ES2560859T3 - Dispensing unit for dispensing a cooling fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

A dispensing unit for dispensing a cooling fluid (2) comprising: - a support for mounting the unit in a toilet or the like; - a reservoir (1) defining a volume to comprise the fluid, the reservoir being formed so that most of the volume (8) is provided in a higher portion of the reservoir, the reservoir comprising - an opening (3) of supply of fluid disposed in a lower part of the tank; and - an aeration opening (4) for providing aeration of a higher volume of air in the tank, characterized in that the fluid supply opening is sized, in relation to the fluid contained in the tank, to provide a dripping action of the fluid when it flows out of the fluid supply opening by the action of gravity, and because a dosage ratio, defined as a height ratio of the heights of the volume defining volumes for a 100% fill ratio, 10 % of deposit respectively, varies between 1 and 4.0.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Dispensing unit for dispensing a cooling fluid

The invention relates to a dispensing unit for dispensing a cooling fluid. In particular, it refers to a device for supplying in one place a fluid or vapor, for example a cleaning agent, a disinfectant agent, a deodorant agent, an insecticide, an acaricide or an antiallergic agent.

In some aspects the invention relates to the dispensing of a cleaning or disinfectant fluid in the bowl or tank of a toilet, or of a similar container containing water or rinsing with water.

Several devices for bath hygiene are known. Simple disinfectant blocks of slow dissolution are offered to place them in the cistern or in the toilet bowls. Devices for releasing loads of a disinfectant or cleaning agent have also been proposed. These devices are included in a tank that

15 defines a volume to comprise the fluid and a support for mounting the unit in a toilet bowl or the like. To provide a continuous and moderate flow of fluid outflow, these devices are often too complicated. There is a need to create a device that can supply a fluid in a container for a prolonged period, and that is simple and cost effective to build.

In some aspects, the invention relates to the dispensing of a vapor in the air of a space. Despite the large number of devices available for dispensing fragrances, insecticides and the like in the form of steam, all of them have drawbacks and there is still a need for a simple and reliable device that meets this purpose.

EP-0878586 describes a drip device that uses the drip to dispense a fluid into a toilet bowl.

25 The device is only effective for every discharge of the toilet, since the fluid is collected in a collection tray. One of the problems with this device is that the dosage will depend largely on the level of filling. In addition, there is a risk that the liquid will mix with the water, since the aeration opening is not protected from discharge water.

DE-19915322 describes a fluid supply device having an aeration opening, an opening of

30 fluid supply and a porous body. Through this arrangement, the pressure of the fluid in the porous body is kept substantially constant, regardless of the level of filling of the container. However, this requires the presence of a porous body and, therefore, the arrangement of the dispenser is considerably complex.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a dispensing unit for dispensing a fluid is provided.

According to the characteristics of claim 1. In particular, a dispensing unit for dispensing a cooling fluid is provided, comprising: a support for mounting the unit in a toilet bowl or the like; a reservoir that defines a volume to understand the fluid; the reservoir comprising a fluid supply opening disposed in a lower part of the reservoir and sized, in relation to the fluid contained in the reservoir, to provide a fluid dripping action when flowing out of the fluid supply opening by the action

40 of gravity; and an aeration opening to provide aeration of a higher volume of air from the tank, in which the tank is formed so that most of the volume is provided in a higher part of the tank, so that the dosage ratio, defined as the ratio of the height of the heights of the volume that define volumes for a filling ratio of 100%, 10% of the deposit respectively, varies between 1 and 4.0.

45 When the container is a toilet or cistern, the liquid can be any liquid that serves to emanate fragrances and / or disinfect and / or clean and / or descale and / or inhibit the formation of scale in the toilet or cistern. The term "cleaning fluid" will be used here to designate all these fluids.

In other embodiments, the device may be one in which the liquid is dispensed from the distal end as

50 a vapor, for example an insecticidal, insect repellent, acaricide, deodorizing, fragrance or antiallergic vapor. The liquid can be directed to an emanating pad or emanating device.

The delivery rate from the device can be determined by one or more of the following characteristics: fluid viscosity; size and design of the fluid supply opening, in particular: the

55 diameter and length of a channel of the supply opening; and the column height of the fluid.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for dispensing a fluid in one place, using a device as defined above.

60 Therefore, a cost-effective and efficient means of continuously cooling can be provided.

Other characteristics and advantages can be deduced from reading the description together with the figures. In the figures:

Figure 1 shows a variety of bottle shapes, including conventional ones and a bottle shape according to the invention;

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Figure 2 shows additional bottle shapes according to the invention;

Figure 3 shows other forms according to the invention; Y

5 Figure 4 shows a graph indicating the dosing rates obtained from the different bottle shapes for an ideal calculated dosage.

Returning to the figures, Figure 1A shows a rectangular shape of the tank; Figure 1B shows a cylindrical shape of the reservoir having a cylinder axis oriented horizontally with respect to a gravitational direction; and Figure 10 1C shows a form of the tank according to the invention, also indicated by the applicant as "Bullet form".

Common denominators of these forms are a reservoir 1 in which a fluid 2 is typically contained a viscous fluid with a viscosity greater than 2 Pa.s. Due to the geometry of the fluid supply opening 3 in the tank 1 disposed in a lower part of the tank (seen in the direction of the

15 gravity), in correspondence with the fluid 2 contained in the reservoir 1, the reservoir is emptied by slowly dispensing the fluid 2 out of the fluid supply opening 3.

Typically, one embodiment is sized so that an amount of 35 ml is emptied in approximately 28 days. To avoid the accumulation of a negative pressure in the reservoir, which would prevent the outflow of fluid 2,

20 provides an aeration opening 4 above the surface of the liquid, in this preferred embodiment provided in a side wall 5 of the tank 1 common with the fluid supply opening 3. The aeration opening 4 is provided to communicate directly with an upper volume 6 of tank air above the fluid 2.

There is a desire to provide a moderate and continuous output flow that does not vary significantly along

25 of the time, in particular, that it continues to have an acceptable level when the tank is almost empty. Otherwise, the cooling power of the dispensing device (of which only one tank 1 is represented) will be very irregular, which effectively means that the device is impractical: an excessive amount of cooling liquid 2 will be discharged with an almost full tank 1 , while in the end, with an almost empty tank, the amount of cooling liquid 2 may be insufficient to provide a desired cooling level.

30 However, one of the difficulties to be overcome is a ratio of dispensing speed (expressed in ml / day), which comes out with a column height H, a density ρ of liquid and a viscosity η of fluid of the fluid; and a channel length L and diameter r of the fluid supply opening 3:

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Thus, it can be seen that while a column height decreases when a reservoir 1 is emptied, an outflow of liquid 2 will decrease, thereby reaching a lower dosage.

A numerical value indicating the dosage difference is a ratio of the initial dosage and a dosage, obtained in a filling ratio of 100%, 10% of the tank 1 respectively, as shown in the top and bottom views. of Figure 1Α, B and C respectively. Assuming that the composition of fluid 2 does not change (which will be discussed in more detail below), this value depends on the shape of the reservoir 2 and can be expressed as a height ratio of the heights of the volume

45 defining the volumes for the filling ratios of 100%, 10% of deposit 1, respectively. Ideally, with a dosage that remains constant over time, regardless of height, this value would be 1. Thus, for a filling volume of 10%, for box-type volumes, the filling height would also be 10%, being a The most optimal characteristic is, for example, to have a filling height of still 25% at a filling volume of 10%. In practice, an acceptable value would vary between 1 and 4, preferably, between 1 and 3.3.

50 Returning now to Figure 1A, for a rectangular shape, a column height depends linearly on the amount of fluid contained in the container. Thus, a filling level of 10% will result in a height of 10%, reaching a dosage ratio of 10. Therefore, a rectangular shape reaches an important difference in the dosage ratios during the use of the device.

Figure 1B shows an alternative form that may be suitable for dispensing, in particular in a toilet, since this form is easily fastened under a flange of a toilet bowl, and its diameter can be sized to adapt widely to a wide of a flange (not shown). This diameter may vary from 20-50 mm, preferably from about 35 mm. The reservoir of Figure 1B has a cylindrical shape with a cylinder shaft

60 oriented horizontally with respect to a gravitational direction. Here the dosage ratio is 5.8, since a first height H1 is 34 mm, and a height H2, which expresses a filling level of 10%, is 5.9. Although this ratio is almost half better than the rectangular shape of Figure 1A, it still differs significantly from a calculated ideal value.

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Figure 1C finally shows a form according to an aspect of the invention, in which the dosage is in a range of 1-4. In particular, the reservoir 1 depicted in Figure 1C is formed in a frustroconic shape with an inclined bottom wall. This form generally makes a part of the volume provided in a part

5 higher than the tank, typically providing a dosage ratio of less than 3.3, in particular for a 10% filling level height, with respect to a 33.5 filling level height , of 3.2. Thus, a more constant dosage can be provided with the illustrated form. In particular, due to the inclined bottom wall, a relatively large part of the volume is dispensed with a column height that is relatively high, since the volume at the bottom of the tank is relatively small compared to the rest of the volume, which It implies a constant relative dosage. Only in the last part of the dispensing cycle, when the volume approaches zero, the height of the column is considerably reduced and the dosage decreases.

Figure 2 shows another group of embodiments that are modifications of the frustoconic form illustrated in Figure 1C (Figure 2A and Figure 2A). Figures A and B each show three views, a top view in a filled state

15 of 100%; an intermediate view in a 10% filling state, and a bottom view illustrating the embodiment in a cross section along a main axis of the tank. In particular, in Figure 2, embodiments are shown in which a lower part of the tank is sized to have an orientation that is more vertical than an orientation of the upper part of the tank. Thus, effectively, a smaller volume 7 is created smaller than a larger volume 8 that is located higher, thus effectively providing the fluid outflow 2 of that larger volume 8 a constant relative height at along the bottom volume 7 oriented vertically. Indeed, for Figure 2A this creates a stepped shape 9, in which a small part of the volume is oriented downwards, to create a column with a height that remains acceptable in terms of the desired flow rate.

Similarly this lower volume is provided with reference to Figure 2B, by an elongated channel 10, which is

25 forms at the bottom of the tank 1, for example, by providing a tongue shape 11 in a lower half of the tank, the walls of which provide a channel 10 together with a side wall of the tank. The dosage ratios for these other embodiments are even more beneficial and are calculated to be approximately 2.5 for the stepped form of Figure 2A and approximately 2.3 for the elongated channel of Figure 2B.

Figure 3 shows some additional deposit forms that are other modifications that move further away from the conical shape. In particular, the embodiments depicted in Figure 3A and Figure 3B have specially designed substantially vertical channels 12, which define a substantially constant column height for most of the fluid 2, which is mainly contained in the largest volume 8 located above these channels 12. The dosage ratios for these embodiments are even closer

35 of the ideal value of 1, thus providing almost constant dosages. For the embodiment represented in Figure 3A (which has a first height H1 of 52 mm and a filling level of 10% and a second height H2 of 25.25) a dosage ratio is 2. For the embodiment of Figure 3B, the dosage ratio is 1.2, having a first height of 50 mm and a second height of 41 mm.

Figure 4 shows a graph of a decreasing dosage as a function of the different forms shown in Figure 1. In particular, for a useful life of 28, the frustroconic "Bullet" form of Figure 1C approximates the constant ideal form relatively better, since the dosage is the closest to 1 in virtually all times with respect to the rectangular shape of Figure 1A and the cylindrical shape of Figure 1B.

Figure 5 shows a schematic side view of an example of a dispensing device 13 in which by properly adjusting the viscosity of the fluid 2 in relation to the fluid supply opening 3, an exact dosage can be determined. The discharge water cannot come into contact with the fluid 2 inside the reservoir 1, by adequately protecting an aeration opening 4 by, for example, a cover plug 14 as illustrated, or some other protective device. Both the aeration opening 4 and the fluid supply opening 3 are provided in a side wall 5 which is common, thus providing an elegant way to open both the outlet flow and the aeration opening, for example, using a seal 15 to tear from the one that is pulled out of a downward opening 16 of the cover plug 14. The fluid supply opening 3 is provided with a water retention structure in the form of a cavity 17, sized to provide a film of water through or near the opening to prevent the fluid

55 2 dry. Thus, during use, through the discharge of water, water reaches the bottom of the side wall 5 and in particular, it moistens the fluid supply opening 3. By adsorption, water is retained in cavity 17, so that the fluid is kept wet when it drips from the fluid supply opening 3. This mechanism provides a way to ensure that the fluid 3 does not dry out, resulting in an unnoticed obstruction of the discharge channel 18. Although this is generally thought to be undesirable, this obstruction can, however, be used to stop (if necessary) the discharge when the toilet is not used and to discharge the fluid from channel 18 using discharge water to unclog the discharge channel.

18. Although in this embodiment a cavity is shown as a water retention structure, other embodiments are also possible, such as flange-like protruding structures or capillary structures.

65 Although only a side view of cover plug 14 is shown in Figure 5, preferably, cap 14 generally follows the contour of the reservoir 1 and covers the side wall 5 for the most part, leaving a small downward opening for something to enter of discharge water to moisten the fluid supply opening 3. The container preferably has the visual appearance that it contains a colored cleaning fluid. However, it has been discovered that blue cleaning fluids tend to produce spots on the cup that are visually unpleasant. Thus, on the one hand there is a desire to provide a container comprising a colored substance and, on the other hand, there is a

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5 desire not to bother with the stains caused by said colored substance. To solve this problem, preferably, the reservoir comprises transparent colored walls and wherein the fluid is transparent in nature without coloring. Therefore, the visual aspect of the dispenser 13 is that it contains a colored fluid, however, during use, the fluid does not produce stains due to its neutral transparent nature.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that the invention can be carried out differently than described. In particular, the above descriptions are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Thus, the person skilled in the art will deduce that modifications can be made to the invention as described without leaving the scope of the claims set forth below.

Claims (6)

image 1 1. A dispensing unit for dispensing a cooling fluid (2) comprising: 5 -a support to mount the unit in a toilet or similar; - a reservoir (1) defining a volume to comprise the fluid, the reservoir being formed so that most of the volume (8) is provided in a higher portion of the reservoir, the reservoir comprising 10 -a fluid supply opening (3) disposed in a lower part of the tank; Y - an aeration opening (4) to provide aeration of a higher volume of air in the tank, characterized in that 15 The fluid supply opening is sized, in relation to the fluid contained in the reservoir, to provide a drip action of the fluid when it flows out of the fluid supply opening by the action of gravity, and why a ratio Dosing, defined as a height ratio of the heights of the volume that define volumes for a filling ratio of 100%, 10% of the tank respectively, varies between 1 and 4.0. twenty

2.

A dispensing unit according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir is formed as a frustroconic shape with an inclined bottom wall.

3.

A dispensing unit according to any one of the preceding claims 1-2, wherein a part

The bottom of the tank (7) is sized to have an orientation that is more vertical than the orientation of the top of the tank. 4. A dispensing unit according to claim 2, wherein the lower part of the tank (7) is sized to provide a channel (10) between the fluid supply opening and the highest part of the volume. 30 5. A dispensing unit according to claim 1, wherein the fluid supply opening is provided with a water retention structure (17) sized to provide a film of water at or near the opening (3) to prevent The fluid (2) dries. A dispensing unit according to claim 5, wherein the water retention structure is provided as a recess (17) in the wall, in which the fluid supply opening is provided. A dispensing unit according to claim 1, wherein the aeration opening (4) is protected by a cover plug and (14) is provided on a side wall (5) of the common tank with the 40 fluid supply opening (3), the aeration opening providing direct aeration of the upper air volume of the reservoir, and the cover plug being provided with a downward opening to allow discharge water near the fluid supply opening, and to protect the aeration opening of the falling discharge water. A dispensing unit according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir comprises transparent colored walls and in which the fluid is transparent in nature without coloring. 6