Foldable plastic products

A mat consisting essentially of a flexible plastic material and having sides which separate planar bottom and top surfaces so as to establish therebetween a predetermined thickness of said mat, said mat also having hinge means for permitting portions of said mat adjacent to said hinge means to be folded into a juxtaposed relationship, said hinge means including a slit extending between at least one pair of said sides, wherein one end of said slit, as viewed in cross-section, opens onto said bottom surface while the other end thereof terminates within said mat thickness at a location laterally of said one end of said slit, said slit thereby (1) establishing with said top surface, bridge means integrally joining said adjacent mat portions for flexibly yielding when said mat portions are folded into said juxtaposed relationship, and (2) establishing with said bottom surface an elongate platform means integrally joined at one of its ends to one of said adjacent mat portions and being defined by said slit at the other of its ends, said platform means being subjacently complementary with said bridge means for supporting said bridge means when said adjacent portions are unfolded.

A mat consisting essentially of a flexible plastic material and having sides which establish a perimeter thereof, a bottom substantially planar surface to be placed upon a supporting surface and a top substantially planar surface, said mat including at least one elongate hinge means extending between a pair of said sides for permitting portions of said mat adjacent said hinge means to be folded thereabout into juxtaposed relationship, said hinge means including a slit having an initial segment thereof opening onto said bottom surface and extending therefrom to a first location between said bottom and top surfaces, and having a second segment, continuous with said first segment, which extends laterally from said first location to a second location also between said bottom and top surfaces, wherein said slit establishes an upper bridge integrally joining said adjacent portions and a platform, subjacently complimentary to said bridge and integrally joined to that one of said adjacent mat portions nearer said second location and not joined to the other of said adjacent mat portions, wherein said bridge is flexible to permit said adjacent mat portions to be foldable into juxtaposed folded relationship, and wherein said bridge is supported by said platform when said adjacent portions are unfolded.

A foldable plastic product comprising a body of plastic material having at least one hinge which allows adjacent sections of said product to be folded into a juxtaposed relationship thereabout, said at least one hinge being defined by a slit extending, when viewed in profile, at least in a first direction between one surface of said product towards another surface thereof to a location between said one and another surfaces, and extending in a second direction, different from said first direction, from said first location to a second location also between said one and another surfaces, said slit thereby establishing cooperating elongate bridge and platform portions, said bridge portion being connected at each of its opposing ends to a respective one of said adjacent product sections;

• and said platform portion being connected at one of its ends to one of the adjacent product sections and extending towards, but unconnected to, the other of said adjacent product sections, wherein said platform portion supports said bridge portion when said adjacent product sections are in in an unfolded state.

A foldable plastic product comprising a body having at least one hinge which allows adjacent sections of said product to be folded thereabout, said at least one hinge being defined by a generally L-shaped slit extending, when viewed in profile, in one direction from the underside of said plastic product to a first location within said product, and extending, in a second direct, from said first location to a second location spaced therefrom, said L-shaped slit establishing (1) a bridge portion integrally connected at each of its ends to a respective adjacent product section, and (2) a platform portion having one end integrally connected to one of said adjacent product sections and extending towards, but unconnected to, the other of said adjacent product sections.

A plastic product comprising integral hinge means for connecting a pair of adjacent sections of the product one to another and for allowing said adjacent product sections to be foldable into juxtaposed relationship, said hinge means being established by a slit which includes at least first and second slit segments, said first segment opening onto one surface of the product and extending in a first direction towards another surface of the product to a first location within the product, said second segment extending from said first location in a direction different from said first direction to a second location also within the product, said slit thereby establishing a bridge region which interconnects said adjacent product section and which is elongated to a dimension as defined between the first and second locations sufficient to permit said bridge region to be flexed when said adjacent product sections are folded into said juxtaposed relationship, wherein said slit also establishes a platform region matably conforming to said bridge region so as to support said bridge region when said adjacent product sections are unfolded, said platform region being conencted to one of said adjacent product sections and extending towards, but unconnected to, the other of said adjacent product sections.