CA3147337A1 - Integrated sponge and hard soap dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning implement includes an implement body and a sponge attached to the implement body. The implement body receives a bar of hard soap in a cavity extending through the implement body. The bar of soap is selectively slidable downward to protrude through an opening in the sponge. A cleaning implement kit includes the implement body, a bristle assembly, and a sponge assembly.
The implement body includes retention means for selectively retaining the bristle assembly or the sponge assembly on the implement body. The bar of soap is selectively slidable downward to protrude amid the bristles of the bristle assembly, or through an opening in the sponge assembly, respectively.

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION
INTEGRATED SPONGE AND HARD SOAP DISPENSER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to cleaning implements. In particular, the invention relates to sponges having means to dispense soap by pressure or otherwise.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to provide cleaning brushes that contain integral means for dispensing liquid soap into the bristles or in the vicinity of the bristles of the io brush. Examples of such brushes are disclosed in U.S. Patents 6,326,642 and 7,503,715.
It is also known to provide a brush with an integral holder for a bar of soap so that the device acts as a reversible brush or soap holder: see for example U.S.
Patents 4,621,934 and 4,618,443.
It is also known to provide sponges with an integral cavity or pocket to encapsulate a bar or cake of soap entirely within the sponge: see for example U.S. Patents 1,748,406 and 3,426,464 It is an object of this invention to provide a brush that may be conveniently used in conjunction with hard soap rather than liquid soap, the hard soap being presented to the surface to be brushed.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cleaning implement that conveniently uses a sponge in conjunction with hard soap, the hard soap being presented directly to the surface to be cleaned.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

2 That and other objects will be better understood by reference to this application as a whole. Not all of the objects are necessarily met by all embodiments of the invention described below or by the invention defined by each of the claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one embodiment, the invention is a brush that presents a solid bar of hard soap amid the bristles against the surface that is being scrubbed when the brush is in use.
A cavity is provided centrally of the body of the brush, with the cavity opening amidst the bristles of the brush. A bar of hard soap is slidably received within the cavity. Pressure on the top of the bar of soap causes the bar to slide down through the cavity so that the end of the bar soap extends amongst the bristles and can be exposed to the surface being brushed.
Extension of the bar of soap to the end of the bristles is not strictly necessary as downward pressure on the bristles can cause the bristles to bend away allowing the end of the bar of soap to reach the surface to be brushed.
Preferably means are provided to seal the cavity from the ingress of water and to prevent retraction of the bar of soap when pressure is applied to the surface being brushed.
According to another embodiment, the invention is a cleaning implement that presents a solid bar of hard soap through a hole in a sponge directly against the surface being cleaned. As the bar of soap is applied to the surface, water that has been absorbed by the sponge is exuded by compression of the sponge and mixes with the soap to form a cleaning lather.
A cavity is provided centrally of the body of the cleaning implement, with the cavity opening to the hole in the sponge. A bar of hard soap is slidably received Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

3 within the cavity. Pressure on the top of the bar of soap causes the bar to slide down through the cavity so that the end of the bar soap extends partially into the hole of the sponge and can be exposed to the surface being brushed through downward pressure on the sponge.
Preferably means are provided to seal the cavity from the ingress of water and to prevent retraction of the bar of soap when pressure is applied to the surface being cleaned with the sponge.
In one aspect, the invention is a brush for retaining and presenting solid soap in the vicinity of bristles of the brush. A plurality of bristles are retained on at least one surface of a brush body. A cavity extends through the brush body, and has an opening in the surface. The cavity is configured to slidably receive a bar of solid soap such that an end of said bar protrudes among the plurality of bristles.
In an embodiment, the cavity is cylindrical. The opening may be in the center of the bristles.
In another aspect, the invention is a method of applying hard soap to a surface being brushed by a brush. The method comprises providing a brush having a brush body, a cavity extending through the brush body and bristles retained on the brush body, inserting a bar of hard soap in the cavity to protrude into an area among the bristles and applying downward pressure on the brush body to cause the bar of hard soap to enter into contact with a surface being brushed.
The brush may include means for applying pressure to the bar of soap to cause it to slide toward the opening. The means may be a resilient cap at the end of the brush body that is opposite the surface.
The brush may comprise a bar of solid soap retained in the cavity.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

4 In an embodiment, the bristle may be mounted on a removable bristle assembly that is retained on one surface of the brush body.
The brush body may include a resilient sleeve for contacting and sealing a bar of solid soap within the brush body.
In another aspect, the invention is a cleaning implement for retaining and presenting solid soap in the vicinity of a sponge. A sponge is retained on at least one surface of an implement body. A cavity extends through the implement body, and has an opening in the surface. The sponge has a sponge opening that is substantially aligned with the cavity. The cavity is configured to slidably receive a bar of solid soap such that an end of the bar protrudes into the sponge opening. The cavity may be cylindrical. The sponge may be a natural sponge.
The sponge may be a synthetic sponge, and made from a foamed polymer or a cellulose sponge. The sponge opening may be in a center of the sponge.
In a further aspect, the cleaning implement comprises means for applying pressure to the bar of soap to slide the bar of soap toward the sponge opening.
The means may comprise a resilient cap at the end of the implement body that is opposite the surface.
In a further aspect, a bar of solid soap is retained in the cavity.
In a further aspect, the sponge is removably retained on the at least one surface of the implement body.
In a further aspect, the cleaning implement comprises a resilient sleeve for contacting and sealing the bar of solid soap. The sleeve may be deformable to present a bent contact surface against the solid bar of soap.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

5 In another aspect, the invention is a method of applying hard soap to a surface being cleaned with a cleaning implement. The method comprises: providing a cleaning implement having an implement body, a cavity extending through the implement body and a sponge retained on the implement body and surrounding an opening of the cavity, inserting a bar of hard soap in the cavity to protrude through the opening surrounded by the sponge, and applying downward pressure on the implement body to cause the bar of hard soap to enter into contact with a surface being cleaned.
In another aspect, the invention is a cleaning implement kit. The cleaning implement kit comprises an implement body, a bristle assembly, and a sponge assembly. A cavity extends through the implement body. The cavity is configured to slidably retain a solid bar of hard soap. The bristle assembly comprises a bristle support. A plurality of bristles extends from the bristle support. The bristle support includes a bristle opening amid the plurality of bristles. The sponge assembly comprises a sponge support. A sponge is mounted to the sponge support. A sponge opening extends through the sponge support and the sponge. The implement body further comprises retention means for selectively retaining one of the bristle assembly or the sponge assembly so that the cavity is substantially aligned with the bristle opening or the sponge opening.
In a further aspect, the retention means comprises a slot with a lower lip.
The bristle support and the sponge support are configured for insertion in the slot.
In a further aspect, the cleaning implement kit includes one or more solid bars of hard soap for insertion in the cavity of the implement body.
The foregoing may cover only some of the aspects of the invention. Other and sometimes more particular aspects of the invention will be appreciated by reference to the following description of at least one preferred mode for carrying Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

6 out the invention in terms of one or more examples. The following mode(s) for carrying out the invention are not a definition of the invention itself, but are only example(s) that embody the inventive features of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
At least one mode for carrying out the invention in terms of one or more examples will be described by reference to the drawings thereof in which:
Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of the brush of the preferred embodiment;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the brush;
Fig. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the brush, including a bar of soap mounted in the brush;
Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the brush;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a vertical section of the brush;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a vertical section of the brush with a bar of soap retained in the brush;
Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the brush including hard soap and an optional handle;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view according to another preferred embodiment of the invention of a sponge cleaning implement with integrated hard soap;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a vertical section of the sponge cleaning implement;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a vertical section of the sponge cleaning implement, including a bar of soap mounted in the sponge;
Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the sponge cleaning implement; and Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

7 Fig. 12 is an exploded view of the sponge cleaning implement including hard soap and an optional handle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND OTHER
EMBODIMENTS
A brush according to the preferred embodiment is generally depicted in Figs. 1-7.
The brush 10 comprises bristles 14 and a brush body 12 to hold and retain the bristles 14. As will be discussed below, the bristles may be provided as a bristle assembly 36 removably received in the brush body 12.
The brush body 12 includes a grip 16.
Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the body 12 is provided with a cavity 30 extending preferably from the top of the brush body 12 to a bottom surface 13 of the brush body. The cavity 30 includes a bottom opening 25 amidst the bristles 14.
Preferably the opening 25 is in the center of the brush bristles.
The cavity 30 is configured (for example by having smooth internal surfaces), to allow a correspondingly shaped bar of soap 20 to slide along the cavity 30.
According to the preferred embodiment, the cavity 30 is cylindrical so as to slidably receive a cylindrical bar of soap 20 of a corresponding diameter. In this description and in the claims, the term "bar' refers to an elongated solid piece of hard soap regardless of the shape of the "bar", including cylindrical, rectangular cuboid and other shapes.
A removable cap 18 is provided for sealing the cavity 30 against the ingress of water.
A resilient silicone sleeve 22 is provided at the cavity opening 25 (preferably adjacent the bristles 14) to retain the hard soap within the cavity 30. The sleeve Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

8 opening 23 has a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the cavity opening 25 to assist in retaining the soap 20 in the cavity 30. The sleeve 22 is retained in the brush body 12 by means of a retainer 24 that attaches to the brush body 12 and sandwiches the sleeve 22 between the retainer 24 and the brush body 12.
A user introduces the bar of soap 20 into the cavity 30 of the brush body 12 and urges the bar against the sleeve 22 to retain the bar in the brush. The soap may be urged downward to protrude through the cavity opening 25 among the bristles 14. The brush may then be used such that downward pressure deforms the bristles sufficiently that the bar of soap may contact the surface being brushed. As the soap gets consumed, the user may open the cap 18 and urge the bar of soap deeper into the brush body to expose more of the bar through the opening 25.
In an embodiment, the cap 18 is made resilient such that pressing down on the center of the cap 18 deforms it downward to exert downward pressure on the bar of soap 20.
As a result of the resiliency of the silicone sleeve 22 and reduced diameter as compared to the diameter of the cavity 30 and the bar of soap 20, when the bar of soap 20 is pressed down against the sleeve 22, the sleeve 22 deforms to present a bend 33 against the bar of soap, as seen in Fig. 6. In some embodiments, the bend may be frusto-conical in shape. The bend 33 of the sleeve 22 and the pressure exerted against the soap provides an effective watertight seal against ingress of water into the cavity 30. The bend 33 also resists the tendency of the bar of hard soap 20 to slide upward in the brush body 12 when the hard soap makes contact with a surface being brushed.
The bristles 14 may be provided as part of a removable bristle assembly 36.
According to the preferred embodiment, bristle assembly 36 comprises a support Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

9 38 from which the bristles 14 depend. An opening 40 is provided in the support 38 to correspond to the opening 25 at the bottom of the cavity 30 of the brush body 12. The bristle assembly 36 is slidably received in the brush body 12 by a slot 29 having a lower lip 31 to support the bristle assembly 36.
An optional handle 26 is securable in a threaded bore 27 in the side of the brush body 12. The handle can provide additional leverage when using the brush 10. A

plug 28 closes the bore 27 when the handle 26 is not attached.
A cleaning implement 100 according to another embodiment of the invention is generally depicted in Figs. 8-12. The cleaning implement comprises a sponge 104 and an implement body 102 to hold and retain the sponge 104. In this description and in the claims, the term "sponge" refers to a porous material used for cleaning that is preferably capable of absorbing liquids and expelling the liquids when compressed. Suitable examples include natural sponges derived from the fibrous skeleton of certain marine animals or synthetic sponges.
Suitable synthetic sponges may include cellulose sponges, and foamed polymers such as polyester or polyurethane. As will be discussed below, the sponge may be provided as a sponge assembly 126 removably received in the implement body 102.
The sponge 104 is mounted to a bottom surface 103 of the implement body and includes a sponge opening 105 extending from the bottom surface 103 through the sponge 104 to a cleaning contact face 107 of the sponge 104. The sponge opening 105 is preferably located in the center of the sponge 104. The sponge 104 is capable of absorbing water and water-based solutions. The cleaning contact face 107 may further include an abrasive layer (not shown) covering a portion or all of the cleaning contact face 107 to improve durability of the sponge 104 and enhance the cleaning efficacy of suitably abrasion-resistant surfaces.
The implement body 102 preferably includes an implement grip 109.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

10 Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, the implement body 102 is likewise provided with the cavity 30 extending preferably from the top of the implement body 102 to a bottom surface 103 of the implement body 102. The cavity 30 includes the bottom opening 25 formed in the bottom surface 103. The bottom opening 25 is substantially aligned with the sponge opening 105.
The cavity 30 remains configured to allow the correspondingly shaped bar of soap 20 to slide along the cavity 30.
A removable cap 108 is provided for sealing the cavity 30 against the ingress of water.
The resilient silicone sleeve 22 is provided at the bottom opening 25 (preferably adjacent the sponge 104) to retain the hard soap within the cavity 30. The sleeve opening 23 has a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the cavity opening 25 to assist in retaining the soap 20 in the cavity 30. The sleeve 22 is retained in the brush body 12 by means of the retainer 24 attaching to the implement body 102 and sandwiches the sleeve 22 between the retainer 24 and the implement body 102.
A user introduces the bar of soap 20 into the cavity 30 of the implement body and urges the bar against the sleeve 22 to retain the bar in the cleaning implement. The soap 20 may be urged downward to protrude through the cavity opening 25 into the sponge opening 105. The cleaning implement 100 will then preferably be introduced to a water source so that water may be absorbed by the sponge 104. The cleaning implement 100 may then be used such that downward pressure compresses the sponge 104 sufficiently that the bar of soap 20 may contact the surface being cleaned. Simultaneously, water that has been previously absorbed by the sponge is expelled from the sponge by the compression and mixes with the soap to form a cleaning lather to enhance cleaning efficacy for the surface being cleaned. Soap may also be absorbed Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

11 from the surface of the bar of soap 20 through walls of the sponge opening 105 and mix with water within the sponge 104. The resulting soap solution will also be expelled by compression of the sponge 104, and the process of emission of the soap solution may aerate the expressed soap solution, resulting in an even more efficacious cleaning lather. As the soap gets consumed, the user may open the cap 108 and urge the bar of soap deeper into the implement body to expose more of the bar through the opening 25.
In an embodiment, the cap 108 is made resilient such that pressing down on the center of the cap 18 deforms it downward to exert downward pressure on the bar of soap 20.
As a result of the resiliency of the silicone sleeve 22 and reduced diameter as compared to the diameter of the cavity 30 and the bar of soap 20, when the bar of soap 20 is pressed down against the sleeve 22, the sleeve 22 deforms to present a bend 33 against the bar of soap, as seen in Fig. 10. In some embodiments, the bend may be frusto-conical in shape. The bend 33 of the sleeve 22 and the pressure exerted against the soap provides an effective watertight seal against ingress of water into the cavity 30. The bend 33 also resists the tendency of the bar of hard soap 20 to slide upward in the implement body 102 when the hard soap makes contact with a surface being cleaned.
The sponge 104 may be provided as part of a removable sponge assembly 126.
According to the preferred embodiment, sponge assembly 126 comprises a support 128 from which the sponge 104 depends. An opening 130 is provided in the support 128 to correspond to the opening 25 at the bottom of the cavity 30 of the implement body 102. The sponge assembly 126 is slidably received in the implement body 102 by a slot 129 having a lower lip 131 to support the sponge assembly 126.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

12 The optional handle 26 is securable in a threaded bore 117 in the side of the implement body 102. The handle 26 can provide additional leverage when using the cleaning implement 100. The plug 28 closes the bore 117 when the handle 26 is not attached.
It will be recognized that the brush body 12 and the implement body 102 may be identically configured and the bristle assembly 36 and sponge assembly 126 may be identically configured, such that the implement body 102 may receive the bristle assembly 36 and the brush body 12 may receive the sponge assembly 126. In an embodiment, the invention is a kit comprising the implement body 102, the bristle assembly 36, and the sponge assembly 126. The sponge assembly 126 may be removed from the implement body 102 and replaced with the bristle assembly 36 by the user to adapt the cleaning implement of the kit for use with different surfaces to be cleaned. The kit may further comprise a plurality of bars of soap 20, allowing the user to replace each bar as it is depleted.
Each bar of soap of the plurality of bars of soap may be identical or may have differing hardnesses and constituent cleaning compounds, allowing the cleaning implement of the kit to be used on a variety of surfaces and in a variety of cleaning tasks.
In the foregoing description, exemplary modes for carrying out the invention in terms of examples have been described. However, the scope of the claims should not be limited by those examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

Claims (17)

13

1. A cleaning implement for retaining and presenting solid soap in the vicinity of a sponge, comprising:
an implement body;
a sponge retained on at least one surface of said implement body;
a cavity extending through the implement body, said cavity having an opening in said surface, said sponge having a sponge opening substantially aligned with said cavity; and said cavity being configured to slidably receive a bar of solid soap such that an end of said bar protrudes into said sponge opening.

2. The cleaning implement of claim 1 wherein said cavity is cylindrical.

3. The cleaning implement of claim 1 wherein said sponge is a natural sponge.

4. The cleaning implement of claim 1 wherein said sponge is a synthetic sponge.

5. The cleaning implement of claim 4 wherein said sponge is made from a foamed polymer.

6. The cleaning implement of claim 4 wherein said sponge is a cellulose sponge.

7. The cleaning implement of claim 1 wherein said sponge opening is in a center of said sponge.

8. The cleaning implement of claim 1 further comprising means for applying pressure to said bar of soap to slide said bar of soap toward said sponge opening.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01

9. The cleaning implement of claim 8 wherein said means comprises a resilient cap at the end of said implement body that is opposite said surface.

10. The cleaning implement of claim 1 further comprising a bar of solid soap retained in said cavity.

11. The cleaning implement of claim 1 wherein said sponge is removably retained on said at least one surface of said implement body.

12. The cleaning implement of claim 1 further comprising a resilient sleeve for contacting and sealing said bar of solid soap.

13. The cleaning implement of claim 12 wherein said sleeve is deformable to present a bent contact surface against said solid bar of soap.

14. A method of applying hard soap to a surface being cleaned with a cleaning implement, comprising:
providing a cleaning implement having an implement body, a cavity extending through said implement body and a sponge retained on said implement body and surrounding an opening of said cavity;
inserting a bar of hard soap in said cavity to protrude through said opening surrounded by said sponge; and, applying downward pressure on said implement body to cause said bar of hard soap to enter into contact with a surface being cleaned.

15. A cleaning implement kit comprising:
an implement body, said implement body comprising a cavity extending through said implement body, said cavity being configured to slidably retain a solid bar of hard soap;
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01 a bristle assembly, said bristle assembly comprising a bristle support and a plurality of bristles extending from said bristle support, said bristle support including a bristle opening amid said plurality of bristles; and a sponge assembly, said sponge assembly comprising a sponge support, a sponge mounted to said sponge support, and a sponge opening extending through said sponge support and said sponge;
Wherein said implement body further comprises retention means for selectively retaining one of said bristle assembly or said sponge assembly so that said cavity is substantially aligned with said bristle opening or said sponge opening.

16. The cleaning implement kit of claim 15 wherein said retention means comprises a slot with a lower lip and said bristle support and said sponge support are configured for insertion in said slot.

17. The cleaning implement kit of claim 15 further comprising one or more solid bars of hard soap for insertion in said cavity of said implement body.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-02-01