WO2019043410A1

WO2019043410A1 - Adaptor for a cleaning fluid bottle

Info

Publication number: WO2019043410A1
Application number: PCT/GB2018/052490
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pawel Zygmunt Nykowski
Original assignee: Reckitt Benckiser (Brands) Limited
Priority date: 2017-09-04
Filing date: 2018-09-04
Publication date: 2019-03-07
Also published as: GB2566093B; GB201714171D0; GB2566093A

Abstract

A kit comprising: a cleaning fluid bottle comprising a spout for applying cleaning fluid to a cleaning surface; and an adaptor comprising: a coupling mechanism for attaching the adaptor to the cleaning fluid bottle in an operating position; a projection arranged to space the spout of the cleaning fluid bottle from the cleaning surface when the adaptor is attached in the operating position.

Description

ADAPTOR FOR A CLEANING FLUID BOTTLE

A cleaning fluid is applied to a surface to maintain cleanliness and provide a hygienic environment. The cleaning fluid, in general, is applied directly from the bottle on to the surface which is being cleaned. For example, a user applies a cleaning fluid such as bleach to a toilet by squeezing a bottle holding the fluid, e.g. a bleach bottle, so that the cleaning fluid is ejected from the bottle towards the surface of the toilet.

A user applying cleaning fluid from a bottle to a surface may have difficulty controlling the position of the spout of the bottle. For example, when a user squeezes the bottle to eject fluid the location at which the bottle is squeezed may be located at a distance from the spout and therefore controlling the position of the spout may be difficult. In addition, the ejection of the cleaning fluid from the bottle can lead to a large area of the surface being covered with the cleaning fluid. The present disclosure provides a mechanism to control the area of the surface on to which the cleaning fluid is applied. This allows the user to provide a more accurate and targeted application of cleaning fluid to a surface.

A kit according to the present invention is provided comprising: a cleaning fluid bottle comprising a spout for applying cleaning fluid to a cleaning surface; and an adaptor comprising: a coupling mechanism for attaching the adaptor to the cleaning fluid bottle in an operating position; a projection arranged to space the spout of the cleaning fluid bottle from the cleaning surface when the adaptor is attached in the operating position.

This kit allows the spout of the cleaning bottle to be easily spaced from the surface which is to be cleaned. The projection may be configured when attached in the operating position to alter the direction of fluid flowing from the spout to inhibit flow of cleaning fluid beyond the projection. This allows the projection to help with direction of the cleaning fluid.

The projection may comprise a lip extending at an angle from an adjacent part of the projection. This lip can help orientate the bottle during use. The leading edge of the projection may be curved to form one or more grooves configured to couple an edge of the cleaning surface. These grooves allow the projection to conform to the surface to be cleaned, and may aide in moving the system during use.

The coupling mechanism may be further arranged to attach the adaptor to the cleaning fluid bottle in a storage position, different from the operating position, in which the projection is arranged towards the cleaning fluid bottle. This allows the kit to be stored with the projection not significantly adding to the overall size of the bottle.

The adaptor may be shaped to correspond to the shape of the cleaning bottle so that the adaptor is generally adjacent to the bottle in the storage position. This allows the kit to be stored in substantially the same volume as the bottle.

The coupling mechanism may be reversible such that the adaptor can be moved between the operating and storage positions by reversing the orientation of the adaptor. This is a convenient way to move between the two positions.

The coupling mechanism may be configured to attach the adaptor to the cleaning bottle via a friction fit. A friction fit is a quick way to attach and detach the adaptor.

The adaptor may further comprise one or more arms configured to hold a pliable material adjacent to the projection. The pliable material may improve the cleaning of the surface by wiping the cleaning fluid.

The pliable material may further comprise cleaning fluid absorbed on to the surface of the material. This may enhance the distribution of cleaning fluid.

The projection may be configured to couple to the surface of a rimless toilet. It has been found that the present invention is particularly effective for such rimless toilets.

The adaptor may not fully surround the spout in the operating position. This allows fluid to exit the bottle without having to flow through the adaptor. The projection of the adaptor may be fully formed of a rigid plastic. This ensures the projection does not bend and change the position of the bottle in use.

A cleaning fluid may be retained within the cleaning fluid bottle.

An assembly is provided according to the present invention comprising the kit of any claim. Aspects of the disclosure are also described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a cleaning fluid bottle having an adaptor;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a first example of an adaptor for a cleaning fluid bottle;

Figure 3 shows the adaptor of Figure 2 positioned on a cleaning fluid bottle;

Figure 4 shows the adaptor of Figure 2 in use during cleaning of a rimless toilet;

Figure 5 shows the adaptor of Figure 2 located in a storage position on a cleaning fluid bottle; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a second example of an adaptor;

Figure 7 shows the adaptor of Figure 6 positioned on a cleaning fluid bottle;

Figure 8 shows the adaptor of Figure 6 in use during cleaning of a rimless toilet;

Figure 9 shows the adaptor of Figure 6 located in a storage position on a cleaning fluid bottle; Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a third example of an adaptor;

Figure 11 shows a perspective view of a fourth example of an adaptor; and

Figure 12 shows a further example of a coupling mechanism for an adaptor.

Embodiments will now be desired with reference to the Figures.

Figure 1 shows a cleaning fluid bottle 2 with an adaptor 1. The bottle 2 comprises a reservoir 3, a neck 5 and a spout 4. The reservoir 3 is fluidly coupled to the spout 4 such that fluid stored in the reservoir of the bottle exits the bottle via the spout 4. In the example illustrated in Figure 1 the spout 4 is elongate and the fluid flows from the spout 4 parallel to the elongate direction.

The adaptor 1 comprises a coupling mechanism 12 and a projection 6. The adaptor 1 is configured to space the spout 4 of the cleaning fluid bottle 2 from the cleaning surface 14 with the projection 6 shaped to couple to the cleaning surface to allow a user to keep the spout at a distance from the cleaning surface. The adaptor 1 may also be configured to alter the direction of cleaning fluid flowing from the spout 4 of the cleaning fluid bottle 2 on to a cleaning surface 14 (not shown in Figure 1).

The coupling mechanism 12 is configured to attach the adaptor 1 to cleaning fluid bottle 2 in an operating position. The coupling mechanism 12 may comprise an opening that attaches to the neck 5 of the bottle 2. In this example the coupling mechanism is sized to fit the neck 5 of the bottle 2. As illustrated in Figure 1 the coupling mechanism 12 may be an opening shaped to form a friction fit with the neck 5 of the bottle 2, for example the coupling mechanism is shaped to correspond to the neck of the bottle and couple to the neck of the bottle.

The coupling mechanism 12 may also be configured to couple to a thread of the bottle, for example the coupled mechanism may be screwed on to the thread of the bottle. The neck of the bottle may also comprise protrusions on to which the coupling mechanism forms a friction fit with the bottle. As illustrated in Figure 1 , the projection 6 is coupled to the coupling mechanism 12 via a first side portion 8 and a second side portion 10. The first side portion 8 and second side portion 10 may also be configured to direct cleaning fluid from the spout of the cleaning fluid bottle 2. For example, the first side portion 8 and the second side portion 10 may direct fluid by restricting the flow of cleaning fluid away from the spout 4 of the bottle 2 i.e. the first and second side portions deflect the cleaning fluid to inhibit flow away from the spout.

The projection 6 extends from the coupling mechanism 12 to allow the user to control the spacing between spout 4 and the cleaning surface 14. For example, a user may use the projection to control the distance between the spout and the cleaning surface by abutting the end of the projection to the cleaning surface 14 and moving the projection 6 along the cleaning surface 14 to that the spout remains spaced from the cleaning surface.

The projection 6 may also alter the path of the cleaning fluid flowing from the spout 5 e.g. the projection 6 may deflect cleaning fluid. In the example illustrated in Figure 1 the deflector extends substantially parallel to the spout and, in use, the fluid flowing from the spout may be deflected by the projection 6 back towards the spout. For example, fluid may flow from the spout on to a cleaning surface 14 being cleaned and the fluid from the spout may be deflected off by cleaning surface 14 in a direction away from the spout. The projection 6 may then deflect the fluid flowing away from the spout 5 back towards the spout 5 to inhibit the flow of fluid away from the spout, e.g. in a direction perpendicular from the spout 5.

The projection 6 of the adaptor 1 is generally open-faced in that an interior face of the adaptor 1 is generally open to the surroundings and accessible. In other words, the projection 6 of the adaptor 1 is arranged to not fully surround the spout 4 of the fluid bottle 2.

The projection 6 and/or the adaptor 1 may be fully formed of a rigid plastic, and not a sponge-like applicator.

Figure 2 shows a further example of an adaptor 1. In this example, the adaptor 1 comprises a projection 6 and a coupling mechanism 12. The projection 6 comprises a lip 7 extending at an angle from an adjacent part of the projection.

The coupling mechanism 12 shown in Figure 2 is ring shaped and fits onto the neck of a cleaning bottle i.e. the coupling mechanism 12 can be placed over the neck 5 and coupled to the bottle 2. In the example shown in Figure 2 the couple mechanism 12 comprises a ring having an elliptical shape. Figure 3 shows the adaptor 1 in place on the cleaning fluid bottle 2. As illustrated in Figure 3, the elliptical shape of the coupling mechanism 12 corresponds to the shape of the neck of the cleaning fluid bottle 2 so that when the adaptor is placed on the bottle 2 it can form a friction fit with the neck 5 of bottle 2. In the example illustrated in Figure 2 the projection 6 has a curved shape. The curved shape of the projection 6 is such that the projection 6 partially surrounds the spout 4 i.e. the projection 6 is arc shaped. The curved shape of the projection allows the adaptor to be stored in a storage position as illustrated in Figure 5 with the adaptor 1 adjacent to the bottle 2. The coupling mechanism 12 may be reversible such that the adaptor 1 can be switched between the operating and storage positions by removing the adaptor 1 from the bottle 2, reversing the orientation of the adaptor 1 (i.e. rotating it through 180°) and replacing the adaptor 1 on the bottle 2. The curved shape may also inhibit flow of fluid beyond the curved adaptor i.e. fluid may be inhibited from flowing beyond the arc defined by the projection 6. In the example illustrated in Figure 2 the lip 7 is angled towards the spout 4 with respect to the main portion of the projection 6. The lip 7 may extend at an obtuse angle from the main portion of projection 6 towards the spout 4. The lip 7 may be configured to couple to the cleaning surface 14, e.g. the lip may be shaped to couple to the cleaning surface 14. Figure 4 shows an illustration of the adaptor 1 coupled to the bottle (as shown in Figure 3) being used to clean a cleaning surface 14. Figure 4 shows the lip 7 having a leading edge shaped to couple to the cleaning surface. This allows the spacing of the spout 4 and the cleaning surface 14 to be maintained by the user as the user moves the bottle 2 and therefore the spout 4 relative to the cleaning surface 14 by sliding the lip 7 along the cleaning surface. The lip 7 may also inhibit flow of the fluid beyond the adaptor. For example, the edge of the lip 7 couples to the cleaning surface to inhibit fluid flowing between the edge of the lip 7 and the cleaning surface 14. As illustrated, in this example when fluid flows from the spout it is deflected by cleaning surface 14 and, once deflected, the lip 7 inhibits flow of the fluid along the cleaning surface 14 in a direction away from the spout to provide a user with additional control of the parts of the cleaning surface 14 which have cleaning fluid applied.

In an example shown in Figure 4 the cleaning surface 14 is part of a rimless toilet and the spacing between the cleaning surface 14 of the rimless toilet and the spout 4 is determined by the projection 6. For example, a user may apply the cleaning fluid to the surface 14 of the rimless toilet by moving the projection 6 along the surface 14 when the spout 4 is moved relative to the surface and the distance between the spout 4 and the cleaning surface 14 is determined by the projection 6. The flow of cleaning fluid outside of the toilet bowl may also be restricted by the adaptor 1. In use, the lip 7 may couple to the top of the toilet bowl of the rimless toilet and fluid flowing from the spout towards the top of the toilet bowl is deflected back towards the centre of the toilet bowl.

In the example illustrated the cleaning surface 14 is part of a rimless toilet, the adaptor may also be used on a surface of a bath, a sink.

The lip 7 illustrated in Figure 2 has a variable curvature on its leading edge. As illustrated, the lip 7 has a curvature corresponding to the radius of curvature of the projection 6. The leading edge of the lip 7 comprises a centre portion having a first curvature and at least one end portion located either side of the centre portion extending away from the centre portion to form at least one inflection point. The inflection point between the at least one end portion and the centre portion forms a groove i.e. the lip 7 comprises a groove at the point which the end portion meets the centre portion. In the example illustrated the leading edge of the lip 7 comprises two end points and forms a pair of inflection points.

Figure 5 shows the adaptor 1 located in a storage position. The adaptor 1 may be stored on the bottle in a storage position with the projection 6 adjacent to the outside of the bottle. Figure 5 shows an example where the projection 6 is stored in a storage position with the adaptor 1 inverted and the projection 6 is shaped so that it is stored alongside the bottle. The shape of the adaptor 1 may correspond to the shape of the bottle so that the adaptor 1 fits the bottle during storage. For example, the obtuse angle between the projection 6 and the lip 7 of the projection 6 corresponds to the angle of the outside of the bottle and therefore the adaptor 1 can be placed adjacent to the bottle. The projection 6 may also have a curvature conforming to the shape of the bottle.

Figure 6 shows a further example of an adaptor 1. The adaptor 1 comprises a projection 6, a lip 7 and a coupling mechanism 12. In this example the projection 6 comprises a plate portion 17, a first arm 16 and a second arm 18. As illustrated in Figure 8, the first arm 16 and second arm 18 are arranged adjacent to the plate portion 17 to allow a material to be held between the pair of arms and the plate portion 17. The material may be a pliable material that can be placed adjacent to the plate portion. In the example illustrated in Figures 6 to 9 the thickness of the first and second arm varies to form a point having a narrower gap between the plate portion 17 and each arm. The narrower gap provides a location for the material to be held by a friction fit between the arms and the plate portion.

Figure 8 shows a pliable material being held between projection 6 and the first arm 16 and second arm 18. In an example the pliable material being held by a friction fit e.g. has a thickness such that it is held between the projection and the first arm 16 and second arm 18. The first arm 16 and second arm 18 may be sprung so that they can hold the pliable material, for example the pliable material may move back towards the projection 6 in order to form a friction fit. The pliable material may be folded so that it is held by the projection 6 and first arm 16 and second arm 18. In the example illustrated in Figure 8 the material is tissue paper, the material may also be flexible plastic, cotton cloth, a cleaning wipe. The material may also comprise a cleaning fluid, for example a cleaning fluid may be absorbed onto the surface of the material.

Figure 7 shows the adaptor of Figure 6 positioned for use on the cleaning fluid bottle 2. Similar to the mechanism described in Figure 3, the elliptical shape of the coupling mechanism 12 corresponds to the shape of the neck of the cleaning fluid bottle 2 to allow the coupling mechanism 12 to have a friction fit with the neck of the cleaning bottle.

Figure 9 shows the adaptor 1 of Figure 6 located in a storage position. As illustrated in Figure 9, the adaptor may be stored with the first arm 16 and second arm 18 of the projection 6 and the lip 7 adjacent to the outside of the bottle. In the example shown the angle between lip 7 and the plate portion is such that the lip 7 adjacent to the outside of the bottle 2.

As illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 the projection 6 and the lip 7 may vary in width. In this example, the width of projection 6 narrows from the coupling mechanism 12 towards the lip 7 i.e. the projection 6 is narrower at the point of contact to the couple mechanism 12 relative to the width at the point of contact with the lip 7. The width of lip 7 also narrows from projection 6 to the edge of the lip 7. In this example the width of the projection 6 and lip 7 changes continuously.

Figures 10 and 11 show further examples of an adaptor 1. In the example shown in Figure 10, similar to the example illustrated in Figure 6, the adaptor 1 comprises a lip 7, a coupling mechanism 12 and a projection 6 having a plate portion 17, a first arm 16 and a second arm 18. As illustrated in Figure 10, the lip 7 extends across the width of the projection 6 and is uniform in length. The arms extend parallel to the projection 6 so that there is a uniform width between the first arm 16 and second arms 18 and the projection 6.

In the example illustrated in Figure 11 , the adaptor 1 comprises a projection 6, a first side portion 8, a second side portion 10 and a coupling mechanism 12. Similar to the adaptors described above, the projection 6 is configured to space the spout 4 of the cleaning fluid bottle 2 from the cleaning surface 14. The projection may also be configured to direct cleaning fluid from the spout of the cleaning fluid bottle 2. The first side portion 8 and second side portion 10 may also be configured to direct cleaning fluid from the spout of the cleaning fluid bottle 2.

The coupling mechanism 12 shown in Figure 11 differs from the coupling mechanism described above. The coupling mechanism 12 of Figure 1 1 comprises a portion that is elongate parallel to the spout i.e. the coupling mechanism has a portion that extends in the direction parallel to the spout. Figure 12 shows an alternative coupling mechanism that may be used for the adaptor 1. The adaptor 1 of Figure 12 comprises an opening that allows a user to slide the coupling mechanism 12 onto the neck 5 of the bottle 2. In the example illustrated the opening of the coupling mechanism 12 is opposite the projection 6 so that the adaptor can be placed on the neck 5 of the bottle by pushing the projection 6 towards the neck of the bottle. The coupling mechanism 12 also comprises a narrowing in the opening that enables the coupling mechanism 12 to form a friction fit with the neck 5 of the bottle 2.

The adaptor may be made from a plastic material e.g. PET or PE, a composite material and/or a natural material. In an example the adaptor may further comprise a closure portion configured to close the spout 4. For example, the closure portion may be movable and configured to close the spout 4 to inhibit cleaning fluid from flowing from the bottle 2.

Further modifications and developments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described herein.

Claims

Claims:

1. A kit comprising: a cleaning fluid bottle comprising a spout for applying cleaning fluid to a cleaning surface; and an adaptor comprising: a coupling mechanism for attaching the adaptor to the cleaning fluid bottle in an operating position; a projection arranged to space the spout of the cleaning fluid bottle from the cleaning surface when the adaptor is attached in the operating position.

2. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the projection is configured when attached in the operating position to alter the direction of fluid flowing from the spout to inhibit flow of cleaning fluid beyond the projection.

3. The kit of claims 1 or 2, wherein the projection comprises a lip extending at an angle from an adjacent part of the projection.

4. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein the leading edge of the projection is curved to form one or more grooves configured to couple an edge of the cleaning surface.

5. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein the coupling mechanism is further arranged to attach the adaptor to the cleaning fluid bottle in a storage position, different from the operating position, in which the projection is arranged towards the cleaning fluid bottle.

6. The kit of claim 5, wherein the adaptor is shaped to correspond to the shape of the cleaning bottle so that the adaptor is generally adjacent to the bottle in the storage position.

7. The kit of claim 5 or 6, wherein the coupling mechanism is reversible such that the adaptor can be moved between the operating and storage positions by reversing the orientation of the adaptor.

8. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to attach the adaptor to the cleaning bottle via a friction fit.

9. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein the adaptor further comprises one or more arms configured to hold a pliable material adjacent to the projection.

10. The kit of claim 9, wherein the pliable material further comprises cleaning fluid absorbed on to the surface of the material.

11. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein the projection is configured to couple to the surface of a rimless toilet.

12. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein the adaptor does not fully surround the spout in the operating position.

13. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein the projection of the adaptor is fully formed of a rigid plastic.

14. The kit of any preceding claim, wherein a cleaning fluid is retained within the cleaning fluid bottle.

15. An assembly comprising the kit of any preceding claim, wherein the adaptor is attached to the cleaning fluid bottle in either the storage or operating position