Sponge product for wallpapering

Abstract

A sponge for cleaning or smoothing wallpaper being installed or repaired on a wall and in corner junctions formed by adjoining walls, the sponge is a pliable flexible one-piece body of a polymeric material having open cells and has at least one cleaning surface. The body has a generally planar first surface for wiping engagement with the wallpaper and a second surface. The second surface includes a flat surface that extends upwardly from the first surface at an acute angle Θ to form a beveled edge for engaging corner junctions and an arcuate surface for nesting in the crotch formed between the thumb and index finger of the hand and positioning the thumb and fingers of the hand for gripping engagement with one and the other of the sidewalls.

1 . A sponge for cleaning, installing or smoothing wallpaper comprising:
 a pliable flexible one-piece body of a polymeric material having open cells and at least one cleaning surface, the body having a generally planar first surface, the first surface having opposite ends which define a length of the sponge and opposite edges which form a width of the sponge, a second surface that extends between the ends, and first and second sidewalls, respectively, that extend between the first and second surfaces, the second surface including a flat surface that extends upwardly from the first end and is at an acute angle Θ to the first surface to form a beveled edge for engaging corner junctions and an arcuate surface that extends between the second end and conjoins with the upward extension of the flat surface, the arcuate surface being concave down in cross-section for nesting the crotch formed between the thumb and index finger of the hand and positioning the thumb and fingers of the hand for gripping engagement with one and the other of the sidewalls.   
     
     
         2 . The sponge of  claim 1 , wherein: the sidewalls extend generally perpendicularly upward from the first and second edges of the first surface, the first and second surfaces are generally symmetrically disposed about a vertical plane disposed perpendicularly to the first surface and medially of the sidewalls, and the acute angle Θ is less than 90° but more than 85° degrees to a perpendicular to the first surface. 
     
     
         3 . The sponge of  claim 1 , wherein: the distance between the second surface and the first surface defines the height of the sponge, the length being more than twice that of the width and the height being approximately the same as the width. 
     
     
         4 . The sponge of  claim 1  wherein: the arcuate surface generally approximates that of an ellipse, the major axis of which is disposed in the first surface and extends between the ends thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The sponge of  claim 1 , wherein: the arcuate surface is truncated at the second end to form a second beveled edge. 
     
     
         6 . The sponge of  claim 1 , wherein: the arcuate surface is truncated at the second end to form a second beveled edge. 
     
     
         7 . The sponge of  claim 1 , wherein: the sponge is a open-celled hydrophilic polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         8 . The sponge of  claim 7 , wherein the foam is a polyester polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         9 . A hand-held sponge for applying, smoothing and cleaning wallpaper being applied to walls and corners formed between walls, the sponge being of one piece construction and formed of a resiliently deformable foraminous material, the sponge comprising a planar cleaning surface having first and second ends, an arcuate surface for nesting in the crotch of a user's hand, a pair of sidewalls extending between the surfaces and adapted to be gripped by the thumb and fingers of a user's hand, and a flat surface extending between the first edge of the cleaning surface and the arcuate surface to form a sharp beveled edge at said first end, the flat surface being between about 80°-90° to the cleaning surface, and the separation between the sidewalls being about half the distance between the ends of the cleaning surface to provide an effective sponge body for gripping by the hand of a user.