Patent Application
20230338798
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for towels used in the sport of golf and other sports and, more particularly, to a novel towel system configured to define multiple portions for separate and varying uses.
In the game of golf, for example, it is common for players to attach a so-called “golf towel” to their bag. Golf towels known in the art are fairly simple devices, usually comprised of a two or three square foot fabric towel fitted with a grommet or eyelet. The golf towel can thus be “hung” from the side of the bag for convenient access via a clip device on the bag that is received through the grommet. In application, a golfer may rely on the golf towel for any number of uses including, but not limited to, drying cleaned hands, wiping sweat from a brow or hands, cleaning mud from golf club heads, keeping club handles dry before a shot, etc. Moreover, many golfers like to carry a towel with them during play, such as when walking away from their golf cart and bag to a green for a chip and putt (to protect a club’s grip from moisture, for example, golfers often use a golf towel beneath a club laying upon the ground while using a different club to make a golf shot).
The multiple common uses for a golf towel present a problem in the art because it can be difficult for golfers to differentiate a “clean” portion of a golf towel (such as might be designated for wiping sweat from a golfer’s brow) from a “dirty” portion (such as might be designated for wiping mud from a golf club head). Also, the desire by many golfers to carry a golf towel on their person during play presents a problem in the art because golf towels known in the art are inconvenient to constantly engage and disengage from a clip device hanging off a golf bag. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a new and novel golf towel system that addresses the above articulated needs in the art as well as other needs.
Exemplary embodiments of novel improved golf towel systems and methods are disclosed. In accordance with an exemplary or representative embodiment, the towel system comprises a main towel, a differentiation mechanism, at least a first quick attachment and detachment (attachment/detachment) feature, and a towel system attachment mechanism. The main towel comprises at least a first towel portion and a second towel portion. Each towel portion has at least a front side, a rear side, a top side, a bottom side, a left side and a right side. The left and right sides of the first and second towel portions, respectively, are joined together. The differentiation mechanism distinguishes the first towel portion from the second towel portion to allow a user of the golf towel system to readily differentiate the first towel portion from the second towel portion to facilitate different uses or purposes by the user of the first and second towel portions. The first quick attachment/detachment feature is secured to the main towel at a preselected location of the main towel. The towel system attachment mechanism is secured to the main towel and is configured to be removably attached to a structure or device that is external to the golf towel system to thereby allow the golf towel system to be removably attached to the external structure or device.
In accordance with another representative, or exemplary, embodiment the towel system comprises a main towel, a differentiation mechanism, at least a first quick attachment/detachment feature, a detachable towel, and towel system attachment mechanism. The main towel comprises at least a first towel portion and a second towel portion, each of which has at least a front side, a rear side, a top side, a bottom side, a left side and a right side. The left and right sides of the first and second towel portions, respectively, are joined together. The differentiation mechanism differentiates the first towel portion from the second towel portion to allow a user of the golf towel system to readily differentiate the first towel portion from the second towel portion to facilitate different uses or purposes by the user of the first and second towel portions. The first quick attachment/detachment feature is secured to the main towel at a preselected location of the main towel. The detachable towel is configured to be removably attached to the main towel. The detachable towel has a second quick attachment/detachment feature secured thereto that is configured to detachably couple with the first quick attachment/detachment feature to enable the detachable towel to be removably attached to the main towel. The towel system attachment mechanism is secured to the main towel and is configured to be removably attached to a structure or device that is external to the golf towel system to thereby allow the golf towel system to be removably attached to the external structure or device.
These and other features and advantages of the systems and methods will become apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.
Various embodiments, aspects and features of the present invention encompass a golf towel system and method of use. Various embodiments of the solution may also be configured and sized for sports applications other than, or in addition to, golf such as tennis or fishing, for example. As such, use of the term “golf towel” in this description shall not suggest that the scope of the solution is limited in application to the sport of golf. Further configurations and advantages of the solution will occur to those of skill in the art reviewing the figures and description that follows.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, exemplary, or representative, embodiments disclosing specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the inventive principles and concepts. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that other embodiments according to the present teachings that are not explicitly described or shown herein are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, descriptions of well-known apparatuses and methods may be omitted so as not to obscure the description of the exemplary embodiments. Such methods and apparatuses are clearly within the scope of the present teachings, as will be understood by those of skill in the art. It should also be understood that the word “example,” as used herein, is intended to be non-exclusionary and non-limiting in nature.
The terminology used herein is for purposes of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Any specifically-defined terms are in addition to the technical, scientific, or ordinary meanings of the defined terms as commonly understood and accepted in the relevant context.
The terms “a,” “an” and “the” include both singular and plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, “a device” includes one device and plural devices. The terms “substantial” or “substantially” mean to within acceptable limits or degrees acceptable to those of skill in the art. For example, the term “substantially parallel to” means that a structure or device may not be made perfectly parallel to some other structure or device due to tolerances or imperfections in the process by which the structures or devices are made. The term “approximately” means to within an acceptable limit or amount to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Relative terms, such as “over,” “above,” “below,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “upper” and “lower” may be used to describe the various elements’ relationships to one another, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device and/or elements in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device were inverted with respect to the view in the drawings, an element described as “above” another element, for example, would now be below that element.
Referring to
The phrase “joined together,” as that term is used herein, can define a number of configurations, including, for example, that the sides 6e and 7f are edges that are sewn together or secured together in some other way (e.g., fused), as well as there being no physical boundary between the sides 6e and 7f in cases where the portions 6 and 7 are integrally formed together as integral parts of the main towel 2. In the latter case, the sides 6e and 7f are joined together when the main towel 2 is manufactured, e.g., sewn or knitted.
The differentiation mechanism 3 can be any mechanism that delineates the first towel portion 6 from the second towel portion 7 to allow a user of the golf towel system 1 to readily differentiate the first towel portion 6 from the second towel portion 7 to facilitate different uses or purposes assigned by the user to the first and second towel portions 6 and 7, respectively. In accordance with a representative embodiment, the differentiation mechanism 3 comprises a color scheme of the golf towel system 1. The color scheme can be defined by at least the front sides 6a and 7a of the first and second towel portions 6 and 7, respectively, being of different colors to allow the user to easily differentiate between the portions 6 and 7.
In accordance with another representative embodiment, the differentiation mechanism 3 comprises a physical structure and/or a marking disposed along the interface between the towel portions 6 and 7 at the sides 6e and 7f, such as a brand name printed along the interface. In such cases, the portions 6 and 7 can be of the same color since a physical structure or markings are being used to enable the user to easily differentiate the first towel portion 6 from the second towel portion 7. In such cases, although it may be unnecessary to use different colors as the differentiation mechanism 3, different colors can be used in combination with the physical structure or markings. In some embodiments, the first and second towel portions 6 and 7, respectively, are made of different materials and in other embodiments that are made of the same material.
In accordance with this representative embodiment, the detachable towel 5 is configured to be removably attached to and detached from the main towel 2. To accomplish this goal, the detachable towel 5 has a second magnet feature 10 secured thereto that is oppositely polarized to the first magnet feature 4 (
When the golf towel system 1 is attached to an exterior device, such as the golf bag 12 shown in
With reference again to
In accordance with a representative embodiment, the first and second towel portions 6 and 7, respectively, are of different sizes and the detachable towel 5 is smaller than both of the towel portions 6 and 7. With reference to
In accordance with this representative embodiment, the first and second widths, W1 and W2, respectively, are substantially equal to one another, whereas the first and second lengths, L1 and L2, respectively, are unequal to one another. The second length L2 is substantially greater than the first length L1. Thus, the W1xL1 area of the first towel portion 6 is less than the W2xL2 are of the second towel portion 7.
In addition, in accordance with this representative embodiment, the W3xL3 area of the detachable towel 5 is significantly smaller than the W1xL1 area of the first towel portion 6, which, in accordance with this embodiment, is smaller than the W2xL2 area of the second towel portion 7.
In accordance with a representative embodiment, the first towel portion 6 is about 40% of the main towel 2, the second towel portion 7 is about 60% of the main towel 2, and the detachable towel 5 is about one-half the size of the first towel portion 6. Notably, and as envisioned above, not all embodiments of the solution will necessarily comprise towel portions 6 and 7 that are of different sizes or a detachable towel 5 that is different in size from that of the towel portions 6 and 7. It should be noted that the inventive principles and concepts are not limited with respect to the relative or absolute sizes of the main towel 2, of the towel portions 6 and 7 or of the detachable towel 5, as will be understood by those of skill in the art in view of the description provided herein.
The detachable towel 5 may be magnetically attached to the main towel 2 in the manner described above when not in use and, when needed, removed from the main towel 2 with an adequate tug from a user. It is envisioned that the detachable towel 5 of this exemplary embodiment may be conveniently carried by a user onto the course or green, or other location, without any need to detach the entire main towel 2 from the golf bag 12 or cart (not shown). In addition, the magnetic feature 4 allows the detachable towel 5 to be removably attached to virtually any metal object.
The golf towel system attachment mechanism 6 can be any suitable mechanism for allowing the golf towel system 1 to be removably attached to an external device, such as the golf bag 12 or a golf cart. One suitable configuration comprises a loop or handle 6a having first and second ends that are sewn onto or otherwise affixed to an edge of the main towel 2 and a clip 6b, such as a carabiner or hook that can be locked onto and unlocked from an external device such as an eyelet, a loop or another similar clip. The purpose and functionality of the golf towel attachment mechanism 6 is for “hanging” the towel system 1 from a golf bag 12 or other device.
The magnet feature 4 can be sewn into or otherwise affixed to a location on the main towel 2 adjacent to the mechanism 6, although it is envisioned that magnet features 4 and 10 may be fixed at any place in or on the detachable towel 5 and the main towel 2, respectively.
The golf towel system 100 comprises a main towel comprising a first towel portion 105 (shown in white) and a second towel portion 110 (shown shaded). It should be noted that while the system 100 comprises only two towel portions, other embodiments of the system 100 may comprise any number of towel portions, and each towel portion can be of a different color or of the same color. Additionally, the towel portions may be constructed of different materials or of the same material. Advantageously, when constructed from different materials, the first towel portion 105 may be constructed from a first material particularly suited for a first given application (such as, for example, absorbency) while the second towel portion 110 may be constructed from a second material particularly suited for a second given application (such as, for example, cleaning). It is preferred, however, that regardless of whether or not the towel portions 105 and 110 are constructed from the same or different materials, the differentiation mechanism of the towel system 100 in accordance with this embodiment can use different colors and/or different designs for the towel portions 105 and 110 to enable a user to quickly and easily distinguish one towel portion from another. For example, using different designs for the differentiation mechanism can mean using different shapes, materials of different thickness, and/or materials of different roughness for the towel portions 105 and 110.
Returning to the
In accordance with this embodiment, at a distal end of second towel portion 110, a magnet feature 120 is secured to the second towel portion 110 by, for example, sewing the magnet feature into a pocket or compartment of the second towel portion, although it is envisioned that magnet features such as magnet feature 120 may be fixed at any place in the towel portions. For example, it is envisioned that certain embodiments may incorporate the magnet feature 120 at or near the loop 115 in order to place the magnet feature 120 at a location that would be unlikely to interfere with a user’s use of either portion of the towel system 100.
The placement of the magnet feature 120 weights the longer second portion 110 such that the towel hangs heavily. The magnet feature 120, regardless of placement, also enables the towel system to be removably mounted to a metal surface, such as a golf cart frame, so that a user may easily and quickly access the towel system 100.
Turning now to
Although not shown in
The absolute and relative dimensions of the towel portions 105 and 110 and of the detachable towel, if any, may be the same as those described above with reference to
It should also be noted that while the inventive principles and concepts have been described with reference to using “magnetic features” as the mechanism for attaching the main towels 1 and 100 to metallic objects and/or for quickly and easily removably attaching the detachable towel 5 to the main towel 2, other quick attachment/detachment features can be used for this purpose. For example, the magnet features 4 and 10 can be replaced with respective loop and hook patches (e.g., Velcro patches) to provide a mechanism for attaching the detachable towel 5 to the main towel 2. Other quick attachment/detachment features can be used for this purpose, such as pairs of male and female snaps, for example. Magnet features are preferred for this purpose because of the ease and quickness with which they enable attachment and detachment to be performed with less than perfect alignment.
A system and method of use for a new and useful golf towel system have been described with reference to a few representative, or exemplary, embodiments that are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The described embodiments comprise different features, not all of which are required in all embodiments of the solution. Some embodiments of the solution utilize only some of the features or possible combinations of the features. Variations of embodiments of the solution that are described and embodiments of the solution comprising different combinations of features noted in the described embodiments will occur to persons of the art.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that a golf towel system according to the solution is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described herein above. Rather, the scope of the disclosed solution is defined by the claims that follow.
The present application is a nonprovisional patent application claiming priority to, and the benefit of the filing date of, U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63/332,843, filed on Apr. 20, 2022, entitled “IMPROVED GOLF TOWEL SYSTEM,” and U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63/388,746, filed on Jul. 12, 2022, entitled “IMPROVED GOLF TOWEL SYSTEM,” both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63388746 | Jul 2022 | US | |
| 63332843 | Apr 2022 | US |
