System of hygienization for brushes, small brushes and similar objects

Technical Field This invention regards the technical field relative to the sanitation and hygienization for little brushes, brushes and other similar objects.

Background Art

For the objects of personal usage and for objects, as for example brushes, combs, tooth-brushes, wc-brushes, for which is opportune to insure the highest hygiene as they are found in places where the accumulation of germs and bacteria is found easily, among which the bathroom, where different cleanings methods are used as sanitary solutions composed of liquid or powder or tabs disinfectants, diluted or dissolved in water, or electrical devices based on different principles, as the exposition to ultraviolet radiations, to ozone or water vapour.

While the electrical devices present some disadvantages related to cost, space and usage handiness, the sanitary toilets present the inconvenience that the solution's effectiveness, once is mixed, reduce rapidly and the solution must be changed frequently.

An opportune system for the costs and handiness is the one described in the Patent Application for industrial invention PI99A000073 of the 12.11.99 and International Patent Application PCT/ITOO/00448 filed on the 12.11.99, for which it is used a tab, to be inserted in a container for the object that must be disinfected, as a brush-holder, or a toothbrush-holder. This tab contains active principles that explicate their anti-bacteria activity by means of the micro- effervescence which producing carbon dioxide brings these active principles to the gas phase.

In particular the sublimation of the tab allows disinfecting the objects when they are dipped in a solution that is at a gas phase rather than at a liquid phase, which has the same effects of a liquid solution, but with a greater handiness and a longer duration. The gas solution is constituted by water vapour that comes from the humidity of the environment, from the evaporation of the water drips found on the objects, and from the vapour that comes from the micro-effervescence caused by the water drips.

This system is more effective and convenient when it is possible to assure the micro-effervescence of the tab rather that assuring its melting, by controlling that it is in contact with the water, moreover the disinfecting effect is extended to the entire object that must be disinfected when it is possible to dip it completely in the saturated atmosphere of the active principle contained in the tab.

The limits of the said system consist indeed: a) in the fact that the wet objects drip on the tab making it melt faster than it is necessary for the hygienization, disadvantaging the lasting, b) often the handle of the objects remains out of the container, while it id useful to disinfect it (as for example in the case of the WC-brushes). For this purpose is therefore useful to border the whole environment in which is dipped the object, so that the saturation condition of the gas solution is kept for the longest possible period in the whole surrounding environment of the object that must be sanitized.

The object of the present invention is a hygienization system that comprises, besides the aforesaid tab that is the object of the previously described patent, also two devices, that can be used apart or in combination, for a better effectiveness of the hygienization system.

The new hygienization system comprises a tab with features as to sublime at a room temperature, or to free volatile parts containing sanitary active principles for effect of a micro-effervescence trigged by drips of water felt on it or by the humidity of the surrounding environment. This tab must be placed in a floating

tab-holder which, keeping the tab within an inch from the water it will prevent the tab from drowning in the possible coating water and melt too fast. To extend the hygienization effect inside the object, particularly on the handle, and to raise the effectiveness, there is a specific recess that surrounds the object's handle and functions also as a cap for the container used for the hygienization. The recess has aeration holes through which the handle can benefit the effects of the tab.

Disclosure of invention Practically the invention consists of a device that comprises a floating tab- holder.

Besides the tab-holder can comprise also a cup, wedged in the object's handle that must be sanitized, that functions as the cap of the container used for the hygienization, which accessories, alone or together, improve the hygienization system based on the usage of sanitary tabs of the described type.

The tab-holder, placed inside the container used for sanitizing, impedes the water that falls from the object, heaping up on the base of the container, submerge the tab, making it melt too fast. Moreover if the object to be sanitized is too wet, the drops, falling on the tab, could make it melt completely.

The floating tab-holder is implemented by means of a glass, in which is placed the tab, supplied with t double base sealed This double base functions as the air chamber and, reducing the specific gravity of the glass containing the tab, allows the floating. Differently the tab-holder can be a block implemented with a very light material, as for example with a low specific gravity plastic or with foam, where on the upper part by milling, is made a place for the tab. In both cases the space of the tab can be closed by a perforated cap with the upper surface convex, which would make slide down most of the water that falls on the object that must be hygienitized, regulating the quantity that reach by means of the holes, which would knock down the tab without this cap.

The container for the hygienization of the entire object has a cylindrical shape. The object inserted inside has the handle, under the grip, wedged at the centre of the base of a cup, in way that the grip is contained inside the cup. The base of the cup works as the cap of the container for the hygienization. The lower part of the base of the cup is curved and presents an upward concavity, moreover in the central part of the base are found some holes. Once the cup is leaned on the container the aforesaid concavity and holes convey the air inside the container through the grip of the handle, extending to it the disinfecting action. Thanks to the base of the cup, the object that must be sanitized is kept in the centre of the container, where the effectiveness of the tab is greater. The circulation of the air which goes from inside the container upwards, through the holes, is produced by the micro-effervescence of the tab or thanks to a hole made on the lower part of the lateral surface of the container. Taking under examination the hygenization of a WC-brush and referring to the attached drawings, a functional system made for the purpose of this invention, is made of a cylindrical container (1) inside which is placed a tab-holder (2) and closed by a cup shape cover integral to the grip of the brush (3). According to a possible realization the tab-holder is made by a plastic cylindrical glass (4) with double base (5). The double base consists in a plastic disk (6) welded to the internal walls of the glass or made as a casting with it, on which is leaned on the sanitary tab (20). The empty cavity (5) that is created on the base of the glass permits the glass to float. On the glass is leaned on a perforated plastic cap (7). The cap has a convex upper surface (8), to facilitate the sliding of the water drops that falls on it, and the edge of the cap falls over the edge of the glass, to make slide most of the water that knock it down to the outside. Only few drops penetrate inside the glass through the holes (13). The cap has on the lower part two pawls (9) which facilitate its setting on the glass. According to a different realization the tab-holder is made by a mono-bloc expanded foam (10), with the upper surface convex (11)

and dug in the centre (12). In the space dug on the surface is placed the sanitary tab (20). On the mono-bloc is leaned a cap (7) like the one leaned on the glass.

The tab-holder, implemented in any-way, is placed on the base of the container. When the wet brush is placed inside the container, it drops water that, in part slide on the tab-holder, and in part is gathered on the bottom. The tab inside the tab-holder is touched by few water drops that enter through the holes and remains almost dry, in an environment with a humidity that is scarcely sufficient to make the tab release its active principles. The water on the bottom does never drown the tab because the floating tab-holder keeps it always above the water.

On the container (1) is implemented a window (30) that allows to control the water level and to drain the container when the water is too high. The handle of the brush (40) has a grip shaped as an overturned cone (41) screwed in the handle. According to a different realization of the grip the lateral surface of the cone is shaped (42) with a greater ergonomically shape. Before it is screwed in to its grip, the handle is inserted in a hole (44) applied on the base of the cup (45). For the positioning of the cup on the handle, this last one has an appropriate collar (46). According to a different realization the handle and the cup constitute a sole body (43).

The bottom of the cup has a base (47) that can be inserted inside the cylinder (1) centring the cup on the cylinder, the lower surface of this base (48), that remains inside the cylinder, is curved with concavity turned upwards, and is perforated (49). The bend conveys the vapour emitted by the tab and going upward toward the perforating zone (49), and from here to the inside of the cup along the handle of the brush.

In the lower part of the cylinder (1) is implemented a hole (50) that allows a correct ventilation of the inside of the container.

Referring to the figures of the attached drawings a higienization system for brushes, combs, tooth-brushes, WC-brushes and similar products that use a sanitary tab (20) placed in a container (1), implemented according to the invention, is characterized by the fact that this tab is used in combination with one or both the following accessories which improve the system effectiveness:

1. a floating tab-holder (2) with or without a cap that impedes the tab to come in contact with the water eventually deposited on the bottom of the container

2. a conveyor cup (3), which surrounds the area around the grip of the object that must be sanitized, conveying through one or more holes placed on the bottom of the cup, the vapours emitted by the sanitizing tab, and where on the base of the cup is wedged the handle of the object.

Advantageously a tab-holder is constituted by a glass (4) made with a light material, with or without cap (7), inside which is placed the tab. Advantageously the aforesaid glass has a double base (5) and in the cavity created on the base there is emptiness or air, in a way to reduce the global specific gravity of the glass with the tab inserted in its inside and to permit the floating. The double base of the glass is made by means of a disk (6) welded inside the glass parallel to the base and at such a distance to create an air chamber with a sufficient size to allow the floating. Differently a tab-holder is made by a mono-bloc (10) in a very low specific gravity material with the upper part dug (12) in way to create a space for the tab, called space being open or closed by a cap (7). Advantageously a tab-holder or its parts are made in plastic or in film pack or rubber or aluminium, or wood or cork or expanded foam, or other plastic material, in a sole piece by means of moulding, extrusion or folding or in more part further welded. On a cap for an aforesaid glass or mono-bloc are found one or more holes (13), which are needed to regulate the entering of the water in the aforesaid place or glass and therefore to restrain the contact of the water

with the tab and/or to make leave the tab-holder the sanitizing vapour emitted by the tab. The upper surface of the cap (8) extends over the edge of the aforesaid place or glass and is conveyed to facilitate the sliding of the water to the outside of the place where is found the tab, and a cap brings on the lower surface one or more pawls (9), or pins or thickening made to facilitate the positioning on the tab-holder and is made in plastic or in film pack or rubber or aluminium, or wood or cork or expanded foam, or other plastic material, in a sole piece by means of moulding, extrusion or folding or in more part further welded. An aforesaid conveyor cup (3) is a cup that leans with its base on the edge of the container (1) used for the hygienization, as a cap.

Advantageously the handle of an object that must be sanitized (40) is wedged to the centre's base of the conveyor cup and is integral to it, being this way maintained in the central position also the object that must be sanitized in respect to the container and on the base of the conveyor cup is/are made one or more holes and one or more sets of holes (49), placed as a ring chain around the handle of the object that must be sanitized and the lower surface of the base is concave (48) in a way that once is leaned on the container it favours the accumulation of the sanitizing vapours towards the centre and/or the perforation zone, being more holes distributed prevailingly in the centre of the concavity of the cup's base. A handle wedged in the conveyor cup has a grip with a log of an overturned cone shape with a smooth (41) or shaped (42) lateral surface with the purpose to improve the exposition of its surface to the sanitizing vapours that go up through the holes found in the base of the cup and a conveyor cup is made entirely or partially in waterproof or film pack, or plastic or tinfoil or aluminium or wood or cork sheets, constitutes a sole block with the handle of the object that must be sanitized. It is made separately from the handle of the object that must be sanitized and is then assembled and fixed on the object by means of welding, spinning, wedge, or thanks to process made on the same handle or thanks to fixing devices as collars and/or journal

boxes and/or rings and/or ring nut and/or the same grip. A conveyor cup as also made of two separated parts: the base and the lateral surface and the lateral surface of the conveyor cup is integrated to the container or a container has a flared upper part that replace the lateral surface of an aforesaid conveyor cup and the object that must be sanitized has a handle on which is fixed an aforesaid conveyor cup or on which is fixed a disk that constitutes the base of this conveyor cup.

Advantageously the container for the hygienization has a window made with a transparent material by means of which is possible to control the level of the water in the base and has a hole on the inferior part of the lateral surface to guarantee the ventilation inside of it.

Brief description of drawings

Fig. 1 shows a system according to the invention. Fig.2 and fig. 3 show two possible creations of the tab-holders according to the invention

Fig. 4 shows a cap of a tab-holder according to the invention.

Fig.5 show a possible solution for the implementation of the conveyor cup according to the invention. Fig.6 shows a possible solution for the implementation of the conveyor cup according to the invention with the cup and the handle that constitutes a sole body and a section of the cup.

Fig.7 show a possible implementation of the container according to the invention