US2851714A - Handle supported scouring implement - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 16, 1958 A. M. GOODLOE HANDLE suPPoRTED scoURING IMPLEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 4, 1956 MH wvwmmmwwwmwmmmmwmMmmwmmmmmmm Wmvmmmmmmw- IN1/EN ToR. /I'fezjf Ganda',

mzyfya Sept. 16, 1958 A. M. GOODLOE HANDLE sUPPoRTED scoURING IMPLEMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 4, 1958 IN1/EN TOR. gffif 5mm@ BY .ma @ggg/j MEW 916' Sept. 16, 1958 A. M. GOODLOE HANDLE sUPPoRTED scoURING IMPLEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed, Dec. 4, 1956 2,851,714 HANDLE SUPPGRTED- SCOURINGy llVIPLEMEN T Alfred M. Goodloe, Westeld, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Metal' Textile Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application December 4, 1956., SerialNo. 626,149

3` Claims. (Cl. 15-209) This invention relates toan improved construction of scouring devicev comprising a handle supported abradantbody formed. from tubular knit metallic mesh,.preferably, but not necessarily, knitted from ilattened4 or ribhonlike wire; said abradant body being adapted. in. use, to eifect mild abrasive or scraping action suitable. for scouring and cleaning the surfaces of utensils, or other surfaces required to be so treated.

Heretofore attempts havev been madeto produce a scouring implement comprising a handle4 supported abradant body which can be so manipulated by the` user as to avoid necessity of dipping. theV hands of the user into detergent impregnated. or soapy water. In. such prior implements, the abradant body was formed by aV multi.- plicity of radially extending carrying strands gimped or wound with fiat metallic wire (an4 example of such type of implement being disclosed in Unitedv States Letters Patent No. 1,762,182).y but owing to. high cost of the gimping operation and the difficulties of manipulating such kind of material whereby to produce an abradant body, and the fact that the resultant body lacked firmness and adequate resistance to wear, such type4 of implement has not been found either etiicientl in use or commercially satisfactory, and manufacture and sale thereof has, it is believed, been generally abandoned.

Heretofore, it has` also been attempted to produceV a handle supported abradant body formed from. tubular knit dat wire mesh, but such devices have not been wholly satisfactory, largely for the reason that the mesh material tended to be too solidly compacted, andas a consequence lacked sufficient softness and yieldable compressibility to readily conform itself to the Vcontours of a surface to which it was applied for abrasive scraping action upon said surface, in `carrying out al scouring effect thereupon.

Having the above in View, it is an object of this invention to provide a handle supported `convol-ute abradant body for scouring effect formed from tubular knit metallic wire mesh, wherein the peripheralareas of the body formed therefrom are relatively soft and yieldably compressible, and consequently will readily conform themselves to a surface contacted thereby in use; and whereby maximum of abrading and scouring` action of such peripheral areas will be effectively applied tothe contacted surfaces desired to be cleaned.

Another object of the invention is to so condition the tubular knit wire mesh thatwhen formed into a convolute abradant body, the peripheral areas of the body convolutions can laterally expand to provide a relatively soft yieldably compressible body mass, which will readily conform itself to a surface, undergoing the scouring and cleaning eifect thereof, when pressed and rubbed against such surface; and wherein, due to the knitted conditiony of the body forming mesh material or fabric, said body is splinterless and strongly resistant to disintegration under wear in use.

A lfurther object of the invention is to provide a convolute abradant body, having the characteristics above ,stmt Patented Sept. i6, g

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sion therefrom, and in connection with which wire core a suitably extended handle member can be formed or attached.

The above and other objects will become apparent from a reading of the following description-of this invention in connection with the accompanying drawings of an illustrative embodiment thereof, which drawings more or less schematically delineate the device of this invention and the steps of the method. by which it is produced.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is. a plan view` of tubular knit metallic wire mesh, showing the same as longitudinally corrugated, crimped or pleated preparatory to use thereof in producing the device of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the winding of the longitudinally crimped or pleated tubular knit metallic. mesh around they parallel arms of a U-shaped mandrel, as a step in the production of the scouring device.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing intersecting portions of the wound mesh of Fig. 2 compressed into consolidated central sections from which opposite loops of the windings extend.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View ofthe wound mesh removed from ther mandrel and disposed to engage its` consolidated central sections between a pair of core wires, preparatory to twisting the. latter in secured and supporting relation to the. woundmesh; and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, takenv on line 5 5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sidev elevational view of the wound mesh as assembled with and supported by the twisted'` core wires; and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional View, taken on line 7-7 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a yface View of thecompleted scouring device as formed by bending the twisted core wires into a loop or ring formation from which the convolutions of the wound mesh radiate, and with a handle member atxed to the extendingl free end portions of the twisted core wires.

In order to illustrate the essential characteristics of the scouring implement according to` this invention, the drawings show, in somewhat schematic fashion, certain steps by which the body thereof can be produced. The abradant body of the implement is essentially made of tubular knit metallic mesh, preferably knitted from flattened or ribbonlike wire.

A. tubular knit strip 10 of such metallic mesh of selected width is rst run longitudinally through and between corrugating rolls (not shown), which provide the strip with` longitudinally extending parallel corrugations, crimps. or pleats 11 (see Fig. l), thus reducing the initial width of the strip l0, while at the same time giving it substantial bulk or thickness, whereby to provide a tubular knit strip S as a basel material from which the abradant body of the scouring implement, according to this invention, canA be produced.

A suitable length of the longitudinally corrugated, crimped or pleated mesh stripy S is helically wound, to a selected number of closely spaced turns, about the parallel arms of, a U-shaped mandrel. l2 (see Fig. 2)'. Although to simplify illustration but a single mesh strip S is shown in the drawings as wound about the mandrel l2, it will lbe understood that, in order to obtain substantial bulk and size of the abradant body mass, a plurality of superposed mesh strips S, e. g. two or more, may together be wound about the mandrel 12.

The mesh strip material having been helically wound about the mandrel 12, central portions of the windings thereof will intersect or cross one over the other. It is preferable that such intersecting portions be compressed and interlocked together, thereby to form consolidated central sections 13 from which opposite loops 14 of the helical windings of the mesh strip extend (see Fig. 3). Such consolidated central sections 13 can be produced by compressing the intersecting portions of the mesh strip windings between opposed pressure exerting dies or jaws A15-15 (see broken line representation thereof in Fig. 3). Such formation of said consolidated central sections of the wound mesh strip S can be produced either before or after said wound mesh strip is removed from the mandrel 12.

The helically wound mesh strip S is removed from the mandrel 12, and thereupon laid between a pair of core wires 16, which are disposed to cross and respectively engage opposite sides of the consolidated central sections 13 of said wound mesh strip (see Figs. 4 and 5). The wound mesh strip S being thus engaged with and between the core wires 16, the latter are twisted together, thereby to firmly grip and anchor the consolidated central sections 13 of the mesh strip between the opposed bights of the twisted core wires, thus causing the mesh strip to assume a helical or spiral formation in extension from and around the twisted core wires, so that the latter thereupon provide the supporting or carrying core 17 for the resultant abradant body mass (see Figs. 6 and 7).

Owing to the longitudinally corrugated, crimped or pleated formation of the mesh strip S, the outer peripheral areas or portions of the convolutions of the wound mesh strip, which helically extend around and along the twisted wire core 17, in supported extension therefrom, tend to laterally expand, and thus to fluff or puff out. Due to this, the outer peripheral areas or portions 18 of the convolutions of the mesh strip material become relatively soft, yieldable and easily compressible, so as to readily conform to a surface against which the abradant body is pressed and rubbed in use.

To complete the formation of the scouring implement of this invention, the twisted wire core 17, with its supported convolute knitted mesh abradant body mass, is bent around into a loop or ring formation, so as to bring together, in extension therefrom, free end portions 19 of said twisted wire core 17. The bending of the twisted wire core 17 into such loop or ring formation, causes the outer loops or peripheral portions 18 of the convolutions of the knitted mesh abradant body to project substantially radially from the loop or ring formation, and to become, by the lateral spreading of the longitudinal corrugations, crimps or pleats 11, laterally expanded to a fluff-ed or puffed out condition (see Fig. 8). It will thus be obvious that a very practical, eicient and splinterless abradant body formed from convolved knitted metalli-3 csh is provided, and one wherein the mesh material, particularly at the outer peripheral areas of the convolute abradant body provides a relatively soft and resilientl'y compressible mass which, in use, can effectively conform itself to a surface to be cleaned, when pressed against and rubbed over such surface. The free end portions 19 of the twisted wire core can themselves be formed to provide an extending handle by which the abradant body can be manipulated without dipping the users hand in detergent impregnated or soapy water. Preferably, however, said free end portions 19 of the twisted wire core are inserted in and affixed to a handle member of suitable shape, as shown in Fig. 8.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

l. A scouring implement comprising a supporting mem- 4 ber provided by a pair of core wires, flattened tubular knit metallic mesh of selected width and provided with longitudinally extending corrugate crimps, said crimped mesh being wound into a spirally convolute formation, intersecting portions of the convolute formation being compressed and united to provide central consolidated sections, said consolidated sections being disposed between the core wires, said core wires being twisted together whereby to alx the mesh at said consolidated sections to the supporting member in looped helically convolute radial extension therefrom and therealong, and with laterally expanding effect upon the crimped mesh at the outer portions of the looped convolutions thereof, whereby said portions provide the implement with relatively soft and yieldable external surfaces adapted to make conforming contact with a substantial area of a surface to be scoured thereby.

2. A scouring implement comprising a supporting member provided by a pair of core wires, attened tubular knit metallic mesh of selected width and provided with longitudinally extending corrugate crimps, said crimped mesh being wound into a spirally convolute formation, intersecting portions of the convolute formation being compressed and united to provide central consolidated sections, said consolidated sections being disposed between the core wires, said core wires being twisted together whereby to affix the mesh at said consolidated sections to the supporting member in looped helically convolute radial extension therefrom and therealong, with laterally expanding effect upon the crimped mesh at the outer portions of the looped convolutions thereof, whereby said portions provide the implement with relatively soft and yieldable external surfaces adapted to make conforming contact with a substantial area of a surface to be scoured thereby, said supporting member being bent into an annular shape, and having handle means extending therefrom.

3. A scouring implement comprising a supporting member provided by a pair of core wires, flattened tubular knit metallic mesh of selected width and provided with longitudinally extending corrugate crimps, said crimped mesh being wound into a spirally convolute formation, intersecting portions of the convolute formation being disposed between the core wires, said core wires being twisted together whereby to aix the mesh to the supporting member in looped helically convolute radial extension therefrom and therealong, with laterally expanding effect upon the crimped mesh at the outer portions of the looped convolutions thereof, whereby said portions of the looped convolutions thereof provide the implement with a relatively soft and yieldable external surface adapted to make conforming contact with a substantial area of a surface to be scoured thereby, said supporting `member being `bent into an annular shape, and having handle means extending therefrom.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,606,884 Mann et al Nov. 16, 1926 1,762,182 Mayer June 10, 1930 1,839,240 Mayer Ian. 5, 1932 2,139,033 Niemann Dec. 6, 1938 2,308,568 Rogers Jan. 19, 1943 2,447,241 Englund Aug. 17, 1948 2,581,779 Abraham Jan. 8, 1952

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