Retainer for Soap Dish

This invention relates to soap trays and more particularly to a device which may be fitted to a soap tray to prevent bars of soap from slipping therefrom.

Soap trays and soap trays with wash cloth support bars are frequently installed on a wall adjacent to a bath tub. Similar fixtures are also common in built-in or molded shower cabinets. In either case the soap receiving surface of the tray slopes downwardly from back to front in order that water arriving thereon will drain off.

This inclined surface leads to the annoying result that bars of soap placed thereon fall to the tub or shower floor, particularly when the soap is wet.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a soap stop which is adapted to be attached to such a soap tray or dish in order to prevent a bar of soap from sliding off the tray while permitting water to drain off.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention there is provided a soap stop for use with a soap tray of the type which is attached to a vertical surface and has an inclined soap receiving surface, the soap stop comprising a stop arm adapted to be disposed in front of the soap receiving surface so as to retain a bar of soap thereon and a retaining means adapted to contact the soap tray for attachment thereto.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a soap stop attached to a soap tray.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the combination of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the soap stop removed from the tray;

FIGS. 4-6 illustrates alternate embodiments of the present invention.

A typical soap tray combination is shown generally by reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1. The combination includes a wash cloth bar 11 and a soap receiving surface 12. The soap receiving surface 12 is sufficiently recessed to hold a bath-size bar of soap and as a result the combination projects outwardly from the surface of the wall when installed thereon. Although the soap tray of FIG. 1 will be recognized as being the well known metal device it is to be understood that the soap tray is equally well suited for ceramic trays as well as trays of molded plastic construction.

The soap receiving surface is inclined so as to permit water collecting thereon to drain into the tub or shower stall.

The soap stop according to the invention comprises a stop member 20 which when installed is disposed parallel to the soap receiving surface 12 of the soap tray 10 but separated therefrom sufficiently to permit water to drain past. A retaining arm 21 projects downwardly from the stop member to the bottom edge of the soap tray. The arm 21 has a second portion 22 which projects rearwardly along and in contact with the under surface of the soap tray.

Although in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 the attachment arm is secured to the underside of the soap receiving surface it is to be understood that other configurations wherein the attachment is directly to the front face or inside of the soap tray are contemplated. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 4 arm 21 may be attached to the lower front surface of the tray or wall or the sides of the member 20 may be secured to the sides of the soap tray. FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment suitable for the second example. These examples would apply in the case where the front face of the soap tray is flush with the surrounding surface as in a molded shower cabinet.

A suitable attachment means such as double sided tape 23 is provided on the portion 22 so as to retain the soap stop in a fixed position. It is understood, of course, that a tape or adhesive of the type which is not affected by water is used.

In the preferred embodiment the upper arm 20 has curved or bent portions 24 and 25. Other shapes such as that shown in FIG. 6, a continous curve, or a generally flat configuration as seen in FIG. 5 are contemplated by the invention.

A plastic material is best suited for the soap stop although other materials such as certain metals, rubber, vinyl or a combination thereof may be acceptable.

If a plastic material such a polyethylene or polyurethene is used the desired shape may be produced by cutting the material from a sheet and subsequently bending it to shape or by injection molding in the desired structure.

A range of colors which complement the colors of standard bath room fixtures is available.

In the preferred embodiment a strip of adhesive is applied to the upper surface of the arm portion 22. This adhesive has a removable coating which is stripped from the adhesive just prior to the installation on the underside of the soap tray. If other configurations are used the adhesive strip is applied at suitable attaching locations.

It is also contemplated that the soap stop according to the present invention is of a type which fits entirely within the tray or dish and has a bar or suitable teeth which retain the soap on the tray.

Although the invention has been described by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding it will be obvious that certain charges and modification may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.