Abstract:
The invention seeks to provide a hand-mounted cleaning tool comprising a palm portion and a finger-covering portion, wherein the finger-covering portion is provided with a scouring surface on a back side thereof.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 61/511,483, filed Jul. 25, 2011 and entitled “HAND-MOUNTED CLEANING TOOL”, which provisional application is incorporated herein in its entirety; and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Canadian patent application 2,742,477, filed Jun. 9, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to cleaning tools, and specifically to cleaning tools mounted or worn on a user&#39;s hand. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The washing of food preparation, serving and eating wares is a widespread daily practice in much of the world, and it has been a common practice for millennia. The actual basic practice for cleaning such items as pots, dishes and cups has remained relatively stable over the centuries in terms of standard tools and methods, although the development of various cleaning implements to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the procedure has been evident in recent generations. 
         [0004]    One of the common cleaning tools that is regularly employed is the dishcloth. Normally composed of a water-permeable fabric material that can draw in and retain hot soapy water, the dishcloth is used to apply that water to soiled or encrusted wares and to allow the user to employ force to scrub the wares until they achieve a desirable state of cleanliness. It has been recognized, however, that the common dishcloth, while a highly valuable and central staple of the cleaning practice, has certain drawbacks. For example, it can be awkward to hold a dishcloth in one hand while attempting to manipulate the soiled wares with the other hand, and holding the wares with the dishcloth itself can be challenging given the slick coating of soapy water on the wares; the result is that a user must normally drop the dishcloth into the soiled water in order to handle the wares, and then pick up the dishcloth again, which process is repeated numerous times during a washing session. Also, the dishcloth often ends up being compressed into a ball-shaped wad during the cleaning exercise, which reduces the effective cleaning area of the dishcloth and decreases the efficiency of the cleaning process. In addition, the common dishcloth is designed to effect gentle scrubbing of wares, not scouring, and a user must therefore switch back and forth between the dishcloth and a separate scouring tool to remove encrusted particles, as applying more abrasive tools to sensitive wares such as coated cooking pots or painted dishes as the primary cleaning tool would be ultimately destructive. 
         [0005]    The user&#39;s hand itself is the most central and dextrous tool in the cleaning of soiled wares. This has been recognized in the advent of certain glove-based cleaning tools, which seek to take advantage of the benefits of hand dexterity and manipulative utility and tie them into the traditional dishcloth functionality. 
         [0006]    U.S. Design Pat. No. D632,859 to Firouzman discloses a cleaning and scouring glove, but it is clear from the drawings that the abrasive scouring surface covers the entire palmar surface and accordingly cannot provide a cleaning experience akin to a dishcloth. It appears to be entirely limited to the scouring of wares that are encrusted with undesirable build-up. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,998 to Barry teaches scouring gloves that employ scouring pads on the distal and palmar ends of the fingers, in addition to a soap containment bladder in the palm. It is noted, however, that the palmar surface is specifically taught to be abrasive, to protect the soap containment bladder from damage. Again, as with Firouzman, the user would lose the benefits provided by the common dishcloth and would have a tool that appears to be too abrasive for cleaning certain objects. The user would be forced to use both the scouring gloves and a dishcloth to effect the necessary cleaning. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,171 to Jacobs et al. teaches a waterproof cleaning glove that incorporates various scouring features, specifically an artificial thumbnail for scraping encrusted particles and scouring surfaces on the first and fourth fingers. While the combination of cleaning and scouring features is desirable, it is submitted that such a glove having scouring surfaces on the sides of the fingers would be awkward to use and would likely have reduced effectiveness. In addition, ergonomic factors would suggest that using such a glove might introduce undesired strain to the user&#39;s hand and wrist. 
         [0009]    It is clear that there is a need for a cleaning tool that can be worn or mounted on a user&#39;s hand that can provide the benefits of traditional cleaning and scouring tools in such a way that different target wares can be cleaned effectively and safely, with the ability to limit damage to sensitive wares. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention therefore seeks to provide a hand-mounted cleaning tool comprising a palm portion and at least one finger-covering portion, wherein the at least one finger-covering portion is provided with a scouring surface on a back side thereof. 
         [0011]    The cleaning tool may take the form of a glove or mitt, or a portion thereof, and may be elasticized at the user&#39;s wrist for enhanced retention. Where the cleaning tool is in the form of a glove, the fingers are preferably shortened, which can help to enable adequate control of the objects to be cleaned while ensuring that the scouring surfaces are more easily directed and the application force controlled. The scouring surface may be located at a distal end of the finger-covering portion or along the length of the finger-covering portion, and may extend over the tip of the finger. 
         [0012]    The palm portion is preferably made of a water-permeable cloth that can soak up and retain washing fluids for application to an object being cleaned, such as a mixture of cotton and spandex, while the scouring surface is preferably made of an abrasive material such as a non-scratch scour pad. 
         [0013]    A cleaning tool in accordance with the present invention, therefore, can provide an effective cleaning solution that manifests the advantages of numerous cleaning functionalities in one tool. When a gentle cleaning is required, the palm of the tool can be used, providing a large cleaning surface to enable more efficient and thorough washing of soiled wares, and there are no scouring elements that could potentially damage sensitive ware coatings or painted finishes. When scouring is required, however, the user can curl the fingers over and apply the backs of the fingers to the soiled wares, enabling the action of the scouring surfaces against the encrusted particles. Different target wares can be cleaned effectively and safely with a single, easy-to-use cleaning tool. 
         [0014]    A detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is given in the following. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be construed as being limited to these embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention: 
           [0016]    a.  FIG. 1   a  is a plan view of the back side of a cleaning tool according to a first glove-based embodiment of the present invention, with scouring surfaces extending the length of three finger portions on the back sides of the finger portions; 
           [0017]    b.  FIG. 1   b  is a plan view of the palmar side of a cleaning tool according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1   a ; 
           [0018]    c.  FIG. 2  is a plan view of the back side of a cleaning tool according to a second glove-based embodiment of the present invention, with scouring surfaces at the distal ends of three finger portions on the back sides of the finger portions; 
           [0019]    d.  FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a cleaning tool according to a third glove-based embodiment of the present invention, with scouring surfaces extending the length of three finger portions on the back sides of the finger portions and wrapping over the fingertips; and 
           [0020]    e.  FIG. 4  is a plan view of the back side of a cleaning tool according to a mitt-based embodiment of the present invention, with scouring surfaces at the distal end of the finger-covering  portion on the back side of the finger-covering portion. 
       
    
    
       [0021]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, a first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b . The cleaning tool  10  according to this first embodiment takes the form of a glove that is designed and configured to fit over a user&#39;s hand (not shown) in a conventional manner. The cleaning tool  10  comprises a palm portion  12 , a back portion  14 , and finger-covering portions  16 . These portions, which make up the general form of the glove, may be produced from any type of fabric, natural or artificial, preferably water-permeable, that is commonly employed in the manufacture of dishcloths, and examples of such fabrics would be well known to those skilled in the art. It is preferred that these portions be produced from a cotton/spandex blend, and most preferably a 90% cotton/10% spandex blend, as the spandex can increase the durability and comfort of the cleaning tool  10 . 
         [0023]    In this first embodiment of the present invention, the backs of the finger-covering portions  16  are provided with abrasive scouring surfaces  20 , which run the length of each finger-covering portion  16 . The scouring surfaces  20  are located on the backs of the finger-covering portions  16  in such a way that the palm portion  12  of the cleaning tool  10  is free of any scouring elements and can accordingly be used to clean sensitive object surfaces or those not requiring a scouring action. The scouring surfaces  20  may be affixed to the backs of the finger-covering portions  16 , but preferably they can be made removably attachable so that replacement parts can be attached when the existing scouring surfaces  20  wear down; this can be accomplished using hook-and-loop fastening technology or any other appropriate means as would be known to one skilled in the art. The scouring surfaces  20  can be made of any suitable material known in the art, including non-scratch scouring material like Scotch-Brite™ brand scouring material. 
         [0024]    In the preferred method of operation, the cleaning tool  10  is worn on one of the user&#39;s hands during the washing of objects, normally dishes and other food preparation and serving wares. The cleaning tool  10  is first submerged in the hot soapy water that is being used to clean the wares, soaking up some of the water. Holding the wares in the hand not sheathed in the cleaning tool  10 , the user would then apply the palm portion  12  and palmar surfaces of the finger-covering portions  16  of the cleaning tool  10  to the wares and wash the wares by means of rubbing the palm portion  12  and palmar surfaces of the finger-covering portions  16  across the surfaces of the wares. Where the wares are covered in encrusted or other particles requiring a scouring action for removal, the user would curl the fingers in order to effect a curling of the finger-covering portions  16 , thereby enabling the scouring surfaces  20  to be applied directly to the wares for a scouring action. The shortened finger-covering portions  16  have the additional advantage of ensuring that the user&#39;s fingertips are firmly within the distal ends of the finger-covering portions  16  and can more easily and firmly direct pressure against the encrusted particles. Once the encrusted particles are sufficiently removed, the user can relax the fingers and continue washing the wares with the palm portion  12  and palmar surfaces of the finger-covering portions  16  of the cleaning tool  10 . 
         [0025]    The cleaning tool  10  is also provided with an elasticized wrist  24  to help ensure retention of the cleaning tool  10  on the user&#39;s hand during use. There are many different forms and materials that can be employed for this purpose, as would be clear to one skilled in the art. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  illustrates a second embodiment of the cleaning tool  10  of the present invention. In this second embodiment, the scouring surfaces  20  take the form of small scouring pads applied to the distal ends of the backs of the finger-covering portions  16 . These scouring surfaces  20  would be used in the same manner as discussed above in relation to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b.    
         [0027]      FIG. 3  illustrates yet another embodiment of the cleaning tool  10  of the present invention. Akin to the embodiment of Figures la and lb, the scouring surfaces  20  are disposed along the entire length of the backs of the finger-covering portions  16 . However, in this embodiment, the scouring surfaces  20  are extended over the tips  22  of the finger-covering portions  16 , such that the user could use the fingertips themselves to scrub at encrusted particles on the wares being washed. In this embodiment, the user would need to ensure that the extension of the scouring surfaces  20  over the tips  22  did not negatively impact the gentle washing enabled using the palm portion  12 , and the user may not be able to employ the palmar surfaces of the finger-covering portions  16  in this gentle washing action. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  illustrates a mitt-based embodiment of the present invention, as the invention is not limited to only those embodiments taking the general form of a glove. In this embodiment, the cleaning tool  10  comprises a back portion  14  and a finger-covering portion  18 . Again, as with the above embodiments, the user would curl the fingers to effect a curling of the finger-covering portion  18  to enable scouring of encrusted particles using the scouring surfaces  20 . 
         [0029]    The foregoing is considered to be illustrative of the principles of the invention. Thus, while certain aspects and embodiments of the present invention have been described, these have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Indeed, the invention described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention as demonstrated through the above exemplary embodiments.