Abstract:
An automated sprayer for spraying the walls of a shower enclosure with a liquid cleanser dispenses the cleanser using a pump and rotatable spray head. A motor drives the pump and rotates the spray head. The sprayer has a showerhead mountable housing with a hanger. The housing supports a bottle of cleanser in an inverted fashion. Cleanser is delivered from the bottle through a cleanser conduit in the piercing post into a well of the housing. The bottle is vented from the well through an air vent path in the piercing post or from a well vent outlet through the air vent path in the piercing post. An outlet valve in the well permits outflow of cleanser from the well. Various bottle caps and bottle closures are also provided to improve venting and/or limit cleanser leakage from the bottle when the bottle is installed in the housing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    Not applicable.  
         STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not applicable.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    This invention relates to sprayers that are designed to automatically clean enclosures. It appears to be especially well suited for automatically cleaning shower/bathing enclosures of the type typically found in homes.  
           [0004]    The walls and doors of shower/bathing enclosures can become mildewed, coated with soap build up or hard water and mineral deposits, or become otherwise soiled, during typical use. Removing these deposits and stains normally requires one to scrub the walls and doors by hand, which is an undesirable task.  
           [0005]    To assist in this task, cleaning chemicals may be sprayed, squirted, or otherwise applied on the surfaces to be cleaned. After allowing the active ingredients some time to “work”, the walls are then wiped with a cloth, brush, or scrubbing pad, and then rinsed with water.  
           [0006]    In some cases these cleaners are so effective that the amount of scrubbing can be somewhat reduced (particularly if the cleaners are used on a daily basis). See generally, WO 96/22346 and WO 98/02511.  
           [0007]    However, for these “no scrub” cleaners to work well they preferably should be applied immediately after the shower has been used. This requires a consumer to keep a pump spray bottle of the cleanser in or near the shower enclosure (further cluttering the shower area), that the consumer remember to do the spraying (which may be problematic if the consumer has just woken up), and that the consumer be willing to spend the time to spray the enclosure (for example they may be running late in the morning).  
           [0008]    An alternative approach is to provide an automated cleaning system for a shower. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,225 discloses a sprayer and conduit system for a bath and shower enclosure. The unit is associated with the showerhead. Supply water can be diverted to the sprayer for cleaning the enclosure. A container of cleanser is mounted in the shower enclosure for introducing cleanser (through an injector assembly) for spraying cleanser on the walls.  
           [0009]    A drawback with this system is that the user must manually turn on the supply water (if not already on), adjust the diverter, squeeze cleanser into the sprayer and shut off the water after the walls have been washed. There is also some risk that the consumer will be sprayed with the cleanser.  
           [0010]    Other automated enclosure cleaning systems are more elaborate, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,341, which includes multiple pop-out spray nozzles connected by a manifold to a mixing valve where cleaning concentrate is mixed with water. Thus, it is not something that a consumer can easily and inexpensively retrofit to their shower enclosure.  
           [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,485 discloses an automatic cleaning device for a tub and shower having large, powered tub and shower “gliders” that move in tracks around the tub and shower stall, respectively. The gliders are coupled to the water supply, which is mixed with a cleanser. The gliders have spray heads for spraying the cleaning solution on the tub and shower walls. The gliders also have brushes for scrubbing the walls. A user operates the gliders and cleanser mixing by a central controller. Again, this system is not suitable for easy and inexpensive retrofitting.  
           [0012]    It seems particularly desirable to develop a relatively small automated dispenser that can be hung from a showerhead, shower enclosure wall, or the like, yet dispense cleanser without the need for drawing water from the building supply. It would also be desirable for such a system to accept inverted bottles of cleaning fluid.  
           [0013]    However, the use inverted bottles in such a dispenser can present problems. For example, negative pressure (i.e., vacuum) effects in the bottle may hinder the flow of fluid from the bottle. While air vents have been proposed to overcome these negative pressure problems, the location of such air venting systems need to be optimized in order to provide for improved fluid flow from the bottle. For instance, too much air flow into the bottle can cause frothing or foaming of the liquid in the bottle, whereas inadequate air flow into the bottle fails to overcome the negative pressure effects. Additionally, mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow must be controlled as certain levels of mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow may prevent appropriate dispensing of the liquid. The present invention addresses the need for an automated dispenser that can accept inverted bottles of cleaning fluid and can deliver the fluid from the bottle with improved fluid flow characteristics.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    In one aspect the invention provides an automated sprayer for spraying an enclosure with a liquid cleanser (for example a cleanser such as that described in WO 96/22346). The sprayer includes a bottle suitable to contain a liquid cleanser, a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation, a spray head in fluid communication with the well and having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, and a piercing post extending from the reservoir tray into the bottle.  
           [0015]    The piercing post includes a cleanser conduit in fluid communication with the well for delivering cleanser to the well, and an air vent path separate from the cleanser conduit for venting the bottle. In one configuration of the sprayer, the air vent path is in fluid communication with a vent outlet of the well. In another configuration of the sprayer, the air vent path is in communication with an air passage between the bottle and an inner surface of the well. In one form, the cleanser conduit terminates at an opening of the piercing post, and the air vent path terminates at another opening of the piercing post such that the opening of the air vent path is at a position further into the bottle than the opening of the cleanser conduit when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. A wall may also extend outward from the piercing post between the opening of the air vent path and the opening of the cleanser conduit. Optionally, a gasket may be used to seal against the piercing post and limit leakage around the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.  
           [0016]    In one embodiment, the well has a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the well when a portion of a cap of the bottle abuts against the outlet valve when cleanser is in the bottle. The outlet valve may include a valve stem that moves toward the bottle to permit outflow of cleanser, and the portion of the cap that abuts against the outlet valve may be a section of the cap that projects axially from the cap. In one form, the bottle has a cap having axially projecting segmented ridges, and the well has a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the well when a portion of at least one of the segmented ridges of the cap of the bottle abuts against the outlet valve.  
           [0017]    The well may include a chamber for holding cleanser delivered to the well and a valve for controlling outflow of cleanser from an outlet of the chamber. The valve may include a valve stem that is spring-biased in a normally closed seated position that seals the outlet of the chamber and the valve includes an actuator that unseats the valve stem from the outlet of the chamber when a portion of a cap of the bottle abuts against the actuator of the valve. The actuator may include a plunger in contact with a rocker that unseats the valve stem.  
           [0018]    In another aspect, the invention provides a cap for a bottle for an automated sprayer including a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation, a spray head in fluid communication with the well and having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle and a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the spray head when the bottle is inserted in the tray and cleanser is in the bottle. The cap includes a side wall and a transverse wall extending inwardly from the side wall. The transverse wall has a central piercable surface, and a plurality of segmented ridges project axially from the transverse wall. Preferably, the ridges project to a plane spaced from the side wall, and the ridges are arcuate.  
           [0019]    In yet another aspect, the invention provides a closure for an opening of a bottle for an automated sprayer of the type that includes (i) a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well suitable for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation when the bottle is inserted in the tray and having a piercing post extending from the reservoir tray into the bottle when the bottle is inserted in the tray, (ii) a spray head having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, and (iii) a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the spray head when the bottle is inserted in the tray and cleanser is in the bottle. The closure includes a cap, and a gasket. The gasket is configured to seal against the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.  
           [0020]    In one version of the closure, the gasket is arranged between the cap and the opening of the bottle. In another version of the closure, the cap has a piercable area that is punctured by the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. In still another version of the closure, the cap has a central hole through which the piercing post passes when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. In yet another version of the closure, at least a portion of an inner surface of the central hole of the cap is sloped. In still another version of the closure, the gasket has a central hole through which the piercing post passes when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. At least a portion of an inner surface of the central hole of the gasket may be sloped. In yet another version of the closure, the gasket is sealed over the opening of the bottle and is punctured when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.  
           [0021]    In still another aspect, the invention provides a closure for an opening of a bottle for an automated sprayer of the type that includes (i) a reservoir tray having an upwardly extending well suitable for supporting the bottle in an inverted orientation when the bottle is inserted in the tray and having a piercing post extending from the reservoir tray into the bottle when the bottle is inserted in the tray, (ii) a spray head having an outlet orifice through which cleanser from the bottle can be expelled if there is such liquid cleanser in the bottle, and (iii) a spring-loaded outlet valve that permits outflow of cleanser from the spray head when the bottle is inserted in the tray and cleanser is in the bottle. The closure includes a cap including a side wall, a transverse wall extending inwardly from the side wall, and a central wall extending outwardly from the transverse wall and defining an outlet for the cap. The central wall of the cap has a central piercable surface that seals the outlet for the cap before the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray and is punctured when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. Preferably, the central wall extends a distance outwardly from the transverse wall such that any portion of the central piercable surface that remains attached to the central wall when the central piercable surface is punctured does not extend inward beyond the transverse wall. The closure may further include a gasket, wherein the gasket is configured to seal against the piercing post when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. The gasket may be arranged between the cap and opening of the bottle. Optionally, the gasket has a central hole through which the piercing post passes when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray, and at least a portion of an inner surface of the central hole of the gasket may be sloped. Alternatively, the gasket is sealed over the opening of the bottle and is punctured when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray.  
           [0022]    The invention facilitates the flow of fluid from the bottle (for example by overcoming any negative pressure effect in the bottle), and does so in a manner that avoids excessive air being added in a way that causes frothing or foaming in the fluid in the bottle. Thus, the problem of negative pressure build-up in the bottle, or uncontrolled air venting, is addressed by the present invention. The invention also provides for improved control of cleaning fluid delivery from the dispenser, by way of, among other things, the cleanser conduit in the piercing post and the valve. Additionally, uncontrolled mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow is avoided, thereby improving dispensing of the cleaning fluid.  
           [0023]    These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and the drawings. It should be appreciated that what follows is merely a description of preferred embodiments. That description is not meant as a limitation of the full scope of the claims. Rather, the claims should be looked to in order to judge the full scope of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of an automated sprayer with a cleanser bottle shown inverted prior to being set into the sprayer, the sprayer being an earlier prototype of the automated sprayer according to the invention shown in FIGS. 17-22 and  30 ;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 2A and 2B are exploded perspective views of the sprayer of FIG. 1;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2C is an exploded perspective view of one possible pump used in the sprayer;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the sprayer taken along line  3 - 3  of FIG. 1;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  of FIG. 3 showing the pump and drive mechanism with the pump and a drive motor shown in full;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of FIG. 3 showing the spray head drive and junction with the dispenser tube;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of FIG. 3 showing the gear train for the spray head drive;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the control circuit and cleanser flow path;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8 is a partial reverse perspective view of the cleanser bottle with its bottle cap;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the bottle-tray interface with the bottle seating in the tray and a discharge valve open;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 although with the bottle unseated from the tray and the discharge valve closed;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 11 is a top view of the tray with the bottle removed;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 12 is an enlarged partial top view showing the discharge valve and piercing post;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  13 - 13  of FIG. 10;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 14 is a partial reverse perspective view of the cleanser bottle with an alternative embodiment of a bottle cap with an adapter that can be used with the dispenser of FIGS. 1-13;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the bottle-tray interface with the bottle seating in the tray and a discharge valve open, the bottle having the embodiment of the bottle cap with the adapter as shown in FIG. 14;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15, although with the bottle and adapter unseated from the tray and the discharge valve closed;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 15, showing the bottle-tray interface of a first embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 17 although with the bottle unseated from the tray and the discharge valve closed;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 8, but of an embodiment of a bottle and bottle cap for use with the embodiment of the dispenser of the present invention shown in FIGS. 17-18;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 14, but of the FIG. 19 embodiment where the cap has been split into a main cap and another adapter;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 21 is a view similar to FIG. 17, but with the FIG. 20 adapter;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 22 is a view similar to FIG. 21 although with the bottle and adapter unseated from the tray and the discharge valve closed;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 23 is a view similar to FIG. 16 although with a bottle having an alternative cap and a cap liner;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 24 is a view similar to FIG. 22 although with a bottle having an alternative cap and a cap liner;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 25 is a view similar to FIG. 16 although with a bottle having a removable cap and a closure seal;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 26 is a view similar to FIG. 22 although with a bottle having a removable cap and a closure seal;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 27 is a view similar to FIG. 14, but of another adapter that may be used with the present invention;  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 28 is a view similar to FIG. 23 with the adapter of FIG. 27;  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 29 is a view similar to FIG. 25 with the adapter of FIG. 27;  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 30 is a view similar to FIG. 17, showing the bottle-tray interface of another embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention;  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 31 is a view similar to FIG. 10, showing the bottle-tray interface and a cap that may be used with the dispenser of FIG. 30;  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 32 is a view similar to FIG. 10, showing another bottle cap for use with the invention;  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 33 is a view similar to FIG. 32, showing yet another bottle cap for use with the invention;  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 34A is a perspective view of an alternative valve plate suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30;  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 34B is a perspective view of another alternative valve plate suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30;  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 34C is a perspective view of yet another alternative valve plate suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30;  
         [0061]    [0061]FIG. 34D is a perspective view of still another alternative valve plate suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30; and  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 34E is a perspective view of yet another alternative valve plate suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0063]    As background, we describe an earlier prototype of an automated sprayer generally referred to in the figures by reference number  20 . With particular reference to FIGS. 1-2B, the sprayer  20  includes as main components a bottle  22 , a housing  24  with an adjustable hanger  26 , a pump  28 , a drive mechanism  30 , a spray head  32  and a control circuit  34 . The sprayer is typically suspended via the hanger from a shower spout or the like and then activated via a button  35  at the front of the sprayer to rotate a spray head and pump cleanser from the bottle out of the spray head during a spray cycle of a prescribed time period, after which dispensing is automatically terminated.  
         [0064]    The exterior of the sprayer is defined by the housing  24 , which can be molded from, for example, plastic by any suitable technique and consists primarily of two pieces, a receptacle  36  and a hanger tower  38  that easily snaps into a pocket in the receptacle. This allows the sprayer to be shipped and stored in a compact package with minimal assembly by the consumer. The hanger tower  38  is an upright member defining a cavity in which the elongated body of the hanger  26  fits through an opening  40  at its upper end. The upper end of the hanger tower  38  has two oval openings  42  vertically spaced apart.  
         [0065]    A deflectable tab  44  formed in the lower end of the hanger can snap into one of the openings to lock the hanger at either of two extended positions. The hanger is extended and locked in the lower opening by simply pulling it away from the hanger tower. In this position, the sprayer  20  will hang from standard shower spouts at an appropriate height for spraying down the shower walls. The height can be adjusted by depressing the tab inwardly and sliding the hanger up or down. The hanger itself has two ears  46  at its upper end for mounting a rubber strap  48 . The ears can be tapered to ease connection of the strap, which can have a series of holes at one end for adjustment purposes so that the strap fits tightly around a shower spout or the like. The back side of the hanger tower is closed by a back plate  50 . The hanger tower connects to the receptacle at its lower end, which fits into a pocket  52  and has two latches  54  (one shown) that snap into two slots in the back of the receptacle.  
         [0066]    The receptacle defines an upwardly opening bottle tray  56  above a compartment  58  (see FIG. 4) containing the pump and drive mechanism which is closed at the bottom by a cover  60 . The cover has a circular skirted opening  62  for the spray head and a wall stand-off  64  extending backward the distance of the pocket to brace the lower end of the receptacle against the wall and keep it plumb. The back side of the receptacle defines a battery compartment  66  with a lid  68  and the front side has an oval switch opening  70  for the control button  35 .  
         [0067]    The tray  56  is formed to mate with a specially contoured upper end of the bottle. The bottle and tray are generally oval and have mating seating surfaces  72  and  74  and sloped shoulders  76  and  78  with complementary V-shaped features  80  and  82 , respectively. These features and the contour of the shoulders fix the orientation of the bottle in the tray and make conventional cleanser bottles incompatible with proper operation of the sprayer.  
         [0068]    Referring next to FIGS. 9-12, the tray defines a circular well  84  at the center of the seating surface  74  accommodating a special cap  86  screwed onto the mouth of the bottle. The well is formed with a shoulder portion  88 , a vent nipple  90  and a recess  92  with a discharge nipple  94 . The well supports a valve plate  96  (see FIG. 2A) fastened thereto by two screws  97  (see FIG. 3). The valve plate has a piercing post  98  projecting up from the valve plate. The post has a slanted top end defining a sharp point and defines a vent passageway  100  and three radial ribs  102 . The vent passageway extends into a recess  104  at the underside of the valve plate accommodating a small o-ring  106  surrounding the vent passageway and the opening in the vent nipple  94 . The valve plate also defines a valve recess  108  with a discharge passageway  110  through which a valve stem  112  extends. The upper end of the valve stem has a cross-shaped plunger  114  that is biased away from the well by a coil spring  116  fit into the valve recess.  
         [0069]    The lower end of the valve stem mounts a disc-shaped rubber gasket  118  retained by an enlarged end  120  of the valve stem. As shown in FIG. 10, the plunger is biased upward by the spring so that the gasket seals against the underside of the valve plate so as to close off the discharge orifice when the sprayer is not being used. The valve plate also defines arcuate stand-offs  124  spaced in slightly from its periphery. The valve plate and the well are designed to cooperate with the specially designed bottle cap (described below) to discourage use of unaffiliated cleanser and thereby promote proper operation of the sprayer.  
         [0070]    Referring next to FIGS. 8-11, the cap is generally circular with a serrated periphery  126  and a tapered sealing flange (or web)  128  that seals against the tray well above its shoulder. The top of the cap has an outer surface  130  with a recessed thinned area  132  at its center around which is a raised ring surface  134  extending to a plane spaced from surface  130 . The thinned area  132  is located so that as the bottle is seated in the tray the piercing post will puncture the cap in this area to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The raised ring is located to contact the plunger of the valve and push the valve downward to unseat the gasket from the plate and open the discharge orifice. The flat surface  130  of the cap rests on the stand-offs  124  to space the punctured area from the floor of the well.  
         [0071]    This arrangement thus provides a no-mess means of opening and inserting the bottle, but also further inhibits uses of improper cleanser containers. It does this for several reasons. First, if a conventional bottle and cap were inserted into the tray, the piercing post would not puncture a conventional cap lacking the weakened area. Even if the cap was removed so that the mouth was opened, the sprayer still would not operate because the valve is located radially inward of the place where a conventional thin-walled bottle mouth would normally extend so that the valve would not be opened.  
         [0072]    Another feature that serves this purpose is the conforming sloping of the bottle shape and receiving well. A bottle not having a complementary shape would not be received sufficiently low to activate the outlet valve.  
         [0073]    Also, while the cap has conventional internal threads  136  at its upper end that mate with threads  138  on the mouth of the bottle, and it also has a ring of one-way ratchet teeth  140  that engage corresponding ratchet teeth  142  on the bottle (see FIG. 13). The ratchets allow the cap to be turned in a tightening direction but resist untightening rotation to prevent non-destructive removal of the cap and thus refilling of the bottle.  
         [0074]    [0074]FIGS. 2B-6 show the pump, controller, and drive mechanism contained inside the receptacle compartment beneath the bottle tray. These components will now be described working from the bottle-tray interface to the spray head. A short vent tube  144  couples to the vent nipple  146  defining the vent orifice in the tray well. A small check valve  148  fits into the end of the vent tube. The check valve is normally closed so that cleanser does not leak out via that path. The valve opens by negative pressure that develops as cleanser is withdrawn from the bottle. The opened check valve aspirates the air to the bottle to allow the cleanser to flow from the bottle in a consistent manner, without introducing air in a manner that would cause foaming or gurgling. The check valve remains open until the pressure in the bottle has equalized sufficiently to alleviate the negative pressure and then it closes.  
         [0075]    From the discharge nipple defining the discharge orifice of the tray well a first tube  152  of a dispenser line  154  extends to an inlet barb  156  of the pump  28 , which snaps into a support  158  mounted to the underside of the bottle tray. The pump can be any conventional pump, such as a diaphragm pump, a piston pump, a peristaltic pump, or even a gear pump as shown. The inlet defines a passageway leading between intermeshing drive gear  160  and idler gear  162  (see FIG. 2C). The drive gear is connected to an upper shaft  164  (surrounded by o-ring  165 ) of a direct current motor  166  mounted through an opening in a gear plate  167  mounted to the lower cover of the receptacle. Operation of the motor rotates the drive gear which meshes with and turns the idler gear as conventional to draw cleanser from the bottle and through to an outlet barb  168 . A second tube  170  connects the outlet barb to a filter  172 . The filter accumulates cleanser within its housing and aids in priming the pump. A short tube  174  of the dispenser line connects the filter  172  to another check valve  176  which is connected by another short tube  178  continuing a spring  179  for support to an inlet barb  180  of a shaft junction  182 .  
         [0076]    Referring to FIGS. 2B and 5, the stationary portion of the junction  182  is a chamber formed in part by the gear plate at a circular wall  184  having an inner shoulder  185  and covered at one end by a cap  186 . The cap includes the inlet barb  180  and a raised annular ring  188  extending downwardly within the circular wall to press an o-ring  190  against the shoulder. The o-ring seals against the upper end of a rotating spray head drive shaft  192 , which forms the rotating portion of the function. The drive shaft is an inverted Y-shaped structure with a cylindrical stem  194  defining a passageway  198  and a forked end  196  extending down through an opening in the receptacle cover and defining a gap  200  accommodating a spray nozzle  202 . The forked end has lateral mounting posts  204  onto which snaps a dome-shaped cover  206  concealing the spray nozzle  202 .  
         [0077]    The spray nozzle is preferably a fluidic oscillator providing oscillating spray (in this case up and down), however, any other suitable nozzle could be used. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,867 which shows examples of known fluidic oscillators. Such a fluid oscillator can be any suitably sized oscillator including a housing  208  with an inlet  210  and an outlet  212  on opposite sides. A barrier member (not shown)in the interior of the housing defines a passage between the inlet and the outlet so that cleanser entering the inlet passes through and around the barrier member to the outlet. The fluidic oscillator operates, as known in the art, by creating areas of low pressure at alternate sides of the passage through the barrier member to convert the straight flow entering the housing to an oscillating pattern.  
         [0078]    The nozzle is coupled to an outlet barb  214  extending from the stem by another tube  216 . The nozzle is mounted so that its outlet end extends through the opening in the cover pointed downwardly at approximately a 30 degree angle. A drive gear  220  is press fit onto the stem of the drive shaft and meshes with a first reducer gear  222  which is rotated by another smaller diameter reducer gear  224  driven by a pinion  226  at the end of lower motor shaft  228 . The gear train couples to the motor to the spray head at a reduced revolution per minute rate than the motor shaft. This arrangement provides a revolving, oscillating spray pattern.  
         [0079]    Also mounted to the support within the receptacle compartment is the control circuitry  34  which is electrically coupled to a direct current power supply via battery terminals  230  (see FIGS. 2A and 7) in the battery compartment and to the push-button switch  35 , which is mounted through the opening  70  in the front of the receptacle through a lighted watertight, flexible membrane  232 . The circuitry includes timing circuitry  234  and a speaker  236  that functions as described below.  
         [0080]    The electrical arrangement as well as the dispensing line and bottle venting flow paths are shown in FIG. 7 and the sprayer is operated as follows. When a bottle is loaded into the sprayer (that is, the bottle is inverted and set into the receptacle tray), the thinned area of the bottle cap is punctured by the piercing post, the cap sealing flange seals against the tray well and the annular ring contacts and depresses the plunger of the discharge valve to open the valve. Cleanser pours out of the bottle between and around the ribs of the piercing post and is replaced by an equal volume of air through the vent tube.  
         [0081]    Because air is lighter than the cleanser, it is displaced to the top of the bottle where it is trapped. Cleanser pours out of the bottle and drains through the valve plate and into the dispenser line, through the pump, past the filter until it reaches valve  176 . Until the sprayer is operated, the sprayer remains in this state of equilibrium in which no cleanser flows from the bottle.  
         [0082]    When a user wishes to spray the enclosure walls with cleanser, he or she simply depresses the switch at the front of the sprayer. This signals timing circuitry to begin a countdown delaying spraying for a predetermined time, such as 20 seconds. This affords the user time to exit the shower enclosure and close the doors or curtains. It also may provide the user time to abort the spray cycle by depressing the switch a second time. Initially depressing the switch may also send a pulsed tone to the speaker and flashes the lighted ring around the switch for warning the user of the impending operation of the sprayer.  
         [0083]    Unless cancelled by the user, the spray cycle begins automatically at the expiration of the countdown. The motor is then energized which simultaneously rotates the drive gear of the pump and turns the gear train to rotate the drive shaft and the spray head. At the same time, the pump draws cleanser from the bottle through the dispenser line and opens valve  176  so that cleanser can flow through the junction and be expelled through the nozzle as the spray head is rotated, thereby providing a circular, oscillating spray pattern. This reduces the level of cleanser in the bottle, creating a negative pressure in the bottle, which opens the check valve in the vent tube to aspirate the bottle and allow more cleanser to be drawn from the bottle during the spray cycle.  
         [0084]    The motor continues to be energized until the expiration of a second countdown performed by the timing circuit, preferably another 20 second interval, automatically initiated by the timer. At that point the motor is deenergized which shuts down the pump causing valve  176  to close. Closing the valve prevents cleanser from leaking out of the dispenser line and also keeps the cleanser in the line upstream from the valve so that the pump remains primed. The sprayer thus returns to stand-by mode without further intervention from the user, ready for another spray cycle at the demand of the user.  
         [0085]    [0085]FIGS. 14-16 depict a modified bottle cap and an adapter suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 1-13. A flat top cap  86   a  is provided with a bottle  22 . An adapter  300  is employed between the bottle cap and tray  56  to bridge the action of loading the bottle into the tray and the opening of the discharge orifice.  
         [0086]    In FIG. 14, bottle cap  86   a  has a generally flat transverse outer surface  130   a  with a recessed thinned area  132   a  at its center. Adapter  300  has a flat ring  302  with an opening in the middle and a ring  134   a  protruding from the ring  302  but with a smaller outer circle. The ring  302  of the adapter  300  may have the same serrated periphery  306  as the bottle cap  86   a,  and the outer circles of the ring  302  and the bottle cap  86   a,  including the serrated peripheries, typically have the same diameter.  
         [0087]    When the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56 , piercing post  98  will go through the opening in the middle of the adapter  300  and puncture the cap  86   a  in the thinned area  132   a  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. Meanwhile, the bottle cap  86   a  presses against the ring  302  of the adapter  300  so that the ring  134   a  of the adapter, which is located to contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice. The ring  302  of the adapter  300  rests on the stand-offs  124  to space the punctured area from the floor of the well  84 .  
         [0088]    What has been described thus far with respect to FIGS. 1-16 provides context for the use of the present invention claimed herein. Turning now to FIGS. 17-19, there are shown embodiments of a cap and the bottle-tray interface according to the invention that may used to deliver cleanser from the bottle  22  to the tube  152  of the dispenser line  154  that extends to the inlet barb  156  of the pump  28  as described above. In FIGS. 17-19, the cap  86   b  is as described above with references to FIGS. 8-11 except that the cap  86   b  has four equally spaced segmented ridges  134   b  extending to a plane spaced from the surface  130 . The segmented ridges  134   b  are separated by slots  434 . The segmented ridges  134   b  are located to contact a valve actuator to deliver cleanser from the bottle  22  to the first tube  152  of the dispenser line  154  that extends to the inlet barb  156  of the pump  28  as described below.  
         [0089]    Referring now to FIG. 18, the embodiment of a bottle-tray interface is shown just before the bottle  22  is placed in the reservoir tray. The reservoir tray has a well  480  including a circular upper section  484  with a floor  485  and a circular lower chamber  490  extending downwardly from a portion of the floor  485 . A spout  491  extends downwardly from the lower chamber  490  and defines an outlet orifice  492 .  
         [0090]    A circular piercing post  420  extends upwardly from the floor  485  of the circular upper section  484  of the well  480 . The piercing post  420  has an outer wall  421 , and an inner wall  427  that defines an air vent path  425  and a cleanser conduit  428  in the piercing post  420 . The cleanser conduit  428  provides a fluid flow path to the lower chamber  490  of the well  480 . An air hole  426  passes through the outer wall  421  into the air vent path  425 , and an opening  429  passes through the outer wall  421  into the cleanser conduit  428 . The piercing post terminates in an obliquely truncated upper end  422  to facilitate puncturing the cap  86   a  in the thinned area  132   a  to permit discharge of the cleanser.  
         [0091]    The lower chamber  490  of the well  480  contains a valve  438  that controls cleanser flow from the bottle  22  as will be described below. The valve  438  includes a valve actuator  440  and a valve stem  448 . The valve actuator  440  includes a plunger  441 , a valve cover  443  and a rocker  444 . The plunger  441  is biased in the upward direction against the valve cover  443  by a spring  442  as shown in FIG. 18. The rocker  444  includes a pivot pin  446 , an upper arm  445  and a lower forked arm  447 . The forked arm  447  is seated in a groove  450  in the valve stem  448 . A spring  449  biases the valve stem  448  against the entry to the outlet orifice  492  as shown by the arrow in FIG. 18. By spring-biasing the valve stem  448  into a normally closed seated position that seals the outlet orifice  492  of the lower chamber  490  of the well  480 , any downward pressure exerted on the valve stem  448  (such as sucking by the pump, downward fluid pressure, or gravity) merely keeps the valve stem  448  seated (absent downward movement of the plunger  441  as described below).  
         [0092]    Turning now to FIG. 17, the embodiment of a bottle-tray interface is shown after the bottle  22  has been placed in the reservoir tray. When the bottle  22  is placed in the tray, at least a portion of one or more of the segmented ridges  134   b  of the cap  86   b  contacts the valve cover  433  thereby moving the plunger  441  downward in the direction shown in FIG. 17. The slots  434  between the segmented ridges  134   b  of the cap  86   b  have a width smaller than the diameter of the plunger  441  to insure movement of the plunger  441 . When the plunger  441  moves downward, the upper arm  445  of the rocker  444  pivots the lower forked arm  447  in an upward direction thereby moving the valve stem  448  in the upward direction shown in FIG. 17. This unseats the valve stem  448  from the entry to the outlet orifice  492  as shown in FIG. 17. A cleanser flow path is then created from the bottle  22 , through the cleanser conduit  428  of the piercing post  420 , into the lower chamber  490  of the well  480 , through the outlet orifice  492 , and into the first tube  152  of the dispenser line  154  that extends to the inlet barb  156  of the pump  28  as described above. Delivery of the cleanser from the spray nozzle  202  then occurs using the mechanisms, circuits, and processes described above.  
         [0093]    Still referring to FIG. 17, when the bottle  22  is placed in the tray, an air passage  460  is created between the bottle  22  and an inner surface  482  of the well  480 . An air flow path is thereby created from the air passage  460 , through the slots  434  (best shown in FIG. 19) between the segmented ridges  134   b  of the cap  86   b , through the air hole  426  in the outer wall  421  of the piecing post  420 , through the air vent path  425  of the piercing post  420 , and into the bottle  22 .  
         [0094]    The arrangement of FIGS. 17-19 also provides a no-mess means of opening and inserting the bottle and also further inhibits uses of improper cleanser containers. It does this for several reasons. First, if a conventional bottle and cap were inserted into the tray, the piercing post  420  would not puncture a conventional cap lacking the weakened area. Even if the cap was removed so that the mouth was opened, the sprayer still would not operate because the valve actuator  440  is located radially inward of the place where a conventional thin-walled bottle mouth would normally extend so that the valve would not be opened. In addition, the floor  485  of the well may also include arcuate upwardly extending ribs (such as arcuate stand-offs  124  in FIG. 11) of a thickness or spaced inward sufficiently such that bottles with a narrower neck cannot contact the valve while a cap with narrow segmented ridges can contact the valve by way of thin, high segmented ridges. Also, while the cap  86   b  has conventional internal threads  136  at its upper end that mate with threads  138  on the mouth of the bottle, and it also has a ring of one-way ratchet teeth  140  that engage corresponding ratchet teeth  142  on the bottle as in FIG. 13. The ratchets allow the cap to be turned in a tightening direction but resist untightening rotation to prevent non-destructive removal of the cap and thus refilling of the bottle.  
         [0095]    [0095]FIGS. 20-22 depict an embodiment of a modified cap and adapter that may be used with the present invention. A flat top cap  86   c  is provided for the bottle  22  and an adapter  500  is employed between the bottle cap  86   c  and tray  56  to bridge the action of loading the bottle into the tray and the opening of the discharge orifice. Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 17-19 above. In this embodiment, bottle cap  86   c  has a generally flat transverse outer surface  130   c  with a recessed thinned area  132   c  at its center. Adapter  500  has a flat ring  502  with an opening in the middle and four segmented annular ridges  134   c  protruding from the ring  502 . The ring  502  of the adapter  500  may have the same serrated periphery  506  as the bottle cap  86   c  and the outer circles of the adapter ring and the bottle cap, including the serrated peripheries, typically have the same diameter. When the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56 , piercing post  420  will go through the opening in the middle of the adapter  500  and puncture the cap  86   c  in the thinned area  132   c  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. Meanwhile, the bottle cap  86   c  presses against the ring  502  of the adapter  500  so that at least a portion of one of the segmented ridges  134   c , which is located to contact valve cover  443 , pushes the valve actuator  440  downward to unseat valve stem  448  from outlet orifice  492  and open the outlet orifice  492 .  
         [0096]    [0096]FIG. 23 depicts a modified bottle cap and an adapter suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 1-13. A flat top cap  86   d  and a cap liner or gasket  333  are provided with a bottle  22 . Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 1-16 above. In this embodiment, bottle cap  86   d  has a generally flat transverse outer surface  130   d  with a central hole  132   d  at its center. The cap liner  333 , which may be any piercable material such as a soft closed cell polyethylene foam or foil, seals the opening of the bottle  22  and also seals the central hole  132   d  of the bottle cap  86   d . In one version of the invention, the cap liner  333  is sealed to the bottle  22  by way of conventional methods such as ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding or heat sealing. In another version of the invention, the cap liner  333  is positioned between the bottle  22  and the bottle cap  86   d  but is not attached to the bottle  22  or the bottle cap  86   d.    
         [0097]    Still referring to FIG. 23, when the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘D’, piercing post  98  will go through the opening in the middle of the adapter  300 , through the central hole  132   d  of the bottle cap  86   d , and puncture the cap liner  333  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap liner  333  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  98 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  98 . Meanwhile, the bottle cap  86   d  presses against the ring  302  of the adapter  300  so that the ring  134   a  of the adapter  300 , which is located to contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice.  
         [0098]    [0098]FIG. 24 depicts a modified bottle cap and an adapter suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 17-22. A flat top cap  86   d  and a cap liner or gasket  333  are provided with a bottle  22  as described in FIG. 23 above. Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 17-22 above. In this embodiment, when the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘E’, the piercing post  420  will go through the opening in the middle of the adapter  500 , through the central hole  132   d  of the bottle cap  86   d , and puncture the cap liner  333  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap liner  333  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  420 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  420 . Meanwhile, the bottle cap  86   d  presses against the ring  502  of the adapter  500  so that at least a portion of one of the segmented ridges  134   c , which is located to contact valve cover  443 , pushes the valve actuator  440  downward to unseat valve stem  448  from outlet orifice  492  and open the outlet orifice  492 .  
         [0099]    [0099]FIG. 25 depicts another modified bottle cap and an adapter suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 1-13. A cap closure  833  is provided with a bottle  22 . Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 1-16 above. The cap closure  833 , which may be any piercable material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam or foil, seals the opening of the bottle  22 . The cap closure- 833  may be sealed to the bottle  22  by way of conventional methods such as ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding or heat sealing. Optionally, the bottle  22  may be provided with a removable cap (similar to cap  86   d  with no central hole  132   d ) for shipping purposes. When the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘F’, piercing post  98  will puncture the cap closure  833  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap closure  833  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  98 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  98 . Meanwhile, the cap closure  833  presses against the ring  302  of the adapter  300  so that the ring  134   a  of the adapter  300 , which is located to contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice.  
         [0100]    [0100]FIG. 26 depicts a modified bottle cap and an adapter suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 17-22. A cap closure  833  provided with a bottle  22  as described in FIG. 25 above. Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 17-22 above. The cap closure  833 , which may be any piercable material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam or foil, seals the opening of the bottle  22 . Optionally, the bottle  22  may be provided with a removable cap (similar to cap  86   d  with no central hole  132   d ) for shipping purposes. In this embodiment, when the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘G’, the piercing post  420  will puncture the cap closure  833  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap closure  833  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  420 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  420 . Meanwhile, the cap closure  833  presses against the ring  502  of the adapter  500  so that at least a portion of one of the segmented ridges  134   c , which is located to contact valve cover  443 , pushes the valve actuator  440  downward to unseat valve stem  448  from outlet orifice  492  and open the outlet orifice  492 .  
         [0101]    What has been described with respect to FIGS. 1-13 also provides context for the use of another modified cap and adapter that may be used with the present invention as depicted in FIGS. 27 and 28. A flat top cap  86   d  is provided with a bottle  22 . An adapter  800  is employed between the bottle cap and tray  56  to bridge the action of loading the bottle into the tray and the opening of the discharge orifice. Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 1-13 and  23  above. In this FIG. 27 embodiment, bottle cap  86   d  has a generally flat transverse outer surface  130   d  with a hole  132   d  at its center. Adapter  800  is a flat annular ring with an opening in the middle and has a square or rectangular vertical cross-section. When the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘I’, piercing post  98  will go through the opening in the middle of the adapter  800 , through the central hole  132   d  of the bottle cap  86   d , and puncture the cap liner  333  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap liner  333  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  98 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  98 . Meanwhile, the bottle cap  86   d  presses against the adapter  800  so that the adapter  800 , which is located to contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice. The adapter  800  rests on the floor of the well inward of the stand-offs  124 . The vertical height of the adapter  800  is preferably greater than the height of the stand-offs  124  above the floor of the well  84 . However, the vertical height of the adapter  800  must not be so great as to prevent the piercing post  98  from puncturing the cap liner  333  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle.  
         [0102]    What has been described with respect to FIGS. 1-13 also provides context for the use of another modified cap and adapter that may be used with the present invention as depicted in FIGS. 27 and 29. A cap closure  833  is provided with a bottle  22 . An adapter  800  is employed between the bottle cap and tray  56  to bridge the action of loading the bottle into the tray and the opening of the discharge orifice. Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 1-13 and  25  above. The cap closure  833 , which may be any piercable material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam or foil, seals the opening of the bottle  22 . Optionally, the bottle  22  may be provided with a removable cap (similar to cap  86   d  with no central hole  132   d ) for shipping purposes. When the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘J’, piercing post  98  will puncture the cap closure  833  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap closure  833  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  98 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  98 . Meanwhile, the cap closure  833  presses against the adapter  800  so that the adapter  800 , which is located to contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice. The adapter  800  rests on the floor of the well inward of the stand-offs  124 . The vertical height of the adapter  800  is preferably greater than the height of the stand-offs  124  above the floor of the well  84 . However, the vertical height of the adapter  800  must not be so great as to prevent the piercing post  98  from puncturing the cap closure  833  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle.  
         [0103]    What has been described with respect to FIGS. 1-19 provides context for the use of another embodiment the present invention claimed herein. Turning now to FIG. 30, there is shown another bottle-tray interface according to the invention that may used to deliver cleanser from the bottle  22  to the tube  152  of the dispenser line  154  that extends to the inlet barb  156  of the pump  28  as described above. In FIG. 30, the cap  86  is as described above with references to FIGS. 8-11.  
         [0104]    Referring still to FIG. 30, the embodiment of a bottle-tray interface is shown after the bottle  22  has been placed in the reservoir tray. The reservoir tray has a well  480  including a circular upper section  484  with a floor  485  and a circular lower chamber  490  extending downwardly from a portion of the floor  485 . The circular upper section  484  of the well  480  has a downwardly extending vent nipple  90   a . A spout  491  extends downwardly from the lower chamber  490  and defines an outlet orifice  492 .  
         [0105]    A circular piercing post  420   a , which is formed as part of a valve plate  496 , extends upwardly from the floor  485  of the circular upper section  484  of the well  480 . Valve plate  496  is secured to the well  480  with screws as described above with reference to valve plate  96 . The piercing post  420   a  has an outer wall  421   a,  and an inner wall  427   a  that defines an air vent path  425   a  and a cleanser conduit  428   a  in the piercing post  420   a . The air vent path  425   a  extends from the top end of the piercing post  420   a  to the vent nipple  90   a . The cleanser conduit  428   a  provides a fluid flow path to the lower chamber  490  of the well  480 . Optionally, an air hole may pass through the outer wall  421   a  into the air vent path  425   a , and an opening may pass through the outer wall  421   a  into the cleanser conduit  428   a . The piercing post  420   a  terminates in an obliquely truncated upper end to facilitate puncturing the cap  86  in the thinned area  132  to permit discharge of the cleanser.  
         [0106]    The lower chamber  490  of the well  480  contains a valve  438  that controls cleanser flow from the bottle  22  as will be described below. The valve  438  includes a valve actuator  440  and a valve stem  448 . The valve actuator  440  includes a plunger  441 , a valve cover  443  and a rocker  444 . The plunger  441  is biased in the upward direction against the valve cover  443  by a spring  442  as shown in FIG. 18. The rocker  444  includes a pivot pin  446 , an upper arm  445  and a lower forked arm  447 . The forked arm  447  is seated in a groove  450  in the valve stem  448 . A spring  449  biases the valve stem  448  against the entry to the outlet orifice  492  as shown by the arrow in FIG. 18. By spring-biasing the valve stem  448  into a normally closed seated position that seals the outlet orifice  492  of the lower chamber  490  of the well  480 , any downward pressure exerted on the valve stem  448  (such as sucking by the pump, downward fluid pressure, or gravity) merely keeps the valve stem  448  seated (absent downward movement of the plunger  441  as described below).  
         [0107]    Still referring to FIG. 30, the bottle-tray interface is shown after the bottle  22  has been placed in the reservoir tray. When the bottle  22  is placed in the tray, circular gasket  577  (which may be formed from suitable conventional gasket materials) provides a seal between the piercing post  420   a  and the surface  130  of the cap  86 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  420   a . Also, when the bottle  22  is placed in the tray, raised ring surface  134  of the cap  86  contacts the valve cover  433  thereby moving the plunger  441  downward in the direction shown in FIG. 30. When the plunger  441  moves downward, the upper arm  445  of the rocker  444  pivots the lower forked arm  447  in an upward direction thereby moving the valve stem  448  in the upward direction shown in FIG. 30. This unseats the valve stem  448  from the entry to the outlet orifice  492  as shown in FIG. 30. A cleanser flow path is then created from the bottle  22 , through the cleanser conduit  428   a  of the piercing post  420   a , into the lower chamber  490  of the well  480 , through the outlet orifice  492 , and into the first tube  152  of the dispenser line  154  that extends to the inlet barb  156  of the pump  28  as described above. Delivery of the cleanser from the spray nozzle  202  then occurs using the mechanisms, circuits, and processes described above.  
         [0108]    Still referring to FIG. 30, the short vent tube  144  described above with reference to FIGS. 2B-6 couples to the vent nipple  90   a  defining the vent orifice in the tray well. A small check valve  148  fits into the end of the vent tube  144  as described above. The check valve  148  is normally closed so that cleanser does not leak out via the air vent path  425   a , the vent nipple  90   a  and the vent tube  144 . The check valve  148  opens by negative pressure that develops as cleanser is withdrawn from the bottle via cleanser conduit  428   a . The opened check valve  148  aspirates the air to the bottle through the vent tube  144 , the vent nipple  90   a  and the air vent path  425   a  to allow the cleanser to flow from the bottle in a consistent manner, without introducing air in a manner that would cause foaming or gurgling. The check valve  148  remains open until the pressure in the bottle has equalized sufficiently to alleviate the negative pressure and then it closes.  
         [0109]    [0109]FIG. 31 depicts a modified bottle cap  86   e  suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 1-13 and  30 . A bottle cap  86   e  and a cap liner or gasket  333  are provided with a bottle  22 . Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 1-16 above. The top of the bottle cap  86   e  has an outer surface  130   e  with a central hole  132   e  at its center around which is a raised ring surface  134   e  extending to a plane spaced from surface  130   e . The central hole  132   e  is located so that as the bottle is seated in the tray the piercing post will go through this area to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The raised ring  134   e  is located to contact the plunger of the valve and push the valve downward to unseat the gasket from the plate and open the discharge orifice.  
         [0110]    Still referring to FIG. 31, the flat surface  130   e  of the cap rests on the stand-offs  124  to space the punctured area from the floor of the well. The cap liner  333 , which may be any piercable material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam or foil, seals the opening of the bottle  22  and also seals the central hole  132   e  of the bottle cap  86   e . In one version of the invention, the cap liner  333  is sealed to the bottle  22  by way of conventional methods such as ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding or heat sealing. In another version of the invention, the cap liner  333  is positioned between the bottle  22  and the bottle cap  86   e  but is not attached to the bottle  22  or the bottle cap  86   e.    
         [0111]    Still referring to FIG. 31, when the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘R’, piercing post  98  will go through the central hole  132   e  of the bottle cap  86   e , and puncture the cap liner  333  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap liner  333  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  98 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  98 . Meanwhile, the raised ring  134   e  of the bottle cap  86   e  presses the contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice.  
         [0112]    In order to facilitate movement of the piercing post  98  through the central hole  132   e  of the bottle cap  86   e , the central hole  132   e  has a chamfered inner surface  133 . In this configuration, the central hole  132   e  is frustoconical with a larger diameter near the surface  130   e  of the bottle cap  86   e  as shown in FIG. 31. Accordingly, the central hole  132   e  has a smaller diameter near the cap liner  333 . The larger diameter near the surface  130   e  of the bottle cap  86   e  provides a guide means for ensuring that the piercing post  98  will go through the central hole  132   e  of the bottle cap  86   e  in the event that the piercing post  98  is off center with respect to the central hole  132   e  when the bottle  22  is being placed in the tray. This central hole configuration may be used with any bottle cap described herein.  
         [0113]    [0113]FIG. 32 depicts another modified bottle cap  86   f  suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 1-13 and  30 . A bottle cap  86   f  and a cap liner or gasket  333  are provided with a bottle  22 . Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 1-16 above. The bottle cap  86   f  has a raised cylindrical inlet conduit  133   f  having a piercable area  132   f  at its center around which is a raised ring surface  134   f  extending to a plane spaced from surface  130   f . The piercable area  132   f  is located so that as the bottle is seated in the tray the piercing post  98  will puncture the cap  96   f  in this area to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The raised ring  134   f  is located to contact the plunger of the valve and push the valve downward to unseat the gasket from the plate and open the discharge orifice.  
         [0114]    Still referring to FIG. 32, the flat surface  130   f  of the cap rests on the stand-offs  124  to space the punctured area from the floor of the well. The cap liner  333 , which may be any piercable material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam or foil, seals the opening of the bottle  22  and also seals the cylindrical inlet conduit  133   f  of the bottle cap  86   f . In one version of the invention, the cap liner  333  is sealed to the bottle  22  by way of conventional methods such as ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding or heat sealing. In another version of the invention, the cap liner  333  is positioned between the bottle  22  and the bottle cap  86   e  but is not attached to the bottle  22  or the bottle cap  86   f.    
         [0115]    Still referring to FIG. 32, when the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘S’, piercing post  98  will puncture the piercable area  132   f  of the bottle cap  86   f , and puncture the cap liner  333  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap liner  333  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  98 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  98 . The cylindrical inlet conduit  133   f  is configured in a raised arrangement from the bottle cap surface  130   f  as described above in order to provide clearance for the chad  299  (drawn in phantom in FIG. 32) that may remain attached to the cylindrical inlet conduit  133   f  after puncturing the piercable area  132   f . Meanwhile, the raised ring  134   f  of the bottle cap  86   f  presses the contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice.  
         [0116]    [0116]FIG. 33 depicts another modified bottle cap  86   g  suitable for use with the dispenser of FIGS. 1-13 and  30 . A bottle cap  86   g  and a cap liner or gasket  333   a  are provided with a bottle  22 . Other aspects of this embodiment are the same as those described in FIGS. 1-16 above. The bottle cap  86   g  has a raised cylindrical inlet conduit  133   g  having a piercable area  132   g  at its center around which is a raised ring surface  134   g  extending to a plane spaced from surface  130   g.  The piercable area  132   g  is located so that as the bottle is seated in the tray the piercing post  98  will puncture the cap  96   g  in this area to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The raised ring  134   g  is located to contact the plunger of the valve and push the valve downward to unseat the gasket from the plate and open the discharge orifice. The flat surface  130   g  of the cap rests on the stand-offs  124  to space the punctured area from the floor of the well.  
         [0117]    Still referring to FIG. 33, the cap liner  333   a,  which may be any piercable material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam or foil, includes a central opening  399  spaced away from the cap liner surface  599  by frustoconical wall  499 . In one version of the invention, the cap liner  333   a  is sealed to the bottle  22  by way of conventional methods such as ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding or heat sealing. In another version of the invention, the cap liner  333   a  is positioned between the bottle  22  and the bottle cap  86   g  but is not attached to the bottle  22  or the bottle cap  86   g.    
         [0118]    Still referring to FIG. 33, when the bottle  22  is seated in the tray  56  by movement in direction ‘T’, piercing post  98  will puncture the piercable area  132   g  of the bottle cap  86   g , and go through the central opening  399  of the cap liner  333   a  to permit discharge of the cleanser and venting of the bottle. The cap liner  333   a  can provide a compliant seal around the piercing post  98 . This prevents leakage down the sides of the piercing post  98 . The cylindrical inlet conduit  133   g  is configured in a raised arrangement from the bottle cap surface  130   g  as described above in order to provide clearance for the chad  299   a  (drawn in phantom in FIG. 33) that may remain attached to the cylindrical inlet conduit  133   g  after puncturing the piercable area  132   g . Meanwhile, the raised ring  134   g  of the bottle cap  86   g  presses-the contact plunger  114 , pushes the valve downward to unseat gasket  118  from valve plate  96  and open the discharge orifice.  
         [0119]    Turning now to FIG. 34A, there is shown an alternative valve plate  496   a  suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30. The valve plate  496   a  includes a circular piercing post  511   a  (which extends upwardly from the floor  485  of the circular upper section  484  of the well  480  when installed in the well  480  in the manner shown in FIG. 30). The valve plate  496   a  is secured to the well  480  with screws as described above with reference to valve plate  96 . In particular, mounting holes  515   a  are provided to accept screws that attach the valve plate  496   a  to the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30 and described above with reference to screws  97  in FIG.  3 . Access hole  517   a  is also provided to accept plunger  441  and valve cover  443  as shown in FIG. 30. The piercing post  511   a  has an outer wall  521   a , and an inner wall  527   a  that defines an air vent path  525   a  and a cleanser conduit  528   a  in the piercing post  511   a . The air vent path  525   a  extends from the top end of the piercing post  511   a  to the vent nipple  90   a  which is shown in FIG. 30. The cleanser conduit  528   a  provides a fluid flow path to the lower chamber  490  of the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30.  
         [0120]    Still referring to FIG. 34A, the cleanser conduit  528   a  terminates at an opening  541   a  of the piercing post  511   a , and the air vent path  525   a  terminates at another opening  543   a  of the piercing post  511   a . The opening  543   a  of the air vent path  525   a  is at a position above the opening  541   a  of the cleanser conduit  528   a . In particular, the outer wall  521   a  of the piercing post  511   a  is lower at the side of the piercing post  511   a  nearest the cleanser conduit  528   a . Because of this arrangement, the opening  543   a  of the air vent path  525   a  is at a position further into the bottle than the opening  541   a  of the cleanser conduit  528   a  when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. As a result, the mixing of the air flow from the air vent path  525   a  into the liquid cleanser flow in the cleanser conduit  528   a  is controlled to avoid levels of mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow that prevents appropriate dispensing of the liquid cleanser. In other words, the short circuiting of vent air into the liquid flow is reduced.  
         [0121]    Turning now to FIG. 34B, there is shown an alternative valve plate  496   b  suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30. The valve plate  496   b  includes a circular piercing post  511   b  (which extends upwardly from the floor  485  of the circular upper section  484  of the well  480  when installed in the well  480  in the manner shown in FIG. 30). The valve plate  496   b  is secured to the well  480  with screws as described above with reference to valve plate  96 . In particular, mounting holes  515   b  are provided to accept screws that attach the valve plate  496   b  to the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30 and described above with reference to screws  97  in FIG. 3. Access hole  517   b  is also provided to accept plunger  441  and valve cover  443  as shown in FIG. 30. The piercing post  511   b  has an outer wall  521   b , and an inner wall  527   b  that defines an air vent path  525   b  and a cleanser conduit  528   b  in the piercing post  511   b . The air vent path  525   b  extends from the top end of the piercing post  511   b  to the vent nipple  90   a  which is shown in FIG. 30. The cleanser conduit  528   b  provides a fluid flow path to the lower chamber  490  of the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30.  
         [0122]    Referring still to FIG. 34B, the cleanser conduit  528   b  terminates at an opening  541   b  of the piercing post  511   b , and the air vent path  525   b  terminates at another opening  543   b  of the piercing post  511   b . The opening  543   b  of the air vent path  525   b  is at a position above the opening  541   b  of the cleanser conduit  528   b . Also, the opening  541   b  of the cleanser conduit  528   b  extends into the outer wall  521   b  of the piercing post  511   b  at the side of the piercing post  511   b  nearest the cleanser conduit  528   b . Because of this arrangement, the opening  543   b  of the air vent path  525   b  is at a position further into the bottle than the opening  541   b  of the cleanser conduit  528   b  when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. As a result, the mixing of the air flow from the air vent path  525   b  into the liquid cleanser flow in the cleanser conduit  528   b  is controlled to avoid levels of mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow that prevents appropriate dispensing of the liquid cleanser. In other words, the short circuiting of vent air into the liquid flow is reduced.  
         [0123]    Turning now to FIG. 34C, there is shown an alternative valve plate  496   c  suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30. The valve plate  496   c  includes a circular piercing post  511   c  (which extends upwardly from the floor  485  of the circular upper section  484  of the well  480  when installed in the well  480  in the manner shown in FIG. 30). The valve plate  496   c  is secured to the well  480  with screws as described above with reference to valve plate  96 . In particular, mounting holes  515   c  are provided to accept screws that attach the valve plate  496   c  to the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30 and described above with reference to screws  97  in FIG. 3. Access hole  517   c  is also provided to accept plunger  441  and valve cover  443  as shown in FIG. 30. The piercing post  511   c  has an outer wall  521   c , and an inner wall  527   c  that defines an air vent path  525   c  and a cleanser conduit  528   c  in the piercing post  511   c . The air vent path  525   c  extends from the top end of the piercing post  511   c  to the vent nipple  90   a  which is shown in FIG. 30. The cleanser conduit  528   c  provides a fluid flow path to the lower chamber  490  of the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30.  
         [0124]    Still referring to FIG. 34C, the cleanser conduit  528   c  terminates at an opening  541   c  of the piercing post  511   c , and the air vent path  525   c  terminates at another opening  543   c  of the piercing post  511   c . The opening  543   c  of the air vent path  525   c  is at a position above the opening  541   c  of the cleanser conduit  528   c . Also, the opening  541   c  of the cleanser conduit  528   c  extends into the outer wall  521   c  of the piercing post  511   b  at the side of the piercing post  511   c  nearest the cleanser conduit  528   c . Furthermore, the inner wall  527   c  in the piercing post  511   c  extends outward from the piercing post  511   c  between the opening  543   c  of the air vent path  525   c  and the opening  541   c  of the cleanser conduit  528   c . Because of this arrangement, the opening  543   c  of the air vent path  525   c  is at a position further into the bottle than the opening  541   c  of the cleanser conduit  528   c  when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. As a result, the mixing of the air flow from the air vent path  525   c  into the liquid cleanser flow in the cleanser conduit  528   c  is controlled to avoid levels of mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow that prevents appropriate dispensing of the liquid cleanser. Also, the extended inner wall  527   c  in the piercing post  511   c  between the opening  543   c  of the air vent path  525   c  and the opening  541   c  of the cleanser conduit  528   c  further serves to block the mixing of the air flow into the liquid cleanser flow. In other words, the short circuiting of vent air into the liquid flow is reduced.  
         [0125]    Turning now to FIG. 34D, there is shown an alternative valve plate  496   d  suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30. The valve plate  496   d  includes a circular piercing post  511   d  (which extends upwardly from the floor  485  of the circular upper section  484  of the well  480  when installed in the well  480  in the manner shown in FIG. 30). The valve plate  496   d  is secured to the well  480  with screws as described above with reference to valve plate  96 . In particular, mounting holes  515   d  are provided to accept screws that attach the valve plate  496   d  to the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30 and described above with reference to screws  97  in FIG. 3. Access hole  517   d  is also provided to accept plunger  441  and valve cover  443  as shown in FIG. 30. The piercing post  511   d  has an outer wall  521   d , and an inner wall  527   d  that defines an air vent path  525   d  and a cleanser conduit  528   d  in the piercing post  511   d . The air vent path  525   d  extends from the top end of the piercing post  511   d  to the vent nipple  90   a  which is shown in FIG. 30. The cleanser conduit  528   d  provides a fluid flow path to the lower chamber  490  of the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30.  
         [0126]    Referring still to FIG. 34D, the cleanser conduit  528   d  terminates at an opening  541   d  of the piercing post  511   d,  and the air vent path  525   d  terminates at another opening  543   d  of the piercing post  511   d . The opening  543   d  of the air vent path  525   d  is at a position above the opening  541   d  of the cleanser conduit  528   d  when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray as described above. Also, the opening  541   d  of the cleanser conduit  528   d  extends into the outer wall  521   d  of the piercing post  511   d  at the side of the piercing post  511   d  nearest the cleanser conduit  528   d . Because of this arrangement, the opening  543   d  of the air vent path  525   d  is at a position further into the bottle than the opening  541   d  of the cleanser conduit  528   d  when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. As a result, the mixing of the air flow from the air vent path  525   d  into the liquid cleanser flow in the cleanser conduit  528   d  is controlled to avoid levels of mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow that prevents appropriate dispensing of the liquid cleanser. In other words, the short circuiting of vent air into the liquid flow is reduced.  
         [0127]    Turning now to FIG. 34E, there is shown an alternative valve plate  496   e  suitable for use with the invention of FIG. 30. The valve plate  496   e  includes a circular piercing post  511   e  (which extends upwardly from the floor  485  of the circular upper section  484  of the well  480  when installed in the well  480  in the manner shown in FIG. 30). The valve plate  496   e  is secured to the well  480  with screws as described above with reference to valve plate  96 . In particular, mounting holes  515   e  are provided to accept screws that attach the valve plate  496   e  to the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30 and described above with reference to screws  97  in FIG. 3. Access hole  517   e  is also provided to accept plunger  441  and valve cover  443  as shown in FIG. 30. The piercing post  511   e  has an outer wall  521   e , and an inner wall  527   e  that defines an air vent path  525   e  and a cleanser conduit  528   e  in the piercing post  511   e . The air vent path  525   e  extends from the top end of the piercing post  511   e  to the vent nipple  90   a  which is shown in FIG. 30. The cleanser conduit  528   e  provides a fluid flow path to the lower chamber  490  of the well  480  as shown in FIG. 30.  
         [0128]    Still referring to FIG. 34E, the cleanser conduit  528   e  terminates at an opening  541   e  of the piercing post  511   e,  and the air vent path  525   e  terminates at another opening  543   e  of the piercing post  511   e . The opening  543   e  of the air vent path  525   e  is at a position above the opening  541   e  of the cleanser conduit  528   e . Also, the opening  541   e  of the cleanser conduit  528   e  extends into the outer wall  521   e  of the piercing post  511   e  at the side of the piercing post  511   e  nearest the cleanser conduit  528   e . Furthermore, the inner wall  527   e  in the piercing post  511   e  extends outward from the piercing post  511   e  between the opening  543   e  of the air vent path  525   e  and the opening  541   e  of the cleanser conduit  528   e . The inner wall  527   e  terminates in a curved chisel top. Because of this arrangement, the opening  543   e  of the air vent path  525   e  is at a position further into the bottle than the opening  541   e  of the cleanser conduit  528   e  when the bottle is installed in the inverted orientation in the tray. As a result, the mixing of the air flow from the air vent path  525   e  into the liquid cleanser flow in the cleanser conduit  528   e  is controlled to avoid levels of mixing of the air flow into the liquid flow that prevents appropriate dispensing of the liquid cleanser. Also, the extended inner wall  527   e  in the piercing post  511   e  between the opening  543   e  of the air vent path  525   e  and the opening  541   e  of the cleanser conduit  528   e  further serves to block the mixing of the air flow into the liquid cleanser flow. In other words, the short circuiting of vent air into the liquid flow is reduced.  
         [0129]    The invention thus provides an automated dispenser that can accept inverted bottles of cleaning fluid and can deliver the fluid from the bottle with improved fluid flow characteristics. In particular, the invention provides for improved air venting of the inverted bottle (by way of, among other things, the air vent path in the piercing post, the slots in the segmented ridges of the cap, and the air passage created between the bottle and an inner surface of the well) and provides for improved control of delivery of cleaning fluid from the dispenser (by way of, among other things, the cleanser conduit in the piercing post and the valve).  
         [0130]    It should also be noted that the inventive aspects of the invention could be used to dispense a cleaning or disinfecting solution in applications other than a tub/shower surround. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,105 depicts how one type of automated cleansing equipment could be installed to clean the bowl. The inventors envision an embodiment of their invention designed to mount to the underside of a toilet bowl cover with the supply cleaning fluid being delivered from a reservoir near the tank, and the chemical being sprayed in the bowl. Such a structure should be considered to be an “enclosure” for purposes of this application.  
         [0131]    Preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in considerable detail above. Many modifications and variations to the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the described embodiments. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, reference should be made to the following claims.  
       Industrial Applicability  
       [0132]    The invention provides a sprayer for automatically spraying the walls of bath and shower enclosures and the like.