Instant hot air welcome mat

Claim 1

An instant hot air welcome mat comprising a housing adapted for mounting in a floor framing, said housing open at the top and provided with an outwardly extending flange thereat, a louvered vertical partition dividing said housing into an enclosed heating chamber and a drain chamber, a downwardly displaceable top cover for said housing having a solid portion for enclosing said heating chamber and a grilled portion for said drain chamber, the top cover having an outwardly extending flange and superposed with the housing flange, a heating element mounted in said heating chamber, a blower mounted in a wall of the heating chamber and in communication with the atmosphere, spring-loaded screws interposed between the housing and cover flanges to allow a downward depression of the cover against the bias of said spring-loaded screws, a delayed time trip switch secured to said housing for actuating said heating element and said blower for a predetermined time interval, and means secured to said cover flange and passing through the housing flange for operating said trip switch, said trip switch operating means aligned with but spaced apart from the switch means when the springs are relaxed, whereby a downward force applied by a person stepping on the cover causes the switch operating means to trip said switch thereby actuating the heating element and blower providing heated air to the drain chamber through the louvered partition for said predetermined time interval, the heated air passing through the grill to melt accumulated snow and ice on the cover and footwear alike, water therefrom draining into said drain chamber.

Claim 4

The device as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein said drain chamber is provided with a drain outlet and a hose secured to said drain outlet for connection to a drain pipe.