U.S. patent application number 12/110958 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-02 for cleaning article.
Invention is credited to Gene MENZIES.
Application Number | 20080235893 12/110958 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38710891 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080235893 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MENZIES; Gene |
October 2, 2008 |
CLEANING ARTICLE
Abstract
A cleaning article in the form of a sponge body for absorbing
and retaining a fluid and an encasement membrane attached to the
sponge body. The encasement membrane covers a portion of the sponge
body being sized to fit within and be held by the hand of a user
while leaving exposed, a portion of the sponge body for engaging a
surface to be cleaned. As a preferred embodiment, the encasement
membrane is further characterized as being a thermal insulator
substantially reducing thermal energy contained within the fluid
from passing therethrough. The encasement membrane is also
characterized as being impervious to water, steam or other gasses
to prevent their escape where they could affect the user's hand.
The present invention is ideally suited for cleaning a surface by
applying a cleaning fluid, such as water with or without a
detergent to the sponge body and placing the cleaning article
within a microwave oven. The temperature of the cleaning fluid
contained within the sponge body is thus raised while the
encasement membrane prevents a user from being exposed to thermal
energy contained within the cleaning fluid held by the sponge
body.
Inventors: |
MENZIES; Gene; (Rodeo,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OSTROLENK FABER GERB & SOFFEN
1180 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK
NY
100368403
US
|
Family ID: |
38710891 |
Appl. No.: |
12/110958 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11504913 |
Aug 15, 2006 |
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12110958 |
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60802550 |
May 22, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/244.3 ;
15/244.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B08B 3/10 20130101; B08B
3/04 20130101; A47L 13/16 20130101; B08B 1/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/244.3 ;
15/244.4 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/16 20060101
A47L013/16; A47L 13/46 20060101 A47L013/46 |
Claims
1.-9. (canceled)
10. A cleaning article comprising: a sponge body for absorbing and
retaining a fluid, the sponge body having a bottom side for being
rubbed over a surface, an opposite top side and sidewalls
connecting said top and bottom sides; an encasement membrane
attached to said sponge body, covering said top side and a portion
of said sidewalls of sponge body and leaving said bottom side
exposed, said membrane having an exterior shaped and sized to fit
within and be held by the hand of a user, while leaving exposed
said bottom side of said sponge body for engaging a surface to be
cleaned, said encasement membrane being a thermal insulator which
reduces thermal energy contained within said fluid from passing
through said membrane.
11. The cleaning article of claim 10, wherein said top and bottom
sides of said sponge body are parallel.
12. The cleaning article of claim 11, wherein said sidewalls of
said sponge body are perpendicular to said top and bottom sides
thereof.
13. The cleaning article of claim 11, wherein said top and bottom
sides of said sponge body are each substantially rectangularly
shaped.
14. The cleaning article of claim 13, wherein said encasement
membrane has a five sided shape extending over said top side and
partially over said sidewalls of said sponge body.
15. The cleaning article of claim 10, wherein said encasement
membrane is comprised of a material which is impervious to water,
steam or other gases.
16. The cleaning article of claim 10, wherein said encasement
membrane is comprised of a material having the characteristic that
its temperature does not significantly increase upon exposure to
microwave irradiation such that said article may be held in a hand
by holding the membrane after said irradiation.
17. The cleaning article of claim 16, wherein said encasement
membrane is comprised of closed cell foam.
18. The cleaning article of claim 10, wherein said encasement
membrane is of uniform thickness over said top side and said
sidewalls of said sponge body and is without a grip off said sponge
body.
19. The cleaning article of claim 10, wherein said encasement
membrane has an external shape of said sponge body over said top
side and said sidewalls of said sponge body are encased by said
membrane.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Benefit is hereby made of U.S. Provisional Application No.
60/802,550, filed on May 22, 2006.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention is directed to a cleaning article and
method of using the cleaning article for cleaning a surface. The
cleaning article includes a sponge body for absorbing and retaining
a fluid and an encasement membrane surrounding a portion of the
sponge body while leaving a surface exposed for carrying out the
cleaning operation. The encasement membrane acts as an insulator to
substantially prevent thermal energy applied to the sponge body
through, preferably, microwave irradiation from passing to the hand
of a user while gripping the cleaning article for cleaning a
surface, and further acts to retain thermal energy in the sponge to
keep it hot longer for enhanced cleaning.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Sponges have been used quite extensively for cleaning
surfaces as they retain water or other cleaning solutions, the
amount of these cleaning solutions retained within a sponge body
being dependent upon the nature of the sponge, its physical
dimensions and whether the sponge has been subjected to
compression. There are many varieties of sponges both natural and
synthetic while artificial sponges were first developed by the Du
Pont Company in the 1940's. Du Pont engineers patented the
cellulose sponge process noting that in the second half of the
20.sup.th century, cellulose sponges rapidly replaced the natural
sponge for most common household uses.
[0004] Although sponges are widely used for cleaning applications,
they are not without certain inherent limitations. Most notably,
although it is well recognized that the cleaning process can be
enhanced by employing cleaning fluids of higher temperatures, when
a sponge is exposed to high temperature fluids, the temperature of
such fluids is limited by a user's ability to tolerate the higher
temperatures during the cleaning process. Unless a user was to
apply a thermal insulating glove during cleaning, users are
oftentimes hesitant to grab a cleaning sponge dipped in excessively
hot water for fear of receiving burn injuries. However, if only
cold or lukewarm cleaning fluid was to be employed, the cleaning
potential in using a sponge is certainly compromised.
[0005] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a
cleaning article and method of employing it to enable a user to use
cleaning fluids of significantly high temperatures while enabling a
user to grip the cleaning article without the fear of burning and
while obviating the need for using protective garments such as
thermally insulating gloves.
[0006] These and further objects will be more readily apparent when
considering the following disclosure and appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A cleaning article in the form of a sponge body for
absorbing and retaining a fluid and an encasement membrane attached
to the sponge body. The encasement membrane covers a portion of the
sponge body being sized to fit within and be held by the hand of a
user while leaving exposed, a portion of the sponge body for
engaging a surface to be cleaned. The encasement membrane is
further characterized as being a thermal insulator substantially
reducing thermal energy contained within the fluid from passing
therethrough. As a preferred embodiment, the encasement membrane is
also characterized by being impervious to water, steam or other
gasses to prevent their escape where they may injure the user's
hands. The present invention is ideally suited for cleaning a
surface by applying a cleaning fluid, such as water with or without
a detergent to the sponge body and placing the cleaning article
within a microwave oven. The temperature of the cleaning fluid
contained within the sponge body is thus raised while the
encasement membrane prevents a user from being exposed to thermal
energy contained within the cleaning fluid held by the sponge body.
The encasement membrane also acts as a thermal barrier to maintain
the temperature of the sponge for a longer period to enhance the
cleaning function. Further, its exposure to microwave radiation
acts to sterilize the sponge to provide a more antiseptic cleaning
process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially cut away to show the
internal construction of the cleaning article of the present
invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a method of using the
cleaning article of FIG. 1 and preparing the article for use and in
cleaning an appropriate surface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention is directed to cleaning article 10
which comprises sponge body 12. Sponge body 12, as noted
previously, can be a natural or synthetic sponge having intersities
capable of absorbing and selectively retaining a cleaning fluid,
such as water, with or without a detergent. Encasement membrane 11
covers a portion of sponge 12 being sized to fit within and be held
by the hand of a user while leaving exposed portion 13 of sponge
body 12 for engaging a surface to be cleaned. Encasement membrane
11 is characterized as being a thermal insulator substantially
preventing thermal energy contained within the cleaning fluid from
passing therethrough.
[0011] Cleaning article 10 is shown as having sponge body 12 for
absorbing and retaining a fluid (not shown) and an encasement
membrane 11 attached thereto. The encasement membrane 11 covers a
portion of sponge body 12 being sized to fit within and be held by
the human hand of a user leaving exposed portion 13 of sponge body
12 for engaging a surface to be cleaned. Ericasement membrane 11 is
further characterized as being a thermal insulator substantially
preventing thermal energy contained within the fluid retained
within sponge body 12 from passing therethrough. As a preferred
embodiment, the encasement membrane 11 is also characterized by
being impervious to water, steam or other gasses to prevent those
from contacting the user's hand.
[0012] Cleaning article 10 is shown as being rectangular in FIG. 1
having two substantially parallel surfaces, the first being at 13
and the second fully encased within encasement membrane 11 and
being connected by perpendicular sidewalls. As such, encasement
membrane 11 substantially encases one of the parallel surfaces and
perpendicular sidewalls exposing the second parallel surface 13 as
a cleaning surface.
[0013] Although the physical embodiment of FIG. 1 is of a
rectangular shape, virtually any geometric shape can be employed in
practicing the present invention. All that is important in
configuring the present invention properly is to provide an
encasement membrane which can conveniently be held by the hand of a
user when employing cleaning article 10 for its intended purpose
and which enables at least a portion of sponge body 12 to be
exposed, again, to carry out the cleaning function.
[0014] It is a cornerstone in practicing the present invention to
provide encasement membrane 11 of a suitable thickness and material
to sufficiently insulate the hand of a user when fluid contained
within sponge body 12 becomes very hot, such as by wetting sponge
body 12 with a suitable cleaning solution and placing cleaning
article 10 within a microwave irradiation source to significantly
raise the temperature of this fluid. By illustration, it is
suggested that a suitable encasement membrane be a closed cell foam
of, for example, 1/8'' in thickness. An example of a suitable foam
is available from Stephenson & Lawyer, Inc., sold under the
trade name Volara.TM..
[0015] In employing cleaning article 10, reference is made to FIG.
2. As noted, cleaning article 10 is first subjected to a cleaning
fluid such as water containing a surfactant 31 maintained within
bucket or tub 30 although the sponge can be wet by other means such
as by holding it under a faucet of running water. Once sufficient
liquid has been retained within the intersities of sponge body 12,
cleaning article 10 can then be placed within microwave irradiation
source 35 and heated until the cleaning fluid contained within
sponge body 12 gets to the point of near boiling. Ordinarily,
without encasement membrane 11, sponge body 12 would be too hot to
handle without protective means such as a glove making microwave
irradiation of a typical sponge unworkable even though it is well
recognized that high temperatures clearly enhance the effectiveness
of the cleaning operation. By employing encasement membrane 11,
hand 38 of a user can grasp cleaning article 10 without discomfort
or injury. And, as noted previously, elevated temperatures of the
cleaning fluid contained within sponge body 12 would enhance the
effectiveness of the cleaning article when employed for its
intended purpose. By employing microwave irradiation coupled with
the described encasement membrane, a user will be able to heat the
cleaning article to much higher temperatures than would normally be
the case. Microwave energy also disinfects the sponge to provide a
more antiseptic cleaning process. No longer is it required that the
sponge be dipped in a hot cleaning solution. Instead, the cleaning
solution could be at virtually any temperature whereupon the
cleaning article be placed in a microwave irradiation source and
heated to the desired temperature and because of the encasement
membrane, this temperature can be significantly higher than was
previously thought to be practical. This will also help to reduce
bacteria and other foreign bodies which would otherwise remain
within the intersities of the sponge body resulting in surface
contamination.
[0016] It should further be noted that encasement membrane 11 can
be physically adhered to sponge body 12 by any convenient means
including gluing, heat bonding, friction fit, hook and loop
fasteners or lamination. It may also be desirable to allow sponge
body 12 to be removable from encasement membrane 11 to allow a user
to reemploy the encasement membrane as sponges wear out over time.
As seen in FIG. 1, the membrane has a uniform thickness over the
top side and the sidewalls of the sponge and has no extra handle or
grip off the sponge body. As a result, the membrane may have the
external shape of a sponge body over the top side and the sidewalls
of the sponge body encased by the membrane. The membrane
illustrated has five side and extends over the top side and
partially over the four illustrated sidewalls of the sponge body.
Thickness of encasement membrane 11 could vary widely noting that a
typical closed cell foam of 1/8'' in thickness appears to work well
in practicing the present invention. Thickness and material choices
should be governed by enabling a user to handle the present
cleaning article comfortably although sponge body 12 may contain
cleaning fluid at boiling temperatures. The encasement membrane 11
should also be made of non-liquid absorbent materials, of which
closed cell foam is an example, to prevent liquid from intruding
therein and causing its temperature to rise as influenced by
microwave irradiation. Finally, as a preferred embodiment, the
encasement membrane 11 should be impervious to water, steam or
gases from penetrating the membrane and thereby contacting the
user's hand when the cleaning article 10 is utilized.
* * * * *