Patent Application
20050113270
The present invention relates generally to implements used to clean undesired foreign matter from a variety of surfaces, and in particular to a soap apparatus having an embedded scrubbing element.
Soap products in the form of a bar have long been in use for a variety of cleansing purposes. The soap product may be comprised of a variety of specific compositions, but is usually formed by saponifying a fatty acid with a base, which generally includes a metal hydroxide or a carbonate, to yield a surface-active material that is basic. When the soap product is used with water in the conventional manner, the resulting mixture is particularly effective in dissolving oils and greases. The resulting mixture is generally slippery, however, which inhibits the ability of the user to transfer the soap to the surface to be cleaned, and may also inhibit the ability of the user to dislodge foreign material from the object to be cleansed.
Accordingly, a wide variety of implements are often used in conjunction with the soap product in order to enhance the cleansing effect of the soap product. For example, a cloth, a sponge or even a brush are commonly used to transfer the soap solution to a surface to be cleansed. The foregoing implements also mechanically dislodge foreign matter from the surface while the surfactant properties of the soap. As a result, effective cleansing in many circumstances is obtained only when the foregoing implements are available.
In order to provide a soap product that combines the surfactant capabilities of a soap with a mechanical abrasive capability, various known products also include abrasive particles such as pumice, or other similar abrasive materials in order to enhance the ability of the soap product to dislodge foreign matter. Although these products possess an enhanced ability to remove foreign matter, they do not have the ability to remove foreign matter in small recesses, such as crevices. For example, when soap products having an abrasive component are used for washing hands, such products are particularly ineffective in removing foreign matter from beneath fingernails.
Other prior art products employ an embedded structure in a soap product. For example, U.S. Patent No. to Ruff discloses a scrubbing soap bar having a length of a thin, fine mesh netting embedded in the soap bar. Since the mesh netting is “wadded” when the bar is formed, the netting may assume a number of various shapes and configurations within the bar. As a consequence, a product having uniformly consistent cleansing properties is generally not obtainable. U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,007 B1 to Hsu discloses a net embedded in a cake of a soap material. The disclosed net is comprised of a perforated sheet of material that is formed into an envelope, which is then cast into a soap bar. Although the disclosed net avoids the particular shortcoming present in the foregoing device, the: ability of a perforated sheet to remove foreign matter by mechanical action is limited. U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,825 to Stein discloses a soap bar having a brush element integrally formed in the bar. Although the brush is capable of cleansing a surface with greater effectiveness, the integral brush contributes significantly to the overall cost of the soap bar.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a soap product having an embedded scrubbing device that offers enhanced cleansing capabilities that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus used to clean undesired foreign matter from a variety of surfaces, and in particular to a soap apparatus having an embedded scrubbing element. In one aspect of the invention, a scrubbing soap bar includes a scrubbing element having a filamentous network with internal void regions and a soap material that substantially surrounds the scrubbing element and at least partially fills the void regions within the scrubbing element. In another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a soap bar having a scrubbing element includes forming a scrubbing element from a non-woven and porous material, and infiltrating the non-woven and porous material with a soap material to form the soap bar. In still another aspect, a method of manufacturing a soap bar having a scrubbing element includes positioning a scrubbing element in a mold configured to receive the scrubbing element, adding a soap material to the mold to form a solid bar that encapsulates the scrubbing element, and removing the solid bar from the mold.
The present invention is generally directed to implements used to clean undesired foreign matter from a variety of surfaces, and in particular to a soap bar having an embedded scrubbing element. Many of the specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in FIGS. 1 to 4 to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the present invention may be practiced without several of the details described in the following description. Moreover, in the description that follows, it is understood that the figures related to the various embodiments are not to be interpreted as conveying any specific or relative physical dimension. Instead, it is understood that specific or relative dimensions related to the embodiments, if stated, are not to be considered limiting unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
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The foregoing embodiments of the invention offer significant advantages over the prior art. For example, since the scrubbing element 14 extends throughout the soap bar 10, the scrubbing element 14 it is not detachable from the soap bar 10, particularly as the soap material 12 gradually dissolves as the soap bar 10 is used. The filamentous structure of the scrubbing element 14 advantageously permits the soap bar 10 to cleanse objects having recesses and crevices with greater effectiveness than other prior art soap bars since the filaments possess the ability to reach into recesses and crevices.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, certain features shown in the context of one embodiment of the invention may be incorporated into other embodiments as well. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the foregoing description of embodiments except as by the following claims.
