Patent Description:
Cartridges for automatic dosing machines typically have a rigid outer side and a connection portion with an outlet valve for connecting to the machine to automatically dose a portion of the contents into the machine. <CIT> discloses an example of such a cartridge.

These types of cartridges typically have a check valve somewhere on the cartridge body that allows air exchange between the inside of the cartridge and the enviroment. Check valves are necessary for a correct discharge of the contents of the cartridge as they prevent building of a vacuum inside the cartridge during the discharge process. On the other hand, outlet valves have to allow easy and controlable discharge of the contents of the cartridge with desirably no unwanted leakage of the contents through the outlet valves when the cartridge is not in use.

However, simple check valves although efficient for air exchange result in leakage of the contents of the cartridge which is inconvenient for the user and wasteful. <CIT> disclosesa one-way air-permeable structure which includes an air-permeable element, a switch element and a power part. This results in a complex structure of the check valve with a number of elements made of different materials.

In order to provide an external liquid storage box with better sealing performance and easy replacement, <CIT> discloses an external liquid storage box comprising a box body and a flow guiding structure arranged on a liquid outlet of the box body. On the other hand, <CIT> discloses a detergent box comprising a liquid storage box, a breathable one-way valve and a liquid extraction connector assembly, wherein the top of the liquid storage box is provided with the breathable one-way valve or a breathable film assembly. <CIT> discloses a container and closure combination, for the containment of fluids and extraction therefrom by way of an extraction tube. The container comprises a closed volume with an opening configured to close the opening of the container; the closure is provided with an aperture such that the closure, upon fitment to the container opening, cannot be removed therefrom. The aperture of the closure comprises a unitary elastic unidirectional valve member that can operate in a first, closed condition, to prevent a flow of fluid from the container; and a second, operational condition, with an extraction tube sealingly engaged with respect to the valve, to permit an extraction of fluid from the container through the tube.

Further, <CIT> discloses a cap according to the preamble of appended claim <NUM>.

To prevent leakage of the liquid, the cartridge solutions proposed offer complex structure of the outlet valves and/or check valves which are costly due to presence of metallic parts and/ springs, difficult to produce and problematic to recycle due to the presence of different materials. Furthermore, the liquid at the bottom of the cartridge cannot be fully extracted resulting in an undesirable waste of the product.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a cap for a cartridge comprises fastening means for fastening the cap to a cartridge opening and a valve configured to control liquid flow from inside the cartridge through the cartridge opening and the cap under negative pressure. The valve is a deformable ball which covers one or more flow openings in a non-deformed state (NS) and deforms to allow flow through the one or more flow openings in the deformed state (DS).

Such a cap provides a simple yet effective way of controlling liquid flow from a cartridge. The use of a deformable ball which covers one or more flow openings in a non-deformed state (NS) and deforms to allow flow through the one or more flow openings in the deformed state (DS) minimizes or prevents leakage out of the cartridge and then allows for an easy flow or dose out of the cartridge under negative pressure.

Preferably, the cap comprises a cap opening that is bound by an edge of the opening. The valve is placed over, within or adjacent to the cap opening such that it functionally controls flow through the cap opening. The cap opening may be circular or another shape, and the edge of the opening may extend from the cap towards the inside of the container.

Throughout this application the following directions are used: the axis passing through the center of the cap is a central axis (C), the direction perpendicular to the central axis is a radial direction (R), and the longitudinal direction (X) is the direction along the cartridge and parallel to the central axis (C) of the cap.

The cap may further comprise a pressure ring for securing one or more valve parts. Outer edges of the valve may be placed over the edge of the opening and the pressure ring is then placed over the portion of the valve sitting on the edge of the opening to ensure that the valve remains securely in place despite being subject to pressure and flow. The pressure ring may be, for example, a gasket, a rubber band, a silicon band or the similar.

The fastening means may comprise one or more of a thread, groove, shoulder or other connecting part. The fastening means may be an integral part of the cartridge (e.g., by moulding, printing and/or machining), or may be made separate and connected later, for example, by adhesive, tight fit, etc. The fastening means can provide a simple and easy way of connecting the cap with valve.

The valve is in a form of a deformable ball which covers one or more flow openings in a non-deformed state (NS) and deforms to allow flow through the one or more flow openings in the deformed state. The one or more flow openings extend in the radial direction (R) from the central axis of the cap (C).

The ball may be placed in a ball space which comprises flow openings. The ball space may be an integral part of the cap, or formed separately and connected. The valve may comprise a closing ring and/or other features configured to confine the ball within a ball space.

Preferably, the ball can comprise silicone or rubber. Such materials are resilient, allowing numerous cycles of ball deformation and long life span of the valve.

The ball may deform through compressive forces. Optionally, the compressive forces may be induced by the injection pin or other part of the cleaning appliance. This can provide a simple yet effective method for preventing or allowing flow through the valve and cap.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a cartridge comprising a rigid outer body, a flexible inner body at least partially inside the outer body, a cartridge opening, and a cap for the cartridge comprising fastening means for fastening the cap to the cartridge opening; and a valve configured to control liquid flow from inside the cartridge through the cartridge opening and the cap under negative pressure, wherein the valve consists of one of the following: i) a silicon cross piece, ii) a duckbill valve, iii) a deformable ball which covers one or more flow openings in a non-deformed state (NS) and deforms to allow flow through the one or more flow openings in the deformed state (DS).

Such a container or cartridge with a rigid outer body and flexible inner body provides a simple and effective way to store liquid contents inside a cartridge without leaking and ensure that most or all of the contents are able to be dispensed from the cartridge through use. Using a rigid outer body allows for easy handling, storage and connection to cleaning appliances, while the flexible inner body provides for no leakage while allowing controlled flow out of the container.

The valve of the cap may extend at least partially over the cartridge opening to control liquid flow from the flexible inner body through the cartridge opening and the cap.

The valve may consist of a silicon cross piece extending over a cap opening which aligns with the cartridge opening when the cap is connected to a cartridge. Optionally, the silicon cross piece comprises a valve body and two slits, crossing each other perpendicularly such that at least four flaps are formed. The flaps abut each other and form a seal when the cartridge is not used. Under the negative pressure, the flaps can open to allow liquid flow through the valve. This simple valve structure offers good flow control from the cartridge to the cleaning appliance using minimal parts. Furthermore, due to its simple design the valve can be easily (dis)connected to the cap and/or replaced together with the cap. It is also easy and inexpensive to manufacture such a valve, and can easily be replaced when needed.

Preferably, the valve consists of a duckbill valve. The duckbill valve comprises first and second flaps which extend from an outer edge of the cap opening towards the central axis (C) of the cap opening.

The first and second flaps can meet at the central axis of the cap opening to form a seal. The duckbill valve offers good sealing properties using a minimal number of parts. No metallic parts and/or springs are used resulting in an economical valve solution which is easy to recycle.

Alternatively or additionally, the first and second flaps are configured to open upon receiving compressive forces to form a liquid conduit from the cartridge through the cap. Optionally, the compressive forces may be induced by the injection pin or other part of the cleaning appliance. The injection pin may be part of the negative pressure device. Optionally, the injection pin may have hollow body to allow flow of the liquid from the cartridge to the cleaning appliance.

Preferably, the duckbill valve comprises silicone or rubber. Such materials offer good flexibility needed for opening of the valve while providing sufficient strength needed to seal the valve and prevent leakage.

Lastly, the valve may be in a form of a deformable ball which covers one or more flow openings in a non-deformed state (NS) and deforms to allow flow through the one or more flow openings in the deformed state. The one or more flow openings extend in the radial direction (R) from the central axis of the cap (C).

It should be noted that in specifying any ranges of values, any particular upper value can be associated with any particular lower value.

We note that in this application terms "container" and "cartridge" are not meant to be mutually exclusive or limiting but instead can be used interchangeably.

The container typically takes a form of a cartridge that is suitable to be the inserted into a cleaning appliance, preferably, a cleaning appliance with an automatic dosing function of the cleaning product. Suitable cleaning appliances could be, for example, a washing machine, a dishwasher, a mop or other cleaning device.

The cartridge comprises a rigid outer body, and a flexible inner body inside the outer body. The outer body may have a shape of a prism, a cylinder, or any other shape suitable for inserting into the cleaning appliance. The outer body comprises a base, plurality of side faces, and an outer body opening. The inner body comprises an inner body opening and a cleaning product space configured to accommodate an amount of the cleaning product.

The outer body opening may be aligned with the inner body opening to allow discharge of the cleaning product from the cleaning product space. The inner body and the outer body may be connected around their respective openings by connection means such as one or more of the following: an adhesive, welding, stitching, mechanical means, or similar. The cartridge can have a cap placed on the base of the outer body. The cap can include means for control of the cleaning product flow. The cap may be mounted onto the outer body by fastening means, such as threads, a tight fit, latch, or similar. Additionally, cap or cover could be used for storage and/or transport.

The inner body can be additionally fixed to the outer body by one or more linear connections connecting an outside surface of the inner body to an inside surface of the outer body. These can be in the longitudinal direction and/or around the sides (e.g., radially). In some examples, the linear connections can be in a form of one long connection extending along the length of the outer body or series of short/point connections along the body, for example, on each side face. This can be achieved by an adhesive, welding, stitching, mechanical means, or the similar.

The connection between the cartridge and a cleaning appliance can be formed by coupling a connecting insert on the cap to a negative pressure device, which could be part of the cleaning appliance or separate. The connection can be air-tight to allow correct discharge of the cleaning product. This connection can be through threads, a tight fit or any other means which could secure the two parts together.

The cap can further comprise a cap opening which allows liquid to flow through the cap. In this manner a liquid conduit is formed between the cartridge and the cleaning appliance. Under the negative pressure, for example generated by the negative pressure device of the cleaning appliance, the cleaning product can be discharged from the cleaning product space within the inner body, through the cap opening and the negative pressure device into the cleaning appliance.

Before use, the cartridge inner body is stretched to maximize volume of the cleaning product space, and the inner body almost completely coincides with the outer body of the cartridge. When the cartridge is in use, the cleaning product is periodically discharged from the cartridge. As the cleaning product is discharged, the volume of the cleaning product space decreases and the inner body separates from the outer body except around the one or more linear connections. At the same time, a volume of an unused space inside the (rigid) outer body and outside the flexible inner body increases. The unused space fills with air as the cleaning product is discharged and the inner body, and as such the inner body decreases in volume. The volume of the cleaning product space and the volume of the unused space together always add to a volume of the outer body. Consequently, as the volume of cleaning product space is decreased when the cleaning product is discharged, the volume of the unused space increases. The outer body can have one or more air openings, for example, away from the linear connections or other means that allow pressure leveling between the unused space and the environment. When the cleaning product has been mostly or completely used, the cleaning product space is minimized, while the volume of the unused space is maximized.

By using a flexible inner body inside the outer body, the cartridge is able to hold and empty the contents almost completely without the need for complicated air valves (and leakage there through). As described in the background, past cartridges typically only had a rigid outside, which required an air valve for emptying. Liquid would sometimes leak out that valve. By instead using a flexible inner body, only a simple air hole is needed in the outer body, and no contents leak as they are completely contained in the inner body. The flexibility of inner body allows for more complete emptying of the contents of cartridge, resulting in less waste. The use of one or more linear connections provides a simple way of ensuring that inner body empties in a way that contents will not remain stuck or trapped inside. Thus, forming cartridge of an outer body and a flexible inner body with aligned outlets provides a simpler cartridge which is easier to manufacture (due to no complicated air valves), does not leak and is able to more completely use all the contents within.

In order to control the liquid flow from the cartridge and prevent the spilling of the cleaning product when the cartridge is not connected to the cleaning appliance, a valve is placed on or in the cap. The valve has the form of a deformable ball. Preferably, the valve is placed over the cap opening.

The seal may be opened by an injection pin of the negative pressure device to form the liquid conduit between the cleaning product space and the cleaning appliance. The contents then may flow from inside the cartridge out the valve and cap for use.

The cap has a deformable ball placed in the center of the cap and one or more flow openings that extend radially around a ball space. The ball may sit within the ball space and a closing ring may be placed around the cap opening such that the ball stays within the ball space and cannot escape. The flow openings allow passage of the cleaning product from the cleaning product space into the ball space and out of cartridge. When the cartridge is not in use, the ball (in its natural state) covers openings, forming a seal that prevents spillage or flow of the cleaning product out of the cartridge.

When in use, the cartridge may be connected to the negative pressure device via the cap. The injection pin may be arranged to apply a force and deform the ball. The ball is configured to be deformed such that it moves away from the closing ring, and allows for flow through the flow openings. Consequently, the liquid conduit is formed from the cleaning product space, through the flow openings and the ball space, to the cleaning appliance.

The ball may be formed of a compressible material which reverts back into its original shape after the compressive force is removed (to seal off openings again). Such suitable materials can be, for example silicone or rubber.

The ball valve provides a simple but effective way to prevent flow and leakage in a cartridge until it is ready for use. The use of a compressible ball allows for sealing in a non-use state and a simple compression of that ball (e.g., by a pin) allows for flow out of cartridge. This simple but effective valve is formed with minimal parts and is therefore robust and easy to manufacture and use.

As discussed in the background, past cartridges required complicated outlet valves to ensure that liquid could exit the outlet when needed, but not leak out when not in use. Such valves typically included a number of metal parts, springs, etc. Instead, the valves described in this application provide very simple, yet effective designs for ensuring that the contents of a cartridge does not leak, but is able to exit the container when connected to the proper device. None require metallic parts or springs, which typically means less degradation and therefore a longer useable life for the valve and cartridge. Additionally, this can result in an easier and less costly manufacturing process for the valves.

<FIG> do not show embodiments of the invention, but can help to understand its use and function.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the following non-limiting embodiments and with reference to the drawings. The drawings are only schematic and are not limiting. In the drawings, the size, shape and placement of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustration purposes.

<FIG> show a longitudinal and a transversal cross-sectional view of a container for a cleaning product, respectively. The container has a form of a cartridge that is suitable to be the inserted into a cleaning appliance <NUM> with an automatic dosing function of the cleaning product.

The cartridge <NUM> comprises a rigid outer body <NUM>, and a flexible inner body <NUM> inside the outer body <NUM>. The outer body <NUM> shown has a shape of a prism with a rectangular base <NUM>, four side faces <NUM> and an outer body opening <NUM>. The inner body <NUM> has an inner body opening <NUM> and is configured to accommodate an amount of the cleaning product in a cleaning product space <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the inner body opening <NUM> and outer body opening <NUM> are aligned such that the cleaning product can be easily discharged from the cleaning product space <NUM>. The inner body <NUM> and the outer body <NUM> are connected around their respective openings by connection means <NUM>. The cartridge <NUM> has a cap <NUM> placed on the base <NUM> of the outer body <NUM>, around the outer body opening <NUM>. The cap <NUM> can include means for control of the cleaning product flow, which will be discussed in more detail in relation to <FIG>. The cap <NUM> is mounted onto the outer body opening <NUM> by fastening means <NUM>. The inner body <NUM> is additionally fixed to the outer body <NUM> by series of linear connections <NUM> along a longitudinal direction X. <FIG> shows an example in which the inner body <NUM> is connected to each side face <NUM> of the outer body <NUM>. The linear connections <NUM> are formed by connecting an outside surface of the inner body <NUM> to an inside surface of the outer body <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the cartridge <NUM> containing an amount of cleaning product <NUM> connected to the cleaning appliance <NUM>. The connection is formed by coupling a coupling insert <NUM> placed on the cap <NUM> to a negative pressure device <NUM> of the cleaning appliance <NUM>.

The cap <NUM> further comprises a cap opening <NUM> which allows liquid to flow through the cap <NUM>. In this manner a liquid conduit <NUM> is formed between the cartridge <NUM> and the cleaning appliance <NUM>. Under negative pressure, the cleaning product <NUM> is discharged from the cleaning product space <NUM>, through the cap opening <NUM> and the negative pressure device <NUM> into the cleaning appliance <NUM>, as shown by the flow arrows in <FIG>.

Three different working stages of the cartridge <NUM> are shown in <FIG>, which show cross-sectional views of cartridge <NUM> with outer body <NUM> and inner body <NUM> at different stages of fill of the inner body <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates the cartridge filled and prior to use, <FIG> shows the cartridge <NUM> in a partially used state, and <FIG> shows an empty or almost fully used state.

<FIG> illustrates the cartridge prior to use when the cleaning product space <NUM> is completely filled with the cleaning product <NUM>. The inner body <NUM> is stretched to maximize volume of the cleaning product space <NUM>, and the inner body <NUM> almost completely coincides with the outer body <NUM>. When the cartridge <NUM> is in use, the cleaning product <NUM> is periodically discharged from the cartridge <NUM>. This situation is shown in <FIG>. As the cleaning product <NUM> is discharged, the volume of the cleaning product space <NUM> decreases and the inner body <NUM> separates from the outer body <NUM> except around linear connections <NUM>. At the same time, a volume of an unused space <NUM> increases. The unused space <NUM> is the space inside the (rigid) outer body <NUM> and outside the flexible inner body <NUM>, which fills with air as the cleaning product is discharged and the inner body <NUM> decreases in volume. The volume of the cleaning product space <NUM> and the volume of the unused space <NUM> together always add to a volume of the outer body <NUM>. Consequently, as the volume of the cleaning product space is decreased when the cleaning product <NUM> is discharged, the volume of the unused space <NUM> increases. The outer body <NUM> has air openings <NUM> away from the linear connections <NUM> or other means that allow pressure leveling between the unused space and the environment. <FIG> illustrates the cartridge <NUM> when the cleaning product <NUM> has been mostly or completely used. The cleaning product space <NUM> is minimized in this case, while the volume of the unused space <NUM> is maximal.

In order to control the liquid flow from the cartridge <NUM> and prevent the spilling of the cleaning product <NUM> when the cartridge <NUM> is not connected to the cleaning appliance <NUM>, a valve <NUM> is placed on or in the cap <NUM>, and over the cap opening <NUM>. The valve <NUM> can have the form of a silicon cross piece <NUM> (<FIG>), a duckbill valve <NUM> (<FIG>) or, according to the invention, a deformable ball <NUM> (Figs.

<FIG> shows the front view of the cartridge <NUM> with the cap <NUM> and cross valve <NUM>. The valve <NUM> is placed over the cap opening <NUM>. In this case, the valve <NUM> is the silicon cross piece <NUM>. This valve has four flaps <NUM> formed by two perpendicular slits extending through the center of the silicon cross piece <NUM>. <FIG> shows the cross-sectional view of the cap <NUM> with the silicon cross piece <NUM>. The cap opening <NUM> is bound in the radial direction by an edge of the opening <NUM>. The flaps <NUM> extend in a radial direction R from a central axis C of the cap opening <NUM> towards an edge of the opening <NUM>. The silicon cross piece <NUM> is placed around the edge of the opening <NUM> and fastened by a pressure ring <NUM> that extends radially around the edge of the opening <NUM> and the outer edge of the cross piece. <FIG> illustrates the situation when the cap <NUM> is connected to the negative pressure device <NUM> of the cleaning appliance. Under the negative pressure, the flaps <NUM> open and the liquid conduit <NUM> is formed between the cleaning product space <NUM> and the cleaning appliance, shown by the flow arrows.

<FIG> illustrates a preferred type of the valve, the duckbill valve <NUM>. Similarly as in <FIG> with the silicon cross-valve, the duckbill valve <NUM> is placed over the cap opening <NUM> and fastened to the edge of the opening <NUM> by the pressure ring <NUM>. The duckbill valve has two flaps <NUM> which form a seal <NUM> around the central axis C of the cap when the cartridge <NUM> is not in use to prevent spillage of the cleaning product <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the cap <NUM> when connected to the negative pressure device <NUM> of the cleaning appliance <NUM>. The negative pressure device <NUM> has an injection pin <NUM> which opens the seal <NUM> to form the liquid conduit <NUM> between the cleaning product space <NUM> and the cleaning appliance <NUM>. The contents then flow from inside the cartridge <NUM> out the valve <NUM> and cap <NUM> for use.

<FIG> shows the cap <NUM> with the deformable ball <NUM>. The cap <NUM> has a ball space <NUM> placed in the center of the cap <NUM> and one or more flow openings <NUM> that extend radially around the ball space <NUM>. The ball <NUM> sits within the ball space <NUM> and a closing ring <NUM> is placed around the cap opening <NUM> such that the ball stays within the ball space <NUM> and cannot escape. The flow openings <NUM> allow passage of the cleaning product from the cleaning product space <NUM> into the ball space <NUM> and out of cartridge <NUM>. However, when the cartridge <NUM> is not in use, the ball <NUM> covers the openings <NUM>, forming a seal that prevents spillage or flow of the cleaning product out of the cartridge <NUM>.

When in use, the cartridge <NUM> is connected to the negative pressure device <NUM> via the cap <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. The injection pin <NUM> of the negative pressure device <NUM> applies a force and deforms the ball <NUM>. The ball <NUM> is deformed such that it moves away from the closing ring <NUM>, and allows for flow through the flow openings <NUM>. In this manner, the liquid conduit <NUM> is formed from the cleaning product space <NUM>, through the flow openings <NUM> and the ball space <NUM>, to the negative pressure device <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A cap (<NUM>) for a cartridge (<NUM>), the cap comprising:
fastening means (<NUM>) for fastening the cap (<NUM>) to a cartridge opening (<NUM>); and
a valve (<NUM>) configured to control liquid flow from inside the cartridge (<NUM>) through the cartridge opening (<NUM>) and the cap (<NUM>) under negative pressure,
characterised in that
the valve (<NUM>) is a deformable ball (<NUM>) which covers one or more flow openings (<NUM>) in a non-deformed state (NS) and deforms to allow flow through the one or more flow openings (<NUM>) in the deformed state (DS).