Magnetic Shower Curtain and Method of Mounting Same

Abstract

A magnetic shower curtain comprising a shower curtain rail, a plurality of sliders, and a shower curtain. Each slider of the plurality of sliders has a magnetically attractive slider element. The shower curtain has a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements. The magnetically attractive curtain elements magnetically couple to the magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

Statement Regarding Federally Sponsored Research or Development

Not Applicable.

APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to a magnetic shower curtain, and a method of mounting the same.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure is a magnetic shower curtain comprising a shower curtain rail, a plurality of sliders, and a shower curtain. The shower curtain rail is adapted to be mounted adjacent a shower area. The shower curtain rail and the plurality of sliders are configured such that, during use, each slider of the plurality of sliders is retained on the rail and slidable along the rail. Each slider of the plurality of sliders has a magnetically attractive slider element. The shower curtain has an upper edge margin, and the upper edge margin of the shower curtain has a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements. Each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is adapted to magnetically couple to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail via the plurality of sliders and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements.

Another aspect of the disclosure is a method of mounting a magnetic shower curtain system. The method comprises retaining a plurality of sliders on a shower curtain rail and connecting a shower curtain. The plurality of sliders have a plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements, and the shower curtain has a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements. One of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail via the sliders and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements.

Further features and advantages, as well as the operation, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a magnetic shower curtain system.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmented view of the magnetic shower curtain system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the magnetic shower curtain system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmented rear perspective view of the magnetic shower curtain system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the magnetic shower curtain system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a section view of a shower curtain rail of the magnetic shower curtain system taken along the plane of line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmented view of a slider for a magnetic shower curtain system.

FIG. 8 is a section view of a slider for a magnetic shower curtain system taken along the plane of line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmented view of a shower curtain rail for a magnetic shower curtain system.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a magnetic shower curtain system.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a magnetic shower curtain system.

FIG. 12 is a section view of the magnetic shower curtain system taken along the plane of line 12-12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmented view of a slider, a magnetically attractive slider element, and a magnetically attractive curtain element.

Reference numerals in the written specification and in the figures indicate corresponding items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a magnetic shower curtain, generally indicated by the reference number 20, is shown in FIGS. 1-5. The magnetic shower curtain 20 comprises a shower curtain rail 22, a plurality of sliders 24, and a shower curtain 26.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6 and 9, the shower curtain rail 22 is adapted to be mounted adjacent a shower area (not shown). For example, the shower curtain rail 22 may be mounted to one or more walls and/or to a ceiling adjacent the shower area. The shower curtain rail 22 may comprise an extruded material such as a non-magnetically attractive metal or a plastic material.

The shower curtain rail 22 may further comprise a channel 28. The channel 28 extends along the shower curtain rail 22, and each slider of the plurality of sliders 24 may be shaped such that at least a portion of each slider of the plurality of sliders 24 is captured by the shower curtain rail 22 and slides within the channel 28.

The channel 28 may comprise an interior void 30 having a cross-sectional shape A_v. For example, the cross-sectional shape A_v of the interior void 30 may be generally arrow shaped (as shown in FIG. 6), T-shaped, or semicircular. In such embodiments, each of the plurality of sliders 24 has at least a portion with a cross-sectional shape A_s (as shown in FIG. 8) similar to, but smaller than, the cross-sectional shape A_v of the interior void 30.

Alternatively, the shower curtain rail 22 may comprise a protrusion extending along the shower curtain rail 22, and each slider of the plurality of sliders 24 may be shaped such that at least a portion of each slider of the plurality of sliders 24 has a corresponding channel that allows each of the plurality of sliders 24 to ride along the protrusion of the shower curtain rail 22.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7-8, each of the plurality of sliders 24 has a magnetically attractive slider element 32. Each magnetically attractive slider element 32 may comprise a magnet or a magnetically attractive metal or alloy (e.g., iron, nickel, steel, etc.).

The shower curtain 26 has an upper edge margin 34. The upper edge margin 34 comprises plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements 36. Each magnetically attractive curtain element 36 may comprise a magnet or a magnetically attractive metal or alloy (e.g., iron, nickel, steel, etc.). The plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements 36 may be sewn into, or adhesively bonded to, the upper edge margin 34 of the shower curtain 26. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper edge margin 34 of the shower curtain 26 may comprise a plurality of sealed pockets 38, and each pocket of the plurality of sealed pockets 38 may contain a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements 36.

Each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements 36 is adapted to magnetically couple to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements 32 in a manner that enables the shower curtain 26 to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail via the plurality of sliders and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements. In other words, in use, the magnetically attractive curtain elements 36 are magnetically attracted to the corresponding magnetically attractive slider elements 32 with a sufficient force to support the shower curtain 26 on the rail 22.

Also provided herein is a method for mounting the magnetic shower curtain 20. The magnetic shower curtain 20 may be mounted by the method comprising the steps of: retaining the plurality of sliders 24 on the shower curtain rail 22 and connecting the shower curtain 26 to the shower curtain rail 22. The latter step may be accomplished by connecting each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements 36 to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements 32 in a manner that enables the shower curtain 26 to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail 22 via the plurality of sliders 24 and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements 32 and 36.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5 and 7-8, each of the plurality of sliders is 24 is of one piece unitary construction, i.e., each of the plurality of sliders 24 is of unitary construction with a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements 32. But, as shown in the alternative embodiment of FIG. 10, each of the plurality of sliders 24 and each of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements 32 may be separate components that are joined together by bolts, adhesive bonding, welding, or other methods of joining components known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

As shown in FIGS. 11-13, each of the magnetically attractive slider elements 32 may have a depression 40 and each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements 36 may have a protrusion 42 (best shown in FIG. 12). Each of the protrusions 42 is adapted to nest in a corresponding one of the depressions 40 of the magnetically attractive slider elements 32 when the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements 36 are magnetically coupled to the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements 32. This arrangement helps maintain the alignment of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements 32 with the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements 36 when they are magnetically coupled, and thereby maintains the alignment of the shower curtain 26 with the shower curtain rail 22 when the magnetic shower curtain system 20 is in use. It should be understood that the depressions 40 and protrusions 42 may have a variety of shapes so long as the protrusions 42 are adapted and configured to extend into the depressions 40. For example, the depressions 40 and protrusions 42 may be circular, oval, square, hexagonal, octagonal, star-shaped, or other polygonal shapes.

Accordingly, the method provided for herein may further involve the protrusions 42 of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements nesting in the depressions 40 of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements when the pluralities of magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements are magnetically coupled.

In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the invention has several advantages over the prior art.

It should also be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations.

As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A magnetic shower curtain system comprising:

a shower curtain rail adapted to be mounted adjacent a shower area;

a plurality of sliders, the shower curtain rail and the plurality of sliders being configured such that, during use, each slider of the plurality of sliders is retained on the rail and slidable along the rail, each slider of the plurality of sliders having a magnetically attractive slider element;

a shower curtain having an upper edge margin, the upper edge margin of the shower curtain having a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements;

each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements being adapted to magnetically couple to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail via the plurality of sliders and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements.

2. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein the shower curtain rail includes a channel extending along the shower curtain rail, and wherein each slider of the plurality of sliders is shaped such that at least a portion of such slider is captured by the rail.

3. The shower curtain system of claim 2 wherein the channel comprises an interior void having a cross-sectional shape, and wherein each slider has at least a portion with a cross-sectional shape similar to but smaller than the cross-sectional shape of the interior void.

4. The magnetic shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is sewn into the upper edge margin of the shower curtain.

5. The magnetic shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the magnetically attractive curtain elements is adhesively bonded to the upper edge margin of the shower curtain.

6. The magnetic shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein the upper edge margin of the shower curtain comprises a plurality of sealed pockets, and wherein each pocket of the plurality of sealed pockets contains a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements.

7. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnet.

8. The shower curtain system of claim 7 wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet.

9. The shower curtain system of claim 7 wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnetically attractive metal.

10. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnetically attractive metal and at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet.

11. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein each magnetically attractive slider element of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnetically attractive metal and each magnetically attractive curtain element of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet.

12. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein each magnetically attractive slider element of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnet and each magnetically attractive curtain element of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnetically attractive metal.

13. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein each magnetically attractive slider element of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnet and each magnetically attractive curtain element of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet.

14. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein the shower curtain rail comprises an extruded material.

15. The shower curtain system of claim 14 wherein the extruded material comprises a non-magnetically attractive metal.

16. The shower curtain system of claim 14 wherein the extruded material comprises a plastic material.

17. The shower curtain system of claim 1 wherein each magnetically attractive slider element has a depression, each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements has a protrusion, each protrusion of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements being adapted to nest in a corresponding one of the depressions of the magnetically attractive slider elements when the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements are magnetically coupled to the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements.

18. A method of mounting a magnetic shower curtain system, the method comprising:

retaining a plurality of sliders having a plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements on a shower curtain rail; and

connecting a shower curtain having a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements to the plurality of sliders by magnetically coupling each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail via the plurality of sliders and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements has a protrusion and each of the magnetically attractive slider elements has a depression, and wherein each protrusion of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements nests in a corresponding depression of one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements when the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements are magnetically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements.