Stay Put Towel

Abstract

This invention provides a solution to beach towels being blown away in the wind. The system contains a towel, hook-and-loop (Velcro) attachments and weighted bags containing the hook-and-loop system. Velcro strips approx. 6 inches in length attached to the towel in parallel with the long side of the towel, attached strips will be with the male hook-and-loop from the corner of the towel with a female strip positioned at the end of that strip continuing down the length of the towel to enable the towel to be folded back on itself creating a pocket to be slid onto a chair or a closed loop to be attached around the ribbed fabric of a chair or a railing/clothesline type fixture. Using the optional weighted bags (containing a female hook-and-loop strip) attached to the male portion attached to the towel will act as an anchor on the ground.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to securing beach towels to chairs, railings or the ground to protect against the effects of wind.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

It has been recognized that while towels at the beach or pool provide a more comfortable environment, wind doesn't allow for the towel to remain in place. Towels placed on a chair, hung over a railing to dry or laid flat on the ground do not stay in place when hit by a gust of wind.

A preliminary search has shown similar attempts at a towel retaining system.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,737, to Rote, a Beach and Picnic blanket with detachable triangular pockets at each corner made of flexible material is disclosed. The pockets are constructed to contain material such as sand, a weighted bag, or stones.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,028 to Jones et al., Fitted Sheet for Lounge Chair, FIGS. 1-4, shows a fitted sheet for a lounge chair.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,618, to Greer et al., a weighted towel using a hidden weighted cord sewn into the perimeter of the towel is disclosed. Greer et al. also disclosed a storage pouch attached to a top end of the towel for storing the towel.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,906, to Roberts, a towel with closeable pockets at each corner for containing sand is disclosed. The pockets may be lined with a waterproof layer such as plastic to keep the sand dry even if water comes in contact with the blanket.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,540 to Pegram, Combination Beach Towel and Chair Cover shows a beach towel with attached straps in order to function as a chair cover.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,229, to Eberhart, a beach towel with pockets at the corners and a weight in a sealed package for each pocket is disclosed. Each pocket serves as a receptacle for personal effects and valuables by including a closeable opening that simulates a permanent closure.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,880, to Wike, a beach towel with pockets for holding articles is disclosed, the pockets have integral closures and may be lined with waterproof or water-repellent material.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,411, to Wong, a beach blanket with pockets is disclosed. The pockets are designed for holding sand without closures.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,536, to Connors, a beach towel with pockets, which may be filled with sand or other material to weigh down the towel.

In U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,039, to Karovic, a towel securing apparatus comprises a strip of material that is formed into a loop, and has a label attached to the loop.

None of these attempts satisfy the needs or are too difficult or expensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A beach towel retaining system to protect against the effects of wind. A system to keep beach towel in place and not be blown away by the wind, Velcro (hook and loop) strips would be attached to the backside corners of the towel. These strips can be secured together by looping the towel through an opening in a chair, railing, clothes line etc. or hooked together to create a pocket at the end to be slipped over a solid backed chair. Having the female strips approximately twice as long as the male and positioned 2 to 4 inches apart will allow for attachments to items with various diameters. Detachable bean bags using the same strips of Velcro can also be used to keep the towel in place when laid flat on the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Back side of a complete towel (1) having male (hook portion) Velcro strips (2) and female (loop portion) Velcro strips (3) attached at all 4 corners. Velcro strips (1-2) are parallel with the length of the towel (1).

FIG. 2. Cut-away view of the corner of the towel (1) having one male Velcro strip (2) approx. 3 inches long attached in the corner of the towel (1). The female Velcro strip (3) approx 6 inches long positioned approx 3 inches away from the male strip (1). Strips should be as close as possible to the side of the towel and parallel with the towel.

FIG. 3. Side view of the towel (1) showing the male Velcro strip (2) and the female Velcro strip (3) attached creating a pocket (4) used to secure the towel to a solid object (chair, railing etc.).

FIG. 4. Bottom view of one end of the towel (1) showing the Velcro strips (1-2) attached creating the pocket (4) to be used for securing the towel to a solid backed chair.

FIG. 5. Chair representing the various types of surfaces. Solid back (5) and ribbed with slats or ribbons (6).

FIG. 6. The back view of a solid backed chair (5) with the towel (1) attached. The Velcro strips (2-3) attached together to create the pocket (4) allowing the towel (1) to be secured to the chair.

FIG. 7. A cut-away side view of a ribbed chair (6) with the towel (1) attached. The end of the towel containing the male strips (2) could be looped back through the opening and attached to the female Velcro (3) strip.

FIG. 8. The backside of a towel (1) hanging on a railing or vertically ribbed chair (7). The end of the towel (1) with the male Velcro strip (2) would be looped over the horizontal portion of the structure (7) and attached to the female Velcro strips (3) through the horizontal openings in the structure.

FIG. 9. A bean-bag or waited device (8) containing a female Velcro strip (3).

FIG. 10. A towel (1) laying flat on the ground showing the Velcro strips (2-3) on the back side (bottom) of the towel. The bean-bag (8) would be attached to the male Velcro strip (2) underneath the towel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 2. Cut-away view of the corner of the towel (1) shown in FIG. 1. having one male Velcro strip (2) approx. 3 inches long attached in the corner of the towel (1). The female Velcro strip (3) approx 6 inches long positioned approx 3 inches away from the male strip (1). Strips should be as close as possible to the side of the towel and parallel with the towel. It has been contemplated that this could be a single length of material containing the male (hook) towards the end of the towel and female (loop) part towards the middle of the towel to give the attachment system some reinforcement where the towel will receive the most wear and tear.

FIG. 7. A cut-away side view of a ribbed chair (6) with the towel (1) attached. The end of the towel containing the male strips (2) could be looped back through the opening and attached to the female Velcro (3) strip. Having the longer female Velcro strip (3) allows for various sized structures to attach to keeping the maximum amount of towel available on top for use.

FIG. 8. The backside of a towel (1) hanging on a railing or vertically ribbed chair (7). The end of the towel (1) with the male Velcro strip (2) would be looped over the horizontal portion of the structure (7) and attached to the female Velcro strips (3) through the horizontal openings in the structure. This design shows the ease of hanging a towel over a railing to dry. Windy days and wet towels hung over a railing usually result in a wet towel on the ground. This securing method also allows a better display of the frontal design (ie. favorite sports team).

FIG. 10. A towel (1) laying flat on the ground showing the Velcro strips (2-3) on the back side (bottom) of the towel. The bean-bag (8) would be attached to the the male Velcro strip (2) underneath the towel. Instead of placing personal items on the ends of the towel to keep it in place in gusty conditions, this design will allow for full use of the towel surface. When used on sand, the bean-bag attachment would be easily pressed into the ground providing maximum towel surface to be used.

Claims

I. A towel retention system comprising of a towel and a plurality male and female hook-and-loop (Velcro) attachments (approx 6″ long each) placed on the back of the towel, in each corner, parallel with the elongated portion of the towel with the male portion being closer to the corner in a manner that when the folded back on itself the hook-and-loop attachments are connected.

II. Using the male hook-and-loop attachments on the towel discussed in claim #1 and a plurality of unattached weighted (bean-bag) type objects consisting of a female strip of hook-and-loop material, to use as a weighted anchor when laid flat on the ground.

III. The towel retention system mentioned in claim #1 will create a pocket to be slipped over the back of a chair of variable size as opposed to a fixed length button or fixed rope method.

IV. The towel retention system mentioned in claim #1 will create a closed loop around ribbon or railing type fixtures by attaching the hook-and-loop system after wrapping the male end of the attachments around the object prior to attaching to the female end.

V. Using the method in claim #2, the towel will remain in place under moderate wind conditions leaving the entire surface usable as opposed to placing objects on top of the towel in order to anchor in place.