ES2278791T3 - DEVICES FOR DOSAGE A LIQUID PRODUCT. - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for dosing a product (P, P¿) in a liquid flow (F), the device comprising a reservoir (10, 10¿, 60) for the product having a closed upper end, the device also comprising a chamber ( 6, 6 ¿, 66) for the product, said chamber having a porous wall (26, 26 ¿, 65) through which the product (P, P ¿) is in operation when an outer surface of the porous wall is transported (26, 26 ¿, 65) is inside the liquid flow (F, F ¿) but retains the product (P, P¿) inside the chamber (6, 6¿, 66) when the liquid flow ceases ( F, F ¿) through the wall, the product being a liquid or a gel that will flow by gravity from the tank into the chamber, the device further comprising an air source (30, 30¿, 74) of the atmosphere a through which air can enter through the lower end of the reservoir or chamber to equalize the pressure on a product / air interface (38, L, 80) there with the atmospheric one, so that the hydrostatic height in the chamber (6, 6 ¿, 66) is being kept substantially constant regardless of the product height in the tank (10, 10 ¿, 60).

Description

Devices for dosing a product liquid.

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to devices to dose a liquid product in a liquid flow, and especially for devices intended for use in systems They have an intermittent fluid flow. In a way preferred, the invention relates in particular to the dosage of a liquid product in a receiver such as a toilet or a toilet bowl in combination with the receiver discharge. The The invention has, however, a broader applicability.

Background of the invention

The background of the present invention is shall establish with reference to the preferred application of a sink air freshener, although as already indicated above, and as will be appreciated from the description that follows Hereinafter, the invention has a much broader applicability.

It has long been known to arrange called basin fresheners in the form of a solid product or semi-solid, a "deodorant pill" that is mounted inside the inner edge of the toilet bowl where the discharge water it will fall on the product and thus dissolve or erode it to release active components in the water flow.

More recently it has been proposed to use a liquid refreshing product for baths in a similar way. By example, EP-A-0538957 describes a device that can be mounted inside the inner edge of the cup of a toilet to dose a liquid refreshing product in the discharge water

In this device, the liquid product is dosed in the water stream from a porous substrate that It has in the path of the discharge water. The porous substrate It is supplied with the liquid product from a disposed container above the substrate, a mouth of the reservoir that opens on the upper surface of the substrate. Although this provision It is of simple construction, has the disadvantage that the volume of liquid product flowing to the substrate between discharges is dependent, at least in part, on the height of the liquid in the tank, as this directly influences the flow from the deposit on the surface of the substrate. The result is a inconsistency in the dose of liquid product to the cup of the toilet over time.

EP-A-0785315 describes a development of the device described above. Be employs the same basic principle of dosing a liquid product in a flow of water from a porous substrate. However the Liquid product from a deposit is deposited on the surface upper substrate through a regulation channel. He liquid is measured in the channel through a hole and disposed a separate air opening inside the tank. Sizes of the measuring hole and the air opening are adjusted rigorously at the viscosity of the liquid being dosed. Indicated which has the effect of providing a height substantially liquid constant on the substrate, independent of the level in The deposit. However, although this provision provides a constant flow of liquid product to the absorbent substrate, can irregular dosing of the discharge water still occurs, dependent at least in part on the duration of the periods between downloads. This is believed to be due to the dependence of this liquid product coagulation device to contain your flow over the substrate, a mechanism that is very dependent on environment in which the device is used. It is also believed that the height of liquid that is cast on the substrate can result to a "supersaturation" of the substrate, since it reaches Product overload.

In WO-A-0049238 a distributor to release a substance in a toilet bowl it is a perforated or grooved tube mounted around the cup in the discharge water path. The solids or liquids of the tube are Eliminate with discharge water. The tube can be filled from inverted containers (figures 19-22). There is not one description of how a liquid can be retained in the tube when not discharge water runs.

In WO-A-9220876 a unicameral device that hangs on the water path discharge contains a solid or gel in its chamber to which it has Access the water upwards through a perforated or porous base. The gel or solid dissolves and falls from the container. Not described No specific air intake. The process will not be necessarily proportional to the amount of discharge water and due to its slowness it will continue for some time after Stop the download. The inventor did not describe that they could used liquids

The present invention, on the other hand, allows a liquid material or a fluid gel (i.e. one that flows through severity) for example a deodorant, perfume, disinfectant or bleach, be safely retained in the device until the water then makes contact with the device, being fluid, to flow immediately safely and proportionally in the water and then cease the flow when the current ceases. Water it will usually be discharge water from a toilet bowl or urinal, but it can be bath water or sink.

EP-A-1046755 dispenses a liquid from a reservoir through an opening narrowed that in combination with the viscosity of the liquid is said which exerts pressure on a porous plate that is independent of the liquid level in the tank. The porous plate is held in front of the opening by a non-porous wall of a chamber, and the liquid is transported laterally on the plate to parts of it that are exposed to discharge water, beyond of the camera.

The present invention features a device to dose a product in a liquid flow, comprising the device a chamber for the liquid product, presenting said chamber a porous wall through which the liquid product is transported when an outer surface of the porous wall is found within the flow of liquid but that retains the product inside the chamber when the flow of liquid ceases.

It is characterized by the product that is fluid (liquid or fluid gel) and by the arrangement of a height chamber hydraulics that remain substantially constant, regardless of the height of the product in the tank, by medium of an air supply of the atmosphere that equals the chamber pressure with outside atmospheric pressure.

In this way, the desired effect "active-inactive" can be obtained by proper selection of the resistance of the porous wall of the chamber to the movement of the fluid product through it, by example by the selection of the pore size of the wall, based on the rheology of the liquid product, in particular its viscosity, but the dosage will not be substantially affected by the amount of product left in the deposit. More specifically, wall resistance is selected to be sufficient to substantially resist any product flow from the camera when the exterior of the camera wall is exposed to environmental pressure, since its hydrostatic pressure cannot exceed A certain value. However, as the liquid to which it Doses the product flows over the porous wall of the chamber dosage there is a fall resulting from static pressure at exterior of the wall. The resistance of the porous wall is select so that the resulting pressure difference to through the wall cause the fluid product to flow into the outside through the wall towards the flow of liquid. When he flow stops, or the camera is taken out of the flow, the balance of pressure through the chamber wall recovers almost instantly and the liquid product stops scrolling through of the wall.

It will be appreciated that in this way the invention provides a relatively simple configuration device which, however, can offer very good control of the dosage of the fluid product in the liquid flowing in the chamber. As such, it has wide applicability. Examples of preferred applications include the dosing of a foaming or similar bath product in a bath together with running water and the dosing of for example a deodorizing liquid product and / or disinfectant in a toilet or urinal cup together with the water of
discharge.

Consequently, there may be a means to suspend the dosing chamber inside the receiver in the trajectory of said liquid flow.

The receiver can be, for example, a cup of toilet or a potty.

In any of the above aspects, the tank or container from which the product can be supplied to the camera has a closed top and powers the camera by gravity. Such a provision would be problematic if all the height of fluid in the reservoir act in the chamber of dosage. For example, the resulting static pressure can cause the filtration of the liquid product through the wall Porous of the chamber when the tank is full. Alternatively, if the wall resistance is set high enough to avoid this leakage, when the height in the tank is reduces as the product is used, the static pressure in the dosing chamber may not be enough to produce a liquid flow through the wall when the liquid flows to Through the wall

This is why the device dosage is arranged so that the hydrostatic pressure in the camera remains substantially independent of the height of the liquid in the tank.

This is achieved with a provision in which the tank includes an air source through which the air You can enter through the lower end of the tank or chamber. The base of the deposit is also closed except for an exit to The dosing chamber.

Similar to the traditional "feeder of chickens "this arrangement finds an equilibrium position in which, due to a reduction in pressure in a space of air formed above the liquid in the reservoir at its end upper closed, the liquid column in the tank is kept by the atmospheric pressure acting through the supply of air, in the product in the dosing chamber, as set out in more detail below.

It is also desirable to provide compensation for temperature variations, which has been found to be lead to a significant expansion of the accumulation volume of air retained at the upper end of the chamber and disturb thus the pressure balance reached. In this way, they are arranged preferably means for containing displaced liquid as result of this expansion.

In another aspect, the invention provides a closure dosing for a container, for example a bottle that It has a closed top when it is inverted, the closure comprising a chamber to which a liquid product or fluid gel that will flow by gravity from the container to the chamber when connected to the container, presenting said chamber a porous wall through which the product liquid is transported when the outer surface of the wall Porous is disposed within a flow of liquid, but retains the product when the liquid flowing through the wall ceases, and there are means to maintain a hydrostatic pressure constant in that camera (when connected to it inverted product container) by an ambient air source towards the chamber to equalize the pressure on an interface product / air there with the atmospheric.

If the closure is installed for example in a top opening of a container, the dosing chamber can remain open inside the tank so that it can be filled Simply by investing the deposit. The inverted deposit can then keep the dosing chamber under a flow of liquid, for example an open tap, in which the product dosed is for example a foam bath, to dose the Liquid product in the flowing liquid.

The liquid products used with each of the various aspects of the invention comprise preferably a component that has affinity for the liquid that flows in which it is dispensed. For example, if the liquid that flows is water, the liquid product can comprise a component that has hydrophilic characteristics, such as a surfactant

Embodiments of the invention in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a dosing device of a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a partially front elevation sectioning of the device of figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional side view of another dosing device of a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 is a partially front elevation sectioned from the device of figure 3 showing the reservoir substantially full;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the device of Figure 3 showing the deposit when it has been used up; Y

Figure 6 shows a dosage closure of according to another embodiment of the invention installed in the dosing opening of a tank.

Dosing devices 2, 2 'of the Figures 1-2 and 3-5 are adapted to dose a liquid product, such as a cleaning product and / or deodorant in cup B of a toilet, together with the water flow F generated when pulling the chain. The devices of Dosing 2, 2 'each comprises a dosing chamber of porous walls 6, 6 'of cylindrical shape, suspended by a strip 8, 8 'from the edge R of the toilet bowl B on the path of the discharge water F. A liquid product P is supplied by gravity to the dosing chamber 6, 6 'from a reservoir 10, 10 'mounted above chamber 6, 6'.

A support 12, 12 ', to which strip 8 is attached, 8 ', serves as a support for the dosing chamber 6, 6' and the tank 10, 10 '. A cavity 14, 14 'inside the support 12, 12 'serves as a conduit between an outlet 16, 16' of the tank and an entrance centrally arranged 18, 18 'to the chamber of 6, 6 'dosage.

The tank 10, 10 'is housed so correspondingly removable inside a seat 20, 20 'in the support, allowing to extract and replace or fill the tank once the liquid product it contains has been Exhausted. Deposits are expected to be arranged in a Initially sealed configuration. Through a pointed element 24, 24 'can break a closure of tightness 22, 22 'through a tank outlet that, in These examples are molded in support of the support, which perforates the seal when the tank 10, 10 'is located installed in your seat 20, 20 '.

In operation, discharge water F flows through the porous wall 26, 26 'of the dosing chamber 6, 6' creating a reduction in pressure on its outer surface enough to create a pressure difference enough large through the wall 26, 26 'to make the product Liquid P flows outward through the wall. The product P is therefore dosed in a controlled manner in the flow of F water in the form of fine microfilaments excreted from the pores of Wall.

This greatly increases the solubility of the product P in the flowing water F, which leads for example to a Improved foaming of the product where desired.

Once the water flow F ceases, the pressure towards the outside of the porous wall 26, 26 'returns almost Instantly at ambient pressure and the flow of liquid product Through the wall it stops. The perfume components more volatile liquid products, if present, can penetrate through the wall, however, even in the absence of flow of water, providing a continuous deodorizing effect.

It should also be noted that whenever the Dosing chamber has a capacity greater than the dose of product for toilet discharge, and / or gravity supply since the deposit is fast enough, it can remain prepared almost constantly, so it doesn't matter how fast follow successive discharge from the toilet the desired dose of product that is introduced into the water flow F.

The device can be used to dose A variety of liquid products in a liquid flow. Typically, for the example application described - cleaning and deodorizing a toilet bowl - the product It will include both surfactant and perfume components. He rheological behavior of the material, particularly its viscosity, can be selected with respect to physical properties of the porous wall of the dosing chamber 6, 6 ', which typically it will have pores of a size of 50 to 120 microns, or vice versa, to ensure that the liquid product P is dosed properly in the discharge water F. Normally, the product Liquid P will be more viscous than the flowing fluid F.

In order to maintain the pressure difference at through the wall 26, 26 'of the dosing chamber 6, 6' substantially constant from discharge to discharge, to ensure a constant dose, it may be important to ensure that the pressure hydrostatic liquid product P inside chamber 6, 6 'is keep substantially constant, even if the height of liquid in the tank 10, 10 'is reduced over time while the product P. Figures 1 and 3 illustrate two arrangements Alternatives used to obtain this.

Looking first at figure 1, it can be seen that an air supply tube 30 is open at its end lower 32 to the cavity 14 of the support 12. The upper end 34 of this tube is open to the atmosphere. When the deposit 10 It is initially installed on bracket 12, its output 16 is It is open at tip 24 and product P flows from the tank 10 down through the cavity 14 towards the chamber of Dosage 6. The liquid leaving the tank 10 is replaced by air, which enters the tank through the supply tube of air 30. Once the liquid in cavity 14 covers the lower end 32 of the supply tube 30, the passage of air to the tank 10. This, in turn, causes a pressure drop in the free space 36 above the liquid product in the tank 10. A state of equilibrium is quickly reached in which, given pressure reduction in space 36, the liquid column in the tank 10 and the cavity 14 above the lower end 32 of the air supply tube 30 is maintained by pressure Atmospheric at the liquid / air interface 38 at the lower end of the air supply tube 30.

As the product is dosed in water of discharge F, the liquid level in the tank 10 drops further. This results in an increase in the volume of the sealed air space 36 and a consequent drop in air pressure in this space 36. This, in turn, causes air to flow into cavity 14 a through the air tube 30, the air forming a series of bubbles 40 at the lower end 32 of the tube 30 to bubble up  through the reservoir to the air space 36, increasing the pressure in that space until equilibrium is restored again. A Once equilibrium is restored, the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid at the level of the lower end of the air tube 30 is equal to atmospheric pressure once again.

Significantly, when there is a pressure atmospheric acting on the liquid / air interface 38 at the end bottom of air tube 30, then in the steady state shown the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid at the level of this interface 38 is equal to atmospheric pressure. So the pressure hydrostatic at this level in cavity 14, and therefore the hydrostatic pressure inside the dosing chamber 6, remains substantially constant regardless of level of liquid in the tank 10.

Figure 3 shows an alternative arrangement which works very similarly to get the pressure substantially constant desired within the chamber of 6 'dosage. The main difference between the device of the figure 1 and the one illustrated in figure 3 is that the last one is specifically adapted to protect against filtration of product of the 6 'dosing chamber as a result of the variations of the ambient temperature.

In the device of Figure 3, from the exit of the tank 16 towards the cavity 14 of the support extends down a supply tube 50. The liquid product P comes out of the tank through this tube 50, which in the present example it is fixed to the 10 'tank, but that could also be supportive of the seat 20 'of the support 12'. Otherwise, the Device structure is very similar to that shown in the figure 1, with the exception that the air supply tube 30 'does not protrudes a lot towards cavity 14.

In operation, just like the device of figure 1, when the tank 10 'is installed in the support 12 'the liquid product P flows into the cavity 14' and from there towards the 16 'dosing chamber. However, unlike of the device of figure 1 in which the equilibrium position only cavity 14 and the dosing chamber are reached once 16 are filled with liquid product, the presence of the tube supply 50 produces an equilibrium state that is obtained although there is still a substantially annular air space within cavity 14 around this tube 50. The level of free liquid resulting L in the cavity 14 'is open to the atmosphere at through the air tube 30 '. In this state, the height of liquid above the lower end 52 of the supply tube 50 is canceled by the negative pressure present in the air space 36 ' at the upper end of the tank 10 '.

During device operation, a as the liquid product is consumed, when the cavity liquid level 14 'below the lower end 52 of the supply tube 50, the product flows from the tank 10 once more towards the cavity, recovering the lower end 52 of the tube to return the device to its steady state. In this way, the level of free liquid in cavity 14 is keeps substantially constant at the lower end of the tube of supply 50 or around it. Like this surface is found open to the atmosphere, this in turn means that the hydrostatic pressure in the dosing chamber 6 'is maintained also substantially constant as desired.

An increase in room temperature will cause that the air retained in the space 36 'above the product tank liquid 10 'expand. This expansion will displace the liquid product from the tank 10 'towards the cavity 14' raising the liquid level in the cavity. With a provision of the form that it can be seen in figure 1, this would lead the liquid product towards above the air supply tube 30, increasing the height of liquid above the dosing chamber, possibly giving place to a product filtration through the wall of the chamber due to higher hydrostatic pressure. However, with the arrangement of figure 3, in which the cavity 14 is not full, a much larger volume of product has to be moved from the deposit 10 'to cavity 14' before any appreciable increase in liquid level L. Thus, the effects of a ambient temperature rise are significantly lower, and most likely insignificant with this provision.

In the embodiment of Figure 1 there could be a similar compensation for temperature variations providing an enlarged cross section to a part of the air supply tube 30 at its lower end 32 or near the same, thus increasing the volume of the area in which the liquid can expand without advancing a significant distance towards above that tube 30.

Returning to Figure 6, a container 60 having a closure 62 according to another embodiment of the invention, suitable, for example, for dosing a P 'foam bath product at a controlled rate in a bath with water F 'flowing from a tap T.

The closure 62 includes a porous plug in the form of dome 64, which has a hollow interior to define a chamber of dosage 66. Cap 64 is open inside the container 60, this open end being sealed tightly from cap 64 to a ring 68, which surrounds the end of cap 64 and it is housed in the mouth 70 of the tank to close it.

An annular groove 72 is formed in ring 68 away from the mouth 70 of the tank opposite it. This slit 72 receives the base of a lid (not shown) that can be used to cover the cap 64 when the container 60.

A U-shaped air supply tube 74 is open at one end of the dosing chamber 66, near the closed end of the cap 64, and is open at the other end towards the annular groove 72, thus providing a conduit for the air from the outside of the container 60 to the dosing chamber 66. Conveniently, the outer end of the air tube 74 of the slit 72 is cut by the lid (not shown) when it is placed, to avoid any involuntary spillage of liquid product P 'through this tube when the container 60 is in position
vertical.

In operation, the container 60 is inverted (as shown in figure 6). The liquid product P ', for example a bath foam product, flows into the chamber of dosage 66 from inside the container 60. As does this, the air pressure retained in space 76 above of the product P 'in the base 78 of the container 60, is reduced and, at as in the devices of figures 1 and 3, a equilibrium position in which the column of liquid P 'in the inverted tank 60 is maintained by a vacuum combination partial created in space 76 and the atmospheric pressure acting at the liquid / air interface 80 at the inner end of the tube air supply 74. The pore size of the porous wall of the Dosing chamber 66 is selected based on the viscosity of the P 'liquid product to ensure that in this state of balance, with the tank invested, do not leave product through of the wall.

When the tank is placed with cap 64 on a water flow F ', for example, from a tap T, reducing the static pressure outside the porous wall 65 produced by the flowing water F ', creates a pressure differential across the sufficient wall to cause the liquid product P 'to advance to through the wall that will be absorbed by the flowing water F '.

Similar to the other embodiments described above, as product P 'is dispensed, the level in the container 60 drops, further reducing the pressure of air in space 76. The resulting imbalance of pressures through the column of liquid causes the air to bubble to through the air tube 74 until a balance is obtained a more time The result is a substantially hydrostatic pressure constant inside the dosing chamber 66, under pressure atmospheric or approximately atmospheric (this being the pressure acting on the liquid / air interface 80 inside the chamber 66), regardless of the height of the liquid product P 'in the inverted deposit 60.

If the product P 'is a bath foam, then example, dosing it in the manner described above, using the container 60 of figure 6, much can be created foam with very little effort from the user, in particular because there is no need to tighten the deposit. For other part, the dosage is very controllable, depending almost completely of the time that the cap 64 stays under the tap open T.

Different modifications can be made in the embodiments specifically described without departing from the invention as defined by the claims. By example, although the porous walls of the dosing chambers 6, 66 in the examples described are substantially rigid to keep their shape, they could be replaced, for example, by a semipermeable or similar membrane that, if not sufficiently rigid by itself to form the dosing chamber, it can be held by other means.

Claims (8)

1. Device for dosing a product (P, P ') in a liquid flow (F), the device comprising a tank (10, 10 ', 60) for the product that has one end upper closed, the device also comprising a camera (6, 6 ', 66) for the product, said chamber presenting a wall porous (26, 26 ', 65) through which the product (P, P ') is transported when an outer surface of the porous wall (26, 26 ', 65) is within the flow of liquid (F, F ') but retaining the product (P, P') inside the chamber (6, 6 ', 66) when the flow of liquid (F, F') ceases through the wall, the product being a liquid or a gel that will flow through gravity from the tank to the chamber, further comprising the device an air source (30, 30 ', 74) of the atmosphere at through which air can enter through the lower end of the reservoir or chamber to equalize pressure on an interface product / air (38, L, 80) there with the atmospheric, so that the hydrostatic height in the chamber (6, 6 ', 66) is being maintained substantially constant regardless of the height of product in the tank (10, 10 ', 60). 2. Dosing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the air source is a tube (30, 30 ') that extends along the reservoir at the chamber level. 3. Dosing device according to the claim 2, which provides an air gap in a cavity (14 ') that is above the camera but below the reservoir to contain displaced liquid as a result of a expansion due to an increase in the temperature of an accumulation of air (36) retained at the upper closed end of the tank (10 '). 4. Dosing device according to any of the preceding claims, comprising means (24, 24 ') to penetrate a seal (22, 22 ') in the tank when the latter is installed with the device. 5. Dosage closure (62) for a container (60) having an outlet (70) and a top closed when inverted, for example, a bottle, the closure comprising a chamber (66) to which a product that is a liquid or gel that will flow by gravity from the  container towards the camera when it is connected to the container, said chamber presenting a porous wall (65) through of which the fluid product is transported only when the porous wall is arranged within a flow of liquid (F '), the closure also comprising means (74, 80) for maintaining a constant hydrostatic pressure of said fluid product in the said camera when it is connected to said container of inverted product, including means an air source (74) from the ambient atmosphere to the chamber (66) to equalize the pressure in a product / air interface (80) there with the atmospheric one. A closure according to claim 5, characterized in that the air source (74) is a tube in the closure that leads from the outside of the chamber. 7. Container for a liquid product, the container comprising an outlet (70) and a closure (62) according to claim 5 or claim 6 installed in said exit. 8. Dosing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or a container according to claim 7, characterized in that the reservoir or container contains a liquid product comprising a component having an affinity for the flowing liquid to which It has to be dispensed.