AU641086B2

AU641086B2 - An urinal cleaning agent supply apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU641086B2
Application number: AU11261/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Paul Neo; Aling Shu
Original assignee: CALFARME SINGAPORE Pte Ltd
Current assignee: CALFARME (SINGAPORE) Pte Ltd
Priority date: 1991-09-24
Filing date: 1992-02-27
Publication date: 1993-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 2012-02-27
Also published as: HK16796A; GB2259850A; NZ241737A; MY107877A; AU1126192A; GB2259850B; GB9120322D0

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL 641086 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: AN URINAL CLEANING AGENT SUPPLY APPARATUS.

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The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 0 *0 .c S AN URINAL CLEANING AGENT SUPPLY APPARATUS The present invention relates to a new design of urinal cleaning agent supply apparatus, particularly a cleaning and sterilizing agent dilution and supply device for urinal.

1f -eanel- i 4 -iis difficult to remove uric scale from a urinal. Existence of uric scale is not healthy, and also damages the neat environment. Though a deodorizer placed in the urinal may eliminate bad odour, it can't prevent the formation of uric scale. There are kinds of button operated and automatic flushing devices for urinal cleaning and sterilization purposes which may also use a deodorizer S 15 for deodorizing purposes, they have some u• defects, as follows: The deodorizer normally used in a urinal is dissolved slightly by warm urine to eliminate bad odour, S 20 but flushing with water results in a lowering of the temperature which adversely affects the deodorizing effect.

SMoreover, its use spoils the urinal's nice appearance.

Prolonged immersion of a cleaning/sterilizing agent in a water reservoir of a urinal results in high concentration of the agent, which means an unnecessary waste.

It is desirable to have an apparatus which can be used with a conventional flushing device of a urinal to maintain the urinal clean without placing any object in the urinal and without the need for major alteration to the urinal.

According to the present invention, an apparatus for supplying cleaning agent to a urinal comprises reservoir which comprises a port, and which in use contains a cleaning agent; adjustment means for adjusting the level of the port with respect to the reservoir in order to control the amount of cleaning agent able to leave the reservoir via the port; and duct means, a first ind of which engages aperture means in a surface of said reservoir with a substantially air tight seal and terminates with said port, and a second end of which in use is attached to a water supply pipe for the urinal; wherein, in use during flushing, said second end collects part of the water flowing in said supply pipe and directs the water along said duct means into the reservoir via said port, after which cleaning fluid from said reservoir flows out via said port along said duct means back to said water supply pipe.

The volume of water which can flow into the reservoir and dilute the cleaning agent can be controlled by a means for adjusting tho level of the port with respect to the reservoir.

An apparatus constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the annexed drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective fragmented view of the embodiment; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the embodiment; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment; and Fig. 4 illustrates an application of the embodiment

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*ee *ooo As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the urinal cleaning agent supply -ppeafea. comprises a guide pipe 1, a pipe connector 2, a cleaning agent reservoir 3, and a metering pipe 4.

The structure of the water supply pipe 5 connected to the urinal is not to be described here because It is a common water pipe, but its connection to the -sof present invention will be described hereafter.

The guide pipe 1 is a straight pipe with a screw threaded section 11 of smaller diameter at one end and an opening 12 extending from the end of the pipe along a part of the circumference of the section 11.

The pipe connector 2 is composed of two glad nuts 21 and 22 of the same shape but of different size, the sleeves having internal screw threads, two sealing rings 23 and 24, and a pipe 25 with a ball-head 251 at one end and an externally screw threaded pipe 252 at the other end. The •smaller sleeve 21 has a hole at one end with a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the guide pipe 1 and an internal screw thread 212. The sealing ring 23 is o 20 provided in the smaller sleeve 21. The larger sleeve 22 Shas a tapered bore with a diameter decreasing gradually towards one end corresponding to the outer diameter of the ball head 251, and an internal screw thread 222 at its wider end. The sealing ring 24 is provided in the larger sleeve 22.

The reservoir 3 is a container to hold cleaning agent.

It is compose'd of a cylinder 31, a sealing ring 32 and a cover 33. The cylinder 31 has a hole 311 through its side wall, and a concentric spigot 312 with an external screw 0 S* 30 thread extends from around the hole 311. A metering pipe 4 in the form of a L-like bent pipe is press-fitted into the hole 311. A fixing element 34 is provided at the outer wall of the cylinder 31. The fixing element 34 has a plurality of holes 341 for fixing to a wall by means of screws. To assemble the 4 the front pipe section 11 of the guide pipe 1 is first inserted into the water supply pipe 5 in a manner that its opening 12 at its tip is facing upwarls. and it is secured by a nut 51. The other end of -the guide pipe 1 is placed within the smaller inner threaded sleeve 21 and the ring 23 and inserted into the outer pipe 252 of the ball-headed pipe 25 in the pipe connector 2. The smaller sleeve 21 and the pipe 252 are then turned until the end of the pipe 252 Is comiprqssing the ring 23 so that the xing 23 seals the guide pipe 1 tightly. This allows the guide pipe 1 and the pipe connector 2 to move telescopically to compensate for any offset between the supply pipe 5 and the reservoir 3.

Then, the ring 24 which has been placed to surround the ball-headed pipe 25 and the larger sleeve 22 are fixed and tightened on the pipe 312. .extend ij the cWinder 31 until the rig24 seals the ea~ 191 Egtly t complete the assembly, as shown in Fig. 3. The ball-head *can be angularly of fset within the concentric pipe 312 to compensate for any mis-alignment between the reservoir 3 and the pipe 1.

As shown in Fig. 4 the reservoir container 3 is tightly fixed to a wall by-means of four bolts 6 passing through the holes 341 on the fixing element 34. The reservoir 3 is filled with cleaning agent, after opening the cover 33, to the level of the upper pipe opening 41 of the metering pipe 4. When the urna' flushing button or automatic flushing device is operated, water from the water supply pipe is collected by the opening 12 and guided by the guide pipe 1 to the reservoir 3 to mix thoroughly with the cleaning agent. Since the reservoir 3 is sealed, the entry of the water will cause the pressure in the reservoir to rise. When the water supply from the water supply pipo is stopped, a definite quantity of the mixture, driven by the pressure in the reservoir 3, and assisted by gravity, flows through the guide pipe 1 to the water supply pipe and then to the urinal for cleaning and sterilization purposes.

The cleaning agent, preferably highly concentrated cleaning agent, in the reservoir 3 can be replenished periodically.

The size of space between the upper pipe opening 41 and the cover 33 can be adjusted by swivelling the L-shape pipe 4 to change the level of the opening 41. Thus, the amount of cleaning agent supplied to a urinal can be varied from urinal to urinal depending on the flushing characteristics of each one.

This provides a cleaning agent supply apparatus in which water from the water supply pipe is guided to the cleaning ag,,nt reservoir for mixing with the cleaning agent therein and, after water flow from the water supply pipe has stopped, the mixture of cleaning agent and water flows back through the guide pipe and supply pipe to clean and sterilize the urinal.

The urinal cleaning agent supply embodiment is a practical and elegant device which maintains a urinal clean without placing any object in the urinal. It has a simple 0 structure which can be installed in conjunction with any 20 common flushing device for the best cleaning and sterilization effect.

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Trhe embodiment has been advanced by way of example only and modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying cleaning agent to a uraino. water supply of a A~i.E comprises a reservoir which comprises a port, and which in use contains a cleaning agent; adjustment means for adjusting the level of the port with respect to the reservoir in order to control the amount of cleaning agent able to leave the reservoir via the port; and duct means, a first end of which engages aperture means in a surface of said reservoir with a substantially air tight seal and terminates with said port, and a second end of which in use is attached to a water supply pipe for the urinal; wherein, in use during flushing, said secot end collects part of the water 15 flowing in said supply pipe and directs the water along said duct means into the reservoir via said port, after which cleaning fluid from said reservoir flows out via said port along said duct means back to said water supply pipe. 20

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said adjustment means comprises said first end of the duct means wLich is able to be raised and lowered, such that the level of said port with respect to the reservoir is adjustable by raising or lowering said first end of the duct means.

3. An apparatus according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein said adjustment means comprises said first end of the duct means which is able to be swivelled in said aperture means, such that the level of said port with respect to the reservoir is adjustable by swivelling said first end of the duct means.

4. An apparatus according to either one of the preceding claims, wherein said duct means is in the form of a single flow passage which terminates with said port such that water can flow into the reservoir and cleaning fluid can flow out of the reservoir via said port.

5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said adjustment means comprises a bend in said first end of the duct means proximate said port.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said bend is substantially L-shaped. 9

7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said reservoir further comprises a 15 sealable inlet via which the cleaning agent can be added and/or replenished.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said inlet is sealable with a closure member capable of 20 providing a substantially air tight seal with the inlet.

9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said duct means connects with said aperture means via a ball head which is fitted with a spigot having a male screw thread and projecting from said srftce stic meaAS, -ei4of the reservoir aroundA-the-apertureA retained by a gland nut screwed onto the male screw thread of the spigot and the gland nut; whereby the pipe can be angularly offset to accommodate any .isalignment between the duct means and the reservoir.

An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said duct means connects with said aperture means via a connector, to which the duct means is a a a a Ia a. a a a. p a a a a connected by a gland nut which engages a male screw thread on the end of the connector and compresses a sealing ring to seal the joint; whereby the duct means and connector are capable of a limited relative axial movement to accommodate any offset between the reservoir and the supply pipe.

11. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said duct means comprises a guide pipe which in use is positioned substantially horizontally.

12. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the apparatus includes means for fixing the reservoir to an upright surface, such as a wall. 15

13. An apparatus for supplying cleaning agent to a urinary substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. 20 DATED THIS 30TH DAY OF MARCH 1993 CALFARME (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD By Its Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK CO Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia PP es ABSTRACT An apparatus for supplying a cleaning agent to a urinal. The apparatus comprises a reservoir which contains a cleaning agent and which has a port (41) and an inlet via which the agent can be replenished. A cover (33) is fitted and sealed to the inlet. A horizontal guide pipe has one end fixed and sealed to the port, and the other end, having an opening which can be fitted into a water supply pipe of a urinal so that it collects a fraction of the water flowing in the supply pipe during flushing. Means may be provided for adjusting the level of the port with respect to the reservoir 4S SO S