Patent Application
20160081518
The disclosure relates to bathing assistance devices and more particularly pertains to a new bathing assistance device for holds and dispenses soap from a container usable to scrub a person when bathing.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a container having a closed end and a peripheral wall extending from the closed end defining an interior space of the container. The container has an open end opposite the closed end wherein the container is configured for receiving soap into the interior space of the container. The container is constructed of an absorptive material wherein the container is configured for applying soap to a bather. An exterior surface of the container is abrasive wherein the container is configured for removing dead skin as the container is used to apply soap to the bather. A closure inhibits the soap from passing through the open end of the container.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The container 12 has an open end 20 opposite the closed end 14 wherein the container 12 is configured for receiving soap 22 into the interior space 18 of the container 12. As discussed below, the soap 22 may be in the form of a bar 24 or a liquid 26 held in a vessel 32. The container 12 is constructed of an absorptive material such as fabric, interwoven fibers, or the like, wherein the container 12 is configured for applying the soap 22 to a bather. An exterior surface 28 of the container 12 is abrasive in the manner of conventional bath scrubbing devices wherein the container 12 is configured for removing dead skin as the container 12 is used to apply the soap 22 to the bather. A closure 30 is coupled to the container 12. The closure 30 selectively closes the open end 20 of the container 12 wherein the closure 30 is configured for inhibiting the soap 22 from passing through the open end 20 of the container 12. The closure 30 may comprise a pair of spaced snaps 34. Alternatively, the closure 30 may be a drawstring 36 extending through the container 12 around the open end 20.
The container 12 has a pair of longitudinal sides 38,40 and a pair of short sides 42,44. The closed end 14 of the container 12 is a first one of the short sides 42 and the open end 20 of the container 12 is a second one of the short sides 44. A side strap 46 has opposite ends 48 coupled to the container 12 such that the side strap 46 extends along one of the longitudinal sides 38 of the container 12. The drawstring 36 may be incorporated into the side strap 46 as shown in
An end strap 50 may be provided. The end strap 50 has opposite ends 52 coupled to the container 12 such that the end strap 50 extends along the first one of the short sides 42 such that the end strap 50 extends along the closed end 14 of the container 12.
A center strap 54 may be coupled to the container 12, particularly in an embodiment in which the container 12 is constructed of a loofah material 58. The center strap 54 has opposite ends 60 coupled to respective medial points 62 of the short sides 42,44 of the container 12 wherein the center strap 54 extends between the short sides 42,44 of the container 12 along a face 64 of the container 12. The center strap 54 is parallel to the longitudinal sides 38,40 of the container 12.
A liner 66 is positioned in the interior space 18 of the container 12 and may be coupled to the container 12, particularly when the soap 22 is the liquid 26 contained in the vessel 32. The liner 66 may be a sponge 88 or other cushioning material wherein contact with the vessel 32 through the container 12 is cushioned. The vessel 32 is positioned in the interior space 18. The vessel 32 is fluid impermeable wherein the vessel 32 is configured for holding the soap 22 in a liquid form within the interior space 18. The vessel 32 comprises a dispensing opening 68. The dispensing opening 68 is positioned along the open end 20 of the container 12 when the vessel 32 is positioned in the interior space 18. The vessel 32 may be a squeeze bottle wherein the vessel 32 is configured for dispensing the soap 22 in liquid form through the dispensing opening 68 when the container 12 is squeezed.
In use, the soap 22 is dispensed through the container 12 itself when the soap 22 is in the bar form within the interior space 18. Otherwise, the soap 22 is dispensed from the vessel 32 and may be applied to the container 12 allowing the container 12 to be used to apply the soap 22 and scrub a bather's body.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
