HAND-HELD SPRAY BOTTLE HAVING AN ELECTROLYZER AND METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20080210572A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Field, Bruce F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,012,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/770
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4083 Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/035 Electrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/186 Peroxide solutions
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/11 Apparatus for generating biocidal substances, e.g. vaporisers, UV lamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/213 Use of electrochemically treated water, e.g. electrolysed water or water treated by electrical discharge
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/10 with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4618 for producing "ionised" acidic or basic water
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46152 characterised by the shape or form
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/003 Coaxial constructions, e.g. a cartridge located coaxially within another
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/008 Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4613 Inversing polarity

Abstract

A hand-held spray apparatus is provided, which includes a tank for holding a supply of liquid to be treated and a functional generator carried by the hand-held spray apparatus. The functional generator receives the liquid from the tank and has an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane and electrochemically activates the liquid that is passed through the functional generator. A spray output is coupled to an output of the functional generator and dispenses the electrochemically activated liquid as an output spray.

Claims

1. A hand-held spray apparatus comprising:

a tank for holding a supply of liquid to be treated;

a functional generator carried by the hand-held spray apparatus, which receives the liquid from the tank and comprises an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane and which electrochemically activates the liquid that is passed through the functional generator; and

a spray output coupled to an output of the functional generator and dispenses the electrochemically activated liquid as an output spray.

2. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a hand-triggered spray bottle.

3. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 2, wherein the spray bottle forms the tank and contains the liquid.

4. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a flow path from the functional generator to the spray output, wherein the flow path combines a flow of anolyte liquid produced from the anode chamber with a flow of catholyte liquid produced from the cathode chamber to form a blended anolyte and catholyte liquid, which is dispensed by the spray output.

5. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to apply the blended anolyte and catholyte liquid to a surface within 5 seconds of the time at which the anolyte and catholyte liquids are produced by the functional generator.

6. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to apply the blended anolyte and catholyte liquid to a surface within 3 seconds of the time at which the anolyte and catholyte liquids are produced by the functional generator.

7. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a flow path from the functional generator to the spray output, which is configured to dispense separately a flow of anolyte liquid produced from the anode chamber and a flow of catholyte liquid produced from the cathode chamber through the spray output.

8. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the functional generator is powered by at least one battery carried by the hand-held spray apparatus.

9. The hand-held spray apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a pump coupled in a flow path from the tank to the spray output.

10. A hand-held spray bottle comprising:

a tank for holding a supply of liquid to be treated;

a functional generator carried by the hand-held spray bottle, which receives the liquid from the tank and comprises an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane and which electrochemically activates the liquid that is passed through the functional generator to produce an anolyte liquid in the anode chamber and a catholyte liquid in the cathode chamber;

a flow path, which combines a flow of the anolyte liquid produced from the anode chamber with a flow of the catholyte liquid produced from the cathode chamber to form a blended anolyte and catholyte liquid; and

a spray output, which is coupled to the flow path and dispenses the blended anolyte and catholyte liquid as an output spray within 5 seconds of the time at which the anolyte and catholyte liquids are produced by the functional generator.

11. The hand-held spray bottle of claim 10, wherein the spray output dispenses the blended anolyte and catholyte liquid to a surface within 3 seconds of the time at which the anolyte and catholyte liquids are produced by the functional generator.

12. The hand-held spray bottle of claim 10, wherein the functional generator is powered by at least one battery carried by the hand-held spray bottle.

13. The hand-held spray bottle of claim 10 and further comprising a pump coupled in the flow path.

14. A method comprising:

containing a supply of liquid to be treated within a hand-held spray bottle;

electrochemically activating the liquid with a functional generator carried by the spray bottle through the functional generator to produce an anolyte liquid in an anode chamber and a catholyte liquid in a cathode chamber of the functional generator, wherein the anode chamber and cathode chamber are separated by an ion exchange membrane;

combining a flow of the anolyte liquid with a flow of the catholyte liquid to form a blended anolyte and catholyte liquid; and

dispensing the blended anolyte and catholyte liquid as an output spray through a spray output of the hand-held spray bottle.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of dispensing comprises:

dispensing the blended anolyte and catholyte liquid within 5 seconds of the time at which the anolyte and catholyte liquids are produced by the functional generator.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of dispensing comprises:

dispensing the blended anolyte and catholyte liquid within 3 seconds of the time at which the anolyte and catholyte liquids are produced by the functional generator.

17. The method of claim 14 and further comprising powering the functional generator by a battery carried by the hand-held spray bottle.

18. The method of claim 14 and further comprising pumping the liquid through the functional generator with a pump.