Gojo Industries, Inc.

Other

Playtex Products, Inc.

The Little Tikes Company

Kanfer; Joseph S.

David D Hayes

Nick Emanno Ciavarella

Robert L Quinlan

Mark E Rosenkranz

Richard S Chomik

Aaron Ronald Reynolds

John George Rousso

Mark Yoho

John P Cichello, Ii

Brian T Milliff

Rosemary Knuth

John J Andrisin

John Cichello

G Stewart Lenox

Douglas Zlatic

Jim Simer

Wesley A Schroeder

Scott Theodore Proper

William E Bartasevich, Jr

Dean DeCarlo

Joseph E Crowe

Stanley A Mathey

Dean Decarlo

A foam dispenser having an actuator and a dispenser housing. The actuator releasably mates with a pomp of a refill unit and is moveable from a first position to a second position. Wherein the second position is further from the refill unit than the first position. Movement of the actuator from the first position to the second position causes the foam dispenser to dispense foam when a refill unit is inserted in the foam dispenser.

Pull actuated foam pump

Dispensers are provided including pumps for dispensing a foamed product out of an outlet provided in a dispensing tube. The foam is created from the mixing of a foamable liquid and air, with separate pumps being provided for each component. The dispensing tube is stationary, although the pumps themselves have parts that must move to dispense the foamed product. A single actuator operates both the liquid and air pumps. Additionally, in some embodiments, the air pump advances air before the liquid pump advances liquid. These pumps are particularly suited to the dispensing of a foamed skin care or skin sanitizing product.

Foam soap dispenser with stationary dispensing tube

A dispenser housing has a closure mechanism that serves to hold the dispenser housing closed. A key either can be carried by an individual to be employed to override the closure mechanism to permit the opening of the dispenser or can be selectively mounted to the dispenser housing to position a release mechanism appropriately to permit the release mechanism to be manipulated to override the closure mechanism. When the key is not mounted to the dispenser, the release mechanism cannot be appropriately manipulated to override the closure mechanism.

Dispenser housing with locking mechanism

A foam pump having a flexible member for engagement with a dispenser, the pump being part of a refill unit including a product reservoir. The flexible connecting member extends from an extreme end of the pump and is received by an actuating carriage that is movably connected to an actuating mechanism. The flexible connecting member permits insertion of the pump into a dispenser, and may act to dampen actuating forces to reduce foam shearing. The flexible connecting member may be provided in the form of a flared tip that is received through an oval opening in the product dispenser, and the pump may include a locking member to prevent unwanted actuation thereof during insertion of the refill unit into the dispenser.

Pump having a flexible mechanism for engagement with a dispenser

A utility panel for a dispenser that is mounted to a support structure by a backplate includes opposed lateral legs that extend from a main section to form a receiving channel therebetween. The main section is configured to display any desired physical indicia, such as advertising messages, for viewing by the user of the dispenser, while the lateral sections include retention tabs that are received within guide channels formed between the backplate and the support structure. As the utility panel is attached to the dispenser, the blackplate is received within the receiving channel of the utility panel until the retention tabs are snap-fit into corresponding lock channels provided by the backplate of the dispenser. As such, the utility panel is easily retrofit to a previously-installed dispenser without the use of tools.

Utility panel for a dispenser

A product dispensing system includes a locking mechanism to prevent actuation of the system absent an authorized product refill unit. More specifically, the dispensing system includes a housing and an actuator slidably secured within the housing and including at least one locking post extending therefrom. The actuator is adapted to actuate a pump to cause dispensing of a product. A release ring is rotatably secured within the housing and includes at least one locking post extending therefrom and aligned with the locking post of the actuator. The release ring also includes at least one ramped surface. The locking posts of the actuator and release ring engage one another in a locked position to prevent actuation of the dispensing system, and the release ring is adapted to be rotated to an unlocked position upon insertion of an authorized refill unit.

Dispenser lockout mechanism

A dispenser includes a housing that holds first and second refill units, each including a product container and a valve assembly that receives product from the product container. An actuator mechanism associates with the first refill unit and is actuated to force air into the associated valve assembly and dispense product from the valve assembly until such time as the product container associated with that valve assembly is empty. When empty, a float valve of the valve assembly prevents the actuation of the actuator mechanism and forces the actuator mechanism to associate with the second refill unit. While so associated, the first refill unit can be replaced, thus, helping to ensure that the dispenser does not run out of product.

Pressure activated automatic source switching dispenser system

A foam dispenser includes a refill unit and a dispenser housing. The refill unit carries foamable liquid and provides a liquid pump portion actuated to advance foamable liquid through the dispenser. The dispenser housing provides an air pump portion actuated to advance air through the dispenser. The air pump portion communicates with the liquid pump portion when the refill unit is properly placed in the housing. The liquid pump portion includes a piston housing that reciprocally receives a piston assembly to define a collapsible liquid chamber. Similarly, the air pump portion includes a piston housing that reciprocally receives a piston assembly to define a collapsible air chamber. Upon actuation of the dispenser, both the liquid chamber and the air chamber collapse and thereby feed air and liquid to an extrusion chamber, and extrude the mixture of air and liquid therein through a premix chamber and at least one mesh screen. The pump is actuated my pulling the piston assembly away from the piston housing, and this is particularly advantageous in the art of wall-mounted dispensers employing push bars typically moved horizontally toward a foam pump to actuate the same.

A reciprocating piston liquid pump and piston driver mechanism includes a reciprocating piston liquid pump having a piston chamber and a piston reciprocating in the piston chamber from an unactuated position to an actuated position, with movement of the piston from the unactuated position to the actuated position causing the advancement of product. The piston driver mechanism includes a first driver member having an axis and a sloped circumferential surface extending along its axis, and a second driver member having an axis and a sloped circumferential surface extending along its axis. The first and second driver members are aligned along their axes and mate at an unactuated position along at least a portion of their sloped circumferential surfaces. Rotation of one of the driver members about its axis relative to the other of the driver members causes the second driver member to advance away from the first driver member toward an actuated position. This movement also causes movement of the piston to its actuated position, thus advancing product.

Piston pump with rotating pump actuator

Dispenser housing

A combination product container and pump includes a product container including a neck providing an open top, and a lug proximate a base of the neck. A pump is fitted within the open top and includes a piston. A cap provides a piston aperture and secures the pump to the container. The piston of the pump extends through the piston aperture. A dispensing tube port is offset from the piston. A collar key is fitted over the cap. The collar key includes an actuator aperture, and the piston extends through the actuator aperture. The collar key further includes a dispensing tube slot, and the dispensing tube port extends through the dispensing tube slot. The collar key also includes a notch that is circumferentially offset from the dispensing tube slot, the notch being fitted over the lug of the product container such that the dispensing tube slot and the dispensing tube port must occupy a particular orientation with respect to the lug.

Counter mounted dispensing system

A foam pump includes a piston housing and a piston assembly received in the piston housing thereby defining a collapsible liquid chamber and a collapsible air chamber. The piston assembly includes a premix chamber separated from both the collapsible liquid chamber and the collapsible air chamber by a premix chamber wall and fluidly communicating with both the collapsible liquid chamber and the collapsible air chamber through a mix aperture in the premix chamber wall. A biasing member urges the piston assembly to a non-actuated position. The foam pump is actuated by urging the piston assembly against the biasing member to an actuated position in which the collapsible air chamber and the collapsible liquid chamber are reduced in volume such that air and foamable liquid are expelled from their respective collapsible air chamber and collapsible liquid chamber through the mix aperture. The simultaneous movement of the air and foamable liquid through the mix aperture causes a turbulent mixing thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Wooster, OH, United States of America

David D Hayes