Improvements in Soap and Sponge Holders.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
[Communicated from abroad by LEO FRANK, of 144, West 105th Street, New
York, in the State of New York, United States of America, Merchant.]
Improvements in Soap and Sponge Holders.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following
statement:-
My improvement is directed towards the production of a simple and efficient
device capable of attachment to an upright piece, for instance the side of a bath
tub, and serving to hold a piece of soap and a sponge. It further provides an
adjustable connection for that portion of the holder which serves for the attachment
of the latter to the upright piece, by means of which the members of the holder
may be adjusted relatively to each other.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front view of an article embodying my improvement.
Figure 2 is a side view thereof.
Figure 3 is a plan or top view of the same and
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of adjustable connection.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A designates a sponge holder. It is of open or skeleton construction. As here
shown it is composed of a number of wires a extending downwardly, and, at the
lower extremities bent forwardly and upwardly. The upturned extremities are
connected to a cross-bar or wire a', which cross bar or wire may be made from a
separate wire or it may be made integral with one or more of the wires a.
upper portions of the wires a are fastened to a bar, or plate a².
The
B designates the soap-holder. It is also of open or skeleton construction, and as
here shown, it is constructed of a number of wires 6 extended from the lower edge
of the plate a² and bent downwardly then forwardly and then upwardly.
These wires at their outer ends are connected by solder or otherwise to a wire b¹
which is extended horizontally outwards from the bar or plate a².
As here shown, wires 62 and 68 are extended outwardly from the side portions of
the bar b' to form the sides of the soap holder.
From the bar or plate a extend means whereby the entire article may be
fastened to the side of the bath-tub.
As.here shown these means consist of wires bent over into hook form to embrace
the upper edge of the bath tub.
I have also shown means by which the opening between the members forming
the hook portion of the sponge holder can be enlarged or diminished.
CC designate two rods or wires which are here shown as being continuations of
the outer wires a, a, of the sponge holder, but they may be made separate from the
latter wires and secured to the plate A². They extend upwardly and then
horizontally rearwardly from the soap holder. The middle wires a, a, are extended
upwards as shown at a³ to bear against the other side of the wall of the bath tub.
The outer wires C, C, are provided with plates C,C₁, which are bent in U shape,
or trough shape, and fastened to the horizontal portions of the rods, thus forming
sockets which are open at the sides. As here shown, they embrace these portions

page_text: of the rods, and are fitted thereon so that the edges of each plate are opposite those
of the other plate. In the upper part of each plate are notches c.
C2, C3, designate two rods or wires consisting of horizontal and vertical or
transverse portions. The horizontal portions are of such a size as to be capable of
entering the opposite longitudinal openings of the plates, C', C. As here shown
these rods or wires C2, C3, are secured to an outer cross-rod or wire C³.
The rods or wires C2, C3, are intended to be resilient so that they may be made
to yield relatively to each other in order that they may be passed between the two
plates C', C', and afterwards may be allowed to expand or move away from one
another, to enter the longitudinal openings of the two plates.
I have shown the rods or wires C³, C as having pins c³, c', extending from their
horizontal portions, and these pins are made of such a size as to engage with the
notches in the plates C¹, C¹. By means of this construction it is possible to
disengage the rods C³, C² from the plates C¹, C¹ and readjust them lengthwise of
said plates and afterwards re-engage them with the plates.
In this example of my improvement provision is afforded for increasing or
diminishing the opening of the hook or hooks, so as to adapt the same for
embracing the edge of a bath tub or any analogous structure, regardless of what its
width or thickness may be.
a
In Figure 4, I have shown a modified form of adjustable connection, representing
merely the engaging and disengaging parts of the connection. It comprises
plate D, having its longitudinal edges bent upwardly and then inwardly, so as to
form sockets with flanges d, which extend parallel with the main portion.
D' designates a U shaped piece comprising resilient portions which are capable
of being slipped under the flanges d of the plate D, and of expanding or diverging
so as to exert a frictional hold upon the upwardly bent portions at the edges of the
main portion of the plate. The flanges may be provided with notches d², and the
resilient portions of the piece D' may be provided with pins d³, d³, to engage with
the flanges.
It will be seen that the function of this form of my improvement is similar to
that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, that is to provide simple and easy means for
adjusting the two portions toward and away from each other, and also providing
means by which the two parts may be firmly and securely locked when so adjusted.
It will be seen to consist essentially of one part provided with sockets and another
part provided with resilient portions capable of being engaged with said sockets.
In using the term wire throughout the Specification and claims, I wish to
include not only what is ordinarily known as wire, but all material analogous
thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A rack comprising side wires and intermediate wires, all of said wires being
turned outwards and upwards and connected at their lower ends, the said wires
being hook shaped at their upper ends, and a connection between all of said wires
adjacent to the upper portions of the intermediate wires and below the hooked
upper ends of the side wires, substantially as specified.
2. A rack comprising side wires and intermediate wires, all of said wires being
turned outwards and upwards and connected at their lower ends, the said side
wires having hook portions at their upper ends, above the plane of the lower
upturned ends, and a connection between all of said wires adjacent to the upper
portions of the intermediate wires and below the hook portions of the side wires,
substantially as specified.
3. A rack composed of the side wires bent outwards and upwards at one end, and
connected thereat by a cross wire and then bent at the upper ends into substantially
parallel hooks, a cross wire connecting the vertical portions of said side wires on a
plane above the first named cross wire and intermediate wires substantially parallel

page_text: with the side wires and having portions turned outwards and upwards to connect
with the lower cross wire and having their upper ends connected to the upper
cross wire, substantially as specified.
4. The combination with the side wires bent as described, and the wires rigidly
connecting the ends thereof, of an intermediate wire having its lower portion bent
to conform to the lower portions of the side wires, and a cross piece or plate
connecting the vertical portions of said wires above the lower connecting wire and
below the hook portions of the side wires, substantially as specified.
5. A rack comprising side wires and intermediate wires, all of said wires being
turned outwards and upwards and connected at their lower ends, the said side
wires being hook shaped at their upper ends, an adjustable connection for adjusting
the opening of the hook, and a connection between all of said wires adjacent to
the upper portions of the intermediate wires and below the hooked upper ends of the
side wires, substantially as specified.
6. In a soap and sponge holder the combination with a part having sockets, of
another part provided with two resilient arms united at one end and adapted at
their free euds to enter said sockets and be pressed against the opposite sides of
said sockets in virtue of their resiliency, the two parts being provided with engaging
pins and recesses, substantially as specified.
7. In a soap and sponge holder the combination with a part having sockets, of
another part provided with two resilient arms united at one end and adapted at
their free ends to enter said sockets and be pressed against the opposite sides of
said sockets in virtue of their resiliency, substantially as specified.
Dated this 28th day of January 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.