JPH0736876B2 - Distribution device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to devices for dispensing detergents or other compositions in a washing machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For treating laundry in a washing machine, a detergent or other composition intended to treat the laundry is placed in a dispensing device and the device is placed in the washing machine with the laundry before the washing machine is run. Many proposals have been made so far.
Especially when the composition is difficult to dispense with the automatic metering system installed in the washing machine, or even if the composition can be dispensed automatically with such an automatic metering system, the washing machine metering system and design can reduce the composition of the detergent composition. If the parts flow into the blind spot of the washing machine and do not sufficiently enter the washing liquid that comes into contact with the laundry, use this to wash laundry using both liquid detergent and solid detergent such as powder, granules, flakes or fine particles. The use of such dispensing devices can be useful. Of course, for maximum contact of the laundry with the wash liquor containing the detergent composition, the detergent composition must be dispensed from such dispensing device at the beginning or shortly after the washing cycle of the washing machine. This is especially important when the wash cycle time of the washing machine is relatively short. An example of a dispensing device for use when washing in a washing machine with a finely divided detergent is given in EP 343070, which essentially comprises a flexible sleeve bag with a mouth, the mouth of which is laundered. There is a hard ring member inside that puts the back mouth open. In one embodiment described in EP 343070, the bag is made of a material that allows the aqueous laundry liquor to penetrate the bag, but retains the finely divided product when the finely divided product remains solid. As described above, the ring member is a relatively complicated plastic molding, and it is necessary to bond a separately manufactured flexible bag to this molding. The example commercially available in the United Kingdom is of substantially the construction shown in FIG. 17, but consists of three separate plastic moldings which are integral with the flexible bag. Such a structure is expensive to manufacture, and moreover flexible bags have a shorter life than plastic parts, thus limiting the life of the device. Another drawback is
Rings around the outside of the bag mouth are edges that can damage delicate laundry during use, especially when used in washing machines with drums that rotate about a horizontal axis. Dispensing devices for dispensing solid detergent in a washing machine have also been proposed in Japanese Utility Model 51-47412 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,808. Utility model No. 51-47412
The publication describes a granular or liquid detergent composition dispensing device having a casing with a smooth spherical profile.
The casing may be divided into two, one of which has a plurality of outlet openings for detergent filling, the detergent composition being filled in a half of the casing having a wall without perforations.
After filling and closing the two halves together, place the device on the laundry in the drum of the washing machine. To ensure the distribution of the composition when using the device in a washing machine with a vertical drum axis, a float chamber is included in the unperforated half, so that as soon as the device floats in the washing machine water For dispensing the detergent composition in water, the device is in a position with the float chamber at the top and the outlet opening at the bottom. The disadvantage of this construction is that it contains three separate moldings, which requires the user to separate the two parts during filling, which may result in the loss of one half.
Moreover, when water enters the float chamber, the device does not work effectively in a washing machine with a vertical drum axis. US Patent No. 3
No. 400808 describes a bleach powder, a non-bleach powder or a powder mixture for dispensing in a fully automatic washing machine, the dispenser being similar to that of utility model 51-47412. It consists of two parts, one without the perforations and the other with the dispensing opening. The weight of the perforated half was adjusted to ensure that the powder was transferred to the perforated half while the dispenser was moving through the washing machine. Like the device of Utility Model No. 51-47412, this device is also divided into two parts, which the user has to separate and refit during filling. European Patent No. 368680
The specification describes a dispensing device for dispensing a composition such as a detergent in a washing machine, which device has a filling and dispensing opening and a washing liquid loaded on the laundry to be placed in a drum of the washing machine. It includes a hollow body having a smooth elastic wall that has a restoring force that returns to the original shape when the deformation force is removed. Such devices are economically manufactured as a single plastic molding and can be reused in large numbers before disposal, thus minimizing the amount of plastic discarded. However, this device cannot easily dispense all compositions such as detergents in all types of washing machines.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the distribution devices which have hitherto been raised. According to the present invention there is provided a device for dispensing a detergent or other composition in a washing machine comprising a single hollow body containing a composition having an opening for filling and dispensing which is always open, the washing liquid comprising: One or more unobstructed holes sized to prevent the composition from flowing out of the hollow body but before the device contacts the wash liquor are provided in the hollow body wall opposite the filling opening. A device is provided in which the hollow body has a self-resilient flexible wall with a smooth outer surface. Such devices can be manufactured easily and inexpensively from, for example, plastic materials such as PVC, polyurethane and can be used in washing machines with horizontal or vertical drum shafts without damaging the laundry to maximize the effectiveness of the dispensing composition. Can be demonstrated. The presence of the holes allows the washing liquid to enter and exit the hollow body not only through the filling openings, but through the holes, thus facilitating the distribution of the composition, especially ensuring that the entire composition is distributed as early as possible in the wash cycle. To be done. Providing a hole on the opposite side of the filling opening ensures that the hole will be submerged when the filled device floats on the water. Therefore, the device is particularly suitable for use in a vertical shaft drum type washing machine in which the device is filled with the desired amount of composition and placed on the laundry to be treated. When the water level in the drum reaches the top of the laundry,
As the water contacts the bottom of the hollow body and enters through the holes, the device quickly sinks below the surface of the water. When the device sinks under water, the composition is effectively released from the unobstructed holes and filling openings, even by shaking the wash liquor very gently. The ingress of water below the bottom of a volume of the composition filled in the hollow body effectively facilitates dilution or dissolution of the composition and removal of the composition from the inner wall of the device, especially in the case of solid compositions. To help. The device according to the invention can equally be used in horizontal drum axis washing machines. even here,
The unobstructed holes facilitate the entry of the wash liquor into the hollow body and facilitate the distribution of the composition. The outer wall of the hollow body is smooth, the corners that can damage the laundry,
No edges, concave surfaces or other irregularities. In addition, the hollow body has a self-restoring flexible wall, and when the device is used in a horizontal drum shaft type washing machine, when the laundry is dropped into the device one after another and the flexible wall is deformed, any composition, especially It helps to remove the solid composition from the inner wall of the hollow body.
Since the wall is self-recovering, it returns to its original shape when the deformation force is removed. Although the deformation forces on the hollow body are smaller in a vertical drum axis washing machine, the flexible wall also has the advantage of minimizing the noise when the device contacts the drum. This is useful for both types of washing machines. The size of each hole is determined by the detergent composition or the like to be contained in the hollow body. When the composition is a liquid, the pore size depends on the wall thickness as well as the viscosity and structure of the liquid. This device is particularly suitable for finely divided solid compositions, with pores having a diameter of less than 2.00 mm, preferably less than 0.75 mm when the wall thickness is 1.1 mm, a thick detergent powder is discharged from the hollow body before use. Effectively prevent that. If the pores are too small, the powder will tend to harden in the pores and hinder the entry of water, so the minimum pore diameter is 0.1 mm, preferably 0.
Should be 5 mm. The number of pores may vary depending on the size of the pores and the nature of the composition, but is less than 3 minutes, preferably 1 when filled with a given amount of the composition, without any shaking.
There should be a sufficient number and size of holes so that the device is completely submerged below the wash surface in less than a minute, more preferably 30 seconds or less, so that the device is filled through the holes. If this parameter is met, the device can facilitate dispensing in both types of washing machines, requiring only one hole.
Can be reduced to one. Preferably, at least four holes are provided to minimize the risk of temporary clogging and unduly restricting ingress of wash liquor. Suitable number of holes is 8
It has been found to be -36, preferably 24.
The holes are preferably evenly spaced in one or more circles, the centers of which are on a line passing through the center of the filling opening at right angles to the plane of the filling opening. When the holes are arranged in this manner, the composition filled through the filling opening covers the holes so that the washing liquid directly enters the composition through the holes during use. The unobstructed holes may be of any shape. For example, when the composition is a solid, the holes may be slots that prevent the composition from escaping, and have a length greater than that width. Two or more such slots may be in a crossing relationship provided that the maximum size of the crossed pores does not permit the composition to escape. Conveniently, the device has a flat base, the device can stand on top of it with the filling and dispensing openings at the top, and the plurality of holes are in the hollow body adjacent the base. The device can stand on the base when filled with the composition. Since the hole is adjacent to the base, it is certain that the hole is below the filling level and is covered with the composition filled in the hollow body. If desired, the insert can be placed in the filling opening. This insert has multiple holes,
The hollow body can be filled with the composition through these holes. The holes of the insert allow the hollow body to be filled, and the insert minimizes the distribution of the composition before it is at least partially diluted or dissolved in the wash liquor and is a rich composition. It may be shaped and arranged to minimize the risk of the concentrated composition coming into contact with the laundry when it may damage the laundry. In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for dispensing a detergent or other composition in a washing machine consisting of a unitary hollow body containing a quantity of the composition to be dispensed, the device being always open. Has a filling and dispensing opening, and the wall of the hollow body opposite the filling opening has at least one unobstructed hole, which is formed before the device contacts the washing liquid. Prevents the composition from flowing out, but has a size that allows the washing liquid to come in and out, and when the device floats on water, the size and position should be such that the filling opening is at the top and the device sinks below the water surface in less than 1 minute It is something. The present invention is a method of washing laundry in a washing machine drum in which a reusable dispensing device is filled with a detergent or other composition and placed with the laundry in a washing machine drum, the device comprising: A smooth outer wall, a constantly open filling and dispensing opening, and at least one obstacle on the opposite side of the filling opening, of size and shape, which prevents the outflow of the composition prior to contact with water. There is also provided a method comprising a free-standing hollow body having open pores, wherein water enters the hollow body to facilitate distribution of the composition. The washing machine drum may be vertical, water enters the hollow body through holes and the dispensing device submerges in less than 1 minute. This allows the composition to be rapidly dispensed immediately after the start of the wash cycle to ensure that the laundry contacts the detergent composition during most of the wash cycle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dispensing device, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, has an outer smooth outer surface 2, which is a generally spherical shape with a flat base surface 3 on which the device can stand. As can be seen from the section of the cross-section of FIG. 1, the device has a thin wall 4 forming a hollow body 5, which can be filled with a composition to be dispensed through filling and dispensing openings 6. The filling opening 6 is arranged so as to be the uppermost part when the surface of the base surface 3 and the opening 6 are parallel to each other and the device stands on the base surface 3. The perimeter of the opening 6 is slightly enlarged, as indicated at 7, to avoid the possibility of creating edges that may come into contact with and damage laundry when in use. As shown in FIG. 2, the hollow body 5 is provided with a plurality of holes 8 which completely penetrate the wall 4. The holes are equally spaced in two concentric circles, the centers of which are on a line 9 passing through the center of the filling opening at right angles to the plane of the opening. This arrangement ensures that the composition filled through the openings 6 is distributed below the holes around the hollow body, as on the holes 8. One or more fill lines 10 can be marked on the hollow body to indicate to the user the amount of composition to fill the device. Filling line 10 is hole 8
Since it is above, all holes 8 are covered with the composition when first filled. The wall 4 may be transparent or translucent so that the user can observe the amount of composition in the hollow body and compare that amount with the fill line 10. The illustrated device can be easily manufactured from a plastic material such as polyurethane. 8
A typical size for dispensing a 3.5 ml volume of detergent composition is 77 mm in diameter and 60 mm in height, with the fill line passing approximately through the center of the sphere. The 56 mm diameter filling opening facilitates filling of the device without the risk of unwanted spillage. 0.5m diameter shown on two concentric circles
With 24 holes of m, 1.1 mm in length, the device was filled with the detergent powder concentrated to the indicated amount and the device floating in the water sank below the surface of the water in less than 1 minute. Thus, when the device was used to dispense the composition in a washing machine with a vertical drum axis, the composition was rapidly dispensed into the wash liquor. As soon as the water surface reached the bottom of the device, the wash liquor entered the holes 8 and moistened the composition. Water tended to enter as fine spouts, minimizing the tendency of the composition to adhere to the inner wall surface.
All of the plugging of the holes 8 with the wet composition was temporary, and the holes 8 and openings 6 ensured that the entire device contents were dispensed with gentle shaking.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the dispensing device of the present invention, but with a portion shown in cross-section.

2 is a bottom view of the device of FIG. 1. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Distributing device 2 Outer surface 3 Base part 4 Wall 5 Hollow body 6 Filling and dispensing opening 8 Hole 10 Filling line

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Mary-Ann Christine Hosiens New South Wales 2041, Australia, Balmain, Roundtree Street 219 (56) Reference JP 61-119296 ( JP, A)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A device for dispensing a detergent or other composition in a washing machine comprising a unitary hollow body containing a composition having openings for filling and dispensing that are always open, the washing liquid comprising: The hollow body opposite to the filling opening with one or more unobstructed holes sized to prevent the composition from flowing out of the hollow body before the device contacts the wash liquor. A device provided on a wall, wherein said hollow body has a self-restoring flexible wall having a smooth outer surface. 2. The hole has a diameter of 2.00 mm-0.1 mm.
The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a circle. 3. The diameter of the hole is 0.5 mm-0.75 m
The device of claim 2, wherein m is m. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein there are 8 to 36 holes. 5. The hollow body has a flat base, and the hollow body can stand on the base with the filling and dispensing opening at the top, and the hole is adjacent to the base. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is in the body. 6. A method of washing laundry in a drum of a washing machine, wherein the reusable dispensing device is filled with detergent or other composition and placed in the washing machine drum together with the laundry, said method comprising: The device has a smooth outer wall, an always open filling and dispensing opening and at least a size and shape on the opposite side of the filling opening to prevent the composition from spilling prior to contact with water. A method comprising: a free-standing hollow body having one unobstructed hole, wherein water enters said hollow body to facilitate distribution of said composition. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the washing machine drum is vertical, wherein the water enters the hollow body and submerges the dispensing device in less than one minute.