Abstract:
A washing system for dispensing a liquid cleanser or lotion includes a housing enclosing a first and second reservoir, a tube system for connecting in fluid communication the first and second reservoirs to a manual valve that is located on or outside of the housing. The first reservoir comprises a collapsible, airtight bag containing liquid cleanser or lotion, and is located above the second reservoir, such that soap or lotion will flow into the second reservoir from the first reservoir due to gravity when the first reservoir bag is installed. The second reservoir provides additional liquid storage for use between replacement of the first reservoir.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE ART  
         [0001]    This invention relates to systems for dispensing soap or lotion. Soap and lotion dispensers add convenience to users of both public and private restrooms by allowing users to operate a manual valve to dispense an appropriate amount of soap or lotion onto the user&#39;s hands. The manual valve can be a pump or an on/off type valve.  
           [0002]    Such soap or lotion dispensers include a reservoir for holding an amount of soap or lotion to be dispensed that can be refilled or replaced when the soap or lotion is entirely dispensed. Frequently, soap or lotion is entirely dispensed before the owner of the dispenser has time to refill or replace it so that when the manual valve is operated by a user, no liquid is dispensed. Further, since the soap or lotion is emptied from the pipes or tubes when the reservoir is emptied, the pipes must be reprimed when refilling the liquid. This priming process adds to the time that the soap or lotion cannot be dispensed.  
           [0003]    Also known in the art are liquid dispensing systems that use a “bag in the box” arrangement. In these dispensing systems, soap or lotion fills the inside of an airtight bag, which in turn is placed inside a box. As the liquid is dispensed, the bag collapses within the box. When the bag is emptied, the box may be thrown away and a new box of liquid can be attached. These systems avoid the messiness of refilling the reservoirs, but usually are not replaced until all of the liquid is gone. Otherwise, the extra liquid is wasted. Therefore, if another box of soap or lotion is not immediately installed, an interim time exists when the dispenser will not dispense any liquid. Alternatively, to avoid this inconvenience to the users, janitors replace the boxes before they become empty, resulting in waste.  
           [0004]    Some known dispensing systems attach the manual valve through a pipe or tube to a large reservoir of soap or lotion that is hidden under the sink or in another room. An auxiliary reservoir near the first reservoir can be filled with soap or lotion at the time that the first reservoir is refilled or replaced so that the soap or lotion may be dispensed continuously. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,245, incorporated herein by reference.  
           [0005]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system for dispensing soap or lotion which will improve upon the current “bag in the box” system and/or earlier systems. In particular, it is an object to provide a new and improved system in which the initial and maintenance costs of the various components will be reduced, placement and storage of the system will require minimal installation or alteration of the facilities, and/or the system will provide continuous dispensing of liquid in the interim period when the reservoir of soap or lotion is being refilled or replaced.  
           [0006]    Other objects, advantages, features and results will more fully appear in the course of the following description.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0007]    The washing system of the present invention includes a housing, a manual valve in the housing, a first reservoir that is replaceable, a second reservoir, and a connecting line that connects the first and second reservoirs in fluid communication with each other and with the valve. The first and second reservoirs, manual valve, and connecting line are all contained within the housing, or the manual valve can be located outside of the housing. When a new collapsible, airtight bag containing soap or lotion is installed in the housing as the first reservoir, some of the soap or lotion falls down the connecting line due to gravity. The second reservoir is below the first reservoir, and is therefore filled with the lotion or soap falling down the connecting line after the first bag is installed. Therefore, when the collapsible bag in the first reservoir is emptied, soap or lotion may still be dispensed through the valve from the second reservoir. Thus, soap or lotion can still be dispensed during the period when the first reservoir is empty. Further, when the reservoirs, connecting line, and valve are all on or within the housing, installation of the dispenser does not require bringing a tube or pipe through walls or the sink to link the reservoir with the valve or exposing tubes or pipes, nor does it require substantial storage space. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a view of the dispenser, according to one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 a  is a perspective view of the housing, according to one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 b  is a back perspective view of the housing, reservoirs, and tubing system, according to one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 c  is an enlarged view of lower shelf with the hinged portions shown before and after rotation.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the housing, reservoirs, and tubing system.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 a  is an enlarged view of the on/off valve in its “off” position before it is installed onto the connector, as used in one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 b  is an enlarged view of the on/off valve in its “on” position after it is installed onto the connector, as used in one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 c  is an enlarged view of an alternate embodiment of the on/off valve before it is installed onto the connector.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is an enlarged, cut-out view of the tubing system within the housing, as used in one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the manual pump-type valve as used in one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is an exploded sectional side view of an alternate embodiment of the dispenser.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a top sectional view of the channel and top nozzle of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the back wall, channel, and nozzles, as used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0021]    With reference to FIGS.  1 - 2   b  a dispenser  10  includes a housing  12  having an outer cover  14 . The housing  12  is typically made of plastic, but may be made of metal or a combination of other suitable materials. The outer cover  14  includes an outer front wall  18 , and first and second outer side walls  20 ,  22 . The outer front wall  18  defines an opening  24  for receiving a valve  8 . A hinge  26  is located at the bottom rear portion of the dispenser  10  to permit the cover  14  to rotate open, thereby exposing the inside of the dispenser  10  for replacement of an upper reservoir. The cover can alternatively be hinged on the top of the housing  12  or other suitable locations from which the cover  14  can be rotated to expose the contents of the housing  12 .  
         [0022]    The housing  12  shown in FIGS. 2 a  and  b  includes first and second upper side walls  100 ,  102 , first and second lower side walls  104 ,  106  extending down from the upper side walls, a rear wall  108  between the upper side walls, an upper shelf  110 , a lower shelf  112  below the upper shelf, a floor  116  connected to the second lower side wall  106 , a front wall  114 , valve chamber  118  and a valve housing wall  120 . The rear wall  108  of the housing  12  has mounting holes  9  for mounting the housing  12  on a wall. The housing  12  can alternatively be mounted by adhesive or other suitable method. The first and second upper side walls  100 ,  102  extend from the top of the housing  12  down to the upper shelf  110 . The first and second lower side walls  104 ,  106  extend from the floor  116  level to upper shelf  110  and also extend to the back of the housing  12  beyond the rear wall  108 . The front wall  114  extends from the floor  116  level of the housing to an area between the lower shelf  112  and upper shelf  110 . The valve housing wall  120  protrudes from the front wall and defines a recess for receiving a valve actuator. The valve housing wall  120  also includes an opening for accepting a valve. As shown also in FIG. 5, the substantially cylindrical valve chamber  118  has an output end  124  at the opening of the valve housing wall  120  and an input end  122  near the rear of the housing  12  that is capped with an input tube  126 .  
         [0023]    The upper shelf  110  is fixed to the first and second lower side walls  104 ,  106  and rear wall  108 , and is adjacent to the cover  14  when the cover  14  is closed. The upper shelf  110  has a cutout  128  that opens to the front, adjacent to the cover  14 , which is lined with a guide rim  130 .  
         [0024]    As shown in FIG. 2 b  and c, The lower shelf  112  is fixed along one side to the first lower side wall  104  of the housing  12 . The other side of the lower shelf  112  is connected to first and second hinged portions  134 ,  135  through hinges  154 ,  156 , respectively. An opening  136  is on the lower shelf  112  and extends to the second hinged portion  135 . The space between the first and second hinged portions  134 ,  135  defines a slot  138 .  
         [0025]    The second lower side wall  106  of the housing  12  includes a mantle  140  at the same distance from the floor  116  as the lower shelf  112 .  
         [0026]    With reference to FIG. 3, the housing  12  encloses a first reservoir  200 , e.g., a “bag-in-box”, and a second reservoir  202 . The reservoirs  200 ,  202  comprise collapsible, airtight bags containing soap or lotion, and are located on the upper shelf  110  and the lower shelf  112 , respectively. The bag of the first reservoir  200  is surrounded by a box  203 , although this is not necessary. The first reservoir  200  includes an on/off valve  204  (shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 a  and  b ) with a central, cylindrical shaft  206 , first and second circumferential ledges  208 ,  210  perpendicular to the shaft  206 , a cap  212 , and flexible arms  214  connecting the cap  212  to the shaft  206 . The first circumferential ledge  208  is sealed to the collapsible bag by methods known in the art. The first circumferential ledge  208 , cap  212 , arms  214 , and upper portion of the shaft  206  are located within the first reservoir  200 . The lower portion of the shaft  206  and second circumferential ledge  210  protrudes from an opening in the first reservoir  200  and the box  203 . The valve  204  is initially in the “off” position, as shown in FIG. 4 a , where the cap  212  blocks the opening to the shaft  206 .  
         [0027]    A connector  216  includes a base  220  and a pair of fingers  222  extending up from the base  220 , each finger having a hooked end portion  224 . Extending above and below from the center of the base  220  is a connection tube  226 . The tube has an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion of the tube has a circumferential groove  228  for receiving a seal ring  230 . The hooked end portions  224  extend upwards to clasp the second circumferential ledge  210  of the valve  204 , discussed in more detail below.  
         [0028]    The first reservoir  200  is secured to the connector  216  by pushing the valve  204  onto the connection tube  226 , as shown in FIG. 4 b . When the valve  204  is pressed onto the connector  216 , the connection tube  226  pushes the cap  212  up and into the open position, thereby allowing relatively free flow of the soap or lotion from the reservoir  200  through the connection tube  226 . Further, the second circumferential ledge  210  on the valve  204  is pressed into engagement with the hooked end portions  224  of the fingers  222  on the connector  216  so that the second circumferential ledge  210  is beneath the hooked end portions  224 . The valve  204  is therefore held in place relative to the connector  216 . The seal ring  230  forms a seal for the junction of the connection tube  226  and the shaft  206 . The connector  216  and valve  204  can alternatively be held together without fingers  222  by the friction of the seal ring  230  or by fixing the connector  216  to the housing.  
         [0029]    This process is performed when the connector  216  is in the uninstalled position, i.e., outside of the dispenser, in order to lessen the stress on the upper shelf  110 . After the connector  216  and the on/off valve  204  are installed, the connector  216  is slid into place within cutout  128 . Alternatively, the on/off valve  204  can be coupled to the connector  216  while the connector  216  is secured to the upper shelf so that it cannot fall through cutout  128 . Other types of valves and/or connectors are known for permitting the flow of soap and lotion from the first reservoir and it is not intended that the present invention be limited by the type of valve or connector. For example, other types of fittings, valves, etc., may be used. The first reservoir  200  can alternatively include a fitting  232  that is sealed with an aluminum sealing cover  234  instead of arms  214  and cap  212 , as shown in FIG. 4 c . When the connector  216  is pushed onto the fitting  232 , the aluminum sealing cover  234  is punctured, allowing flow of soap or liquid through the connection tube  226 .  
         [0030]    Referring again to FIG. 3, the second reservoir  202  has a flexible plastic outlet nozzle  300  with a collar  310  extending below the lower shelf  112  and pointing in the direction of a “T” fitting  312 , which projects upwards through slot  138 . After the “T” fitting  312  is installed in housing  12 , the hinged portions  134 ,  135  are held horizontal between hinges  154 ,  156  and the mantel  140 . Thus, hinged portions  134 ,  135  are bent up to form a continuation of the lower shelf  112 . The outlet nozzle  300  is fixed to an outlet of the second reservoir  202  and can be made with any material that can form a tight seal with the “T” fitting  312 . A lip  314  of a “T” fitting  312  (discussed in more detail with reference to FIG. 5) engages the collar  310  of the outlet nozzle  300  of the second reservoir  202  to form a sealed connection. A tube may also be used to connect the outlet nozzle to the “T” fitting. The outlet of the “T” fitting  312  connects through tubing system  330 ,  326 ,  332  to the input tube  126  leading to the pump-type manual valve  8 . Other types of fittings or nozzles are known for forming a sealed connection and it is not intended that the present invention be limited by the type of fitting or nozzle.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 2 b  and  5  depict the “T” fitting  312  in more detail. The middle tube  316  of the “T” fitting  312  has a lip  314  that engages the collar  310  of the outlet nozzle  300  of the second reservoir  202  (FIG. 3). One tube  318  can intake soap or lotion from the first reservoir  200 , and the last tube  320  can output the soap or lotion from both the first and second reservoirs  200 ,  202  to the pump-type manual valve  8  (FIG. 6). Although a “T” fitting is discussed herein, one skilled in the art will understand that any fitting capable of connecting two sources to each other and to a third location can be substituted with similar effect.  
         [0032]    The first and second reservoirs  200 ,  202  and pump-type valve  8  are coupled together by a tubing system  324 ,  326 ,  328 ,  330 ,  332  to allow fluid communication between the reservoirs  200 ,  202  and the valve  8 .  
         [0033]    The connector  216  couples the first reservoir  200  to a flexible plastic tube  324  by a cable tie  322 . The tube  324  extends from the connector  216 , through the opening  128  in the upper shelf  110  (see FIG. 2 a ) and the first opening  136  in the lower shelf  112  to an elbow  328 . The elbow  328  has barbed edges (not shown) that grip the inside of the flexible plastic tube  324 , and the connection is sealed on the outside of the tube  324  by a clamp or cable tie (not shown), as is known in the art. The elbow  328  is connected to the “T” fitting  312 , e.g., by a flexible tube. The length of the tube  324  is long enough to reach the connector  216  when it is uninstalled from cutout  128  in order to attach it to a new first reservoir  200  outside of the housing. The “T” fitting  312  is located beneath the second reservoir  202 .  
         [0034]    The tube  320  of the “T” fitting  312  is coupled to a second elbow  330 , e.g., by a flexible tube. Elbow  330  is coupled to a flexible tube  326 , which connects to a third elbow  332 . Elbow  332  is connected to a fitting  158  which is threaded into the input tube  126  of the pump-type valve  8 . The elbows  328 ,  330 ,  332  and “T” fitting  312  have barbed end portions and can be connected to each other by enclosing the junction of the barbed end portions in a flexible, plastic sleeve (not shown). A clamp or cable tie can then be placed around the edges of the plastic sleeve to seal the connection, if needed. The elbows  328 ,  330 ,  332  and “T” fitting  312  can also be connected without barbed end portions by threading or other suitable means. The tubing configurations described are examples only, and it is recognized that many variations for connecting the reservoirs to each other and the valve through tubing would be known to those skilled in the art.  
         [0035]    Therefore, when a first reservoir  200  is installed to the connector  216 , soap or lotion drains from the first reservoir  200 , through the on/off valve  204 , tube  324 , elbow  328 , and into the “T” fitting  312 . From the “T” fitting  312 , the soap or lotion re-fills the second reservoir  202  and the tubing system  330 ,  326 ,  332  that leads to the pump-type valve  8 . Thus, when the first reservoir  200  is empty, a continuous flow of soap or lotion from the second reservoir  202  is still possible before the first reservoir  200  is re-filled.  
         [0036]    The pump-type manual valve  8  shown in FIG. 6 is similar to the replaceable valve disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,762, incorporated herein by reference. The pump-type manual valve  8  has an inlet  50  and an outlet  52  and comprises an outer sleeve  54 , an inner sleeve  56 , and a plunger  58 . The outer sleeve  54  is hollow, slides into chamber  118  and is secured by a set screw  60  that projects through housing  12  into chamber  118  and within a seat  62  on the outer sleeve  54 .  
         [0037]    The plunger  58  is also hollow and slidable within the outer sleeve  54 . The plunger  58  can be held inside the outer sleeve  54  by a guide pin  64  carried by the outer sleeve  54  projecting into a groove  66  of the plunger  58  and a groove  68  of chamber  118 . A one-way valve  70  is located at the inlet end of the plunger  58  to allow soap or lotion to move from the inlet end to the outlet end.  
         [0038]    The inner sleeve  56  is carried inside the outer sleeve  54  and is located near the inlet end of the pump-type valve  8 . The inner sleeve  56  is urged away from the plunger  58  by a spring  72  between them. A second one-way valve  74  is located at the inlet end of the inner sleeve  56 .  
         [0039]    When the plunger  58  is manually pressed in the direction of the rear wall  108 , the space between the plunger  58  and the inner sleeve  56  is compressed and the soap or lotion residing in that space is forced out of the first one-way valve  70  and out through the outlet  52 . When the plunger  58  is released, the space between the inner sleeve  56  and the plunger  58  is increased, and the vacuum formed opens the second one-way valve  74  to allow soap or lotion from the outer sleeve  54  into the inner sleeve  56 .  
         [0040]    Other manual valves can be substituted for pump-type valve  8  with similar effect. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,877, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a fluid dispenser valve with a relocated outer seal to seal against a cylindrical cavity, and this valve can also be used in accordance with the instant invention. Other appropriate manual valves that can be used in accordance with the instant invention will be evident to those skilled in the art.  
         [0041]    The reservoirs and manual valve can alternatively be connected via a rigid channel. In FIGS.  7 - 9 , the cover  18 , floor  116 , valve chamber  118 , and side walls (not shown) are similar to those discussed in reference to the previous figures. However, an on/off valve  400 , similar to that described is reference to FIG. 4 c , is fixed to the bottom rear of the first reservoir  410  and directed toward the back wall  412 . The bottom rear of the second reservoir  414  is also fixed to an on/off valve  416  similar to that described in reference to FIG. 4 c , and the on/off valve  416  is directed toward the back wall  412 . The valve chamber inlet  126  is threaded to a coupling  418  that has threads on one end and barbs on the other end.  
         [0042]    A back wall  412  is fastened to the side walls (not shown) and includes three nozzles  420 ,  422 ,  424  in locations facing and corresponding to the two on/off valves  400 ,  416  and the inlet of the pump chamber  126 . The nozzles  420 ,  422 ,  424  surround openings  426  in the back wall  412 . The nozzles  420 ,  422 ,  424  each include a cylindrical inner channel  428 ,  430 ,  432 , an outer cylindrical surface  434 ,  436 ,  438 , and a pointed end portion  440 ,  442 ,  444 . On the top  420  and middle  422  nozzles, the outer cylindrical surface  434 ,  436  includes openings  446  that lead to the cylindrical inner channel  428 ,  430 . An O-ring  448  fits around the outer cylindrical surface  434 ,  436  to the rear of the openings  446 . The bottom nozzle  424  includes a barbed end portion  444 .  
         [0043]    When the back wall  412  is fixed to the side walls (not shown), the top and middle nozzles  420 ,  422  insert inside the on/off valves  400 ,  416  coming from the first and second reservoirs  410 ,  414 , and the connections are held together by the friction of the O-rings  448 . The junction of the bottom nozzle  424  and the coupling  418  is surrounded by a flexible sleeve  450  and the sleeve  450  is sealed by two cable ties  452 ,  454  surrounding the sleeve  450  at each of the sleeve&#39;s  450  ends. The sleeve  450  can alternatively be sealed with a clamp at each end, if needed.  
         [0044]    A channel  456  is fastened, e.g., by welding, at its edges to the rear of the back wall  412 . A seal  458  lines the edges of the channel  456 . A outwardly-curved center portion  460  extends linearly down the center of the channel  456  and, when the channel  456  is fixed to the back wall  412 , defines a channel linking the three openings  426  in the back wall  412 . Above the top edge of the channel  456 , the back wall  412  includes protrusions  462  extending horizontally to the rear of the back wall  412  to stabilize the dispenser when it is mounted on a wall.  
         [0045]    Although FIGS. 7 and 9 describe a valve chamber inside the housing and a bottom nozzle directed toward the front of the dispenser, the bottom nozzle can be directed downward or otherwise away from the housing and the flexible sleeve can extend outside of the housing to an external pump. It should also be noted that the arrangements of tubes and fittings described in earlier embodiments may also be used in connection with external pumps, i.e., pumps not located inside of the reservoir housing.  
         [0046]    Although the foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments, this is not intended to limit the invention. Rather, the foregoing is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.