Patent Application
20180291599
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for controllably releasing an appropriate amount of soapy water concentrate into a dishwashing sink as the sink is filled with water. More particularly, the apparatus provides a simple, economical and virtually waste-free method of introducing detergent into a dishwashing sink for dishwashing applications, most typically the cleansing of pots and pans.
The general principle of introducing soaps and detergents in controlled amounts into wash water is known. Typically, known techniques for introducing controlled amounts of soap into wash water require the use of judgment on the part of the person filling the sink, a generally unsatisfactory standard since this can lead to insufficient amounts of soap being added to the water to perform the task successfully or, alternatively, to an oversupply of the wash water with soap, thereby leading to waste. Common devices such as pump-type applicators, squeeze bottles, and measuring cups, in addition to being quite messy, also rely on the judgment of the user for dosage control and are likewise unsatisfactory.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,872 to Corneae, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,726 to Vesborg disclose devices for dispensing detergent compounds into the wash water of a clothes washing machine. Such devices rely on total and continued immersion in the washing machine during agitation for the release of clothes washing detergent, typically in liquid form. Such devices possess the disadvantage of requiring opening and refilling with soap after each use, and are not suitable for institutional dishwashing since in dishwashing sinks the level of agitation is minimal as compared to a clothes washing machine.
Also known is a detergent container as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,952 to Kryk. The Kryk apparatus comprises an inverted container which may be filled with detergent pellets, briquettes or the like. The container is placed outside of the sink to be filled with soap. When it is desired to fill a sink or other basin with soap, a water spray is introduced through a mesh grid in the bottom of the container, which spray dissolves the soap pellets in the container, causing soapy liquid to fall from the container into the sink being filled. This device requires a special external sink mounting and water feed, all of which greatly complicates its use, and also requires some degree of user judgment in determining the duration of water spray which is allowed to impinge upon the soap pellets while filling the sink.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,014 to Feig, discloses a controlled release dispenser which is placed on the bottom of a sink. Water is permitted to flow from a faucet spout into the dispenser, and soapy water flows out of it at a controlled rate. However, the dispenser must be placed on the bottom of the sink, which is problematic if there are dishes already in the sink.
Other devices include dispensers which are mounted external from, and proximate to, a sink. These dispensers need to be installed and connected to a water line. Therefore, there is a significant cost for installing and maintaining such dispensers.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a simple-to-use device and method for filling a sink with a required amount of soap.
The present disclosure is directed to a device and method for filling a sink or other basin with soapy water concentrate in a controlled, economical and tidy fashion.
The present disclosure is further directed to a device for the delivery of a soapy water liquid concentrate solution to a sink as the sink is filled by a stream of water from a spout. The device includes a container having a sidewall and a top wall forming an interior. The top wall includes an inlet aperture therein. The container includes at least one outlet opening. The container has, within the interior, a predetermined quantity of water soluble, detergent. A handle is secured to the container forming a loop above the top wall. An attachment assembly is operably securable to the spout. The attachment assembly has a first stop for retaining the handle and suspending the container therefrom. The first stop positions the container in a dispensing position wherein the inlet aperture is disposed below the spout and in the fill water stream water. The attachment assembly has a second stop for retaining the container in a non-dispensing position wherein the inlet aperture is not within the stream of water.
The present disclosure is still further directed to a method for the controlled delivery of a soapy water liquid concentrate solution to a sink as the sink is filled by a stream of water from a source of fill water, the method comprising the steps of:
suspending a container from a spout adapted to emit the stream of water, the container having a sidewall and a top wall forming an interior, the top wall including an inlet aperture therein, the container including at least one outlet opening, the container having within the interior a predetermined quantity of water soluble detergent, a handle secured to the container forming a loop above the top wall;
securing a first stop to the spout, the first stop receiving the handle and positioning the first stop wherein the inlet aperture is disposed below a spout in the stream of water to create a soapy solution in the sink; and
securing a second stop to the spout, the second stop receiving the handle and positioning the container in a non-dispensing position wherein the inlet aperture is not within the stream of water to stop the production of soapy solution.
In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:
The present disclosure relates to a controlled release soap dispenser which may be simply used to dose a sink with a suitable amount of soapy water concentrate. The device is configured as an essentially sealed container which contains a soap or detergent concentrate. The detergent may be in the form of a semi-sold concentrate. The device is placed in a sink suspended between the spout and the sink bottom, and a source of fill water is directed into the container through an inlet aperture at the top of the container. This inlet water, entering the container under pressure, creates currents within the container, agitating the water in the container against the soap concentrate and causing it to dissolve, thereby creating a soapy water concentrate solution. This solution is ejected from the container by the entry of fill water into the container through the inlet aperture. The formation of soapy water concentrate is a function of the pressure of the water entering through the container, which pressure determines the degree of agitation of the water in the container, and the temperature of the agitated water, both factors influencing the degree to which the semi-solid soap concentrate dissolves to form the soapy water concentrate solution.
When the sink is sufficiently filled with soapy water, the dispenser may be moved to a non-dispensing position out of the flow of the water. In this way, the sink can be filled to the desired level with soapy water. The device is disposable and when the soap concentrate is used up, the device may be discarded and replaced with a fresh one.
With initial reference to
In a preferred embodiment, the container 10 is generally cylindrical, although it will be recognized that the container may have different shapes and may be rounded, squared, tapered, or assume any other shape as long as the container is configured to permit the container 10 to be suspended in a sink 53 above a sink bottom 54 and below the spout 56 of a sink's faucet as shown in
The container 10 has a lid 11 including a top or upper surface 12 through which an inlet aperture 14 is formed therethrough. The inlet aperture 14 is predeterminately sized to permit a flow of fill water 15 from a sink spout 56 to be directed therethrough to reach the interior of the container 10. In one embodiment, the inlet aperture 14 has a diameter of approximately ⅞″, although it will be readily recognized by those skilled in the art that the size of the inlet aperture may be suitably varied to accommodate streams of water of varying diameters.
Also positioned on the upper surface 12 of container 10, as shown in
Referring now to
With reference to
The dispensing support 60 may be positioned on the spout 56 such that the first notch 62 is above the spout opening 72 from which the water flows such that the stream of water flows into the inlet aperture 14. When the handle 50 is placed over the spout and into the first notch 62, the spout opening preferably sits above the inlet aperture 14 located at the center of the top surface. If the spout opening 72 is angled such that the water stream is not directed directly down toward the sink bottom, the dispensing support 60 can be positioned on the spout such that the water stream enters the inlet aperture 14 when the container is retained at the first notch 62.
The attachment assembly 58 further includes a non-dispensing support 74 having an upper surface including a second stop for retaining the container 10 at a predetermined non-dispensing position. The second stop may include a second notch 76 formed in the non-dispensing support 74. The second notch walls 78 may be curved to permit the handle 50 to be easily slid in the second notch 76. The non-dispensing support 74 may have a concave bottom surface 79 to correspond to the spout upper surface 66. The non-dispensing support 74 may have a pair of spaced slots 80 through which clamping devices 68 such as cable ties may be extended to secure the non-dispensing support to the spout. A piece of resilient material 81 may be placed between the concave bottom surface 79 and the spout upper surface 66 in order to assist in retaining the non-dispensing support 74 in position.
The second notch 76 of the non-dispensing support 74 is preferably placed offset a distance D from the spout opening 72 such that when the container handle 50 is placed in the second notch, the container 10 is out of the flow of water from the spout. Accordingly, the offset distanced D may be a function of the diameter, d, of the container 10.
In one embodiment, the dispensing support 60 and the non-dispensing support 74 are formed of two separate pieces. This permits the distance between the first and second notches to be adjusted. However, it is within the contemplation of the present invention that the two supports could be formed on one integrally formed piece.
With further reference to
Referring again to
Upon optional removal of the container 10 from the first notch 62 or second notch 76, the container 10 may be inverted by a user to drain any excess water from the container. The container 10 may then be placed in the non-dispensing position in the second notch 76 until a fresh supply of soapy water is required. At which time the above-described process is repeated. When all of the semi-sold soap concentrate 40 in the container 10 is used up, the entire container 10 may be discarded.
Accordingly, the container 10 can provide soapy water for cleaning purposes without the need to install the container or connect it to a water supply. After all the soap is used up in one container, a user simply selects a new, fresh container 10 and suspends it from the spout 56 in the manner set forth above.
It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the above-described formation of soapy water concentrate is in significant part a result of the commingling and interaction between the semi-solid soap concentrate 40 and the currents of water created in the container by the water stream entering the container 10 under pressure through the inlet aperture 14. The formation of soapy water concentrate resultant from this combination is at a maximum when the water entering the inlet aperture 14 is directed thereto from a faucet spout, spigot, hose or other pressurized water source. If the container 10 is suspended into the sink interior below the sink top, the water could be permitted to flow above the top surface 12 of the container. As the water level rises above the top surface 12, water entering the sink 53 from the spout or other water source will no longer enter inlet aperture 14 under pressure, and therefore only negligible soapy water concentrate formation will take place after the sink fills to a level above the upper surface 12. For that reason, the process of releasing a controlled dose of soapy water concentrate into the sink 53 by the above-described method is self-terminating, since once the water level rises above the upper level of upper surface 12, soapy water concentrate formation essentially ceases in this way. The introduction of soapy water concentrate is highly controlled, greatly reducing the opportunity for waste by the user or for overdosing the wash water with too high a concentration of detergent.
In a currently preferred embodiment, the container 10 is a cylinder having a height of approximately 4⅞″ and circular base having a diameter of approximately 4¾″. Inlet aperture 14 is predeterminately circularly shaped with a diameter of approximately ⅞″, and outlet apertures 16 are predeterminately configured as circular bores each having a diameter of approximately ¼″. The container may, for example, be filled with approximately 2 lbs. of semi-solid soap concentrate of a type previously described above and, when used in institutional sinks having capacities in the 10 to 20 gallon range (most typically 15 gallons) a device so configured will provide approximately 15 sinks full of adequately-dosed soapy water for use in institutional pot, pan and dishwashing applications. These dimensions and weights are exemplary, and it is within the contemplation of the present disclosure that the dimensions and amount of soap could be varied.
Referring to
In another alternate, depicted in
With reference now to
In addition, the concentration of soapy water ultimately yielded may be varied by the user by varying the water pressure and/or the temperature of the water to suit individual application needs. Typical water temperatures for institutional pot and pan washing application averages in a range between approximately 100° to 140° F., while typical water pressures encountered in institutional dishwashing sink runs from approximately 12 to 30 pounds. The end user, by selectively varying the water pressure and temperature, may accordingly vary the quantity of soapy water concentrate formed in the container and entering the sink, thereby varying the ultimate detergent level in the sink as required to suit that user's particular requirements.
Given the teachings provided herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will be able to contemplate other implementations and applications of the techniques of the disclosed embodiments. Although illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that these embodiments are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications are made therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
