Abstract:
A viscous liquid dispenser, comprising a pump mechanism; a supply reservoir; and an extension hose having an adapter end adapted to connect to the pump mechanism and having an uptake end disposed within the supply bottle, to deliver the liquid from the supply reservoir to the intake tube, the supply reservoir otherwise unattached to the pump mechanism. A viscous liquid supply system for delivering liquid to a pump mechanism, comprising a supply reservoir adapted to hold a supply of liquid; and an extension hose having an adapter end adapted to connect to the pump mechanism, the supply reservoir remaining unattached to the pump mechanism while in use, and the extension hose having an uptake end disposed in contact with the supply of liquid. A package for holding a quantity of a viscous liquid, comprising a supply reservoir holding in the supply reservoir a portion of the quantity of liquid; and an extension hose having an adapter end adapted to connect to a pump mechanism remote from the supply reservoir, and having an uptake end disposed in contact with the portion of the quantity of liquid, the extension hose holding a remainder of the quantity of liquid outside the supply reservoir.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     This patent application concerns a method and apparatus for delivery of a liquid soap, detergent, or viscous foodstuff such as ketchup, mustard or syrup, to a dispenser which might be mounted in an inaccessible or inconvenient location. Liquid soap dispensers have become ubiquitous in medical facilities, kitchens, lavatories, and showers because of their sanitary virtues, convenience, and cost effectiveness. Similarly, food dispensers of a similar construction are used in institutional and fast food settings to improve sanitation and ease of access, and to lower labor costs. Generally, the user, by triggering a sensor or applying a force, causes a dose of liquid to be dispensed. The motive force creating the flow might be gravity, a gas pressure differential, a spring, and/or the action of the user on a pump mechanism. There are many designs of liquid dispensers.  
         [0002]     One general category of dispenser uses gas pressure differentials, generated by a remote foot pedal or a gas cartridge, for example, to drive a dose of liquid soap from a container to the dispenser tip. In this design, a volume of gas under a pressure higher than a pressure at the dispenser tip is introduced to the container holding the liquid soap and displaces it into a conduit leading to the dispenser tip.  
         [0003]     Another category is that in which the dispenser pump operates by directly lifting the liquid itself by drawing it from the container through at least one valve to a dispenser tip. Although many liquid soap dispensers of this type are self-contained, disposable, and easily replaced, others are permanently mounted devices which frequently are incorporated as fixtures onto a kitchen or lavatory counter tops, for example. A liquid soap dispenser of this type is placed in a location which might be considered best by its designer on the basis of conformity with kitchen or bath conventions, ease of use by the consumer of the soap, esthetic and design considerations, ease of manufacturing and others. One or more of these considerations must be compromised to satisfy some of the others.  
         [0004]     Another type of liquid dispenser, often used for milk, for example, uses a pinch valve to restrain the fluid, which is stored above, from flowing through a flexible tube to the open end which serves as the dispenser tip. In this arrangement, gravity is the motive force for the flow, and the valve is released by the user whenever flow is desired. The liquid is typically contained in a collapsible container including a flexible tube whose lumen is continuous with said container and is hermetically sealed according to food service standards. When the contents of the dispenser are ready to use, the sealed tip of the tube is removed, opening an access to the lumen.  
         [0005]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , one type of dispenser under consideration, conventionally used for soap, is activated by the hand pressure. The typical mechanism  100  consists of a reservoir  101  of liquid, an elastic element  102 , and two valves  103 ,  104  with necessary conduits. The force F applied by the user pressurizes the reservoir and causes the following events to occur: the inflow valve  104  closes; the outflow valve  103  opens; a dose of liquid is expelled toward the tip  105  of the dispenser; and the elastic element is deformed. When the force F previously applied by the user is released the following occurs: the elastic element  102  rebounds thus depressurizing the reservoir  101 ; the two valves  103 ,  104  reverse their states under the influence of the changed pressure vectors; the liquid, driven by the atmospheric pressure, fills the reservoir  101  from a supply conduit  106  which is fed from a soap container  107 . The structure is sealed hermetically from the tip  108  of the supply conduit  106  to the tip  105  of the dispenser  100 . The liquid container  107  is usually open to the atmosphere to allow for air entry, however, some dispenser containers are closed and collapsible to allow for exertion of pressure by the atmosphere directly from the wall. Ambient atmospheric pressure drives the viscous liquid through the conduits to the reservoir when the reservoir is depressurized. At the end of the cycle the reservoir and the elastic element are both restored to their initial conditions.  
         [0006]     As illustrated, the reservoir  101  can be a cylinder equipped with a movable piston  109 , in the illustration simply a slide-fit tube of smaller diameter than reservoir  101 , driven by pressure applied by the user. The elastic element  102  is a spring which returns the piston  109  to its original position when the user-applied force is discontinued. As the piston  109  is retracted by the spring  102  it allows new soap to refill the reservoir. The valves  103 ,  104  can be simple check valves.  
         [0007]     An alternate pump configuration may include a reservoir which is the lumen of a tube with elastic walls. The elastic walls of the reservoir can be collapsed by a force applied by the user. During the collapse the liquid is expelled toward the dispenser tip. In this case, the inflow valve may simply be an area of this tube which is pinched early in the cycle thus preventing a back-flow during the remainder of the cycle, or any other suitable valve. The outflow valve can be a simple check valve. When the user-applied force is discontinued, the tube returns to its original shape by elastic rebound allowing inflow of new liquid from the supply conduit.  
         [0008]     The conventional dispenser pump mechanisms recharge the reservoir through a short conduit  106  immersed in the liquid held in an attached container  107  as explained above. The container  107  is conventionally a small bottle or ajar fixed to the pump mechanism, for example by screw threads  110 , as shown. As the liquid is dispensed, the container  107  needs to be periodically refilled or replaced. Because of prevailing standards and limited space among the plumbing fixtures under the counter top, whether adjacent a sink or in a food dispensing stations: 
        1. The container  107  is small, often holding less than a pint, making frequent refills necessary;     2. The opening of the container  107  is narrow making for the refilling of its contents with a viscous liquid difficult, if not time consuming and inconvenient; and     3. The location of the container is inconvenient for refilling, being located under the sink, an enclosed cabinet for example.        
 
         [0012]     In some conventional soap pumps, refilling can be done through a narrow opening in the counter top after removal of the pump mechanism. In another common design, the container is retrieved by unscrewing it from its position immediately under the counter and behind the sink and then replaced after filling. In the first case, other structures such as the back splash, the plumbing fixtures, and the counter top itself interfere with convenient refilling from what usually is a large bottle. Pouring the viscous liquid through a narrow orifice adds to the inconvenience of the process and likely tends to limit the usefulness of the dispenser. In the second case, the location behind the sink, in the back, upper corner of the sink cabinet, which is typically filled with supplies and traversed by plumbing pipes, is enough to discourage a user from refilling the dispenser.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0013]     According to an embodiment of one aspect of the invention, a viscous liquid dispenser, comprising a pump mechanism; a supply reservoir; and an extension hose having an adapter end adapted to connect to the pump mechanism and having an uptake end disposed within the supply bottle, to deliver the liquid from the supply reservoir to the intake tube, the supply reservoir otherwise unattached to the pump mechanism.  
         [0014]     According to an embodiment of another aspect of the invention, a viscous liquid supply system for delivering liquid to a pump mechanism, comprising a supply reservoir adapted to hold a supply of liquid; and an extension hose having an adapter end adapted to connect to the pump mechanism, the supply reservoir remaining unattached to the pump mechanism while in use, and the extension hose having an uptake end disposed in contact with the supply of liquid.  
         [0015]     According to an embodiment of yet another aspect of the invention, a package for holding a quantity of a viscous liquid, comprising a supply reservoir holding in the supply reservoir a portion of the quantity of liquid; and an extension hose having an adapter end adapted to connect to a pump mechanism remote from the supply reservoir, and having an uptake end disposed in contact with the portion of the quantity of liquid, the extension hose holding a remainder of the quantity of liquid outside the supply reservoir. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a conventional liquid hand soap pump and supply;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the adapter of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a side view of an alternative adapter;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a side view of another alternative adapter;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a container and cap useful in connection with aspects of invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a detail of the container and cap of  FIG. 6  as used to prime the system;  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a detail of the container and cap of  FIG. 6  with a sealing washer in place for shipping, storage, etc.;  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a schematic cross-sectional view of an alternate pump mechanism suitable for use in connection with embodiments of some aspects of the invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 10  is a schematic cross-sectional view of yet another alternate pump mechanism suitable for use in connection with embodiments of some aspects of the invention; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 11  is a schematic cross-sectional view of yet another alternate pump mechanism suitable for use in connection with embodiments of some aspects of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0028]     This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “compromising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.  
         [0029]     An embodiment of the invention is now described in connection with  FIG. 2 .  
         [0030]     An exemplary apparatus  200  includes a length of flexible conduit  201 , such as a plastic tube, which would allow the dispenser pump  100  to draw liquid  202  from a supply container  203  situated in a more convenient location, remote from the dispenser pump  100 . The supply container  203  may be located in a position unattached to the dispenser pump  100  or its housing. That is, supply container  203  may be out of direct contact with the dispenser pump  100  nor in a specifically limited geometric configuration.  
         [0031]     One end of the tube  204  is attached to the dispenser pump  100  establishing a hermetic seal, while the other end  205  is immersed in the liquid  202  to be dispensed, which is held in supply container  203 . The end of the tube  204  is attached to the dispenser pump  100 , preferably using a quick disconnect type of connection. An example of such attachment, shown  FIG. 3  is one of a tube  301  having an inside diameter that just fits over the intake element  302  of the dispenser pump and yet holds it firmly enough as to be secure and sealed. As shown in  FIG. 4 , slight flare  401  to this end of the tube  402  aids in the process. This design would be particularly appropriate to after market applications. Tubes of Tygon™ (available from Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp.) or other suitable materials, configured as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  make reliable, quick disconnect connections. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the tube  501  could terminate in a threaded flange  502  corresponding to a threaded receptacle  503  provided in the pump head into which a threaded neck of a conventional small supply bottle would conventionally be screwed. In yet another alternative, not shown, the tube might be permanently attached to the dispenser housing by any suitable structure, during manufacture of the dispenser and packaged for retail ready to be threaded through an opening prepared in the counter top to receive the dispenser itself. The other end of the tube only needs to be small enough to pass through the mouth of the bottle holding the liquid soap. In order to accommodate a variety of sink and cabinet layouts, the tube ( FIG. 2, 201 ;  FIG. 3, 301 ; FIG.,  402 ; and  FIG. 5, 501 ) should preferably be long enough to reach the floor when in use.  
         [0032]     The tube should be flexible enough to be threaded from the dispenser to the soap bottle and yet be able to resist collapse. The tube may be of any suitable material, for example a polymeric material, including those materials that are elastic, elastomeric, semi-rigid, articulated or the like, as required to provide the stated properties. As mentioned above, Tygon is one such material. The maximum length and minimum diameter of the tube depend on the viscosity of the liquid to be transported. The maximum vertical difference between the pump reservoir and the soap level in the liquid soap container is limited by the strength of the rebound of the elastic element of the pump, the strength of the outflow valve of the pump, and the partial pressure of water, or other volatile solvents in the liquid soap. The theoretical considerations relating to vapor pressures of typical soap products suggest differences of less than fifteen feet, which is well beyond the expected applications within a vanity or a kitchen cabinet. In a typical vanity or kitchen cabinet installation, the remotely located soap container could be in a range of from several inches away from the pump to several feet away from the pump. The skilled artisan can readily adapt this computation to other viscous liquids, including oils, food products, such as ketchup, mustard, syrup or the like, etc.  
         [0033]     The valves used in hand pumps of the type for which embodiments described are useful do not seal well enough to raise a column of liquid soap in a tube that is full of air. The leaky valves work well only when immersed in a relatively viscous fluid, such as the liquid soap.  
         [0034]     The following method, described in connection with  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8 , can be used to fill the tube  601  conveying the liquid  602  from the container  603  (e.g., bulk refill bottle) to the dispenser (not shown). The container  603  that holds the liquid  602  may be constructed of material that is easily deformed by hand when squeezed, A. The container  603  may be fitted with a cap  604  which during normal operations of the dispenser, i.e. dispensing of the liquid, allows both the passage of the liquid out of the container  603  and to the tube  601  leading to the dispenser, and the passage of ambient air into the container  603 . The channel  605  through which the air might flow in is constructed in such way that it can be closed off by the operator  606  during the operation of filling of the tube  601 . This channel  605  can, for example, be a simple opening in the cap  604  that can be closed off by finger pressure. With the tube  601  attached to the container  603  in the position in which it will draw the liquid from the container  603 , the operator  606  can close off the air channel  605  and squeeze the bottle, A, generating enough pressure within to flow the liquid  602  contained therein to the other end of the tube  602 . Depending on the construction of the dispenser, its pump, and its method of attachment to the tube  601 , the latter is either already attached to the dispenser and will fill it with the liquid  602  can be attached at that point in time.  
         [0035]     As an example of implementation of this method, the cap  604  has two equal round openings  605 ,  607 , either of which will allow the tube  601  to pass through and yet form a hermetic seal. The tube  601  is pulled far enough through one opening  607  so that when the cap  604  is placed on the container  603  it reaches the bottom. The cap  604  with the two openings  605 ,  607  is fitted with a disposable washer  608  that prior to the unsealing of the container  603  provides its seal. The seal formed when the washer  608  is held in place by the cap  604  allowing the cap  604  to serve during the storage, shipping, and retailing of the liquid to be dispensed, and during its end use by the consumer, thus eliminating the need for separate part. The washer  608  could include one or more flaps or resealable holes to effect the selective seal described above without discarding the washer  608  when the container  603  is in use.  
         [0036]     In some embodiments, the tube  601  can be provided pre-filed with liquid, for example for use in connection with aspects of the embodiment of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0037]     Some further alternative embodiments of aspects of the invention are now described.  
         [0038]     As shown in  FIG. 9 , other styles of pump are useful in connection with aspects of embodiments of the invention. In the illustrated embodiment, a long flexible conduit  901  is pinched between a roller  902  and a substantially stationary surface  903 . Although a flat surface is shown, it need not be flat, provided the mechanism accommodates the contour of the surface  903 . However, the surface  903  should be firm and continuous. Roller  902  is rotatably attached to an end of a pivoting compressor arm  904  which may swing forward, F, push fluid through tube  901 . The arm can later swing back, B, to recover to a starting position. In order to prevent fluid from backing up through tube  901  when the arm  904  swings in direction B, a check valve  905  of any suitable design is provided. Check valve  905  can simply be an expanded portion of tube  901  in which a ball  906  seals tube  901 , with the assistance of spring  907  while arm  904  swings in the recovery direction, B. When arm  904  swings forward, A, ball  906  and spring  907  are displaced by the pressure of fluid passing through tube  901 . Fluid may be drawn from a container  908  disposed some distance away from a discharge end  909  of tube  901 .  
         [0039]     In order to accommodate a flat stationary surface  903  or a surface  903  of another arbitrary contour, roller  902  may be forced against tube  901  by a spring  910 . Arm  904  should therefore be slidably elongatable as it moves through its arc. Any other suitable means for keeping roller  902  in contact with tube  901  and stationary surface  903 , with sufficient pressure to fully pinch off tube  901  may be used.  
         [0040]     In this embodiment, tube  901  and container  908  may be constructed from one or more pieces joined to comprise a single, integrated unit, sealed from the interior of container  908  to the discharge end  909  of tube  901 . The discharge end  909  of the tank  901  may be initially sealed, and may be unsealed upon installation by removal of the sealed discharge end  909  of tube  901 , thus opening the lumen to the outside world. This sealed construction is particularly advantageous for fluids which may be foodstuffs or other products for which high levels of sanitation or sterility are preferable. The container  908  and tube  901 , thus formed as a single, integral unit may be sold, as such and installed in the pump by the end user, by simply slipping tube  901  between roller  902  and the stationary surface  903 . Guiding features, channels and the like may be provided in practical embodiments, to assist in the process of inserting tube  901  between roller  902  and stationary surface  903 . Filling the tube  901 may be accomplished by compression of the container  908 . In alternative arrangements, the tube  901  and container  908  can be separate parts, such as in the case of fluids supplied for intravenous administration. The tube and bag would be joined using a conventional needle and septum or other suitable means.  
         [0041]     In another alternative embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 10 , a simple, unobstructed tube  1001  is pinched between rollers  1002 ,  1003  and  1004 , and concave stationary surface  1005 . Rollers  1002 ,  1003  and  1004  are supported at the ends of compressor arms  1006 ,  1007  and  1008  rotating the structure including arms,  1006 ,  1007  and  1008  in direction C, for example by means of a crank (not shown), pumps fluid from container  1009  toward discharge end  1010  of tube  1001 . As in the structure illustrated in  FIG. 9 , container  1009  can be made of one or more pieces, joined to be integral with and sealed to tube  1001 . In order to accommodate variations in the shape of concave surface  1005 , springs  1011 ,  1012  and  1013  may be provided to force rollers  1002 ,  1003  and  1004  against tube  1001 . Concave stationary surface  1005  may be cylindrical, or may be of any other convenient contour that can be accommodated by the arms  1006 ,  1007  and  1008 .  
         [0042]     Yet another alternative embodiment, this being a variation on that shown in  FIG. 9 , is shown in  FIG. 11 . In this embodiment, a tube  1101  is threaded between a stationary surface  1102  and a pinch roller  1103 . Pinch roller  1103  moves along tube  1101  in such a manner as to push fluid along the tube  1101  in one direction. Arm  1104  carries pinch roller  1103 . Arm  1104  pivotably connects pinch roller  1103  to lever  1105  through hinge  1106 . Lever  1105  pivotably connects to stationary surface  1102  through hinge  1107 . Spring  1108  returns the arm  1104  to a starting position when lever  1105  is raised R, using handle  1109 , and helps force pinch roller  1103  against tube  1101  when lever  1105  is lowered L, towards tube  1101 . When a quantity of fluid is desired to be pumped through the tube  1101 , lever  1105  is lowered in direction L, forcing arm  1104  and pinch roller  1103  towards surface  1102  and pinching off tube  1101  at the point of contact with pinch roller  1103 . As lever  1105  continues motion in direction L, pinch roller  1103  moves the point of contact along tube  1101 , forcing fluid in the pinched off section to move correspondingly along tube  1101 .  
         [0043]     In the preceding three exemplary embodiments, particularly if container ( FIG. 9, 908 ;  FIG. 10, 1009 ;  FIG. 11 , not shown) is sealed to or integral with tube ( FIG. 9, 901 ;  FIG. 10, 1001 ;  FIG. 11, 1101 ), then the container ( FIG. 9, 908 ;  FIG. 10, 1009 ;  FIG. 11 , not shown) may be a flexible bag, such as an intravenous fluid bag or commercial milk dispenser bag, or the like. By using such containers, the choice of location for placement of the container is more flexible. The may be placed above or below the level of the dispenser tip because flow is not gravity induced, but rather results from the action of the pump mechanism. Such containers can be hung from suitably placed hooks or can be laid flat on a shelf, floor or other flat surface, without fear of siphoning because the pump mechanisms described fully seal the tube ( FIG. 9, 901 ;  FIG. 10, 1001 ;  FIG. 11, 1101 ). The embodiments of  FIGS. 9, 10  and  11  are further advantageous because the fluid moved by the pump never touches the pump mechanism, always being contained within the lumen of the tube. In any of these embodiments back flow may optionally be prevented by any suitable check valve, for example integrated into the tube, such as a ball valve, a double-reed valve, or a leaflet valve. The geometry and action of the arms can also prevent back flow, such as in the embodiment of  FIG. 10 .  
         [0044]     A prototype application in a typical kitchen environment with the following characteristics has been performing well for over one year dispensing several gallons of soap: 
        1. The tube is composed of Tygon™ tubing with approximate wall thickness of one sixteenth of an inch and inside diameter of approximately three sixteenths of an inch:     2. The length of the tube is approximately four feet;     3. The vertical difference between the dispenser and the liquid level is approximately two feet;     4. Consumer grade, commercially available liquid soaps (for example, Softsoap™, available from Colgate-Palmolive Co.) have been used; and     5. A residential grade liquid soap dispenser supplied with a conventional kitchen faucet set (available from Delta Faucet Co.) has been used.        
 
         [0050]     Embodiments of aspects of the invention employing long supply tubes provide for greater choice with regard to the most convenient placement of the liquid soap container. As opposed to the typical under-the counter, back-upper-corner location among the plumbing pipes behind the sink, the container can be kept near the front of the kitchen cabinet where it can be readily monitored and serviced.  
         [0051]     Embodiments of aspects of the invention can also permit decreasing the frequency of refilling by facilitating the use of large container for example a one gallon standard refill bottle as compared to a standard one pint container, an eight-fold decrease in frequency of servicing the dispenser. Embodiments of aspects of the invention also reduce or eliminate the need for transferring a viscous liquid from a refill bottle to a smaller container that is a part of the fixture. A disposable refill bottle can itself be used as the container from which the soap is drawn.  
         [0052]     Furthermore, some embodiments of the invention can completely eliminate the need for immediate proximity of the container holding the liquid to the dispenser pump. That in turn removes constraints on the design of the container holding the liquid soap. In fact the need for the small specialized container usually supplied with these fixtures is totally eliminated by embodiments of the invention. The manufacturer need only substitute a length of flexible tubing for the specialized bottle which is otherwise needed, resulting in net cost savings.  
         [0053]     Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by the way of example only.