1 A WATER TANK FOR MOUNTING ON A VEHICLE FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 This invention relates to a water tank for mounting on a vehicle, and particularly to a water tank for mounting on a motor vehicle. The invention also extends to a motor vehicle including the water tank and a method in which a user utilises a water tank mounted on a vehicle. .0 This invention relates particularly but not exclusively to a water tank for mounting on the body of a vehicle that can be accessed by a person positioned on a side or a rear of the vehicle. It will therefore be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with reference to this example application. However at the same time it must be recognized that the invention is capable of broader application. .5 DEFINITIONS In the specification the term "comprising" shall be understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term "including" and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a 20 stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on the term "comprising" such as "comprise" and "comprises". Also, in the specification the term "vehicle" shall be interpreted broadly and shall 25 include both motorised and stationary vehicles as well as plant and machinery that can be displaced along a support surface.
2 BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION A water tank has many uses on a vehicle such as an automobile, utility vehicle, light truck, trailer, mobile plant and machinery. The water may be used as emergency drinking 5 water for an off-road vehicle or other vehicle. At construction sites, having water available for drinking and washing up is useful. Trips to the beach with small children benefit from a water source to rinse sand from feet before entering the vehicle. It will also be appreciated that the water can also be used to top up a radiator of the vehicle with water while the vehicle is out on the road. .0 It can be convenient to mount a water tank to a vehicle for the purpose of providing water to a driver or user of the vehicle (hereinafter a vehicle mounted water tank). Often the water tanks are fitted to vehicles that are used in, or are driven to, areas where tap water for washing hands is not readily available. The water in the tank thereby provides a ready .5 supply of water for cleaning purposes in these situations. One shortcoming of vehicle mounted water tanks of which the Applicant is aware is that water alone does not enable a driver or user to wash their hands effectively after they have been working with their hands. Often their hands will come into conduct with oil, .0 grease and other forms of dirt that are resistant to being washed off using water alone. Clearly therefore it would be desirable if a more effective and/or a more complete solution could be devised to enable a driver or user to wash their hands using water from the vehicle mounted water tank. 25 Any reference to prior art in the preceding discussion is not and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the referenced prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia. 30 3 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a water tank for mounting on a vehicle, including: 5 a tank body enclosing an interior space for receiving water, wherein the tank body has a recess defined therein within which a container of cleaner is receivable, the recess having a recess opening through which a user can access the container of cleaner in use. .0 The recess may form a substantially horizontally extending base surface for supporting the container of cleaner in use. The recess may also form a substantially vertically extending surface that is configured to surround at least part of the container of cleaner in use. .5 The vertically extending surface may be configured to complement the container of cleaner whereby to laterally support the container within the recess in use. The recess opening may be defined in the substantially vertically extending recess 20 surface and may be sized to resist the container of cleaner from being withdrawn there through in use. The recess may further include an open end through which the container of cleaner can be withdrawn in use. 25 The tank may include a tank outlet defined in the tank body and a tap mounted over the outlet which enables a user to selectively withdraw water from the interior space, said tap being located adjacent to the recess.
4 The tap may be located beneath the recess. The tank body may have four sides, a top and a base. The recess and the tap may 5 be located on the same side of the tank body, e.g. with the tap positioned beneath the recess. The tank may be manufactured from a UV stabilised food grade polyethylene by a rotational moulding process. .0 According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a water tank for mounting on a vehicle, including: a tank body enclosing an interior space for receiving tank water, wherein the tank body has a longitudinal recess within which a container of cleaner is receivable, .5 the longitudinal recess having a longitudinal internal surface extending between opposed ends, one of which is closed and forms a support for the container in use, and defining a recess opening along the longitudinal internal surface through which a user can pass their hand/s to access the container in use, and wherein the tank body has an outlet, and a tap mounted over the outlet, which enables a user to selectively .0 withdraw water from the interior space, the tap being located adjacent to the recess. The water tank may include any one or more of the features of the water tank defined in the preceding aspect of the invention. 25 According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a method in which a user utilises a water tank mounted on a vehicle, said method including: accessing a container of cleaner that is received in a recess defined in the water tank through a recess opening and dispensing some cleaner from the container; and 5 opening a tap mounted on an outlet of the water tank to discharge water from the tank through the tap, whereby to enable a user to wash their hands with cleaner from the container and water from the tank. 5 According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle for travelling on a road including: a vehicle chassis; a vehicle body mounted on the chassis; and .0 a water tank as defined in any one of the preceding aspects of the invention mounted on the vehicle body or the vehicle chassis. The water tank may include any one or more of the features of the water tank defined above in the preceding aspects of the invention. .5 In particular the vehicle may be a truck, a utility vehicle or a trailer. The vehicle may have a tray, and the tank may be configured to be mounted to the vehicle with the tank positioned underneath the tray of a vehicle, and with the recess of the 20 tank being located to one side of the vehicle. The vehicle may include a frame member and a body panel and the tank may be configured to fit between the frame member and the body panel. 25 The tank may be mounted to a chassis of a vehicle by straps that extend around the tank which are secured to the chassis of the vehicle.
6 In one form of the invention the hand cleaner provision would be of a suitable size to allow the hand cleaner container to fit in Fig. 1, the opening of the provision is narrower than the recess where the hand cleaner will be positioned for use, the hand cleaner bottle will be approximately the size of recess and made of a material which is flexible enough to be 5 pushed through the narrower opening in an inward direction, allowing the hand cleaner to be held in the larger area of the provision preventing the hand cleaner container from falling out. The hand cleaner container can be removed for filling or replacing by pulling container back through the narrow are of the provision. The hand cleaner container may also be inserted or removed through the top if it is accessible by displacement in an upwards/downwards .0 direction. In the second form, the hand cleaner container may not be made from a flexible material, the narrow opening of the provision would be made into a suitable size to allow the provision slot to be flexible enough to allow the hand cleaner container to be pushed into .5 position for use. The hand cleaner container may also be inserted or removed through the open end by displacement in an upwards/downwards direction. In the third form the provision may not be made to extend through to the top, in this case the hand cleaner container would be inserted through the narrower part of the recess. .0 In the fourth form shown in Fig.4, the provision or slot would be designed to allow the hand cleaner container to be inserted into the water tank by pushing the container downwards into the provision. The container and the provision are wider at the back than the front therefore enabling the container to be removed through the top only. 25 In all these forms the size, shape and the material of the provision will depend upon any or all of the variables listed in this paragraph: 1. the intended use of the water tank; 2. the material the water tank is manufactured from; 30 3. the shape and size of the water tank; and 7 4. the size and shape of the hand cleaner, washing solution container. Thus this invention incorporates a water tank incorporating provision for a hand cleaner or cleaning solution container. The provision in the water tank is in the form of a 5 recess or slot, which is incorporated into a water tank. The cleaning solution or hand cleaner container can be inserted into this recess or slot. The recess or slot locates and holds said container in an accessible position while allowing the container to be withdrawn when necessary. This tank which incorporates provision for a hand cleaner can be mounted to trucks or trailers, utilities, or mobile plant and machinery but is not limited to being mounted .0 to these specific vehicles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic three dimensional view of a water tank in accordance with one .5 embodiment of the invention for mounting to a vehicle; Fig 2 is a schematic three dimensional view of the water tank of Fig.1 mounted to a vehicle and in use with cleaner being dispensed from a hand cleaner container; 20 Fig. 3 is a schematic three dimensional view of the water tank of Fig.1 mounted to a vehicle and in use with water running from a tap to enable the user to wash their hands; Fig. 4 is a schematic three dimensional view of a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; 25 Fig. 5 is a schematic three dimensional view of a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the invention that is mounted on an underside of the tray of a utility vehicle; 8 Fig. 6 comprises front, side and top schematic views of a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the invention for mounting to a vehicle; Fig. 6A is a three dimensional view of the water tank of Fig. 6; 5 Fig. 7 comprises front and top schematic views of a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the invention for mounting to a vehicle; Fig. 7A is a three dimensional view of the water tank of Fig. 7; .0 Fig. 8 comprises front and top schematic views of a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the invention for mounting to a vehicle; Fig. 8A is a three dimensional view of the water tank of Fig. 8; .5 Fig. 9 comprises front and top schematic views of a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the invention for mounting to a vehicle; Fig. 9A is a three dimensional view of the water tank of Fig. 9; and 20 Fig. 9B is a sectional three dimensional view of the water tank of Fig. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 25 A water tank for mounting on a vehicle and a vehicle including the water tank in accordance with this invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient 9 to hereinafter describe several embodiments of the invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providing this detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to carry the invention into practical effect. However it is to be clearly understood that the specific nature of this 5 detailed description does not supersede the generality of the preceding broad description. In the drawings: In Fig 1 reference numeral 10 refers generally to a water tank for a vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. .0 The water tank 10 comprises broadly a tank body 12 enclosing an interior space for receiving tank water. The tank body 12 has a longitudinal recess 14 within which a container of cleaner 16 is received that contains a hand cleaner. The recess 14 has one end 20 which is closed and another end 22 which is open. The recess 14 also has a longitudinal internal .5 surface 24 extending between the ends 20 and 22. The longitudinal recess 14 defines a recess opening 26 along the longitudinal internal surface 24 thereof through which a user can pass their hand/s to access the container of cleaner 16 for cleaning, e.g. to wash their hands. .0 The closed end 20 of the recess forms a substantially horizontally extending base surface for supporting the container of cleaner in use. The longitudinal internal surface 24 is substantially vertically extending and is 25 configured to surround at least part of the container of cleaner 16 in use. In the illustrated embodiment the internal surface 24 is configured to complement the shape of the container 16 to laterally support the container in its position received within the recess. Further the recess opening 26 is sized to resist the container of cleaner from being withdrawn there through in use. That is the recess opening 26 is too narrow to withdraw the container 16 30 there through unless the container 16 is squashed or deformed in which case it might be able to be squeezed through.
10 The open end 22 of the recess 14 is sized to permit the container of cleaner 16 to be passed there through with clearance. This enables a user to easily remove the container 16 from the recess to 14 replace it with a new container, or to refill the container 16 with 5 cleaner. The tank body 12 has a tank outlet 28 defined therein and a tap 30 mounted over the outlet 28. The tap 30 enables a user to selectively withdraw water from the interior space of the body 12. The tap 30 is conveniently located adjacent to the recess 14 and in the Fig 1 .0 embodiment the tap 30 is located beneath the recess 14. Each of the components will now be described in more detail with particular reference to Figures 2 and 3 in which the tank body 12 is designed in a rectangular shape for fitting under the tray on utilities or light trucks. The tank 10 could be a forty litre .5 polyethylene tank which provides onboard water storage while being conveniently fitted under the tray of a vehicle indicated generally by reference numeral 50. The size and shape of the tank 10 for any given type and make of vehicle will depend upon the amount of room for placing the tank 10 in an accessible position on the vehicle 50. The shape of such a tank 10 is not limited to a tank body 12 having four sides and can be any shape. .0 The water tank 10 is formed from any suitable material including structural plastics, metals such as stainless steel, aluminium, reinforced plastics and combinations thereof. Structural plastics such as polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, acrylics, and UV stabilised food grade polyethylene are particularly suitable. 25 The water tank 10 can conveniently be fitted under the tray on either side of the vehicle 50 where the user can gain access to the tank. The substantially rectangular water tank body 12 has four side walls 62, a top wall 64 30 and a bottom wall 66. The container of cleaner 16 has a broadly cylindrical shape having a top wall 72 and a bottom wall 74 that are connected by a side wall 76. The recess 14 is also 11 in the form of a cylindrical shape that is complementary to that of the side wall 76 of the container 16. The recess opening 26 has a width shown by reference numeral 61 in the side wall 5 62 of the tank 12 and a depth which is noted by reference numeral 67 in the recess 14. The recess 14 extends longitudinally from the open end 22 thereof on the top wall 64 to the closed end 20. The width of the recess opening 26 is less than the diameter of the hand cleaner .0 container 16 in order to resist the hand cleaner container 16 from being withdrawn through the recess opening. In some forms the recess opening 26 may be described as having a width that provides a restriction fit for the container 16. The hand cleaner container 16 may be manufactured from a flexible plastic material which allows the container 16 to be deformed suitably to allow the container 16 to be deformed and squeezed by a user and .5 then passed through the recess opening 26. The container of hand cleaner 16 conveniently can be in the form of a commercial hand soap dispenser. The dispenser might have a pump 31 attached to a tube having an open end that is received in liquid soap within the container. When the pump 31 is pushed .0 down, it pushes the air and soap out of the tube. When the pump 31 is released, soap is drawn into the tube, from where it can be dispensed from the container 16. In Figs. 1 to 3, the recess is positioned on the same side of the water tank as the tap 30 and adjacent thereto. This enables a user 60 to use the hand cleaner 16 to clean their 25 hands and then move their hands under the adjacent tap 30 to complete the washing or cleaning process. . In use the water tank 10 is mounted on a motor vehicle 50 with a tray back as shown in Figures 2 and 3. 30 12 The vehicle 50 has a frame member that is generally in the form of a channel beam. Most vehicles 50 having a separate body and frame and can easily accommodate the tank 10 of this invention. Typical vehicles 50 to which the tank can be fitted include automobiles, vans, sports utility vehicles, pickup trucks and the like. 5 The water tank 10 is held to frame member by a plurality of straps 88. While other shapes may be used, preferably tank 10 has a generally rectangular shape for easy mounting with straps 88 and simplicity of manufacture. While generally two straps 88 are sufficient, often three or more might be used where the tank 10 is long or heavy and to .0 provide redundancy in the event that one strap fails. For avoiding longitudinal slipping of the tank 10 in the straps 88, a groove (not shown) is provided at least partially around the tank 10 having a width equal to or somewhat greater than the strap width. The grooves may be moulded or cut or otherwise formed in the tank body 12. The straps 88 can be formed from any suitable material, such as metals, fibre reinforced plastics or stainless steel. The ends .5 of straps 88 can have loops welded or riveted in place, surrounding a conventional sturdy tube having a transverse hole through which the threaded ends of conventional J-bolts extend. A nut is tightened on a J-bolt to tighten the strap 88. Instead the tank 10 can be bolted to the frame or chassis by passing bolts through apertures in the tank body 12 and securing the bolts with a fastener. .0 A combination inlet overflow bubbler or pressure equaliser 90 is provided on the tank 10 to allow ingress of air when water is dispensed through the tap 30 and air egress when the tank 10 is being filled. 25 Fig. 2 shows a user dispensing soap from the hand cleaner 16. As shown in Fig 3 once the user 60 has used the soap from the hand cleaner 16 to clean their hands they place their hands under the tap 30 of the water tank 10 and turn the tap 30 on. This releases a flow of water from the tank 10 to enable the user to complete washing and then rinsing of their hands. 30 Fig. 4 shows a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
13 The hand cleaner 16 is in the shape of a closed plane figure of a trapezoid bounded by four sides, two of which are parallel 93 and two of which are nonparallel 92. As with the first embodiment above, the recess 14 is shaped to complement the trapezoid shape of the 5 hand cleaner 16. To mount the container of hand cleaner 16 in the recess 14, it is inserted through the open end 22 of the recess 14 and displaced along the recess 14 until the bottom surface of the hand cleaner 16 comes into contact with the closed end 20 which forms a base surface supporting the container 16. The container 16 is held in position by the complementary shape of the internal surface of the recess. Due to the trapezoid shape of .0 the hand cleaner 16 the hand cleaner can only be removed from the recess by displacing the hand cleaner 16 out of the open end 22 of the recess 14. The container of hand cleaner of Figure 4 is mounted on a vehicle in a similar fashion to that described above and illustrated with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Further the tank 10 .5 and the container of hand cleaner are used in the same way by a user as the first embodiment described above. Fig 5 illustrates a water tank in accordance with another embodiment of the invention that is mounted to the underside of the tray of a utility vehicle. .0 In this embodiment the tap 30 is mounted on the same side of the tank 10 to the hand cleaner 16. Figs. 6 to 9 show water tanks in accordance with further embodiments of the 25 invention. The embodiment in Fig. 6 and 6A has a water tank 10 with a container of hand cleaner 16, a tap 30 and a filler inlet 90 all located in line on one side of the water tank 10.
14 The embodiment shown in Fig. 7 and 7A has a water tank 10 with one side or end 101 on an angle which is complementary to a rear side of a mud guard on a vehicle 50. The hand cleaner 16 is located in a recess 14 at an end of the tank 10 shown by numeral 102 which is located below an inlet 90. The tap 30 is located in an outward facing side 62 of the 5 water tank 10 away from the end 102 of the tank. The embodiment in Fig. 8 and 8A has a water tank 10 with the hand cleaner 16, the tap 30 and the inlet 90 all located on one side 62 of the water tank 10. .0 The embodiment shown in Fig. 9, 9A and 9B has a cylindrical shaped water tank 10. The hand cleaner 16, the tap 30 and the inlet 60 are all located in one end of the water tank 10. The Applicant has recognised the shortcomings of some prior art tank and cleaner .5 arrangements in which a container of cleaner is mounted on a vehicle separate and apart from a water tank. To do this the water tank has to be mounted on the vehicle by means of a separate mounting bracket. Often the container of cleaner is spaced away from the water tank. Further some additional work is required to mount the container of cleaner to the vehicle. .0 The Applicant has overcome this problem by incorporating a recess into the tank to hold the hand cleaner container. The tank provides a recess for a container of cleaner that is integrally formed therewith. The recess has a recess opening that enables the container to be accessed by a user externally of the tank. The recess can receive a container of cleaner 25 in a removable fashion while securely mounting the container on the tank so that it can withstand movement caused by travel of the vehicle on which the tank is mounted. Further the container of cleaner is located conveniently adjacent to the tap for the tank. Yet further the recess partially surrounds the container and shields the container to some extent. 30 It will of course be realized that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto, as would be 15 apparent to persons skilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.