Vehicle wheel traction mat

Claim 2

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indentations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; certain of the strips being of minor width; others of the strips being substantially wider than said minor width strips; and a plurality of the narrower strips intervening between adjacent width strips; whereby the wider strips provide superior traction projections from at least one of said faces of the mat.

Claim 3

A traction mat according to claim 1, wherein said wider strips project above the upper face of the mat.

Claim 4

A traction mat according to claim 1, wherein said wider strips project below the lower face of the traction mat.

Claim 5

A traction mat according to claim 3, wherein said wider strips have closely spaced teeth on their lower edges extending entirely along the lower edges including the crest portions and the leg portions of the wider strips.

Claim 6

A traction mat according to claim 1, wherein said wider strips project both above the upper face of the mat and from tne lower face of the mat.

Claim 7

A traction mat according to claim 5, wherein the upper edges of the wider strips are in a common plane and the lower edges of the wider strips have traction improving teeth thereon.

Claim 8

A traction mat according to claim 5, wherein the wider strips extend to a greater width below the lower face of the mat than the wider strips extend above the upper face of the mat.

Claim 9

A traction mat according to claim 1, said coupling means comprising rods which extend through holes in the sides of the crest portions and have locking terminals which are bent to extend longitudinally along the outer sides of the mat and have ends which are interlocked with the outermost legs of the strips coupled by the rods.

Claim 10

A traction mat according to claim 8, including reinforcing side closure plates in articulated connection with the connecting rods along the sides of the mat and the terminal portions of the rods connecting said side plates to the sides of the mat.

Claim 11

A traction mat according to claim 1, including an end closure strip engaging the crests of the traction strips at least at one end of the mat, said end closure strip having a traction flange portion at least along one edge which projects from the adjacent traction mat face to improve traction at that end of the mat.

Claim 12

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indendations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; at least certain of the strips having superior traction edge projection flange structure on said crest portions and on said leg portions and extending upwardly above the general upper face plane of the mat; and said certain strips being spaced from one another longitudinally along the mat, and with a majority of the traction strips intervening between the spaced certain strips and defining said general upper face plane.

Claim 13

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indendations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; at least certain of the strips having superior traction edge projection flange structure on said crest portions and on said leg portions and extending upwardly above the general upper face plane of the mat; and said certain strips being spaced from one another longitudinally along the mat, and with a majority of the traction strips intervening between the spaced certain strips and defining said general upper face plane.

Claim 14

A traction mat according to claim 11, wherein said projection flange structure comprises a continuous flange on each of said certain strips.

Claim 15

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indentations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; at least certain of the strips having superior traction edge projection flange structure on said crest portions and on said leg portions and extending downwardly from the general lower face plane along the lower face of the mat; and said certain strips being spaced from one another longitudinally along the mat, with a majority of the traction strips intervening between the spaced certain strips and defining said general lower face plane.

Claim 16

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indentations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; at least certain of the strips having superior traction edge projection flange structure on said crest portions and on said leg portions and extending downwardly from the general lower face plane along the lower face of the mat; and said certain strips being spaced from one another longitudinally along the mat, with a majority of the traction strips intervening between the spaced certain strips and defining said general lower face plane.

Claim 17

A traction mat according to claim 13, wherein said flange structure includes a series of downwardly projecting traction teeth.

Claim 18

A traction mat according to claim 14, wherein said teeth are of generally saw tooth form projecting downwardly at uniform intervals along the lower edges of the crest portions and the lEg portions of said certain strips and provide effective traction grip against displacement of the mat both longitudinally and laterally.

Claim 19

A traction mat according to claim 13, wherein said traction edge projection flange structure comprises a continuous flange on each of said certain strips.

Claim 20

A traction mat according to claim 13, wherein said coupling means comprise rods which extend through holes in the sides of the crest portions and having locking terminals which are bent to extend longitudinally along the outer sides of the mat and have ends which are interlocked with the outermost legs of the strips coupled by the rods.

Claim 21

A traction mat according to claim 17, including reinforcing side closure plates in articulated connection with the connecting rods along the sides of the mat and the terminal portions of the rods connecting said side plates to the sides of the mat.

Claim 22

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indentations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; certain of the strips being of minor width; others of the strips being substantially wider than said minor width strips; and said wider strips being spaced from one another by at least one minor width strip intervening between the wider strips; said wider strips projecting both above the upper face of the mat and below the lower face of the mat; said wider strips extending to a greater width below the lower face of the mat than they extend above the upper face of the mat; whereby the wider strips provide superior traction projections from at least one of said faces of the mat.

Claim 23

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indentations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; certain of the strips being of minor width; others of the strips being substantially wider than said minor width strips; and said wider strips being spaced from one another by at least one minor width strip intervening between the wider strips; said wider strips projecting both above the upper face of the mat and below the lower face of the mat; said wider strips extending to a greater width below the lower face of the mat than they extend above the upper face of the mat; whereby the wider strips provide superior traction projections from at least one of said faces of the mat.

Claim 24

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indentations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; certain of the strips being of minor width; others of the strips being substantially wider than said minor width strips; and said wider strips being spaced from one another by at least one minor width strip intervening between the wider strips; whereby the wider strips provide super traction projections from at least one of said faces of the mat; and an end closure strip engaging the crests of the traction strips at least at one end of the mat, said end closure strip having a traction flange portion at least along one edge which projects from the adjacent traction mat face to improve traction at that end of the mat.

Claim 25

A traction mat having opposite sides and opposite ends and especially suitable for use to provide efficient traction under a vehicle wheel, comprising: a series of substantially rigid serpentine traction strips extending between said sides and having alternately oppositely projecting undulations and intervening oppositely opening indentations defined by crest portions which face generally toward said ends and leg portions which face generally toward said sides; the crest portions of the undulations being interdigitated by projecting into the mouth ends of the indentations; means articulately coupling the interdigitated crest portions of the undulations and thereby connecting the strips into flexible mat form and providing upper and lower traction mat faces along the opposite edges of the strips; certain of the strips being of minor width; others of the strips being substantially wider than said minor width strips; and said wider strips being spaced from one another by at least one minor width strip intervening between the wider strips; whereby the wider strips provide super traction projections from at least one of said faces of the mat; and an end closure strip engaging the crests of the traction strips at least at one end of the mat, said end closure strip having a traction flange portion at least along one edge which projects from the adjacent traction mat face to improve traction at that end of the mat.