US2948911A

US2948911A - Scouring pad

Info

Publication number: US2948911A
Application number: US589538A
Authority: US
Inventors: Max S Steiner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-06-05
Filing date: 1956-06-05
Publication date: 1960-08-16
Anticipated expiration: 1977-08-16

Description

Aug. 16, 1960 M. s. srElNl-:R

SCOURING PAD Filed June 5, 1956 SCOURNG PAD Max S. Steiner, 200 E. Chestnut St., Chicago, Ill. Filed June 5, 1956, Ser. No. 589,538

8 Claims. (Cl. 15-209) This invention relates to improvements in scouring pads and it consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

It is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 358,464, led May 29, 1953, now abandoned.

There have been many widely different types of such articles heretofore proposed. Notwithstanding the many such devices heretofore proposed, they are still lacking in certain desirable characteristics.

Some of the scouring pads heretofore designed are composed of metallic strands compacted or felted to form a pad. Such pads are `open to a number of objections, one of which is danger of splintering and thereby injuring the hand of the user. Best results are obtained when such metallic pads Ihave embodied therein a soap which, when subjected to water, will act to loosen the matter on the surface of the pan or other object. However, when such metallic pads are directly gripped in the hand the tendency is to press them too tightly and thereby squeeze the soap out `of the pad at a too rapid rate. Hence, the pad prematurely loses its soap content.

Certain other types of scouring pads comprising woven fabric of various plastic compositions have been designed. These materials have certain desirable characteristics in that they are of a sanitary nature, being nonabsorbent, and also of such a character as not to injure the hands of the user. Nevertheless, pads made only of such plastic material are not as effec-tive to polish the surfaces of cooking utensils as are pads which include metallic material. In order to be effective to remove food and other products that adhere to pots and pans such scouring pads are generally made of an open Weave which is not adapted to hold or retain soap in the way the cornpact metallic pad contines it.

In order to obtain the most efficient results, it is desirable that the pad also include a soap mass, so that when used with water the soap mass will give off a small amount to be effective to loosen the material on the surface of the pot or pan; that there be an open weave or knit portion so disposed as to provide the major surface which contacts the surface to be cleaned and which is effective to strike or shear off the larger adhering food or other particles; and that there be a metallic pad-like mass of the order of metal wool which is sodisposed that portions thereof can be brought into contact with the surface to be cleaned or polished and yet be so arranged as to be largely protected by the open weave or knit portion.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a pad of this kind which may be easily used, which will ei'liciently clean pots and pans, which may be readily kept in a sanitary condition and which, while embodying metallic material of the `order of metal wool, will be so formed as not to injure the hand of the user when it is grasped in the normal manner for use and which will be so formed that the metallic element or metal wool pad may be readily removed and inserted.

Patented Aug; 16, .-19%0 Another object of the invention is to provide a pad of this type in which the outer member or element will be composed of an open mesh strand fabric, preferably knitted and shaped in the form of an envelope, having a yielding restriction permitting the insertion and removal of a metallic wool mass, whereby ythe metallic wool mass may be effective to engage the surface to be cleaned and yet the pad may be grasped by the user without the hand coming into engagement with the metallic wool mass.

Again, it is an object of the invention to provide a composite cleaning or scouring pad composed of an external envelope formed of an open mesh filament and an internal compact pad of metallic strands, said metallic pad embodying therein a soap, so that, when the pad is used with water, soapy material Will ow through the open strands and be effective to sof-ten the food or other material on the surface to be cleaned, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the open mesh filaments for foreign matter removal.

Still another object of Ithe invention is to provide a pad of this type in which the outer member or element will be composed of an open mesh plastic strand fabric shaped in the form of an envelope havin-g a yielding restriction permitting the insertion and removal of a metallic mass, whereby the metallic mass may be effective to engage the surface -to be cleaned and yet the pad may be grasped by the user without the hand ccming into engagement with the metallic mass.

The above-mentioned objects of the invention along with others, as well as the advantages thereof, will more fully appear as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a -diagrammatic view showing one form of open strand material -or fabric of which the outer envelope of the pad may be made;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the completed pad, of -a preferred form of the invention, comprising an outer envelope formed of open weave material of the type shown in Figure l, and including an interior rather felted mass formed of metallic strands;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the metallic pad which is tdesigned to be removably insertable into the open weave or knitted envelope.

Referring now in det-ail to the specific embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings, lthe outer envelope of the improved pad is made of an open mesh s-trand fabric 10. Such a fabric may be produced by a knitting machine, or in any other suitable Way, so that no claim is made to the fabric or weave itself, except that it should be of an open order.

In order to produce the envelope shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the -open mesh knitted fabric of Figure l can be conveniently made in the form of a piece of tubing and then manipulated so as to form the pad structure generally of the 4order disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,500,715, excepting that the strands 10 may be composed either of metal or of plastic material. The plastic material is preferably one which will not absorb water or soapy material. As an example of the most suitable plastic materials, reference may be made to the copolymers of vinylidene chloride and vinylchloride. l have discovered that :stretched oriented filaments formed of polystyrene, which differs in many respects from the vinylidene chloride polymers, may be used for the external envelope. fFo-r its cross-sectional size it is not as strong as the vinylidene chloride polymers, so that an oriented filament is even more desirable than with the o vinylidene chloride polymers, particularly when the fabbreakage. An advantage of polystyrene is that because of its lesser specific gravity there is more filament per pound so that the cost per pad is somewhat less. These plastics, however, are by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, as other suitable plastic materials may be used.

The pad 11, shown in Fig. 4, is formed of a compact mass of fine metal strands such, for example, as steel wool or copper, preferably impregnated with a soapy material. The envelope 12, shown in Figs. 2 and 3, `contains an opening 13 in the form of a restriction caused by the elastic band 14 which draws one side 15 of the envelope taut. Because of the elastic band 14, the opening 13 may be enlarged to permit the insertion and removal of pads such as 11. With the metallic pad 11 disposed interiorly, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it is possible for the user to grip the pad ou either side without danger of the hand coming forcibly in contact with the fine metallic strands of the metal wool pad 11, since the outermost surface of the metallic wool pad is normally slightly below the outermost adjacent surface of the envelope which comprises strands of larger cross section and which are not so likely to splinter and injure the hand. j

By gripping the specific composite pad structure on the side containing the opening, which for mere convenience will be termed the top, the bottom may be moved across the surface to be cleaned. When used in this way, some soapy material will flow to the surface to be cleaned but, because of the several layers of open fabric positioned at the bottom, there is no direct contact between the interior metallic wool pad and the surface to be cleaned. Because the composite pad is normally of greater size relative to the metallic wool pad it can be gripped and applied adequately with less pressure. Hence, there is not the same likelihood of applying such unnecessary pressure as would tend to express from the metallic wool pad more soap than is actually necessary for a given cleaning operation.

When it is desired to apply the metallic wool pad material directly to the surface to be cleaned or polished, the composite pad can be gripped so that the bottom will rest in the palm of the hand. Pressure against the surface to be cleaned will then cause that part of the metallic wool pad, defined by the opening 13, to be brought into contact with the surface being cleaned. A suitable polishing action, such as metallic wool strands are adapted to perform, may then be had.

If desired, the metallic wool pad 11 may be removed, reversed, and replaced as long as it remains useful, being primarily dependent upon the time when its soap content is exhausted. At that time it may be readily removed, disposed of, and replaced by a new metallic wool pad. It is thus possible to use the external open mesh envelope for a number of the internal metallic cleaning pads, and to effect the economy which such use makes possible.

The open mesh relatively larger strands are effective to scrape away or remove the larger particles of material that may have adhered to the surface of the pot or pan to be cleaned, and may be gripped by the hand without danger of injury by metal particles or slivers which is possible when directly gripping the metallic wool pad.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that on one side the internal pad is entirely enclosed by the envelope and that there are a number of layers of strand material in the shape of a roll of substantial thickness. On the other hand, there are but two layers of strands adjacent 'or surrounding the elastic opening 13. `For this reason the adjacent surface 13a of the interior metallic pad lies relatively close to the surface of the envelope and may be, therefore, brought into contact with the pan or other surface to be cleaned without applying excessive pressure.

While the envelope is preferably formed as illustrated, it need not be of that particular design. Some of the advantages of the invention may be attained by envelopes of other particular constructions. However, it is requisite to the accomplishment of the objects of the invention that there be an opening at, at least one end, and preferably at one end only, to enable placement and removal of the metallic pad, and also to enable contact of a portion of the metallic pad with the surface to be cleaned or polished. For example, a tube may be formed of open mesh material closed permanently vat one end by drawing it together with a string or other inelastic tie member and then providing an elastic band at the other end which will serve partially to draw that end together. This will permit the placement of the metallic pad in and removal from the envelope thus formed. It will also permit one portion o-f the metallic pad surface to be brought into contact with the surface to be cleaned or polished. If desired, the open mesh tube may be made initially substantially twice as long as desired in the finished envelope, the material rolled back upon itself to form a tube half as long, but with two layers, a rubber band having been inserted at the fold-back end. The free end could then be tied together to close that end entirely and the rubber band at the opposite end would serve to restrict the tube, thus forming an elastic restriction at that end.

Not only does the open fabric envelope serve the several useful purposes already described, but it also serves the further important function of preventing the metallic wool pad, which is of a somewhat loose compacted nature, from spreading apart and disintegrating prematurely.

While some of the advantages of the invention may be obtained by placing the metallic wool pad within an open mesh envelope of the type described, for some purposes it is preferable to fabricate the envelope from strands of plastic material which is generally not quite as hard as metal, but sufficiently hard to remove the larger particles of food or foreign matter since the metal wool pad is available to remove harder particles and to polish burned surfaces and the like. Furthermore, plastic strands can be obtained in a variety of colors which increases the attractiveness of the scouring pad without decreasing its effectiveness or increasing its cost.

It is believed the many advantages of the novel composite pad herein disclosed will be obvious to those familiar with this subject without the necessity of further comment.

I claim:

1. A composite cleaning and polishing device comprising in combination, an external envelope formed of open mesh plastic fabric, and an internal pad formed of metallic fibres, said external envelope having at least one extensible restrictive opening through which said internal pad may be inserted and removed, and which opening serves to expose a portion of the surface of the metallic pad unobstructed by the strands of the plastic fabric, the exposed surface of said metallic pad being disposed in a plane which is not outwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent top part of the external envelope.

2. A composite cleaning and polishing device comprising in combination, an external envelope formed of open mesh plastic fabric, and an internal pad formed of metallic fibres, said external envelope having at least one elastic extensible restrictive opening through which said internal pad may be inserted and removed, and which opening serves to expose a portion of the surface of the metallic pad unobstructed by the strands of the plastic fabric, the exposed surface of said metallic pad being disposed in a plane which is inwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent part of the external envelope.

3 A composite cleaning and polishing device comprising in combination, an external envelope formed of open mesh plastic fabric, and an internal pad formed of metallic libres, said external envelope having a substantially closed bottom and an extensible restrictive opening at the top through said internal pad may be inserted and removed, and which opening serves to expose a portion of the surface of the metallic pad unobstructed by strands of the plastic fabric, the exposed surface of said metallic pad being disposed in a plane which is not outwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent top part of the external envelope.

4. A composite cleaning and polishing device comprising in combination, an external envelope formed of open mesh plastic fabric, and an internal soap loaded pad formed of metallic libres, said external envelope having at least one extensible restrictive opening through which said internal pad may be inserted and removed, and which opening serves to expose a portion of the surface of the metallic pad unobstructed by the strands of the plastic fabric, the exposed surface of said metallic pad being disposed in a plane which is not outwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent top part of the external envelope.

5. A composite cleaning and polishing device comprising in combination, an external envelope formed of open mesh plastic fabric, and an internal pad formed of metallic libres, said external envelope having a substantially closed bottom and an elastic extensible restrictive opening at the top through which said internal pad may be inserted and removed, and which opening serves to expose a portion of the surface of the metallic pad unobstructed by strands of the plastic fabric, the exposed surface of said metallic pad being disposed in a plane which is not outwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent top part of the external envelope.

6. A composite cleaning and polishing device comprising in combination, an external envelope formed of open mesh plastic fabric, and an internal pad formed of metallic fibres, said external envelope having a substantially closed bottom composed of a plurality of layers of plastic fabric, and an extensible restrictive opening at the top through which said internal pad may be inserted and removed.

and which opening serves to expose a poition of the surface of the metallic pad unobstructed by strands of the plastic fabric, there being a lesser number of layers of plastic fabric at the top than at the bottom, whereby the surface of the metallic pad is closer to the outside surface of the envelope at the top than it is at the bottom, said exposed surface of said metallic pad being disposed in a plane which is not outwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent top part of the external envelope.

7. The arrangement set forth in claim 6 in which the internal metallic pad includes a soap.

8. A composite cleaning and polishing device comprising in combination, an external envelope formed of open mesh plastic fabric, and an internal pad formed of metallic fibres, said external envelope having a substantially closed bottom composed of a plurality of layers of plastic fabric, and an extensible restrictive opening at the top through which said internal pad may be inserted and removed, and which opening serves to expose a portion of the surface of the metallic pad unobstructed by strands of the plastic fabric, there being a lesser number of layers of plastic fabric at the top than at the bottom, whereby the surface of the metallic pad is closer to the outside surface of the envelope at the top than it is at the bottom, the exposed surface of said metallic pad being disposed in a plane which is inwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent top part of the external envelope, but not inwardly of the innermost surface of the layers of plastic material at the top.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,689,207 Kingman Oct. 30, 1928 1,697,499 Field Jan. l, 1929 2,500,715 Steiner Mar. 14, 1950 2,601,771 Cameron July l, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 423,885 Germany Jan. 14, 1926 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TTFICATE 0F CORRECTION CE Patent No. 2,9489l1 August lv 1960 Max S; Steiner It is herebr certified that error appears n the-printed specification of the above :numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 5y line 5i1 after "through" insert which n Signed and sealed this 4th day of April 1961a (SEAL) Attest; ERNEST W.

XXXAX ARTHUR W. CROCKER Attesting Oficer Acting Commissioner of Patents