Registers – Calculators – Photographic
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-12
2001-12-18
Pitts, Harold I. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Calculators
Photographic
C235S375000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330969
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dry cleaning accessories and, more particularly, to a promotional gift-with-purchase to the customers of dry cleaners to allow them to keep track of the number of times a piece of clothing has been worn between visits to their dry cleaner.
2. Description of the Background
The great majority of consumers take delicate linens and clothing to a professional dry cleaner when it is time to be cleaned. However, determining when a given article of clothing needs to be dry cleaned is not always a straightforward proposition. Most clothing can be worn a few times before it is ready for the dry cleaners, and most individuals make a purely subjective determination as to when it is ready. Others try to brings some objectivity to task. For instance, some will take an item of clothing to the dry cleaners each time it is worn. Still others hang their clothing in their closet in a certain order (as in a queue) so as to indicate when each article was last used or cleaned. Presently, there is no economical and reliable device on the market to indicate that a piece of clothing has been worn a specified number of times and is ready for the dry cleaners.
The above presents an excellent promotional opportunity for dry cleaners. Presently, dry cleaners advertise heavily on their boxes and packaging. Unfortunately, most boxes and/or dry cleaning packaging is discarded without ever being read. Of course, once discarded, the promotional value is lost.
It would be greatly advantageous to provide a simple and convenient device to assist in keeping track of the number of times a piece of clothing has been worn to determine when it is ready for the dry cleaners. It would also be of great competitive advantage to provide the above-described device as economically as possible so that dry cleaners can distribute it as a gift-with-purchase thereby insuring that the promotional value of the print advertising, lasts until the next return to the dry cleaners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and convenient accessory to count the number of times a piece of clothing has been worn between dry cleanings.
It is another object to provide a cleaner counter with the above-described qualities and which is adapted to be hung on a standard clothes hanger.
It is still another object to provide alternate embodiments such as a cleaner counter counter that is embedded in the clothes hanger itself for distribution therewith.
According to the present invention, the above-described and other objects are accomplished by providing a cleaner calculator for maintaining the count. The cleaner calculator includes a tag stem with an attachment section for hanging the cleaner calculator, a promotional label area for promoting the dry cleaner, and a base section. The cleaner calculator also includes a turn dial indicator rotatably mounted on the base section of the tag stem. An indexing mechanism provides an indexed engagement between the turn dial indicator and the base section of the tat stem. Count indicia are provided with numbers ranging from three to five as determined by the specific dry cleaner. The count indicia indicate the number of times a piece of clothing has been worn between dry cleanings. In this manner, the turn dial indicator can be rotatably incremented each time the garment is worn, and the cleaner calculator used to count the number of wearings between dry cleanings to determine when it the garment is ready to be returned to the dry cleaner.
An alternate embodiment is shown in which the turn dial indicator is rotatably embedded in a clothes hanger, the clothes hanger thereby taking the place of the tag stem.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3730064 (1973-05-01), Peterson
Law offices of Royal W. Craig
Pitts Harold I.
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