Fabric towel holder

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6562437
  • Patent Number
    6,562,437
  • Date Filed
    Friday, March 30, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 13, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Pyon; Harold
    • Rhee; Jane
    Agents
    • D′Ambrosio & Associates, P.L.L.C.
    • D′Ambrosio; Jo Katherine
Abstract
A fabric towel holder for hand towels comprises a fabric sheet that is twice-folded along its longitudinal axis to form a first panel, a third panel and a second panel positioned between the first panel and the third panel. The first panel comprises a first longitudinal end and the third panel comprises a second longitudinal end securely attached to the first longitudinal end. The longitudinally folded fabric sheet is also folded along its transverse axis to form a first segment having a first front side and a first back side, and a second segment having a second front side and a second back side. A fabric member is attached to the first front side so that the fabric member and first front side of the second panel define a pocket adapted for holding hand towels. A hook fastener is attached to the first back side and a loop fastener is attached to the second back side so that the loop fastener adheres to the hook fastener when the fabric sheet is folded along its transverse axis.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to fabric towel holders, more particularly to a fabric towel holder comprising a pocket for holding hand towels.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Homeowners often expend considerable efforts and financial means on the interior design of their homes, guest bedrooms and bathrooms included. As a result, guest bathrooms are often exquisitely decorated with beautiful and expensive accessories, among them hand towels and washcloths elaborately selected and presented in a way that enhances the overall bathroom design.




Often times, guests hesitate to use the homeowners' hand towels because they do not want to inadvertently dirty the towels or disturb the bathroom's design. In addition, many people are cautious and wish to protect themselves from contagious diseases, and are highly reluctant to use someone else's cloth towels. Disposable paper towels are preferred. At present, there is a variety of paper towels with attractive designs whose qualities make them appealing to homeowners for use by their guests. Unfortunately, attractive holders for these disposable paper towels are difficult to find.




Evans, U.S. Pat. No. 2,669,737, and Moss, U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,610, disclose washcloths with a built-in pocket that can hold a bar of soap, ice or other cold material. Longemann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,284, discloses a sports towel with an integrated storage pocket that has a closure device to secure items within the pocket.




Lucke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,366, discloses a removable towel means comprising a U-shaped clip support member mountable on the pants or accessories worn by the user, and a detachable length of toweling. The toweling can be attached to the support member by loop and hook gripping means, and may have an integral pocket with or without loop and hook means. Debronsky, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,142, discloses a golf towel assembly comprising an upper portion for fastening to a golfer's front waist area by various means, one of which may be Velcro® fasteners, and a lower, terry cloth portion for wiping debris from a golf club.




An, U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,761, discloses a rectangular tri-sectioned golf towel with an inner and outer sides made from different materials, and an upper end permanently stitched. A Velcro® looping patch can be secured adjacent to the permanently stitched end, and a second hooking patch can then be attached near the opposite, not-bound end of the same side and section of the towel.




Watabe, U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,019, discloses a combination of a golf club handle support and a wiper, the handle support comprising a shaft with a semi-circular bracket attached to one of its ends, and the wiper comprising a fabric material component and a toweling material component. The wiper can be attached to the support by Velcro® pads fastened to the towel in such a way that one end of the towel can be folded over the bracket and held to the remainder by the Velcro® fastening tabs.




None of the above references, taken either singlely or in combination, describes or suggests the instant invention as claimed. What is needed and desirable is a fabric towel holder to hold and display disposable hand towels while coordinating with the overall bathroom design.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a fabric towel holder constructed to hold hand towels for use in guest bathrooms. In one preferred embodiment, the fabric towel holder comprises a fabric sheet such as a standard sized hand towel with a fabric member, a washcloth for example, folded and sewn on to the front of the standard sized hand towel so that the wash cloth as attached to the fabric sheet, forms a pocket. Preferably, the hand towel is folded longitudinally with the washcloth pocket positioned on its front. The back of the hand towel preferably comprises fastening means such as Velcro® hook and loop fasteners. When the hand towel is folded transversely about a towel ring or hanging loop, the hook and loop fasteners fasten the back of the hand towel so that it does not slip off the towel ring because of the weight of objects in the pocket, the disposable paper hand towels for example. The pocket may also be used to hold other small bath or grooming objects.




In one preferred embodiment, the fabric towel holder for holding hand towels comprises a fabric sheet, a standard sized hand towel for example, that has a front and a back. The back comprises an upper section and a lower section. The fabric sheet has a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis. The fabric sheet can be folded along the transverse axis so that the upper section of the back is adjacent to the lower section of the back. When a hook fastener is attached to the upper section of the back side and a loop fastener is attached to the lower section of the back side, the loop fastener adheres to the hook fastener so that the upper section is adjacent to and fastened to the lower section of the back.




A fabric member can be fixedly attached to the fabric sheet so that the fabric member, when attached to the fabric sheet, defines a pocket. The pocket can be adapted to hold smaller hand towels, decorative paper hand towels or small bath items. Preferably, the fabric sheet can be folded longitudinally either in half or thirds and the longitudinal ends seamed. The fabric member or washcloth can be folded and positioned on the bottom front of folded fabric sheet to form the pocket. Disposable or smaller hand towels such as attractive paper towels or napkins can be placed within the pocket. When folded transversely over a towel rod or ring, the fabric towel holder of this invention can be coordinated to the overall decorative design of the guest bathroom.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

illustrates one embodiment of this invention as folded over a hanger.





FIG. 2

illustrates another embodiment of this invention.





FIG. 2A

illustrates the back of FIG.


2


.





FIG. 3

illustrates an embodiment of the invention with the fabric sheet folded longitudinally.





FIG. 4

depicts another embodiment of the invention with the fabric sheet folded longitudinally.





FIG. 5

depicts still another embodiment of the invention having one longitudinal fold.





FIG. 6

depicts the embodiment of

FIG. 5

as folded over a hanger.





FIG. 7

illustrates a further embodiment of this invention.





FIG. 8

depicts the embodiment of

FIG. 7

longitudinally folded.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is a fabric towel holder for hand towels. The fabric towel holder of this invention holds and displays disposable hand towels while coordinating with the overall design of a bathroom; particularly guest bathrooms that are often decorated with beautiful and expensive accessories, among them attractive hand towels and washcloths that enhance the overall bathroom decor.




Preferably, the fabric towel holder comprises a fabric sheet such as a standard sized hand towel with a fabric member, a washcloth for example, folded and sewn on to the front of the standard sized hand towel so that the wash cloth forms a pocket. In one aspect, the hand towel can be folded longitudinally with the pocket positioned on its front. The back of the hand towel preferably comprises fastening means such as Velcro® hook and loop fasteners. When the hand towel is folded transversely about a towel ring or hanging loop, the hook and loop fasteners hold the back of the hand towel together to prevent it from slipping off the towel ring because of the weight of objects in the pocket. The pocket may be used to hold other small bath, disposable paper hand towels or grooming objects.





FIG. 1

refers to one embodiment of the fabric towel holder


10


of this invention. In this embodiment, the fabric towel holder for hand towels


10


comprises a fabric sheet


20


such as a terry cloth hand towel as typically found in retail stores. Any fabric that is flexible and suitable for bathrooms can be used, cotton cloth, flannel, polyesters, even leather for contemporary styles, for example. Ready-made hand towels are available in various sizes, as are ready-made wash cloths. In one embodiment, a ready-made hand towel can be used for the fabric sheet


20


and a ready-made washcloth can be used for the fabric member


80


. Alternatively, a suitably sized fabric sheet


20


and fabric member


80


can be used. In one preferred embodiment, the size of the fabric sheet is approximately 28 inches by 16 inches. The fabric member


80


can comprise dimensions of 12 inches by 13 inches. Variations in the size of the fabric sheet


20


and fabric member


80


are within the scope of this invention


10


.




Referring to

FIGS. 1

,


2


and


2




a


, the fabric sheet


20


has a front


30


and a back


40


. The back of the fabric sheet


40


comprises an upper section


41


and a lower section


42


. When the fabric sheet


20


is folded along its transverse axis, the upper section of the back


41


is adjacent to the lower section of the back


42


. A fabric member


80


, wash cloth, for example, can be attached to the fabric sheet


20


so that the fabric member


80


and fabric sheet


20


define a pocket


81


. Preferably, the pocket


81


is adapted to hold hand towels for use in the bathroom. The pocket


81


can also be adapted to hold other bath or toiletry items. Both the fabric sheet


20


and the fabric member


80


can be decorative cloths, either matching or coordinated to each other. The hand towels stored in the pocket


81


are to be used for drying hands and, as such, can be disposable, paper towels for example, that are decorative and coordinate with the fabric towel holder of this invention.




When the fabric sheet


20


is folded along its transverse axis, A-A′, it can be placed over a towel ring or a towel bar, not shown. Alternatively, as illustrated in

FIG. 1

, a decorative hanger


15


can be used to hang the fabric towel holder


10


on a hook. Since the weight of objects within the pocket


81


formed by the fabric member


80


can cause the fabric towel holder


10


to slip off a towel ring or bar, the fabric towel holder further comprises a fastener


90


to hold and position the front


30


of the towel holder


10


in alignment with the back


40


. The fastener


90


can comprise a hook fastener


91


attached to the upper section of the back


41


and a loop fastener


92


attached to the lower section of the back


42


. The loop fastener


92


can adhere to the hook fastener


91


when the fabric sheet


20


is folded along its transverse axis, A-A′ so that the upper section


41


is adjacent and secured to the lower section


42


of the back side


40


. Other fasteners can be used to fasten the upper section


41


to the lower section


42


to prevent the fabric towel holder from slipping such as snaps or buttons.




In another preferred embodiment of the fabric towel holder for hand towels, as shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the fabric sheet


20


can be twice-folded along its longitudinal axis B-B′ to form a first panel


50


, a second panel


55


, and a third panel


60


. The second panel


55


is positioned between the first panel


50


and the third panel


60


. The first panel


50


and the third panel


60


preferably have equal widths and the second panel


55


can have a width equal to the sum of the widths of the first panel


50


and third panel


60


. The first panel


50


can comprise a first longitudinal end


52


and the third panel can comprise a second longitudinal end


62


. In this embodiment, the first longitudinal end


52


is securely attached to the second longitudinal end


62


. The first and second longitudinal ends,


52


,


62


can be attached by sewing them together. Alternatively, the longitudinal ends


52


,


62


can be attached by fabric glue or adhesive.




When the longitudinally folded fabric sheet


20


is folded along its transverse axis A-A′, as seen in

FIG. 1

, it forms a first segment


70


and a second segment


75


, the first segment


70


having a first front side


71


and a first back side


72


, the second segment


75


having a second front side


76


and a second back side


77


. A fabric member


80


can be folded parallel to one of its ends. The folded fabric member


80


comprises three unfolded edges


83


,


84


,


85


and a folded edge


82


. The unfolded ends


83


,


84


,


85


are securely attached to the first segment


70


to define the pocket


81


. The folded member is positioned adjacent the first front side


76


so that a folded edge


82


of the fabric member forms a smooth top of the pocket


81


. In this way, the fabric sheet


20


and the fabric member


80


define a pocket


81


that is adapted for holding hand towels. This embodiment further comprises a hook fastener


91


and a loop fastener


92


, the hook fastener


91


attached to the first back side


72


, the loop fastener


92


can be attached to the second back side


77


so that the loop fastener


92


adheres to the hook fastener


91


when the fabric sheet


20


is folded along its transverse axis A-A′. Conversely, the hook fastener


91


can be attached to the second back side


77


and the loop fastener


92


attached to the first back side


72


. Other types of fasteners are within the scope of this invention, snaps, sewing the first back side


72


to the second back side


77


, or a form of adhesive can be used. In this embodiment, the fabric sheet


20


can be a standard sized readily available hand towel and the fabric member


80


can be a standard sized readily available washcloth. A hanger


15


can be secured between the first back side


72


and the second back side


77


of the fabric sheet


20


to hang the finished fabric towel holder


10


over a hook (not shown).




In an alternative embodiment of this invention as illustrated by

FIGS. 5 and 6

, the fabric towel holder


100


for hand towels comprises a fabric sheet


120


folded once along its longitudinal axis to form a front panel


130


, and a back panel


140


. The front panel


130


comprises a front longitudinal end


132


and the back panel


140


comprises a back longitudinal end


142


. Preferably, the front longitudinal end


132


is securely attached to the back longitudinal end


142


. As in previously described embodiments, the ends


132


,


142


can be sewn together or joined by adhesive. As illustrated in

FIG. 6

the longitudinally folded fabric sheet


120


is then folded along its transverse axis to form a first segment


170


and a second segment


175


. The first segment


170


comprises a first front side


171


and a first back side


172


, the second segment


175


can comprise a second front side


176


and a second back side


177


. A fabric member


180


can be attached to the first front side


171


so that the fabric member


180


and fabric sheet


120


define a pocket


181


that is adapted for holding hand towels. When folded along its transverse axis, the fabric towel holder


100


can be placed over a hanger


15


or towel bar, not shown. Paper or other disposable hand towels can be placed in the pocket


181


. A first fastener


191


can be attached to the first back side


172


and a second fastener


192


attached to the second back side


177


so that the first fastener


172


fastens to the second fastener


177


when the fabric sheet


120


is folded along its transverse axis. The fasteners can comprise hook and loop fasteners. When the hook fastener is attached or fastened to the loop fastener, the front panel


130


is secured to the back panel


140


to prevent slippage of the fabric towel holder


100


that is caused by the weight of the towels or other objects placed in the pocket


181


.




A method for manufacturing the fabric towel holder of this invention comprises using readily available hand towels and washcloths or fabric sheets cut to a desirable size. The method comprises folding a washcloth


80


parallel to one of its ends


82


,


83


,


84


,


85


so that it comprises a folded end


82


and three unfolded ends


83


,


84


,


85


. The washcloth


80


is placed adjacent a hand towel


20


having front side


30


, a back side


40


and a top end


31


and a bottom end


32


. The washcloth


80


can be positioned on the front side


30


adjacent the bottom end


32


of the hand towel with the folded end


82


of the washcloth directed towards the top end of the hand towel


31


. The washcloth can be securely attached to the front side


30


of the hand towel so that the washcloth


80


and hand towel


20


define a pocket


81


. The hand towel is then folded along its longitudinal axis B-B′ so that the two longitudinal ends


52


,


62


of the hand towel are adjacent to each other. Finally the two longitudinal ends


52


,


62


of the hand towel are securely attached to each other


52


,


62


and a hook fastener


91


and a loop fastener


92


are secured to the back side of the folded hand towel so that an upper back side of the hand towel is affixed to a lower back side of the hand towel when the hand towel is folded along its transverse axis.





FIGS. 7 and 8

depict still another embodiment of the fabric towel holder


200


. In this embodiment, the fabric towel holder


200


comprises a fabric sheet


220


having a front


230


and a back


240


. The fabric sheet


220


has a top


221


and a bottom


222


. By folding the bottom


221


of the fabric sheet


220


transversely A-A′, the fabric sheet


220


forms a pocket panel


245


. The front of the fabric sheet


230


and the pocket panel


245


define a pocket


281


for holding disposable hand towels


12


or other bath items.




The fabric sheet


220


can be twice-folded along its longitudinal axis B-B′ to form a first panel


250


, a second panel


255


, and a third panel


260


. The second panel


255


is positioned between the first panel


250


and the third panel


20


. The first panel


250


and the third panel


260


preferably have equal widths and the second panel


255


can have a width equal to the sum of the widths of the first panel


250


and third panel


260


. The first panel


250


can comprise a first longitudinal end


252


and the third panel


260


ban comprise a second longitudinal end


262


. In this embodiment, the first longitudinal end


252


is securely attached to the second longitudinal end


262


. The first and second longitudinal ends,


52


,


62


can be attached by sewing them together. Alternatively, the longitudinal ends


52


,


62


can be attached by fabric glue or adhesive. The longitudinally folded fabric sheet


220


comprises a midpoint


256


.




After the pocket


281


is defined and the fabric sheet


220


folded longitudinally, the fabric towel sheet


220


can be folded transversely approximately at its midpoint


256


over a hanger, towel ring or towel bar and decorative paper towels or bath utensils placed within the pocket


281


. Hoop and loop fasteners can be used as described in other embodiments to prevent slippage when objects


12


are placed within the pocket


281


.




The foregoing description is illustrative and explanatory of preferred embodiments of the invention, and variations in the size, shape, materials and other details will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended that all such variations and modifications which fall within the scope or spirit for the appended claims be embraced thereby.



Claims
  • 1. A fabric towel holder for hand towels comprising:a fabric sheet, the fabric sheet twice-folded along its longitudinal axis to form a first panel, a second panel, and a third panel, the second panel positioned between the first panel and the third panel, the first panel and the third panel having equal widths, the second panel having a width equal to the sum of the widths of the first panel and third panels, the first panel comprising a first longitudinal end, the third panel comprising a second longitudinal end, the first longitudinal end securely attached to the second longitudinal end, the longitudinally folded fabric sheet folded along its transverse axis to form a first segment and a second segment, the first segment having a first front side and a first back side, the second segment having a second front side and a second back side; a fabric member attached to the first front side, the fabric member and first front side of the second panel defining a pocket, the pocket adapted for holding hand towels; and a hook fastener and a loop fastener, the hook fastener attached to the first back side, the loop fastener attached to the second back side, the loop fastener adhering to the hook fastener when the fabric sheet is folded along its transverse axis.
  • 2. The fabric towel holder of claim 1, wherein the fabric sheet comprises a hand towel.
  • 3. The fabric towel holder of claim 1, wherein the fabric member comprises a washcloth, the washcloth folded parallel to one of its ends, the folded washcloth positioned adjacent the first front side, the folded washcloth comprising three unfolded ends, the unfolded ends securely attached to the first segment to define the pocket.
  • 4. The fabric towel holder of claim 1, further comprising a hanger, the hanger secured between the first back side and the second back side of the fabric sheet.
  • 5. A fabric towel holder for hand towels comprising:a fabric sheet, the fabric sheet folded along its longitudinal axis to form a front panel and a back panel; the front panel comprising a front longitudinal end, the back panel comprising a back longitudinal end, the front longitudinal end securely attached to the back longitudinal end; the fabric sheet folded along its transverse axis to form a first segment and a second segment, the first segment having a first front side and a first back side, the second segment having a second front side and a second back side; a fabric member attached to the first front side, the fabric member and the fabric sheet defining a pocket, the pocket adapted for holding hand towels; and a first fastener and a second fastener, the first fastener attached to the first back side, the second fastener attached to the second back side, the first fastener fastening to the second fastener when the fabric sheet is folded along its transverse axis.
  • 6. The fabric towel holder of claim 5, wherein the fabric sheet comprises a hand towel.
  • 7. The fabric towel holder of claim 5, wherein the fabric member comprises a washcloth, the washcloth folded parallel to one of its ends, the folded end positioned adjacent the first front side, the folded washcloth comprising three unfolded ends, the unfolded ends securely attached to the fabric sheet to define the pocket.
  • 8. The fabric towel holder of claim 5, wherein the fasteners comprise hook and loop fasteners.
  • 9. The fabric towel holder of claim 5, wherein the fasteners comprise snaps.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Number Name Date Kind
2669737 Evans Feb 1954 A
D221200 Clementi Jul 1971 S
4403366 Lucke Sep 1983 A
D317995 Crowley-McGregor Jul 1991 S
5286019 Watabe Feb 1994 A
5326610 Moss Jul 1994 A
5761761 An Jun 1998 A
5770284 Logemann Jun 1998 A
5797142 Debronsky, Jr. et al. Aug 1998 A
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Fisher et al.; Dec. 18, 1997, Method of Manufacturing Clear Brine Fluids from Impure Zinc Feedstock, Ser. No. 08/993,914.