BOAT CHAIR COVER

Abstract

A boat chair cover comprises longitudinally successive seat and backrest cover sections of towel-like material having respective compartments that are expandable to receive and resiliently engage a cushioned seat and cushioned backrests, respectively, of the boat chair. Mutually engageable strap segments extend transversely from opposite longitudinal edges of the cover for securing the cover about the backrest of the chair.

Claims

1. A selectively attachable cover for a boat chair of the type having cushioned seat and backrest portions, said cover comprising: an elongated sheet of towel-like material having a seat cover section and a backrest cover section; a first piece of fabric secured to and configured to match an upper end part of the backrest cover section to define a first compartment configured to resiliently receive and engage an upper end of the backrest portion of the boat chair; a second piece of expandable fabric secured to and configured to match a forward end part of the seat cover section to define a second compartment configured to resiliently receive and engage a forwardly extending end of the seat portion of the boat chair; and strap segments extending from respective long sides of said elongated sheet and configured to be engageable to one another to secure said sheet to the boat chair.

2. The boat chair cover of claim 1 wherein the seat cover section and backrest cover section are two pieces of the towel-like material joined by stitching along a transversely extending seam constituting the bottom edge of the backrest section and a rearward edge of the seat section.

3. The boat chair cover of claim 2 wherein the strap segments are secured to said sheet at said seam.

4. The boat chair cover of claim 3, wherein the first compartment comprises a downward facing expandable edge opening extending substantially transversely of said sheet, and a closed upper peripheral edge extending generally arcuately between opposite ends of said downward facing opening and formed by a stitched seam joining the first piece of expandable fabric to the upper end part of the backrest cover section; and wherein the second compartment comprises a rearward facing expandable opening extending substantially transversely of the sheet, and a closed forward peripheral edge extending generally arcuately between opposite ends of said rearward facing opening and formed by a stitched seam joining the second piece of expandable fabric to the forwardly end part of the seat cover section.

5. The boat chair cover of claim 5 wherein said second compartment is sufficiently expandable to resiliently receive and engage the forwardly extending end of the seat portion having a thickness of at least seven inches.

6. The boat chair cover of claim 5 wherein the opening of said first compartment is sufficiently expandable to resiliently receive and engage the upper end of the backrest having a thickness of at least four inches.

7. The boat chair of claim 6 further comprising at least one pocket defined in said sheet for receiving personal items of a user.

8. The boat chair cover of claim 2 wherein said first compartment is sufficiently expandable to resiliently receive and engage the upper end of the backrest having a thickness of at least four inches.

9. The boat chair cover of claim 1 wherein said second compartment is sufficiently expandable to resiliently receive and engage the forwardly extending end of the seat portion having a thickness of at least seven inches.

10. The boat chair cover of claim 9 wherein said first compartment is sufficiently expandable to resiliently receive and engage the upper end of the backrest having a thickness of at least four inches.

11. The boat chair of claim 10 further comprising at least one pocket defined in said sheet for receiving personal items of a user.

12. The boat chair cover of claim 1 wherein said first compartment is sufficiently expandable to resiliently receive and engage the upper end of the backrest having a thickness of at least four inches.

13. The boat chair cover of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first compartments is sufficiently large and resilient to receive said sheet rolled up for storage.

14. The boat chair cover of claim 1, wherein the first compartment comprises a downward facing expandable opening extending substantially transversely of said sheet, and a closed upper peripheral edge extending generally arcuately between opposite ends of said downward facing opening and formed by a stitched seam joining the first piece of expandable fabric to the upper end part of the backrest cover section; and wherein the second compartment comprises a rearward facing expandable opening extending substantially transversely of the sheet, and a closed forward peripheral edge extending generally arcuately between opposite ends of said rearward facing opening and formed by a stitched seam joining the second piece of expandable fabric to the forwardly end part of the seat cover section.

15. The boat chair cover of claim 14 wherein said second compartment is sufficiently large and resilient to receive said sheet rolled up for storage.

16. The boat chair cover of claim 14 wherein said second compartment is sufficiently expandable to resiliently receive and engage the forwardly extending end of the seat portion having a thickness of at least seven inches.

17. The boat chair cover of claim 14 wherein said first compartment is sufficiently expandable to receive and engage the upper end of the backrest having a thickness of at least four inches.

18. A boat chair cover, for a boat chair of the type having cushioned seat and backrest portions, comprising: longitudinally successive seat and backrest cover sections of towel-like material having respective compartments that are expandable to receive and resiliently engage the cushioned seat and cushioned backrest, respectively, of the boat chair.

19. The boat chair cover of claim 18 further comprising mutually engageable strap segments extending transversely from opposite longitudinal edges of the cover for securing the cover about the backrest of the chair.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] By way of example, a specific embodiment of the disclosed device will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the front of a chair cover disclosed herein.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the back of the cover.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a detail plan view of a storage pocket provided on the back of the chair cover.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the chair cover deployed on a chair.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cover rolled up in a storage configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several exemplary embodiments are shown. It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments as generally described herein and illustrated in the appended drawings could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of various embodiments, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but is merely representative of various embodiments. While the various aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.

[0017] The disclosed concepts may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics, and the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by this detailed description. All changes embraced within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

[0018] Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the disclosed embodiments should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural elements unless such exclusion is explicitly recited. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0020] As used herein the terms “front” and “forward” refer to the horizontal direction an occupant of a chair is facing when seated in the chair, the terms “rear” and “rearward” refer to the opposite horizontal direction the occupant is facing, and the terms “top”, “upward” and “upper” refer to the normally upwardly-facing end or edge of the seatback of the chair, and the term “lower” refers to the compartment at the forward end of the chair cover. The term “transverse” as used herein refers to the horizontal direction perpendicular to forward.

[0021] Referring more specifically to the accompanying drawings, there is shown a boat chair cover unit comprising an elongate sheet 10 of fabric such as, preferably, washable terrycloth or other material that is suitable to use as a towel. The length of sheet 10 is roughly equivalent to the total length of the exposed surfaces of the backrest and seat portions of a captain's chair to be covered. Sheet 10 in the disclosed embodiment comprises a backrest cover section 11 and a seat cover section 12 stitched together at a seam 13 joining the lower linear edge of backrest cover section to the rearward linear edge of seat cover section 12. Linear seam 13 thusly extends transversely across sheet 10. It is to be understood that although sheet 10 in the illustrated embodiment is made from two separate sections, it is within the scope of this disclosure that sheet 10 comprises a single piece of material, thereby eliminating seam 13.

[0022] The portion of the periphery of backrest section 11 upward of seam 13 is configured to generally match the contour of a typical boat seat backrest portion, such that two parallel longitudinally extending side edges 14, 15 terminate at rounded or arcuate corners at opposite ends of an upper end edge 16. The portion of the periphery of seat section 12 forward of seam 13 is configured to generally match the contour of a typical seat portion of a boat seat, such that two slightly diverging longitudinal side edges 17, 18 terminate at rounded or arcuate corners at opposite ends of a forward edge 19.

[0023] A piece of towel-like fabric 21, for example terrycloth, has a peripheral contour at its upper end and sides that matches the contour of the upper end of the backrest cover section 11. The corresponding similar outer edges of piece 21 and backrest cover section 11 are stitched together at aligned common edges to form a closed arcuate end of an upper compartment between section 11 and piece 21. The downwardly facing edge 22 of piece 21 is elastic to render the open end of the upper compartment sufficiently expandable to be stretched over the top portion of the backrest of a boat chair. The upper compartment is configured to receive the top portion of the backrest of a boat chair, and elastic edge 22 assures that the backrest is positively resiliently engaged in the top compartment.

[0024] A second piece of expandable fabric 23, for example spandex, has a peripheral contour at its forward end and sides that matches the contour of the forward end of the seat cover section 12. The corresponding similar outer edges of piece 23 and seat cover section 12 are stitched together along common aligned edges to form a closed arcuate end of an expandable lower compartment. The remaining rearwardly facing edge 25 of piece 23 is generally arcuate and defines an expandable open end of the lower compartment extending substantially transversely across sheet 10. The lower compartment is configured to resiliently receive and engage the forward end of the seat portion of a boat chair.

[0025] A pair of mutually engageable strap segments 31, 32 are stitched to and extend from respective long sides of sheet 10, typically proximate seam 13, and are configured to be engageable to one another to secure the sheet to the boat chair around the lower part of the chair backrest portion. It will be appreciated that a one-piece strap, rather than two trap sections, may be used for this purpose.

[0026] A storage pocket 40 may be provided on the seat cover unit to safely contain personal items, such as phone, keys, a wallet, etc., of a user. In the illustrated embodiment the storage pocket is shown on the expandable fabric piece 20 but a pocket may be provided on seat cover section 12 at a location proximate edge 17. It will be understood that more than one such pocket may be provided, and that the pocket(s) may be placed at various other locations on the cover unit 10. The pocket may be a separate zippered and waterproof pouch of, for example, a polyester nylon blend material that is sewn onto or otherwise attached to the towel-like material.

[0027] When the boat chair cover unit is not being used as a cover it can be folded into a compact storage configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 5, by folding or rolling it from either end (e.g., upper edge 16) toward the opposite end (e.g., lower edge 19) until reaching the opening of the opposite compartment (e.g., the lower compartment). The roll may then be inserted into the lower compartment which can then be rolled closed (e.g., in burrito-like fashion) in the compact storage configuration. A plastic band 41, rubber band, strap or similar means may be used to surround the compact unit to prevent it from unrolling when stored. When in its storage configuration the unit can be used as a head pillow. In addition, it will be appreciated that the unit, when not in its storage configuration or deployed on a boat chair, may be used as a towel.

[0028] In order to provide perspective regarding size and configuration a the disclosed embodiment, and not to serve as limiting the scope of the invention recited in the claims, the following dimensions and features of the chair cover unit were used in one example of the disclosed embodiment that functions as described a variety of captain's seats:

[0029] Seatback cover section 11: Terrycloth material; 2′, 6⅞″ length; 2,′ ¾″ transverse width.

[0030] Seat section 12: Heavyweight terrycloth material; 12: 2′, 5/16″ in length; 2′,8½″ in transverse width.

[0031] Piece 21: Terrycloth material; 1″, 4 9/16″ in length; 2′, 1 7/16″ in transverse width.

[0032] Piece 24: Spandex material; 1′, 3 3/16″ in length; 2′ in transverse width.

[0033] Strap segment 31: Nylon material; 1″ wide; 6″ long, with buckle.

[0034] Strap segment 32: Nylon material; 1″ wide; 24″ long.

[0035] The chair cover unit is designed to fit a wide variety of boat captain chairs and to remain securely in place once deployed. Specifically, the elasticity of compartments 21 and 25 permits positive grasping of the chair at both the top of a chair seatback back and the protruding forward end of the chair seat, respectively, and the strap retains the mid-portion of the unit in place. Being made of terrycloth or other towel material permits the cover to be used as a towel when not deployed on a chair. The pocket 40 provides the additional function of storing valuables and protecting them from the elements.

[0036] In the illustrated and preferred embodiment, piece 24 forming the lower compartment is made from expandable material, e.g. spandex, and piece 21 forming the upper compartment is made of terrycloth but includes an elastic opening edge to render the upper compartment expandable. It is to be understood that, in some embodiments, piece 21 may also be made of spandex; or both pieces 21 and 24 may be made of terrycloth and elastic opening edges to render the compartment expandable.

[0037] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by this detailed description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

[0038] Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussions of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0039] The present disclosure relates to an improved boat chair cover that eliminates the problems of prior chair and seat covers that are described herein.

[0040] As used herein, an element or operation recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural elements or operations, unless such exclusion is explicitly recited. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0041] The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein. Indeed, other various embodiments of and modifications to the present disclosure, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such other embodiments and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, although the present disclosure has been described herein in the context of a particular implementation in a particular environment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that the present disclosure may be beneficially implemented in any number of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, the claims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breadth and spirit of the present disclosure as described herein.