Foldable mat

A foldable mat, comprising:

• a flat flexible base portion molded from a polymeric material, the base portion substantially conforming to a plane in an unfolded condition, the base portion having a top surface, a bottom surface opposed to the top surface, and a peripheral margin;
• a first finger tab and a second finger tab opposed to the first finger tab, the finger tabs integrally molded with the base portion out of the polymeric material and disposed on the margin, the finger tabs extending upwardly from the top surface of the base portion when the mat is in the unfolded condition;
• and
• a fold line bisecting the base portion and having two ends, the margin being bilaterally symmetrical around the fold line, the fold line bisecting the bottom surface into a first half and a second half, each end of the fold line terminating at a respective finger tab, the base portion foldable on the fold line to a folded condition by a user grasping and upwardly pulling the opposed finger tabs, such that when folded the first half of the bottom surface mates with the second half of the bottom surface, the base portion having an elongate raised center rib disposed on the fold line, an interruption in the center rib forming a second fold line at an angle to said fold line.

A foldable mat comprising:

• a flat flexible base portion molded from a polymeric material, the base portion substantially conforming to a plane in an unfolded condition, the base portion having a top surface, a bottom surface opposed to the top surface, and a peripheral margin;
• a first finger tab and a second finger tab opposed to the first finger tab, the finger tabs integrally molded with the base portion out of the polymeric material and disposed on the margin, the finger tabs extending upwardly from the top surface of the base portion at an angle in the range of about 65 to about 85 degrees when the mat is in the unfolded condition;
• and
• a fold line bisecting the base portion and having two ends, the margin being bilaterally symmetrical around the fold line, the fold line bisecting the bottom surface into a first half and a second half, each end of the fold line terminating at a respective finger tab, the base portion foldable on the fold line to a folded condition by a user grasping and upwardly pulling the opposed finger tabs, such that when folded the first half of the bottom surface mates with the second half of the bottom surface.

A method of protecting an article, comprising the steps of:

• integrally molding a mat from a polymeric material to have, in an unfolded condition, a flexible flat base portion and opposed flexible first and second finger tabs that extend upwardly from the base portion;
• folding the mat along a fold line extending between the finger tabs to provide a folded mat;
• unfolding the folded mat;
• placing a bottom surface of the unfolded mat on a second surface from which the article is to be protected;
• placing the article on a top surface of the unfolded mat;
• later removing the article from the top surface of the unfolded mat,
• grasping the mat at the finger tabs and pulling the finger tabs upward;
• and
• responsive to the step of grasping, folding a first half of the bottom surface of the mat onto a second half of the bottom surface of the mat around the fold line.

A method of protecting an article, comprising the steps of:

• integrally molding a mat from a polymeric material to have, in an unfolded condition, a flexible flat base portion and opposed flexible first and second finger tabs that extend upwardly from the base portion;
• folding the mat along a fold line extending between the finger tabs to provide a folded mat;
• unfolding the folded mat;
• placing a bottom surface of the unfolded mat on a second surface from which the article is to be protected;
• placing the article on a top surface of the unfolded mat;
• later removing the article from the top surface of the mat,
• grasping the mat at the finger tabs and pulling the finger tabs upward;
• responsive to the step of grasping, folding a first half of the bottom surface of the mat onto a second half of the bottom surface of the mat around the fold line;
• and
• responsive to the step of grasping, folding each of the finger tabs into mating halves that substantially lie in planes parallel to each other when the mat is in a folded condition.