Search

EP-4737658-A1 - FLEXIBLE MULTI-CONTAINER DEVICE FOR CLEANING AND/OR DEODORIZING TOILET BOWLS

EP4737658A1EP 4737658 A1EP4737658 A1EP 4737658A1EP-4737658-A1

Abstract

A device (D) for toilet bowls comprising: - a first container (C1) comprising a first housing chamber for housing a first cleaning and/or deodorizing composition; - a second container (C2) comprising a second housing chamber for housing a second cleaning and/or deodorizing composition; - a third container (C3) comprising a third housing chamber for housing a third cleaning and/or deodorizing composition; - a hook (G) directly connected to said first container (C1) for securing the device to an edge of a toilet bowl; - a first bridge (P1) extending horizontally between the first container (C1) and the second container (C2), said first bridge (P1) forming a flexible region between said first container (C1) and said second container (C2); - a second bridge (P2) extending horizontally between the first container (C1) and the third container (C3), said second bridge (P2) forming a flexible region between said first container (C1) and said third container (C3), wherein said second container (C2) and said third container (C3) are positioned at the side with respect to said first container (C1).

Inventors

  • Zaniboni, Claudia
  • RUFFINI, Alberino

Assignees

  • RE.LE.VI. S.p.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251028

Claims (10)

  1. A device (D) for toilet bowls comprising: - a first container (C1) comprising a first housing chamber (CAL1) for housing a first cleaning and/or deodorizing composition; - a second container (C2) comprising a second housing chamber (CAL2) for housing a second cleaning and/or deodorizing composition; - a third container (C3) comprising a third housing chamber (CAL3) for housing a third cleaning and/or deodorizing composition; - a hook (G) directly connected to said first container (C1) for securing the device (D) to an edge of a toilet bowl; - a first bridge (P1) extending horizontally between the first container (C1) and the second container (C2), said first bridge (P1) forming a flexible region between said first container (C1) and said second container (C2); - a second bridge (P2) extending horizontally between the first container (C1) and the third container (C3), said second bridge (P2) forming a flexible region between said first container (C1) and said third container (C3), wherein said second container (C2) and said third container (C3) are positioned at the side with respect to said first container (C1).
  2. A device (D) according to claim 1, wherein said first bridge (P1) and said second bridge (P2) have means suitable for allowing the coupling and uncoupling from the device (D) of the second container (C2) and the third container (C3), respectively.
  3. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first (P1) and said second bridge (P2) extend horizontally for a length ranging from 1 to 10 mm, more preferably from 1 to 5 mm.
  4. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second container (C2) and said third container (C3) have the same shape and/or dimension.
  5. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second container (C2) is positioned on the right with respect to said first container (C1) and said third container (C3) is positioned on the left with respect to said first container (C1).
  6. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first container (C1), said second container (C2) and said third container (C3) have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.
  7. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dimensions of said first container (C1) mainly extend along the vertical axis and/or the dimensions of said second container (C2) and said third container (C3) mainly extend along the horizontal axis.
  8. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second and the third container (C2, C3) have a height ranging from 10 to 75%, more preferably from 25 to 50% with respect to the height of the first container (C1).
  9. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said device (D) comprises a first cleaning and/or deodorizing composition in the first container (C1), a second cleaning and/or deodorizing composition in the second container (C2) and a third cleaning and/or deodorizing composition in the third container (C3), more preferably said first cleaning and/or deodorizing composition, said second cleaning and/or deodorizing composition and said third cleaning and/or deodorizing composition being different to one another in terms of composition.
  10. A device (D) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the front wall and the bottom wall of the first container (C1), second container (C2) and/or third container (C3) are connected to each other by means of one or more elements suitable for making the interior of the housing chambers (CAL1, CAL2, CAL3) accessible.

Description

The present invention relates to a flexible multi-container device for cleaning and/or deodorizing toilet bowls. STATE OF THE ART As is well known, there are various methods for sanitizing toilets. One of these involves the use of devices comprising at least one container containing a sanitizing product (also known in the industry as a "tablet") that gradually releases one or more cleaning and/or deodorizing substances upon contact with water. This device is anchored to the toilet using a special hook so that it is positioned over a point where the wastewater passes. In this way, when the water is flushed, it comes into contact with the tablet, which can then release the cleaning and/or deodorizing substances it contains. Specifically, the container (which usually has a shape and size consistent with the shape of the tablet to optimize the encumbrance) has openings designed for allowing the passage of wastewater and the gradual release of the substances contained within the tablet. In short, a sanitary device for toilet bowls comprises at least a container, a tablet of chemical cleaning and/or deodorizing product (which can sometimes also be inserted by the end user), and a hook for attaching the device to the edge of a toilet bowl. To ensure a proper toilet bowl sanitization, it is important for the tablet to be in close contact with the flushing fluid. This depends, among other things, on the positioning of the container of the device with respect to the toilet bowl. Furthermore, it is important that this positioning be correct regardless of the shape and size of the toilet bowl. Most prior art devices are elongated rigid products whose two ends come into contact with the walls of the toilet bowl. Due to the curvature of the walls of the toilet bowl, the central region of the device remains spaced from the walls. As a result, the central region of the device receives an insufficient amount of wastewater for properly dispensing the sanitizing product. This criticality becomes more significant in the case of devices comprising multiple containers, given their larger size. The use of multi-container devices is particularly popular in the field as it allows the easy resolution of any compatibility issues between the various ingredients in the tablet. The widespread use of these devices however is limited specifically due to the criticalities indicated above. Various solutions have been proposed for solving this problem. Patent EP3594419A1, for example, describes a device comprising: a first container having a chamber suitable for housing a first cleaning composition; a second container having a chamber suitable for housing a second cleaning composition; a bridge extending longitudinally between the first container and the second container; and a hook extending from said bridge, wherein the bridge comprises at least one groove extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis forming a flexible region between the first container and the second container. The presence of an elastic part located underneath the hook, however, creates significant instability of the device during application to the toilet bowl, potentially resulting in an uneven consumption of the cleaning and/or deodorizing composition. The need for overcoming the disadvantages that characterize the prior art is therefore felt in the field. SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention therefore relates to a device (D) for toilet bowls comprising: a first container (C1) comprising a first housing chamber (CAL1) for housing a first cleaning and/or deodorizing composition;a second container (C2) comprising a second housing chamber (CAL2) for housing a second cleaning and/or deodorizing composition;a third container (C3) comprising a third housing chamber (CAL3) for housing a third cleaning and/or deodorizing composition;a hook (G) directly connected to said first container (C1) for securing the device (D) to an edge of a toilet bowl;a first bridge (P1) extending horizontally between the first container (C1) and the second container (C2), said first bridge (P1) forming a flexible region between said first container (C1) and said second container (C2);a second bridge (P2) extending horizontally between the first container (C1) and the third container (C3), said second bridge (P2) forming a flexible region between said first container (C1) and said third container (C3), wherein said second container (C2) and said third container (C3) are positioned at the side with respect to said first container (C1). For the purposes of this document, the term "detergent" refers to the capacity of removing dirt and/or residues (including limescale) from a surface, as well as microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. The term "deodorizing" refers to the capacity of removing and/or correcting unpleasant odours. There are various types of toilet bowls in which the device according to the present invention can be applied, in particular WCs and pissoirs,