Quick Change Privacy Curtain with Zipper Interface
A curtain includes an upper curtain panel fabricated from a first material, a lower curtain panel fabricated from a second material having at least one of disposable, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, fire-retardant, sound-dampening, fluid-impermeable, fluid-permeable, and decorative properties, and a zipper interface configured for attaching the lower curtain panel to the upper curtain panel so that the lower curtain panel can be quickly attached to and removed from the upper curtain panel while the curtain is hung vertically.
The present disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/050,316 filed on Jul. 10, 2020, incorporated herein by reference.
FIELDThe present disclosure relates to privacy, cubicle, and shower curtains, and in particular, to a quick-change curtain with a zipper interface between two curtain panels.
BACKGROUNDPrivacy or cubicle curtains are often used in a hospital setting to create private patient holding, treatment, and convalescent areas. These curtains are typically hung, using curtain carriers or hooks, from a metal track system installed on or near the ceiling. To replace these curtains a ladder is often required in order to reach the top of the curtain to disengage the curtain carriers or hooks. Because a typical hospital area cubicle requires a significant number of carriers or hooks to hang the curtains, the process to remove and replace the curtain is tedious and time-consuming.
The upper and lower curtain panels 102 and 104 are joined together by a zipper interface 106, where a first tape 202 (
As shown in
The upper and lower curtain panels 102 and 104 may be made from the same material or from different materials depending on the desired functionality of the curtain. Further, the upper and lower curtain panels may include one or more layers of the same or different fabrics. For example, the upper curtain panel 102 may use a mesh fabric that allows light to pass through and permit air circulation. Alternatively, the upper curtain panel 102 may be impermeable to fluids but is transparent to prevent air circulation but still allow light to pass. The lower curtain panel 104 may incorporate materials that are designed to serve a particular function. For example, the lower curtain panel 104 may be constructed of more than one layer of fabric that provide sound-dampening properties. In one embodiment, the lower curtain panel 104 may include an acoustical fabric liner sewn or attached to an outer decorative panel. Alternatively, an acoustical fabric that is sandwiched between two layers of outer shell fabric or “interlined.” As another example, the lower curtain panel may be constructed of a non-woven polypropylene fabric with fire retardant and/or anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties, which may be used as a cost-effective disposable curtain panel that can be used in applications where soiling or contamination can occur easily or to prevent spread of contagious diseases. The L1 and L2 dimensions of the upper and lower curtain panels may be adjusted to enhance the functionality of the curtain. For example, the L1 dimension of the mesh upper panel 102 may be decreased and the L2 dimension of a sound-dampening lower panel 104 may be increased to further enhance the acoustic properties of the privacy curtain.
In an alternate embodiment, the upper curtain panel may also be constructed of a material that is transparent or opaque to allow light penetration but functions to limit movement of potentially airborne contaminants. It should be noted that the upper and lower curtain panels may be constructed of any suitable material to achieve a variety of goals, including air flow, light-transmissive, permeable, impermeable, anti-microbial, sound-dampening, and aesthetics properties.
In another alternate embodiment shown in
The track and carrier system 108 is preferably fabricated from anodized aluminum or baked enamel that incorporates self-lubricating medical grade nylon wheels or carriers with a stainless-steel wheel axle. The tracks are fabricated in segments that can be connected and assembled to be tailor-made for any length that can be used to corral a space of any size.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. However, modifications, variations, and changes to the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the quick-change privacy curtain with a zipper interface described herein thus encompasses such modifications, variations, and changes and are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.
Claims
1. A privacy curtain configured for hanging from an elongated track attached to a ceiling, comprising:
- an upper curtain panel coupled to a plurality of carriers along one edge that enable the upper curtain panel to travel along the track, the upper curtain panel fabricated from a first material;
- a first lower curtain panel fabricated from a second material having at least one of disposable, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, fire-retardant, sound-dampening, fluid-impermeable, fluid-permeable, and decorative properties; and
- a first zipper interface configured for attaching the first lower curtain panel to the upper curtain panel so that the first lower curtain panel can be quickly attached to and removed from the upper curtain panel.
2. The privacy curtain of claim 1, further comprising a baton attached to at least one end of the upper curtain panel.
3. The privacy curtain of claim 1, wherein the upper curtain panel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a mesh material, a light-transmissible material, a fluid-impermeable material, a fluid-permeable material, a fire-retardant material, a sound-dampening material, an anti-bacterial material, and an anti-microbial material.
3. The privacy curtain of claim 1, wherein the lower curtain panel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a non-woven material and a polypropylene material.
4. The privacy curtain of claim 1, wherein the lower curtain panel comprises a plurality of layers including at least one non-woven disposable material.
5. The privacy curtain of claim 1, wherein the lower curtain panel comprises a plurality of layers including at least one sound-dampening material.
6. The privacy curtain of claim 1, further comprising a second zipper interface for attaching a second lower curtain panel to the upper curtain panel that can be separately removed and replaced independent of the first lower curtain panel.
7. The privacy curtain of claim 6, wherein the second lower curtain panel comprises a second material having at least one of disposable, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, fire-retardant, sound-dampening, fluid-impermeable, fluid-permeable, and decorative properties.
8. A curtain, comprising:
- an upper curtain panel fabricated from a first material;
- a lower curtain panel fabricated from a second material having at least one of disposable, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, fire-retardant, sound-dampening, fluid-impermeable, fluid-permeable, and decorative properties; and
- a zipper interface configured for attaching the lower curtain panel to the upper curtain panel so that the lower curtain panel can be quickly attached to and removed from the upper curtain panel while the curtain is hung vertically.
9. The curtain of claim 8, wherein the upper curtain panel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a mesh material, a light-transmissible material, a fluid-impermeable material, a fluid-permeable material, a fire-retardant material, a sound-dampening material, an anti-bacterial material, and an anti-microbial material.
10. The curtain of claim 8, wherein the lower curtain panel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a non-woven disposable material and a polypropylene material.
11. The curtain of claim 8, wherein the lower curtain panel comprises a plurality of layers fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a non-woven disposable material, a polypropylene material, and a sound-dampening material.
12. The curtain of claim 8, further comprising a second zipper interface for attaching a second lower curtain panel to the upper curtain panel that can be separately removed and replaced independent of the lower curtain panel.
13. The curtain of claim 12, wherein the second lower curtain panel comprises a second material having at least one of disposable, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, fire-retardant, sound-dampening, fluid-impermeable, fluid-permeable, and decorative properties.
14. The curtain of claim 12, wherein the lower curtain panel is fabricated of a material that is dissimilar from the second material of the second lower curtain panel.
15. The curtain of claim 8, wherein the first material of the upper curtain panel is dissimilar from the second material of the lower curtain panel.
16. The curtain of claim 8, wherein the first material of the upper curtain panel is similar to the second material of the lower curtain panel.
17. A curtain configured for separating a space into two areas, comprising:
- a first curtain panel fabricated from a first material;
- a second curtain panel fabricated from a second material having at least one of disposable, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, fire-retardant, sound-dampening, fluid-impermeable, fluid-permeable, and decorative properties; and
- a zipper interface configured for attaching the second curtain panel to the first curtain panel so that the second curtain panel can be quickly attached to and removed from the first curtain panel while the curtain is hung vertically.
18. The curtain of claim 17, wherein the first curtain panel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a mesh material, a light-transmissible material, a fluid-impermeable material, a fluid-permeable material, a fire-retardant material, a sound-dampening material, an anti-bacterial material, and an anti-microbial material, the second curtain panel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a non-woven disposable material and a polypropylene material.
19. The curtain of claim 17, wherein the first curtain panel forms an upper panel of the curtain and the second curtain panel forms a lower panel of the curtain.
20. The curtain of claim 17, wherein the second curtain panel comprises a plurality of layers fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a non-woven disposable material, a polypropylene material, and a sound-dampening material.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 8, 2021
Publication Date: Jan 13, 2022
Inventor: Martin Stern (Frisco, TX)
Application Number: 17/370,121