Protective cover article

Details Protective cover article Protective cover article

2001-05-24

2004-06-29

Shackelford, Heather (Department: 3673)

Beds

Ground mat

C005S420000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06754919

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to a protective cover article such as a ground cover blanket, a tablecloth, a beach towel, changing pad, rug, mat, or a placemat intended for everyday use. Consumers are always looking for economical blankets or protective cover articles, which are both disposable and resilient for everyday use.
Currently, such products are typically made from durable (reusable) pieces of fabric, such as cloth or woven fabric, cut from a larger bolt of the fabric and affected into the specific products. Other such products are made from disposable paper materials. In both cases, the fabrics or paper fabrics are typically hydrophilic. While the products made from the durable fabrics can withstand exposure to water or other fluids, the products made from the paper materials typically cannot withstand such exposures. The products made from paper materials typically disintegrate with exposure to fluids or some of its qualities, such as its appearance, are affected. Where the paper materials are designed to withstand exposure to fluids, the materials typically lose the qualities of softness, flexibility, and cloth-like feel and appearance desired in blankets, towels, and other protective cover articles.
Another concern with the hydrophilic characteristics of the current durable and disposable protective cover articles is that such articles absorb or otherwise attract fluids from the surrounding environment thereby becoming wet. The protective cover articles, once wet, are typically not suitable for most uses, i.e. a ground cover blanket used at a picnic. A plastic or rubber coating is typically applied to the durable fabrics or paper materials to provide a hydrophobic quality to the products. However, some of the other qualities of the fabrics or materials are lost as discussed above. In addition, the durable fabrics or paper materials portions of the current products are still hydrophilic, so the issues of fluid absorption and dampness remain.
Most of the paper materials used in the current disposable products are not suitable for use in many protective cover articles, such as a ground cover blanket or a tablecloth in outdoor situations. The paper materials lack the resilience, weight and drapability of the durable fabrics, such that the paper materials typically do not provide products having sufficient quality for outdoor use, such as tablecloths, beach towels, and picnic blankets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, there is a need to provide an improved protective cover article, including washable and disposable protective cover articles. There is also a need to provide soft, flexible, cloth-like, and inexpensive protective cover articles. In addition, the protective cover articles need to be light weight, easy to store, and durable during use. In response to this need, an improved economical and resilient protective cover article, including ground cover blankets, tablecloths, beach towels, changing pads, rugs, mats, and placemats, and the like has been discovered.
One embodiment of the present invention is a fabric protective cover article comprising a top surface, a bottom surface and, at least one edge. The fabric of the protective cover article is hydrophobic and has a basis weight from between about 0.15 osy to about 8.0 osy, an air permeability from about 60 ft
3
/min/ft
2
to about 110 ft
3
/min/ft
2
, and stain resistance from about 4 to about 5 for blueberry, instant coffee, gravy, and wine.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a nonwoven fabric protective cover article comprising a top surface, a bottom surface and, at least one edge. The nonwoven fabric of the protective cover article is hydrophobic and has a basis weight from between about 0.15 osy to about 8.0 osy, an air permeability from about 60 ft
3
/min/ft
2
to about 110 ft
3
/min/ft
2
, and stain resistance from about 4 to about 5 for blueberry, instant coffee, gravy, and wine.


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