US3618143A - Dispensing containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A CONTAINER FOR WATER DISPERABLE TREATMENT MATERIAL FOR USE IN FLUSHABLE WATER CISTERNS COMPRISING TWO MEMBERS, EACH WITH ITS MARGINAL EDGE IN A COMMON PLANE AND AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS SHAPED TO FORM PART OF A HOLLOW BODY, JOINED EDGE-TO-EDGE TO FORM A MAIN COMPARTMENT DIVIDED INTO AN ADJACENT ELONGATED COMPARTMENT OPEN AT ITS OPERATIVE LOWER END TO THE MAIN COMPARTMENT A PORT OPENING INTO THE MAIN COMPARTMENT AT ITS UPPERMOST POINT IN OPERATIVE POSITION OF THE CONTAINER, AND AT LEAST ONE PORT OPENING INTO THE ELONGATED COMPARTMENT AT A POINT

LOWER THAN AND SPACED A VERTICAL DISTANCE FROM SAID FIRST MENTIONED PORT IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION, IN ARRANGEMENT SUCH THAT WHEN PLACED IN A WATER CISTERN WATER MAY ENTER AND FILL THE CONTAINER AND THEN ON EMPTYING THE CISTERN THERE WILL BE A DISCHARGE OF WATER AND DISPERSABLE MATERIAL THROUGH THE LOWER PORT ON UNCOVERING OF THE UPPERMOST PORT.

Description

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DISPENSING CONTAINERS 4 Sheets--Sheel 1 Filed May 9. 1969 R. P. HILL. ET AL ,{gMwl'zw DISPENSING CONTAINERS 4 Sheets-Sheet P,

NUM 9m Hmm R, P, HILL ETAL $618,143

DISPENSING CONTAINERS Filed May 9, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet .'5

@Y AMM, www MLM P. Hlm. ET AL DISPENSING CONTAINERS 4 .Sheets-Shea?l 4 Filed May 9. 1969 H. HILL H. HDS di ,Mff RDDOGK (LLM 3,618,143 DISPENSINC CONTAINERS Ronald Poppleton Hill, Willerby, Harry Hodds, Hull, and

John Michael lFulks Braddock, Ham, Richmond, England, assignors to Reckitt 81 Colman Products Limited, Hull, England lFiled May 9, 1969, Ser. No. 823,438 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 29, 1968, 25,821/68 Int. Cl. lE3d 9/02, 9/03 US. Cl. 4--228 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container for water dispersable treatment material for use in flushable water cisterns comprising two members, each with its marginal edge in a common plane and at least one of which is shaped to form part of a hollow body, joined edge-to-edge to form a main compartment divided into an adjacent elongated compartment open at its operative lower end to the main compartment a port opening into the main compartment at its uppermost point in operative position of the container, and at least one port opening into the elongated compartment at a point lower than and spaced a vertical distance from said first mentioned port in said operative position, in arrangement such that when placed in a water cistern water may enter and fill the container and then on emptying the cistern there will be a discharge of Water and dispersable material through the lower port on uncovering of the uppermost port.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to enclose the treatment material in the form of a block or solidified melt within a container provided with apertures and to place the container near the bottom of a cistern so that a portion of such material is dispersed into the cistern water towards the end of the flush so that some of the treatment material will remain in the water trapped in the W.C. bowl until the next flushing. It is, however, necessary to ensure that the treatment material will not intermingle with the water in the cistern, particularly when the interval between flushes is prolonged, as may occur during the night, in order that the treatment material will not cause deterioration or corrosion ot the cistern mechanism and fittings.

SPECIFICATION This invention relates to containers for treatment materials which may have a cleansing, deodorsing and/or disinfecting action on W.C. bowls, urinals and other titments (hereinafter referred to as WC. bowls) which are iiushed from time to time with water from a cistern, and has for its object to provide a container for treatment material which when in use reduces to a minimum any tendency for water circulation to occur therethrough so that migration of treatment liquid from the container into the cistern water is substantially avoided yet permits an outfiow of treatment material into the cistern water only towards the termination of emptying of the cistern.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide a hollow container comprising two members, each with marginal edges in a common plane and at least one of which is shaped from its marginal edge to form part of a hollow body, joined edge-to-edge to form a main compartment to contain treatment material and divided to form an adjacent elongated compartment of smaller crosssection open at its lower end to the main compartment, a port opening into the main compartment at its uppermost point in operative position of the container, and at least one port opening into the elongated compartment at a point lower than and spaced a vertical distance from said first mentioned port in said operative position, in arrangement such that when placed in a water cistern water may enter and fill the container and then on emptying the cistern there will be a discharge ot water and dispersable material through the lower port on uncovering of the uppermost port.

The one member may be a flat web and the other member may Ibe shaped to define also the elongated compartment or a separate member defining the same may be affixed between the two members.

The shaped member of the container may be moulded in plastics material by an injection process or by deformation under heat and pressure from a iiat sheet as by vacuum forming and is preferably provided with a planar flange around its periphery for the purpose of sealingly securing it to the edge of a fiat web made of like material. The container may be of any convenient shape, e.g. it may be curvilinear, rectangular, or trapezoidal in elevation. The top of the main compartment may be fiat, sloping or curved upwardly to the uppermost port which may be at one side or in a middle position.

Preferably the shaping of the shaped member is such that it forms the elongated compartment of smaller crosssection with such defining portion also aiiixed to the flat web but a separate member, conveniently also of plastics material, may be provided and adhered in appropriate position to define the elongated compartment.

The container may also be made of metal foil such as aluminium foil, of resin or other surface coated paper, and of other waterproof sheet materials which may be deformed and are not liable to be acted upon by the treatment material.

The spacing, in vertical sense, between the uppermost port and the lower port is chosen as to provide a desired quantity outfiow of liquid through the latter port at discharge. The spacing of the lower end of the elongated compartment relative to the lower (outlet) port may also be chosen to take the outow of liquid from a required point near the bottom of the main compartment. Thus, as it is desirable in the interests of eiiiciency and economy to arrange for an adequate as weil as a reasonably constant dose of treatment materials to be included at the end of each cistern flush, by a suitable combination of the forgoing variables the required amount of particular treatment materials may be dispersed each time the device is caused to operate.

Further variation is possible by selecting suitable sizes for the uppenrnost and lower ports in order to obtain a convenient flow rate. The ports may face in any direction but a convenient arrangement is one in which they face the same direction. This is particularly advantageous when the ports are in the at web as they may then be sealed by the application of a length of adhesive tape, which must be removed before the device is put in use, to prevent deterioration of the treatment material by ingress of moisture and the contamination of other articles by odoriferous ingredients of the treatment material.

Alternatively, the ilat web may be employed as a separator between the two shaped members, of like or opposite hand, so forming two independent but combined devices which may be used to dispense two different materials at the same time. In the case of such double devices, the shaped members are preferably of the same hand and are afxed to opposite faces of the ilat web in relatively displaced positions so that the ports opening into the respective compartments are all in the flat web, and so may be conveniently sealed by adhesive tape prior to use.

BtRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an obverse elevation of one embodiment of container showing its shaped member,

FIG. 2 is a crdoss-section through a larger capacity container made of two of the shaped members of the container of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a reverse elevation of the container of FIG. 1 showing its flat member,

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line IV-IV of FIG. 1, l

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the container with part of its shaped member shown broken away,

FIG. 6 is an elevation (similar to FIG. 1) of another embodiment of container,

FIG, 7 is a cross-section taken on the line VII-VII of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is an elevation (again similar to FIG. 1) of yet another embodiment of container,

FIG. 9 is a section on the line IX-IX of FIG. 7,

FIG. 10 is an elevation of ya variation of the container shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 11 is a cross-section taken on the line XI--XI of FIG. 9,

FIG. 12 is `an obverse elevation of still another embodiment of container,

FIG. 13 is a reverse elevation of the container shown in FIG. 12,

FIG. 14 is a cross-section on the line XIV-XIV of FIG. 12,

FIG. 15 is an elevation (similar to FIG. 12) of a double container in the form of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12y

FIG. 16 is a cross-section on the line XVI-XVI of F'IG. 14, and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an embodiment of container having a shaped member made by injection moulding with part of its joined on flat web member shown broken away.

In the said drawings like parts are identied by like reference numerals.

OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION The container shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises a shaped member 1, formed by deforming a thin sheet of plastics material, of aluminium, of surfaced coated paper and of other deformable waterproof material to provide a main internal compartment 2 and an adjacent internal smaller cross-sectional compartment 3 with its lower (in operative position and as shown) end communicating with the main compartment. The member 1 is formed with a planar edge 4 by means of which it is joined to a complementary member which may be a shaped member of similar deformation but of opposite hand (see FIG. 2) when not only the edges 4 are joined together by known heat sealng methods but `also the portions 1 of the members 1 which define the smaller cross-section compartment 3 are so joined together, but preferably and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the complementary member is a at web 5 to which are joined the edge 4 and portion 1' of the member 1.

A port 6 opening into the uppermost part of the main compartment is provided and provided conveniently and IDESORIPTION as shown in the member 5. A second, lower, port 7 opening into the smaller cross-section compartment 3 is provided, and desirably also provided in the member 5. The port 7 is spaced a vertical distance, in operative position of the container, and as shown, from the port 6 and forms a discharge port. Where, as in the embodiment illustrated, the smaller cross-section compartment 3 is at its upper end closed off from the main compartment 2 a port 8 is also provided opening into the compartment 3 at that upper end. An aperture 9 to receive a hanging cord or wire (not shown) is provided into an extension of the edge portion 4 at the uppermost point.

A block (not shown) of treatment material is placed in the main compartment 2 prior to joining on the complementary member 5 and the ports 6, 7 and 8 are sealed by adhesive tape (not shown) to protect the block from deterioration and prevent contamination by exgress of treatment material. Before the container is used by placing it near the bottom of a cistern such tape is removed. Cistern water enters through the ports to fill the container and becomes charged as b'y solution with treatment material. When such cistern is ushed, the sinking water level will uncover the port 6 and so cause an out-flow through the port 7 of treatment material and water from the interior of container into Water still in the cistern which is the water the bulk of which will be trapped in the W.C. bowl and hence the treatment material discharged will mostly remain in such bowl. The vertical distance between the ports 6 and 7 and the formation of the smaller crosssection compartments 3 effectively prevents flow of water through the container except at the end of a cistern flush.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the deformation portion i1 of the shaped member 1 defines a smaller cross-section compartment 3 of shorter length (than that shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) and the port 7 is provided at the upper end of that compartment. Again the container may be made of two shaped members 1 or of a shaped member 1 edge-to-edge joined to a at web member 5.

The smaller cross-section compartment 3 may communicate with the main compartment 2 also at its upper end. Such arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 in which as an alternative to the further deformation of the member 1 a separate member 10 defining and separating the compartments is affixed as by adhesion to the two members 1 or to the members 1 and 5 respectively forming the container.

When the main compartment 2 is not shaped to have a terminal point at an uppermost part whereat the port 6 may be provided as is the case with the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6 and 8, for example when the compartment 2 has a flat top as shown in FIG. 10 two ports 11, 12 are provided instead of the port 6.

A further form of container with the small cross-section compartment 2 open at both ends to the main compartment 2 and having the port 6 at the uppermost part of that compartment other than at the centre thereof is illustrated in FIGS. l2, 13 and 14, as a container of rectangular shape. lAs shown in such figures the shaped member 1 defines a main compartment of diminishing width from one side of the container to the other (see FIG. 14) in conjunction with a flat member 5 in which the ports 6 and 7 are provided. This form of container particularly lends itself to the formation of a double container for dispensing two treatment materials at the same time by, as shown in FIGS. l5 and 16 afxing two shaped members 1 to opposite sides of a common flat member 5.

In the embodiments described above the shaped member 1 is made by deforming a sheet of constituent material by moulding, pressing, vacuum forming and such-like methods but such member may be formed as an injection moulding in plastics material. Such a member is illustrated in FIG. 17 and in the form of a double container with the compartments thereof in side-by-side arrangement.

Each of the two container main compartment comprises a base portion 13 with side walls 14, 15 and top and bottom end walls 16, 17. The uppermost port 18 is provided in the top wall 16. The wall 14 which is common to the two main compartments is formed in displaced planes with the junction portion formed with a groove 19 opening into the main compartment and provided with a port 20. The edges of the walls lie in a common plane with the junction portion and the container is completed by adhering a fiat web 21 thereto. An aperture 22 is formed in such web and the abutting portion of the moulded part to receive a support wire, ribbon or the like.

It Will be appreciated by those skilled in the moulding art that a shaped part of a variety of different forms may be made to provide a main compartment with an adjacent compartment of smaller cross-section opening at its lower end, in operative position, into the main compartment with edges lying in a common plane so that two shaped parts may be joined together or one shaped part joined t0 a flat web part, and to provide an uppermost port in one or other part opening into the main compartment with a lower port in the same or other part opening into the smaller cross-section compartment at a vertical distance from the uppermost port so providing a main compartment to contain treatment material and a smaller crosssection compartment which forms an outflow path for water and dispersed treatment material when the container is in use in a water cistern.

We claim:

1. A fiuid container for immersion in an upright position into the flushing fiuid of a toilet ushing tank for introducing a predetermined quantity of a water-dispersible material into said tank upon each flushing operation comprising,

a first compartment for storing said material in contact with the fiushing fluid,

a second compartment of substantially smaller crosssection than said first compartment and having a fluid communication path joining with said first compartment at a predetermined level substantially below the topmost level of said first compartment, said second compartment lying wholly above said predetermined level,

a first port in said first compartment adjacent its topmost portion,

and at least one port in said second compartment at a level below that of said rst port but above said predetermined level,

whereby both said first and second compartments are `filled with flushing fluid each time said flushing tank is filled but upon each flushing operation the decrease in level of said flushing fluid below said first port causes flushing fluid with said material dispersed therein to fiow from said first compartment upwardly into said second compartment and outwardly through said second port into said tank with the quantity of fluid thus flowing out of said second port being dedetermined by the vertical distance between said first and second ports.

2. A water-dispersible treatment material container intended to be used upright while immersed in water in a toilet flushing tank,

said container including a first wall member with a surrounding marginal flange lying in a plane,

said first wall member being deformed on one side of said plane within said marginal fiange to form a first larger recess and a second smaller vertically extending recess having upper and lower ends,

said first recess and said second recess being separated from one another except at least at said lower end by a portion of said wall member which extends back to said plane,

a cooperating fiat second wall member,

means for sealing by affixing said marginal flange and said extended `back portion uid tight to said flat second wall member,

said first recess forming a compartment extending in operative position of the container to an uppermost point within said marginal ange,

a first port in one of said wall members and opening into said compartment at said uppermost point,

and a second port in one of said wall members and opening into said vertically extending recess,

said second port being above said lower end of said recess spaced a vertical distance below said first port.

3. A water-dispersible treatment material container as claimed in claim 2 including a third wall member deformed in like marier to said rst. wall member sealingly aixed to said flat second wall member oppositely to said first wall member in offset relationship, a third port corresponding to said rst port in at least one of said first and second wall members, and a fourth port corresponding to said second port in at least one of said first and second wall members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 634,515 10/1899 Wade 4-228 650,161 5/1900 Williams et al. 4-228 668,762 2/1901 Thomson 4 228 969,729 9/1910 Smith 4-228 1,175,032 3/1916 Williams 4-228 3,135,969 6/1964 Nolen 4-225 3,225,461 12/1965 Snyder 18-19 X 3,235,639 2/1966 Knowles 18-19 X 3,271,816 9/1966 Schneider 18--19 X LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner

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