INFANT TOWEL

Abstract

A towel has an absorbent cloth body having a first side and an opposing second side, a head pocket defining an opening thereinto accessible from the first side of the absorbent cloth body, and a pair of hand pockets each defining openings thereinto accessible from the second side of the absorbent cloth body. The absorbent cloth body is preferably of a shape having at least an apex corner at or near which the head pocket is located and a pair of opposing flank corners at or near which each of the hand pockets are respectively located.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a towel, and more particularly to a hooded infant towel with hand pockets accessible on a side of the towel opposite to the side thereof at which the hood of the towel is accessible. With the infant hooded and wrapped in the towel, the hands of a person holding the infant are receivable within the hand pockets to better dry the wet infant.

Description of Related Art

The prior art teaches of infant towels having a hood or head pocket for keeping a head of a wet infant warm while wrapped in the towel. Furthermore, and in addition to the hood, other prior art teaches of infant towels also incorporating hand pockets on the same side of the towel as the hood, into which the infant can position their hands such that the infant can keep itself wrapped in the towel. It will be appreciated that very young infants are incapable of keeping themselves wrapped, rendering the hand pockets, on the same side of the towel as the hood, largely useless.

There is a need to enable a parent or other person handling a wet infant to securely hold and dry the infant while wet, and to keep the infant wrapped and warm to prevent the infant from falling ill. By relocating the hand pockets to a side of the towel opposite the side thereof on which the hood is located in accordance with the present invention, such needs and further advanatges as described in the summary following are fulfilled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

The present invention provides a towel comprising an absorbent cloth body having a first side and an opposing second side, a head pocket defining an opening thereinto accessible from the first side of the absorbent cloth body, and a pair of hand pockets, each defining openings thereinto accessible from the second side of the absorbent cloth body.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a towel having advantages not taught by the prior art.

Another objective is to provide a towel that includes a head pocket on one side, and hand pockets on the opposite side, so that an adult can hold and dry the infant with their hands covered to minimize the risk of fingernails scraping the infant, while wrapping the infant with the towel.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a towel according to one embodiment of the present invention, with an infant positioned thereon such that its head is receivable in a head pocket located at an apex corner on a first side of the towel;

FIG. 2 is a is a rear view of the towel of FIG. 1 showing a pair of hand pockets located at each of a pair of flank corners on a second opposite side of the towel;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the towel of FIG. 1 with one of the flank corners folded over the infant;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the towel of FIG. 1 with the other of the flank corners also folded over the infant, and with the wrapped infant securely being held by a parent with the parent's hands received in the hand pockets; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the towel of FIG. 1, illustrating use of the towel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a towel for an infant.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a towel 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an infant 100 positioned thereon such that the infant's head is positioned within a head pocket 18 located at an apex corner 22 on a first side 14 of the towel 10. In one embodiment of the invention, the towel 10 comprises an absorbent cloth body 12 having the first side 14 and an opposing second side 16 (shown in FIG. 2).

FIG. 2 is a is a rear view of the towel 10 showing a pair of hand pockets 20 located at each of a pair of flank corners 24A and 24B on a second side 16 of the towel 10.

Although the figures illustrate the towel 10 as having a generally quadrilateral shape, it will be appreciated that the towel 10 can be of any shape comprising at least an apex corner 22, near or at which the head pocket 18 is located, and a pair of opposing flank corners 24 located on either side of the apex corner 22, near or at such flank corners 24 each of the hand pockets 20 are respectively located.

The head pocket 18 is preferably triangular in shape and formed by placing a triangular cloth body portion 26 over the apex corner 22 of the first side 14 of the absorbent cloth body 12 and, with two sides of the triangular cloth body portion 26 aligned along two of the sides of the absorbent cloth body 12, sewing such sides together. In this manner, a third side of the triangular cloth body portion 26 remains unsewn consequentially to define, co-operatively with the absorbent cloth body 12, an opening 28 through which the head of an infant 100 is receivable into the head pocket 18.

Similarly, each of the hand pockets 20 is preferably triangular in shape and formed by placing a triangular cloth body portion 30 over one of the flank corners 24 of the second side 16 of the absorbent cloth body 12 and, with two sides of the triangular cloth body portion 30 aligned along two of the sides of the absorbent cloth body 12, sewing such sides together. In this manner, a third side of the triangular cloth body portion 30 remains unsewn consequentially to define, co-operatively with the absorbent cloth body 12, an opening 32 through which the hands of a parent 200, or other person holding the infant 100, are receivable into the hand pockets 20 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Preferably, the triangular cloth body portions 26, 30 from which the head pocket 18 and the hand pockets 20 are formed are made from the same material as the absorbent cloth body 12.

In use, and with reference now to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the towel 10 is positioned over the back-side of the infant 100 with the infant's head receivable in the head pocket 18. The infant 100 may then be wrapped in the towel 10 by folding the first flank corner 24A, and subsequently the second flank corner 24B, over the infant 100. In this manner, the second side 16 of the towel 10, and specifically the hand pockets 20 located thereon, are exposed on the front-side of the infant 100 and accessible to the parent 200 holding the infant 100 from behind.

With the arms of the parent 200 wrapped around the infant 100, and the hands of such parent received in the hand pockets 20 of the towel 10, the infant 100 can be safely and securely maneuvered by the parent 200 while keeping the infant 100 warm.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the towel 10 of FIG. 1, illustrating use of the towel 10 in drying the infant 100.

As used in this application, the words “a,” “an,” and “one” are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms “have,” “include,” “contain,” and similar terms are defined to mean “comprising” unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application. While the invention has been described with reference to at least one particular embodiment, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather the scope of the invention is defined by claims made to the invention.

Claims

1. A towel comprising:

an absorbent cloth body having a first side and an opposing second side;

a head pocket defining an opening thereinto accessible from the first side of the absorbent cloth body; and

a pair of hand pockets, each defining openings thereinto accessible from the second side of the absorbent cloth body.

2. A towel of claim 1, wherein each of the pockets are triangular in shape.

3. A towel of claim 2, wherein each of the pockets are a triangular absorbent cloth body portion placed over the respective side and corner of the absorbent cloth body, with two of the sides of the triangular absorbent cloth body portion aligned and sewn along two sides of the respective corner of the absorbent cloth body, such that the respective openings into the pockets are co-operatively defined between the absorbent cloth body and the unsewn third side of the respective triangular absorbent cloth body portion.

4. A towel of claim 3, wherein the absorbent cloth body and each of the triangular absorbent cloth body portions are made from the same material.

5. A towel of claim 1, wherein the shape of the absorbent cloth body is triangular, with the apex corner lying between the opposing flank corners.

6. A towel of claim 1, wherein the shape of the absorbent cloth body is quadrangular, with the apex corner lying:

(i) between the opposing flank corners; and

(ii) opposite a fourth corner thereof being free from any pockets.

7. A towel comprising:

an absorbent cloth body having a first side and an opposing second side;

the absorbent cloth having a quadrilateral shape with an apex corner, and flank corners located on either side of the apex corner;

a head pocket located at the apex corner and defining an opening thereinto accessible from the first side of the absorbent cloth body; and

a pair of hand pockets each located at one of the flank corners, each defining openings thereinto accessible from the second side of the absorbent cloth body.