Counting mechanism

Abstract

A counting mechanism (100) for a dispenser comprising: a first and a second housing part (110, 120) that are rotatable relative to each other; and a counting ring (130) disposed between the housing parts. The first housing part has a protrusion (111) which abuts the counting ring, holding a portion of the counting ring in contact with the second housing part. The relative rotation of the housing parts causes the protrusion to slide against the surface of the counting ring to drive a rolling movement of the counting ring around the circumference of the second housing part, such that a predefined rotation of the housing parts produces an incremental rotational displacement between the counting ring and second housing part to record a count. The counting mechanism provides a large gear reduction ratio in a compact form which is straightforward to manufacture and provides an accurate and reliable record of counts.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.