Washing device for automatic cleaning of WC brushes

Abstract

 The present invention refers to a washing device for automatic cleaning of WC brushes comprising a container (1) that houses a brush (3), whose brush-body (3c) is located in front of a slot (5) able to deliver a water jet that hits the brush-body (3c) in tangential direction, thus causing its rotation around a vertical axis.

Description

[0001] The present patent application for industrial invention refers to a washing device for automatic cleaning of WC brushes.

[0002] Different models of WC brushes are available on the market; in some of them, the brush rests and is housed inside a small tray.

[0003] In other models, the brush is housed in a cylindrical container, closed by a dish situated along the stem of the brush, immediately below the handle, which remains out of the container.

[0004] In other words, the stem acts as resting and supporting element for the brush, which is suspended at a small distance from the bottom of the container, being partially immersed in a layer of stagnant water, possibly mixed with hygienic-disinfectant agents.

[0005] After being used, WC brushes get dirty with excrements that are sometimes difficult to remove, being trapped between the bristles.

[0006] Cleaning becomes extremely difficult when brushes get encrusted with excrements over time.

[0007] In both private and public bathrooms, normally WC brushes are cleaned manually by operators, who need to moisten the encrusted excrements in order to remove them.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to realise a device used to clean WC brushes automatically, without the manual intervention of WC users or operators.

[0009] Another purpose of the present invention is to realise a washing device for WC brushes that does not use electric parts or tools to simplify construction, reduce production costs and comply with safety requirements, being the use of electrical devices in places with water equipment discouraged by the norms.

[0010] To that end, a device using the kinetic energy of water is used to drive the brush into rotation inside the housing, in order to expel encrusted excrements from the brush by centrifugation, after being moistened with water.

[0011] The device of the invention comprises a basically cylindrical container that houses a WC brush composed of a stem with a top handle and a brush-body with cylindrical, spherical or ogive-like shape.

[0012] The brush-body is suspended immediately below the middle of the container by means of a resting and supporting dish located immediately below the handle and perfectly housed inside the container opening.

[0013] The main characteristic of the device is that it is equipped with a brush provided with revolving brush-body and a container provided with a slot or an aligned series of small holes on the lateral wall, able to generate respectively a blade of water or a series of small jets of pressurised water that hit the brush-body with tangential direction, thus causing its rotation around a vertical axis that coincides with the longitudinal axis of the brush.

[0014] The container is provided with an external chamber near the slot or aligned series of small holes, which is flooded with water through a nozzle in which the water supply pipe of the device of the invention is inserted.

[0015] The higher the water pressure in the chamber is, the higher the kinetic energy of the water blade or jets coming out of the chamber and hitting the brush-body shall be, the rotation speed of the brush-body being in direct relationship with the kinetic energy.

[0016] The pressure chamber operates below head, using a water storage tray, provided with overflow float, situated above the device and connected to it by means of a drainage pipe inserted into the supply nozzle.

[0017] The tray is provided with an actuation device used to open the valve that closes the drainage hole of the tray, thus starting an automatic washing cycle of the brush housed inside the container.

[0018] The water introduced inside the container and collected on the bottom is automatically drained from a drainage hole, associated with a trap nozzle, on which the Y-branch used to convey dirty water towards the sewage is inserted.

[0019] If the device of the invention is installed during the construction works of the bathroom, the WC supply tank can be suitably adapted and used as collection and storage tray.

[0020] For major clarity, the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings, which are intended for purposes of illustration only and not in a limiting, sense, whereby:

• Fig. 1 is an axonometric view of the device of the invention;
• Fig. 2 is an axonometric exploded view of the construction parts of the device of the invention;
• Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the device of the invention with a vertical plane passing through the rotation axis of the brush body of the WC brush;
• Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the water system using the device of the invention.

[0021] With reference to Figures 1 to 3, the device of the invention comprises a basically cylindrical container (1) provided with an internal compartment (2) that houses a WC brush (3) which is inserted into the compartment (2) through the opening (4) on top of the container (1).

[0022] The WC brush (3) is composed of a stem (3a) ending with a top handle (3b) and a lower brush-body (3c), formed of bristles and shaped as a rotation solid, specifically an ogive-shaped solid with downward point.

[0023] The stem (3a) is provided with a dish (3d) that is exactly held and centred inside a suitable housing (4a) located in the opening (4).

[0024] The lateral wall (1a) of the container (1) is provided with a thin slot (5) shaped in such a way as to correspond to the half-shape of the brush body (3c) and overlap the said half-shape in an orthogonal projection according to an horizontal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush (3).

[0025] A watertight chamber (6) is located in external position on the container (1) near the slot (5) and closed by a watertight lid (7) provided with the nozzle (8) used to connect the water supply pipe (TA) of the device of the invention, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0026] When the chamber (6) is flooded and filled by the water used to supply the device of the invention, the only escape way is the slot (5), with consequent ejection of an energetic blade of water that hits the brush-body (3c) with tangential direction, because of the special shape and position of the slot (5), thus driving the brush-body (3c) into rotation around a vertical axis that coincides with the longitudinal axis of the brush (3).

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stem (3a) is formed of an internal core (3a') around which a cylindrical sleeve (3a") is inserted and rotates freely, whose lower end is inserted and joined to the brush-body (3c), which therefore rotates freely with the sleeve (3a") around the core (3a').

[0028] Moreover, the container (1) is provided with a drainage hole (9) on the bottom (1b), used to connect the drainage pipe (TS) which conveys the dirty water to the sewage, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0029] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the hole (9) is situated in a nozzle with vertical axis (10) that cooperates with a crown (11), thus creating a drainage basin similar to the one provided in shower trays, which guarantees the formation of a layer of stagnant water on the bottom (1b) of the container (1) that hermetically isolates the internal compartment (2) from the drainage pipe (TS).

[0030] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the slot (5) is replaced by a close series of small holes arranged in a direction that corresponds to the half-shape of the brush-body (3c) and overlaps the said half-shape in an orthogonal projection according to an horizontal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush (3).

[0031] In the second embodiment, the brush-body (3c) is hit by a series of micro water jets ejected from the small holes with tangential direction, and not by a blade of water.

[0032] Fig. 4 diagrammatically shows a water system using the device of the invention.

[0033] The system comprises a supply pipe (TA) that connects the container (1) to a water collection tray (V) located upstream the container (1), in order to have the chamber (6) operate below head.

[0034] The system also comprises a control device (B), of mechanical, pneumatic or electric type, actuated by the user to open the valve that closes the drainage hole of the tray (V), thus starting the automatic washing cycle of the brush housed inside the container (1).

Claims

1. Washing device for automatic cleaning of WC brushes, which comprises a basically cylindrical container (1) provided with an internal compartment (2) that houses a WC brush (3) supported in vertical position, characterised in that the brush-body (3c) located at the base of the brush (3) can rotate freely around a vertical axis and characterised in that the container (1) is provided with an external chamber (6), whose internal wall is provided with a slot (5) or an aligned series of small holes, capable of generating a blade of water or a series of small jets of pressurised water, respectively, which hit the brush-body (3c) in tangential direction, thus causing its rotation around a vertical axis; it being provided that the bottom (1b) of the container (1) is provided with a drainage hole (9).

2. Device as defined in claim above, characterised in that the chamber (6) is closed with a watertight lid (7) with a nozzle (8) used to insert the water supply pipe (TA).

3. Device as defined in any of the above claims, characterised in that the brush (3) is composed of a stem (3a) ending with a top handle (3b) and a lower brush-body (3c) formed of bristles and shaped as a rotation solid.

4. Device as defined in claim above, characterised in that the stem (3a) is provided with a dish (3d) that is exactly held and centred inside a suitable housing (4a) located in the opening (4) of the container (1).

5. Device as defined in claim 3, characterised in that the stem (3a) is formed of an internal core (3a') around which a cylindrical sleeve (3a") is inserted and rotates freely, whose bottom end is inserted and joined to the brush-body (3c), which can therefore rotate freely with the sleeve (3a") around the core (3a').

6. Device as defined in any of the above claims, characterised in that the hole (9) is situated in a nozzle with vertical axis (10) that cooperates with a crown (11), thus guaranteeing the formation of a layer of stagnant water on the bottom (1b) of the container (1) that hermetically isolates the internal compartment (2) from the drainage pipe (TS).

Drawing