The present invention relates generally to improvements for a zippered shower curtain, the improvements more particularly enabling the remaining valance after the unzippering of the shower curtain preparatory to the laundering thereof to have an enhanced appearance.
A conveniently cleaned shower curtain, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,965 for “Zippered Shower Curtain” issued to Charles E. Hinds on Feb. 27, 2001, serves the laundering requirement, but with the tradeoff that the valance remaining on the shower curtain support rod has an undesirable unsightly appearance. Also, in-use, there may be external leakage through the clearance between the upper and lower zipper tracks.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object to structurally reconstitute the valance so that in the zippered and in the unzippered condition of the shower curtain the valance co-acts with the zipper to mask the unsightly appearance of the zipper and concomitantly minimize the adverse consequence of external leakage therethrough.
The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawing should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof.
Generally designated 10 is a two-component shower curtain of plastic construction material, in the lower component thereof, namely the curtain 12 per se, the upper edge of which is finished with a lower zipper track 14 (exposed by the folded over side edge 16, as noted at 18) which interconnects at 20 with an upper zipper track 22 which, as best understood from
The selected location 26 is, in a preferred embodiment, approximately 1¾ inches below the top edge 30 of the valance 28 so that the bottom edge of strip 24 is in an overlapping relation over the zipper track 22 to mask this zipper track from view. Also, when the curtain is not unzippered, the strip 20 due to its zipper-overlying position, also minimizes any adverse consequence of a direct direction showerhead spray that leaks through the clearance between the teeth of the zipper tracks 22, 14 from continuing as a spray into the shower room.
In its end use depicted in
When the shower curtain 12 is unzipped so it can be laundered, as already noted, the remaining upper component of the valance 28 still on the rod 38 is in covering relation over the upper zipper track 22 and masks the same from view.
While the two-component shower curtain herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2668298 | Kimmons | Feb 1954 | A |
2752993 | Scott | Jul 1956 | A |
3035275 | Strebeigh | May 1962 | A |
3321003 | Boerner | May 1967 | A |
5191922 | Wade | Mar 1993 | A |
5974603 | Frazier | Nov 1999 | A |
6192965 | Hinds | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6394168 | Zoboski | May 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070284058 A1 | Dec 2007 | US |