GB2584728A

GB2584728A - A towel rail

Info

Publication number: GB2584728A
Application number: GB1908578.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Slee Jeffrey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-06-14
Filing date: 2019-06-14
Publication date: 2020-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-14
Also published as: GB2584728B; GB201908578D0

Abstract

A towel rail 10 , wherein the rail comprises at least a portion of hook fastener material of the type which forms hook-and-loop material 20, so that in use, a margin of a towel 40 is releasably attachable to the rail via the hook fastener material, allowing the towel 5 to hang from the rail. Preferably, the towel rail includes at least two portions of hook fastener material, wherein the at least two portions are arranged spaced apart from one another, so that a face of the towel is outspread when hanging from the rail. The location of the hook fastener material may be slidably adjustable along the length of the rail. The towel rail may comprise brackets for attaching the towel rail to a surface, and the hook fastener material may be attached to the brackets. A method of attaching a towel to a towel rail using the claimed towel rail is also included.

Description

A towel rail The present invention relates generally to a towel rail and a method of hanging a towel and finds particular, although not exclusive, utility in a releasable attachment towel rail.

rowel rails are often constructed from metal, plastic or another material with a similarly smooth surface. This can cause the coefficient of friction between the rail and the towel to be relatively low; increasing the likelihood of a towel slipping off the rail. To avoid the towel slipping from the rail, an approximately equal length of the towel may be hung from either side of the rail. This avoids one end of the towel being substantially heavier than the other, resulting in an imbalanced gravitational force causing the towel to slip from the rail.

As towel rails arc! often attached to a surface such as a vertical wall, an end of the towel required to hang from the posterior side of the rail is often close to the wall. This makes it somewhat awkward to hang the towel properly from the rail to avoid slipping, as the towel must be pulled over and behind the rail. Furthermore, the towel is effectively doubled-up on itself when hanging from the rail, further decreasing the exposure of the towel to dry air.

Another consequence of the relatively low coefficient of friction for the rail and the towel is the likelihood of the towel bunching together when hung from the rail. This further decreases the proportion of the surface area of the towel exposed to the air. The present invention solves this problem by providing, in a first aspect, a towel rail, wherein the rail comprises at least a portion of hook fastener material of the type which forms hook-and-loop material, so that in use, a margin of a towel is releasably attachable to the rail via the hook fastener material, allowing the towel to hang from the rail.

T Took-and-loop material, commonly known under the generic name Velcro (RTNI)" is a releasable attachment material consisting of two components: hook fastener material and loop fastener material. The hook fastener material consists of relatively small hooks; the loop fastener material consists of relatively small loops. When the two components come into contact with one another, the hooks catch in the loops and subsequently releasably bind the two materials together. ln the case of the present invention, the fabric of the towel acts as the loop fastener material, allowing it to releasably attach to the hook fastener material.

A margin of the towel may be releasably attached to the hook fastener material, which may be located at any position on the towel rail.

This makes it much simpler to hang a towel from the towel rail, because there is no requirement for ensuring that approximately equal lengths of the towel hang from either side of the rail. Rather, all that needs to be done is releasably attach the towel to the hook fastener material.

In this manner, the towel may be attached such that substantially its entire length is hanging from the rail, maximising the surface area of the towel exposed to the air.

Furthermore, the towel is not doubled-up on itself with two damp sides hanging parallel to each other. This greatly increases the rate of evaporative drying.

Due to the increased rate of drying, a towel hung from the rail may have a reduced degree of bacterial accumulation over time, thus prolonging the optimal length of time between washes. This may be more environmentally friendly due to the reduced amount of water and energy used to launder the towel over its lifespan, and thus may find particular utility in use by hotel chains and the like where large volumes of towels are used. The hook fastener material may be integral with the rail. It may be attached with an adhesive such as glue. The hook fastener material may be releasably attached to the rail to allow for repositioning and removal.

The hook fastener material may be attached to the rail such that it is slidably adjustable, to allow for repositioning along the length of the rail. A linear track recessed within the towel rail may be provided so as to allow the portions of hook fastener material to slide along the rail. In this manner, the hook fastener material may be repositioned to match the dimensions of at least one towel to be hung from the rail.

The hook fastener material may take up a portion of the exterior surface of the rail, or cover the entire surface. The hook fastener material may have an area ranging from approximately 1cm2 to 1 Ocm2, although other areas are contemplated.

The rail may comprise at least two portions of hook fastener material, wherein the at least two portions are arranged spaced apart from one another, so that a face of the towel is outspread when hanging from the rail.

A face of the towel may be releasably attached such that it is taut across the length of the rail, greatly reducing the potential for bunching and therefore creasing of the towel.

This may further increase the surface area of the towel exposed to the air and thus the rate of drying. The towel may also have increased aesthetic appeal while hanging from the rail and when in use, due to the substantial lack of bunching and creasing.

There may be a requirement for more than one towel to be attached to the rail; for example, a flannel, hand towel and bath towel may be attached at different locations along the rail.

The rail may have any number of portions of hook fastener material, to match the size, shape or orientation of the towels to be hung from the rail. This allows for customisation of the rail to suit the requirements of towels to be hung from the rail. For example, a flannel, hand towel and bath towel may be allocated specific positions on the The rail may further comprise brackets for attaching the towel rail to a surface. The brackets may have hook fastener material attached, to allow for a towel to be hung in an alternate orientation, such as with the top margin of the outspread surface of the towel parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brackets. This may find particular utility for hanging a small towel such as a flannel, that has a length smaller than the length of the brackets.

The rail may be arranged such that the hook fastener material is integral with, or attached, to an aspect of the rail closest to the surface to which the rail is attached. In this configuration, when a towel is not hanging from the rail the hook fastener material is substantially hidden when viewed facing the surface, for example a vertical wall, so that the aesthetic appeal is improved. The hook fastener material may be attached to any aspect of the rail so as to suit a specific requirement, such as ease of access to the towel or aesthetic appeal of the rail when a towel is not hung from it.

Tn a second aspect, the invention provides a method of attaching a towel to a towel rail, the method comprising: providing the towel rail of the first aspect; attaching the towel rail to a surface; releasably attaching a towel to the hook fastener material, so that a face of the towel is outspread when hanging from the rail.

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference Figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a towel rail and a towel Figure 2 is a side view of the towel rail and towel in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the towel rail in Figure 1, with the towel hanging in an alternate configuration.

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may he exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. Tt is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. Likewise, method steps described or claimed in a particular sequence may be understood to operate in a different sequence.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term "comprising", used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof Thus, the scope of the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B. Reference throughout this specification to "an embodiment" or "an aspect" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", or "in an aspect" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any one embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner with any other particular feature, structure or characteristic of another embodiment or aspect of the invention, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

Tn the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

The use of the term "at least one" may mean only one in certain circumstances.

The use of the term "any" may mean "all" and/or "each" in certain circumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept (Jr technical teaching, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

In Figure 1 a towel rail 10 is shown,with a rectilinear rail section 15 extending between two brackets 17. The brackets 17 are attached to either longitudinal end of rectilinear rail section 15 and project orthogonally from the rectilinear rail section 15 towards a surface 50, such as a vertical wall. Two portions of hook Listener material 20 are attached to the rectilinear rail section 15, spaced apart from one another and distal from the middle of the longitudinal length of the rectilinear rail section 15. The portions of hook fastener material 20 are attached to an aspect of the rectilinear rail section 15 closest to the surface 30, so that they are hidden from view when looking at the towel rail 10 towards the surface 30. The portions of hook fastener material 20 may be integral with the rectilinear rail section 15, alternatively they may be attached with an adhesive such as glue. The hook Listener material 20 may alternatively be relcasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 to allow for repositioning and removal.

A towel 40 is shown with the margin of one end of one side releasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via the hook fastener material 20, so that a face of the towel 40 is outspread. The brackets 17 are attached to the surface 50, via attachment means 30. The arc of the towel 40 looping over the rectilinear rail section 15 is exaggerated for the sake of clarity. Portions of the rectilinear rail section 15, brackets 17 and hook fastener material 20 are shown in broken lines to indicate their being obscured by the towel 40.

The brackets 17 of the towel rail 10 may have hook Fastener material 20 attached, to allow for a towel 40 to be hung in an alternate orientation. This configuration is not shown in Figure 1.

Two orthogonal brackets 17 are shown; however, there may be any number of brackets 17 in any orientation.

The towel 40 may be a bathroom towel, kitchen towel or any other type of towel.

in Figure 2 a side view of the towel rail 10 is shown. The margin of one end of one side of the towel 40 is shown releasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via the hook fastener material 20. 't he rectilinear rail section 15, hook fastener material 20 and a portion of the towel 40 are shown in broken lines to indicate their being obscured by the bracket 17. The bracket 17 is attached to a surface SO via the attachment means 30. The surface SO further extends in both vertical directions, indicated by the broken lines. Alternate positions of the hook fastener material 20 on the rectilinear rail section 15 are indicated as position A, position B, position C and position D. With the towel rail 10 in use, the longitudinal length of the rectilinear rail section 15 extends horizontally.

Position A is at the proximal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, closest to the attachment means 30 and surface 50. Position B is at the top of the rectilinear rail section 15. Position C is at the distal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, furthest from the attachment means 30 and surface. 50. Position 1-) is at the bottom of the rectilinear rail section 15.

Configurations between these positions are conceived, for example a position between position A and position B or between position B and position C. Combinations of these positions are conceived, for example position A and position B, or position A and position C. There may be continuous portions of hook fastener material 20 covering multiple positions, for example a continuous portion of hook fastener material 20 covering positions A, B and C of the rectilinear rail section 15. There may be continuous portions of hook fastener material 20 covering positions A, B, C and n so the hook fastener material 20 circumferentially encompasses the rectilinear rail section 15.

As show in Figure 2, a towel 40 is shown with the margin of one end of one side releasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via the hook fastener material 20 at position A. The towel 40 is then partially wrapped around the rectilinear rail section 15 such that it extends away from the attached margin, up and over the rectilinear rail section 15, with the remainder of the length of the towel 40 hanging outside the brackets 17. Accordingly, the towel 40 hangs from the rectilinear rail section 15 so it is in contact with the rectilinear rail section 15 at the proximal side, top side and distal side through an angle of approximately 180°. In this configuration, part of the weight of the towel 40 is exerted on the rectilinear rail section 15, resulting in a friction force between the rectilinear rail section 15 and the towel 40, which assists in keeping the towel 40 from slipping from the rail 10. The rail 10 has improved aesthetic appeal due to the hook fastener material 20 being substantially hidden from view when looking towards the surface 50.

Alternatively, the towel 40 may be attached such that it hangs straight down with the margin of one end of one side releasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via the hook fastener material 20 at position A. In this manner, the towel 40 will not contact any other part of the rectilinear rail section 13. This configuration may have improved aesthetic appeal due to the point of attachment of the towel 40 to the rail 10 being substantially hidden from view when looking towards the surface 50. The towel 40 will hang inside the brackets 17 on the proximal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, that is the side closest to the attachment means 30. Furthermore, the entire profile of the towel 40 will be inside the brackets 17 of the towel rail 10, and will be less likely to be disturbed by a user walking past the towel rail 10.

Another alternative is that the margin of one end of one side of the towel 40 is releasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via the hook fastener material 20 at position B. The towel 40 will be partially wrapped around the rectilinear rail section 15 such that it extends away from the attached margin and over the distal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, with the remainder of the length of the towel 40 hanging outside the brackets 17. Accordingly, the towel 40 will hang on the rectilinear rail section 13 so it is in contact with the rectilinear rail section 13 at the top and distal side, through an angle of approximately 90°. Part of the weight of the towel 40 will be exerted on the rectilinear rail section 15 resulting in a friction force between the rectilinear rail section 15 and the towel 40, which will assist in keeping the towel 40 from slipping from the rail 10. in this manner, the entire profile of the towel 40 will hang outside of the brackets 17 of the towel rail 10.

Yet another alternative is that the towel 40 will hang inside the brackets 17 when the margin of one end of one side is attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via hook fastener material 20 at position B. The towel 40 will be partially wrapped around the rectilinear rail section 13 such that it extends away from the attached margin and over the proximal side of the rectilinear rail section 13, with the remainder of the length of the towel 40 hanging inside the brackets 17. Accordingly, the toviiel 40 will be in contact with the rectilinear rail section 15 at the top and proximal side through an angle of approximately 90°. Part of the weight of the towel 40 will be exerted on the rectilinear rail section 15 resulting in a friction force between the rectilinear rail section 15 and the towel 40, which will assist in keeping the towel 40 from slipping from the rail 10. In this manner, the towel 40 will hang on the proximal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, that is the side closest to the attachment means 30. Furthermore, the entire profile of the towel 40 will be inside the brackets 17 of the towel rail 10, and will be unlikely to be disturbed by a user walking past the towel rail 10.

In a further alternative, the margin of one end of one side of the towel 40 may be releasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via the hook fastener material 20 at position C. In this configuration, the towel 40 will hang straight down from the rectilinear rail section 15, outside of the brackets 17. The towel 40 may hang on the distal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, that is the side furthest from the attachment means 30.

Alternatively, the towel 40 may hang inside the brackets 17 when the margin of one end of one side is attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via hook fastener material 20 at position C. in this manner, the towel 40 is partially wrapped around the rectilinear rail section 15 such that it extends away from the attached margin and over the top side of the rectilinear rail section 15, with the remainder of the length of the towel 40 hanging inside the brackets 17. In this configuration, the towel 40 is in contact with the rectilinear rail section 15 at the distal side, top and proximal side through an angle of approximately 1800. This is the horizontal mirror image of a configuration where the towel 40 is releasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via hook fastener material 20 at position A. as described above. In this manner, a substantial portion of the profile of the towel 40 will be inside the brackets 17 oiltowel rail 10, and will be unlikely to be disturbed by a user walking past the towel rail 10.

In a yet further alternative, the margin of one end of one side of the towel 40 may be relcasably attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via the hook fastener material 20 at position D. In this configuration the towel 40 may hang straight down from the rectilinear rail section 15.

Alternatively, the towel 40 may hang inside the brackets 17 when the margin of one end of one side is attiched to the rectilinear nil section 15 via hook fastener material 20 at position D. 'Ibis may be effected by partially wrapping the towel 40 around the rectilinear rail section 15 such that it extends away From the attached margin and over the distal side, top and proximal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, with the remainder of the length of the towel 40 hanging inside the brackets 17. Accordingly, the towel 40 will be in contact with the rectilinear rail section 15 at the bottom side, distal side, top and proximal side before hanging down from the rectilinear r2u1 section 15. In this configuration, a substantial part of the weight of the towel 40 will be exerted on the rectilinear rail section 15, resulting in a friction force between the rectilinear rail section 15 and the towel 40, which will assist in keeping the towel 40 from slipping from the r2u1 10.

A further alternative is that the towel 40 may hang outside the brackets 17 when the margin of one end of one side is attached to the rectilinear rail section 15 via hook fastener material 20 at position D. The towel 40 may then be partially wrapped around the rectilinear rail section 15 such that it extends away from the attached margin and over the proximal side, top and distal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, with the remainder of the length of the towel 40 hanging outside the brackets 17. Accordingly, the towel 40 may be in contact with the rectilinear rail section 15 at the bottom side, proximal side, top and distal side before hanging down from the rectilinear rail section 15. In this configuration, a substantial part of the weight of the towel 40 may be exerted on the rectilinear rail section 15, resulting in a friction force between the rectilinear rail section 15 and the towel 40, which will assist in keeping the towel 40 from slipping from the r2u1 10.

In Figure 3 a plan view of the towel rail 10 is shown. The portions of hook fastener material 20 are shown attached to the rectilinear rail section 15. The rectilinear rail section 15 is shown attached via brackets 17 and attachment means 30 to the surface 50. The surface 50 further extends in both horizontal directions, indicated by the broken lines.

The towel 40 is shown hanging straight down from the rectilinear rail section 15 with the margin of one end of one side releasably attached to hook fastener material 20 at position A on the rectilinear rail section 15. This is the proximal side of the rectilinear rail section 15, closest to the attachment means 30 and surface 50. In this manner, the towel 40 has its entire profile hanging inside the exterior profile of the towel rail 10.

Claims

CLAIMS 2. 3. 4. 6. 7.A towel rail, wherein the rail comprises at least a portion of hook fastener material of the type which forms hook-and-loop material, so that in use, a margin of a towel is releasably attachable to the rail via the hook fastener material, allowing the towel to hang from the rail.the towel rail of claim 1, comprising at least two portions of hook fastener material, wherein the at least two portions are arranged spaced apart from one another, so that a face of the towel is outspread when hanging from the rail.The towel rail of any preceding claim, in which the location of the hook fastener material is slidably adjustable along the length of the rail.the towel rail of any preceding claim, further comprising brackets for attaching the towel rail to a surface.The towel rail of any preceding claim, in which the hook fastener material is attached to an aspect of the rail closest to the surface to which the rail is attached.The towel rail of claim 4 or claim 5, in which the brackets comprise at least a portion of hook fastener material.A method of attaching a towel to a towel rail, the method comprising: providing the towel rail of any preceding claim; attaching the towel rail to a surface; releasably attaching a towel to the hook fastener material, so that a face of the towel is outspread when hanging from the rail.