Assembly and Device

• US 20090235959A1
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Reckitt Benckiser N.V. (Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Reckitt Benckiser N.V. (Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC)
• Inventors: Housmekerides, Chris Efstathios, Gibis, Karl Ludwig
• Application Number:
  US12/092,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20090235959A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/93
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4436 in the form of a detergent solution made by gradually dissolving a powder detergent cake or a solid detergent block
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4463 Multi-dose dispensing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Abstract

An assembly comprising a unit dose element (4) of soluble or dispersible composition useful in ware washing, and a chamber (2) therefor, the chamber having an inlet for water at a upper position of the chamber, and an outlet for water at a lower position of the chamber, the inlet comprising or being in communication with water directing means (34) whereby water is directed to the mid-region of the upper end of the unit dose element, the unit dose element being undersized relative to the interior of the chamber such that there is a gap between the or each exterior surface of the unit dose element and the opposed internal surface or surfaces of the chamber.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising a unit dose element of soluble or dispersible composition useful in ware washing, and a chamber therefor, the chamber having an inlet for water at a upper position of the chamber, and an outlet for water at a lower position of the chamber, the inlet comprising or being in communication with water directing means whereby water is directed to the mid-region of the upper end of the unit dose element, the unit dose element being undersized relative to the interior of the chamber such that there is a gap between the or each exterior surface of the unit dose element and the opposed internal surface or surfaces of the chamber.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water directing means is a funnel, whose outlet is located above the mid-region of the upper end.

3. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein a said gap is provided of width from 1 to 5 mm inclusive.

4. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein a said gap is provided of width from 2 to 4 mm inclusive.

5. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the gap extends fully around the exterior surface of the unit dose element.

6. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein the width of the gap is not constant around the exterior surface of the unit dose element.

7. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein volume of the chamber is from 6 to 40% greater than the volume of a unit dose element.

8. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein, in use in a dishwasher, water transiently collects in the chamber.

9. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the inlet is of area in the range 6-11 mm².

10. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the outlet is of area in the range 18-25 mm².

11. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the unit dose element is of a coherent mass of detergent composition.

12. An assembly according to claim 11, wherein the unit dose element is made by injection moulding, extrusion or casting.

13. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the unit dose element does not have any through-bore(s).

14. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the base of the unit dose element is raised from the base of the chamber.

15. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the unit dose element and the chamber are both generally trigonal or frusto-trigonal.

16. A refill device comprising a plurality of assemblies according to claim 1, provided in an array for sequential dissolution or dispersal in a ware washing machine, one in each wash.

17. A refill device according to claim 16, wherein the array is arranged in a ring and the sequential dissolution or dispersal is by stepwise rotary movement of the refill device or of a part which cooperates with it.

18. A refill device according to claim 16, wherein each unit dose element and each chamber are generally trigonal or frusto-trigonal, and wherein the chambers are arranged together to form segments of the refill device.

19. A method of providing a refill device according to claim 16, the method comprising the formation of the unit dose elements without using a tablet compaction method.