Programmable dispenser
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A programmable dispenser for a material, comprising:
- a source of material to be dispensed;
a housing having an internal cavity sized to permit insertion thereinto of the source of material to be dispensed;
an assembly for dispensing the material to be dispensed;
a programmable controller in operational contact with the assembly, the programmable controller determining the time of operation and frequency and/or intensity of operation of the assembly, wherein the controller is capable of being programmed so as to set, for the dispenser, operational parameters selected from the group consisting of;
days of the week during which the material will be dispensed, the time during the day at which the dispenser will begin dispensing for the day, the time during the day at which the dispenser will stop dispensing for the day, and the frequency and/or intensity of dispensing;
wherein the dispenser provides a daily “
day count”
indicative of the number of days remaining for which there is material to be dispensed, the first day “
day count”
being computed from;
(a) an initial determination of a total score representative of the total amount of material available to be dispensed;
(b) dividing the total score by the dispensing time per day for a selected set of operational parameters; and
(c) rounding the resulting quotient down to the next whole number;
and wherein the “
day count”
for a successive day is computed from;
(a) subtracting, from the total score, the dispensing time per day from the previous day, so as to compute a new “
total score;
”
(b) dividing the new total score by the dispensing time for a successive day for a selected set of operational parameters; and
(c) rounding the resulting quotient down to the next whole number.
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Abstract
A programmable dispenser, especially for dispensing an olfactory stimulating material from a source of the material, is presented. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dispenser for an olfactory stimulating material, such as an air freshener composition, wherein the dispenser can be programmed so as to be operational within a wide variety of operating modes, such as starting and ending operations at specific times during the day, being operational during specific days of the week, and dispensing frequency (i.e., in the case of an aerosol or pump source) and/or intensity (i.e., in the case of a gel or cartridge source).
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A programmable dispenser for a material, comprising:
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a source of material to be dispensed;
a housing having an internal cavity sized to permit insertion thereinto of the source of material to be dispensed;
an assembly for dispensing the material to be dispensed;
a programmable controller in operational contact with the assembly, the programmable controller determining the time of operation and frequency and/or intensity of operation of the assembly, wherein the controller is capable of being programmed so as to set, for the dispenser, operational parameters selected from the group consisting of;
days of the week during which the material will be dispensed, the time during the day at which the dispenser will begin dispensing for the day, the time during the day at which the dispenser will stop dispensing for the day, and the frequency and/or intensity of dispensing;
wherein the dispenser provides a daily “
day count”
indicative of the number of days remaining for which there is material to be dispensed, the first day “
day count”
being computed from;
(a) an initial determination of a total score representative of the total amount of material available to be dispensed;
(b) dividing the total score by the dispensing time per day for a selected set of operational parameters; and
(c) rounding the resulting quotient down to the next whole number;
and wherein the “
day count”
for a successive day is computed from;
(a) subtracting, from the total score, the dispensing time per day from the previous day, so as to compute a new “
total score;
”(b) dividing the new total score by the dispensing time for a successive day for a selected set of operational parameters; and
(c) rounding the resulting quotient down to the next whole number. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of determining the how many days of dispensing are available in a source of material to be dispensed, the source of material being housed in an internal cavity of a dispenser, the dispenser comprising an assembly for dispensing the material to be dispensed, a controller, operatively coupled to the assembly, for determining the time of operation and frequency and/or intensity of operation of the assembly, wherein the controller includes operational parameters selected from the group consisting of:
- days of the week during which the material will be dispensed, the time during the day at which the dispenser will begin dispensing for the day, the time during the day at which the dispenser will stop dispensing for the day, and the frequency and/or intensity of dispensing;
wherein the method of providing a “
day count”
indicative of the number of days remaining for which there is material to be dispensed comprises the steps of;determining a total score representative of the total amount of material available to be dispensed; and
for the first day that the dispenser is operational;
(a) dividing the total score by the dispensing time per day for a selected set of operational parameters; and
(b) rounding the resulting quotient down to the next whole number;
for each successive day that the dispenser is operational;
(a) subtracting, from the total score, the dispensing time per day from the previous day, so as to compute a new “
total score;
”(b) dividing the new total score by the dispensing time for a successive day for a selected set of operational parameters; and
(c) rounding the resulting quotient down to the next whole number. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
- days of the week during which the material will be dispensed, the time during the day at which the dispenser will begin dispensing for the day, the time during the day at which the dispenser will stop dispensing for the day, and the frequency and/or intensity of dispensing;
Specification