Method and device for treating textile

Abstract: Method and device for treating textile articles in the drum of a washing machine in which the articles are loaded into the drum together with a dispensing device (1) containing detergent or like composition, the device having at least one opening (4) through which it can be filled and the contents dispensed, the device having a smooth resilient wall (2, 32, 33) which is deformed by the wash liquor loaded articles as the drum rotates to pump the composition out of the device into the wash liquor.

Description: This invention relates to a dispenser device for dispensing a detergent or like composition and particularly to a reusable device adapted to be placed within the drum of a washing machine to dispense the contents thereof directly into the wash liquor as a result of rotation of the drum, and a method of treating textile articles using such a device. The use of such a dispensing device is well suited to dispensing compositions in washing machines having no automatic dosing facilities or in machines which have dosing facilities which are not capable of satisfactorily dosing the compositions into the machine. A commonly used dosing facility comprises a drawer or drawers into which the compositions are filled prior to starting the washing cycle and which are flushed by water entering the machine. Where this flushing occurs at the start of a washing cycle or where the drawer design is such that the compositions are not retained in the drawer until the start of the washing cycle, the compositions can flow to dead areas of the machine where they are not fully drawn into the wash liquor in contact with the articles being washed in the drum. Alternatively, the composition can sometimes remain in the drawer and not be fully flushed into the wash liquor. It has been proposed for instance in GB2157718 to provide a rigid reusable device for a liquid detergent which is placed in the drum of a washing machine to distribute the liquid detergent gradually into the washing liquor when the drum rotates. It has also been proposed to provide such a rigid device with a removable and replaceable lid having a plurality of holes therein which can be filled with a quantity of powdered detergent to be dispensed into the washing liquor. EP-A-40931 discloses a single-use sachet which is filled and closed during manufacture, the sachet opening during use as a result of mechanical action in the washing machine. The sachet is made of thin flexible thermoplastic material but the walls are not resilient to return to their original shape and there is no permanently open filling and dispensing opening. Once the sachet is opened dispensing of the detergent relies upon flow out of the sachet assisted by flattening of the sachet by the washing machine load and the wash liquor. EP-A-288347 discloses a dispenser device having a bellows-like convoluted wall structure which is collapsed in its stored position and can adopt its deployed state by virtue of its bellows structure. US-A-2941309 discloses a device for dispensing water to dampen clothes when tumbled therewith in a rotatable drier drum, the device having a filling opening which in use is closed by a cap and small holes are provided in the cap or the body of the device which permit only small amounts of moisture to escape. It has been found that the dispensers as previously proposed may not satisfactorily dispense all liquid and powdered detergent compositions. Where a liquid detergent composition is relatively viscous the previously proposed rigid liquid detergent dispensers can sometimes still contain a quantity of the liquid detergent at the end of the washing cycle. Similarly, when a powdered detergent composition has a tendency to coalesce into lumps in the presence of water the detergent does not dispense satisfactorily through the small holes in the rigid dispenser as previously proposed and can even become adhered to the inside of the dispenser. These problems can arise particularly when the washing cycle is effected at relatively low temperatures. They also arise particularly if the agitation in the drum is low, especially at the beginning of the machine cycle. The dispensers as previously proposed also suffer from the disadvantage that they create undue noise when they contact the inner surface of the washing machine drum. According to the present invention there is provided a device for dispensing a detergent composition in a washing machine drum comprising a hollow body having resilient walls deformable within the drum of the washing machine by wash liquor loaded textile articles and resilient to return to the original shape when the deforming force is removed characterised in that the hollow body has a smooth external surface and is provided a single permanently open filling and dispensing opening through which the device is filled with detergent and through which the detergent is dispensed. As the drum of the washing machine rotates to tumble the articles being washed in the wash liquor the device is squeezed or compressed from time to time by the weight of articles loaded with wash liquor falling on top of it. This compression reduces the internal volume of the device and serves to pump out some of the contents. As soon as the drum rotates further the weight of articles on the compressed device is released and the resilient walls of the device cause the device to flex back towards the original shape and increase the internal volume back to the original level. This flexing back towards the original internal volume tends to create a partial vacuum in the device and cause wash liquor to be sucked into the hollow device. Wash liquor can also enter the hollow body of the device by simply flowing in through the open filling and dispensing opening. The combination of the pumping effect of the compression and flexing of the resilient walls together with the entry of wash liquor to dilute or dissolve the composition within the device has been found to readily dispense the contents thereof even when the compositions were considered difficult to dispense by virtue of viscosity or tendency to form lumps. In the simplest embodiment of a dispensing device according to the present invention there is provided a single filling and dispensing opening in the hollow body. The opening can be large enough to provide for easy filling with the desired quantity of composition to be dispensed. Such a device is placed in the drum with the opening uppermost. Whilst a large opening would appear to allow a large proportion of the composition to be dispensed as soon as the device becomes inverted when the drum rotates the washing performance has not been found to be affected thereby. The pumping effect which operates at all orientations of the device in the washing machine drum is found to enhance the cleaning of the inside of the device of all the composition. The filling and dispensing opening can be provided with a rigid planar insert located within an annular groove surrounding the opening, the plane of the insert spaced inwardly into the hollow body and having at least one aperture therein. The insert can serve to slightly impede the rate of dispensing of the composition into the wash liquor where there is any risk of damage to the articles being washed by there is any risk of damage to the articles being washed by contact with a composition before it has been diluted in the wash liquor. The insert also provides a stiffening of the resilient walls around the opening therein and provides a stiffened zone in which the device can be gripped and held to minimise any risk of the device, after being filled with the composition, being deformed to an extent which would cause the composition to be expelled when being handled by the user placing the device in position in the washing machine drum. Because the insert is disposed in a convex part of the device it can nevertheless be deformed irrespective of the orientation of the device as the textile articles tumble onto it. The insert can conveniently be provided with a central aperture and a plurality of smaller apertures surrounding the central aperture. The central aperture can be large enough to provide for easy filling with the liquid or powdered composition and the surrounding apertures ensure that at the end of the washing cycle the device is empty of any remaining water. The inward spacing of the plane of the insert facilitates filling of the device. There is thus provided a recess above the uppermost surface of the insert and below the upper edge of the resilient body to aid the filling of the device. The insert can extend into the body to form an annular gap between the insert and the body and have a plurality of apertures at least some of which communicate with said annular gap. Because the annular gap formed between the insert and the wall of the body is in communication via at least some of the apertures in the insert with the outside of the device there is little risk of wash liquor or water remaining in the device at the end of the washing cycle. In an alternative embodiment of the invention the filling opening can be disposed in a re-entrant portion of the hollow body to facilitate filling of the device. The re-entrant portion can be defined by a plurality of arcuate slits in a spherical portion of the hollow body, the slits thus being located at the most favourable position to ensure that no wash liquor or water is left in the device at the end of the washing cycle. A central tubular core member can extend from the filling opening and have at least one opening communicating with the inside of the hollow body. Such a core member can help in minimising spillage of the composition from the device during handling of a filled device. To assist in providing some rigidity to the device without minimising the pumping action during use the core member can be rigid and also have its second end opposite the filling opening secured to the hollow body. The second end is preferably secured to a second re-entrant portion of the body so that any contact with the drum or the articles being washed with the hollow body at the zones which are reinforced by the core member is cushioned by the surrounding areas of the resilient body. The invention also provides the use of a device comprising a hollow body formed by a resilient wall resilient to return to its original shape when a deforming force is removed and having a smooth external surface, a permanently open filling and dispensing opening through which detergent is filled into the hollow body and dispensed, as a device for dispensing a detergent composition into a wash liquor in a washing machine drum when the drum is rotated containing the device and the clothes to be washed in the presence of a wash liquor. The pump action obtained in the use of the device ensures the complete dispensing of the entire contents of the device and can squirt the composition out of the device to provide better dispersion of the composition in the liquor in the machine. The resilient walls of the device significantly reduce the amount of noise created by the presence of a dispensing device in the rotating drum of a washing machine. The resilient walls of the device can conveniently be transparent to enable the user to observe the quantity of composition filled into the device. A suitable material capable of imparting the desired degree of resilience and having the necessary heat stability to withstand the operating temperatures normally encountered in a washing machine is plasticised PVC. Such a material can be tinted in various colours without preventing the filling level being observed by the user. Bands of contrasting colour may be incorporated in the body to indicate one or more predetermined fill volumes. The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of one embodiment of a device according to the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of a modified version of the device of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a plan view of the device of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention, Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation of the device of Figure 5, Figure 7 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention, Figure 8 is a sectional side elevation on the device of Figure 7. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a dispenser device comprising a substantially spherical hollow body 1 made of resilient plastics material having a smooth outer surface 2 and inner surface 2a. A flattened portion 3 is provided to form a base on which the device can be stood on a flat horizontal surface without any tendency to roll. Diametrically opposite the base 3 is an opening 4 having smoothly rounded annular edge 5 through which the device can be filled and the contents dispensed during use. The edges 5 of the opening are thickened at 6 to increase the stiffness of the upper region of the hollow body with respect to the remainder of the body so that in spite of the presence of the opening 4 a filled dispenser can be readily picked up by hand and placed in the drum of a washing machine without the device being squashed to expel or spill some of the contents. The device can be made of any suitably resilient plastics material such as plasticised PVC which will withstand the necessary operating temperatures in the washing machine. The body is conveniently transparent or translucent so that the user can see the level to which it has been filled and markings can be provided on the body to indicate to the user the fill level for particular volumes. The opening 4 can be closed with a removable closure allowing the device to be distributed and sold containing a predetermined quantity of composition. In use the user fills the hollow body with the desired quantity of composition with which textile articles are to be treated in the drum of a washing machine. The composition can be in liquid or powdered form. The composition will typically be a detergent composition but other compositions such as bleach can be filled into the hollow body. This, and other compositions, can be dispensed from the device into the drum alone or in combination with other compositions, the other compositions either being dispensed in a similar way or from the automatic dispensing facilities incorporated in the machine itself. Where two compositions are required to be dispensed into the washing machine at the same time, and provided they are compatible, they can of course each be filled into the hollow body. Where they are insufficiently compatible to be filled into a single hollow body as shown in Figure 1 the hollow body can be sub-divided into two, or even more, compartments each having a filling and dispensing opening. Having filled the device it is placed in the drum of the washing machine together with the textile articles to be treated. The device is placed in an upright position so that the contents do not dispense until the drum begins to rotate. When the drum rotates the dispensing device is upset and the composition contained therein is dispensed through the opening 4. Depending upon the nature of the composition it is unlikely that the entire contents are dispensed as soon as the drum rotates. The rate at which the dispensing occurs depends on the nature of the product, the angle to which the dispenser is tipped and the time for which the dispenser is tipped. As the drum rotates and the dispenser is tumbled together with the textile articles some wash liquor enters the hollow body. Most importantly, as the textile articles which have absorbed and are thus loaded with wash liquor tumble onto the device the weight of the articles squeezes or compresses the device irrespective of its orientation to reduce its internal volume. This compression thus pumps out some of the contents of the hollow body. As the weight of the articles is removed from the device the resilient walls cause the hollow body to flex back to its original shape. This flexing generally occurs when the device is below the level of the wash liquor in the machine so that some wash liquor is sucked into the device. The entry of wash liquor into the device and the pump effect of the compression and flexing of the resilient walls ensures that even the most difficult to dispense compositions are properly dispensed into the drum. At the end of the machine cycle there is no trace of the composition in the device. When the machine cycle ends with a high speed spinning of the drum the dispenser can thereafter be retrieved from inside the drum empty of any water or wash liquor ready for re-use. Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 there is shown a modified version of the dispenser of Figures 1 and 2 in which a rigid insert 7 is located within an annular groove 8 in the region 6 surrounding the opening 4 of the hollow body. The insert is dish shaped with an external annular flange 9 which locates in the annular groove 8 and a plane portion 10 spaced inwardly in the hollow body from the flange 9. The plane portion 10 is provided with a central aperture 11 surrounded by a plurality of smaller apertures 12 and 13. The apertures 13 extend to the underside of the annular flange 9 to communicate with an annular gap 14 created by the dish shape of the insert exteriorly thereof between the insert and the inside surface 2a of the hollow body 1. The dish shape of the insert together with the thickness of the thickened region 6 of the hollow body combine to form a recess 15 above the insert and below the upper edge of the filling device. The dispenser is filled through the apertures 11, 12 and 13 in the insert, the majority of the filling conveniently being effected through the central aperture 11. Where the rate of passage of the composition through the apertures is less than the rate at which the composition is being poured or fed to the device the recess 15 above the insert minimises any spillage. The insert serves to stiffen the upper region of the hollow body to facilitate handling of the filled dispenser without spillage but because it is disposed in a convex part of the hollow body the device can nevertheless be compressed by the loaded articles irrespective of its orientation within the drum. The filled device is placed in the washing machine drum as before and the machine cycle commenced. The insert then serves to partly restrict the dispensing of the composition and minimise any risk that might arise from the concentrated composition contained within the device coming into direct contact with the textile articles particularly before the articles are wetted. As soon as the device is tumbled together with the articles in the presence of a liquor the pumping action will suck a quantity of liquor into the device to dilute the composition before it is dispensed. Furthermore, the liquid composition, either diluted liquid composition or dissolved powder composition, is pumped out of the smaller apertures 12 and 13, particularly the smallest apertures 12 as jets of liquid giving improved dispersion of the composition in the liquor in the drum. During a final spinning cycle the device is emptied of water or liquor. The apertures 13 which communicate with the annular gap 14 ensure that no water or liquor remains trapped in the annular gap. In the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6 a generally spherical hollow body of resilient material is provided with three arcuate slits 16 interrupted at 17 as in Figure 5. Within the circle defined by the slits 16 is a re-entrant body portion 22 having at its centre an opening 4. Extending inwardly into the hollow body from the filling opening 4 is a hollow tubular central core member 23 which is open at its lower end 24 to communicate with the inside of the hollow body. In use the device is filled through the filling opening 4 which is facilitated by the re-entrant portion 22. The central core member inhibits spillage during handling. When the device is deformed by articles in the drum of the machine the contents of the drum are pumped out of the slits 16 and through the opening 4. When the deforming force is removed to allow the device to return to the original condition liquor is sucked in through the slits and may also enter through the opening 4. The slits 16 ensure that the device is empty of liquid at the end of a spinning sequence of the machine. Referring now to the embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8 a substantially spherical resilient hollow body 1 has the filling opening 4 uppermost. The filling opening 4 is disposed in a re-entrant portion 25 and communicates with a hollow tubular central core member 26 which extends through the hollow body and is secured to the hollow body at the end 27 opposite the opening 4. The end 27 of the core member is closed, one or more longitudinal openings 28 providing communication between the inside of the hollow body 1 and the inside of the core member 26. The end 27 of the core member is secured to a lower re-entrant portion 29 of the hollow body similar to the re-entrant portion 25 at the upper end of the core member. The lower re-entrant portion 29 provides a circular edge 30 on which the device can stand. Slits 31 are provided in the hollow body above the filling level of the composition to be dispensed from the device. The device is filled as before through the opening 4. In use the composition contained in the device is pumped out through the slits 31 and through the core member and out of opening 4. The slits 31 ensure that the device is empty at the end of the spinning sequence of the machine. Although the hollow body 1 is made somewhat more rigid by the core member the device is deformed by articles tumbling onto it irrespective of the orientation of the device. Since the rigid core member is secured to re-entrant portions 25 and 29 of the hollow body the core member cannot contact the drum of the washing machine to create noise. Dispensing devices as described above and the use of the devices in the washing of textile articles provide a significant improvement in the dispensing of detergent and like compositions and moreover avoid creating noise since contact of rigid elements of the dispensing device with the washing machine drum is minimised.

Claims: A device for dispensing a detergent composition in a washing machine drum comprising a hollow body having resilient walls deformable within the drum of the washing machine by wash liquor loaded textile articles and resilient to return to the original shape when the deforming force is removed characterized in that the hollow body (1) has a smooth external surface and is provided a single permanently open filling and dispensing opening (4) through which the device is filled with detergent and through which the detergent is dispensed. A device according to claim one characterized in that the filling and dispensing opening (4) is provided with a rigid planar insert (7) located within an annular groove (8) surrounding the opening, the plane of the insert (4) spaced inwardly into the hollow body (1) and having at least one aperture (11, 12, 13) therein. A device according to claim 1 characterized in that the filling opening (4) is disposed in a re-entrant portion (22, 25) of the hollow body (1) and a central tubular core member (23, 26) communicating at one end with the filling opening (4) and at the other end with the inside of the hollow body. A device according to claim 3 characterized in that the end of the core member (26) opposite the filing opening (4) is secured to a second re-entrant portion (29) of the hollow body. Use of a device comprising a hollow body (1) formed by a resilient wall resilient to return to its original shape when a deforming force is removed and having a smooth external surface, a permanently open filling and dispensing opening (4) through which detergent is filled into the hollow body and dispensed, as a device for dispensing a detergent composition into a wash liquor in a washing machine drum when the drum is rotated containing the device and the clothes to be washed in the presence of a wash liquor.

Inventors: BOZZI LUIGI, RAYMOND JEAN FRANCOIS, BOZZI, LUIGI, RAYMOND, JEAN FRANCOIS
Applicants: UNILEVER NV, UNILEVER PLC, UNILEVER N.V.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: D06F39
IPC codes: D06F35, D06F39