Floating bar soap

• US 6,896,435 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James W. Rink
• Original Assignee: James W. Rink
• Inventors: Rink, James W
• Primary Examiner(s): Walczak, David J.
• Application Number:
  US10/862,608
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 401/49, 401/52, 401/88, 510/141, 510/143, 510/144, 510/145, 510/146, 510/294, 510/455, 264/251, 264/252, 264/260, 264/261, 264/271.5, 264/275
• US Class Current: 401/88
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/02 Floating bodies of detergents or of soaps

Abstract

A slip-resistant floating bar soap having two outer convex-shaped layers of soap connected to an inner layer of concave-shaped rigid water-impermeable buoyant material having an exposed slip-resistant outer surface extending around the outer perimeter of the floating soap bar to provide a gripping surface for the hand of the user to aid in preventing the floating soap bar from slipping from the hands of the user.

Claims

1. A slip-resistant three-layer floatable bar soap having a specific gravity of less than one, said slip-resistant three-layer floatable bar soap comprising:

a. a first layer of soap having a specific gravity of greater than one, said first layer of soap having an inner side and an outer side, said inner side of said first layer having a convex surface and said outer side of said first layer having a convex surface,

b. a second layer of soap having a specific gravity of greater than one, said second layer of soap having an inner side and an outer side, said inner side of said second layer having a convex surface and said outer side of said second layer having a convex surface, said second layer of soap having substantially the same shape and size as said first layer of soap, and

c. a layer of rigid water-impermeable buoyant material having two substantially identical opposite sides and generally rectangular edges extending around the perimeter of said two substantially identical opposite sides, said layer of rigid water-impermeable buoyant material being located between said first layer of soap and said second layer of soap and extending to the border of said first and said second layer of soap, said layer of rigid water-impermeable buoyant material having a first concave outer surface on one of said opposite sides of said rigid water-impermeable buoyant material and a second concave outer surface on the other of said opposite sides of said rigid water-impermeable buoyant material, said convex surface of said inner side of said first layer of soap being received in said first concave outer surface of said layer of rigid water-impermeable buoyant material, and said convex surface of said inner side of said second layer of soap being received in said second concave outer surface of said layer of said rigid water-impermeable buoyant material.

2. The slip-resistant three-layer floatable bar soap of claim 1 wherein said rigid water-impermeable buoyant material is a foamed low density closed-cell polymer.

3. The slip-resistant three-layer floatable bar soap of claim 2 wherein said polymer is polystyrene.

4. The slip-resistant three-layer floatable bar soap of claim 1 wherein the maximum height of said generally rectangular edges of said layer of rigid water-impermeable buoyant material is from about one-fourth to about one-half of the maximum thickness of said floatable bar soap.

5. The slip-resistant three-layer floatable bar of soap of claim 4 wherein the thickness of said layer of rigid water-impermeable buoyant material at the midpoint between said generally rectangular edges extending around the perimeter of said two substantially identical opposite sides is about one-eighth to about one-fourth of the maximum vertical thickness of said floatable bar soap.

6. A method for making slip-resistant three-layer floatable bar soap having a specific gravity of less than one, the method comprising:

a. forming a first sheet of a plurality of adjacent individual first layers of soap joined at their edges and having a specific gravity of greater than one, said first layers of soap having an inner side and an outer side, said inner side of said first layers of soap having a convex surface and said outer side of said first layers of soap having a convex surface,

b. forming a second sheet of a plurality of adjacent individual second layers of soap joined at their edges and having a specific gravity of greater than one, said second layers of soap having an inner side and an outer side, said inner side of said second layers of soap having a convex surface and said outer side of said second layers of soap having a convex surface, said second layers of soap having substantially the same shape and size as said first layers of soap,

c. aligning said first sheet with said second sheet,

d. holding said first sheet apart from said second sheet a selected distance,

e. injecting a water-impermeable foamed closed-cell polymeric material having a specific gravity of less than one between said first sheet and said second sheet to bond said first sheet to said second sheet and form a sheet of multiple individual bar soap joined at their edges,

f. allowing said water-impermeable foamed closed-cell polymeric material having a specific gravity of less than one to harden, and

g. separating adjacent individual bar soap by cutting said edges joining said individual bar soap.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said selected distance is from one-eighth to one-fourth of the total thickness of said floating bar soap.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said polymeric material is polystyrene.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said cutting is performed by a saw having multiple blades.