Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
I TITLE OF INVENTION
2 SCOURING PAD
3 BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
4 Sponges have been used for washing dishes and cleaning surfaces for
many decades. These dead rudimentary sea animals are able to retain large
6 amounts of water. If the water is mixed with soap or detergent, a sponge
filled
7 with this mixture can be used effectively to remove food from dishes or dirt
from
8 household surfaces. Sometime around the 1950s, synthetic sponge pads made
9 from silicone or polyurethane foam became available. Some were fabricated
from natural cellulose. Usually, these sponges were rectangular or oval
shaped,
11 and sized to fit in the palm of one's hand. But, the shape is less
important than
12 the size. These pads are as efficient for cleaning as their natural sponge
13 counterparts, and their shapes are more convenient for cleaning purposes.
14 However, not all foodstuff or other grime is removable with such a pad. It
is difficult to use sponge pads to remove baked-on food from pots and pans.
16 Teflon (a brand of tetrafluoroethylene manufactured by Dupont) non-stick
17 coatings make it easier to remove baked-on foods with a sponge pad. These
18 coatings do not always work perfectly, and they wear with age. Prior to the
use
19 of Teflon , steel wool was used to scour pots and pans as well as dishes
with
caked-on foodstuff. Steel wool is a bundle of strands of very fine soft carbon
21 steel filaments. Steel wool works well for this purpose. It is highly
abrasive, and
22 it removes baked-on foods easily. But, steel wool rusts easily, and people
would
23 often get steel wool splinters that would enter the bloodstream and cause
nasty
24 infections. Steel can also discolor some materials. Bronze wool is a bundle
of
very fine bronze filaments, used in finishing and repair work to polish wood
or
26 metal objects. Bronze wool is similar to steel wool, but is used in its
place to
27 avoid some problems associated with broken filaments. Bronze wool is easier
to
28 use than steel wool, but like steel wool, it is sometimes too abrasive.
Mineral
29 wool, also known as mineral fibers or man-made mineral fibers are fibers
made
from natural or synthetic minerals or metal oxides. Synthetic scouring pads
are
Page 1
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
I often used today for scouring pots and pans and for removing tough foodstuff
2 from dirty dishes.
3 Composite cleaning/scouring pads came into use where a scouring pad is
4 affixed to a synthetic sponge with adhesive. This type of pad has six faces,
two
of which are useable. One useable face consists of a scouring pad, and the
6 other consists of a synthetic sponge. So, the sponge face is used to gently
clean
7 dishes and other surfaces, while the scouring face is used to remove caked-
on
8 particles. When a person washes dishes, he or she uses the sponge face where
9 gentle rubbing is desired, and then turns over the pad to the scouring face
when
more abrasive action is desired. This action of turning the pad from face to
face
11 is undesirable, cumbersome, annoying, and time consuming. The two useable
12 faces have the largest scrubbing areas and are the same for both faces. The
13 other four faces are unusable because they are two small to wash dishes and
14 because the faces comprise both materials. They are not efficient for
gentle
cleaning or scouring. FIG. 1 (a through e) shows a portion of just such a
16 composite cleaning/scouring pad. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the
prior art
17 device. Note the scouring material 2 affixed to synthetic sponge material
1. FIG.
18 1(b) is a top plan view showing the scouring face comprising the scouring
19 material 2. FIG. 1(c) is a front elevational view showing an unusable face.
FIG.
1(d) is a side elevational view showing another unusable face. These faces are
21 unusable because they are too small, and they comprise two diverse
materials in
22 an unusable configuration. FIG. 1(e) is a bottom plan view showing the
sponge
23 face comprising the sponge material 1. A typical composite pad is disclosed
in
24 US Design Patent No. D406,681 issued to Kelly, et.al. on March 9, 1999.
Except
for its rhomboidal shape, it is the same as described in FIG. 1. Yet another
26 example is US Design Patent No. D533,316 issued to Poizeau on October 16,
27 2007. A particularly novel pad of this type is disclosed in US Patent No.
28 5,609,431 issued to Carroll on March 11, 1997, and particularly shown in
FIG.
29 10, therein. Here, the inventor affixed AstroTurf (short pile nylon
strands affixed
to an elastic backing) onto a polyurethane foam sponge. AstroTurf is a
31 registered trademark of Monsanto. The short nylon fibers forming the
scouring
Page 2
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
1 face in this pad are particularly useful for removing caked-on particles and
yet
2 non-abrasive.
3 Examples of some of the products currently available are:
Brand Manufacturer Description Dimensions
Scotch-BriteTM 3M Dobie Cleaning Pad 4.3" x 2.6" x 0.5"
Ultra Nail-Saver Scrub Sponge
Scotch-BriteTM 3M Clean Rinse 2.1" x 3.7" x 1.3"
Scotch-BriteTM 3M Easy Erasing Pad 5.1" x 2.8" x 1.2"
Ultra-Nail Saver Scrub Sponge
Scotch-BriteTM 3M Multi-Purpose 2.1" x 3.7" x 1.3"
Scotch-BriteTM 3M Clean Rinse Scrubber 4.7" x 2.9" x 0.6"
o-cel-oTM 3M Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge 3.7" x 2.6" x 0.8"
S.O.S. The Clorox Co. Extra Thick Scrubber Sponge 4.5" x 2.5" x 0.9"
Quickie Quickie Mfg. Corp. Cellulose Sponge 4.5" x 2.7" x 0.7"
Erase Away TM Rite-Aid Cleaning Pad 4.6" x 2.4" x 1.0"
Target Target Scrubber 4.5" x 2.8" x 0.7"
3M 3M Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge 4.5" x 2.8" x 0.6"
TURN-A-BOUT' TesArden LLC Cleaning Pad 4.6" x 3.1" x 1.0"
4
The TURN-A-BOUTTM Cleaning Pad is a polyurethane sponge wrapped in
6 nylon mesh with a Turkish Towel fabric type backing. Apparently, the sponge
7 side is more efficient for scouring while the towel side is more efficient
for
8 washing. The above example products are fabricated from differing materials.
9 The Scotch-BriteTM Ultra Nail Saver "Clean Rinse" and "Multi-Purpose"
products
comprise an abrasive scrubber (different for each product) and a sponge both
11 affixed to and separated by a one-inch thick conveniently shaped
polystyrene
12 layer. The Scotch-BriteTM Clean Rinse Scrubber comprises two fabric pads
sewn
13 together to form a single pad. One face (the sponge side) entirely consists
of a
14 fabric material while the other face (the scouring side) entirely consists
of a fabric
having tiny plastic protrusions arranged in a matrix and approximately 1 mm
16 apart. A typical pad of this type is described in US Patent No. 4,240,760
issued
17 to Levine on December 23, 1980. US Patent No. 6,485,822 issued to Osiecki,
18 et.al. on November 26, 2002 discloses a composite scrubber/sponge arranged
19 linearly in such a manner as to become a conventional scouring/sponge pad
when folded over on itself. One side will be a scrubber, and the other side
will be
21 a sponge. US Patent No. 7,020,927 issued to Cavillo on April 4, 2006
discloses
22 a similar device.
Page 3
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
1 Note the dimensions of the pads described above. Their lengths range
2 from 2.1 to 4.6 inches; their widths range from 2.4 to 3.7 inches; and their
depths
3 (the unusable faces) range from 0.5 to 1.3 inches. These faces are unusable
4 because the sponge and scouring materials are on the same face and the faces
are too small to either clean or scour. The sponge and the scouring materials
6 interfere with each other. The two usable faces are sized to conveniently
fit in a
7 person's palm.or to be held conveniently while washing dishes.
8 It is well known in the art to adapt these pads to hold soap within. In the
9 early days, steel wool could be purchased with embedded soap. Modern pads
either come with soap inside or have pockets into which soap can be inserted.
It
11 is also well known in the art to place handles on the pads. Also, strap
materials
12 have been used into which a person's hand may be inserted. The strap
contacts
13 the back of the hand while the usable part of the pad makes contact with
the
14 palm.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
16 As previously mentioned, it is inefficient, inconvenient and annoying to
17 have to turn a pad over from the cleaning side to the scouring side and
then back
18 to the cleaning side while washing a single dish or pot. The Present
Invention
19 combines a plurality of materials on the same usable face so that the pad
need
not be turned over. At a minimum, two materials are used - a sponge and a
21 scouring material on the same face. However, a convenient embodiment uses
22 multiple scouring materials to work on easier-to-remove and harder-to-
remove
23 particles. Using a highly abrasive scouring material on easier-to-remove
24 particles can leave scratch marks on the surface to be cleaned. However,
using
a less abrasive scouring material on harder-to-remove particles will result on
the
26 surface not being cleaned. The Present Invention solves these problems.
27 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
28 FIG. 1 illustrates a composite scouring/cleaning sponge pad similar to
those
29 currently on the market.
FIG. 1(a) represents a perspective view.
31 FIG. 1(b) is a top plan view.
Page 4
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
I FIG. 1(c) is a front elevation.
2 FIG. 1(d) is a side elevation.
3 FIG. 1(e) is a bottom plan view.
4 FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad of the
Present
Invention.
6 FIG. 2(a) is a top plan view.
7 FIG. 2(b) is a front elevation.
8 FIG. 2(c) is a bottom plan view.
9 FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad of the
Present Invention.
11 FIG. 3(a) is a top plan view.
12 FIG. 3(b) is a front elevation.
13 FIG. 3(c) is a bottom plan view.
14 FIG. 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad of the
Present
Invention.
16 FIG. 5 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the scouring/cleaning pad of the
Present
17 Invention that incorporates an elastic band within which a person's hand
18 may be inserted.
19 FIG. 5(a) is a top plan view.
FIG. 5(b) is a front elevation.
21 FIG. 6 is a set of cross-sectional views of a fifth embodiment of the
22 scouring/cleaning pad of the Present Invention that incorporates soap or
23 liquid detergent within.
24 FIG. 6(a) is a top plan cross-sectional view.
FIG. 6(b) is a front elevational cross-sectional view.
26 FIG. 7 lis an isometric view of a sixth embodiment of the scouring/cleaning
pad
27 wherein all of the faces are usable.
28 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND ALTERNATE
29 EMBODIMENTS
The Present Invention is a pad that comprises two or more materials. At
31 least one of the materials is sponge-like. For the purposes of this Present
Page 5
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
1 Application, the Applicant intends to be his own lexicographer. The
definition of
2 sponge-like as used herein means any material (including a natural sponge)
that
3 absorbs liquids, and releases those liquids upon the application of
pressure.
4 Sponge-like materials comprise all of the household "sponges" made from
synthetic or other natural materials. The remaining material(s) comprises
6 material(s) suitable for scouring/scrubbing. The pad absorbs water either
with or
7 without soap or detergent. The pad is designed for cleaning dishes, pots,
pans,
8 and kitchen utensils, but it may have other uses such as cleaning other
surfaces.
9 The pad has convenient dimensions so as to facilitate being held in a
person's
palm as it is used. It is therefore a composite pad similar to those of the
prior art.
11 As with the prior art, one version of the composite pad of the Present
Invention
12 comprises two usable faces. However, the difference between the Present
13 Invention and the prior art is that the plurality of materials all appear
on at least
14 one of the usable faces. A usable face is defined as a surface of the pad
large
enough to be used manually for the task of cleaning and scouring. Generally,
16 their lengths range from 2 to 8 inches; and their widths range from 2 to 5
inches,
17 but larger or smaller sizes may be employed for specific user needs. The
usable
18 faces are large enough to accommodate the plurality of materials so that
the user
19 can discriminate and select which material to use for cleaning or scouring.
The First Embodiment of the Present Invention is an example of just such
21 a pad. FIG. 2 shows how this pad would look and operate. This embodiment
22 comprises two different materials. One-half of the pad is a scrubbing
material 3
23 and the other half is a sponge-like material 4. The composite pad is
fabricated
24 from a pad of scrubbing material and a sponge-like pad. Both pads have the
same width dimension. The two pads are joined together at one of the unusable
26 faces with an adhesive. Of course, this is an example of how the composite
pad
27 may be fabricated. If one looks at the pad from the top (FIG 2(a)) and from
the
28 bottom (FIG. 2(c)), both faces are identical. FIG. 2(b) illustrates how the
pad
29 would appear when looking at one of the unusable faces. The other rear
unusable face is identical. However, the unusable face to the right of the
drawing
Page 6
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
1 would reveal only a sponge-like material, while the unusable face to the
left of the
2 drawing would reveal only scrubbing material.
3 The Second Embodiment is similar to the first, with a slight difference. In
4 the First Embodiment, both the top and bottom usable faces are identical. In
the
Second Embodiment, they are mirror images of each other. FIG. 3 shows the
6 Second Embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3(a), looking at the top face of the
pad,
7 scrubbing material 3 is on the left, while sponge-like material 4 is on the
right.
8 However, referring to FIG. 3(c), looking at the bottom face of the pad,
scrubbing
9 material 3 is on the right, while sponge-like material 4 is on the left. The
pad of
the Second Embodiment is fabricated from two prior art composite sponge-like
11 pads. They have the same width dimension. These prior art pads have a top
12 face made from scrubbing material and a bottom face made of synthetic
sponge-
13 like material. To create the pad of the Second Embodiment of the Present
14 Invention, merely turn one of the prior art composite pads upside down (so
that
the bottom face is now on top), and join the two pads at an unusable face with
16 adhesive. This construction can be deduced from FIG. 3(b).
17 Figures 2 and 3 show the First and Second Embodiments of the Present
18 Invention comprising two different materials (a sponge-like material and a
single
19 scrubbing material) configured in a rectangular shape. Clearly, the shape
of the
pad need not be restricted to this configuration. The only limitation is the
size of
21 the usable face(s). It must be large enough to be conveniently held in the
hand
22 while washing dishes. If the face is too small or too large, it is not
usable. The
23 pad may be cut to a circular, elliptical, oval, polygonal or any other
desired
24 shape. It may have the shape of an animal or an automobile. Furthermore,
although the drawings show two usable faces, only one usable face is actually
26 required. This might be the case where the pad is shaped as an automobile.
In
27 that case, the only usable face would be the bottom of the vehicle.
Therefore, as
28 will be seen in FIG. 5, since only one usable face is required, a band or
plastic
29 handle may be incorporated into the structure of one of the two usable
faces.
The device may also have the shape of a glove into which the hand of a person
31 is inserted.
Page 7
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a Third Embodiment of the pad of the
2 Present Invention. Here, not only can the shape of the pad itself vary, but
so
3 also can the shapes of the plurality of materials. In the drawing, pad 10
has an
4 elliptical shape, and it comprises four different materials on a usable
face. The
largest surface is the sponge-like material 4. Cleaning is accomplished by a
6 person applying pressure at the center of the palm. However, the pad also
7 comprises three different types of scrubbing materials that are conveniently
8 placed. The example shown in FIG. 4 is a left-handed pad. The viewer is
9 looking at the bottom usable face. Scrubbing material 3 is positioned so
that
pressure may be applied by the tips of four fingers of a person's hand.
11 Scrubbing material 5 is controlled by the palm at the outside end of the
hand.
12 Scrubbing material 6 is controlled by applying pressure at the trapezium
that is
13 connected to the thumb. Clearly, not only can the shape of the pad of this
14 embodiment vary, but also the shapes of the materials used can vary as can
their
placement on the usable face.
16 FIG. 5 illustrates a Fourth Embodiment of the pad of the Present
17 Invention. Here the pad 10 takes the shape of an ellipsoid. An elastic band
7 is
18 affixed to the top usable face, thereby rendering it unusable. However, a
19 persons hand may be inserted between the elastic band and the top face.
Now,
the person must no longer grasp the pad tightly to prevent it from getting
away.
21 The usable face is only the bottom face. FIG. 5(a) shows a top plan view of
pad
22 10, while FIG. 5(b) shows a front elevational view of the pad. In this
case, a
23 seam is shown in FIG. 5(b).
24 FIG. 6 shows cross-sectional views of a Fifth Embodiment of the pad of
the Present Invention. Here, once again, the pad 10 is in the shape of an
26 ellipsoid, but it is not limited to this shape. The primary feature of this
27 embodiment is the internal bar of soap or liquid detergent dispenser 8 that
is
28 embedded within the pad. The utility of this configuration is apparent to
anyone
29 skilled in the art. FIG. 6(a) is a top plan center-cut cross-section, and
FIG 6(b) is
a front elevational center-cut cross-section. This embodiment may take one of
31 two configurations. Either the pad when sold can have the soap already
Page 8
CA 02668545 2009-06-08
I embedded, or the pad may contain a pocket into which a user may insert the
2 soap. Of course, if a liquid detergent dispenser is used instead of a bar of
soap,
3 the dispenser may or may not be refillable as desired.
4 FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a Sixth Embodiment of the pad of the
Present Invention. Here, all faces are usable. There are no unusable faces. As
6 shown in the figure, the pad has a cubic shape. This is but an example, as
the
7 pad may have a miriad of shapes. Each face of the composite pad of the Sixth
8 Embodiment comprises a plurality of materials. However, the pad must have at
9 least one sponge-like material. In the figure, pad 11 comprises six faces of
which
three are visible. Element 12 is a sponge-like material. Elements 13, 14, 15,
16,
11 17, and 18 are different scrubbing, scouring, or cleaning materials.
12 All of the aforementioned embodiments of the pads of the Present
13 Invention share the following common characteristics.
14 = At least one usable face comprises a plurality of materials where at
least
one of those materials is sponge-like that may be used for gentle cleaning,
16 and where at least one of those materials is harder and more abrasive so
17 as to be used for scrubbing or scouring.
18 = The pad is conveniently sized to fit in the palm of a person's hand.
19 = Only one usable face is required. That face has convenient dimensions.
= The user does not have to turn the pad over to a second usable face while
21 washing dishes or cleaning surfaces.
Page 9
