CA2316100A1

CA2316100A1 - Shower-curtain holder with article supporting fixture

Info

Publication number: CA2316100A1
Application number: CA 2316100
Authority: CA
Inventors: Frank Lauk
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-08-22
Filing date: 2000-08-10
Publication date: 2001-02-22
Also published as: AT4159U1; DE29916670U1

Abstract

A shower curtain holder which is constructed so as to support a shower curtain on a rod has a pair of depending legs which straddle the shower curtain, and each leg has a hook. Certain objects may therefore be hung on the inside hook to be available while showering, and other objects (e.g. a towel) may hang on the outside hook, so that the shower curtain protects them from the shower spray, to be available after the shower.

Description

,. ,.
The present invention relates generally to shower curtain holders for retaining a shower curtain on a shower curtain rod and, more particularly, concerns such a holder which includes an article supporting fixture for supporting bathing objects and materials.
In practice, problems generally arise because the towels, bothrobes, etc. needed for getting oneself dry after taking a shower are not hanging up within easy reach or are not right at hand -particularly if several people use the same shower. Another problem is posed by the fact that ordinary shelves and hooks for shower gel, shampoo, etc. are troublesome to fix, requiring glue or holes drilled in the wall tiles of the shower.
It is an object of the present invention to keep the things used during a shower (shower gel, shampoo, etc.) within easy reach inside the shower, without requiring the effort of securing a fixture and without causing any damage to the tiles by drilling or gluing. In addition to this, it is necessary to keep the things needed immediately after a shower (towel, bathrobe, etc.) close at hand, without having to leave the shower before getting dry.

Hooks for hanging shower curtains on shower curtain rails have been available for some time and thus constitute the background of the invention.
Any commercially traded shower curtain has ready punched eyelets for attaching retaining hooks. As a rule, shower curtain rails have a diameter of between 2.5cm (min) and 4cm (max), thus permitting standardized hooks to be made.
The desired object is attained with the present invention, because the hooks with which the shower curtain is affixed to the shower curtain rail are designed in such a manner that the respective supported objects are kept seaprate by the shower curtain itself. This ensures that shower gel, shampoo, etc. are at 1,0 hand inside the shower, whilst towels, bathrobes, etc. are outside the shower and so are kept away from the shower's water and spray. Thus, they stay dry and can easily be reached when needed. With the fixture being pressed easily onto the shower curtain rail, installation is not difficult, and neither the tiles nor the tile joints are damaged.
The foregoing brief description, as well as other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be understood more completely from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, with reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a holder in ccordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a front view showing two holders in accordance with the present invention mounted on a shower curtain supporting rod and supporting a shower curtain; and Figure 3 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a holder in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the holder 10 has a ring portion 12 at the tvp, designed to mount onto and slide easily along a shower-curtain rail. It is attached to the rail by being forced open and by being pushed onto the rail 1 in place of a conventional shower curtain hook, with the curtain 2 captured between legs 14, 14, which define an article supporting fixture. A portion 15 of the holder extends between the legs 14, 14 and through an aperture in the shower curtain, to support the curtain. As is conventional, portion 15 may be integral with one of the legs 14 and may be press-fitted into an aperture in the other leg, to prevent the curtain from corning loose.
Having the fixture as part of the shower curtain holder means that it is automatically moved to and fro when the curtain is opened and closed. Since one of the hooks 16, 16 on the fixture is on the inside of the shower (wet side) when the shower curtain is closed, any utensils required during a shower and hanging on the inside hook of hooks 16, 16 are always at hand. Once the shower curtain is closed, any objects which have been hung on the hook on the other leg of the fixture are outside the shower (dry side) and thus do not get wet from any spray coming from the shower: When the curtain is pulled open again, after a shower, all the objects hanging on the outside hook are immediately within easy reach.
Any rust-proof material providing the necessary stability can be used for manufacturing holder 10. Holder 10 may be made of a resilient material, which would permit it to be spread apart to fit over the shower curtain rail, or it may include a hinge 17.
Figure 3 is a side view of an alternate embodiment 10' of a shower curtain holder in accordance with the present invention. FHolder 10' comprises a ring portion 12' and a fitting including the depending leg 14', with a hook portion 16' at the lower end. The ring portion 12' is partially cut away at 12a' to permit the ring portion 12' to be spread and placed upon a shower curtain rail. The curtain supporting portion 15', which extends into an aperture in the curtain is, in this embodiment, part of the ring portion 12'. Since the holder 10' only has one hook, it is preferred that two holders be used at the same time on adjacent curtain apertures, with one positioned with its hook on the dry side and the other with its hook on the wet side.
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A shower curtain holder for use with a shower-curtain having receiving apertures and supported on a rail, said holder being constructed to fit over a rail with a support portion thereof disposed to extend into one of the apertures, said holder having a depending object-retaining fixture positioned to be on one side of the shower curtain when the curtain is mounted on the rail by means of the holder, whereby the holder can be mounted on the rail to support the shower curtain, and the fixture is provided without any physical changes to any part of the shower structure and without the use of fasteners or adhesives

2. The holder of Claim 1, wherein said fixture includes a hook.

3. The holder as under Claim 1, further comprising a second object-retaining fixture positioned to be on the other side of the curtain, whereby the curtain separates the two object-retaining portions of the holder so that one of said object-retaining portions is on the (wet) inside, the other being on the (dry) outside.

4. The holder of Claim 3 wherein said fixtures are hooks affixed to the respective portions.

5. A shower curtain holder for use with a shower-curtain having receiving apertures and supported on a rail, said holder having a ring portion constructed to fit over the rail with a support portion thereof disposed to extend into one of the apertures, said ring portion having a portion thereof removed to permit spreading of the ring portion to fit over the rail, said holder having a depending object-retaining fixture positioned to be on one side of the shower

6 curtain when the curtain is mounted on the rail by means of the holder, whereby the holder can be mounted on the rail to support the shower curtain, and the fixture is provided without any physical changes to any part of the shower structure and without the use of fasteners or adhesives.
6. The shower curtain holder of claim 5, wherein the fixture is a hook.

7. The shower curtain holder of claim 5, wherein the removed portion of the ring portion is positioned to be on the side of the curtain opposite to the fixture when the curtain is mounted on the rail by means of the holder.

8. The shower curtain holder of claim 7, wherein the fixture is a hook.

9. A method for using a shower curtain holder in accordance with claim 5 comprising the steps of mounting a curtain to a rod with a first of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on one side of the curtain and with a second of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on the opposite side of the curtain.

10. A method for using a shower curtain holder in accordance with claim 6 comprising the steps of mounting a curtain to a rod with a first of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on one side of the curtain and with a second of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on the opposite side of the curtain.

11. A method for using a shower curtain holder in accordance with claim 7 comprising the steps of mounting a curtain to a rod with a first of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on one side of the curtain and with a second of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on the opposite side of the curtain.

12. A method for using a shower curtain holder in accordance with claim 8 comprising the steps of mounting a curtain to a rod with a first of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on one side of the curtain and with a second of said holders positioned so that its fixture is on the opposite side of the curtain.