CH663046A5 - DEVICE FOR DISPENSING AT LEAST ONE WATER-SOLUBLE AGENT IN A FLUSH OF WATER. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device making it possible to gradually dissolve in the flushing water at least one water-soluble agent coming from a housing the maintenance of which in the correct position in the flushing tank is ensured.

Known devices for the distribution of water-soluble agents in a flush consist of a housing and a suspension hook for hanging said housing on the rim of a flush tank. The housing defines internally,

either a single compartment or two compartments; each compartment contains, in its lower part, a water-soluble agent, two orifices being arranged at different levels above the initial level of the agent, one allowing the filling of the compartment with flushing water and the passage of the air during the emptying of said compartment, and the other allowing the expulsion of flushing water, which has diluted a fraction of the water-soluble agent.

In the case where two compartments are provided for the housing, the first contains a first water-soluble agent and the second advantageously contains a second water-soluble agent having a complementary action to the first, the ingredients of the two agents being then mixed only at the time of their distribution, which prevents them from reacting to each other beforehand. Thus, the first compartment may advantageously contain a water-soluble coloring agent, solid at room temperature, the second compartment then containing a disinfectant which may be a solid product which may consist of sodium dichloro'-isocyanurate or of trichloro-acid. isocyanuric, or be in the form of hypochlorite powder conditioned inside a sachet with a water-soluble wall, for example in polyvinyl alcohol.

The hanging hooks, which are associated with these boxes, whether they are single or double compartment, require, for the packaging of the dispensing devices for commercial distribution, large packages, the hooks having to have a length sufficient for the dispenser to operate. It is indeed essential that in the position of use of the dispenser, the two orifices for the passage of the liquid, in each compartment containing a water-soluble agent, are arranged between the minimum and maximum levels of the liquid inside the flush tank. , so that during the filling of the flush, the water can penetrate inside these orifices to dissolve the active product contained in the composition, and that at the time of emptying, the water contained in this compartment above the two openings can escape from the compartment and mix with the flushing water.

To make the packaging of these dispensers less bulky, we have adopted hooks capable of taking a folded position for storage, and a deployed position corresponding to the position of use of the dispenser. For example, a hook has been proposed which is produced in two branches, the branch adjacent to the housing being retractable by sliding in a space provided in said housing, and the terminal branch, folded twice at right angles to its free end, to constitute a U-shaped element allowing the attachment of the device on the flush tank, being foldable around a hinge which connects it to the other branch. Thus, in the storage position, the branch associated with the housing is retracted therein and the branch carrying the hooking means is folded around the hinge, so as to be applied against the external lateral wall facing the housing, the U-shaped element coming

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place around the bottom of the housing or penetrating through its end portion in a housing carried by the bottom of said housing.

However, when this dispensing device is installed in the flushing water tank, the upward push, which the flushing water exerts on its casing, places it in an incorrect position, as shown in dashed lines on the diagram of Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing. Thus, instead of the two branches 1a and 1b of the hook 1 remaining in perfect alignment with one another, the hook 1 and the housing 2, which is associated with it, being arranged substantially parallel to the internal face of a vertical wall 3 of the flushing tank and located near this wall, according to what is shown in solid lines in the diagram of FIG. 1, the housing 2, owing to the fact that it is subjected to the aforementioned thrust force and the branch 1b of the hook 1 is in the hooking position, undergoes, with the branch 1a associated therewith, a tilting movement, which causes the hinge 4 to fold, which moves away from the wall 3. This incorrect position of the housing 2, which is therefore arranged in the flushing water tank in a position, on the one hand, higher than the normal position and, on the other hand, inclined relative to the normal position, risk of be a hindrance for the proper functioning of the dispenser. Furthermore, the incorrect position which has just been described is due to oscillations of the hook, with each use of the flush, the distributor which is there being able to come into contact with the organs which are contained in the tank. and which are intended to ensure the operation of the latter.

The present invention overcomes the drawbacks which have just been described. To this end, in order to obtain effective maintenance of the stability of the housing of the dispensing device equipped with a hook of the aforementioned type, provision is made, according to the present invention, for a device for stiffening the hook in the position of use, this device stiffening being constituted by two reinforcing heels, located on either side of the hinge and cooperating with each other when the hook is in the use position, in order to prevent folding of the hinge.

The present invention therefore relates to a device for dispensing at least one water-soluble agent in a toilet flush, said device comprising a housing and a suspension hook enabling said housing to be hooked on the rim of a storage tank. flush, said housing intended to be immersed in the water of the flush tank, internally defining at least one compartment which comprises, firstly, in its lower part, a water-soluble agent, and, secondly, two orifices arranged at different levels above said water-soluble agent, the hook, one end of which cooperates with the housing and the other end of which forms the device's attachment member on the rim of the flushing tank, consisting of two elements articulated by means a hinge so that the hook can pass from a folded position corresponding to the storage, to a deployed position placing the device in its position of use, the adjacent hook element t the casing which can slide relative to the latter to be retracted into the casing in the storage position and, on the contrary, protruding above the casing in the position of use, the other element of the hook ending, on the side opposite the hinge, by a hooking means intended to cooperate with the rim of the flush tank to ensure the hooking of the device in the tank, characterized in that each element of the hook which separates the hinge comprises, at proximity of said hinge and on the side opposite to that on which the deployment of the hook takes place, a protruding heel, the two heels being kept attached to one another when the device is in its position of use to constitute an organ stiffening opposing the folding of the hinge under the effect of the upward push which is exerted on the submerged case.

According to a particular embodiment of the device according to the present invention, each heel comprises a latching member complementary to a member carried by the other heel, in order to automatically secure the two heels at the end of deployment of the hook.

Preferably, the hinge is disposed horizontally in the position of use of the device, the support plane, where the contact of the two heels takes place, then being substantially horizontal.

According to a particular embodiment of the stiffening member of the device according to the present invention, each heel is carried by a substantially flat wall area of the corresponding hook element, and is delimited, in the first place, by its wall bearing on the other heel, which is connected to the hook element near the hinge, secondly, by an inclined wall joining the free edge of said bearing wall to said hook element, and, in third place, by two opposite side walls.

The two hook elements are advantageously made of plastic, the hinge then being a film hinge.

The housing advantageously comprises a retaining means intended to cooperate with the means for hooking the hook on the rim of the flushing tank, when said hook is in its folded position and the hook element adjacent to the housing is in its retracted position in said housing.

Furthermore, the housing advantageously comprises a passage defined for the sliding of the hook element which is adjacent to it, said passage being substantially vertical when the device is in its position of use. In particular, the housing includes a housing opening towards the outside and located at the right of said passage to constitute the means for retaining the attachment means carried by the hook.

According to another characteristic of the device according to the present invention, the two elements of the hook are substantially flat and each comprise at least one longitudinal reinforcing rib.

To better understand the object of the present invention, there will be described below, by way of purely illustrative and in no way limiting, an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing.

On this drawing:

Figure 1 is the schematic view described above illustrating the incorrect position that tends to take, when immersed in flushing water, a dispenser with a hook made of two articulated elements, and that the present invention aims to correct;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention with double compartment, the hook being in the position of use;

Figure 3 is a side view of the hook of the device of Figure 2, in a semi-deployed position;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of detail D of Figure 3;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views in partial section of the device of FIG. 2 taken along the median plane of the hook, when the latter is respectively in its storage position and in an intermediate position during its deployment;

Figure 6 is a schematic elevational view of the device of Figure 2 in place in a flush tank;

Figures 7A and 7B each show an axial sectional view of a hook hinge according to an alternative embodiment, the hook being in its deployed position.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 6 of the drawing, it can be seen that 10 has designated a dispensing device comprising a housing 11 intended to be suspended by means of a hook 12 on the rim of a cistern. water.

The housing 11 is constituted by two basins 13, 14, substantially parallelepiped, arranged side by side, interconnected along a common area of their lateral edges, and having a common opening plane closed by a covering film 15 which is arranged substantially vertically when the housing 11 is in the position of use. Each of the bowls 13, 14 defines, with the film 15, a compartment, respectively 16, 17 of the housing 11 containing a water-soluble agent, respectively 18, 19. By ail5

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their, between the two compartments 16, 17 is defined a passage 20 delimited between the connection zone between the two bowls 13,14 and the film 15; in this passage 20, of substantially rectangular cross section, is capable of sliding an element of the hook 12, between two extreme positions, the first where it is retracted into the housing 11 and the second where it projects above said housing 11, the extraction of said hook element from the passage 20 being limited, in the aforementioned second position, by abutment against a bearing surface of the housing 11, as described below.

To form the bowls 13,14, two adjacent hollow elements, 13a, 14a, substantially parallelepipedal, the free edges of which are folded square at the periphery, have been formed in a plastic sheet, substantially rectangular. constituting a connecting strip between the two hollow elements 13a, 14a. On each of these, an element has been reported in which two frames 13b, 14b are respectively formed, the lateral edges facing the frames 13b, 14b being connected by a connecting strip which comes to bear against that connecting the two elements in hollow 13a, 14a, and delimiting, with their connecting strip and the covering film 15 to which they are perpendicular, the aforementioned passage 20. From the vicinity of one of the ends of the passage 20, the two lateral edges opposite the frames 13b, 14b are further apart from each other, which provides a housing 21 whose role is indicated below.

In the example described, the water-soluble agent 18 contained in the first compartment 16 is a cleaning and coloring product which is flowable when hot and which is solid at room temperature; the agent 19 placed in the second compartment 17 is, for example, powdered sodium hypochlorite. The hypochlorite is preconditioned in a polyvinyl alcohol sachet and this sachet is placed in compartment 17.

To allow the dispenser 10 to operate, two orifices provided in different levels are provided in each of the compartments 16, 17, one for filling the flushing water with the compartment in question and for the passage of air during the emptying said compartment, the other, when the flushing liquid passes out of the compartment.

The inlet ports, respectively 22 and 23, are formed in the walls of the compartments respectively 16, 17 which happen to be the upper walls when the housing 11 is in its position of use; they are each formed by a notch formed on the edge of these walls, more precisely on the edge of the side walls of the frames 13b, 14b, and they are then delimited by the edge of this notch and the covering film 15.

The holes for emptying the flushing liquid out of the compartments 16, 17 are designated respectively by the reference numbers 24 and 25. They are produced in the form of a siphon, which allows regular dosing of the water-soluble agents. These orifices 24, 25 are defined by curved troughs formed by deformations of the external lateral walls of the frames 13b, 14b respectively, these troughs each defining, with the covering film 15, a bent passage which opens out substantially horizontally when the distributor 10 is placed in its position of use, at a certain distance from the upper walls of the housing 11 having the inlet orifices 22 and 23, but above the initial level of the water-soluble agents 18, 19 in the compartments respectively 16, 17.

The hook 12, which is associated with the double compartment housing 11, is made of molded plastic. It consists of an elongated flat strip comprising, substantially in the middle, a weakened wall zone disposed substantially in the plane of a flat wall of greater width of the flat strip and constituting a film hinge 26 around which the hook 12 is able to pivot, this hinge being situated in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hook 12. The hinge 26 divides the hook 12 into two elements 27, 28, one of which (27) is intended to cooperate with the housing 11, and the other (28), to allow the distributor 10 to be hooked onto the rim of a flush tank 29, as shown in FIG. 6.

The hook element 27 comprises a longitudinal reinforcing rib 30 arranged on its flat wall comprising the hinge 26, from the vicinity thereof to its free end where is formed, opposite the rib 30, a bead 31 comprising an abutment wall 31a, which is substantially perpendicular to the hook element 27 and whose free edge is joined to a wall 31b first perpendicular to the wall 31a, then inclined to join the end proper of the hook element 27 which has a rounded shape.

The hook element 28 has, in the vicinity of its end opposite to the hinge 26, a width which gradually increases symmetrically, then becomes constant again and finally decreases progressively. This element 28 is folded twice at right angles, on the side comprising the hinge 26 and in the zone of greater width which has just been described, which constitutes two end branches 51, 32, forming, with the part main element 28, a U-shaped attachment member. Furthermore, in the same way as the element 27, the element 28 comprises a longitudinal reinforcing rib 33, this rib 33 being disposed on the wall opposite to that where the hinge 26 is formed and extending over the whole. of element 28, excluding terminal parts 51 and 32.

Each hook element 27, 28 comprises, near the hinge 26 and on the face opposite to that where said hinge 26 is formed, a projecting heel, respectively 34, 35. Each heel 34, 25 35 is delimited by a wall support 34a, 35a, which is connected to the hook element 27, 28, by an inclined wall 34b, 35b joining the free edge of the support wall 34a, 35a to said hook element 27, 28, and by two opposite side walls 34c, 35c. The support plane where the two heels 34, 35 come into contact, when the elements 27 and 28 are aligned and the distributor 10 is in its position of use, is substantially horizontal.

To manufacture the distributor 10, the part of the housing comprising the hollow elements 13a and 14a, as well as that comprising the frames 13b and 14b, is produced by thermoforming or injection into thin walls of an appropriate plastic material. These two parts are joined together so as to constitute the bowls 13 and 14. The hook element 27 is placed in the passage 20 which is reserved for it, the bead 31 lying against the connecting strip between the frames 13b and 14b . The polyvinyl alcohol sachet containing the hy-40 pochlorite is introduced into the bowl 14, which constitutes the agent 19. Next, the film 15 is put in place by heat sealing, which closes the two bowls 13 and 14 , as well as the passage 20, and at the same time forms the end housing 21. Finally, the cleaning and coloring agent 18 at 45 is poured hot into the compartment 16, introducing it through the orifice 22. In this position, the element 27 of the hook 12 is capable of sliding in the passage 20, until the wall 31a of the bead 31 comes into abutment against a bearing surface 36 (FIGS. 5A, 5B) of the housing 11, formed by a wall of the element comprising the frames 13b, 14b which is situated substantially in the plane of the orifices 22 and 23, in order to prevent the extraction of the hook 12 from the passage 20.

For storage, the hook element 28 is folded around the hinge 26, so that this element 28 is placed against the film 15, and that the element 32 penetrates into the housing 21, which 55 therefore constitutes the means for retaining the hook 12. This storage position is illustrated in FIG. 5A, the hook element 27 then being practically completely retracted in the passage 20.

The implementation of this distributor 10 is very simple since it suffices to deploy the hook element 28 to place it in the extension of the element 27 and to extract the latter until the bead 31 comes into abutment. against the bearing surface 36 of the housing. In this position, which consequently corresponds to the position of use, the walls 34a and 35a of the heels 34 and 35 respectively are in abutment against one another and constitute a stiffening member preventing the folding of the hinge 26, which would place the distributor 10 in the incorrect position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1.

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FIGS. 7A and 7B each show an alternative embodiment of the hinge 26. In these figures, the various elements bear reference numbers greater by 100 and 200 respectively than those of analogous elements of the embodiment which has just been described.

In accordance with the variant shown in FIG. 7A, there is produced, in the fully deployed position of the hook 112, an interlocking of the heels 134 and 135, a groove 137 formed on the bearing wall 134a of the heel 134 receiving a bead of snap-fit 138 formed projecting from the bearing wall 135a of the heel 135. This ensures in all circumstances a bearing of the heels 134 and 135 in the position of use of the dispenser, which contributes to better maintenance of the correct vertical position of the dispenser.

In accordance with the variant shown in FIG. 7B, the hinge 226 is no longer located, in the position of use of the dispenser,

in alignment with the elements 227, 228, constituting the hook 212, but it is offset on the side where the movement of the element 228 takes place, the bearing plane of the walls 234a and 235a of the heels 234 and 235 respectively being, as in the embodiments already described, horizontal in the position of use of the dispenser. This displacement of the position of the hinge 226, relative to the position of the hinges 26 and 126, contributes to better support of the heels 234 and 235 and, consequently, to greater stability of the dispenser in this position. Furthermore, the elements 227 and 228 io advantageously form, in the position of use of the dispenser, no longer a 180 ° angle, but an angle slightly less than 180 °, if we consider the half-plane carrying the heels 234 and 235. This arrangement makes it possible to improve the desired maintenance.

It is understood that the embodiment described above is in no way limiting and may give rise to any desirable modifications, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention.

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Claims (9)

663,046 1. Device for dispensing at least one hydroso-luble agent (18,19) in a toilet flush, said device (10) comprising a housing (11) and a suspension hook (12) allowing hooking - 5 expensive said housing (11) on the rim of a flush tank (29), said housing (11), intended to be immersed in the water of the flushing tank (29), internally defining at least one compartment (16,17) which comprises, first of all, in its lower part, a water-soluble agent (18 , 19), and secondly, two orifices (22-24; 23-25) io arranged at different levels above said water-soluble agent (18,19), the hook (12), one end of which cooperates with the housing (11) and the other end of which forms the attachment member of the device (10) on the rim of the flush tank (29), consisting of two elements (27, 28) articulated by means of a hinge (26), so that the hook (12) can pass from a folded position corresponding to the storage, to a deployed position placing the device (10) in its position of use, the hook element (27) adjacent to the housing (11) which can slide relative to the latter to be retracted into the housing (11) in the storage position and, on the contrary , projecting above the housing (11) in the position of use, the other element (28) of the hook (12) terminating, on the side opposite the hinge (26), by a hooking means intended to cooperate with the rim of the flush tank (29) to ensure the attachment of the device (10) in the tank (29), characterized in that each element (27, 28) of the hook (12), which separates the hinge (26) comprises, near said hinge (26) and on the side opposite to that on which the deployment of the hook (12) takes place, a protruding heel (34, 35), the two heels (34, 35 ) being kept attached to one another when the device (10) is in its position of use, 30 to constitute a stiffening member opposing the folding of the hinge (26) under the effect and the upward thrust exerted on the submerged housing (11). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that each heel (134,135) comprises a latching member complementary to a member carried by the other heel, in order to automatically secure the two heels (134,135) in end of deployment of the hook (112). 2 3. Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that the hinge (26) is arranged horizontally in the position of use of said device (10), the support plane, where the contact of the two heels (34, 35) takes place, then being substantially horizontal. 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each heel (34, 35) is carried by a substantially flat wall area of the corresponding hook element (27, 28), and is delimited, in the first place, by its bearing wall (34a, 35a) on the other heel (34, 35), which is connected to the hook element (27,28) near the hinge ( 26), secondly, by an inclined wall (34b, 35b) joining the free edge of said bearing wall (34a, 50 35a) to said hook element (27, 28) and, thirdly, by two, opposite side walls (34c, 35c). 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the two elements (27, 28) of the hook (12) are made of plastic and that the hinge (26) is a film hinge. 55 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the housing (11) comprises a retaining means intended to cooperate with the hook attachment means (12) on the rim of the flush tank ( 29), when said hook (12) is in its folded position and the hook element (27) adjacent to the housing (11) is in its retracted position in said housing (11). 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the housing (1) has a passage (20) defined for the cou-smoothing of the hook element (27) which is adjacent to it, said passage (20) being substantially vertical when the device (10) is 65 in its position of use. 8. Device according to claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the housing (11) comprises a housing (21) opening towards the outside and located at the right of said passage (20), to constitute the means of retaining the attachment means carried by the hook (12). 9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the two elements (27,28) of the hook (12) are substantially flat and each comprise at least one longitudinal reinforcing rib (30, 33).