Floating dispenser for dispensing a solid dissolvable chemical into ambient water

A floating dispenser is provided for dispensing a solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical into ambient water. The dispenser includes a bucket having top and bottom ends, a top wall covering the top end, an opening for admitting ambient water into the bucket interior, and a floatation ring that keeps only the top end above water such that the interior is water filled when the dispenser floats. A basket is disposed in the interior of the bucket for carrying a solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical, such as calcium hypochlorite. The basket is buoyant and movable vertically toward the top wall of the bucket. The dispenser includes a refill indicator that indicates when most of a full load of said chemical has dissolved. The refill indicator includes a pair of tabs that are connected to the basket and slidably mounted in slots in the top wall. The tabs extend above the top wall when the buoyant basket floats upwardly, providing a visual indication of the need for a refill that can easily be seen from a side angle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to chemical dispensers, and is specifically concerned with a floating dispenser for dispensing a solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical into ambient water, such as a swimming pool.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Devices for dispensing water treatment chemicals into swimming pools are known in the prior art. Many of these devices include a cylindrical housing for containing a single stack of dissolvable tablets of, for example, calcium hypochlorite. The upper end of the housing is circumscribed by a buoyant material so that the device floats in an upright orientation with its upper end above the water line when placed in a pool. One or more openings are provided at the lower end of the housing to allow ambient water to enter the housing, dissolve the tablets, and provide a stream of halogen solution that disinfects and otherwise treats the ambient water.

In operation, the size, number or path length of water-admitting openings in the housing of such dispensers is first adjusted to a size commensurate with the size of the pool or other body of water to be treated. Next, the solid, dissolvable water treating tablets are stacked or otherwise placed into the interior of the housing. Finally, the device is placed in the body of water. Ambient water circulates through the opening or openings in the lower end of the housing and dispenses a halogen solution at a rate consistent with the size of the pool or other body of water until all of the water treating chemical has dissolved.

While such devices have proven to be generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, the applicants have observed a number of areas in which improvement is desirable. For example, many of these floating devices provide no indication when a refill of water treatment chemical is due, which can result in a substantial hiatus in the treatment of the water. While one floating chemical dispenser is known wherein the buoyant housing lists over to one side when all of the water treatment chemical has dissolved, the visual signal is provided in an inelegant way which compromises the aesthetics of the device. While a skimmer-basket type chemical dispenser is known which includes a buoyant plate within a cylindrical container that floats to the top when all of the chemical is dissolved, the resulting visual signal (i.e. the portion of the plate visible through a top-mounted dispenser opening) is visible only within a narrow, vertical cone circumscribing a central axis of the cylindrical container. Hence such a signaling mechanism would be ineffective in a floating dispenser located in a central portion of the pool, as the signal generated would be difficult if not impossible to see from a side angle. Additionally, in all known prior art devices, no signal is generated until substantially all of the chemical has dissolved, thereby providing no “lead time” for refilling, which often results in a hiatus in the dispensing of the water treatment chemical.

Clearly, what is needed is a floating dispenser for dispensing water treatment chemicals that provides a visual indication that a refill of chemical is needed before all of the chemical has been dissolved. Ideally, the signal generated can be easily seen from all angles around the perimeter of the pool or other body of water. It would be desirable if the signal did not compromise the aesthetics of the device in the water. Finally, the dispenser should be easy to use and simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Generally speaking, the invention is a floating dispenser for dispensing a solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical into a pool or other body of water. The dispenser includes a bucket having top and bottom ends, a top wall covering the top end, an opening for admitting ambient water into the bucket interior, and a floatation portion that keeps only the top wall above water such that the bucket interior is water filled when the dispenser floats.

The dispenser has a refill indicator including a pair of tabs that are connected to a basket disposed in the interior of the bucket that carries a solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical, such as calcium hypochlorite. The tabs are slidably mounted in slots in the top wall. The basket is buoyant and moves upwardly toward the top wall of the bucket upon the dissolution of an amount of water treatment chemical indicative of a refill condition. The tabs extend above the top wall when the buoyant basket floats upwardly toward the top wall, providing a visual indication of the need for a refill that can easily be seen from a side angle. In the preferred embodiment, the basket moves upwardly into engagement with the underside of the top wall when most of a full load amount of water treatment chemical has dissolved, for example 90% of the maximum load capacity of treatment chemical of the basket. The ability of the refill indicator to indicate that a refill condition is imminent before all the water treatment chemical has dissolved advantageously allows the operator to refill the dispenser before it becomes completely empty, thus avoiding any significant hiatus in water treatment.

The tabs and the slots in the top wall are slidably connected throughout the entire range of movement of the basket within the bucket, thereby providing the refill indicator with a high degree of mechanical reliability. Preferably, the bucket interior and the basket exterior have a non-round shape and a plurality of guide ribs on one that slidably interfit with elongated recesses on the other so as to insure alignment between these two components at all positions of the basket within the bucket, thereby preventing misalignment between tabs and the slots in the top wall and further enhancing the mechanical reliability of the refill indicator.

The floatation portion of the bucket may include a buoyant material, such as a polymeric foam, that surrounds the upper end of the bucket such that most of the mass of the dispenser below the top wall is submerged, and both the bucket and basket are shaped so that the center of mass of the dispenser is located along a central axis. The resulting buoyancy configuration causes the dispenser to float in a vertical orientation with the top wall always a little above the water line such that the indicator tabs of the refill indicator can always be easily seen, and further allows the dispenser to be self-righting when exposed to waves or other water turbulence.

The bucket may also include a bottom wall having an opening for admitting ambient water, and a flow adjustment mechanism that adjusts the size of the opening. Preferably, the flow adjustment mechanism provides a plurality of discrete sizes of the opening, and a tactile click associated with each opening size so the operator of the dispenser can easily select among the opening sizes without having to invert or turn the dispenser on its side, which could disadvantageously re-distribute the solid chemical in an unbalanced pattern within the basket. A screen mesh may be provided in the flow adjustment mechanism to prevent precipitates or particulates from the solid water treatment chemical from falling out of the dispenser and bleaching or otherwise harming the floor of the pool.

The top wall includes a detachably removable lid that provides access to the interior of the basket. The lid includes a covering member having a bayonet-type coupling that engages a complementary-shaped opening in the top wall with a tactile click when twisted into a secure position. The lid further includes a handle connected to the covering member at three points to allow the floating dispenser to be easily and securely carried by the handle without fear of breakage.

Finally, the dispenser may include snap-fit fasteners for securing the top wall to the top end of the bucket, thereby reducing both the time and expense associated with assembling the dispenser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now toFIGS. 1 and 2A, wherein like numbers designate like components throughout all of the several Figures, the floating dispenser1of the invention generally comprises a bucket3that contains a basket4for holding a solid, dissolvable pool treatment chemical such as tablets of calcium hypochlorite.

Bucket3has a top portion5athat includes a radially protruding wall8. Wall8contains an elliptical ring9of a buoyant, water and chemical resistant polymeric foam, such as closed cell expanded polystyrene that functions as a floatation component when the dispenser is immersed in water. The bucket3further has a top wall11mounted over its top end5athat includes a detachably removable lid13. The buoyancy and positioning of the ring9relative to the top wall11are selected so that when the dispenser1is placed in a pool or other body of water in a fully loaded condition, the dispenser1will float in an upright orientation with only the top wall11extending above the water line, the rest of the dispenser1being submerged. The inner rim14of the top wall11includes several pairs of wedge-shaped projections15a-c(not all of which are shown) uniformly spaced around its perimeter. These wedge-shaped projections15a-care registrable with complementary-shaped openings17present on flanges19a-cextending from the top of the wall8. The bucket walls8and flanges19a-care integrally formed from a resilient, high density polyethylene which is advantageously moldable, resistant to water, caustic chemicals and degradation from sunlight. The resulting resiliency of the flanges19a-ccauses the pairs of wedge-shaped projections15a-cto snap-fit into the complementary-shaped openings17when the upper wall11is aligned with and pressed down over the top of wall8. Additionally, opposing bores21a,bare present in end flanges20a,band are registrable with opposing bores23a,bpresent in the inner rim14of the top wall11. To complete a secure attachment between the top wall11and the rest of the bucket3, expandable pins (not shown) are inserted through the bores21a,23aand21b,23b.

The lid13of the top wall11includes a plate-shaped, circular covering member27that is detachably mountable within a circular opening31by way of a bayonet-type coupling29. Coupling29includes a detent32that provides a tactile and audible click when the lid13is turned into secure engagement with the circular opening31. Lid13further includes a handle33having three connecting struts35a-cequidistantly positioned around covering member27as shown. The handle33, struts35a-cand covering member27are preferably integrally formed from the same high density polyethylene as the bucket walls8. The provision of three struts35a-cadvantageously provides three points of secure contact between the handle33and covering member27, thus reducing the chance that the handle will break away from the covering member27as a result of the tensile loads applied to the handle during the carrying of the dispenser1or the torque loads applied during removal or attachment of the lid13

Finally, as is best seen inFIGS. 1 and 2B, top wall11includes a refill indicator36that provides a visual signal to the operator as to when the dispenser1requires a refill of a solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical carried by the basket4. Refill indicator36comprises pair of opposing slots37a,bintegrally connected to tab receivers41a,bthat extend down from the bottom surface of the top wall11. Tab receivers41a,beach include elongated openings42a,bof the same size and shape of the slots37a,b. Refill indicator36further comprises indicator tabs69a,bthat extend from the top rim67of buoyant basket4and are received in the elongated openings42a,b. The specific operation of the refill indicator36is discussed in detail hereinafter with respect toFIGS. 5A and 5B.

With reference now toFIG. 3, bucket3further includes a bottom wall44where a flow adjustment mechanism46is centrally located. Flow adjustment mechanism46includes a circular, recessed wall portion48in the bottom wall44having alternating vanes50and openings51. A circular valve plate53is receivable over the circular recessed wall portion48and has a substantially identical pattern of vanes54and openings55. A hub56ain the center of the valve plate53fits onto a journal56bat the center of the recessed wall portion48to rotatably mount the plate53over the wall portion48. A screen mesh57(shown inFIG. 2A) is disposed over the circular, recessed wall portion48on the side that faces the inside of the bucket3. The screen mesh is preferably formed from an inert plastic material such as polypropylene57and prevents particulate calcium hypochlorite larger than about 0.025 inches resulting from the dissolution of the calcium hypochlorite tablets from falling through the openings in the flow adjustment mechanism46and bleaching the surface of the pool bottom. A detent pin58is provided on the outer periphery of the valve plate53that is registrable, in discrete “click” fashion, with five uniformly spaced detent holes60on the bottom wall44. The resulting five, discrete positions that the detent pin provides for the valve plate53correspond to a completely closed position where the vanes54of the plate53completely cover the openings51, three intermediate positions where the vanes54of the plate53partially overlap (to a diminishing extent) the openings51, and a completely open position where the vanes54in the plate do not overlap with the openings51in the bottom wall portion48and the openings55and51are mutually aligned with one another. Ribs62a-cprotrude from the bottom face of the valve plate53to facilitate the grasping and turning of the plate53by the operator of the dispenser1. Finally, valve plate53includes three flanges63a-cuniformly spaced around its perimeter which are insertable into three slots64a-clocated around the perimeter of the circular, recessed wall portion48to form a bayonet-type joint between the plate53and the wall portion48.

With reference now toFIG. 4, the basket4of the dispenser1includes a top rim67onto which a pair of opposing tabs69a,bare integrally connected to. Tabs69a,bare preferably of a color different from the color of the top wall11to provide visual contrast therebetween. Tabs69a,bare offset with respect to major axis A as shown, but are still located on the curved end portions of the rim67. Such offsetting facilitates assembly of the top wall11over the top end5aof the bucket3by affording clear access, from the inside of the dispenser, to the pin-receiving bores21a,band23a,blocated along the major axis A of both the bucket3and the top wall11. Such positioning on the curved end portions of the rim67provides some curvature to the tabs69a,bwhich in turn enhances their visibility when viewed at a side angle in alignment with the side edges of the tabs. Basket4further includes an oval-shaped side wall72which terminates in a figure-eight bottom wall74. Both the side wall72and bottom wall74includes a number of flow slots76to allow ambient water to flow freely through the basket4. To render the basket buoyant, a pair of floats78a,blikewise formed from expanded polystyrene are provided on either side of the wall72at the bottom of the basket4. Each float78a,bincludes a recess80a,bfor receiving pins82a,bintegrally molded on the outer surface of the side wall72. The buoyancy of the floats78a,bis carefully selected so that the basket sinks against the bottom wall44of the bucket3when a full load of calcium hypochlorite tablets is loaded therein, but floatingly rises against the underside of the top wall11when about 90% of the full load of tablets has dissolved in the ambient water. Finally, the side wall72of the basket4includes four elongated recesses84a-d(of which only84bis visible inFIG. 4). These recesses84a-dreceive guide ribs88a-dlocated at the bottom portion of the bucket (and shown inFIG. 2A) when the basket is placed into the bucket3prior to the installation of the top wall11. The co-action between the recesses84a-dand the guide ribs88a-dmaintains the basket4in alignment with the interior of the bucket3during the operation of the dispenser1.

The operation of the dispenser will now be described with respect toFIGS. 5A and 5B. In the first step of the operation, the lid33is removed from the circular opening31in the top wall11. Next, a full load of a solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical is loaded into the basket4by the operator. In this example, such a full load is constituted by two stacks90of calcium hypochlorite tablets92, wherein the diameter of each tablet92is substantially complementary in shape to one-half of the figure-eight shaped bottom wall44of the basket4. The lid33is re-installed over the circular opening by inserting and twisting the lid approximately one-quarter turn until the bayonet-type coupling makes an audible and tactile “click” that signifies that the lid33is securely engaged within the circular opening31. Net, the flow adjustment mechanism46is adjusted to one of the four settings corresponding to either a partial or complete opening of the openings51in the circular, recessed wall portion48of the bucket bottom wall44. The operator may make such an adjustment by grasping the ribs62on the valve plate53and turning the valve plate until the clicks produced by the detent pin58in the detent holes60inform the operator that the appropriate flow adjustment setting has been achieved. Such an adjustment may be conveniently accomplished “blind” without the necessity of turning the dispenser over, which could have the effect of re-arranging the tablets92in an unbalanced configuration. Next, the operator positions the loaded dispenser1in a pool or other body of water. The buoyancy and positioning of the expanded polystyrene ring9causes the dispenser, when placed in a pool or other body of water in a fully loaded condition, to float in an upright orientation with only the top wall11and perhaps a small amount of the upper end5bof the bucket to extend above the water line95, the rest of the dispenser being submerged. The buoyancy and positioning of the ring9, in combination with the uniform distribution of the tablets92with respect to both the major and minor axes of the dispenser1, further renders the dispenser self-righting when exposed to waves or other sources of turbulence in the pool.

As is specifically shown inFIG. 5B, when about 90% of the full load of tablets shown inFIG. 5Adissolves, the buoyancy of the floats78a,bof the basket4overcomes the weight of the remaining solid chemical contained therein, and causes the basket to vertically rise distance D within the bucket3. Consequently, the tabs69a,bof the refill indicator36slidably move from their position flush with the upper wall11to a position above the upper wall, where they provide a visual indication to the operator of a refill condition. The aforementioned color contrast between the tabs69a,band the top wall11renders the signal easier to see. As indicated previously, a smooth and reliable slidable movement between the tabs and the slots37a,bin the top wall is insured by the combination of the tab receivers41a,bshown in detail inFIG. 2Band the cooperation between the elongated recesses84a-din the basket4and the ribs88a-din the interior of the bucket3. It should be noted that the refill indicator will give the operator the same amount of time to refill the dispenser1if a less than full load of tablets92is placed into the basket4. The ability of the refill indicator to generate a visual signal indicative of a refill condition before all of the tablets92have been completely dissolved advantageously allows the dispenser to treat water substantially continuously without any significant hiatus.

Different modifications, additions, and variations of this invention may become evident to the persons in the art. For example, the indicator tabs69a,bmay be of any one of a number of different shapes, and different mechanisms between the basket and the bucket may be used to convert the vertical, floating movement of the basket4within the bucket3into a visual signal. Also, the solid, dissolvable water treatment chemical is not confined to calcium hypochlorite, and may be any one of a number of different water treatment compounds. All such variations, additions, and modifications are encompassed within the scope of this invention, which is limited only by the appended claims, and the equivalents thereto.