Dispensing devices and methods

ES 2 383 068 T3

DESCRIPTION

Dispensing devices and methods.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to dispensers. In particular, the invention relates to automatic dispensers that supply or dispense soap or other cleaning or antibacterial substance after recognizing the user's hand or other part of the body located in the dispensing or dispensing zone. Additional embodiments deal with automatic soap dispensers or automatic soap foam dispensers. Such dispensers have an internal working system that allows soap or foam to be dispensed or dispensed or delivered from an inverted bottle.

BACKGROUND

Traditional soap dispensers have a number of drawbacks. They generally rest on a countertop or other surfaces near a faucet and can topple over or take up valuable space. Furthermore, it typically requires the user to press or pull on a dispenser area in order to activate the dispensing or dispensing function, such contact being capable of spreading germs and generally being unsanitary. For example, in public restrooms, users might not want to touch or pull a lever that others have repeatedly touched. In the healthcare field, such contact can be even more worrisome and unsanitary, leading to health problems and contamination.

One solution to the problem of space has been to mount the dispensers on or near the washing areas in order to save space. Dispensers designed for use in public places (as opposed to domestic use) must provide a soap container housing that can be closed, and in some circumstances, secured for sanitary reasons, but at the same time easily accessible for a caregiver. You can change the soap container when necessary.

One solution to the hygienic problem of contact that occurs by users pushing or pulling parts of the dispenser in order to dispense or deliver soap has been to design dispensers that automatically deliver or dispense a desired amount of soap, that is, dispensers that operate without contact. This prevents the user from coming into contact with any part of the dispenser, and is particularly beneficial in a hospital or other healthcare setting, where the transmission of germs and bacteria is of particular concern. However, current designs of these dispensers also present some challenges and problems.

For example, some automatic dispensers do not provide a constant and precise amount of soap in each dispensing or dispensing cycle. Some health regulations (for example, in various hospital jurisdictions) require that a certain amount of soap be dispensed or supplied with each use. Additionally, some soap manufacturers recommend a specific required amount of soap for each use, for example, as defined on a product label or on a label on the package. It is therefore desirable to have a reliable, consistent soap dispenser design that automatically dispenses or delivers a preset quantity of soap per use.

In other circumstances, the dispensers are often designed to dispense or deliver a foaming soap. Foamy soaps tend to be easier to spread than non-foaming liquids and may be less expensive due to spillage as foam has a higher surface tension than non-foaming liquid. Foam soap also requires less liquid to create the same or comparable cleaning ability as liquid soap. Additionally, the use of foam can help save space by using a later foam gel soap or a liquid that is stored in gel or liquid form, but becomes foam when it leaves the reservoir. For example, foaming soap can be kept in a pressurized container. In such pressurized systems, the pressure changes as the amount of soap in the reservoir is reduced. This pressure change directly affects the amount of soap dispensed or delivered during one use. Such a dispenser may not always deliver a constant amount of soap without specialized systems designed to detect and monitor the amount of soap that is dispensed with each use.

Additionally, many commercial soap dispensers are sold to be used with specially configured bottles that are uniquely designed to fit such a specific soap dispenser from the same company. This can be expensive for the consumer who wants to refill the soap dispenser because they must purchase the soap bottles from the particular manufacturer whose dispenser is installed at this location. This may also limit choice, because the consumer may want to buy a different brand or a different type of soap (eg at a different price), but may be prevented from doing so without replacing or adjusting the already installed dispenser.

However, there are often space regulation requirements associated with wall mounted dispensers. Dispensers are often limited to extend a certain distance from the wall. This can present challenges to dispenser design due to the machinery that is often required in order to make a soap dispenser work automatically and / or to get the dispenser to transform gel or gel.

ES 2 383 068 T3 liquid soap in a foam. Therefore, the dispenser often need not be designed to be used with specially shaped bottles so that the bottles will fit properly with the internal machinery of the dispenser. For example, a challenge presented to current inventors was to design a dispenser that can house an appropriate motor and foam pump, but will not be separated by a certain distance from the wall on which the dispenser will be mounted due to sanitary regulations. . Therefore, instead of designing a dispenser to be used with a specially shaped bottle (for example, one that has an offset opening positioned at one end of the bottle so that machinery can adjust behind the bottle at the end of the bottle). bottom of the dispenser), they concentrated on designing a dispenser to be used with a pre-existing bottle (for example, one that has its opening positioned in line with the central axis of the bottle).

Additionally, if a customer wishes to switch from liquid soap or foam soap or vice versa, they must purchase a number of new dispensers, which causes excessive cost in inconvenience. A benefit of the designs described here is that they can be used with or without foam pumps, with minimal specifications, so that a foam soap, a liquid soap, a gel, a hand sanitizer can be dispensed or delivered from the dispenser. antibacterial, or any other appropriate substance.

Document WO02 / 094073, on which the pre-characterization part of claim 1 is based, describes a dispenser, comprising: an outer shell formed of a front cover and a back plate, defining therebetween a space to contain a bottle, the back plate having a top portion which, in use, is remote from a dispensing or dispensing end of a bottle dispenser mounted in the space containing the bottle and a bottom that, in use, is close to the dispensing or supply end of the dispensing bottle; and an actuator movably mounted within the housing to activate a pump of a dispensing bottle which, in use, is mounted in the container space of the bottle, the actuator having a function that operates as a motor in the part top and a function that operates as a pump in the lower part, the function that operates as a pump engages, during use, with the dispenser pump.

It is therefore desirable to provide an automatic soap dispenser that can be used with existing soap bottles.

It is also desirable to provide a dispenser that can be easily opened and closed to replace the soap container housed within the dispenser.

It is further desirable to provide a dispenser configured to be mounted in a desired position.

It is also desirable to provide a dispenser configured to dispense or deliver a predetermined quantity of soap during each dispensing or dispensing step. In some circumstances, the dispenser may be designed to dispense or deliver liquid soap, foam soap, or other antibacterial solution, such as hand sanitizer.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a dispenser according to claim 1.

The present invention further provides a method for automatically dispensing or delivering a substance onto the user's hands, comprising: (a) providing a dispenser in accordance with the invention wherein the dispenser further comprises a sensor configured to detect the user's hands under the dispenser;

(b) providing a bottle containing the substance to be dispensed or delivered, with an optional foam pump attached thereto; (c) invert the bottle; and (d) placing the bottle in the dispenser, such that when the user's hands are positioned under the dispenser, the sensor detects the presence of the user's hands and causes the dispenser to automatically dispense or deliver the substance thereon.

In order for the invention to be well understood, some embodiments thereof, provided by way of example, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the soap dispenser in a hinged open position having a soap bottle or foam pump inserted therein;

Figure 2 is a side perspective view of a front cover according to one embodiment of the dispenser;

Figure 3 is a front plan view of the front cover of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side plan view of the front cover of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a side perspective view of the back plate according to one embodiment of the dispenser;

Figure 6 is a front plan view of the back plate of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side plan view of the back plate of Figure 5;

Figure 8 shows a rear perspective view of the soap dispenser of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a front plan view of an actuator in accordance with one embodiment of the dispenser;

Figure 10 is a side plan view of the actuator of Figure 9;

ES 2 383 068 T3 Figure 11 is a side perspective view of the actuator of Figure 9;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a crank in accordance with one embodiment of the dispenser;

Figure 13 is a side plan view of the crank of Figure 12;

Figure 14 shows an example of a soap bottle having a foam cup attached for use in connection with various embodiments of the dispenser;

Figure 15 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of a foam pump that can be used in connection with various embodiments of the dispenser; and Figure 16 shows a view of the foam pump assembly of Figure 15.

Embodiments of the present invention provide dispensing devices and methods, and more specifically provide automatic dispensers. The dispensers are particularly suitable for dispensing or delivering an antiseptic and / or antimicrobial skin cleanser onto the user's hands. The dispensed or supplied product may be a liquid soap, a foam soap, or a hand sterilizer (such as the type used to disinfect hands without using soap or water). The embodiments of this invention are particularly suitable for supplying or dispensing soap in the form of a foam to the user's hands, and of this type are the additional embodiments described herein. It should be understood, however, that the different dispensers described can also be used to dispense or deliver any appropriate product (such as shampoo and / or conditioner, body wash, dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent, or any other gel, liquid or foam product that you want to dispense or deliver automatically) with small or minimal alterations to accommodate the specific product desired. For convenience, the dispenser may be referred to as a "soap dispenser" and the dispensed or supplied product will be referred to as "foaming soap" in the remainder of this application, but such references are not intended to be limitations on features in any way. described structural.

As shown in Figure 1, dispensers 10 according to various embodiments of the invention may have a hinged connection between a front cover 12 and a back plate 30. The soap bottle 100 having one or more dispensing accessories 90 can be inverted and placed within a container space of bottle 42 of dispenser 10.

As shown in Figures 2-4, a front cover 12 of soap dispenser 10 is designed to be coupled or otherwise secured to backplate 30 in order to house a soap bottle. One of the advantages of the present design is that it includes a front cover 12 to cover the soap bottle within this dispenser, providing a cleaner view of the dispenser 10 (as opposed to only using a rear mount and inserting the soap bottle directly onto it), as well as a front surface that is easier to slide down and clean.

The front cover 12 and the back plate 30 can be joined by a hinge, nested one in the other, slide one over the other thanks to a system of tongue and track, joined magnetically, or joined by any other appropriate mechanism. In a particular embodiment, the front cover 12 and the back plate 30 are hingedly connected through hinge connectors. An example of such a hinge connection is illustrated by the hinge connector 18 in Figures 3 and 4. The hinge connector 18 can receive a corresponding hinge connector made on the back plate 30, so that the front cover 12 can rotate. downward and open so that a soap bottle can be positioned against the backplate 30 as described below. The front cover 12 can then be rotated upward again to close the dispenser 10. Although the hinge connector 18 is shown as positioned at the lower end of the dispenser 10, it should be understood that the hinge embodiment may be located in the upper end of dispenser 10, on the side of the dispenser, or elsewhere on the dispenser, as desired.

Front cover 12 is also shown as having a transparent window 14, which is configured to allow the user to view one or more internal features of the soap dispenser. One use of the transparent window 14 may be to allow the user to see an LED or other indicator within the dispenser 10 so that the user will know that the dispenser 10 is properly powered. Although only a single transparent window 14 is shown, it should be understood that any number of transparent windows may be provided. For example, a transparent window may be provided along the side of the front cover 12 (or elsewhere) in order to allow the user to see how much soap is left in a transparent soap bottle or for any other purpose. suitable.

The front cover 12 is also shown having a recessed area 16. The recessed area 16 is configured primarily to receive a label from the soap bottle so that the dispenser 10 clearly indicates its contents. This is beneficial for the user to be aware of the brand of soap housed within the dispenser 10, and is also a health and safety requirement in some jurisdictions. An example of a front cover 12 having a label affixed thereto is shown in Figure 8.

The front cover 12 may also have a locking connector 20. The locking connector 20 allows the front cover 12 to securely close against a corresponding locking connection on the back plate 30. Although the locking connector 20 is shown as located at the upper end of the dispenser 10, it should be understood

ES 2 383 068 T3 that the closure connector embodiment may be located at the lower end of the dispenser 10, on the side of the dispenser, elsewhere along the dispenser, as desired. In general, it should be positioned opposite the hinge connector 18, if a hinge-shaped connection is used between the front cover 12 and the back plate 30.

Figures 5-7 show various views of one embodiment of the backplate 30. The backplate 30 generally has an upper part 32 and a lower part 34. In the upper position 32 is the motor housing compartment 36. This compartment 36 it is configured to house a motor in use. At the bottom 34 is the bottle holder 38. The bottle holder 38 is configured to provide a surface against which a bottle can be placed and rest for use in the dispenser 10. As shown in Figure 5, the soap bottle holder 38 can be two tabs. 39 protruding from the rear of the back plate 30, joined by a curved seat 40.

An open area 41 between the tabs 39 allows easy loading of the soap bottle 100 mounted on a foam pump 90 (eg, as shown in Figure 14). The foam pump / soap bottle can be loaded onto the holder 38 by simply inserting the soap bottle / foam pump straight and inverted over the open area 41 and allowing it to rest against the curved seat 40. The receiving end of the foam pump of the bottle can be positioned so that it faces downward and the mouth area 104 of the soap bottle can rest directly against the tabs 39 and be supported by the curved seat 40. Such The open soap bottle holder configuration 38 allows soap bottles of various sizes to be used with the dispenser 10. Although not shown, it is possible that the soap bottle holder 38 is provided as a complete circular holder (without an open area) into which a soap bottle and an attached foam pump can be inserted from above.

Prior to insertion of the soap bottle, however, when the front cover 12 and the back plate 30 are in the closed position, they provide a container space for the open soap bottle 42 between them. The space 42 is formed in part by an open space behind the front cover 12 and by an open space in the back plate 30. Along the central area of ​​the backplate 30, a further central open space 54 is defined, which is configured to receive and house an actuator 60, which is described below.

Along the central open space 54 are provided accommodation areas 44. Although the accommodation areas 44 are shown along both sides of the backplate 30, it should be understood that only one area 44 could be provided. Housing 44 are designed primarily to house batteries or other power components, but it should be noted that areas 44 could be used to house components other than batteries.

One or more power indicators 46 may be provided on backplate 30. Power indicators 46 are designed to alert the user that dispenser 10 is currently on, for example, for notification and / or fault identification functions. . The power indicators 46 may be LED lights or other appropriate indicators.

There is a sensor 48 located near the bottom 34 of the back plate 30. The sensor 48 is configured to detect the user's hand or other part of the body below the soap dispenser and to activate the soap dispensing or delivery sequence. described later. Sensor 48 can be any suitable type of sensor. In a specific embodiment, the sensor is an infrared sensor that detects the presence of a target, such as the user's hands.

If the front cover 12 and the back plate 30 are provided with a hinged connection, the back plate 30 is provided with a hinge connector 50 which corresponds to a hinge connector 18 on the front cover 12. In the In the embodiment shown, the backplate hinge connector 50 is a tab 51 protruding from an arm extending from the bottom 34 of the backplate 30. The hinge connector 18 of the front cover 12 has an opening to receive the tab 19. It should be understood that the tab 51 and the opening to receive the tab 19 can be interchanged and that other hinge connections are possible within of the object of this invention.

the top 32 of the backplate 30 has a locking connector 52. In the embodiment shown, the locking connector of the backplate 52 is an opening that is configured to receive the corresponding locking connector 20 of the front cover 12, which is shaped like a reed. It should be understood that the opening and the tab can be interchanged, and that other locking mechanisms are possible within the scope of this invention to ensure a secure attachment of the front cover to the back plate.

As shown in the backplate view of Figure 8, the back cover 30 may also have one or more mounting hardware for wall 58. Mounting hardware for wall 58 is provided to enable the dispenser to be fixed in position to a wall or other surface, preferably near a faucet and sink system. Although the dispenser 10 is designed primarily to dispense or deliver a foaming hand soap, the dispenser 10 can also be used to dispense or deliver a foam.

ES 2 383 068 T3 antibacterial or other cleaning substance to the user's hands, and can thus be placed in any appropriate place.

Figures 9-11 show various views of one embodiment of an actuator 60. Actuator 60 is provided as a connection between a motor located on top 32 of backplate 30 (in motor housing compartment 36) and the dispensing or dispensing mechanism for the soap bottle, which in most cases will be a 90 foam pump. The actuator 60 is designed so that the motor can be located on top of the dispenser 10, even though the foam soap or other substance to be dispensed or dispensed exits the dispenser 10 at the bottom. An advantage of providing a dispenser with such an actuator 60 is that it allows the prime mover system to be located at the top of the dispenser, rather than at the bottom. The problems associated with positioning the motor system at the bottom of the dispenser (so that it can directly activate the foam pump) is that it requires either that the soap bottle designed to be used with the dispenser be specially designed so that fits properly inside the dispenser or requires the dispenser to protrude too far from the wall, causing discomfort and possibly a violation of sanitation regulations. However, providing the actuator 60 as a connection between the motor system and the foam pump (or other dispensing or delivery feature) solves both problems.

As shown in Figure 9, actuator 60 has an upper portion 62 and a lower portion 64. Upper portion 62 has a motor 66 cooperating device that allows actuator 60 to engage or otherwise cooperate with a moving part of the engine. Bottom 64 has a pump cooperating device 68 that allows actuator 60 to engage or otherwise cooperate with a foam pump attached to a soap bottle. The motor can be a battery powered electric motor, or it can be powered from a socket, or powered from any other appropriate source. When the motor moves, it causes the actuator 60 to move correspondingly thanks to the interaction between the motor and the motor cooperation device 66. When the actuator 60 moves, it activates the foam pump thanks to the interaction between the cooperation device of the pump 68 and the foam pump. Actuator 60 can be a solid piece of molded plastic (as shown), which can help give the system structural rigidity. Alternatively, it may simply comprise a ladder-type device, having sides with bars extending between the sides or cross members located between the sides following an x-arrangement. An additional option is to provide an actuator with a fully open area between two side bars.

In the specific embodiment shown, the motor cooperation device 66 is an open area 61 in the upper part 62. This open area 61 is adapted to receive and cooperate with the crank 80 (shown in Figures 12 and 13). As the motor rotates, it causes the crank 80 to rotate, pushing the actuator 60 up and then allowing it to go down.

A specific embodiment of the crank 80 is shown in Figures 12 and 13. A connection zone 82 on the crank 80 connects to the motor and rotates about the central axis of the motor. An actuation connector 84 on the crank 80 cooperates with the motor-cooperating device 66 of the actuator 60. In the specific embodiment shown, the connector 84 fits into the open area 61 of the actuator. The action of the motor causes the connector 84 to apply upward pressure on the actuator 60, causing the actuator 60 in turn to move upward. As the actuator 60 moves upward, it applies upward pressure on the soap bottle / foam pump to dispense or dispense, as will be described later.

The embodiments of the dispensers 10 described herein are particularly useful with pre-existing soap bottles. For example, as shown in Figure 14, a soap bottle 100 that has its opening aligned with a central axis 101 of the bottle (as most pre-existing bottles are designed) can be used, without making the dispenser move far away from the wall. This is primarily because the motor is located at the top of the dispenser rather than the bottom, as is the case with typical designs. (With previous designs, the soap bottle opening should be spaced forward so that the bottle opening can be positioned slightly forward to allow space for machinery to be positioned behind the bottle mounting area. 104). However, the new actuator design described here allows the use of pre-existing soap bottles, such as those with a centrally located opening, allowing the customer more flexibility in choosing which product or brands to use. The soap bottles used in connection with the dispensers described are typically rigid (eg, non-crush) soap bottles.

In a specific embodiment, the soap bottle is shipped with a cap in order to safely contain the soap or other product contained therein. Once ready for use, the cap is removed and a foam pump 90 can be placed over the mouth of the bottle. (If a foam soap is not desired, some other dispensing or delivery devices can be installed at the mouth of the bottle.) The bottle is then inverted and placed in the soap bottle container space 42 of the dispenser, so that the mouth of the bottle faces downward and / or parts of the foam pump 90 rest on or extend through. of the bottle seat 38, as shown in Figure 1.

ES 2 383 068 T3

The foam pump cooperating device 68 of the actuator 60 is configured to receive or otherwise cooperate with a dispensing end 96 of the foam pump 90. When the actuator 60 is pushed up by the motor and crank, the Function 68 presses on dispensing end 96, causing the foam pump to activate. Although any type of foam pump system can be used, a particularly useful foam pump is one manufactured and designed by Rieke Packaging Systems®.

More specifically, examples of useful foam pumps are shown in Figures 15 and 16. Although Figure 15 shows an exploded view of a foam pump, it is shown for the purpose of illustration only. The foam pump dispensed or supplied by Rieke Packaging Systema® is dispensed or supplied as a complete unit. Once ready for use, the foam pump 90 is attached to a bottle filled with soap 100. One method of securing the foam pump to the bottle is by means of the two elements that can be screwed together. They can be adjusted directly or, in circumstances where the bottle thread does not correspond directly to the selected foam pump thread, it is convenient to use an adapter ring 92 having outer threads 91. As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the adapter ring 92 can have two threaded areas, an area that matches the threads of the bottle to be used, and an area 91 that matches the threads of the foam pump. that is going to be used. When the bottle is inverted, as shown in Figure 14, and the foam pump is activated, the liquid soap is drawn from the bottle into the foam mechanism 98 through an integrally molded siphon 94. Liquid soap enters the base of the siphon, and travels through the siphon to the top of the foam mechanism 98. Activation of the foam mechanism 98 forces liquid soap and air through a very fine mesh (not shown) in the foam pump, creating foam, which is expelled through the dispensing end (or nozzle) 96 of the foam pump (that is, through the nozzle) and into the hands of the user.

In order to allow the pressure inside a rigid soap bottle to equalize with the outside conditions, air can pass into the bottle through air openings on the sides of the nozzle 96, allowing the air to be conveyed. again through the openings to the inside of the soap bottle.

As previously discussed, the motor is activated by an infrared sensor that detects the presence of an object (ie, a hand) and a control electronics designed for this application controls the number of rotations of the motor. The number of rotations and the volume of liquid dispensed or delivered to the foam mechanism chamber of the foam pump can be varied to determine the final volume of foam dispensed or delivered at each activation. In a specific embodiment, the dispenser is configured to dispense or deliver three doses of foam (that is, the actuator rises three times in rapid succession) in a period of approximately 1.5 seconds in order to dispense or deliver a specific amount of foam. foam to the hand or hands of the user.