductive textile that has been stitched, embroidered, or woven with a conductive material; such as a conductive thread, wire, or ribbon. The mat cover may further comprise a web of conductive material, woven conductive ribbon, or conductive mesh. The upper and lower portions of the mat cover should be electrically connected, allowing a charge to travel between the upper and lower portions of the mat cover. In a further embodiment, the conductive mat cover may provide a non-slip surface. For example, the mat cover may comprise a non-slip material, such as rubber, that is interwoven, intertwined, or otherwise enmeshed with a conductive material or it may comprise a non-slip material, such as non-slip treads or dots, that is distributed over the surface of the mat cover; provided the arrangement of the non-slip material does not eliminate the electrical connection between a user and the upper portion of the mat cover or between the upper and lower portions of the mat cover.
In a further embodiment shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the conductive mat cover 1700 is additionally arranged to function as a mat storage case; optionally a mat carrying case. For example, the mat cover may comprise a carrying member 2612, such as a strap or handle, and/or it may comprise one or more retaining members 2610 to secure the mat in a transport or storage configuration. For example, the retaining member may be a fastener such as a strap, snap, lace, buckle, and/or hook and loop closure. For example, the mat cover 1700 may comprise one or more fasteners arranged to maintain a mat 1800, to which the mat cover 1700 is secured, in a rolled or folded configuration (not shown).
The conductive mat 10 or the mat 1800 secured within a conductive mat cover 1700, is intended for use on a grounded surface. Examples of grounded surfaces include conductive surfaces such as earth, grass, sand, concrete, or rock that are in electrical contact with underlying earth. For example, the conductive mat 10 or mat cover 1700 may be used on the ground outdoors or may be used indoors on a ground-level or basement-level concrete floor. Additionally, the grounded surface may be a surface that is grounded through connection to a grounded outlet or grounding rod. When the mat is used on a grounded surface, the exposed conductive member(s) 12, material 1710, and/or joining member 2110 on the lower surface of the mat 10 or mat cover 1700 form an electrical connection with the grounded surface and the exposed conductive member(s) 12 or material 1710 on the upper surface of the mat 12 or cover 1710 form an electrical connection with a user that is in physical contact with said upper surface. The upper and lower surfaces of the mat 12 or cover 1700 are also electrically connected. This series of electrical connections allows the user to be grounded while using the conductive mat 12 or cover 1700. To promote electrical conductivity between the user and the grounded surface it is preferred that, when in use, the upper surface is in contact with at least a portion of bare skin of a user; for example in contact with at least one of the user's hand, foot, arm, trunk, and/or leg.
Conductive materials that could be comprised within the conductive member 12, conductive material 1710, and/or conductive joining member 2110 are well known in the art and include, but are not limited to metals, such as silver, copper, gold, and aluminum; carbon; and textiles comprising conductive fibers, strands, or coatings.
The conductive mat 12 may be of any shape and size as desired. For example, exercise mats are typically rectangular, commonly having a width ranging from about 1.5 feet to about 4 feet, having a length ranging from about 4 feet to about 6 feet, and having a thickness ranging from about 0.25 inches to about 2 inches. Sleep mats are generally rectangular and are of a similar size to exercise mats, typically having a length of about 6 feet, a width of about 1.5 feet to about 4 feet, and a thickness ranging from about 0.5 inches to about 4 inches. Floor mats vary in shape and size and may be of any shape including round, square, oval, hexagonal, and puzzle-shaped. Floor mats typically have a thickness of about 0.25 inches to about 2 inches. Floor mats include heavy duty exercise floor mats, such as those used in gymnastics and martial arts facilities. The preceding shapes and dimensions are provided merely as illustrative examples and it is to be understood that a conductive mat 12 could be made of any desired size, shape, and thickness. Similarly, a conductive mat cover 1700 may be of any shape and size that corresponds to the shape and size of a mat 1800 to be covered by said conductive mat cover 1700.
Although the mats and mat covers disclosed herein may be useful for Earthing applications, it will be appreciated that the disclosed invention is also useful for other purposes. For example, the combination of a resilient foam or rubber support material with exposed or slightly protruding conductive materials spread out over the surface area of the support layer may provide a unique ‘feel’ to the mat, for example imparting a ‘massage’ like action against the skin under movement of a bare foot or other body part against the resilient thickness of the support material. The ‘texture’ created by conductive members slightly projecting from a support layer may provide useful for a doorway mat, where the projecting features create scraping edges to help clear debris from one's footwear. Furthermore, visual contrast of metal staples, rivets, rods, etc. from the surrounding support material may impart a visual appeal over conventional mat constructions and designs. As an example of another possible use, mat constructions or manufacturing techniques disclosed herein may find application in the area of spark-free flooring for industrial or other purposes. However, Applicant finds that disclosed features found herein are particular useful for portable and/or outdoor applications, such as outdoor exercise and sleeping mats, where the mat is free of any attachment to a subfloor or other structure and can be freely laid atop, and subsequently withdrawn from atop, any suitable support surface.
Numerous specific details are set forth herein in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that these embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the description of the embodiments.
Further, while the above description provides examples of the embodiments, it will be appreciated that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments are susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. Accordingly, what has been described above has been intended to be illustrative of the invention and non-limiting. It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An electrically conductive exercise or sleep mat for grounding a user, the mat comprising

a body of resilient support material having a topside and an opposing underside;

topside conductive material exposed at the topside of the body of resilient support;

underside conductive material exposed at the underside of the body of resilient support; and

linking conductive material providing an electrically conductive link between the topside conductive material and the underside conductive material.

2. The exercise or sleep mat of claim 1 wherein:

the topside of the body of resilient support material comprises a plurality of discrete recesses that are separated from one another by unreccessed areas of the topside of the body of resilient material;

the topside conductive material is located within said recesses in a position placing an upper surface of the topside conductive material in an intermediate plane residing between the underside of the resilient body of material and the unrecessed areas of the topside thereof; and

the body of resilient material is compressible from the topside thereof at said unrecessed areas to a degree forcing said unreccessed areas downwardly to the intermediate plane so that compression of the body of resilient material to said degree at any of said unrecessed areas by a user's body part that also overlies at least one of said recesses will act to place said body part in contact with the upper surface of the topside conductive material.

3. The conductive mat of claim 1 comprising at least one conductive member traversing said body of resilient support material from the topside thereof to the underside thereof and being exposed at both the topside and the underside of the body of resilient support material at a plurality of locations distributed over a surface area of the body of resilient support material so as to define the topside conductive material, the underside conductive material and the linking conductive material,

whereby the at least one conductive member provides an electrically conductive connection between the topside of the body of resilient support material and the underside of the body of resilient support material for transferring an electrical charge between the topside and the underside of the body of resilient support material.

4. The mat of claim 3, wherein the at least one conductive member is woven or sewn through the support material.

5. The mat of claim 3, wherein the at least one conductive member is embedded in the support material.

6. The mat of claim 3, wherein the at least one conductive member is a conductive mesh or grid.

7. The mat of claim 3, wherein the at least one conductive member comprises a plurality of discrete conductive members.

8. The mat of claim 3, wherein the at least one conductive member comprises a conductive ribbon, strip, thread, cloth, fiber, or wire.

9. The mat of claim 3, wherein the conductive member comprises a plurality of conductive pins, rivets, rods, staples, clamps, or springs.

10. The mat of claim 3, wherein one or more conductive members are visible against the background of the support material and form a design against the background of the support material.

11. The conductive mat of claim 1 comprising

(a) an upper conductive layer covering the upper surface of the body of resilient support material to define the topside conductive material;

(b) a lower conductive layer covering the lower surface of the body of resilient support material to define the underside conductive material; and

(c) at least one conductive member that traverses the body of resilient support material to electrically connect the upper and lower conductive layers and thereby define the linking conductive material.

12. The mat of claim 1, wherein the resilient support material comprises a material of lower conductivity than the topside conductive material, the underside conductive material and the linking conductive material.

13. The mat of any claim 1, wherein the support material comprises foam or rubber.

14. A conductive mat cover comprising:

(a) an upper portion having side edges; and

(b) a lower portion, said lower portion joined to at least one side edge of the upper portion to form an opening between the upper and lower portions,

wherein the upper and lower portions each comprise a conductive material, the upper and lower portions are electrically connected, and said opening is arranged to receive a mat, thereby securing the mat between the upper and lower portions of the mat cover.

15. The mat cover of claim 14, wherein the lower portion comprises side edges and the side edges of the upper and lower portions are joined.

16. The mat cover of claim 15, wherein at least one side edge is joined by a releasable fastener, such that release of the fastener provides access to the opening between the upper and lower portions.

17. The mat cover of any one of claim 14, further comprising a carrying strap or handle fastened to a surface of the mat cover.

18. The mat cover of any one of claim 14, further comprising a retaining member joined to the surface of the mat cover wherein the retaining member is arranged to retain a mat, when the mat is secured within the mat cover, in a storage or transport configuration.

19. A conductive mat comprising a woven conductive material.

20. The mat of claim 19, wherein the woven conductive material is a conductive textile or ribbon.