This device inserts into the bottom of a bar of soap where it embeds into the bar of soap and due to these protuberances, friction and suction are created thereby securing the soap bar in the device until removed. This device allows the soap bar to dry completely between washings, keeping soap fresh and dry, as well as minimizing the melting soap scum that routinely forms underneath a soap bar. Additionally, this device makes bar soap much easier to hold on to while washing, preventing the problem of a slippery soap bar.
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For hundreds of years people have used bar soap and yet endured living with the dissolving and messy aftermath. Though many types of bar soap holders have been invented and manufactured, not one keeps soap fresh and dry, as well as the surfaces it rests upon, so simply as my invention. When a bar of soap is placed on a conventional soap holder or other supporting surface, the soap remains in a pool of poorly-drained moisture. The result is a rapidly melting and dissolving bar of soap. No wonder liquid soap has superseded bar soap sales in the U.S. in the last several years. Bar soap, however, remains a more pleasant way to wash, thus, a solution must be found. And now it has.
Most inventions attempting to break this cycle of melting bar soap and its unwanted accompanying mess focus on an external holder of sorts. Enter my invention—unique and innovative—in that it is designed to embed into the soap itself, form a ledge to stop the soap from sinking through, virtually eliminates all soapy cleanup underneath the soap, and greatly increases the life of the bar soap. Requiring no hardware at all, my soap holder is a small bar soap lift design that gently pushes, or embeds, into a bar of soap where it remains throughout the life of the soap. It provides for a “stop”—that is, the soap, as it gets wet, stops at the ledge formed by the base of the soap holder preventing it from melting through to a counter top or soap dish. As well, my invention does not allow for drainage as in similarly styled soap holders. No drainage is necessary with my invention. This innovative approach to a bar soap lift is simple, inexpensive, amazingly effective, makes bar soap last many washings longer, and creates clean dry bar soap between uses, a clean dry countertop (or soap dish container) and even offers the added bonus of making it easier to hold on to the slippery bar of soap while washing.
My objective was to, simply and inexpensively, solve the problem of melting messy bar soap, preserving its useful qualities for a longer time. Soap is created in lovely shapes and scents, and is meant to be touched and handled. It is pretty and beautifies bathrooms, kitchens and where ever it is used. Soap does not add to the wastestream nor require recycling, as does liquid soap receptacles. It is also, as stated later on, a more earth-friendly product than liquid soap. My invention includes a rigid, predominantly flat base with smooth rounded edges and slight concave bottom, concave interior, and a ledge formed where base and neck meet, where neck is smaller in diameter than base with multiple protuberances evenly spaced extending perpendicularly from the base on the neck sides upwards, all formed in one piece. This small, unobtrusive, aesthetically pleasing and smooth to the touch bar soap lift, embeds into a bar of soap and lifts it away from the moist and wet counter, or soap dish, solving the perennial problem of wet, messy, rapidly melting and unattractive to use soap bars and its concomitant mess.
FIG. 1 is a side view of the bar soap lift embedded into a bar of soap
FIG. 2 is a side view of the bar soap lift embedded into a bar of soap where the device shows through slightly to see how it embeds.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of my soap lift embedded into a bar of soap.
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of my soap lift.
FIG. 5 is a top view of soap lift viewing the concave interior.
FIG. 6 is a perspective top view of the bottom of my soap lift.
FIG. 7 is a perspective top view of the top of my soap lift, looking into the interior.
FIG. 8 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the soap lift.
FIG. 9 is a side view of my soap lift.
FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the side of my soap lift looking into the interior.
My invention, this “bar soap lift” relates to its use with bar soaps of just about all kinds, shapes and sizes found in the marketplace.
It is well known that bar soap makes a melting mess due to its requisite use with water to activate the soap's lathering and cleaning qualities. Right after use, the wet bar of soap is typically placed down into a moist environment where it begins to melt away. And the all too well-known mess occurs.
My objective was to, simply and inexpensively, solve the problem of melting messy bar soap, preserving its useful qualities for a longer term. I deem bar soap far superior to liquid soap for many reasons, some of them listed as follows: Soap is created in lovely shapes and scents, and is meant to be touched and handled. It comes in beautiful colors, shapes and composition. It is pretty and beautifies bathrooms, kitchens and wherever it is used. Bar soap does not require recycling as do liquid soap receptacles. It is reported in an article found on the Household and Personal Products Industry (www.happi.com) website that using bar soap is much more sanitary than liquid soap which, unless the container is sterilized before refilling, becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Bar soap, on the other hand, dried thoroughly between washings, which my invention allows it to do, creates a more hygienic and pleasant washing experience.
In this time, 2007, there is so much growing awareness of our global responsibility, as to waste, and a compelling quote from the newly published, The Green Book, recommends:
Not only is the bar soap lift reuseable, I would add that with my invention, an average bar of soap will last much, much longer than the estimated “twenty showers” as quoted above, thus utilizing the potential to significantly decrease waste upon the Earth that our children, grandchildren, and all future generations will inherit.
In summary, there are two most significant distinctions in my bar soap lift from other patents in this genre. They are: