US20040088810A1

US20040088810A1 - Multi-purpose utensil cleaning device

Info

Publication number: US20040088810A1
Application number: US10/668,129
Authority: US
Inventors: Julian Britt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-11-13
Filing date: 2003-09-24
Publication date: 2004-05-13

Abstract

A cleaning and scrubbing device is comprised of a flexible open-pored absorbent body with one or more scrubbing surfaces. The cleaning non-scratching surface(s) are made of an open-pored absorbent body, the scrubbing surface(s) are made of a viscose woven scouring pad.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention, a multi-purpose cleaning device, is an improved scrubbing and cleaning device offering better cleaning and scrubbing capabilities due to its improved design, thus allowing it to get in easier in hard to reach places, for indoor as well as outdoor uses. It solves the problem of cleaning specially spaghetti or dried cheese from between a fork's teeth, cleans rust, dirt from bicycle's spokes, stubborn leftovers on hand beaters, whisks, oven grills, outdoor BBQ grills/racks and surfaces such as pots, pans, automobile's spokes, hubcaps etc, or from any other hard to reach place where cleaning and scrubbing is necessary, meanwhile the porous underside's surface without ridges, has non-scratching characteristics and good cleaning properties. This may also contain detergents and the like, and provide other uses on more planar surfaces.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Sponges with abrasive surfaces, absorbent sponges with non-scouring surfaces, scouring pads, copper pads, steel wool and washcloths have been used for many years for cleaning utensils, kitchen items and other non-household uses; However; one common problem among these is that they only serve one purpose. For example, a steel wool can only be used to clean pots, pans and other surfaces where rough scouring or abrasive cleaning is needed, but not to expect the same result if used on expensive and delicate china dishes, silver made utensils or copper pans. Those inventions were designed for working solely on flat or semi-flat surfaces where some abrasiveness is needed and not between crevices, indents or more specific between a fork's teeth.

Some of the inventions that offer one or two types of scrubbing or abrasive surfaces suitable for scrubbing or cleaning selective items are such as “O-Cell-O” Sponges, “Scott Brite” Scouring Pads, and the scrubbers described in U.S. Pat. Nos. D273,336, 2,255,497, 2,778,044, 2,941,225, 4,159,883, 4,856,134, 4,970,750, and 5,408,718, which only allows its use on a limited number of surfaces.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

To provide a new, more universal and improved cleaning device, designed to aid in the manual removal of stubbornly adhered food or dirt from crevices and/or where utilized, in particular between a fork's teeth, other items where it can be used are hand beaters, whisks, grills, bike spokes, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A squeezable cleaning and scrubbing device made of a flexible open-pored absorbent body. One of its surfaces is an open-pored absorbent body, non-ridged and with non-scratching characteristics used for everyday cleaning purposes. The other surface of the device has a half covered with an affixed viscose woven web backing designed with traverse and/or laterally protruding ridges that form an abrasive cleaning surface to aid cleaning between hard-to-reach places. The other half of this surface it is also designed with traverse and/or laterally protruding ridges with non-scratching characteristics and good cleaning properties, this can also be used in conjunction with detergents when necessary. [0005]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—(Traverse Design)—Shows a pictorial view of the open-pored absorbent device with continuously formed and raised protruding ridges, where one half of this device has a ridged scouring abrasive pad and the other half is an open-pored absorbent body, its underside is a non-ridged, open-pored absorbent body according to the invention. [0006]
FIG. 2—(Lateral Design)—Shows a pictorial view of the open-pored absorbent device with continuously formed and raised protruding ridges, where one half of this device has a ridged scouring abrasive pad and the other half is an open-pored absorbent body, its underside is a non-ridged, open-pored absorbent body according to the invention. [0007]
FIG. 3—(Lateral Design)—Shows a pictorial view of the open-pored absorbent device with continuously formed and raised protruding ridges, where one half of this device has a ridged scouring abrasive pad and the other half is an open-pored absorbent body, its underside is a non-ridged open-pored absorbent body according to the invention. This view also shows the abrasive pad peeled off to denote where would be permanently affixed. [0008]

Claims

1) An ergonomically designed, flexible open-pored absorbent body with cleaning and scouring properties. This device has multiple scrubbing and cleaning surfaces traverse and/or laterally designed for effortless cleaning and ease of use. The device contains on one half of a surface, an affixed abrasive scouring pad, designed with traverse and/or laterally protruding ridges to clean in hard to reach places. On the other half of the same surface is an open-pored absorbent body surface, designed with traverse and/or laterally protruding ridges and with capabilities to clean in hard to reach places on softer surfaces. The underside is made of an open-pored, non-ridged absorbent body with non-scratching characteristics and good cleaning properties on planar surfaces.

2) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said open-pored body is absorbent with cleaning capabilities.

3) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said open-pored body has cleaning and scouring surfaces.

4) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said open-pored body is designed with protruding ridges.

5) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said protruding ridges extend along one full surface of the device.

6) A devise as described on claim 1 wherein said device has an open-pored surface and a scouring surface.

7) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said scouring surface/pad is affixed permanently to the open-pored body.

8) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said device's surface has designed traverse and/or lateral protruding ridges.

9) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said device's half surface has scouring protruding ridges for cleaning in hard to reach places on harder surfaces.

10) A device as described on claim 1 wherein said device's other half has non-scouring protruding ridges for cleaning in hard to reach places on softer surfaces.

11) A device as descrihed on claim 1 wherein said device's underside is also an open-pored absorbent body with non-scratching characteristics and good cleaning properties on planar surfaces.