Patent Publication Number: US-2023142876-A1

Title: Touch-free tabletop foam sanitizer dispenser

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present invention claims priority to, and the benefits of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/276,041, filed on Nov. 5, 2021 and titled TOUCH-FREE TABLETOP FOAM SANITIZER DISPENSER, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to touch-free tabletop sanitizer dispensers and more particularly to touch-free tabletop foam sanitizer dispensers having pumps, motors and electronics located within a standard container. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Manually activated table top soap and sanitizer dispensers are very common and there is a standard container that is used with this manual pump systems. The standard containers have a neck that has an inside diameter of less than 38 millimeters and typically between 28 millimeters and 38 millimeters. 
     These systems have a nozzle that is manually pushed down. A pump is located within the neck of the container and a dip tube extends to the bottom of the container. These manually activated table top soap and sanitizer dispensers are common and are sold in mass quantities. 
     In touch-free (or hands-free) dispensers, a liquid or foam pump is activated by a drive actuator throughout a set drive cycle to dispense a selected volume or dose of fluid. The drive actuator is often powered by a battery or other rechargeable power source which is used to drive a direct current motor and a drive train. Touch-free systems are often large and bulky and mounted to a wall or surface. The size of the dispensers may also limit the locations in which the dispenser can be used. Some touch-free table top systems are currently in the market. These systems utilize a custom container and cannot be used with a standard container. 
     In addition, access to the nozzle is generally restricted to access from the front of the dispenser. Thus, there is a need for a touch-free tabletop foam dispenser that can operate in a wide variety of locations and that provides access to the nozzle from all directions and a touch-free table top foam dispenser that may readily replace a manual pump in a standard container. 
     SUMMARY 
     Exemplary embodiments of touch-free sanitizer dispensers having integral pumps are disclosed herein. 
     An exemplary tabletop foam sanitizer dispenser includes a bottle comprising a reservoir for containing liquid sanitizer. The bottle has a base for sitting on a surface. The base has a base diameter. The bottle has a top and a neck located proximate the top having an opening. The opening has an inner neck diameter. The base diameter is at least 3 times the inner neck diameter. A pump assembly is also included. The pump assembly has a cylindrical housing. The cylindrical housing having an outer housing diameter. The outer housing diameter is less than the inner neck diameter. The cylindrical housing is inserted into the bottle through the neck opening. A pump is located in the cylindrical housing. The pump includes a liquid inlet, an air inlet, a liquid outlet and an air outlet. A pump is motor located in the cylindrical housing. A battery is also located in the cylindrical housing. A nozzle housing is located above the cylindrical housing. A liquid and air mixing chamber located in the outlet nozzle housing. The liquid and air mixing chamber is in fluid communication with the liquid outlet and the air outlet. An outlet nozzle is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and is located in a lower portion of the nozzle housing. The table top dispenser further includes a sensor for detecting a hand of a user positioned below the nozzle. 
     Another exemplary tabletop foam sanitizer dispenser includes a bottle comprising a reservoir for containing liquid sanitizer. The bottle has a base for sitting on a surface. The base has a base diameter. The bottle has a neck located proximate the top that has an opening having a neck diameter. The base diameter is at least 3 times the neck diameter. A pump assembly is also provided that includes a cylindrical housing. The cylindrical housing fits through the opening of the neck. A pump is located in the cylindrical housing. The pump has a liquid inlet, an air inlet, and a fluid outlet. A pump motor is located in the cylindrical housing. A battery is also located in the cylindrical housing. The pump, pump motor and battery are in a vertical orientation. The dispenser further includes a nozzle housing that is located above the top of the neck. An outlet nozzle is located in the nozzle housing, and a sensor located in nozzle housing for detecting a hand of a user positioned below the nozzle. 
     Another exemplary tabletop foam sanitizer dispenser includes a bottle comprising a reservoir for containing a liquid sanitizer. The bottle has a base for sitting on a surface. The bottle has a neck located proximate the top of the bottle. The neck has a neck opening having a diameter of less than 38 mm. the dispenser also has a pump assembly that includes a cylindrical housing. The cylindrical is inserted through the opening of the neck. A pump is located in the cylindrical. The pump has a liquid inlet, an air inlet, and one or more fluid outlets. A pump motor and battery are also located in the cylindrical housing. The dispenser also includes an outlet nozzle located above the bottle. The pump, motor and battery are arranged in a vertical orientation one above the other. A nozzle housing is located above the cylindrical housing. A mixing chamber in fluid communication with the one or more fluid outlets. An outlet nozzle and a sensor are located in the nozzle housing. The sensor detects a hand of a user positioned below the nozzle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To further clarify various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the certain embodiments will be made by reference to various aspects of the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, while the figures can be drawn to scale for some embodiments, the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale for all embodiments. Embodiments and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an exemplary sanitizer dispenser; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective partial cross-sectional view of the exemplary sanitizer dispenser of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view of the exemplary sanitizer dispenser of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    is an exploded view of a pump assembly of the exemplary sanitizer dispenser of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  5    is a front view of the pump assembly of  FIG.  4   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view of the pump assembly of  FIG.  5    taken along the line  5 - 5  of  FIG.  5   ; 
         FIG.  7    shows a front-top perspective cross-sectional view of the pump assembly of  FIG.  6   ; 
         FIG.  8    shows a front-bottom perspective cross-sectional view of the pump assembly of  FIG.  6   ; 
         FIG.  9    shows a front-top perspective view of the pump assembly; and 
         FIG.  10    shows a rear-top perspective view of the pump assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments having different structures and operation do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     As described herein, when one or more components are described as being connected, joined, affixed, coupled, attached, or otherwise interconnected, such interconnection may be direct as between the components or may be indirect such as through the use of one or more intermediary components. Also as described herein, reference to a “member,” “component,” or “portion” shall not be limited to a single structural member, component, or element but can include an assembly of components, members, or elements. Also as described herein, the terms “substantially” and “about” are defined as at least close to (and includes) a given value or state (preferably within  10 % of, more preferably within 1% of, and most preferably within 0.1% of). 
     “Circuit communication” as used herein indicates a communicative relationship between devices. Direct electrical, electromagnetic and optical connections and indirect electrical, electromagnetic and optical connections are examples of circuit communication. Two devices are in circuit communication if a signal from one is received by the other, regardless of whether the signal is modified by some other device. For example, two devices separated by one or more of the following—amplifiers, filters, transformers, optoisolators, digital or analog buffers, analog integrators, other electronic circuitry, fiber optic transceivers or satellites—are in circuit communication if a signal from one is communicated to the other, even though the signal is modified by the intermediate device(s). As another example, an electromagnetic sensor is in circuit communication with a signal if it receives electromagnetic radiation from the signal. As a final example, two devices not directly connected to each other, but both interfacing with a third device, such as, for example, a CPU, are in circuit communication. 
     Also, voltages and values representing digitized voltages are considered to be equivalent for the purposes of this application, and thus the term “voltage” as used herein refers to either a signal, or a value in a processor representing a signal, or a value in a processor determined from a value representing a signal. 
     “Signal,” as used herein includes, but is not limited to one or more electrical signals, analog or digital signals, one or more computer instructions, a bit or bit stream, or the like. 
     “Logic,” synonymous with “circuit” includes, but is not limited to hardware, firmware, software and/or combinations of each to perform a function(s) or an action(s). For example, based on a desired application or needs, logic may include a software controlled microprocessor or microcontroller, discrete logic, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other programmed logic device. Logic may also be fully embodied as software. The circuits identified and described herein may have many different configurations to perform the desired functions. 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  1 - 10   , illustrations of an exemplary tabletop foam sanitizer dispenser  100  are shown. In this exemplary embodiment, tabletop dispenser  100  is described as being a sanitizer dispenser, however, the tabletop dispensers shown and described herein may be a sanitizer dispenser, a soap dispenser, a lotion dispenser, or the like. The tabletop dispenser  100  includes a nozzle  102  having a nozzle outlet  104  for dispensing a foam product onto a user&#39;s hand when a user&#39;s hand is detected by a sensor  106  ( FIG.  8   ). In this exemplary embodiment, sensor  106  is an infrared (IR) emitter/sensor. In some embodiments, sensor  106  is a different type of sensor, such as, for example, a proximity sensor, a capacitance sensor, a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like. 
     A fluid in the form of a foam that is a combination of liquid, such as, for example, a foamable hand sanitizer liquid, and air is supplied to the nozzle  102  in the form of a foam from a pump assembly  120 . 
     The pump assembly  120  is attached to the bottle  110  via a cap or closure  108 . The cap  108  attaches to a neck  112  of the bottle  110  after the bottle is filled with a foamable liquid, such as, for example, hand sanitizer. The connection between the cap  108  and the neck  112  can take on a wide variety of forms, such as, for example, a threaded connection, a quarter-turn connection, a snap connection, a barbed connection, a press fit connection, an adhesive connection, a welded connection, or any other suitable repeatable or permanent connection. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the bottle  110  is a standard bottle and the neck  112  has a standard neck inside diameter. A standard neck inside diameter is between 28 millimeters (“mm”) and 38 mm. 
     In some embodiments, the outside diameter of bottle  110  is at least 3 times the inside diameter of the neck. In some embodiments, the outside diameter of bottle  110  is at least 3.5 times the inside diameter of the neck. In some embodiments, the outside diameter of bottle  110  is at least 4 times the inside diameter of the neck. In some embodiments, the outside diameter of bottle  110  is at least 4.5 times the inside diameter of the neck. In some embodiments, the outside diameter of bottle  110  is at least 5 times the inside diameter of the neck. 
     The neck  112  of the bottle  110  has a smaller diameter than the rest of the bottle  110  and includes a mouth or opening  114  that facilitates filling the bottle  110  with hand sanitizer or soap. 
     The bottle  110  encloses a reservoir  116  for holding the liquid and has a bottom  118 . The bottom  118  of the bottle  110  may be shaped to provide improved stability when the bottle  110  is placed on a tabletop or other approximately horizontal surface. For example, stability may be improved via an indentation or partial concavity in the center of the bottom so that the surface area of the bottle that is in contact with the tabletop is arranged towards the outer perimeter of the bottle  110 . 
     After the bottle  110  has been filled with hand sanitizer, the pump assembly  120  is inserted into the bottle  110  through the mouth  114  of the neck  112  and is secured to the neck  112  of the bottle  110  with the cap  108 . Where the connection between the cap  108  and the neck  112  is a repeatable connection, the pump assembly  120  can be removed from the bottle  110  to facilitate refilling of the bottle  110  or re-use of the pump assembly  110  with another bottle. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the pump assembly  120  is enclosed by a stepped cylindrical housing  122  that includes a flange  124  that engages the top of the neck  112  of the bottle  110  when the pump assembly  120  is inserted into the mouth  114  of the bottle  110 . The cap  108  secures the flange  124  ( FIG.  6   ) against the neck  112  of the bottle  110  to form a seal between the pump assembly  120  and the bottle  110  to prohibit leakage of hand sanitizer from the reservoir  116 . An optional gasket or seal  138  can be inserted between the mouth of the bottle  110  and the flange  124  of the pump assembly  120  to prohibit leakage from the reservoir. 
     The housing  122  is open at a top end and extends into the bottle  110  through neck  112 . 
     A liquid intake  128  is provided at the bottom end of a liquid inlet tube  140  that may extend beyond the bottom of the housing  122  to the bottom of the pump assembly  120 . Locating the liquid intake  128  at the bottom of the pump assembly  120  allows the dispenser to dispense hand sanitizer from the reservoir  116  until the reservoir  116  is almost or completely empty, lengthening the time that the dispenser  100  can be used before it runs out and is disposed of or is refilled. Any suitable pump can be used to move fluid from the reservoir  116  to the nozzle outlet  104 , such as, for example, a dome pump, a piston pump, a rotary pump, a gear pump, a sequentially activated multi-diaphragm pump, a liquid pump, a foam pump, or the like. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, pump  126  is a sequentially activated multi-diaphragm foam pump. Exemplary sequentially activated diaphragm pumps and associated dispensers are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,943,196, 10,065,199, 10,080,466, 10,080,467, 10,143,339, and U.S. Pat. No. 10,080,468, which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  4 - 10   , various views of the pump assembly  120  are shown to illustrate the operation of the dispenser  100 . Referring now to  FIG.  4   , an exploded view of the pump assembly  120  is shown with a top cover  142  of the nozzle  102  separated from a bottom cover  144  of the nozzle  102 , the cap  108 , and the housing  122  to expose the fluid handling components of the pump assembly  120 . In this exemplary embodiment, top cover  142  includes a housing air inlet opening (not shown) to allow air into the stepped cylindrical housing  122 . In some embodiments, an air hole in the stepped cylindrical housing  122  is not required as there is sufficient leakage in at least one of the stepped cylindrical housing  122 , the top cover  142 , and the bottom cover  144 , or the connections therebetween. Air flow into the stepped cylindrical housing  122  is necessary for the pump  126  to produce foam. 
     Stepped cylindrical housing  122  is stepped to decrease the foot print of the pump assembly  120  thereby increasing the volume of fluid that may be located inside the reservoir  116 . In some embodiments, the housing is cylindrical. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the pump assembly  120  includes the pump  126 , the liquid inlet tube  140 , a foam outlet tube  130 , a motor  132 , a battery  134 , and a controller board  136 . In some embodiments, liquid inlet tube  140  may be formed as part of the cylindrical housing  122 . 
     Battery  134  may be a AA battery or a AAA battery, and accordingly, battery  134  may have an operating voltage of about 1.5 volts. If two AA batteries or two AAA batteries are used, the operating voltage may be about 3 volts. Thus, in some embodiments, the motor  132  must be selected to operate at about 1.5 volts. In some embodiments, motor  132  must be selected to operate at about 3 volts. In some embodiments, controller board  136  includes boost circuitry (not shown) to increase the voltage delivered to the motor  132 . 
     In this exemplary embodiment, motor  132  has an operating range of about 0.9 to about 1.6 volts. 
     Battery  134  may be a rechargeable battery. If battery  134  is rechargeable, a recharging port (not shown) is included. The recharging port (not shown) may be, for example, a female receptacle that accepts a male plug in circuit communication with charge circuitry that plugs into a 120 volt receptacle, as known in the art. 
     The motor  132  is attached to the pump  126  and, when operated, causes the pump  126  to pump hand sanitizer from the reservoir  116  via the liquid intake  128  of the liquid inlet tube  140  and ambient air from within the stepped cylindrical housing  122  through pump air inlet  181 . The operation of the pump  126  and the path of the hand sanitizer through the pump assembly  120  from the liquid intake  128  to the nozzle outlet  104  is described in greater detail below, and in the references included above, that are incorporated herein. 
     The battery  134  provides electrical power to the electrical components of the dispenser  100 —i.e., the motor  132 , the controller board  136 , and the sensor  106 . The battery  134  can be a removable battery that can be changed during maintenance of the dispenser  100  or can be an integrated battery that is permanently attached to the controller board  136 . 
     In some embodiments, an on/off switch  180  is located on top of nozzle  102 . An on/off switch  180  allows dispenser  100  to be moved to different locations, or shipped, without dispensing fluid when dispenser  100  is being moved or running down the batteries prior to the dispenser  100  being placed in use. 
     Controller board  136  includes a processor (not shown), memory (not shown), and other required circuitry (not shown) for performing the functions described herein. The processor may be any type of processor, such as, for example a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), or the like. The memory may be any type of memory, such as, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM); Read Only Memory (ROM); programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or the like, or combinations thereof. 
     In some embodiments, controller board  136  is located within the nozzle  102  housing. In some embodiments, controller board  136  is located in the cylindrical housing  122 . In some embodiments, controller board  136  comprises more than one controller board. In some embodiments, controller board is located within the housing of the nozzle  102  and within the cylindrical housing  122 . 
       FIG.  10    illustrates the flow of the hand sanitizer fluid from the reservoir  116  to the nozzle outlet  104 , which is indicated by flow path arrows  101  as shown in the perspective view of the pump assembly  120  in  FIG.  10   . When sensor  106  detects the presence of a user&#39;s hand, the pump  126  is energized by controller board  136 . The sensor  106  can be any suitable sensor for detecting the presence of a hand or hands below the nozzle  102  and just in front of the sensor  106 , such as, for example, an infrared sensor, a proximity sensor, a camera, or the like. Foamable hand sanitizer liquid in reservoir  116  of bottle  110  is drawn into the pump  126  from through the liquid intake  128 , through the liquid inlet tube  140  and into a liquid pump diaphragms or chambers (not shown). Air is drawn into pump  126  through pump air inlet  181  into one or more air pump diaphragms or chambers (not shown). The liquid is pumped out of the liquid pump diaphragm into a mixing chamber (not shown). Air is pumped out of the one or more air pump diaphragms (not shown) into the mixing chamber where it mixes with the liquid to form a liquid air mixture. 
     The liquid air mixture is pumped through pump outlet  146  that connects the foam outlet tube  130  to the pump  126 . The foam outlet tube  130  extends from the pump  126  to the nozzle  102  to fluidly connect the pump  126  to the nozzle outlet  104 . The hand sanitizer is pumped through the foam outlet tube  130  by the pump  126  until the hand sanitizer fluid is dispensed from the nozzle outlet  104  onto the user&#39;s hand. A foam generator  148  is provided in the foam outlet tube  130  that contains foaming media, such as one or more screens, disposed within the foam outlet tube  130 . In some embodiments, foaming media screens are replaced with porous members, sponges, baffles, or the like. The foam generator  148  thoroughly mixes the liquid air mixture to form a high quality foam that is dispensed on a user&#39;s hands. 
     In some embodiments, sensor  106  has a small sensing range so that sensor  106  will only detect a hand that is in very close proximity to the nozzle outlet  104 . In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 102 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 90 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 85 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 80 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 75 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 70 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 65 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 60 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 56 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 52 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 50 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 45 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 40 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 35 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 30 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 25 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 20 mm. In some embodiments, the range of sensor  106  is limited to about 15 mm. Limiting the range of sensor  106  allows the dispenser  100  to be picked up and moved without false triggering of the sensor  106 . 
     The stepped cylindrical housing  122  is located entirely within the bottle  110  and the bottle neck  112  and is accordingly, less than 38 mm wide. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 38. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 37. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 36. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 35. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 34. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 33. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 32. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 31. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 30. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 29. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 28. 
     Accordingly, in some embodiments, the stepped cylindrical housing  122  has an outside diameter that is less than 38 mm. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 37 mm. In some embodiments, the cylindrical housing has an outside diameter that is less than 36 mm. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 35 mm. In some embodiments, the cylindrical housing has an outside diameter that is less than 34 mm. In some embodiments, the bottle neck  112  has an inside diameter of 33 mm. In some embodiments, the cylindrical housing has an outside diameter that is less than 32 mm. In some embodiments, the cylindrical housing has an outside diameter that is less than 31 mm. In some embodiments, the cylindrical housing has an outside diameter that is less than 30 mm. In some embodiments, the cylindrical housing has an outside diameter that is less than 29 mm. In some embodiments, the cylindrical housing has an outside diameter that is less than 28 mm. 
     Battery  134 , motor  132  and pump  126  are arranged in a vertical orientation, i.e. they are arranged one above the other. In this exemplary embodiment, the battery  132  is located below the motor  132 , which is located below the pump  126 . In some embodiments, the battery  134  is above the motor  132  and the pump  128 . 
     In some embodiments, located below the battery in the cylindrical housing is an RFID or NFC reader (not shown). In some embodiments, an RFID tag or NFC tag may be located on the bottom of the container. The RFID or NFC reader may read information from the RFID tag or NFC tag. The information may be used to control the operation of the pump, such as, for example, to select a desired speed of the pump, which may be used for example, to select a desired foam density, or to set a desired length of time that the pump runs during a dispense, such as, for example, to dispense a selected dose size. 
     While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the disclosures may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts, and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present application. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts, and features of the disclosures—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, devices, and components, alternatives as to form, fit, and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts, or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present application even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. 
     Additionally, even though some features, concepts, or aspects of the disclosures may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present application, however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. 
     Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of a disclosure, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts, and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific disclosure, the disclosures instead being set forth in the appended claims. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated. The words used in the claims have their full ordinary meanings and are not limited in any way by the description of the embodiments in the specification.