Patent Application
20090114682
Today’s sink side dispensers of antiseptic soaps and lotions are indispensable in the medical and home environment to prevent cross contamination and communication of disease. It has been established throughout the world that clean hands prevent the spread of disease. Sink tops, counter tops, cabinet or vanity tops are often equipped with a built-in, hand pump soap or lotion dispenser that provides a useful amount of soap or lotion with a single downward push. The dispensers are supplied with a refutable or interchangeable container threaded into and directly under the hand pump. This requires the person refilling this container to assume a difficult and uncomfortable position under the sink. This person must often reach back behind downward projecting sink basins and blindly replace the container by feel or to actually crawl into the sink or vanity cabinet to replace the refilled container. The opportunity to spill or contaminate the antiseptic soap or to strain or injure oneself is a known consequence of this maneuver.
Often an attempt is made to refill the container from above by removing parts of the hand pump and pouring in the soap or lotion. This can be a messy opportunity to spill the soap solution or in the case of slow flowing hand lotions or gels, a time consuming process much like pouring honey or ketchup out of a bottle.
The current invention addresses these objections to prior art by providing a flexible extension tube and vessel or reservoir that can be situated in a much more easily accessed location under the sink or vanity. This vessel can be in the form of a PVC jug with a modified cap connecting to the flexible extension tube. The container cap is equipped with a siphon tube communicating from the lowest reaches of the container. A siphon or suction action is provided with each downward push of the hand pump to bring the solution up from the bottom of the container. Small breather openings located within the cap of the container can be equipped with an air filter to allow in the air necessary for proper pumping white excluding any bacteria or debris. Alternately, the container or reservoir can be constructed with flexible walls that collapse upon the withdrawal of fluid.
Alternately, a reservoir in the form of a flexible pouch or container can be suspended in a convenient place under the sink or vanity cabinet. The flexible tube from the hand pump is connected to this flexible container filled with the antiseptic soap or lotion. This pouch is the preferred method of maintaining sterility of the contained solution.
The dispenser, while manually activated in most circumstances, is actuated by alternate means including electrical or foot pedal operation in alternate embodiments of this invention. The dispenser can be mounted on a vertical
A rigid supply line 10 has a hollow core 11 and a barbed end 12 to retain a hollow flexible length of tubing 23 as shown in
The PVC container, and the related siphon tube and flexible tubing are sold as a refill kit. The PVC jug 20 can be shipped with a plastic seal (not shown) over the threaded neck 24 and the threaded closure 21 in place. The seal is removed and discarded when the refill kit is assembled for use. The advantage of a large bulk reservoir will require fewer refills.
The flexible bag has the advantage of continuous sterile delivery by the exclusion of ambient air during use. The flexible walls of the bag simply collapses to supply the antiseptic fluid on demand. The bag is suspended in the inverted position by a hook or other means under the cabinet or sink enclosure.
