The invention relates to apparatus for use with a slatted floor and to a floor covering for placement on the individual slats of a slatted floor in a covered or uncovered enclosure for housing animals, such as, but not exclusively, bovines, horses, pigs, sheep, deer and other animals which may be housed in buildings having slatted floors or kept on slatted floors located externally. The floor covering will be referred to in brief as a slat mat. The apparatus can be used with slats made from any material, for example concrete, metal, plastics or wood.

For convenience, the term slat will be used in this specification but different terms may be used in different territories such as beam, plank and similar. By "slat" in this specification is meant an elongate narrow support element, a number of which are assembled in a generally parallel arrangement over long or short lengths to provide a slatted floor structure in an animal enclosure. Such slatted floors are distinguished by having a series of parallel gaps or slots between each floor slat wide enough to allow animal waste, such as urine and faeces to pass through into a collection or disposal area or tank beneath the floor. Also, the skilled person in the art will be aware that floor slats can be individual single slats that are laid parallel to one another on supporting structures, or alternatively the floor slats can be formed as part of an integrated structure, sometimes referred to as a gang slat in which two or more slats are formed together in a slab like formation with a series of gaps or slots between the contiguous slats. In order to provide rigidity in the slab like structure, a number of transverse cross members are also provided, in effect bridging the longitudinal slats. The invention relates to an improvement in the invention disclosed in the present co- applicants' International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2006/103534 A1 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The floor covering of that apparatus comprises an elastomeric mat which is designed for cleanliness and enhanced protection and comfort and health for and of the animals and includes a rigid base, a flexible core and an outer skin with all three components being integrally formed together.

Other prior art mats used in the industry consist of a solid rubber floor covering having a textured or embossed surface to promote animal grip. These solid rubber mats are held in place by large rubber wedges which are forced into the gap between the slats, however these wedges may be displaced by animal traffic resulting in the mats moving out of position. Fixing by means of wedges also restricts and reduces the movement of the animal waste to the tank below. Also, it has been found in practice that texturing or embossing on the surface wears off after a short while when exposed to normal animal traffic. Consequently, the surface retains animal urine and faeces, thereby making the animal dirty when it lies on the mat. Furthermore, as the surface becomes slippy, the animal may fall resulting sometimes in injury.

A further prior art mat on the market consists of a flat sheet made from EVA/rubber material. When the flat sheet mat is installed, gaps are cut out to match up with the corresponding gaps between the concrete slats in the floor. A further problem with these flat sheet mats is that the material in the mat may have a tendency to expand so that the mat spreads and covers the access gaps in the concrete floor, thereby preventing the passage of animal waste into the slurry tank underneath. Also, the mats can also break free from their fixings by being dislocated by the animals and move on the floor.

The invention disclosed in WO 2006/103534 A1 referred to above alleviates the problem □f the emission of such gases and fumes and reduces the upward air-draughts that the animals may be subjected to by providing the elastomeric mat with a leg-clamp at each longitudinal side of the mat, each leg-clamp being adapted to extend into the gap between adjacent slats, and the two leg-clamps of each mat serving to locate the mat. Flap valves, which are fixed to, or attachable to the ends of the leg-clamps, close off the air gaps but open to allow animal waste to pass through the gap when it falls onto the flap valves.

This elastomeric mat also has a curved surface to promote the movement of animal urine and faeces to the slurry collection tank below and to reduce the retention of such waste materials on the mat surface.

The top surface of the mat is designed to give increased wear resistance, while at the same time retaining the softness of the mat promoted by the softer material used underneath.

Use of the leg-clamps as described above to locate the mat about the slats does not significantly reduce the gap between adjacent slats. These mats which could have permanently attached flap valves or incorporate fixing means to enable the flap valves to be fitted to the leg-clamps during installation or retro-fitted at a later date thereby further reducing ammonia emissions. An interesting feature of these mats is that even without the provision of valves, it has been shown that the mats substantially reduces urease activities formed when urine mixes with faeces on the floor and emissions such as methane and/or ammonia from the floor and from the underground slurry tanks.

An important function of the valves is to reduce upward draughts on the animals above. The object of the invention is to give improved grip and comfort to animals using the apparatus of the invention.

The present invention provides a floor covering for a slatted floor of an animal enclosure comprising a floor covering for placement on individual slats of the slatted floor, each floor covering including at least one elongate elastomeric mat adapted to be fitted to an individual slat, the mat being biased into a domed configuration when at rest and being adapted to be in a flat configuration when applied with a load from an animal in the enclosure, the mat having a rigid or fixing base, a flexible core and an outer skin, with the rigid or fixing base, the flexible core and the outer skin being integrally formed together, with the rigid or fixing base being formed into the domed shape having an inherent bias to restore the domed shape after the removal of the applied load from the animal, whereby the floor covering gives enhanced comfort and protection for an animal and provides improved animal welfare.

The provision of the domed shape greatly improves the animal comfort, animal protection and animal welfare properties of the floor covering of the invention.

The floor covering of the invention is more comfortable for an animal to walk on, lie on and sleep on. The cushioning effect achieved by the mat protects the animal's knees and legs from being injured when going from a standing position to a lying position or when getting up or even if falling. The mat of the invention also allows an animal's claws to completely open and close thereby reducing stress on the animal's tendons which greatly assists in preventing lameness or other foot injuries.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a floor covering for placement on an individual slat of a slatted floor of an animal enclosure, the floor covering including at least one elongate elastomeric mat adapted to be fitted to the individual slat, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a rigid or fixing base into a domed shape with an inherent bias to restore the domed shape after the removal of an applied load from an animal on the mat in use;

(b) forming a flexible core with the rigid or fixing base; and

(c) forming an outer skin with the flexible core and the rigid or fixing base so that the rigid or fixing base, the flexible core and the outer skin are integrally formed together. Ideally, the rigid or fixing base, the flexible core and the outer skin are integrally formed together by a multi-extrusion process.

Advantageously, the rigid or fixing base has a plurality of gripping or contact elements on its lower surface engageable with the upper surface of the slat.

The covering apparatus can include a plurality of mats connected together to form a covering unit. This can be any number of individual mats connected or formed together.

The rigid or fixing base may have a plurality of gripping or contact elements on its lower surface engageable with the upper surface of the slat mat.

The flexible core may be of a generally uniform thickness across the entire width of the mat to provide a cushioning effect and protection for an animal across the width of the mat, as well as allowing the opening and closing of the animal's claws thereby reducing stress on the animal's tendons in its feet. Ideally, the flexible core has a plurality of parallel voids or channels extending lengthwise along the mat which assist in providing a grip for an animal, comfort and protection of the animal's claws and feet, a harder core being selected for use with a heavier animal and a softer core being selected for a lighter animal, providing a floor interface whereby it also allows each animal to obtain approximately the same amount of grip, comfort and protection on the mat.

Conveniently, the rigid or fixing base extends at either side of the mat to provide a pair of leg-clamps engageable with the sides of the slat.

Advantageously, the ends of the leg-clamps are provided with engageable elements to which complementary engageable formations on flap valves may be attachable. These features may be in addition to or as alternatives to the flap valves being permanently fixed to the mats.

Conveniently, each flap valve comprises a spine and a flexible elastomeric flap element attached thereto, the spine including the complementary engageable formations.

Advantageously, the flap valves are mounted on a part of a slat mat and may be of different lengths whereby contiguous flap valves of adjacent slat mats are configured to overlap, meet at their edges or never come into mutual contact to suit the particular circumstances of the animal enclosure.

Advantageously, the elastomeric mat is provided with ultra violet protection means if required to be installed in an uncovered enclosure and ideally the ultra violet protection is provided in the skin. Ideally, the three components of the floor covering, namely the rigid or fixing base, the flexible core and the outer skin are individual elements each with unique properties and requirements and manufactured from different materials or different grades of material. The three elements are integrally manufactured together using a multi-extrusion process and, preferably using a tri-extrusion process in the preferred embodiment. Each element is formed in the same extrusion die and the output from the three materials converge to form a single component finished in post extrusion cooling and final forming steps.

The rigid fixing base, which in the preferred embodiment includes a leg clamp at each side, is formed of a rigid plastics material with an inherent resilience which provides for the secure location and retention of the mat on the particular width of slat that it is designed for. However, the width of the rigid fixing base will be varied to suit the particular width of slat that it is being manufactured for, including slats for new or pre-existing floors. The invention is adaptable to fit an infinite variety of floor slat widths with specific dies being manufactured for all the varying widths of floor slats.

Located over the rigid fixing base is the flexible core which can be varied in hardness to suit animals of varying weights from 50kg up to 1 ,500kg so as to provide a secure grip for animals to walk on, as well as cushioning to provide comfort and protection for animals, their claws and the tendons in their legs. The flexible core of the present embodiment has a series of parallel voids, chambers or cavities which also help to reduce lameness in the animals, such as caused by stress on the digital tendons for bovines and also provides the opening of the animal's claw. The interaction between the animal's claw and the flexible core gives a grip for the animal over the entire mat and not on the upper surface, textured or otherwise, as in many of prior art mats. The heavier the animal that the mat is to be used for, the harder is the core. For a lighter animal, a softer core may be used. Therefore both the heavier and lighter animals are provided with adequate grip to suit both weights of animal on its own particular mat and the same protection and comfort.

The outer skin in the preferred embodiment has a smooth curved surface to ensure the speedy disposal of animal urine and faeces from the floor causing by the continual flexing of the mats as animals move around. This speedy disposal of animal waste reduces the creation of ammonia in contrast to some prior art mats which having a textured upper surface, ostensibly provided for grip, retain the animal waste thereby facilitating the creation of ammonia. The smooth surface allows for good contact grip for the animal.

The floor covering apparatus of the present invention is designed to be used to fit over a wide variety of slats made from a variety of materials such as concrete, wood, metal or plastics and of varying widths, whether they are on existing floors already installed or for new floors.

The invention will hereinafter be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, two embodiments of an apparatus for use with a slatted floor in accordance with the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of a prior art mat with an end cap fitted and having a curved upper surface and through an upper portion of a concrete slat with no load on the mat;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the prior art mat carrying a load;

Figure 3 is an end view of a first embodiment of a mat with an end cap fitted according to the invention as in Figure 1 showing no load on the mat; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the first embodiment carrying a load;

Figure 5 is an end view of a second embodiment of a mat with an end cap fitted according to the invention having a pair of depending leg-clamps and fitted on an upper section of a slat with no load on the mat;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the second embodiment carrying a load; Figure 7 is an end view of the second embodiment as shown in Figure 5, without an end cap fitted; with no load on the mat;

Figure 8 is an end view of the second embodiment as shown in Figure 6 without an end cap fitted, carrying a load;

Figure 9 is a side view of an end cap, one of which is fitted at each end of a mat;

Figure 10 is a front view of the end cap; and Figure 1 1 is an end view of the second embodiment of a mat mounted on two contiguous slats showing two flap valves attached to the adjacent leg clamps.

Referring to the drawings and initially to the prior art mat 10, shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mat 10 has a flat rigid or fixing base 12 with a series of parallel ribs 13, an internal core 14 and an upper skin 16. The upper surface 17 is curved in shape and has a central crown region 18 and two sloped edges 19. As can be seen from the two figures, the mat 10 does not noticeably alter its shape between a "no load" mode and a "loaded" mode. The first embodiment 20 in accordance with the invention is shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings. In the no load mode shown in Figure 3, the mat 20 has a curved rigid base 22 with a series of parallel ribs 23, an internal core 24 and an upper skin 26 on a curved upper surface 27. Any waste material falling on the mat will tend to move towards the side edges for disposal into the gap between adjacent slats. In Figure 4, after the application of a load, the upper surface is flat as is the base 22, thereby providing a level surface on which an animal may walk or lie comfortably on. Although not shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, the internal core 24 is provided with a series of parallel voids or channels which enhance the comfort factor or effect of the mat 20. These voids 25 are clearly shown in Figures 7 and 8. The voids may be left empty or filled with a sponge or blown material of a different density from the core material to give extra strength to the mat if required in particular circumstances. Figures 5 to 8 illustrate the third embodiment of mat 30 which, in the no load mode, has a curved rigid or fixing base 32, an internal core 34, and an upper skin 36 on a curved upper surface 37, in addition to two depending legs 41 and 43 which grip the side of the slat A. Engaging formations 45 and 47 are provided at the ends of the leg-clamps 41 and 43. These formations are configured to retain complementary engaging formations 53 and 54 on flap valves 50 and 52 (see Figure 1 1 ). When the load is removed from the upper surface of the mats 20 and 30, the entire structure returns to its original shape, thus assisting in the non retention of urine and other waste material on the upper surfaces 27 and 37 of the mats and also providing a cavity or gap between the bottom of the mat and the slat beneath it. This creates movement between the mat and the floor at its interface creating a pumping action every time an animal steps on the mat to provide movement of the liquid and solid waste material off the surface of the mat. Voids 25 are provided in the internal core. The effect of these voids is as discussed earlier, The number of voids will vary depending on the width of the particular mat.

The voids 25 are closed off at the ends of each mat by an end cap 60 which is provided with a corresponding number of plugs 62 which engage with the voids 25 and prevent any waste material or liquids entering the voids.

In Figure 1 1 , two flap valves 50 and 52 are shown in an overlapping arrangement. The flap valve 50 is beneath the flap valve 52. This is a major benefit to the installer to assist in ensuring that the flap valves 50 and 52 are installed in the correct manner. Although not visible in the drawings, the flap valves are cut along their lengths at regular intervals allowing individual portions of the flap valves to move.

In summary, the mat of the invention may have a cavity, a filled cavity or a dynamic or flexible material contained therein which can be flat or suitably profiled so that the underneath of the mat allows the mat to deflect under the weight of the animal as it walks on it and reverts back to its original shape when no weight is applied to it.

The advantages provided by the mat include:

(1 ) the provision of a soft floor interface for the comfort of the animal walking on it, sleeping on it, lying down on it and getting up and protecting the knees from shocks as well as improved contact with the foot and grip for the animal in addition to allowing full claw opening by deformation of the mat and alleviating strain on the animal's tendons; and (2) the reduction of the amount of animal waste retained on the floor, thereby reducing the gaseous, noxious and unpleasant emissions from the floor and the tank underneath it, as a result of the smooth surface and the quick movement of animal waste caused by the flexing of the mat when the animal moves on it.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein which are given by way of example only and that various modifications and alterations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.