Washcloth

Feb. 23, 1954

A. E. EVANS

WASHCLOTH

2,669,737

Filed Aug. 10, 1950

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ATTORNBYS

Patented Feb. 23, 1954

2,669,737

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,669,737 WASHCLOTH

Arthur Edward Evans, New York, N. Y.

Application August 10,1950, Serial No. 178,629

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wash cloths and more particularly to improvements in wash cloths having a built in soap pocket.

Wash cloths with soap pockets so far proposed depend very largely upon the hand of the user to retain the soap in the pocket or the pocket is made sufficiently deep to aid in the retention of the soap. In the latter case, the material for the wash cloth must usually be doubled.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a wash cloth with soap pocket especially designed to conserve time and material in production as compared with known similar articles.

A further object is to provide a wash cloth with soap pocket that is more readily manipulated than similar wash cloths.

Another object is to provide a wash cloth with soap pocket in such simple form that the benefits thereof can be brought to a large number at a slight cost.

Other objects of the instant invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the attainment of these objectives, subject wash cloth is made in two embodiments from any suitably flexible material having a high degree of porosity. In both embodiments, the wash cloth is constituted of a main body to one face of which a soap pocket is attached at the center. In the first embodiment, the soap pocket is constituted of a single piece of the same material as the main body, the single piece of material being transversely slit near one end on either side of the center line to form a flap for the pocket integral with the pocket at two points. The severed edge forming the flap for the pocket is stitched to the main body of the wash cloth and the flap turned down over the severed but unstitched edge of the pocket. The opposite edge of the pocket as well as the adjacent sides thereof and the superposed sides of the pocket and flap are then stitched to the main body. The second embodiment is similar to the first except that the slit is extended transversely from one side of the pocket toward the opposite side to give one integrally formed point of attachment of the flap to the pocket.

The invention will appear more clearly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example, the preferred embodiments of the inventive concept.

In the drawings:

Figures 1 through 3 show the first embodiment of the improved wash cloth with soap pocket con- (CI. 15—122) structed in accordance with the principles of this invention, and in which

Figure 1 is a plan view of the wash cloth in which the flap of the soap pocket is integrally 5 formed with the pocket at two points;

Figure 2 is a sectional view along 2—2 of Figure 1 with the bar of soap removed; and

Figure 3 is similar to Figure 2 but with the bar of soap inserted in the pocket.

Figures 4 through 6 show the second embodiment of the improved wash cloth, and in which;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the wash cloth having the flap of the soap pocket integrally formed therewith at one point;

Figure 5 is a sectional view along 5—5 of Figure

4; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view along 6—6 of Figure 4.

Referring now in greater detail to the first em20 bodiment of the improved wash cloth shown in Figures 1 through 3 where the flap of the soap pocket is integrally formed with the pocket at two points, reference numeral IS indicates the main body of the wash cloth, and I ί the soap 25 pocket.

The main body 1 ϋ of the wash cloth is formed from any suitably flexible and porous material such as terry cloth or Turkish toweling and may be of rectangular shape as illustrated although ₃₀ other forms could be used.

On one face of side of the main body 10 and at the center is the soap pocket 11 made from the same material as the main body. The soap pocket is formed from a single rectangular re33 taining member 12 which is transversely slit along the line 13 between the points 14 and 15 and adjacent one end to form a flap portion 16 and a pocket portion. The partially severed edge of the flap portion 16 is then stitched to the main 40 body 16 at the center as illustrated and turned down over the pocket portion which leaves the slitted edge 13 of the pocket between the points 14 and 15 open. The opposite end of the pocket is also stitched to the main body along the line 43 IS, the stitching 18 being continued upwardly (Fig. 1) along the lines 19 and 20 at the sides of the pocket portion and further continued to fasten the sides of the superposed flap 16 as well as the sides of the pocket to the main body 10. 50 By this construction there is actually formed two pockets an inner pocket and an outer pocket, the entrance to the outer pocket or flap portion being along the unstitched edge 21 thereof and the entrance to the inner pocket along the partially 55 severed and unstitched edge 13 thereof. By

2,669,737 bringing the edge 13 of the inner pocket close to the stitching 17 of the outer pocket or flap portion, the cake of soap when inserted in the inner pocket as shown in Figure 3 is substantially prevented from slipping out when the cloth is in use.

To prevent sagging of the pockets, the four corners thereof, 23, 24, 25, and 26, as well as the corners 27 and 28 of the end of the flap portion are locked stitched as shown in Figure 1.

In operation:

By lifting the unstitched edge 21 of the outer pocket or flap portion 16 upwardly away from the main body 10 and pulling downwardly on the unstitched edge 13 of the inner pocket, the cake of soap 22 (Fig. 3) can be readily inserted and will be retained in the inner pocket by the outer pocket or flap portion under normal conditions until the soap is completely used. The soap may also be inserted in the inner pocket by turning the outer pocket or flap portion inside out which will expose the mouth 13 of the inner pocket for the insertion of the soap. Then, by turning the outer pocket back to the original position, the soap will be retained in the inner pocket. By making the soap pocket of the same flexible and porous material as the main body, both sides of the wash cloth are useful and under similar conditions the soap ladened water will pass through both sides of the cloth with equal facility.

In the second embodiment of the improved wash cloth with soap pocket shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, reference numeral 40 indicates the main body of the cloth, and 41 the soap pocket.

The main body 40 is similar in all respects to the main body of the previously described first embodiment.

The pocket 41 is likewise similar to the pocket of the first embodiment described ante except that the slit 42 made to separate the flap portion 45 from the pocket portion 41 extends from the point 43 at one side of the pocket or the flap portions to the point 44 near the opposite side which gives only one integrally formed point of attachment between the flap and pocket portions as compared with the two points in the first embodiment.

The operation with the improved wash cloth of the second embodiment is substantially the : same as that previously described under the first embodiment.

The improved wash cloth could be made in .. three pieces as well as two and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact disclosure herein described but may lend itself to a variety of expressions within the scope of the appended claims.