Patent Publication Number: US-2018035861-A1

Title: Scouring Pad Holder

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/371,934 filed on Aug. 8, 2016. 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 holders for scouring pads. More specifically, the present invention relates to a scouring pad holder including a plurality of arms configured to extend and retract from the body via actuation of an actuator and secure a scouring pad thereto. 
     The manipulation of a hand-held scouring pad can be detrimental to the fingers and hands of a user, particularly when it is used to clean cups with long and narrow bodies. Further, it is often very difficult to reach the bottom of the cup and clean the cup adequately simply using a hand-held scouring pad. Plastic scrubbing brushes including sponges or the like do not adequately reach the bottoms of most cups and are simply not abrasive enough to remove stains on the cup bottoms, which often leads to the cups being disposed of prematurely. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a scouring pad holder including an elongated handle and a means for removably securing scouring pads on an end thereof for the purpose of reaching the bottoms of long and narrow cups in order to clean them adequately. 
     The present invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood however that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and described since it may be embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of scouring pad holders now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new and improved scouring pad wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when washing or cleaning cups, mugs, utensils, and cooking ware. 
     In one example of the present invention, the scouring pad comprises an elongated tubular body including an interior volume, a handle, and a head disposed on a distal end of the body, wherein the head includes a diameter larger than a diameter of the handle. A plurality of arms slidably disposed within the interior volume of the body are in communication with a plurality of apertures disposed on the head. Each of the plurality of arms includes a first end coupled to an actuator and a second end including a catch disposed exteriorly to the head. The catch includes a diameter larger than a diameter of a respective aperture of the plurality of apertures, such that the catch prevents the second end of the plurality of arms from falling entirely into the head. The plurality of arms are extendable from the body to a first position and retractable into the body to a second position upon actuation of the actuator, such that they can be extended as desired to grasp and secure a scouring pad to the head and retracted in order o release the scouring pad from the head. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION 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. 1  shows a perspective view of the scouring pad holder in a retracted configuration receiving a scouring pad according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the scouring pad holder in an extended position according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3A  shows a cross-sectional view of the scouring pad holder in a retracted configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3B  shows a cross-sectional view of the scouring pad holder in an extended configuration. 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the scouring pad holder in an extended configuration securing a scouring pad thereto. 
     
    
    
     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 scouring pad holder. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a perspective view of the scouring pad holder in a retracted configuration and a perspective view of the scouring pad holder in an extended configuration, respectively. The present invention provides a scouring pad holder  10  configured to removably secure a scouring pad thereto. The scouring pad holder  10  comprises an elongated body  15  including a handle  20 , a head  25  configured to receive a scouring pad  28 , and a plurality of arms  30  configured to extend and retract into and out of the head  25  via an actuator  35 . The plurality of arms  30  include a catch  38  configured to removably secure a scouring pad  28  to the head  25 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . In the depicted embodiment, the elongated body  15  is tubular in shape and includes a circular cross-section, however, in alternative embodiments, the elongated body  15  may include a variety of different cross-sectional shapes. 
     The handle  20  extends from a proximal end  40  of the elongated body  15  towards a distal end  45  of the elongated body  15 . In one embodiment, the handle  20  includes a grip disposed thereon for providing comfort and support to a user when utilizing the scouring pad holder  10  to clean an item. The head  25  is disposed on the distal end  45  of the elongated body  15  and includes a plurality of apertures  50  in communication with the plurality of arms  30 . The head  25  protrudes vertically outwardly from the distal end  45  and is concentrically aligned with the handle  20 . In the depicted embodiment, the head  25  is spheroidal in shape. In alternative embodiments, however, the head  25  may include other oblong geometric shapes or a spherical shapes. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the plurality of apertures  50  are arranged in a plurality of vertical columns each extending linearly from an upper end  55  of the head  25  towards the proximal end  40  of the elongated body  15 . Further, the vertical columns are positioned at fixed intervals annularly about the head  25 , such that there is an equal space in between each of the vertical columns. The handle  20  and the head  25  each include a diameter smaller than a diameter of a cup such that the elongated body  15  can be inserted into the cup. For instance, in the depicted embodiment, the diameter of the head  25  includes a diameter less than 3 inches, or less than 83 millimeters, such that the head  25  can be inserted into any cup having an 82 millimeter, or 3.2 inch diameter. The handle  20  includes a diameter smaller than a diameter of the head  25  and a length larger than a length of the head  25 , such that a user may maneuver the handle  20  around the inside of a cup while maintaining sight of the head  25  and directing it towards a specific area within the cup. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , there is shown a cross-sectional view of the scouring pad holder in a retracted configuration and a cross-sectional view of the scouring pad holder in an extended configuration, respectively. The plurality of arms  30  of the scouring pad holder  10  are disposed in an interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15 . The interior volume  60  extends into the head  25 . Each of the plurality of arms  30  includes a first end  65  coupled to the actuator  35  and a second end  70  including the catch  38 . Each of the plurality of arms  30  is in communication with an aperture of the plurality of apertures  50  such that each arm of the plurality of arms  30  is extendable out of the head  25  through the apertures  50  to a second position and retractable into the elongated body  15  through the apertures  50  to a first position. Each of the plurality of arms  30  includes an elongated member including a diameter less than a diameter each of the plurality of apertures  50 , such that the plurality of arms  30  may slide unimpeded through the plurality of apertures  50 . In the depicted embodiment, the plurality of arms  30  comprise a flexible, resilient material that includes a high yield strength, such as metal wire or spring steel, thereby enabling the plurality or arms  30  to return to their original shape when bent during extension or retraction and use. In this way, the structural integrity of the plurality of arms  30  is more durable and may be preserved for a longer duration of time. 
     The second end  65  of each of the plurality of arms  30  is disposed outside of the elongated body  15 , such that the catches  38  are positioned exteriorly to the head  25 . When not extended from the head  25 , as shown in  FIG. 3A , the plurality of arms  30  and catches  38  are disposed in the first retracted position. When the plurality of arms  30  and catches  38  are extended into the second extended position, as shown in  FIG. 3B , the catches  38  are configured to removably receive a fibrous surface, such as the metallic fibers on a stainless steel scouring pad, and secure the head  25  thereto, as shown in  FIG. 4 . For instance, in the depicted embodiment, each of the catches  38  includes a spherical member configured to removably secure the interior of a scouring pad. However, in alternative embodiments, the catches  38  may include other catch-like members including tines, hooks, and the like. Each catch  38  further includes a size or diameter larger than a diameter of an aperture of the plurality of apertures  50 , such that the second end  70  of plurality of arms  30  cannot fall into the interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15 . 
     Actuation of the actuator  35  extends the plurality of arms  30  radially outwardly from the interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15  into the second extended position, while reverse actuation of the actuator  35  retracts the plurality of arms  30  radially inwardly into the interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15  into the first retracted position. In the depicted embodiment, the actuator  35  includes a slide switch  75  coupled to a shaft  80 , which in turn is coupled to a coupling member  85 . The slide switch  75  is slidably disposed along a length of the handle  15  and coupled to a first end  90  of the shaft  80 . The shaft  80  is disposed within the interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15  and extends longitudinally parallel relative to the elongated body  15 . The coupling member  85  is disposed within the interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15  and is coupled to a second end  95  of the shaft  80 . The first ends  65  of each of the plurality of arms  30  are coupled to the shaft  80  via the coupling member  85 . In the depicted embodiment, the coupling member  85  includes a planar disc slidably disposed along the interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15 . 
     When the slide switch  75  is actuated, or slid upwards in a first direction towards the distal end  45  of the elongated body  15 , the slide switch  75  drives the shaft  80  and the coupling member  85  in the first direction or upwards towards the distal end  45 . This causes the coupling member  85  to drive the plurality of arms  30  through the plurality of apertures  50 , thereby extending the plurality of arms  30  out of the head  25  to the second extended position. When the slide switch  75  is reverse actuated, or slid downwards in a second direction towards the proximal end  40 , the slide switch  75  pulls the shaft  80  and coupling member  85  in the second direction or downwards towards the proximal end  40 . The coupling member  85  then pulls the plurality of arms  30  back through the plurality of apertures  50 , thereby retracting the plurality of arms  30  into the head  25  to the first retracted position. In the depicted embodiment, each of the second ends  70  of the plurality of arms  30  is positioned at an obtuse angle relative to their respective first ends  65 . This enables lateral extension and retraction of the plurality of arms  30  in and out of the head  25 , although the actuator  35  is translating each of the plurality of arms  30  longitudinally upwards and downwards along the interior volume  60  of the elongated tubular body  15  when actuated. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a perspective view of the of the scouring pad holder in an extended configuration securing a scouring pad thereto. In one operation of the scouring pad holder  10 , a user retracts the plurality of arms  30  into the head  25  to the first retracted position and inserts the head  25  into a center or interior of a scouring pad. The user than actuates the slide switch  75  to drive the actuator and extend the plurality of arms  30  from the interior volume  60  of the elongated body  15  and out of the head  25 . When the plurality of arms  30  are extended out of the head  25  to the second extended position, the catches  38  engage the fibers of the scouring pad  28 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , thereby securing the scouring pad  28  to the head  25 . 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in various 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.