US20090089927A1

US20090089927A1 - Driftless Mold-free Shower Curtain

Info

Publication number: US20090089927A1
Application number: US11/868,952
Authority: US
Inventors: Janet Li; Emily Sun
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-10-08
Filing date: 2007-10-08
Publication date: 2009-04-09

Abstract

A shower curtain with multiple V-shaped slits in the middle portion and fast drying mesh material making up the bottom portion. The slits allow air to go through the curtain, preventing the curtain from shifting. The lower part of the curtain that hangs in the tub is made of fast drying mesh to reduce the ability of mold to grow upon. The user therefore enjoys a cleaner shower experience because of the lack of body contact with the shower curtain and the reduction of mold growth on the shower curtain.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a shower curtain. More particularly, it relates to a shower curtain that contains multiple V-shaped slits in the middle portion with the bottom portion of the curtain made of fast drying air-permeable mesh material. The V-shaped slits allow air to pass through the curtain and therefore prevent vacuum formation during show that drags the shower curtain drifting inward. The bottom portion is made of fast drying mesh material, which eliminates the build-up of mold on the curtain.


References cited

5,732,420	March 1998	Micciche
5771504	June 1998	Steiner
6591432	July 2003	Feinstein, et al.
6,550,525	February 2006	Grisolia

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The average shower area has limited space, causing the user to inevitably contact the shower curtain during showering. Many users dislike contacting the shower curtain since it feels clammy, cold and unhygienic. The conventional shower curtain, made of a uniform sheet of plastic or other water and air impermeable material, amplifies the problem of unwanted contact with the user due to the Bernoulli effect. Air naturally moves from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure. During showering, the running water pushes air downward to the shower floor, lowering the air pressure of the inside of the shower. Air from outside the shower curtain moves toward this low-pressure area, thereby pushing the shower curtain inwards towards the user.
The conventional shower curtain is made of water and air impermeable material. After showering, the curtain is pushed to one side that creates many air free sealed folds. Those areas remain wet and therefore become excellent places for mold to grow. Over time, mold growth on the shower curtain builds up and is very difficult to remove.
Several types of shower curtains and shower curtain accessories have been developed to try to address the problem of shower curtain contact with the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,525 to Grisolia teaches a curtain weighted with sand to reduce the drifting, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,432 to Feinstein, et al. teaches a curtain with multiple water collecting pockets at the bottom edge to eliminate curtain swing during showering. Although both curtains may reduce the drifting, they also keep the shower curtain staying wet longer after use and therefore increase mold growth upon the curtain. There are devices that act as a backbone for the shower curtain. This may take the form of ribs in the shower curtain as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,504 to Steiner or it may take the form of an arm as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,420 to Micciche. Structures like these force the curtain to maintain its shape and stay away from user. While some of these designs may be somewhat effective, the prior art designs are unsightly, expensive, complicated, and ineffective in addressing the problem of mold growth upon curtain. Therefore, there is a clear need in the industry for a shower curtain that is inexpensive to manufacture and sell, easy to install and use, and aesthetically pleasing to the user, while effectively solving the problem of shower curtain drifting and mold growth.
The current invention provides such a solution by having a shower curtain which can be produced economically and installed as simply as an ordinary shower curtain. The multiple V-shaped slits allow air to travel freely though the curtain while still preventing water from splashing out. The bottom portion is made of fast drying mesh material that diminishes mold growth by reducing the degree of wetness and the surface area for mold to grow upon. This shower curtain is simple, inexpensive, easy to manufacture, and easy to package. It is installed just like ordinary shower curtain but has better performance: the present curtain repels water, does not drift, and does not grow mold.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention takes the form of a shower curtain having multiple V-shaped slits in the middle portion of the curtain and the bottom portion made of mesh material. The multiple V-shaped slits are located in the middle portion of the shower curtain where the changes in air pressure are prevalent. These slits allow air to travel freely through the curtain, eliminating the pressure difference between inside and outside the curtain during showering. The unique V shape of the slits also prevents water from splashing though the curtain. Other shaped slits such as U or W-shaped slits with the same principle may also be used. The bottom portion, the part hanging inside the tub which frequently grows mold on conventional curtains due to its constant wetness, is made of mesh material, which dries faster than solid material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a view of the shower curtain showing one example of embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is one example of the shower curtain 10 of the present invention. The shower curtain 10 has multiple V-shaped slits 11 in the middle portion of the curtain, where changes in pressure occur most significantly during showering. The V-shaped slit is about ¼ inch in size with a density of one slit per 9 square inch. The presence of the V-shaped slits allows air to go though the curtain, preventing a vacuum formation and therefore eliminating the inward drift of the shower curtain. The unique V-shape of the slits prevents water to splash though the shower curtain. The bottom portion of the shower curtain, where the splashing of water is negligible, is made of fast drying lightweight mesh material 12. During showering, the soaked mesh seals to the inside of the bathtub to further prevent drifting of the shower curtain. After showering when the curtain is pushed to one side of the tub, the mesh portion does not form sealed folds as conventional shower curtains, therefore it dries much faster and eliminating mold growth. A plurality of 13 are hanging holes on top of the curtain just like conventional one.
This drawing is simply for illustrative purposes; it shows the preferred embodiment of the invention, but other embodiments and modifications with the similar principle may also be used.

Claims

1. A means for keeping a shower curtain from drifting, comprising: multiple specially designed V-shaped or functionally similar shaped slits in the middle portion of the curtain that allow air to go through the curtain, preventing the vacuum formation that occurs during showering; and the lower part of the shower curtain made of lightweight mesh to allow it to seal to the inside of the bathtub wall during.

2. A means for reducing mold build-up on the lower part of a shower curtain, comprising: fast drying air-permeable mesh material making up the bottom portion of a shower curtain, allowing the curtain to dry much faster after showering and also reducing the surface area for mold to grow upon.