Spa Clip for Towels

Abstract

A clip element secures a towel or other cloth-like item around a person's body. The clip secures a cloth item that is wrapped around a user's body where one end of the cloth is flat against the wearer's skin and the other end of the cloth has been gathered and tucked behind the flat cloth and preventing separation of overlapping and tucked portions of the cloth item. Unlike previous clips where the clip exerts the pressure, the bulk from the cloth and the barrier that is the wearers torso, creates the leverage to hold the towel in place. The flexible bridge allows a user to pull out on the bottom front portion of the clip while catching the back portion of the clip behind the cloth on the wearer's torso to “thread” the cloth up to the top of the clip. Once the cloth knot (created from gathering one end of the towel and tucking it behind the flat part of the towel against the wearer's skin) is at the top rounded portion of the internal clip the cloth is being held by the pressure that is created by the clips fullness.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This formal utility patent application is related to provisional patent application No. 61/927,007. The contents of both applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a device to secure a towel or other cloth garment around a person's body. In particular, this invention relates to a unique clip device used to secure the towel or other cloth garment around the person's body usually after that person has showered. This invention could also be used when persons have been swimming or in the water would like to secure a towel or other cloth item around their body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In our society, numerous types of clip devices assist people and perform various functions. One definition of a clip is a device that grips and holds tightly. A second definition for a clip is a metal or plastic clasp for holding together items such as papers or letters. A third definition is a device, usually of metal, for fastening together two or more things or parts of the same thing. Many people also use clips to close openings in articles such as bags. There are many types of clips and just as many if not more uses for these clips.

Bathers and swimmers oftentimes prefer to wrap themselves in a beach or bath towel for periods after swimming or bathing. While wrapped in the towel, they participate in activities which have a tendency to loosen the towel resulting in slipping and/or separation. A conventional practice is to wrap the free ends of the towel in an overlapping fashion. Sometimes these ends may be tied together. However, these beach type towels are generally larger than regular towels and the extra towel weight from absorbed moisture tends to loosen the connection such that the towel must be retightened from time to time. In addition, normal activities create horizontal separation forces on the folded towel also requiring retightening of the towel. At the present time there are not commercially available clips for maintaining beach and bath towels securely about the wearer.

Many approaches have been taken for freely hanging smaller towels of differing shapes and sizes from various articles such as chairs, cabinets, golf bags and a variety of outdoor sporting and recreational equipment. In such applications, the clips are useful for holding the towel for their intended cleaning purposes. Generally, the towel clip need only support the towel weight during storage in as much as the towel is released from the clip for utilitarian use. Where greater security of a towel position is desired, eyelets and other permanent fasteners have been used thereby requiring a dedicated clip and towel assembly.

Some developments in clip designs include U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,581 which describes a clamp device for attaching an article and an adjacently positioned object in a predetermined orientation with respect to each other. A clamp, which includes a first and a second portion, is releasably maintained in a substantially closed orientation by a biased member. The clamp is pivotally mounted about a securement member. The securement member includes two substantially parallel positioned prongs which are insertable into the adjacently positioned object. The prongs each have an insertion tip, for initial insertion into the object, and an angled section located near the back end of the clamp. Extending at one angle between each prong and a region of the securement member about which the clamp is pivotally mounted is an extension section.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,415 describes a body towel clip for releasably preventing separation of overlapping portions of a towel wrapped around the torso of a user, includes a pair of pivotally interconnected clamp members having barbed jaw portions interengaging in a clamped position to securely fasten overlapping towel end, the jaw portions including interengaging barbs which resist gravitational separation and activity separation of the towel ends and distribute reactive forces along the jaw to prevent damage to the pivotal connection.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,963,010 describes a molded, semi ridged device for the purpose of securing a length of fabric or towel wrapped around the body of a person. This clip has a straight flat base connected to a face by a top section. This towel/fabric clip has raise rails running vertically under the face, and raised rails running vertically under the base of the device to insure horizontal and vertical pressure on the towel/fabric.

Many of the current towel clips do not adequately address the particular obstacles encountered when securing towels such as beach or bath towels in place on a user after bathing or swimming. As mentioned, towels for these types of activities can be generally larger and heavier and therefore can create size and weight problems which are exacerbated when the towels are wet. In addition, typical body movements by the person wearing a towel can cause towel edges to separate. As a result, current clips and assemblies are not well designed to prevent separation of the wrapped towel during normal movements. Therefore, there remains a need for a towel clip device that can be used secure in place overlapping towel edges in wrapped configurations on the body of the user and can resist separation of the towel from the clip due to the towel weight and wearer body motion. Moreover, such a towel clip should be able to accommodate towel sizes, designs, and fabrics selected by the wearer, present a clip design and configuration artistically harmonious with the setting, and resist degradation over long periods of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a clip element used to secure a towel or other cloth-like item to or around a person's body. The cloth item having two edges is usually wrapped around the person's body such that the edges overlap. The clip element of the present is positioned to surround both edges of the cloth item and clamp them such that the edges do not come apart the cloth item fall when the person releases them. The clip element of the present invention holds the cloth edges in place and maintains the same tension created by the person when they initially wrapped the cloth item around their body.

The clip element of the present invention comprises two opposing inner surfaces have jagged edges to engage and secure the cloth item in the clip. The flexible bridge element connects the two sides of the clip. The flexible bridge allows a user to pull out on the bottom front portion of the clip while catching the back portion of the clip behind the cloth on the wearer's torso to “thread” the cloth up to the top of the clip. Once the cloth knot (created from gathering one end of the towel and tucking it behind the flat part of the towel against the wearer's skin) is at the top rounded portion of the internal clip the cloth is being held by the pressure that is created by the clips fullness.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a general design for the cloth garment clip of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the towel clip of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the towel clip of the present invention in a closed position after receiving a cloth garment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the towel clip of the present invention in an open position for receiving a cloth garment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the towel clip of the present invention engaging and securing a cloth garment object.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention showing various internal ridge configurations for securing a cloth garment object.

FIG. 7 is a front-side view of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view of a wearer of a wrapped towel using a clip device of the present invention to secure the cloth garment around the wearer's waist.

FIG. 9 is a view of a woman wearer of a wrapped cloth using a clip device of the present invention to secure the cloth garment around the wearer's torso.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a clip device which has a primary application of clipping together and securing at least two edges of a cloth garment (usually a towel article) that is wrapped around a user's body. Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention that can comprise a generally U-shape with outer sides 102 (back side) and 104 (front side) and a bridge section 106 (top side) connecting sides 102 and 104. The bridge member can be designed from a bendable and flexible material and can be designed such that this bridge member exerts pressure on both outer sides of the clip to force these outer sides towards each other. In an alternate embodiment, this bridge member can contain a spring element that produces the pressure which forces both outer sides of the clip to force these outer sides towards each other.

Both sides 102 and 104 can have generally smooth external surfaces. These external surfaces can also have a generally linear shape. The inner surfaces 108 and 110 of sides 102 and 104 can have jagged edges. These jagged edges comprise projected points 112 and recesses 114. The projected points can extend along a substantial portion of the inner surface of each side. The projection points and recesses on each inner surface can be designed such that a projection of one surface fits into a recess of the other inner surface similar to puzzle pieces. The bottom edges 116 and 118 of both sides 102 and 104 are also offset to facilitate securing of a towel object. When a towel is inserted into the clip device of the present invention, these projected points 112 engage towel edges. The jagged inner surfaces of the present invention provide a more secure grasp of the towel than clips with smooth inner surfaces. Clips with smooth internal surfaces rely primarily on force exerted on these surfaces to hold the towel in place. Also shown between the inner surfaces is an opening 120. This opening increases closer to the bridge section 106.

FIG. 2 shows an alternate embodiment of the towel clip of the present invention. In this design, the inner surfaces can have teeth elements 222 and 224 along with the jagged projection points. Similar to FIG. 1, the teeth 222 and 224 along with the jagged edges facilitate better security of the towel in the clip. Also shown is a hole 142 in side 102. The user can feed a scarf through this hole so that the cloth garment the user wraps herself or himself in can be made into a “halter” or “sarong” at a beach or pool setting.

This embodiment of the present invention describes a one-piece design for the towel clip device. In addition to this design, there can other designs having multiple pieces and having moving parts as well. In the present design, this clip generates the force that is applied to bring the two sides 102 and 104 together and secure an object between the sides. The clip is designed so that the two sides are normally positioned close to each other. As shown in FIG. 3, this normal position is a closed position. Top edges 316 and 318 from the two sides 102 and 104 are positioned such that the gap 326 between is small (but not too small).

In the present invention, the two sides 102 and 104 and the bridge 106 form a design such that an adequate opening for insertion of the towel article has to be created by forcing the two sides apart. To accomplish this, the sides can be angled in relation to the bridge. The angle of the side and the rigidity or flexibility of the bridge can influence the amount of force that can be applied to an article. In addition, the size of the clip impacts the size range of towels that the clip can hold.

FIG. 4 shows the towel clip of the present invention in an open position. In this position, the two sides 402 and 404 are forced apart of create the wide opening 426 through which the towel edges are inserted.

FIG. 5 shows the towel clip of the present invention engaging and securing a towel article 530. As previously mentioned, to engage the towel, the user has to force apart the sides 502 and 504. The forcing apart the two sides creates the opening 526. As the sides come together in the closed position, the inner edges engage the towel 530. As the clip engages the towel, the projected points 512, the recesses 516 and the teeth 522 engage the towel. Because the inner surfaces are uneven, gaps 534 also appear. These gaps, teeth, recesses and projected points all enhance the gripping capability of the clip device of the present invention. The objective of the present invention is to provide a means to secure the towel without damaging the towel. Therefore, the projection points and teeth can have generally smooth edges to avoid tearing the towel article.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the towel clip device of the present invention. Filler elements 536 and 540 fill the recesses between projection points on the inner side of a clip member. A plurality of teeth 538 forms the outer edge of the filler elements. As previously mentioned, the user can feed a scarf through the hole 542 so that the cloth garment the user can wrap herself or himself in it and cloth garment can be made into a “halter” or “sarong” when the wearer is at a pool or on the beach. This embodiment provides additional teeth in place of some of the projected points and recesses. One objective again of the clip is to secure the towel object without damaging the towel object.

FIG. 7 is a front-side view of the present invention. As shown, the bottom side of the clip 116 can have a broader base than the top side 118.

FIG. 8 shows an implementation of the present invention. As shown, a towel 850 is wrapped around the waist of the person such that the towel edges 856 double. The clip of the present invention 802 clips the towel edges 856 and secures the towel to the person.

FIG. 9 shows a cloth garment 9850 wrapped around a woman's torso and secured using the garment clip 902 of the present invention. As shown, the clip 902 attaches to the top edges 956 of the cloth garment.

The cloth garment clip of the present invention can be comprised of various materials including plastic, rubber and metal. Again, a main feature of the invention is the design of the inner surfaces that engages and secures the towel around the person. The design of the inner surfaces has to be such that the clip adequately engages and secures the towel without damaging the towel.

This invention provides significant advantages over the current art. The invention has been described in connection with its preferred embodiments. However, it is not limited thereto. Changes, variations and modifications to the basic design may be made without departing from the inventive concepts in this invention. In addition, these changes, variations and modifications would be obvious to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the foregoing teachings. All such changes, variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A clip for securing a cloth item that is wrapped around a user's body where one end of the cloth is flat against the wearer's skin and the other end of the cloth has been gathered and tucked behind the flat cloth and preventing separation of overlapping and tucked portions of the cloth item, comprising:

a first clip member generally linear having an outer side generally smooth with an upper edge and a lower edge and an inner side surface formed into a jagged shape, said inner side surface having multiple projection points and recesses that form the jagged shape;

a second clip member having an outer side generally smooth with an upper edge and a lower edge and an inner side formed into a jagged shape, said inner side surface having multiple projection points and recesses that form the jagged shape, the projection points and recesses of the inner side surface of said second member being designed such that a project point of the side of said second member fits into a recess in the inner side surface of said first member; and

a bendable bridge member connects said first and second clip members at the upper edges of said first and second clip members to form a generally U-shaped clip with an opening between said first and second clip members for engaging and securing cloth type items.

2. The clip as described in claim 1 wherein the lower edge of said first clip member and the lower edge of said second clip member are extended such that a channel is formed between these lower edges of said first and second clip members.

3. The clip as described in claim 2 wherein said bridge member is bendable to allow leverage of said first and second clip members to expand the channel such that distance between the lower edges of said first and second clip members is increased to encircle a cloth item.

4. The clip as described in claim 3 wherein said bridge member is biased such that releasing both said first clip member and said second clip member exerts force to said first and second clip toward each other to secure a clothing item between them.

5. The clip as described in claim 1 wherein the projection points and recesses in the inner side surfaces of said first and second clip members form sections on the inner side surface of a clip member between a projection point and an adjacent recess.

6. The clip as described in claim 5 further comprising between projection points on the inner side surface of a first clip member or a second clip member a filler element that fills the recess between adjacent projection points, said filler element having an upper edges that extends upward but does not extend to the level of the projection points.

7. The clip as described in claim 6 wherein each recess between projection points on the inner side surface of a first or second clip member contains a filler element.

8. The clip as described in claim 6 wherein the upper edges of the filler elements comprises a plurality of teeth to further engage and secure a cloth garment in the clip.

9. The clip as described in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of teeth the form the inner side surface of a first clip member and the second clip member.

10. A body cloth clip for securing a cloth item wrapped around a user's body in a wearing position and preventing separation of overlapping and tucked portions of the cloth item, comprising:

a first clip member generally linear having an outer side generally smooth with an upper edge and a lower edge and an inner side surface formed into a jagged shape, said inner side surface having multiple projection points and recesses that form the jagged shape;

a second clip member having an outer side generally smooth with an upper edge and a lower edge and an inner side surface formed into a jagged shape, said inner side surface having multiple projection points and recesses that form the jagged shape, the projection points and recesses of the inner side surface of said second member being designed such that a project point of the side of said second member fits into a recess in the inner side surface of said first member; and

a spring bridge member for connecting said first and second clip members at the upper edges of said first and second clip members to form a generally upside down U-shaped clip with an opening between said first and second clip members for engaging and securing cloth type items.

11. The body cloth clip as described in claim 10 wherein said spring bridge member is biased to apply pressure to force both first and second clip member toward each other.

12. The body cloth clip as described in claim 10 wherein the projection points and recesses in the inner side surfaces of said first and second clip members form sections on the inner side surface of a clip member between a projection point and an adjacent recess.

13. The body cloth clip as described in claim 12 further comprising between projection points on the inner side surface of a first clip member or a second clip member a filler element that fills the recess between adjacent projection points, said filler element having an upper edges that extends upward but does not extend to the level of the projection points.

14. The body cloth clip as described in claim 12 wherein each recess between projection points on the inner side surface of a first or second clip member contains a filler element.

15. The body cloth clip as described in claim 12 wherein the upper edges of the filler elements comprises a plurality of teeth to further engage and secure a cloth garment in the clip.

16. The body cloth clip as described in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of teeth the form the inner side surface of a first or second clip member.