WO1993016241A1

WO1993016241A1 - Lavatory cleansing devices

Info

Publication number: WO1993016241A1
Application number: PCT/GB1993/000219
Authority: WO
Inventors: Graham Kelly; John Marshall; Frank Tyldesley; Brian Murie Wilson; James William Youngs
Original assignee: Jeyes Group, Plc
Priority date: 1992-02-10
Filing date: 1993-02-02
Publication date: 1993-08-19
Also published as: AU3457693A; MX9300719A

Abstract

A lavatory cleansing device, for immersion in the cistern of a lavatory or urinal comprising a chamber (1) for containing water-soluble or water-dispersible treatment material, and syphon means (3) in connection with the interior of the chamber (1) and having an inlet (4) spaced above the floor of the chamber (1) and an outlet (5) exterior of the chamber (1) and below the level of the inlet (4).

Description

LAVATORY CLEANSING DEVICES

This invention is concerned with improvements in and relating to lavatory cleansing devices.

In particular, the invention is concerned with lavatory cleansing devices for immersion in the water cistern of a lavatory or urinal whereby, upon flushing, a dose of a treatment liquid, obtained by dissolving material from a solid block of material within a chamber of the device, is delivered to water in the cistern.

Basically, the present invention provides a lavatory device for immersion in the cistern of a lavatory or urinal comprising a chamber for containing water-soluble or water-dispersible treatment material, and syphon means in connection with the interior of the chamber and having an inlet spaced above the floor of the chamber and an outlet exterior of the chamber and below the level of the inlet and preferably below the level of the floor of the chamber.

The chamber for containing the treatment material may be open topped, whereby the device as a whole is refillable; i.e. a new portion or dose of treatment material may be introduced to replace exhausted treatment: material. Alternatively, the chamber may have a generally closed top and, in this case, the upper part of the chamber should be provided with one or more vents to allow air to freely enter or leave the chamber.

In use, as discussed more fully below in connection with the accompanying drawings, a device in accordance with the invention is wholly or partially immersed in the cistern of a lavatory, preferably so that the upper part of the chamber is substantially at the same level as the uppermost water level in the cistern. Water thus enters the chamber through the syphon and, after flushing of the cistern, leaves the device through the syphon. It is most desirable that so-called "end dosing" can be achieved by operation of the device; that is the treatment material contained in is emptied preferably at the final discharge of the contents of the cistern. This ensures that the water finally introduced into the lavatory bowl; and which will remain there after flushing, will contain a higher concentration of treatment material. This is especially the case where the treatment material comprises a bleach, fragrance or disinfectant, so that the benefits of these remain in the bowl.

We have found that for a lavatory cistern of nine litres capacity, the total water capacity of the device (i.e. the amount of water which will flow into the device when it is appropriately immersed in the cistern empty of any treatment material) is suitably from 50 to 200 ml, preferably 90 to 140 ml. The treatment material, when present in wholly unconsumed form, suitably forms from 25 to 75% of the total, preferably from 30 to 50% thereof. The total volume of liquid dosed in any one flushing is suitably 30 to 95%, preferably 50 to 90%, especially preferably 70 to 80%, of the total volume of liquid in the device. That is, by virtue of the supply entrance being located above the floor of the chamber, some water containing dissolved treatment material remains in the chamber. In order to achieve suitable end dosing the diameter of the syphon aperture is suitably 1 to 10, preferably 4 to 6 mm. The diameter may, of course, vary depending on the nature of the cistern in which the device is to be employed and on the location of the device within that cistern. As will be appreciated, the total capacity of the device may suitably be increased (generally pro rata) if it is to be used with a cistern of appreciably greater water capacity, and vice versa. We have also found that the above numerical considerations apply to similar devices in which no syphon is employed but in which water is allowed to enter and leave the device via an aperture located above the floor of the chamber.

The treatment material to be used in the device of the invention is conveniently a solid block and, for convenience, in the following description reference will be made to solid blocks. However, other forms of treatment material may be employed such as pastes or gels or particulate forms, such as granules, which latter are more conveniently contained in perforate flexible container (e.g. in a so-called "tea bag") or in water-soluble pouches.

In order that the invention may be well understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: -

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of lavatory cleansing device in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through another embodiment of lavatory cleansing device in accordance with the invention;

and Figure 3 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 2.

The lavatory cleansing device shown in Figure 1 of the drawings comprises an open topped chamber 1, for containing a block of solid water-soluble or water-dispersable treatment material, the chamber having a lower extension 2 in connection with the inlet end 4 of a syphon tube 3 whose outlet 5 is disposed exterior to and and at a level below the floor of chamber 1. Chamber 1 is further provided with water level indicating means (in the upper portion thereof) .

In operation, a block of solid treatment material is firstly inserted into chamber 1 and the whole device is then immersed in a cistern, when full, so that the water level indicating -means in chamber 1 is approximately level with the water level in the cistern. Under these conditions, of course, water will flow into chamber 1 through syphon 3 to fill the whole device to about the water level mark. Water in contact with the solid block of treatment material will partially dissolve it so as to form a solution of the treatment material within the device. Upon flushing of the cistern, the water level in the cistern will, of course, descend, below the level of the floor of chamber l so that the solution in the device, or a part of it, will be syphoned off from the device by the operation of syphon 3. When the cistern refills the device itself will be refilled by water entering through syphon 3.

Since the inlet 4 of syphon 3 is spaced above the floor of chamber 1, not all the solution in those chambers is dispensed and this is of advantage since if the cistern is flushed shortly after having refilled there will still be active-ingredient-containing material to be dispensed into the water of the cistern from the device.

The apparatus shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings is similar in principle to that shown in Figure 1 of the drawings except that the syphon is formed internally within chamber 1 from an upper closed tube 7 and a lower delivery tube 8, the lowest point of tube 7, surrounding tube 8, defining the inlet portion of the effective syphon and the lower portion of tube 8 defining the outlet portion of the syphon.

Devices in accordance with the invention are conveniently manufactured, by appropriate moulding techniques, from plastics materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, etc. The chamber 1 of the device shown in the drawing is open-topped so that blocks of cleaning or treatment material may be inserted into the device as and when a block in the device has become exhausted.

The treatment material to be inserted into the devices of the invention serves to introduce into the flush water in the cistern desired ingredients such as surfactants, colorants, fragrances, disinfectants, iodophors, chlorine-release agents or limescale removal or inhibition agents, and it will be formulated of appropriate materials, which may be water-soluble or water-dispersible, for providing such active ingredients The treatment material m the device suitably has a weight from 5 to 150 gms, preferably 10 to 100 grms.

It would have been expected that, due to the fact that the treatment material in the cleansing device is to a large extent "containerised" by the device, or protected from surrounding water, the unit dose, e.g. block, would have had to be relatively water-soluble as compared with, for example, a so-called "naked" or uncontainerised lavatory cleansing block of the sort which is simply placed per se, without any container, in the cistern of a lavatory or urinal.

Surprisingly, it has been found that using the above-described lavatory cleansing device it is necessary that the cleaning material be relatively insoluble, indeed, in many cases, more insoluble than a "naked" lavatory cleansing block of generally similar composition. Accordingly, in formulating the treatment block for use in accordance with the invention it may be necessary to use solubility retarding agent (s) in significant quantities.

Basically, therefore, the treatment material used in accordance with the invention will frequently comprise a surfactant component and a solubility control component, optionally together with any of a variety of other components such as fillers, colorants, fragrances, disinfectants, halogen-release agents and the like. Thus, in basic composition, the treatment material will be similar to the so-called naked blocks as discussed above. A large number of published specifications are concerned with such blocks and mention may be made of the following GB-A-2164560 , GB-A-2169612 , GB-A-2178442 , ΞP-A-0184416, EP-A-0206725 , EP-A-2217343 , GB-A-2233966 , EP-A-0341836, EP-A-0503751, US-A-4722802 , US-A-4820449 , US-A-4911858 and US-A-4911859. These documents generally describe and particularly exemplify a very wide variety of compositions suitable for the formulation of naked lavatory cleansing blocks and these formulations may readily and simply be modified to give a formulation suitable for use as treatment material using the device of the present invention.

Suitably, the treatment material in a cleansing device of the invention will give a total life from 10 to 100 days, preferably 20 to 40 days, (at an average rate of 17 flushes per day) . We have found that a formulation which, when formulated as a naked lavatory cleansing block having a weight of about 50 gms, gives a life of 40 to 60 days (measured under the above conditions) will give a formulation, when used as treatment material in accordance with the present invention, having the preferred in-use life. It is, accordingly, a matter of simple trial to decide whether any particular formulation will, or will not, be suitable for use in accordance with the present invention.

It is generally preferred that the treatment material, when in block form, be formed by the steps of forming a mixture of the appropriate ingredients, extruding this into a rod and then cutting the rod into suitable lengths. Other forms of treatment material may be made by appropriate methods, e.g. by tabletting the ingredients, forming a melt of the ingredients and moulding the melt, or by granulating the ingredients and then placing them in a suitable container.

As discussed in the various patent specifications referred to above, a wide variety of surface active agents may be used for formulating lavatory cleansing blocks. A very wide variety (as mentioned in the above mentioned specifications) of solubility control agents may be employed including hydrophobes, difficultly soluble materials including difficultly soluble (low-ethoxylated) non-ionic surfactants, fatty acid alkanolamides, and rheological control agents such as gums. Again, as noted in the various specifications mentioned above, many fragrances or perfumes are, in themselves, essentially hydrophobic and may serve as a part, or the whole of, the solubility control component.

In the following Examples, there are illustrated formulations suitable for producing various blocks.

The formulations were tested, as blocks having a weight of 50 grams, firstly, in a device of the invention and, secondly, as free standing blocks, at an average rate of 17 flushes per day in cisterns of 9 litres capacity. In the examples all percentages are by weight unless otherwise stated.

Example 1

Formulation providing a Halogen Release agent.

Material %

* Nansa HS85S 62 ** Ficlor CDB 30 *** Dobanol 91 7 Mineral Oil _I

100

Life in container 28 Days

Life as free standing block 58 Days Example 2

Formulation providing a high degree of fragrance.

Material %.

* Nansa HS85S 53.5 Sodium Sulphate 33.5 Magnesium Sulphate 5.0 Perfume 511 8.0

100

Life in container 29 Days

Life as a free standing block -60 Days

Example 3

Formulation providing a colouring agent

* Ufaryl DL90C 37.7 Magnesium Sulphate 5.0 Sodium Sulphate 45.4 Acid Blue 9 Dye 4.4 Pine Oil 7.0 OBPCP 0.5

100

Life in container 28 Days

Life as a free standing block 62 Days Example 4

Formulation colouring and fragrance

* Ufaryl DL90C

Magnesium Sulphate Sodium Sulphate Acid Blue 9 Dye Perfume 511 OBPCP

100

Life in container 20 Days

Life as a free standing block - 60 Days

Nansa HS85S & Ufaryl DL90C are commercially available

Sodium Dodecyl Benzene Sulphonate powders and are trademarks of Albright & Wilson and Unger, respectively.

Ficlor CDB is a trademark of the Olin Corporation referring to the dihydrate of Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate

*** Dobanol 91 is a trademark of Shell Chemicals referring to a blend of C₀y-C.i. primary alcohols.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A lavatory cleansing device, for immersion in the cistern of a lavatory or urinal comprising a chamber (1) for containing water-soluble or water-dispersible treatment material, and syphon means (3) in connection with the interior of the chamber and having an inlet (4) spaced above the floor of the chamber and an outlet (5) exterior of the chamber and below the level of the inlet (4) .

2. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in claim l in which the outlet of the syphon means is located below the level of the floor of the chamber.

3. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in claim l or claim 2 in which the chamber for containing the treatment material is open topped, whereby the device may be refilled with treatment material.

4. A modification of the device claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the syphon is replaced by an aperture located above the floor of the chamber. 5. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims so constructed and arranged that the total volume of liquid dosed in any one flushing is from 30 to 95% of the total water capacity of the device (the amount of water which will flow in the device when it is appropriately immersed, empty of any treatment material in a cistern) .

5. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the diameter of the syphon aperture is from 1 to 10 mm.

7. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims containing a unit portion of treatment material having a weight of from 5 to 150 grams.

8. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in claim 6 in which the treatment material is in the form of a solid block.

9. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the lavatory cleansing material is such that, when formulated as a naked block, it will have a longer in-use life than would the same block in the lavatory cleansing device (as measured under the same conditions) . 10. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in claim 9 in which the lavatory cleansing formulation, when formulated as a naked lavatory cleansing block having a weight of about 50 grams, gives a life of 40 to 60 days

(measured at an average rate of 17 flushes per day) .

11. A lavatory cleansing device as claimed in any one of claims 8-10 in which the lavatory cleansing material comprises a surface active component together with one or more solubility retarding agent.