Automated cleansing sprayer having separate cleanser and air vent paths from bottle

• US 20040217197A1
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex Incorporated (Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co.)
• Inventors: Allen, Michael W., Kovara, Terry M., Blankenship, Paul M., Neumann, Peter M., Leifheit, David H., Pillion, Lawrence M., Mazooji, Amber N.D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,021,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/302
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 3/281 Accessories for showers or bathing douches, e.g. cleaning devices for walls or floors of showers A47K3/30, A47K3/38, A47K3/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 5/1202 dispensing dosed volume A47K5/1201 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/08 of pulsating nature, e.g. delivering liquid in successive separate quantities ; Fluidic oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/02 with rotating elements electric spraying discharge apparatus characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements B05B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0403 with pumps for liquids or other fluent material B05B9/043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0861 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0894 Gun with a container which, in normal use, is located above the gun

Abstract

An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pump and rotatable spray head. A motor drives the pump and rotates the spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with a hanger. The housing supports a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. Cleanser is delivered from the bottle through a cleanser conduit in the piercing post into a well of the housing. The bottle is vented from the well through an air vent path in the piercing post or from a well vent outlet through the air vent path in the piercing post. An outlet valve in the well permits outflow of cleanser from the well. Various bottle caps and bottle closures are also provided to improve venting and/or limit cleanser leakage from the bottle when the bottle is installed in the housing.

Claims

1. An automated sprayer for spraying an enclosure with a liquid cleanser, comprising:

a bottle suitable to contain a liquid cleanser;

a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation;

a spray head having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, the spray head being in fluid communication with the well; and

a piercing post extending from the reservoir tray into the bottle, the piercing post including a cleanser conduit in fluid communication with the well for delivering cleanser to the well and an air vent path separate from the cleanser conduit.

2. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the air vent path is in fluid communication with a vent outlet of the well.

3. The sprayer of claim 2 wherein:

the vent outlet of the well is in fluid communication with a check valve such that cleanser does not leak out via the vent outlet of the well.

4. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the air vent path is in communication with an air passage between the bottle and an inner surface of the well.

5. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the well has a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the well when a portion of a cap of the bottle abuts against the outlet valve when cleanser is in the bottle.

6. The sprayer of claim 5 wherein:

the outlet valve includes a valve stem that moves toward the bottle to permit outflow of cleanser.

7. The sprayer of claim 6 wherein:

the portion of the cap that abuts against the outlet valve is a section of the cap that projects axially from the cap.

8. The sprayer of claim 7 wherein:

the air vent path is in fluid communication with an air passage including a channel extending through the section of the cap and an air flow path between the bottle and an inner surface of the well.

9. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the bottle has a cap having axially projecting segmented ridges, and

the well has a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the well when a portion of at least one of the segmented ridges of the cap of the bottle abuts against the outlet valve.

10. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the well includes a chamber for holding cleanser delivered to the well and a valve for controlling outflow of cleanser from an outlet of the chamber, the valve including a valve stem that is spring-biased in a normally closed seated position that seals the outlet of the chamber and the valve including an actuator that unseats the valve stem from the outlet of the chamber when a portion of a cap of the bottle abuts against the actuator of the valve.

11. The sprayer of claim 10 wherein:

the actuator comprises a plunger in contact with a rocker that unseats the valve stem.

12. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the cleanser conduit terminates at an opening of the piercing post,

the air vent path terminates at another opening of the piercing post, and

the opening of the air vent path is at a position further into the bottle than the opening of the cleanser conduit when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

13. The sprayer of claim 12 wherein:

at least a portion of the opening of the cleanser conduit is located in a side wall of the piercing post.

14. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the cleanser conduit terminates in an opening at an end of the piercing post,

the air vent path terminates in another opening at the end of the piercing post, and

a wall extends outward from the piercing post between the opening of the air vent path and the opening of the cleanser conduit.

15. The sprayer of claim 14 wherein:

the wall has a curved chisel top.

16. The sprayer of claim 1 further comprising:

a gasket,

wherein the gasket is configured to seal against the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

17. An automated sprayer for spraying an enclosure with a liquid cleanser, the sprayer being of the type that receives a refill bottle containing the liquid cleanser, the sprayer comprising:

a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well suitable for supporting a bottle in an inverted orientation when the bottle is inserted in the tray;

a spray head having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, the spray head being in fluid communication with the well; and

a piercing post extending from the reservoir tray into the bottle when the bottle is inserted in the tray, the piercing post including a cleanser conduit in fluid communication with the well for delivering cleanser to the well and an air vent path separate from the cleanser conduit.

18. The sprayer of claim 17 wherein:

the air vent path is in fluid communication with a vent outlet of the well.

19. The sprayer of claim 18 wherein:

the vent outlet of the well is in fluid communication with a check valve such that cleanser does not leak out via the vent outlet of the well.

20. The sprayer of claim 17 wherein:

the air vent path is in communication with an air passage between the bottle and an inner surface of the well.

21. The sprayer of claim 17 wherein:

the cleanser conduit terminates at an opening of the piercing post,

the air vent path terminates at another opening of the piercing post, and

the opening of the air vent path is at a position further into the bottle than the opening of the cleanser conduit when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

22. The sprayer of claim 17 wherein:

the cleanser conduit terminates at an opening at an end of the piercing post,

the air vent path terminates at another opening at the end of the piercing post, and

a wall extends outward from the piercing post between the opening of the air vent path and the opening of the cleanser conduit.

23. The sprayer of claim 22 wherein:

the wall has a curved chisel top.

24. The sprayer of claim 17 wherein:

the well has a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the well when a portion of a cap of the bottle abuts against the outlet valve when the bottle is inserted in the tray and cleanser is in the bottle.

25. The sprayer of claim 24 wherein:

the outlet valve includes a valve stem that moves toward the bottle to permit outflow of cleanser.

26. A cap for a bottle for an automated sprayer for spraying an enclosure with a liquid cleanser, the sprayer being of the type that has a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well suitable for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation when the bottle is inserted in the tray, a spray head having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, and a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the spray head when the bottle is inserted in the tray and cleanser is in the bottle. the cap comprising:

a side wall;

a transverse wall extending inwardly from the side wall, the transverse wall having a central piercable surface; and

a plurality of segmented ridges projecting axially from the transverse wall.

27. The cap of claim 26 wherein:

the ridges project to a plane spaced from the side wall.

28. The cap of claim 26 wherein:

the ridges are arcuate.

29. A closure for an opening of a bottle for an automated sprayer for spraying an enclosure with a liquid cleanser, the sprayer being of the type that has a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well suitable for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation when the bottle is inserted in the tray and having a piercing post extending from the reservoir tray into the bottle when the bottle is inserted in the tray, a spray head having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, and a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the spray head when the bottle is inserted in the tray and cleanser is in the bottle, the closure comprising:

a cap; and

a gasket,

wherein the gasket is configured to seal against the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

30. The closure of claim 29 wherein:

the gasket is arranged between the cap and the opening of the bottle.

31. The closure of claim 29 wherein:

the cap has a piercable area that is punctured by the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

32. The closure of claim 29 wherein:

the cap has a central hole through which the piercing post passes when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

33. The closure of claim 32 wherein:

at least a portion of an inner surface of the central hole of the cap is sloped.

34. The closure of claim 29 wherein:

the gasket has a central hole through which the piercing post passes when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

35. The closure of claim 34 wherein:

at least a portion of an inner surface of the central hole of the gasket is sloped.

36. The closure of claim 29 wherein:

the gasket is sealed over the opening of the bottle and is punctured when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

37. A closure for an opening of a bottle for an automated sprayer for spraying an enclosure with a liquid cleanser, the sprayer being of the type that has a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well suitable for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation when the bottle is inserted in the tray and having a piercing post extending from the reservoir tray into the bottle, a spray head having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, and a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the spray head when the bottle is inserted in the tray and cleanser is in the bottle, the closure comprising:

a cap including a side wall, a transverse wall extending inwardly from the side wall, and a central wall extending outwardly from the transverse wall and defining an outlet for the cap,

wherein the central wall has a central piercable surface that seals the outlet for the cap before the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray and is punctured when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

38. The closure of claim 37 wherein:

the central wall extends a distance outwardly from the transverse wall such that any portion of the central piercable surface that remains attached to the central wall when the central piercable surface is punctured does not extend inward beyond the transverse wall.

39. The closure of claim 37 further comprising:

a gasket,

wherein the gasket is configured to seal against the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

40. The closure of claim 39 wherein:

the gasket is arranged between the cap and opening of the bottle.

41. The closure of claim 39 wherein:

the gasket has a central hole through which the piercing post passes when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.

42. The closure of claim 41 wherein:

at least a portion of an inner surface of the central hole of the gasket is sloped.

43. The closure of claim 39 wherein:

the gasket is sealed over the opening of the bottle and is punctured when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.