Patent Application
20240225143
This Invention “Sea Changer Towel” functions as a beach towel in which to change into wet-suit or beach or regular clothes; and which rolls up into its hood.
Changing into and out of clothes/wetsuits outdoors at the ocean for surfers and beachgoers used to involve wrapping a rectangular towel around the waist and reaching under towel to remove and put on clothes/wetsuits. Or the user would have to locate and enter the public restroom or changing structure to change there. The process most often takes place behind the user's car in a public parking lot with lots of beach traffic passing close by. This process in either context, especially in the parking lot, is awkward and dangerous or indecent. Sometimes while changing the towel falls down exposing the naked surfer/beachgoer. This was often a cold and damp process. One could even fall down while trying to put on a tight-fitting neoprene wetsuit under the towel, often balancing on one leg.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a safe, discreet, and efficient garment for warmly and dryly covering of the body outdoors in a way that allows the user to change into and out of surf/beach related wear, and to serve as a beach towel for laying on the beach and drying off after water exposure, and to use as a handbag, when rolled up into the hood, one can carry a few personal items or beach clothes in the hood.
This invention is designed to better and more comfortably and safely allow the user to change clothing/wetsuit before and/or after water activity, most commonly surfing and related watersports. It is crafted for ease and comfort and safety of use, transport and storage. It serves two purposes instead of just one: changing wetsuit/beachwear and a beach towel to lay down on and dry off with.
It is cut in a shape which makes it easier for physical movement to occur inside it in a way that makes changing in and out of clothes/wetsuits less complicated and functionally easier.
This invention “Sea Changer Towel” claimed here solves many problems:
This Nonprovisional utility patent application under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), was filed twice before with two applications that expired:
1. Purpose of this Invention “Sea Changer Towel” is that Changing into and out of clothes/wetsuits outdoors at the ocean for surfers and beachgoers used to involve wrapping a rectangular towel around the waist and reaching under towel to remove and put on clothes/wetsuits. Or, the user would have to locate and enter the public restroom or changing structure to change there. The process most often takes place behind the user's car in a public parking lot with lots of beach traffic passing close by. This process in either context, especially in the parking lot, is awkward and dangerous or indecent. Sometimes while changing the towel falls down exposing the naked surfer/beach-goer. This was often a cold and damp process. One could even fall down while trying to put on a tight-fitting neoprene wetsuit under the towel, often balancing on one leg.
2. The purpose of this invention is to provide a safe, discreet, and efficient garment for warmly and dryly covering of the body outdoors in a way that allows the user to change into and out of surf/beach related wear, and to serve as a beach towel for laying on the beach and drying off after water exposure.
3. This invention is among the only like products wherein one retracts the arms inside the product to don and doff clothing or wetsuits from inside, for easier function, as opposed to having to reach underneath from the front and lift the towel up to reach the pants, under garments or wetsuit.
4. This invention is an improvement on what currently exists. This changing towel is the only water activity related changing product which has a dual function of being an accessory in which to change clothes discretely and also as a full-length beach towel, with a hood for drying off the hair. This changing towel is the only water activity related changing product which has a cinch cord in the hood which allows the whole item to be rolled up and stored in the hood for easy, convenient carrying and storage.
5. The body of this invention is folded and rolled up into the hood and secured with the cinch cord accessorized to be carried like a small bag over the shoulder or back. It can be used both the change inside of it or to be laid out to serve as a beach towel and to dry off after exiting the water.
6. The side slits allow the arms to be placed inside the two layers near the body to take off or put on clothing or wetsuits. The invention is cut out in a configuration/shape which the body ample space to easily and comfortably and warmly move around inside it and take off and put on a wetsuit/beachwear. This invention is designed to better and more comfortably and safely allow the user to change clothing/wetsuit before and/or after water activity, most commonly surfing and related watersports. It is crafted for ease and comfort and safety of use, transport and storage. It serves two purposes instead of just one: changing wetsuit/beachwear and a beach towel to lay down on and dry off with.
7. It is cut in a shape which makes it easier for physical movement to occur inside it in a way that makes changing in and out of clothes/wetsuits less complicated and functionally easier.
This Invention's “Sea Changer Towel” two-sided hooded terry cloth accessory covers body like a garment with arm slits on the side through which garments can be discretely removed inside and beach wear/wetsuits can be put on inside, while the body is kept covered, warm and is drying off. It covers the body from the neck to roughly the knees, except for the arms. This allows the user to change wetsuit/beachwear outdoors in public at the beach and not need to seek a private location to change.
Rectangular towels are usually used by most surfers to change wetsuit/beachwear in this context and are bulky and loose and must be placed in a bag or carried by hand as an extra item. As opposed to a rectangular towel, this accessory when laid out is folded in three parts and rolls up into the hood and has a cinch cord in the hood which is pulled allowing it to be tightened and secured in the hood and carried like a bag. The cinch cord secures the product in a tightly folded pattern making it easily transportable like a handbag over the shoulder or on the back.
It solves the problem of having a beach towel whose only safe function is for laying on and for drying off after water exposure.
It solves the problem for surfers and beachgoers of changing in public and avoids committing indecent exposure, a criminal offense.
Regular beach towels are difficult to secure and remain secured while changing. Sometimes they fall off while changing. They only cover the lower part of the body when donning or remove in clothing/wetsuits leaving the upper part of the body in a cold and wet state.
Modern changing ponchos are only used for changing and not used/suitable as a beach towel. They do not fold up into the hood like a bag, for easy storage and accessorized carry.
Changing ponchos tend to be too narrow or tight fitting for comfortable changing movement inside. Changing takes longer with either the regular beach towel or the poncho.
Fabric is laid out on a hard surface and cut into approximately 9-foot sections per item.
The (1) cotton fabric is cut out using a cardboard pattern. It is folded almost in half. A slit along the fold around 14 inches long for the person's head is cut out at the fold and the hood (1B) is sewn with Fabric threads (2) onto the back layer of the cloth and Fabric threads (2) are machine sewn around all edges to prevent fraying, and the two sides are sewn together from the bottom (farthest away from hood) (1b) to about 14 inches below arm hole which goes to the upper fold. The hood (1b) is then cut out according to a pattern and folded onto two layers. The hood (1b) is sewn with Fabric threads (2) onto the back collar of the slit. A channel for the (3) cinch cord is sewn with Fabric threads (2) around the front edge of the hood (1b). A (3) rope about 72 inches long is inserted into the channel and drawn to the other side opening of the channel to act as a cinch cord (3) to secure the item when rolled up into the hood (1b). The ends of the cord are tied in a knot.
A small piece of fabric made of terry cloth or (4) patterned cotton cloth is cut into a pocket shape (1c) according to a pattern and sewn with Fabric threads (2) onto the front of the item in the upper left-hand side.
On decorated models the hood is covered with a colorful Hawaiian or floral patterned thin (4) cloth, sewn with Fabric threads (2) onto the hood (1B). Some pockets (1c) are made completely of this cloth.
A waterproof identifying and instruction tag/label (5) is sewn with Fabric threads (2) onto the rear collar. or is stapled to the cinch cord (3).
A short strip of black carpet border trim (6) is sewn with (2) thread at the body (1a)-hood (1b) junction under the two entrances to the cinch cord (3) channel to keep it from tearing from the body (1a).
The user unfolds it if folded for carry or storage, puts it on over the head like a dress with the hood in the back. One then reaches inside it through the arm slits and removes clothes and puts them aside, takes the wetsuit/beach apparel and holding it near the knees steps into it and pulls it up with the hands, around the body to the desired place on the body.
The fabric body of the invention is cut to fit over the human body in a way that allows the user to change by reaching inside it and undress and change discretely inside it into beach clothes or wetsuits. The hood allows the user to cover the head to dry it off or to keep the head warm in outdoor or indoor aquatic environments. The cinch cord in the hood allows the invention to be folded up into a rolled shape which fits entirely to the hood for storage and carry on the back or over the shoulder. The pocket serves to hold personal items and keep them safe. The invention is used both to change from civilian clothes into beach-surfing attire and or to change back to civilian clothes after use at the water or beach site.
After use it can be removed and the dressing process complete with the body now discretely covered again. The invention lets a person change clothes outdoors in a modest and discreet and comfortable fashion particularly in public beach and surfing environments and carried/stored in a fitted and accessorized fashion.
Once the terry cloth or other absorbent fabric is purchased it is cut into sections of approximately 9 feet in length, usually about 42 to 45 inches wide. This is enough to construct the body. The fabric is laid on a table and cut using a fabric scissors/knife using a cardboard pattern with three different sizes, small, medium and large. Once the body is cut out the hood is also cut out, using a hood cardboard pattern. If the pocket is made of that fabric, it is also cut out.
Sometimes a different cloth is used for the pocket. If the invention is decorated with colorful Hawaiian or floral pattern thin cloth that fabric is laid out and cut according to a pattern. That cloth is sewn onto the hood so that when the body is rolled up in the hood it creates a tropical-surfy look.
The cut body fabric is then folded roughly in two, with one layer being about five inches longer than the other side, rounded at the back-bottom side. The shorter layer is the front facing side. The longer side is the back side on which is sewn the hood, with or without the Hawaiian or floral cover cloth to give the towel a beachy-surfy look.
A slit about 14 inches long is made at the folded end for placement of the hood, which is sewn onto the body the width of the slit. Into the front edge of the hood is sewn an approximately one-inch wide channel for the cinch cord to be inserted. The cinch cord is drawn through the channel leaving a foot plus of cord of equal length at each side of the hood. The cord is tied in a knot at the loose ends, forming a circular cinch cord. The two places where the cord exits the cord channel are stitched with thread or with sewn on carpet edging trim to reinforce the channel edges from separating from the body.
The side edges of the body are sewn together with thread from the bottom to roughly 14 inches below the armpits to allow the user to pull the arms inside the items body to remove and put on clothes etc.
The pocket is sewn on near the top front left.
A very absorbent fabric which is soft and comfortable to the bare skin is necessary. Experience shows that cotton terry cloth works best, but other absorbent fabrics such as microfiber could be used. Using a thicker terry cloth would improve comfort but adds to weight and cost.
The hood is necessary both to serve to dry and protect the head and to serve as a pouch to store the rolled-up fabric body before and after use.
A cinch cord is necessary both for securing the rolled-up body into the hood and to place over the arm or the back for easy carrying when the user is carrying multiple items to the beach or surf spot, especially a surfboard. Terry cloth keeps the body warm and dries off the user's body after water exposure. The pocket is optional. The decorative Hawaiian or floral cloth is optional. The sewing thread is essential and necessary.
A terry cloth pocket near the waist for placing/warming the hands would improve the comfort.
Hood can be only terry cloth and uncovered/undecorated with floral/Hawaiian fabric or covered/decorated with it. Pocket can be either in the fabric of the item body, likely terry cloth, or in the thin floral/Hawaiian decorated cloth.
Terry cloth can be substituted with microfiber for body, hood or pocket. Pocket can be eliminated or changed to waistline hand warming/storage pockets.
When the user arrives at the place where they need to change from their civilian street clothes into beach clothes or surfing wetsuit, they unfold the invention. They grab the bottom of the back layer and lift it over their head, like putting on a dress. They put their head through the hood slit into the hood or with the hood laid back, and they insert their arms into the arm slits on each side. They reach inside the fabric body and remove pants, underwear and shirt and placed them aside. They take the beach apparel or wetsuit and pull them up from the bottom of the body with arms inside the fabric body. Once the donned objects are at the place on the body where the user is comfortable and discreet, it is lifted off over the head and laid down and folded and rolled up into the hood and cinched with the cinch cord and put over the arm or back for carrying. On the beach the item is unrolled and laid out to use as one's beach towel. When finished with water activity the user can lay down on the towel to dry off or just rest and tan. Or the user can don the towel there on the beach and dry off standing in place and drying off the head in the hood. When finished use, the item is again folded into the hood and transported back to the place where the changing back into street clothes takes place, usually at one's car in the parking lot.
Additionally: It can also be used at a swimming pool or other body of water, or even in other contexts where a discrete change of clothes is needed for any reason, e.g. changing out of work clothes into play clothes at a recreation center.
