CN116142630A

CN116142630A - Container with flexible inner body

Info

Publication number: CN116142630A
Application number: CN202210033904.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈浩; 欧丽娟; 沈俊; 张力潇
Original assignee: Unilever IP Holdings BV
Current assignee: Unilever IP Holdings BV
Priority date: 2021-11-23
Filing date: 2022-01-12
Publication date: 2023-05-23
Also published as: CN217919330U

Abstract

A container (10) comprising: a rigid outer body (12); a flexible inner body (14) at least partially within the outer body (12), the inner body (14) defining a cleaning product space (16), the cleaning product space (16) configured to contain a quantity of cleaning product (42); and a coupler (50) for coupling the container to a cleaning appliance (200). The inner body is connected to the outer body by a connection means (22) to form a liquid conduit (24), the liquid conduit (24) being configured to mate with the coupler (50) and enable liquid to flow from the container (10) to the cleaning appliance (200).

Description

Container with flexible inner body

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container for cleaning products for use in a cleaning appliance having an automatic dosing function, and a method for preparing a packaged cleaning product in such a container.

Background

Cartridges for automatic dosing machines typically have a rigid outer side and a connecting portion with an outlet valve for connecting to the machine to automatically dose a portion of the content into the machine. These types of cartridges typically have a check valve somewhere on the cartridge body that allows air exchange between the interior of the cartridge and the environment. Check valves are necessary for proper discharge of the contents of the cartridge as they prevent a vacuum from forming inside the cartridge during discharge. On the other hand, the outlet valve must allow easy and controllable discharge of the contents of the cartridge, and it is desirable that the contents cannot undesirably leak through the outlet valve when the cartridge is not in use.

However, simple check valves (although effective for air exchange) often result in leakage of the contents of the cartridge, which is inconvenient for the user and wasteful. CN 111270480a discloses a unidirectional ventilation structure, which includes a ventilation element, a switching element, and a power supply portion. This results in a complex structure of the check valve having a plurality of elements made of different materials.

In order to provide an external liquid storage tank with better sealing performance and convenient replacement, CN 108998931A discloses an external liquid storage tank which comprises a tank main body and a flow guide structure arranged on a liquid outlet of the tank main body. CN 112900012a, on the other hand, discloses a cleaner cartridge comprising a reservoir cartridge, a gas-permeable one-way valve and a liquid extraction coupler assembly, wherein the top of the reservoir cartridge is provided with a gas-permeable one-way valve or a gas-permeable membrane assembly.

Other prior art cartridge solutions provide a complex structure of the outlet valve and/or check valve in order to prevent liquid leakage, which is expensive due to the presence of metal parts and/or springs, and difficult to produce and difficult to recycle due to the presence of different materials. In addition, the liquid at the bottom of the cartridge cannot be completely withdrawn, resulting in undesirable waste of product.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a container for cleaning products, the container comprising: a rigid outer body; a flexible inner body at least partially inside the outer body; and a coupler for coupling the receptacle to a cleaning appliance. The inner body defines a cleaning product space configured to contain an amount of cleaning product. The inner body is connected to the outer body by a connection means to form a liquid conduit configured to mate with the coupler and enable liquid to flow from the container. Such connection and flow may be directly into the cleaning appliance or to a conduit leading to the cleaning appliance, or in some cases directly onto the surface or object to be cleaned.

Such a container or cartridge having a rigid outer body and a flexible inner body provides a simple and effective way to store liquid contents within the cartridge without leakage and to ensure that most or all of the contents can be dispensed from the cartridge through use. The use of a rigid outer body allows for easy handling, storage and connection to the cleaning appliance, while a flexible inner body provides for leak-free while allowing for controlled outflow from the container.

The outer surface of the outer body facing the external environment is the outer surface of the outer body, and the surface of the outer body opposite the outer surface of the outer body is the inner surface of the outer body. The surface of the inner body facing the cleaning product space is an inner surface of the inner body, and the surface of the inner body opposite the inner surface is an outer surface of the inner body.

The outer body of the cleaning product container may have the shape of a prism or cylinder or the like. This means that the container comprises two bases and at least one side. For example, if the container has the shape of a cylinder, the bottom is circular or oval, and the container has one curved side that surrounds the bottom and forms the outer circumference of the container. If the container has the shape of a rectangular prism, the bottom is rectangular and the container has four rectangular sides. The container may also have other shapes, depending on the system, cleaning appliance, etc.

In this application, three orthogonal directions are used below. The direction along the side is referred to as the longitudinal direction. The base is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and substantially parallel to a plane defined by the lateral and vertical directions. The axis parallel to the longitudinal direction and connecting the centre of the base is the centre axis. The axis perpendicular to the central axis is a radial axis.

The connection means may comprise one or more connections between an outer surface of the inner body and an inner surface of the outer body. Alternatively or additionally, the inner body is connected to each side of the outer body. If the container has a cylindrical shape, the inner body may be connected to the outer direction only by two line connections along the longitudinal direction, wherein the two line connections are located at opposite points relative to the central axis. Optionally, the connection means may comprise one or more of the following: adhesive, solder, and mechanical connectors. The type, number and arrangement of the connection means may vary but helps ensure that the flexible inner body remains in place within the rigid outer body and does not deform, thereby preventing flow out of the inner body. By connecting the inner body to one or more locations on the outer body, the contents of the inner body may be used in a manner that uses most or all of the contents from the inner body, resulting in less wastage, longer container life, and thus more pleasure to the user.

The inner body may include an inner body opening, the outer body includes an outer body opening, and the inner body opening and the outer body opening are aligned. The inner body opening and the outer body opening may be connected by a connecting means. For example, the inner opening may be glued to the outer opening, or the inner body may be clamped to the outer body, or any other suitable attachment means may be used at the opening to secure and align it. By aligning the openings, the contents of the flexible inner body can be easily emptied through the openings.

The coupler may be aligned with the inner body opening and the outer body opening. The coupler may be, for example, a cap for the container configured to allow liquid to flow between the container and the cleaning implement. The coupler may include a coupling insert configured to cooperate with elements of the cleaning appliance (and/or dispensing device) to form a liquid conduit between the container and the cleaning appliance.

The coupling may further comprise means for controlling flow through the coupling. Such means may be a valve, such as a crossover valve, a duckbill valve or a ball valve. This may provide a simple mechanism for ensuring that the contents do not leak from the container, but may be easily dispensed when desired. The use of a flexible inner body within a rigid outer body allows for dispensing using such a simple valve, eliminating the need for a complex or easily leaking check valve or spring valve.

Preferably, the outer body and the inner body comprise a plastics material. The plastic is simple and economical. Furthermore, the versatility of these materials provides a great number of possibilities for selecting one plastic part for the outer body (which may provide a rigid structure for the use or storage of the container) and another part for the inner body (which allows the flexibility of the inner body to be deformed and dispense most or all of the content in use). The selection may be based on the recyclability of the selected material.

Preferably, the volume enclosed by the outer body substantially corresponds to the volume of the inner body when the cleaning product space is completely filled. By forming the inner body to have a volume substantially corresponding to the volume enclosed by the outer body, unused space between the inner body and the outer body is minimized and the container can accommodate a larger volume of cleaning product, resulting in a longer service life. Unused spaces are typically filled with air. The outer body may include one or more air openings configured to allow air exchange between the external environment and the unused space to relieve pressure within the rigid outer body. However, there is no air exchange between the unused space and the cleaning product space to avoid any leakage of the cleaning product.

The inner body of the cleaning product container may have a maximum volume of between 50ml and 2000 ml. Such a volume may be desirable for use in an automatic dosing cleaning appliance.

The cleaning implement may be one or more of a washing machine, a dishwasher, a carpet extractor, or an electric soap dispenser. Such a container may provide a simple and effective way to dose cleaning products to a particular appliance in a controlled manner while ensuring that there is no leakage.

Furthermore, a kit for a cleaning product is provided comprising a container according to the first aspect of the invention, a valve for liquid flow control and a quantity of cleaning product. The cleaning product may already be contained in the flexible inner body of the container or may be external. In some embodiments, the inner body and the outer body may have been bonded together, while in other embodiments they may be bonded together later, for example by inserting the inner body into the outer body and clamping or bonding them together. Such a kit may be used to provide a simple and effective container for use with a cleaning appliance.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of preparing a packaged cleaning product is provided. The method comprises the following steps: at least partially connecting the flexible inner body inside the rigid outer body to obtain the container according to the first aspect of the invention; and filling the flexible inner body with a cleaning product. Such attachment may be by adhesive, threads, clamping, or any other suitable means. Optionally, the connection is located within the rigid outer body and/or at the outlet of the rigid outer body. This approach is a simple and economical way to provide a clean product container that is easy to store, transport and use without leakage.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that features or parameters described in relation to any of the above aspects may be applied to any other aspect except where mutually exclusive. Furthermore, any feature or parameter described herein may be applied to and/or combined with any aspect described herein, unless mutually exclusive.

Detailed description of the invention

Except in the examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use are optionally to be understood as modified by the word "about".

It should be noted that any particular upper value may be associated with any particular lower value when any range of values is specified.

For the avoidance of doubt, the word "comprising" is intended to mean "including", but not necessarily "consisting of …" or "consisting of …". In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

The disclosure of the invention as found herein is considered to cover all embodiments as found in the claims that are multiple dependent on each other, irrespective of the fact that the claims may not have multiple dependencies or redundancies.

Where a feature is disclosed with respect to a particular aspect of the invention (e.g., a composition of the invention), such disclosure is also deemed applicable, mutatis mutandis, to any other aspect of the invention (e.g., a method of the invention).

It is noted that in this application, the terms "container" and "cartridge" are not meant to be mutually exclusive or limiting, but are used interchangeably.

The container is typically in the form of a cartridge adapted to be inserted into a cleaning appliance, preferably having an automatic dosing function of the cleaning product. Suitable cleaning appliances may be, for example, washing machines, dishwashers, mops or other cleaning devices.

The cartridge includes a rigid outer body and a flexible inner body positioned inside the outer body. The outer body may have the shape of a prism, a cylinder or any other shape suitable for insertion into a cleaning appliance. The outer body includes a base, a plurality of sides and an outer body opening. The inner body includes an inner body opening and a cleaning product space configured to hold a quantity of cleaning product.

The outer body opening may be aligned with the inner body opening to allow the cleaning product to drain from the cleaning product space. The inner body and the outer body may be connected around their respective openings by connecting means (e.g. one or more of the following): adhesive, welding, stitching, mechanical means, etc. The cartridge may have a cap placed on the base of the outer body. The cap may include means for controlling the flow of cleaning product. The cap may be mounted to the outer body by fastening means (e.g. threads, a tight fit, a latch or the like). In addition, the cap or cover may be used for storage and/or transportation.

The inner body may also be secured to the outer body by one or more linear connections connecting an outer surface of the inner body to an inner surface of the outer body. These may be in the longitudinal direction and/or around the sides (e.g., radially). In some examples, the linear connections may be in the form of a long connection extending along the length of the outer body or a series of short/point connections along the body, e.g., on each side. This may be achieved by adhesives, welding, stitching, mechanical means, etc.

The connection between the cartridge and the cleaning appliance may be formed by coupling a connection insert on the cap to a negative pressure device, which may be part of the cleaning appliance or separate. The connection may be airtight to allow for proper discharge of the cleaning product. Such connection may be achieved by threads, a tight fit, or any other means capable of securing the two components together.

The cap may further comprise a cap opening allowing liquid to flow through the cap. In this way, a liquid conduit is formed between the cartridge and the cleaning implement. Under negative pressure, for example, generated by the negative pressure device of the cleaning appliance, cleaning product can be discharged from the cleaning product space within the inner body into the cleaning appliance through the cap opening and the negative pressure device.

Prior to use, the cartridge inner body is stretched to maximize the volume of the cleaning product space, and the inner body almost completely coincides with the cartridge outer body. When the cartridge is in use, cleaning product is periodically discharged from the cartridge. When the cleaning product is discharged, the volume of the cleaning product space decreases and the inner body separates from the outer body except around the one or more linear connections. At the same time, the volume of unused space inside the (rigid) outer body and outside the flexible inner body increases. When the cleaning product is discharged out of the inner body, the unused space is filled with air, and thus the volume of the inner body is reduced. The volume of the cleaning product space together with the volume of the unused space always increases to the volume of the outer body. Therefore, when the cleaning product is discharged, as the volume of the cleaning product space decreases, the volume of the unused space increases. The outer body may have one or more air openings (e.g., away from the linear connection) or other means that allow pressure equalization between the unused space and the environment. When the cleaning product has been used mostly or entirely, the cleaning product space is minimized, while the volume of unused space is maximized.

By using a flexible inner body within the outer body, the cartridge is able to hold and empty almost all of the contents without the need for a complicated air valve (and leakage therethrough). As noted in the background, past cartridges typically have only a rigid exterior, which requires an air valve for venting. Liquid sometimes leaks from the valve. By using a flexible inner body instead, only simple air holes are needed in the outer body and no leakage of the content is required as the content is completely contained in the inner body. The flexibility of the inner body allows for a more complete emptying of the contents of the cartridge, resulting in less waste. The use of one or more linear connections provides a simple way to ensure that the inner body is emptied in a manner that does not retain or trap the contents inside. Thus, forming a cartridge with aligned outlet and flexible inner body provides a simpler cartridge that is easier to manufacture (since there is no complex air valve), does not leak and is able to more fully use all of the contents therein.

In order to control the flow of liquid from the cartridge and to prevent spillage of the cleaning product when the cartridge is not connected to the cleaning appliance, a valve may be placed on or in the cap. The valve may be in the form of a silicon cross, a duckbill valve or a deformable ball. Preferably, the valve is placed over the cap opening.

The silicon cross may have four tabs formed by two vertical slits extending through the center of the silicon cross. However, in other configurations, different numbers and positions of the fins are contemplated. The tabs may extend in a radial direction from a central axis of the cap opening toward an edge of the opening. The silicon cross may be placed around the edge of the opening and fastened to the cap by means of a press ring. Under negative pressure, the flaps can open to form a liquid conduit between the cleaning product space and the cleaning implement.

The silicon cross valve provides a simple design with minimal components that can control the flow of the contents of the cartridge. The valve is capable of holding the contents within the cartridge with little or no leakage when not in use and then allows easy and simple flow through the valve when connected to a negative pressure device.

Preferably, the cap comprises a duckbill valve. The duckbill valve may be placed over the cap opening and secured to the rim of the opening by a compression ring. The duckbill valve includes two flaps that form a seal around the central axis of the cap when the cartridge is not in use to prevent spillage of the cleaning product. The duckbill flaps may be formed of silicone or rubber.

The seal may be opened by an injection pin of the negative pressure device to form a liquid conduit between the cleaning product space and the cleaning implement. The contents may then flow from the interior of the cartridge out of the valve and cap for use.

The duckbill valve forms a simple and safe valve at the opening of the cartridge that minimizes or prevents any contents from escaping the cartridge until needed. The duckbill valve can be easily opened by a negative pressure device with a pin or other flow passage to allow dosing from the cartridge. The valve is made of minimal parts and is strong and easy to manufacture and use.

The cap may have a deformable ball disposed in the center of the cap and one or more flow openings extending radially around the ball space. The ball may be located in the ball space and the closure ring may be placed around the cap opening such that the ball stays in the ball space and cannot escape. The flow opening allows cleaning product to flow from the cleaning product space into the ball space and out of the cartridge. When the cartridge is not in use, the ball (in its natural state) covers the opening, forming a seal that prevents the cleaning product from spilling or flowing out of the cartridge.

In use, the cartridge may be connected to the negative pressure device by a cap. The injection pin may be arranged to apply a force and deform the ball. The ball is configured to deform to move away from the closed loop and allow flow through the flow openings. Thus, a liquid conduit is formed from the cleaning product space through the flow opening and the ball space to the cleaning implement.

The ball may be formed of a compressible material that returns to its original shape (to reseal the opening) after the compressive force is removed. Such a suitable material may be, for example, silicone or rubber.

Ball valves provide a simple but effective way to prevent flow and leakage in the cartridge until it is ready for use. The use of a compressible ball allows for sealing in a non-use condition and simple compression of the ball (e.g., by a pin) allows for flow out of the cartridge. Such a simple but effective valve is formed from a minimum of parts and is therefore robust and easy to manufacture and use.

As discussed in the background section, past cartridges required complex outlet valves to ensure that liquid could leave the outlet when required, but did not leak when not in use. Such valves typically include a plurality of metal components, springs, and the like. In contrast, the valve described in this application provides a very simple but effective design to ensure that the contents of the cartridge do not leak but are able to leave the container when connected to a suitable device. No metal parts or springs are required, which generally means less degradation and therefore longer service life of the valve and cartridge. In addition, this may result in easier and less costly manufacturing processes for the valve.

Drawings

FIG. 1A shows a longitudinal view of a container for cleaning products;

FIG. 1B shows a transverse cross-sectional view of a container for cleaning products;

FIG. 1C shows an enlarged area of FIG. 1A surrounding a cap portion of a container for cleaning products;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cartridge containing a quantity of cleaning product attached to a cleaning implement;

figure 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the cartridge filled and prior to use,

FIG. 3B shows the cartridge of FIG. 3A in a partially used state, and

FIG. 3C shows the cartridge of FIG. 3A in an empty or nearly fully used state;

FIG. 4A shows a front view of a cartridge with a cap;

FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of a cap portion of the cartridge of FIG. 4A with a cross valve;

FIG. 4C shows a cross-sectional view of a cap portion of the cartridge of FIG. 4A connected to a negative pressure device; and

FIG. 5A shows a cross-sectional view of a cap portion of a cartridge having a duckbill valve;

FIG. 5B shows the cap of FIG. 5A connected to a negative pressure device;

FIG. 6A illustrates a cross-sectional view of a cap portion of a cartridge having a deformable ball valve; and

fig. 6B shows the cap of fig. 6A connected to a negative pressure device.

Detailed Description

The invention will now be further described with reference to the following non-limiting embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting. In the drawings, the size, shape and arrangement of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions in practice of the invention.

Fig. 1A and 1B show longitudinal and transverse cross-sectional views, respectively, of a container for cleaning products. The container has the form of a cartridge adapted to be inserted into a cleaning appliance 200 having an automatic dosing function of the cleaning product.

The cartridge 10 includes a rigid outer body 12 and a flexible inner body 14 within the outer body 12. The outer body 12 is shown to have a prismatic shape with a rectangular base 11, four sides 15 and an outer body opening 36. The inner body 14 has an inner body opening 34 and is configured to contain an amount of cleaning product in the cleaning product space 16.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1C, the inner body opening 34 and the outer body opening 36 are aligned so that cleaning product can be easily discharged from the cleaning product space 16. The inner body 14 and the outer body 12 are connected around their respective openings by a connecting means 22. The cartridge 10 has a cap 50 that is placed over the base 11 of the outer body 12 around the outer body opening 36. The cap 50 may include means for controlling the flow of cleaning product, as will be discussed in more detail in connection with fig. 4-6. The cap 50 is mounted to the outer body opening 36 by fastening means 52.

The inner body 14 is additionally fixed to the outer body 12 by a series of linear connections 26 along the longitudinal direction X. Fig. 1B shows an example in which the inner body 14 is connected to each side 15 of the outer body 12. The linear connection 26 is formed by connecting the outer surface of the inner body 28 to the inner surface of the outer body 32.

Fig. 2 shows a cartridge 10 containing a quantity of cleaning product 42 connected to a cleaning appliance 200. The connection is made by coupling the coupling insert 18 placed on the cap 50 to the negative pressure device 44 of the cleaning appliance 200.

Cap 50 also includes a cap opening 54 that allows liquid to flow through cap 50. In this way, the liquid conduit 24 is formed between the cartridge 10 and the cleaning appliance 200. Under negative pressure, cleaning product 42 is discharged from cleaning product space 16 through cap opening 54 and negative pressure device 44 into cleaning implement 200, as indicated by the flow arrows in FIG. 2.

Three different stages of operation of the cartridge 10 are shown in fig. 3A-3C, which illustrate cross-sectional views of the cartridge 10 with the outer body 12 and the inner body 14 at different stages of filling of the inner body 14. Fig. 3A shows the cartridge prior to use and filled, fig. 3B shows the cartridge 10 in a partially used condition, and fig. 3C shows an empty or almost fully used condition.

Fig. 3A shows the cartridge prior to use when the cleaning product space 16 is completely filled with cleaning product 42. The inner body 14 is stretched to maximize the volume of the cleaning product space 16 and the inner body 14 almost completely coincides with the outer body 12. When cartridge 10 is in use, cleaning product 42 is periodically discharged from cartridge 10. This situation is shown in fig. 3B. When the cleaning product 42 is discharged, the volume of the cleaning product space 16 decreases and the inner body 14 is separated from the outer body 12 except around the linear connection 26. At the same time, the volume of the unused space 17 increases. The unused space 17 is the space inside the (rigid) outer body 12 and outside the flexible inner body 14, which is filled with air when the cleaning product is discharged and the volume of the inner body 14 is reduced. The volume of the cleaning product space 16 together with the volume of the unused space 17 always increases to the volume of the outer body 12. Therefore, when the cleaning product 42 is discharged, as the volume of the cleaning product space decreases, the volume of the unused space 17 increases. The outer body 12 has an air opening 19 remote from the linear connection 26 or other means of allowing pressure equalization between unused space and the environment. Fig. 3C shows the cartridge 10 when the cleaning product 42 has been used for most or all of its uses. In this case, the cleaning product space 16 is minimized, while the unused space 17 has the greatest volume.

To control the flow of liquid from the cartridge 10 and prevent spillage of the cleaning product 42 when the cartridge 10 is not connected to the cleaning appliance 200, a valve 60 is placed on or in the cap 50 above the cap opening 54. The valve 60 may be in the form of a silicon cross 70 (fig. 4A-4C), a duckbill valve 80 (fig. 5A-5B), or a deformable ball 90 (fig. 6A-6B).

Fig. 4A shows a front view of the cartridge 10 with cap 50 and cross valve 60. The valve 60 is placed over the cap opening 54. In this case, the valve 60 is a silicon cross 70. The valve has four tabs 72, the tabs 72 being formed by two vertical slits extending through the center of the silicon cross 70. Fig. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of cap 50 with silicon cross 70. Cap opening 54 is defined in a radial direction by the edges of opening 56. The tab 72 extends in the radial direction R from the central axis C of the cap opening 54 toward the edge of the opening 56. The silicon cross 70 is placed around the edge of the opening 56 and is secured by a compression ring 62 extending radially around the edge of the opening 56 and the outer edge of the cross. Fig. 4C shows the case when the cap 50 is connected to the negative pressure device 44 of the cleaning appliance. Under negative pressure, the flaps 72 open and a liquid conduit 24 is formed between the cleaning product space 16 and the cleaning implement, as indicated by the flow arrows.

Figure 5A shows a preferred type of valve, a duckbill valve 80. Similar to the silicon cross valve of fig. 4A-4C, a duckbill valve 80 is placed over cap opening 54 and secured to the rim of opening 56 by compression ring 62. The duckbill valve has two flaps 82, which flaps 82 form a seal 59 about the cap central axis C when the cartridge 10 is not in use, to prevent spillage of the cleaning product 42.

Fig. 5B shows the cap 50 when connected to the negative pressure device 44 of the cleaning appliance 200. The negative pressure device 44 has an injection pin 46, which injection pin 46 opens the seal 59 to form the liquid conduit 24 between the cleaning product space 16 and the cleaning appliance 200. The contents then flow from the interior of the cartridge 10 out of the valve 80 and cap 50 for use.

Fig. 6A shows a cap 50 with a deformable ball 90. The cap 50 has a ball space 58 centrally located in the cap 50 and one or more flow openings 92 extending radially around the ball space 58. The ball 90 is located within the ball space 58 and the closed loop 94 is placed around the cap opening 54 such that the ball stays within the ball space 58 and cannot escape. The flow openings 92 allow cleaning product to enter the ball space 58 from the cleaning product space 16 and exit the cartridge 10. However, when the cartridge 10 is not in use, the ball 90 covers the opening 92, forming a seal that prevents the cleaning product from spilling or flowing out of the cartridge 10.

In use, as shown in fig. 6B, the cartridge 10 is connected to the negative pressure device 44 by a cap 50. The injection pin 46 of the negative pressure device 44 applies a force and deforms the ball 90. The ball 90 deforms such that it moves away from the closed loop 94 and allows flow through the flow opening 92. In this way, the liquid conduit 24 is formed from the cleaning product space 16 through the flow opening 92 and the ball space 58 to the negative pressure device 44.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A container (10) comprising:

a rigid outer body (12),

a flexible inner body (14) at least partially within the outer body (12), the inner body (14) defining a cleaning product space (16) configured for containing a quantity of cleaning product (42), and

a coupling (50) for coupling the container to a cleaning appliance (200);

the inner body (14) is connected to the outer body (12) by a connection means (22) so as to form a liquid conduit (24) configured to cooperate with the coupler (50) and enable liquid to flow from the container (10) to the cleaning appliance (200).

2. The container (10) according to claim 1, wherein the outer body (12) comprises a base (11) and a plurality of sides (15) and an outer body opening (36).

3. The container (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection means (22) further comprise one or more linear connections (26) between an outer surface of the inner body (28) and an inner surface of the outer body (32).

4. A container (10) according to claim 3, wherein the inner body (14) is connected to the outer body (12) on each side of the outer body (12).

5. The container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connection means (22) comprise one or more of the following: adhesive, solder, and mechanical connectors.

6. The container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner body (14) comprises an inner body opening (34), the outer body (12) comprises an outer body opening (36), and the inner body opening (34) and the outer body opening (36) are aligned.

7. The container (10) of claim 6, wherein the coupler (50) is aligned with the inner body opening (34) and the outer body opening (36).

8. The container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer body (12) comprises a plastic material.

9. The container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner body (14) comprises a plastic material.

10. The container (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the volume enclosed by the outer body (12) substantially corresponds to the volume of the inner body (14) when the cleaning product space (16) is completely filled.

11. The container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible inner body (14) of the container (10) has a maximum volume of between 50ml and 2000 ml.

12. The container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning appliance (200) is one or more of a washing machine, a dishwasher, a carpet extractor, or an electric soap dispenser.

13. Container (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling (50) comprises means for controlling the flow through the coupling.

14. Container (10) according to claim 13, wherein the means is a valve (60), preferably a cross valve (70), a duckbill valve (80) or a ball valve (90).

15. A method for preparing a packaged cleaning product, the method comprising:

-connecting a flexible inner body (14) at least partially inside a rigid outer body (12) so as to obtain a container (10) according to any one of the preceding claims; and

the flexible inner body (14) is filled with a cleaning product (42).