The present invention relates to a toilet brush washing and disinfecting unit with UV-light source(s) for bringing about a decrease of the amount of pathogens by irradiation of most of or all of the portions of a toilet brush.

More specifically, the invention relates to a toilet brush cleaning unit of the type optionally including an elongated metal outer housing having an upper end and a lower end, an elongated body that is arranged within the optional housing, the elongated body having an upper open end and defining a chamber for receiving a toilet brush, the elongated body having at the upper open end a chamber inflow structure configured to communicate with a water supply and having a plurality of water outlets for directing water towards different portions of the chamber, the elongated body having a water discharge portion opposite the upper open end.

Toilet brush cleaning units with UV-light sources are known in the art, see eg. US2004/0159330, CN210931117, WO2019/086598, W02006/102346 and US2017/0127890.

The cleaning unit disclosed in WO2019/086598 has a UV-light source mounted above a lid that is transparent to UV-light and that covers the upper end of a non-transparent elongated body that defines a chamber for receiving a toilet brush.

A toilet brush cleaning unit coupled to a water supply for washing/rinsing the toilet brush and for UV-irradiation of the toilet brush is disclosed in WO20 18/070962. However, toilet brush units of the aforementioned type have generally not gained any widespread acceptance; the present invention as defined in claim 1 aims at providing an improved brush cleaning unit of the aforementioned type in that one or more UV-light sources is/are arranged outside the elongated body, below the chamber inflow structure, the elongated body being transparent to UV-light for irradiation by means of the UV-light source(s) of a toilet brush received in the chamber.

Preferably, the UV-light source(s) are mounted to a metal outer housing - in thermal connection therewith for dissipating heat by thermal conduction - in a space between the outer housing and the elongated body. The surface of the metal outer housing that is oriented towards the elongated body may preferably be such as to reflect UV-light. The elongated body, or at least parts thereof below the chamber inflow structure, may, by way of example, be made of quartz or borosilicate glass that are materials transparent to UV-light.

Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. In particular, a UV-light sensor may be arranged and configured to register UV-light inside the chamber, and wherein when UV-light detected/registered by the sensor deviates from an expected value a signal, such as a visual or acoustic signal, is provided.

In one embodiment the chamber inflow structure may be formed by joining, such as by gluing, two concentric annular half-parts, at least one being of an elastomeric material, to define thereby an internal annular conduit.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a toilet brush cleaning unit, Fig. 2 is a side perspective view of the toilet brush cleaning unit, with a component part removed,

Fig. 3 is a rear side perspective view of the toilet brush cleaning unit,

Fig. 4 is an exploded view showing the various components of a toilet brush cleaning system including the toilet brush cleaning unit of figs. 1 -3,

Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the assembled toilet brush cleaning system of fig. 4,

Fig. 6a is a top perspective view of a separate chamber inflow structure component of the unit of figs. 1 -3,

Fig. 6b is a top rear perspective view of a chamber of the brush cleaning unit of figs. 1 -3,

Fig. 6c-fig. 6e are cross-sectional views showing alternative arrangements at the top of the chamber body of another embodiment of a separate chamber inflow structure component for inflow of water into the chamber, with magnetically interacting parts/portions,

Fig. 7 is a top perspective view of a housing component of the unit of figs. 1-3,

Fig. 8 is a top perspective view of a connector structure with LED-lights, of the unit of figs. 1 -3, and

Figs. 9-11 b show various steps performed during installation of the toilet brush system of figs. 4-5.

Detailed description The invention will now be explained in more detail below by reference to a preferred embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of an inventive toilet brush washing unit 50 which is part of a toilet brush washing system according to the invention, and which is mounted close to a room floor 1 , onto a built-up wall that includes a front plate 10.

The shown toilet brush washing unit 50 is the part of the toilet brush washing system that is normally visible by a user after installation of the toilet brush washing system in the room, and is normally mounted onto the built-up wall directly adjacent a toilet (not shown). The built-up wall includes the front plate 10 and various joists, and define together with a structural wall of a building a concealed space for containing different pipework and component connections.

The toilet brush washing unit 50 includes a toilet brush, of which a handle portion 55 and a lid portion 58 are visible in fig. 1. The unit 50 also includes a cylindrical housing 60 with an outer housing wall 62, and a chamber 70 that receives a bristle portion 59 of the toilet brush 52 (see fig. 4), with the lid portion 58 supported by or proximate an upper end 65 of the housing 60 to upwardly close off the chamber 70. The toilet brush is removed from the unit 50 for cleaning a toilet, and then reinserted so that the bristle portion 59 is again received in the chamber 70.

As explained below, the unit 50 is configured to be connected to dedicated water supply piping and water discharge piping running in the aforementioned concealed space whereby the bristle portion 59 located in the chamber 70 may be cleaned at regular intervals by flushing with clean water. In one preferred embodiment the housing 60 includes UV-light sources for bringing about a decrease of the amount of pathogens by irradiation of most of or all of the portions of the toilet brush 52 received in the chamber 70, and of the inside surface of the chamber 70.

Fig. 2 shows the unit 50 without the brush 52, and with a rear side cover 82 removed to show a mounting frame 84 of the unit 50. The mounting frame 84 is connected to the rear side of the housing 60 and to a supporting structure 150 that defines another part of the toilet brush washing system, which another part 150 is normally not visible by a user. The supporting structure 150 is arranged within in the concealed space and is accessible via a cut-out, dedicated access opening 600 formed in the front plate 10 of the built-up wall, see fig. 11 b.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the rear side of the unit 50, with the mounting frame 84 removed from the housing 60. The mounting frame 84 is preferably connected to the housing 60 using screws cooperating with corresponding holes 62’ formed in a rib R attached to the housing wall 62.

Shown in fig. 3 is also a portion 110 of the aforementioned water supply piping and a water trap 100 that is connected to the aforementioned water discharge piping and that preferably is a component of the toilet brush washing system. Respective connector fittings 48, 101 are provided to connect the respective piping running in the concealed space with a water inlet coupling 41 and a water outlet coupling 42 that are components of the toilet brush washing unit 50 and that are both in fluid connection with the aforementioned chamber 70. To make it easier for a builder to manually manipulate the connector fittings 48, 101 , and for performing service operations in general, is the mounting frame 84 preferably formed as an open-sided structure permitting visual inspection of the fittings 48, 101 , as seen in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 3, electric wiring 90 also connects to the unit 50 to provide power for operating a flushing valve 46, preferably in the form of a magnetic valve, as well as any of the aforementioned UV-light sources and any associated sensors, and for control devices that may be arranged within the shown controller box 91 ; in lieu of such electric wiring the controller box 91 may be configured to receive batteries required for operation of the unit 50. Activation of the flushing valve 46 to allow flow of water into the chamber 70 through the water inlet coupling 41 may be manual, but preferably may be automatically controlled using sensors registering movement and/or presence/absence of the toilet brush 52 in the chamber 70. The sensors may by way of example be optical, or the activation may be controlled by magnetic response using magnets M or a magnetically attracted material M incorporated in the brush 52 and cooperating with associated magnets or magnetically attracted materials of the housing 60 or attached to an elongated body 72 defining the chamber 70.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view showing the various components of the toilet brush washing system 20 of the invention, illustrated with the portion 110 of the water supply piping WS and with the water trap 100 mentioned above which water trap 100 preferably also is a component of the system 20. Shown is also the aforementioned chamber 70 which, after assembling the unit 50, is located inside the housing 60. For the shown preferred embodiment where UV-light irradiation of the brush 52 is contemplated, the body 72 of the chamber 70 is manufactured as a transparent cylindrical tube, preferably a quartz material tube, open at both ends and having, by way of example only, a diameter in the order of 7-10 cm and a length in the order of 17-19 cm. The upper open end of the body 72 is designated reference numeral 500.

The body 72 of the chamber 70 is supported at its lower end by a support structure 75 carrying the outlet coupling 42 and configured to be connected with the housing 60 to maintain the body 72 in correct position inside the housing 60. The body 72 of the chamber 70 is connected, such as by gluing, to an annular water inlet structure component 69 at its upper end 500, which annular water inlet structure component 69 has a water inlet opening 68 in fluid connection with the water inlet coupling 41 . The water inlet opening 68 is shown in fig. 5 which is a cross-sectional view of the assembled toilet brush washing system 20, and in fig. 6b. The water inlet coupling 41 may by way of example have a threaded end screwed into the water inlet opening 68.

It will be understood that the connection between the body 72 and the support structure 75 is water-tight, and normally permanent, to prevent undesired escape of water from the chamber 70. Also, the support structure 75 with the outlet coupling 42 preferably is designed such that there is a complete water discharge by gravity, i.e. such that after a flushing no water remains in the chamber 70.

Fig. 5 illustrates the brush 52 with its brush portion 59 (illustrated schematically only) received in the chamber 70, close to a bottom water discharge passage 76 of the chamber 70, which water discharge passage 76 is in fluid communication with the outlet coupling 42 via the support structure 75.

Into the annular water inlet structure component 69 is press-fitted an annular chamber inflow structure 180, shown also in fig. 6a, which distributes water to various portions of the inside of the chamber 70. The body 72 together with the annular water inlet structure 69 is inserted into the housing 60 when the unit 50 is assembled.

In an alternative embodiment, see fig. 6c, the annular chamber inflow structure 180 may be press-fitted into an upper portion of the body 72. Where UV-light irradiation is not contemplated the body 72 may be of metal, or may be of a plastic material molded integrally with the support structure 75 and/or with the annular water inlet structure 69. The annular chamber inflow structure 180 preferably is removable from the body 72 to allow for the chamber inflow structure 180 to be cleaned. Preferably, the chamber inflow structure 180 is made from an elastomeric material. The chamber inflow structure 180 preferably has an upper flange 181 , see fig. 6a, that may be configured to rest against the upper end 65 of the housing 60 and to provide support for the lid part 58 of the brush 52. The chamber inflow structure 180 (or the housing 60) and the brush 52 may include magnetically attracted components M configured to hold the lid part 58 to the chamber inflow structure 180 by mutual magnetic attraction. The lid portion 58 preferably seal- ingly cooperates with the chamber inflow structure 180.

Removing the chamber inflow structure 180 from the body 72 for cleaning may be done by eg. holding on to the flange 181 and pulling up the chamber inflow structure 180, away from the body 72.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 6a the chamber inflow structure 180 also includes along its perimeter an annular recess 183; by the chamber inflow structure 180 sealingly engaging the surrounding annular water inlet structure 69 is defined a sealed annular passage or conduit 21 into which water may flow from the water supply piping WS via the inlet opening 68 to reach a plurality of spaced apart through-going narrow water flow passages 185’ formed in the chamber inflow structure 180 along its perimeter. The through-going passages 185’ define, opposite the recess 183, respective water outlets 185 for providing each a jet of water directed into the chamber 70. Preferably, the through-going water flow passages 185’ are grouped to define groups of water outlets 185 having a particular orientation such that some of the water outlets 185 direct water towards the brush lid 58, some towards the brush stem 53 and some towards the bristle portion 59. As will be understood, the annular conduit 21 that distributes water to the water outlets 185 is defined by a portion of the inner surface of the annular water inlet structure 69 and a portion of the outer surface of the chamber inflow structure 180 at the level of the recess 183. Alternatively, where the chamber inflow structure 180 is press-fitted into an upper portion of the body 72 the annular conduit 21 may be defined by that upper portion (defining then the aforementioned annular water inlet structure 69) and a portion of the outer surface of the chamber inflow structure 180 at the level of the recess 183. In a variant shown in figs. 6c and 6d the chamber inflow structure 180 is an annular body integrally formed with the conduit 21 having a water entry opening (as in the embodiment shown in fig. 6a) aligned with either a water inlet passage 68 formed in the body 72 (see fig. 6c) or with a water inlet passage 68 formed in the annular water inlet structure component 69 and the housing wall 62, as shown in figs. 5 and 6d. The coupling 41 is connected to the water inlet passage 68, such as via a screw thread, as was the case for the water inlet opening 68 of the water inlet structure component 69 discussed above.

Fig. 6e shows an embodiment where the chamber inflow structure 180 is press-fitted into an upper portion of the body 72 that has the water inlet passage 68, the annular conduit 21 being defined by that upper portion and the chamber inflow structure 180. Figs. 6c-6e show various arrangements of the aforementioned magnetically attracted components M configured to hold the lid part 58 in position covering the upper end 500 of chamber 70 by mutual magnetic attraction. One or both of the components M may be magnets. The magnetically attracted components M may be embedded, such as in a moulding operation, in the lid portion 58 and/or embedded in portions of the body 72 or the chamber inflow structure 180, where molded from a plastic material. Or they may be attached thereto, or be defined by a metal portion of the body 72 or the housing 60 or the lid portion 58.

Fig. 7 is a top perspective view of the housing 60, showing the embodiment also illustrated in figs. 4 and 5 wherein the housing 60 is used in connection with a transparent chamber body 72 allowing for irradiation of a brush 52 received in the chamber 70. As seen best in fig. 5 an annular space 73 of a small width is preferably defined between the housing 60 and the chamber body 72. This annular space 73 allows for accommodation of a plurality of LED-strips 61 providing UV-light in a wavelength range, such as 250-280 nm, and with an intensity suitable for disinfection of the brush 52. The LED-strips 61 are received in elongated recesses 63 formed on the inside of the wall 62 of the housing 60, preferably - as shown - extending between its two opposite ends 65, 66; the LED-strips 61 may be elongated PCB’s with LED lamps connected thereto. The inside surface of the wall 62 is preferably made highly reflective, such as by polishing; the housing 60 may in one embodiment be an extruded aluminium component, with the recesses 63 formed during the extrusion.

By arranging the LED-strips 61 in contact with the housing 60, the housing 60, when made from a material having a high heat conductivity, such as aluminium, will operate as a heat sink to dissipate heat generated by the LED-strips 61.

As shown in fig. 4 the annular water inlet structure 69 may have a flange configured to be received in a dedicated one of the elongated recesses 63 for correct orientation of the inlet structure 69.

For use with the plurality of LED-strips 61 shown in fig. 7 there is preferably provided an annular connector structure 200 shown in fig. 8 which may, as shown in fig. 5, be carried by and arranged below the support structure 75. In one embodiment the connector structure 200 may have individual connecting points at which the individual LED-strips 61 are electrically connected to the connector structure 200, and power to the LED-strips 61 are then provided via electrical connector pins 201 electrically connecting the connector structure 200 to the aforementioned controller box 91 . Activation of the LED-strips 61 to irradiate the brush 52 may involve sensors registering the presence of the brush 52 inside the chamber 70, possibly with a delay function, all controlled via controllers arranged in the controller box 91 . A further monitoring of correct irradiation is preferably also provided for, using a UVC-sensor placed outside the body 72 so as to register UV-light inside the chamber 70. Where detected irradiation deviates from expected values a signal, visual or acoustic, may then be provided to the owner of the system 20, possibly also in the form of a message provided to the owner or the system manufacturer via an app.

Where no outer housing 60 is used, i.e. where there is no housing 60 surrounding the elongated body 72, the UV-light source(s) 61 arranged outside the elongated body 72 below the chamber in-flow structure 180 to shine through the UV-light transparent wall of the elongated body 72, may by way of example be mounted directly onto the outer surface of the UV-light transparent surface of the elongated body 72, or be indirectly mounted to the elongated body 72. A cage-like structure as shown in fig. 8 carrying, or defining, the UV-light source(s) 61 may in that case also be connected directly or indirectly to the elongated body 72.

Turning now to fig. 9 a preferred method of installing the toilet brush washing system 20 of the invention in a room will be discussed. Fig. 9 shows a building structural wall 5, such as a brick of concrete wall, in front of which a built-up wall is being constructed to provide for a concealed space for water supply and discharge piping, in connection with which a system 20 of the invention is being installed. The built-up wall may cover the entire structural wall 5, or only portions thereof up to a certain height. Built-up walls are often made in preparation for the installation of concealed cistern frames for toilets.

As a first step a builder will position and secure one or more joists 6, 7, of wood or metal, along the building structural wall 5; the joists 6, 7 are arranged for supporting the aforementioned front plate 10 as well as the supporting structure 150 to which the mounting frame 84 of the unit 50 is to be connected. For this purpose is the supporting structure 150 of the inventive system 20 formed with angled portions 151 configured to rest against the joists 6 and to be connected thereto. The supporting structure 150 also has a front piece 152 with respective openings 155, 162, 158 for water supply and water discharge, and for the electric wiring 90. The front piece 152 has a front side FS and an opposite rear side RS, which rear side RS faces the inside of the concealed space CS, see fig. 5.

Having mounted the supporting structure 150 in correct position relative to the structural wall 5, or when mounting the supporting structure 150, the builder attaches respective piping connector fittings 49, 101 of the various concealed piping to the supporting structure 150. The fitting 49 of the water supply piping may include a valve for closing off flow of water. Where a water trap component

100 of the system 20 is to be used and to be placed in the concealed space CS, between the rear side RS of the front plate 10 and the building wall 5, the water trap 100 is first connected to the water discharge piping, following which the water trap component 100 is connected to the supporting structure 150, either directly or via a connector fitting 101 , whereby the supporting structure 150 may carry the water trap component 100. Attaching the connector fittings 49, 101 to the supporting structure 150 may be carried out using respective brackets 190, 191 , seen best in fig. 10, that are slid into an annular groove formed in the connector fittings 49, 101 . In this position, shown in fig. 11a, the brackets 190, 191 will bear against the front piece 152 of the supporting structure 150 and prevent the connector fittings 49, 101 from moving back into the concealed space when some force is applied against the connector fittings 49,

101 during a subsequent step of mounting the unit 50 in the position shown in fig. 2. Locking ribs 800 may be provided on the front piece 152, engaging the brackets 190, 191 received in the respective connector fittings 49, 101 , to prevent the fittings 49, 101 from moving to and from the front piece 152, see also fig. 5. The front plate 10 defining the concealed space, having already been provided an access opening or cut-out 600 facilitating access from the room to the various openings 155, 158, 162 formed in the front piece 152, is then secured to the joists 6, 7, as seen in fig. 11 b.

In a subsequent step is the mounting frame 84 connected to the front piece 152 of the supporting structure 150 using bolts 86, as shown in figs. 2 and 5 and a fluid connection is established between the water supply piping WS and the annular conduit 21 by the dedicated connector fittings 48, 49 and between the water discharge piping and the water discharge passage 76 via the dedicated water discharge connector fitting 101. It is noted that the water outlet coupling 42, shown in the drawings as a short tubular pipe, is configured to be press-fitted into the water discharge connector 101 in a sealing manner, after any appropriate previous shortening. Note also that the water supply connector fitting 49 may be configured to be connected to the connector fitting 48 of the water inlet coupling 41 either directly, as shown in figs. 3 and 5, or via a flexible tube component (not shown).

As a final step the rear side cover 82 is positioned to conceal the various connections.

The toilet brush washing system 20 is then ready for use, with activation of the flushing valve 46 to allow inflow of water into the chamber 70 and simultaneous or delayed UV-light irradiation of the brush 52 inside the chamber 70 providing for a cleaning of the brush 52.

Where above reference has been made to items being annular this term refers to items that are circular and non-circular: by way of example, where the body 72 has a square cross-section, the water inlet structure 69 and the separate chamber inflow structure 180 are then preferably designed with a shape to extend parallel with the sides of the body 72 and to define between them a correspondingly shaped annular water flow conduit 21 with rectilinear sections. It is also noted that, although preferred, the annular conduit 21 need not extend fully around the chamber 70, and may be divided into segments.