GB2389123A

GB2389123A - Device for dispensing a fluid into a lavatory bowl

Info

Publication number: GB2389123A
Application number: GB0212395A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Foggia Carlo Di
Original assignee: Unilever PLC
Current assignee: Unilever PLC
Priority date: 2002-05-29
Filing date: 2002-05-29
Publication date: 2003-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2022-05-29
Also published as: DE10313323A1; GB2389123B; ITTO20030336A1; GB0212395D0; FR2841577B1; HU2711U; HU0300070V0; DE20304818U1; FR2841577A1

Abstract

A dispensing device (1) for dispensing sanitising fluid from the rim of a lavatory bowl comprises a reusable holder (2) and a replaceable cartridge of sanitising fluid (3), characterised in that in use of the device, the sanitising fluid is visually perceptible along the extent of its flow path from the interior of the cartridge to a position where it is exposed to flushing water in the lavatory bowl.

Description

222_, ( - 1 2389123

RECHARGEABLE DISPENSING DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This Invention relates to a rechargeable dispensing device, in particular for dispensing sanitising fluids such as 5 cleansing and disinfecting liquids from the rlm of a toilet bowl. BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

EP 0 538 937 describes a cleansing and freshening unit for a toilet bowl composed of a container onto which IS secured a 10 replaceable bottle. A full bottle is fitted to the container by snap-fitting or screw threading.

A further device of this type is disclosed in EP 0 785 315, which relates to a cleansing and freshening unit comprising a holder and a bottle detachably connected to the holder.

15 The bottle and holder are provided with projections and grooves which co-operate with each other so that the bottle can be snapped onto the holder.

WO00/66139 and WO99/66140 describe a liquid dispenser comprising a housing and a hook for suspending the housing 20 from the rim of a lavatory bowl. A user inserts a sealed inverted reservoir bottle into the housing. The act of insertion causes the seal on the reservoir bottle to break.

From a consumer perspective the systems described above are desirable because the reservoir bottle can simply be removed 2S when empty of sanitizing fluid and replaced with a full one which IS sold as a refill. Thls avoids the need to refill

( the device directly from a separate container of sanitlsing fluid, which carries the risk of spillage and waste.

However, a problem with marketed dispensers of the above 5 type is that the housing or holder is typically made of white plastics material of high opacity. This contains and surrounds at least the dispensing end of the reservoir bottle when it IS seated within the housing or holder. In some designs, nearly half the surface area of the reservoir 10 bottle is surrounded by opaque housing or holder material.

Because the reservoir bottle is partially obscured in this way, the consumer may perceive it as empty when in fact a considerable amount of residual sanitlslng fluid is still present, for example in the neck of the bottle. This leads 15 to the risk that the consumer may remove the reservoir bottle prematurely, leading to product wastage and possible discharge of the residual sanitizing fluid from the reservoir bottle onto skin and/or clothing through its exposed dispensing end.

20 Glven the corrosive or irritant nature of some bathroom sanitizing fluids, It is especially important to avoid such accidental contact. Hence there remains a need for a dispensing system which is convenient and easy to recharge with the minimum of product spillage and waste.

- 3 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a dispensing device for dispensing san1tlsing fluid from the rim of a lavatory bowl comprising a reusable holder and a 5 replaceable cartridge of sanitizing fluid, characterized In that in use of the device, the sanitising fluid is visually perceptible along the extent of its flow path from the interior of the cartridge to a position where it is exposed to flushing water in the lavatory bowl.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention provides a simple effective dispensing device which may be easily replenished with a new cartridge by the 15 user. Because the flow path of the sanitislng fluid can be visualized by the consumer as described above, it is easy to determine when the cartridge is fully spent and thus removable without the risk of product spillage and waste.

20 A preferred dispensing device according to the present invention comprises a reusable holder and a replaceable cartridge, wherein: the cartridge comprises a reservoir of sanltising fluid which has a dispensing end incorporating an outlet port for 25 the sanitising fluid; the holder comprises a cradle in which the cartridge is housed and means to secure the cradle to the rim of the lavatory bowl;

- 4 the cradle bears a connection socket which engages with the outlet port of the cartridge when the cartridge is installed in the cradle and provides a conduit for passage of the sanitising fluid from the interior of the cartridge through 5 the outlet port of the cartridge to a position where it is exposed to flushing water 1n the lavatory bowl, and the cradle is of sufficient transparency or translucency to enable visual perception of the sanitizing fluid contained in the cartridge when viewed through the cradle.

0 The holder comprises a cradle and means to secure the cradle to the rim of the lavatory bowl. The securing means generally comprises a hook shaped to be clipped over the rim of the lavatory bowl. The hook may be formed as a separate component which IS secured to the cradle by mechanical 15 engagement or bonding. Alternatively, and preferably, the hook is integrally formed with the cradle, from the same material. The cradle is preferably formed by a planar base portion 20 which carries a circumferential retaining wall shaped to hold the cartridge in the required position for dispensing when the cartridge is installed in the cradle.

The planar base portion typically bears the connection 25 socket which engages with the outlet port of the cartridge.

The connection socket provides a conduit for passage of the sanit1sing fluid from the interior of the cartridge through the outlet port of the cartridge to a position where it IS 30 exposed to flushing water in the lavatory bowl. Preferably

( the connection socket forms an annular passageway which discharges onto the surface of a fluid distribution plate.

The fluid distribution plate IS provided on the underside of 5 the planar base portion of the cradle and projects into the path of flushing water from the lavatory when the cradle is! secured to the rim of the lavatory bowl.

The plate may optionally have a winking device to spread the sanitizing fluid over the surface of the plate. The winking lo device may for example be a porous pad or preferably a system of channels which direct the passage of fluid by capillary action. In use, sanitising fluid is delivered from the fluid reservoir of the cartridge to the surface of the plate where it is exposed to flushing water and washed 15 off the plate and carried to the lavatory bowl.

The cradle of the holder is required to be of sufficient transparency or translucency to enable visual perception of the sanitising fluid contained in the cartridge when viewed 20 through the cradle.

Sufficiently transparent or translucent materials for the purpose of the present invention can be understood to be those materials having a visible light-blocking capacity of less than 80%, preferably less than 50%, more preferably 25 less than 20. Such materials may be colourless, inherently coloured or have obtained a colour by incorporation of colorants. In preferred embodiments where the securing means such as a hook is integrally formed with the cradle, from the same

c' ( material, it is highly preferable that the material used to form the cradle and the hook also has a degree of flexibility, so that the hook can be bent around to conform closely with the profile of the lavatory rim. If the hook is 5 too rigid, it may stand significantly proud of the lavatory rim and become prone to breakage under pressure from the lavatory seat.

Preferably the material also has a sufficient degree of elastic memory to ensure sustained conformity with the lO profile of the lavatory rim, otherwise the loss of elastic memory may mean that the hook tends to move and slip, leading to instability of the device on the toilet rim.

Flexibility can be defined in terms of the reciprocal of the product of the elastic modulus and the cubed thickness of 15 the material. The flexibility should typically be no less than O.Ol GPa mm, and preferably no less than 0.05 GPa mm and no greater than 30 GPa mm. Most preferably the flexibility ranges from O.l to 15 GPa mm.

As the material becomes thinner, it becomes weaker and more 20 prone to rupturing. Accordingly, the thickness of the material used to form the hook should typically be no less than 0.5 mm and is preferably between l and 2 mm.

Suitable materials for construction of the cradle, and preferably also the hook of the holder, are plastics 25 materials, provided that they are sufficiently transparent or translucent as defined above. Most preferably the material should also have an elastic modulus ranglug from 0.02 to 3 GPa, preferably from 0.8 to 2.5 GPa.

( - 7 Examples of suitable plastics materials Include polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, acrylates, polyamides, polyvinylchloride and polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene. 5 A particularly preferred material is metallocene-catalyzed homopolymer polypropylene, which offers excellent properties of transparency, flexibility and elastic memory.

The replaceable cartridge comprises a reservoir of sanitis1ng fluid which has a dispensing end incorporating an 10 outlet port for the sanitizing fluid. The cartridge may be formed of any suitable material which will act as a container for fluid and withstand the exposure to flushing water. Suitable materials include plastics materials which may be moulded, for example by injection mouldlng, or formed 15 by processes such as thermoforming, to produce the cartridge. The replaceable cartridge is typically sold separately as a refill for the dispensing device and IS sealed at the point 20 of purchase by a sealing membrane or other closure which seals the outlet port of the cartridge and which is to be ruptured at the point of installation. Typically a needle-

shaped projection or similar pointed surface is arranged in the vicinity of the connection socket such that it pierces 25 the sealing membrane when the cartridge IS pressed down into its correct location within the cradle.

The sanitizing fluid in the reservoir of the cartridge may comprise for example disinfectants or other biocidal 30 ingredients, deodorant ingredients, perfumes, cleansing

ingredients such as anionic, nonionic, and amphoteric surfactants, polymers, solvents, sequestrants or any combination thereof.

5 A specific example of a rechargeable dispensing device according to the invention is shown in the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 represents a front perspective view from above and 10 one side of a device according to the invention, and F1 gure 2 represents a front perspective view from above and one side of a device according to the invention with the cartridge raised.

In the flqures, like numerals represent like parts.

Figures l and 2 illustrate a dispensing device (1) having a holder (2) in which a cartridge (3) may be installed. The 20 cartridge (3) has a reservoir of sanitizing fluid (4) and a dispensing end (5) provided with an outlet port (6) through which the sanitislng fluid can pass when the cartridge (3) is installed in the holder (2). The holder (2) has a cradle (7) which is formed from a planar base portion (8) and a 25 circumferential elliptically shaped retaining wall (9) upstanding from the base portion (8). The retaining wall ( 9) IS shaped to engage and retain the dispensing end (5) of the cartridge (3) when the cartridge (3) is installed. A flexible hook (10) is provided on the retaining wall (9) and 30 is shaped to be clipped over the rim of the lavatory bowl when the device (1) IS in use. An annular connection socket

(11) is located in the centre of the planar base portion (8). The outlet port (6) of the cartridge (3) fits into this connection socket (11) when the cartridge (3) is installed. A fluid distribution tray (12) having a 5 plurality of fluid-conducting capillary channels (13) is secured to the underside of the planar base portion (8) via the snap-fit engagement of small pegs on the underside of the base portion (8) with corresponding holes on the tray (12). The tray (12) is slightly spaced apart from the base 10 portion (8) in the vicinity of the connection socket (11) so that fluid flow IS permitted from the fluid reservoir (4) through the outlet port (6) and onto the tray (12) when the outlet port (6) is engaged in the connection socket (11).

The tray (12) projects into the path of flushing water from 15 the lavatory when the cradle (7) is secured to the rim of the lavatory bowl. The flushing water washes off sanitizing fluid which has been distributed along the tray (12) by its passage through capillary channels (13).

At the point of purchase, the outlet port (6) of the 20 cartridge (3) is sealed by a temporary sealing membrane In order to prevent leakage of sanitizing fluid prior to installation of the cartridge (3) into the holder (2). A spike (14) is located on the tray (12) in the cent re of the annular region defined by the connection socket (11), so 25 that when the cartridge (3) is installed, the spike (14) pierces the temporary sealing membrane and permits fluid to flow from the reservoir (4) to the tray (12) during use.

The entire holder (2) IS formed from translucent, flexible metallocenecatalyzed homopolymer polypropylene.

Claims

I - 10 CLAIMS

1. A dispensing device (1) for dispensing sanitlsing fluid from the rim of a lavatory bowl comprising a reusable holder (2) and a replaceable cartridge of sanltlsing 5 fluid (3), characterized in that in use of the device, the sanitising fluid is visually perceptible along the extent of its flow path from the interior of the cartridge to a position where it is exposed to flushing water in the lavatory bowl.

lo

2. A device (1) according to claim 1, in which the cartridge (3) comprises a reservoir of sanitising fluid (4) which has a dispensing end (5) incorporating an outlet port for the sanitizing fluid (6); the holder (2) comprises a cradle (7) In which the 15 cartridge (3) is housed and means to secure the cradle to the rlm of the lavatory bowl (10); the cradle (7) bears a connection socket (11) which engages with the outlet port (6) of the cartridge (3) when the cartridge (3) is installed in the cradle (7) 20 and provides a conduit for passage of the sanitlsing fluid from the interior of the cartridge (3) through the outlet port (6) of the cartridge (3) to a position where it is exposed to flushing water in the lavatory bowl, and 25 the cradle (7) is of sufficient transparency or translucency to enable visual perception of the sanltlsing fluid contained in the cartridge (3) when viewed through the cradle (7).

A device (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the cradle (7) is formed from material having a visible light-blocking capacity of less than 50%, more preferably less than 20%.

5 4. A device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which a hook (10) is integrally formed with the cradle (7), from the same material, the material having an elastic modulus ranging from 0.02 to 3 GPa, preferably from 0.S to 2.5 GPa.

10 5. A device (1) according to claim 4, in which the material is metallocene-catalyzed homopolymer polypropylene.