MXPA96005072A

MXPA96005072A - Pretreating dispensing device

Info

Publication number: MXPA96005072A
Application number: MXPA/A/1996/005072A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Charles Poolman Gerard
Original assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
Priority date: 1994-04-27
Filing date: 1995-04-18
Publication date: 1997-08-01

Abstract

A dosing and dispensing device (10) for liquid detergent comprising a hollow body (13), an opening (12) and means to spread at least a portion of the contained liquid detergent onto a surface of fabrics, said means comprising at least an orifice (14), and a ball (16) communicating with said orifice, said ball (16) rotating freely in all directions.

Description

DISPENSER DEVICE FOR PRETREATMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a dispensing and dispensing device for liquid laundry detergents. The device according to the present invention is particularly adapted to pre-treat fabrics with a part of the liquid detergent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Dispensing devices for liquid detergents, which are to be introduced with the fabrics in the washing machine, are well known in the art. It is also known that it is possible to achieve greater effectiveness with respect to the removal of stains by pretreating the fabrics with the liquid detergent. The pretreatment means that a certain amount of detergent is applied directly on the dirty parts of said fabrics before they are washed in the machine. Devices in the prior art adapted to pre-treat are generally dispensing devices with a liquid detergent dispenser for pre-treatment purposes. In the following, detergent implies a detergent composition for the treatment of fabrics. This detergent composition may comprise washing additives, such as bleach, enzymes and / or others known in the art. We found that a pretreatment distributor has to provide certain aspects to maximize the performance of the pretreatment. An important aspect is a controlled distribution in multiple directions. "Distribution in multiple directions" means that the distribution is not linked to act in a predetermined direction, but is completely free to change the distribution direction. This ensures an adequate distribution of the liquid detergent, even on very complicated patterns of stains, without the need for the user to perform complicated movements with his hand. In this way, the distribution is also better controlled, and therefore the liquid detergent waste is avoided, since it is easier to distribute precisely over the limit area of the stain. Various pretreatment devices for liquid detergents are described in the prior art, for example in publications WO 92/09736 and WO 92/09737. The pre-treatment devices of WO 92/09737 have predetermined outputs. The liquid detergent is distributed and then rubbed on the fabric areas through irregularities on the external surface of the pretreatment device itself. In this way, the application of the liquid detergent on the fabrics can not be carried out with an exact control of the direction. One of the separable pretreatment applicators described in WO 92/09737 is generically a ball. It is not specified in which direction the ball rotates. In addition, this ball applicator is in fact a separate part of the dispensing device. This means that for pretreatment, the user has to keep the dosing device full in one hand and the ball applicator in the other which makes the pre-treatment very complicated. In addition, the ball applicator has to be submerged from time to time in the full dosing device to keep the ball always sufficiently wet for pretreatment. Another approach is shown in EP-A-575 714. A circular section applicator acts as a distributor of the liquid detergent on the fabrics. Said applicator rotates around an opposite pin coupled on the edge of said hole. Said applicator is capable of applying the liquid detergent that leaves the orifice on a surface by rotating around the axis defined by the spikes. A predetermined axis of rotation is therefore defined by those opposite pins. This does not allow a controlled direction of multiple directions of the liquid detergent in the pretreatment. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing and dosing device adapted for the pretreatment of fabrics with a dispenser acting in a counter-directed manner of multiple directions. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for pretreating and washing fabrics in a washing machine with the dispensing and dosing device described herein. We have now found that this can be achieved by designing a pre-treatment device with a "roller ball", that is, a ball that rotates in all directions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a dispensing and dispensing device for liquid detergent which can be introduced into a washing machine with the fabrics. Said device comprises a hollow body, an opening and means for distributing at least a portion of the liquid detergent contained on a surface of the fabrics. These means comprise an orifice that allows the liquid detergent content to communicate with a ball. The ball rotates freely in all directions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows the preferred embodiment of the dispensing and dosing device of the present invention adapted for fiber pretreatment. Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a pretreatment device for containing liquid substances. One embodiment of the device is shown in figure 1. The pretreatment device (10) comprises a hollow body (13), an opening (12), an orifice (figure 2, 14), and a ball (16). The hole (Fig. 2, 14) and the ball (16) form the pretreatment means. In the subsequent "horizontal" means a direction or a parallel plane for the support bases of the pretreatment device in its vertical position. The hollow body (13) can be made of any material resistant to water and also for weak acids / alkalines, which withstand the temperatures reached in the washing machines. In particular, for temperatures up to 95 ° C. For example, it is possible to use plastic materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, or any other similar material. Preferably, said devices are transparent to allow a visible measurement and dosing of the liquid detergent in said devices. To facilitate measurement and dosing, the device preferably comprises on the external and / or internal surface of the hollow body at least one dosing line (11). The hollow body can also be deformable, at least by mechanical agitation during the washing and elastic cycle to recover its original shape after any deformation. This compression / retraction helps the washing liquid to enter the hollow body of the device, and therefore a better dilution of the liquid detergent inside the device is achieved, even when said detergents are considered difficult to dispense by virtue of their viscosity. The filling of the device with the liquid detergent is achieved through the opening (12). When this device is placed inside the washing machine with the fabrics, this allows the dispensing of the liquid detergent into the washing liquid of the machine during the washing cycle. A plurality of filling and dispensing openings are also possible on the device. The dimensions of the openings (12) can be chosen by any person skilled in the art. The openings are preferably permanently open. These can also be subdivided into predetermined or closed outputs as described, for example, in EP-A-339 197. The orifice (Fig. 2, 14) carries in communication the liquid contained (Fig. 2, 19) with the ball (16). The dimensions and shape of said hole can be chosen by any person skilled in the art. The orifice may be permanently open, or it may be a groove that progressively opens when pressing on the hollow body of the device, and closing again when the grip stops. With the groove the exhaust narrowness can be improved and the amount of liquid detergent that comes into contact with said ball (16) can be better adjusted by the user. In the case of a groove, the device can be made of an elastic and deformable material. The pretreatment device of the present invention may have a single orifice or slot permanently open, but several holes or slots in a device are also possible. The holes and slots as defined above can also be combined in one device. The ball (16) can be made of any water resistant material, which also withstand the temperatures reached in the washing machines. The present invention is not limited to a single ball; several balls are also possible for a simple device. For example, it is possible to use plastic materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, or any other similar material also used for the hollow body. The surface of said ball can be rough or smooth. As stated above, the ball (16) has to come into contact with the liquid contained through the hole (14) and must be able to rotate freely in all directions when the liquid detergent is distributed during the pretreatment. This can be carried out in the following manner, also referring to Figure 2. As illustrated schematically, the ball (16) is partially located in the volume part (20) of the hollow body (13) of the device (10). This volume (20) has two openings: the mouth (figure 1, 18) and the hole (14). The ball projects at least partially from the mouth (18). The lip (23) of the mouth (18) keeps the ball inside the mouth. The dimensions of the ball (16) and the dimensions of the mouth (18) are adapted to each other so that the ball is not able to completely exit through the mouth. This means that the diameter of the mouth is at least slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball. In this way, the ball is free to rotate around any axis within the volume (20). The tension of the liquid is ensured by the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid contained in the device (10) that pushes the ball towards the lip (23) of the mouth (18). In this way, any dripping or dripping between said ball and the mouth is closed, achieving a device free of runoff. The ball held in this way is not attached to act in predetermined directions. This is due to the fact that said ball is able to rotate about any possible axis, since the described retention method of said ball does not introduce any restriction. This allows a more even distribution of the liquid detergent in all possible directions. The movement of the ball on the pretreated surface also facilitates the foaming of the liquid detergent distributed on any type of surface, even on delicate surfaces, such as silk. The pretreatment means described so far allow controlled distribution in multiple directions, ie a distribution that is not subject to acting in a predetermined direction, but is always completely free to change the distribution direction. This aspect is particularly useful to achieve a precise and comfortable distribution of the liquid detergent, also guaranteed on very complicated patterns of stains. Otherwise, the user would be forced to perform complicated movements with his hand, such as twisting the wrist. In this way, the distribution is also better controlled, and therefore the waste of liquid detergent is avoided, since it is easier to distribute only over the limited area of the stain. The ball (16) is manufactured separately from the hollow body (13). This ball can be inserted into the volume (20) simply by pushing said ball through the mouth (18). This is possible, since the lip (23) of the mouth is flexible enough to be elastically deformed, at least slightly, since said mouth, part of the hollow body, is preferably made of a plastic material. Another possibility is to mold the hollow body that retains or suspends the ball in a space that will settle the volume (20). The device (10) can also comprise more than one ball (16), held separately or in a mouth (18) in common. In both figures 1 and 2, the pre-treatment means are located in the lower part of the device (10), with the opening (13) being in the upper part of the same device. The pretreatment means which are in the lower part of the device (10) are intended so that the level of the contained liquid detergent (19) is always above the orifice (14). The hole (14), as explained above, allows communication between the contained liquid (19) and the ball (16). The location of the hole (14) in the inner wall (21) of the volume (20) can be selected by any person skilled in the art. For the device (10) of figures 1 and 2, the liquid contained automatically flows into the volume (20) intercepting the ball (16), since the minimum level of liquid detergent is always greater than the orifice (14). This means that the liquid detergent needs not to be poured into the orifice, therefore the device remains in a horizontal position during the pretreatment operation, allowing an easy measurement and / or control of the amount of liquid detergent applied on the fabrics during the pretreatment It is also possible to facilitate the measurement and / or control by means of the dosing lines (11). However, the pretreatment means can be easily located on top of the device near the openings (12). Holds can also be provided (figure 1, 25) in the form of cavities, depressions or grooves on the external surface of the hollow body (13). These facilitate the handling or even tightening of the device for pretreatment. This type of means are easy to produce during the molding of the body of the device. The dimensions or specific forms of the device in general can be selected by any person skilled in the art. A method is provided comprising the following steps, which describe the pretreatment and washing of fabrics in a washing machine with the dispensing and dispensing device according to the present invention: a dose of the total amount of the liquid detergent used is introduced. during the pretreatment and washing cycle in the dispensing and dosing device; the pretreatment of the fabrics is carried out with a controlled amount of the liquid detergent dosage contained in said device, and is dispensed from said device through that incision: the pretreated fabrics are placed in the drum of this form. the washing machine together with said dispensing and dosing device and with other fabrics not pretreated.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A dispensing and dosing device (10) for liquid detergent comprising a hollow body (13), an opening (12) and means for distributing at least a portion of the liquid detergent contained on the surface of the fabrics, said means comprising at least minus one hole (14), and a ball (16) communicating with said hole, said ball (16) rotating freely in all directions.

2. A dispensing and dispensing device for liquid detergent, according to claim 1, further characterized in that said orifice can be a slot, which opens when tightening said device, and closes when the grip ceases.

3. A dispensing and dispensing device for liquid detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said means are located in the lower part of said device.

4. A dispensing and dosing device for liquid detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that a part of said ball is maintained between the mouth (18) and said hole (14), and said ball protrudes partially out of said mouth.

5. A dispensing and dosing device for liquid detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said device comprises dosing lines (11).

6. A dispensing and dosing device for liquid detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said device (10) comprises grasping means (25).

7. A dispensing and dosing device for liquid detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said device is made of plastic material.

8. A method for pretreating and washing fabrics in a washing machine with the dispensing and dosing device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a dose of the total amount of the liquid detergent used is introduced. during the pretreatment and washing cycle in the dispensing and dosing device; the pretreatment of the fabrics is carried out with a controlled amount of the liquid detergent dosage contained in said device, and is dispensed from said device through that incision: the pretreated fabrics are placed in the drum of this form. the washing machine together with said dispensing and dosing device and with other fabrics not pretreated.