TIE TOWEL

Abstract

A tie towel may comprise a tie and a towel. The tie may comprise a terry cloth belt of similar composition to a typical cotton towel, or may comprise another material, for example, a cotton/polyester blend or microfiber. The tie may also further comprise an elastic material. The tie may be secured to the towel by weaving the tie through loops on the towel or by other means for securing the tie to the towel. The tie towel may be secured onto a user's body by wrapping the tie around the body and attaching the ends of the tie to one another by tying a knot or by other means such as a buckle, buttons, a hook and loops, or Velcro.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to towels used for drying and/or temporarily covering the body, more particularly, to a towel with a belt or other tie for securing the towel onto the user's body such that it can be comfortably worn as a cover-up.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Towels for drying the body after bathing or swimming are known in the art. A bath or beach towel is useful for drying the body, but it cannot be comfortably worn as a cover-up because it lacks a mechanism for securing the towel onto its user. A typical towel can be worn by wrapping the towel around the body and tucking a loose corner into its top edge, but tucking the corner may not secure the towel to the user's body, for example, the towel may become unsecured and fall off while standing, walking or sitting. When wearing a standard towel as a cover-up, a user may hold the towel with one hand to prevent the towel from falling. This is inconvenient for a person who needs to use both hands while wearing it, for example, when performing tasks at home after a shower or changing into a swimsuit at the beach. Additionally, standard size towels may not be the appropriate length for being worn as a cover-up by all users.

Terry cloth bathrobes, also known in the art, solve the problem of covering a user's body while absorbing excess water. However, a bathrobe is difficult to use for drying the body because of its shape, and a bathrobe's bulky sleeves make it is more difficult to change clothes and perform other tasks while wearing a bathrobe. Bathrobes are heavier and bulkier than towels, making a bathrobe impractical for activities such as traveling, backpacking, hiking, or camping where a towel is needed for both drying and covering the body but the user has limited space to carry items. For example, youth hostels do not usually provide towels for their guests and youth hostels sometimes lack privacy for changing clothes. Thus, a towel that can be worn as a securable cover-up is needed.

A towel wrap is disclosed in published U. S. Patent Application 2009/0106873 of Whiteside published Apr. 30, 2009. This towel wrap is a piece of fabric with tie extensions attached to each corner of its top edge and horizontal cutout openings spaced along that edge near the corners. It is fastened by threading each extension through a cutout opening on the opposite side of the towel, then tying the loose ends in front. However, this towel wrap does not fully cover its user in the front, and it does not securely fit all different body sizes because of its fixed cutout openings.

Another securable body covering with a strap system is disclosed in published U.S. Patent Application 2012/0174284 of Lugtu published Jul. 12, 2012. This covering has an adjustable strap system with one strap portion extending from a corner of the top edge and the other strap portion extending from midway along that edge. The strap system is secured by a cooperative male and female buckle and includes a loop for locking the towel to a bag or locker. This invention is limited to lightweight fast drying materials, and it is designed for athletes who need to quickly dry off and cover their bodies, for example, after the swimming phase of a triathlon. It is not ideal for home or spa use. This body covering is only disclosed as securable around its user's waist, making it less useful for women who must secure a towel around the chest to wear it as a cover-up.

A multifunctional towel is disclosed in published U.S. Patent Application 2001/0034890 of Levas published Nov. 1, 2011. This invention is a towel which can be affixed to a waist belt with an attached water resistant skirt. It is worn as an apron tied around the waist in order to protect its user's waist and legs from soiling while performing tasks. This towel cannot be worn as a cover-up because it does not wrap all the way around the user's body and it only covers the waist and upper legs.

Accordingly, there is a need for a towel with an adjustable mechanism for securing the towel onto the user's body that can be worn as a cover-up by men, women and children such that a person can freely use both hands while wearing the towel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides a wearable towel comprising an absorbent towel and a belt for securing the towel onto a user's body. The towel portion of the present invention may comprise absorbent materials of different weights and fabrics to accommodate different uses. For example, the towel portion may be made from a light and compact fabric such as microfiber for travel use, or a heavier and more absorbent fabric such as cotton for home or spa use. The belt may be attached to the towel portion by belt loops sewn into the towel portion, a sleeve along the top edge of the towel portion into which the belt is inserted, Velcro, a zipper, buttons, snaps, or any other means for attaching the belt to the towel. The belt may be made of the same fabric as the towel, or the belt may contain a soft elastic material inside the belt. The belt may include a mechanism for attaching/securing the towel around the user's body. The present invention is adapted to be made in different sizes to fit most men, women and children when worn as a cover-up.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism for securing the towel onto its user's body comprises two or more belt loops sewn along the top edge of a towel and a belt which is threaded through the loops and is long enough to wrap around a person. The belt is used to secure the towel onto its user's body by wrapping it around the user and securing its loose ends.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the belt is attached to the towel by being sewn directly onto the long edge of the towel with long sections of the belt extending out from the towel's upper corners.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the top edge of the towel is folded over and sewn to create a sleeve through which the belt may be threaded, such that the belt may move freely within the sleeve. The belt may be removed and washed separately from the towel. A known pin and hook may be used to hook a free end of the belt and pull the belt through the sleeve.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the belt is attached to the towel by a fixing mechanism including but not limited to Velcro, snaps, a zipper, or buttons.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the belt is secured around its user's body by tying its loose ends in a knot or a bow.

In another embodiment, the belt is secured around its user's body with buttons sewn onto one end of the belt and button holes cut into the opposite end of the belt.

In another embodiment, the belt is secured around its user's body by pulling one end of the belt through a buckle on the opposite end of the belt with the buckle holding the fabric of the belt in place.

In another embodiment, the belt is secured around its user's body with Velcro attached to the belt such that one end of the belt can be secured to the opposite end.

In yet another embodiment, the belt is secured around its user's body by attaching a hook on one end of the belt to one of many loops along the opposite end of the belt.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and assembly by a user of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A and 1B depict a man wearing a tie towel as a cover-up secured around his waist by tying the loose ends in a bow, and a woman wearing a tie towel as a cover-up secured around her chest.

FIG. 2 depicts a tie towel with loops attached to the towel and a belt threaded through those loops.

FIG. 3 depicts a tie towel with a belt attached directly onto the towel.

FIG. 4 depicts a tie towel with the top edge folded over and sewn into the towel to form a sleeve, and the belt threaded through that sleeve.

FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, FIG. 5C, FIG. 5D, AND FIG. 5E depict five different embodiments of a mechanism for securing the belt around its user's body. FIG. 5A depicts a belt secured by tying loose ends. FIG. 5B depicts a belt secure by threading a loose end through a buckle on the other end of the belt. FIG. 5C depicts a belt that is secured with buttons. FIG. 5D depicts a belt that is secured by hooks and loops. FIG. 5E depicts a belt that is secured with snaps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides a wearable towel, comprising an absorbent towel in different sizes to fit men, women and children, and a belt or tie for securing the towel onto its user's body when worn as a cover-up. The invention may comprise absorbent materials of different weights and fabrics to accommodate different uses. For example, the invention can comprise a light and compact microfiber towel for travel use, or it can comprise a heavier and more absorbent cotton towel for use in the home or spa. The belt can consist of the same fabric as the towel or a different fabric. The belt may also contain an elastic material to further secure the invention onto its user's body comfortable and stretch as the wearer breathes, exercises, or otherwise causes the belt to expand or contract.

FIG. 1A depicts a man 101 wearing a tie towel 103 with the belt 105 wrapped around his waist and secured by tying the ends 106 and 107 of the belt in a knot at the front, for example, a quick-release bow knot. FIG. 1B depicts a woman 102 on the right wearing a tie towel 103 wrapped around her chest, with the belt 105 secured by an alternate means for fastening. The tie towel 104 is depicted as comprising a towel portion 104 with an attached belt 105.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the tie towel 203 with loops 208 attached to the top edge of the towel portion 204 and a belt 205 threaded through the loops 208. It should be noted that the invention is not limited to two loops 208 as depicted in FIG. 2, but can include any number of loops 208 attached along or below the top edge 209 of the towel. As depicted in FIG. 2, the belt has loose ends that are tied to secure the towel onto its user's body. The name HARTIWANGER as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, FIG. 5C, FIG. 5D and FIG. 5E is a trademark for clothing of HARTIWANGER LLC of Boston, Mass.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the tie towel 303 where the belt 305 is attached directly onto the towel portion 304. The belt 305 can be sewn or stitched directly into the towel portion 305, or the belt 305 can be affixed onto the towel portion 304 using Velcro, snaps, buttons, or other means. FIG. 3 depicts the towel portion 304 with dimensions corresponding to a standard body towel's size, but the present invention is not limited to that size. The invention encompasses towel portions 304 of different sizes to fit men, women and children when worn as a cover-up. The belt 305 is also not limited to the length depicted in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the tie towel 403 where the top edge of the towel portion 404 is folded over and attached to the towel portion to form a sleeve 409. The belt 405 is attached to the towel portion 404 by threading the belt 405 through the sleeve 409.

FIG. 5A through 5E illustrate alternate embodiments of the belt with different means for securing the tie towel onto its user's body. FIG. 5A depicts a belt 505 which secures the towel onto a user's body by wrapping loose ends 506 and 507 around the body and tying the loose ends. FIG. 5B depicts a belt 515 with a buckle 517 and a loose end 516. In this embodiment, the towel is secured onto its user's body by pulling the loose end 516 through the belt buckle 517 to tighten the belt. FIG. 5C depicts a belt 525 that is secured onto its user's body with buttons 526 attached along one end of the belt which are inserted into button holes 527 along the other end of the belt. FIG. 5D depicts a belt 535 with a hook 537 attached to one end of the belt and loops 536 distributed along the other end of the belt, with the belt being secured to a user's body by placing the hook 537 into one of the loops 536. FIG. 5E depicts a belt 545 which is secured to a user's body with corresponding male and female snaps 546 and 547 on either side of the belt 545. The invention is not limited to the specific number of buttons, loops, or snaps depicted in FIG. 5C, 5D, and 5E, but can include any number of these items.

While various aspects of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary aspects, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

In addition, it should be understood that the figures in the attachments, which highlight the structure, methodology, functionality and advantages of the present invention, are presented for example purposes only. The present invention is sufficiently flexible and configurable, such that it may be implemented in ways other than that shown in the accompanying figures.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the relevant art(s) who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of this technical disclosure. The Abstract is not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the present invention in any way.

Claims

1. A wearable towel, comprising: a towel portion,a belt associated with a top edge of the towel portion adapted to be secured around a body,a means for attaching the belt to the top edge of the towel portion, anda means for securing the belt around the body.

2. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for attaching the belt to the top edge of the towel portion comprises at least two loops fixed to the top edge of the towel portion.

3. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for attaching the belt to the top edge of the towel portion comprises stitching attaching the belt to the top edge of the towel portion.

4. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for attaching the belt to the top edge of the towel portion comprises a sleeve across the top edge of the towel portion.

5. The wearable towel of claim 4 wherein the sleeve is formed by folding the top edge of the towel portion and stitching the folded towel portion to the remaining towel portion.

6. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for attaching the belt to the top edge of the towel portion comprises a mechanical attachment means, the mechanical attachment means comprising one of Velcro, snaps and buttons.

7. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the belt around the body comprises loose ends of the belt being wrapped around the body, the loose ends being adapted to be tied together.

8. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the belt around the body comprises a buckle on one end of the belt with the opposite end of the belt being pulled through the buckle.

9. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the belt around the body comprises buttons on one end of the belt and corresponding openings on the opposite end of the belt.

10. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the belt around the body comprises a hook on one end of the belt which is secured to a loop on the opposite end of the belt.

11. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the belt around the body comprises corresponding male and female snaps on the ends of the belt.

12. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the belt around the body comprises Velcro on both sides of the belt.

13. The wearable towel of claim 1, wherein the belt further comprises an elastic material.