Patent Application
20240337097
The subject matter of the invention is a WC-deodorizing device comprising a spray container with an actuating element, the actuating element preferably being a spray head, a fastening device for the spray container on the outside of the WC bowl, and a tube system which is connected to the actuating element and leads into the bowl interior via the rim of the WC bowl.
Undesirable smells often occur during and after use. Therefore, different measures for reducing the odor nuisance are commonly used, for example air freshener sprays, which are sprayed into the room air after use of the WC. These then have the disadvantage that they are only applied with a time-delay from the emergence of the odor and are spread throughout the entire room. Therefore, there are also devices which dispense a corresponding spray in the interior of the WC bowl in order to reduce or avoid unpleasant odors before and during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,676,856 B1 describes a device with which an aerosol can be dispensed into a toilet bowl from a container. The device has a housing with a canister holding section, which holds a canister having a nozzle for spraying an odor treating spray. The housing also has two plates for attaching the device to a rim of the toilet bowl. Located between the plates are springs for biasing a WC-seat when the seat is empty, and for allowing the seat to move downward when someone is sitting on the seat. The downward motion of the seat moves the top member down, whereby the nozzle on the canister is actuated and a predetermined amount of spray sprays into the toilet bowl. The construction described is comparatively elaborate and must be specifically adapted to the geometry of the toilet.
DE 10 2016 010 943 A1 describes a hygiene spray line made up of fewer components, which line is hung laterally on a toilet and connected to a spray can. The construction is composed of only a few components and provides a mount for attachment to the toilet bowl.
The known systems have the disadvantage that they require either comparatively elaborate constructions or are adapted to the exact dimensions of a WC unit. With these constructions, the highly brand-dependent dimensional differences of WC bowls as a whole in terms of height, bowl-rim width, space between the seat and bowl, etc., make it necessary to provide a different device for each standard type. The devices are also permanently installed and cannot be transported to another WC.
The subject matter of the invention is a WC-deodorizing device according to claim 1.
Further embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims or are described below.
The WC-deodorizing device according to the invention comprises a fastening device for the spray container on the outside of the WC bowl and a tube system which can be connected to an actuating element of a spray container and leads from the actuating element into the bowl interior via the rim of the WC bowl. By actuating the actuating element when spray containers are attached, a spraying process is initiated and an amount of spray is dispensed from the spray container.
The WC-deodorizing device comprises an ergonomically shaped grip element which has a central receiving opening for the actuating element and at least two contact surfaces for fingers, which contact surfaces are arranged to the sides of the receiving opening. The contact surfaces are designed in a wing-shape or rectangularly, for example. The contact surfaces can also comprise rounded indentations on the bottom side of the grip element. Which are matched to the finger curvature and permit an easier finger placement. The grip element comprises a connecting means with which it is connected to the spray container, that is, mounted on the spray container.
The tube system comprises a flexible tube which leads into the interior of the WC bowl between the toilet seat and the upper bowl rim of the WC bowl. The flexible tube can, at one end thereof, be connected to the actuating element at the height of the dispensing opening of the spray container and, at the other end thereof, comprises an outlet opening.
The WC-deodorizing device according to the invention furthermore comprises a positioning element that is attached to a first end of the tube system and is positioned in the bowl interior of the WC bowl. The positioning element contains a counterweight, preferably on the bottom side, which pulls the tube into position and holds it there in the interior of the WC bowl. At the end with the outlet opening, the flexible tube is connected to the positioning element, wherein the tube ends inside of the positioning element and the outlet opening is preferably arranged in the positioning element. The positioning aid is thereby slid over the tube in a detachable manner, like a funnel or a hose barb, for example. The positioning aid can also be connected to the tube in a fixed manner.
The spray container contains a fluid that is sprayed as a spray or aerosol through the tube into the interior of the WC bowl. The fluid is, for example, a cleaning agent, a disinfectant, a deodorant, an antiseptic solution, a perfumed solution, or an air freshener.
The tube system is preferably composed of a flexible tube. The flexible tube is preferably a silicone tube or a plastic tube. The tube has, for example, an inner diameter of 0.5-5 mm, preferably 1-2 mm.
The grip element is preferably made of plastic, particularly preferably a molded plastic part. In one embodiment, the grip element is embodied in mirror symmetry relative to the center axis, wherein the center axis runs through the center point of the receiving opening and transversely to the contact surfaces. Optionally, the grip element comprises an opening for the tube on the side facing the WC bowl, and the flexible tube is guided from the spray head through the opening is. The opening is designed, for example, as an elongate slot from top to bottom, in order to account for the movement of the tube during the raising/lowering of the spray head.
The grip element internally comprises the spray head only loosely, in order to ensure an upward and downward motion of the spray head during actuation. It is only held in its position by a parallel holder in the receiving opening. A downward falling-out is prevented by the guidance of the tube through the opening.
The grip element, preferably embodied as a three-finger spray head, makes it possible to dispense spray into the WC interior by applying only three fingers-thumb on the spray head, and pointer finger and middle finger on the outer wings. It is thus possible to operate an upright spray container while sitting on the WC. When the spray head is actuated, the fluid reaches the interior of the bowl through the tube between the toilet seat and bowl rim. There, the tube opens into the positioning aid, for example approximately 5 cm below the bowl rim.
The positioning element is preferably a plastic part or a metal part is, which is formed to be funnel-shaped, teardrop-like, round, or oval, and is slid over the tube. In one embodiment, the counterweight of the positioning element is a metal body which is preferably completely surrounded by the positioning element, for example a disk-shaped or plate-shaped body. In a further embodiment, the counterweight is formed from plastic, preferably from the same plastic as the positioning element. The counterweight artificially weighs down the positioning element and is, for example, a metal weight weighing approximately 8-12 g or, for example, an asymmetrical plastic construction weighing 12-15 g.
In one embodiment, the positioning element is embodied to be asymmetrical, and the counterweight is arranged decentrally in the positioning element.
The positioning aid comprises the counterweight in order to ensure two things. On the one hand, it serves to keep the outlet opening of the tube in its position during the not insignificant buildup of pressure, since the tube, with the opening thereof, would otherwise move uncontrollably in the bowl interior when the spray head is actuated, and would possibly directly spray the user. On the other hand, the counterweight is preferably installed decentrally and guarantees a self-alignment of the positioning aid and thus a correct position of the outlet opening, which optimally dispenses spray at an angle of 25°-45°.
In one embodiment, the fastening device for fastening the WC-deodorizing device according to the invention to the WC bowl is in several parts, in particular at least two parts, and comprises two magnets, wherein a first magnet is fastened on or in the grip element and a second magnet, which interacts with said first magnet, is fastened to the outside of the WC bowl. The first magnet can, for example be adhered to the outside of the grip element, or can be surrounded by the material of the grip element and mounted in the interior of the grip element. The second magnet is, for example, adhered to the outside of the WC bowl or retained there in another manner.
If the WC-deodorizing device according to the invention is fastened on the outer bowl rim by means of a magnet or other releasable fastener, it can be removed at any time to clean the toilet or also to replace the spray container. This magnet combination is not subjected to aging and should function for years. During initial installation, for example, a self-adhesive magnet is thereby applied to the outside of the WC bowl rim. Said magnet has its “counterpart” arranged on or in the grip element.
As a means of connection to the spray container, the grip element preferably comprises a screw lock, a buckle lock, a magnet lock, or a clip lock. To fasten the grip element on the spray container, there thus exist multiple possibilities depending on whether the device is designed as a disposable product or a reusable product.
In one embodiment of the WC-deodorizing device according to the invention, said device comprises a spray container with an actuating element, wherein the actuating element is preferably a spray head. The spray container is preferably a compressed gas container or a pump spray container. The compressed gas container is, for example, a commercially available deodorant container. From an environmental standpoint, changing-out the spray containers is desirable. This is possible with a magnet lock or screw lock, for example. In the case of a disposable product, a fixed connection would also be used. An advantage of the compressed gas containers is that the 50, 100, 150 ml bottles all have the same diameter of the container rim and the size of the spray container can be chosen depending on the frequency.
The WC-deodorizing device according to the invention makes it possible to apply a spray to the interior of a WC bowl while said device is used in the seated position. For this purpose, fluid from an externally attached spray container is transported into the interior of a WC bowl through a tube system. As a result of the tube system according to the invention having the form of a flexible tube, the device according to the invention adapts to the enormous diversity of bowl anatomy and takes into consideration the diversity of geometries and dimensions. The tube can be easily raised to clean the WC bowl, and the tube itself is also easy to clean or replace.
Because of the counterweight in the positioning aid, that is, a decentral increase in weight, the WC-deodorizing device according to the invention can, without any additional equipment, be brought into a position that always self-adapts since the device aligns itself in the WC bowl. The fastening on the outside is also possible without tools or additional attachments, solely by affixing a magnet, adhesive strip, or hook-and-loop strip, for example.
The device according to the invention can quickly be installed on any desired toilet. The elimination of rigid, complicated fixtures or installations allows the device according to the invention to be used for any desired WC bowl independently of geometry and dimensions. Unlike previous systems, the device according to the invention is thus versatile despite the significant dimensional differences in width inside of the WC bowls, as well as the brand-dependent dimensional differences altogether in terms of height, bowl-rim width, and space between the seat and bowl. The arrangement can be positioned at any desired location of the bowl rim, and the tube can be adapted accordingly. Due to the few, simply designed components, the production costs are low and allow a mass production.
The invention will be explained in greater detail with the aid of the figures. Thereby:
The invention is not limited to any one of the embodiments described above, but rather can be modified in many and varied ways.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2021 108 067.3 | Mar 2021 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/057173 | 3/18/2022 | WO |
