Abstract:
Described is a carrier of articles for wearing around a forearm. The carrier includes a carrier body having a top side, a center portion, and an end portion on each side of the center portion. The carrier body has a length sized to cover a substantial portion of a length of the forearm of a wearer and a width at the front edge that is narrower than at the back edge, forming a tapered sleeve that conforms to a shape of the forearm when the carrier is worn. An open-ended compartment on the top side of the carrier body snugly receives an article.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation application claiming the benefit of the filing date of co-pending U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 10/643,830, filed Aug. 19, 2003, titled “Hands-Free Forearm Carrier of Articles,” the entirety of which U.S. patent application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to hands-free article carriers worn on a forearm of a user.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Those who work with their hands often have more tools to work with than hands to hold them. When hands are full, picking up one tool requires that another be put down. Often, an individual will set the tool on a nearby table top, or, depending upon the type of tool, place it in a pocket or attach it to an article of clothing. Hair stylists, for example, frequently clip bobby pins and hair clips to their clothing when working with a client. Make-up artists often put their tools or brushes behind their ears or in their back pockets, or hold multiple brushes in their free hand.  
         [0004]     Typically during the course of performing the task, the need arises to use a tool that has been set down. However, the individual often does not immediately remember where she set the tool or finds that she has moved away from easy reach of the tool and must now stretch, turn, bend, or move back to reach it. Aside from being inconvenient and causing fatigue and frustration, these various movements can make individuals who work personally with their clients, such as make-up artists, hairdressers and cosmetologists, appear unprofessional and disorganized. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus that permits individuals to have their hands free to serve their clients, but keeps handy the tools of their trades.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     In one aspect, the invention features a carrier of articles for wearing around a forearm. The carrier includes a carrier body having a top side, a center portion, and an end portion on each side of the center portion. The carrier body has a length sized to cover a substantial portion of a length of the forearm of a wearer and a width at the front edge that is narrower than at the back edge, forming a tapered sleeve that conforms to a shape of the forearm when the carrier is worn. An open-ended compartment on the top side of the carrier body snugly receives an article.  
         [0006]     In another aspect, the invention features a carrier of articles for wearing around a forearm. The carrier includes a sleeve having a length adapted to cover a substantial portion of a length of the forearm of a wearer of the carrier, and an open-ended compartment on a surface of the sleeve for snugly receiving and holding an article in place.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     The above and further advantages of this invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like structural elements and features in various figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of an embodiment of a hands-free forearm carrier of the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of an underside of the carrier of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a diagram of the forearm carrier being worn around a forearm.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of another embodiment of a hands-free forearm carrier.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of another embodiment of a hands-free forearm carrier. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]     The present invention features a hands-free carrier for use by individuals, such as manicurists, hairdressers, make-up artists, cosmetologists, dental assistants, and the like, who work with their hands and often switch among various articles or tools in the course of providing their services. The carrier of the invention gives these individuals a mechanism for organizing their tools and keeping them in ready position for when they are needed.  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of a hands-free forearm carrier  2  constructed in accordance with the invention. The carrier  2  includes a carrier body  10  having a center portion  12 , a right and left end portions  14 ,  14 ′ on respective sides of the center portion  12 , a top side  16  and an underside  18 , a front edge  20  and a back edge  22 . The size of the carrier  2  can be tailored for different forearm sizes, for the size of the articles to be carried, or both. In this embodiment, the front edge  20  is longer in length than the back edge  22 ; thus, the shape of the carrier  2  is generally trapezoidal. The trapezoidal shape provides a greater overlap between end portions  14 ,  14 ′ than rectangular shapes (see  FIG. 4 ), for medium to large forearms in particular, when the carrier  2  is wrapped around the forearm.  
         [0015]     Each end portion  14 ,  14 ′ has means for fastening  26 ,  26 ′, respectively, to the other end portion  14 ′,  14 . In one embodiment, the means for fastening  26  includes hook-and-loop material (e.g., VELCRO®). One component (i.e., hook or loop) of this material is attached to the top side  16  of the right end portion  14  and the corresponding mating component is attached to the underside  18  of the left end portion  14 ′. The placement of the hook-and-loop material on the top side  16  and underside  18  can be reversed; that is, one component is attached to the top side  16  of the left end portion  14 ′ and the corresponding mating component is attached to the underside  18  of the right end portion  14 . Preferably, the hook component of the hook-and-loop material is attached to the top side  16  so that when the carrier  2  is wrapped around the forearm, the hook structures, which may be abrasive to the skin, face away from the surface of the forearm.  
         [0016]     To produce an adequate attachment between the end portions  14 ,  14 ′, the hook-and-loop material covers most of the end portion  14 ,  14 ′. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other means for fastening together the end portions  14 ,  14 ′ can be used without departing from the principles of the invention. Examples of other fastener means include, but are not limited to, snaps, clasps, latches, hooks, belts and buckles, and zippers.  
         [0017]     Extending laterally across the top side  16  of the center portion  12  and attached (i.e., stitched or sewn) at various places  24  to the center portion  12  is a strap  28 . These places  24  of attachment to the carrier body  10  form various compartments  30 ,  30 ′ (generally  30 ) for holding articles or tools  32 . In general, to place an article  32  (e.g., haircutting shears, make-up brush, powder brush, or eyeliner pencils) into one of the compartments  30 , a user slides the article  32  between the strap  28  and the top side  16  of the center portion  12 . For some types of articles, such as bobby pins and hair clips, the strap  28  provides an edge to which the user can clip the article. Typically, a portion of the article  32  remains outside of the compartment  30  so that the user can readily grasp and remove the article  32 .  
         [0018]     In one embodiment, the strap  28  is made of elastic material. The elasticity of the strap  28  holds the articles  32  firmly against the center portion  12 . Non-elastic embodiments of the strap  28  (e.g., strings, belts, bands) can be used without departing from the principles of the invention, provided the strap  28  when attached to the carrier body  10  is sufficiently taut to hold the articles  32  securely against the top side  16  of the center portion  12 .  
         [0019]     Preferably, the strap  28  extends laterally across the center portion  12  (i.e., substantially parallel to the front edge  20 ). In another embodiment, the strap  28  extends vertically across the center portion  12  (i.e., perpendicular to the front edge  20 ). Various embodiments of the carrier  2  have straps of different length and in different numbers. For example, in one embodiment, the strap  28  extends across the entire width of the center portion  12  and is attached at the interfaces between the end portions  14 ,  14 ′ and the center portion  12 . In another embodiment, the strap  28  does not fully extend across of the center portion  12 ; that is, the strap  28  is shorter in length than the width of the center portion  12 . In yet another embodiment, multiple straps extend laterally across the center portion  12 . Such straps can be laterally or vertically aligned with each other on the top side  16  of the center portion  12 , laterally or vertically offset from each others (i.e., some nearer or farther from the front or back edges  20 ,  22  of the center portion  12 ), or combinations thereof.  
         [0020]     Typical embodiments of the forearm carrier  2  have as few as one compartment  30  and as many as twenty, although embodiments with more than one compartment  30  take fuller advantage of the benefits of the invention and embodiments with more than twenty compartments  30  can be constructed without departing from the principles of the invention.  
         [0021]     Compartments  30  can have various sizes or styles. Some compartments  30  are generally flat, for receiving articles  32  such as haircutting shears, bobby pins and hair clips. Other compartments  30 ′ are generally tubular for receiving rounder articles, such as eyeliner pencils, blush brushes and eyebrow brushes. In general, the particular style and sizes of the compartments  30  depend upon the particular use of the forearm carrier  2  (e.g., make up artists, manicurists). In some embodiments, one or more of the compartments  30  are aligned with a pocket  34  for receiving the end of the article  32  held by that compartment  30 . The pocket  34  can provide a measure of protection against injury, for example, from a pointed tip of haircutting shears.  
         [0022]     Attached at the front edge  20  of the center portion  12  is an optional protective cover  36  made of soft material that can be folded over the articles  32  (e.g., when the carrier  2  is not being worn and is set on a table top). A fastener (not shown) can be placed on the top side  16  of the center portion  12  and a corresponding fastener (not shown) on the top side of the cover  36  so that the cover  36  can be secured when folded over the articles  32 . The cover  36  can be made of various materials, such as, but not limited to, nylon, silk, suede, and leather. Referring also to  FIG. 2 , the underside of the protective cover  36  has means for fastening  38  the cover  36  to the underside  18  of the center portion  12 . Sewn to the underside  22  of the center portion  12  are means for fastening  38 ′ to corresponding fasteners  38  on the underside of the protective cover  36 . By use of the fastening means  38 ,  38 ′ the user can fold under and secure the cover  36  to the center portion  12  when wearing the carrier  2  around the forearm. In one embodiment, the fastening means  38  includes the hook-and-loop material described above.  
         [0023]     The carrier body  10  is constructed of layers of various materials sewn together. In one embodiment, a layer of neoprene material is sandwiched between layers of duck cloth. The neoprene material gives the carrier  2  structure that provides a measure of stiffness for supporting the articles  32 . The carrier materials are machine-washable. Other materials, such as nylon and spandex, can also be used to construct other embodiments of the carrier body  10 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows the hands-free forearm carrier  2  being worn around a forearm  50  of a user. Although shown to be worn on the left forearm  50 , the forearm carrier  2  can be worn on the right forearm without departing from the principles of the invention. When the carrier  2  is worn, the underside  18  of the center portion  12  faces the forearm, and the protective cover  36  is folded between the center portion  12  and the top surface of the forearm and fastened to the underside  18 . In this position, the articles  32  are located on the top side of the forearm, visible to the user, and readily available for use. Further, the hands of the user are thus free to perform the task at hand, including sliding articles  32  into and out of the compartments  30  of the carrier  2 .  
         [0025]     While the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. For example,  FIG. 4  shows another embodiment of a hands-free forearm carrier  2 ′. In this embodiment, the shape of carrier  2 ′ is generally rectangular, with the front edge  20 ′ and back edge  22 ′ of the center portion  12 ′ being approximately equal to each other in length. Such an embodiment provides adequate securing around small to medium forearms. As another example,  FIG. 5  shows an embodiment of a hands-free forearm carrier  2 ″ in which the compartments  30 ″ are pouches or pockets that are open at one end and closed at the other (rather than open at both ends, as shown in  FIG. 1 ). When user inserts an article  32  into a compartment  30 ″, only one end of the article  32  extends out from the cover of the compartment  30 ″.