RS53241B - MEASURING DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

Measuring device for dispensing defined doses of liquid material (12), consisting of a cylindrical body (14) with its internal space defining a cavity for taking said liquid material (12), a cylindrical body (14) consisting of a first opening (16) ) and a discharge port (18) opposite it, the measuring device (10) further comprising: a piston (20) for axially inserting into said first opening (16) of the cylindrical body (14) in a manner that causes said liquid material ( 12) to be moved by the piston (20) and to be pushed out through the opening (18), where the measuring device (10) further comprises elements for guaranteeing yes. with each operating step, the plunger (20) can penetrate the cylindrical body (14) in a predetermined amount so that the defined dose of the liquid material (12) flows through the opening (18) to expel the cylindrical body (14), whereby, for this purpose , the measuring device consists of, on the plunger (20), the support elements (22a to 22l) adapted to be radially pressed, and said support elements are arranged at an axial distance relative to each other, characterized in that the support element (22a) in its the unpressed state extends, radially, behind the inner diameter (s) of the cylindrical body (14) and thus forms a support for the edge (24) of the cylindrical body (14) surrounding the opening (16) of the body in such a way that the piston (20) does not may be inserted into the cylindrical body (14) behind said support, and the support element (22a) in its pressed state does not extend, radially, behind the inner diameter (s) of the cylindrical body (14), thus allowing the plunger (20) to be inserted into a cylindrical tel o (14) behind said support element (22a), further characterized by the cylindrical body (14) being provided with three spacers (28a to 28c) extending in an axial direction from the cylindrical body (14) behind the opening (18) for pointing so that a cavity is formed in the axial direction between the end opening of said spacers (28a through 28c) and the opening (18) for pointing. The application contains 5 more claims.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a measuring device for highlighting defined doses of liquid material.

Such a material can, for example, have a sticky consistency, that is, it adheres to the surface by itself.

STATE OF THE ART

The application of liquid materials is known, e.g. gels, on the inside of the toilet bowl using a measuring device in order to achieve cleaning or disinfection of the toilet bowl.

EP 1 901 972 B2 describes such a measuring device by which a defined amount of liquid material can be applied to the inside of the toilet bowl. In the said publication, a cylindrical body for accommodating liquid material is described. In said body, a plunger can be inserted to push the liquid material out of the cylindrical body. The piston and cylinder can be locked together in different positions so that the piston can enter the body in a defined amount. Locking elements are provided on the cylindrical body and on the piston or said outer casing.

The device described in the mentioned publication is very suitable for highlighting liquid materials. However, it has a complex design since the cylindrical body as well as the piston and the outer jacket are designed with a significant fluid charge to guarantee that, in each working step, the piston can only enter the cylindrical body in a well-defined amount.

Furthermore, the measuring device according to the part of claim 1 preceding the characterization is known from DE 202 17 554 U1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a measuring device for highlighting defined doses of liquid material, wherein the measuring device has a simplified design.

According to the invention, the above object is achieved by the features defined in claim 1.

The measuring device according to the invention consists of a cylindrical body, the interior of which constitutes a cavity for storing liquid material. This liquid material may be, e.g., a gel as defined in the colloquial language, or another liquid material of high or low viscosity. It is important that the liquid material is of such a nature that it cannot flow out of the measuring device on its own and that the liquid material has a sticky consistency so that, when applied, it sticks to the inside of the toilet bowl. Furthermore, the material can have such a viscosity that, after application, it retains its shape, unless it is deformed due to external influences.

According to the invention, the cylindrical body has first, an opening and, opposite to it, an opening for protrusion. The cylindrical body can, for example, have the shape of a circular cylinder, but alternatively it can have other different cylindrical shapes.

The measuring device further consists of a piston which is positioned so that the shaft penetrates into the first opening of the cylindrical body. Penetration is done in such a way that the liquid material will be displaced by the piston and forced out through the protrusion hole.

The metering device further comprises the components described below to guarantee that, with each operating step, the piston penetrates the cylindrical body by a defined amount, thereby causing a defined dose of liquid material to be forced out through the protrusion opening of the cylindrical body.

According to the invention, the piston consists of support elements that can be pressed. They can be pushed in the radial direction of the piston and are placed at an axial distance from each other. The term "axial" as used herein refers to the axial direction of the piston, the direction of which is assumed to coincide with the axial direction of the cylindrical body. The piston is assumed to have the same basic shape as the cylindrical body and further has a slightly reduced diameter so that when inserted into the cylindrical body, it will contact the inside of the latter. Thus, the outer diameter of the piston essentially corresponds to the inner diameter of the cylindrical body.

Thus, the support elements that can be pushed are assumed to be placed in the longitudinal direction of the piston.

According to the invention, the abutment element, when in its uncompressed state, extends radially beyond the inner diameter of the cylindrical body and thus forms an abutment for the edge of the cylindrical body surrounding the opening of the cylindrical body. This has the effect that the piston cannot penetrate the cylindrical body beyond the specified fulcrum.

When in the depressed state, the support member does not extend radially beyond the inner diameter of the cylindrical body, although the piston can penetrate the cylindrical body beyond this support member. The abutment element pressed in this way does not form an abutment.

The measuring device according to the invention has a particularly simple design. This can be done because the cylindrical body does not have to consist of means for a well-defined penetration of the piston into the cylindrical body. Only the piston consists of such means in the arcs of the said supporting elements. These support elements cooperate with the edge of the cylindrical body surrounding the opening of the cylindrical body so that, in each working step, the piston can penetrate the cylindrical body in a very well-defined manner.

According to the assumed implementation, the support elements are placed in two rows, each time one behind the other in the axial direction. The two rows presumably extend in the axial direction, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the piston. Two support elements that follow each other in the axial direction are placed with a common height on the periphery of the piston. Their common axle height is half the axle height of two support elements adjacent to each other in a row. In other words, two support elements adjacent to each other in a row have an axial height twice that of two support elements that follow each other in the axial direction and which are placed in different rows. Thus, starting from the support element in the first row, the next support element in the axial direction is placed in the second row, where after that the third support element in the axial direction is placed again in the first row.

This means that in each work step, that is, with each renewed discharge of a defined dose of liquid material, the support elements will be activated in a different order. If, for example, in the first projection of the defined dose, the first support element from the first row is triggered, the second dose projection is performed by starting the first support element in the second row, after which the third dose projection will be performed by starting the second support element in the first row, etc. Thus, there is an alternating movement of supporting elements in two rows. The zigzag arrangement of the abutment elements has the advantage that the abutment elements can be of sufficient size to be conveniently actuated by the user's fingers without simultaneously causing too much penetration of the piston into the cylindrical body. With the abutment design described above, actuation of any abutment will cause the piston to penetrate the cylindrical body by a length corresponding to half the axial height of two abutments adjacent to each other in a row.

As an alternative to arranging the support elements in two rows, the support elements can be placed in three or more rows, in which case the axial height of the two support elements that follow each other in the axial direction will be a third, a quarter, etc. axial heights of support elements adjacent to each other in a row.

The zigzag arrangement of the support elements described above permits the use of a relatively large diameter piston and cylindrical body so that, here, a large amount of liquid material can be accommodated.

Alternatively, the abutment elements may also be arranged in a single row so that, upon actuation of any abutment element, the piston will penetrate the cylindrical body by the axial length of the abutment element. The amount of liquid material that will be squeezed out of the cylindrical body in this case is about twice as large as when the support elements are arranged in two rows. To make it possible, in the arrangement of the support elements in only one row, to displace the same smaller amount of liquid material as in the arrangement of the support elements in two rows, the cylindrical body and the piston can, for example, be provided with a reduced diameter.

Presumably, one side of each support element is hinged to the piston. The opposite side can rotate inwardly in the radial direction of the piston about the side of the piston connection. This means that the specified opposite side can be pressed into the piston. For example, said opposite side may be attached to the piston so that it can be released by means of one or two connecting plates. A releasable connection in this context is to be understood in the sense that these bonded plates will be torn off when the first pushing of the support members occurs, so that the connection of the opposite sides of the piston will be released.

Further, it is preferred that the support members include an L-shaped protrusion extending radially outward from the support member. In this arrangement, one leg of the L-shaped protrusion in each row of support members is placed in the direction of the other row of support members. Thus, in other words, each supporting element contains a protrusion, one arm of which is placed in the direction of the second row of supporting elements. The second leg of the L-shaped protrusion is placed in the direction of the cylindrical body. The L-shaped protrusion is functional by allowing the user to more easily press the abutment elements without the user's thumb slipping off the abutment elements. At the same time, the L-shaped protrusion can serve as a support for the edge of the cylindrical body in the unpressurized position of the support element.

The L-shaped projection will prevent that, as a result when the piston is pressed into the cylindrical body, the abutment element is deformed by itself without being actuated by the user. The L-shaped protrusion is adapted to prevent the self-starting pushing motion of the support element that may occur when the piston penetrates the cylindrical body. To prevent this from happening, the L-shaped protrusion is designed in such a way that, at a position of the support member, e.g., substantially in the middle of the support member when viewed in a peripheral direction, the protrusion extends sharply upward in a radial direction from the support member.

By the first arm of the L-shaped projection, which is placed in the direction of the second row of abutment elements, it is possible to prevent the pressed abutment element from moving radially outward again by itself and thus obstructing the penetration of the piston into the cylindrical body.

According to the invention, it is further provided that the cylindrical body is provided with at least three spacers extending in the axial direction from the cylindrical body beyond the protrusion opening. In this way, a cavity is formed in the radial direction between the ends of the said spacers, i.e. that end of the spacers that are turned away from the cylindrical body, and the opening for pushing, these spacers are given to make it possible to place the front end of the measuring device on the inside of the toilet bowl, so that the distance can be maintained in the axial direction from the inside of the toilet bowl to the opening for protrusion. Liquid material can be introduced into the cavity formed in this way. It is thus guaranteed that, when a liquid material is used, the measuring device will not exert pressure on the liquid material so that the material can be extruded in a more optically attractive manner. Through the spacer, it can be further guaranteed that the measuring device and in particular the protrusion opening will always be positioned at a defined distance from the inside of the toilet bowl while the liquid material is being pushed out.

Further, it is preferred that the protrusion opening comprises, at its center, a circular or polygonal - eg, hexagonal - opening having a plurality of drop-shaped openings connected to it in radial directions outwards. Put more simply, a hatch is essentially shaped like a snowflake. By the above design of the protrusion opening, it can be achieved that the liquid material will be squeezed out in an optically attractive way. Liquid material can, for example, give the impression of a flower blooming.

Furthermore, it is preferable that said at least three spacers are placed between the radial extension of every two drop-shaped recesses, especially along the periphery of the cylindrical body. This means that said at least three spacers are each positioned at the position of the cylindrical body located between the virtual radial extensions of every two drop-shaped recesses. Thus, it can be guaranteed that a part of the liquid material when used can flow between every two spacers radially from the outside, so the diameter of the used liquid material will not be limited by the spacers, nor by the diameter of the cylindrical body. Regardless, it is preferable that the liquid material, when extruded, does not come into contact with the spacers.

In the following text, preferred embodiments will be explained with reference to the figures.

The pictures show the following:

Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the network device of the invention,

Figure 2 is a view of the opening for highlighting the measuring device of the invention,

Figure 3 is a frontal view of the realization of the piston of the measuring device, i

Figure 4 is an illustration of an example configuration in which liquid material may be displaced by a metering device.

Figure 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of the measuring device of the invention. The piston 20 will penetrate the cylindrical body 14. Both the piston 20 and the cylindrical body 14 have the shape of a circular cylinder. At its lower end, the cylindrical body 14 includes a slightly flared lip 24 which cooperates with the abutment members 22a to 22I to limit the penetration of the piston 20 into the cylindrical body 14.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the realization of the opening 18 for the protrusion of the cylindrical body 14. In its center, the opening 18 for protrusion which, in radially outward directions, is connected with its six openings 18b to 18g is shaped like a drop. By means of such a protrusion opening 18, the exact material can be squeezed out, e.g. in the configuration shown in Figure 4.

According to Figure 1, the cylindrical body 14 contains three spacers 28a to 28c, at its front end, which extend in the axial direction from the cylindrical body 14 behind the protrusion opening 18. When liquid material is used, the material may extend radially outwardly between two adjacent spacers. Thus, during the use of the liquid material, the spacers 28a to 28c are placed in the positions indicated by broken lines in Figure 4.

Figure 3 shows the details of the realization of the piston 20. In this embodiment, the piston is provided with 12 supporting elements 22a to 22I, whereby the first supporting element 22a of the row on the left side is slightly larger in the axial direction than the other supporting elements 22b to 22I. The support elements are marked according to the order in which they are to be started. For example, the first support member 22a is labeled "Start" while the other support members 22b through 22I are continuously numbered 2 through 12.

For improved grip reliability, the surface of the support elements is formed with grooves 20. This prevents the user's palm from slipping to work with the support elements.

The abutment members further each separately comprise an L-shaped protrusion 26 extending radially outward from the abutment members. The first leg 26a of the L-shaped projection in each row of supporting elements is placed in the direction of the second row of supporting elements. The second arm 26b is placed in the direction of the cylindrical body 12, i.e. upwards in the figures. At the end of said second arm 26b, a protrusion 32 is placed which extends in the direction of the cylindrical body 14. That part of the second arm 26b which extends from the L-shaped protrusion in the direction of the outer side 22b" can be designed in such a way that it does not project radially with respect to the support element 22b. Thus, in the region of the protrusion 32, the first arm 26a creates an L-shaped protrusion 26 a sudden rise on the bearing element in the radial part. This can be prevented from unintentionally pushing the bearing elements.

The axial distance of two supporting elements 22c, 22e adjacent to each other in the same row is indicated by I.

The support elements 22a to 22I are arranged in two rows, whereby, on the outer side 22b', the support elements are hingedly connected to the piston 20. On the other side 22b", the support elements 22a to 22I can be connected with a possible release to the piston 20 via two connecting plates 34a, 34b.

Between the two rows of support elements 22a to 22I, a central connecting plate 36 extends in the axial direction of the piston 20.

Figure 4 shows an example of a configuration in which liquid material 12 may be displaced by the measuring device 10 of the invention. In this example, the liquid material comprises six drop-shaped protrusions 38a to 38f. When the liquid material 12 is applied to the inside of the toilet bowl, the spacers 28a to 28c are supported in the positions indicated by broken lines in Figure 4.

Claims (6)

1. Measuring device for highlighting defined doses of liquid material (12), which consists of a cylindrical body (14) with its inner space defining a cavity for receiving said liquid material (12), a cylindrical body (14) consisting of a first opening (16) and an opening (18) for projection opposite it, wherein the measuring device (10) further comprises: a piston (20) for axially inserting into said first opening (16) of the cylindrical body (14) in a manner that causes said liquid material (12) to be displaced by the piston (20) and to be forced out through the protrusion opening (18), where the measuring device (10) further consists of elements for guaranteeing that, with each operating step, the piston (20) can penetrate the cylindrical body (14) in a defined quantity so that the defined dose of liquid material (12) flows out through the opening (18) for protruding the cylindrical body (14), wherein, for this purpose, the measuring device consists of, on the piston (20), abutment elements (22a to 22I) adapted to be radially pressed, said abutment elements being placed at an axial distance from each other, characterized by the fact that the support element (22a) in its unpressurized state extends, in the radial direction, behind the inner diameter (i) of the cylindrical body (14) and thus forms a support for the edge (24) of the cylindrical body (14) surrounding the opening (16) of the body in such a way that the piston (20) cannot be inserted into the cylindrical body (14) beyond the stated support, and the support element (22a) in its pressed state does not extend, in the radial direction, beyond the inner diameter (i) of the cylindrical body (14), thus allowing the piston (20) to be inserted into the cylindrical body (14) behind said support element (22a), and further is characterized in that the cylindrical body (14) is provided with three spacers (28a to 28c) which extend in the axial direction from the cylindrical body (14) behind the opening (18) for protrusion so that a cavity is formed in the axial direction between the end opening of said spacers (28a to 28c) and the opening (18) for protrusion. 2. The measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting elements (22a to 22I) are placed in two rows each separately one behind the other in the axial direction, and that the two supporting elements (22b, 22c) following each other in the axial direction are placed with a common displacement in the peripheral direction (u) of the piston (20), and their common axial displacement is half of the axial displacement of the two supporting elements (22b, 22d) placed next to each other in a row. 3. Measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the side (22a' to 22I') of each support element (22a to 22I) is hinged to the piston (20) and the opposite side (22a" to 22I") is hinged radially inwardly around the said side (22a' to 22I') to the piston (20), wherein, in particular, the said opposite side (22a" is to 22I") attached to the piston (20) in a way that allows release. 4. Measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that the support elements (22a to 22I) contain an L-shaped projection (26) that extends radially outward from the support elements (22a to 22I), wherein the first arm (26a) of said L-shaped projection (26) in each row of support elements is placed towards the second row of support elements, and the second arm (26b) of said projection (26) in the shape of the letter L is placed against the cylindrical body (14). 5. A measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the protrusion opening (18) comprises a circular or polygonal opening (18a) having a plurality of drop-shaped openings (18b to 18g) attached to it in radially outward directions. 6. A measuring device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said at least three spacers (28a to 28c) are placed between the radial extension each in particular two drop-shaped recesses (18b to 18g), in particular along the periphery of the cylindrical body (14).