Silly Patent: Hands Free Towel Carrying System

Patent 6,718,554 titled "Hands free towel carrying system" was issued in 2003. As you can see from the picture above, this really is just a towel with a neck loop -- almost like a towel-bib. The first two claims are as follows:

1. A hands free towel carrying system for coupling a towel to a user to prevent loss, theft or contamination comprising, combination:

a towel of a generally rectangular configuration comprised of an absorbent material of a color of the user's choosing, having a loose end, a parallel coupling end and a pair of side edges therebetween, the side edges being between about 15 percent and 25 percent greater than the length of the loose and coupling ends, the coupling end being formed from the folding over of a top end and coupling the top end to an intermediate portion of the towel through stitching thereby forming a tunnel in the coupling end, the region of the towel forming the tunnel being shirred with inner regions and outer regions adapted to expand and contract to allow enlargement and reduction of the size of the tunnel;

a neck loop of a generally cylindrical configuration and being comprised of an elastomeric material, the neck loop being adapted to be stretched around a user's head without messing up the user's hair and glasses and being adapted to rest around the user's neck, the neck loop forming a base around which the tunnel of the coupling end of the towel can be formed for enlargement and reduction in size thereby retaining the towel in a convenient enlarged position during donning by the user and reduced configuration during wearing by the user;

a pocket positioned on the towel and having a resealable coupling selected from the class of resealable couplings including snaps, buttons, zippers and hook and loop fasteners, preferably a snap, with the pocket being adapted to hold loose objects the user desires to keep in safe proximity; and indicia positioned on the towel, the indicia being selected from the class of indicia including monograms, advertisement, and sports logos.

2. A hands free towel carrying system comprising: a towel of a generally rectangular configuration comprised of an absorbent material having a loose end, a parallel coupling end formed from the folding over of a top end and coupling the top end to an intermediate portion of the towel through stitching thereby forming a tunnel in the coupling end, the region of the towel forming the tunnel being shirred with inner regions and outer regions adapted to expand and contract to allow enlargement and reduction of the size of the tunnel, and a pair of side edges there between; and a generally cylindrical neck loop comprised of an elastomeric material.

Basically, that was a really convoluted way of saying this is a towel with a neck loop, and a small pocket to keep things in. Since the bib for babies has been around for a while, I really don't see how this is a unique, creative invention. Furthermore, I think this patent is fairly obvious because usually people just let the towel hang around the neck if they wanted a hands-free towel. And that act alone would infringe on, probably, 70% of this patent. 

I would definitely use this product when shaving my face, but I don't think it warrants an issued patent. That is why I think this patent is pretty "silly".