WO2024088690A1

WO2024088690A1 - Container with a connection piece, which has a venting function, and dispensing system

Info

Publication number: WO2024088690A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/077020
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert RUIZ HERNANDEZ; Sergio LINZ; Arnd Kessler; Bert BRAECKMAN; Lukas DE GRAEF
Original assignee: Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa
Priority date: 2022-10-27
Filing date: 2023-09-29
Publication date: 2024-05-02
Also published as: DE102022128563A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a container (40) for a dispensing system (1) that can be positioned in the interior of a dishwasher and which comprises a dispensing device (10), by means of which at least one preparation can be dispensed into the interior. The container (40) has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving the preparation and a connection piece which is paired with the chamber (41, 42, 43), said connection piece being connected to the chamber (41, 42, 43) and being connectable to a connection receptacle of the dispensing device in order to produce a connection between the chamber (41, 42, 43) and the dispensing device. The invention is characterized in that the connection piece comprises a main part (49) which has an air chamber (65) that is used to vent the chamber (41, 42, 43) and has an air chamber wall (67). A protrusion (68) is molded on the air chamber wall (67), said protrusion having a contact point (71), which is arranged at a distance to the air chamber wall (67), for a counter bearing () of the connection receptacle (23) such that a force which acts on the contact point (71) of the protrusion (68) when the connection piece (44) and the connection receptacle (23) are connected produces a bending torque, by means of which the protrusion (68) is rotated and the air chamber wall (67) is torn open, producing an opening.

Description

'Container with a connector having a ventilation function and dosing system'

Description

The invention relates to a container for a dosing system which can be positioned in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device through which at least one preparation can be dosed into the interior. The invention further relates to the dosing system with container and dosing device.

EP 2 296 520 B1 discloses such a dosing system with a container and dosing device. A housing of the container forms several chambers, each of which stores a preparation. Each chamber is assigned a connector with which the container can be connected to the dosing device to form a liquid-tight connection. The dosing device has several connection receptacles for this purpose. The connector of the chamber can be connected to one of these connection receptacles. The dosing device and the container connected to it are then placed in the interior and a wash cycle can begin. The dosing device exchanges signals with the dishwasher so that the preparations can be dosed out of the chambers in a targeted manner at different times and in different quantities during the wash cycle, depending on various parameters.

The dosing device and container are detachably connected to one another, so that the container can be replaced when it is empty after several rinse cycles. EP 2 296 520 B1 is a plug-in connection between the connector and the connection receptacle, where the connector must be pressed into the connection receptacle with a certain amount of pressure to establish the plug-in connection. In particular, a membrane on the connector must be pierced, which protects the preparation in the chamber from environmental influences when the connector is new. By connecting the connector of the container and the connection receptacle of the dosing device, the preparation can reach the dosing device and be dosed accordingly. When the container and dosing device are coupled for the first time, EP 2 296 520 B1 also opens a ventilation opening for each chamber, which is closed with a closure element in the form of a plug and a cap before the first coupling. The plug (or cap) is then pierced by a mandrel or similar when the container and dosing device are coupled or connected for the first time.

The plug must be manufactured separately and placed in the ventilation opening when the container is manufactured. This insertion into the ventilation opening leads to a high level of assembly work. Recycling the container can also be complex if the container housing and the plug are made of different materials that have to be separated from each other during recycling. The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a container with a ventilation function for a dosing system that can be placed in a dishwasher, which can be produced cost-effectively and in a resource-saving manner and whose replacement can be carried out easily.

The object underlying the invention is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 1. Embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims to claim 1.

According to the invention, the connecting piece comprises a base body which has an air chamber with an air chamber wall for ventilating the chamber, with a projection formed on the air chamber wall. The projection has a system for an abutment of the connection receptacle. The system is spaced apart from the air chamber wall so that a force which acts on the system of the projection when the connecting piece and connection receptacle are connected generates a bending moment. The bending moment causes the projection to rotate, thereby tearing an opening in the air chamber wall. The crack or break in the air chamber wall is primarily due to tensile stresses in the air chamber wall which arise from the bending moment or the rotation of the projection. The ventilation function of the connecting piece is activated by opening the air chamber wall.

In contrast to the state of the art, in which a separate plug is pierced to activate the ventilation function, the material of the air chamber wall is subjected to a tensile stress, which leads to a crack in the material. The tensile stress depends on the bending moment, which is a product of the force acting on the system and the lever arm of the projection. The lever arm corresponds to the distance between the system of the projection and the air chamber wall, on which the projection is formed and supported.

The system for the abutment of the connection holder is preferably at a free end of the projection, whereby the projection is connected to the air chamber wall at a root, i.e. at an end opposite the free end. Mechanically, the projection can also be understood as a cantilever beam or cantilever girder with a free end.

The bending moment and thus the tensile stresses in the air chamber wall can be adjusted via the length or the effective lever arm of the projection, which corresponds to the distance between the system and the air chamber wall. In one embodiment, the effective lever arm is in a range of 2 to 6 mm, preferably 2.5 to 4 mm.

The air chamber wall can have a predetermined breaking point with reduced wall thickness. The predetermined breaking point is preferably provided where the greatest tensile forces are to be expected in the air chamber wall due to the rotation of the projection. Due to the reduced Wall thickness then causes high tensile stresses in the material at the predetermined breaking point, which leads to the cracking of the air chamber wall. Due to the interaction of the lever arm and the reduced wall thickness of the predetermined breaking point in the area of the highest tensile forces, the air chamber can be used to activate the ventilation function even with a comparatively small force between the projection and the abutment of the connection holder.

The air chamber wall can have a hinge point around which the projection rotates when the connector is connected to the connection receptacle. This hinge point can also be characterized by a reduced wall thickness. In one embodiment, the projection is still connected via the hinge point even after the connector has been connected to the connection receptacle. This has the advantage that when the container is replaced, the projection continues to adhere to the base body and does not remain as a loose piece in the dosing device, which could hinder the insertion of a new container into the dosing device.

In one embodiment, the base body, the air chamber wall and the projection form a one-piece part which is made of only one material, preferably injection-molded. The selection of the material for this one-piece part can influence the force required to tear the air chamber migration when connecting the connector to the connector receptacle. The base body (and thus also the air chamber wall and the projection, if the one-piece piece is based on the same material) can be made of polyolefin, preferably polypropylene. To ensure that the air chamber wall tears reliably when connecting the connector to the connector receptacle without having to exert too much force, the plastic from which the air chamber wall is made can be filled with a filler, preferably an inert filler. The brittleness of the plastic can be adjusted by choosing the filler and its content. A preferred filler is chalk (CaCOs), whereby the grain size can be selected to be very small so that the grain diameter is not larger than the wall thickness in the area of the predetermined breaking point. In an embodiment in which polypropylene (PP) is used as the plastic, the filler content is 1 to 10%, preferably 4 to 8%. The plastic for the base body must also not be too brittle so that it does not break under impact (which can occur, for example, if the container is accidentally dropped).

In one embodiment, the base body has a weld-in part, wherein the weld-in part is attached to a chamber wall in a sealing manner. The base body can have a plug-in part, wherein the plug-in part can be inserted into the connection receptacle. Insertion is preferably carried out by a linear movement. The plug-in part can then be pulled out of the connection receptacle again by an opposite linear movement.

The weld-in part can form an air duct that is connected to the air chamber and has a plug-in receptacle for a separate air pipe that projects into the chamber. A The opposite end of the air pipe ends in an area of the chamber that is far from the connector. When the dosing system is in use, this far area can represent the upper area of the chamber. When the preparation is dispensed, air can flow into the upper area of the chamber. The air required for ventilation flows through the opening in the air chamber wall, through the air duct connected to the air chamber and through the air pipe into the chamber. Negative pressure in the chamber, which makes dispensing difficult, can thus be avoided.

The weld-in part can form an inflow channel. The plug-in part can form an outflow channel, whereby when the container is new the inflow channel and the outflow channel are separated from one another by a closed membrane. If the membrane is punctured or torn, there is a connection between the inflow channel and the outflow channel so that the preparation can reach the connection receptacle of the dosing device from the chamber. Before the membrane is punctured or torn and before the air chamber wall is torn, i.e. before the connection piece is connected to the connection receptacle, the still intact membrane and the not yet opened air chamber ensure that the chamber is airtight and liquid-tight. The preparation in the chamber is thus protected from environmental influences and can be stored in the container for a longer period of time. The membrane only loses its sealing effect when the container is connected to the dosing device.

Preferably, the membrane is formed integrally with the base body, which facilitates the manufacture of the connecting piece. The wall thickness of the membrane can be 0.04 to 0.2, preferably 0.08 to 0.12 mm, in order to keep the force required to penetrate the membrane small.

A finger ring can be attached to the base body, which can be moved from a starting position into an active position, wherein in the active position the finger ring is designed to be gripped by a human finger in order to introduce a tensile force into the base body, by means of which the connecting piece can be separated from the connecting receptacle.

In one embodiment, the finger ring can be rotated from the starting position about a pivot axis into the active position. Preferably, a hinge in the form or type of a film hinge is provided between the finger ring and the base body, which is integrally formed on the finger ring and the base body.

The finger ring can be attached to the base body by two connecting bars, whereby the two connecting bars can define the pivot axis around which the finger ring can be pivoted from the starting position to the active position. A pivot angle between the starting position and the active position can be 80 to 100°, preferably about 90°. Preferably, the finger ring forms a tab with a closed peripheral area with the base body and the two connecting bars. The closed peripheral area is stable and can absorb high tensile forces.

A pressure plate can be formed on the base body to accommodate a human finger, the pressure force of which can connect the connector to the connector holder. In the starting position, the finger ring can surround the pressure plate and lie essentially in the same plane as the pressure plate. While the finger ring in the active position is used to pull the cover part out of the connector holder in order to release the connection between the connector and the connector holder, the pressure plate is used to press the plug-in part of the base body into the connector holder. In this embodiment, the force required to establish the connection between the connector and the connector holder can therefore also be directed directly to the connector.

In one embodiment, the pressure plate is arranged coaxially to the membrane. This means that the pressure force for piercing the membrane can be applied directly above the membrane without lateral offset. The membrane can lie in a plane that extends parallel to the plane of the pressure plate.

The pressure plate can be slightly curved inwards (concave). The inward curvature prevents the finger from slipping when the pressure is applied. In one embodiment, the diameter of the pressure plate is 10 to 20 mm. In the embodiment with the finger ring surrounding the pressure plate, the effective contact surface for the finger is increased, since part of the pressure force can now also be applied to the finger ring.

A further object of the invention, the provision of a dosing system with a container and dosing device, wherein the container can be exchanged and the preparation can be dosed out without any problems, is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 15. The dosing system according to the invention comprises a dosing device and a container in the embodiments described here, wherein the connection receptacle of the dosing device has the abutment against which the projection of the connection piece abuts when the connection piece is connected to the connection receptacle. The abutment can be designed as a rib or the like. A contact surface of the abutment, with which the projection comes into contact when the connection piece is connected to the connection receptacle, can be inclined.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawing. They show:

Figure 1 shows a dosing system according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-section of the dosing system;

Figure 3 shows schematically a container according to the invention for the dosing system;

Figure 4 shows various views of a connecting piece of the container according to the invention (Figures 4A to 4B);

Figure 5 further views of the connector of Figure 4 (Figures 5A to 5D);

Figure 6 shows two sectional views of the connector of Figures 4 and 5 (Figures 6A and 6B); and

Figure 7 shows the connecting piece in another sectional view with parts of the dosing device.

Figure 1 shows a dosing system 1 comprising a dosing device 10 and a container. The container is housed within a flat housing 11 of the dosing device 10 and cannot be seen in Figure 1. Figures 2 and 3 show a schematic representation of the dosing system 1 with the dosing device 10 and with the container designated by 40.

The dosing system 1 can be placed in the interior of a dishwasher and is designed to dispense one or more preparations located in the container 40 during a wash cycle. The dosing system 1 can exchange signals, data, control commands, etc. with the dishwasher so that the preparations can be dispensed precisely in terms of time and quantity.

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the housing 11 of the dosing device 10 has a front wall 12 and a rear wall 13. The front wall 12, which is rectangular in its basic shape, and the rear wall 13, which is also rectangular in its basic shape, extend from a base 14 to an upper housing edge 15. A film hinge 16 is provided between the front wall 12 and the rear wall 13 near the upper housing edge 15, so that the housing 11 can be opened and a container compartment 17 (see Figure 2) of the dosing device 10 is opened. The container compartment 17 serves to accommodate the container 40. When the housing 11 is opened, the container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17 in order to replace it with another container. The container 40 can be designed to hold the preparation or preparations in quantities sufficient for several wash cycles (for example, for 20 to 30 wash cycles). After emptying, the container 40 can be replaced by a filled container.

From Figure 1 it can also be seen that a first recess 18 and a second recess 19 are provided on the rear wall 13. In the following, only the first recess 18 will be discussed in more detail. Since the second recess 19 is similar in design to the first recess

18 is identical, the statements regarding the first recess 18 also apply mutatis mutandis to the second recess 19.

The first recess 18 starts at the base 14 and extends in the direction of the upper housing edge 15. The recess 18 is designed as an elongated, channel-like or groove-like recess, wherein a length in the longitudinal direction of the recess (direction from the base 14 to the upper housing edge 15) is significantly greater than a width of the recess transverse to the longitudinal direction. The first recess 19 has a groove base 20, the distance of which from the surface in which the rear wall 13 lies defines a depth of the first recess 18. Starting from a lower, open end 21, which is located on the base 14, to an upper, closed end 22, the depth is reduced. Accordingly, the depth at the lower end 21 is greater than the depth in the area of the upper end 22. Starting from the lower end 21, the groove bottom 20 initially runs in a straight line (i.e. the depth is initially constant there) and then merges into a curved section with decreasing depth.

The two recesses 18, 19 each serve to accommodate a holding rod that is approximately vertically upwards or slightly inclined to the vertical of a plate holder of a crockery drawer that can be pulled out of the interior to put dishes in and take them out. The plate holder usually has two parallel rows of holding rods that are spaced a certain distance apart within a row (rod spacing). The distance between the two recesses 18,

19 corresponds to the distance between the two rows, so that the dosing device 10 with the container 40 located in the housing 11 can be placed like a plate in a plate compartment of the plate holder. The dosing device 10 is supported like a plate on the holding rods that form the plate compartment. Due to the special course of the groove base 20 with the depth reducing towards the upper end 22, the dosing device 10 can on the one hand be placed in a plate holder in which the bar spacing is small and the holding rods are of medium length. On the other hand, the dosing device 10 can also be placed in a plate holder in which the bar spacing and the length of the holding rods are large. In the latter case, the dosing device is supported by the upper end of the holding rod in the upper area of the recess 18, i.e. where the depth of the recess is small. As a result, even with a large bar spacing, the dosing device 10 stands upright in the plate holder and does not block adjacent plate compartments by being too tilted.

The height (distance between base 14 and upper edge 15) and the width of front wall 12 and rear wall 13 correspond to the diameter of a larger dinner plate. For example, the housing 11 can have a height of 200 to 280 mm. The width of the housing 11 can be 200 to 280 mm. The ratio of height to width can be 0.8 to 1.2.

As can also be seen from Figure 1, the housing 11 has a thickness which is greatest in the region of the bottom 14 and then decreases slightly towards the upper edge 15. A maximum thickness of the housing, preferably in the area of the bottom 14, can be between 20 and 28 mm. In the schematic representation of Figure 2, the housing 11 is shown in a simplified form with a constant thickness.

While Figure 1 shows the dosing system 1 standing on the floor 14, Figure 2 shows the dosing system 2 in a lying position with the rear wall 13 pointing downwards. In this lying position, the housing 11 can be opened by pivoting the front wall 12 about the pivot axis of the film hinge 16 (in the illustration in Figure 2, the pivot axis extends perpendicular to the plane of the drawing). When the front wall 12 is opened, the container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17. How this removal of the container 40 takes place and how a new container can be reconnected to the dosing device will be explained in more detail later.

From Figure 3 it is clear that the container 40, which is only shown schematically, has several chambers. In the exemplary embodiment shown, there are three chambers 41, 42, 43. Each chamber serves to hold a preparation, which can be, for example, an alkaline cleaning preparation, an enzymatic cleaning preparation, a rinse aid or a fragrance. Each chamber is assigned a connecting piece 44, the structure of which does not differ from the structure of the other connecting pieces 44. The chambers 41, 42, 43 are approximately the same size, but they can also differ significantly from one another in terms of their volume and shape. For example, one of the chambers can be designed to be twice as large for a preparation that is dispensed in twice the amount in one wash cycle compared to the other preparations, so that when the container needs to be replaced, all chambers are as completely emptied as possible or at least only very small residual amounts are left.

The chambers 41, 42, 43 are delimited by two housing halves or chamber walls 45, 46. Each housing half 45, 46 forms three shells or troughs, which form a chamber with the opposite shell. To produce the housing halves 45, 46, a (folded) plastic film can be used, which is drawn or blown into corresponding deep-drawing molds. The housing halves 45, 46 are welded to one another at a peripheral edge 47 and also at intermediate webs 48 between the individual chambers 41, 42, 42. The connecting pieces 44 are arranged in a section 47a of the edge 47 between the two housing halves 45, 46. These are inserted between the housing halves 45, 46 before the section 47a is welded and then welded to the housing halves 45, 46 in a liquid-tight manner. The sealing/welding of the gate 47a to the connecting pieces 44 is expediently only carried out after the chambers 41, 42, 43 have been filled with the respective preparations. When filling, however, the housing halves 45, 46 are already welded together at the edge 47 (except for the gate 47a) and at the intermediate webs 48. Thermoforming enables low wall thicknesses. The required material expenditure is very low. The housing halves 45, 46 can be made of polypropylene (PP), for example. The dosing device 10 has a connection receptacle 23 for each connection piece 44 (see Figure 2, which shows one of the connection receptacles). When the container 40 is inserted in the housing 11 of the dosing device 10, the connection piece 44 and the connection receptacle 23 form a liquid-tight connection so that the preparation from the chamber can pass into a dosing chamber of the dosing device 10 assigned to the respective chamber. The dosing chamber and a dosing valve are not shown in Figure 2. Only a dosing compartment 24, which accommodates the dosing chamber and the dosing valve and is integrated in the rear wall 13, is shown in Figure 2. The dosing compartment 24 has a dosing opening 25 for each chamber/dosing valve, through which the preparation from the respective chamber then passes through the connection piece 44 / connection receptacle 23 into the interior of the dishwasher. It should be noted that in the operating position of the dosing system 1, the bottom 14 points downwards so that the preparations from the chambers 41, 42, 43 can flow out of the respective dosing opening 25 due to gravity when the dosing valve is open.

Figures 4 to 7 show the connector 44 in a stand-alone position in different views. Figure 4 shows two perspective views (Figures 4A and 4C as well as a chamber-side view (Figure 4B) and a side view (4D). Figure 5A shows the connector 44 from below, Figure 5C from above in plan view. Figure 5B shows a view from the front. Figure 5D shows another side view. Figure 6A is a horizontal longitudinal section through the connector 44. Figure 6B shows the connector 44 in a vertical longitudinal section, while Figure 7 shows a cross-section that runs perpendicular to the two sections 6A, 6B. Figure 7 also shows indicated parts of the dosing device.

The connecting piece 44 has a base body 49 with a weld-in part 50 and a plug-in part 51. The weld-in part 50 forms an inflow channel 52 through which the preparation from the chamber passes into the connecting piece 44. The plug-in part 51 forms an outflow channel 53 through which the preparation flows from the connecting piece 44 into the connection receptacle 23 (see Figures 6 and 7). Between the inflow channel and the outflow channel, a connecting channel 54 is provided which connects the inflow channel 52 and the outflow channel 53. When the connecting piece 44 is new, the inflow channel 52 and the outflow channel 53 or the connecting channel 54 are separated from one another by a membrane 55. In other words, when the container 40 is new, the preparation from the chamber 41, 42, 43 cannot pass into the outflow channel 53. The membrane 55 therefore protects the preparation in the chamber from environmental influences and also prevents it from leaking out.

A longitudinal axis 56 of the inflow channel 52 is at a right angle to a longitudinal axis 57 of the outflow channel 51. The connecting channel 54 is essentially aligned with the inflow channel 52. The connecting channel 54 is limited at the top by a round, slightly inwardly curved pressure plate 58. The pressure plate 58 serves to accommodate a human finger in order to build up a pressure or a compressive force in order to press the connecting piece 44 with the plug-in part 51 into to press the connection receptacle 23 of the dosing device 10. A central axis of the pressure plate 58 coincides with the longitudinal axis/central axis 57 of the plug-in part 51 or has only a very small offset therefrom. The resulting force of the finger force applied to the pressure plate 58 acts vertically directly above the plug-in part 51. In Figures 4D, 6B and 7, the resulting force is designated FD. Several smaller openings in the pressure plate 58 can be provided in order to save material and to simplify the injection molding of the connection piece 44.

A finger ring 59 is attached to the base body 49. The finger ring 59 is attached to the base body 49 via two spaced-apart connecting webs 60 (see, for example, Figures 5C and 6A). The connecting webs 60, which each start at a circumferential end of the finger ring 59, give the finger ring 59 a closed circumference. The finger ring 59 extends in the circumferential direction over an angular range of approximately 270°. Viewed in the circumferential direction, in the middle between the two end connecting webs 60, a fixing web 61 is also provided between the finger ring 59 and the pressure plate 58 in order to hold the finger ring 59 in the position shown.

The position shown is a so-called starting position of the finger ring 59. In this starting position, the finger ring 59 lies in the same plane as the pressure plate 58 and represents a certain radial extension of the pressure plate 58. From this starting position, the finger ring 59 can be pivoted into an active position. For this purpose, a grip tab 62 is provided in the immediate vicinity of the fixing web 61, by means of which the finger ring 59 can be raised relative to the pressure plate 58, but the fixing web 61 must be broken. Further lifting of the grip tab 62 leads to a pivoting movement of the finger ring 59 about a pivot axis 63 (see dash-dotted line in Figures 5C and 6A). The pivot axis 63 is defined by the position of the connecting webs 61, which are deformed during the pivoting movement and form a type of film hinge. Compared to the fixing web 61, the connecting webs 60 are significantly stronger and can absorb tensile forces that are transmitted through the finger ring 59 into the base body 49.

In Figure 5D, the active position of the finger ring 59 is indicated by the dashed line 59'. In this position, a human finger can be hooked through the finger ring 59 or 59'. This makes it possible to exert a comparatively large tensile force on the base body 44 and in particular on the plug-in part 51. The resulting force of the hooked finger is designated Fz in Figure 5D. The combination of Figures 4D and 5B shows that the resulting force FD for establishing the connection between the connector 44 and the connector receptacle 23 and the force FZ for separating this connection are opposite. The connection can be established and separated by a linear movement which is directed perpendicularly to the front wall 12 or to the rear wall 13. With the finger ring 59 in the active position, the connecting piece 44 can thus be pulled out of the connecting piece 23. This makes it possible to separate the container 40 from the position in which it is inserted in the housing 11 in Figure 2 from the dosing device 10. It is not necessary to introduce the forces required for this into the container 40 via the rather unstable housing halves 45, 46.

To remove the container 40, the three connection pieces 44 can first be lifted one after the other out of the respective connection receptacles using the finger ring so that they rest on the connection receptacles with practically no resistance and without any insertion force. The container 40 can then be removed from the housing 11 either using one finger ring or using two finger rings at the same time.

In addition to the inflow channel 52 for the preparation, the weld-in piece 50 also forms an air channel 64 which opens into a closed air chamber 65 in the base body 44. The air chamber 65 is arranged next to the connecting channel 54 (see Figures 6A and 7). As can be seen from Figure 6A, an air hose 66 can be inserted into the open end of the air channel 64. The length of the air hose 66 is dimensioned such that the free end of the air hose, i.e. the end which is not inserted into the air channel 64, is located at one end of the chamber which is opposite the connecting piece 44. In Figure 3, the air hose 66 is indicated by the dashed line only for the chamber 42. In the operating position of the dosing system 1, i.e. with the bottom 14 of the dosing device 10 facing downwards, the air hose 66 ends with its open end in the upper region of the chamber 42. Such an air hose is also provided for the connecting pieces 44 of the other two chambers 41, 43, although this is not shown in Figure 3.

The closed air chamber 65 is enclosed by an air chamber wall 67. An outward-facing projection 68 is formed on the air chamber wall 67. At a root of the projection 68, the air chamber wall 67 has a predetermined breaking point 69 with reduced wall thickness and a thin hinge point or connection point 70. When the plug-in part 51 is inserted into the connection receptacle 23, the membrane 55 is first pierced by a hollow mandrel 26 of the connection receptacle 23 (see Figure 7). If the plug-in part 51 is pressed further into the connection receptacle 23, an abutment 27 of the connection receptacle comes into contact with a support 71 of the projection 68. The support 71 is provided at a free end of the projection 68.

The system 71 has a distance 72 from the predetermined breaking point 69 and the connection point 70. Due to the force that acts on the projection 68 from the fixed abutment 27 and due to the distance 72, a bending moment acts on the root of the projection 68, which leads to tensile stresses in the area of the predetermined breaking point 69. If the tensile stresses become too great, the air chamber wall 67 tears in the area of the predetermined breaking point 69. The projection 68 then rotates upwards anti-clockwise around the thin connection point 70 in the illustration in Figure 7, without the projection 68 completely detaching from the base body 44. Due to the tear or break at the predetermined breaking point 69, an exchange of air is now possible between the environment and the air chamber 65. and thus an exchange of air between the environment and the chamber is possible. The ventilation of the chamber in question is activated.

The connecting piece 44 and the connection outlet 23 are designed in such a way that when the plug-in part 51 is inserted into the connection outlet 23, the membrane 55 is pierced before the ventilation of the chamber is activated, i.e. before the air chamber wall 67 tears. The hollow mandrel 26 and the abutment 27 of the connection receptacle 23 and their relative height to one another are only indicated schematically in Figure 7. According to Figure 7, the beginning of the piercing of the membrane 55 is imminent, while there is still a gap between the abutment 27 and the attachment 71 of the projection 68. Only when the connecting piece 44 is pressed further into the connection receptacle 23 does the projection 68 hit the abutment 27.

List of reference symbols

I Dosing system

10 Dosing device

I I Housing

12 Front wall

13 Rear wall

14 Floor

15 upper housing edge

16 film hinges

17 Container compartment

18 first recess

19 second recess

20 Groove bottom

21 lower end

22 upper end

23 Connection holder

24 Dosing compartment

25 Dosing opening

26 Hollow mandrel

27 Abutments

40 containers

41 Chamber

42 Chamber

43 Chamber

44 Connector

45 Housing half / chamber wall

46 Housing half / chamber wall and

47 Rands (Section 47a)

48 Intermediate bridge

49 Basic body

50 Welded part

51 Plug-in part

52 inflow channel

53 Drainage channel

54 Connection channel

55 Membran Longitudinal axis

Longitudinal axis

Pressure plate

Finger ring (59' finger ring in active position)

Connecting bridge

Fixing bars

Grip tab

Swivel axis

Air duct

Air chamber

Air hose / air pipe

Air chamber wall

Head Start

Predetermined breaking point

Connection point / hinge point

Attachment

Distance

Claims

Patent claims

1. Container (40) for a dosing system (1) which can be positioned in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device (10) through which at least one preparation can be dosed into the interior, wherein the container (40) has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving the preparation and a connecting piece associated with the chamber (41, 42, 43), which is connected to the chamber (41, 42, 43) and can be connected to a connection receptacle of the dosing device to form a connection between the chamber (41, 42, 43) and the dosing device, characterized in that the connecting piece comprises a base body (49) which has an air chamber (65) serving to ventilate the chamber (41, 42, 43) with an air chamber wall (67), wherein a projection (68) is formed on the air chamber wall (67) which has a (67) spaced apart support (71) for an abutment (27) of the connection receptacle (23), so that a force which acts on the support (71) of the projection (68) when connecting the connection piece (44) and the connection receptacle (23) generates a bending moment, by means of which the projection (68) is rotated and an opening is torn in the air chamber wall (67).

2. Container (40) according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment (71) is arranged at a free end of the projection (68).

3. Container (40) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a distance (72) between the system (71) and the air chamber wall (67) is 2 to 6 mm, preferably 2.5 to 4 mm.

4. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the air chamber wall (67) has a predetermined breaking point (69) with reduced wall thickness.

5. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the air chamber wall (67) has a hinge point (70) via which the projection (68) remains connected to the air chamber wall (67) even after the connection of the connecting piece (44) to the connection receptacle (23) has been made.

6. Container (40) according to claim 5, characterized in that the connecting piece (44) is made of polyolefin which is filled with an inert filler with a weight proportion of 0.1 to 20%, preferably 2 to 8%.

7. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the base body (49) has a welded part (50) which is sealingly attached to a chamber wall (45, 46) of the chamber (41, 42, 43). Container (40) according to claim 7, characterized in that the welded part (50) forms an air channel (64) which is connected to the air chamber (65) and has a plug-in receptacle for a separate air pipe (66) which projects into the chamber (41, 42, 43). Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the base body

(59) has a plug-in part (51) which can be plugged into the connection receptacle (23). Container (40) according to claim 9, characterized in that the weld-in part (50) forms an inflow channel (52) and the plug-in part (51) forms an outflow channel (53), wherein in a new state of the container (40) the inflow channel (52) and the outflow channel (53) are separated from one another by a closed membrane (55). Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a finger ring (59) is attached to the base body (49), which can be moved from an initial position into an active position, wherein in the active position the finger ring (59) is designed to be gripped behind by a human finger in order to introduce a tensile force into the base body (49), by means of which the connection piece (44) can be separated from the connection receptacle (23). Container (40) according to claim 11, characterized in that the finger ring (59) is attached to the base body (49) by two connecting webs (60), wherein the two connecting webs

(60) define a pivot axis about which the finger ring (59) can be pivoted from the starting position into the active position. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a pressure plate (58) for receiving a human finger is formed on the base body (49), the pressure force of which can connect the connection piece (44) to the connection receptacle (23). Container (40) according to claim 13 and claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the finger ring (59) in the starting position surrounds the pressure plate (58) and lies essentially in the same plane as the pressure plate (58). Dosing system (1) that can be placed in the interior of a dishwasher and comprises a dosing device (10) and a container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the connection receptacle (23) of the dosing device (10) has an abutment (27) against which the projection (68) of the connection piece (44) abuts when the connection piece (44) is connected to the connection receptacle (23).