Patent Application
20250169656
The invention relates to household items, in particular to sponges made of plant materials, in particular of luffa, intended for washing, cleansing and massaging a human skin.
The closest to the offered sponge is a sponge (U.S. Pat. No. 10,485,387 B2. Nov. 26, 2019). The sponge contains a working member made of two layers, manufactured from a fine-fibred luffa of the “Luffa cylindrica Roem” species. Each working member layer is at least a part of the wall of the luffa fruit with the adjacent radial jugums. The working member layers are adjacent to each other from the side of the radial jugums, framed with a narrow fabric or cloth and connected along the perimeter with a seam, located under the frame manufactured from a narrow fabric or cloth. Wherein the sponge contains a loop for hanging fixed at one end.
The disadvantage of the known sponge is the absence of a stable ability of the layers of the working member to provide the ability to wash, cleanse and massage human skin in accordance with its need for enhanced washing, cleansing and massage effects. This disadvantage is explained as follows.
The active surface of the layers of the working member is the outer part of the wall of the fine-fibred luffa fruit (agrolib.ru/rastenievodstvo/item/f00/s01/e0001140/index.shtml).
The outer wall of the fine-fibred luffa fruit consists of tender and fine fibers that form a surface with a homogeneous roughness. The impact on the skin of the active surface of the layers of the working member, which is a surface with a homogeneous roughness of tender and thin fibers, causes a gentle washing, exfoliation of dead skin cells and massage effect.
The impact on the skin of the narrow fabric or cloth framing the edges of the working member causes a delicate washing, cleansing and massage effect.
The object of the invention is the development of a sponge made of luffa, having the ability to wash, cleanse and massage human skin in accordance with its need for enhanced washing, cleansing and massage effects, having reliability, safety for the user, convenience in an industrial manufacture by means of the design solutions and the maximum use of the luffa properties, namely a stable ability of the working member to perform the functions, the comfort during use, the absence of the contamination after use, increased service life, with both parts of the working member made of luffa, which can be manufactured simple and rapidly.
The object set has been solved in the following way.
The sponge contains a working member made of two layers manufactured from fine-fibred luffa. Each layer of the working member represents at least part of the wall of the luffa fruit with adjacent radial jugums. One layer with the side of the outer part of the fruit wall is adjacent to the side of the radial jugums of another layer. The layers of the working member are connected along the perimeter by a sewing seam.
The invention uses a fine-fibred luffa of the “Luffa cylindrica Roem” species (agrolib.ru/rastenievodstvo/item/f00/s01/e0001140/index.shtml). The outer part of the luffa fruit wall is a net of tender and thin fibers. The inner part of the wall and the radial jugums of the fruit are a network of tightly intertwined, but not adjacent to each other, structure-forming and fruit-reinforcing fibers, which determines a spatial net structure from individual fibers.
In the places where the radial jugums are adjacent to the inner part of the fruit wall in the net structure, a transition of the structure-forming and fruit-reinforcing fibers from the region of the radial jugums to the region of the inner part of the fruit wall is clearly indicated. The continuity of fiber connections at the junction of the radial jugums with the inner part of the fruit wall determines the stability of the structural formation of the fruit wall and the radial jugums.
The fibers of the fruit wall and the radial jugums are characterized by a high porosity and capillarity.
The active surface of one layer of the working member of the invention is the inner part of the wall of the luffa fruit with radial jugums. This solution makes it possible to create a stable ability of this layer of the working member to provide enhanced washing, cleansing and massage effects and is explained as follows.
The high porosity and capillarity of the fibers of the radial jugums and the inner part of the fruit wall cause a significant increase in the volume of the fibers when using a sponge, allow for to rapid absorption and return of water and in combination with the spatial net structure of the luffa fruit wall lead to high elasticity of the layer of the working member. This leads to the fact that during intense friction between the active surface of this layer of the working member and the user's skin, the structure-forming and fruit-reinforcing fibers of the radial jugums and the inner part of the fruit wall, thanks to its high elasticity and the stability of the structural formation of the fruit wall and the radial jugums, and of fiber connections at the junction of the radial jugums with the inner part of the fruit wall, retain the original structure of their formation and connections and create the steadiness of the protrusions of the radial jugums and the surface of the inner part of the fruit wall during use. The impact on the skin of the active surface of the layer of the working member, which is a surface with a steady heterogeneous roughness of the structure-forming and fruit-reinforcing fibers of the protrusions of the radial jugums and the inner part of the fruit wall, leads to intensive exfoliation of the dead skin cells, deep cleansing of the pores, forceful massage and lymphatic drainage effect, which causes enhanced washing, cleansing and massage effects. This leads to the stable ability of this layer of the working member to provide the ability to wash, cleanse and massage human skin in accordance with its need for enhanced washing, cleansing and massage effects.
The active surface of the other layer of the working member is the outer part of the wall of the fine-fibred luffa fruit. This creates on the side of this layer of the working member a surface with a homogeneous roughness of tender and fine fibers, which causes a delicate washing effect, exfoliation of dead skin cells and massage.
The reliability of the sponge is determined by the stability of the structure of the fruit wall and radial jugums, which is created by the continuity of the interweaving of structure-forming and fruit-reinforcing fibers throughout the entire area of adjacent of the radial jugums to the inner part of the fruit wall.
The net with a spatial structure of the formation from fibers with a high porosity and capillarity, forming the working member layers, allows for a rapid absorption and return of water, creates the possibility of a complete washout of the contaminations from the pores of the fibers, a through washout, a through ventilation and a rapid drying of the working member layers and the space between the working member layers, leading to the absence of the contamination of the sponge after the use, what makes the sponge safe for the user.
Making the sponge of various shapes, for example, oval (as indicated at
The structure of the fruit wall and radial jugums, characterized by the possibility of compression, ensures the stitching of the layers of the working member.
Connecting the layers of the working member along the perimeter with a sewing seam leads to the possibility of the fullest use of the entire surface area of each layer. Connecting the layers of the working member with a sewing seam along part of the entire length of the perimeter provides direct access to washing the space between the layers of the working member to remove contaminants after use, which increases the safety of the sponge for the health of the user.
Manufacturing both working member layers from luffa corresponds to the essential human need for using natural materials in skin care products.
Manufacturing of a working member with an active surface of one layer, which is the inner part of the wall of the luffa fruit with the radial jugums, providing enhanced washing, cleansing and massage effect, and with an active surface of another layer, which is the outer part of the wall of the luffa fruit, providing gentle washing, cleansing and massage effect, meets the various needs of the user.
Manufacturing of a working member with an active surface of both layers, which is the inner part of the wall of the luffa fruit with the radial jugums, providing enhanced washing, cleansing and massage effect, meets the satisfaction of various consumer requests.
Manufacturing of one or both layers of the working member with a steady active surface, consisting of structure-forming and reinforcing fibers of the radial jugums and the inner part of the wall of the luffa fruit, which reduces the wear of the sponge, causes an increase in the service life of the sponge.
Making the working member of the luffa unbleached or bleached, or colored, or processed with extracts, or processed with antibacterial agents, or of the organic luffa uncolored or colored with natural coloring agents, or processed with natural extracts corresponds to the satisfaction of various customer needs.
The invention is illustrated by the drawings, where:
The sponge consists of two layers of the working member 1.
The sponge is manufactured as follows. The wall of the luffa fruit 4 is cut longitudinally along the line 6, the central pith 5 is removed by the consecutive separation along the line 7 from the radial jugums 3. The remaining part of the fruit, which is the fruit wall 4 with the adjacent radial jugums 3, is used for the manufacture of at least one working member layer 1 of a certain shape. The working member is made of two layers 1, having the radial jugums 3. One layer 1 with the side of the outer part of the fruit wall 4 is adjacent to the side of the radial jugums 3 of another layer 1. The layers are connected along the perimeter with a sewing seam 2. The sponge can be made with of loop-like grips 8 manufactured from a cord or a narrow fabric at both edges of the working member for fixation in the hands, with a link 9 manufactured from a narrow fabric on one side of the working member for fixation on the hand and with a loop 10 manufactured from a cord or a narrow fabric for hanging attached to one end of the working member.
