US2821731A - Cleaning mitten - Google Patents

Description

f Feb. 4, 1958 N. c. MAY

' CLEANING MITTEN Fil ed. April 25, 1955 'Naozz-ul among filial name y Unit d tes. Bat f .0, C6

CLEANING MITTEN Naomi C. May, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor of one-half to Joseph A. Sutton, Philadelphia, Pa.

. Application April 25, 1955, Serial-N0. 503,394

4 Claims. (Cl. -227) The present invention relates generally to the art of cleaning and polishing and it relates more particularly to mittens for wet or dry cleaning and polishing of Venetian blind slats and other surfaces.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved mitten for wet or dry cleaning and polishing of Venetian blind slats and other surfaces. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning and polishing mitten whichcan be used on either the right hand or the left hand and which is particularly effective in the cleaning of Venetian blind slats and other relatively thin objects having opposite outer surfaces capable of being encompassed by the hand of the user.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning and polishing mit which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture; which can be used either dry ,or wet (with water or suitable detergent solution); and which greatly cuts down the time required for cleaning Venetian blind slats, the legs of furniture, bric-a-brac, and other similar objects and surfaces. Other objects and advantages of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown certain forms thereof which are presently preferred and which have been found in practice to give'satisfactory results, it being understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities illustrated.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout:

Figure l is a perspective view of a cleaning mit forming one embodiment of the present invention, as it appears in use.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the mit'of Fig. 1; the wiping panel or member being shown in fiat position with the finger and thumb portions lying in a single plane.

Figure 3 is an elevational view like that of Fig. 2 but showing the thumb portion of the wiping panel turned upward and into juxtaposition with the finger portion.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

According to the embodiment of Figs. 1-4, I may construct the novel mit of the present invention extremely simply and with a minimum number of parts and fabrication operations.

Thus, in this embodiment, I may provide an integral one-piece back panel or member 10; an integral front panel or member 12; an integral wiping panel or member 14 and an integral lining and backing panel or member 16 underlying the wiping panel 14 and identical therewith in configuration.

The wiping panel 14 has a rounded finger portion 18 and a generally trapezoidal thumb portion 20. As mentioned above, the underlying lining and backing panel 16 is similar in configuration to the wiping panel 14 and also has a rounded finger portion and a trapezoidal thumb portion.

2,821,731 Patented Feb. 4, 1958 The panels or members 10, 12, 14 and 16 are interconnected into a more or less unitary mitten by seamlines in an extremely simple manner.

Thus, a continuous seam 22 connects the adjoining edges of the back panel 10 and front panel 12 extending upward along one side of the mitten until it meets the inner end of the rounded finger portion 18 of the wiping panel 14 (and also the inner end of the lining panel 16). The seam 22 then continues along the rounded outer edges of the panels 12, 14 and 16 until it reaches the opposite inner ends of the finger portions of the wiping and lining panels 14 and 16. Thereafter, the seam 22 continues downward so as to connect the other edges of the back panel 10 and front panel 12.

The second seam 24 connects the edges of the trapezoidal thumb portion 20 of the wiping panel 14 (and also the corresponding trapezoidal thumb portion of the lining panel 16) to the correspondingly shaped trapezoidal edges of the front panel 12. v

The thumb seam 24 meets the outer continuous seam 22 at points 26 so as to form a generally enclosed mit having an opening 28 to permit insertion of the hand into the mit. The free ends of the back and front panels 10 and 12 may be turned inward at the opening 28 and hemmed by a continuous annular seam 30.

The wiping panel 14 is preferably constructed of a pile fabric, such as terry cloth, or other similar material which is relatively bulky and capable of holding an appreciable volume of liquid when wet.

The panels 10, 12 and 16 may be constructed of any suitable woven material, natural or synthetic, including, for example, cotton, nylon, Dacron, Orlon, etc.

Instead, the panels 10, 12 and 16 may be constructed of continuous-film sheeting of waterproof material, as for example natural or synthetic rubber, synthetic resins (like polythene), etc.

The use of waterproof material for panels 10, 12 and 16 has the advantage of keeping the hand of the user dry when the glove is immersed in water or a detergent solution to wet the wiping panel 14, when the glove is used, as will be described hereinbelow.

However, in the interest of economy, ordinary woven fabric may be used for the panels 10, 12 and 16. In such case, the cleaning mit can be worn over a conventional one-piece molded waterproof glove G of latex or the like to protect the hand of the user from the water or detergent solution, as shown in Fig. 1.

Where the cleaning mit is used in conjunction with a separate waterproof latex glove G as described above, it may, under certain circumstances, also be desirable to construct the lining panel 16 of pile fabric (such as terry cloth) to increase the water retaining properties of the wiping panel 14.

As best indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the trapezoidal thumb portion 20 of the wiping panel 14 (as well as the corresponding portion of the lining panel 16) is centered with respect to the side edges of the mit so that the mit can be used equally well on either the right hand or the left hand. Since, in cleaning operations on Venetian blind slats, the legs of furniture, pieces of bric-a-brac and other surfaces, it is frequently advantageous to be able to use one or the other hand at will, the provision of a centered symmetrical thumb portion, as described above, is highly desirable.

As also indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the free end of the trapezoidal thumb portion is relatively wide to afford a more effective cleaning action than would be possible with a conventional thumb portion conforming more closely to the thumb of the hand.

The double-ply structure provided by the wiping panel 14 and the lining panel 16 affords some degree of stifi'ness and form retention and further increases the efiiciency a ems ofthe mit since it enables a greater area of the finger portion'18 and the thumb portion 20 to remain in effective wiping contact with the surface being cleaned; as for example the Venetian blind slats S shown in l l owiv t t e v n Wh m n? t e n Pa e 16.. r still stifii'cient ly flexible to enable them to be curvedso as. to fit about rounded objects: such as, table and chair legs, bric-a-brac sui 'faces, etc.

This flexibility alse'provides a distinct advantage in that'the user, simply by making a tight fist, can squeeze out the excess water or detergent solution, following immersion, so as to provide a thoroughly wet and yet not dripping wiping panel such as is most desirable for clean ing purposes.

Instead of employing a pile fabric such as terry cloth for the wiping'panel' 14 (and optionally also the lining panel 16 I may useflannel er other relatively bulky and liquid retaining material.

' Another advantage of my novel cleaning mit construction stems from the fact that the wiping panel is constructed of a single piece of fabric which, as described above, normally lies in single plane with the thumb portion and the rounded forward portion thereofextending in continuation of each other, as shown in Fig. 2. This enables the user to insert his or her entire hand into the finger pocket, with the thumb alongside of the fingers, and to use the entire fiat surface of the wiping panel (i. e. both'the rounded forward portion and the thumb portion) for washing or wiping relatively large surfaces. That is, the thumb pocket is now empty and the thumb portion of'thewiping panel merely forms an enlargement and continuation of the rounded forward finger portion of the wiping panel. In other words, the cleaning mit can b'e'used equally well in the position shown in Fig. 2, as in' the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms and, therefore, the foregoing embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims as indicating the scope of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent the following:

'1. A cleaning mitten capable of being used on either hand comprising: a one piece front panel of-non-absorbent material; a one piece'back panel of non-absorbent materialg'and a one piece wiping panel of an absorbent material backedby a non-absorbent material, said wiping panel being foldable into a relatively wide thumb section wiping panel being stitched together by a peripheral seamline extending along the entire length of their peripheral edges, the front panel having a forward section corresponding in shape with the thumb section of said wiping panel, and a rearward section corresponding in shape with the rearward section of said back panel, the thumb section of the wiping panel and the forward section of the front panel beingstitched together by a peripheral seamline extending along the entire length of their peripheral edges, and the rearward sections of the front and back panel being stitched together by peripheral seamlines extending the length of their side edges, thereby forming a generally enclosed mitten having an elongated wrist enclosing opening between the peripherally stitched rearward sections of the front and back panels, a single wide thumb-enclosing pocket between the peripherally stitched forward section of the front panel and section of the wiping panel, and a single wide finger enclosing pocket between the peripherally stitched forward section of the back panel and thumb-section ot the wiping panel with the non-absorbent backing of the wiping panel being dispo d inside the mitten.

A construction according to claim 1 wherein the wiping panel is of absorbent fabric and wherein the nonabsorb'ent backing of the wiping panel is a lining panel underlying the wiping panel and corresponding in shape thereto, the edges of-the lining panel being secured to the c ontigueus edges of; the wiping panel and the back panel: and the front panel by the peripheral seamlines. 3. A construction according to claim 2 wherein the back panel, the front panel and the lining panel are of waterproof material so that the hand of the user is kept even though the wiping panel is used in wet condition.

construction according to claim 2' wherein the wiping panel and the lining panel have trapezoidal thumb portie'ns, the composite two-ply thumb structure having sufficient transverse stiffness to provide a relatively wide wiping area extending transversely substantially beyond the thumb of the wearer.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENT-S D. 170,734 Wright Oct. 27, 1953 590,347 Sylvestre Sept. 21, 1897 827,530 Hills et a1. July 31, 1906 1,782,502 Crane Nov. 25, 1 930 2,034,169 A-lefantis Mar. 17, 1936 2,227,707 Cooper J an. 7, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,535 Great Britain 1904

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