Laundry ball

• US 5,768,917 A
• Filed: 09/17/1996
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leu Shiow Jiuan Freida
• Original Assignee: Leu Shiow Jiuan Freida
• Inventors: Freida, Leu Shiow Jiuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US08/714,257
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 68/17 R, 68/235 R, 206/0.5, 510/276, 510/277, 510/293, 510/295, 510/298, 510/439
• US Class Current: 68/17.00R
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/024 mounted on the agitator or the rotating drum; Free body dispensers

Abstract

A washing machine cleaning agent is enclosed within a porous shell which in turn is enclosed between two semi-spherical halves of a housing that are welded together, whereby the porous shell containing the agent is permitted to roll around within the housing and dissolve in the wash water.

Claims

1. A laundry ball for containing and dispensing a particulate cleaning agent into the water of a clothes washing machine, the ball comprising:

a) a hollow spherical housing defined by two semi-spherical half sections, each half section including a plurality of openings formed therein, a circumferential flange extending outwardly from a circular edge thereof and a plurality of position holes spaced around the flange, the position holes of the two flanges corresponding in number and location;

b) a porous spherical shell disposable within the housing for containing a particulate cleaning material, the shell including a plurality of orifices formed therein; and

c) a pair of annular plates engageable on opposite sides of the flanges, one annular plate including a plurality of dowel pins for extending through the position holes of the flanges and welding to the other annular plate for securing the semi-spherical half sections together.

2. The laundry ball of claim 1 wherein the outer diameter of the porous shell is smaller than the inner diameter of the housing for permitting the porous shell to readily roll around within the housing.

3. The laundry ball of claim 1 wherein the porous shell further includes an opening for filling the shell with the particulate cleaning agent and a lid for closing the opening.