BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
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The present invention relates to a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function. More particularly, the dispatch assembly is configured to be loaded with automatic toilet bowl cleaners and to release cleaner solution according to practical use conditions, so as to allow adjustment of concentration of cleaner solution in a toilet tank and provide water-saving function.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
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Conventional toilets are typically made as ceramic devices through firing in high temperature. Among others, white toilets are popular for their shining and clean appearances. However, through daily use, the white bowl surface needs frequent clean in addition to regular flushes, for fearing the stains and stink that otherwise occur.
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For meeting such extra clean needs, there has been proposed an automatic toilet bowl cleaner A, as shown in FIG. 1. In use, the automatic toilet bowl cleaner A is directly dropped into a toilet tank for gradual dissolution into water. Afterward, the user's pushing the toilet flush button can cause flush water containing the cleaner to flush the toilet bowl and bring ordure away along the piping and thereby automatically clean the toilet bowl. While such a conventional automatic toilet bowl cleaner for being directly dropped into the toilet tank is convenient and easy to use, it nevertheless possesses some shortcomings and needs to be improved. The first problem to be addressed is its uncontrollable concentration. As the automatic toilet bowl cleaner is entirely immersed in water at the toilet tank, it continuously dissolves into water. The longer it stays in a certain batch of water, the higher its concentration is in the water at the toilet tank. In other words, the depletion of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner starts at the time it is dropped into the toilet tank where it gradually dissolves at a predetermined rate. Depending on the places where toilets are installed, their use incidence can differ significantly. However, there is no means provided to the aforementioned conventional automatic toilet bowl cleaner itself to change the dissolving rate according to the use incidence of a toilet where it is installed. Hence, in a toilet less frequently used (such as one in a small household), each flush can release water with an excessively high concentration of cleaner, causing unnecessary waste. On the contrary, for a toilet in a public place (such as one in a restaurant or a train station), which is much more frequently flushed, it is very likely that the tank water is released before accumulating a meaningful concentration of the cleaner, causing unsatisfying cleaning effects.
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The conventional approach where an automatic toilet bowl cleaner is directly dropped into a toilet tank has another problem in addition to the one stated above about the uncontrollable concentration. That is, while the automatic toilet bowl cleaner gradually dissolves in water to a certain extent, it is apt to break into small pieces that may be possibly discharged through the drain hole at the bottom of the toilet tank with the flush water, also causing unnecessary waste. Sometimes, these undissolved small cleaner pieces can even stock the drain hole to hinder the full closing of the shut-off valve. Consequently, the shut-off valve, which is designed to automatically fall down under gravity after flush, can not fully closes the drain hole and water leakage thus happens, causing undesired waste of valuable water resources. Such waste of water truly diverges from the prevailing trendy of resource preservation and energy conservation, and needs to be remedied.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
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The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function, which serves to adjust the supply amount of the cleaner solution according to the use frequency of a toilet where it is installed, thereby adjusting the concentration of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner.
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A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function, which prevents undissolved broken pieces of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner from being discharged with water and wasted.
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Another objective of the present invention is to provide a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function, which facilitates gradual dissolution and prolonged use life of a bar-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner accommodated therein.
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Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function, which prevents undissolved broken pieces of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner from being discharged with water and hindering the normal operation of the shut-off valve of a toilet where it is installed.
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Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function, which is configured to be installed in a toilet tank to adjust the batch water retention capacity of the toilet tank after each flush, thereby saving water.
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For achieving the above and other objectives of the present invention, a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function is mainly composed of a main body and a fixture. The main body is provided therein with an accommodating space for receiving an automatic toilet bowl cleaner and is provided thereon with at least one drain tube (vent). The fixture has one end fixed to a toilet tank and an opposite end fixed to the main body, so that the main body is positioned in the toilet tank by means of the fixture. Preferably, a top surface of the main body is not lower than a full water level of the toilet tank. The dispatch assembly is characterized in that the fixture holding the main body is adjustable in length or in position with respective to the main body, so as to allow the altitude of the main body in the toilet tank to be changed, and the dispatch assembly is also characterized in that the batch discharge capacity of the drain tube (vent) on the main body is smaller than the overall capacity of the main body during each flush travel of the toilet tank.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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The invention as well as a preferred mode of use and advantages thereof will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional automatic toilet bowl cleaner;
- FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function according a first embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing the toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly of FIG. 2 assembled to a toilet;
- FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function according a second embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a third embodiment of the present invention wherein a main body of a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly is provided therein with a supporting member;
- FIG. 7 is an applied view of FIG. 6; and
- FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing of a fourth embodiment of the present invention wherein a main body of a toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly is provided therein with a supporting member.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
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For illustrating the toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function proposed by the present invention, the below detailed description is made to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Please first refer to FIG. 2 for an exploded view of the toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly with water-saving function according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The toilet-bowl-cleaner dispatch assembly mainly comprises a main body 1 and a fixture 2. The main body 1 is provided therein with an accommodating space 11 for receiving an automatic toilet bowl cleaner 3. The main body 1 is formed with a drain tube (vent) 13. The fixture 2 has one end fixed to a toilet tank 4 (as shown in FIG. 3) and an opposite end fixed to the main body 1, so that the main body 1 is positioned inside the toilet tank 4 by means of the fixture 2. The present invention is characterized in that the fixture 2 holding the main body 1 is adjustable in length so as to allow the altitude of the main body 1 in the toilet tank 4 to be changed. The present invention is also characterized in that the batch discharge capacity of the drain tube (vent) 13 of the main body 1 is smaller than the overall capacity of the main body 1 during the flush travel of the toilet tank 4.
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In virtue of the foregoing structure, the main body 1 allows a user to put the conventionally used automatic toilet bowl cleaner 3 therein for gradually dissolution. In response to the user's pushing the flush button, water level in the toilet tank 4 lowers rapidly so that the cleaner solution stored in the main body 1 is automatically drained through the drain tube (vent) 13 on the main body 1, and mixed with the remnant water in the toilet tank 4 for cleaning the toilet bowl. Once the toilet tank 4 drains out water therein, it starts to store water and the incoming water reversely flows into the main body 1 through the drain tube (vent) 13 until the water levels inside and outside the main body 1 become equal. The batch discharge capacity of the drain tube (vent) 13 for the cleaner solution is only one fourth to one third of the whole capacity of the accommodating space 11 of the main body 1. In other words, in each flush, the main body 1 retains at least two thirds to three fourths of the entire cleanser solution. Consequently, the retained cleanser solution facilitates reducing the water amount required by the post-flush water reserving process, thereby achieving the purpose of water saving. Thus, by adjusting the altitude of the main body 1 in the toilet tank 4, the proportion of water in the toilet tank 4 occupied by the main body 1 can be changed. The higher the main body 1 is in the toilet tank 4, the less the water is saved, and the lower the concentration of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet tank 4 is. On the contrary, in a normal household where the toilet is less frequently used, the main body 1 may be positioned lower in the toilet tank 4 so as to increase the proportion of water in the toilet tank 4 occupied by the main body 1, reducing the batch water retention capacity of the toilet tank 4, thereby saving more water and slightly increasing the concentration of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner in the water discharged by the toilet tank 4. As a result, not only is the purpose of saving water achieved, but also a certain level of cleaning is accomplished.
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In the foregoing structure, the water-saving function of the present invention mainly relies on controlling the flowing difference between water drained by the drain tube (vent) 13 of the main body 1 and drained by the toilet tank 4 during each flush. In other words, it is controlled that the drain tube (vent) 13 of the main body 1 drains a fixed batch discharge capacity of the cleaner solution equal to a predetermined proportion of the total capacity of the accommodating space of the main body 1 during each flush of the toilet tank (about 5-7 seconds) so that the left cleaner solution represents a certain amount of water in the toilet tank that needs not to be replenished. For example, assuming that the accommodating space of the main body 1 is of 800 C.C., and the drain tube (vent) only drains 200 C.C. of the cleaner solution during each flush, lasting about 5-7 seconds, it means that at least 500-600 C.C. of cleaner solution is retained in the main body 1 during each flush, denoting that when the toilet tank 4 refills water, 500-600 C.C. of water retention capacity can be saved.
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In the above structure of the present invention, in addition to saving water by controlling the difference between the batch discharge capacity of the drain tube (vent) 13 on the main body 1 and the water retention capacity of the whole main body, the present invention may have the drain tube (vent) 13 alternatively deposited at a lateral of the main body 1 and separated from the bottom of the accommodating space in the main body 1 (as shown in FIG. 5) for a predetermined distance instead of deposited at the bottom of the main body 1. In such a case, despite of the diameter of the drain tube (vent) 13 of the main body 1, during each flush travel, the cleaner solution in the accommodating space 11 of the main body 1 with the level below the drain tube (vent) 13 will not be drained into the toilet tank, so as to save an amount of water equal to the capacity of a height X in the main body, wherein the height X is between the drain tube (vent) 13 and the bottom of the accommodating space 11, thereby achieving the purpose of saving water similarly.
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In the foregoing structure of the present invention, the end of the fixture 2 fixed to the toilet tank 4 is shaped as a U-shaped hanging hook 21 that allows the fixture 2 to be directly hung and positioned on a lateral wall of the toilet tank 4. For further fixing the fixture 2, a threaded hole 211 and a knob 22 having threads 221 may be provided at an outer side of the hanging hook 21 so that a user can manually operate the knob 22 to make the knob 22 abut against the lateral wall of the toilet tank 4.
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In the foregoing structure of the present invention, for adjusting the altitude of the main body 1 in the toilet tank 4, instead of using a fixture of a fixed length to adjustably combine with the main body 1, a fixture 2 innately having an adjustable length may be used with the main body 1 of the present invention. While there have been numerous known designs for length adjustment, instead of recited one by one, only one preferred embodiment is herein described for illustration. Te fixture 2 here is composed of a first arm 23, a second arm 24 and a fixing member 25. Therein, the first arm 23 and the second arm 24 are overlapped and fastened together by means of the fixing member 25. The first arm 23 has a side adjacent to the second arm 24 provided with a plurality of equidistant positioning holes 231 while the second arm 24 has a side adjacent to the first arm 23 provided with at least one positioning post 241. Basing on the configuration, by making the positioning post 241 of the second arm 24 couple with different positioning holes 231 of the first arm 23 via the fixing member 25, the length of the fixture 2 can be adjusted.
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In the foregoing structure of the present invention, a finely meshed filtering net 15 is further provided between the drain tube (vent) 13 and the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 3 inside the accommodating space 11 of the main body 1. The filtering net 15 serves to receive the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 3 and effectively prevents undissolved pieces of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 3 from being discharged along with water, thereby effectively preventing back-up that happens to the conventional structure and ensuring full dissolution of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 3, in turn avoiding undesired waste.
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Referring to FIG. 5, there is another preferred embodiment of the present invention. Therein, the filtering net 15 instead of being settled in the accommodating space 11 of the main body 1 for receiving the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 3, as described in the prece ding paragraph, may be directly settled at a front end of the drain tube (vent) (as shown in FIG. 5), for achieving the same filtering effect.
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Moreover, in the above structure of the present invention, for further controlling the batch discharge capacity of the cleaner solution from the main body 1, the present invention may have a control knob 131 settled on the drain tube 13 for adjusting the yield.
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Still referring to FIG. 5, therein, another embodiment of the present invention is provided. As shown, the fixture 2 adjustable in length is composed of a first arm 23, a second arm 24 and a fixing member 25. Each of the first arm 23 and the second arm 24 is provided with a lengthwise slot 232 or 242. When the first arm 23 and the second arm 24 are overlapped, a fixing member 25 with threads is allowed to pass the two slots 232, 242 and fasten the first arm 23 and the second arm 24 together so as to achieve the stepless adjustment of the length of the fixture.
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Moreover, basing on the above structure of the present invention, a supporting member 14 (as shown in FIG. 6) is provided in the accommodating space 11 of the main body 1 so as to allow a bar-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner 5 settled slantwise to have a front end received in the accommodating space 11 and immersed in water inside the toilet tank 4, and have a rear end jutting out of the water inside the toilet tank 4, in the manner that the bar-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner 5 gradually glides downward with its dissolution.
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In virtue of the structure described above, the presence of the supporting member 14 in the main body 1 allows the bar-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner 5 to be settled in the main body 1 slantwise, with the front end thereof received in the accommodating space 11 and immersed in the water inside the toilet tank 4 for gradual dissolution, while remaining the rear end jutting out of the water inside the toilet tank 4 undissolved until the front end have gradually dissolved and the whole cleaner 5 glides downward due to gravity to make the rear end contact the water and dissolve gradually, thereby prolonging the use life of the bar-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner 5. This not only effectively overcomes the problem of the waste caused by excessively high concentration of the conventional block-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner that is entire dissolved from the time it is dropped into the toilet tank, but also releases the users from economic burdens of frequently replacing the automatic toilet bowl cleaner.
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In the above structure of the present invention, the supporting member 14 serving to support the bar-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner 5 may practically be realized by various designs too numerous to be recited one by one. Thus, two preferred embodiments are herein provided to be read together with the drawings for reference. The first is a plate 141 as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 that is settled slantwise and provided thereon with a plurality of through holes 142. The through holes 142 allow the cleaner solution to be promptly mixed with the water in the accommodating space 11 of the main body 1.
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In addition to the aforementioned plate 141, the supporting member 14 of the present invention may be alternatively composed of a plurality of supporting rods 143 that are slantwise arrayed in the accommodating space 11 of the main body 1 (as shown in FIG. 8), for providing the same effect. In addition, an extended portion 16 is extended from one lateral of the main body 1 for matching an inclined angle of the bar-shaped automatic toilet bowl cleaner 5.
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Furthermore, despite its altitude in a toilet tank, the main body of the present invention facilitates saving water to a certain extent. However, if it is also desired to prolong the use life of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner, it is preferred that the main body has its top surface slightly higher than the full water level of the toilet tank.
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To sum up, the present invention, by adjusting the altitude of the main body of the present invention in a toilet tank, controls the water-reservation capacity of the toilet tank occupied by the main body, so as to effectively prolong the use life of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner and prevent undissolved pieces of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner from being discharged out, avoiding unnecessary waste of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner and facilitating saving water.
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It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
