Food Waste Disposer Scouring Scrub Device

Abstract

A scrub device having a central core and multiple flexible strands of a polymeric material can be placed into a food waste disposer, which is then turned on, and the low mass and low inertia of the scrub device permits a spinning motion to promote frictional cleaning by the flexible strands. Multiple geometries of the scrub devices provide for different cleaning motions. The material of both the central core and flexible strands can be ground or can be retained during operation of the disposer while preventing disposer damage permitting the scrub device to be permanently left in the disposer. Holding and extraction tools are provided for manual cleaning motion or removal of the scrub devices.

1 . A scrub device for insertion into a food waste disposer having a rotatable inner surface, comprising:
 a central core created from a portion of multiple flexible fiber strands of a polymeric material connected together, having individual ones of the fiber strands of at least one length extending outwardly from the central core, each of the fiber strands adapted to flex and when randomly contacting the inner surface during rotation of the inner surface adapted to abrade to clean the inner surface.   
   
   
       2 . The scrub device of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber strands are grouped into multiple bundles of the fiber strands each bundle extending outwardly from the central core. 
   
   
       3 . The scrub device of  claim 2 , wherein the central core is contained within a grouping of tubular shaped barrels having the flexible fiber strands of each bundle directly extending from an end of individual ones of the tubular shaped barrels, the tubular shaped barrels oriented at an angle to each other. 
   
   
       4 . The scrub device of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of tubular shaped barrels are fixedly connected to one another and commonly created during a molding process. 
   
   
       5 . The scrub device of  claim 1 , wherein the multiple flexible fiber strands are grouped in a plurality of fiber bundles extending outwardly from the central core, wherein the at least one length of the fiber strands of each bundle defines a substantially single length. 
   
   
       6 . The scrub device of  claim 1 , wherein the central core defines a circular shape. 
   
   
       7 . The scrub device of  claim 1 , wherein the central core defines a non-circular geometric shape. 
   
   
       8 . The scrub device of  claim 1 , wherein the central core is defined by a portion of the multiple flexible fiber strands being centrally grouped, the central core lacking a standard geometric form and variable in both size and geometry based on a random quantity of the flexible strands grouped together to form the central core. 
   
   
       9 . The scrub device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one length of the multiple flexible fiber strands comprises multiple random lengths. 
   
   
       10 . A scrub device for insertion into a food waste disposer having a rotatable inner surface, comprising:
 a central core of a polymeric material; and   multiple flexible fiber strands of the polymeric material having individual ones of the fiber strands of at least one length extending outwardly from the central core, each of the fiber strands adapted to flex and when randomly contacting the inner surface during rotation of the inner surface adapted to clean the inner surface.   
   
   
       11 . The scrub device of  claim 10 , wherein the core is a body including first and second body portions joined together. 
   
   
       12 . (canceled) 
   
   
       13 . (canceled) 
   
   
       14 . The scrub device of  claim 11 , wherein the fiber strands are grouped into multiple bundles of the fiber strands each bundle extending outwardly from the central core. 
   
   
       15 . The scrub device of  claim 14 , wherein the body includes a plurality of faces each having one of the bundles extending outwardly from the face. 
   
   
       16 . The scrub device of  claim 15 , wherein individual ones of the bundles are oriented at a first angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the body. 
   
   
       17 . The scrub device of  claim 16 , wherein proximate ones of the bundles are oriented with respect to each other by a bundle-to-bundle included angle different from the first angle. 
   
   
       18 . A scrub device for insertion into a food waste disposer, comprising:
 a body of a polymeric material having a non-uniform shape and a plurality of body faces oriented randomly with respect to each other;   each of the body faces including an outwardly extending bundle;   each bundle including multiple outwardly extending flexible fiber strands of a polymeric material; and   individual ones of the bundles being randomly oriented with respect to each other to promote random motion of the scrub device in the food waste disposer.   
   
   
       19 . The scrub device of  claim 18 , wherein the flexible fiber strands of each bundle have an equal length. 
   
   
       20 . The scrub device of  claim 18 , wherein the flexible fiber strands of each bundle have random lengths. 
   
   
       21 - 27 . (canceled) 
   
   
       28 . A food waste disposer and scrub brush system, comprising:
 a food waste disposer including a food conveying section and a rotating grinding section adapted to receive food from the food conveying section; and   a cleaning device adapted to be inserted through the food conveying section into the food grinding section, including:
 a central core of a polymeric material; and 
 multiple flexible fiber strands of at least one length extending outwardly from the central core, each adapted to individually flex and randomly contact at least the food grinding section of the food waste disposer to clean the food grinding section.