PROGRAMMED PLUMBING SERVICE
First Claim
1. The combination of a plumbing fixture having a faucet for the discharge of water and a dispenser for the discharge of soap, sensing mechanism responsive to the approach of a user to the plumbing fixture to open said faucet to transmit water from the faucet for a predetermined time interval and for opening said dispenser for subsequently transmitting soap from the dispenser for a different predetermined interval.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Covers a proximity apparatus for a lavatory or basin or other plumbing fixture which responds to the approach of the user to the plumbing fixture to dispense water and soap according to a predetermined pattern. Water may be turned on for a first predetermined interval, for example, when the user reaches the front of the plumbing fixture, after which the water will be briefly turned off and the soap will be turned on for another predetermined interval. Then there will be a predetermined pause during which neither soap nor water will be dispensed, after which the flow of water will be reinstated and the flow continued until the user has departed from the plumbing fixture.
92 Citations
18 Claims
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1. The combination of a plumbing fixture having a faucet for the discharge of water and a dispenser for the discharge of soap, sensing mechanism responsive to the approach of a user to the plumbing fixture to open said faucet to transmit water from the faucet for a predetermined time interval and for opening said dispenser for subsequently transmitting soap from the dispenser for a different predetermined interval.
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2. The combination recited in claim 1, including means for reinstating the flow of water through the faucet after soap has been dispensed by the dispenser for said different predetermined interval of time.
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3. The combination recited in claim 2, including means to interrupt the flow of water through the faucet upon the departure of the user from the plumbing fixture.
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4. The combination recited in claim 1, including two deLay networks to introduce the respective operating time intervals.
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5. The combination recited in claim 1, including separate conduits for the discharge of water and soap so as to prevent the mixture of the water with the soap.
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6. The combination of a plumbing fixture having a spout for the discharge of water and a dispenser for the discharge of soap, a solenoid valve for controlling the flow of water through the spout, a pump for feeding soap to the dispenser, an antenna, and means controlled by said antenna for operating the solenoid valve for a first predetermined time interval to discharge water through the spout, said means also including means for operating the pump for a second predetermined time interval to discharge soap through the dispenser.
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7. The combination recited in claim 6 including a programming network having two delay networks for fixing the first and second predetermined time intervals.
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8. The combination of claim 6, including means for operating the solenoid valve for another time interval after the discharge of soap through the dispenser.
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9. The combination of a plumbing fixture having first and second spouts for supplying water and soap respectively, a first device including means for controlling the discharge of water through the first spout, a second device including means for controlling the flow of soap through the second spout, and programming apparatus coupled to said first and second devices and including mechanism for sequentially operating said first and second devices for first and second predetermined time intervals, respectively.
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10. The combination recited in claim 9 in which the programming apparatus includes means for interrupting the flow of water through the first spout and for thereafter reinstating the flow of water through the first spout.
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11. The combination recited in claim 10, including separate conduits for the soap and the water to prevent any mixture of the two substances.
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12. Program apparatus for a plumbing fixture comprising, in addition to the plumbing fixture, a solenoid valve and a faucet to control the flow of water through the plumbing fixture, a pump and a fitting to control the flow of soap to the plumbing fixture, electrical sensing means responsive to the advent of a user to the plumbing fixture to operate the solenoid valve to transmit water through the faucet for a first predetermined time interval and to operate the pump to dispense soap through the fitting for a second predetermined interval, and means to interrupt the flow of water through the faucet for a third predetermined time interval and thereafter to reinstate the flow of water through the faucet.
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13. Program apparatus according to claim 12, including a delay network to fix the time interval between the separate operations of the solenoid valve.
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14. Program apparatus according to claim 12, including means to mechanically couple the faucet and the fitting to each other so that the soap and the water may be emitted in the same general direction.
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15. Plumbing apparatus comprising a soap dispenser, a water dispenser, and electrical sensing means coupled to both dispensers and including mechanism responsive to the approach of a user to the plumbing apparatus to sequentially operate the water and soap dispensers for different predetermined time intervals.
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16. Plumbing apparatus according to claim 15, including the means to operate the water dispenser continuously after said different predetermined intervals have expired and to interrupt the flow of water through the water dispenser upon the departure of the user from the plumbing fixture.
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17. Plumbing apparatus according to claim 16, including means to couple the soap dispenser to the water dispenser so that the emission paths of the soap and water will be substantially parallel to each other.
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18. Plumbing apparatus according to claim 17, including two indicators coupled respectively to the soap and water dispensers to indicate that the respective dispensers are in opEration.
Specification