Patterned Absorbent Stain Guard

Abstract

A patterned absorbent stain guard visually integrates an otherwise unsightly moisture absorbing stain guard b concealing, obscuring, or making more attractive the presence of the stain guard. This enables the user to hide the fact that he or she is using a stain guard. The pattern may exist on the absorbent material, on a moisture permeable front layer, and/or on the moisture impervious back layer. Perforation of the stain guard allows the user to easily customize the size and shape of the stain guard. Perforations may themselves be a part of the pattern of the stain guard. A stain guard, thicker on one end than the other, can be oriented so that one end of the item which the stain guard is protecting is pushed thither away from the source of moisture, thereby increasing the number of angles for which moisture will reach the stain guard.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A patterned absorbent stain guard, comprising:
 an absorbent material capable of absorbing moisture;   a back layer impervious to moisture, coupled to said absorbent material, and capable of attaching to an item; and   a patterned moisture permeable front layer having a first side coupled to said absorbent material and a second side exposed to moisture, wherein the pattern visually integrates said stain guard with the item to which said stain guard is attached.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the patterned moisture permeable front layer is made of the same material as the absorbent material. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the absorbent material is also patterned to visually integrate the stain guard with an item to which said stain guard is attached. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the back layer is also patterned to visually integrate the stain guard with an item to which said stain guard is attached. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , further comprising perforations that allow for customization of length, width, or shape, and wherein said perforations may be part of or integrated with the pattern of the patterned moisture permeable front layer. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the pattern is produced by the surface texture of the patterned moisture permeable front layer. 
     
     
         7 . A patterned absorbent stain guard, comprising:
 a patterned absorbent material capable of absorbing moisture, wherein the pattern visually integrates said stain guard with an item to which said stain guard is attached; and   a back layer impervious to moisture, coupled to said absorbent material, and capable of attaching to said item.   
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 7 , wherein the back layer is also patterned to visually integrate the stain guard with an item to which said stain guard is attached. 
     
     
         9 . The article, of  claim 7 , further comprising perforations that allow for customization of length, width, or shape, and wherein said perforations may be part of or integrated with the pattern of the patterned absorbent material. 
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 7 , wherein the pattern is produced by the surface texture of the patterned absorbent material. 
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 10 , further comprising perforations that allow for customization of length, width, or shape, and wherein said perforations may be part of or integrated with the pattern of the patterned absorbent material. 
     
     
         12 . A non-uniform thickness absorbent stain guard, comprising:
 an absorbent material capable of absorbing moisture;   a back layer impervious to moisture, coupled to said absorbent material, and capable of attaching to an item; and   a thickness that is greater at one end of said stain guard than the other end.   
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 12 , further comprising perforations that allow for customization of length, width, or shape. 
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 12 , wherein the absorbent material is patterned, wherein the pattern visually integrates the stain guard with an item to which said stain guard is attached. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 14 , wherein the pattern is produced by the surface texture of the patterned absorbent material. 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 12 , wherein the back layer is patterned to visually integrate the stain guard with an item to which said stain guard is attached. 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 12 , further comprising a patterned moisture permeable front layer having a first side coupled to the absorbent material and a second side exposed to moisture, wherein the pattern visually integrates the stain guard with an item to which said stain guard is attached. 
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 17 , wherein the patterned moisture permeable front layer is made of the same material as the absorbent material. 
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 17 , wherein the pattern is produced by the surface texture of the patterned moisture permeable front layer. 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 19 , further comprising perforations that allow for customization of length, width, or shape, and wherein said perforations may be part of or integrated with the pattern of the patterned moisture permeable front layer.