A device for applying a liquid to a surface

Abstract

A device for applying a liquid to a surface, the device comprises a ball 12 and a vessel 14 which contains the liquid. A cage (30, Fig. 2) retains the ball whilst allowing the rotation of said ball, t

Description

The present invention relates to a device for applying a liquid to a surface and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a refillable device for applying a cleansing gel to toilet paper for personal cleaning. Replenishable permanent domestic rollerball units are a viable way to replace the multi-consumer purchase of low density polyester (LDPE) wrapped packs of resealable viscose wet wipes for personal cleansing as described in UK patent number GB2582389, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. LDPE packs are not easily recyclable and the viscose is not 'biodegradable' in normal UK weather conditions. Sadly, such wipes are claimed to be 'flushable' because they are 'plant based'. Viscose is made by reconstituting cellulose fibres after swelling by Sodium Hydroxide and Xanthating with Carbon Disulphide followed by bathing and spinning in Sulphuric Acid and Zinc and other Sulphates. Although the origin of the cellulose that forms the viscose is plant based, the fibre cannot be described as 'natural' due to the extensive chemical processing required to make it. Viscose is not made in the UK because the process contravenes UK Health and Safety Law. Furthermore, unlike the cellulose in toilet tissue it does not fully disperse nor disappear quickly in water. Toilet tissue for the UK Market is entirely made in the UK whereas Viscose is primarily made in East Asian countries. Although described as 'flushable' Viscose based wet wipes still contribute to the formation of fatbergs in sewerage systems and water companies are looking for environmentally friendlier alternatives. UK patent number GB2582389 discloses a device for applying a cleansing liquid gel to a toilet tissue in a thin strip so as to enable effective cleaning without overloading the delicate tissue structure with liquid thereby risking the integrity of paper fibres and causing ripping of the tissue. Roller ball applicators generally suffer from the environmental problem of being a single use plastic which is disposed of once empty and refilling techniques of the prior art, such as screw fit cages, 5 are not effectively used. As a result, the majority of roller-on or roller ball applicators are disposed of once exhausted and are not even effectively or easily recycled. Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome or alleviate the above described disadvantages of the 10 prior art. According to the present invention there is provided a device for applying a liquid to a surface, the device comprising: a ball; a vessel for containing a liquid to be applied to a surface; CXJ15 a cage for retaining while allowing rotation of said ball, the cage comprising a first opening for exposing a first portion of said ball to said liquid inside said vessel and a second opening __ for exposing the ball to a surface onto which the liquid is to CO be applied, said second opening having an edge, wherein a first 20 plurality of portions of said edge are located on one side of a meridian of said ball and a second plurality of portions of said edge are located on another side of said meridian. By providing a cage which has an edge which extends below the meridian or centre line of the ball, the advantage is 25 provided that the ball can be easily removed from the cage allowing direct access to the vessel for refilling. this is achieved by allowing pressure to be applied to the ball below the point at which it is retained in the cage. Furthermore, the vessel and cage can be formed as a single item reducing the cost 30 and complexity of manufacture and improving the recyclability of the whole device. When considered in the context of reducing the use of wet wipes, 400ml of gel is sufficient to replace 25 packs of wipes. In replacing a screw on separate cage with a blow moulded vessel and cage combined, the advantage is provided that the manufacturing costs have reduced by removing a component and reducing the injection moulding required. Furthermore, the removable ball can be easily cleaned compared to a screw fitted refillable roller ball device in which the ball remains in the cage. Also, the removal of the screw fitting means that the hole between the cage and the part of the vessel containing the liquid can be larger resulting in a wider stripe of gel being applied to the paper surface as well as making the replenishing process easier. In a preferred embodiment the ball further comprises a strip extending around another meridian having a less slippery surface than the remainder of the ball. The inclusion of a strip of less slippery surface improves the grip which can be applied to the ball to facilitate easy removal. In another preferred embodiment the less slippery surface comprises an ink or paint. The ball may be formed in two halves. In a preferred embodiment the ink or paint is applied to an edge of each said ball half. By forming the ball into halves and applying an ink or paint to the edges of each half, the advantage is provided that the strip of less slippery surface is easily created as part of the formation of the ball. Furthermore, the ball can be made by injection moulding which provides much more control for forming the ball accurately, to any desired weight and with surface textures. In another preferred embodiment the majority of an external surface of said ball is spherical except a part of said surface portion, contained within said cage, and which has a differently shaped surface for engaging a mutually shaped surface of said cage . In a further preferred embodiment the mutually shaped surface is planar. By providing mutually engaging planar surfaces the advantage is provided that the ball is forced to rotate around a single axis and this helps to ensure that the liquid gel is applied to the surface, toilet paper, in an even thickness of strip. By ensuring that the correct volume per unit surface area of liquid is applied to the toilet tissue, the advantage is provided that the integrity of the fibrous structure of the paper is maintained when the paper, to which gel has been applied, is used for personal cleansing. The vessel and cage are preferably formed as a single component. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective exploded view of a device of the present invention; Figure 2 is perspective view of a portion of the device of figure 1; and Figure 3 is a close up of a portion of the image of figure 1. A purpose of the present invention is to provide a roller ball which can be easily refilled and therefore reused. The roller ball device 10 includes a ball 12, a vessel, in the form of bottle 14, and a lid 16. The ball 12 is substantially spherical although it has a pair of flat surfaces 18 on opposing sides, one of these is highlighted with a dotted line in figure 3. The ball is formed from two halves 20 and 22 with a line of ink or paint 24 which indicates the location of the joint between the two halves. The bottle 14 is provided to contain a gel liquid (not shown) which is for application to a surface. The bottle 14 is formed as a single component but has three sections. Firstly, at one end there is the handle 26 which is provided for easy holding of the roller ball device 10. Located in the middle is a main body 28 providing the main volume of the bottle 14 in which the gel is contained. A cage 30 contains and retains the ball 20 while allowing it to rotate and is located on the other side of the main body 28 from the handle. The cage 30 has two openings. The first opening is located at the junction between the cage and the main body 28 and exposes the ball to the liquid contained in the main body of the bottle 14. This first opening is not visible in the figures. The second opening, indicated at 34, exposes the ball to the outside of the device as the ball rotates and therefore to the surface onto which the liquid is to be transferred. Both openings are sized to prevent the ball from passing through them easily. The first opening is circular and has a diameter which is less than the diameter of the ball. For example, the ball has a 38mm diameter and the diameter of the aperture that is the first opening is 36.5mm. The shape of the second opening is not circular. An edge 36 of the second opening 34 has a shape which is based on a circle (indicated by the dotted line 38) but which includes a pair of cutaways 40. The diameter (indicated at 42) for the circle 38 is 35mm. Because both the first opening and the circular portion of the second opening have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ball 12, the ball generally remains trapped within the cage between the first and second openings . The space within the cage 38 is shaped to match the substantially spherical shape of the ball 12. That is, an internal surface 44 of the cage 30 is a corresponding shape which matches and is slightly larger than the 38mm diameter of the ball thereby allowing the ball to rotate within the cage. As well as matching the substantially spherical shape of the ball, the internal surface 44 has corresponding planar portions, the location of which is indicated at 46. The diameter of the flat spot 18 on the ball 12 is 10mm and the gap of 0.5mm between the internal surface 44 and the ball means that a 15mm planar portion is required on that internal surface 44. The interaction of the planar surfaces on the balls with the planar surfaces in the cage encourage the ball to rotate about an axis 48 which extends through the planar surfaces 18 on the ball 12. The axis 48 is perpendicular to the ink line 24 and therefore as the ball rotates the ink line 24 remains in line. Because the ball 12 is trapped in the cage 30 between the first and second openings, the majority of a meridian of the ball is contained within the cage. An example of this meridian is indicated by the dotted line 50 in figure 2. This line can be imagined as the widest part of the ball 12 if the device 10 were being held and hanging down by the handle 26. The majority of the edge 36 of the second opening 34 is located on one side (below in the orientation described above and indicated at 52 in figure 2) of the meridian line 50. A smaller portion of the edge 36 is located on the other side (above and indicated at 54) the meridian 50. The portion 54 of edge 36 that is above the meridian line 50 is mirrored on opposing sides of the cage and there are therefore two such portions 54 (and two portions 52 below the meridian) . As a result, a majority of the meridian 50 is contained within the cage 30, although a small portion of the ball above the meridian is exposed. The edge 36 of the second opening 34 is therefore undulating and passing from one side of the meridian 50 to the other. The final component of the device 10 is the lid or plinth 16 which is used to cover the ball 12 when the device is not in use. The plinth 16 has a base 58, wall 60 and a recess 62 into which the ball 12 and cage 30 are received. A ridge 64 which is between the main body 28 and the cage 30 on the external surface of the bottle 14 engages and upper edge 66 between the wall 60 and the recess 62 of the plinth. Within the recess 62 a ball engager (not shown) abuts the ball when the bottle 14 engages the plinth 16 so that the ridge 64 and upper edge 66 are in contact with each other. By contacting the ball 12, the ball engager pushes the ball into engagement with the first opening so as to seal the first opening and preventing the liquid from escaping through the first opening, around the ball 12 and into the recess 62 of the plinth. Manufacture of the device 10 will now be described. The device 10 is formed from three components, namely the bottle 14 and the plinth 16 as well as the ball 12 which is formed in two halves 20 and 22. All four component are formed from PET with the ball halves 20 and 22 and the plinth formed by injection moulding and the bottle formed by blow moulding . The two ball halves are joined together to form the ball but prior to this action being taken they are partially dipped into an ink or paint so as to create a thin strip around the bottom edge of each ball half extending a short way up the out wall of the ball half. Because the ball is made in two halves using injection moulding, the texture o f the ball surface can be easily controlled and indeed varied across the ball. For example, the edges that will be joined together to form the central strip can be roughened to assist in the receipt of the ink and to enhance the grip that is applied to the ball. The two ball halves are then fixed together by a friction or force fit which may be enhanced by the use of an adhesive. The ink line 24 is then present on the ball 12. The non-slip ink used creates a surface that is less slippery, even when wetted with a cleaning gel liquid, than the smoother outer surface of the ball 12. The device can be sold as the three separate components of the ball, bottle and plinth with the cleansing liquid sold in a different container. In order to complete the creation of the roller ball device 10, which is used to apply cleansing liquid gel to sheets of toilet paper, by filling the bottle with the liquid gel and pushing the ball into the cage 30 through the second opening 34. To do this correctly, the ink line 24 must be aligned with the cutaways 40 of the edge 36 of the second opening 34 so that, once inserted, the planar portions 18 of the ball 12 are aligned with the planar portions 46 of the cage 30. Alternatively, the gel can be added to the device during manufacture and subsequent replenishment bottles purchased separately. The bottle 14 is then placed into the plinth 16. This causes the gel to contact the portion of the ball that extends through the first opening and ensures that the device is always ready for use. When required, the user picks the device up by the handle 24 and rolls the ball 12 over the surface of a sheet of toilet paper so that a line of gel is painted onto that surface. Preferably, three of four stripes of gel are applied to a single sheet in the manner described in UK patent number GB2582389, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The bottle is then returned to the plinth ready for its next use. When the bottle becomes empty, it can be refilled easily by removing the ball 12 from the cage 30. This is achieved by gripping the ball 12 on the ink line 24 in the cutaways 40 which are closer to the bottle 14 than the meridian line 50. The additional grip provided by the ink line 24 makes it easy to remove the ball by squeezing with a finger and thumb. The bottle 14 can then be replenished with gel, the ball 12 returned into the cage 30 and then placed into the plinth 16 ready for use. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the protection which is defined by the appended claims. For example, the mutually engaging planar surfaces do not necessarily have to be flat. For example, if the shapes are sufficiently different to the spherical shape of the ball to prevent the ball from free spinning instead forcing rotation of the ball around a single axis. Examples include small indentations which may follow other mutually engaging shapes. However, the planar surfaces are advantageous because they do not interfere with the movement of the ball into and out of the cage when replenishing the bottle. Although two pairs of mutually engaging planar surfaces are on each side of the ball are described above, this is not essential and a single pair of planar surfaces on one side is sufficient to maintain the rotation of the ball around a single axis.

Claims

31 12 241. A device for applying a liquid to a surface, the device comprising:a ball;5 a vessel for containing a liquid to be applied to a surface;a cage for retaining while allowing rotation of said ball, the cage comprising a first opening for exposing a first portion of said ball to said liquid inside said vessel and a second opening for exposing the ball to a surface onto which the liquid is to 10 be applied, said second opening having an edge, wherein a first plurality of portions of said edge are located on one side of a meridian of said ball and a second plurality of portions of said edge are located on another side of said meridian.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said ball further 15 comprises a strip extending around another meridian having a less slippery surface than the remainder of the ball.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said less slippery surface comprises an ink or paint.

4. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said 20 ball is formed in two halves.

5. A device according to claim 4 when it is dependent on claim 3, wherein said ink or paint is applied to an edge of each said ball half.

6. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the 25 majority of an external surface of said ball is spherical except a part of said surface portion, contained with said cage, and which has a differently shaped surface for engaging a mutually shaped surface of said cage.7 . A device according to claim 1, wherein said mutually shaped 30 surface is planar.

8. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said vessel and cage are formed as a single component.31 12 24

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