US20230240387A1

US20230240387A1 - Fitted Towel Wrap

Info

Publication number: US20230240387A1
Application number: US17/591,691
Authority: US
Inventors: Brian Bensch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2022-02-03
Filing date: 2022-02-03
Publication date: 2023-08-03

Abstract

A fitted towel wrap includes one or more fasteners that allow the towel to be draped over and held in place on a human body to thereby cover up at least a portion the torso of the human body.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to towel wraps.

Background of the Invention

There are occasions when an individual does not have a separate cover-up garment available where it would be useful to be able to employ a towel, such as a beach towel, as a cover-up garment. Also, there are occasions, such as at the beach, when it would be desirable not to have to carry both a beach towel and a cover-up garment. However, it is problematic to use a conventional towel, such as a beach towel, as a cover-up garment, because it is difficult to hold a conventional towel in place on an individual to protect that individual’s shoulders and upper torso from the sun or other elements.

SUMMARY

According to a first broad aspect, the present invention provides towel wrap comprising: a substantially rectangular towel body comprising one or more fabric materials and having an inner side, an outer side, two long sides and two short sides; an upper hem on the inner side and outer side of the towel body along a first long side of the two long sides of the towel body, the upper hem comprising: a central portion, a first exterior portion and a second exterior portion, the first exterior portion and the second exterior portion being on either side of the central portion; a first neck fastener component and a second neck fastener component for fastening together so that the central portion of the upper hem forms a neck opening when the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of a human body, the first neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the outer side of the towel body and the second neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the inner side of the towel body, the first neck fastener component being located at a first end of the central portion of the upper hem and the second neck fastener component being located at a second end of the central portion; a first chest fastener component mounted on the first exterior portion of the upper hem; and a second chest fastener component mounted on the second exterior portion of the upper hem, wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body with the inner side of the towel body facing the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first neck fastener component and second neck fastener component are fastened together or the first exterior portion and the second exterior portion of the upper hem are draped over the chest of the human body and the first chest fastener component and the second chest fastener component are fastened together, the towel wrap is held in place on the human body and covers up at least a majority of the shoulders and at least part of the torso of the human body.
According to a second broad aspect, the present invention provides a towel wrap comprising: a substantially rectangular towel body comprising one or more fabric materials and having an inner side, an outer side, two long sides and two short sides; an upper hem on the inner side and outer side of the towel body along a first long side of the two long sides of the towel body, the upper hem comprising: a central portion, a first exterior portion and a second exterior portion, the first exterior portion and the second exterior portion being on either side of the central portion; a first neck fastener component and a second neck fastener component for fastening together so that the central portion of the upper hem forms a neck opening when the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of a human body, the first neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the outer side of the towel body and the second neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the inner side of the towel body, the first neck fastener component being located at a first end of the central portion of the upper hem and the second neck fastener component being located at a second end of the central portion, wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body with the inner side of the towel body facing the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first neck fastener component and second neck fastener component are fastened together, the towel wrap is held in place on the human body and covers up at least a majority of the shoulders and at least part of the torso of the human body.
According to a third broad aspect, the present invention provides a towel wrap comprising: a substantially rectangular towel body comprising one or more fabric materials and having an inner side, an outer side, two long sides and two short sides; an upper hem on the inner side and outer side of the towel body along a first long side of the two long sides of the towel body, the upper hem comprising: a central portion, a first exterior portion and a second exterior portion, the first exterior portion and the second exterior portion being on either side of the central portion; a first chest fastener component mounted on the first exterior portion of the upper hem; and a second chest fastener component mounted on the second exterior portion of the upper hem, wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body with the inner side of the towel body facing the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first chest fastener component and the second chest fastener component are fastened together, the towel wrap is held in place on the human body and covers up at least a majority of the shoulders and at least part of the torso of the human body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an outer side of a towel wrap according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an inner side of the towel wrap of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a view of the towel wrap of FIG. 1 draped over the shoulders and back (not visible in FIG. 2 ) of a human body.

FIG. 4 is a view of the towel wrap of FIG. 3 with two fastener components of a snap fastener mounted on an upper hem of the towel body fastened together (not visible in FIG. 4 ) so that a neck opening is formed by the towel around the neck of the human body to thereby hold the towel in place on the human body.

FIG. 5 is a view of the towel wrap of FIG. 4 showing how the towel is draped over the back of the human body.

FIG. 6 is a view of the towel wrap of FIG. 3 which is held together by a zipper whose fastener components are mounted along an upper hem of the towel wrap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Definitions

Where the definition of terms departs from the commonly used meaning of the term, applicant intends to utilize the definitions provided below, unless specifically indicated.
It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of any subject matter claimed. In this application, the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, the use of “or” means “and/or” unless stated otherwise. Furthermore, use of the term “including” as well as other forms, such as “include”, “includes,” and “included,” is not limiting.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “comprising”, the term “having”, the term “including,” and variations of these words are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
For purposes of the present invention, directional terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “left,” “right,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “up,” “down,” etc., are used merely for convenience in describing the various embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention may be oriented in various ways. For example, the diagrams, apparatuses, etc., shown in the drawing figures may be flipped over, rotated by 90° in any direction, reversed, etc.
For purposes of the present invention, a value or property is “based” on a particular value, property, the satisfaction of a condition, or other factor, if that value is derived by performing a mathematical calculation or logical decision using that value, property or other factor.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “fastener” refers to any type of fastener. Examples of fasteners that may be useful in various embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to snap fasteners, zippers, buttons and buttonholes, button and loops, hook-and-loop fasteners (such as Velcro® brand fasteners), etc.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “fastener component” refers to a component of a fastener. A fastener component may include sub-components. For example, a fastener such as a zipper may include two sets of teeth as fastener components. In addition, one of the sets of teeth may include a slider slidably mounted thereon used to open and close the zipper. In such a case, the combination of one of the set of teeth and slider may be considered a fastener component. Other examples of fastener components include but are not limited to a snap fastener, a button, a buttonhole, a strip of hooks for a hook-and-loop fastener, a strip of loops for a hook-and-loop fastener, etc.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “majority” refers to greater than 50%.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “substantially rectangular in shape” refers to an object, such as a towel, that is generally in the shape of a rectangle. An object that is substantially rectangular in shape may have rounded corners, sides that includes indentions, etc. Examples of items that are generally rectangular in shape include objects such as bath towels, beach towels, etc.
For purposes of the present invention, the term “torso” refers to the human body apart from the head, neck, arms, and legs.
For purposes of the present invention, it should be noted that to provide a more concise description, some of the quantitative expressions given herein are not qualified with the term “about.” It is understood that whether the term “about” is used explicitly or not, every quantity given herein is meant to refer to the actual given value, and it is also meant to refer to the approximation to such given value that would reasonably be inferred based on the ordinary skill in the art, including approximations due to the experimental and/or measurement conditions for such given value.

Description

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and the scope of the invention.
In one embodiment the present invention provides a towel wrap with a large towel area that can be used by individual to dry himself or herself, while also being able to be used as a cover-up. By including one or more fasteners, the towel wrap may be “fitted” to an individual allowing the towel wrap to be held in place on the individual as cover-up. In some embodiments of the present invention several fasteners may be included as part of the towel wrap to allow the towel wrap to fit individuals of various sizes.
FIG. 1 shows a towel wrap 102 according to one embodiment of the present invention that has a towel body 112 that is substantially rectangular in shape and is made of one or more fabric materials. FIG. 1 shows outer side 114 of towel wrap 102. Towel body 112 has two parallel long sides, i.e., long side 116 and long side 118 and two parallel short sides, i.e., short side 120 and short side 122. An upper hem 132 is located along long side 116. Upper hem 132 includes a central portion 134 between exterior portion 136 and exterior portion 138. A male snap fastener component 140, which functions as a neck fastener component, is mounted on upper hem 132 at an end 142 of central portion 134. Along an upper edge 144 of exterior portion 136 is mounted a zipper teeth set 146 and along an upper edge 148 of exterior portion 138 is mounted a zipper teeth set 150. Zipper teeth set 146 and zipper teeth set 150 are complementary to each other. Zipper teeth set 146 include a bottom stop 152 and a top stop 154. Zipper teeth set 150 includes a top stop 158 and a lower stop (not visible in FIG. 1 ). Slidably mounted on zipper teeth set 148 is zipper slider 160 having a puller 162 (lower stop of zipper teeth set 148 is block from view by zipper slider 160).
FIG. 2 shows an inner side 202 of towel body 112. As shown in FIG. 2 , on inner side 202 of towel body, a female snap fastener component 212, which functions as neck fastener component, is mounted on upper hem 132 at an end 214 of central portion 134.
Male snap fastener component 140 and female snap fastener component 212 together form snap fastener type neck fastener. Zipper teeth set 144, zipper, teeth set 148, slider 160 and puller 162 together form a zipper type chest fastener.
FIG. 3 shows towel wrap 102 draped over shoulders (not visible in FIG. 3 ) and (back) of a human body 302. Towel wrap 102 covers a majority of the shoulders.
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show towel wrap 102 draped over shoulders (not visible in FIGS. 4 and 5 ) and (back) of human body 302. Male snap fastener component 140 (not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ) and female snap fastener component 212 (not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ) are fastened together as a snap fastener type neck fastener (not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ) as indicated by arrow 402 in FIG. 4 so that a neck opening 412 is formed by central portion 134 of upper hem 132 around neck 414 of human body 302 to thereby hold towel wrap 102 in place on human body 302. Towel wrap 102 covers a majority of torso 416 of human body 302.
FIG. 6 shows towel wrap 102 draped over shoulders (not visible in FIG. 6 ) and back (not visible in FIG. 6 ) of human body 302. Towel wrap 102 is fastened together over chest 602 by a chest fastener, i.e. zipper 612, so that a neck opening 614 is formed by central portion 134 of upper hem 132 around neck 414 of human body 302 to thereby hold towel wrap 102 in place on human body 302. Towel wrap 102 covers a majority of torso 416 of human body 302. Zipper 612 comprises zipper teeth set 144, zipper, teeth set 148, slider 160 and puller 162 Towel wrap 102 covers a majority of the shoulders.
In various embodiments of the present invention the towel body made be made of any type of fabric material that can be used to make a towel and may be made of two or more fabric materials. Example of suitable fabric materials for the towel body include but are not limited to terry cloth, microfiber, blended material, etc.
Although the embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 show using both a neck fastener and a chest fastener, in various embodiments of the towel wrap of the present invention, the towel wrap may include only a neck fastener or a chest fastener.
Although the embodiments of the towel wrap of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 use a snap fastener as a neck fastener for the towel wrap, other types of neck fasteners may be used in various embodiments of the present invention. For example, in various embodiments, the neck fastener may be a button and buttonhole combination, a button and loop combination, a hook and loop fastener comprising a strip of hooks and a strip of loops, etc. Also, although in the embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 use a zipper as a chest fastener for the towel wrap, other types of chest fasteners may be used in various embodiments of the present invention. For example, in various embodiments, the chest fastener may be a hook and loop fastener comprising a strip of hooks and a strip of loops, etc.
The upper hem of the towel wrap is made of a material that is strong enough to support the one or more fasteners mounted in, on or along the upper hem. In some embodiments of the towel wrap of the present invention, the upper hem of the towel wrap may be integral with the rest of the towel body. In one embodiment of the present invention, the transition from the rest of the towel body of the towel wrap to the upper hem may be smooth to provide more comfort to the individual wearing the towel wrap.
In some embodiments of the towel wrap of the present invention, the upper hem may be comprised of one or more separate pieces of material attached to the rest of the towel body. In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper hem may made be made of a different material that is attached to the rest of the towel body of the towel wrap. In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper hem may be made of a material that is stronger than the material used to make the rest of the towel body.
In various embodiments, a towel wrap of the present invention may be used as both a standard beach towel, which is usually about 50 inches long by about 30 inches wide and as an upper arm and full torso cover-up. In one embodiment, a towel wrap of the present invention may fit adults having a neck size up to 20 inches, but in other embodiments of the present invention the towel wrap may fit adults having a neck sizes larger than 20 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention, a towel wrap may be sized to be worn by a child.
In various embodiments, a towel wrap of the present invention provides a convenient cover-up in various situations in which an individual may use a towel including after a shower or bath, after a swim in the pool or a dip in the surf, in the sauna, during a workout on treadmill, during a workout on an exercise bike such as sold under the trade name Peloton®, etc.
Although not shown in the embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawing figures, in various embodiments of the present invention, the towel wrap of present invention may be made in various colors. Also, although not shown in the embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawing figures, in various embodiments of the present invention, the towel wrap of present invention may may include various types of artistic designs, logos, pictures, insignias, sayings, phrases, slogans, flags, etc. that are formed in the towel body during manufacture and/or stitching of the towel body or applied to the towel body after the towel body is manufactured.
All documents, patents, journal articles and other materials cited in the present application are incorporated herein by reference.
While the present invention has been disclosed with references to certain embodiments, numerous modification, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it has the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A towel wrap comprising:

a substantially rectangular towel body comprising one or more fabric materials and having an inner side, an outer side, two long sides and two short sides;

an upper hem on the inner side and outer side of the towel body along a first long side of the two long sides of the towel body, the upper hem comprising:

a central portion, a first exterior portion and a second exterior portion, the first exterior portion and the second exterior portion being on either side of the central portion;

a first neck fastener component and a second neck fastener component for fastening together so that the central portion of the upper hem forms a neck opening when the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of a human body, the first neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the outer side of the towel body and the second neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the inner side of the towel body, the first neck fastener component being located at a first end of the central portion of the upper hem and the second neck fastener component being located at a second end of the central portion;

a first chest fastener component mounted on the first exterior portion of the upper hem; and

a second chest fastener component mounted on the second exterior portion of the upper hem,

wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body with the inner side of the towel body facing the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first neck fastener component and second neck fastener component are fastened together or the first exterior portion and the second exterior portion of the upper hem are draped over the chest of the human body and the first chest fastener component and the second chest fastener component, the towel wrap is held in place on the human body and covers up at least a majority of the shoulders and at least part of the torso of the human body.

2. The towel wrap of claim 1, wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first neck fastener component and second neck fastener component are fastened together or the first exterior portion and the second exterior portion of the upper hem are draped over the chest of the human body, and the first chest fastener component and the second chest fastener component are fastened together, the towel covers up a majority of a torso of the human body.

3. The towel wrap of claim 1, wherein at least a majority of the towel body comprises terry cloth.

4. The towel wrap of claim 1, wherein the first neck fastener component is a male snap fastener component mounted on the upper hem and the second neck fastener component is a female neck fastener component mounted on the upper hem.

5. The towel wrap of claim 1, wherein the first chest fastener component comprises a first zipper teeth set with a zipper slider slidably mounted thereon and the second chest fastener component comprises a second zipper teeth set for complementarily engaging the first zipper teeth set.

6. A towel wrap comprising:

a first neck fastener component and a second neck fastener component for fastening together so that the central portion of the upper hem forms a neck opening when the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of a human body, the first neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the outer side of the towel body and the second neck fastener component being located on the upper hem on the inner side of the towel body, the first neck fastener component being located at a first end of the central portion of the upper hem and the second neck fastener component being located at a second end of the central portion,

wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body with the inner side of the towel body facing the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first neck fastener component and second neck fastener component are fastened together, the towel wrap is held in place on the human body and covers up at least a majority of the shoulders and at least part of the torso of the human body.

7. The towel wrap of claim 6, wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first neck fastener component and second neck fastener component are fastened together, the towel covers up a majority of a torso of the human body.

8. The towel wrap of claim 6, wherein at least a majority of the towel body comprises terry cloth.

9. The towel wrap of claim 6, wherein the first neck fastener component is a male snap fastener component mounted on the upper hem and the second neck fastener component is a female neck fastener component mounted on the upper hem.

10. A towel wrap comprising:

wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body with the inner side of the towel body facing the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first chest fastener component and the second chest fastener component are fastened together, the towel wrap is held in place on the human body and covers up at least a majority of the shoulders and at least part of the torso of the human body.

11. The towel wrap of claim 10, wherein the towel wrap is configured so that when the towel body is draped on the back of the human body, the upper hem of the towel body encircles the neck of the human body, and the first chest fastener component and the second chest fastener component are fastened together, the towel covers up a majority of a torso of the human body.

12. The towel wrap of claim 10, wherein at least a majority of the towel body comprises terry cloth.

13. The towel wrap of claim 1, wherein the first chest fastener component comprises a first zipper teeth set with a zipper slider slidably mounted thereon and the second chest fastener component comprises a second zipper teeth set for complementarily engaging the first zipper teeth set.