Gojo Industries, Inc.

The Hc Companies, Inc.

Gerber Products Company

Petzone Products Limited

The Little Tikes Company

Other

Robert L Quinlan

John James McNulty

Mark E Rosenkranz

Nick Emanno Ciavarella

Aaron Ronald Reynolds

David D Hayes

Cory J Tederous

John J Mcnulty

Patrick William Brown

Shelby Jay Buell

James M Yates

Todd A Spiegelberg

David James Smith

John Richard Nottingham

Jackson William Wegelin

John Wilford Spirk

Donald Russell Harris

Doug Pettigrew

Christopher James Mann

John J Andrisin

Kaitlin A Wolf

G Stewart Lenox

Douglas Zlatic

Mark D Jankowski

Stephen P Smith

Richard E Corney

Bradley Lee Lightner

Richard C Sayers

Eugene William Ray

Joseph S Kanfer

Patrick W Brown

Stephen P Casteel

Touby Khamphilapanyo

Doug S Zlatic

Andrew Raymond Spriegel

Carrie Anne Zapka

Ian J McGugan

Robert S Hackney

Cuong Truong

Mark A Marra

Joseph E Crowe

David J Shumaker

Daniel E Kustra

James E Motyka

David Smith

David J Smith

David Hayes

A horticultural container includes a tag slot for receiving a display tag. The tag slot has an inner wall and an outer wall spaced widthwise from one another, and one of the inner or outer walls has at least two curved peaks separated by a valley and extending into the slot towards the other of the inner or outer wall to hold the tag against the other of the inner or outer wall. The peaks provide a radius that reduces cracking of the tag and increases longevity thereof, and reduces tag sagging, collapsing, or curling.

Horticultural container

Provided is a horticultural container including a body, a base extending from a bottom of the body, and an upper rim extending from a top of the body. The upper rim has a tag slot extending therethrough for receiving a tag and a chamfer radially outwardly spaced from and adjacent to the tag slot for receiving ears of the tag when the tag is in the tag slot. In this way, the tag is received in the tag slot and chamfer to secure the tag to hinder or prevent unauthorized removal of the tag.

Horticultural container with tag slot

Provided is a tag retaining system for use with a container. The tag retaining system includes a tag retainer having a front surface and a back surface. The back surface has a middle portion interposed between first and second side portions. The first and second side portions have adhesive thereon for mounting to a surface of a container. The middle portion is free of adhesive to form a tag opening between the surface of the container and the middle portion and the tag opening receives a tag therein.

Tag retainer for a horticultural container

Tag slot

A shut-off system for a dispenser includes a pinch member that moves relative to a guide and which is normally biased against a flexible outlet tube that is disposed therebetween. The flexible outlet tube that carries material, such as soap, supplied from a pump to an outlet nozzle. The pump and the pinch member are in operative engagement with an actuator, such that when the actuator is not engaged, the pinch member closes the outlet tube to prevent residual material retained in the outlet tube from flowing or drooling out of the outlet nozzle. Correspondingly, when the actuator is engaged, the pump is compressed, and the pinch member is moved away from the outlet tube, allowing the material to be pumped through the outlet tube and dispensed from the outlet nozzle.

Shut-off system for a dispenser

Foam dispensers having integral air compressors with connectors to connect with a disposable refill unit, disposable refill units and liquid pumps are disclosed herein. A refill unit includes a container and a liquid pump. The liquid pump includes a liquid chamber defined at least in part by a liquid inlet valve and a liquid outlet valve. A piston that reciprocates horizontally in the liquid chamber. A mixing chamber is located downstream of the liquid chamber. The mixing chamber is in fluid communication with the liquid chamber and has an air inlet. A sanitary seal is located proximate the air inlet to prevent liquid from contaminating the air compressors.

Horizontal pumps, refill units and foam dispensers with integral air compressors

A fluid dispensing system, fluid reservoir, refill container for refilling the fluid reservoir, and method of refilling the fluid reservoir are provided. The fluid dispensing system includes a refill connection port or nozzle to which a refill container is connected when refilling the fluid reservoir. The fluid reservoir includes a piston head and an actuator for moving the piston head in a first direction and in a second direction. When the piston head is moved in the first direction, the fluid within the fluid reservoir is pressurized, causing the fluid to be dispensed through an outlet of the fluid reservoir. When the piston head is moved in the second direction, a vacuum is created within the fluid reservoir that draws fluid, from the refill container, into the fluid reservoir. The fluid dispensing system includes a valve to enable multiple refill containers to be coupled to the nozzle and/or the refill connection port.

Product dispensing system

A foam pump including a housing and a piston that reciprocates within the housing is disclosed herein. The piston has a hollow portion and an orifice through the wall of the piston. A first seal located proximate the upper end of the piston provides a seal between the piston and the housing. A liquid inlet is located in the side wall of the housing at a point lower than the top of the piston. A one-way liquid inlet valve is located proximate the liquid inlet and a one-way liquid outlet valve is located prior to the liquid outlet. A charge chamber is defined at least in part by the liquid inlet valve, the liquid outlet valve, a wall of the piston and a wall of the housing.

Low residual inverted pumps, dispensers and refill units

Exemplary pumps, refill units and dispensers having angled outlets are disclosed herein. An exemplary refill unit for dispensing fluid on a hand includes a container and a pump. The pump includes an angled outlet passage. Fluid flowing out of the angled outlet passage is directed toward the palm of a hand when fluid is dispensed.

Pumps with angled outlets, refill units and dispensers having angled outlets

Exemplary embodiments of foam pumps, refill units and dispenser systems are disclosed herein. Some embodiments have a foam pump that includes a valve cavity housing with a liquid inlet. A unitary valve body is located within the valve cavity housing. The unitary valve body includes a liquid inlet wiper valve, a liquid outlet wiper valve, a hollow interior portion, an opening through the valve body into the hollow interior portion, and an outlet opening. The foam pump also includes a pump chamber and a pump chamber opening through the valve cavity. The pump chamber opening is located between the liquid inlet wiper valve and the liquid outlet wiper valve. An air inlet into the valve cavity housing is also included. The valve cavity includes a mixing chamber. A mix media and foam outlet are included. The foam pump may be connected to a container to form a refill unit.

Horizontal pumps with reduced part count, refill units and dispensers

Disposable refill units, and pumps for disposable refill units for foam dispensers are disclosed herein. Exemplary embodiments include a container for holding a foamable liquid and a pump secured to the container. The pump includes a liquid chamber formed between a liquid inlet valve and a liquid outlet valve. In addition, the pump includes a sleeve that is located at least partially within the liquid chamber. One or more liquid passages are defined at least in part by an area located between an exterior wall of the sleeve and a wall of the liquid chamber. The pump also includes a piston body having a head and a sealing member located at a first end of the piston. The sealing member forms a seal against the interior wall of the sleeve and the piston head moves within the sleeve to reduce and enlarge the volume of the liquid chamber.

Horizontal pumps, refill units and foam dispensers

An exemplary embodiment of a dispensing system includes a dispenser housing and a replaceable refill unit. The replaceable refill unit has a container that has a neck portion and a horizontal foam pump. The pump has an inlet orientated along an inlet axis and an outlet orientated along an outlet axis. A fluid passage extends from the pump chamber to the outlet. The inlet axis is offset from the outlet axis and the outlet axis is located closer to the front of the dispenser. An actuator is also located within the housing. In addition, an air compressor and an air passage to direct air into the fluid passage to mix the air with the fluid are included. The actuator is configured to drive the horizontal pump toward the front of the dispenser to dispense a fluid in the form of a foam.

Off-axis inverted foam dispensers and refill units

A modular liquid pump operable as a liquid pump when used by itself and as a foam pump when combined with a modular air pump is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the modular liquid pump includes a housing for forming a least a portion of a liquid pump chamber; an inlet valve for allowing liquid into the liquid pump chamber; an outlet valve for allowing liquid out of the liquid pump chamber; and an attachment mechanism configured to secure the liquid pump housing to a modular air pump. The modular liquid pump operates alone to output a liquid or operates in combination with an air pump to output a foam. One embodiment includes a modular air pump configured to be secured to the modular liquid pump. In such a combination, the modular liquid pump and the air pump operate together to output a foam.

Modular pump

Growing community of inventors

Stow, OH, United States of America

Robert L Quinlan