Water feeder with mixed solution sustained-releasing function

Details Water feeder with mixed solution sustained-releasing function Water feeder with mixed solution sustained-releasing function

2002-02-01

2004-11-09

Mar, Michael (Department: 3752)

Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing

Including supply holder for material

To be mixed, dissolved or entrained in a flowing liquid...

C239S315000, C239S310000, C239S463000, C239S525000, C137S268000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06814306

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a feed device applied to a showerhead installed in a bathtub or washroom, a feed instrument installed to a bibcock in a bathtub, washroom or kitchen and so forth. More specifically, the present invention relates to a feed device for feeding mixed water prepared by mixing supplied running water (including a case of hot water) with a mixing solution containing a chlorine neutralizing agent and a fragrant, a weak oxidizer, a weak alkalizing agent, a skin cosmetic water, a bathing agent, a humectant, a shampoo or the like by a small amount at a time.
BACKGROUND ART
It is obliged to mix running water with chlorine in order to sterilize and disinfect saprophytic bacteria and, according to the Water Works Law of Japan, it is prescribed that the running water that is released from a bibcock must contain 0.1 ppm or more of residual chlorine. In particular, there is a recent trend that the water quality of a water source such as a river is increasingly deteriorated. In addition,
Escherichia coli
0-157 and so forth have emerged. In consideration of these situations, a large amount of chlorine has been introduced for sterilizing the raw water. Therefore, a considerable amount of residual chlorine is contained in the running water that comes out of a bibcock.
However, the residual chlorine contained in running water (in particular, free residual chlorine such as hypochlorous acid, HOCl) is said to give adverse influences on human skin and hair to cause the phenomenon of senescence of skin, decoloration, drying or falling of scalp hair. Especially, it is said that the residual chlorine has a great influence on people having a diathesis of weak skin and on nurslings and that it has an adverse effect on people having a damage in the skin, such as atopic dermatitis.
Under the circumstances, showerheads having the function of neutralizing residual chlorine contained in running water have recently been developed and patent applications have already been filed thereon (JP-A-5-293053, JP-A-9-187681, JP-A-10-276926 and so forth). In the showerhead with the function of dechlorination, a cartridge containing a chlorine neutralizing agent such as calcium sulfite or L-ascorbic acid (hereinafter, referred to as vitamin C) is attached to a handle part or a head part that constitutes the showerhead in order to mix running water flowing in the showerhead with an aqueous solution of the above-mentioned chlorine neutralizing agent through a sustained release outlet formed in the cartridge. The showerhead of this type can convert residual chlorine into an innoxious chlorine compound by a reaction between the chlorine neutralizing agent and the residual chlorine contained in the running water so that the neutralized water (or hot water) can be released from spray holes at the distal end of the head part.
In the case of the above-mentioned patent publications, powder of vitamin C has been already contained in the cartridge and a part of running water that flows in the showerhead is introduced into the cartridge through the sustained release outlet to dissolve the powder of vitamin C in the cartridge. Then the aqueous solution is fed through the above-mentioned sustained release outlet to the running water flowing in the showerhead to be mixed.
Incidentally, for example, when powder of vitamin C is used as a chlorine neutralizing agent, it is believed that there occurs a chemical reaction set forth below between the vitamin C (chemical formula C
6
H
8
O
6
, molecular weight 176) and hypochlorous acid (chemical formula HOCl, molecular weight 52.45), which is a main component of the free residual chlorine.
C
6
H
8
O
6
+HOCl →C
6
H
6
O
6
+HCl+H
2
O
That is, 1 mole of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) reacts with 1 mole of hypochlorous acid to produce 1 mole of dehydroascorbic acid (C
6
H
6
O
6
), 1 mole of hydrochloric acid (HCl), and 1 mole of water (H
2
O). That is, 176 g of vitamin C powder reacts with 52.45 g of hypochlorous acid. In other words, 3.35 g of vitamin C powder is required for converting 1 g of hypochlorous acid into innoxious hydrochloric acid.
Therefore, for example, in the case where 10 g of vitamin C powder is packed in a cartridge, about 3 g of hypochlorous acid can be neutralized therewith assuming that the above-mentioned chemical reaction is performed ideally. If running water has a hypochlorous acid concentration of 1.0 ppm, about 3,000 liters (3 tons) of running water can be treated. If the running water having a hypochlorous acid concentration of 1.0 ppm is flown in the supply channel of a showerhead in a rate of 10 liters per minute, the neutralization treatment of chlorine can be continuously performed for about 300 minutes. In other words, if it is intended to treat running water having a hypochlorous acid concentration of 1.0 ppm in a rate of 10 liters per minute, it may be sufficient to continuously feed 0.033 g per minute of powder of vitamin C.
However, 0.033 g of powder of vitamin C is an extremely small amount and an extremely high precision control of sustained release amount is required in order to continuously release that amount over 1 minute dispersedly.
On the other hand, powder or granules of vitamin C when dissolved in water reach saturation at a concentration of 25 to 30%. That is, 0.033 g of vitamin C when it is converted into a saturated aqueous solution amounts approximately 0.08 to 0.1 ml. In the case where it is intended to treat running water having a hypochlorous acid concentration of 1.0 ppm in a rate of 10 liters per minute, it is only necessary to release 0.08 to 0.1 ml per minute in the case of a saturated aqueous vitamin C solution.
However, also in the case where such a minute amount of aqueous solution is constantly released by only 0.08 to 0.1 ml per minute, it is very difficult to control the sustained release amount of aqueous solution since the sustained release amount concerned is an extremely minute amount.
Conventionally, the sustained release outlet formed in a cartridge is 4 mm to 5 mm or more in diameter, so that the aqueous vitamin C solution is released more than the requisite amount. That is, vitamin C is overly released, which results in an excessive consumption. As a result, there arises an inconvenience such that vitamin C must be replenished frequently or the period for exchanging the cartridge is shortened.
To cope with this, controlling the release amount of aqueous vitamin C solution by reducing the area of opening of the sustained release outlet might be considered. However, an effort for downsizing the sustained release outlet is limited in consideration of processing technology. Accordingly, it has been extremely difficult to evenly release 0.08 to 0.1 ml per minute of an aqueous vitamin C solution to the supply channel in a showerhead.
On the other hand, vitamin C powder has a specific gravity of approximately 1.65 and its saturated aqueous solution has a specific gravity on the order of 1.1. That is, the powder or aqueous solution is heavier than water so that it tends to sediment to the lower part of the cartridge in the state where the cartridge is filled with water. As a result, in the case where the showerhead is continuously used in the same posture or hung on a wall-hung hook, the powder in the cartridge is deposited on the bottom and the aqueous solution creates a difference in concentration between upper and lower portions thereof.
In this state, a problem arises in that the concentration of aqueous vitamin C solution supplied from the sustained release outlet fluctuates so that it is difficult to constantly release 0.08 to 0.1 ml per minute of aqueous vitamin C solution as described above.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a feed device having a function of sustained release for a mixing solution that can release the mixing solution in a suitable amount in correspondence with the flow rate of running water to thereby resolve excessive feed or deficiency of the mixing solution so that the mixing solution can be effic

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