Flexible floor mat incorporating led lighting

A method of forming an up-lighting floor mat comprising:

• trimming at least one mat portion of multiple mat portions to form at least one elongate cutting and to form floor matting that defines an upwardly-facing surface and an opposed downwardly-facing surface when supported atop an upwardly-facing support surface, and that defines a first elongate slot through the floor matting to receive a first elongate up-lighting assembly to emit light up from the first elongate slot, wherein the at least one mat portion comprises a first flexible material that enables the up-lighting floor mat to be rolled up for transport or storage;
• bonding at least one upwardly-extending portion of an elongate upwardly-opening U-channel that defines an elongate edge of the first up-lighting assembly to at least one edge of the floor matting that defines the first elongate slot, wherein the U-channel of the first up-lighting assembly comprises a second flexible material that cooperates with the first flexible material of the floor matting to enable the up-lighting floor mat to be rolled up;
• bonding a surface of the elongate cutting to an upwardly facing surface defined by and within the U-channel, wherein the elongate cutting has a wedge-shaped cross-section;
• and
• bonding a mounting surface of a first flexible LED strip to another surface of the elongate cutting to orient the first flexible LED strip within the U-channel of the first up-lighting assembly to cause LEDs of the first flexible LED strip to emit light primarily in a first direction that is angled away from vertical, wherein the first flexible LED strip is sufficiently flexible as to not impede the rolling up of the up-lighting floor mat.

An up-lighting floor mat comprising:

• floor matting that defines an upwardly-facing surface and an opposed downwardly-facing surface when supported atop an upwardly-facing support surface, and that is formed from a first flexible material that enables the up-lighting floor mat to be rolled up for transport or storage;
• a first elongate up-lighting assembly positioned along a first edge of the floor matting to emit light up from the first edge, wherein at least a first portion of a first elongate edge defined by the first up-lighting assembly is bonded to the first edge the floor matting;
• a second elongate up-lighting assembly positioned along the first up-lighting assembly to emit light up from beside the first up-lighting assembly, wherein an elongate edge defined by the second up-lighting assembly is bonded to a second edge defined by the first up-lighting assembly that is opposite from and parallel to the first edge defined by the first up-lighting assembly such that the elongate shape of the first up-lighting assembly and the elongate shape of the second up-lighting assembly extend in parallel;
• a power source bonded along at least a first edge defined by a casing of the power source to at least one inset edge of the floor matting, and bonded along at least a second edge defined by the casing to at least a second portion of the first elongate edge defined by the first up-lighting assembly such that the power source is interposed between the at least one inset edge of the floor matting and the second portion of the first elongate edge defined by the first up-lighting assembly;
• and
• wherein a subpart of the first edge of the floor matting is trimmed to recede from, and not extend into contact with, a subpart of the first portion of the first elongate edge defined by the first up-lighting device to define an opening therebetween through which digits of a hand may be extended and then wrapped about the first up-lighting assembly and the second up-lighting assembly to use the first up-lighting assembly and the second up-lighting assembly as a handle by which the up-lighting floor mat may be held by and carried about by the hand.

A portable, rechargeable, up-lighting floor mat comprising:

• a generally rectangular floor mat having two pairs of substantially parallel-extending sides, and being formed from flexible material that defines an upwardly facing surface and a downwardly facing surface that extend substantially parallel to each other when the floor mat is laid substantially flat atop a generally flat upwardly facing support surface;
• a generally rectangular rechargeable power source having two pairs of substantially parallel-extending side walls, with two adjacent ones of the side walls being bonded, adhered or otherwise rigidly connected to edges of an L-shaped and cut-out inset corner at one of four corners of the generally rectangular floor mat;
• at least one elongate, substantially straight plastic strip defining an upwardly-opening U-channel of uniform cross-section extending along a majority of the length of the strip, with the strip having a pair of parallel-extending side walls with bottom portions thereof continuously joined by a transversely extending bottom wall, with one of the two side walls being bonded, adhered or otherwise rigidly connected to one of the four sides of the floor mat, and to one of the four side walls of the power source;
• and with LED lighting positioned within the upwardly-opening U-channel and being electrically connected to the power source for receiving electric power therefrom, for projecting light upwardly when receiving electric power from the power source.