LAVATORY SANITATION BODIES

• US 3,597,772 A
• Filed: 12/13/1968
• Issued: 08/10/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: System General Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Barry L. Schneider, Seymour Leavitt
• Inventors: Leavitt, Seymour, Schneider, Barry L.
• Application Number:
  US04/783,609
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• US Class Current: 4/222
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 13/005 Accessories specially adapted for urinals
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 2009/024 using a solid substance
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 9/032 Devices connected to or dispensing into the bowl

Abstract

Bodies for use in connection with urinal drains and the like, which are positioned in relation thereto in a manner whereby drain or flush water will come into direct contact with at least a portion of the bodies. The bodies preferably include a solid cleaning and/or sanitizing material which will dissolve in part with each flow of drain or flush water thereby to provide automatic and metered cleaning, disinfecting, deodorizing, and the like, of the urinal. The solid-cleaning and -sanitizing material most useful for urinals is most advantageously in bar or premolded form and comprises, as its essential active ingredients, an intimate admixture of (a) one or more synthetic detergents which are solid at room temperatures, and (b) an acidic agent in the form of one or more acids or acid-forming salts or both, the ratio of the synthetic detergent to the acidic agent in the solid, sanitizing material ranging preferably from about 1 to 100 of the former to about 1 of the latter. The bodies include a holder, which can be placed in a urinal drain or the like, designed to be made economically and to support the cleaning and sanitizing material in a position where drain or flush water will come into direct and extensive contact therewith.

Claims

1. A self-metering cleaning unit for urinal, drains or the like, said unit including:

a perforated holder for a mass of solidcleansing material and mountable upon a urinal, drain or the like and having openings through which flush or drain water can reach said mass of solid-cleansing material and then flow into the urinal, drain or the like;

a mass of solid-cleansing material in said holder which material dissolves in part only in flush water admitted to the unit, thereby automatically providing a metered quantity of the cleansing material in the urinal, drain or the like during each flushing or draining thereof, said cleansing material being a solid at room temperature and dissolving and solubilizing inorganic and organic deposits and encrustations in the drain.

2. The self-metering cleaning unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said holder has a base portion where said guide means are peripheral portions of the base portion which sealingly engage the surface of the urinal around a drain, and a cover portion with perforated sidewalls extending upwardly from said base portion and surrounding said mass of cleansing material, the perforated sidewalls permitting splashing flush or drain water to contact said mass of cleansing material.

3. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 2 wherein said cover portion has a top wall perforated to allow urine dropping therein readily to contact said mass of solid-sanitizing material.

4. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 2 wherein said base portion of the holder extends outwardly of said cover portion where it is perforated to allow some but not all of the flush or drain water to fall beneath said base portion, and said base portion of the holder having means providing spaces for flush or drain water dropping through the perforations to reach the urinal drain.

5. The self-metering cleansing unit of claim 1 wherein said holder fits within said urinal drain or the like.

6. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 2 wherein said base portion of the holder is a urinal screen with a perforated central portion overlying the drain, and said cover portion of the holder is a separate self-contained unit completely enclosing and supporting said mass of cleansing material, and said cover portion of the holder having anchoring means fitting into the openings of the perforated portion of the urinal screen.

7. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 6 wherein said anchoring means are downwardly tapering projections adapted snugly to fit into urinal screens of a large range of sizes.

8. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 6 wherein said anchoring means are deformable projections depending from said cover portion.

9. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 2 wherein said base portion of the holder is securable over a drain hole in place of a drain grill, said base portion being perforated and having screw-receiving openings for receiving screws spread apart varying distances to be mountable on drains of various sizes.

10. The self-metering cleaning unit as claimed in claim 2 wherein said base portion and covering portion of the holder are provided with cooperating interlocking means.

11. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 2 wherein said peripheral portions of the base portions of the holder are flexible to enable the same to conform to the configuration of the urinal bottom or the like at its point of placement therein.

12. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 2 wherein said base portion and the cover portion of the holder are provided with openings therethrough of a size to enable flush water to come into direct contact with said mass of solid-cleansing material and to substantially prevent large particles of foreign matter from entering the area of the unit directly below the base portion oF the holder.

13. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 1 wherein said mass of solid-cleansing material contains, as essential active ingredients, an intimate admixture of a synthetic detergent which is solid at room temperature and an acidic agent, the synthetic detergent serving, among other things, to cleanse, deodorize and disinfect the sanitary unit and the acidic agent serving, among other things, as a means for dissolving and/or solubilizing inorganic deposits and encrustations in the drain.

14. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 2 wherein said base portion of the holder has a size to fit within the bottom or a urinal basin or the like of a relatively large size, and said base portion of the holder having a number of weakened areas each forming a continuous severance line surrounding a similarly shaped but differently sized area fitting within differently sized urinal basins or the like, and said cover portion of the holder being centered within the smallest sized area of said base portion of the holder to overlie the urinal drain or the like of the differently sized urinal.

15. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 1 wherein said holder comprises a hollow perforated bottom portion fitting down within the urinal drain or the like and a flanged upper portion surrounding the urinal drain or the like.

16. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 15 wherein said upper flanged portion of the holder extends upwardly above the urinal drain or the like and forms an enclosure for said mass of solid cleansing material.

17. A self-metering cleaning unit of claim 15 wherein said lower portion of the holder forms an enclosure for said mass of solid-cleansing material.

18. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 1 provided with support means for supporting the cleaning unit against the back wall of a urinal along which wall flush water flows in to the urinal drain or the like, and including means for engaging said rear wall of the urinal and directing flush water flowing along the rear wall to said openings in the holder.

19. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 18 wherein said support means is a vertical variable length means carrying said holder at the bottom end thereof and including means at the top thereof for engaging with the upper portion of the urinal.

20. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 1 wherein said mass of solid-cleansing material is a single integral bar of such material and wherein at least one of the side and top surfaces of the bar has recesses therein increasing the exposed area thereof. 21 The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 1 wherein said mass of solid-cleansing material is a single integral bar of such material and the upper surface of said bar has recesses therein extending only part way down through the bar so that a body of liquid remains in each of the recesses to form a ready supply of dissolved cleansing material to be dispensed during the next flush or draining operation.

22. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 18 wherein said support means includes an adjustable length vertical rod assembly secured to the holder at the bottom end thereof and extending into holes of the urinal at the top thereof.

23. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 18 wherein said support means are flanged arms normally inclining inwardly and upwardly toward one another and which are separated when inserted into openings in the top of the urinal to hold the cleaning unit in place on the urinal.

24. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 1 wherein said holder has a flexible base portion for supporting said mass of solid-cleansing material and a removable cover portion for enclosing said cleansing material, said base portion having a flexible margin which is capable of conforming to the shape of a support surface around a drain unit at its point of placement thereon and which forms a seal with said surface, said cover portion having openings in the side thereof for enabling flush and drain water to cOntract said cleaning material, and said base portion having drain openings beneath said cover portion to permit liquid to fall into the drain.

25. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 24 wherein the base portion extends outwardly beyond the cover portion where it is apertured, and means for spacing the base portions inwardly of said margin thereof above said support surface.

26. The self-metering cleaning unit of claim 24 wherein the cover portion of the holder is provided with openings at the top thereof to permit urine dropping thereon to come into direct contact with the solid-cleaning material supported on the base portion.

27. A self-metering cleaning unit for urinal drains or the like, said unit including a holder for a mass of solid-cleansing material which holder is mountable upon a urinal drain or the like and includes openings through which flush or drain water can reach the mass of solid-cleansing material and then flow into the urinal drain or the like, said holder having a lower perforated portion adapted to direct liquid flowing into the unit down the urinal drain or the like and an upper portion which is perforated to enable flush or drain water and urine to come into contact with said mass of solid-cleansing material, said mass of solid-cleansing material being supported between said upper and lower portions of the holder and being dissolved in part only in the flush or drain water admitted to the holder, thereby automatically providing a metered quantity of the cleansing material in the urinal drain or the like with each flushing or draining thereof, the dissolved cleansing material dissolving and solubilizing inorganic deposits and encrustations in the drain, said upper and bottom portions of said holder being connected by a hinge permitting the same to be moved between confronting and separated positions and having means for releasably holding said upper and lower portions of the holder together.