Patent Publication Number: US-2022218160-A1

Title: Body Scrubbing Device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/137,599 filed on Jan. 14, 2021. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a multifunctional scrubbing tool. More specifically, the present invention provides a scrubbing tool that has a pouch centrally located between pair of elastic members having a flexible handle, wherein the pouch includes a plurality of apertures and a slit to access an internal volume. 
     People need to perform proper hygiene to maintain a healthy body. Moreover, it is important for people to remove dirt and oils from their skin. Failing to remove dirt and oils from the surface of the skin can lead the skin to become damaged. Managing proper hygiene can prevent individuals from suffering an illness or a disease. Typically, individuals will use some form of soap to provide the necessary cleansing of their skin. The soap can come in either a bar of soap or a liquid wash. For some individuals, there can be areas of their body that are difficult to reach. Even more so for individuals that lack dexterity due to age or a physical encumbrance. Specifically, those individuals have trouble reaching sections of their back. With the inability to apply soap and water to their back, they cannot remove the dirt or body oils that are present on their back. Additionally, people who do not possess a physical encumbrance may also have difficulty reaching other areas on their body with soap. 
     For the individuals that lack the ability to reach all areas of their body, they often must compensate to remove dirt and oils thereon. To compensate, these people typically must twist and contort their body to reach those parts of their body for cleaning. That twisting and contorting can be painful and may lead to an injury to the individual&#39;s muscles and joints. This type of physical movement might not even be plausible for individuals who do not suffer from any physical encumbrance. The use of cleaning devices may provide all individuals, regardless of the existence of an encumbrance, the ability to reach all areas of their skin for cleaning. 
     There are an abundance of different types of devices that can be used to assist individuals in cleaning the surface of their skin in difficult to reach areas. Such cleaning devices may include a standard washcloth or a loofah. These devices may be coupled with soap and water to become an effective cleaning device. However, these other cleaning devices can be incredibly difficult to use and may even be painful to use on an individual&#39;s skin. Depending on the size, some washcloths do not provide users with the necessary means to reach all areas on their body that require washing. Moreover, washcloths can have difficulty maintaining the necessary amount of soap to make for an effective cleaning device. Additionally, a loofah and similar devices include an extended member that allows the device to reach all areas of the body. However, the material used to clean an individual&#39;s skin which is disposed on the extended member of a loofah can be course and rigid. The course and rigid properties of a loofah can make them harmful to the skin. Specifically, when a user scrubs their skin with a loofah or similar cleaning device, the skin may become irritated and be painful to the user. 
     Therefore, there is a defined need amongst the known prior art references for a scrubbing tool that allows a user to clean all areas of their body by having a pouch centrally located between pair of elastic members, wherein the pouch includes a plurality of apertures and a slit to access an internal volume to allow for water and soap to pass through the pouch. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of multifunctional scrubbing tools now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new scrubbing tool having a pair of elastic members on opposing ends of a pouch, wherein the pouch includes a plurality of apertures and a slit to access an internal volume to place a bar of soap therein. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pouch that stores a bar of soap. The slit disposed on the pouch allows a user to place a bar of soap therein. When in the pouch, the user does not have to worry about trying to maintain a grip on a wet bar of soap. The pouch will properly secure the bar of soap. Additionally, the plurality of apertures disposed on the pouch will permit water to enter the internal volume of the pouch. When the water enters the pouch, the water will contact the bar of soap to generate soap suds. The soap suds may then exit the internal volume of the pouch via the plurality of apertures. When the pouch is in direct contact with a user&#39;s skin, the soap suds will be applied directly to the surface of the desired portion of skin to remove any dirt or oils thereon. The material of the pouch permits it to conform to the bar of soap. Conforming to the bar of soap allows for more soap suds to be applied to the user&#39;s skin. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is the pair of elastic members. The pair of elastic members provides the user with a plurality of features. A first feature is providing users with a means to hold the pouch. To position the pouch over a surface of the user&#39;s body that is typically hard to reach, the user will maneuver the pair of elastic members accordingly. The user will then continue to maneuver the pair of elastic members so that the pouch is placed over the desired portion of the skin surface to apply soap suds thereon. A second feature of the pair of elastic members is to secure items therein to the pouch. When the pair of elastic members are pulled in opposite directions, a tension state is created that prevents the slit disposed on the pouch from opening. Keeping the slit closed will prevent the items placed therein from falling out as the device is in use. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1A  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the multifunctional scrubbing tool. 
         FIG. 1B  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the multifunctional scrubbing tool. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the multifunctional scrubbing tool in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the scrubbing tool. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be limiting in any respect. 
       FIG. 1A  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a multifunctional scrubbing tool. The multifunctional scrubbing tool  11  includes a pouch  12  and a pair of elastic members  13 . The pouch  12  is composed of a flexible material. The flexibility of the pouch  12  permits the pouch  12  to conform to items placed therein. In the shown embodiment, the pouch  12  is oblong shaped. A plurality of apertures  15  is disposed on the pouch  12 . The plurality of apertures  15  have varying sizes depending on the location on the pouch  12 . In the shown embodiment, the plurality of apertures  15  decrease in size towards the ends of the oblong shape. The plurality of apertures  15  create a mesh design of the pouch  12 . The plurality of apertures  15  permit for liquids to pass through the pouch  12 . The pair of elastic members  13  are disposed on opposing ends of the pouch  12 . Each elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13  comprises an attaching end  14  and a handle end. The attaching end  14  of each elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13  is connected to the pouch  12 . The attaching end  14  secures each elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13  to the pouch  12 , so that the pouch  12  remains connected to the pair of elastic members  13  while the multifunctional scrubbing tool  11  is in use. 
       FIG. 1B  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a multifunctional scrubbing tool. The multifunctional scrubbing tool  11  may house a bar of soap or other items. The pouch  12  further comprises a slit  16 . The slit  16  extends along the pouch  12  from the attaching end of a first elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13  to the attaching end of a second elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13 . The slit  16  permits the bar of soap or other item to be placed within an internal volume  17  of the pouch  12 . The slit  16  is aligned with the pair of elastic members&#39;  13  longitudinal axis. This alignment of the slit  16  facilitates the closing of the slit  15  when the pair of elastic members  13  is pulled taut. In one embodiment, an adjustable elastic tightener encircles the slit  16 . The adjustable elastic tightener biases the slit towards a closed position. 
     As the pair of elastic members  13  are pulled in opposite directions, the attaching end  14  of each elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13  will tighten the pouch  12  and prevent the slit  16  from opening wide enough for the bar of soap or other items to leave the internal volume  17 . When the pair of elastic members  13  are not in a tension state, the pouch  12  may be opened. If the pouch  12  is opened, a bar of soap or other items may pass through the slit  16  to be placed within or taken out of the internal volume  17 . When a bar of soap or any other item is placed with in the internal volume  17 , water may enter the pouch  12  via the plurality of apertures  15  disposed on the pouch  12 . Water will help break down the bar of soap within the internal volume  17  to generate the necessary soap suds to assist with cleaning the surface of a user&#39;s skin. The soap suds generated may also pass through the plurality of apertures  15  disposed on the pouch  12  to make direct contact with the surface of the user&#39;s skin. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a multifunctional scrubbing tool in use. In use, a user will place a bar of soap or other items within the internal volume of the pouch  12  of the multifunctional scrubbing tool  11 . When the item is placed therein, the user may grasp a flexible handle  22  disposed on the handle end  21  of each elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13 . The handle end  21  is on the opposing end of the elastic member from the attaching end  14 . In one embodiment, the flexible handle  22  is a loop. In such embodiment, the user will place their hands through the loop to properly grab the flexible handle  22 . When the user pulls on each flexible handle  22  in an opposite direction, a tension state is created. In the tension state, the attaching end  14  of each elastic member of the pair of elastic members  13  will secure the contents of the pouch  12  and prevent the contents from falling out of the internal volume. The user will then maneuver the pair of elastic members  13 , so that the pouch  12  is placed on the area of their skin that they desire to clean. With water running, the user will alter the position of the pouch  12  along their body by adjusting the amount of tension created between the pair of elastic members  13 . Water will pass through the plurality of apertures  15  disposed on the pouch  12  to generate soap suds from the bar of soap placed within the pouch  12 . The soap suds generated will pass through the plurality of aperture  15  disposed on the pouch  12  to leave the pouch  12 . The soap suds will make direct contact with the desired surface of the user&#39;s skin for cleaning. When the soap suds are washed away from the user&#39;s skin, the desired surface of the skin will be cleaned. At the conclusion of use, the user will release their grasp of the flexible handle  22 . This will release the multifunctional scrubbing tool  11  from the tension state. Out of the tension state, the user may remove the remains of the bar of soap, or any other item placed within the pouch  12 . 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.