Apparatus and Methods for Dispensing Solutions

Abstract

A system and method for dispensing cleaning fluids. The system includes a water source in fluid communication with a dissolved solids source. Both the water source and the dissolved solid source are in fluid communication with an inlet into an electrolytic cell. Two outlets which are configured to flow fluid out of the electrolytic cell may also be provided. The first outlet is an electrolyzed reducing water outlet, the second outlet is an electrolyzed astringent water outlet. The system may also include one or more point of use outlets in fluid communication with the electrolyzed reducing water outlet from the electrolytic cell. Similarly, one or more separate point of use outlets may be provided in fluid communication with the electrolyzed astringent water outlet. In one embodiment, all elements of the system as described above are contained within or attached to a single housing which may be a portable housing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to devices which may be portable devices for dispensing one or more cleaning solutions, in varying dilutions, and methods of using the same. More specifically, embodiments disclosed provide for devices that are capable of housing or generating at least one cleaning solution, generating at least one desired dilution of that solution, and dispensing the desired dilution(s). The device may be completely self-contained and able to function in the desired manner with or without an outside power source.

BACKGROUND

People have a need to maintain personal, public, and environmental hygiene. Not only is there a need to clean our personal and public environments, but also a need to destroy pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, molds, and viruses. Currently, most human contact surfaces are cleaned with a variety of aqueous chemical solutions each with various degrees of effectiveness, toxicity and environmental impact.

Research has shown that continually increasing levels of chemical residues are responsible for a wide variety of environmental problems including toxic and mutagenic effects to local fauna and flora, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Traditional cleaning methods typically utilize a soap and water approach. A soap or surfactant is dissolved into water to create a solution which will allow fats, grease, and oils to become miscible, or semi-soluble, in water. Many modern cleaners utilize organic solvents to remove adhesives, petroleum residues, and a wide variety of other contaminants. The underlying chemistry behind an organic solvent is the same as for soap and water which is to make the contaminant material soluble so it can be dissolved away from the surface being cleaned and furthermore held in the solvent stream so it can then be rinsed away into a waste effluent.

Traditionally, the utilization of concentrated cleaning chemicals will rely upon a dispenser or apparatus for the injection and dilution of a chemical concentrate into an influent water stream which is then made available for use at a predetermined concentration. One problem with the traditional approach is that most chemical concentrates are very toxic until they are diluted prior to use. This certainly is an issue with respect to accidental personal contact with these compounds as many will cause severe eye, skin, and/or mucous membranes irritation. In addition, as the number of various concentrates increase for application in different cleaning tasks there is danger of cross chemical reactions which not only complicate the task of determining the environment impact of the chemicals but may provide additional and unanticipated chemical exposure dangers.

It is known that transportation expenses make up an ever increasing portion of the cost for an item such as cleaning chemicals. At some point in the future the cost of fuel needed to deliver cleaning chemicals to the point of use may not be economically feasible.

The present invention is designed to overcome one or more of the problems discussed above.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment is a system for dispensing cleaning fluids. This system includes a water source in fluid communication with a dissolved solids source. Both the water source and the dissolved solid source are in fluid communication with an inlet into an electrolytic cell. Two outlets which are configured to flow fluid out of the electrolytic cell may also be provided. The first outlet is an electrolyzed reducing water outlet; the second outlet is an electrolyzed astringent water outlet. The system may also include one or more point of use outlets in fluid communication with the electrolyzed reducing water outlet from the electrolytic cell. Similarly, one or more separate point of use outlets may be provided in fluid communication with the electrolyzed astringent water outlet. In this embodiment, all elements of the system as described above are contained within or attached to a single housing which may be a portable housing.

The system may also include on or more cleaning booster sources in fluid communication with the electrolyzed reducing water outlet or the electrolyzed astringent water outlet from the electrolytic cell. The cleaning boosters may be any type of solution or chemical which when added to an aqueous diluent such as water or electrolyzed reducing water at an appropriate dilution will provide a suitable cleaning fluid. Example boosters include but are not limited to surfactants, solvents, organic solvents, enzymes, alkyl glucosides, alcohol, ethoxylates, humic acids, fulvic acids, mixtures thereof and other compounds which will function as a cleaning booster. Specific cleaning boosters are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/012,227 entitled “Compositions and Methods for Electrolytic Cleaning of a Material,” which application is specifically incorporated herein by reference with respect to the disclosure of charged fluid chemistry and cleaning booster chemistry. The system may also include one or more metering apparatus such as dosing pumps, venturi valves, or similar apparatus operatively associated with the cleaning booster source or sources to meter selected quantities of cleaning booster into a stream of electrolyzed reducing water or electrolyzed astringent water.

Multiple point of use outlets may be provided in fluid communication with the electrolyzed reducing water or electrolyzed astringent water outlets. If multiple point of use outlets are provided, one or more control valves in fluid communication with each point of use outlet may be included in the system. The provided control valves will provide a fluid pathway for selected dilutions of a combination of an electrolyzed water stream and a cleaning booster to a selected corresponding point of use outlet. Thus, the control valve and associated control apparatus may provide for multiple user selectable dilution levels of various types of cleaning fluid.

The system as described above may include an onboard or remote data processing system in communication with one or more control valves. Thus, appropriate dilution levels may be pre-programmed and easily selected by an end user.

As described above, the system may be housed within a single housing which may be a portable housing. The multiple point of use outlets may be associated with the housing. In addition, one or more indicators may be associated with the housing identifying specific point of use outlets. The system may also include multiple point of use containers each identified with an indicator which corresponds to an indicator associated with one or more specific point of use outlets. For example, a point of use container and a corresponding point of use outlet may both be identified with a matching color. In this or similar manner, the risk of cross contaminating a container with an inappropriate chemical or dilution thereof is minimized.

As described above, the system may include a source of dissolved solids in fluid communication with the input water stream. The source of dissolved solids may be a brine source and the system may further include metering apparatus to meter a select quantity of brine into an input water stream from the water source. By providing for the control of the brine concentration in the input stream to the electrolysis cell, the chemical and electrical characteristics of the electrolyzed reducing water and electrolyzed astringent water streams which are output from the electrolysis cell may be controlled. The system may also include a fluid pathway between the brine source and the electrolyzed astringent water outlet. Thus, the electrolyzed astringent water stream may be buffered with a select quantity of brine.

The system may include an AC power input. All electrical components including, but not limited to, the electrolysis cell may be configured to run on AC energy. Alternatively, the system may include an AC to DC converter and a battery backup in electrical communication with the AC to DC converter. Accordingly, all subsystems which rely upon electrical energy may be configured to operate with power supplied from the AC to DC converter or the batter backup thus ensuring continued operation in the event of a main power outage. Alternatively, the system may be provided with a DC main power source, for example a solar cell. A solar powered embodiment is particularly advantageous for remote installations.

The system may include a central processing unit in communication with all necessary electrically operated controls. The central processing unit may control the dilutions of output cleaning fluid streams based upon pre-programmed instructions, or in response to user input.

The several point of use outlets described above may be configured for dispensing cleaning fluid into a suitable container. For example, a bucket or spray bottle. Alternatively, a point of use outlet may be configured as a direct applicator for a cleaning fluid. For example, a direct applicator may be a hose, a nozzle, a spray nozzle, a porous soaking outlet, a pressurized jet, a drip system, a sponge or similar apparatus which may be used as a tool to facilitate a cleaning task.

The system may be configured such that the electrolyzed reducing water outlet from the electrolysis cell and the electrolyzed astringent water outlet from the electrolysis cell are in direct fluid communication with the appropriate point of use outlets from the housing. In such a configuration, the system as described above produces an appropriate dilution and dispenses it at a point of use outlet upon demand. Alternatively, the system may include one or more storage tanks in fluid communication with either the electrolyzed reducing water outlet or the electrolyzed astringent water outlet. Thus, these fluid streams may be produced prior to demand and stored within an appropriate tank for subsequent use. Storage may occur before or after any cleaning booster is combined with the appropriate fluid stream.

Another embodiment disclosed herein is a method of providing cleaning solutions. The method includes providing a water source associated with a point of use cleaning solution apparatus such as described above. Brine or another ionic fluid may be combined with the water from the water source at a select dilution. The brine and water combination may be electrolyzed in an electrolytic cell. The method further includes flowing a stream of electrolyzed reducing water from the electrolytic cell and flowing a stream of electrolyzed astringent water from the electrolytic cell. Both the electrolyzed reducing water and electrolyzed astringent water may be dispensed from the system at an appropriate point of use outlet associated with the housing of the system.

The method may further include combining a select quantity of cleaning booster with the electrolyzed reducing water stream or electrolyzed astringent water stream before dispensing the electrolyzed water. Multiple point of use outlets may be provided with each point of use outlet corresponding to a selected dilution of electrolyzed reducing water and cleaning booster combination.

The point of use outlets and any containers provided for the receipt, storage and use of cleaning fluids prepared according to the method may have matching indicators such as a matching color to minimize the risk of cross contamination and enhance the ease of cleaning fluid preparation. As described above, the method may provide for dispensing cleaning solutions of selected dilutions into a specific container. Alternatively, solutions may be dispensed to a cleaning tool such as a hose, spray nozzle, porous soaking outlet, sponge, pressurized jet, trip system or other similar apparatus.

Cleaning solutions produced according to the method may be directly dispensed to a container or cleaning tool. Alternatively, the cleaning solutions or component solutions prepared as part of the method may be temporarily stored in a storage tank or similar container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustration of an apparatus as disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustration of a control system for the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the housing and associated containers of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview of Apparatus and Method

The embodiments disclosed herein include economical, scalable, self contained systems and apparatus for the point of use production and dispensing of one or more desired cleaning solutions, in various dilutions. Alternative embodiments include methods of providing cleaning solutions at a point of use. The apparatus embodiments further include related plumbing and metering equipment. In some embodiments, the apparatus include dispensers which are designed to be used for filling and re-filling containers capable of housing the solutions, including without limitation bottles, buckets, and pails. In other embodiments, the apparatus are operable to dispense the solutions themselves, via any number of standard means such as hoses, nozzles, spray nozzles, porous soaking dispensers, pressurized jets, drip systems, sponges and other means typically used for dispensing solutions known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The solutions may typically include one or more cleaning boosters and/or contact disinfectants or sanitizers, which can be used for a wide variety of general cleaning tasks either individually or in combination with each other. The diluents are generally aqueous and are used to dilute the cleaning boosters and contact disinfectants or sanitizers to the strength desired for a particular application. The cleaning boosters may be any number of commercially available solutions used for cleaning, and may be one or more biodegradable, environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. The diluents may be water of varying stages of purity and may also be Electrolyzed Reducing Water which, as is described below, may be produced from an electrolysis cell that is contained within the apparatus of some embodiments. The diluent may also contain various Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) enhancements, NaCl for example, if needed for a particular application. The contact disinfectants or sanitizers may be any number of commercially available disinfectants, such as chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite), and may be Electrolyzed Astringent Water which, as described below, is a very effective contact biocide for the sanitization of hard surfaces. In some embodiments, the contact disinfectants and sanitizers generated are a product of the electrolysis process and, in such embodiments, the apparatus may include one or more electrolysis cells capable of producing Electrolyzed Astringent Water and/or Electrolyzed Reducing Water. Electrolyzed Astringent Water has been shown to effectively kill 99.9% of common bacteria and viruses, many within 15 seconds of contact. The active ingredient of the Electrolyzed Astringent Water as described herein is Hypochlorous acid, produced in a concentration of less than 200 ppm as is required to meet applicable United States EPA standards. The apparatus of the present invention are configured so as to be able to generate this low concentration of hypochlorous acid and therefore allow users of the various embodiments to comply with the laws and regulations governing the use of this compound for sanitizing purposes, such as Section 180.940 of title 40 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations.

The various apparatus disclosed herein may be constructed so as to be produced from parts that are commercially available, with the exception of the electrolysis cell and cabinet, for low cost and easy maintenance in any location. The devices are also capable of being constructed in any number of configurations and are thus sufficiently scalable so as to be constructed small enough to be used in the home and also large enough for large volume production in commercial or industrial applications. Scalability is generally limited by the capacity of any included electrolysis cell and storage considerations. In certain embodiments, the apparatus includes dispensers housed in cabinets of similar size to a soft drink vending machine.

In some embodiments, the devices disclosed herein are constructed to be self-contained and are thus constructed to fit within a housing of a desired size. The housing is manufactured to be strong enough to contain all of the component parts of a select apparatus, for example, at least one electrolysis cell, metering equipment, plumbing, control panel, electrical wiring, and safety interlocks, and should be robust enough to withstand normal wear and tear that comes from repeated use and to prevent tampering from unauthorized persons. The housing may be made of steel. In those embodiments where it is desirable for the housing to contain doors and to prevent tampering from unauthorized persons, such doors may contain any number of standard locking mechanisms, such as padlocks, key locks, and magnetic locks, among others. The housing doors may be configured to be secured to the rest of the housing with at least one recessed, puck-style vending machine lock to prevent unauthorized access to the internal elements and any product storage.

In some embodiments, the apparatus are completely self-contained and configured to operate under local power. The devices may be are constructed so as to primarily operate under standard commercial or residential alternating current, as appropriate, and to contain a back up power source capable of generating sufficient power to operate the devices in the event of a power failure. The devices may include a 120/240V electrical connection configured to operate an electrolysis cell, AC inverter, pumps, and other electrical system overhead. Alternatively, an apparatus may be powered by a direct current source such as a solar cell. The apparatus may also include a means for controlling selected internal systems and for dispensing the solutions, such as a control panel. The devices may also include 12 or 24 VDC system controls to ensure operation of the select components, in particular safety interlocks, during an AC power interruption using a DC battery back up. The control panel, control wiring, and safety interlocks may be rated for 12/24 VDC operation and an AC inverter or rectified DC power supply provided to allow for safe efficient operation of the DC system components, thereby allowing the apparatus to operate should an AC power interruption occur using a DC battery backup system.

Typically the apparatus disclosed herein will include at least those systems and subsystems illustrated on FIG. 1. The solutions such as cleaning boosters used with the various embodiments are consumable and must be periodically replenished. Therefore, the exterior of the housing for each installation may be constructed to include filling ports designed to deliver the desired cleaning boosters or other solutions to internal storage and dispensing containers where they may be diluted and dispensed by the apparatus. It is desirable for each input solution to have its own filling port and storage container, so as to avoid pre-combining solutions in undesirable concentrations. Thus, each port may be readily distinguishable from the others and each may thus be labeled with the name of a particular solution, and/or each may be a different color or other indicator to make filling the proper cleaning dilution or sanitizer as simple as matching a color. A fill nozzle for each filling port directs the various cleaners into storage container as needed, which may be constructed to be scalable, allowing the ports to fill several sizes of container.

In some embodiments, the apparatus can be constructed to include and utilize at least one standard electrolysis system for the production of electrolyzed water. Many suitable electrolysis cells are commercially available. The scaled size of the apparatus desired will determine the size of electrolysis system needed. Ideally, the electrolysis cells used in the devices will be rugged and easy to maintain, thereby reducing maintenance cost to the end user.

In operation, the various apparatus disclosed herein will meter one or more cleaning boosters, for example a cleaning solution and/or surface disinfectant, into a running stream of a diluent, for example, Electrolyzed Reducing Water, in order to produce one or more desired dilutions of the solutions, which may then be dispensed. Dosing pumps, for example diaphragm pumps, may be used to pump the diluent to at least one, and possibly a plurality of, filling stations or point of use outlets. The dilutions may be generated in any number of ways, and may be generated using commercially available compact differential pressure injection devices, or venturi type liquid metering devices. Thus, one or more of the boosters may be accurately measured and diluted into a diluent stream by the venturi effect. The apparatus described herein may be able to generate at least one, and preferably a plurality, of dilutions in this manner. By adding or removing pressure injection devices, the disclosed devices can be configured to produce any number of specific dilutions of cleaning solutions and/or disinfectants. In some embodiments, the devices are constructed so as to be able to provide a plurality of such dilutions in addition to an Electrolyzed Astringent Water stream, which may be dispensed as it is produced by the electrolysis system, with no other additives, or which may also be diluted or combined with other solutions to produce the desired astringent effect. The devices disclosed may be constructed and configured to produce one or more dilutions of a solution and dispense that/those dilution(s) in the manner depicted in FIG. 1. In other embodiments, the devices of the present invention are configured to dispense one or more of the solutions directly from optional storage tanks.

Certain embodiments include at least one storage vessel or reserve tank that may house a reserve supply of a solution, or a desired dilution of a solution. In such embodiment, the apparatus may also include all of the necessary pumps and metering equipment associated with a storage vessel or reserve tank to provide a reserve of one or more of the solutions during those times when the main power supply is unavailable, such as during an electrical outage or during maintenance and service operations. Any storage vessel or reserve tank may also be sized to house a sufficient amount of the desired solution or dilution to ensure ready availability of such solution or dilution under the conditions of greatest demand. In some embodiments, the devices are configured to fill the storage vessel or reserve tank during normal operation. In such an embodiment, fluid level switches may be used to control the production of a dilution and monitor the reserve level in a storage vessel or reserve tank. In embodiments utilizing various TDS enhancements combined with the diluent, the apparatus disclosed herein may also be configured to include one or more storage vessels or reserve tanks for the TDS enhancement solution.

The apparatus disclosed herein may incorporate one or more sensors that are operable to monitor the flow of diluent and the metered dispensing of solutions or cleaning boosters in order to ensure that the desired dilution, or dilutions, of the solutions are produced in a consistent manner. Thus, the devices may employ a series of individual sensors to monitor fluid flow, fluid level, and dilution concentrations at one or several points along the line of production, thereby ensuring that the dilutions produced by the devices meet the required or desired specifications. In some embodiments, select sensors may be operably controlled by or in logical communication with a controller which is configured to receive input from each sensor and to generate and send a signal to a remote monitoring device, by wired connection, modem, cellular communication, internet or otherwise, when any one or more of the apparatus systems or subsystems are not working correctly. Remote monitoring devices may be monitored and used to initiate immediate service calls as needed. The modular design and ready availability of spare parts of the apparatus ensure service repairs are handled quickly keeping down time to a minimum.

II. Example Apparatus Configuration

One embodiment of a system or apparatus 100 for dispensing cleaning fluids is illustrated in block diagram form on FIG. 1. The system includes a raw water source 102 which can provide water to downstream processes. The raw water source 102 may be a city water tap, a well, a storage tank having raw water contained therein, or another type of water source as is typically used in industrial, commercial, or household installations which require a water supply. The raw water stream from the raw water source 102 may be pumped with a pump 104 or otherwise presented for pre-treatment at an influent pre-treatment apparatus 106. Pre-treatment may or may not be necessary depending upon the quality of the water supply. Pre-treatment apparatus 106 may provide one or several filtering, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, or other pre-treatment steps designed to ensure desired water quality for downstream processes.

The system may also include a source of dissolved solids 108 which may be treated or enhanced at a dissolved solids pre-treatment apparatus 110. The dissolved solids in the dissolved solids storage 108 may be any number of ionic or other types of compounds suitable for dissolving into the raw water stream to achieve specific purposes as described in detail below. A representative but non-limiting example of a dissolved solid is sodium chloride. The dissolved solid may be stored in dissolved solids storage 108 in either a solid or concentrated liquid form. The dissolved solids pre-treatment step which is performed at apparatus 110 may include but is not limited to filtering, or the initial dissolution of solid into water or another liquid to form a concentrated dissolved solid solution.

The concentrated dissolved solids solution may be combined with the influent raw water stream prior to downstream processes. The combining of dissolved solids with the influent stream may be accomplished with a metering apparatus 112 such as a dosing pump. Other types of metering valves or dosing apparatus could be used to implement the metering apparatus 112.

As is described in detail herein, the raw water stream with a select amount of dissolved solids dissolved therein may be presented through one or more inlets to an electrolytic cell 114. The electrolytic cell 114 may be any type known in the electrolysis arts. Typical electrolytic cells will have a cathode 116 and an anode 118. As is customary when describing the electrolysis process, the cathode 116 is the internal element in the electrolytic cell 114 which carries a negative charge. The cathode thus attracts positively charged ions within the electrolytic cell. Similarly, the anode 118 carries a positive charge and attracts negatively charged ions.

The electrolytic cell 114 may have at least two outlets including an electrolyzed reducing water outlet 120 and an electrolyzed astringent water outlet 122. A stream of electrolyzed astringent water 124 can be pumped or withdrawn from the electrolytic cell 114 through the electrolyzed astringent outlet 122. Similarly, a stream of electrolyzed reducing water 126 may be pumped or withdrawn from the electrolytic cell 114 through the electrolyzed reducing water outlet 120. The electrolyzed astringent water stream 124 and electrolyzed reducing water stream 126 may each be separately provided to multiple point of use outlets 128 associated with the system 100. The multiple point of use outlets 128 will typically be associated with the exterior of a housing 130 which houses the other elements of the system 100.

The system may also include one or more cleaning booster storages 132 which store solid or liquid chemicals or solutions which are suitable for use as cleaning boosters. The cleaning boosters may be metered or dosed with metering apparatus 134 into the electrolyzed reducing water stream 126 prior to the time the electrolyzed reducing water stream is dispensed through one or more multiple of the multiple point of use outlets 128. The metering apparatus 134 may be utilized to assure that the quantity of cleaning booster combined with the electrolyzed reducing water stream 126 is suitable for a given cleaning task. Although not shown on FIG. 1, a booster may be combined with the electrolyzed astringent water stream. Similarly, sodium chloride from the dissolved solids storage 108 may be combined with the electrolyzed astringent water stream 124 for desired buffering. Suitable pumps and control valves 136 may be used to facilitate the preparation of various dilutions of an electrolyzed reducing water and cleaning booster combination and provide it to corresponding selected point of use outlets 128. Similarly, the pumps and control valves 136 may be used to provide electrolyzed astringent water 124 with or without desired additives to one or more corresponding point of use outlets 128.

As described above, the pumps and control valves 136 may be used to provide for multiple user selectable dilution levels of electrolyzed reducing water and cleaning booster combination. A user interface 138 may be provided to allow a user to select and dispense desired cleaning solution combinations from one or more point of use outlets 128. The user interface 138 may include simple mechanical or electrical valve controls. Alternatively, the user interface may be in logical communication with a central processing unit 140 which provides for a more sophisticated control over system processes. For example, the central processing unit 140 may be configured to directly control the power applied to the electrolytic cell 114, the dosing of dissolved solids into an input water stream at meter 112, the dosing of cleaning booster into an electrolyzed reducing water stream, and the pumps and control valves 136 used to provide selected dilutions to the multiple point of use outlets 128. In addition, the central processing unit 140 may receive feedback from and adjust processes as necessary in response to the feedback received from various remote monitoring and quality measurement modules associated with the system, for example monitoring and measurement modules 142 and 144.

Power may be applied to the system 100 through an electric power input 146 which may be an AC or DC input. The system 100 may be configured to run primarily from AC input such as is typically supplied from the power grid. Alternatively, the system may be configured to run from a DC source such as a solar cell. If AC power is provided at the electric power input 146 it may be desirable to convert this power to DC at DC power inverter 148. In this case, the central processing unit 140, various pumps and control valves, and electrolytic cell 144 may be powered with direct current electricity. A DC or partial DC embodiment also facilitates the use of a battery backup 150 which may provide backup energy in the event of a main power failure, or in the case of a solar driven installation, at nighttime.

One embodiment disclosed herein is a method of providing cleaning solutions such as may be implemented using a system 100 as described above. Control of the method can be implemented by any number of means well known to one skilled in the art but automated or semi-automated control may be most recently implemented as shown on FIG. 2 with a control system 152 featuring a Central Processing Unit 140, Programmable Logic Controller, or other software driven means to reduce the cost and enhance the sophistication of an implementation. The control system 152 may monitor DC power which the process uses to produce charged fluids. The fluids may be monitored for quality and efficacy by sensor modules 144 or by any variety of means familiar to one skilled in the art. For example, the product streams may be monitored for quality using pH, and ORP measurements. The method may also include the measurement and control of any number of other parameters including temperature, total dissolved solids, specific ion concentration, etc. Monitoring and control can help to ensure the electrolytic cell 114 is configured to produce output streams of desired quality. Pumps and control valves 136 may also be controlled to provide a supply of charged product conveniently to one or more point of use outlets 128. For example, a user may access the User Interface 138 to initiate the pumps and control valves 136 which would deliver product to the user through one or more point of use outlets 128. For serviceability in commercial and industrial applications the system 100 may be accessible by any remote monitoring 142 means familiar to one skilled in the art such as a LAN, Satellite, or Wireless network interface.

As described above, the functional elements of the system 100 may be contained within a single housing 130 which may be a portable housing. The housing may be sized as is necessary and appropriate for the scale of system 100 desired. For example, a large system 100 which is designed to produce cleaning fluids for a large commercial or industrial facility may be housed in a suitably large housing. Alternatively, a home-based system may be housed in a housing which is suitably sized for fitting under a sink, in a household utility closet or similarly sized space. FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a system 100 having a housing 130 which is sized for commercial or industrial use. Typically, a housing 130 will have a door 154 which may be opened to provide access to the internal elements of the system. The door 154 may have a suitable lock 156 to assure that the internal elements are safe from tampering or accidental contact.

As described above, the system 100 will output at least one electrolyzed reducing fluid stream and at least one electrolyzed astringent water stream. These cleaning fluid streams plus any boosters combined with the stream will be output at one or more of the multiple point of use outlets 128. The installation shown on FIG. 3 has four point of use outlets shown, 128A, 128B, 128C, and 128D. It is important to note that this number of point of use outlets is not limiting. A system 100 and housing 130 may be designed for any number of desired point of use outlets. As is shown in FIG. 3, the system may include specific indicators associated selected point of use outlets. For example, a point of use outlet may have a specific color code. For example, as is shown in FIG. 3, the housing around point of use outlet 128A may be blue and the housing around point of use outlet 128C may be red. The choice of colors or other indicators is substantially arbitrary and within the discretion of the designer or user of a specific implementation.

The system may also include various containers 158 configured to receive cleaning solutions from the various point of use outlets 128. These containers 158 may be bottles, buckets, pails, or other suitable containers for cleaning solutions. The ease of use of a system and the risk of cross contamination may be minimized if the containers 158 have indicators associated with them which correspond to the indicators associated with certain point of use outlets. For example, as is shown in FIG. 3, the spray bottle 158A has a blue label which corresponds to the blue indicator associated with point of use outlet 128A. Similarly, the bottle 158C has a red label which corresponds with the red indicator of point of use outlet 128C.

The matching labels and indicators may substantially reduce the risk of cross contamination and facilitate the ecologically sound reuse of various containers 158. For example, point of use outlet 128A of FIG. 3 may be in fluid communication with an electrolyzed astringent water stream 124 as shown on FIG. 1. As described herein, an electrolyzed astringent water stream is a substantially acidic substance, useful for disinfecting previously cleaned surfaces. Container 158A with its blue label is specifically, designated for use with an electrolyzed astringent water stream having certain chemical properties. By labeling the container 158A and point of use outlet 128A with similar indicators, such as the similar color blue, ease of use is enhanced and the risk of cross contamination is minimized. Similarly, point of use outlet 128c may be associated with an electrolyzed reducing fluid stream with a specific dilution of cleaning booster. This point of use outlet has a red indicator and the storage container 158C which is designated for use with this solution may also have a matching red label.

Point of use outlet 128D of FIG. 3 is configured for use with, for example, a more highly concentrated electrolyzed reducing water fluid/cleaning boosting combination such as is appropriate for cleaning floors. Accordingly, this point of use outlet includes a hose 160 which is suitable for filling a pail 158D which would be useful for cleaning surfaces such as floors.

The point of use outlets shown on FIG. 3 are implemented with spigots or hoses such as is suitable for filling a container. In an alternative embodiment not shown on FIG. 3, one or more point of use outlets may be implemented with a direct cleaning tool such as a hose, nozzle, spray nozzle, porous soaking outlet, sponge, pressurized jet, drip system, or other apparatus where appropriate cleaning solutions are applied directly to or through a cleaning tool. Alternatively, appropriate cleaning solutions may be pumped to a second apparatus which directly utilizes the cleaning solutions such as a dishwasher, sterilization unit, or similar device.

In FIG. 1, the electrolyzed astringent water stream 124 and electrolyzed reducing water stream 126 have been depicted as flowing directly from the electrolytic cell 114 to one of the multiple point of use outlets 128. This is workable embodiment where cleaning solutions are provided on demand. Alternatively, but shown on FIG. 1, storage tanks or containers for the intermediate and temporary storage of solutions at any stage of the cleaning solution preparation process may be provided. The storage tanks may be filled and drawn from as is necessary to assure than an appropriate supply of cleaning solution is ready when needed.

III. Cleaning Fluid Streams

The apparatus and methods described above include the production of a variety of charged cleaning and sanitizing solutions optimized for efficacy and economy. These charged compositions are best utilized as they are produced, as their electrolytic properties are readily dissipated upon contact with the atmosphere or the container surfaces which the compositions contact. Short term storage as described above may be acceptable.

In various embodiments described herein for production of an all purpose cleaning composition the system may be optimized to produce an electrolyzed reducing water with a reducing potential in a range of −100 mV to −1200 mV. Various suitable cleaning fluids may be prepared by combining the electrolyzed reducing water with a biodegradable cleaning booster at a dilution rate of approximately 1:400 to 1:50. Suitable boosters include but are not limited to surfactants, solvents, organic solvents, enzymes, alkyl glucosides, alcohol ethoxylates, humic acids, fulvic acids or other suitable compounds for use as a cleaning booster. The booster may be optimized for the dispersion and sequestration of contaminants in a reducing environment at a pH 8 to 13. Such a composition may effect removal of most common contaminants including greases, fats, oils, proteins, and starches. Both the dilution ratio of the cleaning booster and electrolyzed reducing water and the inherent reducing potential of the electrolyzed reducing water may be adjusted as needed to provide suitable cleaning solutions for particular surfaces. For example, a solution designed to clean glass or a mirrored surface will be more effective with substantially less cleaning booster per volume of electrolyzed reducing water. Conversely, a solution prepared for the cleaning of particularly dirty surfaces such as a commercial floor will benefit from a greater quantity of cleaning booster in the combination.

Once contaminants are removed from a surface it may be necessary to further sanitize the surface to remove pathogens left behind during the cleaning task. The system described herein may be optimized to produce a powerful contact biocide. For example, the system 100 may be optimized to produce electrolyzed astringent water which is an oxidizing fluid. Electrolyzed astringent water may be prepared by using sodium chloride as an influent enhancement to produce a charged fluid of hypochlorous acid in the hydrolysis cell with a potential in a range of +100 to +1200 mV. The electrolyzed astringent water may also be combined with a biodegradable booster at a dilution rate of 1:500 to 1:200. The booster may be optimized for wettability and sequestration of contaminants in an oxidizing environment at a pH of 2 to 6 to affect greater efficacy for the remediation of biological pathogens.

The present invention, in various embodiments, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatuses substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, sub combinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present invention after understanding the present disclosure. The present invention, in various embodiments, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and/or reducing cost of implementation.

The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

Moreover though the description of the invention has included descriptions of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, other variations and modifications are within the scope of the invention, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter. This disclosure also encompasses all possible permutations of the attached claim set as if the claims were multiple dependent claims.

Claims

1. A system for dispensing cleaning fluids comprising:

a water source;

a dissolved solids source in fluid communication with the water source;

an electrolytic cell in fluid communication with the water source;

an electrolyzed reducing water outlet from the electrolytic cell;

an electrolyzed astringent water outlet from the electrolytic cell;

a point of use outlet in fluid communication with the electrolyzed reducing water outlet; and

a separate point of use outlet in fluid communication with the electrolyzed astringent water outlet, wherein the elements of the system are contained within or attached to a single housing.

2. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 1 further comprising a cleaning booster source in fluid communication with the electrolyzed reducing water outlet.

3. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 2 further comprising a metering apparatus operatively associated with the cleaning booster source to meter a select quantity of cleaning booster into an electrolyzed reducing water stream.

4. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 3 further comprising:

multiple point of use outlets in fluid communication with the electrolyzed reducing water outlet;

a control valve in fluid communication with each of the multiple point of use outlets to provide a fluid pathway for select dilutions of a combination of the electrolyzed reducing water stream and the cleaning booster to a corresponding select one of the multiple point of use outlets.

5. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 4 wherein the control valve provides for multiple user selectable dilution levels.

6. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 5 further comprising a data processing system in communication with the control valve.

7. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 6 further comprising at least one indicator associated with the housing identifying one or more of the multiple point of use outlets.

8. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 7 further comprising multiple point of use containers each identified with an indicator which corresponds to at least one of the multiple point of use outlets.

9. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 8 wherein the indicia on a point of use container and a corresponding point of use outlet are a matching color.

10. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 8 further comprising multiple point of use containers at least two of which are of different sizes.

11. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 2 wherein the cleaning fluid booster is selected from a group consisting of a surfactant, a solvent, an enzyme, an organic solvent, an alkyl glucoside, an alcohol ethoxylate, a humic acid and a fulvic acid.

12. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 1 wherein the source of dissolved solids is a brine source and wherein the system further comprises a metering apparatus in fluid communication with the brine source to meter a select quantity of brine into an input water stream from the water source.

13. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 11 further comprising a fluid communication pathway between the brine source and the electrolyzed astringent water outlet whereby an electrolyzed astringent water stream may be buffered with a select quantity of brine.

14. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 1 further comprising:

an AC power input;

an AC to DC converter; and

a battery backup in electrical communication with the AC to DC converter, whereby electrically operated controls associated with the system are configured to operate with power supplied from the AC to DC converter or the battery backup.

15. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 14 further comprising a central processing unit in communication with the electrically operated controls.

16. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 3 wherein at least one point of use outlet comprises a direct applicator for cleaning fluid.

17. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 16 wherein the direct applicator is selected from a group consisting of a hose, a nozzle, a spray nozzle, a porous soaking outlet, a pressurized jet and a drip system.

18. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 1 further comprising at least one storage tank in fluid communication with at least one of the electrolyzed reducing water outlet and the electrolyzed astringent water outlet.

19. The system for dispensing cleaning fluids of claim 1 wherein the housing and system are portable.

20. A method of providing cleaning solutions comprising:

providing a water source associated with a point of use system which point of use system is housed within a single housing;

combining brine with water from the water source at a select dilution;

electrolyzing the brine and water combination in an electrolytic cell;

flowing a stream of electrolyzed reducing water from the electrolytic cell;

flowing a stream of electrolyzed astringent water from the electrolytic cell;

dispensing electrolyzed reducing water at a point of use outlet associated with the housing; and

dispensing electrolyzed astringent water at a point of use outlet associated with the housing.

21. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 20 further comprising combining a select quantity of cleaning booster with the electrolyzed reducing water before dispensing the electrolyzed reducing water.

22. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 21 further comprising:

providing multiple electrolyzed reducing water point of use outlets from the system;

controlling the dilution of the electrolyzed reducing water and cleaning booster combination; and

dispensing selected dilutions of the reducing water and cleaning booster combination from selected point of use outlets.

23. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 22 further comprising controlling the dilution of the electrolyzed reducing water and cleaning booster combination with a data processing system.

24. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 22 further comprising identifying one or more of the multiple electrolyzed reducing water point of use outlets with a distinct indicator.

25. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 24 further comprising providing multiple point of use containers identified with an indicator which corresponds to at least one indicator associated with one of the multiple electrolyzed reducing water point of use outlets.

26. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 25 wherein the corresponding indicia on a select point of use container and a corresponding electrolyzed reducing water point of use outlet is a matching color.

27. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 20 further comprising buffering the electrolyzed astringent water stream with a select quantity of brine.

28. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 20 further comprising selectively supplying power to selected operational from an AC to DC converter or a battery backup.

29. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 20 wherein at least one of the point of use outlets comprises a direct applicator for cleaning fluid.

30. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 29 wherein the direct applicator is selected from a group consisting of a hose, a nozzle, a spray nozzle, a porous soaking outlet, a pressurized jet and a drip system.

31. The method of providing cleaning solutions of claim 20 further comprising providing at least one storage tank in fluid communication with at least one of the electrolyzed reducing water stream and the electrolyzed astringent water stream.