Abstract:
Under-counter foam dispensing systems and refill units for under-counter mount foam dispensing systems are disclosed herein. An exemplary refill unit includes a container for holding a liquid, at least a portion of a liquid pump, a quick-connect air manifold for releasably connecting to a pressurized air source, an air passage to a mixing chamber and a liquid passage to the mixing chamber. The air inlet is in fluid communication with the source for pressurized air when the refill unit is mounted in the dispensing system and disengages from the pressurized air source when the refill unit is removed from the under-counter mount foam dispensing system.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This non-provisional utility patent application claims priority to and the benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/723,468 filed on Nov. 7, 2012, and entitled UNDER-COUNTER MOUNT FOAM DISPENSING SYSTEMS WITH PERMANENT AIR COMPRESSORS AND REFILL UNITS FOR SAME. This application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to under-counter mount foam dispensing systems, and more particularly to under-counter mount foam dispensing systems with permanently affixed air compressors, and refill units for such foam dispensing systems having an air connection manifold for placing the refill unit in fluid communication with the air compressor. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Liquid dispenser systems, such as liquid soap and sanitizer dispensers, provide a user with a predetermined amount of liquid upon actuation of the dispenser. In addition, it is sometimes desirable to dispense the liquid in the form of foam by, for example, injecting air into the liquid to create a foamy mixture of liquid and air bubbles. Some foam dispensing systems are mounted to a counter top and have a spout on top of the counter and a liquid pump, an air pump and a container that are located under the counter. These types of systems are commonly referred to as under-counter mount dispensing systems. There are two basic types of under-counter mount systems. The first has a refillable container that a user removes, refills with foamable liquid and reinstalls. These types of dispensers are not desirable because bacteria can grow in the container and contaminate the liquid. The second type has a refill unit that includes an air compressor, a liquid pump and a container. When the container is empty, the air compressor, liquid pump and container are removed and thrown away. A new refill unit including the air compressor, liquid pump and container (filled with foamable liquid) is reinstalled. Although these types of refills are more sanitary than refilling the container, these types of refill units are expensive because they contain an air pump and a liquid pump. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Under-counter foam dispenser systems and refill units for an under-counter mount foam dispensing system are disclosed herein. An exemplary refill unit includes a container for holding a liquid, at least a portion of a liquid pump, a quick-connect air manifold for releasably connecting to a pressurized air source, an air passage to a mixing chamber and a liquid passage to the mixing chamber. The air inlet is in fluid communication with the source for pressurized air when the refill unit is mounted in the dispensing system and disengages from the pressurized air source when the refill unit is removed from the under-counter mount foam dispensing system. 
         [0005]    Refill units for an under-counter mount foam dispensing system are disclosed herein. Exemplary refill units include a container for holding a liquid, the container adapted to mount below a countertop, and a dip tube that extends to the bottom of the container. The refill units include at least a portion of a liquid pump in fluid communication with the dip tube. A first tube is in fluid communication with the portion of the liquid pump for communicating liquid from the container to a mixing chamber. A manifold is secured to the container. The manifold includes an air inlet and an air outlet. A second tube extends from the air outlet of the manifold to the mixing chamber. The air inlet is engaged with a source of pressurized air when the refill unit is mounted in the foam dispensing system and the air inlet is disengaged from the pressurized air source when the refill unit is not mounted in the dispensing system. 
         [0006]    In addition, methods of installing a refill unit in an under-counter foam dispensing system are disclosed herein. Exemplary methods include obtaining a refill unit that includes a manifold having an air inlet located on the top of the manifold. The method includes aligning the refill unit so that the air inlet is aligned with a source of pressurized air; and moving the refill unit upward to engage the air inlet with the source of pressurized air. 
         [0007]    Foam dispensing systems are also disclosed herein. An exemplary foam dispensing system includes a spout located above a countertop and an air compressor having an air outlet. The system also includes a refill unit having a container for holding a foamable liquid, a liquid outlet tube and a manifold for releasably engaging the air outlet. The system also includes a liquid pump for pumping liquid from the container to through the liquid outlet tube and the liquid pump located below the countertop. In some embodiments, the air compressor is located above the countertop and in some embodiments the air compressor is located below the countertop. Similarly, in some embodiments, the manifold is located above the countertop and in some embodiments the manifold is located below the countertop. 
         [0008]    Another exemplary method of installing a refill unit in an under-counter foam dispensing system includes obtaining a refill unit that includes a manifold having an air inlet located on a side of the manifold and moving the refill unit into position and then connecting an air source to the side of the manifold. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a cross-section of an exemplary under-counter mount foam dispenser system  100  with a refill unit  140  installed; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a cross-section of the exemplary under-counter mount foam dispenser  100  system without a refill unit installed; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section of an exemplary refill unit  140  for use in an under-counter mount foam dispensing system  100 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a cross-section of the exemplary under-counter mount foam dispenser system  100  with a refill unit  140  installed with the liquid pumping mechanism  130  rotated out for removal of the refill unit  140 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross-section of an exemplary air connection manifold  500  for use in an under-counter mount foam dispenser system; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross-section of another exemplary air connection manifold  600  for use in an under-counter mount foam dispenser system; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section of another exemplary air connection manifold  700  for use in an under-counter mount foam dispenser system; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section of another exemplary air connection manifold  800  for use in an under-counter mount foam dispenser system; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a cross-section of yet another exemplary air connection manifold  900  for use in an under-counter mount foam dispenser system; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 10 and 11  illustrate additional cross-sections of another exemplary manifold for connecting an air compressor  1020  to a manifold  1026  of a refill unit of an under-counter foam dispensing system; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a cross-section of an exemplary under-counter mount foam dispenser system  1200  with a refill unit  1240  installed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    An exemplary embodiment of a foam dispensing system  100  is best described with respect to  FIGS. 1-4 .  FIG. 1  is a cross-section of an exemplary embodiment of a foam dispenser system  100  with a refill unit  140  installed therein.  FIG. 2  is a cross-section of the foam dispenser system  100  with refill unit  140  removed. Foam dispenser system  100  includes a spout  106 . Spout  106  has a hollow interior  107 . Spout  106  is secured to counter  104  by any means such as, for example, a threaded connector (not shown) that extends from spout  106  to below the counter, and the threaded connector is connected to a lower bracket  110 . An air pump or air compressor  120  is secured to lower bracket  110  by a mounting member, which is not shown for purposes of clarity. Air compressor  120  is permanently mounted below the countertop  104  and is not removed with refill unit  140 . Air compressor  120  includes an actuator  121  ( FIG. 2 ). Actuator  121  is an electric actuator. Actuator  121  may include a direct current motor and gearing (not shown) that is preferably powered by one or more batteries, but may be powered by other means and may optionally be an alternating current motor and gearing. Optionally, actuator  121  may be a manually-operated actuator. 
         [0022]    Air compressor  120  includes an air tube  122 . Air tube  122  terminates at air tube outlet  124  inside the interior of lower bracket  110 . Air tube outlet  124  of air tube  122  points in a downward position. Air tube outlet  124  of air tube  122  mates with a manifold  126  when the refill unit  140  is installed in foam dispenser system  100 , which is described in detail below with respect to the additional embodiments of exemplary manifolds shown and described with respect to  FIGS. 6-11  below. 
         [0023]    In addition, secured to lower bracket  110  is a liquid pump  128 . Liquid pump  128  is a peristaltic pump and contains a plurality of rollers  132 . Rollers  132  are rotated by a motor (not shown). In one embodiment, a single motor drives the liquid pump  128  and the air compressor  121 . The housing of liquid pump  128  is secured to lower bracket  128  by a hinge  131 . Liquid pump  128  may be rotated out of the way (see  FIG. 4 ) to insert and remove the refill unit  140  from the under-counter foam dispenser system  100  and rotated back into place (see  FIG. 5 ) for operation of the foam dispensing system  100 . The motor that drives rollers  132  may be powered from the same source as air compressor  120 , such as, for example batteries, a 120-VAC source, or the like. 
         [0024]    In addition, although a peristaltic pump is shown in the figures and described in the specification, any type of liquid pump may be used such as, for example, a piston pump, a dome pump, a rotary pump, a diaphragm pump or the like. An aspect of embodiments of the present invention is that all of the parts that contact the liquid are disposed of when the refill unit  140  is replaced. Parts that do not contact the liquid such as, for example, the air compressor  120 , air tube  122  and lower bracket  110  may remain secured in position when the refill unit  140  is replaced. 
         [0025]    Lower bracket  110  includes a collar  137 . Collar  137  is configured to receive the top portion of container  142 . Collar  137  is keyed, or shaped, so that it mates with container  142  in a selected orientation so that the refill unit  140  is properly orientated with lower bracket  110  when refill unit  140  is installed in the foam dispensing system  100 . In addition, lower bracket  110  includes a rotatable release ring  136 . Rotatable release ring  136  engages with one or more tabs  308  ( FIG. 3 ) on the refill unit  140  when refill unit  140  is inserted in foam dispensing system  100 . Rotatable release ring  136  may include a biasing member (not shown), such as a spring, to bias the rotatable release ring  136  into a position that retains refill unit  140  in place. In addition, in one embodiment, rotatable release ring  136  has a cam surface (not shown) so that when refill unit  140  is inserted into foam dispensing system  100 , the rotatable release ring  136  rotates automatically and allows the refill unit  140  to move into place. After the tabs  308  of the refill unit  140  move into place, the biasing member moves rotatable release ring  136  into position to secure the refill unit  140 . This may be accomplished by, for example, mating tabs (not shown) on rotatable release ring  136 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary refill unit  140 . Refill unit  140  includes a container  142  that forms a liquid reservoir for supply of a foamable liquid within the disposable refill unit  140 . In various embodiments, the contained liquid could be for example a soap, a sanitizer, a cleanser, a disinfectant or some other foamable liquid. In the exemplary disposable refill unit  140 , the container  142  is a rigid housing member, but can be any type of container having a suitable configuration for containing the foamable liquid without leaking. In other embodiments, the container  142  may be formed by a collapsible container and can be made of thin plastic or a flexible bag-like container. 
         [0027]    Secured to container  142  is a cap  310 . Cap  310  includes a plurality of tabs  308  described above for securing the refill unit  140  to the foam dispensing system  100 . In addition, a bracket  314  is secured to cap  310 . Bracket  314  includes a curved backing plate  316 . Bracket  314  and curved backing plate  316  serves to hold liquid tube  146  in place. Curved backing plate  316  is curved with a slightly larger diameter than the outside diameter that rollers  132  travel. When the refill unit  140  is installed in foam dispensing system  100 , and the rollers  132  rotate counterclockwise they compress liquid tube  146  against curved backing plate  316  and push liquid up liquid tube  146  toward foaming chamber  152 . Foaming chamber  152  is where the liquid and air are combined and pushed through a foaming media, such as, for example, a screen. An exemplary foaming chamber  152  is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,289, entitled “Foam Soap Generator,” which is incorporated herein by reference. In one embodiment, rollers  132  rotate clockwise for a brief period at the end of a dispense cycle to draw back, or suck back, residual liquid and/or foam to prevent dripping. 
         [0028]    In addition, refill unit  140  includes a quick-connect air manifold  126 . Liquid tube  146  extends through a wall  330  of manifold  126 . The lower portion of liquid tube  146  is sealed to the wall  330  to prevent leakage. Also secured to manifold  126  is air conduit  150 . Air conduit  150  is located coaxial with liquid tube  146 . Air conduit  150  terminates proximate foaming chamber  152 . An air passage is formed between the inside of air conduit  150  and the outside of liquid tube  149 . In addition, quick-connect air manifold  126  includes an inlet aperture  325 . Air inlet aperture  325  releasably connects to air tube outlet  124 . Air tube outlet  124  preferably has a tapered end, and when refill unit  140  is moved upward, air tube outlet  124  engages air inlet aperture  325 . In one embodiment, air tube outlet  124  extends into air inlet aperture  325 . The air outlet tube may be tapered and seals against the walls of inlet aperture  325  to form an airtight seal. Optionally, a sealing member may be used to ensure a substantially airtight seal.  FIGS. 5 through 11  illustrate a number of exemplary embodiments of quick-connect air manifolds suitable for use in under-counter mount foam dispensing systems. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged cross-section of an air tube to air manifold connection  500  for an exemplary quick-connect manifold  526  installed in a foam dispensing system. Manifold  526  is similar to manifold  126 . Lower bracket  503  may be similar to lower bracket  110  and is secured to the spout (not shown) and provides support for the refill unit. Manifold  526  includes coaxial dispensing tubes  550 , which are formed by air conduit  502  and liquid tube  547  arranged coaxially. In this exemplary embodiment, as the refill unit is installed, the coaxial tubes  550  are inserted so that they travel up the interior of the spout (not shown). As the refill unit, including manifold  526 , is moved upward into position, air tube end  524  passes through aperture  525  and a sealing member  510  forms a seal between air tube end  524  and manifold  526 . The refill unit may be secured in place by, for example, a rotatable engagement ring (not shown), as described above. 
         [0030]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross-section of another exemplary embodiment of an air tube to air manifold connection  600  for a quick-connect manifold  626  installed in a foam dispensing system. Manifold  626  is similar to manifold  526 . Lower bracket  603  may be similar to lower bracket  503  and is secured to the spout (not shown) and provides support for the refill unit. Manifold  626  includes coaxial dispensing tubes  650 , which are formed by air conduit  602  and liquid tube  647  arranged coaxially. In addition, a sealing member  610  is located around aperture  625 . Sealing member  610  may be an elastomeric element. In this exemplary embodiment, as manifold  626  is moved upward into position, air tube end  624  contacts and fits around sealing member  610 , which is secured to aperture  625 . This connection forms a seal between air tube end  624  and manifold  626 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged cross-section of another exemplary embodiment of an air tube to air manifold connection  700  for a quick-connect manifold  726  installed in a foam dispensing system. Manifold  726  is similar to manifold  626 . Lower bracket  703  may be similar to lower bracket  603  and is secured to the spout (not shown) and provides support for the refill unit. Manifold  726  includes coaxial dispensing tubes  750 , which is formed by air conduit  702  and liquid tube  747  arranged coaxially and fit within the spout. Air tube end  724  is preferably rounded. Sealing member  710  is located around aperture  725  and may be an elastomeric element. In this exemplary embodiment, as manifold  726  is moved upward into position, air tube end  724  contacts sealing member  710 , which is secured to aperture  725 . This connection forms a seal between air tube end  724  and manifold  726 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged cross-section of another exemplary embodiment of an air tube to air manifold connection  800  for a quick-connect manifold  826  installed in a foam dispensing system. Manifold  826  is similar to manifold  526 . Lower bracket  803  may be similar to lower bracket  503  and is secured to the spout (not shown) and provides support for the refill unit. Manifold  826  includes coaxial dispensing tubes  850 , which is formed by air conduit  802  and liquid tube  847  arranged coaxially and fit within the spout. Manifold  826  includes an annular notch  809  that retains an o-ring  810 . In this exemplary embodiment, as manifold  826  is moved upward into position, air tube end passes into aperture  825  and contacts sealing member  810 . This connection forms a seal between air tube end  824  and manifold  826 . 
         [0033]    In addition, manifold  826  includes a sanitary sealing member  852 . Sanitary sealing member  852  is a one-way valve that allows air to flow into the air passage located between liquid tube  847  and air conduit  802 . Sanitary sealing member  852  prevents liquid or foam from traveling down the air passage and into manifold  826 . Any of the above embodiments, may include a sanitary seal. 
         [0034]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged cross-section of another exemplary embodiment of an air tube to air manifold connection  900  for a quick-connect manifold  926  installed in a foam dispensing system. Manifold  926  is similar to manifold  526 . Lower bracket  903  may be similar to lower bracket  503  and is secured to the spout (not shown) and provides support for the refill unit. Manifold  926  includes coaxial dispensing tubes  950 , which is formed by air conduit  902  and liquid tube  947  arranged coaxially and may be inserted into the spout. Air tube end  924  has a tapered end. Sealing member  910  projects above and around aperture  925  and may be an elastomeric element. In this exemplary embodiment, as manifold  926  is moved upward into position, air tube end  924  contacts sealing member  910 . This connection forms a seal between air tube end  924  and manifold  926 . 
         [0035]      FIGS. 10 and 11  are an enlarged cross-section of yet another exemplary embodiment of an air tube to air manifold connection  1000  for a quick-connect manifold  1026  installed in a foam dispensing system. Manifold  1026  is secured to a refill unit. Lower bracket  1010  may be similar to lower bracket  110  and is secured to the spout (not shown) and provides support for the refill unit. Manifold  1026  includes coaxial dispensing tubes  1050 , which is formed by an air conduit and liquid tube arranged coaxially. In this exemplary embodiment, air manifold  1026  includes an aperture  1003  located on a side wall. A sealing member  1104  is located around aperture  1003  and may be an elastomeric element. In this exemplary embodiment, the refill unit is removed by unlatching latch  1033  and rotating pumping mechanism  1030  and rollers  1032  outward about hinge  1031 . A rotatable release ring (not shown) is rotated, and the refill unit may be removed downward. To install a new refill unit, the coaxial tubes are inserted into the opening and the refill unit is pushed upward. The rotatable release ring rotates out of the way until the tabs (not shown) clear the mating tabs (not shown) and the rotatable release ring rotates back into position to hold the refill unit in place. The user then rotates the pumping mechanism  1030  back and it is sealed into place by latch  1033 . Air tube end  1102  mates with manifold  1026  and the connection is sealed by sealing member  1104 . Thus, the new refill unit is installed and the foam dispensing system is ready to operate. 
         [0036]    In some embodiments, a membrane (not shown) is located over the air inlet to the manifold prior to shipping. The membrane prevents contaminates from entering the air manifold prior to installation in a foam dispenser system. In one embodiment, the membrane is piercable by the end of the air tube. In one embodiment, the membrane is removed prior to installation in a foam dispensing system. In yet another embodiment, air pressure from the pressurized air source ruptures the membrane. 
         [0037]      FIG. 12  is a cross-section of an exemplary embodiment of a foam dispenser system  1200  with a refill unit  1240  installed therein. The dispenser is similar to the dispenser in  FIG. 2 , which is a cross-section of the foam dispenser system with refill unit removed. Foam dispenser system  1200  includes a spout  1206 . Spout  1206  has a hollow interior  1207 . Spout  1206  is secured to counter  1204  by any means such as, for example, a threaded connector (not shown) that extends from spout  1206  to below the counter, and the threaded connector is connected to a lower bracket  1210 . An air pump or air compressor  1220  is located within spout  1206 . Air compressor  1220  is permanently mounted in the spout above the countertop  1204  and is not removed with refill unit  1240 . Air compressor  1220  includes an electronic actuator, similar to actuator  121  illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Optionally, actuator  1221  may be a manually-operated actuator. 
         [0038]    Air compressor  1220  includes an air tube  1222 . Air tube  1222  terminates at air tube outlet  1224  inside the interior of lower bracket  1210 . Air tube outlet  1224  of air tube  1222  points in a downward position. Air tube outlet  1224  of air tube  1222  mates with a manifold  1226  when the refill unit  1240  is installed in foam dispenser system  1200 . Such mating connections are described in detail above with respect to  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 6-11 . 
         [0039]    In addition, secured to lower bracket  1210  is a liquid pump  1228 . Liquid pump  1228  is a peristaltic pump and contains a plurality of rollers  1232 . Rollers  1232  are rotated by a motor (not shown). In one embodiment, a single motor drives the liquid pump  1228  and the air compressor  1221 . The housing of liquid pump  1228  is secured to lower bracket  1228  by a hinge  1231 . Liquid pump  1228  may be rotated out of the way (see e.g.  FIG. 4 ) to insert and remove the refill unit  1240  from the under-counter foam dispenser system  1200  and rotated back into place (see e.g.  FIG. 5 ) for operation of the foam dispensing system  1200 . The motor that drives rollers  1232  may be powered from the same source as air compressor  1220 , such as, for example batteries, a 120-VAC source, or the like. 
         [0040]    In addition, although a peristaltic pump is shown in the figures and described in the specification, any type of liquid pump may be used such as, for example, a piston pump, a dome pump, a rotary pump, a diaphragm pump or the like. An aspect of embodiments of the present invention is that all of the parts that contact the liquid are disposed of when the refill unit  1240  is replaced. Parts that do not contact the liquid such as, for example, the air compressor  1220 , air tube  1222  and lower bracket  1210  may remain secured in position when the refill unit  1240  is replaced. 
         [0041]    Lower bracket  1210  includes a collar  1237 . Collar  1237  is configured to receive the top portion of container  1242 . Collar  1237  is keyed, or shaped, so that it mates with container  1242  in a selected orientation so that the refill unit  1240  is properly orientated with lower bracket  1210  when refill unit  1240  is installed in the foam dispensing system  1200 . In addition, lower bracket  1210  includes a rotatable release ring  1236 . Rotatable release ring  1236  engages with one or more tabs  308  ( FIG. 3 ) on the refill unit  1240  when refill unit  1240  is inserted in foam dispensing system  1200 . Rotatable release ring  1236  may include a biasing member (not shown), such as a spring, to bias the rotatable release ring  1236  into a position that retains refill unit  1240  in place. In addition, in one embodiment, rotatable release ring  1236  has a cam surface (not shown) so that when refill unit  1240  is inserted into foam dispensing system  1200 , the rotatable release ring  1236  rotates automatically and allows the refill unit  1240  to move into place. After the tabs  308  of the refill unit  1240  move into place, the biasing member moves rotatable release ring  1236  into position to secure the refill unit  1240 . This may be accomplished by, for example, mating tabs (not shown) on rotatable release ring  1236 . 
         [0042]    While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of embodiments thereof and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Moreover, elements described with one embodiment may be readily adapted for use with other embodiments. Therefore, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details, the representative apparatus and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicants&#39; general inventive concept.