Patent Application
20230018366
This invention relates to shower curtains. More particularly, it relates to a device for retention of the shower curtain.
A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a swiveling nozzle aiming down on the user, while more complex showers have a showerhead connected to a hose that has a mounting bracket. This allows the showerer to hold the showerhead by hand to spray the water at different parts of their body. A shower can be installed in a small shower stall or bathtub with a plastic shower curtain or door. Showering k common in Western culture due to the efficiency of using it compared with a bathtub. Its use in hygiene is, therefore, common practice.
Curtains can be used in shower or bathtub enclosures with two main purposes: to provide privacy and to prevent water from flooding or spraying outside the shower or bathtub area. Shower and bathtub curtains usually surround the bath inside the tub or shower area and are held up with railings or curtain rods high on the wall or ceiling. To accommodate the different types of bathtub shapes, railings can come in different sizes and are flexible in their design.
Some people use two shower curtains: one that is inside the tub, which is mainly functional or decorative as well, and an outer shower curtain, which is purely decorative. The bottom portion of the inner curtain often comes with magnetic discs or suction cups which adhere to the bathtub itself. These curtains are typically made from a water barrier material, such as, but not limited to: vinyl, cloth, plastic, etc.
The curtain protects a floor of a bathroom from being inundated with water from the shower and can cause damage to the floor, commode, cabinet, walls, etc. in the bathroom. The curtain while protecting the bathroom from water can be cumbersome to open and close after having taken a shower. Further, the curtain can cling to a person taking a shower or when exiting the shower area.
Accordingly, and in light of the foregoing, there is a need for a device that can reduce or eliminate the clinging of the curtain when the person is in the shower area or leaving the shower area.
The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list.
“Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise.
Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein.
Referring to
The shower curtain retention device 100 has a reel system 200 and a receiving device 300.
The receiving device 300 is preferably has a round shape, however other shapes are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, oval, square, rectangular, etc. A first side 301 of the receiving device 300 is preferably magnetic, however other types of receiving devices are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, a clip, a snap, etc. A second side 302 of the receiving device 302 has a second coupling device 303. The second coupling device is preferably an adhesive strip, however other types of coupling devices are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, two-sided tape, glue, etc.
The reel system 200 of the shower curtain retention device 100 has a reel 210, a first coupling device 240, a rope 270 and a pulling device 290. The reel 210 has an inside 211.
A first side 213 of the reel 210 is coupled to a first wall (see
The rope 270 is wound on the inside 211 of the reel 210 such that at least six feet (6′) of the rope 270 is available for use in the shower curtain retention device 100. A second end 272 of the rope 270 is coupled to a locking mechanism 273. The locking mechanism 273 is further coupled to a first end 291 of the pulling device 290. A second end 292 of the pulling device 290 is preferably magnetic.
When the rope 270 is pulled by the pulling device 290 and is extended from the reel 210, the locking mechanism 273 is released from an inside 211 of the reel 210 and the rope 270 is extended from the reel 210. The second end 292 of the pulling device 290 is then securely coupled to the first side 301 of the receiving device 300. The rope 270 is then retracted into the inside 211 of the reel 200 such that the rope become taut.
When the pulling device 290 is released from the receiving device 300, the rope 270 is retracted into the inside 211 of the reel 210 such that the rope 270 recoils onto the reel 210. The locking mechanism 273 removably couples into the reel 210 such that the pulling device 290 remains outside of the reel 210.
Moving now to
The front view 400 presents the reel 210 where the rope 270 is extended from the inside 211 of the reel 210. The rope 270 is coupled to the pulling device 290.
The back view 500 presents the reel 270 where the first side 213 is shown coupled with the first coupling device 240. The rope 270 is coupled to the inside 211 of the reel 210 and further coupled to the pulling device 290.
Further between the front view 400 and the back view 500 of the reel 200 is the receiving device 300. The first side 301 of the receiving device 300 is configured to be securely coupled to the second side 292 of the pulling device 290 preferably by a magnetic field.
Moving now to
A shower 600 is shown for an inside 601 of the shower 600. The shower 500 has a first wall 610, a second wall 620, a tub 630, a shower head 640, a shower rod 650 and a shower curtain 660. The shower rod 650 is coupled to the first wall 610 and the second wall 620.
The shower curtain 660 has an inside 661 and a top 662. The top 662 of the shower curtain 600 is removably coupled to the shower rod 650 by a plurality of shower rings 651. The shower head 640 is coupled to the first wall 610 and provides water to the shower 600 when in an on position.
References to the shower curtain retainer device 100 are shown in
The reel 210 is coupled to the first wall 610 at a desired location and height on the inside 601 of the shower 600. The receiving device 300 is coupled to the second wall 620 of the shower 600 at a same height of the desired location of the reel 210.
The pulling device 290 is coupled to the rope 270 which is contained within the reel 210. The pulling device 290 is then pulled by the person taking the shower once the shower curtain 660 has been closed at the same height as the reel 210.
The rope 270 is pulled by the pulling device 290. The pulling device 290 is coupled to the receiving device 300. Once the pulling device 290 is coupled to the receiving device 300, the rope 270 is retracted by the reel system 200 and becomes taut.
Once the person has finished their showering. The person releases the pulling device 290 from the receiving device 300. The rope 270 is then retracted into the inside 211 of the reel 200 and the locking mechanism 273 coupled to the rope 270 is removably coupled to the reel 210 prior to entering into the inside 211 of the reel 210. The person then opens the shower curtain 660 to dry off. The shower curtain retention device 100 is now ready to be used for a subsequent shower.
In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.
The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
