Spatially reactive water system

• US 8,407,827 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adam Michael Friedman, Tyler Adams
• Original Assignee: Adam Michael Friedman, Tyler Adams
• Inventors: Friedman, Adam Michael, Adams, Tyler
• Primary Examiner(s): BAKER, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US12/498,154
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 462/3, 137/1, 251/129.04
• US Class Current: 4/623
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/186 Separate partition walls, lids, protecting borders, or the like, for sinks

Abstract

A touchless water control system having at least one sensor capable of determining hand movement from point A to point B in a first direction, from point C to point D in a second direction and from point E to point F in a third direction thereby establishing a spatial field spaced away from a faucet through which a user'"'"'s hand can be moved to initiate or terminate water flow, water temperature and water pressure.

Claims

1. A spatially reactive water system comprising:

a) a sink with a water supply conduit having an outlet in fluid communication with a water source, said sink being mounted in a counter with a back splash;

b) a power supply;

c) vertical and horizontal deployed sensors, placed perpendicular to each other adjacent said sink within said backsplash and counter top, respectively, creating a three dimensional zone for detecting a user'"'"'s hand movement within said zone, said vertical sensor for sensing up and down movement of the hand, said horizontal sensor for sensing forward and back movement of the hand, for generating a variable signal in response to the positioning of the user'"'"'s hand within said zone for initiating water flow, controlling intensity of water flow, temperature of water being dispensed, and water shut-off; and

d) a solenoid controlled valve interdisposed between said water outlet and said water source controllable by said sensor signal to move a conduit valve between a fully open state to a fully closed state or any portion therebetween.

2. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of ultrasonic, capacitance, and sonic.

3. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 2, wherein said water control is determined by locational interpretation of user'"'"'s hands relative to said perpendicularly placed sensors.

4. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 3, wherein said perpendicularly placed sensors comprises at least one vertical sensor for the purpose of sensing up and down user hand motion and at least one horizontal sensor for the purpose of sensing forward and backward motion.

5. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 4, wherein said positioning of user'"'"'s hands relating to temperature and pressure are programmable through said locational interpretation.

6. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 1, wherein said sensors utilize wave inferences as a sensing medium.

7. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 5, wherein said sensors are located within said sink counter top and back splash on either side or both sides of a dispensing faucet.

8. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 7, having a left or right sensor set of said sensors on both sides of said dispensing faucet activated by entering the field at that point causing the unused side to become inactive for that use.

9. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 8, wherein movement up and down on a “

Y”

plane controls said sink water pressure.

10. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 9, wherein movement forward and back on a “

Z”

plane controls said water temperature.

11. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 10, wherein movement in one direction on an “

X”

plane enters a command to turn off said faucet.

12. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 11, wherein water pressure is lowered by raising said user'"'"'s hand and water pressure is raised by lowering said user'"'"'s hand.

13. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 1, wherein said sensors are coplanar spaced apart sensors.

14. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 13, wherein movement in one direction causes pressure change and movement in another direction causes mixing of hot and cold water to causes temperature change.

15. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 14, wherein hand taps on a sensor, either single taps or in combination, controls said water pressure and said water temperature.

16. A spatially reactive water system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of visual indicator displays which presents said water pressure and said water temperature visually using graphics, bars, charts or numerically.