Abstract:
A device and method can remove a scratch-off coating that initially conceals information The device has a rubbing member including a melamine open cell foam. The device&#39;s structure includes a body with a fluid chamber that communicates with a distal opening. The rubbing member is mounted at this distal opening. The structure includes a scraping element located at the rubbing member. The melamine open cell foam and the scraping element are simultaneously pressed against and moved across the scratch-off coating until it is removed and retained in the foam sufficiently to reveal the concealed information.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to scratch-off coatings and, in particular, to devices and methods employing different components in concert for removing the coating. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Instant-win scratch-off lottery tickets are very popular with various segments of the population. Symbols printed on the ticket indicate whether the gambler is holding a winning ticket, but these symbols are concealed initially under a removable coating These tickets offer a certain amount of mystery, anticipation, and an immediate answer to the question: “did I win?” 
         [0005]    Enthusiasts of this form of gambling will often buy a significant number of tickets in a single purchase. The task of removing the scratch-off coating from multiple tickets can be tedious, especially if one uses a common object such as a coin or key, which is often the case. Also, when a large number of tickets are purchased, the scrapings create a mess that is a nuisance to clean up. At times the scrapings can stick to a gambler&#39;s clothing, fingers, etc. 
         [0006]    A known cleaning material uses an open cell melamine foam. This foam has a network of relatively hard connecting elements. This hardness enables the foam to act as an effective micro-abrasive. On the other hand, the connecting elements are able to bend somewhat, giving the material a soft feel. Also, the network of cells is so small that the material has the appearance of a dense, almost continuous material. In addition, small particles abraded from a work surface can be captured in the open cell network. Consequently, the cleaning can be done with just a simple rubbing motion, without the need to mop up dislodged dirt or grime. 
         [0007]    Information about melamine open cell foam is contained in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,511,678; 5,413,853; 6,350,511; and 7,714,031, as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0061991. 
         [0008]    This melamine foam material can be manufactured in various shapes. In some cases, slabs of the material can be purchased and later machined into a desired shape Such material can be purchased as Basotect™ foam from BASF, a worldwide business headquartered in the Federal Republic of Germany. 
         [0009]    See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,625,700; 3,526,918; 4,724,568; 4,777,693; 4,777,693; 5,127,720; 5,301,387; 5,351,356; 5,907,882; 6,391,040; 6,629,330; 8,191,195; 8,206,820; 8,250,698; 8,269,196; 8,341,795; 8,627,536; and 8,777,972, as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002/0030181; 2007/0270088; 2008/0122220; 2008/0216260; 2009/0205152; and 2010/0064458 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a device for removing a scratch-off coating that initially conceals information. The device includes a rubbing member comprising an open cell foam. The device has a structure that includes a body with a distal opening and a fluid chamber communicating with the distal opening. The rubbing member is mounted at the distal opening. The structure also includes a scraping element located at the rubbing member. 
         [0011]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for removing a scratch-off coating that initially conceals information. This device includes a compressible rubbing member. The device has a structure that includes a body with a distal opening and a fluid chamber communicating with the distal opening. The rubbing member is mounted at the distal opening. The structure also includes a scraping element located at the rubbing member. 
         [0012]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention a method is provided for removing a scratch-off coating that initially conceals information. The method employs a melamine open cell foam and a scraper. The method includes the step of simultaneously pressing the melamine open cell foam and the scraper against the scratch-off coating. Another step is moving the melamine open cell foam and the scraper across the scratch-off coating until the scratch-off coating is removed and retained in the foam sufficiently to reveal the concealed information. 
         [0013]    In accordance with still yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for removing a scratch-off coating that initially conceals information. The device has a rubbing member with a distal end The device also has a melamine open cell foam that is abrasive and wetted with water. The device includes a structure having a body with a distal opening. The body has an external surface with at least a portion thereof cylindrical. The rubbing member is mounted at the distal opening. The structure includes a scraping element located at the rubbing member. The body includes a neck at the distal opening with a rim surrounding at least part of the rubbing member. The body also has a fluid chamber and a holding chamber. The fluid chamber communicates with the distal opening. The holding chamber is located between the fluid chamber and the distal opening. The rubbing member is mounted in the holding chamber and extends to the distal opening. The holding chamber communicates with the fluid chamber and the distal opening. The body includes a transverse perforated wall between the fluid chamber and the holding chamber. This wall is opposite the distal opening. The body also includes absorbent batting and a wick routed from the fluid chamber to the holding chamber. The absorbent batting is mounted in the fluid chamber and is wetted with water. The device also has a cap sized to fit around the neck and to cover the rubbing element. The body has opposite the distal opening, a cavity adapted to hold the cap. 
         [0014]    By employing devices and methods of the foregoing type, an improved technique is achieved for removing a scratch-off coating. In a disclosed embodiment, a device has a slender cylindrical body that can be held like a pen or marker. The body has two chambers: a fluid chamber with batting that holds a supply of water, and a holding chamber supporting a melamine open cell foam. The two chambers are separated by a transverse wall. A wick is routed from the fluid chamber through an aperture in the transverse wall, and into the holding chamber in order to wet the melamine foam. 
         [0015]    The melamine foam protrudes through a neck region and out through a distal opening. A scraping element provided at the distal opening will cooperate with the melamine foam. In one embodiment the scraping element is a nail-like stub with a proximal shank coaxially embedded in the foam and supporting an exposed, flared head. In another embodiment the distal face of the foam is beveled and lies next to a separate scraping blade whose distal edge is parallel to the distal beveled face of the foam. 
         [0016]    In yet another embodiment the scraping element is incorporated into the neck through which the melamine foam protrudes. At least a portion of the neck&#39;s rim is sharpened to provide a scraping edge. 
         [0017]    The device can be used by pressing the melamine foam and the scraping element against the scratch-off coating of a lottery ticket. The foam and scraping element are rubbed against the scratch-off coating to act in concert. The foam can by itself abrade and remove the scratch-off coating, but not with the efficiency that is achieved when the scraping element is present. The scraping element can dislodge from the coating relatively large particles or flakes that are then comminuted by the abrasive foam. The melamine foam reduces the dislodged coating into small particles that can pass into the open cells of the foam. This particle transport is facilitated by the water contained in the foam, which water is supplied from the wet batting and wick in the body of the device. Consequently, the scratch-off coating can be removed without scattering scrapings that can otherwise sully the workplace or the gambler&#39;s hands and clothing. 
         [0018]    When this task is completed, the gambler can retrieve a cap that has been temporarily stored on the proximal end of the device. Once retrieved, the cap can be placed on the neck of the device to cover the foam and prevent drying by evaporation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    The above brief description as well as other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments in accordance with the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a longitudinal sectional view of a device in accordance with principles of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a detailed, fragmentary, axonometric view of the upper portion of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is an axonometric view of the device of  FIG. 1  being used to remove a scratch-off coating; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is detailed, fragmentary, axonometric view of the upper portion of a device that is an alternate to the device of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a detailed, fragmentary, axonometric view of the upper portion of a device that is an alternate to the devices of  FIGS. 1 and 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    Referring to the device of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a structure is shown having a tubular body  10  with a cylindrical external surface  12 , adjacent to a neck  14  having a reduced outside diameter. Body  10  has a fluid chamber  16  that is closed on its proximal end by hat-shaped plug  18  having a cylindrical cavity  20 . The distal end of chamber  16  is bordered by transverse perforated wall  22  separating chamber  16  from holding chamber  24 , which has a reduced inside diameter in the space adjacent to wall  18 . The space surrounded by neck  14 , also part of the holding chamber  24 , has an even further reduced inside diameter. Neck  14  terminates in a distal opening  26  surrounded by circular rim  28 . 
         [0026]    In this embodiment body  10  has an overall length of 4 inches (10 cm), and an outside diameter of ⅝ inch (1.6 cm), although different dimensions can be used in other embodiments depending on the desired capacity, portability, strength, etc. 
         [0027]    Fluid chamber  16  contains absorbent batting  30  that is wetted with water to saturate or partially saturate the batting. Batting  30  may be a fibrous material having fibers made of cotton or other natural or synthetic fibers. In some cases, no batting will be used at all and chamber  16  will simply contain water. Water has the advantage of being widely recognized as being non-toxic, but other fluids can be used in different embodiments. Wick  32  is embedded in batting  30  and is routed through chamber  16 , out a concentric aperture in wall  22 , and into holding chamber  24 . Wick  32  may be a cord similar to the wicks used in cigarette lighters. 
         [0028]    Rubbing member  34  is mounted in the foregoing structure with its distal end  36  protruding from distal opening  26 . Member  34  extends throughout neck  14  to provide a prominent cylindrical section that is integral with a larger-diameter cylindrical base adjacent to wall  22 . Rubbing member  34  is shown filling all of holding chamber  24  and protruding from distal opening  26  approximately 0.4 inch (1.0 mm), although different amounts of protrusion can be employed in other embodiments. Also, the outside diameter of the distal portion of member  34  protruding from distal opening  26  has an outside diameter of ½ to ⅝ inch (1.4 to 1.6 cm), although this size can be varied depending upon the desired capacity, portability, working pressure, the expected size of the scratch-off coating, etc. 
         [0029]    Member  34  may be an open cell foam that is compressible and has micro-abrasion properties. In this embodiment foam  34  is a melamine foam of the type often used in cleaning pads. For example, foam  36  may be Basotect™ foam manufactured by BASF. In some cases, member  34  may be molded into the illustrated shape. In other cases member  34  may be produced as a slab which is then cut and machined into the illustrated shape. 
         [0030]    Wick  32  is shown routed from wall  22  and into a bore, groove or slice in melamine foam  34 , although in some cases the wick may simply be routed around the outside of foam  34 . Wick  32  extends through most of the length of foam  34 , and the wick length is chosen to ensure an efficient transfer of water from the wick in order to adequately wet the foam. 
         [0031]    The structure includes a scraping element, shown herein as scraper  40 . Scraper  40  is a stud with a flared distal head  40 A and a proximal shank  40 B that is coaxially embedded into the distal end  36  of melamine foam  34 . Head  40 A extends slightly past distal end  36 , although in some embodiments the head may extend further than illustrated or may be recessed in the foam. Scraper  40  may be made of hard plastic, a metal such as galvanized steel, or other materials. Shank  40 B may be secured in place by adhesives, heat sealing, or by ridges or threads (not shown) formed in the shank. Shank  40 B may be ¾ inch (1.9 cm) long, and head  40 A may be a cylindrical disk with an outside diameter of ⅛ inch (3 mm), although other dimensions and shapes may be employed depending upon the room available, the desired attachment strength, the size of the region to be scraped, etc. 
         [0032]    Cap  42  is shown as a cup-shaped member with a cylindrical opening sized to fit around snugly around neck  14 . Cap  42  has a cylindrical nose  42 A sized to fit snugly inside cavity  20  of plug  18 . 
         [0033]    To facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing device, its operation will be briefly described in connection with  FIGS. 1-3 . Scraper  40  and wick  32  may be installed separately into foam  34  Thereafter wick  32  can be threaded through wall  22 , which is then positioned adjacent to foam  34 . Thereafter foam  34  and wall  22  can be inserted together from below and into the positions illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0034]    With slight tension applied to wick  32 , chamber  16  can be filled with batting  30  either by blowing batting fibers into the chamber or by inserting clumps of batting into the chamber  16  and around wick  32 . 
         [0035]    Thereafter, chamber  16  can be filled with water to fully or partially saturate batting  30 . Consequently, wick  32  will draw water into foam  34 , thereby wetting it. Chamber  16  is closed by inserting plug  18  into the illustrated position. Plug  18  can be secured by a friction fit, by adhesives, by heat sealing, etc. Cap  42  can be placed on neck  14  to prevent evaporation through foam  34 . 
         [0036]    To use this device, a gambler will first remove cap  42  and insert nose  42 A into cavity  20  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  shows a lottery ticket  44  with two parallel stripes, the lower stripe  46  being covered with a conventional scratch-off coating. It will be understood that upper stripe  48  initially had the same scratch-off coating at the time of purchase, but is shown being removed in this view. 
         [0037]    Specifically, a gambler will grasp body  10  with thumb T, and fingers F (only one finger visible in this view) and swipe the stripe  48  from one end to the other with a back-and-forth motion. In some cases a single swipe may be sufficient to expose the previously concealed information  50  printed on stripe  48 . 
         [0038]    During this swiping, melamine foam  34  and scraper  40  will be simultaneously dragged across stripe  48  Scraper  40  will be more aggressive than foam  34  in dislodging the scratch-off coating (scratch-off coating as shown in stripe  46 ), although both will cooperate in removing this coating. Scraper  40  will tend to scrape off relatively large particles or flakes of the scratch-off coating, while foam  34  will abrade or grind portions of the coating that are either in their original place, or were dislodged by the scraper  40 . 
         [0039]    In any event, melamine foam  34  has micro-abrasive properties and is able to comminute the coating into fine particles, which can then be captured within the open cells of the foam. Since foam  34  is kept wet by batting  30  and wick  32 , particles comminuted by the foam become suspended in water and can readily migrate into the open cell structure of the melamine foam  34  From the user&#39;s perspective, the scratch-off coating will seem to “disappear,” because it immediately migrates into the melamine foam  34  as very fine particles. 
         [0040]    This process can be repeated on the scratch-off coating on the lower stripe  46 . If the gambler possesses more lottery tickets, the process can be repeated for these other tickets, and the work area will not be littered by the scrapings from the scratch-off coating. 
         [0041]    When the device is no longer needed, nose  42 A of cap  42  can be pulled from cavity  20 . Thereafter cap  42  can be placed over neck  14  to cover foam  34  and prevent evaporation. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , an alternate device is illustrated. Components corresponding to those previously described in  FIG. 1  will have the same reference numeral but increased by  100 . Neck  114  is the same as the previously illustrated neck (neck  14  of  FIG. 1 ) and is integral with a body (not shown) that is the same as that previously described in  FIG. 1 . In particular, the body associated with neck  114  will have a holding chamber and fluid chamber, the same as before. Essentially the difference in the embodiment of  FIG. 4  is the shape of rubbing member  134  and scraping element  140 . 
         [0043]    Rubbing member  134  is a six-sided block of open cell melamine foam in the shape of a parallelepiped. Each of the sides of block  134  is parallel to its opposite side except for beveled distal face  136 , which is tilted approximately 45° from the axis of neck  114 . The face opposite distal face  136  (not shown) is perpendicular to the axis of neck  114 . The other four faces of block  134  are parallel to the axis of neck  114 , with one opposing pair of them having a trapezoidal outline. 
         [0044]    Scraping element  140  is a relatively thin blade overlaying one of the trapezoidal faces of block  134 , and having the same outline as that trapezoidal face. Distal edge  140 A of scraping blade  140  is parallel to and coplanar with distal face  136 , although in some embodiments edge  140 A may protrude more or less than melamine block  134 . 
         [0045]    Melamine block  134  is wetted in a similar manner as before by means of a wick (not shown) This wick can be embedded in a slice, groove or bore (not shown) in block  134 , or can be captured between block  134  and blade  140 . Block  134  and blade  140  are forced fitted inside neck  114  to remain in place. The overall protrusion of block  134  and blade  140  is ¼ inch (6 mm), although a different amount of protrusion can be employed in other embodiments. 
         [0046]    The device of  FIG. 4  operates as before with blade  140  scraping away more of the scratch-off coating than melamine block  134 , while the melamine block comminutes fragments of the coating into fine particles that migrate into the open cells of the melamine block. The beveling of face  136  and edge  140 A allows the user to tilt the axis of the device at a comfortable angle, much like the angle used for a writing instrument, while still allowing face  136  and edge  140 A to squarely abut the work surface. 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , an alternate device is illustrated. Components corresponding to those previously described in  FIG. 1  will have the same reference numeral but increased by  200 . Neck  214  is similar to the previously illustrated neck (neck  14  of  FIG. 1 ) and is integral with a body (not shown) that is the same as that previously described in  FIG. 1 . In particular, the body associated with neck  214  will have a holding chamber and fluid chamber, the same as before. Essentially the difference in the embodiment of  FIG. 4  is the shape of rubbing member  234  and a modification to rim  228  in order to provide a different type of scraping element. 
         [0048]    Melamine foam  234  is the same as before except that distal face  236  is rounded, thereby tolerating a varying angle of attack. Also no scraping element is embedded in melamine foam  234 . Instead, a scraping element is provided by relieving a 90° sector of rim  228  into a beveled surface  252  that ascends to a pointed beveled edge  252 A. 
         [0049]    Melamine foam  234  is wetted in a similar manner as before by means of a wick (not shown). The overall protrusion of foam  234  is ⅛ inch (3 mm), although different amounts of protrusion can be employed in other embodiments. 
         [0050]    The device of  FIG. 5  operates as before with beveled edge  252 A scraping away more of the scratch-off coating than melamine foam  234 , while the melamine foam comminutes fragments of the coating into fine particles that migrate into the open cells of the melamine foam. The rounding of face  236  allows the user to tilt the axis of the device at a comfortable angle, much like the angle used for a writing instrument. 
         [0051]    It is appreciated that various modifications may be implemented with respect to the above described embodiments. While the melamine foam is wetted with water, other types of fluids may be used including detergents, viscous liquids, fragrant liquids, or substances that will dissolve a scratch-off coating. Disclosed embodiments employed a wick to transfer fluid to melamine foam, but in some cases the wick may be eliminated and fluid will simply be metered through one or more apertures in the wall dividing the holding chamber from the fluid chamber. In some cases the wall will be eliminated or replaced with a coating on the inside face of the melamine foam. The foregoing devices were styled much like a writing instrument such as a marker, but in other embodiments the device can be relatively short and may have a variety of different shapes including shapes that are polyhedral, ovoid, etc. In some cases the package may have a recess into which a finger may be inserted. The size and shape of the device can be altered depending upon the desired capacity, portability, etc. 
         [0052]    In some embodiments, the body (such as body  10 ) can have the shape of a large coin (e.g., 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) in diameter and 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) thick). The body can be assembled as two nestable cylinders that slide together and have on their edges aligned notches that allow passage of a wick A rectangular tube projects radially outward from the edge of the radially larger cylinder, in alignment with the matching notches. The melamine can be mounted proud, solely in this rectangular tube. The rectangular tube may have a tip that is beveled so the tube projects ⅜ inch (1 cm) from the obverse side and 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) from the reverse side (or vice versa). The tip is beveled about 45° relative to the axis of the body, and the axis of the rectangular tube. Other embodiments can have different or no beveling. The rectangular tube had in one embodiment an overall size of 5/16 inch (8 mm) in the axial direction (axis of the cylindrical body) and ⅜ inch (1 cm) in the direction transverse to the cylindrical axis and the axis of the tube. These dimensions can be varied in other embodiments, where the tube can be square, round, oval, or have other shapes. The wick can travel from the melamine in the tube, inwardly through the notches in the body, and against (or into) batting contained in the body. The batting can fill all or part of the body. The body may have an optional internal barrier to keep the batting in a restricted region. Instead of nested cylinders, in some embodiments the body may be a cylinder with a flat circular lid. In still other embodiments the body may be a squat parallelepiped with a melamine-containing tube projecting perpendicularly from one of its edges. In other embodiments the body can be lozenge-shaped. 
         [0053]    Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.