# US 12,006,927 B2 · Electrically actuated pump > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,006,927 B2 - Document ID: US12006927B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/829,219 - Filed: 2022-05-31 - Published: 2022-12-08 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-03 - Assignees: World Club Supply Corp. - Applicants: World Club Supply Corporation - Inventors: Philip D. Lowance - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006927B2 ## CPC - F04B 17/03: driven by electric motors - F04B 17/046: {the fluid flowing through the moving part of the motor} - A47K 5/1204: {by means of a rigid dispensing chamber and pistons} - A47K 5/1205: {Dispensing from the top of the dispenser with a vertical piston} - A47K 5/1207: {Dispensing from the bottom of the dispenser with a vertical piston} - A47K 5/1217: {Electrical control means for the dispensing mechanism} - A47K 5/16: with mechanical drive - B05B 11/1001: {Piston pumps (B05B11/1087, B05B11/1088, B05B11/109 take precedence)} - B05B 11/1015: {actuated without substantial movement of the nozzle in the direction of the pressure stroke (B05B11/1011 takes precedence)} - B05B 11/1046: {the pump chamber being arranged substantially coaxially to the neck of the container (B05B11/1049 takes precedence)} - B05B 11/1047: {the pump being preassembled as an independent unit before being mounted on the container} - B05B 11/1052: {Actuation means (locking means therefor B05B11/1059; the dispensing stroke being affected by the stored energy of a spring B05B11/109)} - B05B 12/122: {responsive to presence or shape of target (B05B12/124 takes precedence)} - F04B 9/14: Pumps characterised by muscle-power operation {(hand-held spraying or dispensing apparatus using pumps or bulbs B05B11/00)} - F04B 13/00: Pumps specially modified to deliver fixed or variable measured quantities - F04B 17/04: using solenoids - F04B 17/042: {the solenoid motor being separated from the fluid flow} - F04B 23/028: {the pump being mounted on top of the reservoir} - F04B 49/10: Other safety measures - F04B 53/1002: {Ball valves} - H01F 7/134: {Actuators with two coils} - H01F 7/1607: {Armatures entering the winding} - H03K 17/941: {using an optical detector (H03K17/968 takes precedence)} - A47K 2005/1218: {Table mounted; Dispensers integrated with the mixing tap} - F04B 2207/70: Warnings - H03K 2217/94108: making use of reflection - F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F) - A47K: SANITARY EQUIPMENT; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR, e.g. TOILET ACCESSORIES - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract Automatic electric actuation of the pumping mechanism of a liquid dispenser apparatus is provided by configuring a hollow tube to cooperate with an electromagnetically driven actuator and further configuring the hollow tube to inter-fit with a stem of a liquid dispensing pump. Actuation of the actuator may, for example, drive the pump stem downwardly to cause a pumping action. Suitable actuators include, for example, solenoids, voice coil actuators and stepping motors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a pump having a pump stem extending from a top surface thereof, the pump stem having a liquid dispensing opening and being normally biased in an upward position, the pump being constructed such that manual depression of the pump stem and subsequent release causes liquid to be dispensed from said liquid dispensing opening; a solenoid coil positioned outside of and above the pump and outside of and above the pump stem; a hollow liquid conducting plunger positioned within the solenoid coil and configured to interconnect with the pump stem so as to receive liquid to be dispensed from the liquid dispensing opening of the pump stem and having a ferromagnetic portion positioned thereon, the hollow liquid conducting plunger having a liquid dispensing opening located at a top end thereof; and the solenoid coil and the plunger being so configured that pulsing the solenoid coil with electrical current drives the plunger and pump stem down thereby causing liquid to be dispensed out of the liquid dispensing opening of the hollow liquid conducting plunger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a sensor for detecting the presence of a user of the apparatus and generating a trigger signal in response to detection of the user; and a pulse generator responsive to said trigger signal to pulse said solenoid coil so as to drive said plunger and pump stem down. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said sensor is a photocell. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said photocell is located behind a window of a liquid dispenser. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ferromagnetic portion comprises an armature. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said pulse generator is powered by a battery. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further configured to generate a signal indicating that a liquid reservoir with which the pump cooperates is empty. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 further configured to transmit a signal via a wireless protocol indicating battery strength and/or that the reservoir is empty. ### Claim 9 An apparatus comprising: a pump having a pump stem, the pump stem having a liquid dispensing opening at a top end thereof, the pump and pump stem being configured such that manual depression of the pump stem creates a pumping action; first and second solenoid coils positioned outside of and above the pump and outside of and above the pump stem; a hollow liquid conducting plunger positioned within the first and second solenoid coils and above the pump and pump stem and configured to interconnect with the pump stem so as to receive liquid dispensed from the liquid dispensing opening of the pump stem and having an armature positioned to move up and down within the first and second solenoid coils, the hollow liquid conducting plunger having a liquid dispensing opening located at a top end thereof; and the first and second coils and hollow liquid conducting plunger being further configured such that the plunger and the pump stem move downwardly in response to an actuation current supplied to said first solenoid coil and upwardly in response to an actuation current supplied to said second solenoid coil to thereby cause liquid to be dispensed from the liquid dispensing opening of the hollow liquid conducting plunger. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising: a sensor for detecting the presence of a user of the apparatus and generating a trigger signal in response to detection of the user; and a pulse generator responsive to said trigger signal to pulse said first and second solenoid coils so as to drive said plunger and pump stem up and down so as to perform a liquid pumping action. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said sensor is a photocell. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said photocell is located behind a window of a liquid dispenser. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a trap installed in place of a spring component of the pump the trap being configured to control positioning of a check ball component of the pump. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the trap has one or more grooves formed therein to enable liquid flow through the trap. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising circuitry for generating a signal indicative of fluid level in a liquid dispenser reservoir with which the pump cooperates. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the signal is an “empty” signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a battery life signal generating circuit. ### Claim 18 An apparatus comprising: a liquid dispenser comprising a canister closure having a pump top slidably mounted therein, the pump top being configured to move up and down with respect to the canister closure, the pump top having a liquid receiving opening therein and configured to conduct liquid from said liquid receiving opening to a liquid dispensing opening; a pump having a pump stem extending from a top surface thereof, the pump stem having a liquid dispensing opening; one or more solenoids positioned outside of and above the pump and outside and above the pump stem, the one or more solenoids being attached to the canister closure; a hollow liquid conducting plunger positioned within the one or more solenoid coils and configured to interconnect with the pump stem so as to receive liquid dispensed from the liquid dispensing opening of the pump stem; and the one or more solenoid coils and the hollow liquid conducting plunger being so configured that pulsing the one or more solenoid coils with electrical current causes liquid to be pumped out of the pump stem into the liquid dispensing plunger and then dispensed out of the liquid dispensing opening of the hollow liquid conducting plunger and into the liquid receiving opening of the pump top.