Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-21
2001-04-03
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C264S219000, C425S195000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209184
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatus for dispensing liquid soap, normally in discrete small quantities. Such a dispensing apparatus is used, particularly for hygienic purposes, in public or institutional washrooms or wherever there are a relatively large number of different users.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In restrooms, workshops, laboratories, hospitals and similar places, there are many individuals who require access to cleaning soap. Providing soap and detergent bars for multiple use poses a problem because some individuals dislike using a soap bar which had been used before by a person who may have left a wet, soggy soap bar. To obviate this problem to a degree, powdered soap dispensers have been provided. However, the dispensing of powders and pastes, if very viscous, is at an extremely slow rate, if at all. Also, powdered soap may cake in the hands and require vigorous rubbing with water before it becomes solubilized and loses its grittiness.
Liquid soaps therefore have certain advantages over soap bars and powdered soap, because the liquid soap is already partially emulsified in a diluent resulting in quick further dispersal. Liquid soap dispensers are well known and have been used and widely installed in lavatories in public places, such as restaurants, schools, hospitals, trains, etc.
Prior art devices for dispensing liquid soap usually have a reservoir that must be filled from a larger supply container. The filling operation tends to be time-consuming and messy. Such dispensers are usually mounted to a wall, making some parts difficult to service or replace. Also, it is often difficult to feed the product directly into the dispenser container by pouring the liquid from a big supply tank because the dispenser is so close to the wall.
Furthermore, prior dispensers have been of relatively complex construction, frequently using a large number of parts, the assembly of which entails substantial labor. For example, some dispensers employ a complex pressuring system to dispense the soap. These devices result in mechanical difficulties and are subject to undue wear and fairly rapid breakdown. Some difficulties may also arise when screws must be loosened for the replacement of parts, particularly the dispensing nozzle or cartridge pump, which may become rusted and/or encrusted with the soap.
Liquid soap dispensers which are installed in restrooms, washrooms and the like are subject to damage by vandals. It therefore becomes necessary for the dispensers to be repaired or replaced on a periodic basis. When several dispensers must be replaced periodically, it results in a significant expense and inconvenience.
In some situations, it is necessary to make sure that a certain type of product is dispensed from a certain dispensing apparatus. For example, a plurality of dispensers may be used in a hospital for dispensing different types of soap or lotion products, or a restaurant may employ a plurality of dispensers for several types of condiments. Another example is a situation in which a company has installed a relatively expensive and durable dispensing device which is intended for use with a high quality soap product, and the company wishes to prevent use of the dispenser with a lower quality soap product. With prior dispensers, there has been no mechanism to prevent the dispensing device from being filled with the improper type of product, when the dispensing device is meant to be dedicated to a certain type of product.
Some prior soap dispensers utilize a container or cartridge of liquid soap which is removably mounted on a dispensing apparatus so that it can be replaced by another cartridge when it is empty. However, the soap containers for some such dispensers are of the refillable type. This means that the spent containers must be collected, sterilized, refilled and sealed for reuse, which is a time-consuming and expensive operation. Because the container is refillable, the refill opening is accessible to users. This could result in contamination of the contents or refilling with soap from an unauthorized source.
In some dispensers, the container is readily removable from the dispenser by any user, so that the entire container could easily be replaced by a “bootleg” container. To avoid this problem, some dispensers are provided with closed, lockable cabinets for enclosing the refill cartridge or container, so as to prevent access by unauthorized persons. But this type of housing is relatively expensive. Furthermore, such prior dispensers have had a relatively complex construction, frequently using a large number of parts, the assembly of which entails substantial labor.
The prior art dispensers have exhibited one or more other disadvantages. Such disadvantages include the need for substantial pressure to expel the liquid, difficulty in replacing the liquid reservoir, liquid dripping, the opportunity for bacterial contamination, the potential for entrapping air, difficulty in varying the volume of delivered liquid, inability to substantially empty the liquid reservoir, and the like.
The present invention solves many of the problems associated with currently available dispensers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a wall-mounted dispenser for liquid soap and the like. The dispenser has a cartridge which contains the liquid material, and the cartridge has a groove on its rear face. The dispenser also has a mounting means which features a rib which is sized and configured to correspond with the groove on the cartridge. The dispenser's cover means substantially encloses the cartridge, and is hingedly interconnected to the mounting means. In the preferred embodiment, the dispenser's mounting bracket includes a movable latch member for fixing the cartridge into place. The rib and groove of the preferred dispenser are formed by adjustable members in the mold which fabricates the mounting plate and cartridge.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid soap dispenser, comprising the steps of: forming a mounting bracket in a first mold, the mold having an adjustable insert for forming a rib on the mounting bracket; forming a cartridge in a second mold, the second mold having an adjustable channel for forming a groove in the cartridge; and assembling the cartridge and mounting bracket within a housing member.
An advantage of the dispenser is that the corresponding rib and groove of the mounting bracket and cartridge prevent the use of an improper product in the dispenser. This is because an improper or unauthorized cartridge will not fit into proper nesting position in the mounting bracket. The dispenser is designed such that the size and configuration of the ribs and grooves can be varied for different customers, and/or according to different types of soap (or other type of product) within the dispenser. For example, a hospital may need to provide an anti-microbial product for surgical areas, while a different type of soap is suitable for other areas of the hospital. Therefore, one area of the hospital would have a first type of dispenser design that would accommodate an anti-microbial product cartridge, whereas another area of the hospital would have a second type of dispenser design that would fit the cartridge of a different type of soap. A unique design for the dispenser's mold and the cartridge's mold facilitate the manufacture of dispensers and cartridges having different designs, in order to ensure that each dispenser is fitted with a cartridge containing the proper product.
Another advantage of the dispenser is that it is inexpensive to manufacture and durable. The dispenser can be made of inexpensive molded plastic parts with no hand machining and with no metal parts. The dispenser can be readily and easily assembled using molded parts and employing relatively unskilled labor. Therefore, the dispenser is relatively inexpensive, which is especially advantageous in the event that the dispenser is broken due to vandalism, tampering or other reasons.
Yet another advantage of the present i
Copeland James L.
Peterson Jeff W.
Pilosi Paul Anthony
Ecolab Inc.
Hughes S. Thomas
Jimenez Marc
Merchant & Gould P.C.
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