Description
Active Substance Dispenser for Water Closet Bowl
Technical field
This invention relates to a dispenser for active substances, such as deodorants, cleansers, refreshers, disinfectants and the like, for a water closet bowl .
Background art
It has been known for some time to use cage-like containers which are suspended below the rim of the water closet bowl in a position such as to encounter the flow of flushing water. The frame contains an active cleansing and/or deodorant and/or air refreshing and/or disinfectant substance in solid form, which is activated on encountering the flushing water flow, and is diluted into it. Suitable containers for containing an active substance in the form of a gel are also known, having holes through which the water enters and leaves, entraining with it a part of the active substance, which dissolves therein.
EP 538957 describes a dispenser for a water closet bowl comprising a bed of sponge material which is suspended below the bowl rim in a horizontal position, to be lapped by the flushing water flow, On this sponge bed a container containing active liquid substance is positioned inverted with its mouth in contact with the sponge. An object of this invention is to improve the devices of known type by providing a dispenser for containing an active substance in the liquid state, which is of simple low-cost manufacture and able to effectively dispense the active substance.
Disclosure of the invention
These and further objects are attained by the dispenser of the invention as characterised in the claims. The dispenser of the invention is housed within the water closet bowl below its upper rim, where it is exposed to the action of the flushing water flow, and comprises a container 11 for containing
said active substance in the fluid state and provided with an exit mouth for the active substance, and a support means 20 for supporting said container 11 with its mouth facing downwards, According to the invention, the dispenser comprises a swinging plate joined to the support means by an elastic connection strip acting as a hinge enabling the plate to swing between an upper normal position in which the plate is in contact with and closes the mouth of the container, and a lower position in which the plate is spaced from the mouth of the container and receives substance leaving said mouth, said plate being able to flex downwards into its lower position when it encounters flushing water, and to return into its upper position when not encountering this water. The invention is described in detail hereinafter with the aid of the accompanying figures, which illustrate one embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example.
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the dispenser of the invention.
Figure 2 is a section on a transverse plane of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a section on the plane III—III of Figure 2. The dispenser, indicated by 10 in the figures, possesses a container 11 for containing an active deodorant/disinfectant substance R, ie able to cleanse and/or deodorize and/or air refresh and/or disinfect, which is in fluid form (more or less viscous liquid). The container 11 is provided with an exit mouth 12 for the active substance R.
The dispenser 10 comprises a support means 20 having a usual hooking means 28 by which it is hooked to the upper rim 8 of a water closet bowl, and able to support said container 11 with its mouth 12 facing downwards. The entire dispenser 10, including the container 11, is to be housed within the water closet bowl 7 against its inner surface 71, below its upper rim 8 and exposed to the action of the flushing water flow. As is well known, the water flow emerges either along the rim 8 from holes provided in its lower part, or from a rear central mouth of the bowl, and flows tangentially along the inner surface 71, below the rim 8.
According to the invention, the dispenser 10 comprises a swinging plate 21 joined to the support means 20 by an elastic hinge means 22 which enables the plate 21 to swing in a vertical plane. Said swing takes place between an upper normal position A (shown by full lines in Figures 2 and 3) in which the plate 21 is in contact with and closes the mouth 12 of the container 11, and a lower position B (shown by dashed and dotted lines in Figure 2) in which the plate 21 is spaced from the mouth 12 and receives substance R emerging from it. The hinge means 22 is such as to enable the plate 21 to flex downwards into its lower position B when encountering flushing water, and to return into its upper position A when not encountering this water.
Specifically, said elastic hinge means 22 is formed by virtue of the plate 21 being in one piece with the support means 20, at least at that part where they join together, and is constructed of a synthetic resin sufficiently yieldable to enable the plate 21 to flex downwards under the action of the flushing water, and sufficiently elastic to return the plate 21 to its upper position A when the action of the water ceases. The support means 20 also comprises a stop piece 26 projecting horizontally outwards below the hinge 22 to limit the downward swing of the plate 21.
Preferably, the hinge 22 is provided on that side of the dispenser farthest from the bowl inner surface 71, with its axis of rotation horizontal and parallel to said surface 71.
The upper surface 21' of the plate 21 is smooth and shaped with a slight upwardly facing concavity to contain liquid substance R emerging from the container 11 and release it to the water flow striking the plate 21. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the plate 21 carries one or more conical pieces 23 having their point facing upwards, to mate with a like number of holes 13 provided in a wall 14 closing the mouth 12 of the container 11. The holes 11 enable the active substance R present in the container 11 to emerge, and are properly sized to be hermetically sealed by the conical pieces 23 when the plate is in its upper position A, and be left open when the plate
is in its lower position B.
The figures show five of said holes 13, however their number can vary on the basis of the viscosity of the active substance and the amount thereof which is to leave the container 11 during a flushing action.
Preferably at least one conveying side wall 25 is fixed to the support means 20, to direct the flushing water towards the upper surface 21' of the swinging plate 21. In particular, said side wall 25 is in the form of a wall extending downwards towards the centre of the plate 21, to surround the plate 21 and direct towards it the water which it receives. The function of the wall 25 is to increase the water quantity striking the plate 21 at each flush. Vertical lugs 27 are fixed to the side wall 25 to support the container 11 and retain it in the correct fixed position on the support means 20, in combination with a stop element 29 projecting from the hooking means 28 to abut against the upper surface of the container 11.
In operation, the container 11 is fitted into the support means 20, which is then hung onto the rim 8 of the bowl 7. Normally, the plate 21 is in its upper normal position in which it is in contact with the mouth 12 and closes its holes 13.
When the bowl is flushed, the water strikes the plate 21 to cause it to descend. Consequently the holes 13 are opened and the active substance R flows through them onto the underlying plate 21. Here the substance R is diluted by the water striking the plate 21, and is entrained by the flushing water flow, to provide its deodorant/disinfectant action as required.
When the flushing flow has terminated, the plate 21 returns to its upper position A where it closes the holes 13 to prevent exit of the substance R.
Consequently, during each flush, a controlled and measured quantity of active substance R is dispensed into the flow.
Preferably, the upper surface 21' of the plate 21 possesses an upwardly facing concavity which, when in its upper position, retains a small level of liquid, predictably flushing water, in which the exit holes 13 of the container 11 remain completely
immersed to form a seal which hermetically seals these holes. Hence, as the upper region 11' of the container 11, ie that empty space above the upper level of the active substance R, is under vacuum, the substance R is prevented from leaving through the holes 13 even if the seal provided by the conical pieces 23 is ineffective or indeed is totally absent.
In an alternative embodiment (not shown in the figures), on the upper surface of the swinging plate 21 there is positioned a thin layer of spongy material to remain soaked with liquid (water or active substance) and, when in its upper position in contact with the mouth 12, to close the exit holes 13 of the container mouth 12 to form a seal preventing the active substance R from emerging through them. Advantageously, the support means 20, the plate 21 and the side wall 25 are constructed in one piece from synthetic resin.
Numerous modifications of a practical and appl icational nature can be made to the invention, but without leaving the scope of the inventive idea as claimed below.