Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR LAUNDRY TREATMENT COMPOSITION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
A supply system for supplying laundry treatment composition to a plurality of
washing
machines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are a variety of circumstances in which a vendor desires to service
multiple laundry
washing machines. For example, laundromats, multiunit dwellings, commercial
laundry and the
like have multiple laundry washing machines in a single location. The multiple
laundry washing
machines can be integrated with a supply system for the laundry treatment
composition or laundry
treatment compositions. The laundry washing machines may be activated by
coins, tokens, a key
card, a wired controller system, a wireless controller system, manually via an
operator the like.
When the laundry washing machines are integrated with a supply system, the
system must
be monitored to ensure that laundry treatment composition is available when
needed by the user.
When the laundry treatment composition stored in the supply system is nearly
depleted or depleted,
action must be taken to replenish the laundry treatment composition.
Typically, an attendant must
periodically check on the supply system to ensure that an adequate supply of
laundry treatment
composition is available to meet the expected demand. If an adequate supply is
not available, the
attendant or someone else must take action to provide for additional laundry
treatment composition
for the integrated supply system.
Providing an attendant to operate a location that has multiple laundry washing
machines
installed can be expensive Labor costs may be a significant fraction of the
overall cost of operating
a laundromat or a laundry facility that serves a multiunit dwelling or a
commercial laundry facility.
The more complex the tasks to be executed by an attendant are or the more time
that an attendant
is needed to be at the site of a laundromat or multiunit dwelling, the greater
the cost will be to find
an attendant who can perform the tasks. Resupplying additional laundry
treatment composition to
an integrated supply system may be a complex task that can require skills
beyond what are typical
of a customer service employee. As such, attending to and resupplying an
integrated laundry
treatment composition supply system may be expensive. If the system is
resupplied on a regular
schedule, there is the possibility that the system will be depleted prior to
the next scheduled
resupply or that there will be laundry treatment composition left over when
the resupply visit
occurs. Operators also prefer that all containers are depleted to the desire
level to minimize waste.
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If the staffing level is low or nonexistent, service at the location may be
disrupted because there is
no person available to resupply additional laundry treatment composition.
The users of the laundry washing machines pay for the cost of operating the
laundry
washing machines. Therefore, users stand to benefit from any advances made in
the operational
efficiency of venues that have an integrated supply system for laundry
treatment compositions to
multiple laundry washing machines.
One approach for an integrated supply system for laundry treatment composition
is to
employ a process tank that stores enough volume of the laundry treatment
composition so that
there is a low likelihood of the tank being emptied between resupply visits.
During a resupply
visit, the technician can refill the tank with laundry treatment composition.
A problem with this
approach is that unless the tank is emptied and cleaned, there is a
substantial possibility that the
carried over laundry treatment composition will be fouled by biological growth
or that the active
in the carried over composition will degrade, both of which may result in a
dissatisfied user.
Emptying and cleaning a tank may require extra time and may waste some volume
of the laundry
treatment composition and may result in the need for controlled disposal of
the composition.
With these limitations in mind, there is a continuing unaddressed need for
systems and
methods for improving operation of an array of laundry washing machines that
are integrated with
a supply system for the laundry treatment composition or laundry treatment
compositions that
reduces the need for attendance of the system, limits the possibility that the
supply system will be
depleted prior to a scheduled or invited visit, reduces waste of laundry
treatment composition
during periods of low use, and reduces the potential for fouling and
degradation of the laundry
treatment composition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A laundry treatment composition supply system comprising: a first supply
container; a first
supply container level sensor operably engaged with said first supply
container; a first supply
conduit downstream of said first supply container and in fluid communication
with a main supply
conduit; a second supply container; a second supply conduit downstream of said
second supply
container and in fluid communication with said main supply conduit; one or
more automatic block
valves, wherein said first supply conduit and said second supply conduit are
in fluid
communication with said one or more automatic block valves; one or more pumps
in fluid
communication with one or both of said first supply conduit and said second
supply conduit; a
controller system communicatively coupled with said first supply container
level sensor and said
one or more block valves, wherein said controller system is configured to
signal said one or more
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automatic block valves to shut off flow from said first supply conduit to said
main supply conduit
after receipt of a low liquid level signal from said first supply container
level sensor and open said
one or more automatic block valves to permit flow from said second supply
conduit to said main
supply conduit; and a plurality of washing machines, wherein each said washing
machine is in
fluid communication with said main supply conduit.
A method of operating the laundry treatment composition supply system
according to the
preceding paragraph comprising the steps of: conveying a first laundry
treatment composition from
within said first supply container to said washing machines; receiving at said
controller system a
low liquid level signal from said first supply container level sensor; sending
a shut off signal from
said controller system to said one or more block valves to shut off flow from
said first supply
conduit to said main supply conduit in response to said low liquid level
signal from said first supply
container level sensor; and sending an open up signal from said controller
system to said one or
more block valves to open said flow from said second supply conduit to said
main supply conduit
in response to said open up signal from said controller system; and conveying
a second laundry
treatment composition from within said second supply container to said washing
machines.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic of a system.
Figure 2 is a schematic of an alternative system.
Figure 3 is a supply container that is exemplary of a first supply container,
second supply
container, and a replacement supply container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A laundry treatment composition supply system 10 is shown in Fig 1. The system
10 can
be installed in a laundromat setting. Optionally, the system 10 can be
installed in a laundry room
that services a multiunit dwelling, or a commercial laundry operation. The
system 10 can be a
multiple laundry washing machine laundry treatment composition supply system
10. The system
10 can be installed in a secure area of the laundrom at or laundry room so
that users of the multiple
laundry washing machines 20 do not have access to the appurtenances associated
with the system
beyond the typical consumer or household use of the washing machines 20.
The system 10 can comprise a first supply container 30 and a second supply
container 40.
The first supply container 30 and the second supply container 40 can contain
the laundry treatment
composition 50, 50a with respect to the first supply container 30 and 50b with
respect to the second
supply container 40. The system 10 can further comprise a first supply
container level sensor 60,
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60a that is operably engaged with the first supply container 30. During
operation of the system 10,
laundry treatment composition 50 from one of the first supply container 30 and
the second supply
container 40 is delivered downstream towards the laundry washing machines 20.
Laundry
treatment composition 50 can flow from within the first supply container 30
into the first supply
conduit 90. Likewise, laundry treatment composition 50 can flow from within
the second supply
container 40 into the second supply conduit 100.
A depletion wand can be employed as part of the respective supply conduit to
transport the
contents from within a supply container, for example the first supply
container 30 and the second
supply container 40, downstream. Each supply conduit can comprise a check
valve to help prevent
the respective supply conduit from losing its prime or spilling during change
over when a supply
container is changed out.
'Me direction of flow of the laundry treatment composition 50 is from one of
the first supply
container 30 and second supply container 40 downstream towards and to the
washing machines
20. The laundry treatment composition 50 can be provided to the washing
machines 20 through a
main supply conduit 70. The main supply conduit 70 can be connected to the
laundry treatment
composition inlet port 80 of each laundry washing machine 20. Each laundry
washing machine 20
can have controls and appurtenances therein to controllably dose the desired
quantity of laundry
treatment composition 50 to the tub of the laundry washing machine 20 at the
desired time. Each
washing machine 20 can comprise a frame 22, a tub 23 housed within the cabinet
frame, a rotatable
drum 24 within the tub 23, a door 26 providing access to the rotatable drum
24, and an inlet port
80 in fluid communication with the tub 23.
The first supply container 30 and the second supply container 40 can be
exterior to the
frame 22. The first supply container 30 and the second supply container 40 can
more than about 1
meter away from the frame 22 or any of the parts of the washing machine 20
within the frame.
The washing machines 20 can be ELECTROLUX 6000 professional washing machines.
The washing machines 20 can comprise software and controllers that can
communication with the
controller system 130 or directly with the pump or pumps 120 and or the block
valves 110.
The system 10 can include a first supply conduit 90 downstream of the first
supply
container 30. The first supply conduit 90 can be in fluid communication with
the main supply
conduit 70. The laundry treatment composition 50 can be transported from the
first supply
container 30 downstream through the first supply conduit 90 and further
downstream to the main
supply conduit 70 and ultimately to a laundry washing machine 20.
The system 10 can further comprise a second supply conduit 100 downstream of
the second
supply container 40 that is in fluid communication with the main supply
conduit 70. The laundry
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treatment composition 50 can be transported from the second supply container
40 downstream
through the second supply conduit 100 and further downstream to the main
supply conduit 70 and
ultimately to a laundry washing machine 90.
The system 10 can comprise one or more automatic block valves 110. The first
supply
5 conduit 90 and second supply conduit 100 can be in fluid communication
with the one or more
automatic block valves 110. The one or more block valves 110 can control from
which of the first
supply container 30 and the second supply container 40 the laundry treatment
composition 50 is
pumped. Each of the first supply conduit 90 and the second supply conduit 100
can have block
valve 110 that can permit or block flow from the supply conduit with which the
block valve 110 is
in line with. A block valve 110 can be a two-way valve having an open and a
closed position.
The first supply conduit 90 and the second supply conduit 100 can both be
connected to a
single block valve 110. rt that single block valve 110 can permit or block
flow from the first supply
conduit 90 and permit or block flow from the second supply conduit 100 and be
configured so that
in operation flow can occur from only one supply conduit but not the other.
Such an arrangement
is may be provided with a three-way block valve 110.
The first supply conduit 90, second supply conduit 90, and the main supply
conduit 70 can
be metal or plastic piping. The piping can have an inside diameter of from
about 0.5 cm to about
10 cm.
The system 10 can further comprise one or more pumps 120 in fluid
communication with
one or both of the first supply conduit 90 and the second supply conduit 100.
The one or more
pumps 120 can provide the driving energy to transport laundry treatment
composition 50 from one
of the first supply container 30 and the second supply container 40 into the
respective supply
conduit. The one or more pumps 120 can also provide the driving energy to
transport the laundry
treatment composition 50 in and through main supply conduit 70 to the inlet
port 80 of each laundry
washing machine 20. The one or more pumps 120 can be a single pump 120 in-line
with the main
supply conduit 70. Optionally, each of the first supply conduit 90 and the
second supply conduit
100 can comprise a pump 120 in-line with the respective supply conduit to pump
laundry treatment
composition to the main supply conduit 70.
The pump 120 can be a HYDSPD0026, 8P, 1 OWE, 1CH, 241, NEU,V pump available
from Hydro Systems, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America. The pump 120
can be a
DOSITEC MULTITEC10 pump distributed by Hydro Systems, Cincinnati, Ohio, United
States
of America. The pump can be a multi-solenoid pump controlled by a programmer
logic controller.
Multiple chemistries, for example 2 to 10 chemistries, may feed into and be
part of the system 10
and water may comprise a portion of any chemistry or chemistries. The washing
machine 20 can
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call for a certain amount of chemistry at a certain time. The multi-solenoid
pump block can open
and allow the pump to draw the chemistry called for. The pump can be an
electro-diaphragm pump
or an air pump. There can be a flow meter right immediately downstream of the
pump 120. The
chemistry can be routed to a specific machine by another solenoid block. The
chemistry can be
conveyed to a machine 20 or machines 20 by water, or optionally air.
The system 10 can comprise a controller system 130. The controller system 130
can be
communicatively coupled with the first supply container level sensor 60, 60a
and the one or more
block valves 110. The controller system 130 can be configured to signal the
one or more automatic
block valves 110 to shut off flow from the first supply conduit 90 to the main
supply conduit 70
after receipt of a low liquid level signal from the first supply container
level sensor 60, 60a and
open the one or more automatic block valves 110 to permit flow from the second
supply conduit
100 to the main supply conduit 70. The low liquid level signal from the first
supply container level
sensor 60, 60a and optional second supply container level sensor 60,60b can be
generated by a
flow sensor in the first supply conduit 90 or second supply conduit 100.
The controller system 130 can be an integrated controller system 130 that
controls operation
of the block valves 110 and pump 120. The controller system 130 can comprise
one controller that
controls one or more of the block valves and another controller that controls
the pump 120, there
being some connection between the controllers, master controller, or
distributed controller system
130 operable with or between multiple washing machines 20 having on-board
controllers so that
individual components of the system 10 to operate in concert with one another.
The block valves 110 can be pneumatic solenoid valves or solenoid valves. The
block
valves 110 can be of a type fabricated from materials that are chemically
compatible with the
laundry treatment composition 50, 50a, 50b.
The system 10 can be operated by a controller 130 implementing the method of'
operating
the system 10. The steps of the method can comprise conveying a first laundry
treatment
composition 50a from within the first supply container 30 towards or to the
laundry washing
machines 20. While operating the system 10, the controller system 130 can
receive a low liquid
level signal from the first supply container level sensor 60, 60a. After
receiving the low liquid
level signal from the first supply container level sensor 60, 60a, the
controller system 130 can send
a shut off signal from the controller system 130 to the one or more block
valves 110 to shut off
flow from the first supply conduit 90 to the main supply conduit 70 in
response to the low liquid
level signal from the first supply container level sensor 60, 60a. Likewise,
after receiving the low
liquid level signal from the first supply container level sensor 60, 60a, the
controller system 130
can send a signal to the one or more block valves 110 to open the flow from
the second supply
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conduit 100 to the main supply conduit 70 in response to the open up signal
from the controller
system 130. After the open up signal is received by the block valve 110
associated with the second
supply conduit 100, the second laundry treatment composition 50b can be
conveyed from within
the second supply container 40 towards or to the laundry washing machines 20.
After supply of the laundry treatment composition 50 is switched from the
first supply
container 30 to the second supply container 40, the first supply container 30
can be replaced with
another container of the laundry treatment composition 50, the replacement
supply container 140.
The need for a replacement supply container 140 can be managed by the operator
periodically
checking the first supply container 30 and or second supply container 40 and
determining that if
the quantity of laundry treatment composition 50, 50a, 50b is below some
threshold volume, the
replacement supply container 140 is substituted in place of the supply
container having a below
the threshold volume of laundry treatment composition 50, 50a, 50b. rt he
system 10 can generate
a human perceptible alarm in response to the container level sensor low liquid
level signal from
the first supply container level sensor 60, 60a. The human perceptible alarm
can prompt the human
attendant for the system 10 to replace the spent first supply container 30
with replacement supply
container 140 of laundry treatment composition 50. The first supply container
40 can be removed
from the system 10 and the replacement supply container 140 can be obtained in
a closed condition.
The replacement supply container 140 containing replacement laundry treatment
composition 50
can be opened. The first supply conduit 90 can be place in fluid communication
with the
replacement laundry treatment composition 50c. Optionally, the first supply
container level sensor
60, 60a can be engaged with the replacement supply container 140.
Using replacement supply containers 140 as described herein presents a number
of
advantages over systems in which a single reservoir tank is used to store
laundry treatment
composition and that same reservoir tank is periodically replenished.
Periodically opening and
replenishing the laundry treatment composition in a single reservoir tank may
be technically
challenging for a system attendant and the system attendant may need to follow
complicated
instructions to properly replenish the reservoir tank and possibly flush
components of the system
10. Periodically replenishing a single reservoir tank also presents the risk
that some volume of the
laundry treatment composition may have aged and deteriorated. Laundry
treatment composition
actives may have some shelf-life during which the actives provide the desired
or anticipated level
of performance, after which the actives become less functional or even
nonfunctional. Periodically
opening and replenishing the laundry treatment composition in a single
reservoir tank also opens
up the potential that biological actives will enter the reservoir tank and
foul the laundry treatment
composition or parts of the system downstream of the reservoir tank. To
overcome some of the
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aforesaid challenges, the reservoir tank may be cleaned out as part of the
replenishment procedure,
either every time the reservoir tank is replenished or occasionally. Cleaning
out the reservoir tank
will result in downtime for the system and may require the system attendant to
perform a
complicated clean out procedure. Moreover, the system 10 described herein may
not require an
available attendant during operational hours. The volume of the laundry
treatment composition
50, 50b within the second supply container 40 can be sufficient to permit
operation of the system
for some time before the second supply container 40 is functionally depleted.
The replacement
supply container 140 needs only to be substituted in place of the first supply
container 30 before
the second supply container 40 is depleted to maintain operation of the system
10.
10
In the system 10 described herein, replacement supply containers 140 can be
delivered to
the site at which the system 10 is installed. The replacement supply container
140 can be a in
closed condition. The replacement supply container 140 can include a security
seal or tag or other
mechanism, such as one or more tamper-proof or tamper-evident seals, that is
indicative of the
replacement supply container 140 having been properly prepared for receipt at
the site of the
system 10. Receiving closed replacement supply container 140 can help ensure
that the contents
of the replacement supply container 140 are of the desired composition and
meet the desired
technical specifications so that users of the system 10 are not disappointed
in the performance of
the system 10 with respect to laundering their clothes.
The system 10 can comprise additional supply containers that supply laundry
treatment
compositions having a composition that differs from the first supply container
30 and the second
supply container 40. For example, the additional supply containers can supply
fabric softener,
color rejuvenator, bleach, brightener, and the like. Such additional supply
containers may be part
of the system 10 and be connected to the main supply conduit 70 upstream of
the pump 120.
The human perceptible alarm can be any signal that an attendant can perceive.
For
example, the human perceptible alarm can be a light, a sound, a mobile text,
an alert on a wearable
device, a telephone call (mobile, landline, or satellite, by way of
nonlimiting example), a wireless
signal to a receiver associated with the attendant, or the like. The human
perceptible alarm may
be proximally associated with the first supply container 30 and or second
supply container 40, for
example in the same room or space in which the nonuser facing portion of the
system 10 is present.
The method of operating the system 10 can further comprise the steps of
receiving the first
supply container 30 in a closed condition and the second supply container 40
in a closed condition.
The first supply container 30 can be opened and first supply conduit 90 can be
placed in fluid
communication with the first laundry treatment composition 50, 50a. The second
supply container
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40 can be opened and the second supply conduit 100 can be placed in fluid
communication with
the second laundry treatment composition 50, 50b.
The system 10 can be operated step-wise in which an initial state of operation
provides for
a first supply container 30 and a second supply container 40, both of which
are filled with laundry
treatment composition 50, 50a and 50b to the desired fill level, which may be
not entirely full so
as to leave some practical head space in the containers. In operation, the
first laundry treatment
composition 50a may be consumed by users of the system 10. When the first
supply container
level sensor 60, 60a signals that the first laundry treatment composition 50a
is depleted, or
functionally depleted so that the composition may not be conveniently pumped
from the container,
the controller system 130 can switch supply of the laundry treatment
composition from the first
supply container 30 to the second supply container 40 by signaling the one or
more block valves
110 to close the pathway for flow from the first supply container 30 and open
the pathway for flow
from the second supply container 40. The low liquid level signal from the
first supply container
level sensor 60, 60a can trigger the controller system 130 to instigate a
human perceptible alarm.
The attendant, alerted by the human perceptible alarm, can arrive at the first
supply container 30,
optionally remove or disassociate the first supply container level sensor 60,
60a from the first
supply container 30, and disassociate the first supply conduit 90 from the
first supply container 30.
The spent first supply container 30 can then be removed from the system A
replacement supply
container 140 can then be installed into the system 10 by connecting the first
supply conduit 90
and optionally the first supply container level sensor 60, 60a to the
replacement supply container
140.
A system 10 that further comprises a second supply container level sensor 60,
60b can be
practical. The second supply container level sensor 60, 60b can be operably
engaged with the
second supply container 40 and communicatively coupled with the controller
system 130. The
second supply container level sensor 60, 60b can operate in the same manner as
the first supply
container level sensor 60, 60a and trigger the controller system 130 to
instigate a human perceptible
alarm. The attendant, upon being informed by the human perceptible alarm that
the second supply
container 40 is spent, can then remove the second supply container 40 from the
system 10 in the
same or similar manner in which the first supply container 30 is removed from
the system 10. The
attendant can then install a replacement supply container 140 into the system
10 in the same or
similar manner in which the first supply container 30 is replaced.
The system 10 can be serially operated as above in that once laundry treatment
composition
50, 50a in the first supply container 30 is spent, laundry treatment
composition 50, 50b in the
second supply container 40 can supply for the needs of the system 10. In the
interim, the first
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supply container 30 can be replaced. When the second supply container 40 is
spent, the system 10
can switch to the replacement supply container 140 in the position formerly
occupied by the first
supply container 30. The spent second supply container 40 can then be
replaced. The serial
operation can proceed ad infinitum.
5
The first supply conduit 90 and the second supply conduit 100 can be fluid
communication
with the same block valve 110 (Fig. 2). The block valve 110 can be a three-way
block valve 110
having a first valve position open from the first supply conduit 90 to the
main supply conduit 70
and closed from the second supply conduit 100 to the main supply conduit 70
and a second position
closed from the first supply conduit 90 to the main supply conduit 70 and open
from the second
10
supply conduit 100 to the main supply conduit 70. Such a three-way block valve
110 permits flow
from one supply conduit but not the other and flow can be switched from one
supply conduit to the
other.
The first supply container level sensor 60, 60a and the second supply
container level sensor
60, 60b can be a float switch. A float switch operates on the principle that a
change in alignment
of the float switch connects a circuit in the float switch. The controller
system 130 can detect the
completed circuit and the program logic can follow to produce the desired
response to the
completed circuit. The float switch can be suspended in respective supply
container with slack
such that as the level of the laundry treatment composition decreases the
orientation of the float
switch changes.
The first supply container level sensor 60, 60a and the second supply
container level sensor
60, 60b can be a device selected from a float switch, a liquid pressure
transducer, a load cell, a
radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a capacitance sensor, a resistance sensor,
flow rate sensor, and
an optical sensor.
The first supply container 30, second supply container 40, and replacement
supply
container 140 can comprise a top bunghole 150 (Fig. 3). To prepare the
respective container for
installation into the system 10, the plug 160 of the bunghole 150 can be
removed from the
respective container. The appropriate level sensor 60 can be inserted into the
respective container
through the bunghole 150. The containers, as described herein, can each have
one or more
bungholes 150. The appropriate supply conduit can also be inserted into the
respective container.
The portion of the supply conduit inserted into the container may be rigid so
that the open end of
the supply conduit is at or near the bottom of the interior of the container.
Optionally, the portion
of the supply conduit inserted into the container may be flexible tubing and
may include a sinker
weight to sink the open end of the supply conduit to be at or near the bottom
of the interior of the
container. The containers can be provided with a vent so that a vacuum does
not build up within
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the container as the level of the laundry detergent composition decreases
within the container. The
vent can have an air filter on it so that lint and other unwanted air
particles do not contaminate the
chemistry.
Each of the first supply container 30 and the second supply container 40 can
contain a
laundry treatment composition 50, 50a, 50b. The laundry treatment composition
50, 50a, 50b can
each have the same composition. That is, each of the first supply container 30
and second supply
container 40 can contain the same laundry treatment composition 50. For
example, the laundry
treatment composition 50a in the first supply container 30 and the laundry
treatment composition
50b in the second supply container 40 can have the same level of the same
surfactant. The laundry
treatment composition 50a in the first supply container 30 and the laundry
treatment composition
50b in the second supply container 40 can each be a detergent composition The
laundry treatment
composition 50a in the first supply container 30 and the laundry treatment
composition 50b in the
second supply container 40 can each be a fabric softener composition. The
laundry treatment
composition 50, 50a, 50b can be a liquid laundry treatment composition such as
bleach, brightener,
color rejuvenator, degreaser, stain remover, and the like.
C OMB 1NATIONS
An example is below:
A. A laundry treatment composition supply system (10) comprising:
a first supply container (30);
a first supply container level sensor (60, 60a) operably engaged with said
first supply container;
a first supply conduit (90) downstream of said first supply container and in
fluid
communication with a main supply conduit (70);
a second supply container (40);
a second supply conduit (100) downstream of said second supply container and
in fluid
communication with said main supply conduit;
one or more automatic block valves (110), wherein said first supply conduit
and said second
supply conduit are in fluid communication with said one or more automatic
block valves;
one or more pumps (120) in fluid communication with one or both of said first
supply conduit
and said second supply conduit;
a controller system communicatively coupled with said first supply container
level sensor and
said one or more block valves, wherein said controller system is configured to
signal said one
or more automatic block valves to shut off flow from said first supply conduit
to said main
supply conduit after receipt of a low liquid level signal from said first
supply container level
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sensor and open said one or more automatic block valves to permit flow from
said second
supply conduit to said main supply conduit; and
a plurality of washing machines (20), wherein each said washing machine is in
fluid
communication with said main supply conduit.
B. The laundry treatment composition supply system according to Paragraph A,
wherein both said
first supply conduit and said second supply conduit are in fluid communication
with the same
block valve, wherein said block valve is a three-way block valve having a
first valve position
open from said first supply conduit to said main supply conduit and closed
from said second
supply conduit to said main supply conduit and a second position closed from
said first supply
conduit to said main supply conduit and open from said second supply conduit
to said main
supply conduit.
C. the' laundry treatment composition supply system according to Paragraph
A or B, wherein said
pump is in-line with said main supply conduit
D. The laundry treatment composition supply system according to any of
Paragraphs A to C,
wherein said laundry treatment composition supply system further comprises a
second supply
container level sensor operably engaged with said second supply container and
communicatively coupled with said controller system.
E. The laundry treatment composition supply system according to any of
Paragraphs A to D,
wherein said first supply container level sensor is a float switch.
F. The laundry treatment composition supply system according to any of
Paragraphs A to E,
wherein said first supply container level sensor is a device selected from a
float switch, a liquid
pressure transducer, a load cell, a radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a
capacitance sensor, a
resistance sensor, and an optical sensor.
G. The laundry treatment composition supply system according to any of
Paragraphs A to F,
wherein each of said first supply container and said second supply container
comprise a top
bunghole, wherein said first supply conduit is inserted through said top
bunghole of said first
supply container and said second supply conduit is inserted through said top
bunghole of said
second supply container
H. A method of operating the laundry treatment composition supply system of
any of Paragraphs
A to G comprising the steps of:
conveying a first laundry treatment composition (50a) from within said first
supply container
to said washing machines;
receiving at said controller system a low liquid level signal from said first
supply container
level sensor;
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sending a shut off signal from said controller system to said one or more
block valves to shut
off flow from said first supply conduit to said main supply conduit in
response to said low
liquid level signal from said first supply container level sensor; and
sending an open up signal from said controller system to said one or more
block valves to open
said flow from said second supply conduit to said main supply conduit in
response to said open
up signal from said controller system; and
conveying a second laundry treatment composition from within said second
supply container
to said washing machines.
I. The method of Paragraph H further comprising the steps of:
receiving said first supply container in a closed condition;
receiving said second supply container in a closed condition;
opening said first supply container and placing said first supply conduit in
fluid communication
with said first laundry treatment composition; and
opening said second supply container and placing said second supply conduit in
fluid
communication with said second laundry treatment composition.
J. The method according to Paragraph H or I further comprising the steps of:
generating a human perceptible alarm in response to said container level
sensor low liquid level
signal from said first supply container level sensor;
removing said first supply container from said laundry treatment composition
supply system;
obtaining a replacement supply container (140) in a closed condition;
opening said replacement supply container containing replacement laundry
treatment
composition (50c); and
placing said first supply conduit in fluid communication with said replacement
laundry
treatment composition.
K. The method of Paragraph J, further comprising the step of engaging said
first supply container
level sensor with said replacement supply container.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being
strictly
limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise
specified, each such
dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally
equivalent range
surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is
intended to mean "about
40 mm."
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent
or application
and any patent application or patent to which this application claims priority
or benefit thereof, is
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14
hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly
excluded or otherwise
limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art
with respect to any
invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination
with any other
reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention.
Further, to the extent
that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any
meaning or definition
of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or
definition assigned to
that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated
and described,
it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and
modifications can be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is
therefore intended to cover
in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the
scope of this
invention.
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