AU602288B2 - A dispenser - Google Patents

Description

YYL"~'L~;li- 602 288 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 Name of Applicant Address of Applicant QUEENSLAND PLUMBING PTY LTD 22 Prospect Street, Valley, Queensland, Australia Fortitude 4006, Actual Inventor Address for Service S DONALD HARDIE SMITH GRANT ADAMS COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 333 Adelaide Street, BRISBANE. QUEENSLAND. 4000

AUSTRALIA.

1 I COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: "A DISPENSER" ~i The following statement is invention including the best to us.

a full description of the method of performing it known L 2 7/ 014/04/8'-1 THIS INVENTION relates to a liquid dispenser.

There are many and varied applications for a dispenser capable of delivering a predetermined fairly small volume of a liquid at intervals from a bulk supply. One such application is for the dispensing of a liquid deodorant to a toilet bowl; other applications may be for the dispensing of liquid soaqp or detergent, or of a lubricant, or of a liquid adhesive.

The present invention has been devised with the general object of providing a dispenser for such i purposes and which is particularly effective, positive and reliable in operation and which may be of simple and economical construction.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention resides broadly, in a dispenser of predetermined quantities of liquid from a reservoir including: a liquid supply chamber, cdn inlet to the liquid supply chamber for connection to the reservoir to receive liquid therefrom I and including a first non-return valve, an outlet from the liquid supply chamber leading by way of a second non-return valve to a liquid 1 dispens.ng conduit, a pneumatic cylinder, and actuating means for expelling a predetermined volume of air from the pneumatic cylinder to the liquid supply chamber to displace liquid therefrom to the liquid dispensing conduit, wherein: the actuating means irLclude a valved piston slidable in the pneumatic cylinder,, and the pneumatic cylinder is provided with means for mounting it in a doorway so that when a door is fully closed in the doorway it advances the piston to expel air to the liquid supply chamber.

Other features of the invention wil2 become apparent from the following description.

M In order that a preferred embodiment of the invention may be readily understood and carried into practical effect, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:i 2! -4.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a dispenser according to the invention, applied to the deodorisation of a toilet Ulite, FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the metering assembly of the dispenser, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the actuating pneumatic cylinder device of the dispenser.

The dispenser illustrated is made and arranged to dispense metered quantities of a liquid deodorant 10 from a bulk supply tank 1i- of the liquid into the flush pipe 11 leading from a toilet cistern 12 to a toilet pedestal bowl 13. The supply tank, in this embodiment, is located in a room or other space 14 remote from the Stoilet 15 and separated from it by a wall 16 in which is ia 15 a doorway 17 to the toilet, having a hinged door 18.

Each time that the door 18 is fully closed a predetermined volume of the liquid deodorant is dispensed into the flush pipe 11, from which it may flow, and be subsequently flushed, into the toilet bowl 13.

[j The metering assembly of the dispenser, indicated generally at 19, includes a tubular member of inverted T-shape comprising a vertical supply chamber with a horizontal fluid inlet 21 to, and a coaxial fluid outlet 22 from, its lower end. This tubular member is provided with apertu-rd attachment lugs 23 by means of which the metering assembly may be wall-mounted, as shown.

A stop-cock 24 screwed into the bung hole of the bulk supply tank 10 is connected by a hose 25 to a first spring-loaded non-return valve 26 of well-known type whichi is connected to the fluid inlet 21. An elbow 27 leads from the fluid outlet 22 to a second spring-loaded non-return valve 28. To the outlet from this valve there is connected one end of a first fluid line 29 which is carried upwards and then bent over to -l-i IIIU ijlY~~CU~I) t l a) a g tat0 aaat at a9 a a 'a a a a a sal at, at's a..

discharge into a receptacle 30 from which a second fluid line 31 leads down, then horizontally through the wall 16 into the toilet 15, where it is connected to lead into the flush pipe 11.

A pneumatic cylinder device 32 is mounted on a jamb of the doorway 17 and under its lintel. This device includes a cylinder 33 fixed to a mounting bracket 34 whereby the device may be secured by screws in the required location. A piston 35 is slidable in the cylinder and has one radiused end protruding from one open end of the cylinder, the other end of which is closed by a domed end piece 36. A set screw 37 through the cylinder wall and engaged in a keyway 38 in the piston limits the outward movement of the piston. A 15 circumferential groove 39 about the inner end portion of the piston accommodates a resilient annulus 40 which is permitted some axial movement and serves as a check valve which, on the working stroke of the piston, closes air passages 41 in the piston, opening them on its 20 return I roke. A helical return spring 42 is fitted about a stem 43 which terminates in a foot 44 bearing against the domed end piece 36. The stem and spring extend into an axial passage 45 in the piston, the spring 42 bearing at one end against the end of this passage and at the other end against the foot 44.

An air passage 45 from the pneumatic cylinder 33 leads to a small outlet chamber 46 fixed on the exterior of the cylinder 33 and leads into one end of an air tube 47 which at its other end is connected to the upper end of the supply chamber 20 of the metering assembly 19.

The pneumatic cylinder device is so located that when the door 18 is fully closed, it advances the piston 35 against the action of the spring 42, expelling air through the air tube 47 and into the top of the supply chamber 20 which has been filled gravitationally with the deodorant fluid from the supply tank Conscquently a quantity of the fluid is displaced and, prevented by the first non-return valve 26 from returning to the tank, is expelled through the second non-return valve 28 and into the receptacle 30 from i which it flows through the second fluid line 31 to the toilet flush pipe 11. When the toilet is next flushed, the liquid deodorant is washed into the toilet bowl.

In FIG. 1 the supply tank 10 is shown as mounted upon a back-up tank 10a to support it at the required height for gravitational discharge to the dispenser. When the tank 10 has been exhausted the stop-cock 24 can be unscrewed and, after the two tanks and 10a have been interchanged, replaced in the backup tank.

j Dispensers according to the invention may have a wide range of applications other than that described and illustrated. For example, such a dispenser may be used for dispensing liquid soap over a wash basin by the d 20 operation of the pneumatic cylinder by means of a pedal or handle (not shown). This, and many other modifications of constructional detail and deign, which will be readily apparent to skilled persons, are considered to lie within the scope of the invention hereinafter claimed.

Claims (3)

1. A dispenser of predetermined quantities of liquid from a reservoir including: a liquid supply chamber, an inlet to the liquid supply chamber for connection to the reservoir to receive liquid therefrom and including a first non-return valve, an outlet from the liquid supply chamber leading by way of a second non-return valve to a liquid dispensing conduit, a pneumatic cylinder, and actuating means for expelling a predetermined volume of air from the pneumatic cylinder to the liquid supply chamber to displace liquid therefrom to the liquid dispensing conduit, wherein: the actuating means include a valved piston slidable in the pneumatic cylinder, and the pneumatic cylinder is provided with means for mounting it in a doorway so that when a door is fully closed in the doorway it advances the piston to expel air to the liquid supply chamber.

2. A dispenser according to Claim 1 wherein: the liquid supply chamber is an upright tubular member, the inlet to and outlet from the liquid supply chamber are coaxial and communicate with the lower end of the liquid supply chamber, and an air tube leads from the pneumatic cylinder to the top of the liquid supply chamber, the liquid supply chamber being arranged to receive liquid gravitationally from the reservoir.

3. A dispenser for liquids substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this nineteenth day of July 1990. QUEENSLAND PLUMBING PTY LTD £3 By their Patent Attorneys 1001 GRANT ADAMS COMPANY