Patent Publication Number: US-7909082-B2

Title: Two-component shower curtain

Description:
The present invention relates generally to improvements for a zippered shower curtain, the improvements more particularly enabling the remaining valance after the unzippering of the shower curtain preparatory to the laundering thereof to have an enhanced appearance. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conveniently cleaned shower curtain, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,965 for “Zippered Shower Curtain” issued to Charles E. Hinds on Feb. 27, 2001, serves the laundering requirement, but with the tradeoff that the valance remaining on the shower curtain support rod has an undesirable unsightly appearance. Also, in-use, there may be external leakage through the clearance between the upper and lower zipper tracks. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. 
     More particularly, it is an object to structurally reconstitute the valance so that in the zippered and in the unzippered condition of the shower curtain the valance co-acts with the zipper to mask the unsightly appearance of the zipper and concomitantly minimize the adverse consequence of external leakage therethrough. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawing should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof. 
         FIG. 1  is a partial front elevational view of a two-component shower curtain according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a similar view, but only of the valance component of the curtain. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally designated  10  is a two-component shower curtain of plastic construction material, in the lower component thereof, namely the curtain  12  per se, the upper edge of which is finished with a lower zipper track  14  (exposed by the folded over side edge  16 , as noted at  18 ) which interconnects at  20  with an upper zipper track  22  which, as best understood from  FIG. 2 , is masked from view beneath a rectangular shaped and horizontally oriented depending elongated strip  24  sewn at a selected location  26  to a constituted generally designated upper valance component  28  of the article of manufacture  10 . 
     The selected location  26  is, in a preferred embodiment, approximately 1¾ inches below the top edge  30  of the valance  28  so that the bottom edge of strip  24  is in an overlapping relation over the zipper track  22  to mask this zipper track from view. Also, when the curtain is not unzippered, the strip  20  due to its zipper-overlying position, also minimizes any adverse consequence of a direct direction showerhead spray that leaks through the clearance between the teeth of the zipper tracks  22 ,  14  from continuing as a spray into the shower room. 
     In its end use depicted in  FIG. 1 , the upper valance edge  30  is embodied with spaced-apart edge-reinforced or otherwise finished edges  32  bounding openings  34  having in each a cooperating slidably disposed grommet  36  engaged about a support rod  38 . 
     When the shower curtain  12  is unzipped so it can be laundered, as already noted, the remaining upper component of the valance  28  still on the rod  38  is in covering relation over the upper zipper track  22  and masks the same from view. 
     While the two-component shower curtain herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.