AU2016200967A1 - A sheet of material for protecting a treatment table and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet of material for protecting a treatment table for massage and the like having an opening to receive a person's face, the sheet of material comprising a slit, the slit being adapted to extend diametrically across the opening such that parts of the sheet on opposite sides of the slit serve to protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening. Fig 3

Description

2016200967 16 Feb 2016 - 1 -

A SHEET OF MATERIAL FOR PROTECTING A TREATMENT TABLE AND

METHOD THEREOF

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet of material for protecting a treatment table for massage and the like and the method thereof.

[0002] Massages or other treatments are usually performed on treatment tables having an opening at one end, the opening being sized so as to receive a person’s face when the person lies prone on the table. Towels or sheets are usually placed over the table to protect the surface of the table from any oils or massage products used during the treatment and for reasons of hygiene. To protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening and for the comfort of the person being treated, a large folded bath towel, nominally having a width between 80 to 100 cm and a length between 150 to 170 cm, is folded such that the edges of the towel line the opening (see Figure lb) yet allow the person’s face to be received in the opening. However, this technique of folding can be time-consuming and further, the folded towel can be bulky and uncomfortable to the person being treated. These towels must be also be washed before re-use and the applicant has noted that the size of the towel compared to the surface of the treatment table covered by the towel is large and washing these towels is therefore time-consuming, wasteful and not cost-effective.

[0003] In recent developments, towels have been produced with openings corresponding to the openings of treatment tables, however, the face of the person receiving the treatment can contact the inner circumferential portion of the opening of the treatment table directly. Thus, these towels do not protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening from treatment products and the face of the person being treated and therefore are not hygienic. The applicant has also observed that it is likely to be uncomfortable for the person’s face to contact the surface of the treatment table directly.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet of material for protecting a treatment table for massage and the like having an opening to receive a person’s face, the sheet of material comprising a slit, the slit being adapted to -2- 2016200967 16 Feb 2016 extend diametrically across the opening such that parts of the sheet on opposite sides of the slit serve to protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening.

[0005] Preferably, the parts of the sheet on opposite sides of the slit serve to protect the face of the person being treated when the face is received in the opening. The slit can be between 10 and 20 cm long. A sheet having a slit as described above can protect the surface of the treatment table and/or the face of the person being treated thereby providing a comfortable and hygienic sheet. The sheet can also be conveniently and easily placed on the treatment table.

[0006] The sheet can be rectangular and can have a dimension in the width direction of the table of between 80 to 90 cm. In one preferred form, the sheet is of a size to substantially cover only a head portion of the table. Preferably, the sheet has a dimension in the length direction of the table of between 40 to 60 cm.

[0007] In another preferred form, the sheet is of a size to substantially cover the entirety of the table. The sheet can have a dimension in the length direction of the table of between 190 to 210 cm. This embodiment provides a single sheet to cover the entirety of a treatment table and provides an easy and convenient method of protecting the surface of the treatment table and the face of the person being treated and reduces the number of towels used during the treatment.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of protecting a treatment table for massage and the like having an opening to receive a person’s face, comprising: applying a sheet of material as described above to the table such that the slit extends diametrically across the opening whereby parts of the sheet on opposite sides of the slit serve to protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening.

[0009] In order that the present invention can be more readily understood, preferred embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0010] Figure la shows a typical treatment table having an opening; -3 - 2016200967 16 Feb 2016 [0011] Figure lb shows a view of a folded bath towel (prior art) over the treatment table of Figure la; [0012] Figures 2a and 2b show views of a sheet of material being positioned on the treatment table according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0013] Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic view of the sheet of material of Figures 2a and 2b;and [0014] Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic view of a sheet of material according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Referring now to Figures la and lb, there is shown a prior art method of protecting a typical treatment table 10 having an opening 12 in a head portion 13 of the table 10 for receiving the face of a person having a treatment. The opening 12 is usually of an elongated shape, having a typical dimension in the length direction of the table of 18 to 22 cm and a typical dimension in the width direction of the table of 8 to 12 cm. Typically, a first bath towel 14 can be used to substantially cover a body portion of the treatment table 10. Then, to protect the head portion 13, a second bath towel 16 is folded such that the edges align and substantially cover the opening 12, as shown in Figure lb.

[0016] In contrast, in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, the head portion 13 is protected by a sheet 18 having a slit 20 which overlies the opening 12 of a treatment table 10 such that the slit 20 extends diametrically over the opening 12. In Figure 2a, the sheet 18 is unfolded and extended over the head portion 13 of the treatment table 10 such that the slit 20 extends diametrically over the opening 12 in the length direction of the table, as shown in Figure 2b. The axis of the slit 20 substantially corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the table 10. The sheet 18 is preferably formed of a terry toweling material.

[0017] Once the sheet 18 has been applied to the head portion 13 of the table, a person having a treatment can then lie prone on the treatment table 10, with their face received in the opening 12. Parts 22 of the sheet 18 on opposite sides of the slit 20 serve to protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening 12 from the person’s face. Further, the 2016200967 16 Feb 2016 -4- person’s face is in contact with those parts 22 of the sheet 18 to each side of the slit 20 which the applicant has found provides a comforting contact to the person during the treatment, rather than directly contacting the surface of the table 10. The sheet 18 also provides a hygienic barrier between the person and the table 10.

[0018] Once the person has received a first part of their treatment lying prone on the table 10, they often turn over to lie with their back on the table 10 so as to receive further treatment to their face, the front of their body or hair. The side ends of the sheet 18 can then be folded or wrapped over the face of the person so as to protect their eyes from any lights or to protect the face if facial products or any other treatments have been applied to the face. Alternatively, when the person is lying with their back to the table 10, the sheet 18 can be wrapped around the person’s hair to keep the hair off the face and body or to protect the table 10 from any treatments applied to the hair.

[0019] Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a diagrammatic view of a rectangular sheet 18 with slit 20 for application to the head portion 13 of a standard treatment table 10, which is typically between 55 cm to 70 cm wide, with a small overlap of the sheet 18 over the edges of the head portion 13. In one practical example, the dimension of the sheet 18 in the width direction of the table 10 is about 85 cm and the dimension of the sheet 18 in the length direction of the table 10 is about 50 cm. The dimensions of this sheet 18 are particularly convenient to wrap the person’s hair when the person lies on their back on the table 10.

[0020] The sheet 18, as shown in Figure 3, can also be used on treatment tables 10 comprising two separate portions; a head portion 13 having an opening 12 and a separate body portion beyond the head portion 13. For this purpose, the slit 20 is positioned so that the lower end of the slit 20 is positioned closer to the lower edge 21 of the sheet 18 than the upper end of the slit 20 is positioned from the upper edge 23, such that the slit 20 is arranged asymmetrically in the sheet 18. In this asymmetric configuration, the sheet 18 can be positioned on the head portion 13 with the slit 20 extending diametrically across the opening 12 and the lower edge of the sheet 18 will lie between the head portion 13 and the separate body portion without bunching or folding, which can be uncomfortable to the 2016200967 16 Feb 2016 -5- person and yet the sheet 18 is still of an adequate size so as to allow the towel to be wrapped about the person’s hair.

[0021] In practical embodiments, the slit 20 can have a length between 10 to 20 cm, depending on the treatment table 10, although it is preferable that the slit is about 17 cm long, which is less restrictive than shorter slits and accommodates larger faces thereby increasing comfort to the person using the sheet. The slit 20 is formed by simply cutting the sheet 18 and reinforcing the edges of the slit 20 for strength.

[0022] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 4, the sheet 24 is of a length so as to substantially cover the entirety of the treatment table 10 and in a practical example, the length of the sheet is between about 1.9 to 2.1 m. In this embodiment, the slit 20 is located about 20 to 25 cm from the upper end of the sheet 24 so as to correspond to the dimensions of the opening 12 relative to the whole table 10.

[0023] Further modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the sheet has been described as being of a terry toweling material, the material can be any sort of material as would be known to a person skilled in the art, such as a cotton or poly-cotton blend sheet material or flannelette.

[0024] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It would be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes, modifications and improvements can be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0025] Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. 2016200967 16 Feb 2016 -6- [0026] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Claims (7)

1. THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

   1. A sheet of material for protecting a treatment table for massage and the like having an opening to receive a person’s face, the sheet of material comprising a slit, the slit being adapted to extend diametrically across the opening such that parts of the sheet on opposite sides of the slit serve to protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening.
2. 2. A sheet of material according to claim 1, wherein the parts of the sheet on opposite sides of the slit serve to protect the person’s face when the face is received in the opening.
3. 3. A sheet of material according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the slit is sized to substantially correspond to the diameter of the opening.
4. 4. A sheet of material according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the slit is between about 10 and 20 cm long.
5. 5. A sheet of material according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet is of a size to substantially cover only a head portion of the table.
6. 6. A sheet of material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet is of a size to substantially cover the entirety of the table.
7. 7. A method of protecting a treatment table for massage and the like having an opening to receive a person’s face, comprising: applying a sheet of material according to any one of the preceding claims to the table such that the slit extends diametrically across the opening in the length direction of the table whereby parts of the sheet on opposite sides of the slit serve to protect the inner circumferential portion of the opening.