Patent Application
20210299689
This invention relates to the classifications for human necessities and performing operations; and to one or more sub-classifications relating to hand or travelling articles; or to conveying, packing, storing, and handling. Specifically, this invention is a wearable dispenser with a replaceable one-time-use reservoir containing hand sanitizer.
The emergence of the corona virus has shown the importance of good hand hygiene. People are being told to avoid crowds, avoid touching surfaces in public places, and wash their hands often. The reality is that for many people, avoiding crowds, not touching surfaces in public places, and/or immediately washing their hands after doing so, is an impossibility.
Children are exposed to large crowds on a repeated basis at schools and daycares worldwide. As every parent of school-age children knows, these institutions are veritable incubators of viruses. Children in a school or daycare share lunch tables, desks, chairs, work-stations, and other surfaces. They all touch the same door knobs, doors, water fountains, and spigots. It is impossible for children to wash their hands as often as they touch potentially contaminated surfaces. Children get sick all the time at school and daycares.
Likewise, adults are exposed to the same risks in work environments, airports, and hotels. No matter how well-intentioned an individual is, it is nearly impossible to be scrupulous with hand-washing in public.
Therefore, a need exists to provide individuals with a ready solution to hand hygiene. The solution taught in this application is a personal, wearable dispenser with a replaceable, one-time-use reservoir of hand-sanitizer. The invention taught in this application overcomes the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly provides a portable and wearable dispenser of hand sanitizer.
This summary is intended to disclose a wearable dispenser with a replaceable, one-time-use reservoir. This summary is not intended to limit the claimed subject matter's scope. Rather, it is intended to provide one skilled in the art with an overview of the invention by referencing its main embodiments. The invention taught extends beyond the simplified concepts taught in this summary.
A wearable dispenser with a replaceable one-time-use reservoir device is disclosed. It comprises a wrist-band allowing the wearable dispenser to be worn by a user; a base connected to the wrist-band; and a replaceable one-time-use reservoir. The replaceable one-time-use reservoir is comprised of a flexible bladder holding a substance to be dispensed, a housing with a rigid perimeter wall, a flexible top surface attached to the rigid perimeter wall and covering the flexible bladder, a one-way valve, an opening, and a substance to be dispensed. Typically, the substance to be dispensed is hand sanitizer. The replaceable one-time-use reservoir is attached to the base.
The interior of the flexible bladder is evacuated prior to filling. When the replaceable one-time-use reservoir is new, the flexible bladder is filled with a substance to be dispensed, such as hand sanitizer. The pressure within the flexible bladder is greater than atmospheric pressure.
The one-way valve is comprised of a plunger, a spring, a stem, and a stop. The stem is hollow, creating a dispensing channel. The plunger of the valve is inside the flexible bladder. When the flexible top surface is not pressed, the one-way valve is in equilibrium. In equilibrium, the spring force of the spring is more than the force created by the pressure on the plunger. In equilibrium, the one-way valve is closed. In equilibrium, the stop prevents any of the substance from flowing through the dispensing channel.
A user may use their fingertip to press the flexible top surface. Doing so creates additional pressure within the flexible bladder. The combined pressure on the plunger within the flexible bladder is sufficient to compress the springs. Once the springs are compressed, the one-way valve allows some of the substance within the flexible bladder to be dispensed through the opening. When all of the substance within the flexible bladder has been dispensed, the replaceable one-time-use reservoir may be removed and replaced with a new replaceable one-time-use reservoir.
The flexible bladder is fabricated from an elastic material such as natural rubber, nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, elastomers, or thermoplastic elastomers. The flexible bladder is most appropriately constructed from a synthetic rubber, such as polychloroprene, ethylene-propylene-diene-modified (“EPDM”), styrene-butadiene rubbers (“SBR”), polyisoprene, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (“ABR”), inter alia. The housing, rigid perimeter wall, and base are each constructed from at least one of steel, zinc, aluminum, acrylonitrile butadience styrene (“ABS”), polycarbonate (“PC”), polypropylene (“PP”), polyamides (“nylon”), polyethylene (“PE”), and polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”).
The present invention is illustrated with 6 drawings on 8 sheets. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various example embodiments. In the drawings:
The following descriptions are not meant to limit the invention, but rather to add to the summary of invention, and illustrate the present invention, a wearable dispenser with a replaceable one-time-use reservoir. The present invention is illustrated with a variety of drawings showing the primary embodiments of the present invention, with various diagrams and figures explaining its workings.
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The article “a” is intended to include one or more items, and where only one item is intended the term “one” or similar language is used. To assist in the description of the present invention, words such as short, long, top, bottom, side, upper, lower, front, rear, inner, outer, right and left are used to describe the relative size and orientation of the present invention with respect to the cellphone in the accompanying figures. The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While embodiments of the claimed subject matter may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications, which perform identical functions to the embodiments disclosed, may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the claimed subject matter. The proper scope of the claimed subject matter is defined by the claims contained herein.
The claimed subject matter improves over the prior art by providing a wearable dispenser with a replaceable one-time-use reservoir. The claimed subject matter presents an inexpensive wearable dispenser with a replaceable one-time-use reservoir that allows a user to have ready access to a substance to be dispensed, such as hand sanitizer.
The flexible top surface 2, 102 attaches to the rigid perimeter wall 201 of the housing 201, covering the flexible bladder 202. The flexible top surface 2, 102 is in near proximity with, or touching, the flexible bladder 202. In one embodiment, the flexible top surface 2, 102 is glued or otherwise durably attached to the flexible bladder 202.
The flexible bladder 202 is filled with a substance to be dispensed 203 using a removable feeder tube 300. The substance to be dispensed 203 is typically hand-sanitizer, which is comprised of at least 60% isopropyl alcohol, by volume and aloe vera. The hand sanitizer 203 can be mixed with water to adjust its viscosity. The flexible bladder 202 can be filled to the extent of the rigid perimeter wall 201. As the substance to be dispensed 203 is used, an air gap 204 naturally forms between the flexible bladder 202 and the rigid perimeter wall 201. The flexible bladder 202 is fabricated from an elastic material such as natural rubber, nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, elastomers, or thermoplastic elastomers. The flexible bladder 202 is most appropriately constructed from a synthetic rubber, such as polychloroprene, ethylene-propylene-diene-modified (“EPDM”), styrene-butadiene rubbers (“SBR”), polyisoprene, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (“ABR”), inter alia. Prior to filling, the flexible bladder 202 is totally evacuated through the removable feeder tube 300. Once filled with any amount of any substance 203, the flexible bladder 202 has a constant pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure. The replaceable one-time-use reservoir 200 has a one-way valve. The one-way valve is comprised of a plunger 250, an exterior surface 207 shaped like a frustrum of a cone 207, a spring 208, a stem 221, a dispensing channel 206, and a bottom stop 205.
While no pressure is applied by the user 1000 to the flexible top surface 2, the spring 208 keeps the one-way valve closed. When the user 1000 presses the flexible top surface 2, 102, the flexible top surface 2, 102 transfers the force to the flexible bladder 202, creating excess pressure within the flexible bladder 202. The force on the flexible bladder 202 creates more pressure internal to the flexible bladder 202, causing the plunger 250 to overcome the spring force of the spring 208. In this way, the substance 203 in the flexible bladder 202 passes through the one-way valve 266 and is dispensed 4.
In
Referring to
The one-way valve 266 is comprised of a plunger 250, a spring 208, a stem 221, 272, and a stop 205. The stem 221, 272 is hollow, creating a dispensing channel 206. The plunger 250 of the valve is inside the flexible bladder 202. When the flexible top surface 2, 102 is not pressed, the one-way valve 266 is in equilibrium. In equilibrium, the spring force of the spring 208 is more than the force created by the pressure on the plunger 250. In equilibrium, the one-way valve 266 is closed. In equilibrium, the stop 205 prevents any of the substance 203 from flowing through the dispensing channel 206.
A user 1000 may use their fingertip 1001 to press the flexible top surface 2, 102. Doing so creates additional pressure within the flexible bladder 202. The combined pressure on the plunger 250 within the flexible bladder 202 is sufficient to compress the springs 208. Once the springs 208 are compressed, the one-way valve 266 allows some of the substance 203 within the flexible bladder 202 to be dispensed 4 through the opening 5. When all of the substance 203 within the flexible bladder 202 has been dispensed 4, the replaceable one-time-use reservoir 200 may be removed and replaced with a new replaceable one-time-use reservoir 200.
Embodiments may be described above with reference to functions or acts, which comprise methods. The functions/acts noted above may occur out of the order as shown or described. For example, two functions/acts shown or described in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the functions/acts may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved. While certain embodiments have been described, other embodiments may exist. Further, the disclosed methods' functions/acts may be modified in any manner, including by reordering functions/acts and/or inserting or deleting functions/acts, without departing from the spirit of the claimed subject matter.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
