Photochromic Optically Keyed Dispenser
AssigneeGotohti.com Inc.
InventorsHeiner Ophardt, Andrew Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A removable and replaceable keying component which is required for operation of a mechanism and which component includes a waveguide having a photochromic portion. A method of controlling operation of a mechanism, preferably a dispenser, having a removable component comprising the steps of measuring electromagnetic radiation passing through a waveguide carrying at least in part on the removable component and permitting operation of the mechanism only when the measured electromagnetic radiation corresponds with one or more pre-selected parameters. Preferably, the method involves directing emitted electromagnetic radiation with pre-selected input parameters selected from a plurality of input parameters.
Claims20
A dispensing system comprising:
- a reservoir assembly including a reservoir containing material to be dispensed;
- an activation unit,
- the reservoir assembly removably coupled to the activation unit for replacement by a similar reservoir assembly,
- an electromagnetic radiation waveguide having an inlet and an outlet and providing a path for transmission of electromagnetic radiation from the inlet to the outlet,
- an electromagnetic radiation emitter carried by the activation unit directing electromagnetic radiation into the waveguide via the inlet,
- an electromagnetic radiation sensor carried by the activation unit sensing electromagnetic radiation from the waveguide via the outlet,
- at least part of the waveguide carried by the reservoir assembly and removable therewith, and
- a control mechanism to control the operation of the emitter and receive input from the sensor to determine whether the electromagnetic radiation sensed by the sensor indicates that a portion of the waveguide carried on the reservoir is photochromic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.