Abstract:
The invention relates to a beach towel, which converts to a compact tote bag incorporating externally accessible pockets for carrying various accessories. The beach towel is formed from a large rectangular section of flexible, absorbent fabric and a second smaller, multi-paneled rectangular towel consisting mostly of the same or similar fabric as the large towel. The small towel overlies the upper one-quarter section of the large towel and the two are stitched together along the center and periphery of the small towel. Pockets with zippered closures are provided on the outside face of the small towel, and its center section is made from a flexible perforated screen or mesh fabric to facilitates escape of dirt and sand particles entrapped within the pockets. The towel converts to the tote bag configuration by folding it twice along the transverse axis and once along the longitudinal axis. Securing snaps are provided to hold the towel in the tote bag configuration, and two strap loops form handles for carrying in any desired manner, including on one shoulder, or as a backpack. The partially unfolded towel is also convertible to a shoulder and back cover to protect the wearer from adverse weather conditions.

Description:
This application claims benefit of Prov. No. 60/145,199 filed Jul. 23, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention is directed to an improved beach towel and tote bag combination for use when lounging at a beach or other recreational area. The towel incorporates novel features that allow for simple and rapid conversion to a tote bag configuration, and includes externally accessible pockets that serve a primary purpose of carrying loose articles, a secondary purpose of providing a headrest for the user, and the combination serves a tertiary purpose of providing a shoulder or back cover to protect the user from undesired weather conditions. The storage pockets incorporate a novel feature to facilitate removal of sand or dirt particles collected during use. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Excursions to the beach or other recreation areas generally involve long walks to the ultimate destination because available parking lots, train and bus stations are usually located at a considerable distance. To enjoy those excursions, people usually carry a beach towel, blanket, or mat as well as other containers or tote bags for transporting various personal items, such as food, drinks, clothing, reading materials, sunglasses, suntan lotion, etc. Carrying all the separate equipment and provisions results in substantial discomfort and inconvenience and may necessitate several trips before everything is in place. It is accordingly highly advantageous to combine items so as to reduce the total number to be carried. To that end, various attempts have been made in the past to provide combination tote bags and towels with storage pockets and carrying straps. By so doing, the total number of separate items that must be carried is significantly reduced. 
     Information relevant to attempts to address this problem can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,197,891 to Comollo, 4,856,912 to Damus et al, 5,110,219 to Lopes, 5,346,308 to Buhot et al, 5,390,381 to LaMantia, 5,533,653 to Kaufman, 5,629,071 to Feldman, 5,618,110 to Sullivan, 5,688,052 to Compton. However, these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: 
     a) no separate provisions for carrying small items, such as valuables; 
     b) the towel, when converted to a tote bag, is large and cumbersome and difficult to carry; 
     c) long zippers, subject to jamming as a result of being contaminated with sand and dirt, are employed as the means for securing the towel in the folded, tote bag, configuration; 
     d) multi-step, complex, and confusing folding schemes are employed, and are either ignored or most likely employed only if special instructions are provided and followed; 
     e) the folding schemes are such that sand and dirt particles will end up inside the tote bag and thus are carried home by the user who must then take special steps to dispose of them; and 
     f) no provisions are incorporated to facilitate use of the towel as a shoulder or back cover to protect the user from undesired weather conditions. 
     For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a towel and tote bag combination designed for simple and rapid conversion that can be readily accomplished by anyone, including most children. There is also a need for the tote bag to have convenient externally accessible pockets, which incorporate a novel means for removal of sand or dirt particles collected during use at a beach or other recreational area. Finally, there is a need for a beach towel that can also be utilized as a means of protecting the user from undesired weather conditions, such as excessive sun, wind, or cold. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The beach towel/tote bag invention is directed to an improved beach towel and tote bag combination that satisfies these needs. In the preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a large rectangular beach towel of flexible, absorbent, fabric sized approximately twice as long as it is wide, and a small beach towel, of the same or similar fabric, cut to one quarter of the length and the same width as the large towel. The small towel is cut in half and a strip of perforated mesh or screen fabric, approximately three inches wide and as long as the small towel&#39;s width, is stitched in-between the two small towel halves. A transverse cut is made at a line approximately four inches from each opposing edge of the small towel, and each cut section is reattached to the remaining portion of the small towel by means of zippers or other equivalent closure means. The small towel is then placed flat, zippers facing out, over the matching upper quarter section of the large towel, and the two towels stitched together along the longitudinal centerline of the strip of perforated mesh or screen fabric. The small towel ends are then lined up with the large towel sides, and the two towels stitched together along the small towel&#39;s perimeter, incorporating small pleats at the mesh fabric extremities, thus forming two zippered pockets on the front upper quarter section of the large towel. The strips of perforated mesh or screen fabric provide a novel escape path for dirt or sand trapped in the pockets during use at a beach or recreation area. 
     Straps are stitched along the longitudinal edges of the small towel, extending beyond the side edges of the large towel, creating a loop on each side. The loops are for use as tote bag or backpack carrying straps. Small loop tabs are stitched to both front side edges of the large towel at the longitudinal centerline, and one half of a snap secured to each loop tab facing the back side of the large towel. The matching half of each cooperating snap is secured to the backside edge of the upper loop straps, so that the snaps will match and secure the large towel halves when they are folded onto each other along the transverse centerline. 
     Beach towel/tote bag is folded into a tote bag configuration following very simple and easily understood steps. The first step involves folding the backside of large towel in half at the transverse centerline and then lifting it by the loop tabs with the snaps facing away. Beach towel/tote bag is then shaken to loosen and remove accumulated sand, dirt or grass. The large towel is again folded transversely on its backside to form a quarter segment, and the matching cooperating snaps secured to each other. The final fold is made along the longitudinal axes so that the loop straps line up with each other forming the tote bag configuration. Beach towel/tote bag is again shaken to remove, through the mesh or screen fabric panel at the bottom of each pocket, sand and dirt collected during use. 
     In the first mode of operation, beach towel/tote bag is placed on the ground or sand to lie on, the zippered pockets facing down. Soft items in the pockets will form pillows to support the user&#39;s head when lying on the towel. After folding as hereinabove described, beach towel/tote bag can be carried as a tote bag by putting both straps on one shoulder or as a backpack by putting one strap on each shoulder with the pockets facing out. 
     In the second mode of operation, beach towel/tote bag can be used as a cover by unfolding the final longitudinal fold, but not disengaging the snaps, placing over the shoulders with the pockets facing out, and bringing the straps around the user&#39;s front. If desired, arms may be placed through the loops of the straps to hold beach towel/tote bag on the shoulders. 
     In a third mode of operation, beach towel/tote bag can be used as an extended cover by unfolding to half the large towel&#39;s length, but not disengaging the snaps, placing over the shoulders with the pockets facing out, and bringing the straps around the user&#39;s front. If desired, arms may be placed through the loops of the straps to hold beach towel/tote bag on the shoulders. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of the beach towel/tote bag showing the combined large towel and small towel, the partially vented pockets, and the carrying straps; 
     FIG. 2 is a back view of the beach towel/tote bag; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the beach towel/tote bag folded into the tote bag configuration, and showing the partially vented, zippered pockets and the carrying handles; 
     FIG. 4 is a back view of the beach towel/tote bag showing the first step of the folding sequence; 
     FIG. 5 is a back view of the beach towel/tote bag showing the second step of the folding sequence; and 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of the folded beach towel/tote bag showing the partially vented pockets and carrying handles. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a front and back view of the preferred embodiment of a combination beach towel and tote bag in the unfolded position. The combination when folded to a tote bag configuration is further shown in the perspective view of FIG.  3 . Also illustrated in FIG. 3 is one of two opposingly located external pockets  34  each having a flexible mesh fabric panel  28  base section, provided as a novel feature to facilitate escape of sand and dirt particles accumulated within the pockets during use. 
     As used in this description, the term “front side” refers to the combination beach towel and tote bag, when the pockets are oriented toward the viewer, as in FIG.  1 . Furthermore, the term “back side” refers to the combination beach towel and tote bag, when the pockets are oriented away from the viewer, and are thus hidden, as in FIG.  2 . The title of the invention “beach towel/tote bag” is used to refer to the combination beach towel and tote bag with external pockets, as in FIG.  3 . It is noted that for the sake of clarity all the components and parts of the combination beach towel and tote bag may not be shown and/or marked in all the drawings. 
     Turning now to the drawings in more detail, the front side of the combination beach towel and tote bag with external pockets is shown in FIG.  1 . The combination is comprised primarily of a large towel  10  and a small towel  12 . The small towel  12  is placed flat over one end section of the large towel  10  covering an area approximately one quarter of the large towel&#39;s surface area. The large towel  10  is generally rectangular in shape, sized approximately twice as long as it is wide, but preferably approximately 36 X 68 inches, and made from conventional, flexible, absorbent fabric, for example, terrycloth. Two opposing longitudinal side edges  14  and two opposing transverse side edges  16  define the periphery of the large towel  10 . 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 show two loop tabs  18 , comprised of flexible webbing straps, for example nylon, approximately one inch wide and approximately six inches long, sewn at right angles to each of the two longitudinal edges  14  of the large towel  10  at the intersection of said longitudinal edges  14  and the transverse centerline  20 . Prior to securing, each loop tab  18  is doubled over itself at its longitudinal centerline and stitched to the large towel&#39;s  10  longitudinal edge  14  to a distance of approximately one and one half inches, such that the stitching penetrates all three layers of fabric. One half of a cooperating snap  22 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is secured to each of the two loop tabs  18 , with the snap&#39;s securing feature facing the back side of the large towel  10 . The snaps  22  are located along the center of the loop tabs  18  at a distance of approximately one half inch outside of the longitudinal side edges  14 . 
     A detailed description of the preferred construction of the small towel  12  will now be described in the following text in reference to the various drawing figures. 
     FIG.1 illustrates the small towel  12 , which is generally rectangular in shape, and in its ultimate configuration is comprised of five panels secured to each other by stitch lines oriented parallel to the large towel&#39;s  10  longitudinal centerline  26 . The small towel  12  is sized to approximately one quarter of the length and of the same width as the large towel  10 . With the exception of the centrally located mesh fabric panel  28 , the small towel  12  is made primarily of the same or similar conventional, flexible, absorbent fabric, for example, terrycloth, as the large towel  10 . 
     The initial step in assembly of the small towel  12 , as shown in FIG. 1, involves cutting the small towel fabric into two equally sized panels, the cut being located at and along the longitudinal centerline  26 . A strip of flexible perforated screen or mesh fabric  28  having a constant width of approximately three inches and of a length equal to the small towel&#39;s  12  width is stitched to the two small towel  12  half panels along the edges which were cut in the immediately preceding step. The seam lines between mesh fabric panel  28  and small towel  12  halves are made parallel to the longitudinal centerline  26 . For the preferred embodiment, the mesh fabric panel  28  perforations are sized to substantially permit unobstructed passage of coarse sand particles. The mesh fabric panel  28  will ultimately form the base section of the external pockets  34 , as shown in FIG. 3, and will provided a novel means to facilitate escape of sand and dirt particles accumulated within the pockets during use. 
     The final step in assembly of the small towel  12 , also illustrated in FIG. 1, involves making two pocket access cuts  30  across the entire width of the small towel  12  fabric. Each cut is made parallel to the longitudinal centerline  26  and at a lateral distance of approximately four inches from the small towel&#39;s outer edges  32 . In the preferred embodiment, both access cuts  30  are thereafter reattached by means of zipper closures  36 . Other methods of reattaching the opening are also included in the spirit of the invention, such as buttons, snaps, Velcro, etc., known by those skilled in the art. 
     The small towel  12  is further secured to the large towel  10  in the following manner. The first step involves placing the fully assembled small towel  12  flat, with the zipper closures  36  facing out, over the matching front side quarter panel at one end of the large towel  10 . It is intended that the outer edges  32  of the small towel  12  will match the longitudinal side edges  14  of the large towel  10 , and one long side edge of the small towel  12  will match the transverse side edge  16  of the large towel. When properly positioned, the small towel  12  will be located at the extreme right side of the large towel  10  when viewed from the front as shown in FIG.  1 . The large towel  10  and small towel  12  are then initially sewn to each other by means of stitching located along the centerline and entire length of the mesh fabric panel  28 . The stitching on the mesh fabric panel  28  centerline will overlie the longitudinal centerline  26  of the large towel  10 . 
     The second and final step involves placing the corners of the large towel  10  which are under the small towel  12  corners over each other so that they match and overlie each other. With that condition achieved, the entire periphery of the small towel  12  is stitched to the large towel  10 , thereby forming the two external pockets  34 , each of which is accessible by means of the zipper closures  36 . The periphery stitching is accomplished such that small pleats are incorporated into the mesh fabric panel at both of its extremities, thereby allowing the base of the pocket to expand outwardly to facilitate escape of sand and dirt particles accumulated within the pockets during use. 
     A strap  38  comprised of continuous flexible webbing, for example nylon, approximately one inch wide, is sewn along the two longitudinal edges of the small towel  12 , with the stitching securing all three layers of material, including strap  38 , small towel  12 , and large towel  10 . The strap  38  is extended on each side of the small towel outer edges  32 , forming two closed strap loops  40 , one on each side of the small towel  12 , each said strap loop having a diameter approximately equivalent to the width of the small towel  12 . When completely secured, the strap  38  forms a closed, continuous, elongated circular shape as illustrated in FIG.  1 . The strap loops  40  will ultimately be used as the tote bag handles when the towel combination is fully folded to the configuration illustrated on FIG.  3 . 
     The matching half of a cooperating snap  24 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is secured to the strap  38 , at a point approximately one half inch beyond the corner defined by the intersection of the longitudinal side edge  14  and transverse side edge  16 . The cooperating snap&#39;s  24  securing feature is installed facing the backside of the large towel  10 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the beach towel is converted into the tote bag illustrated in FIG. 3 by employing the following novel, simple, easily understood folding sequence, illustrated in FIGS. 4,  5  and  6 . The first step involves folding the large towel  10  in half along its transverse centerline  20  such that the backside is facing out as shown in FIG.  4 . The large towel  10  is then lifted by holding one set of opposing loop tabs  18  in each hand, and then shaken in an up, down, and sideways motion to loosen and remove sand, dirt or grass particles that have accumulated on its back side. The large towel  10  is then again folded parallel to its transverse centerline  20  forming a quarter segment, back side facing out, as shown in FIG.  5 . At this point, the matching cooperating snaps  22  and  24  located on the loop tabs  18  and straps  38 , are secured to each other, as shown in FIG.  5 . The final fold is made along the longitudinal centerline  26  so that the strap loops  40  line up with each other and the external pockets  34  face out, as shown in FIG.  6 . The tote bag is then shaken in an up, down, and sideways direction to loosen and facilitate removal through the novel mesh fabric panel  28  any sand or dirt particles that have accumulated inside the pockets during use. 
     In the preferred mode of operation, beach towel/tote bag is placed on the ground, grass or sand to lay on, fully unfolded with the external pockets  34  facing down. Soft items, such as articles of clothing, stored within the pockets will form pillows to support the users head when laying on beach towel/tote bag. When fully folded to the tote bag configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 3, beach towel/tote bag can be carried by putting both strap loops  40  on one shoulder, or by putting one strap loop  40  on each shoulder, external pockets  34  facing out, as one would carry a backpack. 
     In a second novel mode of operation, beach towel/tote bag can be used as a cover by unfolding the final longitudinal fold to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 5, but not disengaging the snaps  22  and  24 , placing over the shoulders with the external pockets  34  facing out, and bringing the loop straps  40  around the wearer&#39;s front. If desired, arms may be placed through the strap loops  40  to hold beach towel/tote bag on the shoulders. 
     In a third novel mode of operation, beach towel/tote bag can be used as an extended cover by unfolding to half the large towel&#39;s length, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4, but not disengaging the snaps  22  and  24 , placing over the shoulders with the external pockets  34  facing out, and bringing the strap loops  40  around the wearer&#39;s front. If desired, arms may be placed through the strap loops  40  to hold beach towel/tote bag on the shoulders. 
     The previously described versions of the present invention have many advantages, including a beach towel tote bag combination, which incorporates easily accessible external pockets  34  for carrying small articles of clothing and other small items, such as valuables. Conversion from the beach towel mode to the easily carried tote bag mode is accomplished by very simple steps, easily accomplished by all user&#39;s, including very young children. No complex folding instructions are required. Furthermore, the towel is folded without use of long zippers subject to jamming from contamination with dirt and sand. Finally, beach towel/tote bag includes the novel mesh fabric panel  28  feature on each external pocket  34  allowing for escape of unwanted sand or dirt accumulated during use. No longer will the sand and dirt be carried home and spilled at the most inappropriate times and places. 
     Many changes and modifications can be made in the design of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Described below are some of said possible changes and variations. 
     The mesh fabric panel  28  is not stitched to the large towel  10  at the longitudinal centerline  26 . The result will be one large external pocket  34  with access through two zippered closures  36 , while still retaining the mesh fabric panel  28  as a novel means to facilitate escape of sand and dirt particles accumulated within the pocket during use. The simple folding sequence and tote bag carrying features previously described would also be employed. 
     The small towel  12  is not cut in half at the longitudinal centerline  26  and the mesh fabric panel  28  is not provided or stitched in-between the two small towel  12  half sections. The result will be one large external pocket  34  with access through two zippered closures  36 . The simple folding sequence and tote bag carrying features previously described would also be employed. 
     The small towel  12  is not cut in half at the longitudinal centerline  26  and the mesh fabric panel  28  is not provided or stitched in-between the two small towel  12  half sections, but the center of the small towel  12  is sewn to the large towel along the longitudinal centerline  26 . The result will be two external pockets  34  with access through two zippered closures  36 . The simple folding sequence and tote bag carrying features previously described would also be employed. 
     Zipper closures  36  would not be provided for the external pockets  34 . Instead, the pockets would remain open, or other closure means, such as buttons, snaps, Velcro, etc. would be provided. 
     The small towel  12  would not be used, thus excluding the external pockets  34  altogether. Loop tabs  18 , the strap  38 , the strap loops  40 , and snaps  22  and  24  would be provided in the same manner as for the preferred embodiment, thus maintaining the same folding features and tote bag configuration. 
     The large towel  10  would be sized smaller for use by a child, as for example to a rectangular shape approximately 30×60 inches. Other related elements, such as the small towel  12  would be correspondingly reduced in size. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible, and some have been described. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained therein.