RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/050,316 filed on July 10, 2020 and U.S. Application No. 17/370,121 filed July 8, 2021, which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to privacy, cubicle, and shower curtains, and in particular, to a quick-change curtain with a zipper interface between two curtain panels.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Privacy or cubicle curtains are often used in a hospital setting to create private patient holding, treatment, and convalescent areas. These curtains are typically hung, using curtain carriers or hooks, from a metal track system installed on or near the ceiling. To replace these curtains a ladder is often required in order to reach the top of the curtain to disengage the curtain carriers or hooks. Because a typical hospital area cubicle requires a significant number of carriers or hooks to hang the curtains, the process to remove and replace the curtain is tedious and time-consuming.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a first embodiment of a privacy curtain with a zipper interface according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0005] FIG. 2 is a close-up illustration of a zipper interface of a first embodiment of a privacy curtain according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0006] FIG. 3 is another illustration of a zipper interface of a first embodiment of a privacy curtain according to the teachings of the present disclosure; and

[0007] FIG. 4 is an illustration of another embodiment of a privacy curtain with two zipper interfaces according to the teachings of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] FIG. 1 shows a privacy curtain 100 typically used in healthcare institutions to create private spaces to accommodate patient holding, treatment, and examination areas, etc. The curtain 100 includes an upper curtain panel 102 of the length, LI, and a lower curtain panel 104 of the length L2. Generally, the curtain 100 is hung from a metal track and carrier system 108 attached to the ceiling so that the lower curtain panel 104 extends about 10 inches above floor level to a height of approximately 74 inches above the floor, which is where a zipper interface 106 between the two panels is located. The length of the upper curtain panel 102, LI, may span a range of size offerings to accommodate a wide range of requirements, such as from about six inches to 42 inches.

[0009] The upper and lower curtain panels 102 and 104 are joined together by a zipper interface 106, where a first tape 202 (FIG. 2) incorporating a sequence of zipper teeth 204 is attached or sewn to the upper curtain panel 102, and a second tape 206 incorporating a second sequence of teeth 208 is attached or sewn to the lower curtain panel 104. Preferably, the pull tab 210 of the zipper 106 is on the right side of the upper and lower fabric panels. The zipper interface 106 enables a user to quickly remove the lower curtain panel 104 from the upper curtain panel 102 and install a replacement lower panel easily and in a short time. The ability to replace the lower curtain panel 104 that may become soiled without having to disconnect the entire curtain from the track and carrier system 108 enables the completion of the task without the need to climb atop a ladder. Therefore, the zipper interface enables the lower curtain panel to be cleaned and replacement with ease, speed, and safety. The lower curtain panel can also be fabricated from a non-woven material for disposable applications. The curtain 100 further includes a baton attachment 212 that is secured to either the upper or lower curtain panel. The baton 212 functions as a curtain pull that facilitates the user to arrange the curtain along the track 108 so that the curtain can be positioned around a patient bed, a cubicle, or an office space.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 3, the baton 212 may be sewn or otherwise attached to the curtain panel using a connection loop 310, D-ring 312, and connection ring 314. The baton 212 may be attached to one or both ends of the upper curtain panel. The baton 212 is preferably fabricated from a short length of a stiff material that a user may grasp to manipulate and move the privacy curtain along the track 108. The baton 212 may be fabricated from any suitable material such as a metal (e.g., stainless steel or aluminum), graphite, plastic, lucite, acrylic, etc. In the embodiment show in FIG. 3, the baton 212 has a small opening through which a connecting ring 314 attached to a clip 316 is inserted, and the clip 316 is in turn attached to a D-ring 312 that is fastened to a fabric connection loop 310. The connection loop 310 is sewn to be adhered to a fabric tape 318 that frames the mesh fabric in the upper curtain panel 102. For the disposable lower curtain panel embodiment, the baton 212 is attached to the upper panel 102, for other embodiments, the baton may be attached to the upper or lower panel.

[0011] The upper and lower curtain panels 102 and 104 may be made from the same material or from different materials depending on the desired functionality of the curtain. Further, the upper and lower curtain panels may include one or more layers of the same or different fabrics. For example, the upper curtain panel 102 may use a mesh fabric that allows light to pass through and permit air circulation. Alternatively, the upper curtain panel 102 may be impermeable to fluids but is transparent to prevent air circulation but still allow light to pass. The lower curtain panel 104 may incorporate materials that are designed to serve a particular function. For example, the lower curtain panel 104 may be constructed of more than one layer of fabric that provide sound-dampening properties. In one embodiment, the lower curtain panel 104 may include an acoustical fabric liner sewn or attached to an outer decorative panel. Alternatively, an acoustical fabric that is sandwiched between two layers of outer shell fabric or “interlined.” As another example, the lower curtain panel may be constructed of a non-woven polypropylene fabric with fire retardant and/or anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties, which may be used as a cost-effective disposable curtain panel that can be used in applications where soiling or contamination can occur easily or to prevent spread of contagious diseases. The LI and L2 dimensions of the upper and lower curtain panels may be adjusted to enhance the functionality of the curtain. For example, the LI dimension of the mesh upper panel 102 may be decreased and the L2 dimension of a sound-dampening lower panel 104 may be increased to further enhance the acoustic properties of the privacy curtain.

[0012] In an alternate embodiment, the upper curtain panel may also be constructed of a material that is transparent or opaque to allow light penetration but functions to limit movement of potentially airborne contaminants. It should be noted that the upper and lower curtain panels may be constmcted of any suitable material to achieve a variety of goals, including air flow, light-transmissive, permeable, impermeable, anti-microbial, sound- dampening, and aesthetics properties.

[0013] In another alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the upper curtain panel 102 may incorporate two zipper interfaces 106 and 106’, where one zipper interface 106 is used to attach a disposable lower curtain panel 104 that faces inward toward the cubicle, and the second zipper interface 106’ is used to attach a sound-dampening lower panel that faces outward 104’ . In this embodiment, the disposable lower curtain panel functions as a disposable liner that can be quickly removed and replaced. When the inner disposable lower panel 104 is soiled or needs replacement, it can be quickly unzipped and removed and a fresh replacement installed quickly. In this way, a disposable lower inner curtain panel 104 may be combined with an outer lower panel 104’ to satisfy various user requirements to satisfy disposability, permeable, impermeable, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, fire-retardant, sound-dampening, decorative, and other factors. It should be noted that although the upper and lower curtain panels are shown in the figures to be rectangular in shape, they may embody other shapes. Further, the curtain may include two or more vertically-oriented panels that are joined by vertically-arranged zippers.

[0014] The track and carrier system 108 is preferably fabricated from anodized aluminum or baked enamel that incorporates self-lubricating medical grade nylon wheels or carriers with a stainless-steel wheel axle. The tracks are fabricated in segments that can be connected and assembled to be tailor-made for any length that can be used to corral a space of any size.

[0015] The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. However, modifications, variations, and changes to the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the quick-change privacy curtain with a zipper interface described herein thus encompasses such modifications, variations, and changes and are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.