U.S. patent number 3,899,073 [Application Number 05/478,854] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-12 for soap container.
Invention is credited to Katie H. Barr.
United States Patent |
3,899,073 |
Barr |
August 12, 1975 |
Soap container
Abstract
A container for a bar of soap which is so constructed as to
maintain a bar of soap in dry condition is disclosed. The container
includes a removable support plate member which rests on flanges
attached to the inner surface of the side walls of the container.
The support plate is perforated with a series of holes which allow
water to drain off the bar of soap into the bottom of the
container. Vent holes may be provided in either or both of the
container lid and the side walls. Various additional decorative
features may be added to the outer surface of the container to
provide an attractive and useful item for the home or other area in
which bars of soap are utilized.
Inventors: |
Barr; Katie H. (Centreville,
VA) |
Family
ID: |
23901637 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/478,854 |
Filed: |
June 13, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/77.1;
206/815; 206/459.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K
5/03 (20130101); Y10S 206/815 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47K
5/00 (20060101); A47K 5/03 (20060101); A47k
005/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/37R,77.1,815 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Summer; Leonard
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bergert; Frederick L.
Claims
It is claimed:
1. A container for a bar of soap, comprising: a base member and a
plurality of side walls attached to said base member; a flange
mounted on the inner surface of each side wall, each of said
flanges being located equidistant from said base member; a
removable support plate for supporting the bar of soap, said
support plate being perforated with a series of holes and being of
a size which allows said support plate to rest on said flanges
within the interior of said container, said support plate being
provided with recessed indentations in opposite sides thereof to
allow access for the fingers of a person removing the support plate
from the container, and wherein a series of raised studs are
provided on the upper surface of said support plate to elevate the
bar of soap above the holes in said support plate; a detent stud
for holding down an edge of said support plate located directly
above the flanges on at least two of the side walls; and a hinged
lid mounted on the upper edge of one of said side walls and having
means for securing said lid to the side wall opposite to that upon
which said lid is mounted.
2. The container of claim 1 wherein corner flanges for support of
said support plate are located in the corners formed by said side
walls, including a detent stud located above each corner
flange.
3. The container of claim 1 wherein vent holes are provided in said
side walls.
4. The container of claim 1 wherein vent holes are provided in said
lid.
5. The container of claim 4 wherein said vent holes in said lid are
arranged to spell out a word.
6. The container of claim 1 wherein one of said side walls is
provided at its upper edge with a lip for use in emptying liquid
materials from said container.
7. The container of claim 1 further including a drain hole in one
end of the base member and a heel member attached to the base at
the opposite end thereof for elevating said opposite end of the
base.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a soap container. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a container which is
adapted for holding a bar of soap, and which prevents the soap from
standing in water which may be present in the container, while
providing a decorative item which is attractive for use in the
bathroom or other areas of the home.
In the use of containers for holding bars of soap in the bathroom
or other areas of the home, it has been a common occurrence that
water will find its way into the container, such as when splashed
into the container as the soap is returned to the container by the
user of the soap. As a result, the soap is left standing in the
water so that, over a period of time, the soap dissolves in the
water, leaving a sticky mass in the container.
By the present invention, there is provided a soap container which
overcomes the previously mentioned disadvantages. The soap
container of the present invention is provided with a removable
support plate which rests upon a plurality of flanges located on
the inner surface of each wall of the container, and with a series
of detent studs to hold down the plate. The support plate is
perforated with a series of holes to allow water which may be
initially present on the exterior of the bar of soap when it is
placed in the container to drain into the lower portion of the
container as the bar of soap rests upon the support plate. A series
of studs is provided on the surface of the support plate to allow
the bar of soap to be elevated above the drain holes. Indentations
are also provided in the support plate to allow the plate to be
readily removed from the container. Additional features are
provided for ventilation and for disposing of water which collects
in the bottom of the container. The soap container of the present
invention may be formed in any of various shapes, and decorative
features may be imparted to the outer surface of the container to
provide an attractive item for use in the home or other area in
which bars of soap are utilized.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the soap container of the present invention will be
more fully understood from the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the soap container of the present
invention with the lid thereof in a raised or open position and
with the support plate having been removed;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the soap container of FIG. 1, with the lid
having been removed in order to show the features of the inner
portion of the soap container;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the removable support member which
rests within the soap container shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the embodiment of the soap container of the present invention as
shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, there is provided a soap container 10
having a base 11 and four side walls 12. Approximately one-half way
up the inner surface of each side wall 12 there is attached a
flange 13 which projects inwardly a short distance from the side
wall 12. These four projections or flanges 13 are located at
approximately the mid-point of the length of each wall 12 and
provide contact points upon which rests a removable support plate
14 for a bar of soap (not shown). While the flanges 13 are shown in
the drawings as being semi-circular in shape, the flanges 13 may be
of any shape which will provide a suitable platform for support of
the support plate 14 in a substantially level, stationary position
within the container 10. A detent stud 22 is provided directly
above the flange 13 at each end of the container to hold down the
ends of the support member 14. In addition, a corner flange 27 is
provided, together with a detent stud 28, at each corner of the
interior of the container, as additional support points for the
support plate 14.
The support plate 14, as shown in FIG. 3, is provided with holes 15
which allow water to drain through to the bottom of the container
10. Recessed indentations 23 are located in the opposite sides of
the plate 14 to allow easy access for the fingers in removing the
support plate 14 from the container 10. A series of ridges or
raised studs 24 are also provided in the upper surface of the
support plate 14 to allow the bar of soap to be elevated somewhat
above the drain holes 15, thus providing improved drainage of water
through the holes 15.
The container 10 is provided with a lid 16 which is connected by
hinges 21 or other conventional means to the upper edge of the
adjacent side wall 12. The lid 16 includes a tab 17 for lifting the
lid 16 when it is desired to open the container 10. The container
10 may be mounted on the wall, if desired, and in such a case the
lid 16 may be removed from the hinges 21 if such an arrangement is
advantageous. The tab 17 is provided with a curved end portion
which rides over the lip 20 in the upper edge of the side wall 12
adjacent said tab 17 when the lid 16 is closed, so that the tab 17
serves as a clasp for maintaining the container 10 in a closed
condition. The lip 20 is useful in removing accumulated water when
the container 10 is tipped on its side for this purpose.
In an alternative means of removing water from the container 10, as
shown in FIG. 4, the base 11 is provided at one end with a suitable
drain hole 25 and the container 10 is provided with a heel member
26 at the opposite end, thus raising the container 10 at one end,
so that any water reaching the end of the container 10 adjacent the
drain hole 25 will drain out into the surrounding area, such as the
bathtub, for example.
It is desirable to provide ventilation for the soap container 10 of
the present invention, to assist in maintaining the bar of soap in
a dry condition. Such ventilation may be provided by means of holes
18 in the lid or vent holes 19 in the side walls 12 of the
container 10, or by a combination of holes in the lid and side
walls 12, as shown in FIG. 1. As a means of decorating the
container, the holes 18 in the lid could be shaped in a pattern or
design, or formed so as to spell out a word such as "SOAP," as
shown in FIG. 1.
The shape of the soap container 10 may be rectangular as shown in
FIG. 1 or, alternatively, the soap container 10 may be formed in
any of various shapes such as round, square, egg-shaped or in such
forms as a pair of sea shells or a cluster of grapes. The material
of which the container is formed may be any of various suitable
materials, including plastic, alabaster, and metals such as
aluminum and the like. The upper surface of the lid of the present
soap container can be made attractive for use in the bathroom or
other area by the application of designs such as different colored
gems and insets to match the bathroom.
In use, the soap is placed upon the support plate 14 within the
soap container 10 when the soap is not in use. The container 10 may
be placed upon the sink, mounted on the wall or located in any
other convenient position. Any water which may have accumulated
upon the bar of soap will pass through the holes 15 in the support
plate 14 down into the lower portion of the container. The holes
18, 19 provided in the lid 16 or side walls 12 will provide
ventilation which will result in drying of the bar of soap and
subsequent evaporation of water in the bottom of the container 10.
The lip 20 at the top of one of the side walls 12 may also be
employed in order to drain out any accumulated water. In this way,
the soap will remain dry upon the support member 14 for use as a
bar of soap in solid form.
It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant
advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and
it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,
construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its
material advantages, the forms hereinbefore described being merely
preferred embodiments thereof.
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