Automatic fluid dispenser and method

• US 5,397,028 A
• Filed: 09/13/1994
• Issued: 03/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jesadanont, Mongkol
• Original Assignee: Jesadanont, Mongkol
• Inventors: Jesadanont, Mongkol
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin P.
• Application Number:
  US08/305,407
• Time in Patent Office: 182 Days
• Field of Search: 222/1, 222/36, 222/38, 222/39, 222/52, 222/63, 222/160, 222/162, 222/180, 222/181, 222/183, 222/394, 222/402.1, 222/505, 222/568
• US Class Current: 222/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 5/1217 Electrical control means for the dispensing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/122 responsive to presence or shape of target B05B12/124 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/262 by clockwork, motor, electric or magnetic means operating without repeated human input
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/48 Lift valves, e.g. operated by push action B65D83/50 takes precedence

Abstract

An automatic dispenser for spraying a liquid or flowable disinfectant to dermatologically treat hands or the like. The dispenser automatically senses the presence of a user'"'"'s hands using an infrared sensing mechanism, and in response sprays a predetermined volume of volatile disinfectant onto the user'"'"'s hands for a predetermined length of time via a control circuit. The control circuit supplies an electromagnet with power for the predetermined length of time to move a magnetic frame downward against an inverted bottle of disinfectant in the dispenser housing. The bottle contains a known quantity of disinfectant fluid and the dispensing operation dispenses a measured dose upon each actuation. A counter circuit then counts the doses dispensed and provides a warning signal when the bottle is empty or nearly empty of the flowable disinfectant. The dispenser has a nozzle with a conically shaped outlet which is in fluid communication with the inside of the bottle via a short tube which extends from the bottle opening and fits tightly to the nozzle. The dispenser operates automatically and avoids the need for the user to physically touch it. The user'"'"'s hands thereby can be completely disinfected without the risk of recontamination from contact with the dispenser or with hand driers since the disinfectant is volatile and quickly evaporates.

Claims

1. A disinfectant dispenser, comprising:

a housing having a top, a bottom and at least one wall connecting said top and bottom together, a hole being formed in said bottom;

a spray nozzle positioned generally over said hole;

a spray bottle containing disinfectant positioned within said housing;

tubing in fluid communication with the interior of said bottle at one end thereof and extending outwardly of said bottle and engaging said spray nozzle at the other end;

a reciprocating frame positioned at another end of said bottle;

biasing means positioned within said housing between said one end of said bottle and said housing bottom for maintaining said bottle in contact with said reciprocating frame; and

pushing means for pushing said frame and said bottle downward relative to said housing, thereby pressing said tubing against said nozzle where both are stationary relative to said housing and thereby causing a vale at the interior end of said tubing to open such that the disinfectant in said bottle is dispensed out through said spray nozzle.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the disinfectant is a volatile liquid.

3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein said reciprocating frame is made of a magnetic material.

4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein said pushing means comprises an electromagnet.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein said pushing means comprises an infrared sensor, a control circuit, and a solid state relay;

said infrared sensor sensing the proximity of a user'"'"'s hands to said hole and activating said control circuit which further actuates said solid state relay to allow electrical current to energize said electromagnet which causes said frame to push down on said bottle to dispense therefrom the volatile liquid in atomized form.

6. The dispenser of claim 5, further comprising a counter circuit which includes a buzzer and determining means for determining when said bottle is empty, and wherein when said bottle is empty as determined by said determining mean, said buzzer is actuated to signal the empty condition of said bottle.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said frame is guided by rods which pass through corresponding holes in said frame.

8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said frame includes a cap which holds and maintains said bottle in a vertical position relative to said housing.

9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said spray nozzle has two coaxial holes of different diameters, one of said holes having a diameter that corresponds to an outside diameter of said tubing and the other of said holes having a diameter that corresponds to an inside diameter of said tubing.

10. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said tubing includes external threads on one end thereof, wherein an upper portion of said spray nozzle includes internal threads, and wherein said external threads of said tubing mate with said internal threads of said upper portion of said spray nozzle to provide a tight fit therebetween, and wherein said tubing extends outwardly of said bottle and the other end of said tubing is in communication with the disinfectant in said bottle.

11. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said tubing has a screw-type end which engages said spray nozzle.

12. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said tubing comprises a piece of rigid tubing.

13. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said spray nozzle is stationary relative to said housing as said pushing means pushes said frame and said bottle to dispense the disinfectant.

14. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said pushing means pushes said frame and said bottle downward relative to said housing.

15. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said bottle is disposed upside down in said housing, and said spray nozzle includes a conical outlet cooperatively engaged with said hole and in fluid communication with said tubing.

16. The dispenser of claim 15, further comprising a normally closed valve disposed in said tubing which allows the disinfectant to be dispensed through said conical outlet when opened.

17. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein said bottle contains the disinfectant under pressure.

18. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein said conical outlet has an upper portion with an opening and internal threads in said opening, and said tubing has an externally threaded outward end which mates tightly with said internal threads.

19. A dispenser for dispensing flowable materials, comprising;

a housing having a bottom opening;

a nozzle position generally over said bottom opening;

a container disposed in said housing and retaining a fluid under pressure, said container having a tubing in fluid communication with the interior of said container at one end thereof and extending outwardly of said container and engaging said nozzle at the other end;

a frame movably connected to and disposed generally in said housing and including engaging means for engaging said container;

biasing means for biasing said container against said frame and ensuring that a valve at the interior end of said tubing remains normally closed; and

moving means for moving said frame such that a downward force is exerted on said container by said frame and pushes said container downward relative to said housing a sufficient distance to press said tubing against said nozzle where both said tubing and said nozzle are stationary relative to said housing such that the downward movement of said container relative to said tubing causes said valve to open and thereby the fluid is dispensed out through said nozzle and said bottom opening.

20. The dispenser of claim 19, further comprising a pin affixed to said housing adjacent said frame and slidably received in a corresponding hole in said frame such that movement of said frame is thereby guided.

21. The dispenser of claim 19, wherein said engaging means includes an integral cap disposed on said frame.

22. The dispenser of claim 19, wherein said biasing means is a spring surrounding said nozzle adjacent said bottom opening.

23. The dispenser of claim 19, wherein said container comprises an inverted bottle, said nozzle includes a conical outlet cooperatively engaged to said bottom opening, said bottle includes a rigid tube providing fluid communication between the interior of said bottle and said outlet, and said valve comprises a normally closed valve disposed in said tube and which allows the fluid to be dispensed out through said outlet when said normally closed valve is opened.

24. The dispenser of claim 23, wherein said tube has an externally threaded end which mates tightly with internal threads of an opening in an upper portion of said conical outlet.

25. The dispenser of claim 19, further comprising a proximity sensor which detects the presence of an object on which the fluid is to be dispensed, said sensor being operatively coupled to said moving means and defining a detection zone wherein detection Of an object therein by said sensor actuates said moving

26. The dispenser of claim 25, wherein said frame is magnetic, and said moving means comprises:

an electromagnet disposed in said housing proximate to said frame;

a control circuit coupled to said sensor such that said sensor actuates said control circuit upon detection of the object by said sensor; and

a relay, which is normally "off", connected in series with said control circuit such that said control circuit actuates said relay to an "on" condition and said relay remains "on" for a predetermined length of time, said relay being connected to said electromagnet so that when said relay is "on" said electromagnet is energized to draw said frame downward such that a downward force is exerted on said container by said frame to push said container a sufficiently distance to cause said valve to open and dispense the fluid through said nozzle and said bottom opening, and when said predetermined length of time lapses said relay is "off" and operatively disconnected from said electromagnet;

wherein said container contains a known volume of the fluid and the predetermined length of time corresponds to a measured dose of the fluid dispensed in a dispensing cycle.

27. The dispenser of claim 26, further comprising warning means for indicating when said container is empty.

28. The dispenser of claim 27, wherein said warning means comprises a counter circuit connected in series with said control circuit such that each time said control circuit actuates said relay, said counter circuit is simultaneously actuated, and wherein said counter circuit is preset to a "count" value equal to the number of measured doses of the fluid in said container such that each actuation of said counter circuit results in the "count" value decreasing by one count value wherein when the "count" value is equal to zero said counter circuit actuates a warning device to signal that said container is empty and said dispenser is thereby in need of servicing.

29. The dispenser of claim 26, further comprising warning means for indicating when said container is nearly empty, said warning means comprises a counter circuit connected in series to said control circuit such that each time said control circuit actuates said relay, said counter circuit is simultaneously actuated, and wherein said counter circuit is preset to a "count" value less than the number of measured .doses of the fluid in said container such that each actuation of said counter circuit results in the "count" value decreasing by one count value wherein when the "count" value is equal to zero said counter circuit actuates a warning device to signal that said container is nearly empty and said dispenser is thereby in need of servicing.

30. A fluid dispensing method, comprising the steps of:

providing a container containing a fluid and having a tubing in fluid communication with the interior of said container at one end thereof and extending outwardly of said container and engaging a stationary nozzle at the other end;

sensing the presence of an object in a dispensing zone associated with said nozzle;

in response to said sensing step, energizing an electromagnet and thereby generating a magnetic force which draws a frame against the container; and

pushing said container downward relative to said stationary nozzle thereby pressing said tubing against said nozzle such that the relative downward movement of said container to said tubing causes a valve at the interior end of said tubing to open and thereby the fluid is dispensed from the container through the nozzle and onto the object in the dispensing zone.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein each said sensing step results in a single occurrence of said energizing step such that only a single dose of fluid is dispensed with each said sensing step.

32. A spray dispenser for spraying flowable materials from a container, comprising:

a dispenser housing including positioning means for positioning therein a container holding therein flowable material under pressure and having a spray nozzle;

a tubing in fluid communication with the interior of said container at one end thereof and extending outwardly of said container and engaging said spray nozzle at the other end;

proximity sensing means for sensing the presence of an object in a detection zone, corresponding to a dispensing zone of the flowable material out the nozzle with the container positioned in said dispenser housing, and generating a signal in response thereto;

an actuating member; and

an electromagnet operated by a circuit actuated by the signal from said sensing means, said electromagnet when energized causing relative downward movement of said actuating member thereby pushing said container downward relative to said spray nozzle which is stationary relative to said housing and thereby pressing said tubing against said nozzle such that the relative downward movement of said container to said tubing causes a valve at the interior end of said tubing to open, allowing the flowable materials under pressure to be sprayed out through the nozzle onto the object in the detection zone.

33. The dispenser of claim 32, wherein said actuating member comprises a magnetic frame normally biased against the container and when said electromagnet is energized said frame is drawn downward by said energized electromagnet so as to exert pressure on the container to open the normally closed valve, thereby dispensing the flowable materials out through the nozzle.

34. The dispenser of claim 32, wherein said sensing means comprises an infrared light sensor.

35. The dispenser of claim 32, wherein said electromagnet is affixed in said housing proximate to said positioning means.

36. A dispenser for dispensing flowable materials from a container, comprising:

a dispenser housing including positioning means for positioning therein a container holding flowable material and having a nozzle;

a tubing in fluid communication with the interior of said container at one end thereof and extending outwardly of said container and engaging said spray nozzle at the other end;

proximity sensing means for sensing the presence of an object in a detection zone, corresponding to a dispensing zone of the flowable material out the nozzle with the container positioned in said dispenser housing, and generating a signal in response thereto;

an actuating member; and

an electromagnet operated by a circuit actuated by the signal from said sensing means, said electromagnet when energized causing relative downward movement of said actuating member and said container;

wherein said actuating member comprises a magnetic frame normally biased against the container, and when said electromagnet is energized, said frame is drawn downward by said energized electromagnet so as to exert pressure on the container, thereby pushing said container downward relative to said spray nozzle which is stationary relative to said housing and thereby pressing said tubing against said nozzle such that the relative downward movement of said container to said tubing causes a valve at the interior end of said tubing to open, and thereby the flowable material is dispensed out through the nozzle onto the object in the detection zone.

37. A sprayable material dispenser, comprising:

a support assembly;

a container containing pressurized sprayable material and supported by said support assembly in an upside-down orientation;

a nozzle having a conical opening, a cylindrical opening in a nozzle upper portion and internal threads in said cylindrical opening;

tubing having an externally threaded end which mates tightly through several complete turns with said internal threads and is thereby secured to said nozzle and in fluid communication with said conical opening, said tubing having opening spaced from said threaded end; and

valve means for selectively blocking fluid communication of said tubing opening with the interior of said container in a valve normally closed position and for communicating said tubing opening with the interior of said container in an alternative valve opened position wherein the material from said container is sprayed out through said conical opening; and

sensing means for sensing the presence of an object in a dispensing zone of said nozzle and, when the object is sensed, for thereby actuating a pushing means that causes downward movement of said container relative to said stationary nozzle thereby pressing said tubing against said nozzle such that the relative downward movement of said container to said tubing causes said valve means to open and thereby the fluid is dispensed from the container through the nozzle and onto the object in the dispensing zone.

38. The dispenser of claim 37, wherein said conical opening is downwardly disposed to spray the material from said container vertically downward.

39. The dispenser of claim 37, wherein the sprayable material is a volatile disinfectant.