FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to product dispensers and replaceable product containing cartridges that are marked with machine readable codes, such as UPC codes or QR codes. More particularly, the invention provides a liquid dispenser having a machine readable code that is formed by superimposing a first marking, located on the dispenser housing, over a second marking, located on the dispenser reservoir.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Product dispensers that receive and dispense products from a removable and replaceable cartridge or reservoir are known. For example, many hand cleaning liquid dispensers have a housing that is configured to receive a replaceable cartridge containing the liquid to be dispensed. Once all of the liquid contained in the cartridge has been dispensed, the cartridge is removed from the housing and replaced with a new cartridge.

Often, the housing portion of these dispensers is provided to customers at a low cost, and the supplier is compensated through sales of the replaceable cartridges. This source of revenue may be lost, however, if customers begin using replacement cartridges purchased from a competitor. To avoid this loss of revenue, dispensers are often provided with manufacturer-specific lockout systems that are designed to prevent the use of third-party refill products. These lockout systems may be expensive to design and implement, may increase the complexity of the replacement operation, and may not always offer complete protection against the use of third-party products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To at least partially overcome some of the disadvantages of previously known devices, the invention provides a dispenser that is configured to provide a machine readable code that indicates when a replaceable reservoir component of the dispenser has been received by a reusable housing component of the dispenser. The present inventors have appreciated that this machine readable code may be used to track the refill history of the dispenser and/or to provide various benefits to customers.

For example, in some embodiments of the invention, the replaceable reservoir is marked with a first marking and the housing is marked with a second marking, and the markings are arranged so that, when the reservoir is received by the housing, the first marking and the second marking together form a machine readable code, such as a barcode. This may be achieved, for example, by arranging a first part of the barcode on the replaceable reservoir at a position that sits immediately under a transparent window of the housing, and placing a second part of the barcode directly on the transparent window, so that the second part is superimposed over the first part so as to form the complete barcode when the replaceable reservoir is received by the housing. The barcode can be read by any suitable barcode reader, such as a smartphone equipped with a camera and appropriate software.

The barcode can be used for a variety of purposes, such as tracking usage of the dispenser and/or providing discounts or other benefits to customers. For example, the barcode could contain data that, when read by a compatible device, causes the device to display a rebate code. This rebate code would provide an incentive to purchase replacement reservoirs from the original manufacturer, and could thus be used to complement or replace a manufacturer-specific lockout system.

The barcode may also contain data that, when read by a web-connected device such as a smartphone, instructs the device to transmit information to a usage tracking system operated by the manufacturer. The transmitted information would preferably uniquely identify both the housing and the reservoir, and could be used by the manufacturer to monitor the rate at which each dispenser is being refilled. An absence of transmitted data for a particular housing would provide an indication that the dispenser is not being refilled with replacement reservoirs purchased from the original manufacturer.

To encourage customers to scan the barcode, a rebate code may be included as described above. Alternatively, the usage tracking information could be shared with the customer, allowing the customer to easily track the rate at which its dispensers are being refilled. This may be useful, for example, for monitoring hand cleaning compliance in a health care facility. For example, the usage tracking information would allow the operator of a health care facility to identify dispensers that are being refilled infrequently, which could provide an indication that the workers stationed in the surrounding area are not engaging in sufficient hand cleaning activity. The barcode could also be used for a number of other purposes, such as initiating an order from the manufacturer for additional reservoirs, or commencing a timer that notifies the customer when the liquid within the dispenser will expire.

Some alternate embodiments of the invention use tags or markers that are read by non-optical means. For example, in some embodiments the reservoir and the housing are each provided with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag positioned so that, when the reservoir is received by the housing, the two RFID tags are simultaneously readable by a compatible device, such as a handheld RFID reader. The RFID tags preferably contain data that provides certain information or performs a particular function only when the two tags are read simultaneously. For example, the RFID tag on the housing may direct the RFID reader to open a particular web address, and the RFID tag on the reservoir may provide data that is submitted to the web address. In other embodiments, one RFID tag may contain encrypted data, and the other RFID tag may contain a key for decoding the data. As in the previously described embodiments, the simultaneous reading of the two tags can be used for any number of purposes, such as tracking usage or providing discounts to customers.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention resides in a dispenser comprising:

a replaceable cartridge containing a product to be dispensed, the cartridge having a cartridge surface that is marked with a first marking; and

a housing configured to removably receive the cartridge, the housing having a housing surface that is marked with a second marking;

wherein 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.

Preferably, the machine readable code is detectable from outside of the housing. In some embodiments, the housing surface comprises a light-permeable window that is configured so that, when the cartridge is received by the housing, at least part of the first marking is optically detectable through the light-permeable window. The light-permeable window may comprise an opening in the housing surface and/or a transparent wall or panel.

In some embodiments, the machine readable code comprises a barcode; wherein the first marking comprises a first part of the barcode; and wherein the second marking comprises a second part of the barcode. The barcode may comprise a two-dimensional barcode, such as a QR code.

The machine readable code may contain data that identifies the cartridge and the housing and/or that uniquely identifies the combination of the cartridge and the housing.

In some embodiments of the invention, the first marking comprises a first barcode; the second marking comprises a second barcode; and the machine readable code comprises a third barcode that differs from the first barcode and the second barcode. The first barcode may contain data that identifies the cartridge; the second barcode may contain data that identifies the housing; and the third barcode may contain data that identifies the cartridge and the housing.

Optionally, the product to be dispensed may be a hand cleaning liquid.

The dispenser may further comprise a coupling mechanism that is configured to engage with the cartridge to fixedly locate the cartridge relative the housing that the first marking and the second marking are juxtaposed relative each other to form the machine readable barcode, preferably, so as to locate the cartridge inside the housing, with the cartridge surface closely juxtaposed to the transparent wall or panel. Preferably, when the cartridge is received by the housing, the cartridge surface is positioned within 10 mm of the transparent wall or panel. In some embodiments, when the cartridge is received by the housing, the cartridge surface contacts the transparent wall or panel.

The cartridge may comprise a reservoir containing the hand cleaning liquid, with the first marking be displayed on a wall of the reservoir. In other embodiments, the cartridge comprises: a reservoir containing the hand cleaning liquid; a pump connected to the reservoir for discharging the hand cleaning liquid therefrom; and a collar connected to the pump, the collar comprising a collar surface; wherein the first marking is displayed on the collar surface.

In another aspect, the present invention resides in a method of use of a dispenser, the dispenser comprising a housing configured to removably receive a replaceable cartridge containing a product to be dispensed, the method comprising:

generating a machine readable code;

marking the cartridge with a first marking, the first marking comprising a first part of the machine readable code; and

marking the housing with a second marking, the second marking comprising a second part of the machine readable code;

wherein the first marking and the second marking are positioned so that, when the cartridge is received by the housing, the first marking and the second marking together form the machine readable code.

In some embodiments, marking the housing comprises marking the second marking on or adjacent to a light-permeable window of the housing; and marking the cartridge comprises marking the first marking on a surface of the cartridge that, when the cartridge is received by the housing, is positioned behind the light-permeable window, so that the first part of the machine readable code is detectable through the light-permeable window.

The method may further comprise: placing the cartridge within the housing; and reading the machine readable code with a compatible device. Preferably, the machine readable code is read by the compatible device shortly after the cartridge is placed within the housing, such as within 1 hour.

The method may further comprise transmitting data read from the machine readable code to a server.

In some embodiments, generating the machine readable code comprises encoding, within the machine readable code, a housing identifier that uniquely identifies the housing; and transmitting the data read from the machine readable code comprises transmitting the housing identifier to the server.

The method may further comprise: recording a location of the housing; associating the location of the housing with the housing identifier; and using the housing identifier to associate the data transmitted to the server with the location of the housing.

In some embodiments, generating the machine readable code comprises encoding, within the machine readable code, information indicating that the cartridge is received in the housing; encoding, within the machine readable code, a housing identifier that uniquely identifies the housing, and a cartridge identifier that uniquely identifies the cartridge; encoding, within the machine readable code, information that uniquely identifies the combination of the housing and the cartridge; and/or encoding a discount code within the machine readable code. The method may further comprise using the discount code to provide a credit to a purchaser of the cartridge or the housing.

Generating the machine readable code may also comprise encoding a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) within the machine readable code.

In some embodiments, generating the machine readable code comprises encoding, within the machine readable code, a housing identifier that uniquely identifies the housing, and a cartridge identifier that uniquely identifies the cartridge; and transmitting data read from the machine readable code comprises transmitting the housing identifier and the cartridge identifier to the server.

The method may further comprise transmitting a date that the machine readable code is read by the compatible device to the server and/or transmitting an account identifier associated with the compatible device to the server.

Generating the machine readable code may comprise encoding, within the machine readable code, data that, when read by the compatible device, instructs the device to initiate an order from a supplier.

In some embodiments, generating the machine readable code comprises encoding, within the machine readable code, data that represents a storage life of the product; and the method further comprises initiating, after the machine readable code is read by the compatible device, a timer that reflects the storage life of the product.

The method may further comprise transmitting data read from the machine readable code to a usage tracking system and/or transmitting data read from the machine readable code to a supplier discount system.

In some preferred embodiments, the replaceable cartridge is a first replaceable cartridge and the machine readable code is a first machine readable code, and the method further comprises:

providing a second replaceable cartridge containing the product to be dispensed, the second cartridge configured to be removably received by the housing;

generating a second machine readable code having a first part and a second part, wherein the first part of the second machine readable code differs from the first part of the first machine readable code, and the second part of the second machine readable code is identical to the second part of the first machine readable code; and

marking the second cartridge with a third marking, the third marking comprising the first part of the second machine readable code;

wherein the third marking and the second marking are positioned so that, when the second cartridge is received by the housing, the third marking and the second marking together form the second machine readable code.

Generating the first machine readable code may comprise encoding, within the first machine readable code, information that uniquely identifies the combination of the housing and the first cartridge; and generating the second machine readable code may comprise encoding, within the second machine readable code, information that uniquely identifies the combination of the housing and the second cartridge.

The method may further comprise: placing the first cartridge within the housing; reading the first machine readable code with a compatible device; transmitting data read from the first machine readable code to a usage tracking system; dispensing the product contained in the first cartridge from the dispenser; removing the first cartridge from the housing; placing the second cartridge within the housing; reading the second machine readable code with the compatible device; and transmitting data read from the second machine readable code to the usage tracking system.

In a further aspect, the present invention resides in a method comprising:

providing a plurality of dispensers and a plurality of replaceable cartridges containing a product to be dispensed, wherein each of the plurality of dispensers is configured to removably receive at least a subset of the plurality of replaceable cartridges;

marking each of the plurality of replaceable cartridges with a unique first marking; and

marking each of the plurality of dispensers with a unique second marking;

wherein the unique first marking and the unique second marking are configured so that, when one of the plurality of replaceable cartridges is received by one of the plurality of dispensers, the unique first marking and the unique second marking together form a unique machine readable code,

wherein the unique machine readable code contains information that uniquely identifies the combination of the one of the plurality of replaceable cartridges and the one of the plurality of dispensers that are combined to form the unique machine readable code.

In a still further aspect, the present invention resides in a dispenser comprising:

a replaceable cartridge containing a product to be dispensed, the cartridge comprising a first machine readable tag; and

a housing configured to removably receive the cartridge, the housing comprising a second machine readable tag;

wherein the housing is configured so that, when the cartridge is received by the housing, the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag are positioned relative to one another so as to be simultaneously readable by a compatible device.

In some embodiments, the first machine readable tag comprises a first RFID tag, and the second machine readable tag comprises a second RFID tag. In other embodiments, the first machine readable tag comprises a first barcode, and the second machine readable tag comprises a second barcode. The first barcode may comprise a first QR code, and the second barcode may comprise a second QR code.

The first machine readable tag may contain encrypted data, and the second machine readable tag may contain a key for decoding the encrypted data.

In some embodiments, the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag contain data that causes the compatible device to perform an action only when the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag are read simultaneously by the device.

The cartridge may comprise: a reservoir containing hand cleaning liquid; and a pump connected to the reservoir for discharging the hand cleaning liquid therefrom.

In another aspect, the present invention resides in a method of use of a dispenser, the dispenser comprising a housing configured to removably receive a replaceable cartridge containing a product to be dispensed, the method comprising:

placing a first machine readable tag on the cartridge; and

placing a second machine readable tag on the housing;

wherein the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag are positioned relative to one another so as to be simultaneously readable by a compatible device when the cartridge is received by the housing.

In some embodiments, the first machine readable tag comprises a first RFID tag, and the second machine readable tag comprises a second RFID tag; and placing the first machine readable tag comprises placing the first RFID tag at a position on the cartridge where the first RFID tag is readable by the compatible device, from outside of the housing, when the cartridge is received by the housing.

In other embodiments, the first machine readable tag comprises a first barcode, and the second machine readable tag comprises a second barcode; and placing the first machine readable tag comprises placing the first barcode at a position on the cartridge where the first barcode is visible, from outside of the housing, when the cartridge is received by the housing.

The method may further comprise: encoding encrypted data in the first machine readable tag; and encoding a key for decoding the encrypted data in the second machine readable tag. The method may also comprise encoding, within the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag, data that causes the compatible device to perform an action only when the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag are read simultaneously by the device.

In some preferred embodiments, the method further comprises: placing the cartridge within the housing; and simultaneously reading the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag with the device. Preferably, the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag are read simultaneously by the device shortly after the cartridge is placed within the housing, such as within 1 hour.

The method may further comprise transmitting data read from the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag to a server.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises encoding, within the second machine readable tag, a housing identifier that uniquely identifies the housing; and transmitting the data read from the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag comprises transmitting the housing identifier to the server.

The method may further comprise: recording a location of the housing; associating the location of the housing with the housing identifier; and using the housing identifier to associate the data transmitted to the server with the location of the housing.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: placing the cartridge within the housing; and simultaneously reading the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag with the device, so as to cause the device to perform the action. The action may comprise transmitting or recording information indicating that the cartridge is received in the housing.

The method may further comprise: encoding, within the first machine readable tag, a cartridge identifier that uniquely identifies the cartridge; and encoding, within the second machine readable tag, a housing identifier that uniquely identifies the housing.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: encoding, within the first machine readable tag, a cartridge identifier that uniquely identifies the cartridge; and encoding, within the second machine readable tag, a housing identifier that uniquely identifies the housing; wherein the action comprises transmitting or recording the cartridge identifier and the housing identifier. In some embodiments, the action comprises displaying a discount code. The method may further comprise using the discount code to provide a credit to a purchaser of the cartridge or the housing.

In some embodiments, the action may comprise opening a Uniform Resource Locator (URL); transmitting or recording a date that the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag are read simultaneously by the device; transmitting an account identifier associated with the compatible device; initiating an order from a supplier; starting a timer that reflects a storage life of the product; transmitting information to a usage tracking system; and/or transmitting information to a supplier discount system.

In some preferred embodiments, the replaceable cartridge is a first replaceable cartridge, and the method further comprises:

providing a second replaceable cartridge containing the product to be dispensed, the second cartridge configured to be removably received by the housing; and

placing a third machine readable tag on the second replaceable cartridge;

wherein the third machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag are positioned relative to one another so as to be simultaneously readable by the compatible device when the second cartridge is received by the housing.

The method may further comprise: encoding, within the first machine readable tag, a first cartridge identifier that uniquely identifies the first cartridge; encoding, within the second machine readable tag, a housing identifier that uniquely identifies the housing; and encoding, within the third machine readable tag, a second cartridge identifier that uniquely identifies the second cartridge.

The method may additionally comprise: placing the first cartridge within the housing; simultaneously reading the first machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag with the compatible device; recording or transmitting the first cartridge identifier and the housing identifier; dispensing the product contained in the first cartridge from the dispenser; removing the first cartridge from the housing; placing the second cartridge within the housing; simultaneously reading the third machine readable tag and the second machine readable tag with the compatible device; and recording or transmitting the second cartridge identifier and the housing identifier.

In a still further aspect, the present invention resides in a method comprising:

providing a plurality of dispensers and a plurality of replaceable cartridges containing a product to be dispensed, wherein each of the plurality of dispensers is configured to removably receive at least a subset of the plurality of replaceable cartridges;

placing a unique machine readable cartridge tag on each of the plurality of replaceable cartridges; and

placing a unique machine readable dispenser tag on each of the plurality of dispensers;

wherein, when one of the plurality of replaceable cartridges is received by one of the plurality of dispensers to form a unique combination, the unique machine readable cartridge tag and the unique machine readable dispenser tag are positioned relative to one another so as to be simultaneously readable by a compatible device; and

wherein the unique machine readable cartridge tag and the unique machine readable dispenser tag contain data that, when read simultaneously by the compatible device, causes the device to record or transmit information that uniquely identifies the one of the plurality of replaceable cartridges and the one of the plurality of dispensers forming the unique combination.

