Toilet cleaning pad and splash guard

Abstract

A combination toilet cleaning and splash preventing device includes a sheet of biodegradable material which may be laminated for floating at least temporarily on the surface of the water in a toilet bowl and a pocket in the sheet of material for receiving a portion of the hand of a user, whereby the device can be used to wipe a toilet and/or seat before being placed on the water in the bowl to reduce or prevent splashing.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a combination toilet cleaning pad and splash guard.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,497, which issued to Philip Menter et al on Mar. 7, 1977, discloses a toilet bowl splash guard including a coated biodegradable paper product impregnated or coated with a biocidal and/or germicidal material. The guard is placed on the surface of the water in a toilet bowl to prevent splashing from deposition of urine or fecal matter on the water surface. As described in the patent, splashing of water in the toilet bowl can result in the spreading of disease such as kidney or other infections. After the toilet bowl has been used, the splash guard is flushed down the toilet. Both the biodegradable paper and the material added thereto are readily available.

Many patents describe products similar to the splash guard described in the Menter et al patent. In this connection, reference is made to list of “References Cited” on the cover page of the Menter et al patent, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,428, issued to Erma R. Copeland et al on Apr. 23, 2002, which are incorporated herein by reference. The products described in the above-referenced patents are all single use products, which are designed to be placed in a toilet bowl for splash prevention.

It is common practice for persons using a toilet to first clean the seat and/or the rim of the toilet bowl before using the toilet. Cleaning is usually effected using a piece of toilet paper. Thus, two products are used to clean portions of the toilet and to prevent splashing. Moreover, while some toilet papers are biodegradable, in general, such papers do not contain chemicals for killing germs on the toilet seat or toilet bowl rim.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a combination toilet cleaning pad and splash guard, which can be used to clean the rim of a toilet seat and/or a toilet bowl, and which also acts as a splash guard when placed on the surface of the water in a toilet bowl after use in cleaning the seat and/or the bowl.

In accordance with the present invention, a combination toilet cleaning pad and splash guard includes a biodegradable sheet of paper or another material having a density such that the sheet can float at least temporarily on the surface of the water in a toilet bowl; a pocket in the sheet for receiving the hand or fingers of a person using the pad; and a slit in a top surface of the pad permitting insertion of the hand or fingers into the pocket, whereby the pad can be used to wipe the toilet seat and/or the bowl before placing the pad on the surface of water in the bowl to eliminate splashing of water contaminated by fecal matter or urine. Preferably the sheet of material is impregnated or coated with a bacterial, fungicidal and/or germicidal substance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a toilet cleaning pad and splash guard in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a second embodiment of a toilet cleaning pad and splash guard in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are top views of a toilet bowl illustrating the uses of the cleaning pads and splash guards of FIGS. 1 to 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a combination toilet cleaning and splash guard in accordance with the present invention includes a circular or oval sheet 1 of paper or another biodegradable material such as a biodegradable plastic. This sheet 1 is impregnated or coated with a bacterial, fungicidal and/or germicidal chemical. Biodegradable sheet materials are readily available and are well known in the art to which the present invention relates. For example, the sheet can be formed of polylactic acid (PLA) or nonwoven polypropylene (PP), both of which are available from Shenzhen Lifeng Zend Technology Co., Ltd., Guangdong, China.

The sheet 1 is lamination, i.e. is defined by two interconnected layers 2 and 3 of material. A pocket 4 or 5 is provided between the layers 2 and 3 for receiving a hand or a user. The layers 2 and 3 are glued together with a biodegradable or water soluble glue in the area around the pocket 4 or 5. The pocket 4 is horseshoe-shaped (FIG. 1), and the pocket 5 (FIG. 3) is in the shape of a hand. A slit 6 in the layer 2 provides access to the pocket 4 or 5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the product of the present invention is used to clean a toilet seat 9 (FIG. 4) or the rim (not shown) of a toilet bowl 9, or to prevent splashing in the toilet bowl. In use, the user's hand 10 is inserted into the pocket 4 or 5 (FIG. 4) and the pad 1 is used to clean the toilet seat 8 and/or the rim or another area of the toilet bowl 9. The pad 1 is then placed on the surface of the water 11 in the toilet bowl 9 where it acts as a splash guard (FIG. 5).

The product can be packaged in individual packages and be made available in public washrooms, containing dispensers for the product. The product also finds use in private residences. The use of a pad containing a bactericidal, fungicidal and/or germicidal agent would not only keep toilets clean, but would possibly prevent the spread of infectious diseases. As well as preventing the spread of infectious disease, the splash guard promotes cleanliness by preventing splashing of soiled water on one's person.

Claims

1. A combination toilet cleaning pad and splash guard comprising a biodegradable sheet of material for floating at least temporarily on the surface of the water in a toilet bowl; a pocket in the sheet of material for receiving the hand or fingers of a person using the pad; and an opening in a top surface of the pad permitting insertion of the hand or fingers of the user into the pocket, whereby the pad can be used to wipe a toilet seat or the toilet bowl before placing the pad on the surface of the water in the bowl to reduce or eliminate splashing.

2. The pad and splash guard of claim 1, wherein the sheet of material is impregnated or coated with at least one of a bacterial, fungicidal or germicidal substance.

3. The pad and splash guard of claim 1 including interconnected top and bottom layers of said biodegradable sheet material, wherein the pocket is between the layers, the layers are glued together in areas surrounding the pocket, and the opening is a slit in the top layer at one end of the pocket.

4. The pad and splash guard of claim 3, wherein the pocket is horseshoe-shaped for receiving the user's hand and fingers.

5. The pad and splash guard of claim 3, wherein the pocket is in the shape of a hand including fingers and a thumb.