Textiles: fluid treating apparatus – Machines – Single tub and automatic sequential operation mechanism
Patent
1981-08-06
1983-09-06
Coe, Philip R.
Textiles: fluid treating apparatus
Machines
Single tub and automatic sequential operation mechanism
68 13A, 68207, 134 57D, 204 95, D06F 3902, C25B 126
Patent
active
044021976
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention cconcerns an automatic machine for washing cloth or dishes in which sodium hypochlorite can be added separately if desired to the scouring bath for bleaching, disinfecting or obtaining both effects simultaneously.
PRIOR-ART
There was already proposed in application EP No. 0.002.423 to provide a cloth-washer with an electrochemical cell for producing hydrogen peroxide comprising a cathode compartment and an anode compartment capable of producing sodium hypochlorite together with hydrogen peroxide. The combination of the two substances gives singlet oxygen which is a very powerful bleaching agent. However, such a mixture is not suitable for applications where only a bactericide and fungicide action is sought; it is either not adapted to being used in dish-washers.
There was also proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,307 a sodium hypochlorite production cell comprising means for dispensing relatively concentrated metered quantities of hypochlorite.
However, such a cell is especially usable in the case of swimming pools or in any application where the use of hypochlorite is relatively constant. It is indeed known that hypochlorite formed in such a cell is not storage stable since it is not stabilized. It should therefore be used immediately. Now, household cloth- and dish-washers only operate periodically and such a cell is not adapted thereto. Further, the use of concentrated hypochlorite may cause damage to clothes since its dilution into the scouring bath is not instantaneous. In addition, the accurate dispensing of small concentrated hypochlorite volumes is difficult to achieve.
Besides, it is not possible to contemplate using industrial types of hypochlorite production cells for forming concentrated solutions in very small quantities.
On the other hand, it has already been proposed in DOS No. 2.134.850 a dish-washing process according to which one forms a scouring bath with a scouring agent containing an enzyme additive and heating to 55.degree. C., then a scouring agent with an active chlorine containing compound is introduced and the bath is heated to 65.degree. C. Unfortunately, it is difficult to implement this method with commercial Javel water because of storage problems in the presence of a heat source due to the nearness of the washing tank. Moreover, since the required quantities of NaOCl for each washing operation are small, it is not possible to have the user introduce himself, with each operation, metered quantities so small with the required accuracy. Thus, the means for carrying out a method such as that proposed by this document is still a problem.
Further to these problems, it should still be remarked that the required hypochlorite concentration may significantly vary depending on the effect desired, which means that the means for supplying hypochlorite to the washing bath should be able to vary the concentration thereof between relatively wide limits.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to solve the problem of supplying metered hypochlorite quantities to automatic cloth- or dish-washers.
Hence, the invention concerns an automatic machine for washing clothing or dishes, which comprises a cell for the electrolytic production of sodium hypochlorite, a brine holder-tank, a water supply, means for connecting said holder-tank to said cell, means for connecting said cell with said water supply, means for controlling the volume of water introduced into the cell and means for introducing measured quantities of brine into said cell.
The electrochemical cell with which the washing machine according to the invention is fitted is devised for providing it with a wide operating sufficiency and for enabling it to be easily adaptable to the various uses for which the hypochlorite produced is intended. The production of low concentration hypochlorite enables one to give the cell appropriate dimensions for producing the required hypochlorite quantity within a period compatible with the washing cicle duration. The controlled sampling means
REFERENCES:
patent: 3085416 (1963-04-01), D'Hooge
patent: 3210262 (1965-10-01), Klein
patent: 3390065 (1968-06-01), Cooper
patent: 3925174 (1975-12-01), Eng et al.
patent: 4118306 (1978-10-01), Labarre
patent: 4151052 (1979-04-01), Goto et al.
patent: 4188807 (1980-02-01), Graf et al.
"The Electrolysis of Hypochlorite Solution", by F. Forester, American Electrochemical Society, vol. XLVI, pp. 23-50, 1924.
Groult Alain
Porta Augusto
Tournier Herve
Battelle (Memorial Institute)
Coe Philip R.
Dubno Herbert
Ross Karl F.
Stinson Frankie L.
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