Dispenser of stored materials and products

Abstract: Dispenser in washing machines, adapted to automatically dispense detergent and rinse aid through own actuation means. The actuation means comprise permanent magnet means (23), first lamellar means (24) of iron-nickel alloy, PTC means (25), and second lamellar means (26). The first and second lamellar means (24,26) include the PTC (25) interposed therebetween to form an assembly which is temporarily energized by an electrical power supply (27) until in the first lamellar means (24) a temperature corresponding to the Curie point of the alloy is reached. The permanent magnet means (23) is arranged so as to co-operate with the first lamellar means (24) until said Curie point is reached in the first lamellar means (24).

Description: The present invention relates to a dispenser of stored materials and products. See for example DE-U-8711236. In a more particular way, the present invention relates to an apparatus featuring a thermo-magnetically actuating device which is adapted to dispense the products or materials stored in the apparatus according to a pre-set timing and in pre-established quantities. The present invention is advantageously used in, but not limited to clothes washing and dishwashing machines for the automatic addition of detergents and rinse aids. Detergent and rinse aid dispensers as used in household and industrial washing machines, to which reference will be made by way of example hereinafter, are widely known in the prior art. These prior art dispensers are designed with different types of actuation means for starting and carrying out the detergent and/or rinse aid dispensing duty, ie. different means adapted to actuate, through a displacing or releasing action, a single part or a subassembly following a corresponding command of a usually electric type. Where detergent has to be dispensed, upon arrival of an electric pulse the opening of a gate or lid is operated, whereby the detergent, which will have been pre-filled into an appropriately arranged reservoir, will be enabled to fall into the washing tub or tank. Where rinse aid has to be dispensed, upon arrival of an electric pulse a valve is caused to open so that the liquid rinse aid is allowed to flow down into said washing tub or tank. Actuation means used to this purpose in the prior art are essentially of two different types: a) electromagnetic, whereby the actuation occurs through the displacement of a movable iron core in a solenoid upon receipt of each corresponding electric pulse; b) thermomechanical, whereby the actuation occurs through the displacement of a water-tightly sealing pin sliding within an enclosure filled with highly expansible wax; it is the expansion of this wax filling that causes the pin to displace, said expansion being brought about by inputting a certain heat quantity through a properly energized thermistor, or PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient), or an electric heating element; Electromagnetic systems are quite expensive. Furthermore, they are prone to failure due to winding faults and they can be quite noisy in operation due to clattering. Also thermomechanical systems are expensive and typically have their weak point in the water-tightly sealing action of their sliding pin. The applicant has therefore studied, experimented and developed a dispensing system which is capable to overcome all problems encountered in connection with prior art devices and systems. The invention is illustrated in the main claim appended hereto, while the following sub-claims illustrate various features and peculiarities of the invention. The dispenser according to the present invention provides a system for dispensing detergent and rinsing aid based on the thermomagnetic characteristics of an appropriate actuator. In an advantageous manner, said actuator is an element constituted by a magnetic material of the Invar type, ie. a nickel and iron alloy. Said alloy has the distinctive feature that, at a certain temperature (Curie point) which is a function of the nickel contents in the alloy, it loses its magnetic properties and becomes nonmagnetic. As a consequence, if a permanent magnet of this type is connected with the devices designed to release detergent and rinsing aid into the process, and if said permanent magnet is arranged in such a way as to co-operate with the actuation element of said devices, no dispensing action will take place as long as the temperature of said actuation element stays below a certain value. Upon exceeding said temperature value, the permanent magnet will then stop co-operating with said actuation element and this in turn will cause the detergent or rinsing aid to be dispensed into the washing machine in the desired way. In an advantageous way, heat is inputted to the actuation element through a thermistor or PTC-type means or through some other suitable heating means with highly reliable operating characteristics. These and further distinctive features of the present invention, which will be set forth by way of non-limiting example so as to better emphasize the simple, economical and highly reliable construction and operation of the device according to the present invention, are described in a more detailled way with reference to the accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 is a schematic, perspective view of a dispenser according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, along the A-A line, of the dispenser according to Figure 1, shown in the state it takes when it is not dispensing detergent; Figure 3 is a detail of the cross-sectional view of Figure 2, however with the dispenser shown in the state it takes when dispensing detergent; Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the dispenser according to the invention; Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the dispenser illustrated in Figure 1, shown in the state it takes when not dispensing detergent; Figure 6 shows the alternative embodiment of Figure 5, however with the dispenser shown in its detergent dispensing setting; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view, along the B-B line, of the dispenser of Figure 1, shown in the state when it is not dispensing rinsing aid; Figure 8 shows a detail of the view in Figure 7, shown with the dispenser in its rinsing aid dispensing state; Figure 9 shows a detail of Figure 7. Figure 1 illustrates a dispenser 10 according to the present invention, which has, like prior art devices of this type, a box-like, hollow body 11 of a generally thermoplastic material. Said box-like, hollow body 11 has on its front side a first lid 12 for shutting off the gate to the detergent compartment, said lid 12 having to be opened automatically by a suitable device upon each corresponding electrical pulse it receives from a timer. Said box-like, hollow body 11 has also a second lid 13 for the rinsing aid storage compartment, said lid 13 being opened manually by the user in order to fill rinsing aid into said compartment. Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, where it can be noticed that said first lid 12 is able to pivot about the fulcrum 14 and tends to become opened, under the action of a spring 15, so that it will be successively brought to the positions 12' and 12'' as shown with dashed lines in Figure 2. In this way, the detergent 16 is released from the storage reservoir 17, said storage reservoir 17 being further provided with sealing means such as a gasket 18. The lid 12 is this case kept in its closed position by a lever 19 which is pivotally mounted on the box-like body 11 through a pin 20. The lever 19, which is able to swing about said pin 20, features at one of its ends a tooth 21 co-operating with a notch 22 provided in the first lid 12. At its other end, said lever 19 carries a permanent magnet 23 which, when the lid 12 is in its closed position as shown in Figure 2, co-operates with a lamellar element 24 which is the actuating element of the lid 12. Said lamellar element 24 is a thin metal plate made of an iron-nickel alloy and is suitably fixed to said box-like body 11. The lamellar element 24 keeps the lid 12 in its normally closed position due to the magnetic action developing between the same lamellar element 24 and the permanent magnet 23, and this goes on up to the moment in which said thin metal plate 24 is brought to a certain temperature (Curie point) at which it becomes nonmagnetic. The heat necessary to this purpose is inputted in an advantageous way through a PTC 25 heater, with which an associated lamellar element 26, eg. of brass or bronze, is made to co-operate, said lamellar element 26 being mounted on the box-like body 11, too. By supplying an electric current to said two lamellar elements 24 and 26 at pre-established times, the PTC is caused to heat up and, as a consequence, the same lamellar element 24 is thereby heated up to the point at which it becomes nonmagnetic. In Figure 3 the phase is illustrated, as duly indicated by the arrow 28, when the magnet 23 is released from the thin metal plate 24 following the electrical supply 27, while the tooth 21, accordingly, becomes released from the notch 22 and the first lid 12 is thereby set free, as shown by the arrow 29. In both Figures 2 and 3, the numeral 30 is used to indicate a definite gasket, eg. of rubber material, which allows the lever 19 to pivot about the pin 20 and at the same time protects the thin metal plates 24 and 26 and the PTC 25 heater against water possibly splashing from the washing compartment. The item shown in Figure 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment, in which said interaction between the magnet 23 and the iron-nickel lamellar element 24 occurs through a pair of ferrous pole pieces 31 in view of improving the conditions of mutual attraction. Figures 5 and 6 show an alternative embodiment of the device illustrated in Figure 2, for said first lid 12 in its closed and open position, respectively. In this alternative embodiment, the permanent magnet 23 is directly mounted on the lid 12 and acts frontally with respect of the iron-nickel lamellar element 24, regardless of the interposition of the plastic wall 32 of the box-like body 11 therebetween. Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view, along the B-B line, of the dispenser of Figure 1, with said dispenser 10 shown in the state when it is not dispensing rinsing aid. In such a state of the dispenser 10, the liquid rinse aid, which is indicated with the numeral 33 in the storage reservoir 34, cannot flow out from the outlet opening 35 located in the bottom of said storage reservoir 34 and closed up, in this particular case, by a lip-seal valve 36, which is advantageously made of elastomeric material. The stem 37 of said valve 36 is directly connected with the magnet 23 which co-operates with the elements 24, 25 and 26, as described in the previously illustrated examples. By way of example, said elements are shown in Figure 1 as protruding from the box-like body 11. Upon reaching the nonmagnetic state of the lamellar element 24, the valve 36 drops downwards, as duly held back by the sealing retainer 38, which is advantageously made of elastomeric material. With the valve 36 falling off in this way (see Figure 8), the outlet opening 35 is set free and the rinse aid can therefore flow out through the orifice 39 to fall into the washing tub or tank. The second lid 13 is only opened occasionally by the user when the need arises to refill rinse aid 33 into the storage reservoir through the filler 40. Said second lid 13 is in an advantageous way kept closed by the interaction of a magnet 41 and a ferrous plate 42 fixed to the lid 13 itself (see Figure 9), or vice-versa. In such a way, the filler 40 is kept constantly shut under assurance of an effective sealing action. In the afore illustrated examples, the permanent magnet 23 is in all cases connected with a moving element or structure. According to an alternative embodiment, said magnet 23 is fixed to the box-like body 11, while it is the elements 24, 25 and 26 that are actually moving. A number of preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described hereinbefore, although it will be appreciated that various further embodiments may appear as feasible to anyone skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention, as claimed hereinafter.

Claims: Dispenser of stored materials and products, particularly detergent (16) and rinse aid (33) in clothes washing machines and dishwashing machines, said dispenser (10) being adapted to automatically dispense said detergent (16) and rinse aid (33) through own, suitably energized actuation means comprising a bimetallic element, characterized in that its actuation means consist of a device comprising permanent magnet means (23), first metallic lamellar means (24) of special alloy, in particular iron-nickel alloy, thermistor or PTC means (25), and second metallic lamellar means (26), made in particular of brass or bronze, said first lamellar means (24) and said second lamellar means (26) including said thermistor or PTC means (25) interposed therebetween to form an assembly able to be temporarily energized by an electrical power supply (27) until in said first lamellar means (24) a temperature corresponding to the Curie point of the alloy is reached, said permanent magnet means (23) being arranged to interact with said first lamellar means (24), said interaction ceasing upon reaching of said Curie point in said first lamellar means (24). Dispenser (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said permanent magnet means (23) are fixedly fitted to moving elements (12, 19, 36) of said dispenser (10). Dispenser (10) according to claim 1, charcaterized in that said permanent magnet means (23) are fixedly fitted to fixed elements (11) of said dispenser (10). Dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said permanent magnet means (23) are carried by an end portion of a lever means (19) pivoting about a pin means (20) and having its other end portion (21) shaped in a tooth-like configuration to co-operate with a matching notch (22) of the moving lid means (12) (Figure 2). Dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said permanent magnet means (23) are directly mounted on said moving lid means (12) (Figure 5). Dispenser (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said permanent magnet means (23) are mounted on valve means (36) arranged to control the outflow of the rinse aid (33). Dispenser (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the closure lid (13) of a filler (40) for rinse aid (33) is provided with ferrous plate means (42) capable of co-operating, when said lid (13) is in its closed position, with matching permanent magnet means (41) provided on the structure (11) of the dispenser (10), or vice-versa. Dispenser (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said permanent magnet means (23) are provided with ferrous pole pieces (31). Dispenser (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said permanent magnet means (23), under attraction conditions, co-operate with wall means (32) of the structure (11) of the dispenser (10). Dispenser (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said lever means (19) co-operate with fluid sealing means (30).

Inventors: RUSSI LUCIANO, RUSSI, LUCIANO
Applicants: SANDRIN GIANNINO, SANDRIN, GIANNINO
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A47L15
IPC codes: A47L15, D06F39