US3048938A - Support for soap bars - Google Patents

Description

1962 P. A. MEARS 3,048,938

SUPPORT FOR SOAP BARS Filed Jan. 31, 1961 INVENTOR fale/w? IQ /%='4&$

BY @MM/ United States Patent Office dfi idfi Patented Aug. 14, 1962 3,048,938 SUPPORT FOR SOAP BARS Portia A. Meats, Bloomington, End. (39 Chiekering Road, Dedham, Mass.) Filed Jan. 31, 1961, Ser. No. 86,094 3 tjlairns. (Cl. 45-28) This invention relates generally to soap receptacles and more particularly to an improved support for bars of soap.

Various types of soap receptacles, such as dishes, racks, and supports, are known in the art, and these are usually characterized by one or more objectionable fea tures. Among these features are an unsightly appearance, inherent or due to dissolved soap drippings, which necessitates frequent and diflicult cleaning of the receptacle and of the supporting wash basin, etc.; a tendency of the bar of soap to adhere to the receptacle because of the dissolved drippings making it diflicult as well as distasteful to pick up the bar of soap and, where the receptacle is not a part of or anchored to the wash basin, wall, etc., often resulting in accidental dropping of the receptacle with inconvenience to the user and possible damage to the receptacle; and a design or construction which is extremely wasteful of soap in that unnecessary dissolving of the bar is effected by contact with wet and/ or unabsorbent surfaces.

Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide an improved soap support which will obviate the above and other objectionable features.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved soap support which may be placed on convenient surfaces of wash basins, etc., without danger of dislodgement therefrom and to which a used bar of soap will not adhere because of drippage.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide an improved soap support which is moisture absorbent and eliminates soap wastage from drippage or dissolving.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide an improved soap support which is moisture absorbent but which is readily and easily washed to maintain a sanitary and neat appearance.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved soap support which will be attractive in appearance, susceptible of ready and economical manufacture, wear-resistant, and of long life in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In its broadest aspects, the invention contemplates a support for soap bars comprising a washable envelope having a lower, supporting surface of flexible material which has a ooefiicient of friction such as to prevent slipping on or dislodgement from the surface of a wash basin, etc.; an upper soap-bar supporting surface of flexible, absorbent material, and an intermediate layer of flexible, absorbent material confined between the two outer layers by stitching, etc., their peripheral edges.

In the drawings I have shown several embodiments of the invention. In these showings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of the support for soap bars comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof to an enlarged scale, taken on the line 22 of "FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3, 4, and 5 are perspective views to a reduced scale of another form of the invention wherein the outer layers are formed of a single sheet of material, showing one method of making the support; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view, partially broken away and to an enlarged scale of a further form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, numeral It) designates the support for soap bars as a whole which comprises a lower supporting surface 12, an upper supporting surface 14- upon which a bar of soap is placed, and an intermediate insert or layer 16 confined between the outer layers that form the surfaces 12 and M by means of peripheral stitching 18.

The lower layer 12 is formed of a sheet of flexible, washable material whose surface has such a coefiicient of friction as not to slip or slide when positioned on the surface of a wash basin, etc. Examples of such substantially non-slip surface materials are rubber, foam rubber, rubberized fabrics, some woven materials, and such napped materials as have good wearing qualities.

The upper layer 14 is formed of a sheet of flexible, washable material of any desired color which is highly absorbent to remove the drippings and dissolved soap from a just-used bar thereof, and of good wearing characteristics. Examples of such materials are napped and 'unnapped woven fabrics of natural and synthetic fibers, toweling such as terry cloth, etc.

The intermediate layer 16 is an absorbent layer which also furnishes body to the soap support 1% as a whole. Materials of the type used in the upper layer 14 may be used in the intermediate layer with greater absorbent capacity and body being attained by using several pliespreferably joined together--of the material to form the single intermediate layer 16 which is preferably of greater thickness than the outer layers 12 and 1 Other preferred materials for use as the intermediate layer are spronge rubber, foam rubber and polyfoarn in sheet or shredded form.

In the illustration of the soap bar support of FIG- URES 1 and 2, the lower layer 12 of the envelope is formed of a durable sheet of rubber, the upper layer 14 is formed of terry cloth and the intermediate layer is formed of a sheet of foam rubber or polyfoam of substantially greater thickness than the upper and lower layers which have greater length and width so as to confine the layer 16 therebetween when their peripheral edges are stitched as at 18 or otherwise united.

It will be readily apparent that the rubber sheet 12 will prevent dislodgement of the soap bar holder 10 from a supporting surface such as the side or top of a wash basin and that a wet bar of soap placed on the absorbent upper layer 14 will not undergo any further surfacedissolving as would be the case if placed on a wet area. The layer 14 not only absorbs the soap drippings but also becomes rapidly and completely dry because of the wick action of the material.

It is to be noted that any soap bar drippings in excess of the amount resulting in the wetting of the upper layer 14, will pass therethrough and be absorbed by the intermediate layer 16 which, because of its added thickness, has a greater absorbing capacity and, in effect, assumes a greater part of the burden of absorbing the soap drippings. As a result, the upper layer 14 of the soap bar support It? retains its attractive appearance over extended periods of usage before becoming unsightly. The soap drippings may then be removed to restore the original attractive appearance of the support It by simply placing it in a washing machine.

Instead of the three separate and different layers i2, 14 and 16 which are united by the external stitching 18 as shown in FIGURES l and 2, the upper and lower layers may be formed of the same material when it embodies both non-slip and absorbent characteristics. An example of such material is terry cloth as illustrated in FiGURES 35.

It has been found that an optimum size for the soap bar support as used in the home is about 3 by 4- inches. Thus a sheet of terry cloth 19 of slightly more than 6 by 4 n3 inches (to allow for stitching or other securing of the peripheral edges, FIGURE 3) may be folded as at 20 and stitched as at 22 to form an envelope 11 open only at the end 24.

An intermediate absorbent layer 26 of the types described i now centrally positioned on top of the envelope formed as shown in FIGURE 4, and the envelope is turned inside out, whereupon the layer 26 assumes its intermediate concealed position as shown in FIGURE 5. The end 24- is now folded within the envelope and stitched as was earlier done at 22.

Depending on the nature of the absorbent intermediate layer, it may be desirable to stitch or otherwise secure it to one or both of the upper and lower layers to prevent movement or matting of the intermediate layer with re spect thereto when the flexible support is placed in a washing machine for laundering and removal of the soap drippings.

Such movement can be prevented by peripheral stitching or cross-stitching the flexible support 13 as at 28 as shown in FTGURE 6. In this form of the invention, the intermediate absorbent layer 39 is formed of scrap or shredded foam rubber, and it will be apparent that the lines of stitching 23 separate the envelope 1-1 into four compartments so that the separated portions of the layer 36? cannot lump or mat up.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A flexible support for holding and drying wet bars of soap on a wash basin, etc. without drainage of water or soap thereon comprising, in combination, an envelope including a lower supporting layer of material having a non-slip surface, an upper soap-bar-receiving layer of absorbent material for absorbing moisture and soap drippings from a soap bar to etfect drying of the bar, and an intermediate layer of absorbent material to receive unabsorbed moisture and drippings from said upper layer, the adjacent material of said intermediate and upper layers having a wick action returning the absorbed moisture for evaporation to the upper surface of the support to eifect drying thereof, the edges of said upper and lower layers being united to confine said intermediate layer within the envelope, the material of each of said layers being flexible and washable to enable the removal of dried dirt and soap therefrom.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said intermediate layer is of greater thickness than said upper and lower layers to increase its absorbing capacity and to add body to the support.

3. The combination recited in claim 2 wherein said intermediate layer comprises a plurality of integrated plies of material.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,660,729 Strock Feb. 28, 1928 1,756,713 Vernet Apr. 29, 1930 2,886,916 Rossi May 19, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 453,737 France June 14, 1913 473,359 Great Britain Oct. 12, 1937

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