US2885703A - Reinforced sponge cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

y 12, .1959 H. w. ELLIOTT 2,885,703

REINFORCED SPONGE CLEANING DEVICE Filed April 29. 1954 INYENTOR, 1%? HAROLD w. ELLIOTT United States Patent 0,

2,885,703 REINFORCED SPONGE CLEANING DEVICE Harold W. Elliott, Bloomington, Ill., assignor to William E. Kelsey, Arcadia, Ind.

Application April 29, 1954, Serial No. 426,375

4 Claims. (Cl. 15-118) This invention relates to a new and useful cleaning device for household, automobile, and other purposes. Sponges of natural or artificial compositions are frequentl'y used for cleaning purposes but have the inconvenience that they are soft and crumple readily in the hand, especially when wet, and do not present a hard or abrasive surface to the object to be cleaned. Hence they are unsuitable for scouring pots and pans, for cleaning insects and other hard deposits from automobile Windshields, bumpers and the like.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a sponge cleaner which has a hard, reenforcing back which will impart semi-rigidity to the sponge and prevent it from crumpling in the hand, and which may be used as an abrasive to dislodge hard deposits from the surface being cleaned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sponge cleaner with a hard, but flexible, backing material whereby the cleaner may be more readily handled and used for removing firmly adhering dirt and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sponge cleaner with a porous abrasive stiffening back so that moisture from the sponge will flow out through the holes in the reenforcing and abrasive backing material and provide moisture for loosening the dirt at the same time the dirt is being dislodged by the abrasive backing material.

Various other objects of my invention will become apparent as this description proceeds.

In the drawings, which show a preferred form of embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of one embodiment of an improved sponge and backing member;

Fig. 2 is a view of the sponge and backing member assembled together to form the final cleaner.

While the sponge and the backing member have been illustrated in a rectangular fiat form, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other shapes and forms.

In the form of embodiment chosen to illustrate the invention, a sponge member, which may be of natural sponge, expanded cellulosic material known as artificial sponge, sponge rubber, or the like, is indicated at 1, and a relatively stiff abrasive backing member of reticulated wire or plastic in the form of a screen is indicated at 2. As shown in Fig. 2, these members are secured together by a suitable cement layer indicated at 3 between the sponge and the backing material. While the backing material may be used as an abrasive in a cleaning operation, it should not be sufficiently hard to scratch the object which is being cleaned. In the case of automobile windshields, porcelain, chromium and the like, the backing layer may be of a plastic material, such as vinyl, polystyrene, alkyd, urea formaldehyde, or other type of resin, or other plastic porous material which may be in the form of a plastic screen, or of a plastic woven fabric, such as a plastic upholstery webbing or the like.

For certain uses the backing member 2 may be of 2,885,703 I Patented May 12, 1 959 2 metallic screen as used for ordinary household window screen, and may be made of aluminum, copper, galvanized iron, or any other suitable porous screen-like or woven wire material.

The backing layer should be softer than the material to be cleaned and yet sufliciently stiff to retain the sponge in either a flat or curved plane according to the shape of the backing layer. In addition to its cleaning function, the backing layer imparts some rigidity to the sponge layer so that the sponge layer can be more readily handled and will retain its shape better than an unbacked sponge.

'aThe hardermetallic backing layers may be used, for

plated objects, and the like.

The sponge material 1 and the backing layer 2:may be connected together with any permanent connection material. A water-resistant rubber-base cement, or a natural or artificial rubber cement, or any other flexible waterproof adhesive material, may be used to attach the backing layer and the sponge together. The cement should preferably be resistant to hot and cold water, and to soapy water, and should be of such a nature that it will not clog or fill the openings in the backing layer.

In place of rubber-base or other cements, thermosoftening resin sheet adhesives may be used to secure the sponge 1 and the backing layer 2 together or a thermosoftening plastic backing layer may be heated and secured directly to the sponge.

The sponge and backing material may be cut and secured together in individual units such as the units indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. It is preferable, however, to use large sheets of sponge material and large sheets of plastic or metallic perforated backing material of the order of 24 x 48 inches, or larger, and to cement the large sponge sheets and backing material together and, after the adhesive has set, to cut them into the individual sizes and shapes desired. If desired, sheet sponge material and plastic or metal perforated backing material in long rolls may be fed from their individual rolls, cement fed between the two layers, and the combined materials passed through squeeze rolls to cause adhesion of the sponge and backing material, to provide in effect for the manufacture of continuous sheets which may be later cut to the desired shape and size.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 the edges of the screen material extend to the side edges of the sponge layer, whereby when the cleaning device is used on edge both the sponge layer 1 and the screen backing layer 2 will contact the surfaces to be cleaned.

The advantages of the product will be obvious from the drawings and the above description. The spronge material will be retained sufiiciently rigid by the backing material that it can be flexed in the hand, but will not crumple unless substantial pressure is exerted thereon. The sponge layer 1 may be used to moisten and remove easily removable dirt and the cleaning device may then be turned over and the abrasive or semi-abrasive backing material 2 used to remove more adherent dirt. Moisture or cleaning fluid from the sponge will flow out through the pores of the backing material during the latter cleaning operation and assist in loosening the dirt particles.

The sponge layer may be of any sponge-like material, such as natural sponge, expanded cellulosic sponge material known as artificial sponge, rubber sponge, and the like, and the backing layer may be of any porous, semirigid plastic, metal or fiber glass screen. Plastic screen known under the trade names Velon, Saran, and the like, may be used. Instead of being cemented together,

the sponge and backing layer may be sewn or otherwise secured together, although cementing is preferred.

While I have illustrated,;a preferred form of my invention, various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from :the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim: 1 a I 1. As an article of manufacture, a cleaning device consisting of a normally fiat sponge layer having one face I and its side edges exposed to contact with surfaces to be cleaned, a backing member of relatively stiff porous harder plastic screen material secured along one side to one face of said sponge layer and having the other side of said harder. screen material available for scouring action, the edges of said screen material extending to theside edges of said sponge'layer,,whereby when the cleaning device :is used on edge both the sponge layer and the screen layer will contact the surfaces to be cleaned, anda layer'of cement securing the sponge layer and the backing 111cmx ber together. .7. v .v e I 2. A cleaning device as claimed in claim -1 in which the sponge is artificial cellulosic sponge material.

3. A aeaiss device in accordance with claim "1 in which the sponge layer. is. composed of sponge rubber.

4. A cleaning device in accordance with claim 1 in which the backing layer is of woven plastic strands.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 972,661 Summers Oct. 11, 1910 2,026,638 Kingman Jan. 7, 1936 2,066,420 Reysa Ian. 5, 1937 2,107,636 Kingrn'an Feb. 8, 1938 2,113,452 Long Apr. 5, 1938 2,121,384 Gray June 21, 1938 2,268,403 Kingman Dec. 30, 1941 2,358,673 Vaughn Sept. 19, 1944 2,411,842 Adams Dec. 3, 1946 2,567,951 Lewis Sept. 18, 1951 2.1544914 ee e ssn 1111114, 9 2,650,158 Eastman Aug. 25 1953 ,v F' REIGN PATENTS -*-a'- '--'--a'-;--a-'-

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