Cleaning system for toilet bowls

• US 4,813,084 A
• Filed: 11/20/1987
• Issued: 03/21/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Henkel KGaA (Henkel AG & Co KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Henkel KGaA (Henkel AG & Co KGaA)
• Inventors: Capune, Thomas, Menke, Ronald, Tuerk, Erich, Holdt, Bernd-Dieter, Buecheler, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACYNA, J CASIMER
• Application Number:
  US07/123,084
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 4/231, 4/232, 4/223, 4/224-230, 4/222, 220/339, 220/335, 220/334, 220/242, 220/241, 220/363, 220/85 F, 220/229, 141/18, 141/21, 222/511, 422/261, 422/265, 422/266
• US Class Current: 4/231
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 9/032 Devices connected to or dispensing into the bowl

Abstract

In a cleaning system for toilet bowls comprising a cleaning container for accommodating a cleaning preparation which is designed to be mounted on the rim of the toilet bowl and which is provided with correspondingly arranged openings for part of the flushing water to pass through, the invention enables the cleaning container to be filled with granular active substance without spillage and/or granulate to come into contact with the skin. In addition, the cleaning container is designed so that in the in-use position, its contents are substantially inaccessible to young children despite the refill facility. To this end, the cleaning container is provided with a closeable filling opening into which the mouth of a refill container adpated to the configuration of the filling opening is designed to be inserted in such a way that a pourable, more especially granular, cleaning preparation in the refill container can be poured into the cleaning container by opening the closure of the filling opening and keeping it open without any other manipulation of the closure of the cleaning container, after which the refill container may be withdrawn from the filling opening with automatic reclosing of the closure.

Claims

1. A cleaning system for a toilet bowl comprising a cleaning container for accommodating a cleaning preparation which is designed to be mounted on the rim of said toilet bowl and which is provided with corresponding arranged openings for part of the flushing water to pass through said container, said cleaning container having a closeable filling opening into which the mouth of a refill container adapted to the configuration of said filling opening is designed to be inserted so that a pourable, granular cleaning preparation contained in said refill container can be poured into said cleaning container by opening the closure of the filling opening and keeping it open without any other manipulation of the closure of the cleaning container, after which the refill container may be withdrawn from the filling opening with automatic reclosing of the closure, said closure comprising a flap designed to pivot about a horizontal axis thereon in the opening direction of said closure against an elastic return force by pressing against the mouth of said refill container, said flap being made integrally with said cleaning container from an elastic plastics material, said cleaning container including a film hinge formed between said flap and the upper surface of said cleaning container wherein the return force of said flap is predetermined by the spring characteristic of said film

2. A cleaning system as in claim 1 wherein said filling opening and said closure flap of said cleaning container taper triangularly downwards from the upper horizontal hinge axis of said film hinge.

3. A cleaning system as in claim 2, wherein an outwardly directed projection is provided on the mouth of said refill container and is designed to be engaged in the lower end of said filling opening in such a way that when said refill container is subsequently turned upwards about said lwoer end of said filling opening, regions of the mouth of said refill container formed on both sides of said projection press said closure flap of said filling opening inwards to such an extent that the cleaning preparation in said refill container drops into said cleaning container unimpeded by said closure flap.

4. A cleaning system as in claim 3, wherein the lower end of said filling opening and the inside of the mouth wall in the vicinity of said projection are rounded in coordination with one another with a radius which corresponds to between two and five times the radius of the granular cleaning preparation.

5. A cleaning system as in claim 4 wherein the lateral surfaces of the mouth of said refill container converge locally straight towards a rounded part of the mouth at an angle to one another which is adapted to the lower end of said filling opening of said cleaning container, and the edges of the mouth are formed with notches between the rounded part and the lateral boundaries of the mouth.

6. A cleaning system as in claim 1 wherein the surface of the cleaning container which faces towards the interior of the toilet bowl projects inwards beyond the rim of the toilet bowl and has surface regions arranged frustopyramidally to one another, the upper surface region forming the filling opening closeable by the flap.

7. A cleaning system as in claim 1 wherein said cleaning container has a clip attached to the back side thereof for mounting said cleaning container on the rim of a toilet bowl.

8. The combination of a cleaning container and a refill container, said cleaning container accommodating a cleaning preparation and being designed to be mounted on the rim of a toilet bowl, said cleaning container being provided with openings in the lower portion thereof for passage therethrough of flushing water, a closeable filling opening into which the mouth of a refill container adapted to the configuration of said filling opening is designed to be inserted therein so that a pourable, granular cleaning preparation contained in said refill container can be poured into said cleaning container by opening the closure of said filing opening and keeping it open, and whereby said refill container may be withdrawn from said filling opening with automatic reclosing of the closure, said closure comprising a flap designed to pivot about a horizontal axis thereon in the opening direction of said closure against an elastic return force by pressing against the mouth of said refill container, said flap being made integrally with said cleaning container from an elastic plastics material, said cleaning container including a film hinge formed between said flap and the upper surface of said cleaning container wherein the return force of said flap is predetermined by the spring characteristic of said film hinge, said film hinge being formed with perforations therein for adjusting the magnitude of the elastic return force of said flap and controlling the direction of flow of a perfume.

9. The combination as in claim 8 wherein said cleaning container has a clip attached to the back side thereof for mounting said cleaning g container on the rim of a toilet bowl.

10. The combination as in claim 8 wherein said filling opening and said closure are tapered, becoming triangularly narrower from the area of said film hinge.

11. The combination as in claim 8 wherein an outwardly directed projection provided on the mouth of said refill container is designed to be engaged in the lower end of said filling opening in such a way that when said refill container is subsequently turned upwards about said lower end of said filling opening, regions of the mouth of said refill container formed on both sides of said projection press said closure flap of said filling opening inwards to such an extent that the cleaning preparation in said refill container drops into said cleaning container unimpeded by said closure flap.

12. The combination as in claim 11 wherein the lower end of said filling opening and the inside of the mouth wall in the vicinity of said projection are rounded in coordination with one another with a radius which corresponds to between two and five times the radius of the granular cleaning preparation.

13. The combination as in claim 8 wherein the surface of the cleaning container which faces towards the interior surface of the toilet bowl projects beyond the rim of the toilet bowl and has regions arranged frustopyramidally to one another, the upper surface region forming the filling opening closeable by the flap.