Dispenser for Releasing Treatment Composition Into a Toilet Bowl

Abstract

A dispenser (1) for releasing a liquid treatment composition (33) into a toilet bowl and a fragrance into the surrounding room comprises a container (3) holding a non-perfumed liquid treatment composition (33) for treating flush water in the toilet bowl and a fragrance releasing gel block (39) for continuously fragrancing the surrounding air.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a dispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into a toilet bowl and for releasing a fragrance into the surrounding air.

[0002] Treatment compositions for treating the water in a toilet bowl, for example for cleaning the bowl, disinfecting it, colouring the water, perfuming the water and/or controlling lime-scale, are well known, and may be dispensed from a solid block held in a cage under the rim of the toilet bowl or from a container of liquid held by the toilet rim. Further, gels for fragrance compositions are used in lavatories to provide continuous dispensing of a fragrance into the room, over a protracted period.

[0003] We consider that lavatory cleansing devices should preferably provide two functions. Firstly, the device should dispense a treatment composition into the bowl which will clean or disinfect the bowl after each use, to neutralise and/or remove any undesirable deposits which are introduced into the bowl during normal use; and secondly the device should deliver a fragrance to the air to provide a generally pleasant smell to the lavatory and also to counter any unpleasant odours which are released into the air while the toilet is being used.

[0004] EP-A-1469132 describes a liquid rim device having a container holding a liquid, perfume-containing composition, and a dispensing means for dispensing the composition from under the rim of a lavatory bowl into the flush water. A separate fragrance delivery component is provided to deliver the fragrance into the ambient over a prolonged period of time. Thus, the device delivers fragrance from two sources, firstly, from the liquid treatment composition and secondly from a separate fragrance delivery component. It is intended that the device provides a combination of ongoing fragrance delivery into the bathroom or toilet atmosphere with a perfume boost upon flushing.

[0005] The device described in EP-A-1469132 releases a fragrance both on an ongoing basis and also on flushing, incorporating fragrance into the cleansing composition, to boost the amount of fragrance in the room. However, incorporating fragrance into the cleansing composition has a number of drawbacks. Firstly, the fragrance is dispatched into the flush water, the majority of which passes through the bowl. Hence the majority of perfume does not remain in the bowl to beneficially fragrance the proximal air. Secondly, the perfume which remains in the bowl is highly diluted so that the water becomes only mildly scented. This is an inefficient use of the perfume, which should be fragrancing the air and not the water. Also, when a fragrance is incorporated in a solid rim block or a liquid composition for dispensing into the toilet bowl and the surrounding atmosphere during the toilet flush, it places a limitation on the make up of the fragrance and/or the other constituents. For example, in a device for delivering a bleach or an acidic substance to the toilet bowl it would be necessary to use a bleach or acid resistant fragrance.

[0006] We have found that it is not necessary to provide any fragrance boost on flushing the toilet.

[0007] The effectiveness of the fragrance will depend on the odour which it is trying to overcome. We have discovered that, in general, when a toilet has been used, either a mild odour is released into the surrounding air, or a very strong odour. If the former, then such odours are adequately overcome by the on-going release of fragrance, and if the latter then releasing a boost of fragrance on flushing is likely to be ineffectual unless a very strong fragrance is used. Hence, it can be seen that, surprisingly, incorporating a fragrance into the cleansing composition as well as dispensing fragrance on an ongoing basis provides no advantages over only dispensing fragrance on an ongoing basis.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a dispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into flush water of a toilet bowl and releasing a fragrance into the surrounding air, comprising: [0009] a container holding an unperfumed liquid treatment composition; [0010] dispensing means for dispensing the liquid treatment composition from the container into the flush water; and [0011] fragrance delivery means for delivering the fragrance into the surrounding air over a prolonged period of time, wherein the fragrance delivery means does not deliver fragrance using the dispensing means.

[0012] A second aspect of the invention provides a replaceable container for a dispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into a toilet and a fragrance into the surrounding air, the container comprising: [0013] an unperfumed liquid treatment composition; [0014] an opening closed by a frangible seal through which the liquid treatment composition can be dispensed from the container; and [0015] fragrance delivery means for delivering the fragrance into the surrounding air over a prolonged period of time, wherein the fragrance delivery means does not deliver fragrance through the breakable seal.

[0016] Preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying claims.

[0017] The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a lavatory cleansing device forming an embodiment of the invention;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the device of FIG. 1 along the line II-II of FIG. 3;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1;

[0021] FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 1 mounted on the rim of a toilet bowl;

[0022] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;

[0023] FIG. 6 shows a cross section along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5, and

[0024] FIG. 7 shows a cross section through a third embodiment of the invention.

[0025] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the lavatory cleansing device 1 comprises a moulded plastics container 3 in the form of a plastics bottle which is inverted and held in a moulded plastics cage 5. Container 3 has an outlet 7 which is received in an upwardly extending sleeve 9 on a bottom wall 11 of the cage 5. A hanger 13 is provided and the cage 5 includes a distributor plate 15 clipped onto the bottom wall 11 from below, pins 11a on the wall 11 protruding through apertures 15a in the plate 15. Plate 15 has grooves 17 in its upper surface 19.

[0026] Container opening 7 is closed before use by a cap 21 having a frangible seal 23 which is displaced by a spigot 25 on the distributor plate 15 as the inverted container 3 is inserted into the cage 5.

[0027] The device is sold with the container 3 and cage 5 separated, and replacement containers 3 may be supplied.

[0028] The hanger 13 is shaped in the form of a coil and uncoiled to be fitted over the rim 29 of a toilet bowl 31 (see FIG. 4). A protruding portion 27 of the plate 15 projects under the rim of the bowl, into the path of the flush water, as well known in the art.

[0029] The container 3 contains liquid treatment formulation 33 which is in communication with the upper surface 19 of the distributor plate 15 via the opening 7. The container 3 is preferably made of a translucent plastic so that the level of liquid 33 in the container 3 can be observed. In use, liquid 33 from the container 3 seeps out between the bottom wall 11 and the upper surface 19 of the plate 15 into the grooves 17 and is ducted into the path of flush water by the grooves 17 in the upper surface 31 of the plate 15. This construction thus far described is well known in the art, and such devices are on sale under the brand name DOMESTOS in the United Kingdom, for example, and also seen in EP 1141493.

[0030] The invention is not limited to a liquid dispensing device having the construction shown in FIG. 1 or as described in EP-A-1141493. Other suitable means for dispensing liquid from the dispenser 1 may be used, such as a porous plate or a distributor with a textile sheet on its upper surface. Such alternative distributor devices are described in WO 02/064898, GB-A-2368576, EP-A-538957, WO 99/66139 and WO 00/42261 for example.

[0031] The liquid composition 33 in the container 3 may comprise one or more of a surfactant, a dye, a bleach, an odour neutraliser, a disinfectant and a lime-scale controller. EP-A-775 741 and the documents mentioned above describe in general terms examples of such formulations and the formulation of specific liquids which do not include fragrances are within the knowledge of one skilled in the art. Although some of the constituents may have an odour, they are not fragrances per se. They are not formulated to provide a pleasant smell as their primary function. Thus, the liquid composition does not contain any fragrance or perfume.

[0032] One liquid formulation for use in the container 3 is shown in Table 1 below:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 formulation of the liquid composition Component % by Weight Anionic Surfactant 26.5 Nonionic Surfactant 5.0 Solvents 10.0 Antioxidant 0.004 Dye 0.0024 Preservative 0.1 Natrosol Cellulose Thickener 0.4* Water Balance The amount of natrosol is varied to achieve the desired viscosity, which typically is in the range 350 to 5000 centipoise, preferably 2000 to 4000, measured in a Broomfield LV viscosimeter, 20.degree. C., spindle 2, speed 6.

[0033] In accordance with a particular feature of the invention, there is a recess 35 in a side wall 37 of the container which holds a block of gel 39, the gel 39 being impregnated with fragrance.

[0034] The required rigidity of the gel 39 will depend in part on the size of the recess 35 in the wall 37 of the container 3. The recess 35 may incorporate supporting ribs which may be encased within the gel 39 or be exposed, to provide a part of a decorative effect. A honeycomb or grid type structure may also be provided for gels which are less self supporting. In another embodiment, the gel 39 may be attached to, and project from, a generally flat wall of the container 3. In yet another embodiment the container may be annular or doughnut shaped to have a through aperture and the gel is formed in the aperture.

[0035] The container 3 filled with the liquid 33 and gel 39 may be sold separately to the cage 5, as a refill product.

[0036] For manufacture, the container 3 is filled with liquid 33 and cap 21 fitted over opening 7. The container 3 is then laid on its rear surface 41 and gel and perfume mixture is poured into the recess 35. The mixture is typically heated to about 95.degree. C. to become molten. The heat of the gel does not affect the filled bottle as the bottle and liquid form an effective heat sink. The gel is preferably about 3 to 8 mm deep in the recess 35, more preferably about 4 to 7 mm:

[0037] A typical gel impregnated with fragrance, forming the fragrance block 39, will shrink slightly, as the fragrance evaporates during use, by about 1 mm around its perimeter, in the radial direction. By way of comparison, the shrinkage from front to back of the gel block 39 may typically be less than 2 mm for a block which is 6 to 8 mm. thick. The degree of shrinkage will depend on the polymer matrix forming the gel, the perfume composition and the volume percentage of perfume in the gel. It is preferred that the gel cover substantially the full area of the back wall 43 of the recess 35 when the available perfume in the gel 39 has evaporated.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the outline of the recess 33 in the wall 37 is oval. Other shapes may be used to add aesthetic merit to the overall design while also helping to secure the gel to the container 3. Further, the gel composition from which the fragrance block is made could, for example, include two or more different contrasting colours, formed in a colour pattern, for aesthetic effect. Further still, the outer surface of the gel may be embossed with a shape, such as dimples of different sizes, to provide a further aesthetic effect.

[0039] For more rigid gels, the gel may be formed with apertures in the gel, thus increasing the exposed surface area of the gel for more enhanced fragrance release.

[0040] Suitable fragrance containing gel formulations are described in WO 02/066084, particularly at examples 1 to 7.

[0041] Other example formulations for the gel, using a polyamide polymer are as follows, in wt %

EXAMPLE A

TABLE-US-00002 [0042] Sylvaclear A200 - Arizona Chemical 54.835% Perfume - Quest Lavender and Gardenia F558.940 45% UV Absorber 0.15% Colourant 0.015%

EXAMPLE B

TABLE-US-00003 [0043] Sylvaclear A200 - Arizona Chemical 54.825% Perfume - Quest Citrus and Tangerine F558.939 45% UV Absorber 0.15% Colourant 0.025%

[0044] Preferred formulations have a range of 10% to 70% by weight fragrance dispersed in a polyamide polymer to form a gel. More preferably 20% to 60%, and yet more preferably 25% to 50%. The amount of fragrance includes any carrier for the fragrance constituents. An example of a suitable polyamide is an ETPA (ester terminated polyamide) as in WO 98/17243 or ATPA.

[0045] About 30% to 90% by weight polyamide polymer and the balance formed substantially by a fragrance oil, with minor additives such as a colourant, is particularly preferred. More preferably the polyamide polymer is used in an amount of about 40% to 80%, and yet more preferably about 50% to 75% by weight of the finished composition.

[0046] It is preferred to maximise the fragrance content while maintaining a gel structure which adheres to the recess the gel occupies and does not shrink substantially away from the sides of the recess. A gel having about 40% to 50% fragrance component and about 50% to 60% polymer is particularly suitable.

[0047] The dispenser 1 may be packaged in a blister pack of the type known for such toilet products. After unpacking, the bottle 3 is inserted in the cage 5 to displace the seal 23 and the dispenser 1 is clipped over the rim of the toilet, so that it hangs vertically, with the protruding portion 27 of the plate 15 in the path of water during flushing, as in FIG. 4. The wall 37 holding the gel block 39 faces inwards of the toilet bowl. Whenever the toilet is then flushed, water passes over the plate 15 and irrigates the plate, washing some of the liquid treatment composition 29 into the toilet bowl.

[0048] The surface 45 of the gel fragrance block 39 is continuously exposed to the air in the toilet bowl, which allows fragrance vapour to continuously disperse into the room surrounding the toilet.

[0049] In this example, the container 3 is intended to be replaced at end of life, i.e., when either or both of the liquid composition 29 and fragrance block 39 are finished. Preferably both the liquid composition 29 and fragrance block 39 will be exhausted substantially simultaneously, typically after about four weeks.

[0050] As the container 3 holding the gel 39 sits above the level at which flush water is dispensed into the toilet bowl, the chance that water splashes onto the gel 39 is reduced. This means that it is not necessary to use gel which is water resistant, and so a greater choice of gel that can be used. Furthermore, the container 3 holding the gel 39 and liquid composition 29 is a single compact unit. This has the advantage that it is only necessary to replace a single component of the dispenser 1 when replenishing the device, and not the entire unit.

[0051] FIGS. 5 and 6 show an embodiment similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4 in which the gel 39' is held in a recess 51 in the front wall 53 of the cage 5'. Recess 51 is formed by a flange 55 on the front wall 53. When a sufficiently rigid or self supporting gel is utilised, the portion 57 of the wall 53 within the perimeter of flange 55 may be omitted, providing an aperture in the wall 53, which is filled with the gel 39'.

[0052] FIG. 7 shows another embodiment on the invention. This embodiment is suitable for use on a Japanese style cistern in which the device is mounted above a drain hole in the cistern lid, and water from a faucet flows over the top of the device, and then into the cistern through the drain hole. The device has a delivery plate which extend either side of the container 3, and downwardly depending legs 59 extend into in the drainage aperture of the cistern lid to support the device.

[0053] Various modifications will be apparent to those in the art and it is desired to include all such modifications as fall within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A dispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into flush water of a toilet bowl and releasing a fragrance into the surrounding air, comprising: a container holding an liquid treatment composition, the liquid treatment composition not including a fragrance component; dispensing means for dispensing the liquid treatment composition from the container into the flush water; and fragrance delivery means for delivering the fragrance into the surrounding air over a prolonged period of time, wherein the fragrance delivery means does not deliver fragrance using the dispensing means.

2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dispenser includes a hanger for removably hanging the dispenser from the rim of a toilet bowl.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fragrance delivery means is a gel containing a perfume.

4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the gel is held on a wall of the container.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein the gel is disposed in a recess in a wall of the container.

6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the gel is formed with a decorative pattern on an exposed surface of the gel.

7. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fragrance delivery means is formed of materials of two or more contrasting colours to form a visible pattern.

8-14. (canceled)

15. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the liquid treatment composition comprises a one or more of a colorant, a surfactant, a lime-scale controller, an odor neutralizer and a bleach.

16. A replaceable container for a dispenser for releasing a liquid treatment composition into a toilet and a fragrance into the surrounding air, the container comprising: an liquid treatment composition which does not include a fragrance as a component thereof; an opening closed by a frangible seal through which the liquid treatment composition can be dispensed from the container; and fragrance delivery means for delivering the fragrance into the surrounding air over a prolonged period of time, wherein the fragrance delivery means does not deliver fragrance through the frangible seal.

17. A container as claimed in claim 16, wherein the fragrance delivery means is a gel including a perfume.

18. A container as claimed in claim 17, wherein the gel is attached to a wall of the container.

19. A container as claimed in claim 17, wherein the gel is disposed in a recess in a wall of the container.

20. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the gel is formed with a decorative pattern on its outer major surface.

21. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the gel is formed of materials of two or more contrasting colours to form a visible pattern.

22-28. (canceled)

29. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein the treatment composition comprises one or more of a colourant, a surfactant, a lime-scale controller, an odour neutraliser and a bleach.

30. (canceled)