Pressurized soap dispenser and method
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorCleary E. Mahaffey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dispenser for dispensing a metered dose of foam or liquid from a reservoir includes means for applying gas pressure either directly or indirectly to a liquid contained in the reservoir for dispensing a liquid or foam through a nozzle. Instead of using a direct pump, the dispenser uses gas pressure inside the dispenser that pushes the liquid out of the reservoir without coming into contact with the reservoir. The dispenser can include a battery operated gas pressure pump and a sensor that senses pressure within the dispenser. In one aspect, an actuator can open a valve for dispensing metered doses of a liquid or foam.
Claims19
A dispenser for dispensing a metered dose of foam or liquid from a reservoir comprising:
- a liquid reservoir and optionally a housing defining an interior chamber for receiving the liquid reservoir;
- a gas supplying device in fluid communication with the interior chamber or the liquid reservoir, the gas supplying device supplying a gas for placing a liquid contained in the liquid reservoir under pressure;
- a nozzle in fluid communication with the liquid reservoir;
- a flow control device located between the liquid reservoir and the nozzle for controlling flow of the liquid through the nozzle;
- and
- wherein pressure applied to the liquid in the liquid reservoir by the gas supplying device permits metered doses of liquid or foam to be dispensed through the nozzle;
- the dispenser further comprising:
- a pressure indicating device;
- and
- a controller in communication with the pressure indicating device and the gas supplying device, wherein, based on information received from the pressure indicating device, the controller controlling gas being supplied from the gas supplying device for maintaining pressure within the interior chamber or within the liquid reservoir within preset limits;
- wherein the controller is further configured to determine a liquid level within the liquid reservoir from monitoring an amount of gas that is fed into the interior chamber or the liquid reservoir from the gas supplying device.
A method for dispensing a liquid or foam from a dispenser and for determining a liquid level within a liquid reservoir comprising:
- maintaining a liquid in the liquid reservoir under an amount of pressure within preset limits, the liquid being in communication with a nozzle, a flow control device being positioned between the nozzle and the liquid reservoir;
- and
- opening the flow control device for a period of time causing a metered dose of liquid or foam to be dispensed through the nozzle due to the preset pressure being applied to the liquid in the liquid reservoir, the method further comprising the step of supplying additional gas pressure to the liquid in the liquid reservoir after metered doses of liquid or foam have been dispensed through the nozzle for maintaining the liquid in the liquid reservoir under pressure within the preset limits, wherein the preset pressure is maintained by a pressure indicating device in communication with a controller controlling the gas being supplied from a gas supplying device, and wherein the controller is further configured to determine a liquid level within the liquid reservoir from monitoring an amount of gas that is fed into the interior chamber or the liquid reservoir from the gas supplying device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.