Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Miscellaneous and processes of using
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-21
2003-12-02
Purol, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Miscellaneous and processes of using
C160SDIG006
Reexamination Certificate
active
06655444
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a novel method of commercial advertising heretofore unknown and a preferred structure utilized to carry out the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Marketing and advertising are well known as a means of communicating with the public and particularly a target audience to enable them to make a selection and discriminate between various alternative choices for services and wares. Typically, for example, along the side of a well traveled highway adjacent a large city or between large cites there are often billboards with various advertising information thereon. The billboards usually are changed regularly and the owners of the billboard charges the clients for the advertising space. It would therefore be beneficial if other opportunities of this type could be exploited commercially.
Hotels, motels, lodges and other resorts are always looking for new cost effective ways to improve their efficiency and profitability. However, within the industry there is a limited number of direct advertising opportunities. At present few opportunities exist for direct advertising.
Typically, a shower is enclosed by a curtain, a set of rolling doors, or other various types of closures. As with the linen and towels within the hotel industry, normally the shower curtains are plain and unattractive. Some upscale resorts may have more attractive versions. However, not a lot of attention is paid to the actual shower curtain or closure device as a means of direct advertising and a source of revenue.
Heretofore it is also known to provide a variety of devices for showers as is found in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,218
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,751
U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,420
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,281
U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,132
U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,764
U.S. Design Pat. No. D334,682
Known commercial shower closures, for example curtains, do not contain an advertisement. One intention for this invention would be to provide a new use of a shower which includes a closure for imparting a message to the occupant of for example a hotel room. The hotel may wish to advertise their five star restaurant in a unique manner, for example their menu and include potentially an extremely appealing images of various entrees available at that restaurant. Alternatively, a local cinema complex may wish to advertise the main features at its various theatres. There is essentially therefore provided herewith a heretofore unknown means for advertising directly with the occupant of a room in the hospitality industry.
Normally, a hotel employee may attend to cleaning a washroom when the occupant leaves for the day. This includes cleaning the shower and disinfecting the shower enclosure including the curtain or doors. It would therefore be advantageous to provide a shower curtain which has embedded in the material making up the shower curtain and anti-fungal, anti-mold and anti-mildew compound. It would also be advantageous to provide a roll-out shower curtain that includes waterseals and a wiping blades to wipe the curtain as it is returned to its hidden position when accumulated on a roll tube. It would also be advantageous to provide a roll out curtain panel which is easily changed by the hotel custodian or other personnel.
Nowhere within the prior art to the knowledge of the Applicants, is there provided a method of advertising in the hospitality industry, for example a hotel, resort, lodge, motel or the like, utilizing a shower closure such as a shower curtain, door or the like, for a shower enclosure.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method of advertising heretofore unknown.
It is also an object of this invention to provide the construction of a roll out shower curtain, as a preferred structure for displaying an advertisement, which can be easily and quickly replaced.
It is also considered to be an object of this invention to provide the use of a shower closure as a means of advertising to the public.
Further other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of this invention is to provide a new use of a shower which includes a closure for carrying and imparting a message to the occupant of a room in the hospitality industry. For example a hotel may wish to advertise their five star restaurant in a unique manner, for example their menu and include potentially extremely appealing images of various entrees available at that restaurant. Alternatively, a local cinema complex may wish to advertise the main features at its various theatres. There is essentially therefore provided herewith a heretofore unknown means of advertising directly with the occupant of a room in the hospitality industry.
According to the primary aspect of this invention there is provided a method of advertising comprising:
i) providing a replaceable advertisement for a closure of a shower enclosure selected from one of the group of a shower door, a shower curtain, a roll out shower curtain, or the like utilized in the hospitality industry;
ii) affixing the advertisement to the closure either directly by manufacturing the closure with the advertisement thereon if the closure is a curtain or by providing displays which may be placed on the shower door if the closure is a door;
iii) displaying the advertisement for a predetermined period of time;
iv) replacing the advertisement as desired
wherein an occupant is exposed to a unique form of advertising heretofore unknown. This method finds particular use in commercial installations in the hospitality industry such as hotels, resorts, lodges, motels or the like.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a novel use of a commercial shower closure, for example a shower curtain, a shower door, or a roll out shower curtain, wherein said shower closure is utilized as an advertising display, said display being replaceable as desired by the custodian.
By providing such a unique method and commercial use of a shower closure, an opportunity has arisen, similar to billboards, heretofore unknown for the hospitality industry to advertise to the occupants of the suites in a direct manner. The advertising is limited to the creativity of the industry. For example, the hotel could in this way charge any company desiring to advertise its' services or wares within its various suites. For a large hotel therefore having several hundred suites, the opportunity to advertise becomes large. The possibility for advertising in this new way is therefore evident.
It would however be preferred to accommodate quick and easy replacement of advertising displays. In a preferred embodiment a roll out shower curtain is utilized. The advertising message therefore may or may not be permanently in front of the occupant at all times when they are in the bathroom for a short duration or utilizing the shower. Preferably both sides of the curtain are utilized. Although this method contemplates the use of already known devices, it is also preferred to use a roll out shower curtain as will be described hereinafter. Known roll out curtains of any form may also be utilized but it is preferred that the panel on the roll out device be quickly and easily replaced by providing a unique joint disclosed in our co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/035,152 within the United States of America. By providing the unique construction including a preferably flexible key element located proximate each end of the curtain panel, the element easily engages with a slot provided within both the roll tube and the handle of the roll out curtain assembly. The replacement of the curtain containing the advertisement then becomes quick and simple. One merely removes the old advertisement from the roll out curtain once the curtain is accessible by removing the key element in turn from both the slot in the tube and the handle by sliding the element out of the slot. A replacement curtai
Davies Sean
Goldenberg Shaul
420820 Ontario Limited
Hughes Ivor M.
Hughes Neil H.
Purol David M.
Sarkis Marcelo K.
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