Chair banner

Abstract

A chair banner comprises a single piece of material with pockets on the top and bottom of the fabric banner, the material being folded and having a single bungee cord or drawstring running through the pockets and a stopper for adjustability. The banner rests on and is attached to the back of any chair. Indicia, text or logos may be applied on one or all faces of the banner, and the design allows for reversible application of the banner. The chair banner is adjustable in width and the banner material may not cover the entire back of the chair.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/473,793, filed May 28, 2003.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments described herein are directed to banners or covers for placement over the existing seat back of a chair. The banner may be used to display team names or sponsor advertisements.

[0005] 2. Background of the Invention

[0006] Often times the sports enthusiast wishes to display team names or sponsor advertisements on a chair while at games, competitions, or other sporting events. Thus, chair banners are frequently used and sold for fundraising purposes by organizations. For flexibility and ease of use, it is important for the chair banner to be easily removable from the chair while also having the ability to be securely fastened to the chair while the chair is in use.

[0007] It is an objective of the present invention to provide a chair banner comprising a single piece of cloth, woven fabric, or other material for attachment to a chair.

[0008] It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a chair banner able to fit most outdoor and indoor chairs, including fixed, collapsible, and folding chairs, such as by having an attachment means with an adjustable width.

[0009] It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide an attachment means for the chair banner that prevents inadvertent removal from the chair.

[0010] It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a chair banner having indicia for advertisement purposes.

[0011] It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a chair banner having a construction that reduces manufacturing requirements and costs, thereby making the chair banner more affordable to the consuming public.

[0012] It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a chair banner that is reversible such that advertisements and logos may be printed on all sides of the banner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] For a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a top elevational, schematic view of the prefolded chair banner material in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a perspective, schematic view of the folded chair banner having a bungee cord and stopper in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the chair banner of FIG. 2 secured to a chair;

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a front elevational view of the folded chair banner of FIG. 2; and

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a back elevational view of the folded chair banner of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function.

[0020] In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ”. Also, the terms “couple,” “couples”, and “coupled” used to describe any connections are each intended to mean and refer to either an indirect or a direct connection. Thus, for example, if a first device “couples” or is “coupled” to a second device, that interconnection may be through a mechanism directly interconnecting the two devices, or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections.

[0021] In the drawings and description that follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. The present invention is susceptible to embodiments of different forms. Specific embodiments are described in detail and are shown in the drawings, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that illustrated and described herein. It is to be fully recognized that the different teachings of the embodiments discussed below may be employed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desired results. The various characteristics mentioned above, as well as other features and characteristics described in more detail below, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the embodiments, and by referring to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1, the chair banner 10 includes a single piece of flexible material 12, such as cloth, woven fabric, or any other such material, having a top edge 14 and bottom edge 16. Edges 14, 16 may be fashioned into top pocket 18 and bottom pocket 20, respectively, by folding over edges 14, 16 and coupling them to a surface of material 12. Coupling edges 14, 16 to material 12 may be accomplished by sewing, gluing, or any other such means. Banner 10 also includes side edges 24 and 26, and a fold line 22 approximately halfway between pockets 18 and 20.

[0023] Referring now to FIG. 2, chair banner 10 may be folded approximately in half along fold line 22 to create fold 32 and substantially symmetrical halves of material 12. Alternatively, fold line 22 may be position elsewhere on material 12. Preferably, the folded halves of side 24 are not coupled to each other. Similarly, the folded halves of side 26 are not coupled to each other. This feature allows a chair back, such as chair back 52 in FIG. 3, to extend past the sides of banner 10 without interference from banner material 12. Thus, the size of banner material 12 does not limit the size of chair that banner 10 may be placed on. Banner 10 now has a front panel 36 and back panel 34. Alternatively, banner 10 may be folded in the opposite direction.

[0024] Still referring to FIG. 2, a cord 38, such as a bungee cord or drawstring, may be threaded or extended through pockets 18, 20. The ends 46, 48 of cord 38 may be coupled together by a stopper 40 to form a closed loop. Preferably, stopper 40 is manually adjustable so that the size of the loop formed by cord 38 may be decreased to attach banner 10 to a chair, or increased to remove banner 10 from a chair.

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 3, banner 10 as shown in FIG. 2 may be placed over a back 52 of chair 50. Fold 32 may rest on the top edge 54 of back 52 when banner 10 comes into contact with chair 50. Once banner 10 has been placed in the position shown in FIG. 3, stopper 40 may be manually adjusted toward chair back 52 such that cord 38 engages back 52 and secures banner 10 to chair 50. As can be seen in FIG. 3, sides 24, 26 of front panel 36 do not extend to be flush with the sides of back 52. Also, as previously described, sides 24, 26 of front panel 36 do not attach to corresponding sides 24, 26 of back panel 34. This feature allows banner 10 to be used in conjunction with all different types and sizes of chairs. Cord 38 may tend to limit the width of chair that banner 10 may be placed on, except that cord 38 may be expanded via elastic or stopper means, or cord 38 may simply be enlarged.

[0026] It will be understood that stopper 40 may be any device that is reciprocal between engaging or clamping down on cord 38 and releasing cord 38. For example, stopper 40 may be a device having a body with a throughbore for receiving cord 38. The body may also retain a spring-loaded locking piece that may be selectively positioned to increase and decrease the diameter of the throughbore, thereby selectively increasing or decreasing the frictional engagement between the stopper and the cord. Stopper 40 may also be any other adjustable device for frictionally engaging cord 38, such as a device that provides constant frictional engagement with cord 38 but only to the extent that stopper 40 remains slidable along cord 38.

[0027] Alternatively, cord 38 may form a continuous loop without requiring a stopper or any other friction inducing device. Cord 38 may be made from an elastic material such that cord 38 may be expanded to place banner 10 over a chair, and released such that the cord constricts to engage chair back 52.

[0028] Referring now to FIG. 4, front panel 36 includes a face 42 that may include indicia. The indicia may be screen printed, cad cut, or heat pressed to face 42 of banner 10. Likewise, FIG. 5 shows back panel 34 having a face 44 which may also include indicia, text or logos. It will be understood that the opposite faces of panels 34, 36 may also have indicia. This provides at least four separate faces that may have different designs.

[0029] Although material 12 is shown in rectangular form, it will be understood that material 12 may be other shapes that still allow for the use of pockets 18, 20 and cord 38 for adjustable engagement with a chair back.

[0030] It will also be understood that pockets 18, 20 may not be continuous as shown in the Figures. For example, pockets 18, 20 may be a series of loops formed at edges 14, 16 by attaching small portions of material at intervals along edges 14, 16. Furthermore, pockets 18, 20 may be substituted for other means for coupling cord 38 to banner material 12. For example, cord 38 may be coupled to banner material 12 by Velcro or metal clasps. Additionally, cord 38 is not limited to being coupled to banner material 12 precisely at edges 14, 16. Cord 38 may be moved away from edges 14, 16 while still functioning to attach banner material 12 to a chair back. However, it is preferred that cord 38 be substantially adjacent edges 14, 16 to ensure proper engagement with a chair back and to prevent interference with any indicia placed on the banner faces.

[0031] The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. While the preferred embodiment of the invention and its method of use have been shown and described, modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention. The embodiments described herein are exemplary only, and are not limiting. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above, but is only limited by the claims which follow, that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for covering a portion of a chair back comprising:

a portion of flexible material having a first edge and a second edge;

a length of cord having a first portion and a second portion, said cord length forming a closed loop; and

wherein said first cord portion is coupled to said material portion substantially adjacent said first edge and said second cord portion is coupled to said material portion substantially adjacent said second edge.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a first pocket adjacent said first edge;

a second pocket adjacent said second edge; and

wherein said first cord portion extends through said first pocket and said second cord portion extends through said second pocket.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cord length includes a first end and a second end, and wherein the apparatus further comprises an adjustable stopper coupling said cord length first and second ends to form said closed loop.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cord length is a continuous loop of elastic material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible material portion further includes a fold line disposed between said first and second edges.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said fold line is positioned on said flexible material portion such that said material portion is separated into symmetrical halves.

7. An apparatus for covering a portion of a chair back, the chair back having an upper edge, a lower edge and two side edges extending between the upper and lower edges, comprising:

a portion of flexible material having a first edge, a second edge and two side edges;

a length of cord having a first portion and a second portion, said cord length forming a closed loop;

wherein said first cord portion is coupled to said material portion substantially adjacent said first edge and said second cord portion is coupled to said material portion substantially adjacent said second edge;

wherein said first and second edges extend below the upper edge of the chair back; and

wherein the side edges of the chair back extend beyond said material portion side edges.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said cord length is simultaneously engageable with the side edges of the chair back.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said flexible material portion further includes a fold line, and wherein said fold line rests atop the upper edge of the chair back.

10. A method of manufacturing an apparatus for covering a portion of a chair back, comprising:

coupling a first portion of a cord loop substantially adjacent a first edge of a flexible material portion; and

further coupling a second portion of said cord loop substantially adjacent a second edge of said material portion.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising creating a fold line between said first and second edges.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said first coupling step further comprises:

forming a first pocket substantially adjacent said first edge; and

extending said first cord portion through said first pocket.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said second coupling step further comprises:

forming a second pocket substantially adjacent said second edge; and

extending said second cord portion through said second pocket.