Abstract:
A hand sanitizer dispenser that automatically dispenses a certain amount of hand sanitizer when a motion and proximity sensor detects the presence of a user&#39;s hand. The hand sanitizer dispenser uniquely stores the hand sanitizer in the shaft of the dispenser to strategically use the space within the housing to store a large amount of hand sanitizer while providing a compact and sleek dispenser. The hand sanitizer dispenser is self-contained such that it is portable and can be conveniently placed at any location as the need arises. The hand sanitizer dispenser optionally may include a compact display that displays static or dynamic graphic or information to the user and/or a global positioning system. The display is adjustable to any orientation, tilt or angle to allow the dispenser to fit into all areas and to provide maximum exposure.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a dispenser that dispenses hand sanitizer and a system thereof. In particular, a compact, sleek, and self-contained device that dispenses hand sanitizer, with or without an informational display screen, and a system thereof. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Hand sanitizer is known to be used to disinfect a person&#39;s hands when a person does not have access to soap and water to wash his/her hands. While individuals may carry a bottle of hand sanitizer, a person often forgets or is too lazy to retrieve the bottle from his/her pocket or bag to use the hand sanitizer. To encourage disinfecting a person&#39;s hands to minimize the spread of germs and diseases, many public areas provide hand sanitizer dispensers. Hand sanitizer dispensers are commonly available in hotels, building lobbies, stadiums, theaters, schools, cafeterias, restaurants, retail stores, hospitals, and other public areas etc. 
         [0003]    The most common type of hand sanitizer dispenser is a manually operated pump-type unit that is mounted on a wall. Upon pressing the pump button, a certain amount of hand sanitizer is dispensed. This type of prior art dispenser does not necessarily minimize the spread of germs and diseases because each person using, or trying to use, the dispenser necessarily has to touch the pump button; thereby, allowing the spread of germs and diseases. 
         [0004]    To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art dispenser discussed above, there are other wall mounted prior art dispensers that automatically dispense the hand sanitizer by providing a motion and proximity sensor. When a person&#39;s hand comes within the purview of the motion and proximity sensor, a certain amount of hand sanitizer is automatically dispensed. 
         [0005]    The above prior art dispensers are typically small and mounted to a wall. A major disadvantage of wall mounted dispensers is that a user may overlook the presence of the dispenser or is too lazy to walk out of the way towards a wall to use the hand sanitizer. This defeats the purpose of providing a hand sanitizer dispenser. Further, a wall mounted dispenser cannot be easily re-located to a different location as the needs arise. The small size of the dispenser translates to the limited amount of hand sanitizer storable, which requires more frequent servicing of the dispenser. 
         [0006]    Free standing prior art hand sanitizer dispensers are also available. However, they are bulky and unattractive. See U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0051639, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,691,897, 7,222,747, D604,974, and D563,705. In order to generate advertising revenues, most of these dispensers intentionally include a bulky display section to attract attention. Some of these dispensers resemble a kiosk and cannot be easily moved or, even if movable, it would interfere with foot traffic unless placed out of the way. Others are bulky on top, which could easily tip over or be bumped by someone passing it. Further, the display section of the prior art dispensers is fixed and is not adjustable to different orientations, angles or tilts, making them difficult to fit into all areas and to attain maximum exposure. 
         [0007]    While some of the free standing prior art hand sanitizer dispensers may be moved from one location to another, locating them is a different story. Once a hand sanitizer dispenser is placed at a location, if someone moves it (intentionally or not), locating it can be a problem. 
         [0008]    Therefore, there is a need for an improved hand sanitizer dispenser that is compact, sleek, and self-contained that overcome the disadvantages of the prior art hand sanitizer dispensers. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention provides a dispenser that is compact, sleek, and self-contained for dispensing hand sanitizer, with or without an informational display screen. 
         [0010]    The hand sanitizer dispenser of the present invention automatically dispenses a certain amount of hand sanitizer when the motion and proximity sensor detects the presence of a user&#39;s hand. The hand sanitizer dispenser uniquely stores the hand sanitizer in the shaft of the dispenser to strategically use the space within the housing to store a large amount of hand sanitizer while providing a compact and sleek dispenser. The hand sanitizer dispenser is self-contained such that it is portable and can be conveniently placed at any location as the need arises. The hand sanitizer dispenser optionally may include a compact display that displays static or dynamic graphic or information to the user and a global positioning system (“GPS”). 
         [0011]    The hand sanitizer dispenser of the present invention comprises a housing including a base portion, a shaft portion extending therefrom, and a dispensing portion at the distal end of the shaft portion. The base portion is set on a flat surface, which houses the power source. The hand sanitizer dispenser may be powered by batteries, solar power or via an AC adaptor, which are housed within the base portion. If solar powered, the upper surface of the base portion may include solar panels to absorb solar energy for conversion to electrical energy. The elongated shaft portion provides a space for storing a bottle of hand sanitizer for dispensing via the dispensing portion. The dispensing portion is located at a height conveniently located at a user&#39;s arm&#39;s length and includes a motion and proximity sensor. At the top of the shaft portion, at a level within a user&#39;s peripheral vision, is an optional display portion that includes a display screen such as an LCD/LED display screen. The display screen can show information that is visually static, such as pictures, or dynamic, such as a video. The display portion may include speakers to provide accompanying audio to the display screen. Data to be displayed on the display screen and played on the speakers may be accessible via a USB port on the housing or wirelessly. The footprints of the dispensing portion and the display portion, at their widest, are each smaller than the footprint of the base portion, at its widest, and not more than four times the footprint of the shaft, at its widest, to provide a compact, sleek dispenser. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and are shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is the front perspective view of the hand sanitizer dispenser of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is the rear perspective view of the hand sanitizer dispenser of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is the magnified and cross-sectional views of the upper portion of the access panel. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is the magnified and cross-sectional views of the lower portion of the access panel. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is the top view of the base. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is the front perspective view of a second embodiment of the hand sanitizer dispenser of the present invention with an informational display screen. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is the rear perspective view of the hand sanitizer dispenser of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is the simplified cross-sectional and exploded view of the hand sanitizer dispenser of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram showing a system with a plurality of hand sanitizer dispensers of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    With reference to the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout, there is shown in  FIGS. 1-5  a hand sanitizer dispenser  10  of the present invention. The hand sanitizer dispenser  10  comprises a housing  20  having a base portion  30 , a shaft portion  50  extending therefrom, and a dispensing portion  70  at the distal end of the shaft portion  50 . 
         [0023]    The base portion  30  of housing  20  houses most of the components of the dispenser  10 , including the power source  32  and electrical circuitry  34 . The hand sanitizer dispenser  10  may be powered by batteries  36 , solar power, via an AC adaptor  40  plugged to a wall outlet or a combination of two or more of these sources. The electrical circuitry  34  may include a printed circuit board that controls various electrical functions of the dispenser  10 , a wireless modem, a universal serial bus (“USB”) port (or other types of interface port), a global positioning system (“GPS”), and/or a data storage device (such as flash, RAM, ROM, hard drive, etc.). Preferably the base portion  30  has a disk shape for setting the dispenser  10  on a flat surface, whether on the floor or on a raised surface such as a table. 
         [0024]    For a hand sanitizer dispenser  10  powered by batteries, base portion  30  has a compartment for receiving the batteries  36 . The batteries  36  may be regular or re-chargeable batteries. 
         [0025]    For a hand sanitizer dispenser  10  powered by solar power, one or more solar panels  38  are provided on the upper surface of the base portion  30 . The solar panels  38  absorb solar energy and a converter  39  located in the base portion  30  converts it into electrical energy. 
         [0026]    For a hand sanitizer dispenser  10  powered via an AC adaptor  40  plugged to a wall outlet, the AC adaptor  40  is located in the base portion  30 . The AC adaptor  40  has a retractable cord  42  with a plug  44  for mating with a wall outlet. The retractable cord  42  preferably is coiled around and stored inside the circumference of the base portion  30  (see  FIG. 8 ). The AC adaptor  40  not only can be used to solely power the hand sanitizer dispenser  10 , but it can also be used for charging the re-chargeable batteries  36  or to supplement the solar power when there is not enough solar energy. 
         [0027]    The shaft portion  50  of housing  20  extends vertically from the base portion  30 , preferably but not necessarily, from the center of the base portion  30 . The shaft portion  50  provides a space for storing a bottle of hand sanitizer  54  that takes up substantially the entire length and space therein. Other than the storage of the bottle of hand sanitizer  54 , the space within the shaft portion  50  allows wires  56  to travel from the base portion  30  to the dispensing portion  70  and beyond. 
         [0028]    The shaft portion  50  includes an elongated housing  51  and an access panel  52  that extends substantially the length of the elongated housing  51  so that the bottle of hand sanitizer  54  can be easily accessed and replaced. The upper portion of the access panel  52  has one or more tabs  58  that mate with the upper portion of the elongated housing  51  to provide a smooth, flushed interface between the access panel  52  and the elongated housing  51  (see  FIG. 3 ). When the access panel  52  mates with the elongated housing  51 , the lower portion of the access panel  52  abuts and sits on the upper surface of the base portion  30 . Near the lower portion of the access panel  52  is a locking mechanism  60  that interacts with a raised wall  46  extending from the upper surface of the base portion  30  (see  FIG. 4 ). Locking mechanism  60  has a unique screw head that allows a special electronic key to turn the locking tab  61  to selectively interact with the raised wall  46  to lock or unlock the access panel  52  with respect to the elongated housing  51 . 
         [0029]    An electronic pump unit  62  is attached to the top of the bottle of hand sanitizer  54  and is also housed within the shaft portion  50  of housing  20 . Alternatively, the pump unit  62  may be attached to the bottom of the bottle of sanitizer  54 . The pump unit  62  withdraws a certain amount of hand sanitizer from the bottle of hand sanitizer  54  to be dispensed through the dispensing portion  70  via at least one delivering tube  71 . Power for the pump unit  62  is provided by the power source located in the base portion  30  of the housing  20  via wires  56 . 
         [0030]    The dispensing portion  70  of housing  20  is located at the distal end of the shaft portion  50 , at a height conveniently located at a user&#39;s arm&#39;s length. The dispensing portion  70  includes a dispensing spout  72  and a motion and proximity sensor  74 . Power for the motion and proximity sensor  74  is provided by the power source located in the base portion  30  of the housing  20  via wires  56 . When the motion and proximity sensor  74  detects the presence of a user&#39;s hand within the purview of the sensor  74 , it sends an electronic signal to the pump unit  62  to dispense a certain amount of hand sanitizer to the user via the dispensing spout  72  and delivering tube  71 . The angle (360° rotatable around the vertical axis) and tilt (˜90° pivotable along the horizontal axis) of the dispensing spout  72  may be adjustable as desired by mounting the dispensing spout  72  on a ball and socket joint or similar types of connection known to one skilled in the art. To maintain a compact and sleek dispenser  10 , the footprint of the dispensing portion  70 , at its widest (distance D in  FIG. 8 ), does not extend more than two or two-and-a-half times the footprint of the shaft portion  50 , at its widest (distance S in  FIG. 8 ). The motion and proximity sensor  74 , in the alternative, may be positioned at another location on the housing  20 , such as the shaft portion  50 , the base portion  30  or the display portion  80  (to be described below). 
         [0031]      FIGS. 6-8  show a second embodiment of the hand sanitizer dispenser  100  of the present invention. The hand sanitizer dispenser  100  is the same as the hand sanitizer dispenser  10  of  FIGS. 1-5 , except that it includes a display portion  80 . The display portion  80  is located at the top of the shaft portion  50  at a level within a user&#39;s peripheral vision. The display portion  80  includes a display screen  82 . The display screen  82  can be a LCD display screen, a LED display screen, an Apple Inc.&#39;s iPad device or similar devices. If a LCD/LED display screen is used, the electronic circuitry  34  that controls and stores data for the display screen  82  may be located at the base portion  30  of housing  20 . Power to the display screen  82  is provided by the power source located also in the base portion  30  of housing  20  via wires  56 . To maintain a compact and sleek dispenser  100 , the footprint of the display screen  82 , at its widest (distance X in  FIG. 8 ), does not extend more than four times the footprint of the shaft portion  50 , at its widest (distance S in  FIG. 8 ). Different size display screens  82  can be used. The orientation (portrait versus landscape), angle (360° rotatable around the vertical axis), and tilt (−180° pivotable along the horizontal axis) of the display screen  82  may be adjustable as desired by mounting the display screen  82  or the display portion  80  on a ball and socket joint or similar types of connection known to one skilled in the art to attain maximum exposure. The display screen  82  can also be mounted on a motor to allow it to automatically rotate for even more exposure. The display screen  82  can be turned on at all time, or selectively at certain time. Alternatively, to conserve power, the display screen  82  can be turned on only when the motion and proximity sensor  74  detects the presence of a user sufficiently close enough to view the display screen  82  although not necessarily close enough to receive the hand sanitizer. 
         [0032]    The display screen  82  can show information that is visually static, such as pictures, slide shows, posters or flyers. The display screen  82  can also show information that is visually dynamic, such as a video (2D or 3D). The display portion  80  may include speakers to provide accompanying audio to the content shown on the display screen  82 . The following types of content may be shown on the display screen  82 —advertisements, infomercials, information, interactive information, maps, directories, announcements, notices, games, movies, etc. The data to be displayed on the display screen  82  and audio to be played on the speakers may be continuously or periodically fed and updated via a wireless modem or USB port. The display screen  82  may have its own wireless modem or USB port or the display screen  82  can, via wires  56 , be connected to a wireless modem or USB port located in the base portion  30  of the housing  20 . 
         [0033]    The hand sanitizer dispenser  10  or  100  may optionally include a global positioning system (“GPS”). A GPS chip may be located in any portion of the housing  20  for optimal functionality. The GPS of the present invention includes supplemental positioning system such that it can function at both indoor and outdoor locations. Any known supplemental positioning system, such as cell site triangulation, may be incorporated into the hand sanitizer dispenser  10  or  100 . With the GPS connected to the electrical circuitry  34 , information on the locations of the hand sanitizer dispenser  10  or  100  can be stored and/or transmitted via the wireless modem and/or USB port. 
         [0034]    Location of the hand sanitizer dispenser  10  or  100  is important not only to locate the dispenser itself due to the portability of the dispenser  10  or  100 , but also to provide market information to advertisers and other content providers. For example, a content provider can obtain or confirm its target audience by knowing where each dispenser  10  or  100  displaying its content is located. Such information can be continuously transmitted via a wireless modem or USB port to the content provider or periodically transmitted by first storing such information in the data storage device in the dispenser  10  or  100 .  FIG. 9  illustrates the system using a plurality of hand sanitizer dispensers  100   a  to  100   n , with each transmitting its respective information to a master database and control  110 , via any means known to one skilled in the art, such as via the wireless modem or USB port. Each content provider (1 to n) can have password protected access to the master database and control  110  to obtain information on each hand sanitizer dispenser  100  that displays its content. The master database and control  100  may be a website available to be accessed by the content providers on the internet. The master database and control  110  may be continuously or periodically updated. 
         [0035]    The electrical circuitry  34  of the hand sanitizer dispenser  10  or  100  may also monitor and keep track of the usage of the hand sanitizer dispenser  10  or  100 . Such usage information can similarly be transmitted to the master database and control  110  via the wireless modem or USB port. The master database and control  110  may be a computer or server at a remote location. Such usage information can indicate when the hand sanitizer bottle  54  is in need of refill or replacement, whether the dispenser has malfunctioned, and the frequency of usage. The frequency of usage of the hand sanitizer dispenser  100  has a direct correlation as to the frequency of viewing of the display screen  82  by a user because a user must be closed enough to the dispensing spout  72  to receive the hand sanitizer, and hence, would be closed enough to view the display screen  82 . Combining the usage and location information, the hand sanitizer dispensers  100  can be strategically placed in a high usage area for maximum exposure of information displayed on the display screen  82 . As discussed in connection with  FIG. 9 , a content provider similarly has an interest in receiving information on the frequency of usage of each dispenser  10  or  100 . 
         [0036]    The two main features of the hand sanitizer dispenser  100 , the dispensing portion  70  and the display portion  80 , advantageously complement each other by attracting a user both ways. If a user was first attracted by the display portion  80 , the user then get to use the hand sanitizer. On the other hand, if a user was first attracted by the hand sanitizer from the dispensing portion  70 , the user will also be exposed to the content shown on the display portion  80 . 
         [0037]    Some of the components described above in connection with the hand sanitizer dispenser  100  can be eliminated if an Apple Inc.&#39;s iPad or similar devices is used as the display screen  82  because such devices would have built-in GPS, wireless modem, electrical circuitry, cellular technology, USB or other interface port, etc. 
         [0038]    The features of the invention illustrated and described herein are the preferred embodiments. Therefore, it is understood that the appended claims are intended to cover the variations disclosed and unforeseeable embodiments with insubstantial differences that are within the spirit of the claims.