A DISPENSER
The present invention relates to a dispenser and particularly but not exclusively to a dispenser for a bottle containing a vehicle washing liquid.
Cleaning and polishing liquids for the home washing of cars and other vehicles include shampoos and waxing products. Such liquids are typically supplied in bottles that the user may use to apply manually the liquid whilst washing the vehicle.
It is known to provide a dispenser that may be attached to an end of a water hose and also to a bottle of washing liquid. The dispenser has a first passage through which water passes from the hose to an outlet where it egresses and a second passage connecting the bottle to the first passage. The user of the washing liquid may open a valve in the second passage when it is desired to apply the washing liquid to the vehicle, and the product is drawn into the stream of water in the first passage by suction. However, such dispensers are difficult to manipulate, and users find it hard to direct the flow of water and washing liquid with an acceptable degree of accuracy.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a_dispenser for mixing a liquid product with a liquid stream, the dispenser having two inlets and one outlet, a first passage extending from a first inlet to the outlet and forming a flow path for the liquid stream through the dispenser, and a second passage extending from a second inlet to the first passage, the second passage being connectable in use to a bottle containing a liquid product and having a valve such that when the valve is open, suction created by the passage of the liquid stream through the first passage causes a liquid product contained in a bottle attached to the dispenser to be drawn into the dispenser via the second passage to be mixed with the liquid stream, wherein a handle is provided on the dispenser.
The handle allows the user to control and direct the flow of fluid out of the dispenser easily.
The handle preferably extends downwardly from a main body of the dispenser, and is preferably joined to the main body of the dispenser at a position located between the first inlet and the outlet.
The handle preferably extends downwardly from the main body of the dispenser at an angle slightly from the vertical. Finger indentations are preferably provided on one
side of the handle. The shape of the handle allows the user to manipulate comfortably the bottle and dispenser in use.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bottle for mixing a liquid product contained within the bottle with a liquid stream, the bottle having a dispenser having two inlets and one outlet, a first passage extending from a first inlet to the outlet and forming a flow path for the liquid stream through the dispenser, and a second passage extending from a second inlet to the first passage, the second passage being connected to the bottle and having a valve such that when the valve is open, suction created by the passage of the liquid stream through the first passage causes the liquid product contained in the bottle to be drawn into the dispenser via the second passage to be mixed with the liquid stream, wherein a handle is provided on the dispenser.
A free end of the handle is preferably shaped for alignment with a surface of the bottle. The free end of the handle preferably has a sloping surface, and is shaped for alignment with a sloping shoulder of the bottle.
Preferably, the length and width of the dispenser are not larger than the corresponding dimensions of the bottle.
The dimensions of the dispenser mean that the dispenser is not cumbersome, and may be easily stored in position on the bottle when not in use.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle washing system comprising a water hose for delivering a stream of water, a bottle containing a washing liquid, and a dispenser having two inlets and one outlet, a first passage extending from a first inlet to the outlet and forming a flow path for water through the dispenser, and a second passage extending from a second inlet to the first passage, the second passage being connected to the bottle and having a valve such that when the valve is open, suction created by the passage of the water through the first passage causes the washing liquid contained in the bottle to be drawn into the dispenser via the second passage to be mixed with the water, wherein a handle is provided on the dispenser.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of a dispenser as shown in Figure 1 attached to a washing liquid bottle;
Figure 3 is a perspective side view from above of the dispenser of Figure 1 attached to a washing liquid bottle; and
Figure 4 is a side view of the dispenser of Figure 1 attached to a washing liquid bottle, from the other side to that shown in Figure 2.
Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a bottle 1 having a neck 2 with a threaded portion (not shown) thereon and a sloping shoulder 3. The bottle may contain, for example, a cleaning detergent for a vehicle.
A dispenser 4 is provided for attachment to the bottle, the dispenser 4 being formed of a thermoplastics material and comprising a handle 5, a threaded attachment collar 6, an outlet 7. a valve actuator 8 and a hose attachment 9 having an inlet. The attachment collar 6 is engaged with the threaded portion of neck 2 of the bottle 1 until a lower end of handle 5 is positioned close to sloping shoulder 3.
The handle 5 extends generally downwardly from a position between outlet 7 and hose attachment 9. The handle is angled slightly from the vertical and has shaped areas 10 for a user's fingers, to ensure a comfortable grip when the user lifts the dispenser by means of the handle. In order to ensure that the dispenser is as light as possible, the handle is not formed of a solid block of thermoplastics material, but instead has an outer frame surrounding a relatively thin central area. This allows the handle to retain sufficient rigidity to allow a user to lift the weight of the dispenser and bottle.
The outer surface of the threaded attachment collar 6 has ridges to allow a user to grip it easily to fasten or unfasten the threaded engagement with the bottle, especially if their fingers are wet.
The outlet 7 is a generally wedge-shaped recess in the dispenser 4. A generally horizontal passage extends between the inlet and outlet and a generally vertical passage extends from the bottle to the recess area to allow mixing of water and washing liquid within the recess. The outlet 7 is shaped to allow mixing of liquids therein by the venturi effect.
The valve actuator 8 is rotatable between a fully open and a fully closed position, and may be placed at any position between the fully open and fully closed position so that the user may control the degree to which the valve attached thereto is opened. The valve (not shown) operated by valve actuator 8 is placed in the generally vertical passage that leads into outlet 7.
The hose attachment 9 is a simple push-fit into a free end of a standard water hose, although a different type of hose attachment may be provided. A sealing o-ring seal (not shown) is provided in a recess around hose attachment 9, to ensure a good seal between the hose and the dispenser.
In use, once the dispenser 4 has been attached to a bottle of the desired washing liquid by means of threaded attachment piece 6, the hose attachment 9 is connected to a water hose, and the water supply to the hose is turned on. Water enters the dispenser 4 through hose attachment 9 and exits through outlet 7 via the horizontal passage (not shown). With the valve closed, only water egresses from the outlet and a user can thus rinse the vehicle using the water delivered through the hose.
When the user desires to apply shampoo or another washing liquid to the vehicle, they turn the valve actuator 8, which opens the valve in the vertical passage, allowing the washing liquid to enter the outlet 7. The suction created by the water passing through the horizontal passage draws the washing liquid into the recess where it is mixed with the water stream before being delivered to the vehicle via outlet 7. Once a sufficient amount of shampoo or other washing liquid has been applied to the vehicle, the user twists valve actuator 8 to close the valve, and is then able to rinse the vehicle using only the water from the hose.
The handle 5 allows the user to easily manipulate the bottle and dispenser so that they can direct the spray of water and/or shampoo evenly to every area of the vehicle. It also means that the bottle is easier to hold than with previous shampoo application devices, putting less strain on the user's hand. The shaping of the handle, and the dimensions of the dispenser means that the dispenser is not cumbersome and may be easily stored in position on the bottle when not in use.
After rinsing the vehicle, the user may attach a bottle containing a different washing liquid (such as a surface treatment used to emulate wax) to the dispenser, and may then repeat the process.