Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03C—DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER; SINKS
  • E03C1/00—Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water; Sinks
  • E03C1/02—Plumbing installations for fresh water
  • E03C1/04—Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths
  • E03C1/046—Adding soap, disinfectant, or the like in the supply line or at the water outlet
  • E03C1/0465—Adding soap, disinfectant, or the like in the supply line or at the water outlet by mounting an independent soap dispenser to outlet of tap
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47K—SANITARY EQUIPMENT NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TOILET ACCESSORIES
  • A47K5/00—Holders or dispensers for soap, toothpaste, or the like
  • A47K5/06—Dispensers for soap
  • A47K5/08—Dispensers for soap for solid soap
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
  • B01F21/00—Dissolving
  • B01F21/20—Dissolving using flow mixing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
  • B01F21/00—Dissolving
  • B01F21/40—Dissolving characterised by the state of the material being dissolved
  • B01F21/402—Dissolving characterised by the state of the material being dissolved characterised by the configuration, form or shape of the solid material, e.g. in the form of tablets or blocks

Definitions

• SOAP DISPENSER This invention relates to a soap dispenser.
• soap dispensers in the vicinity of a wash basin, bath or shower including a container of liquid soap wherein a pump action mechanism is utilised to deliver a measured dose of liquid soap through a length of tubing.
• holders for cakes of soap in the vicinity of a wash basin, bath or shower whereby a user may locate and use a piece of soap.
• Pump action mechanism liquid soap dispensers leak liquid soap, and cakes of soap become grimy and sludgy from constant handling.
• the present invention seeks, therefore, to provide a soap dispenser where there is no need to handle the cake of soap, and the user may wash under a flow of water containing dissolved soap.
• a soap dispenser characterised in that the soap dispenser includes retaining means for supporting solid soap, the retaining means being provided with at least one aperture, the arrangement being such that, in use, when water is caused to flow into the retaining means, soap dissolves into said water, and said water and said dissolved soap is thereby dispensed through said at least one aperture without physical contact between a user and said solid soap.
• Figure 1 is a side plan view of the soap dispenser in accordance with the present invention with a cup aligned with a tap;
• Figure 2 is a side plan view of the soap dispenser of Figure 1 with the cup in non- vertical alignment with the tap; and Figure 3 is a top plan view of the soap dispenser of Figure 1.
• a soap dispenser 10 having retaining means for holding solid soap 30 which may be a single relatively large piece of solid soap or a plurality of relatively small pieces of solid soap.
• the retaining means is in the form of a cup 20.
• the retaining means could alternatively take the form of a platform, a basket or any other suitable retaining means which functions, in use, to hold a piece of soap relative to a tap.
• a lower portion of the cup 20 is provided with at least one aperture,' in this example a plurality of apertures 40 disposed on a lower portion of the cup 20.
• the at least one aperture may be disposed on other portions of the cup 20, for example on a side portion of the cup 20.
• the soap dispenser 10 also includes an attachment means 50 and a downwardly depending vertical shank 60 interconnecting the cup 20 and the attachment means 50, the cup 20 being pivotally mounted about a lower end 62 of the downwardly depending vertical shank 60. Also provided is a spigot 64 of cross-shaped transverse cross section, the spigot 64 extending upwardly of a lower portion of the cup 20.
• the spigot 64 serves to receive a generally cylindrical soap pellet and facilitates impingement of water on both an interior cylindrical surface and an exterior cylindrical surface of the soap pellet during use. In this way, during use, as the diameter of the interior cylindrical surface increases, the diameter of the exterior cylindrical surface simultaneously decreases.
• the spigot 64 may be provided with a generally conical cap at an end of the spigot 64 remote from the lower portion of the cup 20.
• the cap serves to restrict water from immediately contacting the soap pellet as the water enters the cup 20 during use.
• the cap also serves to restrict splashback of water from the cup 20.
• the cup 20 is provided with an annular lip member 66 which may be integral with or separable from a body portion of the cup 20, the lip member 66 being provided with a curved inwardly extending surface 68 which serves to urge upwardly moving water to travel inwardly of the cup 20.
• the attachment means 50 includes opposing fixed and movable jaws 51, 52 arranged in use to laterally grip opposing sides of a downwardly depending end 72 of a ' tap 70.
• the opposing fixed and movable jaws 51, 52 of the attachment means 50 may be tightened or loosened about the downwardly depending end 72 of the tap 70 by tightening or loosening, respectively, a screw 54 interconnecting the opposing fixed and movable jaws 51, 52.
• the opposing fixed and movable jaws 51, 52 of the attachment means 50 may be arranged to grip opposing sides of a shank 74 of the tap 70. It is also envisaged that the attachment means 50 could alternatively be adapted to attach to other objects such as a portion of an adjacent sink, a wall portion or a tile, the important aspect being that, in use, the attachment means 50 of the dispenser is fixed in position relative to a tap.
• An end 53 of the attachment means 50 is provided with a downwardly depending vertical shank 60.
• the cup 20 is pivotally mounted about a lower end 62 of the downwardly depending vertical shank 60, such that in use the cup may be pivoted to a position where the cup 20 is in vertical alignment with the downwardly depending end 72 of the tap 70, as shown in Figure 1.
• the cup 20 is provided with an outwardly protruding handle 22 to aid pivotal movement of the cup 20 about the lower end 62 of the downwardly depending vertical shank 60.
• the cup 20 may also be provided with a projection (not shown) extending downwardly of the cup 20 below the apertures 40, the projection serving as an alternative handle for effecting pivotal movement of the cup 20.
• a projection is useful where the user has particularly dirty hands since the projection is cleaned by passing water during use.
• a flow of water is generated into the cup 20 and around the piece of soap 30, a portion thereof dissolving in the flow of water.
• the flow of water including the dissolved portion of the soap 30 flows through the apertures 40 of the cup 20, for example into an underlying receptacle, to produce "soapy" water.
• the cup 20 When not in use, the cup 20 may be pivoted about the lower end 62 of the downwardly depending vertical shank 60 to a position where the cup is not in vertical alignment with the downwardly depending end 72 of the tap 70, as shown in Figure 2.
• the tap 70 may be turned on to generate a flow of water, for example into an underlying receptacle, without producing "soapy" water.
• the cup instead of providing a cup which is adapted to pivot relative to a vertical shank, the cup could be fixed relative to the vertical shank and a pivotable tap provided such that the outlet of the tap is moveable into and out of alignment with the cup.
• the soap dispenser could be arranged so that the retaining means is pivotable about other axes, the important aspect being that the retaining means is pivotable from a location wherein water flows through the retaining means to a position wherein water does not flow through the retaining means.
• a retaining means having a plurality of compartments could be provided.
• the retaining means would be rotatable such that each compartment is selectively alignable with a tap outlet.
• One of the compartments could be a hollow cylinder through which water may pass unhindered, and the other two compartments could contain soap, each respective soap being for a particular use.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Food-Manufacturing Devices (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Massaging Devices (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)
• Domestic Plumbing Installations (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=3812364

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (4)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1999
  • 1999-01-14 AU AUPP8159A patent/AUPP815999A0/en not_active Abandoned
• 2000
  • 2000-01-14 CA CA002360341A patent/CA2360341C/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-01-14 NZ NZ513519A patent/NZ513519A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-01-14 EP EP00902492A patent/EP1150599B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-01-14 WO PCT/AU2000/000015 patent/WO2000041608A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-01-14 ES ES00902492T patent/ES2295006T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-01-14 DE DE60036279T patent/DE60036279T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-01-14 JP JP2000593226A patent/JP2002534198A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-01-14 AT AT00902492T patent/ATE372079T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (4)

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