SOAP KEEPER
A portable device for soap is disclosed. The portable device comprises a box for housing an inner aluminum grill where a bar of soap may be placed on the aluminum grill located within a few inches above a waste collection tray that collects water and soap residue. The waste collection tray is removable from the box for emptying and reuse. The aluminum grill keeps the soap dry and bacteria free. The portable device's box additionally has a top which when closed keeps away dust. It is envisioned that the portable device will enable a user to travel anywhere with their own soap.
This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/891,197 entitled “The Soap Keeper is portable device for soap. A box with a grille where the soap will be place few inches away from a sliding compartment that will collect water and soap residue. The soap will stay dry and bacteria free . The Soap Keeper will have a top to closed it keeping away dust and be able to travel anywhere with your own soap.” filed Oct. 15, 2013, the aforementioned priority application being hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to portable soap dishes and more particularly to an aluminum grill housed within a box for placement of a bar of soap having a built in waste collection tray which may be slidably removed for cleaning waste residue.
BACKGROUND ARTIt is well known that a great number of people either require or desire the use of a specific soap when cleaning their faces. For example, acne medicated soap is one such type of soap wherein this type of soap currently is very expensive such that if the person is traveling they may want to take their particular soap with them in a portable soapbox.
Typically, soapboxes are designed to have raised ridges, dowels, grills or racks to support the wet bar soaps above the floor of the soap box/dish. In almost all the cases, the bars which support the bar soaps are flat, rectangular or circular in cross-section and they are not efficient to drain the water away from the wet soap surface. Water sticks to the bottom surface of the soap between the bars and slowly soaks the outer layer of the soap surface.
Currently, in the prior art there are a number of portable soapboxes. One such portable soapbox is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,471 issued Jun. 1, 2010 to Srungaran, which teaches a soap rack housed within a soapbox. In use, the soap rack is placed at an inclined angle to keep the soap surface inclined so that the water drains quickly and efficiently due to gravity and will not have enough time to be absorbed by the soap. Although, this invention allows for an opening at the bottom of the soapbox for the excess soap residue to escape, it does not provide an easy or simple way to clean out the remaining interior left behind residue.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a portable soapbox or soap keeper for use with luxurious and expensive soaps that will keep the soap dry and dust and bacteria free adding to the soaps longevity for travelers and for use at home. The present invention solves this problem and more in a unique and novel fashion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA portable device for soap is disclosed. The portable device comprises a box for housing an inner aluminum grill where a bar of soap may be placed on the aluminum grill located within a few inches above a waste collection tray that collects water and soap residue. The waste collection tray is removable from the box for emptying and reuse. The aluminum grill will assist in the prevention of bacteria and will assist in keeping moisture away from soap. The portable device's box additionally has a top which when closed keeps away dust. It is envisioned that the portable device will enable a user to travel anywhere with their own soap.
In accordance with these and other objects, which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.
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In summary, the described and shown invention is a portable device for the handling and care of a bar of soap. The portable device comprises a box for housing an inner aluminum grill where the bar of soap may be placed after use. The aluminum grill is located within a few inches above a waste collection tray that is used for collecting water and soap residue. The waste collection tray is removable from the box for emptying and reuse. The aluminum grill will assist in the prevention of bacteria and will assist in keeping moisture away from soap. The portable device's box additionally has a top which when closed keeps away dust. It is envisioned that the portable device will enable a user to travel anywhere with their own personalized bar of soap.
It is contemplated for embodiments of the invention to extend to individual elements and concepts described herein, independently of other concepts, ideas or system, as well as for embodiments to include combinations of elements recited anywhere in this application. Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments. As such, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, it is contemplated that a particular feature described either individually or as part of an embodiment can be combined with other individually described features, or parts of other embodiments, even if the other features and embodiments make no mention of the particular feature. Therefore, the absence of describing combinations should not preclude the inventor from claiming rights to such combinations.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be evident that the various modifications and changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than in a restrictive sense.
Claims
1. A soap keeper comprising:
- a housing portion having a matching top lid;
- a soap rack disposed within said housing which moves up and out of said housing when said lid is opened; and
- a waste collection tray located at a bottom of said housing wherein when said lid is closed said soap rack is moved back into said housing located a distance above said waste collection tray.
2. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said housing defines a bottom slot used for removing and cleaning said waste collection tray.
3. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said soap rack is an aluminum grill.
4. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said soap rack is moved up and out of said housing by the use of a plurality of back hinges.
5. The soap keeper according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of back hinges are connected at a first back end located on each side of said soap rack and connected at its distal back end on each side of said top lid; wherein said back hinges work simultaneously and cooperatively to lift out said soap rack when said lid is tilted back into an open position, wherein when said lid is closed said back hinges lower said soap rack back into said housing for storage.
6. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said soap rack is moved up and out of said housing by the use of a plurality of front hinges.
7. The soap keeper according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of front hinges are connected at a first front end located on each side of said soap rack and connected at their distal front ends on each side of said housing; wherein said front hinges work simultaneously and cooperatively to lift out said soap rack when said lid is tilted back into an open position, wherein when said lid is closed said front hinges lower said soap rack back into said housing for storage.
8. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said housing, lid and waste collection tray may be fabricated from plastic.
9. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said housing, lid and waste collection tray may be fabricated from aluminum.
10. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said housing, lid and waste collection tray may be generally oblong in shape.
11. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said top lid defines a center located outer tab for opening and closing said lid with said housing.
12. The soap keeper according to claim 1, wherein said waste collection tray defines a center located outer tab for removing and replacing said waste collection tray with said housing.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 25, 2014
Publication Date: Oct 29, 2015
Inventor: Besma Chihi (Los Angeles, CA)
Application Number: 14/262,689