Patent Application
20110127290
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to dispensers. Specific embodiments relate to automatic dispensers that dispense soap or another cleaning or antibacterial substance upon recognition of a user's hand or other body part located in a dispensing region. Further embodiments relate to automatic soap dispensers or foamed soap dispensers. Such dispensers have an internal working system that allows soap or foam to be dispensed from an inverted bottle.
Traditional soap dispensers have a number of shortcomings. They generally sit on countertops or other surfaces near a faucet and may topple over or take up valuable space. They also typically require the user to press or pull an area on the dispenser in order to actuate the dispensing function, which contact can spread germs and generally be unsanitary. For example, in public restrooms, users may not wish to touch or pull a lever that others have repeatedly touched. In the health care arena, such contact can be even more concerning and unhygienic, raising health and contamination concerns.
One solution to the space problem has been to mount dispensers on or near hand-washing areas in order to save space. Dispensers designed for use in public venues (as opposed to domestic use) should provide a housing for the soap reservoir that can be closed, and in some instances, secured for sanitary reasons, but also easy enough for a custodian to change the soap reservoir when necessary.
One solution to the contact/hygiene problem presented by users pushing or pulling portions of the dispenser in order to dispense soap has been to design dispensers that automatically dispense a desired amount of soap, i.e., dispensers that function touch-free. This prevents the user from coming into contact with any part of the dispenser, and is particularly beneficial in a hospital or other health care setting, where the transmission of germs and bacteria is of particular concern. However, current designs of these dispensers also present some challenges and problems.
For example, some automatic dispensers fail to provide a consistent and accurate amount of soap upon each dispensing cycle. Some health regulations (e.g., various hospital jurisdictions) require that a certain amount of soap be dispensed per use. Additionally, some soap manufacturers recommend a specific amount of soap required for each use, e.g., as defined on a product label or package insert. It is thus accordingly desirable to have a reliable, consistent soap dispenser design that will automatically dispense a set amount of soap per use.
In other instances, dispensers are often designed to dispense a foamed soap. Foamed soaps tend to be easier to spread than unfoamed liquid and can cause less waste due to splashing or run-off because the foam has a higher surface tension than unfoamed liquid. Foamed soap also requires less liquid to create the same or comparable cleaning power than liquid soaps. Additionally, the use of foam can help save space by using a post-foaming soap gel or liquid that is stored in gel or liquid form, but converts to foam upon exiting the reservoir. For example, the foaming soap may be maintained in a pressurized container. In such pressurized systems, the pressure changes as the amount of soap in the reservoir reduces. This pressure change directly affects the amount of soap dispensed during a use. Such dispensers may not always release a consistent amount of soap without specialized systems designed to detect and monitor the amount of soap that is dispensed at each use.
Furthermore, many commercial soap dispensers are sold for use with specially configured bottles that are designed only to fit that specific company's soap dispensers. This can be expensive for the customer seeking to stock the soap dispenser because it must purchase soap bottles from the particular manufacturer whose dispensers are installed at its location. This can also limit choices, because the customer may wish to purchase a different brand or type of soap (e.g., at a different price point), but be prevented from doing so without refitting or replacing the currently-installed dispensers.
However, there are often space regulation requirements associated with wall-mounted dispensers. The dispensers often are restricted from extending a certain distance from the wall. This may present challenges to the dispenser designer because of the machinery often necessary in order to cause a soap dispenser to work automatically and/or to cause the dispenser to transform gel or liquid soap into a foam. As such, the dispensers often do need to be designed for use with specially shaped bottles so that the bottles will fit properly with the internal machinery of the dispenser. For example, one challenge presented to the current inventors was to design a dispenser that could house an appropriate motor and foam pump, but not extend a certain distance from the wall on which the dispenser is mounted due to health regulations. So rather than design a dispenser to be used with a specially-shaped bottle (e.g., one having an offset opening positioned at an edge of the bottle so that machinery can fit behind the bottle at the bottom of the dispenser), they sought to design a dispenser to be used with a pre-existing bottle (e.g., one having its opening positioned in line with the central axis of the bottle).
Additionally, if a customer wishes to change from liquid soap to foamed soap or vice versa, it must purchase a number of new dispensers, causing excess cost and inconvenience. One benefit of the designs described herein is that they may be used with or without foam pumps, with slight to minimal modifications, such that a foamed soap, a liquid soap, a gel, an anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, or any other appropriate substance may be dispensed from the dispenser.
It is thus desirable to provide an automatic soap dispenser that can be used with pre-existing soap bottles.
It is also desirable to provide a dispenser that can be easily opened and secured for replacement of the soap reservoir contained inside the dispenser.
It is further desirable to provide a dispenser configured to be mounted to a desired location.
It is also desirable to provide a dispenser configured to dispense a set amount of soap during each dispensing step. In some instances, the dispenser can be designed to dispense liquid soap, foamed soap, or other antibacterial solutions, such as hand sanitizer.
These and other advantages will become apparent from the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of the present invention provide dispensers, and particularly automatic dispensers, and even more particularly, automatic soap dispensers for dispensing a foamed soap to a user's hands. In one embodiment, there is provided a dispenser, comprising a front cover, a back plate, and an actuator, wherein the front cover and the back plate define a bottle containing space, wherein the back plate comprises a motor housing compartment at its upper portion and a bottle rest at its lower portion, wherein the actuator comprises a motor cooperating feature at its upper portion and a pump cooperating feature at its lower portion, wherein cooperation between a motor and the motor cooperating feature of the actuator causes movement of the actuator such that the pump cooperating feature of the actuator activates a pump. Embodiments also relate to a method for automatically dispensing a substance onto a user's hand, comprising providing a dispenser of the type described above (and herein), wherein the dispenser has a sensor configured to sense a user's hand below the dispenser, providing a bottle containing the substance to be dispensed, with an optional foam pump secured thereto, inverting the bottle; and positioning the bottle in the dispenser, such that when a user's hands are positioned below the dispenser, the sensor senses the presence of the user's hands and causes the dispenser to automatically dispense the substance thereon.
Embodiments of the present invention provide dispenser devices and methods, and specifically provide automatic dispensers. The dispensers are particularly suited for dispensing an antiseptic and/or antimicrobial skin cleanser to a user's hands. The product dispensed may be a liquid soap, a foamed soap, or a hand sanitizer (such as the type used for disinfecting hands without the use of soap and water). Embodiments of this invention are particularly suited for dispensing foamed soap to a user's hands, and those are the further embodiments described herein. It should be understood, however, that the various dispensers described may also be used for dispensing any appropriate product (such as shampoo and/or conditioner, body wash, dish washing detergent, laundry detergent, or any other gel or liquid or foamed product that is desired to be automatically dispensed) with slight or minor alterations to accommodate the specific desired product. For the sake of convenience, the dispenser may be referred to as a “soap dispenser” and the product dispensed may be referred to as “foamed soap” for the remainder of this application, but such references are in no way intended to be limiting of the structural features described.
As shown in
As shown in
The front cover 12 and back plate 30 may be hingedly attached, snapped together, slid together via a track and tab system, magnetically attached, or attached by any other appropriate mechanism. In a particular embodiment, front cover 12 and back plate 30 are hingedly attached via hinge connectors. One example of such a hinge connector is illustrated by hinge connector 18 on
Front cover 12 is also shown as having a clear window 14, which is configured to allow a user to view one or more internal features of the soap dispenser. One use of clear window 14 may be to allow a user to see an LED light or other indicator inside the dispenser 10 so that the user will know that the dispenser 10 is properly powered. Although only one clear window 14 is shown, it should be understood that any number of clear windows may be provided. For example, a clear window may be provided along the side of the front cover 12 (or anywhere else) in order to allow a user to view the amount of soap remaining in a clear soap bottle or for any other appropriate purpose.
Front cover 12 is also shown as having a recessed area 16. Recessed area 16 is primarily configured to receive a soap bottle label so that the dispenser 10 clearly displays its contents. This is beneficial for the user to be aware of the soap brand housed within the dispenser 10, and it is also a health requirement in some jurisdictions. An example of a front cover 12 having a label secured thereto is shown in
Front cover 12 may also have a lock connector 20. Lock connector 20 allows the front cover 12 to close securely against a corresponding lock connection of the back plate 30. Although the lock connector 20 is shown as located at the top of dispenser 10, it should be understood that the lock connector feature may be located at the bottom of dispenser 10, the side of dispenser, or anywhere else along dispenser, as desired. Generally, it should be positioned opposite the hinge connector 18, if a hinge connection between front cover 12 and back plate 30 is used.
An open area 41 between the ledges 39 allows for easy loading of a soap bottle 100 having an attached foam pump 90 (for example, as shown in
Prior to insertion of the soap bottle, however, when the front cover 12 and the back plate 30 are in a closed position, they collectively provide an open, soap bottle containing space 42. Space 42 is formed in part by an open space behind front cover 12 and open space of back plate 30. Along the center area of the back plate 30, there is defined a further central open space 54, which is configured to receive and house an actuator 60, discussed further below.
Alongside the central open space 54 are provided housing areas 44. Although housing areas 44 are shown along both sides of the back plate 30, it should be understood that only one area 44 may be provided. Housing areas 44 are primarily intended to house batteries or other powering components, but it should be understood that areas 44 may be used for housing components other than batteries.
One or more power indicators 46 may be provided on the back plate 30. Power indicators 46 are intended to alert the user that the dispenser 10 is currently being powered, for example, for notification and/or trouble shooting purposes. Power indicators 46 may be LED lights or any other appropriate indicator.
Located near the lower portion 34 of back plate 30 is a sensor 48. Sensor 48 is configured to sense a user's hand or body part below the soap dispenser and to activate the soap dispensing sequence described further below. Sensor 48 may be any appropriate type of sensor. In a specific embodiment, the sensor is an infrared sensor that detects the presence of a target, such as a user's hands.
If the front cover 12 and back plate 30 are provided as hingedly connected, back plate 30 is provided with a hinge connector 50 that corresponds to the hinge connector 18 of the front cover 12. In the embodiment shown, the back plate hinge connector 50 is a tab 51 that protrudes out from an arm extending from lower portion 34 of back plate 30. The corresponding hinge connector 18 of the front cover 12 has a tab receiving opening 19. It should be understood that the tab 51 and tab receiving opening 19 may be switched and that other hinge connections are possible and within the scope of this invention.
Upper portion 32 of back plate 30 has a lock connector 52. In the embodiment shown, the back plate lock connector 52 is an opening that is configured to receive the corresponding lock connector 20 of the front cover 12, which is formed as a tab. It should be understood that the opening and the tab may be switched and that other securement mechanisms to ensure secure attachment of the front cover to the back plate are possible and within the scope of this invention.
As shown in the back plan view of
As shown in
In the specific embodiment shown, the motor cooperating feature 66 is an open area 61 at the upper portion 62. This open area 61 is adapted to receive and cooperate with crank 80 (shown in
A specific embodiment of crank 80 is shown in
Embodiments of the dispensers 10 described herein are particularly useful with a pre-existing soap bottle. For example, as shown in
In one specific embodiment, the soap bottle is shipped with a cap in order to safely contain the soap or other product contained therein. Once ready for use, the cap is removed and a foam pump 90 may be positioned over the mouth of the bottle. (If a foamed soap is not desired, then some other dispensing attachment may be secured to the mouth of the bottle.) The bottle is then inverted and positioned in the soap bottle containing space 42 of the dispenser, such that the mouth of the bottle faces downward and/or portions of the foam pump 90 rest on and extend through the bottle rest 38, as shown in
The foam pump cooperating feature 68 of the actuator 60 is configured to receive or otherwise cooperate with a dispensing end 96 of the foam pump 90. When the actuator 60 is pulled upwards by the crank and motor, feature 68 presses up on the dispensing end 96, causing the foam pump to activate. Although any type of foam pump engine may be used, one particularly useful foam pump is manufactured and designed by Rieke Packaging Systems™.
More specifically, examples of useful foam pumps are shown in
In order to allow the pressure on the inside of a rigid soap bottle to equalize with outside conditions, air may pass into the bottle via air gaps at the sides of nozzle 96, allowing air to be drawn back through the gaps and into the soap bottle.
As previously discussed, the motor is activated by an infrared sensor which detects the presence of an object (i.e., a hand) and custom designed electronics control the number of motor rotations. The number of rotations and the volume of the liquid dispensed into the foam engine chamber of the foam pump can be varied to determine the final volume of foam dispensed per activation. In one specific embodiment, the dispenser is configured to dispense three shots of foam (i.e., the actuator is raised three times in quick succession) within about a 1.5 second period in order to deliver a specific amount of foam to the user's hand(s).
Changes and modifications, additions and deletions may be made to the structures and methods recited above and shown in the drawings without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention and the following claims.
