Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application titled USER FRIENDLY DISPENSER Ser. No. 11/803,296 filed May 14, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,766), which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application titled USER FRIENDLY DISPENSER Ser. No. 10/939,062 filed Sep. 9, 2004 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,238,228), which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application titled DISPENSER SYSTEM Ser. No. 10/636,821 filed Aug. 7, 2003 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,615), which claims priority from provisional application titled DISPENSER Ser. No. 60/432,189 filed Dec. 10, 2002. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     None 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     None 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The concept of fluid treatment systems is generally known in the art. My U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,858 discloses a system where a dispenser is cantilevered mounted in a chamber of a sand filter to dispense materials into the fluid. My U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,900 discloses a kit and a method for converting a water circulation system to a water circulation and purification system where cartridges are held in a housing and fluid is flowed around the cartridges which are held in a housing. 
     The present invention includes dispensing system that are user friendly that permit an unskilled person to quickly add the proper amount of dispersant to a fluid system 
     The system includes a dispensing system wherein dispenser cartridges can be quickly and interchangeably placed into a fluid system with the system configured such that a person changing the dispenser cartridges is not accidentally exposed to a jet of high pressure liquid. 
     Another feature is that if the dispenser cartridges are used they can be placed in a dispenser holder that allows one to remove all of the dispenser cartridges as a unit but allows one to replace only those dispenser cartridges that are spent. 
     One of desirable aspects of a dispensing system is that one should be able to control the amount of dispersant that is introduced into the fluid under different conditions. For example, in a hot tub one may want to release the dispersant at a first rate to maintain the proper concentration of dispersant in the hot tub if no one is using the hot tub. On the other hand, if many persons are using the hot tub one will want to increase the dispersant rate in order to maintain the proper concentration of dispersant in the hot tub. Similar conditions occur in other commercial applications where the concentration of the dispersant in the fluid dissipates due to internal or external factors. In these conditions one may want to have a higher dispersal rate to compensate for higher consumption of dispersants. Still in other situations one may have different dispersant materials that need to be dispersed at different rates yet both the dispersal rates may need to be simultaneously increased or decreased depending on the operating conditions Consequently, the dispersal system should enable a user to predictably deliver different dispersal rates for different conditions and to change the deliver rate for one or more dispensers that are contained within the system. 
     The various embodiment of the invention includes a fluid dispersant system utilizing dispersant cartridges or dispenser drawers, dispersant fountains that enable one to add dispersant material to a system in a manner that allows one to predictably control the dispersant rate into a fluid by controlling the flow pattern past a dispensable material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A user friendly system that permits an unskilled person to quickly add dispersant material to a fluid system with the user friendly system utilizing operator evident dispersant carriers such as drawers, hangars or insertable cartridges. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cutaway view of a dispenser system having a container and dispenser for dispensing materials into the fluid in the container; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a cartridge for use in the dispenser system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a cartridge carrier for holding one or more cartridges in the dispenser chamber in the dispensing system of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a cartridge carrier of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the cartridge carrier of  FIG. 3  illustrating the flexible ears that permit lateral insertion of a cartridge therein; 
         FIG. 6  shows an isolated view of a housing for peripherally introducing a fluid into the housing chamber; 
         FIG. 7  is a pictorial view of a dispenser housing head for securing to the dispenser housing of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a pictorial view of a dispenser housing locking nut for securing the dispenser housing head to a panel on the system; 
         FIG. 9  is a dispenser housing cap for securement to the dispenser housing head shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a dispenser housing locking cam for securing in the dispenser housing of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 11  shows an exploded view of a dispenser system positioned proximate a panel; 
         FIG. 12  is a pictorial view of the handle and locking mechanism on a cartridge carrier; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross section view of a cartridge dispenser suspended in a cylindrical chamber; 
         FIG. 14  is a graph of dispersant concentration as a function of time with the cartridge dispenser suspended in the cylindrical fluid chamber of  FIG. 13 : 
         FIG. 15  is partial cross sectional view of a dispensing drawer in a fluid circulation system; 
         FIG. 16  shows the dispensing drawer of  FIG. 15  in a partially open condition; 
         FIG. 16A  is an end view of the dispensing drawer of  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  shows the dispensing drawer of  FIG. 15  in the open condition; 
         FIG. 18  shows a dispensing drawer mounted in a low pressure region of a fluid circulation system; 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a dispensing drawer; 
         FIG. 20  is a front view of a dispensing cartridge for placing in the dispensing drawer of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a front view of a dispersant for placing in the dispensing drawer of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a sectional view of the dispensing drawer of  FIG. 19  taken along lines  5 - 5 ; 
         FIG. 23  is a partial section view of a fluid circulation system having a fountain dispenser for placing dispersant therein; 
         FIG. 24  is a partial front view of a hanging dispenser; and 
         FIG. 25  is a partial side view showing the hanging dispenser of  FIG. 24  suspend on the ledge of a container for a fluid circulation system. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention includes a user friendly apparatus and method for replenishing spent dispersant material. In one embodiment one pulls out a dispensing compartment in the manner one pulls out a drawer. Once open the dispensing material can be placed in the dispensing drawer and the drawer closed to bring the system to dispensing condition. In anther embodiment a dispensing compartment can be hung from the side of the container and in a further embodiment a fountain like dispenser that allows one to place the dispersant material into the fountain like dispenser so the dispensable material can be flow carried throughout the system. 
       FIG. 1  is a cutaway view showing a dispenser system  10  with an outer housing  11  having an inner container  11   a  partially filled with a fluid such as water  25 . Typically, system  10  can be used in a pool, spa or other fluid container where fluid treatment is required. For example, the system can be used for the water that is used either for work, pleasure or for drinking. 
     In the embodiment shown the container  11   a  is configured in a spa mode with an inlet  30  positioned to draw water into an inlet pipe  29  through a pump  27 . Pump  27  increases the pressure of the water and forces the water in fluid conduit  28  on the outlet side of the pump to discharge under high pressure as a high pressure jet at underwater port  28   a . The high pressure fluid jet can provide multiple functions, for example, in a hot tub, the high pressure fluid jet produced by the pump system circulates the water in the hot tub thus ensuring that the water purification materials are dispersed throughout the tub. In addition, the high pressure jet produced by the pump system can also provide a water massages as a user sits in the tub. A further use of a portion of the stream of fluid can occur when fluid is diverted to a dispensing housing to allow the fluid to flows past a dispersant material that is contained in the dispenser housing. 
     In the present invention the high pressure line  28  is in fluid communication with a dispenser  19  which is mounted in the housing  11 . Dispenser  19  comprises a housing that contains a dispenser inlet  14  with a fluid restriction  15  in the form of a small aperture with a cross sectional flow diameter on the order of 0.010 of an inch while the cross sectional flow diameter of the line  28  and nozzle outlet  28   a  may be two inches or more. It will be appreciated that the cross sectional area or size of the aperture  15  and the cross sectional area or size line  28  can be scaled up or down to accommodate various flow conditions but that the ratio of the difference in cross sectional area produces a low pressure region in the dispenser. Thus, in the present invention, a purpose of the restriction  15  is to limit the volume flow of high pressure water into chamber  16  in the dispenser  19  but still provide for flow of water at a lower pressure through chamber  16 . 
     In the embodiments shown in  FIG. 1  the dispenser  19  contains an open dispersant chamber  16  for placing or retaining dispersant materials therein. That is, cap  13  can be removed and typical materials such as bromine sticks  17  can be dropped in chamber  16 . Located in the bottom portion of chamber  16  in dispenser  19  are the water purification materials  17  or other fluid treatment materials. In one embodiment dissolvable materials  17  such as halogens and particularly halogens such as bromine or chlorine tablets are placed directly into chamber  16  by removal of cap  13  which threadingly engages a male thread on dispenser  19 . In operation of the system of  FIG. 1 , the top inlet  14  of dispenser  19  receives water under high pressure but low volume flow since only a small amount of water can flow through the restriction  15 . With the cap  13  on dispenser  9  the pressure in the chamber  16  rises sufficient to force water to flow, albeit at a slow velocity, through the dispenser chamber  16  and into the container  11   a  through outlet  21 . As shown in  FIG. 1  dispenser  19  includes an air pocket  16   a  above the water line  18  of the water in the dispenser  19 . It should be understood that the top end  19   a  of dispenser is located above the water line  26  in the container  11   a  and that the bottom discharge port offers little resistance to fluid returning to container  11   a . Consequently, if the cap  13  is not on the dispenser  13  the water will not flow out of dispenser  19  but will seek its own level, namely the level indicated by water line  26  in container  11   a  since there is little resistance to flow of water out of the port  21  in dispenser  19 . 
     A further feature of the invention is that the liquid level in the dispenser  19 , which is indicated by reference numeral  18  and the air pocket  16   a  combine to provide a reservoir or chamber for fluid. That is, the water flows in the directions indicated by arrows in  FIG. 1 . The water flows through chamber  16  and out passage  20  and is discharged into container  11   a  through port  21  which is located below the water line  26 . The egress passage  20  is characterized by having a substantially larger diameter than the diameter of the restrictor  15  so as not to impede the flow of water therethrough. As a result, the high pressure low volume flow of water entering the dispenser  16  is forced through the dispenser  19  and into the bottom of the container  11   a  where the discharge pressure is primarily determined by the depth of the water “h” below the water line. The presence of the air pocket  16   a  ensures that if the cap is removed it will be air that escapes from the dispenser rather than the fluid in the chamber. The maintenance of an air pocket in the dispenser housing insures that the fluid level in the system will be below the top of the dispenser housing so that removal of cap  13  will not cause fluid to spill from the housing. 
     Thus in the present system the water discharges into a low pressure region in the bottom of container  11   a . If someone should accidentally remove cap  13  the pressure of water entering into the dispenser arrives at a low volume flow with the stream of water directed away from the top opening  19   a  to prevent any water or dispenser materials from being blown back at the person as the cap  13  is removed. In addition, the air pocket  16   a  can provide a reservoir chamber to absorb water flowing into the dispenser  19 . That is, even with the outlet  21  blocked there is a time lag of several minutes before the water would flow out the top of dispenser  19  thus giving a person time to shut off the recirculation system. 
     In normal operation, the pressure in air pocket  16   a  may rise slightly due to the fluid circulation resistance through the dispenser  19  and cause the air pocket  16   a  to compress slightly, however, once the cap  13  is removed the water level  18  in the dispenser  19  may rise slightly but under normally conditions the flow will continue to circulate through the dispenser since the fluid resistance to water discharging out the top  19   a  of the dispenser  19  is maintained at greater fluid resistance than the fluid resistance to water flowing though the dispenser  19  and back into the container  11   a . In other words, the inlet  15  and the outlet  20  are sized such that if the water under pressure continues to come into the dispenser chamber  16  when the cap  13  is removed the water in the dispenser  19  will not rise over the top of the dispenser housing and spill out of the dispenser  19 . That is, even though a slight increase in the water level  18  can occur water continues to flow through dispenser  19  and back into the container  11   a  thereby ensuring that unnecessary spills are avoided. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the invention a removable cartridge or removable cartridges are placed in a cartridge holder that is removably positioned in a dispenser housing.  FIG. 2  shows a front view of a cartridge dispenser  40  for receiving a typical fluid treatment material such as water purification material. Cartridge  40  comprises an outer sleeve  41  that is rotatable positioned with respect to an inner container  42  which contains a dispersant  39 . A pair of elongated openings  41   a  allow fluid to flow enter container  42  through the openings  43   a . Located in the bottom of container  42  is a dispersant material  39  such as minerals or the like which are used to treat water. Minerals  39  are different from chlorine or bromine tablets and the like which dissolve as they are used as minerals which do not dissolve need to be removed once the minerals have been spent. Thus the cartridge  40  comprises a dispersant holder that can be removed from a dispenser housing and replaced with a fresh cartridge. If desired cartridge  40  can be provided with a flotation chamber  45  that is attached directly to the cartridge  40  so the cartridge will float to the top of the dispenser chamber  16  for easy access and thus removal. 
     In another embodiment of the invention a cartridge dispenser is carried by a cartridge holder.  FIG. 3  shows a cartridge carrier or cartridge holder  50  for holding one or more cartridges in an end to end condition. Cartridge carrier  50  includes a handle  51  and an open body skeleton housing  60  having elongated flexible circumferential edges or ears  60   a  and  60   b  as part of the skeleton housing. The purpose of the skeleton housing is to allow water to flow through the skeleton housing and into and out of the cartridge held therein while at the same time provide a convenient tool for holding the cartridges in position in the dispenser housing and for removing the cartridges from the dispenser housing. Carrier  50  contains a first circumferential lip  50   a  that is spaced from a second circumferential lip  50   b  with a resilient sealing member such as an O-ring  45  located between the lips to allow one to seal the top of the cartridge carrier  50  to the inside of a dispenser housing to prevent flow past the top of the dispenser housing. 
       FIG. 4  shows a side view of cartridge carrier  50  revealing two ears  56  and  56   a  for locking the cartridge carrier  50  into a dispenser locating housing cam  65 , which is shown in  FIG. 10 . Cartridge career  50  is preferable made from a polymer plastic that is flexibly thin yet sufficiently rigid to hold dispensing cartridges therein. Carrier  50  contains side openings  60   f ,  60   e ,  60   g  and  60   h  to permit ingress or egress of fluid through the skeleton housing  60 . While only one cartridge dispenser  40  is shown in cartridge holder  50  additional cartridges holder can be placed in the cartridges holder to provide for different dispersants. 
       FIG. 5  shows a sectional view of the cartridge carrier  50  taken along lines  55  to show the cylindrical open body skeleton housing  60  with ears  60   a  and  60   b  being resiliently displaceable radially outward (see arrows) to allow lateral insertion of the cartridge  40  therein. A lower stop  43   c  extends around the bottom of the skeleton housing to hold the cartridge in position. 
     In order to hold a plurality of dispenser cartridges in a fixed position in the cartridge holder  50  reference should be made to  FIG. 3  which shows internal circumferential bands that form a protruding partial circumferential ridge. That is, a top circumferential ridge  44   a  holds the top cartridge dispenser  40 , a second identical partial circumferential ridge  44   b  can hold a second cartridge dispenser and a third identical partial circumferential ridge  44   c  located on skeleton housing  60  can hold a third dispensing cartridge therein. A circumferential mating stop, such as a mating circumferential recess  40   a  located on cartridge  40  allow one to maintain the cartridge  40  in the proper axial location in skeleton housing  60 . The flexible ears  60   a  and  60   b  and the skeleton body  60  which flex radially outward can be configured to provide a slight frictional fit between the outer surface of the cartridge and the inner surface of the skeleton holder  60  to thereby hold the cartridge in position during insertion and removal of the cartridge from the dispensers as well as to avoid movement of the cartridge in the housing due to changing water conditions in the dispenser housing which could cause unnecessary noise. 
       FIG. 11  shows an exploded view of the portion of the dispensing system that is fixedly attached to a panel  70  and  FIGS. 6-10  show the unassembled components for forming a dispensing system in either an existing fluid system or a new fluid system. The cartridge holder of  FIG. 3  is placeable directly into the housing  61  shown in  FIG. 6  and an isolated cross sectional view of the flow around the skeleton housing and the cartridge  12  is shown in general detail in  FIG. 13 . 
     In order to illustrate the attachment and operation of the system with dispersant cartridges reference should be made to the dispersant housing components illustrated in  FIGS. 6-10 . The dispersant housing  61  shown in  FIG. 11  contains an upper end collar  61   a  for securement to a housing head, a circumferential inlet port  61   b , a central chamber  61   d  with a dispenser  40  therein and a lower outlet  61   c . Dispenser housing  61  is mountable below a panel on a water system and is connected to the inlet and outlets as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Dispenser housing collar  61   a  includes an internal cylindrical surface  61   e  for mating with a dispenser housing head and an alignment notches  61   f  for engaging with alignment members in the dispenser housing head  62 . 
       FIG. 7  is a pictorial view of the dispenser housing head  62  that is securable to the dispenser housing  61  through an adhesive or solvent bonding or the like. That is, in the preferred embodiment dispenser housing  61  and dispenser housing head  62  can be made from materials such as a polymer plastic and can permanently secured to each other through adhesives or the like. Dispenser housing head  62  includes a circumferential lip  62   a  for securing above a panel to support the dispenser housing head thereon. Located along the body of dispenser housing head  62  is a set of external threads  62   b , an alignment member  62   d  and a male cylindrical mating surface  62   c  for insertion into the female cylindrical surface  61   e  on dispenser housing  61 . Located within housing head  62  is a set of internal threads  62   f  for engagement with a removable cover. The use of a separate dispenser housing  61  with a collar permits one to assembly the unit on a system through placement of parts above and below the panel of the unit that is receiving the dispensing system of the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  is a pictorial view of a dispenser housing securement nut  63  having a set of internal threads  63   c , a set of hexagon lands  63   b  to allow one to rotate the nut  63  and a flange  63   a  for abutment against a bottom side of a panel on a circulation system.  FIG. 9  is a pictorial view of a decorative cap  64  having a set of circumferentially spaced finger grips  64   a . Cap  64  includes a flange  64   b  for abutting attachment to the top of the dispenser housing head  62  and a set of external male threads  64   c  for engaging female threads  62   d  on dispenser housing head  62 . 
       FIG. 10  is a pictorial view of the dispenser housing locking cam collar  65  that is mounted in dispenser housing head  62  to enable one to lock a dispenser cartridge carrier  50  in position. Cam collar  65  includes a cylindrical body  65   a  with openings  65   b  on each side. Openings  65   b  includes a vertical slot region  65   c  and a lateral slot  65   d  with a lip  65   e  extending therein to lock a dispenser carrier therein. That is one pushes the cartridge carrier  50  (see  FIG. 12 ) down with ears  56  and  56   a  located in alignment with the vertical; slot region  65   c  and an identical vertical slot region on the opposite side. Once lowered the cartridge carrier is rotated to cause the ears  56  and  56   a  engage lateral stops  65   b  and  65   c  to retain the cartridge carrier therein. 
       FIG. 11  shows a pictorial exploded view of a panel  70  and a dispensing cartridge housing  61  to reveal the members  64 ,  65  and  62  are located above the panel  70  and the nut  63  and dispenser housing  61  are positioned below the panel for the in situ assembly of the unit in a fluid circulation system. 
     A feature of the invention is that the system can be assembled on site as an after market item or can be mounted on original equipment during manufacture of the water circulation system using conventional techniques. 
       FIG. 11  shows that in the first step the dispenser housing head  62  is inserted though an opening  74  in a top panel  70 . Once inserted the external threaded section  62   b  extends through the panel  70 . Once threaded section  62   b  extends through the opening in panel  70  the housing nut  63  can be positioned on threads  62   b  and tightened to firmly secure the housing head  62  to panel  70 . Thus the housing head  62  and housing nut  63  are sandwiched around panel  70 . One is now in a position to complete the installation of the dispensing system. 
     With the housing head  62  secured to panel  70  the remaining components can be secured thereto from above and below the panel. That is, the dispenser housing  61 , which is located below the panel  70 , has internal mating surface  61   e , which is securable to the external dispenser housing head cylindrical mating surface  62   c , which extends through the panel. Preferably, the dispenser housing and dispenser housing head are formed of PVC pipe and can be joined together through the use of solvent cement or the like. By permitting the securement of the dispenser housing to the dispenser housing head below the panel, as shown in  FIG. 5 , one can maintain a minimum size opening in the panel yet permit lateral extension  61   b  on dispenser housing  61  since the dispenser housing  61  need not pass through the opening  71  in the panel  70 . 
     Once the dispenser housing  61  and dispenser housing head  62  are secured to each other the dispenser housing locking collar  65  can be secured into the dispenser housing head  62 , preferably through solvent cement or the like. The dispenser housing is now in a condition for receiving a cartridge carrier  50  and for locking the cartridge carrier in position therein. 
     In order to close the dispenser housing the dispenser cap  64  is secured to the female threads  62  in the dispenser housing head  62  though male threads  64   c  thereon. A sealing member such an is O-ring located beneath lip  64   b  to prevents fluids from escaping there past. 
     Accordingly, a feature of the present invention is that the dispenser housing can be assembled in situ and secured to a fluid circulation system either in the field or as part of a manufacturing process through the steps of forming a hole in a panel, inserting a dispenser housing head therein, securing the dispenser housing head with a lock nut, securing the dispenser housing to the dispenser housing head while the dispenser housing head is secured to the panel. If a locking system for the cartridge carriers is required a locking collar can be secured to dispenser housing from above the panel  70 . To close off the system a dispenser cap can be rotatable secured into the dispenser housing head to prevent leakage. 
     A feature of the present invention is that it can be incorporated into a fluid system either during the manufacture of the system or as an after market item.  FIG. 11  shows an exploded view of the dispenser housing proximate a panel on a water system and  FIGS. 6-10  show individual components of an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  shows a partial top view of the cartridge carrier  50  that includes a handle  51  and a cylindrical body having a first tab  56  and a second tab  56  for forming locking engagement with the locking cam collar  65  ( FIG. 10 ). 
       FIG. 13  shows a cross sectional view of housing  61  with a cartridge carrier  50  and a cartridge dispenser  40  coaxially positioned therein. A circumferential positioned port  61   b  directs the fluid between the peripheral surface  61   g  and the inner cartridge carrier  50  and cartridge dispenser  40 . The introduction of the fluid circumferentially induces a downward vertical flow between upper entry port  61   b  and lower discharge port  61   c . The arrows indicate the general circular flow around the dispenser housing  61  and dispenser cartridge  42  to allow the dispersant to be dispersed into the fluid in the container  10 . 
     It has been found that by introducing fluid tangentially one can produce a stable uniform flow pattern, i.e. the fluid flows uniformly past the openings  46  and  41   a  even if the flow rates are changed. By maintaining a stable flow pattern past the openings  46  and  41   a  it allows one to predictably control the dispersant rate by changing the flow rate. That is, the faster the flow rate past the cartridge  40  the greater the dispersant rate and conversely the slower the flow rate the slower the dispersant rate. 
     A feature of the present invention is that not only can one predicable determine the dispersant rate by changing the flow rate but it has been found that as the number of openings are made available in the cartridge dispenser the concentration of the dispersant in the housing increases in a predictable manner. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates the concentration of the dispersant on the ordinate axis and with time on the abscissa axis. Three different curves  80 ,  81 , and  82  are shown to illustrate the dispersant rate under different size access areas in the dispersant cartridges. That is, curve  80  is the dispersant level as a function of time for a first number of access openings in cartridge  40 , the curve  81  is the dispersant level as a function of time for a larger number of access opening in cartridge  40  and curve  82  is the dispersant level as a function of time for a yet larger number of access opening in cartridge  40 . Thus one way to control the amount of dispersant is to increase the area of the openings into the dispersant cartridge. In still another method one can increase the flow rate through the dispersant housing which also results in an increased dispersant level. While it is not fully understood it is believed that use of a circumferential input eliminates instability in flow patterns that can occur when fluid streams impinge on objects. As a result if the flow pattern remains stable one can uniformly increase or decrease the flow rate to correspondingly increase or decrease the dispersant rate. 
       FIG. 15  shows a portion of a fluid circulation system  99  for a fluid container such as found in spas, hot tubs, jetted bath tubs or swimming pools and the like. The fluid circulation system includes a fluid inlet  101  and a fluid outlet  102  located in a housing  100  having a chamber  110  therein. A cylindrical dispensing drawer  104  is slidable mounted in cylindrical chamber  110  in housing  110  with dispensing drawer  104  having a dispensing compartment  115  for holding a dispensable material  117 . Located on the exterior surface of dispensing drawer  104  is a set of elastomer sealing members  105 ,  106  and  107  for maintaining the dispensing drawer  104  and the housing  100  in a sealed condition with respect to one anther to prevent fluid flow past the dispensing drawer when the dispensing drawer is in an either an open or closed condition. 
       FIG. 15  shows the dispensing drawer  104  in the closed condition. In the closed condition a fluid or liquid, such as water, enters fluid inlet  101  and flows into chamber  115 , through the dispersal material  117  in chamber  115  and out the end of drawer  104  through a one way flap valve  118 . In this condition fluid circulates through the chamber  115  to enable the dispensing material therein to be dispensed into the fluid stream in response to the fluid flowing through the dispensing drawer  104 . 
       FIG. 16  shows the dispensing drawer  104  as the dispensing drawer is pulled partially outward from chamber  110 . In this condition the one way valve  118  closes and fluid flows from inlet  101  into fluid outlet  102  but is prevent from flowing into the dispensing chamber  115  in dispensing drawer  104  by the sealing member  107  engaging fluid outlet  102 . 
       FIG. 16A  shows an end view of dispensing drawer  104  with the one way flap valve  118  extending over openings  104   a , shown as dashed lines, to seal the openings  104   a . The top portion  118   a  of flap valve is secured to drawer  104  to permit flap  118  to flex in a cantilevered fashion so that fluid can flow out of drawer  104  when fluid enter through top port  104   b . Flap valve  118  is preferably a resilient material such as an elastomer. 
       FIG. 17  shows the dispensing drawer  104  in the open condition. In the open condition one can place a fresh charge of dispensable material in the dispensing compartment  115 . As can be seen in  FIG. 17  fluid bypass drawer  104  is held within housing  102  by a stop  120  comprising a flexible chain that has one end secured to drawer plate  109  and the other secured to housing  100 . Stop  120  prevents the dispensing drawer  104  from being forced out of chamber  102  in the event the fluid in chamber  110  remains under pressure. When the dispensing drawer  104  is in an open condition the dispensing material  117   a  is placed in chamber  115 . The dispersant drawer  104  is then pushed in to a closed condition wherein the dispensing material therein can be dispensed into the fluid circulation system as illustrated in  FIG. 15 . Thus in the embodiment of  FIGS. 15-17  one can quickly reposition spent dispersant by pulling out a dispensing drawer, placing the dispersant in the drawer and then closing the drawer. The dispensing drawer can be mounted on either a high pressure side of a fluid circulation system or a low pressure side of a fluid circulation system. 
       FIG. 18  shows a dispensing drawer  141 , which is mounted in a low pressure portion of the system. Drawer  141  can be pulled out to allow a dispersant to be placed in the drawer  141  and the dispensing drawer than closed to allow the dispersant material to be dispersed into the system. 
       FIG. 18  also shows a partial view of a fluid system  130  having a pump  131  for circulating fluid from container  133  into inlet  132  and then directing the fluid through a outlet  132  into a drawer housing  140  which cause the fluid to flow through the dispensing drawer  141  and into a spill or return conduit  142  which delivers the fluid into container  133 . The fluid interface between the atmosphere and the liquid is identified by reference numeral  135 . 
     The embodiments of  FIG. 18  and  FIG. 19  are extremely user friendly. That is practically everyone is familiar with the operation of a drawer and the placement of articles in the drawer. Consequently, a user can periodically replenish the dispersant material by merely opening a drawer, placing the dispersant material in the drawer and closing the dispensing drawer. 
       FIG. 19  shows a perspective view of a slidable dispensing drawer  141  for use in the embodiment of  FIG. 18 . Dispensing drawer  141  includes a set of lateral extension members  142 ,  143 ,  144  and  145  extending upward from a bottom member  147  to form an open top compartment. Bottom member  147  has a plurality of openings  147   a  therein to permit flow of fluid therethrough. A front member  149  and a rear member  150  complete the compartment for holding the dispensing material therein. A handle  153  allows one to pull dispensing drawer from the fluid system housing  130  much like one opens a conventional sliding drawer. Once dispensing drawer  149  is open, the user can place dispensable materiel in the dispensing drawer  141  much like one places an article in a drawer. In order to prevent withdrawal of the dispensing drawer when the pump is operating a limit switch (not shown) can be connected to the drawer so that when the drawer is pulled outward the power to the pump  131  is shut off thereby prevent flow of fluid into the dispensing drawer or a bypass can be used to divert the fluid back into the container 
       FIG. 20  shows an example of a type of dispensing cartridge  156  that can be used with the present invention. Cartridge  156  includes a set of openings  157  to permit fluid access to the contents  158  therein, which can typically be an ion yielding material such as silver chloride or the like. 
       FIG. 21  shows that other dispensable materials such as a solid bromine stick  160  can be placed in the dispensing drawer  150 . 
       FIG. 22  shows the sectional view taken along lines  5 - 5  to show the compartments  161 ,  162  and  163  located behind front panel  149  to show the compartments with the upright extension for confining the dispensable material. therein. 
     Thus the dispensing drawers of  FIGS. 15-22  disclose a user friendly method of adding dispersant to a fluid system such as a hot tub, spa, jetted bath tub, swimming pool or the like wherein the user merely pulls out a drawer and drops the dispersant into the drawer and then closes the drawer. In one embodiment the drawer can be placed in the pressurized fluid circulation system without shutting down the system and in the other embodiment the system can be automatically shut down as the drawer is opened to prevent fluid from escaping. 
       FIG. 23  shows a partial sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a dispensing member for use in fluid systems including spas, hot tubs, jetted bath tubs swimming pools and the like. In the embodiment shown the system  170  includes a container  171  with a fluid  169  therein. The fluid is directed upward through conduit  172  into a funnel shaped member  174  that directs the fluid through a porous member  173  that permits fluid to flow therethrough but prevents the dispensing material  166 ,  167 , and  168  from falling through. In operation of the system  170  the fluid flows upward like a fountain and flows gently around or through the dispersant to bring the dispersant into the body of fluid. The path of the fluid is indicted by the arrows. 
     In the embodiment shown a cover  176  is hinged over the top of the fountain like dispenser to isolate the dispensing unit form contact. However, in an alternate embodiment the cover  176  need not be used to enable the dispersant to be readily accessible. In this embodiment one can readily observe the condition of dispersant in the system and can replenish the dispersant when the dispersant is spent or in a low condition. 
     Thus, the embodiment of  FIG. 23  includes a method of replenishing a dispersant in a spa, hot tub, jetted bath tub or pool therein comprising the steps of directing a liquid through a fountain with a tray  173  having a spill chute  173   a  for returning the liquid to a body of recreation liquid  169  under the influence of gravity; and placing a fresh charge of dispersant such as dispersant  166 , in the tray  173  to allow the liquid to flow over the charge of dispersant  166 ,  167  or  168  to thereby carry the dispersant into the body of recreational liquid  169 . 
       FIG. 24  and  FIG. 25  show hanging dispenser  200  comprising a support member  201  having a top member  201   a  with a lip  201   b  for engaging a portion  210  such as a side wall of a fluid system. In the embodiment shown the top member  201   a  is located above a fluid line such as liquid gas interface  202  with a dispenser housing  203  carried by member  201  having a compartment  214  herein for receiving a dispersant material located below the fluid line  202  to permit the fluid in the system to come into contact with the dispensable material therein. 
     A pivotal lid  212  can be placed on top of the dispenser housing  202  to enable a user to quickly place a dispersing cartridge, bulk dispersant material or dispenser cartridges in the compartment  214  in the dispersant housing. 
     In the embodiment shown the dispenser housing  203  includes a plurality of openings  207  therein to permit ingress and egress of fluid therethrough. The dispenser housing is shown in  FIG. 24  with two dispensing cartridges  205 ,  206  located in the compartment  214  in housing. An example of a dispensing cartridge  205  or  206  is the dispensing article  40  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     In operation of the hanging dispenser of the top member  201   a  extends laterally from member  201  to engage a ledge  210   a  on a fluid container in the system with the top member  201   a  including a ridge or lip  201   b  to prevent the top member  201   a  from accidentally slipping off the ledge  210   a.    
     Thus the present invention includes the method of replenishing a dispersant in a spa, hot tub, jetted bath tub or pool therein comprising: removing a cover located above a water line in a container of recreational water; placing a charge of dispersant in a liquid line; and placing the cover on the liquid line to thereby enable the dispersant to be delivered to the recreational water in the container to render the recreational water suitable for body immersion. 
     The present invention also includes the method of replenishing a dispersant in a spa, hot tub, jetted bath tub or pool therein comprising sliding a drawer having an open chamber normally positioned in a liquid media at least partially out of a drawer housing located in a fluid circulation system; placing a fresh charge of dispersant in the drawer; and closing the drawer to permit the dispersant to be carried into the liquid media.

Technology Category: c