Abstract:
The present invention relates to personal grooming drapes, and more particularly to a personal grooming drape that includes an enclosure capable of being secured to a wall surface behind a sink or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the personal grooming drape includes a retractable drape assembly that can be pulled over a counter top, sink basin, or the like to catch, maintain, and dispose of loose fallen hair as the person leans over the drape while grooming facial hair, head hair, or other body hair. After use, the drape is retractable and self-cleaning, and may be supplied with a waste bin that is removable from the enclosure for ease of disposing of the cut hair pieces.

Description:
PRIORITY claim 
       [0001]    In accordance with 37 C.F.R. 1.76, a claim of priority is included in an Application Data Sheet filed concurrently herewith. Accordingly, the present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/310,423, entitled “PERSONAL GROOMING DRAPE”, filed Mar. 18, 2016. The contents of which the above referenced application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to devices for personal hygiene and, more specifically, to a spooled retractable grooming drape for catching hair. The device is adapted to be positioned in front of a person to cover a counter top, sink, basin or the like to catch, maintain, and dispose of loose falling hair as the person leans over the drape while grooming facial hair, head hair or other body hair. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Personal hygiene, such as beard trimming, electric shaving, hair g and styling, and other body hair grooving and removal methods generate loose and falling hair. Fallen hair often creates undesirable conditions (e.g., unclean, unsanitary, difficult to clean) wherever these grooming activities occur, particularly on, around and within, for example, countertops, sink basins, or the like. Many men prefer to wear mustaches or beards, and well-groomed men keep their facial hair trimmed and neat in appearance. Self-grooming is generally accomplished using scissors, electric razors or trimmers and a mirror. Since mirrors are widely available in bathrooms, typically mounted above a sink basin, men often use these bathroom mirrors to trim their mustaches or beards and use the sink basin to catch the trimmings. These trimmings cause untidy conditions in and around the sink and/or contribute to clogged drains. 
         [0004]    Numerous devices have been invented for the purpose of trapping falling pieces of hair. Unfortunately, these devices are generally bulky, uncomfortable to use, and difficult or inconvenient to store. Some devices are disposable, intended for a single or minimal number of uses, whereby the device is disposed of after use, while others are re-usable. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,124 discloses a disposable device designed to be worn by a person to catch trimmings falling from that person during a hair cut. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,892,909, 4,689,830 and 6,401,246 disclose functionally similar but non-disposable type devices. These prior art devices generally include a neck band that encircles the entire neck and a cape assembly that is large and bulky connected to the neck band. These devices are worn about the neck of the person being groomed, and cover a large part of the person wearing the device. Thus, these devices are often hot and uncomfortable, and due to a lack of arm holes or sleeves, restrict the person&#39;s ability to groom him or herself. When self-grooming, these devices often fail in accomplishing the goal of collecting the falling hair when the person leans over to approach a mirror and causes the drape to swing, dropping any collected hair and causing the drape to miss the falling hair. Thus, these prior art devices are better suited to situations where the person is being groomed by someone else. 
         [0005]    Personal grooming devices have also been proposed for covering or protecting a sink basin, as opposed to being worn on the person. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,942 is directed to a disposable device which covers a sink to keep liquid and debris off the sink and out of the drain. U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,851 describes a similar disposable device aimed at protecting the user from unsanitary conditions on the sink surfaces. Finally, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0201840 discloses a disposable “sink cape” aimed at “dry use” and catching hair trimmings from beard trimming or shaving with an electric razor. Notably, each of these disclosures teach openings in the cover for penetration by the sink&#39;s faucet handles and/or faucet, and thus allow debris to land on the penetrating fixtures and to fall through the openings provided. Additionally, they are all disposable devices that would require the user to continuously replace the device after each use. 
         [0006]    Thus, while the prior art devices have attempted to address the problem of catching falling hair during personal grooming, they have not met the needs of consumers who desire a product that can be mounted within a bathroom of a home, hotel or the like as a permanent aesthetically appealing fixture. Paramount among such needs is a grooming drape that is self-contained and re-usable. The device should completely protect the area in front of a person during hair grooming, such as for example, the countertop, sink basin, or the like; and upon completion of self-grooming, facilitate easy collection and removal of the fallen hair. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention relates to personal grooming drapes and, more particularly, to a personal grooming drape that includes an enclosure capable of being secured to a wall surface behind a sink or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the personal grooming drape includes a retractable drape assembly that can be pulled over a counter top, sink basin, or the like to catch, maintain, and dispose of loose fallen hair as the person leans over the drape while grooming facial hair, head hair, or other body hair. After use, the drape is retractable and self-cleaning, and may be supplied with a drawer that is removable from the enclosure for ease of disposing of the cut hair pieces. The retractable grooming drape apparatus generally includes an enclosure and a retractable drape assembly. The enclosure includes a rear wall constructed for securement to a wall surface, a pair of sidewalk, top and bottom walls, and a pivotable front wall. A spooled retractable drape is positioned within the enclosure, having a front edge of the drape secured to a handle assembly and the back edge of the drape fixed to the spool. The drape is, thus, capable of being extended from and retracted into he enclosure. A spring loaded winding mechanism, or other suitable winding mechanism, is positioned within the spool to allow easy deployment and retraction. Thus, the front wall is positioned in a closed position to form a portion of the enclosure. The handle member, attached to the drape and a support assembly for the drape, is pulled away from the enclosure to extend the drape over the top of a countertop, sink, basin, or the like to collect fatten hair during a grooming process. Upon completion of the grooming process, the drape is retractable onto the spool by pushing inward on the handle, simultaneously disposing of the collected hair into the enclosure bottom wall defined as a waste bin. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a personal. grooming drape apparatus for collecting hair from grooming which facilitates in easy collection and disposal of the fallen hair, 
         [0009]    It is another objective of the present invention to provide a personal grooming drape that is lightweight, easily assembled, and inexpensive to manufacture. 
         [0010]    Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a personal grooming drape that can be easily mounted within a new or pre-existing bathroom or make-up area. 
         [0011]    Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a personal grooming drape that provides a self-cleaning operation. 
         [0012]    Still yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a personal grooming drape that is constructed to extend over the top of a typical sink and faucet construction to prevent drain clogging. 
         [0013]    An even further objective of the present invention is to provide a personal grooming drape which utilizes a spooled retractable drape assembly for easy deployment and retraction of the drape for compact storage of the device. 
         [0014]    Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGS. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an isometric front view of the retractable grooming drape apparatus of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is an isometric back view of the retractable grooming drape apparatus; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is an isometric front view of the retractable grooming drape apparatus illustrating the front wall in an open position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is an isometric front view of the retractable grooming drape apparatus illustrating the front wall opened and the drape in a partially open position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a partial isometric front view, having the drape omitted for clarity, illustrating the drape support linkage assembly; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a partial right side isometric view, having the top wall omitted, illustrating the drape support linkage assembly in a fully extended position, also illustrated is the drape roll; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is an isometric front view of one embodiment of the retractable grooming drape apparatus illustrating the drape in an extended position and a hair rake pulled inwardly; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a front isometric view of the retractable grooming drape apparatus having the bottom wall or waste bin removed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    While the present invention is susceptible of embodiments in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred, albeit not limiting, embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. 
         [0024]    Referring now to the  FIGS. 1-8 , a grooving drape apparatus  1  for catching hair clippings is illustrated. The grooming drape  1  includes a retractable drape  50  that is extendable to be positioned in front of a person to cover a sink basin, countertop, surface, or the like to catch, maintain, and dispose of hair clippings as the user leans over the drape  50  while grooming facial hair, head hair, or other body hair. Once the person is finished grooming, the drape  50  is retracted into the closure where the drape is automatically cleaned and stored for the next use while the hair clippings are deposited into a portion of the bottom wall  14 , described herein as a waste bin  15 . In one embodiment, the grooming drape apparatus  1  includes an enclosure  10  that is constructed and arranged to be permanently or temporarily secured to a vertical wall. In this manner, the grooming drape may be positioned at any convenient height which may cover other fixtures such as sinks and the like. The enclosure  10  is comprised of a top wall  12 , a bottom wall  14 , waste bin  15 , a pair of sidewalls  16 , a rear wall  20 , and a front wall  22 , wherein the front wall  22  is pivotable to define an internal cavity  28 . Inside of the enclosure  10 , within the internal cavity, is a spring loaded spool  40 , a drape  50 , a support assembly  70  and a waste bin  15 . The interior surface of the sidewalk  16  includes a mounting plate  44  that is constructed and arranged for securing the spool  40  to the sidewalls  16  in a manner that allows the spool  40  to rotate for deployment and retraction of the drape  50 . Thus, the spool  40  is secured within the enclosure  10  for rotation along an axis of rotation  42 . A spring mechanism  45 , such as those used for window blinds, is preferably included within the spool to provide rolled up retraction of the drape  50 . Thus, the drape  50  is capable of being extended from and retracted into the enclosure  10  for winding about the spool  40  when the handle  57  and support assembly  70  is moved away or toward the enclosure  10  respectively. The back edge of the drape  50  is fixed to an elongated groove  47  provided on the spool  40 , while the front  54  of the drape  50  is secured to a handle member  57  of the support assembly  70  for extending the drape  50  over a sink basin or cabinet top when the support assembly  70  is extended away from the enclosure. In the preferred embodiment, the support assembly  70  includes a handle member  57  having a front plate  56  that allows the drape  50  to be attached along its entire front edge  54  to provide support and even tension on the drape during movement thereof. The front plate  56  allows the front edge  49  of the drape  50  to be secured in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, fasteners, adhesives, pinch plates and the like. The spring assembly  60  is positioned within the spool  40  and is operable to allow the spool  40  to be rotated in a first direction, whereby the drape  50  can be extended out of the enclosure  10 , winding an internal spring (not shown) to a first position  62  whereby the spring is locked. Pulling the handle outward again a small amount releases the spring and allows the drape  50  to be rewound about the spool  40  and thus drawn into the enclosure  10  for storage. It should be noted that while an automatic retraction mechanism is illustrated in the preferred embodiment, other retraction mechanisms may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention. Such retraction mechanisms may include, but should not be limited to, manually operated knobs, levers, cranks, electric motors, and the like. 
         [0025]    Still referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , the enclosure  10  can also include mounting means  18  on the outside surface of the rear wall  20  for support and securement to a surface. The mounting means  18  can include, but is not limited to, suction cups, braces, clamps, fasteners or the like that can be constructed for permanent securement or temporary securement onto a surface. The preferred embodiment utilizes suctions cups as a mounting means to a surface in combination with at least one wall plate  30 . In this manner, the suction cup allows the present device to be secured to any smooth surface while the wall plate presses against the surface in a cantilever fashion to provide stability and rigidity to the device. Thus, as the drape is extended, the wall plate(s)  30  are pressed tighter against the wall surface, adding stability to the device to maintain perpendicularity to the wall surface and prevent the drape  50  from sagging due to being extended. It should be noted that, while the mounting means are illustrated as being secured to the rear surface of the enclosure, the sides, top, or bottom surfaces of the enclosure may be utilized for the mounting means without departing from the scope of the invention. The mounting means may be the suction cups as illustrated or, alternatively, may be rubber feet or the like that provide stability to the device and generally prevent movement of the device as the drape is extended and/or retracted from the enclosure. The interior surface of the sidewalk  16  includes a mounting plate  44  that is constructed and arranged for securing the spool  40  to the sidewalls  16  in a manner that allows the spool  40  to rotate for deployment and retraction of the drape  50 . 
         [0026]    In a preferred embodiment, the bottom wall  14  of the enclosure  10  is constructed to include a waste bin  15  for collecting and holding the fallen hair that has been dispensed from the drape  50  upon retraction thereof. The drape  50  is preferably of a sufficient length to cover an entire sink basin, cabinet top or the like. The drape  50  is constructed of a polymeric material that is substantially static free to release the fallen hair fragments upon retraction of the drape  50 ; such materials are well known for use in construction ponchos that are utilized by barbers and hair dressers. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the enclosure can further include a heat bar, laser or the like on the interior of the rear wall, whereby fallen hair is burned off when the fallen hair is dispensed from the retracted drape into the waste bin. The waste bin  15  can be detachable to empty the fallen hair waste collected over time, shown in  FIG. 8 . The detachable waste bin  15  allows for easy clean-up. In the preferred embodiment, the enclosure  10  is constructed from plastic materials to construct a lightweight and robust structure. However, it should be noted that other materials including, but not limited to, wood, metal, rubber, stone, paper or suitable combinations thereof may be used, so long as the retractable grooming drape apparatus  1  remains sufficiently lightweight to be maneuvered by a single person. It should also be noted that while the device is illustrated as a portable device the grooming drape apparatus could be built into cabinetry as a permanent fixture without departing from the scope of the art. 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 through 6 , the spool  40  is within the enclosure  10  and arranged for rotation relative thereto about an axis  42 . The drape  50  is capable of being extended from and retracted into the enclosure  10  about the spool  40  when the front wall  22  is pivoted outwardly with respect to the enclosure  10 , shown in  FIG. 4 . The retraction mechanism  60  is positioned within the spool  40  to allow free rotation and retraction of the spool  40 . The handle member  57  and front plate  56  is selectively operable between a first position, as shown in  FIG. 3 , to a second position, as shown in  FIGS. 4-6 . In general, the support assembly provides a structure whereby the front portion of the enclosure may be extended outwardly away from the enclosure to support the drape in a sufficiently flat arrangement to allow hair clippings to be supported upon the top surface of the drape. The support assembly  70  includes the front plate  56 , having the front edge  49  of the drape  50  fixed to an inner surface thereof, a pair of slide assemblies  58 , and a linkage assembly  71  that is expandable and retractable relative to the enclosure and the handle  57 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . In the preferred embodiment, a pair of scissor type links  72 ,  74  are utilized. The first link  72  includes one pivoting but fixed arm  73  and one slidably mounted anti  75 , while the second link  74  also includes one pivoting but fixed arm  73  and one slidably mounted arm  75  which cooperate to allow the front plate  56  and thus the drape  50  to be extended outwardly from the enclosure  10  without binding of the assemblies. It should be noted that while the scissor type links are illustrated, other linkages and assemblies that would allow the front plate  56  and drape  50  to be extended and retracted to and from the enclosure respectively may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention. Such linkages and assemblies include, but should not be limited to rails, slides, telescoping assemblies, or suitable combinations thereof (not shown). 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIGS. 4-7 , one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, a slidable rake  59  is secured to the inner wall of the front plate  56 . The slidable rake  59  allows for fallen hair that is located nearest the front edge  54  of the drape  50  to be pushed towards the center portion  55  of the drape  50  to facilitate disposal of the fallen hair on the drape  50  when the drape  50  is retracted onto the spool  40 . The center portion  55  of the drape  50  is otherwise defined as the “drop zone” because the fallen hair that sits on the center portion  55  will be disposed into the waste bin  15  when the drape  50  is retracted onto the spool  40 . The rake  59  is movable from a position nearest to the front edge  54  of the drape to a position towards the center portion  55  of the drape. The rake  59  is manually pushed towards the center portion  55  along guiderails  77  and  79 . When handle  57  is pushed back into the enclosure  10  and the drape  50  is retracted, a backstop  32  on the interior surface of the top wall  12  of the enclosure  10  forces the rake  59  back into its original position nearest the front edge  54  of the drape  50 , shown in  FIG. 7 . In an alternative embodiment the handle and front plate are pivotable so that the front plate and handle rotate at the enclosure to a vertical position to eliminate the need for the rake by allowing gravity cause the loose hair to fall into the bottom of the enclosure. 
         [0029]    In use, a user would pivot the front wail  22  on the enclosure  10  to an open position and pull the handle  57  outwardly away from the enclosure  10 , thereby extending the drape  50 ; the user would then shave or trim as desired and allow the hair pieces to fall onto the drape  50 . Once the user is finished shaving, the user would slide the rake  59  inwardly towards the enclosure  10  to push the Men hair located near the front edge  54  of the drape  50  towards the center portion  55  of the drape  50  so that the fallen hair is in the drop zone when the drape  50  is fully retracted about the spool  40 . Then the user would push the handle  57  back into the enclosure  10 . As the drape  50  is retracted, a backstop  32  on the interior surface of the top wall  12  of the enclosure  10  will force the rake  59  back into its original position; the handle  57  will continue to be pushed into the enclosure  10  so that all the hair pieces will fall into the waste bin  15 . Lastly, the front wall  22  is pivoted closed. After a number of uses, the user should remove the waste bin  15  to empty out all the hair pieces. Once the waste bin  15  is emptied, it should be slid back into the enclosure  10 . 
         [0030]    All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. 
         [0031]    It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and the invention is not to be considered limited to What is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein. 
         [0032]    One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.