US 4,451,164 AGranted

Dispensing container

OwnerJames E. Roberts, Jr.inventor

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Abstract

A dispensing container for liquid wherein the total of all of the internal forces operating on the liquid and tending to cause it to flow from a passageway in the container is overcome when the container is at rest by the total external forces acting upon the container, but wherein the total internal forces exceed the external forces when the liquid within the container is placed in motion to cause the dispensing thereof. Specifically a dish scrubber including a hollow handle having one closed end, one open end and a removable closure for such open end with one or a pair of horizontally aligned small passageways in the handle wall adjacent the closed end, and a porous sponge body surrounding the closed end of the tube, the container, handle and the passageways being dimensionally related in size, shape, and location so that the total forces of gravity, force due to hydrostatic pressure, force due to atmospheric pressure, forces of adhesion, forces of cohesion, surface tension phenomenon, and characteristics of the contained liquid produce a net resultant force that will contain the liquid within the container when it is at rest, but release the liquid when additional force is applied to the contained liquid by placing the container in motion.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A dish scrubber comprising:

a hollow handle having one closed end, one opened end, and closure for such opened end, said handle having a plurality of small area apertures in its wall adjacent said closed end;
said handle closed end portion being formed by a pair of opposed, tapered flat side portions defining a blunt point at such closed end;
a porous sponge body surrounding said closed end of said handle and extending up along said handle beyond said apertures some distance from said closed end;
and
an abrasive fibrous surface layer on said porous sponge body and extending over at least said pair of opposed tapered side portions of said handle closed end and said said sponge body to form a wear-resistant layer on the dish scrubber which is adapted to receive and retain a liquid detergent in said handle but to release a detergent through said apertures on motion of the scrubber, characterized in that said liquid is retained in said handle closed end portion and in said handle opened end portion, said plurality of apertures being formed in said flat side portions and are horizontally aligned perpendicular to the direction of gravity in the normal position of use of the dish scrubber, and a circular external raised flange is formed on said wall around said apertures but spaced in the plane of the wall from said apertures to prevent said sponge body from contacting said apertures.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/410,303Filed 23 Aug 1982 · continuation
Priority: 14 Jul 1980
Granted: 29 May 1984
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

A47L 13/17
Cloths; Pads; Sponges: containing cleaning agents
A47L 17/04
Apparatus or implements used in manual washing or cleaning of crockery, table-ware, cooking-ware or the like: pan or pot cleaning utensils
B43L 11/08
Non-circular-curve-drawing instruments: for drawing involutes
B65D 47/42
Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices: with pads or like contents-applying means