Area rugs such as Oriental rugs have been in use in homes and offices for many years but the use of padding under these rugs to reduce shock in walking over the rugs is of relatively recent origin. Initially the padding material was a coarse felt of animal hair and other materials, and somewhat later a sponge rubber pad was introduced. These pads proved to have many deficiences, the most destructive of which was their very low tensile strength, and as a result of which they tended to fall apart after a relatively short period of use. As the pads pulled apart they produced an uneven walking surface, which, in many cases, resulted in damage to the underlying floor, particularly to wood floors. More recently a combination padding material was introduced coatings which produced a considerably higher strength than the previous materials but which did not grip the underlying floor, leaving a possibility of injury from slippage by those walking on the rug. However, this padding was dense, and did provide a better barrier for preventing dirt from filtering through the padding to the floor underneath. Still later padding made from polyurethane was introduced as an improvement over the previous foam rubber material, by polyurethane failed to provide the density and strength properties necessary for a firm rug underlay.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel rug underlay having nonslip characteristics. It is another object of this invention to provide a rug underlay of fibrous material having a uniform consistency, no unpleasant odor, and a clean appearance. It is still another object of this invention to provide a rug underlay having upper surface that grips the rug above it and a lower surface that does not slip on wood or tile floors. Still other objects will be apparent from a more detailed description of this invention which follows.