US2065181A - Dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1936. E. R. FRENCH DISPENSING DEVICE vFiled Jan. 27, A1956 l C g f I I 'IIHI Patented Dec. 22, 1936 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING DEVICE Edward R. French, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Milton Jonathan Lukens, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application January 27, 1936, Serial No. 60,943

4 Claims. (Cl. 1 -227) My invention relates to a new and useful dispensing device and it relates more particularly to a dispensing device adapted for use in connection with flush tanks of toilet bowls to the end that the toilet bowl is, at all times, kept sterile, and for the purpose of serving as a solvent and deodorant.

My invention further relates to a device of this character, which can be produced at a very low cost, and one which consists of an extremely simplified construction the parts oi which are not subject to any appreciable wear or disorder when in use.

My invention still further relates to a device of this character, which is adapted for easy and immediate installation by any unskilled person to render the device easily applicable and universally acceptable.

Other features of novelty and advantage will be more clearly understood from the following specication and the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l represents a fragmentary View, in front elevation, showing my dispensing device applied to the back Wall of a flush tank of a toilet.

Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, showing details of assembly and of the `valve construction in one position thereof.

Fig. 4 represents a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the valve in another position thereof.

Fig. 5 represents a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the valve element shown detached.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate like parts, I designates the back wall of a flush tank of a toilet bowl. 2 designates the bottom of the tank from which extends the pipe 3 leading to the toilet bowl proper, not shown. 4 and 5 designate, roughly, the levels at which the water in the flush tank normally stands, when the toilet bowl is flushed and when the flush tank is full between ushings, respectively.

My dispensing device consists, generally, of the bracket l, which is made sufficiently light, consistent with the necessary strength, and which is preferably made of a bendable or pliable formretaining metal so that the upper end thereof may be bent around to engage the upper edge of the back Wall of the flush tank, as shown at B and 9. To the upper portion of the bracket 'I is secured a retaining ring, or similar support IIJ, which guides the bottle, or other container II, for holding the solvent, disinfectant, deodorant I2. I4 designates the support for the bottle II, and, in this instance, I prefer to make it in the form of an inverted cup and to the inverted bottorn I5 of which I secure the bottle or container cap I6 to which the mouth of the bottle is threaded, as at Il, there being a gasket I8 to effect a liquid tight connection. The container II, and the cap I6 thereof, are standard items, so that any container II from which the cap has been removed can be threaded into the standard cap 10 I6 which is rigidly but detachably secured to the inverted bottom I5 of the supporting element I4 by the bushing 20 which passes downwardly through an aperture in the gasket I8, the cap I6 and inverted bottom I5, the bottom end of which 15 is threadedly engaged by the retaining nut 2l. The bushing 20 has a ange 22 which is tightened against the gasket I8 to make a liquid tight connection. Through the bushing 28 I insert the valve, shown generally in Fig. 5, which consists of the upper and lower body portions 24 and 25, the upper ange 26, and the central-reduced, or recessed portion 2'I. The upper flange 2B prevents the valve element from dropping through the aperture in the bushing 20, and to the bottom portion 25 is secured the float 28, which is preferably in the form of arr inverted cup, by means of the screw 29, it being understood from Figs. 3 and 4 that the float 28 is free to move vertically within the supporting element I4. 30 designates an air-vent in the upper body portion 24 of the valve, and 3I designates an air-Vent in the upper portion of the inverted cup supporting element I4.

In order to install the device, as seen in Fig. 2, it is merely necessary to remove the cover of the Iiush tank, which is not shown, and to position the device as shown in Fig. 2, and then bend the upper end of the bracket I around the upper edge of the back wall I, as shown at 8 40 and 9. When the water in the ilush tank is at its higher level 5, or at any point above the top of the supporting element I4, the Iloat 28 is in its upper position, as shown in Fig. 4, and the reduced or recessed portion 21 of the valve is 45 pushed up to a point above the gasket I8 and into the liquid I2 in the container I I. The liquid I2 occupies the reduced or recessed portion 2l, but the lower portion of the valve completely closes the opening of the bushing 28 and none of 50 the liquid I 2 can drop into the ush tank. WhenV the toilet bowl is flushed, and the water level therein falls to the point 4, or any point below the loweredge of the supporting element I4, the float 28 automatically drops from the position 55 shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 3, and the few drops of the liquid I2, contained in the recess 21, now drop into the liquid in the flush tank to be used for the next flushing. When the float 28 is in its lower position, the upper portion 24 of the valve closes the outlet of the bushing 20 and prevents any liquid I2, other than the drops contained in the recess 21, from falling into the water in the iiush tank. As the water again rises in the flush tank, the float 28 again assumes the position shown in Fig. fl in which the recess 21 is again charged with the liquid I2. In order to insure the free movement of the oat 28, within the supporting element I4, I provide the vent-holel to prevent the air from being compreed therein and preventing the complete rise of the float 2B. Similarly, in order to admit a small amount of air into the container II to replace the amount of liquid withdrawn from the container, with each .dropping of the float 28 I have provided the vent 30, the bottom end of which will be open to the air when the float 28 is in its lower position,-as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

It will thus be seen that my novel device consists of a very inexpensive construction which permits the use of many standard or stock items which, due to being capable of mass production, are extremely inexpensive, and that the bracket 'I consists of a simple stamping to which the supportingelement I4 is suitably secured by spotwelding, or otherwise.

After the contents of the bottle Il are exhausted, and it is necessary to refill the dispensing device, it is merely necessary to with- .draw .the same from the flush tank and to invert it over a container Il from which the conventional cap has been removed and after the mouth of the container Il has been threaded into the cap I6 while the container II is in its upright position, the device is then inverted and the device is positioned as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

With respect to the liquid I2 I wish to point out that the same consists of ,a composition having solvent and deodorant components, thereby greatly decreasing the frequency with which the toilet bowlmust be cleaned, aswell as keeping the toilet bowl sterile and deodorized..

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. A dispensing device for the flush tank of a toilet bowl comprising a bracket adapted to engage a wall of said iiush tank, an inverted cupshaped support secured to the lower portion of said bracket in close proximity to the bottom of said iiush tank and having an opening in the top thereof, a standard threaded receptacle closure carried by said support and having an opening therein registering with the opening in said support, a standard inverted receptacle having a correspondingly threaded mouth adapted to engage said closure, an inverted cup-shaped float vertically movable within said support and guided thereby, and a valve carried by said float and movable through said openings in said support and said closure into and out of said inverted receptacle to discharge a predetermined amount of the contents of said receptacle into said ush tank with the rise and fall ofthe water therein, there being a vent near the top of said inverted cup-shaped support.

2. A dispensing device for the flush tank of a toilet bowl comprising a bracket adapted to engage a wall of said flush tank, an inverted cupshaped support secured to the lower portion of said lbracket in close proximity to the bottom of said ush tank and having an opening in the'top thereof, a standard threaded receptacle closure carried by said support and having an opening therein registering with the opening in said support, a standard inverted receptacle having a correspondingly threaded mouth adapted to engage said closure, an inverted cup-shaped iioat vertically movable within said support and guided thereby, and a valve carried by said float and movable through said openings in said supportand said closure into and out of said inverted receptacle to discharge a predetermined amount of the contents of said receptacle into said flush tank with the rise and fall of the water therein, there being an air vent in the form of a through opening formed in said valve.

3. A dispensing device for the ush tank of a toilet bowl comprising a bracket adapted to engage a wall of said flush tank, an inverted cupshaped support secured to the lower portion of said bracket in close proximity to the bottom of said flush tank and having an opening in the top thereof, a standard threaded receptacle closure carried by said support and having an opening therein registering with the opening in said support, a standard inverted receptacle having a correspondingly threaded mouth Vadapted to engage said closure, an inverted cupshaped float vertically movable within said support and guided thereby, and a vaive carried by said float and movable through said openings in said support and said closure into and out of said inverted receptacle to discharge a predetermined amount of the contents of said receptacle into Vsaid flush tank with the rise and fall of the water therein, said valve comprising solid vupper and lower portions each of which is-adapted to yclose said opening, and an intermediate notch in the body of said valve adapted to receive a predetermined quantity of the contents of said receptacle when said valve is in its uppermost position and to discharge such contents into the flush tank when said valve is in its lowerrnost position, there being an air vent in the form of a through opening in the body portion of said valve above said notch for transmitting a predetermined amount of air into said receptacle.

' 4. A dispensing device for the iiush tank of a toilet bowl comprising a bracket adapted to engage a Wall of said flush tank, a support secured to the lower portion of said bracket in close proximity to the bottom of said flush tank and having an opening in the top thereof, a standard threadedreceptacle closure carried by said support and having an opening therein registering with the opening in said support, a standard inverted receptacle having a correspondingly threaded mouth adapted to engage said closure, an inverted cup-shaped iioat vertically movable within said support and guided thereby, and a valve carried by said float and movable through said openings in said support and said closure into and out of said inverted receptacle to discharge a predetermined amount of the contents of said receptacle into said flush tank with the rise and fall of the water therein, there being a vent near the top of said inverted cup-shaped support.-

EDWARD R. FRENCH.

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