U.S. patent application number 10/289084 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-28 for automatic liquid dispensing mechanism.
Invention is credited to Ming-Te Tu.
Application Number | 20060292021 10/289084 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37567608 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060292021 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tu; Ming-Te |
December 28, 2006 |
Automatic liquid dispensing mechanism
Abstract
An automatic liquid dispensing mechanism includes a planet
device and a transmitting hose. The planet device is a plate with a
number of rollers provided on a surface thereof such that the
rollers can rotate on the surface of the plate. The hose in the
form of an arc is engaged in-between the inner rim of the hosing
and the outer surface of the rollers. The axis of a driving motor
passes through the plate and a side of the housing, and then
contacts with the surface of the rollers, thereby the rotation of
the axis of the driving motor drives the rollers and the plate to
rotate. And then the rollers push the liquid stored in the hose and
make it transmitted from the storage tank to the user's end.
Inventors: |
Tu; Ming-Te; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEONG C LEI
PMB # 1008
1867 YGNACIO VALLEY ROAD
WALNUT CREEK
CA
94598
US
|
Family ID: |
37567608 |
Appl. No.: |
10/289084 |
Filed: |
November 7, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/477.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B 43/1253 20130101;
F04B 43/0072 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/477.1 |
International
Class: |
F04B 43/12 20060101
F04B043/12 |
Claims
1. A liquid dispensing mechanism is directly driven by a motor and
includes a planet device, a hose and a housing, wherein: the planet
device provided on a bottom of the housing includes a rotating
plate, from the surface of which a number of axles are extruded,
and each axle is sheathed by a roller; the hose, being a
transmitting carrier, is in the form of an arc provided in-between
the inner rim of the housing and the outer surface of the rollers;
extrusions are provided on the hose and engaged in the opposite
grooves of the housing; and the outer surface of each roller
contacted with the axis of the motor is driven to rotate by the
motor; the plate of the planet device pushes the hose circularly,
thereby transmitting the liquid.
2. A liquid dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
axis of the motor passes through the plate center of the planet
device.
3. A liquid dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
rollers of the planet device do not contact with each other, but
contact with the axis of the motor.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Disclosed is a liquid dispensing mechanism, wherein the
rollers provided on a planet device push the liquid stored in a
transmitting hose, thereby transmitting the liquid from the
supplying end to the user's end such that the invention is adapted
to automatic liquid dispensers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] For example, generally, a liquid soap dispenser for
dispensing cleanser/hand cleanser installed in bathrooms or washing
rooms is mechanically operated by hand or presents as an electronic
sensing type. As the former would dispense a predetermined amount
of liquid at each press, the user must further press the button to
require more liquid; whereas the later can use an electric-eye
sensor to control the liquid dispensed though, the liquid
dispensing mechanism should rely on the traditional mechanical
structure. A liquid dispensing mechanism is shown in FIG. 1,
wherein through a speed reducer 12, the power of a motor 11 drives
a rotating plate 13 which is axially connected to a connecting bar
14 and a piston 15, thereby the piston 15 can repeat an up-and-down
movement in a cylinder 16, and the liquid stored in the storage
tank (not shown) can be sucked into a inlet 18 on the cylinder 16
wall and subsequently be pushed out of another outlet 19 to the
user's hand.
[0003] The speed reducer 12 is provided on a side thereof a maximum
switch 20. On an end of the maximum switch 20 is provided a spring
21 which can activate or shut down the operation of the motor 11 by
the contact of the left and right extruding points 22 on the
surrounding of the rotating plate 13 during the operation of the
rotating plate 13, thereby the piston 15 pushes the liquid soap
out, and sucks and stores an amount of liquid soap for the next
dispense.
[0004] Although an automatic soap dispenser can avoid the users
from the trouble of manually or overly push the button, there still
exist some disadvantages in the use thereof, e.g.:
[0005] 1. As the automatic soap dispenser is driven by a motor, a
speed reducer, a connecting rod and a piston, the breakdown rate of
the entire mechanism is relatively high in view of the numerous
transmitting units.
[0006] 2. By way of the push by the piston, each piston stroke can
only provide a limited amount of liquid soap. As the amount of the
soap dispensed cannot be increased in the form of consequent
dispenses, there is difficulty in overcoming the various users'
needs for different amount of liquid soap.
[0007] 3. The piston type soap dispense may render the actions of
sucking and pushing the liquid soap by the up-and-down piston
stroke. However, as the liquid soap is sucked by way of siphon, the
form of the liquid soap is preferably limited to well floating
liquids, rather than those in the form of toothpaste or those
containing scrubbing particles, which would be stocked in the
inlet.
[0008] Means of Solving
[0009] To improve the disadvantages of the traditional automatic
soap dispensers, the invention provides a soap dispensing mechanism
which is different from piston type soap dispenser. The invention
primarily provides a planet device which is a plate provided with a
number of axles on the surface thereof. Each axle is axially
connected to a roller. The planet device is mounted in a housing. A
hose in the form an arc is provided in-between the inner rim of the
housing and the outer surface of the rollers of the planet device.
The above mechanisms are driven by a motor. The axis of the motor
passes through the plate surface and a side of the housing, whereas
the surrounding of the motor contacts with the outer surface of
each roller, thereby transmitting the rotating power of the motor
to each roller, and activating every roller to rotate and
sequentially rotate the whole plate. The rotation of the rollers
driven by the rotating plate generates a circular pushing power to
the hose surface, and the liquid soap carried in the hose is pushed
out sequentially, thereby the liquid soap is socked into another
inlet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The primary object of the invention is to provide a
sequentially rotating liquid dispensing mechanism, the operation of
which can be freely determined to timely adjust the amount of the
liquid dispensed, thereby satisfying various needs for liquid
amount in different environments.
[0011] The secondary object of the invention is to provide a hose
which can supply a greater space and section for the liquid float
such that substances as toothpaste, or liquid containing scrubbing
particles, tomato juice, soybean sauce, juice, coffee and mineral
water can be adapted in the invention as well.
[0012] A further object of the invention is to provide a motor
powder which can directly drive the rollers of the planet device to
rotate, and the rollers can directly press the hose to operate the
soap dispense. As the mechanisms involved in the invention are
simple, the power needed and the costs for designing the integral
mechanism can be decreased, and the maintenance of the mechanism is
rather convenient.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] As shown in FIGS. 2a and 3, the preferred embodiment of the
invention includes a planet device 3, a hose 4 and a housing 5,
wherein the planet device 3 is placed in the bottom of the housing
5 and provided with a rotating plate 31. A number of axles 32
extrude from the plate surface, each of the axles 32 is sheathed by
a roller 33, and the outer surface of the rollers 33 is distanced
from each other. The hose 4 is in the form of an arc provided
in-between the inner rim of the housing 5 and the outer surface of
each roller 33 of the planet device 3. Two opposite extrusions 40
are provided on the hose and engaged in the grooves 50 in the left
and right ends of the housing 5, thereby avoiding the hose 4 from
sliding axially.
[0014] Now refer to FIGS. 2b and 3 for the operation of the
invention. The motor 6 is positioned in an outer side of the
housing 5, and the axis 60 of the motor passes through the center
of the rotating plate 31 of the planet device 3, and then is
positioned among the rollers 33 such that the axis 60 is in contact
with the outer surface of each roller 33. As the axis 60 of the
motor rotates clockwise, the rollers 33 directly contacted thereby
are activated to rotate counterclockwise and touch the surface of
the hose 4. Since the hose 4 is fixed in the housing, through the
axles 32, the rotating plate 31 which bears the rollers 33 rotates
clockwise to activate the rollers borne by the axles 32 to rotate
together. Meanwhile, the surface of the hose 4 is pushed by the
force of its self-rotation and the rotation of the rollers 33
driven by the rotating plate 31, a sequential pushing force
generates along the direction of the hose axis, thereby air is
pushed and transmitted from an inlet end 41 to an outlet end 42.
Likewise, when the inlet end 41 is inserted into a liquid soap
storage tank (or tomato juice, soybean sauce, juice, coffee or
mineral water storage tank ) (not shown), the liquid soap 7 will be
sequentially socked from the storage tank and transmitted to the
outlet end 42 for users' dispense. The above structure may provide
a desired amount of liquid by simply adding a control circuit to
control the operating time of the motor 6.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional automatic
soap dispensing mechanism.
[0016] FIGS. 2a and 2b are perspective front views of the
invention.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of the invention.
DESIGNATES NUMBERS OF THE ELEMENTS
[0018] 11 . . . motor [0019] 12 . . . speed reducer [0020] 13 . . .
rotating plate [0021] 14 . . . connecting rod [0022] 15 . . .
piston [0023] 16 . . . cylinders [0024] 18 . . . inlets [0025] 19 .
. . outlet [0026] 20 . . . maximum switch [0027] 21 . . . spring
[0028] 22 . . . extruding point [0029] 3 . . . planet device [0030]
4 . . . hose [0031] 40 . . . extrusion [0032] 41 . . . inlet end
[0033] 42 . . . outlet end [0034] 5 . . . housing [0035] 50 . . .
groove [0036] 6 . . . motor [0037] 60 . . . axis of motor [0038] 7
. . . liquid soap
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