Body fitting towel

Abstract

Whenever a person steps out from a shower at home or from ocean at a beach, he or she simply dons the towel places it about their body, grasps the ends of the ribbons and closes the towel about theft body, and ties the exposed end lengths of each ribbon to one another. The person is then free to go about their way. The towel will still stay in place, leaving the persons hands free to do as they like. Closing the towel about the waist by tying together the end lengths of only one of the ribbons will allow the person to sit on hot ground. And, as mentioned, closing the towel about the persons body will guarantee privacy in locker room settings leaving him or her free to change with no towel slips.

Description

SUMMARY

A towel for use after a shower, a bath, or a swim. The towel is arranged to stay closed about a wearer's body and at the same time allows his or her hands to be free. The towel affords the wearer privacy when changing clothing, for example, in a locker room. Also, when closed about the wearer, the towel allows him or her to sit comfortably on hot ground at the beach or other outdoor swim area. Still, the towel can maintain an attractive and elegant appearance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a towel according to the invention, as seen from a front side of the towel;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the towel in FIG. 1, as seen from the back side of the towel;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, plan view of a right end portion of the towel in FIG. 1, as seen from the front side of the towel;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, plan view of the right end portion of the towel in FIG. 1, as seen from the back side of the towel;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the inventive towel showing the towel fitted about a large toy animal as an example to illustrate the use of the towel; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the towel as in FIG. 1, showing certain dimensions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a view of the front of a towel 10 according to the invention, and FIG. 2 shows the towel 10 in FIG. 1 as viewed from the back. The inventive towel 10 may have the overall form, appearance, and dimensions of a conventional bath, shower or beach towel when laid flat as in the drawing, and thus resemble or match the appearance of towels a user may already possess. For example, the towel may measure from approximately five to 70 inches in width, and from about five inches to seven feet in length.

The fabric from which the towel 10 is made should be pre-washed to avoid shrinkage and may include, for example, Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton, or an organic cotton made from bamboo or cellulose from beech trees. As seen in FIG. 1 and like conventional bath towels, the front of the towel 10 can be imprinted with a pleasing and elegant design, or with a solid color, as desired. As explained below, the towel 10 is also practical.

As viewed in the drawing, the towel 10 has hems or sleeves 12, 14 that are stitched or formed at the top and the bottom of the towel 10, at or near the longer edges 16, 18 of the towel. The opposite ends of the sleeves are open at the shorter edges 20, 22 of the towel. When the towel 10 is laid flat, each sleeve 12, 14 is wide enough so that a length of a ribbon 24, 26 can also He flat inside the sleeve over the length of the towel. The length of each ribbon 24, 26, is such that the opposite ends 24a, 24b and 26a, 26b of the ribbons may extend by a short distance (e.g., a fraction of an inch) beyond its sleeve so that (a) the ends of each ribbon can be held and the shorter edges 20, 22 of the towel 10 pushed inward to close the towel about the wearer's body, and (b) the exposed end lengths of the ribbons can be tied so that the towel will stay closed about the body. (See FIG. 5). The use of the ribbons 24, 26 ensures that the edges 16, 18 of the towel 10 will stay flat, and that the towel can resemble and be stored among towels the wearer may already have at home.

Depending on the size of the towel 10, the width of the ribbons 24, 26 may range from about one-quarter to two inches. To limit or avoid the ribbon ends 24a, 24b and 26a, 26b from being visible when the towel 10 is laid flat or folded for storage, the ribbons may be cut to certain lengths that exceed the length of the towel 10, and the opposite ends of each ribbon folded back one or more times so that the overall length of the ribbon does not exceed the towel length. The folded ribbon ends can, for example, be sewn on the ribbon so that the ends become relatively thick and can not retract so far inside the sleeves 12, 14 as to become inaccessible to the wearer.

The ribbons 24, 26 are also stitched or otherwise fastened to the towel 10 at locations 28, 30 that are approximately halfway over the length of each sleeve 12, 14, thus ensuring that the ribbons can not be completely withdrawn from the sleeves and become lost, and that the ends of each ribbon will always be accessible to the wearer. The ribbons 24, 26 can be made of polyester or another fabric that is pre-washed to prevent them from shrinking when the towel 10 is washed.

As depicted by the toy doll in FIG. 5, whenever a person steps out from a shower at home or from the ocean at a beach, he or she simply dons the towel 10, places it about their body, grasps the ends of the ribbons and closes the towel about their body, and ties the exposed end lengths of each ribbon to one another. The person is then free to go about their way. The towel 10 will still stay in place, leaving the person's hands free to do as they like. Closing the towel about the waist by tying together the end lengths of only one of the ribbons will allow the person to sit on hot ground. And, as mentioned, closing the towel about the person's body will guarantee privacy in locker room settings, leaving him or her free to change with no towel slips.

While the foregoing description represents preferred embodiments of the inventive towel 10, it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, and additions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the towel 10 can be made to fit the wearer like a dress by providing a third ribbon inside of a thin fabric sleeve sewn onto the back of the towel, midway' between the two ribbons 24, 26 as viewed in FIG. 2. In addition, the towel 10 can be used as a tote or beach bag if the items to be carried are placed on the back of the towel, and the opposite ends of each ribbon 24, 26 are pulled from the sleeves 12, 14 and tied to form two handles. Accordingly, the invention includes all such changes, modifications, and additions to the towel disclosed herein.

Claims

1. The towel is arranged to stay closed about a wearer's body.

2. Allows his or her hands to be free.

3. The towel affords the wearer privacy when changing clothing.

4. When closed about the wearer, the towel allows him or her to sit comfortably on hot ground for example beach or other outdoor swim area.

5. Maintain an attractive and elegant appearance.