U.S. patent application number 10/364183 was filed with the patent office on 2004-08-12 for stain removing device.
Invention is credited to Bohn, Jamie.
Application Number | 20040154118 10/364183 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32824380 |
Filed Date | 2004-08-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040154118 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bohn, Jamie |
August 12, 2004 |
Stain removing device
Abstract
A device for treating a stain is disclosed. The device includes
a scrubber which has a backing with an inner surface and an outer
surface. Extending from the outer surface of the backing is a
plurality of scrubbing protrusions. Fastened to the inner surface
of the backing is an absorber such as a sponge. The backing and
scrubbing protrusions may be molded from a flexible, resilient
material, with the scrubbing protrusions being conical in shape
with rounded ends. The absorber may be compressed to remove liquid
held therein by folding the device about itself such that the
backing is over the absorber and applying pressure.
Inventors: |
Bohn, Jamie; (Shawnee,
OK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP
6300 SEARS TOWER
233 S. WACKER DRIVE
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
32824380 |
Appl. No.: |
10/364183 |
Filed: |
February 11, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/114 ; 134/6;
15/188 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 13/12 20130101;
A47L 13/16 20130101; A47L 25/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
015/114 ;
015/188; 134/006 |
International
Class: |
A47L 013/12 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cleaning apparatus comprising: an absorber; a scrubber
including a backing with an inner surface and an outer surface and
a plurality of scrubbing protrusions extending from the outer
surface of the backing; and wherein the absorber is attached to the
inner surface of the backing.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backing is resiliently
flexible, whereby the apparatus is capable of being folded about
itself such that the absorber is squeezed to remove liquids held
therein.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backing is rubber or
flexible elastomer.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the scrubbing protrusions are
manufactured from a resilient material.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the scrubbing protrusions are
rubber or flexible elastomer.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the backing and the plurality
of scrubbing protrusions are manufactured from a single mold.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the scrubbing protrusions are
coneshaped.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the scrubbing protrusions have
a rounded endpoint.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the scrubbing protrusions are
hollow.
10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the absorber is a sponge.
11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the absorber is bonded to the
scrubber by an adhesive.
12. A method of treating a stain in a fabric, including a flexible
scrubber attached to a sponge, the method comprising: agitating the
fabric with the flexible scrubber, inverting the scrubber, and
blotting the stain with the sponge, thereby treating the stain.
13. The method of claim 12, further including compressing the
sponge by folding the flexible scrubber about the sponge to remove
the liquid from the sponge.
14. The method of claim 12, further including the step of applying
a cleaner to the stain prior to scrubbing the fabric with the
flexible scrubber.
15. A device for removing pet stains, comprising: a sponge; a
scrubber including a backing with an inner surface and an outer
surface and a plurality of scrubbing protrusions extending from the
outer surface of the backing; the backing being flexible and
resilient; the scrubbing protrusions being flexible and resilient,
and having rounded endpoints; the backing and the scrubbing
protrusions being of unitary construction; and wherein the sponge
is attached to the inner side of the backing.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the scrubbing protrusions
are substantially conical.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the scrubbing protrusions
have a base diameter of approximately 5 mm, and a crown diameter of
approximately 3 mm.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the distance between the
centers of the scrubbing protrusions is approximately 9 mm.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the scrubbing protrusions
are disposed in rows and columns, and the angle between the rows
and columns is approximately 90 degrees.
20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the scrubbing protrusions
are disposed in rows and columns, and the angle between the rows
and columns is approximately 73 degrees.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The disclosure is generally related to a device to treat a
soiled fabric, and more particularly to a combination sponge and
scrubber.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many stain removing liquids for fabrics such as carpet and
upholstery direct the user to apply the liquid stain remover
directly to the stain, then agitate the stain and remover with a
sponge or a paper towel. The user is then to blot up the stained
area using a second paper towel or sponge. Depending on the
severity of the stain, including the length of time the stain has
set, a paper towel, rag, or sponge does not provide a sufficient
agitation to effectively break up and lift the stain. Further, a
more abrasive scrubbing brush may damage the fabric. There is a
need for a stain removing device that can effectively agitate and
scrub a fabric to lift a stain without damaging the fabric. It is
also desirable to have an attached absorber to blot and lift out
the stain and liquid stain remover.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a side view of an example of a stain removing
device.
[0004] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the stain removing device of
FIG. 1.
[0005] FIG. 3 is side view of the stain removing device of FIG. 1
in a compressed state.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the stain removing device of FIG.
1.
[0007] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a second example of a stain
removing device.
[0008] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the stain removing device of FIG.
5.
[0009] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications
and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments
thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below
in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no
intention to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed,
but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,
alternative constructions, and the equivalents falling within the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1,
an example of a stain removing device 10 is illustrated. In the
disclosed example, the stain removing device 10 includes an
absorber 12, with an outer surface 14 and an inner surface 16, and
a scrubber 18. The absorber 12 can be any structure known to absorb
liquids, including but not limited to a sponge or sponge-like
material, a towel, a cloth, or other materials known in the art.
The scrubber 18 includes a backing 20, with an inner surface 22 and
an outer surface 24, and a plurality of scrubbing protrusions 26
extending from the outer surface 24 of the backing 20. The inner
surface 22 of the backing 20 is fastened to the inner surface 16 of
the absorber 12 using any means known in the art, such as adhering
the backing 20 to the absorber 12 using a glue.
[0011] In one example, the backing 20 can be made from a flexible,
resilient material, such as rubber or a flexible elastomer
material. The scrubbing protrusions 26 can also be made from a
flexible, resilient material such as rubber or a flexible elastomer
material. Further, the scrubbing protrusions 26 and the backing 20
can be made from the same material and, to facilitate ease of
manufacture and assembly, the scrubbing protrusions 26 and the
backing 20 can be molded as a single unit.
[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the scrubbing protrusions 26 can
be molded into a conical shape with rounded tips 30. The rounded
tips 30 ensure that a delicate fabric will not be damaged while a
user is scrubbing out a stain with the device 10. To increase
flexibility and decrease cost of manufacture, the scrubbing
protrusions 26 can be hollow.
[0013] FIG. 3 details a particular feature of the disclosed stain
removing device 10. With the backing 20 being manufactured from a
flexible material, it is possible to fold the device 10 about
itself such that the absorber 12 is compressed upon itself and
between a left section 32 and a right section 34 of the backing 20.
By applying compressive force F on the absorber 12, liquid held
within the absorber 12, such as water, stain removing liquid, and
the stain itself, may be squeezed out and disposed of, as is well
known in the art. Being that the device 10 can flexible in all
directions with a flexible backing 20, the device 10 can be folded
about itself in any direction.
[0014] FIGS. 2 and 4 detail the geometric layout of the present
example of the device, and define a direction X and a direction Y.
The scrubbing protrusions 26 may have a base diameter D1 and a
crown diameter D2. In this example the scrubbing protrusions 26 can
have a base diameter D1 of approximately 5 mm and can taper to a
crown diameter D2 of approximately 3 mm at the rounded tips 30. The
scrubbing protrusions 26 further have a distance D3 between their
respective centers along the X direction, and a distance D4 between
their respective centers along the Y direction. In this example,
the distance D3 can be approximately 9 mm, and the distance D4 can
also be 9 mm. The angle .theta. between directions X and Y can be
approximately 73.degree.. All dimensions listed herein are
illustrative, and many sizes and dimensions may be found to be
effective.
[0015] FIGS. 5 and 6 show an isometric view and a bottom view of a
second example of a stain removing device 40. The features and
functionality of the second stain removing device 40 are similar to
the first stain removing device 10, however the layout of the
scrubbing protrusions 42 are different. In this example, the rows
and columns of the scrubbing protrusions 42 define directions X2
and Y2 which have an angle .theta.2 which is approximately
90.degree.. The distance D5 between the centers of the scrubbing
protrusions 42 along the X2 direction is approximately 9 mm, and
the distance D6 between the centers of the scrubbing protrusions 42
along the Y2 direction is also approximately 9 mm.
[0016] The stain removing device disclosed herein is particularly
adapted for the use of removing stains associated with owning a
pet. Pets such as dogs and cats tend to leave large stains with
large particles that smell unpleasant, i.e. vomit, feces, etc. The
larger scrubbing protrusions with rounded end points allow for
thorough scrubbing action to remove the large particles without
damaging the underlying fabric. This is very helpful when dealing
with such an unsightly and unpleasant mess.
[0017] To use the stain removing device 10, a user may apply a
stain removing liquid to a stain in a fabric such as carpet,
upholstery, clothing, etc. The user can then agitate the stain by
rubbing the scrubbing protrusions 26 against the stain, thereby
lifting the stain from the fabric. The user can then invert the
device 10 and blot the stain and the liquid by applying the
absorber 12 to the fabric to remove the liquids from the fabric.
The user can then rid the absorber 12 of the liquids by folding the
device 10 about itself and applying pressure, such that the
absorber 12 is compressed on itself and between the left section 32
and the right section 34 of the backing 20. By compressing the
absorber 12, liquid is forced out of the absorber 12 as is well
known in the art.
[0018] From the foregoing, one of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that the present disclosure sets forth a device for
removing stains in a fabric. However, one of ordinary skill in the
art could readily apply the novel teachings of this disclosure to
any number of situations in which this device could be used. For
example, this device may be useful as a shower aid or in massage
therapy. As such, the teachings of this disclosure shall not be
considered to be limited to the specific examples disclosed herein,
but to include all applications within the spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *