Substance dispenser, use thereof, and method for manufacturing

Abstract

Substance dispenser for temporarily placement on a flush bowl. The substance dispenser comprises a flexible connecting part including a layer of film material defining a first surface, in particular a rear surface. The first surface is provided with a first adhesive for temporary connecting said connecting part to a rim of the flush bowl. Further, the substance dispenser comprises a substance holder holding a substance. In particular, the substance may comprise a cleaning agent, disinfectant, air freshener, and/or a descaling agent. The substance holder being connected to the connecting part.

1 . Substance dispenser for temporarily placement on a flush bowl, comprising:
 a flexible connecting part including a layer of film material defining a first surface, in particular a rear surface, which is provided with a first adhesive for temporary connecting said connecting part to a rim of the flush bowl;   a handle part, connected to the connecting part at or near a first end region of said connecting part, for handling the substance dispenser during placement on the flush bowl and for handling the substance dispenser during removal from the flush bowl; and   a substance holder holding a substance, which preferably may comprise a cleaning agent, disinfectant, air freshener, and/or a descaling agent, said substance holder being connected to the connecting part at or near a second end region of said connecting part.   
     
     
         2 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the layer of film material included in the flexible connecting part further defines an attachment zone which is attached to the substance holder. 
     
     
         3 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 2 , wherein the attachment zone defined by the layer of film material is provided with a second adhesive for attaching said attachment zone to the substance holder. 
     
     
         4 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 3 , wherein said second adhesive is provided at the first surface of the layer of film material. 
     
     
         5 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 3 or 4 , wherein the second adhesive is relatively strong with respect to the first adhesive, in particular such that substance holder can be substantially permanently adhered to the layer of film material whereas the flexible connecting part can be removably adhered to the rim of the flush bowl. 
     
     
         6 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein the substance holder and the substance held therein form a relatively flat structure, in particular a structure of which both its height and its width exceed its largest thickness, more in particular wherein said thickness is at most ½ of the height and/or the width, yet more in particular at most ⅓ of the height and/or the width. 
     
     
         7 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein a first surface of the substance holder, in particular a front face, is substantially closed off. 
     
     
         8 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 7 , wherein the substance holder itself, in particular a bottom portion thereof, closes off the substance holder at its first surface. 
     
     
         9 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 7 or 8 , wherein the layer of film material covers at least 80%, especially at least 90%, of said first surface of the substance holder, preferably wherein said layer of film material covers said first surface of the substance holder substantially completely. 
     
     
         10 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein, at least in a use state of the substance dispenser, one or more portions of a second surface of the substance holder, in particular a rear face, are at least partly open such as to allow flushing water to contact the substance held by the substance holder. 
     
     
         11 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 10 , wherein said substance dispenser is arranged such as to be brought from a storage state into the use state, and wherein, in said storage state of the substance dispenser, a cover substantially covers said one or more portions of the second surface which are at least partly open in the use state, and preferably wherein said cover substantially covers said entire second surface of the substance holder in the storage state of the substance dispenser. 
     
     
         12 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 11 , wherein the cover is removably attached, especially adhered, to the substance holder, in particular to the second surface of the substance holder, and/or to the substance held in said substance holder, preferably in a substantially airtight manner. 
     
     
         13 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 11 or 12 , wherein the cover is formed at least partly by a release liner onto which, in the storage state of the substance dispenser, at least the flexible connecting part is at least partly carried. 
     
     
         14 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 13 , wherein the release liner defines a first surface onto which the at least part of the flexible connecting part is carried, preferably wherein a portion of the first surface of the layer of film material defining said flexible connecting part is carried on said first surface of the release liner, and wherein the substance holder and/or the substance held therein is removably adhered to a second surface of said release liner opposite to its first surface. 
     
     
         15 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 14 , wherein the layer of film material further defines an intermediate part, interconnecting the attachment zone and the flexible connecting part, which, in the storage state of the substance dispenser, is bend, in particular such as to allow that the attachment zone can, in said storage state, extend substantially offset from an/or substantially parallel with the connecting part, preferably in manner in which said attachment zone and said connecting part overlap at least partly. 
     
     
         16 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein the layer of film material included in the flexible connecting part defines the attachment zone which is attached to the substance holder and further defines the handle part. 
     
     
         17 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 16 , wherein the handle part is left free of an outwardly facing adhesive layer, such as to allow a user to grab the handle part substantially without touching any sticky adhesive. 
     
     
         18 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein the substance holder, which holds the substance, includes one or more chambers for holding the substance, said one or more chambers at least being defined by a bottom and one or more sidewalls. 
     
     
         19 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 18 , wherein a surface of the bottom facing away from the substance held by said holder is adhered to an attachment zone defined by the layer of film material. 
     
     
         20 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 18 or 19 , wherein the sidewall of the holder comprises a first flange being provided at an upper end of the sidewall and extending substantially sidewardly, in particular in a substantially outward direction, preferably wherein, in the storage state of the substance dispenser, said first flange is releasably attached, for instance adhered, to the release liner, in particular to the second surface thereof, more preferably in a substantially airtight manner. 
     
     
         21 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 20 , wherein the sidewall of the holder comprises a support element, in particular a substantially wall-shaped support element, which extends from the first flange in a substantially downward direction. 
     
     
         22 . Substance dispenser according to  claim 20 or 21 , wherein the holder comprises a second flange being provided at a lower end of the sidewall, in particular at a lower end of support element thereof, and extending substantially in a sideward direction, in particular in a substantially outward direction. 
     
     
         23 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein the substance holder is molded, preferably thermoformed, in particular in a manner in which the surface of the bottom facing away from the substance held by said substance holder, or the so-called bottom side of the bottom, is not in contact with a mold part provided with release agent during molding of said substance holder. 
     
     
         24 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein a surface of the substance holder, in particular a surface of a bottom of said substance holder facing towards and/or in contact with the substance, is provided with a relief structure, for instance a substantially raster-shaped relief, in particular wherein said relief structure has a height of at most 10 mm, preferably at most 5 mm, for instance at most 3 mm or at most 2 mm, such as a height of between 0.5 mm and 2 mm. 
     
     
         25 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , preferably according to  claim 24 , more preferably according to  claim 24  as far as directly or indirectly depending on  claim 11 , wherein the substance holder is substantially formed as a plate, in particular as a disc. 
     
     
         26 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein the substance is a pliable substance and/or paste which adheres to the substance holder. 
     
     
         27 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , wherein the substance holder includes, and preferably is substantially formed as, a mesh, a sponge and/or a textile, such as a woven textile or a non-woven textile. 
     
     
         28 . Substance dispenser according to  any one of the preceding claims , preferably as far as directly or indirectly depending on  claim 11 , wherein the substance dispenser is packed in a box which is not substantially airtight, such as for instance a cardboard box, in particular wherein the substance dispenser is free of any substantially airtight packing, such as a sealed plastic bag, enveloping the substance dispenser within the box. 
     
     
         29 . Flush bowl, in particular a flush bowl of a flush toilet, provided with a substance dispenser according to one  claims 1-27 . 
     
     
         30 . Use of a substance dispenser according to any one of  claims 1-28  or a flush bowl according to  claim 29 . 
     
     
         31 . Method for manufacturing a substance dispenser, in particular a substance dispenser according to any one of  claims 1-28 , said method comprising the steps of:
 providing a substance holder, in particular a relatively flat substance holder;   providing the substance holder with a substance, in particular a pliable and/or paste-like substance, which preferably may comprise a cleaning agent, disinfectant, air freshener, and/or a descaling agent; and   attaching, preferably adhering, a cover, in particular a cover formed by a release liner, to the substance holder and/or the substance held therein, such as to cover the substance at the top side of the substance holder,   preferably wherein, at the bottom side of the substance holder, the substance held in said substance holder is covered by a bottom portion of the holder and/or by another part of the substance dispenser, such as an attachment zone defined by a layer of film material, in particular a layer of film material which includes a flexible connecting part for temporary connecting said connecting part to a rim of the flush bowl.