Patent ID: 7411511

Claim:
A usage monitoring device for detecting usage of a personal hygiene product, a personal hygiene product package or a restroom facility, and for determining the appropriateness of the detected usage of the product, package or facility, the usage monitoring device comprising: at least one sensor configured to detect a physical stimulus associated with the usage of the product, package or facility with which the usage monitoring device is associated and to transmit a sensor output signal corresponding to the detected physical stimulus; an output device configured to generate a sensory perceptible output; and a controller operatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the output device, the controller being programmed to receive the sensor output signals from the at least one sensor, the controller being programmed to determine whether the usage of the associated product, package or facility is an appropriate usage of the associated product, package or facility based on the sensor output signals received from the at least one sensor, and the controller being programmed to cause the output device to generate a sensory perceptible output corresponding to an appropriate usage of the associated product, package or facility in response to determining that the usage of the associated product, package or facility was an appropriate usage, and wherein the usage monitoring device is associated with a personal hygiene product package having a pump for dispensing a liquid personal hygiene product disposed therein, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a pump movement sensor operatively coupled to the controller, the pump movement sensor being configured to detect movement of the pump to dispense a portion of the liquid personal hygiene product disposed in the package, and to transmit a sensor output signal corresponding to the amount of pump movement detected by the sensor, and wherein the controller is programmed to receive the sensor output signals from the pump movement sensor, to calculate the amount of the liquid personal hygiene product dispensed from the package based on the sensor output signals received from the pump movement sensor, and to determine that a usage of the package is an appropriate usage based on the calculated amount of liquid personal hygiene product dispensed from the package.