Automated Cleansing Sprayer Having Separate Cleanser And Air Vent Paths From Bottle

• US 20080048050A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amber Mazooji, David Leifheit, Lawrence Pillion, Michael Allen, Paul Blankenship, Peter Neumann, Terry Kovara
• Original Assignee: Amber Mazooji, David Leifheit, Lawrence Pillion, Michael Allen, Paul Blankenship, Peter Neumann, Terry Kovara
• Inventors: Neumann, Peter, Mazooji, Amber, Kovara, Terry, Blankenship, Paul, Pillion, Lawrence, Leifheit, David, Allen, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,635,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/222.11
• 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, the sprayer 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;

a dispenser line in fluid communication with the well and the spray head;

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, the piercing post further including an air vent path separate from the cleanser conduit; and

a valve for controlling outflow of cleanser from the well, the valve being located downstream of the piercing post.

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 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 an inner wall of the piercing post is located between the air vent path and the cleanser conduit.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the enclosure is a toilet bowl.

8. The sprayer of claim 1 wherein:

the spray head is a rotating spray head.

9. The sprayer of claim 1 further comprising:

a pump for moving cleanser through the dispenser line from the well to the spray head.

10. The sprayer of claim 9 further comprising:

timing circuitry for controlling operation of the pump.

11. 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;

a dispenser line in fluid communication with the well and the spray head;

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, the piercing post further including an air vent path separate from the cleanser conduit; and

a valve for controlling outflow of cleanser from the well, the valve being located downstream of the piercing post.

12. The sprayer of claim 11 wherein:

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

13. The sprayer of claim 12 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.

14. The sprayer of claim 11 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 an inner wall of the piercing post is located between the air vent path and the cleanser conduit.

15. The sprayer of claim 11 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.

16. The sprayer of claim 11 wherein:

the spray head is a rotating spray head.

17. The sprayer of claim 11 further comprising:

a pump for moving cleanser through the dispenser line from the well to the spray head.

18. The sprayer of claim 17 further comprising:

timing circuitry for controlling operation of the pump.

19. A method for cleaning a toilet bowl, the method comprising:

(a) providing a sprayer including

(i) 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,

(ii) 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;

(iii) a dispenser line in fluid communication with the well and the spray head;

(iv) 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

(b) pumping cleanser through the dispenser line from the well to the spray head to spray the cleanser in the toilet bowl.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

the spray head is a rotating spray head.