Product dispenser holder with compliance module
AssigneeEcolab USA Inc.
InventorsNicholas Joseph Steinmetz, Jeffrey Rospierski, Sarah E. Johnson, Viktor Slobodyan, David L. Snodgrass
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A product dispenser holder comprises a dispenser holder body configured to receive a product dispenser that stores a supply of a product to be dispensed, an actuation sensor that senses actuations of the product dispenser, and an actuation button, such that when an actuation force is applied to a pump of the product dispenser, a substantially downward force is applied to the actuation button causing the actuation button to rotate substantially downwardly and actuate the actuation sensor to generate a dispenser actuation signal.
Claims20
A sensor module for a product dispenser holder, the sensor module comprising:
- an actuation sensor that generates a dispenser actuation signal;
- an actuation button comprising:
- a main body portion;
- and
- at least one cap portion extending upwardly from a top side of the main body portion and sized to extend through at least one aperture in a base of a dispenser holder body of the product dispenser holder, wherein when an actuation force is applied to a pump of a product dispenser held by the dispenser holder body, the pump is actuated to dispense a dosage amount of a product from a product reservoir of the product dispenser and when the actuation force is applied to the pump, a substantially downward force is applied to the at least one cap portion of the actuation button, causing actuation of the actuation sensor to generate the dispenser actuation signal;
- processing circuitry configured to detect a dispense event upon receipt of the dispenser actuation signal;
- a communication module configured to, after the processing circuitry detects the dispense event:
- attempt to communicate with a compliance badge using a short-range wireless communication protocol;
- and
- if the processing circuitry successfully communicates with the compliance badge, receive identification information from the compliance badge, wherein the identification information includes compliance badge identification information or user identification information,
- wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate dispense event data corresponding to the dispense event, and wherein the sensor module is configured to determine at least one or more of an amount of remaining product, an empty product bottle, or a product bottle replacement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.