Abstract:
A towel warmer is provided that has a frame assembly and one or more heating fabric sleeves affixed to the frame assembly. The heating fabric sleeves have electric heating wires that when connected to an electrical power supply to produce a more uniform heat transfer to a contacting article such as a towel than a conventional towel warmer. A thermostat is optionally provided to moderate sleeve temperature. Additionally, a controller is optionally provided to adjust operating parameters of the thermostat. A kit is also provided that includes the towel warmer partially disassembled and instructions for assembly of the frame assembly and attaching the one or more heating fabric sleeves to the frame assembly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a non-provisional application that claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/577,968, filed Dec. 20, 2011 the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention in general relates to towel warmers and heated shelving, and in particular to a flexible heated cover material draped, laid on, or attached to a frame. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The feel of a warm towel against the skin immediately after a shower or a bath is a pleasurable experience and eases the transition one feels as they transition from the warm shower or bath to the cooler ambient air. 
         [0004]    A warmed towel serves to offset the well known chilling effect due to evaporation of water from the body after showering, even at normal room temperatures. Furthermore, numerous circumstances arise, especially in chilly environments, where the convenient availability of a warmed towel whenever needed could become an important factor in the well-being, health or survival of individuals who may be frail or under medical treatment, and thus vulnerable to thermal shock between showering (or bathing) and drying. Additionally towel warmers not only warm and/or dry textiles to enhance comfort, but also prevent prolonged dampness in articles of clothing or towels that could promote growth of mold or mildew. Thus the consistent use of towel warmers in bathrooms has a positive impact on indoor air quality. 
         [0005]    However, the sensation of a warm towel is typically only enjoyed in one&#39;s home, because one has managed to complete a shower shortly after having run a load of towels through a washer and dryer. 
         [0006]    Existing towel warmers are generally constructed as a series of horizontal bars that contain a heating mechanism, or as an enclosure in which hot air is blown or forced into to warm or dry towels, fabrics, or articles of clothing. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a series of horizontal bar electric towel warmers are depicted. In prior art  FIGS. 1A-1C  wall mountable towel warmers are shown, while prior art  FIG. 1D  shows a floor mounted electric towel warmer. 
         [0007]    However, the available tower warmers of  FIG. 1A-1D  inherently do not provide even or total heating to the surface of a towel. In towel warmers that depend on horizontal heating bars to warm a towel, only the small portion of the towel that physically contacts the heating bars is warmed efficiently while the other portions are only slowly warmed through thermal air gradients. Typically only 10% of the surface area of the towel is heated via the heating bars, and the promise of warm towel is not delivered to consumers&#39; satisfaction unless the heating bars or rails are more numerous with a significantly higher density which requires a higher cost of materials and manufacture, including expensive chrome-plated, bent metal technology. In general, the prior art towel warmer designs lead to a high level of customer dissatisfaction. The high consumer dissatisfaction leads to a greater number of product returns, and results in instances of undesired holes left in consumer bathroom walls after returning the product to the store, thereby contributing to further levels of consumer dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the partial application of heat to areas of a towel is not an effective method to achieve even and total heating of a towel. In part, this results because cotton is an excellent insulator, and the most common material from which towels are made. The thermal conductivity of cotton is one half that of asbestos, and one tenth of window glass. As a result, the most efficient method of heating a towel is total immersion of each individual cotton fiber in a heated medium or enclosure: a process that is both cumbersome and impractical in many settings. 
         [0008]    Additional disadvantages of conventional horizontal bar electric towel warmers include construction from large amounts of heavy and costly metal, pre-assembly at the factory that leads to larger packaging and higher shipping costs, high energy consumption for low efficiency heating, and difficulty in cleaning. 
         [0009]    Thus, there exists a need for a towel warmer that provides even and uniform surface that provides total warming to a towel, fabric, or article of clothing, while being less costly and cumbersome than existing towel warmers. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    A towel warmer is provided that has a frame assembly and one or more flexible heating fabric sleeves affixed to the frame assembly. The heating fabric sleeves have electric heating wires that when connected to an electrical power supply to produce a more uniform heat transfer to a contacting article such as a towel than a conventional towel warmer. A flexible external slip cover is also provided that fits over the heating fabric sleeves. The flexible nature of the heating fabric sleeves and external slip covers allows for fitting to straight horizontal or vertical surfaces, as well as curved or non-planar surfaces. A thermostat is optionally provided to moderate sleeve temperature. Additionally, a controller is optionally provided to adjust operating parameters of the thermostat that is user programmable. 
         [0000]    A kit is also provided that includes the towel warmer partially disassembled and instructions for assembly of the frame assembly and attaching the one or more heating fabric sleeves to the frame assembly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIGS. 1A-1D  are perspective prior art views of towel warmers; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of an embodiment of an assembled frame for a multiple towel freestanding floor towel warmer; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the frame for the multiple towel freestanding floor towel warmer of  FIG. 2A  prior to assembly and ready for shipment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wall mountable multiple towel warmer highlighting assembly points and connections; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an embodiment of an electrically heated fabric prior to being sewn or joined into a sleeve shape; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the electrically heated fabric of  FIG. 4  draped and attached to the assembled frame for a multiple towel freestanding floor towel warmer of  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are perspective views of an embodiment of a single towel wall mounted towel warmer prior to and after attaching the electrically heated fabric sleeve, respectively; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are perspective views of an embodiment of a single towel free standing floor towel warmer prior to and after attaching the electrically heated fabric sleeve, respectively; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a multiple towel freestanding wall mounted towel warmer; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a controller for embodiments of the towel warmer: 
           [0021]      FIG. 10A  is a perspective view of a knock down of a floor standing embodiment of a towel warmer of  FIG. 10B ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 10B  is an exploded view of an embodiment of a floor standing towel warmer illustrating a fabric cover applied over a heated fabric; 
           [0023]      FIGS. 11A and 11B  are perspective views of an embodiment of an electrically heated fabric prior to being folded into a sleeve shape; and 
           [0024]      FIGS. 12A-12D  illustrate an embodiment of a towel warmer with a heated shelf. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    The present invention has utility as a towel warmer that provides even and uniform heated surfaces and total warming to a towel, fabric, article of clothing or other article placed in contact or proximity therewith. An inventive article has the illustrative advantages of being less costly to ship and cumbersome to install as compared to conventional towel warmers. Embodiments of the innovative towel warmer are built on a mechanical construction or frame, formed of various materials illustratively including, various metals, plastics, or composite type materials such as fiberglass. The mechanical construction is made up of vertical, horizontal, and curved members that may be hollow or solid. Portions of the mechanical construction are covered with one or more electronically heated flexible fabric sheets that form a heated cover material sleeve, the sleeve is draped (laid on) and attached to one or more vertical, horizontal, and curved non-planar portions of the frame. The electronically heated fabric sheets contain heating wires that provide the heating function of the towel warmer. The electronically heated fabric sheets are sewn or joined with fasteners, zippers, or snaps into a sleeve shape that are fitted or draped (laid) over the vertical, horizontal, and curved non-planar portions of the frame. 
         [0026]    An “article” is defined herein as a towel, fabric, article of clothing, bath mat, rug, or other household goods. 
         [0027]    In embodiments of the inventive towel warmer, the entire flexible fabric of the sleeve is heated thereby providing an even and full heating coverage versus only the horizontal bars in the existing art (i.e., partial heating coverage as was described with respect to prior art  FIGS. 1A-1D ). In embodiments, the even heated contact surfaces of the heated sleeves thus provide a more effective and faster heating to fabrics or towels that are in contact with the sleeves. Embodiments of the towel warmer provide up to ten times more heated surface area than existing heating bars or rails of existing designs. 
         [0028]    The innovative construction of embodiments separates the supporting structure or construction from the heating part that is formed in the flexible fabric sleeve, which allows for the user to easily assemble the towel warmer, thereby lowering manufacturing and shipping costs, and providing a lower end cost to the user. The modular construction of the innovative towel warmer may also facilitates customization, and provides additional configuration options that may not be available with the existing available towel warmers. The inventive flexible heating fabric surface components are cleanable, and may be designed with many different surface pattern options to better fit intended bathroom decors versus the current art that is typically only available in chrome. 
         [0029]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2 to 5 , an embodiment of the towel warmer is depicted; the towel warmer is shown generally at  10  in  FIG. 5 . In  FIG. 5 , the towel warmer  10  is a multiple towel, freestanding floor towel warmer. The towel warmer  10  is formed with a frame  12  made up of horizontal members  14 , curved members  15 , and vertical members  16  that may be joined with fasteners  18  as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 3 . Alternatively, the horizontal  14 , curved  15 , and vertical member  16  may be press fit or snapped fitted together.  FIG. 2B  illustrates the parts that form the frame  12  of the inventive towel warmer  10 , as the horizontal and vertical parts may appear prior to assembly by a user. Optionally, various frame configurations may be pre-assembled for the user to install in various configurations to be described further below with respect to  FIGS. 6 to 8 . The warmer  10  is readily supplied with a frame assembly component of horizontal members  14  and vertical members  16  and the one or more fabric sleeves  24 , along with instructions for assembly of the frame assembly  12  and attaching the one or more heating fabric sleeves  24  to said frame assembly  12 .  FIG. 10A  is a knocked down for user assembly kit  34  for a towel warmer such as shown in  FIG. 10B  and described further below. The small package size of the assembly kit  34  provides for easy transport of the towel warmer, and for efficient storage and retail display of the assembly kit  34 . The small package size allows for three times the product to be displayed on the same retail shelf, while allowing easy to carry through and out from the store. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates the wall mount configuration for a two towel hanging warmer  11  with only two wall mount drill points required for attaching the towel warmer  11 . The drill points for wall attachment are engage with screws at terminations  17 , while attachment point  19  in forms including a suction cup, double sided adhesive or non-adhesive spacing component serves as a connector that does not require drilling. Prior art towel warmers require four drill points for wall attachment. 
         [0031]      FIGS. 4 ,  11 A and  11 B are perspective views of an embodiment of an electrically heated fabric  24  prior to being sewn or joined together with snaps, buttons, zippers, or other fasteners into a sleeve shape  22  that is draped over the frame  12 . The heated fabric  24  is joined or impregnated with heating wire  26 . The temperature of the heating wires is optionally controlled with a thermostat or controller  20 . Alternatively, the temperature is optionally controlled by heating wire formed with self regulated heating wire commonly called Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) wire, thereby eliminating the need for a thermostat. The entire fabric  24  is heated and provides for a complete and even transfer of heat to towels or other material articles placed in physical contact with the fabric  24  forming heating sleeve  22 . The nature of the heat transfer of the heating fabric  24  is advantageous to the only small segments of a towel that are warmed in the heated bar approach, which heats up only segments or portions of the towel. The heating fabric  24  is cleanable, and is readily formed with many different textures, indicia, and fabric patterns to fit with many bathroom decors. The outer surface of heating fabric  24  is water resistant or waterproof, and is optionally treated with antimicrobial agents. Electrical connector  28  may be joined to controller  20 . 
         [0032]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are perspective views of an embodiment of a single towel wall mounted towel warmer prior to, and after attaching the electrically heated fabric sleeve  22 , respectively. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are perspective views of an embodiment of a single towel free standing floor towel warmer prior to, and after attaching the electrically heated fabric sleeve  22 , respectively. 
         [0034]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a multiple towel freestanding wall mounted towel warmer. 
         [0035]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an optional controller display  30  and interface  32  for a controller  20  for embodiments of the inventive towel warmer. The controller  20  is user programmable. The display  30  optionally provides a user with the current time, temperature of the heating element, or the temperature of the ambient air within the room. A user may use the interface  32  to set operating parameters such as a desired temperature range (e.g., low, medium, high), or set a programmable timer to automatically start to pre-warm the warmer  10  and one or more articles that are hung on the inventive towel warmer  10  in advance of anticipated usage, such as post-bath drying. A separate day and night setting are optionally set as signified by the sun and moon. In addition, a drying function is optionally provided to establish a period of time that may be set to continue to dry a towel following a shower. The controller  20  may optionally also have an auto off feature, and multiple timer settings, for example one hour, two hours, or other finer timer intervals. 
         [0036]      FIG. 10B  illustrates an exploded view of a floor standing towel warmer  40  with an electrically heated fabric sleeve  22  mounted to a frame and an external flexible slip cover  36  with a zipper  38  or other fasteners, and an electrical cord  42 . The external slip cover  36  is flexible, and fits over the electrically heated fabric sleeve  22  and is water resistant and optionally is treated with antimicrobial agents. The external slip cover may be a flexible two ply fabric with an inner layer that is water proof. The outer layer of the slip cover  36  may be washable or stain resistant, with various graphical designs that may be chosen during purchase of the towel warmer. As both the electrically heated fabric sleeve  22  and the external slip cover  36  are flexible, both covers ( 22 ,  36 ) may contour or fit to both planar and curved surfaces. As shown in the embodiments of  FIGS. 4-8 , the heated fabric  24  is joined or impregnated with heating wire  26  to form a slip-on cover, whereas the embodiments of  FIGS. 10-12  separate the heating element from the fabric cover, with the heated fabric sleeve  22  and the external slip cover  36 .  FIG. 11A  is an unfolded view of the heating fabric  24  and electrical connector  28  prior to folding over the frame of the towel warmer, where the top bar fits through complementary loops  44 A and  44 B.  FIG. 11B  shows the heated fabric  24  folded to form heating sleeve  22 . 
         [0037]      FIGS. 12A-12D  illustrate an embodiment of a towel warmer  50  with a heated shelf  46 .  FIG. 12A  is an unfolded view of the heating fabric  24 A sized for the heated shelf  46  prior to folding over the shelf frame  48  of the towel warmer  50 , where the side bar  48  fits through complementary loops  44 A and  44 B. The heated fabric sleeve  22 A is then covered with shelf cover fabric  36 A. The outer surface of shelf cover fabric  36 A is water resistant or waterproof, and is optionally treated with antimicrobial agents.  FIG. 12C  illustrates an assembled towel warmer with heated shelf  46  and controller  20 .  FIG. 12D  illustrates the towel warmer of  FIG. 12C  in use. 
         [0038]    The foregoing description is illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention, but is not meant to be a limitation upon the practice thereof. The following claims, including all equivalents thereof, are intended to define the scope of the invention.