BACKGROUND

The field of the invention is cleaning implements, more particularly cleaning implements containing both absorbent and abrasive elements, and more particularly absorbent cleaning implements having an insertable, renewable abrasive element .

A number of cleaning implements exist in the prior art. A number of these devices include an absorbent material, such as a sponge, and/or an abrasive material such as a phenolic or melamine based foam. Examples can be found in U.S. Patent Nos. 4665580, 4866806, 4949417, 5187830, 6485822, 6503615, 6857159, 7060119, 7454813, 7629043, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/136238. In large cleaning jobs, the whole cleaning implement itself must typically be discarded after a certain amount of use, as the abrasive material and/or the absorbent material wears away, perhaps to the point where the cleaning implement itself disintegrates.

These conventional cleaning pads have several disadvantages. First is the lack of durability or the wearing properties. When these pads take on pressure and are used against a textured surface they wear down quickly, which means you may need several to complete a larger cleaning job, such as washing the interior and exterior of a boat, RV, or SUV. Second, when used alone, these pads do clean, but are not durable enough to do the really tough jobs, like removing dirt and grease from grout, mold and mildew from vinyl, plastic and fiberglass, as well as getting rid of fish guts, dried bait and bird droppings from the hull when cleaning a boat. Third, pads having an abrasive surface composed of conventional melamine material often leave a white residue behind. This residue created by using this abrasive material needs to be wiped away in a secondary clean-up job.

Accordingly, a cleaning implement is needed that mitigates these disadvantages and provides a more efficient, effective and durable manner of cleaning "once and your done . "

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a cleaning apparatus that includes an insertable member formed of a wearing material and a holding member, composed of an absorbent material, having a cavity formed therein that is dimensioned to allow selective removal and reinsertion of the insertable member. In one embodiment, the wearing material may be melamine based foam with a density of 80-150 kg/m ³ . The holding member may also be comprised on one side of an absorbent material and on the other side of an abrasive, non-scratch surface. The cleaning apparatus may further include a holding fastener affixed to the holding member and an insertable member fastener affixed to the insertable member to removeably secure the insertable member to the holding member. These fasteners may be selected from hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro®, double-sided tape, any other reusable adhesive material, or any device capable of fastening the members together .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of various embodiments of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description which should be read in conjunction with the following figures wherein like numerals represent like parts. FIGURES 1(a) and 1(b) are elevations illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevation illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For simplicity and ease of explanation, the invention will be described herein in connection with various embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that the features and advantages of the invention may be implemented in a variety of configurations. It is to be understood, therefore, that the embodiments described herein are presented by way of illustration, not of limitation .

Possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated in Figures 1(a) and 1(b) and in Figure 2. As shown in the figures, the invention may include a cleaning implement 100 having a holding member 102 and an insertable member 104.

Holding member 102 may include a cavity 112, into which insertable member 104 may be placed. Cavity 112 may be dimensioned to allow selective removal and reinsertion of insertable member 104. Insertable member 104 may thus fit snugly within cavity 112 of holding member 104, and the friction from the pressure of the sides of insertable member 104 against the inner walls of cavity 112 may help hold insertable member 104 in place. Those of ordinary skill will appreciate that in the illustrated embodiment holding member 102 and insertable member 104 are rectangular prisms, but the invention is not limited thereto and these components may be formed into any desired shape as long as the achieve the invention . As shown in Figure 2, embodiments of the invention may also include a fastener 106 affixed to a portion of cavity 112 of holding member 102. In this illustrated embodiment, the fastener is a strip affixed to the bottom of cavity 112, but those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention is not limited thereto. As shown by through cutaway 108, a fastener 110 may also be affixed to insertable member 104 (again a strip along the bottom of insertable member 104, but not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the strips forming fasteners 106 and 110 may be of the hook and loop variety. Those of ordinary skill will here also appreciate that the type of fastener is not limited and may comprise, for example Velcro®.

When insertable member 104 is placed within cavity 112 of holding member 102, the hook and loop strip of fastener 106 is mated with the hoop and loop strip of fastener 110, helping to hold insertable member 104 in place, but also allowing it to be removed so that it may be replaced if necessary, or used on its own.

Cleaning member 104 may be composed of an abrasive material that may wear away from the surface of cleaning member 104 as it is used to scrub an article, the material being abraded by the frictional contact between cleaning member 104 and the surface of the article being cleaned.

One example of such an abrasive wearable material is phenolic or melamine foam, or the like. If melamine foam is used as the abrasive wearing material, it may be formed in one embodiment with a density of 80-150 kg/m^. While not limiting, it has been discovered that using a melamine based foam with a density in this range provides a significant advantage in that it provides better wear resistance of the material, durability, and improved scrubbing ability, without the material becoming too hard so that it cleans well while remaining flexible and absorbent.

In the illustrated embodiments, holding member 102 may also be composed of an absorbent material, such as a sponge or the like. It has been discovered that using an absorbent material for holding member 102, which surrounds abrasive insertable member 104, provides a significant advantage in helping to remove the material worn away from insertable member 104 during scrubbing, improving the cleaning process and also provide additional scrubbing edges. It also provides a significant advantage in providing a cleaning surface that is larger than an abrasive member alone, while also providing a more ergonomic design for the scrubbing process, thus providing an overall more efficient and effective cleaning implement.

As illustrated in Figure 3, holding member 102 may also comprise a sponge with an absorbent material for holding material 114 on one side, and on the other side a non-scratch abrasive material 116, which surrounds an insertable member 104 provides significant advantages. First, this superior combination exponentially enhances the ability to clean heavy duty jobs. Second, cleaning apparatus 100 provides a significant advantage in helping to absorb and remove the residue from the material worn away from insertable member 104 during scrubbing. Third, this combination also provides a significant advantage in providing a cleaning surface that is larger than an abrasive member alone, while also providing a more ergonomic design for the scrubbing process, thus providing an overall more efficient, durable and effective cleaning implement. It has been discovered that the herein described invention provides significantly more efficient and effective cleaning, particularly when used for large cleaning tasks, such boats or other large articles. These aspects of the invention, singularly and combined, overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of conventional sponges, pads and other described cleaning implements.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications of the various embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be interpreted as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but only in accordance with the appended claims when read in light of the forgoing disclosure.