CONTINUOUS FLOW FLUID DISPENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD, AND BATCH DILUTING SYSTEM THEREFOR
The system may provide for storage of liquid cleaning concentrate and connection with a water supply. The system may include a mixing container in which both fluids are accurately mixed, and that can empty into a cleaning solution storage container which may be connected to a faucet for dispensing the solution, and/or water. The system may include a control system to operate suitable valves, pumps to control the flow of fluids through connecting lines, and which is adaptable to numerous configurations and uses with the capability of dispensing cleaning solution at a wide range of flow rates, including low rates that may be desired for hand and produce washing. Dispensing is either programmed, activated by the user, or controlled by the user without system interruption until there is no more concentrate. The system eliminates the possibility of contamination of the water supply due to backflow of cleaner.
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This application claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application of William M. Louis and Constance M. Louis for CONTINUOUS FLOW FLUID DISPENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD, AND BATCH DILUTING SYSTEM THEREFOR, filed 10 Aug. 2015. Application No. 62/282/763, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to dispensing devices. It more particularly relates to a dispensing device which may be utilized to mix a concentrate with another fluid to form a solution, and to dispense the solution as desired by a user without system interruption until the concentrate supply is consumed.
2. Background Art
There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
There have been a variety of concerns or problems associated with the mixing or dispensing of two fluids, such as a liquid soap and water. For example, where there is a conventional hand cleaning basin, including those in rest rooms and kitchens, whether at home, restaurant, retail store, hotel, hospital rooms, and others, there are common problems in dispensing, handling, storing and cleaning up liquid soap.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the correct way to wash hands is to first wet them, and then to apply soap. Next, the hands are rubbed together to mix soap and water, scrubbing all surfaces to dislodge germs. Finally, the hands are rinsed well to remove soap and germs, and then dry the hands.
But many people wash “incorrectly.” They first apply soap onto the hands, and then turn on the water, which immediately rinses much of the soap off before washing can even begin.
In either case, the water and soap come from separate sources, are applied sequentially, and are mixed by rubbing the hands.
Much of the volume of most or many hand washing solutions is filler added to make it easier for users to control the amount of soap dispensed and as an aid in spreading or distributing it about their hands. There also may be a psychological aspect in that concentrated soaps may not give users the feeling that they are applying sufficient solution to properly perform the cleaning function. Filler, which adds to the bulk, weight and viscosity, also adds to the cost of manufacture, transportation, and storage. Filler also may make mixing the solution on the hands more difficult and takes longer. Because some of the solution may never really become well mixed, rinsing also may take longer, resulting in wasting of water. The excess soap and water may then flow into our waste water systems and is not ecologically desirable. The longer it takes to complete the whole hand washing process, the more likely the washing of one's hands may be performed inadequately and quickly, or may be skipped entirely. Even healthcare workers in hospitals may skip hand washing due to the time consuming nature of the process. Hence the CDC promotes the supplemental use of antiseptic gels because they may be more convenient than washbasin washing. However, regular hand washing is still necessary to remove dirt and viruses. Actually, most of the time in conventional handwashing is wasted: First, to spread the soap around, and to displace water under nails and in cracks before effective washing can begin. Then, to break down patches of gooey soap so it can be rinsed away.
Today many people don't take produce washing seriously. Why? Actually, there are a number of reasons . . . Unfortunately, one of the sound reasons is that all too often, there simply isn't enough time; that washing the conventional way takes way too long. One of the bad reasons is not knowing better. That certainly applies to produce washing. Much of our produce is imported, having been contaminated with pesticides and polluted soil and fertilizer. Oil and wax often protect the surfaces. Another bad reason for not washing: We're being told by those who should know better, that all we need to do is rinse with water. They even call it “washing!” Conclusion: We do even worse at washing produce than hand washing!
There is cleaning concentrate available today, commonly called “fruit & veggie wash” which is extremely effective cleaner for all kinds of items from hands to produce, even including garage floors (just to illustrate how well it works), that is low viscosity, lab proven, and made with natural ingredients that are less contaminating to the environment. Examples of sources for such concentrate are eatcleaner.com and mercola.com.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,258, titled Wash Station and Method of Operation, disclosed a system for automating substantially the entire water/soap discharge operation in an effort to streamline hand washing. It too discharges soap and water selectively from separate orifices at the end of a faucet. Hence it has the same limited advantage over current practice of entirely separate water and soap dispensers as the previously cited patent.
Numerous systems that inject one fluid into the moving stream of a second fluid, such as garden sprayers, rely solely upon a pressure drop in the injector to draw or suck, fluid into the mainstream. This pressure drop may be so reduced at the flow rates, that it may not be a reliable injection mechanism for some applications.
In part to reduce problems with operation at low flow rates, and thoroughly mix cleaning concentrate with water, as well as to eliminate problems of backflow into public water supplies in water delivery failure when negative pressure can draw fluids from attached plumbing systems, the inventors of this present application filed U.S. Patent Application, Pub. No.: 20098/0000024 A1, titled Dispensing System and Method, and Injector Therefor. But a testbed revealed there were still problems with low flow rates, hence further development of better technology leading to this current invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention describes a system that facilitates handy, quick and efficient hand and produce washing. Upon user demand, it dispenses a cleaning solution that is ideal for washing, eliminating the necessity of the user mixing cleaner with water, so that cleaning can begin immediately, and that all surfaces to be washed will be wetted with cleaner. Because of the ideal wetting with the cleaning solution, washing can begin immediately and with maximum efficiency, saving considerable time in handwashing, including rinsing, because the cleaning solution is of low viscosity and there are no patches of gooey soap that need be manually broken up and rinsed away, also saving water in addition to time.
The system is capable of dispensing cleaning solution even at very low flow rates if so desired, and at the same time maintaining correct dilution. The basic configuration is appropriate for faucets that can dispense water only such as kitchen or bathroom faucets in addition to cleaning solution only—or both water and cleaning solution together for produce, for which it is well suited. It is also suited to cleaning solution only dispensers, such as for bathroom “soap” dispensers.
The invention facilitates the use of a highly concentrated cleaner from a container that can be refilled, in some configurations being handy to the user. The batch mixing system has two interconnected containers, the first container for mixing concentrate and water, the second container for storing and dispensing the mixed solution. When the volume of stored solution in the storage container gets low enough, but before it is empty, solution is released from the mixing container to fill the storage container, so that dispensing of solution through the faucet is not interrupted. After refilling of the storage container, automatically, a new batch is quickly prepared in the mixing container so that the process can be repeated as necessary. Thus the system can dispense a continuous flow of cleaning solution even at low rates of flow out of the faucet.
Another major advantage of the present invention is that it avoids problems associated with backflow into public water systems occasioned by water system failure. It accomplishes this by maintaining an air gap between the end of the water line above the maximum water level in the mixing container, and having the end of the cleaning solution dispensing line up above the spout orifice so that any water drawn back into the system will bring air with it, not any cleaning solution.
Appropriate mechanical and electronic systems are used to activate and control the conventional water handling components, such as valves and pumps, as utilized in various embodiments of the present invention.
The features of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of certain embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system, components and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of the embodiments of the invention. For example, a non-illustrated embodiment could have the two containers shown in
The present invention lends itself to applications in addition those illustrated here, but easily understood in light of the flexibility and power of the system. Much of this adaptability and usefulness derives from the use of electronics and imbedded microprocessors that facilitate sophisticated behavior to accommodate a wide range of anticipated and unanticipated uses.
NOTE: For clarity, in the illustrations conventional fluid handling mechanisms are not shown. Only enough such detail is included to make the basic operating mechanism understandable. The illustrations illustrate how the system works, and do not represent a production design. The faucet illustrations do not show how the water flow is controlled by the user, including regulation of cold and hot water. Only one water line is indicated, representative of water. However, because of the low percentage of cleaning solution mixed with water, and the usual experience of cleaning solution being room temperature, the water used in the present invention will normally be from the cold line only.
A method and system are disclosed for the mixing and dispensing of a cleaning concentrate that is suited to use in several applications, including sink top cleaner dispensing, as well as integration into more-or-less conventional water faucets of different types, including washroom sink and kitchen sink, residential as well as commercial configurations.
The system facilitates the use of a cleaning concentrate that can be diluted into a cleaning solution with a manifold increase of volume, so that much washing can be accomplished with a small volume of cleaning concentrate being consumed in the process. The system is connected to a water supply that can either be a closed portable system with relatively large container, or a utility line. The cleaning concentrate container in some configurations of the present invention is handy to the user, being above the counter, and integrated with the dispenser or faucet for immediate replacement with a new bottle of cleaning concentrate. Because of being integrated with the faucet or dispenser, the size of such a container is necessarily limited in size or volume. Separate, non-integrated containers may be much larger in capacity, and stored under the counter, perhaps intentionally hidden and inaccessible by the user, but still accessible for servicing by appropriate persons. Such containers can range widely in size or capacity, depending upon requirements. Some configurations, either above (most likely wall mounted) or under counter, could share a cleaning concentrate container, with a manifold distributing concentrate to several dispensers or faucets. This would typically be where there are several sinks sharing the system.
The present invention is a batch mixing system, that can dispense a continuous flow of cleaning solution. This is accomplished by having a cleaning solution container that consists of two interconnected containers that work together to mix and store the cleaning solution. The first container is for mixing concentrate and water; the second container is for storing and dispensing the mixed solution. To create a new batch of cleaning solution, the system operates the concentrate pump in the cleaning solution container top, and opens the water valve. As a result, cleaning concentrate and water flow into the mixing container, becoming a homogeneous solution. Below the mixing container, in the storage container, when by user consumption of cleaning solution, the cleaning solution volume decreases and the level of that fluid lowers to a pre-determined level, the valve at the bottom of the mixing container is opened by the system to allow the solution to rapidly drain into the storage container. The opening of the valve between the containers only occurs when there is sufficient space in the storage container to contain all of the cleaning solution in the mixing container in addition to the solution still remaining in the storage container. In some configurations of the present invention, the mixing container may not need sensing systems to measure fluid level. Since the container mixes in batches and each cycle empties fully, having pumping systems that deliver a pre-determined amount of fluid for a batch can result in a cleaning solution of consistent volume and concentration. If there is a way to control or change the amounts the pumps deliver, the system can also alter the concentration as desired to accommodate to different user demands and different kinds of cleaning concentrate.
One of the major systematic advantages of the present invention is that it avoids problems with continuous mixing of low flow situations, such as in normal hand and produce washing. The precision of control and associated cost of components required to achieve such precision is typically more expensive than the cost of components required for the present invention. When mixing a relatively large batch of fluid, the flow rate into the cleaning solution container can be sufficiently high, or in discreet batches or pulses of fluid, that the mechanisms can be relatively simple and inexpensive, as well as usually more reliable in operation over an extended time.
In most common situations, dispensers and faucets will be used to dispense cleaning solution at relatively low rates of flow, but there may be times when a user requires a much higher rate of flow, such as when filling a large container or sink with cleaning solution for carrying to another location or use to clean a really large batch of produce. At such times, when a high flow rate of cleaning solution is desired, the system may switch into a steady mode of operation; the cleaning concentrate and water flowing continuously into the mixing container at a rate appropriate to the chosen cleaning solution discharge rate as effected by the solution pump. The mixing process is continuous and effective because of the active mixing currents generated by the strong inflow of water and further mixing as the fluid flows from one container into the other.
The present invention is equally suited to dispensers that dispensing cleaning solution only, with two examples shown, as well as faucets that can also dispense water only (like a normal faucet) in addition to cleaning solution, with two examples shown.
Another major advantage of the present invention is that it avoids problems associated with backflow when a public water system to which a faucet or dispenser is connected to fails, sucking water back into the system, and often along with it, any fluids introduced into the dispensing system, such as a cleaning solution or concentrate. The illustrated examples all feature a mixing system in which the incoming water line discharge orifice is above and at a distance from the maximum fill level of the cleaning solution. Thus a suction on the line will not be able to draw any solution into the water line.
A second mechanism the present invention utilizes to eliminate backflow problems is to have a significant distance between the end of the cleaning solution line and the spout orifice, and the delivery end of the spout is oriented in a severe downward direction, so that whenever the delivery of fluid(s) is terminated, any residual fluid immediately drains from the spout, leaving no fluid to be sucked back up the water line with any fluid that could contaminate a water system.
For the present invention to be most effective, the cleaning concentrate should be of low viscosity. Low viscosity facilitates essentially all of the fluid dynamics, most especially the mixing process in the cleaning solution container. NOTE: Most liquid soap is, by volume, largely composed of non-cleaning efficacious materials, like perfumes, suds creators, lotion to sooth the skin, even substances to increase the viscosity. Most of these substances actually tend to inhibit the effective cleaning action of the “soap.”
In order to actuate the cleaning solution dispensing function of a faucet using the present invention, the user may push a button, touch a sensor, turn a dial, or other user activating mechanism. Such mechanisms can be in a user convenient location on the faucet, but not in a location that will tend to accidentally cause cleaner solution to be dispensed. Of course, the cleaner dispensers that do not dispense water only do not have this problem with having the user choose what product to dispense. Such user control mechanisms for dispensing cleaning solution are not illustrated, and are relatively logical in design and application, but as applied to specific designs.
With the faucets, the capability may also be included to simultaneously dispense water in addition to the cleaning solution to further increase the dilution of the solution, such as for cleaning produce, instead of cleaning hands. In such a case, there may be additional controls for the user to select modes of operation. Some systems may allow the user to chose different dilutions of cleaning solution, or even in some cases, between two or more different types of cleaning solution, which would be facilitated by a system with two or more cleaning concentrate containers. The water only and cleaning solution controls should not be confusing to users, and capable of being controlled separately.
To indicate to the user that a faucet is dispensing cleaning solution, not water, there are several options available, perhaps the most effective is the use of light. This could be with a light, such as a colored light emitting LED located within the end of the faucet, so that it is in direct contact with the fluid being dispensed The water acts as a light guide, carrying the light down to whatever it comes into contact with, such as a hand, dramatically showing the dispensing of cleaning solution in an entertaining way. Just having a colored light attached on the faucet outside surface in a clearly visible location would also work, but in quite so dramatic fashion.
For washing hands, a user first wets their hands with cleaning solution, rubs up, then rinses.
For washing produce, the faucet dispenses water and cleaning solution together • Then a quick rinse. You can easily wash produce like you wash hands. The sequences merge easily, hands first, then produce • No need to get a bowl and mix water and cleaner • Handy for single item or big batch • No bottle hassles, especially with irritating spraying.
Pumps of various types are suited to the present invention for moving cleaning concentrate from the cleaning concentrate bottle to the cleaning solution container, as well as moving the cleaning solution from the cleaning solution container up and out of the spout. Two example pump types: (1) Diaphragm Pump for pumping concentrate to mix (one or two deliveries/batch). (2) Peristaltic Pump for pumping solution to faucet (to deliver steady or interrupted flow to user with modest flow rate.)
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While particular embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it is to be understood that various different embodiments are possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims, there is no intention, therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.
Claims
1. A cleaning solution container, comprising
- an upper or mixing container including a cleaning concentrate inlet, and a water inlet, both inlets located at the top of the container, and a cleaning solution outlet at the bottom of the container; and
- a lower or storage container including a cleaning solution inlet, and a cleaning solution outlet at the bottom of the container
- wherein the fluid that flows out of the mixing container flows into the storage container, and the fluid that flows out of the lower container is dispensed through a spout.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 5, 2016
Publication Date: Feb 16, 2017
Applicant: Willow Design, Inc. (Alpena, MI)
Inventor: William Michael Louis (Alpena, MI)
Application Number: 15/229,938