Patent Publication Number: US-2013236733-A1

Title: Towel with retaining sleeve

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/609,652, filed Mar. 12, 2012. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates generally to towels. More particularly, this invention relates to hand towels. Specifically, this invention is directed to a decorative towel kit that includes at least a towel, a sleeve that is wrapped about the towel when folded, and a decorative decal that is provided on the sleeve. 
     2. Background Information 
     It has become customary for decorative hand towels to be placed in bathrooms and kitchens to enhance the appearance of the room while still providing a useful function. People frequently enjoy changing the decorative towels to fit the season or to celebrate holidays such as Christmas or occasions like the Super Bowl. However, individual decorative hand towels can be quite expensive and therefore it is unlikely that a homeowner will own a large number of these towels or will want to purchase towels for every occasion. 
     There is therefore a need in the art for a decorative hand towel that is simple to use and is relatively less expensive to use to decorate than previously known towels. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The device of the present invention is a decorative towel kit and a method of using the same is disclosed. The kit includes a towel folded to form a front portion and a rear portion which are adjacent each other and generally aligned along a longitudinal axis of the towel; a sleeve which is removably engageable about an exterior surface of the folded towel such that the sleeve is disposed generally at right angles to the longitudinal axis; and a decal provided on the sleeve. The sleeve is wrapped around the towel when folded. The decal includes a decorative image and is removably engaged with the sleeve. The kit may include one or more towels, one or more sleeves, and one or more decals that may be used in a variety of combinations with each other. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated of the best mode in which Applicant contemplates applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of a decorative towel kit which includes a towel, a sleeve and a decal in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a right side elevational view of the towel and sleeve of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the towel and sleeve, where the sleeve is in an opened and unsecured position relative to the towel; 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the towel and sleeve, where the sleeve includes a first decorative decal; and 
         FIG. 5   a  is a front elevational view of a second embodiment of a towel kit in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5   b  is a front elevational view of a third embodiment of a towel kit in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4  there is shown a towel assembly in accordance with the present invention, generally indicated by the reference number  10 . Towel assembly  10  includes a towel  12  and a sleeve  14 . Towel  12  is illustrated as hanging over a towel rack  16  such towel  12  is in a folded position hanging downwardly from towel rack  16 . In this position, a front portion  12   a  of towel  12  hangs downwardly from a front region  16   a  of rack  16 , and a back portion  12   b  of towel  12  hangs downwardly from a back region  16   b  of rack  16 . Towel  12  could be decoratively folded so that the actual side edges of each of the front and back portions  12   a ,  12   b  are tucked inwardly toward each other. In this folded but hanging position, front and back portions  12   a ,  12   b  are disposed adjacent each other and are aligned with each other along a longitudinal axis “Y”. Towel  12  has bottom ends  12   c ,  12   d  ( FIG. 2 ) and a top end  12   e  that are oriented at right angles to longitudinal axis “Y”.  FIG. 2  shows bottom ends  12   c ,  12   d  horizontally aligned with each other but the may be located simply parallel to each other. In the attached figures the actual side edges of towel  12  are folded inwardly thereby presenting a longitudinal region of fabric as side edges  22 ,  24  and  26 ,  27 . It should be noted that side edges  26 ,  27  are mirror images of sides  24  and  22 . It will be understood that the actual side edges of the towel  12  could be in the locations represented by  22 ,  24  and  26 ,  27  without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Towel  12  preferably is a hand towel made from an absorbent fabric but could be a larger towel such as a bath towel or kitchen towel. 
     Sleeve  14  is completely separate from towel  12  and is not fixedly secured to towel  12  in any way. Sleeve  14  preferably is manufactured from the same type of fabric as towel  12  but may be manufactured from a completely different fabric without departing from the scope of the present invention. Sleeve  14  preferably is a substantially rectangular length of fabric and, as shown in  FIG. 3 , having an exterior surface  14   a , an interior surface  14   b , a first end  14   c , a second end  14   d , a first edge  14   e  and a second edge  14   f . A first fastener element  18  preferably is secured to exterior surface  14   a  proximate first end  14   c  of sleeve  14 . A second fastener element  20  preferably is secured to interior surface  14   b  proximate second end  14   d  of sleeve  14  and is configured to cooperate with first fastener element  20  to form sleeve  14  into a generally tubular configuration. In this tubular configuration, sleeve  14  bounds and defines an aperture (not shown) through which the folded towel  12  extends. 
     In the attached figures first and second fastener elements  18 ,  20  are illustrated as cooperating hook and loop fastener strips but it will be understood that any other type of cooperating fastener elements may be utilized without departing from the present invention. For example, cooperating snap elements or buttons and cooperating apertures could be used instead of the hook and loop fasteners. Preferably, the first and second fastener elements  18 ,  20  are oriented so as to be substantially parallel to first and second ends  14   c ,  14   d  as this will ensure the formation of a relatively flat overlapping join between the two ends  14   c ,  14   d  of the sleeve  14 , as will be hereinafter described. It will be understood that instead of overlapping each other, first end  14   c  and second end  14   d  of sleeve  14  may disposed in end-to-end relationship relative to each other and first and second fastener elements  18  and  20  may extend between first and second ends  14   c ,  14   d  in some manner to secure the first and second end together so that sleeve  14  has a tubular shape. 
     Sleeve  14  is engaged around the folded towel  12  in such a way that sleeve  14  is disposed generally at right angles to longitudinal axis “Y”. Furthermore, sleeve  14  is engaged around the folded towel  12  in such a manner that sleeve  14  keeps front portion  12   a  in abutting contact with portion  12   b . Sleeve  14  is engaged around the folded towel  12  after the towel has been hung over towel rack  16  in the manner shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a first region “A” of sleeve  14  is positioned adjacent rear portion  12   b  of towel  12 . A second region “B” of sleeve is positioned adjacent side edges  22 ,  24  of front and rear portions  12   b ,  12   a  respectively. A third region “C” ( FIG. 1 ) of sleeve  14  is positioned adjacent front portion  12   a , a fourth region “D” is positioned adjacent side edges  26  ( FIG. 1) and 27  ( FIG. 3 ) and wraps around to overlap first region “A”. When fourth region “D” overlaps first region “A”, first and second fastener elements  18 ,  20  engage each other and hold sleeve  14  in position encircling the folded towel  12 . 
     In accordance with a specific feature of the present invention, a decorative decal  28  ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ) is provided on sleeve  14 . Decal  28  is illustrated as being located on third region “C” of sleeve  14  so that it is visible on front portion  12   a  to a user approaching the towel rack  16 . Decal  28  may be fixedly secured to third region “C” during manufacture by sewing or by an adhesive, for example, or it may be removably secured to third region “C” by any suitable securing means, such as hook and loop fasteners. Decal  28  may include any type of image thereon. The decals  28 ,  28   a ,  28   b ,  28   c  may be themed such as for Christmas, Easter, Valentine&#39;s day, Halloween, for seasons or for sports teams, for example. Alternatively, the decals may be monograms, or photographs or indicia that will match the décor of either a kitchen or bathroom. 
       FIGS. 1-4  illustrate a first decorative towel kit that may be made available for purchase by a consumer. This first decorative towel kit includes a single towel  12 , a single sleeve  14 , and a single decal  28  provided on the sleeve  14 . 
       FIG. 5   a  shows a second decorative towel kit  30  in accordance with the present invention. Second kit  30  comprises a single towel  12 , a single sleeve  14  and a plurality of decals  28   a ,  28   b ,  28   c  that are selectively removably secured to sleeve  14 . The user will place a first one of the decals  28   a , for instance, on sleeve  14 , and then engage sleeve  14  around the folded towel  12 . Ata later date the user will detach decals  28   a  from sleeve  14  and replace it with decal  28   b , for instance. The decals  28   a ,  28   b  may be attached or detached while sleeve  14  is on towel  12  or when it is removed therefrom. 
       FIG. 5   b  shows a third embodiment of a decorative towel kit  32  in accordance with the present invention. Third kit  32  comprises a single towel  12 , a plurality of sleeves  14   a ,  14   b ,  14   c , and a plurality of different decals  28   a ,  28   b , and  28   c . The decals  28   a ,  28   b  and  28   c  are selectively detachably engageable with any of the plurality of sleeves  14   a ,  14   b , and  14   c  or may be fixedly secured to one of sleeves  14   a ,  14   b , and  14   c . Sleeves  14   a ,  14   b ,  14   c  may differ from each other in any way, such as being made from different fabrics or differently colored or patterned fabrics. In the instance where the decals are removably engageable with sleeves  14   a ,  14   b ,  14   c , this third kit will be used in a similar manner to the first and second kits described above. In the instance where the decals are fixedly engaged with a specific sleeve  14   a ,  14   b  or  14   c , the user will place a first sleeve  14   a , for example, around the folded towel  12  and will later remove first sleeve  14   a  and replace it with a second sleeve  14   b  or  14   c.    
     It will further be understood that other variations of a kit in accordance with the present invention are contemplated to fall within the scope of the present invention. For instance, the kit may include more than one towel, with one or more sleeves, and with one or more decals that are either fixedly secured or removably secured to the sleeves. It will further be understood that more than one decal can be engaged on a single sleeve. So, for example, in the preferred instance where the decals are detachably engaged with the sleeve  14 , two or more decals could be applied to the sleeve in different arrangements to give the sleeve a selectively changeable aesthetic appearance. The additional towels and/or sleeves in the kit may be manufactured from different fabrics or from differently colored or patterned fabrics. The towels, sleeves, and decals differ in appearance from each other in some way. Other features such as scalloped top and bottom edges may be provided on sleeves  14 , or elements such as ribbons can be applied thereto to enhance the appearance of sleeves  14 . In the same manner, decals  28  can be provided with any range of decorative elements such as ribbons, glitter, shiny fabrics etc. 
     It will further be understood that the fastener elements  18 ,  20  may be replaced by permanently securing first and second ends  14   c ,  14   d  of sleeve  14  together and then slipping that so-formed tubular sleeve over both of the bottom ends  12   c ,  12   d  of front and back portions  12   a ,  12   b  of towel  12  and sliding the sleeve upwardly to a desired position between bottom ends  12   c ,  12   d  and towel rack  16 . 
     When it is desired to use towel  12  or wash the same, sleeve  14  may simply be removed from its encircling position by undoing fastener elements  18 ,  20  or by sliding sleeve  14  off the bottom ends  12   c ,  12   d  of towel  12 . 
     Because sleeve  14  is manufactured from fabric, it is flexible and can be easily placed around towel  12  and easily removed therefrom. The lower regions of towel proximate ends  12   c ,  12   d  can also be utilized without removing sleeve  14 . Sleeve  14  is also separately washable. Sleeve  14  is used to hold towel  12  in a decorative folded fashion when hanging from a towel rack  16 , thereby making the towel more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 
     It will be understood that while the folded towel  12  is illustrated as hanging from towel rack  16 , towel  12  could simply be folded so that the front and rear portions  12   a ,  12   b  are adjacent each other and aligned along a longitudinal axis and so that top end  12   e  of the folded towel  12  is disposed a distance from the bottom ends  12   c ,  12   d . Sleeve  14  could be placed around the folded towel  12  in a location disposed somewhere between top end  12   e  and bottom ends  12   c ,  12   d  and oriented substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the folded towel. The folded towel  12  and sleeve  14  with decorative decal  28  could then simply be placed on a top surface of a bathroom vanity; if for instance, a towel rack is not available. 
     In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. 
     Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention are an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.