Electric soap dispenser

A battery-powered electric hand soap dispenser comprising:

• a housing;
• at least one battery supported by the housing;
• a reservoir configured to store liquid soap, the reservoir having an outlet on a bottom surface thereof, the reservoir being supported by the housing;
• a pump disposed in the housing and disposed below the reservoir, the pump having an inlet connected to the outlet of the reservoir;
• an electric motor supported by the housing and driving the pump, the electric motor being powered by the battery;
• a soap outlet assembly connected to the pump with a soap conduit and disposed in an upper portion of the housing, the soap outlet assembly comprising a light guide member including a light source mounting portion configured to receive a light and a light discharge portion defining a portion of an outer surface of the housing, the light guide member configured to guide light from the light source to the light discharge portion, the soap outlet assembly further comprising a valve configured to open when the pump is operating and biased by a spring toward a closed position such that the valve closes when the pump is not operating to prevent liquid soap from dripping out of the soap outlet assembly when the pump is not operating, the spring being positioned such that it is not within a flow of liquid soap through the soup outlet assembly;
• a trigger sensor configured to detect the presence of an object;
• an electronic control unit connected to the trigger sensor and to the electric motor, the electronic control unit configured to actuate the electric motor upon receiving a signal from the trigger sensor, until an amount of liquid soap has been ejected from the nozzle;
• a button disposed on an upper portion of the housing, the button being connected to the electronic control unit, the electronic control unit being configured to actuate the electric motor when the button is activated;
• an indicator device configured to produce a blinking light, the electronic control unit being configured to cause the indicator to generate the blinking light for a first predetermined time period after liquid soap has been ejected from the nozzle;
• a sensor configured to detect a state of the battery, the electronic control unit configured to apply less than the total amount of power available from the battery when the battery is fully charged and to apply the total amount of power available from the battery when the battery is less than fully charged;
• wherein in the electronic control unit is configured to dispense an amount of liquid soap only after a second predetermined time period has elapsed from a previous ejection of liquid soap;
• a gasket extending around the periphery of an opening in a bottom portion of the housing, the gasket extending downwardly from the lowermost portion of the housing so as to form a foot supporting the housing;
• a battery compartment defined in the housing and including a battery compartment opening in a portion of the gasket;
• a battery compartment cover engaged with the housing and covering the battery compartment opening, the battery compartment cover engaging with an aperture defined in the gasket so as to form a seal around the battery compartment opening;
• the housing defining a motor and pump compartment, the motor and the pump being disposed within the motor and pump compartment, the gasket extending around a motor and pump compartment opening in a lower portion of the motor and pump compartment;
• a motor and pump compartment cover engaged with the housing and forming a seal with the portion of the gasket extending around the motor and pump compartment opening;
• wherein the electronic control unit is configured to actuate the motor so as to drive the pump so as to dispense liquid soap in predetermined amounts;
• wherein the electronic control unit is configured to activate the trigger sensor at the end of each third predetermined time period for an amount of time that is less than the third predetermined time period;
• wherein the electronic control unit is configured to cyclically operate the motor in forward and reverse directions in order to clear a clog in the nozzle when the button is depressed in accordance with a first predetermined pattern;
• wherein the electronic control unit is configured to activate or deactivate the indicator when the button has been depressed in accordance with a second predetermined pattern;
• and
• a soap volume adjustment device configured to allow a user to select different amounts of soup to be discharged, the electronic control unit is configured to vary the amount of soap discharged based on a state of the soap volume adjustment device.