Patent ID: 7232111

Claim:
A hands-free faucet for a sink constructed and arranged for permitting a flow stream of water to be initiated and to be stopped without physical contact with said faucet, said sink including a bottom portion, said hands-free faucet comprising: a spout having an outlet end; a valve in series with said spout and being movable between an open position wherein the flow stream of water is in initiated and a closed position wherein the flow stream of water is stopped; a position sensitive detection device having a trigger zone defined in part by a distance range and having an extended zone, said position sensitive detection device being assembled into said hands-free faucet adjacent said outlet end and being constructed and arranged for providing an optical signal directed toward said bottom portion, said position sensitive detection device being constructed and arranged for generating a trigger signal when said position sensitive detection device detects an object within said trigger zone; and logic control means for causing said valve to move to said open position in response to said trigger signal, said logic control means having a manual mode and a hands-free mode, said position sensitive detection device being deactivated when said hands-free faucet is in said manual mode and said valve remaining open, said valve being opened in said hands-free mode when said position sensitive detection device detects an object within said trigger zone, wherein said valve is closed only when said position sensitive detection device does not detect an object within said trigger zone and does not detect an object that is moving within said extended zone.