US3377121A - Soap pouch assembly - Google Patents

Description

\ INVENTOR.

April 9, 1968 M. D. BxLLEsBAcH ET AL SOAP POUCH ASSEMBLY Filed May 8, 1967 United States Patent O 3,377,121 SOAP POUCH ASSEMBLY Mary D. Billesbach and Frederick M. Billesbach, both of 7934 Clean Ave., Sun Valley, Calif. 91352 Filed May 8, 1967, Ser. No. 636,862 8 Claims. (Cl. 401-7) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The soap pouch assembly herein described provides a pouch having front and rear walls sewn along their .common side and bottom edges so as to dene an enclosed pocket with an open entrance leading thereto into the interior thereof. Soap chips, small soap cakes or other detergent material are placed within the pocket interior between the front and rear walls and an intermediate ap coextensive with the rear wall is employed to retain the soap within the pouch. A closure ap, having a portion of its edges sewn in common with the side edges of the front and rear walls, is coextensive with the front wall and is adapted to be folded over the pouch entrance including the fold of the intermediate flap to close or conceal the pouch interior or pocket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (l) Field of the invention This invention relates to soap pouch assemblies and, more particularly, to a novel soap pouch assembly having improved closure means for retaining and securing the opening entrance to the pouch interior to prevent the inadvertent release or ejection of soap and which is readilyadapted to be employed as an assembly by the user for washing and bathing purposes. l

(2) Description of the prior art Washcloths provided with soap receiving pockets are well known in the prior art; however, diiiiculty has been experienced with such prior washcloths which reside primarily in the procedure of inserting and holding a bar of soap in the soap pocket and further, in the application by the user of the combined washcloth and soap, to the back and less accessible parts of the body. Fabrication of such soap pouches or washcloth Ysoap assemblies from open mesh ber cloth presents a number of problems which heretofore have not been satisfactorily solved. It would be desirable, of course, to provide a pouch design or assembly which can be constructed as simply and economically as possible. However, the assembly must also be convenient to use and this requirement has tended to complicate the fabrication procedure. For satisfactory performance and use, it must be relatively easy to insert cakes or pieces of soap or other detergent material into the pouch or pocket, while at the same time having the pouch constructed so that the detergent material will not be ejected from the pouch while it is being used by the user for washing or bathing purposes.

One attempt to provide a satisfactory washcloth having a soap receiving pocket is disclosed in U.S. Letters Patent 3,124,827 wherein a washcloth is provided comprising a band of absorbent material and two sets of handle-forming draw strings wherein each set of draw strings is operatively connected to close a respective end of the band. The band forms a soap receiving pocket for holding and retaining a bar or cake of soap and the draw strings provide a pair of handles to be held by both hands of the user as the band containing the soap is manipulated over the users body. Although such a device may be useful in reaching remote portions of the users back, for example, the draw string handles are superfluous when it is desired to wash the front portion of the body as well as under the arms and leg regions. l

Other attempts have been made to provide a satisfactory soap and washcloth assembly such asthose SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the novel soap pouch assembly of the present invention obviates the problems and diiiiculties encountered with conventional soap pouches by providing a soap or detergent material receiving pocket defined by a front and rear wall wherein the edge marginal region of the front and rear walls are sewn together except for theirl adjacent uppermost edges which define an open entrance leading to the pocket interior. An intermediate flap, which is coextensive with the rear wall, is adapted to be folded through the entrance and into thevpocket between the inner surface of the front wall and the soap or detergent material. In this fashion, the soap is retained withinthe pocket and inadvertent ejection of the soap is deterred by the presence of the intermediate ap at the entrance to the pocket.

Closure 'flap means are provided which is coextensive with the front wall associated with the opening to the pocket and which includes edge marginal regions on opposite sides which are sewn in common to the sides of the front and rear walls. The closure means is adapted to be folded against the front wall to open the entrance to the pocket and is adapted to be folded into a closed condition over the entrance to the pocket to a position against the outer surface of the rear wall. Closure in this fashion permits a double closure in the form of the intermediate ap and the closure flap means.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that an open receptacle is defined by the closure flap means .in combination with the rear wall which is adapted to receive the ngers of the bathers hand so that the assemblage may now be manipulated over the bathers body without danger of dropping the soap, the necessity of having to directly grasp the soap and of gaining assurance lof a broad scrubbing surface for achieving thorough washing.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel soap pouch assembly which can be formed from a continuous length of cloth material and by merely folding and employingl stitching operations, pro- Another .object of the present invention is to provide a novel soap pouch assembly having an improved closureY means which constitutes a handereceiving pocket whereby the soap pouch assembly may be readily manipulated over the users body surface to the less accessible portions thereof. l

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel soap dispensing bag or pouch which is so constructed as to be readily held in the hand and having a pocket for receiving the fingers of the hand so that it will not easily slip out of the grasp of the user and in corporating a second pocket for holding a quantity of pieces of soap or detergent material.

Still another object of the present invention'is to provide a novel soap bag having a pocket for receiving soap scraps or broken pieces which would'otherwse vbe discarded and an intermediate tlap means for substantially retaining the soap material in the pocket and further including a iiap type closure means for securing the opening to the soap pocket which also may be employed for providing a pocket into which the hand of-the user may be inserted so that the assembly can be passed over the surface of the users body during a washing procedure.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel soap pouch assembly having a loop handle which is retained in place by means of a foldable closure fiap so that the handle will not be readily separated from the pouch during the insertion or removal of a detergent material from a central pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims, The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further .objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of the soap pouch assembly of the present invention illustrated in a typical application during a washing procedure as carried on the users hand;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the pouch assembly as shown in FIGURE l as taken in the direction of arrows 2-2 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the pouch assembly showing the enclosure of soap pieces and the closure ap preparatory to the closure of the entrance leading to the soap pocket thereof;

lFIGURE 4 is a transverse cross-sectional View of the pouch assembly as taken in the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view, partially in section of the pouch assembly illustrating the manipulation of the closure flap to effect closure of the soap pocket entrance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, the novel soap pouch assembly, in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated in the general direction of arrow 10, illustrating the assembly in use with the fingers of the users hand inserted into the finger pocket formed by a folded over closure ap 11. In one form of the invention, the assembly includes a pouch of closely woven cloth or fabric material having front and rear walls 12 and 13. The rear wall 13, which is the wall eventually engaged by the fingers and palm of the users hand, has an inwardly turned soap-retaining intermediate fiap 14 which serves as an interference member to prevent the soap from inadvertently ejecting out the pouch once it has been inserted. Similarly, the front wall ..12 carries the coextensive outwardly-turned closure fiap 11 which, as will be explained later, is turned inside out while being pulled over an entrance 15 to the interior of the pouch 10 after the soap, as indicated by numeral 16, has been inserted in a soap pocket 17 thereof.

The soap pouch 10 is formed of a close mesh material such as terrycloth, linen or other suitable material having a relatively rough or nubby surface. Preferably, the threads of the material are uncoated so that the material will readily absorb water to wet the soap 16 and to retain the resultant lather which develops rapidly.

r[he front and rear walls 12 and 13 are secured to one another along inwardly turned seams, such as seam 17, wherein the seam along the extreme upper and lower portions of the-pouch are in the order of twothicknesses of material where the side edges of the front and rear walls meet. However, the mid-portion of the pouch includes a third thickness composed of a portion of the opposite edges of fiap 111 indicated by numeral 20 where the side edges of the turned over fiap 11 are combined with the seam .18. By such construction, the fiap 11 provides elongated apertures as indicated by numeral 21 on opposite sides of the pouch immediately adjacent the opposite ends of the entrance leading into the pouch immediately below the fold line of fiap 11. Aperturas 21 serve as a means for venting the hand-receiving pocket and also prevents the accumulation of any dirt or foreign matter under the fold of the flap. Disposed immediately beneath the fold of flap 11 at the entrance to the pouch and extending through the apertures 211 on either side of the pouch, there is provided a cord type handle 22 which may be composed of any suitable material, such as twisted cotton, nylon or other material used for making a cord. The opposite ends of the length of cord 22 may be joined to form a continuous loop by means of a conventional fastening means such as a knot 23, for example. By this construction, it can be seen that the cord 22 is movably secured to the assembly and that the cord cannot be disassembled from the pouch even though the fiap 11 is folded adjacent the front wall 12 or adjacent the rear wall 13.

In the use of the soap pouch assembly 10 of the present invention, reference will now be made in detail to FIGURES 3-5 inclusive, wherein it may be assumed that the entrance 15 to the soap pocket 17 is initially open. The soap 16, in the form of a cake or pieces thereof, is inserted through the entrance 15 of the pouch and pushed down into the interior 17 defined by the inside surfaces of the front and rear walls 12 and |13, respectively. A lower edge 23 of the intermediate fiap 14 is then inserted from its position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3 through the entrance 15 into the interior 17 of the pouch so as to lie against the inner surface of the front wall 12 in contact with the collection of soap 16. A feature of the invention resides in the fact that the intermediate flap is elongated so as to extend the terminating end 23 sufficiently within the interior 17 and adjacent the bottom thereof so that even small pieces of soap, soap chips or even granulated detergent material will be captured in the pouch and restricted from inadvertent ejection out through the mouth 15.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, the user now grasps a lower edge 24 of the closure flap 11 and pulls the flap inside out over the entrance 15 of the pouch causing it to assume the position shown in FIGURE 5 overlying and engaging the outer surface of rear wall |13 of the pouch, The soap 16 is now doubly retained or captured in the pouch by the intermediate fiap 14 and closure Hap 11.

The user may, of course, grasp the pouch with the soap inside in any convenient manner. FIGURES l and 2, however, show a convenient way of grasping the assembly so that it will not slip out of the hand. In so doing, the user inserts the fingers of his hand into the pocket defined by the outer surface of rear wall 13 and the inner surface of the closure flap 11 and grasps the opposite wall 12 with his thumb. In this manner, the lower part of the pouch will line substantially adjacent the palm of the users hand so that the bulk of the soap contained within the pouch will be in an advantageous position for achieving lathered scrubbing action during a bathing procedure. The device may then be used to develop a lather and the soap cannot escape from the pouch; even small pieces are prevented from being ejected because of the extent to which the inner flap 14 extends into the interior 17 of the pouch. At the same time, water can flow into and out of the pouch freely in order to dissolve the soap and create a lather. The soap pouch assembly can be used for bath, dishes, laundry, cleaning or wherever soap is used.

In addition, it is envisioned by the present invention that the -cord 22 may be deleted from the assembly and that the outer surface of the fold vfor closure flap 11 as shown in FIGURE 1 may be modified to incorporate a loop which is sewn thereto that may be used to operate as a suspension loop for hanging the pouch assembly from a convenient plumbing fixture. Similarly, -it is envisioned that such a loop may be sewn in combination with the stitched seam 20, if desired. Furthermore, the present invention contemplates the provision that the closure flap 11 may be formed with an extended portion terminating beyond the stitching so .as to substantially cover the back of the users hand. Construction in this fashion allows the assembly to'constitute a washing glove having the nubby material of the cloth serving as a scrubbing surface substantially Idisposed about all portions of the hand extending from the wrist to the fingertips.

If desired, the pouch assembly may be decorated with fringe, a variety of eye appealing designs or other forms of imaginative stitching.

Therefore, it can be seen that the novel soap pouch assembly of the present invention provides a convenient washing accessory which obviates the problems and difficulties of the conventional soap pouches and containers. The soap is captured at all times and all components of the assembly captured so that the flap may be readily manipulated by the user without the employment of connectors, fasteners or other detachable securement of the components.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in it's broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications Vas fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A soap pouch assembly comprising:

a pouch formed from porous, closely meshed cloth material having a nubby textured surface including front and rear walls secured together in parallel relationship and closed along their bottom and side edges to define an open entrance for said pouch between the upper edges of said walls;

an intermediate flap coextensive with said rear wall forming a rst fold so as to be adapted to extend downwardly from the upper transverse edge thereof into the interior of said pouch along the inner side of said front wall wherein the free end of said intermediate flap terminates substantially adjacent the bottom edge of said pouch to provide an inner soap retaining pocket; and

an exterior closure flap formed coextensively with said front wall extending from the upper edge thereof in a permanent second fold downwardly part way along the outer side of said front wall, a portion of the opposite side edges of said closure ap being secured to and closed along the side edges respectively of said front and rear Walls and cooperating with said rear wall to form a nger receiving pocket, the lower edge of said closure flap being separated from said rear wall to form a downwardly open mouth leading into said linger receiving pocket, whereby said closure flap is foldable inside out over said entrance to said pouch to close said pouch entran by moving said lower edge ofsaid closure Hap upwardly over said first and second folds defining said pouch entrance and then downwardly along the outer surface of said rear wall.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said opposite side edges of said closure flap are secured in common with said edges of said front and rear walls only along the midsection of said pouch so as to leave a pair of substantial openings formed at the opposite ends of said pouch entrance, each of said openings extending laterally downwardly to expose an upper exterior portion of said front and rear walls.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 including an endless looped cord carried by said pouch.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 including an endless looped cord carried by said pouch, said cord extending immediately beneath and adjacent to said second fold :across said pouch entrance and being arranged to movably pass through said pair of openings.

5. The invention as defined in claim `4 wherein said cord is captured by said second fold of said closure flap so as to avoid disassembly from said pouch.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 including an extended portion integrally formed with said closure flap lower edge freely projecting past the bottom of said pouch adjacent said rear wall and being adapted to substantially cover the back of the users hand and wrist.

7. The invention as defined in claim `6 wherein each of said openings are formed by an .arcuate cut on opposite sides of said closure ap extending from the outermost edge of said second fol-d to a location midway between the opposite ends of said pouch.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein the length of said second fold formed by said closure ap is substantially shorter than the length of said lower edge thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,046,230 12/ 1912 Springhorn 15--509 2,569,067 9/ 1951 Liushin 15-509 XR 2,636,531 4/1953 Kelly 150-7 3,081,480 3/1963 Green 15-509 FOREIGN PATENTS 558,567 7/1957 Belgium.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTHfPrz'mary Examiner.

ROBERT I. SMITH, Examiner.

Images