US20080023617A1

US20080023617A1 - Weight assembly

Info

Publication number: US20080023617A1
Application number: US11/495,244
Authority: US
Inventors: Stanley Ho
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-07-28
Filing date: 2006-07-28
Publication date: 2008-01-31

Abstract

A weight assembly which includes a container having a first portion and a second portion. In addition, the weight assembly includes a means for attaching the weight assembly to a fastening means, and a fastening means. The first portion and the second portion of the container matingly engage one another and form a hollow interior cavity within the container. Placed within the cavity are weight bearing materials or items that add weight to the container.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to either removably attached or permanently affixed weight assemblies for use on towels and other covers such as blankets and tablecloths. More specifically, the present invention comprises a container that contains any weight-bearing material or item that can be attached to at least one edge of a towel or material of choice in order to hold the towel or material in a fixed position on the ground, a chair, a table or the like.

BACKGROUND

When visiting the beach, people often spread a beach towel or blanket or some other type of covering on the ground to sit and lie on, and picnickers frequently spread a tablecloth on a table or the ground in order to protect food, dishes and picnic items. In many other situations, such as outings and the like, a blanket or some other covering is spread on the ground and is used as a seat or bed to avoid getting damp or dirty. These coverings, however, when not held down or held in position by some means, tend to be blown around by the wind thereby being displaced, moved out of shape, wrinkled, made uncomfortable, and therefore become ineffective for their desired purpose as ground coverings, table coverings or the like. In addition, if a tablecloth is blown off of a table, any food, plates and utensils disposed on the tablecloth are blown onto the ground, resulting in a wasted food and money.
A variety of solutions have been employed to solve the above-mentioned problems. For example, heavy objects such as mounds of sand and stone or a users personal effects such as shoes, radios, beverage containers, etc., are often piled on the corners of a beach towel or blanket. Additionally, stones, picnic baskets, or some other heavy objects may be placed on the corners of a tablecloth or blanket to hold it in place. Lastly, stakes may be attached to the corners of a towel or blanket and driven into the ground in order to anchor the towel or blanket.
These solutions, however, have several disadvantages. For example, the heavy objects placed on the corners do not secure the covering effectively and unduly restrict the area of the covering available for use. In addition, sand or stones placed on a blanket or towel tend to migrate to the central portion of the towel or blanket thereby defeating the purpose for using a towel or blanket. Furthermore, stakes cannot be used if the towel or blanket is being used on a hard surface such as a wood deck, concrete pool side, etc. In addition, these solutions cannot typically be used to anchor or hold a towel to a chair.
Therefore, a need exists to provide a means by which a towel, tablecloth, blanket, or any other material can be secured in place and prevented from becoming displaced, wrinkled or folded, and which is small enough to not interfere with the use of the covering or restrict the amount of available area. In addition, a need exists for a universal hold down or anchoring means hat can be used to anchor a towel or other cover to the ground, a chair or a table.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to overcome the shortcomings in the prior art by providing a weight assembly that can be attached to a towel, blanket, tablecloth or any other material of choice in order to hold these items in a fixed position on the ground, on a chair, on a table or the like.
These and other objects and advantages are provided by the instant invention. In this regard, according to one embodiment, the instant invention is directed to a weight assembly comprising a container having two halves. The two halves of the container are attached to each other or engage each other such that a hollow interior cavity is formed within the container.
Attached to the container is a means, such as, for example, a chain, a rope or a shoestring, for attaching the container to a towel, blanket, or tablecloth fastening means. The towel, blanket or tablecloth fastening means can be, for example, a spring loaded clip.
The instant invention can be used universally to attach to existing towels, blankets, tablecloths and any other material of choice. In addition, the instant invention can be used to hold towels or blankets in a desired location on the ground, in a desired position on a chair or to hold a tablecloth on a table.
In this text, the terms “comprising”, “comprise”, “comprises” and other forms of “comprise” can have the meaning ascribed to these terms in U.S. Patent Law and can mean “including”, “include”, “includes” and other forms of “include”.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out in particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and description in which various embodiments of the invention are illustrated and disclosed in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example and not intended to limit the present invention, will be best appreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and parts, in which:

FIG. 1 a is plan view of a weight assembly, according to one embodiment of the instant invention;

FIG. 1 b is plan view of a weight assembly, according to one embodiment of the instant invention;

FIG. 1 c is plan view of a weight assembly, according to one embodiment of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container, according to one embodiment of the instant invention;

FIG. 3 a is a side plan view of a fastening means, according to one embodiment of the instant invention;

FIG. 3 b is a front plan view of a fastening means, according to one embodiment of the instant invention;

FIG. 4 is schematic drawing depicting the weight assemblies in use, according to one embodiment of the instant invention; and

FIG. 5 is schematic drawing depicting the weight assemblies in use, according to one embodiment of the instant invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The instant invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these illustrated embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
The instant invention relates to weight assemblies that attach to the edges of a towel or cover. The towel can be any type of towel, such as, but not limited to, a beach towel. The cover can be, for example, a blanket, a picnic blanket a tablecloth or any other material of choice. The weight assemblies attach along the edges of a towel or cover and rely on gravity to hold the towel or cover in a fixed, desired position, for example, on the ground, on a chair or on a table.
Turning now to the figures, as depicted in FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c, the weight assembly 2 comprises a container 4, a means for attaching 6 the container to a towel or cover attaching means and a towel or cover fastening means 8. Furthermore, as depicted in FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c, the container 4 can be in the shape of a starfish, a shell or a fish, respectively. But, as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the containers 4 can be any geometric shape.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a container 4 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the container 4 comprises two halves, a first half 10 and a second half 12. Each half is hollow so that when the halves, 10 and 12, are brought together and joined, they form an internal hollow portion or cavity 9. This internal cavity 9 allows the container 4 to be filled with a multitude of materials or items that can be used to add weight to the container 4. For example, the container 4 can be filled with sand, water, shells, pebbles or stones. In addition, a user's personal affects such as, but not limited to, keys or change may be placed within the container's cavity 9 to add weight to the container 4. Furthermore, the container 4 may be filled with juice or other beverages and frozen prior to use. This way, children can have an ice to suck on or a cold beverage to drink as the frozen beverage melts. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, any weight bearing item or material that adds weight to the container 4 can be placed within the container 4. In order to prevent a liquid weight means from leaking out of the container's internal cavity 9, the halves, 10 and 12, of the container 4 may include a gasket system that forms a liquid-tight seal between the two halves, 10 and 12, of the container 4.
The halves, 10 and 12, cooperate with each other and are mateable with each other so that they may be joined to each other in a closed position. This can be accomplished with a clasp system, a bayonet-type fastening system, or any other type of fastening system that allows the two halves to be releasably joined to each other in a secure manner.
The container 4 may be constructed from transparent, molded, tinted plastics or similar materials. The plastics and similar materials can be tinted with a variety of colors and can even include designs. When not in use as a weight to weigh down a towel or other cover, the container 4 can be split into its two halves, 10 and 12, and used by children, for example, to play in the sand.
As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the weight assembly 2 also includes a means for attaching 6 the container to a towel or cover fastening means. As depicted in the figures, according to one embodiment of the instant invention, the means for attaching 6 the container to a towel or cover fastening means is a chain-type fastener 6. However, additional means for attaching 6 the container to a towel or cover fastening means may be used, such as, but not limited to, rope, shoestrings or elastic members. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, any means that allows the container 4 to be attached to the fastening means 8 may be used.
Depicted in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b is a side view and a front view, respectively, of a fastening means in the form of a spring loaded clip 8. The spring loaded clip 8 is a universal fastening means that allows the weight assembly 2 to be easily attached to any towel or cover. That is, a consumer does not need to buy specialty towels or covers for use with the instant weight assemblies. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, additional conventional fastening means, such as, but not limited to, safety pins, hook and loop-type fasteners (VELCRO®) and buttons, may also be used to attach the weight assembly 2 to a towel or cover.
Use of the weight assemblies will now be described with respect to a beach towel. Once a user determines the type of weight bearing material or item (i.e. sand, shells, water, pebbles, stones, etc.) that he or she wants to use to add weight to the container 4, the container 4 is split into its two halves, 10 and 12, and the weight means added to the internal cavity 9 of the container 4. After weight is added, the two halves, 10 and 12, of the weight assemblies 2 are brought together and joined with each other, thereby enclosing the weight bearing materials or items within the internal cavity of the container 4.
As depicted in FIG. 4, in order to hold the beach towel 13 in a desired location or position on the ground, the weight assemblies 2 are typically attached to the four corners of the beach towel 13 using, for example, the spring loaded clips 8. Depending on the conditions in the area where the beach towel 13 will be in use, i.e. the amount and speed of the wind, additional weight assemblies 2 may be attached or clipped along the lengthwise edges 14 and widthwise edges 16 of the beach towel 13 to increase the combined hold-down weight of the weight assemblies 2, thereby increasing the weight assemblies' ability to more effectively hold the beach towel 13 in a fixed position.
As previously disclosed and as depicted in FIG. 5, the weight assemblies 2 may also be used to anchor or hold a beach towel 13 to a chair 18. Similar to the use of the weight assemblies 2 for a beach towel 13 placed on the ground, the weight assemblies 2 are attached or clipped to the four corners of a beach towel 13 that is to be draped or placed over a chair 18. In addition to attaching weight assemblies 2 to the four corners of the beach towel 13, it may be advantageous to attach additional weight assemblies 2 along the lengthwise edges 14 of the towel in the region of the chair where the seat portion 20 of the chair meets the back portion 22 of the chair. This region is depicted as 24 in FIG. 5. Moreover, additional weight assemblies 2 may be attached to the widthwise edges 16 of the beach towel 13 in order to provide added weight to the towel 13 to better hold the towel in the desired position on the chair 18.
When a user is finished using a beach towel 13 that has the weight assemblies 2 attached thereto, the user simply unclips or removes the weight assemblies 2 from the towel 13, splits the container 4 apart into its two halves, 10 and 12, and empties the weight bearing material or items from the interior cavity 9 of the container 4. As a result, the user does not need to carry around the additional weight provided by the weight bearing materials or items and instead only carries around the weight assemblies 2, which are now empty, and therefore weighs less than the weighted weight assemblies 2.
Having thus described in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention defined by the above paragraphs is not to be limited to particular details set forth in the above description, as many apparent variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A weight assembly comprising:

a container having a first portion and a second portion;

a means for attaching said weight assembly to a fastening means; and

a fastening means;

wherein said first portion and said second portion of said container matingly engage one another forming a hollow interior cavity within the container.

2. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first portion and said second portion are color tinted and transparent.

3. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for attaching said weight assembly to a fastening means is selected from the group consisting of chains, ropes, a shoestrings and an elastic members.

4. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fastening means is selected from the group consisting of spring loaded clips, safety pins, hook and loop-type fasteners, buttons or any conventional fastening means.

5. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a weight means contained within the container's hollow interior cavity.

6. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said weight means is selected from the group consisting of sand, water, shells, pebbles and stones.

7. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said weight means is provided by a user's personal affects such as keys or change.

8. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first portion and said second portion of said container are releasably joined to each other using a clasp system or a bayonet-type fastening system.

9. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container further comprises a gasket between said first portion and said second portion.

10. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said weight assembly attaches to at least one edge or corner of a towel or cover.

11. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container is in the shape of a starfish, a shell or a fish.

12. A towel weight assembly comprising:

a container having a first portion and a second portion;

a means for attaching said towel weight assembly to a towel fastening means; and

a towel fastening means;

13. The towel weight assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein said towel is a beach towel.

14. The towel weight assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein said towel weight assembly attaches to at least one edge or corner of said beach towel.

15. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein said container is in the shape of a starfish, a shell or a fish.

16. A tablecloth weight assembly comprising:

a container having a first portion and a second portion;

a means for attaching said tablecloth weight assembly to a tablecloth fastening means; and

a tablecloth fastening means;

17. The tablecloth weight assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein said tablecloth weight assembly attaches to at least one edge or corner of said tablecloth.