Exemplary embodiments of pumps, refill units and dispenser systems are disclosed herein. An exemplary refill unit for a soap, sanitizer or lotion includes a container for holding a fluid and a pump secured to the container. The pump includes a housing, a liquid piston, a liquid pump chamber, an air piston, an air pump chamber; and a piston holder. The liquid piston is connected to the air piston. The piston holder is connected to one of the liquid piston and the air piston. The connection comprises one or more projections and one or more grooves. The volume of the liquid pump chamber and the air pump chamber both change as a function of the engagement of the one or more projections with the one or more grooves.

A method for operating a fluid dispenser is provided. The method includes receiving, by the fluid dispenser, an interrogation signal from a remote electronic device, and in response to receiving the interrogation signal, transmitting, by the fluid dispenser and to the remote electronic device, an identification of a fluid type of the fluid stored within the fluid dispenser. The method further includes dispensing fluid from the fluid dispenser in response to an actuation request and based upon a fluid-specific setting received from the remote electronic device. A method for programming a fluid dispenser is also provided. The method includes detecting, by a remote electronic device, a fluid type of a fluid stored within the fluid dispenser, and transmitting one of a first fluid-specific setting and a second fluid-specific setting to the fluid dispenser based upon a detected fluid type of fluid stored within the fluid dispenser.

A dispenser has a fastening mechanism having a fastened configuration that fastens a cover of the dispenser to a base of the dispenser, and an unfastened configuration that allows the cover to open from the base. The fastening mechanism has a locked state in which the fastening mechanism requires a key to move from the fastened configuration to the unfastened configuration and an unlocked state in which the fastening mechanism is movable from the fastened configuration to the unfastened configuration without the presence of the key. A release member is actuable by a button without the presence of the key to open the dispenser when the fastening mechanism is in the unlocked state, and the release member is actuable by the key to disengage the release member from the cooperating member when the fastening mechanism is in the locked state.

A dispenser includes a dispenser body that has an interior cavity in which a first chassis is configured to be translated relative to a second chassis along a central axis. The dispenser has a cartridge including a container and a pump that includes a drive flange defining a drive diameter. The dispenser includes an adaptor having a pair of legs that are configured to be coupled to the drive flange and the first chassis, and the adaptor and the drive flange are configured to prevent the drive flange from being translated independently of each other.

An adaptor assembly for use in a dispenser for a replaceable fluid container comprising a fluid pump. The adapter assembly is used in the dispenser to allow using a fluid container having a pump being actuated by laterally compressing it. The adaptor assembly comprises a fluid container support for supporting the fluid container in a desired position in the dispenser and actuation parts having actuation heads being movable between non-actuated and actuated positions. The actuation heads have contact surfaces for abutting dolly surfaces and the pump. The contact surfaces abut against the dolly surfaces in the non-actuated and actuated positions. A moving part is displaceable between a lower and upper position. A horizontal plane through the actuation heads in their fully actuated positions intersects portions of the dolly surfaces that are in contact with the contact surfaces. A fluid dispensing system and a dispenser are also disclosed.

Exemplary soap, sanitizer and lotion dispensers are disclosed herein. An exemplary dispenser includes a housing; a receptacle for receiving a container; a container of fluid comprising soap, sanitizer or lotion; a pump in fluid communication with the container; a power source; a pump coupled to a motor and pulse width modulation circuitry in circuit communication with the power source and the motor. The pulse width modulation circuitry is initially set to cause a selected dose of fluid to be dispensed at a base speed. A sensor for detecting a parameter indicative of an actual speed of a dispense of the fluid is also included. When the actual speed of the dispense of fluid is less than the base speed or greater than the base speed, the pulse width modulation circuitry adjusts the pulse width to cause the speed of a following dispense of fluid to be closer to the base speed.

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.

Exemplary soap, sanitizer and lotion dispensers are disclosed herein. An exemplary dispenser includes a housing; a receptacle for receiving a container; a container of fluid comprising soap, sanitizer or lotion; a pump in fluid communication with the container; a power source; a pump coupled to a motor and pulse width modulation circuitry in circuit communication with the power source and the motor. The pulse width modulation circuitry is initially set to cause a selected dose of fluid to be dispensed at a base speed. A sensor for detecting a parameter indicative of an actual speed of a dispense of the fluid is also included. When the actual speed of the dispense of fluid is less than the base speed or greater than the base speed, the pulse width modulation circuitry adjusts the pulse width to cause the speed of a following dispense of fluid to be closer to the base speed.

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.

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.