Patterned Absorbent Stain Guard

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the field of moisture absorbing and stain guarding materials and mote specifically to new and useful removable strips.

BACKGROUND

As illustrated in FIG. 1, protective strips 400 have been applied to the inside of clothing articles in the prior art, such as the inside neck collar of a shirt 500, to absorb moisture and protect from stains. These have been commonly marketed for neck collars, hats, helmets, shoes, knee pads, arm pits, and other lining. Typically, such strips are independent of the clothing article which they are meant to protect and are relatively low cost, removable, and disposable. The problem with prior art strips is that they are easily noticeable when applied and therefore unsightly to use. The wearer must also apply as many strips as necessary to cover a target area and must manually cut the strips to conform to particular shapes and sizes. Additionally, prior art strips are only able to protect from moisture exposure from limited angles. For instance, in the neck collar application illustrated in FIG. 1, sweat from the user's hair line can slide down the back of the user's neck to the top of the neck collar to stain the collar without ever reaching the protective strip. A new and useful improvement to the unsightliness of moisture absorbing and stain protecting strips, as well as easier conformation to particular shapes and sizes and more comprehensive protection, would have the potential to increase usage and sales of such strips significantly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The current invention solves the problem of the unsightliness of moisture absorbing and stain protecting strips by incorporating patterning. A patterned absorbent stain guard visually integrates an otherwise unsightly moisture absorbing stain guard by concealing, obscuring, or making more attractive the presence of the stain guard. In a preferred embodiment, this enables the user to hide the fact that he or she is using a stain guard. Embodiments include patterns that use colors, stripes, checkers, surface texture, and other physical aberrations. In accordance with the invention, the pattern may exist on the absorbent material and/or on a moisture permeable front layer. In another embodiment, perforation of the stain guard allows the user to easily customize the size and shape of the stain guard to use. This solves the problem of the user having to manually cut the stain guard to desired size and shape. In another embodiment, the stain guard is thicker on one end than the other, allowing the user to orient the stain guard so that one end of the article which the stain guard is protecting is pushed farther away from the source of moisture. This solves the problem of moisture exposure from angles previously unprotected in the prior art. For example, when sweat from the user's hair line slides down a user's neck due to gravity, the greater thickness of one end of the stain guard, when oriented at the top of the inside neck collar, pushes the clothing collar out of the path of the sweat and allows the sweat to reach the stain guard for absorption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a representation of a prior art moisture absorbing strip applied to the neck collar on the inside of an article of clothing;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of an embodiment of this invention comprised of three layers as viewed from the side;

FIG. 3 is a representation of an embodiment of this invention where the pattern may be a color;

FIG. 4 is a representation of an embodiment of this invention where the pattern may be a stripe;

FIG. 5 is a representation of an embodiment of this invention where the pattern may be multiple stripes;

FIG. 6 is a representation of an embodiment of this invention where the pattern may be crossed stripes;

FIG. 7 is a representation of an embodiment of this invention where the pattern may be a checkered pattern;

FIG. 8 is a schematic of an embodiment of this invention illustrating one type of perforations;

FIG. 9 is a schematic of an embodiment of this invention comprised of two layers as viewed from the side;

FIG. 10 is a schematic of an embodiment of this invention illustrating a non-uniform thickness stain guard comprised of three layers as viewed from the side; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic of an embodiment of this invention illustrating a non-uniform thickness stain guard comprised of two lavers as viewed from the side.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of this invention 410 includes a moisture absorbing material 100, a moisture impervious back layer 209, and a patterned moisture permeable front layer 300. In this specification, moisture may include liquids. The moisture absorbing material 100 can be made from known materials, such as those used in commercially available absorbent pads or stain guards, as recognized by a person having ordinary skill in the art. Such known materials include natural and synthetic highly absorbent fabric. The moisture impervious back layer 200 can be made from known materials, such as plastic, and can be coupled to the moisture absorbing material 100 by adhesive, glue, sewing, or any other means as recognized by a person having ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment, part of the moisture impervious back layer 200 that is not coupled to the moisture absorbing material 100 can attach the invention to an item, such as the inside of the neck collar of an article of clothing, by the application of adhesive that makes the invention both easily attachable and easily removable. Alternatively, the invention can be attached from any of its components to an item by glue, sewing, or any other means as recognized by a person having ordinary skill in the art. The patterned moisture permeable front layer 300 can be made from known materials capable of wicking moisture, such as cotton, and can be coupled to the moisture absorbing material 100 by adhesive, glue, sewing, or any other in means as recognized by a person having ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment, the patterned moisture permeable front layer 300 may itself be made of the same material as the moisture absorbing material 100. In a preferred embodiment, this front layer is exposed to and may make contact with the source of moisture or staining, such as perspiring skin. In various embodiments, the pattern enables the invention to integrate with the pattern of the item to which it is applied, either by visually concealing, obscuring, or making more attractive the presence of the invention. In a preferred embodiment, the user may utilize tins pattern to hide the fact that he or she is using a stain guard. In this specification, pattern may include coloring, such as shown in FIG. 3. In various embodiments of the invention, the pattern may be a stripe (such as the type illustrated in FIG. 4), multiple stripes (such as the type illustrated in FIG. 5) crossed stripes (such as the type illustrated FIG. 6), and checkered (such as the type illustrated in FIG. 7). In another embodiment, the moisture absorbing material may also be patterned to integrate with the pattern of the item to which the invention is applied or with the pattern of the patterned moisture permeable front layer. In another embodiment, the back layer may also be patterned to integrate with the pattern of the item to which the invention is applied or with the pattern of the patterned moisture permeable front layer.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, another embodiment of the invention contains perforations 600, such that the desired size and shape of any particular instantiation of the invention can be easily customized by the user. In one embodiment, perforations can be made by pre-cutting sizes or shapes into sheets or strips of the invention by various means recognized by persons having ordinary skill in the art. Perforations can be used to allow the user to determine the size appropriate for protecting a particular item or to allow the user to use dimensions other than a rectangular strip, including circular or any other desired shape. In another embodiment, perforations may be integrated with any or all of the patterns used in various embodiments of the invention to visually conceal, obscure, or make more attractive the presence of the perforations.

In another embodiment of the invention, the pattern may be generated by the surface texture or physical aberrations in the shape of the invention. In various embodiments, such a pattern could be produced by pressing, depressing, removing, or cutting sections of the surface or sides of the invention. In various embodiments, such a pattern could also be produced by roughness or irregularities in the surface or sides of the invention generated during manufacture of the invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, another preferred embodiment of this invention 420 includes a patterned moisture absorbing material 110 and a moisture impervious back layer 200. The patterned moisture absorbing material 110 can be made from known materials, such as those used in commercially available absorbent pads or stain guards, as recognized by a person having ordinary skill in the art. Such known materials include natural and synthetic highly absorbent fabric. In a preferred embodiment, the patterned moisture absorbing material is exposed to and may make contact with the source of moisture or staining, such as perspiring skin. In various embodiments, the pattern enables the invention to integrate with the pattern of the item to which it is applied, either by visually concealing obscuring, or making more attractive the presence of the invention. In a preferred embodiment, the user may utilize this pattern to hide the fact that he or she is using a stain guard. in this specification, pattern may include coloring, such as shown in FIG. 3. In various embodiments of the invention, the pattern may be a stripe such as the type illustrated in FIG. 4), multiple stripes (such as the type illustrated in FIG. 5), crossed stripes (such as the type illustrated in FIG. 6), and checkered (such as the type illustrated in FIG. 7). In another embodiment, the back layer may also be patterned to integrate with the pattern of the item to which the invention is applied or with the pattern of the patterned absorbent material.

In another preferred embodiment, the invention may have non-uniform thickness, such that one end of the invention is thicker than the other end. In a preferred embodiment, the thicker end is oriented by the user to create a larger separation between the article intended to be protected and the source of moisture. In one embodiment, the invention could be applied to the inside of a neck collar with the thicker end oriented towards the top of the collar. When sweat from the back of the hair line slides down the neck of the user, instead of absorbing and staining the top of the collar, the thicker end of the invention will push the top of the collar out of the path of the sweat, allowing the sweat to proceed past the top of the collar so that it can be absorbed by the invention. Any of the components or all of the components may have non-uniform thickness in order to achieve the overall non-uniform thickness of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 10, in one embodiment of the invention 430 comprising three layers, the moisture permeable front layer 320 is thicker on one end than on the other end. As illustrated in FIG. 11, in one embodiment of the invention 440 comprising two layers, the moisture absorbing material 120 is thicker on one end than on We other end. In another embodiment, the moisture absorbing material may also be patterned to integrate with the pattern of the item to which the invention is applied. In another embodiment, the invention may also have a patterned moisture permeable front layer, which may be made of the same material as the moisture absorbing material. In various embodiments the back layer may also be patterned to integrate with the pattern of the item to which the invention is applied or with the pattern of the patterned moisture absorbing material or with the pattern of the patterned moisture permeable front layer. Another embodiment of the invention contains perforations, such that the desired size and shape of any particular instantiation of the invention can be easily customized by the user.

A person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detailed description and from the figures and claims, modifications and changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of this invention defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims and their legal equivalents.