Basin and hand drying system

• US 9,758,953 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bradley Fixtures Corporation (Bradley Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bradley Fixtures Corporation (Bradley Corporation)
• Inventors: Bayley, Graeme S., Figurski, Mark A., Kreitzer, Kenneth A., Renner, Jason M., Dommisse, Jon A., McCallum, Terry Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Loeppke, Janie
• Application Number:
  US14/386,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20150052678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/48 Drying by means of hot air hair-drying devices A45D20/00; curative hot-air baths A61H33/06; electric heating elements H05B
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2210/00 Combinations of water taps, soap dispensers and hand dryers
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 5/12 for liquid or pasty soap
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/14 Plasma, i.e. ionised gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/232 layered or coated
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/14 Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/111 Sensor means, e.g. motion, brightness, scent, contaminant sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/14 Filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/16 using physical phenomena
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/181 Anti-splash devices in sinks, e.g. splash guards jet regulators E03C1/08

Abstract

A basin and hand drying system includes a hand dryer attached to a basin. The hand dryer includes a top air plenum and a bottom air plenum. The air plenums include a plurality of air outlets that direct pressurized air from a blower motor for hand drying. A soap dispenser and faucet mount on the basin for dispensing liquefied soap and water for hand washing.

Claims

1. A lavatory system comprising:

a basin including a water collecting area and a back splash;

the back splash integrated with a soap dispenser and a faucet;

a hand dryer integrated with the back splash and the water collecting area of the basin, the hand dryer having;

a first plenum connected to the backs plash; and

a second plenum connected to the water collecting area of the basin; and

proximity sensors integrated with the soap dispenser, hand dryer, and faucet configured to activate the soap dispenser, hand dryer, and faucet, respectively, when an object is sensed with a triangulation algorithm for detecting an object or user'"'"'s hand proximate to the soap dispenser, hand dryer, and faucet.

2. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising a LED display configured to display active information.

3. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising a first drain in the basin beneath the faucet and a second drain in the basin beneath the second plenum of the hand dryer.

4. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising an electric blower motor with a service life of 0.5 million to 1 million cycles over its service life.

5. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising a brushless blower motor configured to supply a pressurized air to the first and second plenums.

6. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising a blower motor configured to provide 68,000 activations per year, each activation enduring 15 to 30 seconds.

7. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising,

a hand dryer microcontroller configured to control a plurality of LED lights and an electric blower motor for supplying air to the first and second plenums;

and

a plurality of proximity sensors connected to the first plenum for supplying input to the hand dryer microcontroller.

8. The lavatory system of claim 7, further comprising,

a moisture sensor in communication with the hand dryer microcontroller for detecting a moisture content of a person'"'"'s hands in proximity to the hand dryer;

and

a run time for the electric blower motor determined by the hand dryer microcontroller based on the moisture content.

9. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising,

a flood relief portion in fluid communication with the basin and configured to prevent water in the basin from contacting the electric blower motor.

10. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising one of an ultraviolet light configured to disinfect an area in the basin and an ionization source configured to disinfect an area in the basin.

11. The lavatory system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of nozzles within the first and second plenums, the plurality of nozzles being oriented with a plurality of angles and configured to prevent a water splashing onto a user.

12. A lavatory system comprising:

a basin having an integrated water collecting area and a backsplash;

the back-splash configured with a soap dispenser and a faucet;

a hand dryer integrated with the backsplash and the integrated water collecting area of the basin;

a first plenum connected to the backsplash;

a second plenum connected to the integrated water collecting area of the basin; and

a microcontroller programmed to control the hand dryer, soap dispenser, and faucet with a triangulation algorithm using a plurality of inputs from a plurality of proximity sensors configured to sense a person'"'"'s hands proximate to the hand dryer, soap dispenser, and faucet.

13. The lavatory system of claim 12, further comprising a moisture sensor in communication with the microcontroller for detecting a moisture content of a person'"'"'s hands in proximity to the hand dryer;

and

a run time determined by the microcontroller for the electric blower motor based on the moisture content.

14. The lavatory system of claim 12, further comprising a display screen attached to the lavatory system for displaying one of an active text based information and an active graphical information.

15. The lavatory system of claim 14, wherein the display screen is configured to display one of advertising and a time usage of the lavatory system.

16. The lavatory system of claim 12, further comprising a removable end cap on each side of the back splash, wherein the end cap may be removed for attaching a second lavatory system.

17. The lavatory system of claim 12, wherein the proximity sensors include at least one camera and the microcontroller is programmed with image processing to determine if a person'"'"'s hands are proximate to the hand dryer.

18. The lavatory system of claim 12, further comprising an active noise cancellation system configured to cancel an acoustic noise produced by the lavatory system.

19. The lavatory system of claim 12 further comprising:

a first plurality of nozzles within the first plenum, the plurality of nozzle oriented at a first angle;

a second plurality of nozzle within the second plenum, the second plurality of nozzles oriented at a second angle;

wherein the first plurality of nozzles is located closer to the user than the second plurality of nozzles; and

wherein the second plurality of nozzles is located closer to the backsplash than the first plurality of nozzles.

20. A lavatory system comprising:

a basin including a water collecting area and a backsplash;

a hand dryer including a first plenum extending from the backsplash and a second plenum integrated with the water collecting area of the basin forming a drying cavity configured to receive a person'"'"'s hands;

a faucet extending from the back splash;

a soap dispenser extending from the back splash;

a drain in the basin configured to receive a water from the faucet, a soap from the soap dispenser, and a liquid removed from the person'"'"'s hands by the hand dryer;

a microcontroller programmed to control the lavatory system with a triangulation algorithm using a plurality of inputs from a plurality of proximity sensors, wherein the microcontroller delays an activation of the hand dryer when a person'"'"'s hands are sensed by the proximity sensors for a set period of time;

a lavatory system cover beneath the basin configured to enclose a plumbing and a blower motor; and

a pair of end caps removably attached to a first and second side of the lavatory system configured to conceal attachments for additional lavatory systems.