Towel clip

Abstract

A towel clip having a hollow elongated body with an opening running the length of the body wherein the body is made of a flexible memory material, preferably rubber or a plastic and most preferably polypropylene. The body is preferably circular and the opening preferably covers about 75° to about 105° of the diameter to slip over a towel draped over the bar of a chair.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of copending application Ser. No. 09/524,807 filed Mar. 14, 2000, now pending.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a device for holding a towel onto a chair or similar article.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] When sunbathing, or merely sitting outside, it is often desirable for a person to place a towel over at least a portion of the chair on which they are sitting. However, when there is nothing to hold the towel in place, it tends to slip off of the chair or move about so that the towel no longer covers the chair. This situation is aggravated by movement of the user which tends to push the towel off of the chair. Similarly, during windy conditions it is not unusual for a sunbather who leaves their chair to return and find the towel has been blown off of the chair.

[0004] Attempts to keep a towel on a chair have generally included tucking the ends into openings on the chair or tying the corners of the towel to the chair. These methods, however, find limited success.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention is directed to a towel clip comprising a hollow elongated body having an opening along the length thereof wherein the body is made of flexible memory material.

[0006] The body is preferably circular in shape, having a diameter of from about ¾ to about 1½ inches, and from about 1 to about 20 inches long with about 3 to 4 inches being most preferred. The opening is preferably formed so that the diameter of the elongated body is closed from about 210° to about 315° around.

[0007] The material of the body is a flexible memory material such as plastic or rubber and preferably polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, polypropylene or any similar suitable material. The memory characteristic provides that the body can be manipulated by pulling apart the open sides of the body and it will readily return to its original shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The following figures, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, are included for illustration only and do not limit the invention in any manner whatsoever.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a front elevation of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of an embodiment of the present invention in its operational configuration over a towel on the bar of a chair.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the present invention having a tab for easy removal of the clip from a chair.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the clip shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] The present invention, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, is directed to a towel clip 2 comprising a hollow elongated body 4 having an opening 6 along its length. The body 4 is formed of a memory material, which can be manipulated by pulling apart the open ends 8 forming the opening 6 but will quickly return to its original shape when the force is removed.

[0015] Preferably, the body 4 comprises a circular configuration of about 1 inch in diameter covering about 270° of the circle, with the opening 6 comprising about 90°. The body 4 is preferably about 3 to 4 inches in length.

[0016] The body 4 is preferably made from plastic, and most preferably, polypropylene, having a thickness of about {fraction (1/32)} to about ⅛ inch. The towel clip 2 can be made by injection molding or extruding the device from the desired material. The clip 2 can also be made by molding or extruding a circular tube which is then cut along its length to form the opening 6. Of course, the clip 2 can be made in any color or colors. It can also have raised or indented indicia, or a place for a stick-on label containing a promotional name, logo or advertisement space.

[0017] In its most preferred embodiment, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the clip 2 includes a tab 14 for grasping the clip 2, i.e. during removal from a chair. The tab 14 preferably runs along the length of the clip 2 at the portion opposed from the opening 6 and extends beyond the body 4 to provide a lip 16 to grasp. The preferred tab 14 further provides a flat surface for the attachment of a sticker or printing a logo, as desired.

[0018] Although the tab 14 can be made separate from the clip 2, it is preferred that the tab 14 be integrally formed.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, when a towel 10 is placed over the bar 12 of a standard lounge chair the clip 2 is placed over the towel 10 and bar 12 to hold the towel 10 in place. To place the clip 2 on the towel 10 over the bar 12, the end of the towel 10 is draped over the bar 12, the open ends 8 of the clip 2 are spread apart and the bar 12 with the towel 10 thereon are slipped between the open ends 8, through the opening 6, so that the bar 12 with the towel 10 rest within the hollow portion of the body 2. For removal, the clip 2 is merely pulled off, preferably with the towel 10.

[0020] Although a long clip 2, of up to about 18 to 20 inches can be used to clip virtually the entire length of the towel 10 to an end bar 12 of a chair, it is preferred that two shorter clips 2 (as desired above) be used, one at each end of a bar 12 of the chair. Of course, the clips 2 can be used at the top and the bottom bars 12 of a chair, at the top and side bars 12 of a chair or any such combination to hold the entire towel 10 or any portion of the towel 10 on a chair.

[0021] Variations and modifications will make themselves apparent to one skilled in the art reviewing the present invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention limited solely by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A towel clip comprising a hollow elongated body having an opening along the length thereof wherein the body is made of a flexible memory material.

2. The towel clip of

claim 1 wherein the flexible memory material is taken from the group consisting of rubber and plastic.

3. The towel clip of

claim 2 wherein the plastic is taken from the group consisting of PVC, polypropylene and polyethylene.

4. The towel clip of

claim 3 wherein the flexible memory material is polypropylene.

5. The towel clip of

claim 1 wherein the elongated body is circular.

6. The towel clip of

claim 5 wherein the elongated body has a diameter from about ¾ to about 1½ inches.

7. The towel clip of

claim 1 wherein the body has a length of from about 1 to about 20 inches.

8. The towel clip of

claim 7 wherein the length of the body is from about 3 to about 4 inches.

9. The towel clip of

claim 5 wherein the opening occurs over about 45° to about 135° of the diameter of the body.

10. The towel clip of

claim 9 wherein the opening occurs over about 75° to about 105° of the diameter of the body.

11. The towel clip of

claim 4 wherein the body is made by injection molding.

12. The towel clip of

claim 1 further comprising a tab on the body for grasping the towel clip.

13. The towel clip of

claim 12 wherein the tab is located on the body opposite the opening.

14. The towel clip of

claim 13 wherein the tab runs along the length of the towel clip.

15. The towel clip of

claim 12 wherein the tab is formed integral with the body.

16. The towel clip of

claim 12 wherein the tab extends perpendicular to the elongated body.