Systems for Dispensing Fluid Materials

• US 20170333590A1
• Filed: 05/19/2016
• Published: 11/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Bush, Stephan Gary, Sherman, Faiz Feisal
• Granted Patent: US 11,090,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/11 Apparatus for controlling air treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/111 Sensor means, e.g. motion, brightness, scent, contaminant sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/132 Piezo or ultrasonic elements for dispensing
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/133 Replaceable cartridges, refills
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/134 Distributing means, e.g. baffles, valves, manifolds, nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/125 emanating multiple odours
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/14 using sprayed or atomised substances including air-liquid contact processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A system for dispensing fluid materials includes: a plurality of fluid storage chambers with each of the plurality containing a stored fluid; at least one MEMS dispensing element disposed in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of fluid storage chambers; a control element disposed in electrical communication with the at least one MEMS dispensing element and comprising a memory component; a power supply disposed in electrical communication with the at least one MEMS dispensing element and the control element; and a user interface disposed in electrical communication with the control element. The memory component contains programmed instructions which, when executed by the control element cause the system to randomly dispense a first fluid from a first fluid storage chamber, and randomly disperse a second fluid from a second fluid storage chamber.

Claims

1. A System for dispensing fluid materials, the system comprising:

a. a plurality of fluid storage chambers, each of the plurality containing a stored fluid;

b. at least one MEMS dispensing element disposed in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of fluid storage chambers;

c. a control element disposed in electrical communication with the at least one MEMS dispensing element and comprising a memory component;

d. a power supply disposed in electrical communication with the at least one MEMS dispensing element and the control element;

e. a user interface disposed in electrical communication with the control element;

f. a network interface disposed in electrical communication with the power supply and the control element; and

g. a non-dispensing device in communication with the control element via the network interface.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a switch in electrical communication with an input of the control element, the input having a switchable electrical state, the control element configured to read and execute the programmed instructions of the memory component as or after the input electrical state changes.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory component contains a plurality of distinct programmed instructions.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the fluid storage chambers comprise a second memory component disposed in electrical communication with the control element, the memory component containing data associated with fluid contained in the fluid storage chamber.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an environmental sensor.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the environmental sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

4-5. -5. (canceled)