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Scraper sponge

Scraper sponge description/claims

The present invention relates to sponges and, more particularly, to scraper sponges made of natural and/or man made materials adapted for cleaning and scraping a desired area.

Sponges have been used for many years as a tool for cleaning cookware, utensils, kitchen and bathroom surfaces, automobile surfaces, windows, floors, furniture and a myriad of other objects and surfaces. Sponges are used in these applications in part because they are absorbent, reusable, light weight, and easy to grasp and manipulate. However, a primary disadvantage of sponges is that by themselves, sponges are too soft and pliable to scrape away unwanted substances such as dirt, hardened oils or grease, mildew, waxes or foods that stick and adhere to surfaces and reside in corners, grooves and crevices. To remedy this problem, abrasive layers have been added to sponges to enable users to scrape away substances. However, abrasive layers do not effectively allow users to remove substances residing in tight corners, grooves and crevices because neither the sponge nor the abrasive layer provide a rigid enough edge, particularly when saturated with liquid, to enable users to impart the requisite forces necessary for scraping and removing unwanted substances from these tight locations and, in some cases, from flat surfaces as well.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a scraper sponge that enables users to effectively scrape away and remove unwanted substances adhering to flat surfaces and/or found in difficult to reach locations, is easy to grasp and manipulate, is lightweight, and is economical to manufacture for consumer use.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a scraper sponge comprising a sponge body defining a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface and a scraper secured to one of the first and second surfaces, the scraper having a tip portion extending outwardly and defining at least one edge and a depressible surface to which forces are applied to manipulate the scraper and apply enough pressure to effectively scrape unwanted substances from an object or surface. The depressible surface is contoured for receiving at least a portion of (i) a human finger, (ii) multiple human fingers, (iii) a human hand, or (iv) two human hands. Further, the at least one edge is at least one of (i) semi rigid and (ii) substantially rigid to facilitate effective scraping.

In another aspect of the invention the sponge body comprises multiple layers including a first layer defining the first surface of the sponge body and a second layer defining the second surface of the sponge body.

In another aspect of the invention, the scraper sponge comprises a sponge body defining an outer surface and an aperture and a scraper fixedly secured within the aperture, the scraper having a tip portion defining at least one edge and a depressible surface to which forces are applied to manipulate the scraper. The at least one edge and depressible surface extend outwardly from the outer surface of the sponge body. The depressible surface optionally is contoured for receiving at least a portion of (i) a human finger, (ii) multiple human fingers, (iii) a human hand, or (iv) two human hands. Further, the at least one edge is at least one of (i) semi rigid and (ii) substantially rigid to facilitate effective scraping.

In another aspect of the invention, the scraper sponge comprises a sponge body defining an outer surface and including a first layer and a second layer and a scraper fixedly secured between the first and second layers, the scraper defining at least one edge and a depressible surface to which forces are applied to manipulate the scraper, the at least one edge and depressible surface extending outwardly from the outer surface of the sponge body. The depressible surface optionally is contoured for receiving at least a portion of (i) a human finger, (ii) multiple human fingers, (iii) a human hand, or (iv) two human hands. Further, the at least one edge is at least one of (i) semi rigid and (ii) substantially rigid to facilitate effective scraping.

Various other features and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, various embodiments for practicing the invention. The embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description of preferred embodiments is therefore, to be taken in an illustrative, rather than in a limiting, sense.

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the scraper sponge according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 1 including an additional layer on the sponge body.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the scraper sponge of FIG. 5.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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