WEIGHTED GROUND COVERING ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A weighted covering assembly including a flexible cover configured with channels adapted to receive and hold weighted members is provided. The covering assembly may be used a ground covering (e.g., as a beach towel, picnic blanket, etc.) upon which one or more persons may sit or lay. The channels and associated weighted members may be configured along one or more sides of the covering to add weight to the covering and to prevent the covering from being shifted or otherwise moved by external forces such as wind, users of the covering, or other forces. The weighted members also may include padding to be used as a pillow.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to towels and blankets, including towels and blankets with weight assemblies and pads.

BACKGROUND

Relaxing on a beach towel at the beach or enjoying a picnic with friends on a picnic blanket at the park are common activities enjoyed by millions of people throughout the world.

However, oftentimes during such activities, the environment may include wind that may blow or otherwise shift the beach towel or picnic blanket to one side or another thereby causing disruption and even spilling beverages and/or other items.

Accordingly, there is a need for a ground covering that includes one or more weights to prevent such movements caused by wind or other external forces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a weighted ground covering assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIGS. 2A and 2B show side views of a ground covering according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C show aspects of a weighted member according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show aspects of a foldable weighted member according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show aspects of a weighted ground covering assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 6 shows aspects of a weighted ground covering assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 7 shows aspects of a weighted ground covering assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof; and

FIGS. 8, 9, 10A and 10B show aspects of a foldable weighted ground covering assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In general, the ground covering assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof includes a covering (such as, without limitation, a towel or picnic blanket) configured with a weighted assembly and/or a padding assembly. The covering is designed to be laid out onto the ground (e.g., at the beach or park) and the weighted assembly is configured to hold the covering in place (e.g., against wind or other types of movement forces). In some embodiments, the weighted assembly may include padding to provide comfortable for a person resting on or otherwise using of the covering (e.g., a pillow).

It is understood that the example described above is meant for demonstration and that the exercise assembly may be used in other ways as described herein or otherwise.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, as shown in FIG. 1, the covering assembly 10 includes a covering 100 and a weight assembly 200. In general, the covering 100 is formed to be used as a ground covering (such as, without limitation, a beach towel) and the weight assembly 200 is adapted to provide weight to the covering 100 and to hold it in place against wind and other forces.

Note that the elements 100, 200 are depicted as basic shapes for easy understanding and to represent the general configuration of the elements 100, 200 with respect to one another. However, it is understood that the representations do not necessarily represent the size, shape or form of the elements 100, 200, nor the proportional sizes of the elements 100, 200 with respect to one another. These details will be described in other sections. The covering assembly 10 also may include other components and elements as necessary for the assembly 10 to perform its functionalities.

Covering 100

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, the covering 100 includes a body 102 with a front surface 104 and a back surface 106. The body 102 also may include a left side 108 (also referred to as a left edge 108), a right side 110 (also referred to as a right edge 110), a top side 112 (also referred to as a top edge 112), and a bottom side 114 (also referred to as a bottom edge 114). As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the left side 108 is adjacent to the top side 112 with the left side 108 and top side 112 meeting at point P₁. The left side 108 also is adjacent to the bottom side 114 with the left side 108 and bottom side 114 meeting at point P₄. The right side 110 is adjacent to the top side 112 with the right side 110 and top side 112 meeting at point P₂. The right side 110 also is adjacent to the bottom side 114 with the right side 110 and bottom side 114 meeting at point P₃.

Note that FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B depict the covering 100 as generally laid out on a surface 12 (e.g., the ground) as it would be during use.

In some embodiments, when in use, the front surface 104 may extend linearly from the left side 108 to the right side 110, and from the top side 112 to the bottom side 114. In this way, the front surface 104 may be generally flat across its surface area.

While the front surface 104 of the body 102 is shown as generally rectangular in FIG. 1, it is understood that the front surface 104 may be of any shape or form, or any combinations of shapes or forms. For example, the front surface 104 may be square, circular, oval shaped, octagonal, trapezoidal, triangular, other shapes and any combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the body 102 may comprise a flexible material (e.g., a fabric) such as woven or knitted cotton (e.g., terry cloth), cotton-polyester blends, a nylon or plastic sheet or tarp, other types of materials and any combinations thereof. It is understood that the scope of the covering 10 is not limited in any way by the material(s) that it may comprise.

In some embodiments, the body 102 includes one or more channels 116-1, 116-2, . . . 116-n (collectively and individually 116). For example, in some embodiments, the body 102 includes a first channel 116-1 generally positioned at its top side 112 and a second channel 116-2 generally positioned at its bottom side 114. In some embodiments, the channels 116 may generally extend continuously from one side of the body 102 (e.g., the left side 112) to an opposite side of the body 102 (e.g., the right side 114). The channels 116 may preferably extend side-to-side unobstructed so that elements of the weight assembly 200 may be positioned within the channels 116 as will be described in other sections.

For the purposes of this specification, each channel 116 will generally include a length L_C and a width W_C, (best seen in FIG. 1), and a height H_C (when closed) (best seen in FIG. 2A). In some embodiments, the length L_C may be generally longer than the width W_C.

In some embodiments, the first channel 116-1's length L_C extends the full distance between the left side 108 and the right side 110. In other embodiments, the first channel 116-1's length extends 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%, 65%, 60%, 55%, 50%, and/or other percentages the distance between the left side 108 and the right side 110. In the cases where the length L_C of the first channel 116-1 extends less than 100% the distance between the left side 108 and the right side 110, the ends of the channel 116-1 may be inset from the left side 108 and/or right side 110 as necessary.

In some embodiments, the second channel 116-2's length L_C extends the full distance between the left side 108 and the right side 110. In other embodiments, the second channel 116-2's length extends 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%, 65%, 60%, 55%, 50%, and/or other percentages the distance between the left side 108 and the right side 110. In the cases where the length L_C of the first channel 116-2 extends less than 100% the distance between the left side 108 and the right side 110, the ends of the channel 116-2 may be inset from the left side 108 and/or right side 110 as necessary.

The channels 116 may be formed in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, the channels 116 may be formed by folding a portion of the body 102 over itself along one or more edges (e.g., at the top side 112 and/or the bottom side 114) to form a channel 116 therebetween. In other embodiments, the channels 116 may be formed separately by (i) folding a piece of fabric over itself, (ii) forming a cylinder of material, or (ii) by any other method and any combinations thereof. Once formed, the channel 116 may be attached to one or more sides of the body 102 (e.g., to the top side 112 and/or the bottom side 114). The channels 116 may comprise the same material(s) as the body 102, different materials than the body 102, or any combination thereof. In any event, it is understood that the channels 116 may be formed using any technique that may result in channels 116 that may be used for the purposes as described herein.

In some embodiments, the channels 116 may include attachment mechanism 118 that may facilitate the opening and closing of the channels 116. In this way, a channel 116 may be opened and elements of the weight assembly 200 may be inserted and/or removed from the channels 116 as desired.

For example, in some embodiments, an attachment mechanism 118 may extend along the length L_C (or one or more portions thereof) of a channel 116 (e.g., from the left side 108 to the right side 110) and when undone, may generally open at least a portion of the channel 116 from outside the channel 116 to inside the channel 116. FIG. 1 depicts an attachment mechanism 118 extending along the length L_C of the top and bottom channels 116-1, 116-2 and positioned at the respective inner seams forming the channels 116-1, 116-2 (e.g., the inner seams being the junction between the channels 116-1, 116-2 and the main body of the covering 100). Note however that an attachment mechanism 118 may be positioned to extend along the uppermost and/or lowermost edges of the channels 116-1, 116-2, respectively (that is, at the very top and/or very bottom of the covering as depicted in FIG. 1), and/or at any positioned between the uppermost/lowermost edges and inner seams, respectively.

In use, an attachment mechanism 118 may be opened, an element of the weight assembly 200 may be inserted into the channel 116, and the channel 116 may subsequently be closed to secure the weighted element therein. This will be described in detail in other sections.

In some embodiments, the attachment mechanisms 118 may include hook and loop material, zipper(s), buttons, snaps, hooks, latches, magnets, other types of attachment mechanisms and any combinations thereof. It is understood that one or more attachment mechanisms 118 may be used with a channel 116 and depending on the type of attachment mechanisms 118 used, the positions of the attachment mechanisms 118 may be chosen accordingly. For example, a zipper may extend continuously from the left side 108 to the right side 110 (or any portions thereof), while sections of hook and loop material, buttons or snaps may be positioned at periodic locations between the left side 108 and right side 110 as necessary to adequately secure the channels 116-1, 116-2 closed when desired.

FIG. 2A shows the body 102 taken from the perspective of cut-lines A-A in FIG. 1 and depicts the attachment mechanisms 118 closed thereby closing the first and second channels 116-1, 116-2. FIG. 2B depicts the attachment mechanisms 118 opened thereby opening the first and second channels 116-1, 116-2.

In some embodiments as shown in FIG. 1, attachment mechanisms 118 also may be located at the left 108 and/or right 110 sides of the channels 116-1, 116-2 and may be used to open and close the left 108 and/or right 110 sides of the channels 116-1, 116-2 accordingly. When opened, an element of the weight assembly 200 may be placed into the channels 116-1, 116-2 from the sides 108, 110. This will be described in detail in other sections. It is understood that all of the aspects of the attachment mechanisms 118 describe above with respect to the attachment mechanisms 118 extending along the length L_C of the channels 116-1, 116-2 also may be applied to the attachment mechanisms 118 extending along the widths W_e of the channels 116-1, 116-2.

Weight Assembly 200

In some embodiments as shown in FIG. 1, the weight assembly 200 include one or more weighted members 202. In some embodiments, one or more weighted members 202 are inserted into one or more channels 116 and secured therein (e.g., by using the attachment mechanisms 118 to close the channels 116). In this way, the weighted members 202 may add weight to the channels 116, and thereby to the top and bottom sides 114, 116, respectively, of the body 102 of the covering 100.

In some embodiments as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, the weighted member 202 may be generally formed as a rectangular cuboid. However, the weighted member 202 also may be formed as other shapes or forms such as a cylinder (with a circular or oval-shaped cross-section), other shapes, and any combinations thereof. FIG. 3A shows a schematic of a weighted member 202, FIG. 3B shows a top view of the weighted member 202, and FIG. 3C shows a side view (taken along cut-lines B-B of FIG. 3B) of the weighted member 202. As shown, a weighted member 202 may include a length L_W, a width W_W and a height H_W. It is understood that the weighted member 202 may be formed as any shape or form as required for the member 202 to perform its functionalities. For example, if a channel 116 is formed as a particular form (e.g., other than a rectangular cuboid such as a cylinder), the member 202 also may be formed as the particular shape (e.g., a cylinder) so as to fit within the channel 116 as described herein.

In some embodiments, the shape, form, and dimensions of the weighted member 202 is chosen to generally match the shape, form, and dimensions of the inner volume of an associated channel 116. For example, the length L_W of the weighted member 202 may generally match (or be slightly less than) than the length L_C of an associated channel 116, the width W_W of the member 202 may generally match (or be slightly less than) the width W_e of an associated channel 116, and the height H_W of the member 202 may generally match (or be slightly less than) the height H_C of an associated channel 116. In this way, a weighted member 202 may be inserted into an associated channel 116 and may fit therein. It is preferable that a weighted member 202 fit generally snug within an associated channel 116 so that once secured within the channel 116, the member 202 may be generally held secure within the channel 116 by pressure fit (when the channel 116 is closed using an attachment mechanism 118). However, this may not be necessary.

In some embodiments, the weighted members 202 may comprise any material(s) of adequate weight to enable the weighted assembly 200 to perform its desired functionalities. For example, a weighted member 202 may comprise a hollow shell (such as a fabric or plastic) filled with a weighted material such as gel, beads, sand, foam (e.g., memory foam), pellets, other types of materials and any combinations thereof. In another example, a weighted member 202 may comprise one or more sections of material such as one or more sections of memory foam, one or more sections of rubber, one or more sections of other types of materials and any combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, a weight member 202 may include a single portion of length L_W, width W_W, and height H_W (as shown in FIG. 3A-3C). In other embodiments, a weighted member 202 may include two or more portions that when combined may form a member of length L_W, width W_W, and height H_W.

In some embodiments, a weight member 202 may include one or more folding seams 204 or other types of junctions that may separate the member 202 into two or more foldable portions. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a weighted member 202 may include a shell filled with beads or sand (or any other suitable material(s)), and the shell may include a folding seam 204 at its midpoint of its length L_C that may separate the shell into two compartments. The seam 204 may act as a hinge or folding line allowing the member 202 to be folded in half (or in other portions depending on number and locations of the seams) as shown by the arrow C and the resulting configuration shown in FIG. 4B. This may enable the weighted member 202 to be folded into a compact configuration for storage (by itself or in combination with the body 102 of the covering 100) as will be described in other sections.

In some embodiments, each weight member 202 is similar or identical to each other weight member 202. In other embodiments, one or more weight members 202 may be different in shape, size, and form compared to one or more other weight members 202.

In some embodiments, one or more channels 116 at the top side 112 and/or the bottom side 114 are formed larger than one or more other channels 116 so that a larger weighted member 202 may be placed into at least one of the larger channels 116. In this embodiment, the weighted member 202 may preferably be a padded member such as a member comprising memory foam. In this way, the larger and padded weighted member 202 may be used as a pillow by the user of the covering assembly 10.

Covering Assembly 10

In some embodiments as shown in FIGS. 1, 4A and 4B, the covering assembly 10 includes one or more weighted members 202 configured within one or more channels 116 of a covering body 102. FIGS. 4A and 4B are taken from the perspective of cutlines A-A in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A shows the left side 108 and the right side 110 attachment mechanisms 118 open and with a weighted member 202 inserted into each respective channel 116. FIG. 4b shows the left side 114 and the right side 110 attachment mechanisms 118 closed thereby securing the weighted members 202 within each associated channel 116, respectively.

In some embodiments as shown in FIG. 6, the covering assembly 10 may include additional channels 116 (e.g., channel 116-3) configured with the body 102 in additional locations. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the body 102 may include a third channel 116-3 at an intermediary location between the top side 114 and the bottom side 116 and extending from the left side 108 to the right side 110.

In another example, FIG. 7 shows a body 102 configured with channels 116 located on its left side 108 and right side 110 and extending from the top side 114 to the bottom side 116.

It is understood that these examples are meant for demonstration and that the body 102 may be configured with any number of channels 116 and that the channels 116 may be located in any position and/or orientation with respect to the body 102 as desired. For example, the body 102 may be configured with channels 116 that extend diagonally across the body 102, that extend about the perimeter of the body 102, or any other channels 116 that may be located and/or oriented in any way with respect to the body 102 and to other channels 116.

In Use

In some embodiments, the covering assembly 10 is used by following at least some of the following acts (without limitation):

• • 1. First, the covering 102 may be placed on the ground and laid out flat;
  • 2. Next, each attachment mechanism 118 associated with each channel 116 may be opened to open at least a portion of each respective channel 116. The attachment mechanism 118 may include an attachment mechanism 118 the extends along the length L_C of the channels 116, an attachment mechanism 118 that extends along the width W_e of the channels 116, any other attachment mechanism 118 configured in any other way with an associated channel 116, and any combination thereof.
  • 3. One or more weighted members 202 are next inserted into one or more associated open channels 116 (e.g., through the associated open attachment mechanism 118) so that each weighted member 202 may fit and be held within the respective channels 116 (preferably fitting entirely within each respective channel).
  • 4. Each associated attachment mechanism 118 may be closed thereby closing each associated channel 116 and securing each weighted member 202 within its respective channel 116.
  • 5. With the covering 10 configured with one or more weighted members 202 within corresponding one or more channels 116, the covering may include adequate weight that may prevent the covering 10 from being inadvertently shifted or otherwise moved by external forces such as wind, users, and other forces.
  • 6. To disassemble the covering assembly 10, the acts described above may be performed in reverse order.

In some embodiments as shown in FIG. 7, additional acts may be taken to configure a fully laid out and configured covering assembly 10 into a compact configuration for easy carrying and/or storage. These acts may include the following (without limitation):

• • 1. To prepare a laid out and fully configured covering assembly 10 into a compact configuration for easy carrying and/or storage, a portion of the laid out assembly 10 (including weighted members 202 with midpoint folding seams 204) may be folded over itself to generally fold the covering 10 in half. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the right side may be folded over the left side 108 in the direction of the arrows D. This may result in the covering 10 folded in half as shown in FIG. 8.
  • 2. Next, the folded covering 10 may be rolled from the top side 114 (or the bottom side 116) as shown by the arrow E. This may result in the rolled-up covering assembly 10 as shown in FIG. 9A.
  • 3. The compact covering assembly 10 may then be placed into a carrying bag 14 (e.g., a mesh drawstring bag) or other type of case as shown in FIG. 9B.

It is understood that the example described above is meant for demonstration and that other methods may be used to compactly configure the covering assembly 10. In one example, the weighted members 202 may not include folding seams 204 so that the covering assembly 10 may not be folded in half prior to rolling up the assembly 10. In another example, the weighted members 202 may in include more than one folding seam 204 so that the assembly 10 may be folded over into third, fourths, or other fractional amounts. In other examples, the assembly 10 may be folded over without the use of folding seams 204. In any event, it is understood that the assembly 10 may be folded and/or rolled up into a compact configuration to be stored within a carrying bag 14 or other type of holder.

In some embodiments, the length of the covering assembly 10 from the top side 112 to the bottom side 114 is about 6′-8′ and preferably about 7′, and the width of the covering assembly 10 from the left side 108 to the right side 110 is about 3′-5′ and preferably about 4′.

In some embodiments, the weight of each weighted member 202 is about 2 lbs-6 lbs and preferably about 4 lbs.

It is understood that any aspect and/or element of any embodiment of the assembly 10 described herein or otherwise may be combined in any way to form additional embodiments of the assembly 10 all of which are within the scope of the assembly 10.

Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In another embodiment, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., a step is performed by or with the assistance of a human).

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “at least some” means “one or more,” and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase “at least some ABCs” means “one or more ABCs”, and includes the case of only one ABC.

As used herein, including in the claims, term “at least one” should be understood as meaning “one or more”, and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with “at least one” have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as “the” and “the at least one”.

As used in this description, the term “portion” means some or all. So, for example, “A portion of X” may include some of “X” or all of “X”. In the context of a conversation, the term “portion” means some or all of the conversation.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “using” means “using at least,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “using X” means “using at least X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “using X” does not mean “using only X.”

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “based on” means “based in part on” or “based, at least in part, on,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “based on factor X” means “based in part on factor X” or “based, at least in part, on factor X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “based on X” does not mean “based only on X.”

In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word “only” is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “distinct” means “at least partially distinct.” Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, “X is distinct from Y” means that “X is at least partially distinct from Y,” and does not mean that “X is fully distinct from Y.” Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “X is distinct from Y” means that X differs from Y in at least some way.

It should be appreciated that the words “first,” “second,” and so on, in the description and claims, are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, letter labels (e.g., “(A)”, “(B)”, “(C)”, and so on, or “(a)”, “(b)”, and so on) and/or numbers (e.g., “(i)”, “(ii)”, and so on) are used to assist in readability and to help distinguish and/or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting or to impose or imply any serial or numerical limitations or orderings. Similarly, words such as “particular,” “specific,” “certain,” and “given,” in the description and claims, if used, are to distinguish or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting.

As used herein, including in the claims, the terms “multiple” and “plurality” mean “two or more,” and include the case of “two.” Thus, e.g., the phrase “multiple ABCs,” means “two or more ABCs,” and includes “two ABCs.” Similarly, e.g., the phrase “multiple PQRs,” means “two or more PQRs,” and includes “two PQRs.”

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” or “approximately 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Throughout the description and claims, the terms “comprise”, “including”, “having”, and “contain” and their variations should be understood as meaning “including but not limited to”, and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.

It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

Use of exemplary language, such as “for instance”, “such as”, “for example” (“e.g.,”) and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A ground covering assembly comprising: a flexible ground cover including a left side, a right side, an upper side and a lower side, the upper side extending between the left side and the right side, and the lower side located opposite the upper side and extending between the left side and the right side;a first channel configured with the upper side and extending at least partially between the left side and the right side;a second channel configured with lower side and extending at least partially between the left side and the right side;a first attachment mechanism configured with the first channel and adapted to open and/or close at least a portion of the first channel at a location between the left side and the right side;a second attachment mechanism configured with the second channel and adapted to open and/or close at least a portion of the second channel at a location between the left side and the right side;a first weighted member adapted to be received and secured within the first channel and configured to extend at least partially from the left side to the right side, and a second weighted member adapted to be received and secured within the second channel and configured to extend at least partially from the left side to the right side.

2. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first channel and the second channel each extend from the left side to the right side.

3. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first weighted member and the second weighted member each extend from the left side to the right side.

4. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first attachment mechanism is adapted to open and/or close a portion of the first channel that extends from the left side to the right side.

5. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the second attachment mechanism is adapted to open and/or close a portion of the second channel that extends from the left side to the right side.

6. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and/or second weighted member comprises foam.

7. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and/or second weighted member comprises a shell filled with at least one of the following: gel, beads, sand, foam, and pellets.

8. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and/or second weighted member comprises a rectangular cuboid or a cylinder.

9. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and/or second attachment mechanism comprises at least one of the following: a zipper, hook and loop material, a button, a snap and a latch.

10. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the first weighted member includes a first folding seam enabling the first weighted member to be folded in half at the first folding seam.

11. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the second weighted member includes a second folding seam enabling the second weighted member to be folded in half at the second folding seam.

12. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the flexible ground cover is rectangular in shape.

13. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 wherein the flexible ground cover comprises at least one of the following: cotton, polyester, cotton-polyester blend, nylon, and plastic.

14. The ground covering assembly of claim 1 further comprising a carrying case adapted to receive the flexible ground cover and the first and second weighted members.

15. The ground covering assembly of claim 14 wherein the carrying case is adapted to receive the flexible ground cover and the first and second weighted members with the first and second weighted members each folded in half at the first and second folding seams, respectively.

16. The ground covering assembly of claim 15 wherein the first weighted member includes a first length, and the carrying case includes a height equal to half the weighted member's first length.