Dispenser with optical keying system

Abstract

A dispenser with an optical keying system includes a housing that is configured to carry a removable refill container that contains an amount of material, such as soap, for example. The removable refill container includes microscopic indicia that is visually-imperceptible to a human, which includes an authorization code, as well as a reference code that identifies various attributes associated with the refill container, such as its size, material type, and date of manufacture. Finally, the dispenser includes an optical sensor that is configured to read the authorization code defined by the microscopic or visually-imperceptible indicia to determine whether the refill container is authorized for use with the dispenser.

1 . A dispenser with an optical keying system comprising:
 a replaceable refill container having microscopic indicia disposed thereon;   a housing configured to removably carry the replaceable refill container;   a controller carried by said housing;   a pump coupled to said controller and configured to be in fluid communication with said replaceable refill container;   an actuator coupled to said controller, said actuator configured to actuate said pump to dispense the material from said replaceable refill container; and   an optical sensor coupled to said controller, said optical sensor configured to read the microscopic indicia from said replaceable refill container to identify an authorization code from the microscopic indicia,   wherein said controller disables the dispenser if said authorization code is not authorized, and said controller enables the dispenser if said authorization code is authorized.   
     
     
         2 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said actuator is manually operated. 
     
     
         3 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said actuator comprises a proximity sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said actuator comprises a biometric sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a foaming chip nozzle in fluid communication with said pump, such that the material is dispensed therefrom as a foam. 
     
     
         6 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said pump comprises a peristaltic pump. 
     
     
         7 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said optical sensor detects a reference code from the microscopic indicia that identifies one or more attributes associated with said refill container. 
     
     
         8 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising an indicator coupled to said controller, said indicator configured to identify one or more status conditions associated with the operation of the dispenser. 
     
     
         9 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said controller disables the dispenser if the microscopic indicia is not detected by said optical sensor. 
     
     
         10 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein said housing is adapted to be mounted under a mounting base.