Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6536971
-
Patent Number
6,536,971
-
Date Filed
Friday, August 31, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 25, 200321 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- McGuire; George R.
- Hancock & Estabrook, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 401 7
- 401 6
- 401 8
- 401 9
- 401 11
- 401 261
- 401 266
- 401 289
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A wash mit assembly comprising a rigid or semi-rigid body, a hose coupling interconnected to the body, and a cloth removably connected to the body. The body includes an exterior surface that is generally concave in shape, a hose receiving recess formed in the exterior surface along its longitudinal axis, a strap extending transversely across the recess, and openings formed through opposing sides of the recess for receiving nozzles of the hose coupling therein. The cloth includes a drawstring stitched about its periphery and is removably connected to the body in complete covering relation to the body's inwardly facing surface. To connect the cloth to the body, the body is positioned on the cloth, and the drawstring of the cloth is pulled taut so that the edge of the body is encompassed within the edge of the cloth.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to cloths used for washing, dusting, polishing, or waxing items, such as cars, and more particularly to wash cloth assemblies that contour both a person's hand and the surface of the item being cleaned.
A cloth or buffer is an essential tool for washing a car by hand. Typically, the cloth is composed of a material that has good water and soap absorption properties, and is soft enough so as not to scratch the paint surface of the car, such as sponge or sheep's wool. The person washing the car will conventionally use a hose to pre-soak the car, and will then fill a bucket with a car wash soap concentrate and water. The user will then soak the cloth in the bucket and proceed to wash the car. Once the car is washed, the user will use the hose to rinse the soap off of the car, and will then dry and wax the car.
While the above procedure works well, the bucket of soapy water becomes dirty after the cloth has been used to scrub the car and then placed back into the bucket. The dirt particles then get caught in the cloth, thereby causing them to be scrubbed into the car once again. In addition, the dirt particles may scratch the paint on the car's surface.
Use of a bucket of soapy water to wash a car also requires that the user dip his/her hands into the water each time the cloth is soaked. Thus, the user's hands become wet which in cold weather climates can be uncomfortable, and can also cause the user to drop the cloth, thereby causing it to pick up dirt from the ground.
When cleaning items that may have uneven surfaces, portions of the surface are sometimes missed due to the inability of the cloth (or other cleaning implement) to contour around the uneven surface. Thus, some portions of uneven surfaces may not get as clean as the remaining portions of the surface.
It is therefore a principal object and advantage of the present invention to provide a wash mitt assembly that straps to and contours a person's hand, thereby making it easier to handle.
It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to provide a wash mitt assembly that can contour around uneven surfaces.
It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide a wash mitt assembly that may be directly interconnected to a water supply, such as a hose, or a cleaning implement, such as a pole.
It is yet an additional object and advantage of the present invention to provide a wash mitt assembly that is durable and easily manufactured.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, the present invention provides a wash mitt assembly comprising a rigid or semi-rigid body and a cloth connected to the body. The body includes an exterior surface that is generally concave in shape, a hose receiving recess formed in the exterior surface along its longitudinal axis, a strap extending transversely across the recess, and openings formed through opposing sides of the recess for receiving nozzles of a hose coupling therein. The cloth includes a drawstring stitched about its periphery and is removably connected to the body in complete covering relation to the body's inwardly facing surface (although a cloth that is permanently affixed to the body could also be used, the removable connection is preferred due to the versatility it offers the tool). To connect the cloth to the body, the body is positioned on the cloth, and the drawstring of the cloth is pulled taut so that the edge of the body is encompassed within the edge of the cloth.
A hose receiving coupling including an internally threaded portion to which a hose (or other cleaning implement, such as a pole) may be connected and a pair of nozzles extending outwardly from opposing sides of the coupling is connected to the body with the nozzles extending through the openings formed in opposing sides of the hose receiving recess. A hose (or other cleaning implement, such as a pole) may be connected to the coupling and positioned within the recess formed in the exterior surface of the body. Soap may be dispensed on the cloth, and when the hose is turned on water will flow through the nozzles of the coupling and continuously soak the cloth. A user may place his/her hand through the strap and wash the car by in scrubbing it with the assembly. It should be pointed out that the present invention could certainly be used to clean items other than cars, but cars are referred to herein for purposes of showing an exemplary use of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1
is a top plan view of the body of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a side elevation view of the body;
FIG. 3
is a bottom plan view of the body;
FIG. 4
is a top plan view of the hose coupling of the present invention;
FIG. 5
is a front elevation view of the hose coupling;
FIG. 6
is a side elevation view of the hose coupling;
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view of the hose coupling take along line
7
—
7
of
FIG. 5
;
FIG. 8
is a top plan view of the hand strap of the present invention;
FIG. 9
is a side elevation view of the hand strap;
FIG. 10
is a top plan view of the washing cloth;
FIG. 11
is a cross sectional view of the washing cloth taken along line
11
—
11
of
FIG. 10
;
FIG. 12
is a top plan view of the wash mitt assembly;
FIG. 13
is a side elevation view of the wash mitt assembly; and
FIG. 14
is a bottom plan view of the wash mitt assembly with portions cut away therefrom.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in
FIGS. 12-14
a wash mitt assembly, designated generally by reference numeral
10
, generally comprising a body
12
, a cloth
14
connected to body
12
, a hose coupling
16
for interconnecting a hose
18
to assembly
10
, and a strap
20
through which a user's hand
22
may be positioned for holding and using assembly
10
. Assembly
10
is useful for, among other things, washing, dusting, polishing, waxing, or drying cars or other items. In addition, although coupling
16
is described herein to receive a hose
18
, it could also be used to receive any cleaning implement, such as a pole.
Referring to
FIGS. 1-2
, body
12
is seen to include an outwardly facing surface
24
that is generally concave in shape. Surface
24
includes a hose receiving recess
26
formed therein which extends along the longitudinal axis X—X of body
12
, a pair of strap receiving openings
28
,
30
formed through body
12
on opposing sides of recess
26
, and a pair of nozzle openings
32
,
34
formed through opposing sides of recess
26
and along an axis Y—Y that is transverse to axis X—X.
Body
12
is preferably composed of a rigid or semi-rigid material, such as plastic, and is generally divided into four sections; two sides
36
,
38
, and front
40
and rear
42
sections. Notches
44
,
46
,
48
, and
50
formed in the edges of body
12
roughly define the divisions between the sections, and permit assembly
10
to flex and adapt to and contour a person's hand, and permit cloth
14
to contour an uneven surface over which it may be wiped. Surface
24
slopes downwardly from about its geometric center (i.e., the intersection of axis X—X and axis Y—Y) towards the edges of sections
36
,
38
,
40
, and
42
, thereby defining its concave shape. Finger (thumb) grips
52
,
54
are formed in surface
24
of side sections
36
,
38
, respectively.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, body
12
includes an inwardly facing surface
56
that is generally convex in shape. Inwardly facing surface
56
includes sets of opposing ribs
58
,
60
extending outwardly from openings
32
,
34
, respectively. Ribs
58
,
60
define channels in which nozzles of hose coupling
16
extend, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.
Referring to
FIGS. 4-7
, hose coupling
16
is seen to include a dome shaped, closed end
62
, an open end
64
, internal threads
66
(see
FIG. 7
) formed in the interior cavity
68
of coupling
16
and extending upwardly from open end
64
, and a pair of nozzles
70
,
72
extending outwardly from opposing sides of coupling
16
and in fluid communication with cavity
68
and adjacent closed end
62
. Coupling
16
is pivotally connected to body
12
by placing it in recess
26
with nozzles
70
,
72
extending through openings
32
,
34
, respectively, and between ribs
58
,
60
, respectively. Hose
18
may be connected to coupling
16
via threads
66
and the conventional external threads (not shown) of hose
18
. Thus, water passing through hose
18
will exit assembly
10
through nozzles
70
,
72
.
Referring to
FIGS. 8-9
, hand strap
20
is seen to include opposing ends
74
,
76
having flanges
78
,
80
formed thereon, respectively, and a series of slotted openings
82
,
84
formed through strap
20
, adjacent ends
74
,
76
, respectively. Ends
74
,
76
extend through openings
28
,
30
, respectively, and flanges
78
,
80
are passed through one of openings
82
,
84
, respectively, (the size of the user's hand would determine which of the openings in series
82
,
84
are utilized) thereby securely interconnecting strap
20
to body
12
. To make strap
20
as comfortable as possible for a user, it is generally V-shaped, thereby accommodating four fingers thereunder and without restricting the user's thumb from extending outside of it.
Referring to
FIGS. 10-11
, cloth
14
comprises an outwardly facing surface
86
, an edge region
88
that folds back upon surface
86
, and a drawstring
90
stitched loosely within the edge seam
92
of edge region
88
. Cloth
14
is interconnected to body
12
by placing body
12
thereon such that inwardly facing surface
56
is completely covered by surface
86
and edge region
88
extends around and encompasses the edges of regions
36
,
38
,
40
, and
42
. Drawstring
90
may then be pulled taut and tied, thereby securely interconnecting cloth
14
to body
12
(of course, any suitable fastener, such as an elastic band, zipper, snaps, buttons, or VELCRO®, could work in place of drawstring
90
). Cloth
14
is preferably composed of a soft (non-scratch), water absorbent material, such as sheep's wool or cellulose sponge. It is contemplated that cloth
14
be permanently affixed to body
12
, but the removable connection is preferred for purposes of versatility
Referring once again to
FIGS. 12-14
, the entire assembly
10
is shown. In use, soap is dispersed on surface
86
and water is passed through hose
18
and ultimately through nozzles
70
,
72
. The water is absorbed into cloth
12
and produces a soapy mixture on surface
86
. The user may then wash a car, or other item, in the normal fashion. When finished washing, cloth
14
and hose
18
may be removed from body
12
. If desired, a chamois or other drying cloth may then be interconnected to body
12
and used to dry the car, or other item.
The foregoing presents the best mode of practicing the present invention, but the scope of the present patent should not be limited thereby, but instead should extend to its full scope and spirit as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A wash mitt assembly, comprising:a. a body having an edge and outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces; b. a recess which extends along a first axis and is formed in said outwardly facing surface of said body, wherein said recess includes first and second openings formed through opposing sides thereof; c. a cloth interconnected to said body in covering relation to said inwardly facing surface; and d. a hose coupling pivotally interconnected to said body, wherein said hose coupling includes first and second nozzles which extend through said first and second openings of said recess, respectively.
- 2. The wash mitt assembly of claim 1, further comprising a strap having opposing first and second ends and interconnected to said outwardly facing surface of said body.
- 3. The wash mitt assembly of claim 2, wherein said strap includes a length adjustment mechanism incorporated therein.
- 4. The wash mitt assembly of claim 3, wherein said length adjustment mechanism comprises first and second pluralities of slotted openings formed through said strap, adjacent said first and second ends, respectively, and first and second flanges formed on said first and second ends, respectively, whereby, said first and second flanges may engage any of said first and second pluralities of slotted openings.
- 5. The wash mitt assembly of claim 1, wherein said hose coupling comprises an open end and a closed end which define an internal cavity, and at least a first nozzle positioned in fluid communication with said internal cavity.
- 6. The wash mitt assembly of claim 1, wherein said cloth includes an outwardly facing surface and an edge region that folds back upon said outwardly facing surface.
- 7. The wash mitt assembly of claim 6, wherein said edge region of said cloth includes an end seam and a drawstring positioned within said end seam.
- 8. The wash mitt assembly of claim 1, wherein said outwardly facing surface of said body is concave in shape.
- 9. The wash mitt assembly of claim 1, wherein said cloth is composed of wool.
- 10. A wash mitt assembly, comprising:a. a body having an edge and outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces; b. a recess formed in said outwardly facing surface with first and second openings formed therethrough; and c. a hose coupling seated in said recess and pivotally interconnected to said body, and including first and second nozzles which extend through said first and second openings, respectively.
- 11. The wash mitt assembly of claim 10, further comprising a hand strap interconnected to said outwardly facing surface of said body.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
2538850 |
Simms |
Jan 1951 |
A |
4032239 |
Maupin |
Jun 1977 |
A |