US20020179132A1

US20020179132A1 - Expandable collapsible portable dressing curtain

Info

Publication number: US20020179132A1
Application number: US09/841,702
Authority: US
Inventors: John Gutierrez
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-04-23
Filing date: 2001-04-23
Publication date: 2002-12-05

Abstract

A curtain is suspended by a hoop that is supported by retractable arms of which suction cups and/or hooks are attached. The entire curtain can be affixed to any smooth surface, such as that of a car door, or to structures such as fences, by way of the suction cups or hooks at the end of the retractable arms. The length of the curtain is such that it will provide needed privacy for one wishing to change clothes. The hoop and curtain are of flexible material to allow contraction and expansion for storage and use respectively.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to curtains and in more specifically to portable curtains that may expand and collapse.

2. Prior Art

Finding a place with privacy in order for one to change clothes, especially for one participating in recreational outdoor sports such as surfing or softball, is common for the sports' participants. In the past participants have had to find hiding places behind small tents, open car doors or even have had others hold towels to hide them. Surfers have had to wrap towels around their waists, over their wet suits, pull down the wet suit, and then change into dry clothing all while trying to keep the towel intact around their waist sometimes exposing themselves in public. These people have not completely solved the problem. Tents aren't big enough to hide behind or aren't portable enough. Open car doors only provide privacy to one side of the body. Towels often fall off of bodies trying to change.

For differnet purposes, devices are know which collapse and expand that could shield one from viewers using them such as “Ultimate Portable Blind” of Jones U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,706, the “Folding and Telescoping Sports Shelter” of Cook U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,525 and the “Collapsible Prinvacy Shelter” of Maggio U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,265

No device is known, however, that can attach to most surfaces and provide privacy for changing clothes and fold up in a manner that provides easy storage and transportation of device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principal object of the invention is to provide such a device for use in insuring privacy for those who wish and/or need to change their clothes in privacy.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a device that is built simply and inexpensively.

Another object is to provide such a device in lightweight, flexible material that can expand and collapse for easy storage in such containers as a backpack, duffel bag, or glove compartment of a car.

A further object is to provide such a device that can be affixed to a surface by way of suction cups or hooks.

The foregoing objects can be accomplished by providing a device that yields an enclosure made of a lightweight curtain suspended by a hoop that is attached to retractable arms on which suction cups and/or hooks are attached. The lightweight curtain's suspension is made possible by a hem on the upper edge of the material through which the hoop is passed. The curtain is cut out twice in small sections on opposite diameters along the hem exposing the hoop. Both exposed areas of the hoop are adhered to two separate pluralities of tubular sections. The it bottom section is attached to suction cups. The upper section has a bottom end portion of reduced diameter fitted in the upper-end portion of the bottom section. The connection between adjacent sections allows one section be placed into the other by way of a sliding action. At full contraction of sections, the upper section is nearly inside the entire bottom section. At full expansion, said sections are not to come apart from one another. Cantilevered near the end of each of the bottom sections are small-in-diameter extensions that extend at an angle from said tubular sections as far as the said suction cups and provide support to the entire device. Device maintains stability at full expansion, adhered to a smooth surface by suction cups or to a structure to which hooks may attach and supported with the said cantilevers. Objection of easy storage is made possible at full contraction of upper tubular sections housed in the bottom sections. Hoop is twisted in a fashion that allows its size to be diminished by half as would the doubling of a rubber band.

Reference Numerals In Drawings:



	1 curtain
	2 suction cups
	3 hoop
	4 cantilevers
	5 upper tubular section
	6 bottom tubular section
	8 section cut out
	9 hooks

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side expansion of expandable/portable dressing curtain in accordance with the present invention. [0013]
FIG. 2 is a top perspective of device in FIG. 1 at full expansion. [0014]
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, top perspective of the edge of the device in FIG. 1 showing cutout of curtain's material [0015]
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary, side perspective of tubular pluralities showing attached suction cups and hooks and supporting cantilevers of such device with parts broken away. [0016]
FIG. 5 is a top perspective of device in FIG. 1 with supporting arms fully contracted and hoop twisted such as the doubling of a rubber band. [0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in the drawings, the preferred dressing curtain in accordance with the present invention includes a [0018] cylindrical curtain 1 which preferable is of lightweight, durable material suspended by a flexible hoop 3, attached to retractable arms on which suction cups 2 are attached. The curtain's suspension is made possible by a hem in the upper edge of the material through which the hoop is passed. The curtain is cut out twice in small sections 8 on opposite diameters exposing the hoop 3 best seen in FIG. 3. Both exposed areas of hoop 3 are adhered to two separate pluralities of tubular sections 5 and 6 as seen in FIG. 3.
The [0019] upper section 5 has a bottom end portion of reduced diameter fitted in the upper-end portion of the bottom section 6 best seen in FIG. 4. The bottom section of the two separate tubular pluralities 6 are attached to suction cups 2.
The connection between adjacent sections allows one [0020] section 5 to be placed snugly into the other 6 by way of a sliding action. At full contraction of sections, the upper section 5 is nearly inside the entire bottom section 6 as best seen in FIG. 5. At full expansion, as seen in FIG. 1, said sections are not to come apart from one another
As best seen in FIG. 4, to prevent collapsing of device when in use, cantilevered near the end of each of the bottom sections are small-in-[0021] diameter extensions 4 that extend at an angle from tubular sections 5 and 6 as far as the suction cups 2 and provide support to the entire device. Device maintains stability at full expansion, adhered to a smooth surface by suction cups 2 or by hooks 9 to structures such as chain-link fencing, supported with the cantilevers 4.
Objection of easy storage is made possible at full contraction of upper [0022] tubular sections 5 and housed in the bottom sections 6. Hoop 3 is twisted in a fashion that allows its size to be diminished by half as would the doubling of a rubber band best seen in FIG. 5.
In use, the height of the curtain can be adjusted to the height of the area of the user's body, which the user may want to keep hidden or covered. [0023]
User may step inside fully expanded curtain while its suction cups or hooks are not adhered to any surface. Tubular sections may or may not be contracted. User raises device to desired height and adheres suction cups or hooks to surface. When suction cups or hooks are secured user pulls outward away from surface so that the upper sections of supporting tubular arms are pulled away from lower sections but sections are to come apart from one another. [0024]
To provide support, user may adjust cantilevers so that they are touching surface below the suction cups. [0025]
When user is done with device or no longer needing privacy, suction cups or hooks are pulled off from surface freeing entire device from surface. The construction of the device allows it to be contracted easily and quickly then stored and transported easily in such containers as a backpack, duffel bag, glove compartment or trunk of a car. The entire device may drop to the floor and user steps out. Hoop of device can be held on opposite diameters and, in a twisting fashion, user will double hoop as one would in the doubling of a rubber band, diminishing size of device by half. [0026]
Preferably the height of the device's curtain at full expansion is at least about 36 inches and at least about 25 inches in diameter. Attached tubular sections are at least about 12 inches each so that when the sections are extended, full length of device's standards are at least about 2 feet. Suction cups are about one inch in diameter. Each cantilever should be long enough so that the ends of each of the cantilevers attaches to about the middle the tubular sections while the other ends of each said cantilevers extends to about the edge of the suction cups and/or hooks. [0027]

Claims

I claim:

1. A portable/expandable dressing curtain for use in providing users who wish not to expose themselves in public, comprising of an enclosure made of a lightweight curtain suspended by a hoop, two separate pluralities of tubular sections end to end with the bottom section of said tubular sections attaching to said hoop at opposite diameters, the upper section having a bottom end portion of reduced diameter fitting in the upper-end portion of the bottom section connecting adjacent sections, allowing one section be placed into the other by way of a sliding action allowing, at full contraction of sections, the said upper section nearly inside the entire bottom section and at full expansion, not allowing said sections to come apart from one another, suction cups that receive the lower portion of said bottom sections allowing entire device to be secured to a surface.

2. A portable/expandable dressing curtain comprising of an enclosure made of a cylindrical curtain suspended by a hoop, two separate pluralities of tubular sections end to end for attaching to said hoop at opposite diameters of said curtain to the bottom section of said tubular sections, the upper section having a bottom end portion of reduced diameter fitting in the upper-end portion of the bottom section connecting adjacent sections, including connection means for deterring separation of said tubular arms from hoop, two small-in-diameter extensions cantilevered near the end of each of the bottom tubular sections extending at an angle from said tubular sections as far as attached suction cups at the end of bottom section providing support to the entire device so as to maintain stability at full expansion, assisting said tubular arms in maintaining projection of hoop horizontally, allowing top of said cylindrical curtain to hang high enough that at least only a portion of bottom edge of curtain touches the ground or is suspended completely off the ground.

3. A portable/expandable dressing curtain comprising of an enclosure made of a curtain suspended by a hoop and two separate tubular sections connected to suction cups for use in adhering to a smooth surface and supported with extensions cantilevered from said arms for supporting of entire device.

4. A portable/expandable dressing curtain comprising of an enclosure made of a curtain suspended by two separate pluralities of tubular sections attached to suction cups for adherence to a surface allowing suspension of device, a flexible hoop with physical properties allowing said hoop to be twisted in a fashion as the doubling of a rubber band, diminishing the size of the device by at least half for easy storage.

5. A portable/expandable dressing curtain comprising of an enclosure made of a curtain suspended by a hoop and two separate tubular sections connected to hooks for use in latching to a surface or structure and supported with extensions cantiLevered from said arms for supporting of entire device.