US3417410A - Chemical dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Dec 24, 1968 c. J. TIETEMA. ETAL 3,417,410

caEuIcAL DISPENSER Filed Aug. 31, 1967 UnitedStates Patent O 3,417,410 CHEMICAL DISPENSER 'Casper J. Tietema, Chicago, and Donald M. Rodak, Hanh over Park, Ill., assiguors to Lien Chemical Company, Franklin Park, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Aug. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 664,845 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-225) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser of a chemical into a ush valve operated water pipe leading to a llrinal or toilet, in which an adjustable water inlet tube leads from the Water pipe to a container containing the chemical, and a separate `outlet tube carries the water mixed with the chemical in the container to the water pipe, to exit to the urinal or toilet, substantially simultaneously, and with the outlet tube so constructed that after-flow and streaking are eliminated.

This invention relates to a dispenser of a chemical into a water feed line such as that leading from a liush valve to a urinal or toilet.

Among the objects of our invention is to provide an improved construction in which a separate tube is used to supply the water from the supply pipe to a chemical chamber and another tube is used for transferring the chemical water mixture back to the tail pipe.

Another object of our invention is to insure substantially simultaneous entrance of water into the chemical chamber and exit of chemical water therefrom to eliminate streaking.

Another object of `our invention is improved control of the amount of chemical being dispensed due to the construction of the inlet tube.

Our invention also has such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by this invention.

While we have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of our invention, yet it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. l is a top plan view, partly in section of our chemical dispenser; FIG. 2 is a side elevational view; FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a vertical rear view; and FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 5 5 of FIG. 2 of the same; and FIG. 6 is a vertical view showing our chemical dispenser in connection with a tail pipe, valve and urinal.

Our chemical dispenser is connected to a water supply and tail pipe or water pipe 11 below a manually operable ush valve 12, said pipe leading to a urinal or toilet 13.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate our invention, our dispenser 10 comprises a body member or caintainer 14, within which is a hollow chamber 15 containing a chemical mixture including detergents, deodorants, water conditioners and blue coloring material, mixable with water. Connecting chamber 15 with the interior of pipe 11 are two tubes 16 and 17. Upper inlet tube 16 is straight and serves to divert some of the clear water flowing through pipe 11 into chamber 15. This clear water, in turn, mixes with the chemical mixture in chamber 15. The water chemical solution is returned to pipe 11 by means of lower outlet tube 17.

In FIG. 3, the details of construction of the upper inlet tube 16 are shown. It is to be noted that its inner portion lying within pipe 11 has a terminal section from ICC which the upper half has been cut away or notched as shown at 18.

The lower outlet ltube 17, as detailed in FIG. 3, is shown as downwardly curved at 19 where itis inside pipe 11 leading to the urinal or toilet. Portion 20 of tube 17, oppoite to end 19'and within chamber 15, which contains the chemical mixture, is angled downwardly. The terminal end of this angled portion 20 has a notched orice 21, and at the upper part of said angled portion is a small lorifice 22 which serves as a Vacuum breaker.

From the side of body member 14, a support member 23 projects laterally and terminates in a recess that is adapted partially to encompass tail pipe 11. A second support member 24 encompasses the opposite side of tail pipe 11 and is fastened to support member 23 by screws 25 to clamp said two support members against the tail pipe 11 and firmly support dispenser 10 in position. Mounted within support member 23 is a compressible and resilient member 26 which supports inlet tube 16 and outlet tube 17 which extend therethrough. Said tubes extend from hollow chamber 15 to within tail pipe 11. Member 26 being of compressible and resilient material permits inlet t-ube 16 and outlet tube 17 to be rotated on their axes so that the amount of water received from tail pipe 11 and the amount of chemical dispensed may be controlled.

A removable cover 27 is provided for the open top of body member 14.

In use, when the ow valve 12 is manually operated, water from a suitable source of supply is provided to tail pipe 11 for a brief measured period of time, as determined by the control setting on the valve.

The unique features of our invention, embodying a separate tube 16 to supply water to chamber 15, and another tube 17 for transferring the chemical-water mixture back into the pipe, offer certain advantages over other dispensing devices in the prior art.

In setting forth these advantages, it is to be observed that since two tubes are involved, one, 16, for the inlet to, and one, 17, for the outlet from the chamber 15, that the chemical solution is dispensed from the chamber through tube 17 substantially simultaneously with the clear water entering through the upper tube 16.

A common fault of devices in the prior art has been that the dispensing of the chemical has not been simultaneous with the entering of the clear water. Normally, the chemical being dispensed contains detergents and water conditioners, as well as blue coloring. In the prior art, the detergent mixture had not been dispensed prior to the end of the flush cycle, so that the blue coloring continued to drip through the pipe 11 into the urinal or toilet, after the water il-ow had ceased. This resulted, in the prior art, in objectionable blue streaking and staining on the toilet or urinal lixture.

Owing to the fact that in our embodiment the water flows into and out of chamber 15 substantially simultaneously, the flow of chemical is terminated prior to the end of the flush cycle and thus streaking of blue coloring is eliminated. The details of the features in outlet tube 17 which account for this phenomenon are three: 1) the construction of the `orifice 21 at the end of the tube 17 inside chamber 15; (2) the small opening 22 at the upper surface of this tube, which servves as Ia vacuum breaker; and (3) the downward angle 20 of outlet tube 17 which allows any detergent mixture therein to drain back into chamber 15 upon termination of the flush cycle. This eliminates after-flow, streaking and staining.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A dispenser for introducing a chemical into a ush valve operated water pipe leading to a urinal or toilet comprising a container housing a water mixable chemical,

a support member for maintaining said container in relationship with the water pipe, a compressible and resilient member mounted within said support member, an upper inlet tube rotatably mounted within said compressible and resilient member, and extending from the Water pipe to the upper portion of said container and carrying water from the water pipe to said container, the receiving end of said inlet tube positioned within the water pipe and having its upper half cut away or notched for controlled reception therein of water, and a lower separate outlet tube substantially parallel with and spaced below said inlet tube and rotatably mounted within said compressible and resilient member and extendin-g from a lower portion of said container to the water pipe and carrying water mixed with chemical in said container from the container to the water pipe for exit to the urinal or toilet, said outlet tube having an inner portion positioned entirely Within `said container and angled downwardly to a receiving end and positioned within said container, said inner portion having at its other end an orifice vacuum breaker within said container permitting water mixed with chemical to drain back into the container upon the termination of any ushing cycle.

2. A vdispenser for introducing a chemical into a flush valve operated water pipe leading to a urinal or toilet comprising a container housing a water mixable chemical, a support member for maintaining said container in relationship with the Water pipe, an inlet tube mounted in said support member and extending from the Water pipe to the upper portion of said container and carrying water from the water pipe to said container, and a separate outlet tube mounted in said support member and extending from a lower portion of said container to the water pipe and ycarrying Water mixed with chemical in sai-d container to the water pipe for exit to the urinal or toilet, said outlet tube having an inner portion positioned entirely within said container and angled downwardly to a receiving end, said inner portion having at its other end an orifice vacuum breaker Within said container, to permit water mixed with chemical to drain back into the container upon the termination of any flushing cycle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 131,422 9/ 1872 Brown 4-225 521,411 6/1894 Johnson 4-225 653,437 7/1900 Burger et al 4-109 1,127,207 2/ 1915 Doran 4-225 1,207,289 12/1916 Grant 4-109 1,309,029 7/1919 Goodhue 4-223 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,207 11/1897 Great Britain. 16,646 5 1898 Great Britain. 125,273 4/ 1919 Great Britain. 252,096 12/ 1947 Switzerland.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner.

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