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Apparatus and method for dispensing liquids using a table to determine dispense time

  • US 9,212,042 B2
  • Filed: 06/24/2013
  • Issued: 12/15/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of dispensing a user-specified volume of liquid, the method comprising:

  • providing a dispenser comprising;

    a user interface that receives an input of the user-specified volume of liquid;

    a container, that stores a liquid to be dispensed;

    an electrically actuated pinch valve coupled to the container;

    a computer, operatively coupled to the user interface and the pinch valve;

    a non-transitory memory device coupled to the computer and storing a table;

    a sensor electrically coupled to the computer and mechanically coupled to the container, the sensor generates an output signal to the computer responsive to a weight impressed on the sensor by the container;

    wherein the computer receives the output signal from the sensor and locates an entry in the table using the sensor, the located entry in the table specifying an amount of time that the pinch valve is to be opened in order to dispense a user-requested volume of liquid from the container,determining with the computer an amount of time that the pinch valve is to be opened in order to dispense the user-specified volume of liquid from the container by reading a valve open time from an entry in the table, the table entry being determined from the output signal from the sensor;

    opening the electrically actuated pinch valve for the valve open time to dispense the user-requested volume of liquid through the electrically actuated pinch valve.

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