Dispensing container with attachment means for scrubbing device

Abstract

 A means for releasably fastening a scrubbing device, such as an abrasive pad, onto a bottle, used to contain a cleaning composition, is disclosed. The bottle includes, on one of its outer surfaces, a fastening device having a multiplicity of outwardly projecting flexible resilient hooks. A scrubbing device having a looped, open, random nonwoven structure is easily attached to the bottle by pressing it against the fastening device; the scrubbing device is removed from the bottle by a slight pull and is ready for use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention described herein relates to a means for releasably fastening a scrubbing device onto the outside surface of a container. More specifically, the invention is an inexpensive, convenient, easy-to-use means for attaching an abrasive pad onto a cleaning composition bottle.

Background of the Invention

[0002] A significant portion of household cleaning chores is in the area of hard surfaces cleaning (counter or table tops, walls, floors, pots and pans, to name a few). In performing such operations, a cleaning composition, generally a detergent composition especially formulated for cleaning hard surfaces, is frequently used together with a scrubbing device, such as an abrasive pad or sponge. As a result of such usage habits, it would be very convenient to have a scrubbing device which actually attached to the cleaning composition bottle for storage, but could easily be removed for use.

[0003] Even a straightforward idea such as this, however, presents numerous logistical difficulties:

(a) the device used to attach the scrubbing implement to the bottle must be easy to apply during the packing operation of the cleaning composition;

(b) the attachment means must not hinder one's ability to use the scrubbing device (e.g., foreign materials cannot be placed on the scrubbing surface); even a loop attached to the scrubbing device, permitting it to be hung around the neck of a bottle, could get in the way during a scrubbing operation;

(c) the scrubbing device must be easy to remove and replace on the bottle, especially with wet hands;

(d) the scrubbing device must adhere to the bottle even when wet;

(e) the scrubbing device must adhere to the bottle with sufficient strength to remain in place during storage (and jostling which may accompany storage), yet not adhere so strongly as to make its removal from the bottle difficult;

(f) finally, the attachment means must be reasonable in cost.

[0004] It has now been found that by utilizing a fastener which contains a multiplicity of outwardly projecting, flexible, resilient hooks, a scrubbing device having a looped, open, random nonwoven surface structure can be releasably attached to a cleaning composition bottle in an elegantly simple manner which satisfies all of the criteria set forth above.

[0005] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to form a convenient, easy-to-use means for releasably fastening a scrubbing device onto a cleaning composition bottle.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention is an article of manufacture comprising a dispensing container, such as for a cleaning composition, having associated therewith, on one of its outer surfaces, at least one fastening device which consists essentially of a base having a multiplicity of hooks made of flexible resilient material outwardly projecting from said base.

[0007] This article is especially adapted for the releasable attachment of a scrubbing device, such as an abrasive pad, which has a surface structure which permits it to become releasably engaged with the fastening device when they are pressed together in a face-to-face relationship. Preferred scrubbing devices have a looped, open, random nonwoven surface structure.

Detailed Description of 'thd

[0008] The present invention is illustrated in the'figures which accompany this application. Figure l.shows the component parts of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the dispensing container is.. a bottle (1) having a pour top with a screw closure (3); the fastening device (2) is attached to the outer surface of the bottle. In this case, the scrubbing device is an abrasive pad (4) with an open, random nonwoven looped structure on one face and a sponge (5) on the other face. Figure 2 is a side view showing the embodiment of Figure 1 with the scrubbing device attached to the bottle as it would be when not in use.

[0009] Any means for containing and dispensing a cleaning composition, conventionally known in the art, may be used in the present invention; generally, it will be particularly adapted to handle the physical and chemical characteristics of the composition contained within it (e.g., liquid, solid, viscous, alkaline, acidic, concentrated, or dilute). The containing and dispensing means may be, for example, a cannister, a can, a carton, a jar, a tube, or preferably a bottle. It is also preferred that the dispensing container have at least one substantially flat surface; it is this surface which contains the fastening device. The material from which the dispensing container is made generally depends upon the nature of the composition contained within it. Examples of such materials include metal, paper, waxed or other coated paper, glass, or preferably synthetic organic materials, including plastics; combinations of these materials may also be used. The dispensing means utilized also depends upon the particular nature of the cleaning composition as well as its recommmended method of use; thus, for example, the dispensing means can be an aerosol dispenser, a pump spray, a reclosable spout, or a pour opening having a screw, snap or pull/push top.

[0010] The fastening means is associated with an outer surface of the container. It may be formed as an integral part of the container itself or formed separately and subsequently attached (using glue or other adhesive, for example) to the container. The fastening means comprises a base having a multiplicity of hooks made of flexible resilient material outwardly projecting from said base. Preferred fasteners contain from about 25 to about 3,000, preferably from about 100 to about 1,500, hooks per square centimeter of base material. Such fastening materials are well-known and commercially available as the hook portion of "hook and pile" fasteners, such as those sold under the tradename VELCRO. These fasteners and the manner in which they are made are described in detail in U.S. Patent 3,009,235, de Mestral, issued November 21, 1961; U.S. Patent 3,000,384, Piers, issued September 19, 1961; U.S. Patent 4,058,853, Boxer et al., issued November 22, 1977; and French Specification 2,364,004, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0011] Generally, articles of the present invention contain one fastening means which is placed in the top half of the container, although the fastening means may be used in any number, size, or location which is convenient for properly holding a given scrubbing device on the cleaning composition container. Thus, the size and number of the fastening means used in the present invention depends to a large extent on the. size, shape and weight of the particular scrubbing device to be attached, i.e., fastening means having a larger area or a greater density of hooking elements per unit area are used in order to achieve greater attachment power. Preferred fastening means are those which are rectangular or square, having a length and width of from about lcm to about 10cm, or which are circular, having a diameter of from about _lcm to about 10cm. It is. also possible to include more than one fastening means on the container in order to achieve greater holding power. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, at least two fastening means are placed along a vertical axis of the bottle; this configuration holds the scrubbing device securely even when the bottle is tipped over to pour cleaning composition from it. It is not critical to the present invention that the fastening means be placed on the container such . that the hooks have any particular orientation; however, it is preferred that the hook openings be aligned in the direction in which the force to attach the scrubbing device will be applied (in the case of a bottle, this will generally be along the vertical axis of the bottle-see Fig. 1).

[0012] The scrubbing device must have at least one surface with a structure which permits the device to become releasably engaged with the fastening device when they are pressed together in a face-to-face relationship. Preferred scrubbing devices are those which have a looped, open, random nonwoven surface structure. Abrasive pads may have a surface structure which is not only ideal for attachment to the cleaning composition container but is also optimal for performing the scrubbing operation; an example of such a pad, made from filaments of an organic synthetic material, having lengths of from about 12 to 100 mm and diameters of from about 25 to 250 microns, and which are bonded with an abrasive material by an adhesive, is given in French Specification 1,239,913, incorporated herein by reference. An abrasive pad, having an open, looped, random nonwoven structure, made from (or which includes within its structure) a coarse material, provides effective scrubbing action, and, after the scrubbing operation is completed, can be wrung out and reattached to the fastening device; the use of the pad for scrubbing does not materially affect its ability to reattach to the fastening device. In defining the nature of the scrubbing device, it is important to note that materials having a tight cellular foam structure, such as natural sponges and some foamed scrubbing devices, will not adhere to the articles of the present invention. While they are not preferred, some synthetic sponges may be used in the present invention if their structure is such that they are penetrated by a relatively large number of hooks per unit area, when pressed against the fastening means. The scrubbing device may be, and preferably is, a combination of an abrasive pad (as described above) on one face and a conventional sponge on the other face. Such a structure is particularly convenient since the abrasive pad can be used to attach the device to the article of the present invention, while the user can get the benefit of both the cleaning action of the sponge and the abrasive action of the pad.

Claims

1. A dispensing container, adapated for containing a cleaning composition, having, on one of its outer surfaces, at least one fastening device which consists essentially of a base having a multiplicity of hooks made of flexible resilient material outwardly projecting from said base.

2. An article according to Claim 1 wherein said fastening device contains from about 25 to about 3,000 hooks per square centimeter of base.

3. An article according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein said dispensing container is a bottle.

4. An article according to Claim 3 wherein said fastening device is formed as an integral part of the bottle.

5. An article according to Claim 3 wherein said fastening device is attached to the surface of the bottle.

6. An article according to any one of Claim 5 which comprises at least two of said fastening devices spaced along a vertical axis of the bottle.

7. An article according to any one of Claim 5 which additionally comprises a scrubbing device having a surface structure which permits said scrubbing device to become releasably engaged with said fastening device when they are pressed together in a face-to-face relation.

8. An article according to Claim 7 wherein said scrubbing device has at least one face with a looped, open random nonwoven structure.

9. An article according to Claim 8 wherein said scrubbing device is an abrasive pad.

10. An article according to Claim 9 wherein said scrubbing device has an abrasive pad on one of its faces and a sponge on its opposite face.

Drawing