A Fall Changed Our Family. A Second Slip Sparked an Invention. Now Safety Mat Is Patented.
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SafetyMat founder Adriana Reis has officially received U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240 B2 for an invention created to make fall prevention more secure, customizable and intentional.
On August 18, 2026, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240 B2 for the SafetyMat invention.
For SafetyMat founder and inventor Adriana Reis, the patent represents far more than a legal or business milestone. It is the official recognition of an idea born from loss, motherhood and one question she could not ignore:
Why do we wait until someone falls to take safety seriously?
A Bathroom Fall Changed Our Family
Adriana’s commitment to fall prevention began with an experience that permanently changed her family.
Her daughters’ great-grandfather died following a nighttime bathroom fall.
To Aubrey, he was Bumpa. This photograph from 2023 was their last together—a tender family moment that now carries even deeper meaning.
Just months later, Adriana watched her two-year-old daughter slip on a conventional suction-cup bath mat as she began to stand and walk in the bathtub.
The two incidents were generations apart—but connected by the same everyday risk.
The traditional bath mat was supposed to make the tub safer. Instead, it shifted beneath her daughter’s feet.
That moment made the problem impossible to dismiss.
“I remember looking at the mat and thinking: This is supposed to protect her,” Adriana said. “Why are we still relying on products that can move, trap moisture, cover only part of the surface or become another obstacle underfoot?”
She began searching for a better solution.
What she found were many products that addressed one part of the problem while creating another.
Loose rugs could slide or bunch. Suction-cup mats could shift and trap moisture beneath them. Small adhesive decals left large portions of the surface uncovered. Anti-slip paints and coatings could be messy, visually disruptive and difficult to remove or replace.
The opening in the market was clear: people needed a safety surface that could stay securely in place without forcing them to permanently alter or compromise their space.
That realization became SafetyMat®.
What Is the SafetyMat Patent?
SafetyMat’s U.S. patent describes a layered, non-slip safety mat designed to adhere to a surface while supporting slip-resistant texture and customizable visual design.
The patented invention can include:
- A structural base layer
- An adhesive layer on the lower surface
- A removable release liner for peel-and-stick installation
- A textured surface designed to improve traction
- A customizable graphics layer
- Configurations that allow the graphics layer to be changed
- Photoluminescent elements
- Coordinated safety-mat kits for multiple areas
The patent also anticipates applications extending beyond the bathtub or shower, including healthcare facilities, hospitality properties, schools, workplaces, recreational settings, retail environments and other commercial spaces.
View U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240 B2
Why This Invention Matters
A fall does not have to happen from a dramatic height to change a life.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 14 million adults age 65 and older—approximately one in four—report falling each year. The CDC also identifies falls as the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injury among older adults.
Bathroom surfaces deserve particular attention. A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission staff report estimated an annual average of 100,580 emergency-department-treated fall injuries associated with bathtubs and showers among adults age 65 and older during 2017–2021.
But fall risk is not limited to older adults.
It can affect a toddler learning to navigate a bathtub, a parent stepping onto a wet bathroom floor, a hotel guest entering an unfamiliar shower, an employee walking through a spill-prone workspace or anyone whose balance, vision or mobility changes unexpectedly.
SafetyMat was designed around a proactive approach: improve the surface before a fall happens.
More Than a Bath Mat
SafetyMat is not simply another object placed on top of the floor.
Its peel-and-stick construction is designed to create a more integrated, low-profile safety surface on compatible tubs, showers and smooth, non-porous flooring.
This approach helps address many of the limitations associated with conventional alternatives:
Loose rugs can move
SafetyMat adheres directly to a compatible surface instead of resting loosely on top of it.
Suction-cup mats can shift and trap moisture
SafetyMat eliminates bulky suction cups and is designed for direct surface contact.
Small decals provide fragmented coverage
SafetyMat can cover a larger, more continuous area and can be produced in different sizes and configurations.
Anti-slip coatings can be difficult to reverse
SafetyMat offers a semi-permanent surface solution that can be replaced without becoming a permanent coating applied directly to the original floor.
Standard safety products rarely consider design
SafetyMat can be clear, white, printed, photoluminescent or customized to complement its environment. Available options depend on the product, surface and intended application.
The result is a safety solution designed not only around traction, but also around coverage, cleaning, durability, visibility and aesthetics.
Safety Should Belong in the Design
Many traditional safety products look clinical because appearance was never part of the original engineering.
SafetyMat started with a different philosophy:
Safety should not have to look like an afterthought.
A safety surface can blend into an architectural environment, coordinate with an interior, reinforce a brand, communicate instructions or become an engaging part of a child’s space.
Designs can be developed for homes, hotels, healthcare environments, schools, commercial facilities, branded spaces and custom applications. SafetyMat can also create coordinated visual systems across connected surfaces, such as a bathtub and adjacent bathroom floor.
“SafetyMat was built for safety, but always with an aesthetic goal,” Adriana explained. “I wanted something that could help protect a family without making their bathroom feel institutional—and something a hotel, school, healthcare facility or business could customize for its own environment.”
This is where SafetyMat moves beyond the limitations of ordinary mats, adhesive tiles and anti-slip coatings.
It does not treat safety and design as competing priorities.
It brings them together.
Invented in Cape Coral, Florida
SafetyMat was developed in Cape Coral by Adriana Reis, a mother, designer, business owner and safety advocate.
As the founder of a woman- and Hispanic-owned small business, Adriana built the invention while managing the realities familiar to many independent founders: research, prototypes, material testing, production challenges, intellectual-property protection and the constant pressure of turning an idea into a viable product.
The patent application was filed on June 5, 2024, claiming priority to a provisional application filed on June 6, 2023. The SafetyMat patent was officially granted on August 18, 2026.
The issued patent lists:
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240 B2
- Title: Safety Mat
- Inventor: Adriana Reis
- Application number: 18/733,990
- Issue date: August 18, 2026
The patent provides a stronger foundation for SafetyMat’s continued development in residential safety, hospitality, healthcare, education, facilities management and commercial fall prevention.
The Patent Is a Milestone—Not the Finish Line
SafetyMat began in the bathroom, but its future is much larger.
The underlying idea can support safety surfaces for:
- Bathtubs and showers
- Bathroom and kitchen floors
- Entrances and corridors
- Stairs and landings
- Hotels and hospitality facilities
- Hospitals, clinics and assisted-living environments
- Schools, nurseries and sensory-learning spaces
- Retail and commercial facilities
- Warehouses and industrial workplaces
- Pool, locker-room and recreational areas
- Branded and wayfinding applications
SafetyMat will continue expanding its customizable mats, adhesive flooring rolls, photoluminescent products, coordinated safety systems and business and facility solutions.
The mission remains unchanged: help people address fall risk earlier, cover surfaces more intentionally and create safer environments without sacrificing how those environments look or function.
The Girls Behind the Mission
At the center of Adriana’s work are her two daughters—the girls who continue to inspire her every day. They are her reminder that safety is never abstract. It is love made practical: noticing a risk, asking a better question and acting before an ordinary moment becomes a painful memory.
What began with protecting one child has grown into a mission to help families create safer spaces before a fall happens.
From One Family’s Experience to a Solution for Many
No product can eliminate every possibility of a fall. Effective fall prevention requires attention to the person, the environment and the conditions surrounding each space.
But surfaces matter.
What we place beneath our feet matters.
And taking action before an accident matters.
For Adriana, U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240 represents a promise carried forward from two moments she will never forget: the fall that took a member of her family and the slip that could have injured her daughter.
Those moments inspired an invention.
That invention is now patented.
And its purpose can be expressed in one sentence:
Preventing one fall can change a life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SafetyMat officially patented?
Yes. The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240 B2 on August 18, 2026.
Who invented SafetyMat?
SafetyMat was invented by Adriana Reis of Cape Coral, Florida. She is the founder of SafetyMat USA, Corp.
What does the SafetyMat patent describe?
The patent describes a layered non-slip safety mat that can include an adhesive backing, removable release liner, textured safety surface, customizable graphics, changeable visual layers, photoluminescent features and coordinated mat kits.
Is SafetyMat still “patent pending”?
No. The patent has been granted. Applicable SafetyMat patent references should now use “Patented” or “U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240.”
Where can I read the patent?
The official patent can be viewed through the USPTO’s public patent system under U.S. Patent No. 12,708,240 B2.
Can SafetyMat be customized?
SafetyMat offers different sizes, surfaces and visual configurations, including clear, white, printed, glow-in-the-dark and custom designs. Available options depend on the intended surface and application.
Is SafetyMat only for residential bathrooms?
No. SafetyMat’s technology and product platform can support residential, hospitality, healthcare, educational, commercial and facility-safety applications.
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