EXERCISE TOWEL/EQUIPMENT COVER

Abstract

An exercise towel/equipment cover may be used to cover a piece of exercise equipment and protect a user from past user's sweat, germs, viruses and the like. The towel may include a gripper surface on a back side thereof to increase friction between the towel and the equipment. The towel may also include a pouch formed in one end thereof. The pouch may further help secure the towel to a piece of exercise equipment. The towel may be made of an anti-microbial fabric that may be resistant to mold.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional patent application No. 61/261,260, filed Nov. 13, 2009, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to exercise accessories and, more particularly, to an exercise towel and equipment cover.

When people use gym equipment, especially at a busy facility, there are sanitation issues. The users may use a towel to cover the seats and/or backs of the equipment. This is done to avoid the spread of germs, sweat and the like between multiple users. However, when the user places their towel on one piece of equipment, and moves to the next, it may be difficult to determine which side was placed against the equipment and which side was placed against their body. Also, a common towel may slide off the vinyl surface of the exercise equipment. Finally, after use, the towel may end up in a gym bag, subject to mold and mildew.

As can be seen, there is a need for an exercise towel/equipment cover that may indicate which side goes against the equipment and which may avoid slipping off from exercise equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a fabric cover comprises a gripper surface on at least a portion of a back side of the fabric cover; and a pouch formed in one end of the fabric cover, the pouch adapted to fit over an end of a surface to be covered.

In another aspect of the present invention, an exercise equipment cover comprises a gripper surface on at least a portion of a back side of the exercise equipment cover; and a pouch formed in one end of the exercise equipment cover, the pouch adapted to fit over an end of a piece of exercise equipment.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the exercise towel/equipment cover according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the exercise towel/equipment cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the exercise towel/equipment cover of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an exercise towel/equipment cover that may be used to cover a piece of exercise equipment and protect a user from past user's sweat, germs, viruses and the like. The towel may include a gripper surface on a back side thereof to increase friction between the towel and the equipment. The towel may also include a pouch formed in one end thereof. The pouch may further help secure the towel to a piece of exercise equipment. The towel may be made of an anti-microbial fabric that may be resistant to mold.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, an exercise towel/equipment cover 10 (also referred to as towel 10) may include a front side 12 and a back side 14. At least a portion of the back side 14 of the towel 10 may include a gripper surface 16. In some embodiments, the gripper surface 16 may be small dots (for example, having a diameter from 0.1 to about 0.75 inch) disposed on the back side 14 of the towel 10. In some embodiments, the gripper surface 16 may be disposed on the entire back side 14. In other embodiments, the gripper surface 16 may be disposed on a portion of the back side 14. For example, the gripper surface 16 may be disposed along a central strip of the back side 14.

The gripper surface 16 may be made of a material that may have a high friction coefficient relative to the towel along. For example, the gripper surface 16 may be made of a rubber material, such as silicone, or a plastic material, such as polyvinylchloride. The gripper material may be dripped onto the back side 14 of the towel 10. The gripper material may be applied directly to the towel 10 by dropping molten drops onto the back side 14 of the towel 10.

The front side 12 of the towel may have a label 18 formed thereupon. In some embodiments, the label 18 may be formed from different colored material. In some embodiments, the label 18 may be embossed on the surface of the towel 10. The label 18 may help indicate the front side 12 of the towel 10 to the user. A boarder 26 may be displayed along the front of the towel 10. The boarder 26 may be sized and shaped for aesthetics. In some embodiments, the boarder 26 may hang over the sides of the exercise equipment when the towel 10 is in use.

The towel 10 may include a pouch 20 on one end of the towel 10. The pouch 20 may be formed by folding the towel 10 upon itself and connecting the sides by, for example stitching 24. In some embodiments, the pouch may be inside out to stitch the sides of the pouch 20. When the towel 10 is turned right-side out, the stitching 24 may be on an inside portion of the pouch 20. The pouch 20 may be formed from about 4 inches to about 12 inches of the end of the towel 10, resulting in a pouch 20 having a depth from about 2 inches to about 6 inches, typically about 4 inches.

Elastic 22 may be attached to the end of the towel 10. The elastic 22 may resiliently gather the pouch 20, thereby allowing the pouch 20 to grip over an end of the exercise equipment (not shown).

The towel 10 may be made from a variety of materials. For example, cotton or terry cloth may be used, similar to a conventional towel, for the material of the towel 10 of the present invention. In some embodiments, the towel 10 may be made of a woven pine material, such as Hydrosilk™. Such a material may keep the towel 10 fresh and may slow or stop the formation of mold and mildew. The woven pine material may also be stronger than cotton and hold dye colors longer. The woven pine material may be anti-microbial in nature and may release dirt and odors with a simple rinse.

The towel 10 may be made in a variety of sizes. In some embodiments, the towel 10 may be between about 8 to about 28 inches wide, typically from about 12 to about 22 inches wide, typically about 16 inches wide. The towel 10 may be from about 24 to about 60 inches long, typically from about 32 to about 42 inches long. The towel 10 may be sized to fit particular exercise equipment at a particular facility, for example.

In some embodiments, straps (not shown) may be attached to opposite sides of the towel 10. The straps may include a hook and loop fastener, such as Velcro® to secure the towel 10 to a piece of equipment.

While the above description describes using the towel 10 for exercise equipment, the towel 10 may be used in other environments. For example, the towel 10 may be used to provide protection to a user in a doctor's office. The face-up barrier may be made smaller to cover areas where hands are placed, such as on shopping carts or on treadmills.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A fabric cover comprising:

a gripper surface on at least a portion of a back side of the fabric cover; and

a pouch formed in one end of the fabric cover, the pouch adapted to fit over an end of a surface to be covered, wherein

the pouch is formed by folding the end of the fabric cover onto itself and stitching along the sides thereof.

2. The fabric cover of claim 1, wherein the stitching is formed on the fabric cover when the fabric cover is inside out, thereby providing stitching on the inside of the pouch.

3. The fabric cover of claim 1, wherein the pouch has a depth from about 2 to about 6 inches.

4. The fabric cover of claim 1, wherein the fabric cover is formed from an anti-microbial material.

5. The fabric cover of claim 4, wherein the anti-microbial material is a woven pine material.

6. The fabric cover of claim 1, wherein the gripper surface is formed from gripper dots disposed on the entire back side of the fabric cover.

7. The fabric cover of claim 1, wherein the gripper surface has a friction coefficient greater than that of the fabric cover.

8. An exercise equipment cover comprising:

a gripper surface on at least a portion of a back side of the exercise equipment cover; and

a pouch formed in one end of the exercise equipment cover, the pouch adapted to fit over an end of a piece of exercise equipment, wherein

the exercise equipment cover is formed from a material comprising woven pine.

9. The exercise equipment cover of claim 8, wherein:

the pouch is formed by folding the end of the exercise equipment cover onto itself and stitching along the sides thereof; and

the pouch has a depth from about 2 to about 6 inches.

10. The exercise equipment cover of claim 8, wherein the gripper surface is applied directly to the back side of the exercise equipment cover by applying a gripper surface material as a plurality of molted drops.