Abstract: A method of managing a plurality of washrooms in a facility for servicing by service personnel and, more particularly, for establishing servicing operations which provide for service of at least selected of the dispensers before their consumable product supply falls below a pre-selected refill value.

Abstract: A mouth insert for a flexible pouch. The mouth insert defines a passageway that extends along an axis from an axially outer end of the mouth insert to an axially inner end of the mouth insert. The mouth insert is flexible and includes a sealing portion and a lip portion. The sealing portion is for forming a sealed connection to the flexible pouch. The lip portion is configured to extend axially outwardly from the flexible pouch. The lip portion has an axial height that is less than ? of the axial height of the mouth insert.

Abstract: A fluid dispenser having a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of an external surface presented by a user's hand, and a pump mechanism that is configured to dispense fluid onto the user's hand when the pump mechanism is activated. It is determined whether the fluid has been dispensed onto the user's hand based, at least in part, on the temperature of the external surface presented by the user's hand.

Abstract: A fluid dispenser with a fluid pump for dispensing fluid on movement of an actuator, and an air pump for delivering a stream of air through at least one sound generator on movement of the actuator. The sound generator produces at least two sounds as the actuator is moved from a first position to a second position, with each sound produced in a different time period during a cycle of operation, or differing from the other sound in respect of one or more detectable sound characteristics, such as duration, frequency, temporal alignment, amplitude, and/or timbre. The time period of each sound is a function of the relative location of the actuator between the first and second positions.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising an illumination device and an illuminatable structure. The illuminatable structure comprises a laminate material having an opaque first side layer, a light transmitting middle layer, and an opaque second side layer. The illuminatable structure also has a light display area where the light transmitting middle layer is exposed. The illumination device emits light into the light transmitting middle layer of the illuminatable structure, and the light transmitting middle layer transmits the light to the light display area so that the light display area becomes illuminated.

Abstract: A fluid dispenser with a fluid pump for dispensing fluid on movement of an actuator, and an air pump for delivering a stream of air through at least one sound generator on movement of the actuator. The sound generator produces at least two sounds as the actuator is moved from a first position to a second position, with each sound produced in a different time period during a cycle of operation, or differing from the other sound in respect of one or more detectable sound characteristics, such as duration, frequency, temporal alignment, amplitude, and/or timbre. The time period of each sound is a function of the relative location of the actuator between the first and second positions.

Abstract: A method of conducting two-way communication between a first NFC enabled device and a second NFC enabled device. The method includes transmitting a write command from the first NFC enabled device to the second NFC enabled device. A silent mode of the second NFC enabled device, in which the presence of the second NFC enabled device is hidden from the first NFC enabled device, is then activated. While the silent mode is activated, the second NFC enabled device processes the write command and writes a response in a memory of the second NFC enabled device. The silent mode is then deactivated, which triggers the first NFC enabled device to read the response in the memory of the second NFC enabled device.

Abstract: A pump assembly which provides a frangible air vent mechanism for providing communication between the atmosphere and the interior of a bottle to which the pump assembly is to be coupled. A vent port is provided through a bottle cap member having an inner end open into the bottle and an outer end open to the atmosphere. A frangible plug member is received in the vent port with the frangible plug member when unbroken preventing flow through the vent port and the plug member when broken permitting flow through the vent port. A vent tab member is coupled to the frangible member with the vent tab member extending from the frangible member accessible on the exterior of the bottle cap member for engagement to apply forces to the vent tab that are translated to the frangible vent member to break the frangible member.

Abstract: A dispenser with a replaceable cartridge containing a product to be dispensed, and a housing configured to removably receive the cartridge. The cartridge has a surface that is marked with a first marking, and the housing has a surface that is marked with a second marking. The housing is configured so that, when the cartridge is received by the housing, the first marking and the second marking together form a machine readable code that is detectable from outside of the housing.

Abstract: A method of managing a plurality of washrooms in a facility for servicing by service personnel and, more particularly, for establishing servicing operations which provide for service of at least selected of the dispensers before their consumable product supply falls below a pre-selected refill value.

Abstract: A method of determining the volume of fluid contained in a collapsible bottle, the collapsible bottle containing a fluid to be dispensed from a fluid dispenser. The fluid dispenser has a distance measuring sensor, and the collapsible bottle is coupled to the fluid dispenser so that a preselected surface of the collapsible bottle is positioned in a measurement path of the sensor. The fluid dispenser is activated to dispense an allotment of the fluid from the collapsible bottle, the collapsible bottle collapsing in a predictable manner as the fluid is dispensed from the collapsible bottle. The sensor is used to measure a distance between the sensor and the preselected surface of the collapsible bottle, the distance changing predictably as the collapsible bottle collapses. The volume of the fluid contained in the collapsible bottle is determined based on the distance between the sensor and the preselected surface of the collapsible bottle.

Abstract: A piston pump for dispensing fluid from a reservoir, an improved vacuum relief arrangement in which a passageway for flow of air from the atmosphere into the reservoir is provided at least in part through a piston-forming element of the piston pump.

Abstract: A method of spectroscopically assessing the chemical composition of a bubble while the bubble constrains a gas within the interior of the bubble by passing light passing through the bubble and comparing properties of the light before and after the light has passed through the bubble. The bubble is located, preferably compressed between a first plate and a second plate providing a compressed bubble with relatively flat first polar end wall portion adjacent the first plate in a relatively flat second polar end wall portion adjacent a second plate and directing the light to pass through the bubble via the first and second polar end wall portions.

Abstract: A fluid dispensing system including a fluid dispenser that is operable in a stand-alone mode, and a housing that is configured to removably receive the fluid dispenser for operation of the fluid dispenser in a housed mode. When the fluid dispenser is placed on top of a horizontal support surface for operation of the fluid dispenser in the stand-alone mode, a pump mechanism of the fluid dispenser is manually activatable to dispense an allotment of fluid by manually depressing an activation member of the pump mechanism.

Abstract: A method of managing a plurality of washrooms in a facility for servicing by service personnel and, more particularly, for establishing servicing operations which provide for service of at least selected of the dispensers before their consumable product supply falls below a pre-selected refill value.

Abstract: A method of determining the volume of fluid contained in a collapsible bottle, the collapsible bottle containing a fluid to be dispensed from a fluid dispenser. The fluid dispenser has a distance measuring sensor, and the collapsible bottle is coupled to the fluid dispenser so that a preselected surface of the collapsible bottle is positioned in a measurement path of the sensor. The fluid dispenser is activated to dispense an allotment of the fluid from the collapsible bottle, the collapsible bottle collapsing in a predictable manner as the fluid is dispensed from the collapsible bottle. The sensor is used to measure a distance between the sensor and the preselected surface of the collapsible bottle, the distance changing predictably as the collapsible bottle collapses. The volume of the fluid contained in the collapsible bottle is determined based on the distance between the sensor and the preselected surface of the collapsible bottle.

Abstract: A dispenser with a replaceable cartridge containing a product to be dispensed, and a housing configured to removably receive the cartridge. The cartridge has a surface that is marked with a first marking, and the housing has a surface that is marked with a second marking. The housing is configured so that, when the cartridge is received by the housing, the first marking and the second marking together form a machine readable code that is detectable from outside of the housing.

Abstract: A piston pump for dispensing fluid from a reservoir, an improved vacuum relief arrangement in which a passageway for flow of air from the atmosphere into the reservoir is provided at least in part through a piston-forming element of the piston pump.

Abstract: A hand cleaner foam dispenser with a first pump arrangement that discharges a first liquid and first air from the atmosphere through a first foam inducing member into a mixing chamber and a second pump arrangement that discharges a second liquid into the mixing chamber, and in which there is a simultaneous discharge of the first liquid, first air and the second liquid from the mixing chamber through an outlet foam inducing member to produce a foamed product delivered onto a person's hand. Preferably, the second pump arrangement may discharge not only the second liquid, but also second air drawn from the atmosphere and discharge the second liquid and the second air through a second foam inducing member into the mixing chamber.

Abstract: A method comprising passing a fluid through a negative sorting device. The negative sorting device produces a negatively sorted stream of the fluid from which any particles present in the fluid that are above a threshold size have been removed. The negatively sorted stream is analyzed to obtain a measure of a concentration of particles of interest in the negatively sorted stream. The particles of interest have a size that is less than or equal to the threshold size.