Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
  • E03D9/00—Sanitary or other accessories for lavatories ; Devices for cleaning or disinfecting the toilet room or the toilet bowl; Devices for eliminating smells
  • E03D9/02—Devices adding a disinfecting, deodorising, or cleaning agent to the water while flushing
  • E03D9/03—Devices adding a disinfecting, deodorising, or cleaning agent to the water while flushing consisting of a separate container with an outlet through which the agent is introduced into the flushing water, e.g. by suction ; Devices for agents in direct contact with flushing water
  • E03D9/032—Devices connected to or dispensing into the bowl
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
  • E03D9/00—Sanitary or other accessories for lavatories ; Devices for cleaning or disinfecting the toilet room or the toilet bowl; Devices for eliminating smells
  • E03D9/005—Devices adding disinfecting or deodorising agents to the bowl

Definitions

• the invention relates to a dispensing unit for dispensing a freshening fluid.
• a device for delivering to a locus a fluid or vapour for example a cleaning agent, a disinfecting agent, a deodorising agent, a fragrance, an insecticide, a miticide or an anti-allergenic agent.
• the invention relates to the dispensing of a cleaning or disinfectant fluid into a toilet bowl or cistern, or a like vessel containing water or washed through with water.
• Various toilet hygiene devices are known. Simple slow-dissolving disinfectant blocks are available, for placement in a cistern or toilet bowls. Also devices for releasing charges of a disinfectant or cleaning agent have been proposed. Such devices are comprised of a reservoir defining a volume for comprising the fluid and a mount for mounting the unit in a toilet bowl or the like. To provide a continuous and moderate outflow of fluid, often, such devices are often over-complicated. There is a need for a device which can deliver a fluid into a vessel over an extended period and which is simple and cost effective in construction.
• the invention relates to the dispensing of a vapour into an airspace.
• a vapour into an airspace.
• EP0878586 discloses a dripping device that uses dripping to dispense a fluid into a toilet bowl.
• the device is only effective per each flush of the toilet, since the fluid is collected in a collection tray.
• One of the problems of this device is that the dose rate will strongly depend on the fill level. Furthermore, a risk exists that the liquid is mixed with water since the aeration opening is unshielded from the flush water.
• a dispensing unit for dispensing a freshening fluid comprising: a mount for mounting the unit in a toilet bowl or the like; a reservoir defining a volume for comprising the fluid; the reservoir comprising a fluid delivery opening arranged at a lower part of the reservoir and dimensioned, in relation to the fluid contained in the reservoir, for providing a dripping action of the fluid when flowing out of the fluid delivery opening by gravity action; and an aeration opening providing aeration of an upper air volume of the reservoir wherein the reservoir is formed so that a larger part of the volume is provided in a higher part of the reservoir, so that a dosing ratio, defined as a height ratio of volume heights defining volumes for 100 %, 10 % fill ratio of the reservoir respectively, ranges between 1 and 4.0.
• the fluid may be any fluid useful in fragrancing and/or disinfecting and/or cleaning and/or descaling of,and/or inhibiting the formation of scale in, the toilet bowl or cistern.
• cleaning fluid will be used herein to denote all such fluids.
• the device may be such that the fluid is dispensed from the distal end as a vapour, for example an insecticidal, insect- repellent, miticidal, deodorising, fragrancing or anti-allergenic vapour.
• the liquid may be directed to an emanator pad or emanator device.
• the rate of delivery from the device can be determined by one or more of the following: viscosity of the fluid; the size and design of the fluid delivery opening, in particular: a diameter and a channel length of the delivery opening; and a column height of the fluid.
• Figure 1 shows a variety of bottle shapes, including conventional ones, and a bottle shape according to the invention
• Figure 2 shows additional bottle shapes according to the invention
• Figure 3 shows yet another shapes according to the invention.
• Figure 4 shows a chart indicating dose rates obtained from various bottle shapes relative to a calculated ideal dose rate.
• Figure 5 shows a schematic side view of an example of a dispensing device.
• Figure IA shows a rectangular reservoir shape
• Figure IB shows a cylindrical reservoir shape having a cylinder axis oriented horizontally relative to a gravitational direction
• Figure 1C shows a reservoir shape according to the invention, by the applicant also indicated as "BaIa shape”.
• the common denominators of these shapes are a reservoir 1 wherein a fluid 2 is contained, typically, a viscous fluid with a viscosity higher than 2 Pa.s. Due to the geometry of a fluid delivery opening 3 in the reservoir 1 arranged at a lower part of the reservoir (seen in the direction of gravity), in correspondence to the fluid 2 contained in the reservoir 1, the reservoir empties by slowly dispensing of the fluid 2 out of the fluid delivery opening 3. Typically, an embodiment is dimensioned so that an amount of 35 ml is emptied in about 28 days.
• an aeration opening 4 is provided above the liquid surface, in this preferred embodiment provided in a sidewall 5 of the reservoir 1 common with the fluid delivery opening 3.
• the aeration opening 4 is provided to directly communicate with an upper air volume 6 of the reservoir above the fluid 2.
• a freshening power of the dispensing device (of which only a reservoir 1 is depicted) will be very uneven, which means effectively that the device is impractical: an excessive amount of freshening liquid 2 will be outputted with a nearly full reservoir 1, while in the end, with a nearly empty reservoir, the amount of freshening liquid 2 may be insufficient to provide a desired freshening level.
• a numeric value indicating the variance of dose-rate is a ratio of initial dose rate and a dose rate, obtained at a 100 %, 10 % fill ratio of the reservoir 1 respectively, as shown in the top views and bottom views of Figure IA, B and C respectively. Assuming that the composition of the fluid 2 does not change (which will be further elaborated hereinbelow), this value is dependent on the reservoir 2 shape and can be expressed as a height ratio of volume heights defining volumes for 100 %, 10 % fill ratio of the reservoir 1 respectively. Ideally, with a dose rate remaining constant in time, independently of height, this value should be 1.
• a fill height would also 10%
• a more optimal characteristic is to have, for example, still 25% of fill height at 10% fill volume.
• an acceptable value would range between 1 and 4, preferably, between 1 and 3.3.
• Figure IA for a rectangular shape, a column height depends linearly on the amount of fluid contained in the container.
• a fill level of 10% will give rise to a height of 10%, amounting to a dosing ratio of 10. Accordingly, a rectangular shape amounts to a significant difference in dosing ratios during use of the device.
• Figure IB shows an alternative shape which may be suitable for dispensing purposes, in particular in a toilet, since this shape is easily clamped under a rim of a toilet bowl, and may be dimensioned in diameter to largely correspond to a width of a rim (not shown). Such a diameter may range from 20-50 mm, preferably around 35 mm.
• the reservoir of Figure IB is cylindrical in shape having a cylinder axis oriented horizontally relative to a gravitational direction.
• a dosing ratio is 5.8, since a first height Hl is 34 mm, and a height H2 expressing a 10 % fill level is 5.9. Although this ratio is almost half better than the rectangular shape of Figure IA, it still significantly differs from a calculated ideal value.
• Figure 1C finally shows a shape according an aspect of the invention, wherein a dose rate is in a range of 1 — 4.
• the reservoir 1 depicted in Figure 1C is formed in a frustro-conical shape with an inclined bottom wall.
• This shape generally causes a larger part of the volume provided in a higher part of the reservoir, providing a dosing ratio of typically less than 3.3, in particular for a 10% fill level height of 10.5, relative to an initial fill level height of 33.5, of 3.2.
• a more constant dose rate can be provided with the illustrated shape.
• Figure 2 shows another set of embodiments which are modifications of the frustro-conical shape illustrated in Figure 1C ( Figure 2A and Figure 2A).
• the figures A and B each show three views, a top view in a 100% fill condition; a middle view in a 10% fill condition and a lower view illustrating the embodiment in cross-sectional view along a main axis of the reservoir.
• embodiments are shown wherein a lower part of the reservoir is dimensioned to have an orientation that is more vertical than an orientation of the higher part of the reservoir.
• a smaller lower volume 7 is created than a larger volume 8 that is situated higher up, thus providing effectively, for the outflow of fluid 2 of that larger volume 8 a relative constant height along the vertically oriented lower volume 7.
• this creates a step form 9, wherein a small part of the volume is oriented downwards, in order to create a height column that is still acceptable in terms of desired flow rate.
• this lower volume is provided, with reference to Figure 2B, by an elongated channel 10, that is formed in the lower part of the reservoir 1, for instance, by providing a tongue form 11 in a lower half of the reservoir, the walls of which providing a channel 10 together with a side wall of the reservoir.
• Dosing ratios for these further embodiments are even more beneficial and are calculated to be about 2.5 for the step -form of Figure 2A and about 2.3 for the elongated channel of Figure 2B.
• Figure 3 shows some additional reservoir shapes that are further modifications, that are more departed from a conical shape.
• the embodiments depicted in Figure 3A and Figure 3B have specially designed substantially vertical channels 12, defining a substantially constant column height for the most part of the fluid 2, that is mostly contained in the larger volume 8 situated above these channels 12. Dosing ratios for these embodiments are even closer to the ideal value of 1, thus providing almost constant dose rates.
• a dosing ratio amounts to 2.
• the dosing ratio amounts to 1.2, having a first height of 50 mm and a second height of 41 mm.
• Figure 4 shows a graph of a decreasing dose rate in arbitrary of the various shapes shown in Figure 1.
• the frustro-conical "BaIa" shape in Figure 1C approaches the constant ideal shape relatively best, in that the dose rate is closest to 1 at substantially all times relative to the rectangular shape of Figure IA and cylindrical shape of Figure IB.
• Figure 5 shows a schematic side view of an example of a dispensing device 13 wherein by proper tuning of the viscosity of the fluid 2 in relation to the fluid delivery opening 3, a dosing rate can be accurately determined.
• Flush water cannot contact the fluid 2 inside the reservoir 1, by proper shielding of an aeration opening 4 by for example a covering cap 14 as illustrated or some other shielding device.
• Both aeration opening 4 and fluid delivery opening 3 are provided in a common side wall 5, thus providing an elegant way of unsealing both outflow and aeration opening, for example, through use of a tear seal 15 that is pulled out of an downward opening 16 of the covering cap 14.
• the fluid delivery opening 3 is provided with a waterretaining structure in the form of a recess 17, dimensioned to provide a water film across or near the opening to prevent drying out of the fluid 2.
• a waterretaining structure in the form of a recess 17, dimensioned to provide a water film across or near the opening to prevent drying out of the fluid 2.
• the cap 14 preferably generally follows the contour of the reservoir 1 and covers side wall 5 for the most part, leaving a small downward opening for entering some flush water to moisturize the fluid delivery opening 3.
• the container preferably has a visual appearance that it contains a coloured cleaning fluid.
• blue cleaning fluids tend to cause stains on the bowl, which are visually unattractive.
• the reservoir comprises transparant colored walls and wherein the fluid is of a non-coloured transparant nature.
• the visual appearance of the dispenser 13 is that it contains a coloured fluid, however, in use, the fluid does not provide stains because of it's neutral transparent nature.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Bidet-Like Cleaning Device And Other Flush Toilet Accessories (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (2)

• 2006
  • 2006-09-27 EP EP06076793.6A patent/EP1905906B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2006-09-27 ES ES06076793.6T patent/ES2560859T3/es active Active
• 2007
  • 2007-09-25 WO PCT/NL2007/050467 patent/WO2008039069A2/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (2)

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