Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
NON-PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION
Title: Wearable Towel
Inventor: Chazon Stein, Miami, FL.
INDEX TO RELATED APPLCIATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent
Application 12/056,467, filed March 27, 2008, which claims the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No.
60/992,406 filed December 5, 2007 the disclosures of which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to towels for body wiping,
protection and privacy for temporary attachment to a human body
during uses that can include physical workout, shaving, applying
makeup, being in the presence of other people, between personal
care activities, being unclothed in variously inclement
surroundings, and/or other activities before being clothed.
Robes, tote towels and other modifications of towels are well
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known. In a manner taught by this invention, however, none are
known to provide the temporary attachment as in the present
invention.
The subject invention provides a novel, easy to manufacture, and
easy to use towel to address the current need.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention provides a novel towel configuration that
is easily wrapped and fixed into position about the body of a
wearer.
In a preferred embodiment, the towel includes a substantially
planer rectangular main body as is commonly known. There are
two openings that are congruently placed along the top and/or
uppermost outermost subquandrant of the towel body. Suitable
that one arm can support the main body.
In one embodiment, the opening is approximately about 10 inches
long and up to 1 inch wide, with a preference between 0.1-0.7
inches wide. The ideal with, however, is approximately 0.5
inches wide. The opening, in this embodiment, is set inward
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from the edge of the longest towel side by about approximately 4
inches. The opening is set inward from the shorter towel side
by about approximately about 3 inches. Opening placements and
measurement will differ depending on the size of the towel.
In a preferred embodiment the said openings are congruently
placed relative to their position to their respective adjacent
edges.
Alternatively, the two openings may be positioned in any desired
configuration. That would allow them to attach to only one arm
of the user.
In one embodiment, the openings may have a mechanism by which
the sizes of the opening can be adjusted. The said mechanism
may be any that is commonly known and can include but would not
be limited to buttons, snaps, zipper, Velcro , hook and loop and
the like.
In an alternative embodiment, the towel may have one opening
adjacent to a first side and a mechanism for attaching the
second or terminal side once the towel is wrapped around the
body of a user.
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The towel may be formed of any acceptable material including but
not limited to conventional terrycloth-type material.
Terrycloth is a fabric with loops that can absorb large amounts
of water. It can be manufactured by weaving or knitting, with
weaving on a dobby loom the predominant commercial method,
having two beams of longitudinal warp through which the filler
or weft is fired laterally.
Alternatively, the towel may be formed from non-absorbent
materials and used for bathing suit cover-ups, pajamas, as well
as the same configured invention may be used for a cocktail
party were it, for example, made out of silk. We will refer to
all rectangular configurations that can be fastened or secured
in such a manner as a towel.
Preferably, the regions bordering each of the openings, are
reinforced to give structural strength and integrity to the
towel such that the repeated motion of placing an arm in the
opening and removing the arm from the opening does not tear or
otherwise compromise the integrity of the towel..
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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Figure 1 is a plan view of the towel of the present invention.
Figure 2 depicts sequential steps relating to the use of the
towel of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a plan view of the towel divided into quadrants
and subquadrants.
Figure 4 shows plan and side views of the towel with oval
openings.
Figure 5 shows plan and side views of the towel with oval
openings positioned on an angle.
Figure 6 shows plan and side views of the towel with a single
oval opening.
Figure 7 shows plan and side views of the towel with a
triangularly configured attaching means.
Figure 8 shows plan and side views of the towel with
triangularly arranged ovals around a triangular region.
Figure 9 shows plan and side views of the towel with a single
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.securing strap along the top center.
Figure 10 shows plan and side views of the towel with
triangularly arranged straps.
Figure 11 shows plan and side views of the towel with straps
along one edge.
Figure 12 shows plan and side views of the towel with straps
adjacent to one edge.
Figure 13 shows plan and side views of the towel with straps
along one edge.
Figure 14 shows plan and side views of the towel with
triangularly arranged straps.
Figure 15 shows plan and side views of the towel with a single
securing strap along the top center.
Figure 16 shows various securing means.
Figure 17 shows plan and side views of the towel with a
plurality of receiving holes around the perimeter.
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Figure 18 is an expanded view from Figure 17 showing embodiments
of securing an attaching means to the towel.
Figure 19 shows several embodiments of attaching means secured
to the towel.
Figure 20 shows an embodiment having several towels attached.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Towel 10 includes a first side 25 and a second side 26 defined
by the first vertical side 11 second vertical side 12 first
horizontal side 13 and second horizontal side 14. First side 25
and second side 26 collectively form a substantially planer main
body of towel 10. Towel 10 has a vertical axis A-A equidistant
from first vertical side 11 and second vertical side 12.
Towel 10 has a horizontal axis B-B equidistant from first
horizontal side 13 and second horizontal side 14. Towel 10 may
include periphery stitching 28 that is placed around the
periphery of towel 10 along sides 11, 12, 13, and 14.
Towel 10 has a first opening 15 defined by outer opening border
16 inner opening border 17 lower opening border 18 and upper
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opening border 19. Opening 15 is parallel to first horizontal
side 13 and configured such that opening 15 is relatively
adjacent to second vertical side 12. Opening 15 may also
include stitching 29 that may reinforce the integrity of the
fabric bordering opening 15. Optionally, opening 15 may contain
additional material along the periphery of opening 15 that may
provide padding, or a decorative border.
Towel 10 has a second opening 20 defined by outer opening border
21 inner opening border 22 lower opening border 23 and upper
opening border 24. Opening 20 is parallel to the second
vertical site 12 and configured such that opening 20 is
relatively adjacent to second vertical side 12. Opening 20 may
also include stitching 27 that may reinforce the integrity of
the fabric bordering opening 20. Optionally, opening 20 may
contain additional material along the periphery of opening 20
that may provide padding, or a decorative border.
In an environment of use, as shown in Fig. 2, a user will place
their entire arm through first opening 15, as shown in Step 1.
Next, the user wraps towel 10 around their torso as shown in
Step 2. Next, the user wraps towel 10 around their torso as
shown in Step 2. The definition of torso described herein refers
to the circumference of the trunk of the wearer. The trunk of
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the wearer refers to the circumference of the dorsal (comprising
the spinal cavity) and the ventral (comprising the
thoracic/abdomino-pelvic) cavities. Previous rectangular
configurations referred to the torso as being the width of the
wearer's trunk. The width of the torso, as previously described,
is roughly the diameter of the torso. The present invention
wraps around greater than twice the diameter of a torso, or
twice the measurement from one armpit to the other. The present
invention also wraps around the circumference of the torso,
which is a distance of less than "pie" or "fl" times one-half of
the diameter squared. Thus, the distance between the 2 securing
means of the present invention is the circumference of the
torso, which is much greater then the width of the torso
previously described. The user will then place the same arm that
had previously been placed through first opening 15, through
second opening 20. Once the user has placed a single arm
through each of first opening 15 and second opening 20, first
side 25 will be facing away from the user and second side 26
will face the user.
As shown in Fig. 3, it is contemplated a towel of the present
invention has a securing means. The securing means is
preferably located, on, within, or adjacent to an uppermost
outermost subquadrant. By way of example, Fig. 3 shows a towel
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divided into main quadrants I, II, III, and IV. Each of the
main quadrants may be divided into subquadrants i, ii, iii, and
iv. In the embodiment depicted, the attaching means would be
positioned in, on, or near subquadrant i, of quadrant I, and
subquadrant ii, of quadrant II. In positioning the attaching
means in the uppermost outermost subquadrants as described, the
towel will wrap around the wearer more like a toga style and not
like a shirt, vest, or tunic. Additionally, a towel constructed
in this manner, as well as a towel constructed with hook and
loop fasteners, such as Velcro , hook, or snap attachments, does
not require sleeves or any extra material, such as material
extending beyond the outer periphery of the openings, half the
perimeter of a torso, in order to secure to the body of a
wearer.
Figs. 8, 10, 14, and 18 have depictions showing multiple
positions of the securing means. It is contemplated that towels
of the present invention may have any single or multiple
combinations of the depicted embodiments. For example, a towel
according to the embodiment of Figure 8 may have a single
opening on each end (the above described uppermost, outermost
subquadrant) selected from any one of the four depicted
openings. Alternatively, the towel may have more than one
opening on each of the uppermost outermost subquadrants chosen
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from the openings depicted.
The securing means may be any acceptable manner for securing the
towel to the proximal portion of the arm of a user. This may
include, but would not be limited to, a cavity, a cloth strap,
the cloth may be a flexible piece of cloth material such as
elastic, a hoop strap that may be made of cloth, elastic,
plastic, leather or any other desired material.
Each of Figures 4-15 and 17 show a horizontal view of towel 25.
Above each Figure is a top view along top edge 13. The left of
each horizontal view has a left side view along side 12. The
right of each horizontal view is a right side view along side
11. Below each horizontal view is a bottom edge view along
side 14.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, first oval cavity 30 and
second ovel cavity 31 are available for a user to place an arm
therethrough.
In the embodiment of Figure 5, first oval cavity 32 and second
oval cavity 33 are angularly oriented in the upper most
outermost subquadrant as desribed above.
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Figure 6 shows a centrally placed cavity 34 that is ornamental
and not used or required to physically support towel 25.
Figure 7 shows first triangular cavity 35 and second triangular
cavity 36 positioned in the upper most outermost subquadrant of
towel 25.
Figure 8 shows oval cavities 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, and 43 that all
depict possible orientations of the securing means on the towel.
The securing means may be horizontal, as oval cavities 38 and
42; vertical as oval cavities 37 and 41; or angular as oval
cavities 39 and 43. Additionally, triangular cavities 40 or 44
may be the securing means. In one embodiment, the towel may
have any one pair or more of the securing means shown in Figure
8.
Figure 9 shows a strap 45 that is not a securing means but may
be used for carrying towel 25.
Figure 10 shows horizontal oriented straps 47 and 49; vertical
oriented straps 46 and 50; and angular oriented straps 48 and
51. In one embodiment, the towel may have any one pair or more
of the securing means shown in Figure 10.
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Figure 11 shows straps 52 and 53 secured along the upper
horizontal edge 13 of towel 25.
Figure 12 shows straps 54 and 55 secured adjacent the upper
horizontal edge 13 of towel 25.
Figure 13 shows straps 56 and 57 secured along the upper
horizontal edge 13 of towel 25.
Figure 14 shows horizontal oriented straps 59 and 61; vertical
oriented straps 58 and 62; and angular oriented straps 60 and
63. In one embodiment, the towel may have any one pair or more
of the securing means shown in Figure 14.
Figure 15 shows a strap 64 that is not a securing means but may
be used for carrying towel 25.
Figure 17 shows a towel 25 that may have a plurality of openings
65. Although the openings are shown around the entire perimeter
of towel 25, openings may be constructed and arranged around any
portion of the perimeter. Openings 65 may be used for insertion
of any securing means. As shown in Figure 18, openings 65 may
be used for attachment of securing means, or to secure
additional towels one to another.
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Figure 19 shows various embodiments for attaching securing means
to towel 25. Angular connectors 75 and 76, each with respective
cavities 74 and 77 are attached to towel 25. Triangular
connectors 78 and 80, each with respective cavities 79 and 81
are attached to towel 25
Vertical connectors 82 and 84, each with respective cavities 83
and 85 are attached to towel 25.
Horizontal connectors 86 and 8, each with respective cavities 87
and 89 are attached to towel 25.
In one embodiment, the securing means is arranged and configured
such that one arm is placed through the first securing means,
the towel is wrapped around the torso (as defined on page 8) of
the user, and the same arm is placed through a second securing
means.
As shown in the embodiments depicted in Figs. 11, 13, and 14,
the securing means may be placed along the perimeter or edge of
the towel.
Figure 16 shows depictions of the various securing means that
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may be used. Also shown in Figure 16 are first hook 80 second
hook 82 joined with connector 81. An embodiment, as seen in
Figure 19 has first hook 82 attaches to towel 25 by passing
through hole 65. First hook 82 is connected to second hook 80
by connector 81. Second hook 80 is then connected to a second
towel 25. Alternatively, first hook 82 may pass through hole 65
and directly connect to a looped terminal end of strap 69.
Alternatively, as seen in Figs. 17 and 18, the towel may have a
receiving portion for receiving an attaching means. Although
Figure 17 shows a plurality of receiving holes around the entire
perimeter, it is also contemplated that one embodiment may
include receiving portions on only a portion or portions of the
perimeter.
The embodiments shown in Fig. 19 show the attaching means may be
part of or connected to, a second member that is attached to the
main body of the towel. In the embodiments of Fig 19, the
attaching means is still on or attached to the uppermost
outermost subquadrant as described herein.
In one embodiment, the two securing means may encompass an
additional opening or strap and the like, looking similar to the
2 outer securing means such as those shown in Figs. 6, 9, and
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15. This would be located along the center top line of the main
body either on or adjacent to one top edge of the main body or
across the length of the body in between the two outer holes.
This additional opening would not be needed to secure the towel
to the user. It is an available option for aesthetic reasons
only.
In the embodiments of Figure 20, two towels 25 may be worn
together by either overlapping openings or by connecting two
towels along an edge.
While the invention has been described in its preferred form or
embodiment with some degree of particularity, it is understood
that this description has been given only by way of example and
that numerous changes in the details of construction,
fabrication, and use, including the combination and arrangement
of parts, may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention.
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