Towel Holder

Abstract

A towel holder for selectively holding and releasing a towel according to the present invention includes first and second sides, each side having upper and lower ends, respectively. The towel holder also includes an elastic top portion adjoining the first and second side upper ends, the top portion biasing the respective side lower ends toward one another yet allowing the lower ends to be separated as needed to be force fitted onto a fixed member such as a stove handle. Preferably, the top portion includes a rounded configuration over which a towel may be draped. The top portion may also include a configuration that resists a towel from sliding thereon, such as a plurality of ridges, bosses, or constructed of a soft rubber material. Conversely, the sides are constructed of a low-friction material such that a towel slides easily thereon when being intentional lifted from the towel holder.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to holding accessories and, more particularly, to a towel holder that is biased to grip a handle, includes a non-slip portion that inhibits a towel from sliding, and other portions that enable a towel to be easily released.

[0002] It is desirable to keep dish towels in a kitchen close to a sink, countertop, or appliances so that they are instantly accessible when needed. In this regard, they are frequently draped on a stove or refrigerator handle. Unfortunately, towels secured in this way are easily dislodged when bumped by an adult or child and wind up falling on the floor.

[0003] Various devices have been proposed in the art for securing towels, both in the kitchen and bathroom environment. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices include the disadvantages of requiring a user to fasten or unfasten a towel from the holder or require installation of the holder into a wall or the like.

[0004] Therefore, it would be desirable to have a towel holder that may be quickly and easily secured or removed from an appliance handle or other fixed member. Further, it would be desirable to have a towel holder having a configuration that resists sliding of a towel that is draped thereon. In addition, it would be desirable to have a towel holder that enables a towel to be quickly and easily released from the holder when intentionally lifted therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Accordingly, a towel holder for selectively holding and releasing a towel according to the present invention includes first and second sides, each side having upper and lower ends, respectively. The towel holder also includes an elastic top portion adjoining the first and second side upper ends, the top portion biasing the respective side lower ends toward one another yet allowing the lower ends to be separated as needed to be force fitted onto a fixed member such as a stove handle.

[0006] Preferably, the top portion includes a rounded configuration over which a towel may be draped. The top portion may also include a configuration that resists a towel from sliding thereon, such as a plurality of ridges, bosses, or constructed of a soft rubber material. Conversely, the sides are constructed of a low-friction material such that a towel slides easily thereon when being intentional lifted from the towel holder.

[0007] Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a towel holder for easy attachment to a handle or similar fixed member for securing and releasing a towel.

[0008] Another object of this invention is to provide a towel holder, as aforesaid, that includes a top portion having elastic properties for biasing depending sides toward one another such that the towel holder grips a handle.

[0009] Still another object of this invention is to provide a towel holder, as aforesaid, having a non-slip configuration that resists a towel from sliding.

[0010] Yet another object of this invention is to provide a towel holder, as aforesaid, having sides constructed of low-friction materials that enable a towel to slide easily when being intentionally removed from the towel holder.

[0011] A further object of this invention is to provide a towel holder, as aforesaid, that is easy and economical to manufacture.

[0012] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a towel holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the towel holder as in FIG. 1 with a towel draped thereover;

[0015] FIG. 3a is cross-sectional view of the towel holder as in FIG. 1 in a closed configuration;

[0016] FIG. 3b is another cross-sectional view of the towel holder as in FIG. 3a in an open configuration; and

[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the towel holder as in FIG. 1 illustrating the inner and outer portions of respective sides.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] A towel holder 100 according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4 of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a towel holder 100 according to the current invention includes first and second sides 110, 120 and an elastic top portion 130.

[0019] The first and second sides 110, 120 have upper ends 110a, 120a and lower ends 110b, 120b. The first and second sides 110, 120 may be generally planar (as shown in FIG. 4, for example) and have non-stick configurations. For example, the first and second sides 110, 120 may respectively have generally planar faces 112, 122 constructed of a low-friction material such as a hard plastic, composite, or metal. The elastic top portion 130 may be coupled to the first side upper end 110a and the second side upper end 120a and may be rounded (FIG. 1). As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the first side 110, the second side 120, and the top portion 130 may collectively have a horseshoe shaped cross-section.

[0020] The first and second sides 110, 120 may have inner portions 114a, 124a and outer portions 114b, 124b as shown in FIG. 1, and the first side inner portion 114a, the second side inner portion 124a, and the top portion 130 may be constructed from a first material to form a unitary member 140, though other constructions may also be appropriate. The first side outer portion 114b and the second side outer portion 124b may be constructed from a second material and coupled to the respective inner portions 114a, 124a. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer portions 114b, 124b may define the generally planar faces 112, 122. While the sides of a towel 10 have been removed in FIG. 2 to show the towel holder 100, the first and second sides 110, 120 may have respective widths that are less than the width of the towel 10 so that the towel 10 hides the sides 110, 120 when placed atop the towel holder 100.

[0021] The top portion 130 may have a non-slip configuration. For example, the top portion 130 may include a plurality of ridges 132, a plurality of bosses, other non-smooth elements, and/or a high-friction material. More particularly, portions of the top portion 130, the entire top portion 130, one or more ridge 132, and/or one or more boss may include a soft rubber material (a flexible, high-friction material that may or may not be constructed of natural or synthetic rubber).

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3a, the top portion 130 may bias the first side 110 and the second side 120 to a closed configuration 130a. The lower ends 110b, 120b may or may not be touching while the sides 110, 120 are at the closed configuration 130a. As shown in FIG. 3b, the top portion 130 may selectively allow the first and second sides 110, 120 to separate from the closed configuration 130a. In other words, the top portion 130 may bias the first side lower end 110b and the second side lower end 120b to have a predetermined spacing (FIG. 3a), and the top portion 130 may selectively allow the lower ends 110b, 120 to be moved together or separated (FIG. 3b) to distance or narrow the predetermined spacing.

[0023] In use, the first side 110 and the second side 120 may be separated by manually pulling one side 110, 120 away from the other side 110, 120, and the flexible nature of the top portion 130 may allow the separation to occur without damage to the towel holder 100. While separated, an oven handle or other suitable fixed member may be located between the first and second sides 110, 120. In other words, the first and second sides 110, 120 may be positioned about the fixed member. The top portion 130 may then move the lower ends 110b, 120b together to secure the towel holder 100 around the fixed member.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the towel 10 may be placed atop the towel holder 100 so that a portion of the towel 10 contacts the top portion 130, another portion of the towel 10 contacts the first side 110, and yet another portion of the towel 10 contacts the second side 120. Due to its non-slip configuration as discussed above, the top portion 130 may maintain the towel 10 in place on the towel holder 100. In contrast, the non-stick configurations of the first and second sides 110, 120 may have little or no effect in maintaining the towel 10 in place on the towel holder 100. To remove (or "release") the towel 10 from the towel holder 100, a user may pull upwards on the towel 10 adjacent the top portion 130, separating the towel 10 from the non-slip configuration of the top portion 130. Ends 12a, 12b of the towel 10 may move easily over the first and second sides 110, 120 due to the non-stick configurations of the sides 110, 120.

[0025] It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A towel holder, comprising: first and second sides, each respective side having upper and lower ends; and an elastic top portion coupled to said first side upper end and said second side upper end, said top portion biasing said first side lower end and said second side lower end to have a predetermined spacing, said top portion selectively allowing at least one of distancing from said predetermined spacing and narrowing from said predetermined spacing between said first side lower end and said second side lower end, said top portion having a non-slip configuration.

2. The towel holder as in claim 1, wherein: said top portion is rounded; and said first side, said second side, and said top portion collectively have a horseshoe-shaped cross-section.

3. The towel holder as in claim 1, wherein said first side includes a non-stick configuration and said second side includes a non-stick configuration.

4. The towel holder as in claim 1, wherein said non-slip configuration includes a plurality of ridges.

5. The towel holder as in claim 1, wherein said non-slip configuration includes a plurality of bosses.

6. The towel holder as in claim 1, wherein at least one said boss includes a soft rubber material.

7. The towel holder as in claim 1, wherein said first side has a generally planar face constructed of a low-friction material and said second side has a generally planar face constructed of a low-friction material.

8. The towel holder as in claim 1, wherein: said first side has inner and outer portions; said second side has inner and outer portions; said first side inner portion, said second side inner portion, and said top portion are constructed from a first material and form a unitary member; and said first side outer portion is constructed from a second material and coupled to said first side inner portion.

9. The towel holder as in claim 8, wherein said second side outer portion is constructed from said second material and coupled to said second side inner portion.

10. A towel holder for selectively holding and releasing a towel, said towel holder comprising: first and second sides, each respective side having upper and lower ends; and an elastic top portion adjoining said first side upper end and said second side upper end, said top portion biasing said first side lower end and said second side lower end to have a predetermined spacing, said top portion selectively allowing said first side lower end and said second side lower end to separate from said predetermined spacing; wherein said top portion includes a non-slip configuration, said first side includes a non-stick configuration, and second side has a non-stick configuration.

11. The towel holder as in claim 10, wherein: said top portion is rounded; said first side is generally planar; said second side is generally planar; and said first side, said second side, and said top portion collectively have a horseshoe-shaped cross-section.

12. The towel holder as in claim 10, wherein said non-slip configuration includes a plurality of ridges.

13. The towel holder as in claim 10, wherein said non-slip configuration includes a plurality of bosses.

14. The towel holder as in claim 10, wherein said non-slip configuration includes a soft rubber material.

15. The towel holder as in claim 10, wherein said first side has a generally planar face constructed of a low-friction material and said second side has a generally planar face constructed of a low-friction material.

16. The towel holder as in claim 10, wherein: said towel has a width; said first side has a width that is less than said towel width; said second side has a width that is less than said towel width; and said top portion has a width that is less than said towel width.

17. The towel holder as in claim 16, wherein said first side has a generally planar face constructed of a low-friction material and said second side has a generally planar face constructed of a low-friction material.

18. The towel holder as in claim 16, wherein: said first side has inner and outer portions; said second side has inner and outer portions; said first side inner portion, said second side inner portion, and said top portion are constructed from a first material and form a unitary member; said first side outer portion is constructed from a second material and coupled to said first side inner portion; and said second side outer portion is constructed from said second material and coupled to said second side inner portion.

19. A towel holder, comprising: first and second sides, each respective side having an upper end; and an elastic top portion adjoining said first side upper end and said second side upper end, said top portion biasing said first side and said second side to a closed configuration, said top portion selectively allowing said first side and said second side to separate from said closed configuration; wherein said top portion has a non-slip configuration, said first side has a non-stick configuration, and second side has a non-stick configuration.

20. The towel holder as in claim 19, wherein: said first side has inner and outer portions; said second side has inner and outer portions; said first side inner portion, said second side inner portion, and said top portion are constructed from a first material and form a unitary member; said first side outer portion is constructed from a second material and coupled to said first side inner portion; and said second side outer portion is constructed from said second material and coupled to said second side inner portion.