GB2246606A - Liquid or powder dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

An arrangement is disclosed for dispensing a measured quantity (18) of dispensate (12), e.g. a bleach or disinfectant, from a first vessel (2) to a secondary vessel (10), e.g a toilet cistern. Flow of the dispensate into the cistern is caused by creating a differential between the pressures in the dispensate container (2) and the cistern (10). In one embodiment the first vessel may be formed with an upper section (4) and a lower section (6) interconnected by a system of baffles (14, 16, 22, 30) and a partial vacuum is created in the lower half (6) by the lowering of the level of water in the cistern. Alternative methods of creating the pressure differential are described including a manually operated pump device attached to the upper section (Fig. 4), or a manually operated vacuum pump attached to the lower section (Fig. 5). <IMAGE>

Description

A FLUID DISPENSER.

This invention relates to dispensers, particularly to dispensers of the type which dispense a measured quantity or dose of a fluid to a receiving container.

A typical, but not exclusive application of such a dispenser is in an arrangement whereby a measured quantity or dose of fluid in the form of a liquid or powder bleach or disinfectant is fed into a W.C. cistern each time the w.c. is flushed and the cistern is thus emptied.

It is already known to provide dispensers for dispensing measured doses of additives into a tank containing a supply of fluid using automatic valves, valve seals and syphoning systems. The known arrangements using valves and valve seals have proved to be unreliable after a period of time due to the wear and general deterioration of the seals and valves. Present syphoning systems have proved to be unsuitable due to their complicated nature and hence their prohibitive cost.

It is an object of the invention to provide means for dispensing an additive into a quantity of fluid wherein the means is simple, inexpensive and reliable and which does not include any moving parts.

According to the invention there is provided a method of dispensing a measured quantity of fluid dispensate from a dispensate-containing vessel into a secondary vessel whereby flow of the fluid dispensate is caused by differential pressure between the dispensate-containing vessel and the secondary vessel.

This and other features will become clear from the following description which is given by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic section view through a dispenser according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 showing the dispenser in action; Figure 3 is a view of a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a section view showing a third embodiment of the invention; and Figure 5 is a section view showing a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 is a section view of a fifth embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a section view of a sixth embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the dispenser comprises a rectangular container 2 divided into an upper reservoir 4 and a lower chamber 6 by a transverse web 8.

The upper reservoir is open at its top and the lower chamber is open at its bottom forming an inverted funnel which is fully immersed into water 9 contained in a cistern 10. The reservoir 4 contains a quantity of fluid 12 e.g.

disinfectant, and a number of baffles is provided at one end of the reservoir.

Baffles 14 and 16 define a dosage-measuring passage 18 and a bleed passage 20 is formed in the baffle 14.

A further baffle 22 defines, with the baffle 16, a feed passage 24 connected at its lower end by a U-bend 25 to the passage 18. The passage 24 connects via a U-bend 26 with a venting passage 28 defined by the baffle 22 and a further baffle 30. The basic principle of the system is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 from which it will be clear that the tank 2 is mounted in the cistern 10 with its lower chamber 6 immersed in the water 9 and the web 8 approximately level with the surface of the water in the cistern. The fluid 12 is contained in the main reservoir 4 and the passage 18, but does not enter the passage 24 due to the presence of air acting from above the surface of the water 9 in the lower chamber, via the passage 28, U-bend 26 and passage 24.

When the level of the water 9 in the cistern is lowered, as seen in Figure 2, e.g. when the associated w.c.

is flushed, a pressure differential is created between the air above the water contained in the lower chamber 6 and the atmospheric pressure above the fluid 12 in the reservoir 4 and this causes the fluid in the passage 18 to flow around the U-bend 25, through the passage 2n, U-bend 26 and thence downwardly through passage 28 into the water 9 contained in the chamber 6. The majority of the additive reaches the cistern water 9 towards the enj of the period when the .C. is flushed, and is mostly passed down the downpipe but a little remains in the cistern and the refilling of the cistern 10 is accompanied by turbulence which mixes the additive 12 with the water 9.

It should be noted that no syphoning is allowed to take place since the bleed passage 20 is unable to supply the syphon and air is drawn down the passage 18 to end the dosage.

As will be seen clearly from Figure 2, a vacuum head is maintained in the chamber 6 until the level of the water in the cistern falls below the open mouth of the lower chamber. Thus the majority of the additive reaches the water 9 in the cistern towards the end of the flushing of the W.C. and is then passed down the cistern's downpipe where a proportion of it remains in the W . C. bowl to carry out its bleaching and disinfecting action. It should be noted that as the additive in the passage 18 is forced upwardly through the passage 24, over the U-bend 26 and thence downwardly through passage 28, no syphoning of the remainder of the additive 12 takes place since the bleed passage 20 will not support a syphoning action and air is drawn down the passage 18 to end the dose of additive past the lower chamber 6.

Any small amount of additive remaining in the cistern is mixed with the water by the turbulence present as the cistern is re-filled following flushing.

It will be noted that the level of the additive in the measuring passage 18 is restored to the level of the additive remaining in the reservoir 4. Therefore as the amount of additive within the reservoir diminishes with use, the volume of dosage in the passage 18 also diminishes.

One system for at least partly overcoming this disadvantage is illustrated in Figure 3 which shows a measuring chamber 32 connected to the passages 18. and 24.

Additive 12 bleeds into the passage 18 and to the measuring chamber 32 via the bleed passage 20 until it reaches the level of the additive in the reservoir 4. The additive is prevented from rising into passage 24 by the sealed pressure of air in the lower chamber 6.

Emptying of the cistern 10, as previously described, causes a drop in the level of the water 9 with a corresponding drop in pressure in the lower chamber 6. The consequent differential pressures between the atmospheric pressure above the additive in the reservoir and that in the chamber 6 causes the measured dose of additive in the measuring chamber 32 and passage 18 to pass upwardly into passage 24 and over the inverted U-bend 26 to fall downwardly through the passage 28 into the water 9 in the lower chamber 6. Although the above described system causes a constant dose of additive i.e that contained in chamber 32, to be dispensed, a further amount is dispensed from chamber 18 as before, dependent on the level of additive in the reservoir.However, the ratio of additive in passage 18 to that in chamber 32 is comparatively small and is not sufficient to cause any significant or undesirable variation in the amount of additive dispensed.

In Figure 4 is illustrated an arrangement whereby the pressure differential between that in the reservoir and that in the cistern is created by means of a pump device 34 sealed to the top of the reservoir 4 and which may be manually operated as desired or which may be actuated by any suitable leverage system associated with the w.c.

flushing mechanism.

When pressure is applied to the top of plate 34 of the pump device the resultant pressure forces the column of additive in the passage 18 round the U-bend 25 and the column of additive in passage 24 is in turn forced around the inverted U-bend 26 and through passage 28 into the water in the cistern 10. The amount of additive so dispensed will not in this case depend on the pressure applied to the pump device 34 nor on the time during which the pressure is maintained.

Surplus pressurized air is directly vented via tubes 18, 24 and 28 after the dose of additive, without the bleed tube 20 effectively supplying any more dispensate.

An arrangement is illustrated in Figure 5 where an additive is fed in a measured dose into a tank 36 of receiving fluid 9A. In this case a vacuum is applied to the chamber below the reservoir and the pressure differential thus created causes the additive to flow in a similar way as described with reference to Figure 4. The vacuum may be applied by means of any manually operated or automatic vacuum pump device.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 6 the system of baffles is replaced by a number of inter-connected tubes to form the passages 18, 24 and 28 and the U-bends 25 and 26. The operation of this embodiment is identical with that of the system shown in Figures 1 to 5.

In the further alternative shown in Figure 7 a separate replaceable reservoir 40 is provided with a threaded neck 42 on to which a cap is screwed during transport and storage. The neck is formed internally with guide vanes 44 and a stopper valve 46 is guided between these vanes. A conical face 48 on the valve engages a seating 50 formed on the inside of the neck 42 which is also provided with a bleed hole 52. A further bleed hole 5 3 is provided in a ;all of the reserxoir 40 to allow ingress of air and a stopper 55 is inserted into that hole to prevent spillage when the reservoir is not in use.

Passages 24 and 28 are provided being defined b baffles 16 22 and 30 as in the earlier embodiments, and the web 8 of those arrangements is formed with a measured i n g chamber or well 54, the lower wall of which is con- structed with a detent 56.

The cap is first removed from the replaceable reservoir 40 filled with the additive and then inverted, the neck being placed over the detent 56 which displaces the stopper off its seating 50. Additive from the reservoir bleeds through the hole 52 to fill the well 54. Operation of the cistern and feed of the additive into the lower chamber then proceeds as previously described.

Claims (13)

1. A method of dispensing a measured quantity of fluid dispensate from a dispensate-containing vessel into a secondary vessel whereby flow of the fluid dispensate is caused by differential pressure between the dispensatecontaining vessel and the secondary vessel.

2. Means for dispensing a measured quantity of fluid dispensate from a dispensate-containing vessel into a secondary vessel, the means including a vessel comprising an upper section and a lower section, the upper section being adapted to contain a supply of dispensate and the lower section being adapted to be at least partly immersed within fluid inthesecondary vessel wherein differential pressure between the dispensate-containing upper section and the lower section causes the dispensate to flow from the upper section to the lower section.

3. Means for dispensing a measured quantity of fluid dispensate according to claim 2 wherein there are provided passages within the upper section connecting the upper section to the lower section and wherein dispensate is adapted to flow therethrough in response to a difference in pressure between the dispensate in the upper section and the fluid in the lower section.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the passages are defined by baffles.

5. A device according to claim 3 wherein the passages are defined by a number of conjoined tubular members located in the upper section.

6. A device according to claims 3, 4 and 5 wherein one of the passages is a dose-defining passage and at least one other passage is a delivery passage leading to the lower section.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the dosedefining passage is connected by a bleed passage to the dispensate-containing upper section.

8. A device according to claim 6 wherein the arrangement is such that when the pressure differential between the dispensate in the upper section and the lower section is zero, the dispensate in the dose-defining passage is at the same leve1 as the disPensate in the upper section.

and when the pressure in the lower section is less than that in the upper section the dispensate in the dosedefining passage is caused to flow via the delivery passage or passages to the lower section.

9. A device according to any of the claims 2 - 8 above wherein there is provided between the upper section and the lower section an intermediate third chamber capable of receiving a pre-determined dosage of dispensate from the upper section and delivering the contents to the lower section as a consequence of differential pressure between the two sections.

10. Apparatus according to the above claims 2 - 9 wherein an intermediate dosage measuring and receiving chamber is adapted to receive a pre-determined amount of additive from the upper section and to deliver the contents of the dosage measuring chamber to the lower section in accordance with the differential pressure between the upper and lower sections.

11. Apparatus according to any of the above claims 2 - 10 wherein the upper section includes pumping means adapted to create the differential of pressures.

12. Apparatus according to claims 2 - 10 where the lower chamber includes means for creating a vacuum force in that chamber.

13. A method and apparatus as described and illustrated herein with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.