Universal bath sponge

Abstract

A universal bath sponge having a sponge body with a generally rectangular rigid center plate is disclosed. The sponge has a foam core having first and second foam sections separated by the rigid center plate. A first extension attaches to two corners of the body at the center plate, and a second extension attaches to the remaining corners at the center plate, allowing one to bathe the whole. A soft covering material on the first foam section, and a rough covering on the second foam section provide the bather with a choice of scrubbing surfaces.

Description

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional application No. 61/063,618 filed Feb. 5, 2008 to Eduardo D'Angelo for Universal Bath Sponge, U.S. Provisional application No. 61/072,274 filed Mar. 28, 2008 to Eduardo D'Angelo for Universal Bath Sponge, U.S. Provisional application No. 61/123,515 filed Apr. 9, 2008 to Eduardo D'Angelo for Universal Bath Sponge, U.S. Provisional application No. 61/127,143 filed May 10, 2008 to Eduardo D'Angelo for Universal Bath Sponge, and U.S. Provisional application No. 61/190,699 filed Sep. 2, 2008 to Eduardo D'Angelo for Bath Sponge.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Introduction

The human body requires cleaning for health and appearance. Hence, most people periodically bathe or shower.

Typically, soap is applied to the skin with the assistance of a cleaning instrument. The skin might also be scrubbed. The intensity of scrubbing and the roughness of the scrubber vary depending on the region of skin and its particular cleaning requirements.

One cleaning implement, capable of meeting the challenges of different areas of skin would be of great value. Such an implement would save valuable space in the bathroom, save money, and generally facilitate personal hygiene.

2. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multi-surfaced bath sponge for washing different parts of the human body.

3. Description of the Prior Art

Bath sponges are disclosed in U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,126, to Avallone teaches a bath sponge combined with a soap cake. Avallone's sponge has a cavity in which the soap is disposed. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,640 to Anderson teaches a body wash pad with a closable pocket for the insertion of a bar of soap or capful of liquid.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,643 to Caniglia, U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,225 to Schubert, U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,032 to Masterson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,242 to Gillis, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,994 B1 to Grogg, all teach scrubbers with soap dispensers.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,434 to Chen teaches a method of making a bath scrubber.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,007 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,182,540 B2 both to Sorrell are directed toward handheld washing devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bath sponge for cleaning surface of the human body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bath sponge that can be used on both rough and sensitive areas of human skin.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bath sponge that a user can reach and clean his or her back.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bath sponge attachable to a users hand with removable straps.

Yet another objective is to provide a bath sponge that has many colors from which a user might chose.

These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by providing a bath sponge with a sponge element, and first and second extensions. The sponge element is suspended between the first and second extensions, and the sponge element has rough and smooth sides.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The present invention will be better understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings with which are given by way of illustration only.

FIG. 1 is a view of the bath sponge of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the bath sponge of the present invention from the covered, rough surface.

FIG. 3 is a lateral view, relative to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the presently claimed invention.

FIG. 4 is a cut-away view of presently claimed invention from the mesh side, showing the internal support structure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the presently claimed invention perpendicular to the mesh and rough covering material.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the presently claimed invention illustrating the placement of the internal support structure.

FIG. 7 is a view of another embodiment of the presently claimed invention, viewed from the mesh side.

FIG. 8 is a view of another embodiment of the presently claimed invention, viewed from the rough side.

FIG. 9 is another cross-sectional view the presently claimed invention showing the second embodiment, with the extensions folded and held with hook and loop material, and leaving the mesh exposed.

FIG. 10 is another cross-sectional view the presently claimed invention showing the second embodiment, with the extensions folded and held with hook and loop material, and leaving the rough surface exposed

FIG. 11 is a third embodiment for the presently claimed invention, viewed from the mesh side and illustrating an alternative binding of the mesh to the sponge body.

FIG. 12 is a view of a fourth embodiment for the presently claimed invention showing the bath sponge ready for use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Universal Bath Sponge of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 and designated generally by reference numeral 10. With reference now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, the new bath sponge is seen to comprise three basic components, namely: a body 12, and first and second extensions 14, 16. Each of these components will be discussed in detail below.

The Universal Bath Sponge 10 is used to bathe the whole body of the person without the need to resort to another cleaning instrument. Normally, a bather uses a bath sponge and another article to bath the far to reach portions of the body, such as the back of the body. Further he or she might use a soft sponge for sensitive regions and a second rough material to exfoliate the skin elsewhere.

The body 12 has a foam core 18 and a rigid center plate 34 as illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 9. These two elements will be described in detail below. The body also has first, second, third and fourth corners, 28, 29, 31, and 33.

Turning to FIG. 5, the foam core 18 is covered by two different materials. The soft covering material 19 is soft and smooth. A mesh body material 20 is placed on top as illustrated in FIG. 1. The other side of the foam core 18 has a rough covering 22 to exfoliate skin.

The first extension 14 has a generally elastic first cord 25 attached at one end of the body 12 for the first and second corner, 28 and 29.

The second extension 16 has a generally elastic second cord 27 attached at the opposite end of the body 12 for the third and fourth corners 31, 33 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The first and second extensions 14, 16 allow handling the Universal Bath Sponge 10 while bathing the far to reach generally the back of the person or to hang in storage the Universal Bath Sponge 10 between uses.

The other side of the Universal Bath Sponge is illustrated in FIG. 2 revealing the rough covering 22 for exfoliating skin.

A bather faced with washing a hard to reach body part, such as the back can select which side of the sponge to use: the soft covering material 19, the mesh 20 or the rough covering 22. Likewise, the same selection can be done when using the Universal Bath Sponge to bath the rest of the body.

FIG. 3 illustrates the external components of the Universal Bath Sponge, viewed laterally in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, internally the body 12 has a foam core 18 and a flexible but not expandable rigid center plate 34 generally rectangular as illustrated in FIG. 4. The rigid center plate 34 can be made of plastic, a mesh fabric or other material or combinations of them to reinforce the structure, such as a material reinforcement 51 illustrated in FIG. 4.

The foam core 18 has two sections, first and second foam sections 35, 37 respectively as illustrated in FIG. 6. The rigid center plate 34 is between the first and second foam sections 35, 37. The second foam section 37 has two lateral sides 40, 42, perpendicular to the surface of the second foam section 37 facing the first foam section 35. The sides 40, 42 belong to the second foam section 37 will keep the rigid center plate 34 in the same transversal position.

The rigid center plate 34 has at least two functions. First, the plate 34 allows for the attachment of the first and second cords 25, 27 respectively to the body 12. The first and second corner 28, 29 of the plate 34 are bent having inside the first cord 25 and fixed with a first plurality of eyelets 42, or another method of attachment known in the art. The third and fourth corners 31, 33 of the plate 34 are bent having inside the second cord 27 and fixed with a second plurality of eyelets 44, or another method of attachment known in the art. Another way to attach the first and second cords 25, 27 to the body 12 is bending the plate 34 by the second and fourth corners 29, 33 and bending the first and third corners 28, 31. In this case the first and second cords 25, 27 will be a continuous loop of cord.

The second function is to attach the mesh 20 to the body 12. The plate 34 has at least one pair of holes, first and second adjacent plate holes 48, 50 to attach one section of compacted mesh body material using a first mesh attachment cord 52 as illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Other pairs of holes, third and fourth adjacent plate holes 54, 56 in the plate 34 will hold another section of compacted mesh body material 20 using a second mesh attachment cord 58. Others pairs of holes and cords will be necessary to attach more sections of mesh body material to the body 12.

The first, second, third and fourth adjacent plate holes 48, 50, 54, 56 and so on will be present in the first foam section 35, and in the smooth covering material 19, allowing the first and second mesh attachment cords 52, 58 to pass through these layers to reach and attach the mesh body material 20 on the top.

As the first and second cords 25, 27 are attached to the plate 34, when the first and second extensions 14, 16 to bath the back of the bather, the body 12 is not stretched avoiding an early damage of the body 12.

The attachment of the plate 34 with the first foam section 35, the soft covering 19 and the mesh 20 keeps the plate 34 always in the same longitudinal position with respect to the body 12, unable to move in this direction.

At the end the soft covering 19 and the rough covering 22 will be attached together covering the whole foam core 18 avoiding the first and second foam sections 35, 37 to be disassembled giving the final assembly of the Universal Bath Sponge as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Another embodiment of the Universal Bath Sponge 10 has extension bands instead of cords. In this embodiment, the first extension 14 is a first band 60 generally elastic and flat attached at one end to the body 12. The first band has two surfaces; a first surface 61 on the side of the bath sponge with the mesh 20, and a second surface 63 on the side of the bath sponge with the rough covering 22.

Two pieces of loop layers of VELCRO, the smooth layer made of fabrics covered with fabric loops, are first and second loop layers 62, 64 are attached to the band respectively on the first and second surfaces 61, 63 at the end of the band attached to the body 12 as illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. The second band 70 has two surfaces; a first surface of the second band 71 on the side of the bath sponge with the mesh 20, and a second surface of the second band 73 on the side of the bath sponge with the rough covering 22.

The first extension 14 has at the other end a first cord handle 66 attached proximal to the body 10 to handle the Universal Bath Sponge 10 during use to bathe the far to reach generally the back of a bather or to hang and hold the Universal Bath Sponge 10 between uses. A first stitched flap 68 attaches the first cord handle 66 to the first band 60.

There is a second cord handle 72 attached to the other end of the second band 70, distal to the body 10. The second cord handle 72 is used to handle the Universal Bath Sponge while bathing the generally far to reach back of the body. The bather uses one hand to grasp the first cord handle 66 and the other hand to grasp the second cord handle 72. The second extension 16 is a second band 70 generally elastic and flat attached at the other end to the body 12.

The second band 70 has at the end proximal to the second cord handle 72 two VELCRO hook layers, designated first and second hook layers 74, 76. As suggested, these layers are pieces of fabrics covered with tiny plastic hooks. These first and second hook layers 74, 76 are attached to the second band 70, as illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. Next to the first and second hook layers 74, 76 are two VELCRO loop layers, designated first and second loop layers 78, 80 respectively as illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. These first and second loop layers 78, 80 are not attached totally to the first band 70 to permit bending and covering the first and second hooks layers 74, 76 when it is necessary. The first and second loop layers 78, 80 are attached at their edges adjacent the first and second hoop layers 74, 76, respectively. The VELCRO layers function will be explained later in detail.

The Universal Bath Sponge can be used for bath the rest of the body too when the first and second extensions 14, 16 are bended showing only one surface of the body 12 as illustrated in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

When a bather desires to use the smooth side 19 of the body 12, generally with the mesh 20, the first and second extensions 14, 16 are bended as illustrated in FIG. 9. In this case the first loop layer 62 fastens the second hook layer 76. The first loop layer of the second band 78 is bended to fasten the first hook layer 74 to avoid scratching the skin when uncovered. The bather's hand can be inserted between the smooth material 22 and the first band 60. The first and second bands 60, 70 generally elastic make pressure over the hand keeping the Universal Bath Sponge attached to the hand helping the person while bathing the body.

When the bather desires to exfoliate skin the first and second extensions 14, 16 are bended as illustrated in FIG. 10. In this example, the second loop layer 64 fastens the first hook layer 74 and the second loop layer 80 of the second band folds to fasten the second hook layer 76 of the second band to avoid scratching uncovered skin. The hand of the bather can be inserted between the first band 60 and the smooth material 20 of the body 12. The first and second bands 60, 70 make pressure over the hand keeping the Universal Bath Sponge attached to the hand helping the person while bathing the body.

FIG. 7 shows the Universal Bath Sponge for the side of the mesh 20 when the first and second bands 14, 16 are stretched. The elastic properties of the first and second bands 60, 70 create a back and forth movement for the body 12 to help clean the hard to reach generally back of the bather.

FIG. 8 shows the Universal Bath Sponge 10 for the rough side of the body 12 when the user wants to exfoliate the back of the body helping to clean while bathing.

FIG. 11 illustrates the Universal Bath Sponge 10 in a simplified version the body 12 has only one material generally formed by at least one mesh body material 90. FIG. 11 shows the sponge during the process of construction. The mesh body material 90 is compacted and tied strongly with a mesh binding cord 92 to create volume. The same mesh binding cord 92 could be used to tie a second body mesh 94 and later the mesh binding cord 92 will tie the mesh body 96 if the manufacturer wants a longer sponge body 12 is desired.

FIG. 12 illustrates a generally elastic, simplified first extension 60 that folds and is tied to the mesh binding cord 92 for one side of the sponge body 12 and the other side the simplified second extension 70 is bended and tied to the sponge body 12 using the mesh binding cord 92. FIG. 12 shows the final view of the presently claimed invention ready to use for the bather.

The Universal Bath Sponge 10 could be offered in different soft and rough materials for the sponge body 12 as well the first and second extensions 14, 16.

The Universal Bath Sponge 10 can be marketed in different attractive combinations of colors.

Claims

1. A bath sponge comprising:

a sponge body with first, second, third and fourth corners, the body having a generally rectangular rigid center plate;

a foam core having first and second foam sections separated by the rigid center plate;

first and second extensions, the first extension attached to the first and second corners of the body at the center plate, and the second extension attached to the third and fourth corners at the center plate;

a soft covering material on the first foam section; and

a rough covering on the second foam section.

2. The bath sponge of claim 1, further comprising a mesh body material on the soft covering.

3. The bath sponge of claim 2, wherein the mesh body, first and second extensions, soft covering material and rough covering material, are in a combination of colors.

4. The bath sponge of claim 2, wherein the mesh body, first and second extensions, soft covering material and rough covering material, are selected among materials of varying roughness and softness.

5. The bath sponge of claim 1, wherein the first and second extensions are optionally elastic first and second cords.

6. The bath sponge of claim 5, wherein the first and second corners of the plate are bent securing the first cord via a first plurality of eyelets, generally, but could be other means of attachment, from the first to the second corner, and the third and fourth corners of the plate are bent securing the second cord via a second plurality of eyelets, generally, but could be other means of attachment, from the third to the fourth corner.

7. The bath sponge of claim 6, wherein the first and second cords are optionally each a continuous loop of cord.

8. The bath sponge of claim 1, wherein the center plate is selected from the reinforcing materials consisting of plastic, mesh fabric, and material reinforcement.

9. The bath sponge of claim 1, wherein the second foam section has two lateral sides perpendicular to the surface of the second foam section facing the first foam section, whereby the lateral sides keep the rigid center plate in the same transversal position.

10. The bath sponge of claim 1, further comprising:

first and second adjacent plate holes to attach one section of the mesh using a first mesh attachment cord; and

third and fourth adjacent plate holes to attach the mesh using a second mesh attachment cord, wherein the first, second, third and fourth plate holes penetrate the first foam section and the smooth covering material, whereby the first and second mesh attachment cords to pass through these layers to reach and attach the mesh body material.

11. The bath sponge of claim 1, wherein the first and second extensions are optionally flat and elastic first and second bands;

the first band having two surfaces, a first surface of the first band on the side of the sponge with the mesh, and a second surface of the first band on the side of the sponge with the rough covering, the first and second surfaces of the first band, at the end proximal to the sponge body, having on each respective side a first and second loop layers, of loop and hook material;

the second band having two surfaces, a first surface of the second band on the side of the sponge with the mesh, and a second surface of the second band on the side of the sponge with the rough covering, the first and second surfaces of the second band, at the end distal to the sponge body, having on each respective side a first and second hook layer, of loop and hook material, first and second loop layers of loop and hook material of the second band, attached by their edges adjacent to the first and second hook layers of the second band, whereby the first and second loop layers fold over to attach and cover the first and second hook layers of the second band.

12. The bath sponge of claim 11, further comprising:

a first cord handle attached to the first band by a first stitched flap; and

a second cord handle attached to the second band by a second stitched flap, wherein the stitched flaps are formed by folding the ends of the bands distal to the sponge body around the cord handles and sewing in place on the respective band.

13. The bath sponge of claim 1, wherein the generally rectangular center plate for attaching the extensions protects the foam and sponge body from damage due to stretching and the generally rectangular center plate allows attachment of the mesh without damaging the surface of the rough covering.

14. A bath sponge comprising: a mesh binding cord tied onto the first, second, and third mesh body materials; and

a sponge body;

first, second and third mesh body materials;

first and second bands, the mesh binding cord attaching the first, second and third mesh body materials.