Background Information Towels are well known in the prior art. In addition to towels used after bathing, towels are often used by athletes during sporting activities. While certain sporting activities preclude the athlete from carrying a towel, e. g. swimming, many sports allow an athlete to carry a towel. The clothing worn during sports often are not equipped with pockets. As athletes still need pockets to carry small items, pockets were moved from sports clothing to sport towels. See e. g. U. S. Patent Nos.

5,5443, 880 and 5,770, 284.

The towel disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 5,443, 880 is a general-purpose towel.

The towel includes one or more pockets formed by sewing additional layers of material to the original towel sheet. Thus, during manufacture, the'880 towel requires extra production steps as the layers of additional material must be cut and hemmed or cuffed. The 5,770, 284 towel is more efficiently made from a single sheet of material sewn into a particular shape that includes a pocket. This shape, however, is adapted for a single sport, golf. Moreover, the'284 towel only includes a single pocket.

Another disadvantage of these towels is that the pockets are clearly visible.

Thus, persons other than the users, such as thieves, can easily identify the pockets. For example, the 5,443, 880 towel's pockets can be seen from one side due to the access means, and from the other side due to the extra stitching. Thus, while a person is engaged in a sport or activity, such as swimming, the towel is an easy mark for a thief.

There is, therefore, a need for a sport towel with pockets that is adapted for general use, but is easily manufactured.

There is a further need for a sports towel with pockets that includes a plurality of pockets.

There is a further need for a towel that camouflages the pocket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These needs, and others, are met by the disclosed invention which provides a towel formed from a single sheet of material. The sheet has one edge that is folded back onto the medial portion of the sheet. For a rectangular towel, the two edges that extend generally perpendicular to the first edge are joined to themselves along the folded portion. The first edge is then joined to the medial portion of the sheet thereby forming the pocket. The first edge may be disengagably coupled to the medial portion of the sheet, e. g. by a hook-and-loop fastener. Alternatively, the first edge may be permanently coupled to the sheet by stitching, while a zipper or other such fastener is provided to access the pocket.

The pocket may be divided into smaller compartments for easily sorting items.

That is, the compartments can be sized to accommodate specific items such as wallets, keys, cellular telephones, and other common personal items. The compartments may have a different fastener depending on the intended use. That is, a compartment for a cellular telephone, which may be opened often, can include the more durable and expensive hook-and-loop fastener, whereas the wallet compartment, which is less likely to be opened during the sport, can include a less expensive and less durable zipper. Additionally, the location of the opening may vary as needed.

That is, some compartment may have the disengagable fastener along the first edge while others have a sewn first edge and a disengageable fastener at another location.

A compartment can also be structured to hold a watertight pouch. The pouch can hold water for the athlete's use. The pouch may be removable, or may be sewn into the compartment. Alternatively, the compartment may have an integral waterproof lining with a nozzle.

Additionally, because the pocket is formed from the same material as the towel and is located along one edge of the towel, the pocket may be easily hidden by placing the pocket under the towel. Unlike the prior art towels, the coupling between the first edge and the medial portion will appear from the second side as part of a common towel design. Thus, the pocket is camouflaged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of the towel.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the towel.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 on Figure 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in one embodiment a towel 10 includes a generally rectangular sheet 12 having a first side 14, a second side 16, a first edge 18, a second edge 20, a third edge 22, and a fourth edge 24. The first edge 18 and the second edge 20 are generally parallel to each other. The third edge 22 and the fourth edge 24 are generally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to the first edge 18. As best seen in Figure 3, the first edge 18 is folded over the first side 14 to a medial portion 19 forming a loop 25 of material. By folding the first edge 18 back onto the medial portion 19, a folded edge 26 is created. The first edge 18 is joined to. the medial portion 19 by a coupling means, such as a hook and loop fastener 32 (discussed below) or any of the following fasteners: zippers, tongue-in-groove fasteners, buttons, snap fasteners, stitching and adhesive.

At least two seams 34, described below, extend generally parallel to, but spaced from, the third edge 22 and fourth edge 24. The seams 34 along with the first edge 18 and the folded edge 26, form a pocket 30. In a preferred embodiment, the seams are located along the third edge 22 and the fourth edge 24. That is, at loop 25, the third edge 22 and fourth edge 24 double back on themselves in a folded portion 22A and 24A. The folded portions 22A, 24A are coupled together, preferably by a permanent means such as stitching 28. The folded portion 22A, 24A coupling means may, however, be a disengagable means such as a hook-and-loop fastener. Thus, the first edge 18, the folded portions 22A, 24A, and the folded edge 26 form the pocket 30.

The pocket 30 may be divided into compartments 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D by seams 34 on said loop 25. That is, the seams 34 couple one side of the loop 25 to the other side of the loop 25. The seams 34 extend generally parallel to third edge 22 and fourth edge 24 and from the folded edge 26 to the first edge 18. The compartments 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D have various sizes that are adapted for specific uses. For example, one compartment 30C is sized to fit snugly about a common cellular telephone. Another compartment 30D is sized to accommodate personal items such as a wallet and keys. Other compartments 30A, 30B are sized to accommodate items such as, but not limited to, portable music devices, cosmetics, sunscreen containers, bandages and other first aid items, sport gloves, and sport goggles. The means to access each pocket and the location of the access means may vary depending on the intended use for the compartment 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D.

For example, the compartment 30C intended to hold a cellular telephone is more likely to be accessed during exercise than the compartment 30D intended to hold keys. Thus, the compartment 30C intended to hold a cellular telephone has the first edge permanently coupled to the medial portion 19 by stitching. The compartment 30C further has an opening 36 cut into the folded edge 26. This opening 36 is closed by a disengagable fastener, such as a hook and loop device 38. Thus, the opening 36 is on the exposed folded edge 26 and is easily accessed by the user. Also, the hook and loop fastener 38 provides a convenient and reusable means to access the compartment 30C. Conversely, the compartment 30D intended to hold keys has first edge 18 permanently coupled to the medial portion 19 by stitching and a medial opening 40 located between the first edge 18 and the folded edge 26. The medial opening 40 is closed by a reusable means such as a zipper 42. A general purpose compartment 30A does not have an additional opening, but instead has a coupling means, such as a hook and loop device 38, located between the first edge 18 and the medial portion 19.

One compartment 30B may be adapted for use as a container for water. The compartment may have a hook and loop device 38 as the coupling device located between the first edge 18 and the medial portion 19 along with a separate water proof pouch 50. The pouch may have a nozzle 52 that extends beyond the first edge 18 to allow the user to access the water. Alternatively, the compartment 30B may include a

water proof lining 56 on the inside of the compartment 30B. An alternate nozzle 58 extends through the side of the compartment 30B.

Pocket towels 10 according to the present invention would be very useful at a hotel or a resort where guests are less likely to bring their own gym bags. As such, the sheet 12 also has a portion of reduced thickness 60, that is, the sheet material is less absorbent. The portion of reduced thickness 60 may have a logo 62 or other indicia disposed thereon.

The pocket towel 10 may also have one or more eyes 70 extending through sheet 12. The eyes 70 are structured to cooperate with a clasp 72. The clasp 72 can be used to hang the towel 10 from a hook or may be passed through two eyes 70 so that the sheet 12 forms a loop that the user may wear around his or her neck or waist.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of invention which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.