Washing Gloves

Abstract

A glove-like shape which is infused and absorbs shampoo or soap-like composition for use in cleaning hair and other body parts without the need for adding water for activation and for rinsing. The glove like component preferably has two oversized outside fingers so the same can be easily worn on the left or right hand of the user. In the preferred embodiment, the glove is soft, made of woven material, like cotton, inexpensive, and disposable after use. The composition of the glove and the soap/shampoo is such that after the same is rubbed over a body part, the glove picks up and retains the dirt loosened thereby so that the glove can be hygienically disposed of These gloves are intended to be used one at a time. Preferably, a carton or package/container of the gloves are commercially sold and purchased by a consumer with the package serving to dispense the same, one at a time, and to retain the composition of the shampoo and soap within the gloves, until used. An alternate embodiment provides an inner liner integrated to the woven absorbent glove-shape and isolating the hand from the water and/or cleaning composition.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to a body wipe, preferably in the shape of an absorbent glove which is infused with a composition which, without the need to add water, will clean a body part as the glove is scrubbed over the same. More specifically, a cloth-like or other absorbent glove, preferably disposable, is provided with a cleaning composition which can be used by one person on themselves for cleaning their hair, face, arms, etc. and/or more preferably for use by the person on an infant or toddler to maintain the hygiene of the same. The glove is preferably provided within a box (package) of the same which serves to store them until use and dispenses the gloves, one at a time, as needed. In one embodiment, the gloves are lined with an impermeable membrane protecting the user's hands from coming into contact with the cleaning composition while the same is worn on the hand.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

There are many single sheet wipes which are infused with a water and/or soap-like composition, intended to be dispensed from a package, when used on a human body part. Indeed, there is a variety of such sheet-like wipes for use with infants, for helping to wipe their backsides when diaper changing occurs, to their hands and faces during and after eating, etc. In addition, there are many, many products available today which are for adult use for bathroom hygiene. These, too, are sheets, dispensed preferably one at a time, and then disposed. Each such sheet is infused with a composition which is intended to clean the body surface, be smooth to the touch, and not too abrasive.

To Applicant and the inventor's knowledge there is a need for an infused wipe in the shape of a glove, which will wipe a body surface clean, without unnecessary abrading, and, yet, without the need for rinsing with water. The present invention provides a glove-like shape, of an absorbent, flexible, one size fit all dimensions, which is preferably disposable, and more preferably, made from a smooth cloth, or cloth-like woven material. The wipe or glove, preferably, will be contained within a package for one at a time use and then disposal. The wipe or glove will be saturated with a shampoo/soap mixture or composition which will not require water for activation and, just as importantly, there should be no need for water to rinse the same. Rather, the user will use the same on a body part and then toss away the wipe/glove. The body will be clean, refreshed, without the need for rinsing with of the same after the application of the cleaning composition.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the wipe or glove-shaped article can be easily donned by a left or right handed individual as the glove will be configured to be easily placed on and removed from both left and right hands, i.e., the wipe/glove will have an oversized set of outside fingers (pinky and thumb) so that the glove can be worn by right or left-handed individuals.

The wipe/glove will be easily slid onto one's hand and its intended function will be to wash an infant's hair (especially after meals) and other body parts, e.g., arms, hands, the face, etc. In addition, of course, the wipe/glove can be used to wash other body parts, e.g., the neck, the chest, underarms, etc.

The shampoo/mixture of soap composition should be suitable for both cleaning the hair and body parts. The function of the wipe/glove is to wash hair and/or other body parts without the need to rinse before or after use. The glove is considered a preferred functional shape in that it allows the user to grasp hair and or body parts and to pull the hair or body part in one direction while maintaining contact with the other or gloved hand. This increases the surface contact of the cleansing cloth or cloth like material with the body part, to maximum hygienic advantage.

In addition, while the preferred embodiment contemplates the use of a cloth or cloth like or at least soft woven wipe in the shape of a glove, shaped for receipt and use by both hands, the glove is intended to be disposable making the same hygienic, easy to use, and efficient. The wipe/glove thus must be disposable and inexpensive to maximize its utility so that the user, after use, can throw it away and not carry the bacteria in his/her pocket or purse.

Wipes, as mentioned, are currently available. They are not in the shape of a glove. Gloves, of course are also available even disposable latex and other composition gloves. In addition, there currently exists cloth-like gloves for those who cream their hands and want to protect their linens from the impact of the crèmes in overnight situations. Those gloves, while absorbent and inexpensive, meant to be tossed after use, are not initially provided with a soap or cleaning nor shampoo formula and, indeed, they are somewhat sterile, without any composition of mediation infused or absorbed therein. Shampoos, body wash, soaps are also prevalent. There has not, however, until the present invention been a wipe or glove article infused with the same.

There seems to be a need for a disposable, inexpensive, body wipe, infused or absorbent of shampoo, soap or other cleaning composition, preferably in the form of a glove and specifically for cleaning the hair, body, body parts of an infant or the elderly. Such a product needs to be soft, absorbent of the cleaning composition, inexpensive so that it can be disposed of after a single use, instantly usable, i.e., without the need for water activation, and the use should not require auxiliary water for rinsing. Rather, simple air drying should result in a clean body part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cloth-like or otherwise absorbent wipe, preferably in the shape of a glove, useful for washing the hair, body part, face, etc. of an infant, the elderly and/or oneself, as needed. The glove is cloth or otherwise woven of soft and absorbent material. The glove is preferably infused with a shampoo or soapish composition which will, when rubbed over the hair, face or body part, will be smooth and not abrading and, yet, will wash the surface clean. Significantly, there should be no need for water to activate the shampoo or soap composition and no need for water to rinse the now-cleaned body part. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the glove is made in a left or right-handed independent form so that it can be easily slid on and off either a right or left handed individual. Preferably this is accomplished by having the two outside fingers of the glove be oversized than would be presented if the glove were properly sized for a left or a right handed individual. Of course, it is within the scope of the present invention for the glove to be a mitten, without individual fingers and, yet, clearly, for facilitating the cleaning of hair, face, hands of an infant or the elderly, fingers would seemingly provide more control to the user. According to the present invention, the gloves are sold and contained within a carton like package, suitable for carrying by the caregivers (or oneself) and disposable, one at a time. After use, the item can be disposed of It is a specific aspect of the present invention for the wipe or glove to be absorbent of both the original shampoo and soap composition, to “pick up” and retain dirt from the surface over which the glove is wiped, to be soft to the touch, inside and out, to be inexpensive and simple to manufacture, in bulk, to be packaged in multiples of units, and for the gloves to be inexpensive to permit one time use and disposal. In an alternate embodiment, the glove may be lined with a layer of substantially water impervious material, like latex, for example, so that the glove can be worn and used and, yet, the cleaning composition is isolated from the wearer's hand during use. The outside of the glove will still, of course, absorb and retain the soap/cleaning composition but the inside layer within the glove prevents the same from coming into contact with the user's gloved hand. In this manner, the cleaning composition is isolated from the wearer's hand. The glove is integrated—i.e., the outside cleaning compound infused and absorbent layer is secured to the inside water or cleaning impervious layer. This could be by a simple seaming, a sonic welding, adhesive, etc. whether at one or more points within the glove or along all points of contact between the inner glove lining and the outer glove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred physical embodiment of the present invention and

FIG. 2 is a preferred embodiment of a package for a multiple of the present invention, as intended to be sold by a manufacturer to the consumer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As best seen in FIG. 1, a soft, cloth or cloth-like, woven and absorbent glove 10 has a set of fingers 12, a palm area 14, an opening 16 and a back-hand section 18 (beneath the palm area). As can be seen, the glove 10 is really a set of two layers, superimposed and then welded, sewn or otherwise connected along the outside perimeter 22. This forms an outside edge 24 for one side; an opposed outside edge 26; and a set of edges 28 for the individual fingers. No seaming will be provided to the ends 30 and 32 and thus an opening 16 is defined there between. A glove 10 is thus provided. Of course the opening 16 must be wide enough to allow the user's fingers and palm and back of hand to slide into and out of the envelop defined by the two surfaces 40 and 42 of the glove 10. The present invention shown in FIG. 1 has the thumb finger 50, shorter, wider and at a slight angle to the other fingers 52. This is preferably a glove 10 meant to be easily worn by a right handed person or, stated differently, by a person's right hand, independent of handedness. According to one aspect of the present invention, the thumb can be long enough that the same glove 10 can be easily donned and removed from a person's left hand, too. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fingers for the thumb 50 and the pinky 60 are both sufficiently large so that the same glove 10 can easily be worn on the left or right hand.

According to the present invention, the material for the glove 10 is soft, absorbent of a composition of shampoo, soap, or a bacterial-cleaning material. The glove should easily and without unnecessary abrading or rubbing gently glide over the recipient's hair, face, hands, or other body parts. The glove should pick up and maintain/retain the dirt which is loosened by the sliding action of the glove over the recipient's body.

According to the present invention, the glove can be made from the same or a similar woven or cotton like (or paper-based) material as that now used for baby wipes or toilet cleaning wipes. Other materials can be used, too, but it is contemplated by the inventor that the gloves or wipes be capable of absorbing the shampoo or soap-like composition, absorb and retain the dirt loosened thereby, that the glove be easy and inexpensive to manufacture and package into a container having several (see FIG. 2), be disposable, soft, and comfortable to user and the recipient. In addition, easy of donning and removing is important, ease of disposal, too.

According to the present invention, the preferred formulations for the shampoo or soap-like composition is an combination of one or more of the following: deionized water, tirethanolamine lauryl sulate, propylene glycol, cocamidopropyl betaine, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaaben, propylparben, a fragrance (to make the same and the rubbed over area smell fresh and clean in addition to being fresh and clean), and citric acid. It is an aspect of the present invention that the composition provided for the purpose of converting an otherwise inert glove into a shampoo and soap-infused glove be capable of long term storage and maintaining its presence within the glove, that the composition be capable of being easily absorbed by the glove material, that it be maintained over a long time within the glove material, that the rubbing of the glove with composition over hair or a body part transfer some but not immediately all of the shampoo and soap-like material composition to the body part and that the shampoo/soap become inseparable with the gove so that after wiping over the hair or body part, the dirt of the same stays on the glove. Other components which can be used in formulating the shampoo and soap-like composition are believed to be a combination of: water, ammonium chloride, ammonium lauryl sulfate, glycol, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauroamphoacetate, polysorbate 20 and polysorbate 80, citric acid, Quaternium-15, polyquaternium-10 and methylisothiazolinone.

As shown in FIG. 2, a carton 100, with its top removed for ease of illustration, can be provided to the consumer having a plurality of gloves 10, stacked therein, one upon the other. A suitable mechanism in the package or carton's top or inside the same, will be provided for dispensing, preferably, one glove 10 at a time. The user/consumer can pull one glove 10, place it over their hand (left or right) by sliding the glove over the hand and correspondingly having the fingers of the user slide through the opening 16 until the user's fingers are located within the finger area 12, preferably with the thumb of the user within either outside thumb section 50 (if a glove 10 is provided wherein the outside fingers are differently sized) or within either outside finger section 50 or 60, if the glove 10 is provided with two large outside fingers.

The glove is used by massaging the shampoo or soap-like composition into the hair or over a body part, hands, arms, face, neck, etc. and the composition of the glove will clean the body part and remove the dirt form the body part and transfer the same to the glove. When the washing process is finished, the user can easily slide the glove 10 off of the hand and dispose of the same in a convenient trash container. When another glove 10 is desired, the user simply pulls a new one from the package or carton 100.

In an alternate embodiment, the glove may be lined with an inside layer (or glove liner) of substantially water impervious material, like latex, for example, so that the composite glove i.e., an outer cleaning composition or soap-infused glove and the inner liner, can be easily put on one's hand, worn and used and, yet, the cleaning composition and water is isolated from the wearer's hand during use—a consequence of the water impervious inner glove liner. The outside of the glove will still, of course, absorb and retain the soap/cleaning composition but the inside glove-like layer within the outer glove shape prevents the cleaning solution and/or water and soil, etc. from coming into contact with the user's actual hand. In this manner, the cleaning composition and the soil removed from a person when used to clean a body part is isolated from the wearer's actual hand. The glove is integrated—i.e., the outside cleaning, soap-compound infused and absorbent layer is secured, at least in part, to the inside water or cleaning impervious layer. Thus, the glove, comprised of outer layer with cleaning compound and inner layer of water impervious material, is donned and removed as a single glove article. The integration of the liner and the outer layer could be by a simple seaming, a sonic welding, adhesive, etc. whether at one or more points within the glove or along all points of contact between the inner glove lining and the outer glove.

Claims

1. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human comprising:

a) a glove-like component;

b) said glove-like component made of an absorbent woven material which is capable of holding a shampoo or soap-like composition and whose composition picks up and retains loosened dirt when the same is rubbed over a body part; and

c) said glove-like component being infused with a shampoo or soap-like composition.

2. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein said glove-like component is formed from a cotton material.

3. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein said glove-like component is formed of a woven and soft material.

4. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein said glove-like component is formed with two outside fingers which both can accommodate thumbs of the left or right hand of the user.

5. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein said glove-like component is sewn, welded or otherwise formed from two overlaying sheets of planar material with the outside edges forming the glove and an opening for a user's hand.

6. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of the glove-like components are provided in a package.

7. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein said woven material is soft to the touch and, yet, is capable of absorbing and retaining said shampoo and soap-like composition for a long shelf life.

8. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein said woven material releases said shampoo and said soap-like composition without the addition of water.

9. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 wherein said woven material releases said shampoo and said soap-like composition without the addition of water and said cleaned hair and body part is substantially clean and soap free without the necessity of rinsing with water.

10. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a water-impervious liner integrated to and within said woven material.

11. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 10 wherein said liner is also in the shape of a glove.

12. A cleaning article for the hair or body parts of a human as claimed in claim 10 wherein said liner is integrated by either seaming, welding, sonic welding, adhesive or otherwise to said woven material.