WO2024088691A1

WO2024088691A1 - Container with a connection piece which has a finger ring

Info

Publication number: WO2024088691A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/077050
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert RUIZ HERNANDEZ; Sergio LINZ; Arnd Kessler
Original assignee: Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa
Priority date: 2022-10-27
Filing date: 2023-09-29
Publication date: 2024-05-02
Also published as: DE102022128568A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a container (40) for a metering system (1) which can be positioned in the interior of a dishwasher. The container (40) has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving a preparation and a connection piece (44) 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 receiving area (23) of a metering device (10) of the metering system (1) in order to produce a liquid-tight connection between the chamber (41, 42, 43) and the metering device (10). The invention is characterized in that the connection piece (44) has a main part (49) and a finger ring (59) which is secured to the main part (49) and which can be moved from a starting position into an active position, wherein in the active position, the finger ring (59) is designed such that a human finger can engage behind the finger ring in order to introduce a force into the main part (49), said force allowing the connection piece (44) to be separated from the connection receiving area (23).

Description

“Container with a connector with a finger ring”

Description

The invention relates to a container for a dosing system which can be arranged in the interior of a dishwasher and serves to dispense a preparation such as a cleaning preparation into the interior.

EP 2 296 520 B1 discloses such a dosing system with a container and a 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. To replace it, the individual connections between the connector and the connection holder must be separated - first for the emptied container. Then the individual connections must be re-established - for the new or filled container. EP 2 296 520 B1 is a plug-in connection between a connector and a connection holder. To establish the plug-in connection, the connector must be pressed into the connection holder with a certain pressure force and to release the plug-in connection, the connector must be pulled out of the connection holder with a certain tensile force. The forces required for this are introduced into the connector via the container housing. The container housing must therefore be stable in order to be able to transmit the necessary forces.

The required stability of the container housing requires a certain amount of material to be used. In particular, if the container is designed as a disposable container and cannot be refilled after emptying and must be disposed of, the container should be inexpensive to produce and as ecologically sustainable as possible.

The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a container 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 connector has a base body and a finger ring attached to the base body, which can be moved from a starting position to an active position, wherein in the active position the finger ring can be gripped behind by a human finger in order to introduce a force into the base body, by means of which the connector can be separated from the connection receptacle. It is thus possible to introduce the required force to release the connection between the connector and the connection receptacle directly into the connector or into its base body. It is not necessary to introduce the required separating force via the housing of the container. Accordingly, the design, layout and selection of the manufacturing process for the container or housing have to meet fewer requirements with regard to its stability and rigidity. The container can therefore be manufactured using less material, which reduces costs and protects the environment. There is also now more freedom in selecting the appropriate material for the housing of the container.

In the active position, a finger can be placed behind the finger ring. Accordingly, in the active position, the finger ring must be easily accessible, which requires a certain amount of space, since ideally the finger ring protrudes freely into the room. However, this good accessibility of the finger grip is only necessary in the active position, not in the starting position. The starting position can therefore be selected so that the finger ring requires only a small amount of space or only slightly increases the space required by the base body. This means that the dosing system consisting of the dosing device and container can be designed compactly so that it takes up only a small amount of space in the interior of the dishwasher that is actually intended for the dishes to be washed. A small amount of space required by the finger ring in the starting position therefore ultimately means more space for the dishes in the dishwasher. When the finger ring is in the active position, however, the space required by the finger ring is not crucial. The active position is only adopted if the container is to be replaced. To replace the container, the dosing system is removed from the interior of the dishwasher.

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.

Preferably, the finger ring is connected to the base body by two connecting bars. When moving from the starting position to the active position, the connecting bars are deformed, but they are designed in such a way that they can safely transfer the force of the hooked finger acting on the finger ring to the base body. The connecting bars can be used as Parts of a film hinge, whereby the spatial arrangement of the connecting webs in relation to one another determines the pivot axis of the film hinge. Between the starting position and the active position there can be a pivot angle of 80 to 100°, preferably 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.

The finger ring can be circular. It can extend in the circumferential direction over an angle range of 180° to 270°. In the embodiment with the two connecting bars, the finger ring can be a circular arc, with a connecting bar arranged at each end. The finger ring can also be oval or polygonal.

The finger ring can have a grip tab to move the finger ring from the starting position. A fixing bar can be provided near the grip tab, which holds the finger ring in the starting position on the base body. In order to move the finger ring from the starting position, the fixing bar must therefore first be separated. The fixing bar is therefore preferably designed to be very thin or weak and can be broken with little force. The connecting bars, on the other hand, are designed to be more robust than the fixing bar, since the force required to separate the connection between the connector and the connector holder is transferred from the finger ring to the base body via the connecting bars.

In one embodiment, the base body has a welded part with an inflow channel, the welded part being sealingly attached to a chamber wall and the inflow channel being connected to the chamber. The base body can have a plug-in part with an outflow channel, the plug-in part being able to 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 required tensile force being introduced into the base body via the finger ring. A longitudinal axis of the inflow channel and a longitudinal axis of the outflow channel can enclose an angle of 80° to 100°. The two channels preferably run perpendicular to one another.

The inflow channel and the outflow channel can be separated from each other by a closed membrane when new. The membrane can be designed in such a way that it is pierced when the connector and the connection receptacle are connected. If the membrane is pierced or torn, there is a connection between the inflow channel and the outflow channel so that the preparation can pass from the chamber to the connection receptacle of the dosing device. The membrane can also ensure that the chamber is airtight and liquid-tight when new. This separates the preparation in the chamber from the environment and can be stored in the container for a longer period of time. Only when the container is connected to the dosing device does the membrane lose its sealing effect.

The membrane can be formed as one piece onto the base body. The base body with the membrane can preferably be produced by injection molding plastic, whereby it must be ensured that piercing/tearing the membrane when connecting the connector and connection holder does not require too much force. The membrane can therefore be very thin, for example between 0.01 and 0.5 mm or 0.04 and 0.2 mm, preferably 0.08 and 0.12 mm. Such a low wall thickness of the membrane can be achieved by subjecting the membrane to the force of a stamping tool after injection molding, which reduces the wall thickness to the required level.

To ensure that the membrane does not tear when the connector is inserted into the connector receptacle, the plastic from which the membrane and the base body are made can be filled with a filler, preferably an inert plastic. The brittleness of the plastic can be adjusted by choosing the filler and its content. A preferred filler is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). In an embodiment in which polyolefin and in particular polypropylene (PP) is used as the plastic, the filler content is 1 to 10%, preferably 4 to 8%. The plastic for the base body and the membrane must not be too brittle either, so that it does not break under impact (which occurs, for example, in a drop test for the container).

The grain size of the filler is preferably selected so that the grain diameter is not larger than the wall thickness of the membrane. The grain diameter should be the largest diameter or the largest extension in one direction if the grain is not round.

In the initial position, the finger ring can surround a 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 plug-in part out of the connection receptacle in order to release the connection between the connection piece and the connection receptacle, the pressure plate is used to press the plug-in part of the base body into the connection receptacle. In this embodiment, the force required to establish the connection between the connection piece and the connection receptacle can therefore be directed directly to the connection piece. It is not necessary to transfer the force via the housing of the container. The container can therefore be designed to be simple and light.

The pressure plate can be slightly curved inwards (concave) and can serve as a support for a human finger, with the force of which the connection piece can be connected to the connection receptacle. The inward curvature can prevent the finger from slipping when the pressure is released. In one embodiment, the diameter of the pressure plate is 10 to 20 mm. In the embodiment with the pressure plate The enclosing finger ring increases the effective contact surface for the finger, since part of the pressure force can now also be applied to the finger ring.

The diaphragm can lie in a plane that extends parallel to the plane of the pressure plate. If the connection receptacle has a sharp needle or a sharp corner that pierces the diaphragm when the plug is inserted into the connection receptacle, the pressure force on the pressure plate acts exactly perpendicular to the diaphragm.

The pressure plate can be arranged coaxially to the membrane. This means that the pressure force for piercing the membrane can be applied directly above the membrane without any lateral offset.

The base body can have an air chamber with an air chamber wall for ventilating the chamber, with a projection formed on the air chamber wall. The projection can have a system for an abutment of the connection holder. The system is spaced apart from the air chamber wall so that a force acting on the system of the projection when connecting the connection piece and connection holder creates a bending moment. The bending moment causes the lever to rotate, which creates 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 caused by the bending moment or the rotation of the projection. Opening the air chamber wall activates the ventilation function of the connection piece.

Preferably, the air chamber of the connector is connected to an air pipe or an air hose. An end of the air pipe facing away from the air chamber ends in an area of the chamber that is remote from the connector. When the dosing system is in use, this remote area represents the upper area of the chamber. When the preparation is dispensed, air can flow into the upper area of the chamber.

If the container is not yet connected to the dosing device, the preparations in the chambers are completely separated from the environment due to the intact membrane and the undamaged air chamber wall. Only when the connector and connection holder are connected to each other is dosing with a ventilation function possible via the air channel and the torn membrane.

The connection receptacle has an abutment to interact with the projection, against which the projection is pressed when the plug-in part is inserted into the connection receptacle. The projection bends in the process, which leads to a crack or hole in the air chamber wall.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawing. They show: Figure 1 a dosing system;

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 connector in another sectional view with parts of a 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 area of the base 14 and then decreases slightly towards the upper edge 15. A maximum thickness of the housing, preferably in the area of the base 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 with the connecting pieces 44 is expediently carried out only after the chambers 41, 42, 43 have been filled with the respective preparations. During filling, however, the housing halves 45, 46 are already at the edge 47 (except for the The two halves are welded together at the gate 47a) and at the intermediate webs 48. Thermoforming enables thin walls. The amount of material required 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 pressure or a compressive force in order to press the connection piece 44 with the plug-in part 51 into 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 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 establishment and separation of the Connection can be accomplished by a linear movement which is directed perpendicular 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 acting 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 rotates around the thin Connection point 70 in the illustration in Figure 7 moves upwards in an anti-clockwise direction without the projection 68 becoming completely detached from the base body 44. Due to the crack or break at the predetermined breaking point 69, an exchange of air between the environment and the air chamber 65 and thus an exchange of air between the environment and the chamber is now 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) that can be positioned in an interior of a dishwasher, wherein the container (40) has at least one chamber (41, 42, 43) for receiving a preparation and a connecting piece (44) associated with the chamber (41, 42, 43), which is connected to the chamber (41, 42, 43) and can be connected to a connection receptacle (23) of a dosing device (10) of the dosing system (1) to form a liquid-tight connection between the chamber (41, 42, 43) and the dosing device (10), characterized in that the connecting piece (44) has a base body (49) and a finger ring (59) 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 able to be gripped behind by a human finger in order to exert a force into the main body

(49) through which the connecting piece (44) can be separated from the connection receptacle (23).

2. Container (40) according to claim 1, characterized in that the finger ring (59) is rotatable about a pivot axis (63).

3. Container (40) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the finger ring (59) is attached to the base body (49) by two connecting webs (60).

4. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the finger ring (59) is circular and extends over an angular range of 180° to 270°.

5. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the finger ring (59) has a grip tab (62) to move the finger ring (59) from the starting position to the active position.

6. Container (40) according to claim 5, characterized in that a fixing web (61) is provided near the grip tab (62), which holds the finger ring (59) in the starting position.

7. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the base body (44) has a welded part (50) with an inflow channel (52), wherein the welded part

(50) is sealingly attached to a chamber wall (45, 46) and the inflow channel (51) is connected to the chamber (41, 42, 43).

8. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the base body (44) has a plug-in part (51) with a drainage channel (53), wherein the plug-in part (51) can be inserted into the connection receptacle (23). Container (40) according to claim 8, characterized in that the inflow channel and outflow channel are separated from one another by a closed membrane (55) when new. Container (40) according to claim 9, characterized in that the membrane is formed integrally on the base body. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the finger ring in the starting position surrounds a pressure plate (58) and lies essentially in the same plane as the pressure plate (58). Container (40) according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the pressure plate (58) is slightly curved inwards and serves as a support for a human finger, by the force of which the connection piece (44) can be connected to the connection receptacle (23). Container (40) according to claim 11 or 12 and according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the membrane (55) lies in a plane that extends parallel to the plane of the pressure plate (58). Container (40) according to claim 13, characterized in that the pressure plate is arranged coaxially to the membrane. Container (40) according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the connecting piece (44) has an air chamber (65) with an air chamber wall (67), wherein a projection (68) is formed on the air chamber wall (67), which projection has a contact surface (71) spaced apart from the air chamber wall (67) for an abutment (27) of the connecting receptacle (23), so that a force which acts on the contact surface (71) of the projection (68) when the connecting piece (44) and the connecting receptacle (23) are connected generates a bending moment which rotates the projection (68) and tears an opening in the air chamber wall (67).