The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 03, 2001
Filed:
Mar. 10, 1999
Joseph Mitchell, Alpharetta, GA (US);
John R. Frassanito, Houston, TX (US);
Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Neenah, WI (US);
Abstract
A soap dispenser of the type in which a disposable soap cartridge is maintained in a wall-mounted housing is configured for automatic operation. A quantity of soap is dispensed when a user's hand, detected by optical reflectivity, is located proximate to the dispenser housing. In order to prevent reliance on AC power, the device is powered from self-contained batteries and/or solar power cells. In one embodiment, a generally flat battery may be included with the disposable soap cartridge such that a new battery is provided each time the cartridge is replaced. Alternatively, or in addition, solar panels may be located on the dispenser housing. The solar panels may be used to charge energy storage components located in the housing, such as a rechargeable battery or storage capacitors. The solar panels are preferably of a type which is suitably efficient in fluorescent (blue) lighting conditions.