US2017231A - Pot cleaner - Google Patents

Description

@am w35. s BRADFORD, JR M1231 POT CLEANER Filed Nov. 5, 1954 ATTORN EYS Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES POT CLEANER Edward S'. Bradford, Jr., Longmeadow, Mass., assgnor to Springfield Wire & Tinsel Co., West Springield, Mass., a corporation of `Massachusetts Application November 5, 1934, Serial No. 751,471

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a pot cleaner or scouring utensil of improved species of the kind made from a strand of helically coiled tinsel wire ribbon. It may be made of a coiled strand with or without a core but it is highly desirable, if a core is used, to have the core as well as its coiled covering material of elastic character so the strand as a whole may stretch and recoil lengthwise.

I will disclose the invention forvillustration as made of a coreless strand in connection with the accompanying drawing, in whichy Fig. 1 shows a length of strand indicating a coiled strand material of ilattened tinsel ribbon, and arrangement of twosizes of coils to make my utensil; Y

Fig. 2 indicates in a conventional way a balled mass of the strand in finished cleaner form;

Fig. 3 indicates in a conventional outline a mass in door knob shape for finished cleaner formi Fig. 4 indicates in a conventional outline a mass in disk shape for iinished cleaner form;

Fig. 5 is a conventionalized cross-section ofthe mass of Fig. 2 taken on any plane through the center of the ball form and intended to show the nature of the ball mass as contrasted between its outer layers and inner core;

Fig. 6 is a section of coiled flattened lament wire drawn to scale, such as I use in the commercial forms of my invention for the small coil covering material; and l s Fig. 7 indicates a winding spindle or stick such as I may conveniently use to wind my strand material to make various mshed cleaners.

One way to make my improved article is to start with a flat tinsel wire such as is now in common use for pot cleaners. The flat wire is first straight; it is then coiled for a long portion of its length, indicated by A-B in Fig. 1, with what I call large coils (larger than the coils commonly used in pot cleaners), and is also curled for a long portion of its length, indicated by B-C, with what I call small coils that are of a size commonly used in pot cleaners. A commercial size for the small coils is shown in Fig. 6. A suitable proportion between the small coils and large coils is shown in Fig. 1. The scale of the coils in Fig. 1 has been purposely enlarged for convenience. Also the coils are all shown somewhat conventionalized. Since they are made of very thin tinsel ribbon they sag and the spacing of the coils is usually less than that indicated.

With the strand thus prepared I wind it up into a mass so that the large coils i are all located in the central part and then well covered by winding layers of the strand having the small coils 2.

The result is a relatively soft, puffy, centrally located mass L of large coils I covered by a relatively hard covering mass S of small coils 2 on the outside of thesoft, puffy mass. Ihis is indicated in Fig. 5, where the portion L is the section through the large coils and section S is that through the small coils of the combination of masses o-f coilsv making up the cleaner.

The article disclosed can be made up in many diierent waysV I prefer to make it of a single strand as a convenience, and Fig. 1 is intended to show a single strandvlong enough for my purpose. But two or more parallel strands can be worked up together or the strand orlarge coils can be a separate one (ends not joined) from the strand of small coils.r For an illustrativedisclosure I have drawn the size of the coils in Fig. l to a suitable proportionl in the relative size of coils for actual commercial use, but 'it can be varied of course and still embodyr` the principles of large and small coils. f or-my purpose. e f' A convenient way to get the mass of either Fig. 2,or.Fig. 3, orFig. 4, is in the fashion of a ball wind, byiwhich I meanv one in which the turns or loops of each complete wind change their angle often enoughto make a cross-grained series of layers throughout the mass. Any winding operation that. gives this cross-grained effect in the wind in vall planes ofv the mass, is what I mean by ballwindfashion in the operation of assembling 'the mass. 'I'hiscan bedone by hand and it results iria mass that'will not string out or readily unravel, because the turns are crossed in the mass and the coils interlock to prevent the strands from separating over any substantial length. In fact, the coiled springy tinsel wire tangles between coils enough to make a form that will spring back to shape after a lot of use.

A convenient hand tool for winding any of the forms of Figs. 2, 3, and 4 is shown in Fig. '7. It consists of a spindle stick 3 having near each end a series of flexible wires 4 which bend very easily. The strand indicated in Fig. l of suitable length can be wound in successive gure 8 loops on stick 3 as a temporary core. The large coil portion is first wound on. The stick is slowly turned and the outer ends ofthe loops are passed over and between the wires 4 to hold them in spaced overlapping relation. 'Ihis wind is the same as that used by a boy in winding up a fish line or a kite string on a stick, except that wires 4 hold the loops apart and near the outer ends of the stick. The large coils I are first wound on and then their mass is covered by winding on the strand portion of small coils 2. The winding slight tension is enough to separate the otherwise more closely spaced coils along the strand. When the mass is built up on the stick it does not have its finished form. But by removing it from the stick (wires 4 bending to permit removal) .the mass of coils has a distinct movement to the ball form of Fig. 2. By hand the mass of coils can be readily worked to any ofthe format, d, f of Figs. 2, 3%, and 4.1 It will help, however, in getting the flattened mass of Fig. 4 to make a longer wind on stick 3 than for..

the form of Fig. 2. 'Ihe cross-grained ball fashion winding and interlocked relation of the coilsi will appear in all forms shown and in other forms.

For example, a ring-shapedI form cany also bev made, using a suitable core or-arhollow ball form and the relative arrangement of coils will be present.

The advantage of the Varticle: is: the func tional character of the two kinds .of coils combined in the mass of a single cleaner, and the way they interlock Vfand cooperate: to tie the; mass` together; Thoseon the insidef give: am exceed-- ingly puffy and springy natureV to the cleaner. They push out the outer coveringsomewhat like an'air center wil-1.ina.sof-thollow rubberloall, or

.like elder downwill in a fea-.ther pillow; while.r the outer covering does' the scratching.. Sothe outer covering is pushed` out tof give: thegdesired handful of coils..Y The article will notipack: upI centrally or get hard at the center to anyvs/-herel near the` same. amount under the sa-me use: as where. the ,WhioleV mass is a bunch oftangledv smallf curls., YThe latter are desirable on. the routside for scratching purposes, but not so desirableonthe'insidez where they never actually con-tactjthepoto be cleaned.. Furthermore,` the`A larger open-work coils oir. the. insideV of the mass. make the; article easier' to;

clean, as the greasev will' notzg'ct' trapped soz read- 40, ily, since therel is: av larger space. for' it. between in. the function ofthe article as abetier scratcher.

able fashion. The central mass is softer than the Vnature of the scratching coils ordinarily requires,

andlpuils out the whole cleaner for a highly desirable kind ofy cleaner.

What I claim is:

1'. A. pot cleaner comprising a central mass of tangled coils ofspring metal wire and a covering mass of definitely wound loops of said wire in a-.ttened ribbon. forniy of closely spaced helical coils, the covering mass constituting a substantial thickness of looped plies or layers of such wire, the cleaner mass being by the feature of substantially larger of.- wire in'the centraltangled; massthanithe helical coils of said' covering mass: wherebyl thev cleaner hasv a softer puiler centra-lma'sszmade of spring metal coils as compared to the covering mass. of smaller coils. j 2. A pot cleaner comprising a ball wound massv of aspiring wire ribboni the strandy of which isf coiledv in4 helical; fashionv along its length. into. a great: number ofY coils per.v unit loopr of the. wound mass, the coils. in the central portion of. the cleaner being larger than the coils in the layers forming the covering portion, the latter portion having. a. substantial depth and. providedY with relatively small coils to do the cleaningY work while the,A central portion is of substantial' volume and provided with relatively large coils all interlocked and' tangled, together whereby a softer puier central portion is in the-cleaner thanyif thel whole-mass were made of said smallv coils.

3. A pot cleaner made of4 metal comprising a Ina-ss` o1?` wire,V coilsthe outer' layers of which are ina-de of flattened tinsel wire in closely spacedv coils along its length', such layers being; made: upy ofwound. loops. of such coiledy length, said loops crossing and recrossing like a screen to tiethe coilstogether inthe mass` while the central part ofthe massis made: of tinsel wire having larger coils interlocked and tangled. together than the outer layers.

EDWARD S. BRADFORD, JR'.

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