Patent Publication Number: US-6656565-B2

Title: Loofah washcloth with gripping area

Description:
The present invention relates to wash cloths for cleaning and washing the skin, and more particularly, to such washcloths that are made of loofah. 
     Washcloths for scrubbing, cleaning and/or washing the skin are very well known. Also known is the use of loofah as a beneficial material in washcloths and sponges that are used to scrub, wash and clean the skin throughout the body. Existing loofah washcloths, however, have no convenient means of gripping. As a result, it is not easy to make full use of the washcloth and hence the portion of the washcloth available for use at any one time is restricted. This is because normal use of the washcloth entails having the thumb and four additional fingers (sometimes fewer) of the user&#39;s hand positioned on the washcloth to grip it. This kind of normal grip necessarily entails having a large number of fingers covering a significant portion of the washcloth or sponge. Furthermore, this kind of grip often involves bending and creasing the washcloth. Both the direct blocking and the creasing interferes with the application of the full surface area of the washcloth on the skin at any one time. The fact that by changing one&#39;s grip constantly it is possible to shift to previously unused portions of the washcloth does not eliminate the problem. It is cumbersome and inconvenient to constantly do so. 
     Moreover, since washcloths made of loofah are superior for scrubbing and since scrubbing involves the application of a lot of force, it is particularly disadvantageous to be forced to change one&#39;s grip constantly when scrubbing with a loofah washcloth. It would be advantageous to have a loofah washcloth that can be gripped in a convenient manner that allows the user to make use of the full surface area of the washcloth. Furthermore it would be particularly useful to make full use of both sides of the washcloth without having to constantly change one&#39;s grip. The present invention provides these advantages and others. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A two-sided washcloth is made of a sheet of loofah that is lined on an outside perimeter with cloth. The washcloth has a convenient set of parallel spaced-apart linear openings also lined with cloth. The surface area of the loofah between the linear openings together with the lining around the openings constitutes a holding area for pressing the back one&#39;s hand against after inserting four fingers of a person&#39;s hand through both linear openings. The grip is secured by maintaining the thumb on the near side of the first opening. The grip permits both sides of the sheet comprising the washcloth to be applied to the body conveniently, thereby assuring maximum use of the loofah. 
     IMPORTANT OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     The following important objects and advantages of the present invention are: 
     (1) to provide a washcloth made of loofah which is especially beneficial for scrubbing, cleaning and washing human skin; 
     (2) to provide a washcloth made of loofah in which the full surface area of the washcloth can be used conveniently; 
     (3) to provide a washcloth made of loofah that can be gripped conveniently and held in a manner that allows use of the full surface area of the washcloth without having to constantly change one&#39;s grip; and 
     (4) to provide a washcloth that has both sides as usable surfaces. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of the washcloth of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the washcloth of the present invention taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a rear view of the washcloth of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the washcloth of the present invention shown held by a user. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In order to better understand the present invention in conjunction with the drawings of FIGS. 1-4, the overall washcloth of the present invention has been assigned reference numeral  10  and its elements are described and assigned the reference numerals identified below. 
     As best seen in FIGS. 1-4, washcloth  10  is comprised of a two-sided sheet  20  of a fibrous scrubbing material, such as loofah, together with a cloth border  40  stitched to loofah sheet  20 . Loofah sheet  20  has usable upper surface  20   a  and usable lower surface  20   b . Cloth outer border  40  is for reinforcement and for maintaining smoothness and it spans the thickness of sheet  20  from upper surface  20   a  to lower surface  20   b  of sheet  20 . The present invention also contemplates eliminating cloth outer border  40  or replacing it with other suitable reinforcement materials. 
     Sheet  20  is preferably substantially rectangular with rounded corners or is rounded. Alternatively, sheet  20  can also be shaped in other shapes such as oval. If sheet  20  is rectangular, openings  30  should be substantially parallel to the sides of the rectangular sheet  20 . Both a reinforcing lining border  32  around elongated opening  30  and cloth outer border  40  are attached to the loofah sheet  20  by means of stitching, although other suitable forms of attachment are contemplated. Reinforcing lining border  32  should not be attached in a way that interferes with the overall smoothness of the surface of washcloth  10 . 
     The term “substantially rectangular” as applied to sheet  20  shall mean that the corners of sheet  20  may have rounded earners and the sheet is otherwise rectangular, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. The term “substantially parallel” as applied to the elongated openings  30  shall mean that these elongated openings are situated so that they are between approximately 179 and 180 degree angles from one another. This is visible from FIGS. 1 and 3 in which the openings  30  are not exact straight lines. 
     The loofah material, a sponge comprised of the fibrous skeleton of the fruit of a tropical plant of the gourd family, is especially beneficial for scrubbing, washing, cleaning and rubbing human skin. Loofah also stimulates the skin when used for these purposes. Besides these features, the loofah material also has the advantage of having the desired amount of stiffness needed. Sheet  20  of the present invention made of loofah is not so stiff that it is uncomfortable when applied to the human skin with force, as is done during scrubbing. On the other hand, the loofah sheet  20  is sufficiently stiff that sheet  20  maintains its shape when gripped in the manner described below using openings  30 . A traditional cloth washcloth would not be stiff enough to maintain its shape under similar circumstances. When sheet  20  is wetted before use, it becomes slightly less stiff but still remains stiff enough so that it maintains its shape when gripped in the manner described below using opening  30 . 
     Sheet  20  has formed within it two parallel elongated openings  30 . The elongated openings  30  have a cloth lining border  32  to maintain a uniform shape for the openings  30  and to provide reinforcement. Although the present invention refers at times to a cloth lining border  32 , the present invention is not limited to openings  30  having cloth lining border  32  but rather includes any reinforcing material or fabrics, such as a fabric lining border  32  or other reinforcing lining border  32  comfortable to the skin, besides cloth that achieves the above reinforcement and uniformity purposes. Although not necessarily ideal, the present invention also contemplates omitting cloth lining border  32  altogether provided loofah sheet  20  can be made to have a uniform edge where openings  30  begin that is comfortable for the user&#39;s hands. 
     Cloth lining border  32  for each elongated opening  30  covers the point where the loofah material of sheet  20  ends and that elongated opening  30  begins. Each of elongated openings  30  should be at least one handbreadth long to allow insertion of four fingers of one&#39;s hand. Elongated openings  30  should also be long enough so as to interfere only minimally with the application of the loofah sheet  20  to the skin. Hence openings  30  traverse only a portion of the breadth of sheet  20 . Openings  30  should also be centered in sheet  20 . Elongated openings are centered in a length of sheet  20  and in a width of sheet  20  to obtain the maximum control over washcloth  10 . As is clearly shown in FIGS. 1-3, elongated openings  30  traverse the frill thickness of sheet  20 . 
     Let us assume that the user wishes to apply lower surface  20   b  to the skin. The portion of the surface  22  of loofah  20  that is located between the elongated openings together with the cloth lining border  32  forms a gripping area  23  in the center of the upper surface  22   a  of sheet  20 . The gripping area is helpful because a user can insert four or fewer fingers of the user&#39;s hand through both elongated openings  30  and then maintain the grip by pressing the back of the hand against the gripping area  23  while maintaining the thumb of the same hand on a surface area of upper surface  20   b  of loofah sheet  20  outside the gripping area. 
     With the grip configuration afforded by the washcloth  10  of the present invention, the user can apply almost all of lower surface  20   b  of loofah sheet  20  to the skin and scrub the skin with force. The five fingers are actually adjacent upper surface  20   a  and almost all of surface  20   b  is usable for scrubbing against the skin. Furthermore, sheet  20  can be used on each of its two surfaces  20   a ,  20   b . The same description of the procedure and advantages of washcloth  10  applies if the user wishes to apply upper surface  20   b  to the skin except that in that case the user would grip washcloth  10  on lower surface  20   b  of sheet  20  since sheet  20  can be easily turned upside down. 
     It is to be understood that while the apparatus of this invention have been described and illustrated in detail, the above-described embodiments are simply illustrative of the principles of the invention. It is to be understood also that various other modifications and changes may be devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof. It is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. The spirit and scope of this invention are limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.