A flowable product dispenser has a movable actuator (24) whose stroke length, represented by axial travel, corresponds to the product dosage which is dispensed. An adjustable ring (26) is fitted to a portion of the actuator wherein the position of the ring on the actuator determines the stroke length. This adjustable stroke feature allows the user of the dispenser to select a desired dosage within a dosage range for the particular dispenser.

Exemplary embodiments of dispensers and refill units are disclosed herein. An exemplary refill unit for a soap, sanitizer or lotion includes a non-collapsing container. The non-collapsing container includes a neck. An annular projection is located at least partially on the neck. A one-way valve is located proximate the annular projection. The one-way valve allows air to flow into the non-collapsing container once the vacuum pressure in the container reaches the cracking pressure of the one-way valve and the one-way valve prevents liquid from flowing out of the annular projection. In addition, a pump for pumping the contents of the container out of the container is also included.

Various dispensing devices, such as foaming soap pumps, are disclosed. The soap pump can include a fluid storage unit and a fluid handling unit. The fluid storage unit can include a reservoir that is configured to hold a quantity of product, such as liquid soap. The fluid handling unit can include a pumping assembly and dispensing assembly. The soap pump can be configured to withdraw liquid soap from the reservoir, convert the liquid soap to foamed soap, and dispense the foamed soap from the discharge assembly.

The invention provides a dispensing assembly to dispense a foam, comprising: a double cylinder element (2) mounted or to be mounted in an opening of a container (100), comprising a liquid cylinder (3) and an air cylinder (4), wherein the liquid cylinder has a smaller diameter than the air cylinder, and wherein the liquid cylinder and the air cylinder are arranged substantially concentrically, and a piston assembly (10) comprising a liquid piston (11) and an air piston (12) for reciprocal movements in the liquid cylinder and air cylinder, respectively, and a common operating part for operating the liquid piston and air piston, wherein a liquid pump chamber (14) is at least delimited by the liquid cylinder and the liquid piston, said liquid pump chamber having a liquid inlet (15) and a liquid outlet (16), wherein an air pump chamber (25) is at least delimited by the air cylinder, the air piston and the liquid piston, said air pump chamber having an air inlet (26) and an air outlet (27), wherein the piston assembly (10) further comprises a dispensing channel (28) in fluid communication with the liquid outlet and the air outlet, wherein the dispensing channel ends in a dispensing opening (29), characterized in that the air outlet (27) is provided in the liquid piston in a region of the air pump chamber opposite to the air piston (12).

A method and apparatus for dispensing flowable fluids by dispensing the flowable fluid through a passageway leading to a discharge outlet in one stroke of a piston pump and, in a second opposite stroke of the piston pump, discharging air into the passageway to displace the fluid from the passageway through the outlet.

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 single-hand pressed foam pump head comprises a pump filled with foam liquid or emulsion. A spring is provided inside the pump. The pump comprises a press head and a fixed outflow cap; the fixed outflow cap is provided with a vertical connecting tube and is connected to a connecting end of a bottle; the connecting tube has a foam or liquid channel. A top portion of the connecting tube is provided with a horizontal connecting channel. The horizontal connecting channel is connected to a vertical plugged-in tube. When the connecting tube is pressed downward such that the vertical plugged-in tube is inserted into an outflow chamber of the fixed outflow cap, the connecting tube and the outflow chamber are connected to each other to form a top outflow channel. The present invention is simple in structure, stable in function and convenient for people to use.

A foamer dispenser including a mesh filter that is disposed in a mixture flow path of a jet ring to allow a mixture to pass is provided. A connecting flow path area between a liquid flow path and the mixture flow path and a connecting flow path area between an ambient air flow path and the mixture flow path have the relation 2.8S.sub.1/S.sub.23.8, and/or, a smallest flow path area of the mixture flow path is located on an immediately upstream side of the mesh filter, and the smallest flow path area and a flow path area of the mesh filter have the relation 4S.sub.4/S.sub.310.3.

A storage holder for placement in a liquid or foam dispenser includes a liquid reservoir having an opening and a plug provided in the opening. The storage holder also includes a pump having a pump section and an inlet tube extending from the pump section. The storage holder further includes a spacer having an opening for the inlet tube, with the spacer being positioned between the pump section and the plug so that a defined distance is provided between the pump section and the plug. The spacer is fixed at a position relative to the plug and relative to the pump only by a clamping connection between the inlet tube and the plug. The spacer is not connected to the pump and the spacer is not connected to the plug such that spacer may be separated from the pump and the plug when the pump is pulled out of the plug.

A piston pump with a piston chamber-forming body and a piston-forming element relatively coaxially reciprocally movable to dispense liquid and air from a discharge outlet, which the discharge outlet is fixed relative to the piston chamber-forming body.