Controlled-release soap dispenser

• US 5,332,014 A
• Filed: 11/06/1992
• Issued: 07/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cleanse Tec Division of F&N Chemical Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cleanse Tec Division of F&N Chemical Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Feig, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Douglas, Steven O.
• Application Number:
  US07/973,075
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 141/18, 141/110, 141/391, 4/222, 4/227.1, 4/222.1, 222/651, 222/652, 222/169, 222/457.5, 222/477, 222/478, 222/480, 222/565, 239/315, 239/316, 446/15, 252/92, 252/93
• US Class Current: 141/110
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 17/00 Apparatus or implements used in manual washing or cleaning of crockery, table-ware, cooking-ware or the like foam-making devices A47K5/14

Abstract

A device and method for the controlled release of a soapy water concentrate into a sink or basin for providing a sink full of soapy water for institutional pot, pan and dishwashing applications. The device is implemented as a container filled with semi-solid, water-soluble soap concentrate. The container has a base which allows it to freely stand at the bottom of the sink being filled with water. A stream of water from a sink faucet is directed into an inlet aperture on an upper surface of the container. The water enters the inlet aperture, commingling and interacting with the semi-solid soap to dissolve a fractional portion thereof and form a soapy water concentrate solution. The solution is ejected under pressure by the entering water out through a plurality of outlet apertures defined in the container, thereby filling the sink with soapy water concentrate. Water is directed into the inlet aperture until the water level of the sink rises to or above the level of the inlet aperture, whereupon the container may be removed from the sink and plain water is permitted to fill the sink to a desired level, diluting the soapy water concentrate solution to a degree suitable for institutional pot, pan and dishwashing applications. Formation of the soapy water concentrate is self-terminating since, once the water level in the sink rises above the inlet aperture, water is no longer forced under pressure into the inlet aperture and the formation of soapy water concentrate within the container diminishes to a negligible level.

Claims

1. A device for the controlled delivery of a soapy water liquid concentrate solution to a sink as the sink is filled by a stream of water from a source of fill water, the device comprising:

a container having a base predeterminately configured so as to allow said container to be placed in a stationary operative position within the sink beneath the source of fill water and in the path of the stream of water;

said container containing a predetermined quantity of water soluble, semi-solid detergent, said detergent comprising a substantially homogeneous, malleable mass of high density, semi-solid detergent, said mass being substantially affixed to an interior surface of said container and having an exposed surface portion within said container, said exposed surface being exposed to said stream of fill water entering said container through said first aperture;

said container having a first aperture defined therethrough in spaced relation to said base, said first aperture being predeterminately sized and oriented such that when said container is in said operative position, the stream of water from the source of fill water enters said container through said first aperture and agitates against said exposed surface and commingles with said semi-solid detergent in the container so as to dissolve a predetermined fractional quantity of the semi-solid detergent in the fill water entering the container and thereby form a soapy water liquid concentrate;

said container having a height defined by the spacing between said base and said first aperture;

said container having defined therethrough a second aperture from which said soapy water concentrate is ejected from the container by increased pressure developed within the container in response to the entry of the stream of fill water into the container through said first aperture, said ejection gradually filling the sink with the ejected soapy water concentrate; and

said container height being selected such that when the sink is filled to a level in excess of the height of said container, said agitation of the fill water within the container substantially ceases and said ejection of soapy water liquid concentrate through said second aperture substantially ceases so that, upon further filling of the sink with water from the fill source, the soapy water concentrate in the sink is diluted to a desired soap concentration level.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said base is formed of a substantially flat region on a surface of said container, said base being configured to permit said container to stand freely within the sink in the path of the stream of fill water.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said container further comprises an upper surface in oppositely spaced relation to said base.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said first aperture and said second aperture are defined through said upper surface.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said first aperture is disposed proximate to said second aperture on said upper surface.

6. The device according to claim 4, further comprising a weep hole defined through a surface of said container, said weep hole being disposed such that upon removal of said container from said sink, water remaining in said container is permitted to drain from said container through said weep hole while said container is non-inverted.

7. The device according to claim 4, wherein said first aperture and said second aperture comprise a plurality of equally dimensioned circular openings defined through and randomly disposed on said upper surface.

8. The device according to claim 3, wherein said container is dimensioned as a cylinder, said cylinder having at one end plane said base and at an opposite end plane said upper surface, and having as a cylinder body a continuous side wall.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said first aperture and said second aperture are defined through said upper surface.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said first aperture is disposed proximate to said second aperture on said upper surface.

11. The device according to claim 9, further comprising a weep hole defined through said container side wall, said weep hole being disposed such that upon removal of said container from said sink, water remaining in said container is permitted to drain from said container through said weep hole while said container is non-inverted.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein said first aperture is configured as a circular opening oriented at the approximate center of said upper surface, said second aperture comprising a plurality of circular openings disposed circumferentially around and concentric to said first aperture.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein said weep hole comprises a plurality of circular openings defined through said container side wall and disposed in a linear pattern, said pattern extending longitudinally along said side wall from a point proximate said upper surface to a point proximate said base.

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein said first aperture is configured as a circular opening oriented at the approximate center of said upper surface, said second aperture comprising a plurality of circular openings defined in said cylinder side wall proximate said upper surface and disposed circumferentially around and concentric to said first aperture.

15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising a weep hole defined through said container side wall, said weep hole being disposed such that upon removal of said container from said sink, water remaining in said container is permitted to drain from said container through said weep hole while said container is non-inverted.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein said weep hole comprises a plurality of circular openings defined through said container side wall and disposed in a linear pattern, said pattern extending longitudinally along said side wall from a point proximate said upper surface to a point proximate said base.

17. A method for the controlled delivery of a soapy water liquid concentrate solution to a sink as the sink is filled by a stream of water from a source of fill water, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning a container having a base and containing a predetermined quantity of a water-soluble, substantially homogeneous, malleable mass of high density, semi-solid detergent in a stationary operative position within the sink to be filled With soapy water beneath the source of fill water;

(b) directing a stream of fill water from the fill water source toward a first aperture defined in and through said container at a location spaced frown the container base, the spacing between the base and the first aperture defining a height of the container, said first aperture being predeterminately sized and oriented so that when said container is in said operative position, the stream of water from the source of fill water enters the container through the first aperture and agitates against and commingles with the semi-solid detergent so as to dissolve a predetermined fractional quantity of the semi-solid detergent in the fill water entering the container and thereby form a soapy water liquid concentrate;

(c) continuing to direct the stream of fill water toward and through the first aperture so as to cause the ejection of the soapy water concentrate from a second aperture defined in the container and through which the soapy water concentrate is ejected from the container by increased pressure developed in the container as a result of the entry of fill water through said first aperture so that said ejection gradually fills the sink with the ejected soapy water liquid concentrate;

(d) allowing the sink to fill with the soapy water concentrate from the container to a level in excess of the height of said container such that agitation of the fill water within the container substantially ceases and said ejection of soapy water liquid concentrate through said second aperture substantially ceases; and

(e) predeterminately diluting the soapy water concentrate in the sink to a desired working dilution by further filling the sink beyond the level of step (d) to a working water level with water from the fill source.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of removing the container from the sink after step (d) is completed.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step (e) further comprises predeterminately diluting the soapy water concentrate in the sink by continuing to direct the stream of fill water from the fill water source toward the container first aperture so as to add additional fill liquid to the soapy water concentrate in the sink without substantially increasing the volume of soapy water concentrate in the sink, the first aperture and semi-solid soap being disposed in the container so that the ejection of soapy water concentrate from the container substantially ceases when the sink is filled beyond the level substantially corresponding to the height of the container.

20. A device for the controlled delivery of a soapy water liquid concentrate solution to a sink as the sink is filled by a stream of water from a source of fill water, the device comprising:

a substantially sealed container having an upper surface and a base, said base being configured to permit said container to stand freely on said base in a stationary, operative position in a sink beneath a stream of water from a source of fill water;

a substantially homogeneous, malleable mass of semi-solid detergent disposed in and substantially affixed to an interior surface of said container and having an exposed surface portion within said container;

said upper surface having defined therethrough an inlet aperture located in spaced apart relation to said base and of a predetermined size sufficient to permit entry of a stream of fill water directed at and into said container through said inlet aperture so that said directed stream of fill water entering said container through said inlet aperture creates water currents in said container and said water currents cause agitation of the fill water against the exposed surface potion of said detergent mass, causing the fill water to interact and commingle with and dissolve a portion of said semi-solid detergent mass to form a soapy water liquid concentrate;

said upper surface having defined therethrough a plurality of outlet apertures proximate said inlet aperture from which said soapy water liquid concentrate is ejected from the container by increased pressure developed within the container as a result of said entry of said directed stream of fill water through said inlet aperture so as to gradually fill the sink with the ejected soapy water liquid concentrate from the container;

said container having a height defined by the spacing between the base and the inlet aperture; and

said container height being selected, and the relationship of said inlet aperture, said outlet apertures and said detergent mass being selected, such that as the sink gradually fills with said soapy water concentrate to a level in excess of the height of said container, agitation of the fill water within the container substantially ceases and said ejection of soapy water liquid concentrate through said outlet apertures substantially ceases so that, as the stream of fill water from the fill water source continues to be directed toward the inlet aperture, further formation of said soapy water liquid concentrate substantially terminates, and the further filling of the sink with fill water from said fill source dilutes the soapy water concentrate in the sink to a desired soap concentration level.

21. The device according to claim 20, further comprising a weep hole defined through a surface of said container, said weep hole being disposed such that upon removal of said container from said sink, water remaining in said container is permitted to drain from said container through said weep hole without requiring inversion of said container.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein said first aperture is configured as a circular opening oriented at the approximate center of said upper surface, said second aperture comprising a plurality of circular openings disposed circumferentially around and concentric to said first aperture.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein said weep hole comprises a plurality of circular openings defined through said container side wall and disposed in a linear pattern, said pattern extending longitudinally along said side wall from a point proximate said upper surface to a point proximate said base.

24. The device according to claim 20, wherein said container is dimensioned as a cylinder, said cylinder having at one end plane said base and at an opposite end plane said upper surface, and having as a cylinder body a continuous side wall.

25. The device according to claim 20, wherein said first aperture and said second aperture comprise a plurality of equally dimensioned circular openings defined through and randomly disposed on said upper surface.