Clothing dust-protector cover

Abstract

A clothing dust-protector cover includes a front-sheet and a rear sheet, both of which are specifically configured to form a particular shape. The front-sheet is composed of a front-middle panel, a front-left-side panel and a front-right-side panel. The rear sheet is similarly configured. The left and right side panels extend from the middle panels to overlap a portion of their height at the center when the front and rear sheets are installed over hangers in a closet. The side panels on each side, overlap up to a separating point located below the front-top-edge where they diverge from each other a variable distance having a maximum separation of not less than about 0.5 inches, permitting the top corners of the front and rear middle panels to be secured to the rack with ties in a manner that minimizes the opening available for dust settling.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

In the field of protective covers, a closet apparel apparatus to be placed over the hanger and garment to protect the latter from dust.

BACKGROUND ART

Dust covers for use in closets have been designed without regard to ease of installation, ease of access and simplicity of use. While dust accumulation on garments is a nagging problem when garments sit undisturbed in a closet, existing solutions remain largely under-utilized because of the petty annoyances involved in accessing and removing the garments from storage and then afterwards restoring the garments to a hanging position within a dust cover.

It is well known that clothes hanging in a closet can be a convenient settling location for aerosolized particles of dust that are present in every household. Gravity tends to cause dust particles to settle downward on the surfaces of garments which face upward, such as the shoulders and collars of garments. When storage is years long, dust will also contaminate the lower portions of the garments.

Prior art dust covers discourage regular use because of the provision of zippers or other cover sealing methods, such as in garment bags. While effective, garment bags require too much time to utilize and the clothes are not easily removed from the bag and restored after use. Garment bags also conceal what is inside and so make it difficult to see what one wants prior to accessing the bag. Finally, the use of a garment bag can be an expensive option because their limited garment capacity would require multiple purchases for a single closet.

Prior art that utilizes sheets of vinyl or plastic, suffers from at least one of the following: it is not easily installed, has no side-wall protection for the front and rear of garments as distinct from the collar and sleeves of the garment, and does not allow easy access to garments or rehanging of garments within.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A clothing dust-protector cover includes a front-sheet and a rear sheet, both of which are specifically configured to form a particular shape. The front-sheet is composed of a front-middle panel, a front-left-side panel and a front-right-side panel. The rear sheet is similarly configured with a rear-middle-panel, a rear-left-side panel and a rear-right-side panel.

The left and right side panels extend from the middle panels at about 90 degrees therefrom so that the front and rear side panels overlap a portion of their height at the center when the front and rear sheets are installed over hangers in a closet.

The side panels on each side, overlap up to a separating point located below the front-top-edge where they diverge from each other a variable distance having a maximum separation of not less than about 0.5 inches so that the side panels can easily fit around a closet rod, permitting the top ends of the front and rear sheets to be secured to the rack with ties in a manner that minimizes the opening available for dust settling.

A detachable-connector, such as VELCRO, is optionally deployed between the front-sheet and the rear-sheet along the front-top-edge, to connect the front-sheet to the rear sheet and again minimize any openings for dust infiltration.

A stitch line securing the front-sheet to the rear-sheet may be utilized to enable hinge-like rotation about which the front-bottom-edge can be raised without separating the front-sheet from the rear-sheet.

Any component of the front-sheet or the rear sheet may be made of a transparent material, such as plastic or vinyl.

Optionally, the front-left-side panel, the rear-left-side panel, the front-right-side panel and the rear-right-side panel are removably attached to their respective middle panels in order to enable daisy chaining more than one dust cover together.

Optionally, a front-bottom panel connects the right and left side panels so as to form a bottom to the dust protector.

Technical Problem

A common problem with clothing rod systems are dust accumulation on the garments, the hanger and/or other stored items usually stored in a clothing rod system. A cover is needed that is easy to install, use and withdraw clothing from.

Prior art covers enclose or seal in garments within a clothing protection cover, garment bag, storage bag or similar device.

Many prior art covers are designed to be used for long-term storage such as during the change of season, which make them difficult to use on a daily basis, often requiring effort to retrieve and replace items of clothing on a hanger.

Wear and tear with many prior art covers that are used on a daily basis quickly create unsightly rips on these devices, often caused from the difficulty of retrieving and replacing clothing, therefore, ultimately resulting in costly replacement of such devices.

Single item prior art covers are designed to be used with one individual item of clothing or a few items of clothing, therefore, requiring the purchasing of numerous devices to protect a plurality of clothing items in a typical closet. This can be a costly solution.

A dust cover is needed that does not require permanent closet attachment. Such a dust cover would eliminate difficult and costly installation and maintenance expenses.

A dust cover is needed that can be deployed in minutes. Dust accumulation on any surface may start accumulating within hours after cleaning.

A dust cover is needed that can be used for months or longer without attention, yet permit access to some or all of the clothes within. The accumulation of dust on a garment may be substantial when the garment is untouched or not used for a period of time. There is a need for a dust cover that can protect a closeted garment positioned right next to more frequently used garments and protect all the garments to the extent that none requires re-laundering due to dust settlement over an extended period prior to access and use.

Solution to Problem

The solution is a dust protection system used with a closet clothing rod to eliminate dust accumulation or other particulate matter such as but not limited to sand, dirt, pollution, construction debris from accumulating on top of garments while allowing visibility, easy access to retrieve and replace garments and/or other stored items on a frequent daily basis.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The clothing dust-protector cover is an improved dust cover used over closet rods, free-standing garment rack systems and the like.

The clothing dust-protector cover has side panels that protects the front and rear of garments, not just the collar and sleeves of garments.

The clothing dust-protector cover protects garments from dust accumulation after the garments are suspended on a hanger.

The clothing dust-protector cover allows easy installation to any closet rod, especially wire-shelf closet rods.

The clothing dust-protector cover eases the steps performed to remove and/or reposition the dust cover, simplifying garment retrieval on a daily basis and also enabling long-term seasonal storage too.

The clothing dust-protector cover significantly eases in retrieving and replacing clothing on a frequent daily basis.

The clothing dust-protector cover may be used to protect as little as the top portion of a garment such as the collar, shoulders and top part of the sleeve so that it is of maximal use for frequent daily usage.

Other embodiments are configured for covering the whole garment so that it can be used for long-term out-of-season storage, yet still enable immediate access to the stored garments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the Clothing dust-protector cover according to the disclosure. The reference numbers in the drawings are used consistently throughout. New reference numbers in FIG. 2 are given the 200 series numbers. Similarly, new reference numbers in each succeeding drawing are given a corresponding series number beginning with the figure number.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective of a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of this embodiment within a closet.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of this embodiment shown on a wire rack closet shelf with no apparel within.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment on a wire rack closet shelf with a stitch line near the front-top-edge and showing apparel hanging from the shelf.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of an embodiment in use on a wire rack closet shelf and showing a hook and loop connector at the top edges of the front-sheet and the rear sheet.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment on a wire rack closet shelf with a stitch line near the front-top-edge and showing rotation about the stitch line.

FIG. 7 is a perspective of an alternative embodiment with bottom panels to further enclose any apparel within.

FIG. 8 is a perspective of an alternative embodiment configured to be daisy chained together.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. The drawings and the preferred embodiments of the invention are presented with the understanding that the present invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms and, therefore, other embodiments may be utilized and structural, and operational changes may be made, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a clothing dust-protector cover (100). It includes a front-sheet (105) and a rear-sheet (116) both having a specific configuration.

The front-sheet (105) includes a front-top-edge (106) and a front-bottom-edge (107). The front-sheet (105) further includes a front-middle panel (108) having a front-left-crease (109) and a front-right-crease (110).

The front-sheet (105) further includes a front-left-side panel (111) configured to extend from the front-middle panel (108) at the front-left-crease (109) in a direction about 90 degrees therefrom when the front-sheet (105) is installed over hangers (402) in a closet (201), as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The term “about” in the phrase “about 90 degrees” is intended to cover a variation of plus or minus 20 degrees, which for stylistic reasons may be varied for distinctiveness. Preferably, the divergence from 90 degrees preserves a uniform elevation of the front-bottom-edge (107) when the front-sheet (105) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201).

The front-sheet (105) further includes a front-right-side panel (114) configured to extend from the front-middle panel (108) at the front-right-crease (110) in a rearward-direction (112) about 90 degrees therefrom when the front-sheet (105) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201). Similarly, the term “about” in the phrase “about 90 degrees” is intended to cover a variation of plus or minus 20 degrees, which for stylistic reasons may be varied for distinctiveness. Preferably, the divergence from 90 degrees preserves a uniform elevation of the front-bottom-edge (107) when the front-sheet (105) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201).

The rear-sheet (116) is similarly configured to the front-sheet (105). The rear-sheet (116) includes a rear-top-edge (117) and a rear-bottom-edge (118). The rear-sheet (116) further includes a rear-middle panel (119) having a rear-left-crease (120) and a rear-right-crease (121).

The rear-sheet (116) further includes a rear-left-side panel (122) configured to extend from the rear-middle panel (119) at the rear-left-crease (120) in a frontward-direction (113) about 90 degrees therefrom when the rear-sheet (116) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201). As with the front-sheet (105), the term “about” in the phrase “about 90 degrees” is intended to cover a variation of plus or minus 20 degrees, preferably preserving a uniform elevation of the rear-bottom-edge (118) when the rear-sheet (116) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201).

The rear-sheet (116) further includes a rear-right-side panel (123) configured to extend from the rear-middle panel (119) at the rear-right-crease (121) in a direction about 90 degrees therefrom when the rear-sheet (116) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201). As with the front-sheet (105), the term “about” in the phrase “about 90 degrees” is intended to cover a variation of plus or minus 20 degrees, preferably preserving a uniform elevation of the rear-bottom-edge (118) when the rear-sheet (116) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201).

The clothing dust-protector cover (100) may further include a tie (303) at the front-top-edge (106) near the front-left-crease (109) and a tie (303) at the front-top-edge (106) near the front-right-crease (110). Similarly, a tie may be included at the rear-top-edge (117) near the rear-left-crease (120) and a tie (303) at the rear-top-edge (117) near the rear-right-crease (121). The ties may be used to secure the clothing dust-protector cover (100) around a closet-rod (203) or a wire-shelf rod (302). In order to show an exemplary context, this arrangement is shown in FIG. 3 further illustrating a wire-shelf front (304), a wire-shelf grid (305), a wire-shelf-rod holder (306), and a wire-shelf rear (307).

The front-left-side panel (111) is further configured to overlap with the rear-left-side panel (122) from approximately the front-bottom-edge (107) up to a separating point (204). The separating point (204) is located below the front-top-edge (106). The separating point (204) is the point up from the front-bottom-edge (107) at which there begins no overlap between the front-left-side panel (111) and the rear-left-side panel (122). When there is no such overlap, there is preferably a variable distance between the front-left-side panel (111) and the rear-left-side panel (122).

It is preferably that from the separating point (204) up to a second point (205) below the front-top-edge (106), the front-left-side panel (111) is separated from rear-left-side panel (122) by an amount (502) that is, at its greatest, not less than about 0.5 inches. This separation enables the two overlapping side panels to fit around a closet-rod (203) or a wire-shelf rod (302) without distorting either side panel. Closet-rods and wire-shelf rods come in various diameters and so, the term “about” in the phrase “not less than about 0.5 inches” is intended to also cover a positive distance less than 0.5 inches, for example to about 0.25 inches. This separation permits the top corners of the front-middle panel (108) and the rear-middle panel (119) to be secured to the closet-rod (203) or the wire-shelf rod (302) with ties in a manner that minimizes the opening available for dust settling.

The clothing dust-protector cover (100) may include a detachable-connector (301) between the front-sheet (105) and the rear-sheet (116) along the front-top-edge (106). Examples of the detachable-connector (301) include any such open and close connector such as a hook-and-loop fastener (501) with the hook side placed on either the front-sheet (105) or the rear-sheet (116) and the loop side placed on the mating surface, preferably at the top edge; a snap connector, a zipper, and a button and button-hole combination.

The clothing dust-protector cover (100) may include a stitch line (401) securing the front-sheet (105) to the rear-sheet (116). The stitch line (401) is preferably located between the separating point (204) and the front-top edge. The stitch line (401) is configured to enable hinge-like rotation (601), shown in FIG. 6, about which the front-bottom-edge (107) can be raised without separating the front-sheet (105) from the rear-sheet (116). The stitch line (401) may utilize any stitch combination that reinforces the use of the stitch line (401) as a hinge. For example, a double or triple stitch row. The stitch line (401) does not have to cover the entire width of the front-middle panel (108). Preferably, the stitch line (401) transits about half of the distance between the front-left-crease (109) and the front-right-crease (110) and is centered on the front-middle panel (108).

The clothing dust-protector cover (100) is preferably made with transparent material (130) such as vinyl or plastic. In that case both the front-sheet (105) and the rear-sheet (116) are made of the transparent material (130). However, clothing dust-protector cover (100) may be made with non-transparent materials such as cloth. Preferably, at least the front-middle panel (108) comprises a transparent material (130).

The clothing dust-protector cover (100) may be configured such that the front-left-side panel (111) and the front-right-side panel (114) are removably attached to the front-middle panel (108). Similarly, the rear-left-side panel (122) and the rear-right-side panel (123) may also be removably attached to the rear-middle panel (119). Such a configuration permits daisy-chaining the clothing dust-protector cover (100) to accommodate a range of closet widths. For purpose of connecting a first clothing dust-protector cover (802) to a second clothing dust connector (803), the clothing dust-protector cover (100) may define an aperture (801) or more than one such aperture, preferably near the front-top-edge (106) to be used to secure the first clothing dust-protector cover (802) to the second clothing dust connector (803) to form the daisy-chain.

The clothing dust-protector cover (100) may further include a front-bottom panel (701). The front-bottom panel is configured to extend along the front-bottom-edge (107) in a rearward-direction (112) about 90 degrees from the front-middle panel (108) when the front-sheet (105) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet. Because for stylistic reasons, embodiments may employ an angle different from 90 degrees, the term “about” in the phrase “about 90 degrees” is intended to cover a variation of plus or minus 20 degrees.

Similarly, the clothing dust-protector cover (100) may further include a rear-bottom-panel (702) configured to extend along the rear-bottom-edge (118) in a frontward-direction (113) about 90 degrees from the rear-middle panel (119) when the rear-sheet (116) is installed over hangers (402) in the closet (201). Here again, the term “about” in the phrase “about 90 degrees” is intended to cover a variation of plus or minus 20 degrees, preferably ending in the center between the front-sheet and the rear sheet at about the same elevation as the front-bottom panel (701) at this same center location.

The above-described embodiments including the drawings are examples of the invention and merely provide illustrations of the invention. Other embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Thus, the scope of the invention is determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention has application to the garment storage industry.

Claims

1. A clothing dust-protector cover comprising:

a front-sheet comprising a front-top-edge and a front-bottom-edge, the front-sheet further comprising: a front-middle panel comprising a front-left-crease; and a front-right-crease; a front-left-side panel configured to extend from the front-middle panel at the front-left-crease in a direction about 90 degrees therefrom when the front-sheet is installed over hangers in a closet; and a front-right-side panel configured to extend from the front-middle panel at the front-right-crease in a rearward-direction about 90 degrees therefrom when the front-sheet is installed over hangers in the closet;

a rear-sheet comprising a rear-top-edge and a rear-bottom-edge, the rear-sheet further comprising: a rear-middle panel comprising a rear-left-crease; and a rear-right-crease; a rear-left-side panel configured to extend from the rear-middle panel at the rear-left-crease in a frontward-direction about 90 degrees therefrom when the rear-sheet is installed over hangers in the closet; and a rear-right-side panel configured to extend from the rear-middle panel at the rear-right-crease in a direction about 90 degrees therefrom when the rear-sheet is installed over hangers in the closet; and

the front-left-side panel being further configured to overlap with the rear-left-side panel from approximately the front-bottom-edge up to a separating point; the separating point located below the front-top-edge; from the separating point up to a second point below the front-top-edge, the front-left-side panel is separated from rear-left-side panel by an amount that is, at its greatest, not less than about 0.5 inches.

2. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, further comprising a detachable-connector between the front-sheet and the rear-sheet along the front-top-edge.

3. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, further comprising a stitch line securing the front-sheet to the rear-sheet, the stitch line located between the separating point and the front-top-edge, the stitch line configured to enable hinge-like rotation about which the front-bottom-edge can be raised without separating the front-sheet from the rear-sheet.

4. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, wherein the front-middle panel comprises a transparent material.

5. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, wherein the front-sheet and the rear-sheet comprise a transparent material.

6. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, wherein the front-left-side panel and the front-right-side panel are removably attached to the front-middle panel.

7. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, wherein the rear-left-side panel and the rear-right-side panel are removably attached to the rear-middle panel.

8. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, further comprising a front-bottom panel configured to extend along the front-bottom-edge in a rearward-direction about 90 degrees from the front-middle panel when the front-sheet is installed over hangers in the closet.

9. The clothing dust-protector cover of claim 1, further comprising a rear-bottom-panel configured to extend along the rear-bottom-edge in a frontward-direction about 90 degrees from the rear-middle panel when the rear-sheet is installed over hangers in the closet.