WO1989007683A1

WO1989007683A1 - Dosing reservoir for receiving and discharging agents for treating laundry

Info

Publication number: WO1989007683A1
Application number: PCT/EP1989/000013
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jörn Jobs; Werner Künzel
Original assignee: Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft Auf Aktien
Priority date: 1988-02-15
Filing date: 1989-01-10
Publication date: 1989-08-24
Also published as: PT8033Y; DE8801920U1; FI904021A0; ES1009533U; EP0401227A1; DK194190D0; TR23923A; EP0328864A1; PT8033U; JPH03503490A; DK194190A; ES1009533Y

Abstract

A dosing reservoir (1) for receiving and discharging agents for treating laundry, in particular liquid agents for treating laundry in a washing machine or the like, comprises several discharge ports for said agents. To extend the field of application, the dosing reservoir comprises at least two receiving chambers (5, 6) mutually impermeable to liquid, each provided with a discharge port (7, 8).

Description

Dosing memory for taking up and dispensing laundry treatment agents

The invention relates to a dosing store for receiving and dispensing laundry treatment agents, in particular liquid ones

Laundry treatment agent, in a washing machine or the like with a plurality of laundry treatment agent discharge openings.

Dosing stores of the aforementioned type are known on the market. Your receiving chamber formed by the container wall is filled with the liquid laundry treatment agent before the washing process. This metering reservoir is then placed in the washing drum together with the laundry to be treated, so that the laundry treatment agent only gradually gets into the washing water when the washing drum rotates. In contrast to the direct introduction of the metered laundry treatment agent from a washing-in chamber of the washing machine, it is now avoided that laundry treatment agent gets into the lye connector and can therefore no longer be fully effective for the wash cycle. However, the application area of such dosing stores is limited.

The invention has for its object to provide a metering memory of the type in question of advantageous construction in such a way that there are a variety of different uses in relation to laundry treatment. This object is achieved in the case of a metering store of the generic type by at least two receiving chambers which are liquid-tight with respect to one another and are each provided with at least one dispensing opening.

As a result of such a configuration, the utility value of a generic metering store is increased, specifically because of the achievable large number of different possible uses in relation to laundry treatment. There can now be various laundry treatment agents, such as those already known as

"Modular detergents" are available, optionally introduced simultaneously in the washing process. If, for example, two receiving chambers are provided, one can receive the liquid laundry treatment agent and the other the bleaching component, that is to say agents which cannot be combined in a single receiving chamber, since their effect would be impaired if they were brought together directly. The two substances act only when they are introduced separately into the wash water after they have left the discharge openings of the metering reservoir, which is followed by immediate simultaneous action in the washing process. Instead of a bleaching agent, other additives for the washing process can also be used, such as water softeners or stain salts. There is also the possibility of using or leaving out detergent components in a problem-oriented manner, i.e. laundry-dependent. For example, it is not necessary to add bleach if it is undesirable to lighten the items. Also, for example, brighteners could be omitted if only dark colored colored laundry is washed. The targeted entry of active substances therefore makes it possible to make the washing process more cost-effective, to conserve raw material sources and to reduce the raw material input into the environment. It is also used for detergent formulations that were previously not possible. Independence from assembly requirements means that considerably more and possibly more effective raw materials can be used for household laundry. In order to meet the need for release quantities of laundry treatment agents of different sizes, the receiving chambers are of different sizes. As a rule, the larger pick-up chamber will be the one that holds the liquid detergent.

Different dispensing of the individual substances from the receiving chambers can be achieved in a simple manner in that the dispensing openings are of different sizes. This makes it possible in particular to dispense certain substances in small doses over a longer period of time, while the discharge opening of the neighboring chamber allows the treatment agent stored there to flow out quickly.

It proves to be economical and cost-saving in terms of production if the discharge openings also form filling openings. It is understandable that even with different sizes of these filling openings, the smaller one must still allow convenient filling of the corresponding receiving chamber.

According to a development of the invention, it is provided that at least one of the receiving chambers has a closable filling opening. This measure is particularly suitable when the discharge opening is kept very small.

Variations regarding the dispensing of the laundry treatment agent can be achieved in that at least one of the dispensing openings is provided with a closure that opens automatically due to the flexing forces of the washing process. Premature delivery of the laundry treatment agent in the closed receiving chamber is therefore prevented with certainty. The automatically opening closure can be designed so that it is only after sufficient water level in the washing machine due to associated larger flexing forces opens. The opening can also depend on the temperature of the wash water.

The dosing amount of laundry treatment agents can be under

Take the water hardness and the amount of laundry into account precisely by adding dosing marks to both receiving chambers.

Sensitive textiles to be washed are treated gently by the fact that the store is essentially designed as a spherical container. This preferably has a flattened standing surface, the wall section of the container opposite this having the discharge openings. Filling the container is very simplified by the latter feature. It only needs to be placed on its stand. The appropriate laundry treatment agents can then be conveniently filled into the receiving chambers via the discharge openings.

The creation of two receiving chambers in a spherical container is achieved in a simple manner in that the two receiving chambers are divided by a vertical, preferably eccentrically arranged partition.

Another version is characterized by five receiving chambers, which are formed by four partitions abutting one another on the edge and connected to the container wall in the respective corner area. The middle, larger compartment holds the detergent, while the other compartments allow the use of different detergent additives. Here too it is ensured that all receiving chambers have at least one separate delivery opening.

Then an advantageous variant consists in providing two mutually connectable, together forming at least one of the receiving chambers container parts. The second one Receiving chambers can be formed on one of the container parts.

It is advantageous if one of the container parts is designed as a closure cap of a storage container for the laundry treatment agent and the other container part has the dispensing openings. Accordingly, the cap has a dual function. On the one hand, it serves to seal the storage container for transport etc. in a liquid-tight manner in the usual way. On the other hand, this container part, in conjunction with the other container part, serves to increase the volume of the metering reservoir.

The different quantity distribution of the laundry treatment agents is taken into account in that the container part having the discharge openings has one of the receiving chambers and, with its remaining volume, forms the other receiving chamber together with the interior of the associated container part. The latter represents the larger of the receiving chambers and allows the addition of a larger amount of detergent or the like.

The firm but detachable connection between the container parts is achieved by a threaded connection between the container parts.

Another advantageous feature can be seen in the fact that one container part has an internal thread into which an external thread of the other container part is screwed. This creates a thread-free outer surface of the metering reservoir, since the threads cover one another. This measure protects the laundry. The internal thread of the one container part is dimensioned such that it can simultaneously interact with the external thread of the storage container of the laundry treatment agent. This saves an additional thread. For a liquid-tight closure, the opening edge of one of the container parts is supported in a sealing manner on an opposing surface of the corresponding other container part. Such a measure can also be taken that the opening edge of the two container parts each enters a sealing position.

In particular, it proves to be advantageous if the opening edge of one container part adjoining the internal thread is supported on an outer collar of the other container part. The outer collar thus represents a screw-on limit stop and a counter seat surface. In the screwed-on position of the one container part, the outer wall of the outer collar then preferably merges with that of the associated container part, avoiding annoying sharp-edged steps which attack the fabric of the textiles to be washed.

Several exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. It shows

1 is a view of the metering memory according to the first embodiment,

2 shows the section along the line II-II in Fig. 1,

3 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 1, but with the discharge opening covered by a closure,

4 is a view of the metering device according to the second embodiment with five receiving chambers,

5 shows the section along the line VV in Fig. 4, 6 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 4, the dispensing openings being provided with a closure which opens automatically during the washing process,

7 partly in view, partly in section, the dosing chamber consisting of two container parts before the two container parts are joined,

8 shows the section along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7,

9 shows the section along the line IX-IX in FIG. 8,

Fig. 10 partly in view, partly in section, the two screwed together container parts and

11 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 10, the dispensing openings being closed with a lid.

According to the first embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dosing reservoir, designated as a whole by the number 1, has an essentially spherical container 2 with a flattened standing surface 3. The interior of the container 2 is defined by a eccentrically arranged partition 4 divided into two differently sized receiving chambers 5, 6. Each of these receiving chambers 5, 6 is provided with a discharge opening 7 or 8, which are located in the wall section 9 of the container opposite the base 3. In the exemplary embodiment, these discharge openings 7, 8 are of the same size. However, they can also have different sizes. Through these discharge openings 7, 8, the receiving chambers 5, 6 can be filled, so that separate filling openings are omitted. The discharge openings 7, 8 therefore themselves represent the filling openings. To produce the container 2, translucent plastic is used in order to be able to observe the filling level of the receiving chambers 5, 6 from the outside. In order to maintain precise dosing quantities as a function of the water hardness and the amount of laundry, the dosing chambers 5, 6 are assigned dosing marks 10.

Before starting a washing process, e.g. the larger-volume receiving chamber 6 is filled with a liquid detergent, while the smaller receiving chamber 5 is enriched with an appropriate additive in accordance with the additional treatment of the laundry. This filled dosing reservoir is placed in the washing drum together with the laundry to be treated. This means that the laundry treatment agents located in the two liquid-tight receiving chambers can only act when they get into the washing water during the washing process, in which case they then become effective at the same time. With regard to the additive for the washing process, it can be a bleach, water softener, stain salts, etc.

During the washing process, the receiving chambers are completely emptied, so that the dosage storage can be used again after the washing process has ended.

The variant of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from this in that both dispensing openings 7, 8 are provided with a schematically illustrated closure 11, 12 that opens automatically during the washing process. Otherwise, in this modified embodiment, the same components have the same reference numerals as in the previous embodiment.

The embodiment of a metering reservoir 13 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 also has a spherical container 14 which is equipped with a flattened standing surface 15. In contrast to the execution described above five receiving chambers 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are now provided, which are formed by four partition walls 23, 24, 25 and 26 which abut one another on the edge and are connected to the container wall in the respective corner region 21. The latter run perpendicular to the base 15 and divide the receiving chambers 16 to 20 from one another in a liquid-tight manner. In contrast to the standing surface 15, a dispensing opening 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 is assigned to each receiving chamber in the container wall 22, the dispensing opening 31 being diametrically opposite the standing surface 15. It is assigned to the largest receiving chamber 16. The other delivery openings 27 to 30 are also in the upper half of the ball.

In this embodiment too, the container 14 is made of translucent plastic and is provided with metering marks 32.

The mode of operation corresponds to that of the exemplary embodiment described above. Instead of one additional substance, a maximum of four additional substances can now be added, which get into the lye during the washing process and thus become effective.

The in Fig. 6 illustrated metering memory largely corresponds to that described above. In a departure from this, the dispensing openings, which also represent filling openings, are now closed by means of a cover-like closure 33. With regard to the closure, it is also a closure that opens automatically during the washing process. Instead of closing all dispensing openings, only different dispensing openings can optionally be closed.

The in the Fig. 7 to 10 shown Dosierspeiσher 34 has two interconnectable, the receiving chambers 35, 36 forming container parts 37 and 38. The container part 38 is as a cap of a supply, not shown formed container for the laundry treatment agent and has in particular a frustoconical section 39 which merges at its smaller end into a base 40 forming a base floor. In opposition to the standing area, the section 39 continues into a cap 42 via a radially outward step 41. On its inner wall, this is equipped with an internal thread 43 with which the container part 38 can be screwed onto the neck of the storage container as a closure cap.

The other container part 37 is cylindrical with a crowned ceiling 44 which merges into the container part wall 46 via a rounded portion 45. A socket 50 equipped with an external thread 49 adjoins the container wall 46, which represents an outer collar 47, to form a radially extending counter seat surface 48. Its length x is slightly less than the inner length y of the cap edge 42.

The other container part 37 is equipped with a partition 51 running parallel to its longitudinal axis. This also runs off-center. It extends as far as the opening edge 52 of the container part 37 and forms the receiving chamber 35 with a segment 53 lying at the level of the opening edge 52 in connection with the associated container part wall. This is assigned a discharge opening 54 on the ceiling, which lies at the level of the curve 45.

The other receiving chamber 36 is created only after the two container parts 37, 38 have been screwed together. It is composed of the interior of the other container part 38 and the remaining volume of the one container part 37. The associated discharge opening 58 is also located in the ceiling 44 of the container part 37. The screw-on movement is limited in that the opening edge 55 of the container part 38 comes into contact with the counter seat surface 48 of the other container part 37. Then the outer collar 47 of the same is aligned with the cap edge 42 while avoiding disruptive steps. Furthermore, the external thread 49 is completely covered, which allows gentle washing of textiles.

The container part 38 can now be placed on its base 40 and the receiving chambers 35, 36 filled. Here too, metering marks 56 and 57 can be provided to achieve an exact fill level. Of course, this presupposes that at least the container part 37 consists of translucent plastic. The laundry treatment agents are dispensed into the washing water in the manner described above.

There is the possibility of designing the connecting piece 50 (length x) and the inner length y of the opening edge to be of equal length, so that the opening edge 52 of the container part 37 then also comes into the sealing position with respect to step 41, which then likewise forms a counter-sealing surface on the inside.

The modified embodiment shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the one described above. It differs from this in that the discharge openings 54, 58 are each covered by a closure 59 and 60, which only open automatically during the washing process.

All new features mentioned in the description and shown in the drawing are essential to the invention, even if they are not expressly claimed in the claims.

Claims

EXPECTATIONS

1. Dosing store (1) for receiving and dispensing laundry treatment agents, in particular liquid laundry treatment agents, in a washing machine or the like, with a plurality of laundry treatment agent dispensing openings, characterized by at least two mutually liquid-tight receiving chambers (5, 6 or 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or 35, 36), which are each provided with at least one delivery opening (7, 8 or 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 or 54, 58).

2. Dosing reservoir, in particular according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving chambers are of different sizes.

3. Dosing store, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the discharge openings have a different size.

4. Dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the discharge openings also form filling openings.

5. Dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of the receiving chambers has a closable filling opening.

6. Dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the dispensing openings is provided with a closure (11, 12, 33, 59, 60) which automatically opens by the flexing forces of the washing process.

7. dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that both Receiving chambers (5, 6, 35, 36) are provided with metering marks (10 and 57).

8. dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the

The store is essentially designed as a spherical container (2, 14) and has a flattened standing surface (3 or 15), the wall section (9 or 22) of the container opposite this having the discharge openings (7, 8 or 27, 28, 29, 30, 31).

9. dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two receiving chambers (5, 6) are divided by a vertical, eccentrically arranged partition (4).

10. dosing memory, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by five

Receiving chambers (16, 17, 18, 19, 20) which are formed by four partitions (23, 24, 25, 26) which abut one another on the edge and are connected to the container wall (22) in the respective corner region (21).

11. Dosing store, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by two interconnectable, together at least one of the receiving chambers (35, 36) forming container parts (37, 38).

12. Dosing store, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that one (38) of the container parts (37, 38) is designed as a closure cap of a storage container for the laundry treatment agent and that the other container part (37) has the discharge openings (54, 58).

13. Dosing store, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container part (37) having the discharge openings (54, 56) has one of the receiving chambers (35) and, with its remaining volume, forms the other receiving chamber (36) together with the interior of the one container part (38).

14. Dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the one container part (38) has an internal thread (43) into which an external thread (49) of the other container part (37) is screwed.

15. Dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the opening edge of one of the container parts (37, 38) is sealingly supported on an opposite seat surface of the corresponding other container part.

16. Dosing reservoir, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the opening edge (55) of the one container part (38) adjoining the internal thread (43) is supported on an outer collar (47) of the other container part (37).