Automatic toilet bowl cleaner dispenser

This invention relates to a dispenser for discharging a controlled quantity of cleanser into the flush tank of a toilet. The dispenser consists of a container having an open neck, a shroud which fits over the neck and restricts the discharge opening in the neck and a float member slidably connected to the shroud which has means to seal the discharge opening thereby controlling the discharge of the cleanser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Many devices are presently available which attempt in various ways to 
dispense a cleaner into a toilet bowl. These devices have many problems. 
Generally they dispense inconsistent amounts of cleanser or allow water to 
leak into the container thereby diluting the cleanser and greatly 
hindering the products effectiveness. A few packages require substantial 
adjustments before they may be used as dispensers. Other products which 
overcome these problems require intricate molding steps under close 
tolerances. Some units are inoperable unless constructed from rigid 
materials such as glass or require complicated inserts which prevent 
complete emptying of the container. The subject invention overcomes the 
problems and provides a simply manufactured, easily used, accurate and 
effective toilet bowl cleanser dispenser package. 
One of the most common devices for dispensing cleanser into a toilet bowl 
is the type known as the "upstroke" dispenser; that is, the unit dispenses 
cleanser into the toilet tank when the tank is in the fill cycle. The 
cleanser is diluted by the water in the tank and remains there until the 
toilet is flushed again. Only about 15% of this tank water remains in the 
bowl after the flush cycle is completed. This dilution by the tank water 
and the low percentage of cleanser retained in the bowl by the upstroke 
type dispensers limit the number of formula performance options available. 
One such device is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,021 to Mack et al. 
wherein a device for dispensing toilet bowl cleanser or disinfectant from 
a necked container is disclosed. The Mack et al. device has a shroud that 
fits over the neck of the bottle which shroud has slidably retained 
therein a float member consisting of a measuring chamber and an air bell. 
The measuring chamber has a series of outlets formed in the periphery of 
the upper wall and further has a projection for sealing a restricted 
discharge opening in the shroud to control fluid flow from the container. 
In operation the container is inverted in the toilet flush tank in a 
position which will allow the air bell to contact the water in the tank at 
the high level point. The bouyant force acting on the air bell maintains 
the projection of the measuring chamber in sealed relation with the 
discharge opening. The dispenser is activated by the reduction of the 
water level in the tank as the toilet is flushed. The float member then 
falls to its lower position and opens the container discharge opening to 
allow the measuring chamber to fill with the cleanser. The cleanser will 
flow until the level in the measuring chamber reaches the neck of the 
bottle and forms an air lock in the surrounding area within the shroud. As 
the tank fills to the high water mark, the float member is forced upwards 
to its original position thereby displacing the fluid in the measuring 
chamber from the outlets in the upper wall of the float into the tank. 
To increase the number of formula performance options available, a 
dispenser that will deliver cleanser as the tank is emptying which would 
correspond to the "downstroke" action of the dispenser is preferred. When 
placed near the flush valve of the toilet tank, a downstroke dispenser 
will deliver cleanser directly to the portion of the tank water that is 
most likely to remain in the bowl after the flush cycle is completed. The 
downstroke dispenser will deliver approximately twice the level of 
cleanser to the toilet bowl as will current upstroke dispensers. As the 
cleanser is delivered directly to the bowl, formula dilution and/or 
degradation in upstroke dispenser delivery is reduced. At a minimum, when 
the downstroke dispenser is not placed near enough to the flush valve to 
exit before the flush valve closes, the delivery of the downstroke 
dispenser becomes the equivilent of the current upstroke dispensers. 
Accordingly, even in the worst of situations the downstroke dispenser will 
still work as well as the current upstroke dispensers. 
However, downstroke dispensers have not been totally satisfactory to date 
because (1) there is poor sealing between tank water and the container 
interior, (2) the amount of air forced into the container varies with the 
depth of the container in the tank, resulting in inconsistent delivery 
among various makes and models of tanks, (3) the product clings to the 
sides of the dispensing mechanism resulting in poor dispensing operation, 
and (4) the molding tolerances to form the dispensers are too great to be 
economically feasible. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel 
downstroke dispenser for automatically dispensing a cleanser or 
disinfectant into a toilet bowl with a minimal loss of cleanser 
effectiveness. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flexible 
package for a toilet bowl cleanser suitable for the retail market which 
also acts as a dispenser without adjustment when placed in the proper 
position. 
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an easily 
moldable dispenser package which has a minimum of critical tolerances. 
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an 
accurate and reliable dispenser for a measured amount of cleanser.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a container 10 
having an open neck 12, a shroud 14 which may be frictionally retained 
within or screwed over neck 12 and a float 16 slidably mounted on the 
inside of shroud 14. In the more detailed description which follows all 
directions shall refer to the container in its normal operating position, 
namely inverted. 
More specifically, in a preferred embodiment the cylindrical shroud 14 has 
an interior integrally molded restricting member 18 which is frictionally 
retained within neck 12. Restricting member 18 has a restricted opening 20 
which communicates with the neck opening and restricts its size. Float 16 
includes air bell 22 and a chamber 24 which communicates directly with 
restricted opening 20. Restricted opening 20 has a diameter of about 0.07 
to about 0.17 inches and preferably a diameter of about 0.12 inches and a 
length such that the cleanser surface tension and vacuum within container 
10 will be sufficient to retain the balance of the undespensed product 
without causing unlimited amounts of air to flow back into container 10 
upon completion of the discharge cycle. Preferably the length of discharge 
opening 20 is about 0.02 to about 0.16 inches and most preferably 0.09 
inches when the diameter of restricted opening 20 is 0.12 inches. 
The amount of cleanser discharged at any one time is believed to be a 
function of the diameter of restricted opening 20 and the amount of air 
returned to container 10 as the float member valve body reseats into the 
shroud valve seat area during the flush tank refill. 
Chamber 24 consists of a small container having an open end 26 for 
receiving fluid from restricted opening 20 and a bottom floor or dividing 
wall 28. When float 16 is in its uppermost position as can best be 
visualized from FIGS. 2 and 3A, chamber 24 surrounds the bottom of 
restricting member 18. Shoulder 29 of chamber 24 is provided with valve 
body 30 having sealing surface 31, preferably arcuate in configuration. 
The lower end of the restricting member 18 has a valve seat 21 formed 
therein. Valve seat 21 has a face 21a comprising a flat, conical wall 
which, when float member 16 is in its uppermost position, engages valve 
body 30 tangentially along a segment of its sealing surface 31 in a 
sealing relationship. This arrangement permits valve body 30 to provide a 
more positive seal, permits improved molding tolerances and also reduces 
the possibility of the float member becoming stuck in the sealed position. 
In a another preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in 
FIG. 3B, valve seat 21 is provided with an annular bead 21' which provides 
a more positive seal when valve body 30 is in the uppermost or closed 
position and its sealing surface 31 is sealably engaged with valve seat 21 
at annular bead 21'. Alternatively, the annular bead may be located on 
sealing surface 31. 
Molded integrally with chamber 24 and extending downward therefrom is air 
bell 22 which comprises an enclosure having an open end at its lower 
extremity. Chamber floor 28 preferably is inclined at an acute angle to 
insure drainage even when the consumer incorrectly aligns the dispenser in 
the tank. Preferably chamber floor 28 is inclined at an angle of 5.degree. 
to 30.degree. and most preferably 15.degree.. 
Chamber floor 28 is provided with discharge opening 32 which communicates 
with the flush tank through discharge channel 33 molded longitudinally 
into the sidewall of air bell 22. Discharge channel 33 preferably extends 
to a point below the lower extremity or edge of air bell 22 thereby 
preventing the formation of a film of cleanser across the bottom of air 
bell 22. The formation of such films are undesirable as they prevent 
uniform dispensing of the total aliquot amount of cleanser on the 
downstroke cycle. 
Chamber 24 is provided with an annular outer retention bead 27 which 
cooperates with float stop lug 34 to limit the downward travel of float 
16. Lug 34 may be either continuous or discontinuous in configuration and 
is molded into the interior wall of shroud 14. Float 16 also has a 
plurality of longitudinally extending ribs 35 on its exterior surface 
which are disposed to bear against the inner wall of shroud 14 to thereby 
guide it in its vertical movement and restrict its lateral movement within 
shroud 14. Float 16 is also free to slide from a position where valve body 
30 engages valve seat 21 to a position where retention bead 27 engages 
stop lug 34. Apertures or windows 36 are constructed in the side of 
chamber 24 to facilitate air return to chamber 24 which allows chamber 24 
to fill and empty simultaneously once the water level in the tank falls to 
such level as to permit float 16 to fall in relationship to shroud 14. 
As it is desirable to keep the container from leaking until ready for use, 
the container is provided with an overall cap or closure 38. Retaining 
projections are also provided to operate in conjunction with closure 38 to 
seal restricted opening 20. The retaining projections may exist either as 
projection extensions 40 of the outer extremities of air bell 22 or as a 
projection 42 of closure 38. When projection 40 forms part of air bell 22, 
as can be observed in FIG. 2, closure 38 engages projection 40 and 
maintains float 16 in its sealing position. Alternatively, closure 38 may 
be provided with a retaining projection 42 and is threaded over the 
dispenser assembly so that retaining projection 42, as can be observed in 
FIG. 2A, extends in air bell 22 and engages a cylindrical seating surface 
43 projecting outwardly from the under side of chamber floor 28 to 
maintain float 16 in its sealing position during shipment and storage. 
In operation, when container 10 is inverted in the toilet flush tank as 
shown in FIG. 1, the liquid cleanser in the container is prevented from 
discharging by the seal formed by valve body 30 seating in valve seat 21 
and valve body sealing surface 31 contacting valve seat face 21a when 
float 16 is in its uppermost position with the flush tank filled. Upon 
flushing of the toilet, the water level recedes allowing float 16 to drop 
thereby moving valve body 30 away from valve seat 21 and allowing cleanser 
to flow through restricted opening 20 into chamber 24 until a partial 
vacuum forms in container 10 which, due to the atmospheric pressure being 
exerted at restricted opening 20, prevents further flow of cleanser. The 
cleanser discharged from opening 20 flows into chamber 24 and then into 
the tank through discharge opening 32 and discharge tube 33. When the tank 
water rises to fill the toilet tank, float 16 rises within shroud 14 and 
forces a small amount of air through restricted opening 20 back into 
container 10 thereby raising the internal pressure within container 10. 
When float 16 rises to its uppermost position, valve body 30 engages valve 
seat 21 in a sealing relationship, preventing further discharge of 
cleanser from container 10. This process is repeated with every flush and 
dispenses an accurate amount of cleanser into the toilet tank each time. 
An L-shaped mounting bracket 46 is provided at the base of container 10 so 
that the dispenser may be mounted on wall 44 of the toilet flush tank in 
the inverted position as shown in FIG. 1. Basically, this bracket 
comprises an L-shaped member constructed of plastic although it will be 
obvious that other suitable shapes and materials may be substituted. 
In the preferred embodiment, all the components are molded entirely of 
plastic and with a minimum of precise requirements. The parts are easily 
molded and assembled. Nevertheless, they function accurately, effectively 
and dependably.