Magnetic Shower Curtain and Method of Mounting Same

Abstract

A magnetic shower curtain comprising a shower curtain rail, a plurality of sliders, and a shower curtain. Each slider of the plurality of sliders has a magnetically attractive slider element. The shower curtain has a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements. The magnetically attractive curtain elements magnetically couple to the magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A magnetic shower curtain system comprising:
 a shower curtain rail adapted to be mounted adjacent a shower area;   a plurality of sliders, the shower curtain rail and the plurality of sliders being configured such that, during use, each slider of the plurality of sliders is retained on the rail and slidable along the rail, each slider of the plurality of sliders having a magnetically attractive slider element;   a shower curtain having an upper edge margin, the upper edge margin of the shower curtain having a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements;   each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements being adapted to magnetically couple to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail via the plurality of sliders and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements.   
     
     
         2 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein the shower curtain rail includes a channel extending along the shower curtain rail, and wherein each slider of the plurality of sliders is shaped such that at least a portion of such slider is captured by the rail. 
     
     
         3 . The shower curtain system of  claim 2  wherein the channel comprises an interior void having a cross-sectional shape, and wherein each slider has at least a portion with a cross-sectional shape similar to but smaller than the cross-sectional shape of the interior void. 
     
     
         4 . The magnetic shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is sewn into the upper edge margin of the shower curtain. 
     
     
         5 . The magnetic shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the magnetically attractive curtain elements is adhesively bonded to the upper edge margin of the shower curtain. 
     
     
         6 . The magnetic shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein the upper edge margin of the shower curtain comprises a plurality of sealed pockets, and wherein each pocket of the plurality of sealed pockets contains a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements. 
     
     
         7 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnet. 
     
     
         8 . The shower curtain system of  claim 7  wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet. 
     
     
         9 . The shower curtain system of  claim 7  wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnetically attractive metal. 
     
     
         10 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnetically attractive metal and at least one of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet. 
     
     
         11 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein each magnetically attractive slider element of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnetically attractive metal and each magnetically attractive curtain element of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet. 
     
     
         12 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein each magnetically attractive slider element of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnet and each magnetically attractive curtain element of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnetically attractive metal. 
     
     
         13 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein each magnetically attractive slider element of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements is a magnet and each magnetically attractive curtain element of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements is a magnet. 
     
     
         14 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein the shower curtain rail comprises an extruded material. 
     
     
         15 . The shower curtain system of  claim 14  wherein the extruded material comprises a non-magnetically attractive metal. 
     
     
         16 . The shower curtain system of  claim 14  wherein the extruded material comprises a plastic material. 
     
     
         17 . The shower curtain system of  claim 1  wherein each magnetically attractive slider element has a depression, each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements has a protrusion, each protrusion of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements being adapted to nest in a corresponding one of the depressions of the magnetically attractive slider elements when the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements are magnetically coupled to the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements. 
     
     
         18 . A method of mounting a magnetic shower curtain system, the method comprising:
 retaining a plurality of sliders having a plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements on a shower curtain rail; and   connecting a shower curtain having a plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements to the plurality of sliders by magnetically coupling each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements in a manner to enable the shower curtain to be releasably supported on and slidable along the shower curtain rail via the plurality of sliders and the magnetically attractive slider and curtain elements.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein each of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements has a protrusion and each of the magnetically attractive slider elements has a depression, and wherein each protrusion of the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements nests in a corresponding depression of one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements when the plurality of magnetically attractive curtain elements are magnetically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of magnetically attractive slider elements.