GB2098253A - Disinfecting water closet pans - Google Patents

Abstract

A support cage 81 for a colouring/disinfecting product suspended in a w.c. pan in the path of flushing water is formed with its lower part serving as a reservoir to delay dripping of coloured flushing water gradually between flushing operations, the reservoir having a siphon outlet passage 92 discharging into the pan and incorporated at least partially on the suspension hook 90. A number of embodiments are disclosed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Support for a product, in particular a colorant, intended to be hooked onto the rim of a toilet pan It is known that, to ensure the disinfection of toilet pans, it is common to use sticks of a watersoluble disinfecting product, arranged inside perforated cages. The cages are associated with hooks enabling them to be hung on the rim of a toilet pan; when the toilet is flushed, some of the flushing water flows onto the perforated cage and, by dissolution, carries into the bottom of the pan part of the active substances contained in the stick of product.

Very recently, it was proposed to incorporate, into the sticks of disinfecting product, colorants making it possible to colour the water each time the toilet is flushed. However, the use of disinfecting and colouring sticks has the following major disadvantage: after each flushing action, dripping quite naturally takes place from the bars of the cage and from the stick of product contained therein. As a result, drops of water containing an increasing concentration of colorant can fall, sometimes for several hours, onto the walls of the pan, leaving behind a rather unattractive, coloured streak, which can be the more difficult to remove, the longer the dripping from the cage has lasted.

To overcome this disadvantage, at least partially, it may be proposed to use a cage of which the lower part forms a reservoir possessing an outlet orifice. In this way, the dripping from the perforated upper part of the cage and from the stick is collected inside the reservoir of the cage; however, after a flushing action, the water level in the reservoir reaches the level of the outlet orifice and, if dripping takes place from the perforated part, the water level rises and this inevitably results in a loss of drops of coloured water flowing through the outlet orifice of the reservoir Therefbre, this does not achieve a reduction in the dripping, but only a narrower dispersion of the coloured drops over the walls of the pan, since they all originate from the outlet orifice of the reservoir.

The object of the present invention is to reduce the abovementioned disadvantage.

Accordingly the present invention provides a support comprising a cage intended for containing a product, such as a colorant, and/or a disinfectant for the flushing water of a toilet pan, and a suspension hook enabiing the cage to be hung on the rim of a toilet pan, the cage comprising: a floor and a side wall which define a reservoir for flushing water entering the cage; and an outlet orifice in the wall of the reservoir and communicating with a bent channel forming a siphon opening to the outside of the reservoir for discharging said flushing water into the toilet pan, wherein when the cage is hanging by its suspension hook the bend in the siphon channel is located above the said outlet orifice but below the upper edge of the reservoir and that end of the siphon channel which does not communicate directly with the outlet orifice is located at a level below that of the bend in the channel.

Thus the outlet orifice of the reservoir communicates with the outside of the said reservoir by way of a bent channel forming a siphon, in which the bend is located above the outlet orifice. When the toilet is flushed, the water level in the reservoir rises above the bend in the siphon channel; the siphon is then primed and there is a flow of coloured water passing through the siphon channel. When the water level falls below the outlet orifice of the reservoir, air enters the siphon channel and causes it to drain. In this case, even if dripping into the reservoir occurs, either from the disinfecting and colouring stick or from the bars of the cage, the water level inside the cage can rise slightly towards the level of the bend in the siphon, without thereby resulting in drips of coloured water.

French Patent Application 2,424,374 has already described a cage possessing a siphon at the bottom of its reservoir. However, this construction is extremely expensive because the siphon is located in the cage, and this involves a complicated moulding and/or the positioning of the separate parts in the cage. In contrast, the invention proposes locating the siphon on the outside of the cage, making it possible to use a cage which is easy to obtain by moulding and to benefit from a low cost price.

The outlet orifice of the reservoir is preferably made in the side wall of the reservoir and near the bottom of the said reservoir.

The suspension hook of the support is advantageously a separate U-shaped hook, the cage being located opposite the U of the hook.

The siphon channel may be at least partially defined by the suspension hook associated with the cage.

In a first type of embodiment of the invention, that arm of the suspension hook which is joined to the cage terminates in an end plate, the siphon channel being made between the wall of the reservoir and the surface of the said end plate which bears thereon; that face of the end plate which faces the side wall of the reservoir advantageously possesses a bent groove, the bent channel forming the siphon resulting from the bearing of the face in question of the end plate against the side wall of the reservoir; on its peripheral rim, the abovementioned bent groove comprises a sealing bead made integrally with the hook, the said bead being intended to be compressed against the corresponding wall of the reservoir.

In this first type of embodiment, the siphon channel advantageously possesses two branches of unequal length; preferably, the outlet orifice of the reservoir opens into the shorter branch of the siphon channel near its lower end, whilst the longer branch of the siphon channel comes out at the level of, or slightly below, the floor of the reservoir.

According to another characteristic of this first type of embodiment, the bearing of the end plate of the hook against that wall of the reservoir in which the outlet orifice is made is ensured by means of a slide provided in relief on the outside of the reservoir. Means are provided to ensure the axial positioning of the end plate of the hook inside the abovementioned slide, so that the outlet orifice of the reservoir is located opposite the lower end of the shorter branch of the siphon channel.These means for axial positioning advantageously comprise a stud provided in relief on the end plate of the hook and engaging inside a correspondingly-shaped hole made in the wall of the cage; moreover, they can comprise two teeth projecting from each of the small side faces of the end plate of the hook, the two abovementioned teeth engaging in two slots provided for this purpose in the wall of the slide, when the end plate of the hook is positioned inside the said slide.

According to a second type of embodiment of the invention, the whole of the bent siphon channel is made in that end of the suspension hook which is connected to the reservoir. In this case, the siphon channel advantageously consists of a bent passage one of the two branches of which comes out on the outside of the reservoir, and the other branch of which fits into an external connector projecting from the side wall of the reservoir and communicating with the outlet orifice of the said reservoir.

According to a third type of embodiment of the invention, the bent siphon channel is made between, on the one hand, a downwardly open cavity made in that end of the suspension hook which is connected to the reservoir, and, on the other hand, a partition entering inside the abovementioned cavity and projecting outside the reservoir. The abovementioned cavity is delimited by a side wall and by an upper wall connected to the said side wall and surmounted by the suspension hook; the abovementioned partition consists of the side wall of a compartment which is open in its upper part and located on the outside of the reservoir, and inside which the outlet orifice of the said reservoir opens, the side wall of the cavity possessing two opposite slits into which the abovementioned partition fits.

The fixing of the suspension hook to the reservoir is achieved, in this third type of embodiment, by fitting the side wall of the compartment into the two slits made in the side wall of the cavity of the hook, it being possible for this joint to be completed by glueing, or preferably by ultrasonic welding, the wall of the hook and the wall of the reservoir. Of course, it is possible to make provision for complementary fixing members for strengthening the mechanical connection between the suspension hook and the reservoir.

According to a fourth type of embodiment of the invention, the lower end of the suspension hook possesses a downwardly open cavity which is defined by a wall which is tightly engaged in a compartment located on the outside of the reservoir, the outlet orifice of the said reservoir bringing the reservoir into communication with the compartment, the lower wall of the compartment having a tube which extends inside the compartment in the direction of the cavity, and the walls of the cavity extending around the tube and descending towards the floor of the compartment to a level below that at which the tube comes out into the compartment. The lower rim of the wall, which delimits the cavity in the hook, is at a level below that of the lowest point of the product which is intended to be placed in the reservoir of the support.The cavity is a rectangular parallelepiped defined on all its faces, except the lower face, by walls of substantially constant thickness, the compartment having a corresponding internal shape in order to permit the tight engagement of the walls in the compartment, and the lower wall of the compartment being located at the level of the bottom of the reservoir.

In the four types of embodiment above, the floor of the reservoir comprises on the inside projections, such as spacers, intended for supporting the stick of colouring and disinfecting product at a level above the water level which will exist inside the reservoir between two successive flushing actions.

To provide a clearer understanding of the present invention, three embodiments thereof, shown in the attached drawing, will be described below, purely by way of illustration and without implying a limitation.

In this drawing: Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a first embodiment of the support according to the invention in which the bent siphon channel is made between the wall of the reservoir of the cage and the suspension hook wall which bears thereon, the support of Figure 1 being shown ready for hooking onto the rim of a toilet pan; Figure 2 is a side view of the cage, in the open position, with which the support of Figure 1 is equipped; Figure 3 is a partial view, in exploded perspective, of those parts of the hook and of the cage between which the siphon channel is made; Figure 4 is a section along IV--IV of the hook of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a view in perspective showing another advantageous construction of the first type of embodiment of the support according to the invention; ; Figure 6 is a partial view, in exploded perspective, of those parts of the cage and of the hook of Figure 5 between which the siphon channel is made; Figure 7 is a partial view of the hook of Figures 5 and 6, showing that face of the said hook which is applied against the wall of the cage to form the siphon channel; Figure 8 is a view in perspective of a second type of embodiment of the support according to the invention, the suspension hook and the reservoir not being joined together; Figure 9 is a cross-section of the support of Figure 8, after joining, this section being taken at the level of the connection of the hook to the reservoir; Figure 10 is a view in perspective of a third type of embodiment of the support according to the invention, the suspension hook and the reservoir not being joined together;; Figure 11 is a cross-section of the support of Figure 10, after joining, this section being taken at the level of the connection of the hook to the reservoir; Figure 12 is a view in perspective of a fourth type of embodiment of the support according to the invention, the suspension hook and the reservoir being joined together; and Figure 13 is a cross-section of the support of Figure 12, this section being taken at the level of the connection of the hook to the reservoir.

With reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawing, it is seen that 1 denotes a support consisting of a cage 3 and of a separate hook 2 making it possible to hang the cage on the rim of a toilet pan. The cage 3 contains a stick (not shown) serving, inter alia, to colour the flushing water. The cage 3, of elongate shape, has a square cross-section with the corners cut off. It is moulded in one piece from plastic.

As shown in Figure 2, the cage 3 consists of two troughs 4, 5, mutually articulated by means. of integrally moulded, so-called film hinges 6. The joining plane of the two troughs 4, 5 which are folded over on top of one another, is substantially identical to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the cage 3.

The trough 5 of the cage, which inside the pan is located above the trough 4, has a perforated structure. On the other hand, the walls of the lower trough 4 are imperforate so that the trough 4 forms a reservoir in which the flushing water is collected. The emptying of this reservoir takes place not via the upper edge 9 of the trough 4, but via an outlet orifice 10 made in that longitudinal side face of the trough 4 which is opposite the hinges 6. The outlet orifice 10 is preferably made a few millimetres above the bottom 7 of the trough 4.

A U-shaped slide 11 (Figure 3) is made in the region of that wall 8a in which the outlet orifice 10 is made, and on the outside of the said wall. The slide 11 is moulded in one piece with the cage; together with the wall 8a, it defines a shaft open at both ends and having its axis perpendicular to that of the cage. Two parallel beads 12 are provided in relief on the inner wall of the web 1 3 of the slide; they are arranged symmetrically on either side of the outlet orifice 10 and extend substantially over the entire height of the slide 11.

A rectilinear groove 14 is made in the inner wall of the web 13 of the slide, between the two- beads 1 2. The groove 14 extends parallel to the axis of the slide; it is made in the lower part of the slide and comes out on the lower edge of the said slide.

A circular hole 1 5 is made in the web 13 of the slide, above the rectilinear groove 14. Each of the side flanges of the slide 11 is provided on the inside with a shoulder 1 6, in the region of the upper peripheral edge 9 of the reservoir.

The suspension hook 2 which is associated with the cage 3 is U-shaped. The longer arm 21 of -the hook terminates in an end plate 23 coming to be positioned inside the slide 11. A bent groove 24 of semicircular cross-section is made in that face 23a of the end plate of the hook which, inside the slide, bears against the wall of the reservoir.

The bent groove 24 possesses two parallel branches of unequal length, connected by a rounded bend extending over a semicircle. The long branch of-the bent groove 24 opens out, at its lower end, on the end edge of the plate 23.

The shorter branch of the bent groove 24 terminates in a rounded bottom end 25. A sealing bead 26, of trapezoidal shape, is made along the two parallel edges and around the rounded bottom end 25 of the bent groove 24. The sealing bead 26 is compressed against the wall 8a of the reservoir when the end plate 23 of the hook is inserted into the slide 11. Thus, together with the corresponding wall of the reservoir, the bent groove 24 forms a siphon channel conimunicating; via-its shorter branch, with the outlet orifice 10 of the reservoir, and opening out, via its longer branch, into the pan at the level of the bottom 7 of the reservoir.

Members are provided in order to ensure the axial positioning of th-e end plate 23 of the hook inside the slide 11, so that the outlet orifice 10 comes out in line with the rounded bottom end 25 of the bent groove 24. These members comprise, on the one hand, a short stud 27 provided in relief on the large face of the end plate 23 opposite the bent groove 24 and, on the other hand, the circular hole 1 5 in the slide 11 in which hole the abovementioned stud 27 engages. In order to strengthen this axial connection the end plate 23 of the hook comprises, on the one hand, two triangular teeth 28 provided in relief on these two small sides and, on the other hand, a triangular tooth 29 made on one of its large sides just below the stud 27.The end plate 23, together with its projections 27, 28, 29, can be force-fitted into the slide 11 by virtue of the elastic deformation of the wall of the said slide and, when the stud 27 engages inside the circular hole 1 5 in the slide, the teeth 28 bear substantially against the shoulders 16 of the sides of the slide 11 and the tooth 29 against the upper end of the rectilinear groove 1 4.

In this example, the suspension hook 2 also ensures the locking of the cage 3 in the closed position. The upper trough 5, which forms the perforated cover of the cage, is-provided with two corner-pieces 30 (Figures 1 and 2 which face one another and come into the extension of the slide 11 when the upper trough 5 is folded over onto the lower trough 4. The end plate 23 of the hook is therefore simultaneously driven between the two corner-pieces 30 and into the slide 11 and once it is fixed inside the slide 11 it prevents the cages from-opening.

The siphon support which has just been described operates as follows: the support, such as shown in Figure 1, having had a disinfecting and colouring stick placed beforehand in the cage 3, is hung by means of the hook 2 on the rim of a toilet pan. When the toilet is flushed, the reservoir 4 of the cage 3 fills with flusihing water. When the water level inside the reservoir 4 is above the siphon channel made between the hook and the wall of the cage, the siphon is primed automatically. The water brought into contact with the disinfecting and colouring stick in the reservoir 4, flows through the outlet orifice 10, follows the siphon channel and falls into the pan; the reservoir thus continues to discharge the flushing water contained therein, until the water level falls below the outlet orifice 10 when air enters inside the siphon channel and unprimes the suction immediately.As a result, the water level which remains inside the reservoir is situated near the level of the outlet orifice 10 and below the bend in the siphon channel. Even if there is dripping from the upper part of the cage, or from the stick inside the reservoir 4, no further flow of coloured liquid will take place since the difference in height between the outlet orifice 10 and the bend in the siphon is calculated so as to allow an increase in the water level inside the reservoir, due to dripping, without thereby priming the siphon.

Moreover, by virtue of the arrangement of the siphon channel on the longitudinal side of the cage which does not bear against the wall of the pan, the flushing water which leaves the siphon takes a shorter path to reach the bottom of the toilet pan, compared with a cage in which the siphon were located either inside the cage, or on the outside of the cage, but on the longitudinal side of the cage which bears against the wall of the pan.

With reference to Figures 5 to 7 of the drawings, it is seen that another form of the first type of embodiment of the support according to the invention has been shown. A support of this type results from the association of a cage 51 with a separate hook 52 making it possible to hang the cage on the rim of a toilet pan.

The cage 51 has substantially the same shape as the cage 3 of Figure 1. It comprises a reservoir open at its upper part and consisting of a floor, two longitudinal walls 53, and two transverse end walls 54 connected to the said floor. One of the two transverse end walls 54 forms a cover (not shown) to enable a colouring and disinfecting stick to be introduced into the cage. The two longitudinal walls 53 and the open upper part of the reservoir are covered by parallel plates 55 extending perpendicularly to the axis of the cage.

One of the two longitudinal walls of the reservoir comprises, on the outside and in its central part, a slide consisting of two angled guide ribs 56 to form a corner-piece. The two guide ribs 56 extend over substantially the entire height of the reservoir. They are located on either side of a planar wall zone 57, in which the outlet orifice 58 of the reservoir is made. The sides of the two ribs 56, which face one another, each possess a slot 56a of triangular shape. In their lower part, the two guide ribs 56 are joined to one another by a U-shaped bridge 59, in the web of which a circular hole 70 is made. The planar wall 57 which is between the two guide ribs 56 extends beyond the floor of the reservoir by means of an extension 57a. The outlet orifice 58 of the reservoir is located between the upper edge 71 of the reservoir and its floor, a few millimetres above the bottom.

The suspension hook 52 has the general shape of a U with two parallel arms of unequal length.

The longer arm 60 of the hook terminates in a bend 61 connected to an end plate 62 intended for being inserted between the two guide ribs 56.

The wall 62a of the end plate 62 is applied against the corresponding planar wall 57 of the reservoir, in which the outlet orifice 58 of the reservoir is made. The bearing of these two walls against one another is ensured by means of two sides 63 of the end plate 62, which engage inside the grooves formed by the two guide ribs 56.

A bent groove 64, possessing two branches with parallel axes and of unequal length joined by a rounded bend extending over a semicircle, is made in the wall 62a of the end plate 62. The cross-section of the bent groove 64 is substantially semicircular; like the bent groove 24 of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, the bent groove 64 can be edged by a sealing bead. The longer branch of the bent groove 64 is open at its lower end and comes out on the lower end edge of an extension 65 of the end plate 62, having the shape of a rectangular tooth. The shorter branch of the bent groove 64 is blocked at its lower end by a rounded bottom 56.

When the hook 52 is joined to the cage 51, the outlet orifice 58 of the reservoir of the cage must be positioned, relative to the bent groove 64, so as to open out inside the groove in the region of the closed end 66 of its shorter branch. It is therefore important to position the end plate 62 of the hook annually inside the two guide ribs 56 of the slide.

This positioning is ensured by means of a cylindrical stud 67 provided in relief on that large face of the end plate 62 of the hook which is opposite the bent groove 64. The abovementioned stud is intended to engage inside the circular hole 70 made in the bridge 59 joining the two guide ribs 56 to one another. This axial connection is strengthened by the provision of two triangular teeth 68 made on the two small sides of the end plate 62, these teeth being housed inside the two slots 56a of complementary shape when the end plate 62 of the hook is positioned inside the slide; in this position the wall 62a of the end plate, in which the bent groove 64 is formed, is placed flat against the corresponding planar wall 57 of the reservoir of the cage, the peripheral sealing bead of the groove being compressed against the wall 57. As a result, the bent groove 64 forms, together with the wall 57 of the reservoir, a siphon channel of which the shorter branch communicates, at its lower end, with the outlet orifice 58 of the reservoir, and of which the longer branch is open at its lower end into the pan, the opening of this channel being located at a level slightly below that of the floor of the reservoir of the cage.

The operation of the support of Figures 5 to 7 is identical in every respect to that of Figures 1 to 4.

With reference to Figures 8 and 9 of the drawing it is seen that a second type of embodiment of the support according to the invention has been shown. In this modified embodiment the cage which receives the colouring and disinfecting stick 80 consists of a reservoir 81 open at its upper part and in the form of a rectangular-based right prism, the faces of its side wall 82 being slightly convergent in the direction of the floor 83.

Two spacers 84, used for supporting the stick 80 above the water level remaining inside the reservoir 81 between two successive flushing actions, are provided in relief on the bottom 83 of the reservoir. An external connector 85 is provided on one of the longitudinal faces of the reservoir 81 and in its central part; the side wall of the connector 85 delimits, together with the corresponding wall of the reservoir 81, a cylindrical cavity open towards the top and closed towards the bottom by a bottom 86 located in the extension of the floor 83 of the reservoir; the abovementioned cylindrical cavity communicates with the interior volume of the reservoir via an orifice 87 made in the lower part of the wall common to the reservoir 81 and to the connector 85.

The suspension hook 90 has the shape of a U, the arm 91 of which terminates in a bent passage 92 made in one piece with the hook. The bent passage 92 comprises two branches 93a, 93b of unequal length forming an angle of about 45 between one another; the axis of the shorter branch 93a of the bent passage 92 extends parallel to the plane of the arm 91 of the suspension hook.

The hook 90 is joined to the reservoir 81 by fitting the shorter branch 93a of the bent passage 92 into the connector 85, the arm 91 of the hook bearing substantially against the corresponding longitudinal face of the reservoir 81. In the inserted position the lower edge of the shorter branch 93a of the bent passage 92 comes to the level of the upper edge of the orifice 87 provided between the connector 85 and the reservoir 81, whilst the longer branch 93b comes out substantially at the level of the floor 83 of the reservoir.

The connection formed by fitting the suspension hook 90 into the reservoir 81 can be strengthened by any suitable member, for example by means of a stud with a head 94 integral with the hook, which engages inside a circular hole 88 made in the wall of the reservoir 81. When the support is hanging on the rim of a toilet pan, the upper edge of the circular hole 88 is inserted between the head of the stud 94 and the corresponding wall of the hook 90, which prevents any risk of separation of the hook 90 from the reservoir 81.

The operation of the siphon support of Figures 8 and 9 is identical in all respects to that of Figures 1 to 4 or to that of Figures 5 to 7. When the toilet is flushed, the reservoir 81 fills with water. As soon as the water level exceeds the height of the bend in the bent passage 92, priming of the siphon formed by this bent passage takes place; the water brought into contact with the colouring and disinfecting stick 80 flows through the orifice 87 between the reservoir and the connector 85, follows the bent passage 92 and falls into the bottom of the pan; the reservoir 81 continues to empty until the water level falls below the orifice 87; the air which then enters the bent passage 92 unprimes the siphon immediately; the water level which remains inside the reservoir 81 comes approximately to the level of the orifice 87, slightly below the maximum height of the spacers 84 and, consequently, substantially below the bend in the passage 92.

The colouring and disinfecting stick 80 can thus drip inside the reservoir 81 without the siphon thereby being primed.

With reference to Figures 10 and 11 of the drawing, it is seen that a third type of embodiment of the support according to the invention has been shown.

The cage, which receives the colouring and disinfecting stick, consists of a reservoir 100 with a solid wall in the form of a rectangular-based right prism; the faces of the side wall 101 of the reservoir 100 are slightly convergent in the direction of the bottom 102. Two spacers 103, making it possible to keep the colouring and disinfecting stick slightly above the level of water remaining inside the reservoir between two successive flushing actions, are provided in relief on the bottom 102 of the reservoir.

A small compartment 104 of shorter height and forming a relief on the central part of one of the two longitudinal faces of the reservoir 100 is provided on the outside of the reservoir 100; the internal cross-section of the compartment 104 is semicircular; the bottom of the compartment 104 is located in the extension of the floor 102 of the reservoir; the interior volume of the compartment 104 communicates with that of the reservoir 100 via an orifice 105 made in their bottom region in the wall common to the reservoir 100 and to the compartment 104; the height of the orifice 105 is slightly below the highest central part of the two spacers 103.

The longer arm 111 of the suspension hook 110 associated with the reservoir 100 is extended axially by means of a hollow cylinder 112 open towards the bottom; the side wall of the hollow cylinder 112 possesses two diametrically opposite slits 11 3 extending along a generatrix of the said cylinder.

The hollow cylinder 11 2 is mounted astride the longitudinal wall 106 of the compartment 104, the said wall fitting into the two slits 113 in the cylinder. The wall 106 of the compartment, inserted in the two slits 113, is at a distance from the upper wall 114 of the hollow cylinder. As shown clearly in Figure 11 , the cylinder 112 mounted astride on the wail 106 of the compartment 104 defines, together with the said wall, a bent channel with two parallel branches of unequal length, joined by a bend making it possible to reverse the direction of flow of the flushing water.

When the toilet is flushed and the water level in the reservoir exceeds the height of the wall 106 of the compartment 104, the water in the reservoir flows through the orifice 105, follows the bent channel, forming a siphon, between the hollow cylinder 112 and the wall 106 of the compartment 104 inserted in the said cylinder, and falls into the bottom of the toilet pan. In the same way as previously, when the water level comes below the height of the orifice 105, air enters the bent siphon channel and this causes the suction to stop immediately. The residual water level inside the reservoir 100 is located substantially below the upper edge of the orifice 1 05, that is to say below the highest part of the spacers 103, which carries the colouring and disinfecting stick.

Finally, with reference to Figures 12 and 13 of the drawing, it is seen that a fourth type of embodiment of the support according to the invention has been shown. The cage, which receives the colouring and disinfecting stick 215, consists of a reservoir 200 with solid walls in the form of a trough with a rounded bottom; the longitudinal faces of the side wall of the reservoir 200 are substantially parallel in their support part and are connected to the median zone of the floor 202 by means of cylindrical rounded parts.

Wedges 203, making it possible to keep the colouring and disinfecting stick 215 slightly above the water level remaining inside the reservoir 200 between two successive flushing actions, are provided in relief on the floor 202 of the reservoir 200.

A small compartment 204, of shorter height than the reservoir 200, is provided on the outside of the reservoir 200; this compartment 204 forms a relief on the central part of one of the longitudinal faces of the side wall of the reservoir 200. The horizontal internal cross-section of the compartment 204 is substantially rectangular; the bottom of the compartment 204 is a flat floor located in the extension of the floor 202 of the reservoir 200. The interior volume of the compartment 204 communicates with that of the reservoir 200 via an orifice 205 made, in the region of the common floor 201, 202, in the wall which separates the reservoir 200 from the compartment 204. The high point of the orifice 205 is at a level slightly below the lowest point of the stick 215.

The longer arm of the suspension hook 210 associated with the reservoir 200 extends axially by means of a cavity 212 open towards the bottom; externally, the side wall 214 of the cavity 212 has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the lower face of which is missing; this side wall being of substantially constant thickness. The cavity 212 also has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The external size of the volume defined by the walls 214 corresponds to the internal size of the compartment 204, in the upper zone of the latter. As a result, the bottom of the hook 210 can be force-fitted into the compartment 204, in which case the walls 204 cover the upper end of a tube 216 carried by the floor 201 of the compartment 204.The volume defined by the walls 214 is forced into the compartment 204 until the lower rim of the walls 214 bears against abutments 218 located in the lower part of the corners of the compartment 204.

When the walls 214 are bearing against these abutments 21 8, the level of the lower rim of the walls 214 is lower than the level of the lowest point of the stick 21 5, and the level of the upper part of the tube 216 is above the lower rim of the walls 214. The tube 216 is located perpendicular to the bottom 201 and projects slightly outwards, that is to say below the floor 201.

When the toilet is flushed and the water level in the reservoir 200 exceeds the level of the upper end of the tube 206, the water in the reservoir 200 flows through the orifice 205 and follows the bent channel forming a siphon between the chamber formed by the walls 214 which delimit the cavity 212 and the tube 216; the water enters the tube 216 and is thus discharged into the toilet pan. In the same way as previously, when the water level comes below the level of the lower rim of the side walls 214, air enters the bent siphon channel and this causes the flow to stop immediately. The residual water level inside the reservoir 200 is located below the lower edge of the side walls 214, that is to say below the lowest part of the product 21 5 carried by the wedges 203.

Claims (17)

1. A support comprising a cage intended for containing a product, such as a colorant, and/or a disinfectant for the flushing water of a toilet pan, and a suspension hook enabiing the cage to be hung on the rim of a toilet pan, the cage comprising: a floor and a side wall which define a reservoir for flushing water entering the cage; and an outlet orifice in the wall of the reservoir and communicating with a bent channel forming a siphon opening to the outside of the reservoir for discharging said flushing water into the toilet pan, wherein when the cage is hanging by its suspension hook the bend in the siphon channel is located above the said outlet orifice but below the upper edge of the reservoir and that end of the siphon channel which does not communicate directly with the outlet orifice is located at a level below that of the bend in the channel.

2. A support according to Claim 1, wherein the outlet orifice is in the side wall of the reservoir, near the floor of the said reservoir.

3. A support according to either of Claims 1 and 2, wherein the suspension hook is a separate U-shaped hook attachable to the cage such that the cage is located opposite the U of the hook.

4. A support according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the siphon channel is at least partially defined by said suspension hook.

5. A support according to Claim 4, wherein that one of the arms of the suspension hook which is joined to the cage terminates in an end plate, and the siphon channel is made between the wall of the cage reservoir and that face of the said end plate which bears thereagainst.

6. A support according to Claim 5, wherein that face of the end plate which faces the side wall of the reservoir possesses a bent groove, and wherein the siphon channel results from that face of the end plate in which the abovementioned bent groove is made bearing on the side wall of the reservoir.

7. A support according to Claim 6, wherein the bent groove comprises, on its peripheral rim, a sealing bead made integrally with the hook, the said bead being intended to be compressed against the corresponding wall of the reservoir of the cage.

8. A support according to one of Claims 5 to 7, wherein the bearing of the end plate of the hook against the wall of the reservoir, in which the outlet orifice is made, is ensured by means of a slide in the side wall of the reservoir.

9. A support according to any one of Claims 5 to 8, wherein the siphon channel possesses two branches of unequal length, and the outlet orifice of the reservoir opens into the shorter branch of the siphon channel near its lower end, whilst the longer branch of the siphon channel opens out from the cage at the level of, or slightly below, the floor of the reservoir.

10. A support according to any one of Claims 4 to 9, wherein the whole of the siphon channel is made in that end of the suspension hook which is connected to the reservoir.

11. A support according to Claim 10 when appendant to Claim 4 above, wherein the siphon channel consists of a bent passage one of the branches of which opens out on the outside of the reservoir, and the other branch of which fits into an external connector projecting from the side wall of the reservoir and communicating with the outlet orifice of the said reservoir.

12. A support according to Claim 4, wherein the siphon channel is formed between, on the one hand, a downwardly open cavity made in that end of the suspension hook which in use of the support hanging in a toilet pan is connected to the reservoir and, on the other hand, a partition entering said cavity, the said partition being integral with the reservoir and projecting outside the reservoir.

13. A support according to Claim 12, wherein the partition consists of the side wall of a compartment which is located on the outside of the reservoir, and into which the outlet orifice of the said reservoir opens, the side wall of said cavity possessing two opposite slits into which the above-mentioned partition fits.

14. A support according to Claim 4, wherein the lower end of the suspension hook in the assembled configuration of the support possesses a downwardly open cavity defined by a wall which is tightly engaged in a compartment located on the outside of the reservoir, the outlet orifice of the said reservoir communicating the reservoir with the compartment, the lower wall of the compartment (204) having a tube which extends inside the compartment in the direction of the cavity, and the walls of the cavity extending around the tube and descending towards the floor of the compartment, to a level below that at which the tube opens into the compartment.

1 5. A support according to Claim 14, wherein the lower rim of the wall which delimits the cavity of the hook, is at a level which, in use of the support, is below the lowest point of the product which is intended to be placed in the reservoir of the support.

16. A support according to Claims 14 or 1 5, wherein the cavity is a rectangular parallelepiped defined on all its faces, except the lower face, by walls of substantially constant thickness, the compartment having a corresponding internal shape in order to permit the tight engagement of the walls in the compartment, and the lower wall of the compartment being located at the level of the floor of the reservoir.

17. A support for a product for the flushing water of a toilet pan, such support being constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 4, or Figures 5 to 7, or Figures 8 and 9, or Figures 10 and 11, or Figures 12 and 13, of the accompanying drawings.