Hand Sanitizing Device and Method of Use

Abstract

A personal dispensing system allows a user to dispense a viscous liquid, such as a disinfectant liquid gel. The dispenser includes a mounting clip which can be worn on the belt of a user. The dispenser has a front sidewall with openings which allow the viscous liquid to be dispensed onto a user's hands. The openings on the front sidewall of the container body and the viscosity of the liquid are selected so that the viscous liquid weeps out of the openings without dripping, or a hand pump can dispense the liquid. The front face of the device can also house a single horizontal roller or a number of roller balls for dispensing the viscous liquid.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A viscous liquid dispenser for dispensing a hand sanitizing composition, the dispenser comprising:
 a container body having a top, a bottom, a front sidewall, a rear sidewall and opposing end walls which together define an initially closed interior, the container body having contained therein a selected quantity of a viscous liquid;   the front sidewall of the container body being provided with a plurality of openings for dispensing the viscous liquid;   a mounting element located on the container body for mounting the dispenser on the body of a user;   wherein at least the diameter of the front sidewall openings and the viscosity of the liquid being dispensed are selected to provide certain predetermined flow characteristics for the dispenser, the flow characteristics being calculated to allow the viscous liquid to weep from the front sidewall openings of the container body without dripping, whereby a user's hand can be wiped across the front sidewall to dispense the viscous liquid onto the user's hand.   
     
     
         2 . The viscous liquid dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the mounting element comprises a mounting clip which is worn on a user's belt. 
     
     
         3 . The viscous liquid dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the viscous liquid is provided in the form of a replaceable cartridge which is received within the interior of the container body. 
     
     
         4 . The viscous liquid dispenser of  claim 3 , wherein the interior of the container body contains a biasing element which exerts a force on an exposed surface of the replaceable cartridge to force the viscous liquid in the direction of the front sidewall openings of the dispenser. 
     
     
         5 . The viscous liquid dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the viscous liquid comprises an anti-microbial hand sanitizing composition. 
     
     
         6 . A method of dispensing a hand sanitizing composition from a viscous liquid dispenser, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a container body with a top, a bottom, a front sidewall, a rear sidewall and opposing end walls which together define an initially closed interior;   locating a selected quantity of a viscous liquid within the container body interior;   the front sidewall of the container body being provided with a plurality of openings for dispensing the viscous liquid;   locating a mounting element on the container body for mounting the dispenser on the body of a user;   wherein at least the diameter of the front sidewall openings and the viscosity of the liquid being dispensed are selected to provide certain predetermined flow characteristics for the dispenser, the flow characteristics being calculated to allow the viscous liquid to weep from the front sidewall openings of the container body without dripping;   wiping the front sidewall to dispense viscous liquid onto the user's hand;   thereafter allowing the viscous liquid to weep through the openings provided on the front sidewall of the dispenser body to substantially coat the front sidewall thereof.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the viscous liquid comprises an anti-microbial hand sanitizing composition. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the viscous liquid which is located within the interior of the container body is provided in the form of a replaceable cartridge, allowing the container body to be reused through the replacement of the cartridge. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the container body is worn on a user's belt. 
     
     
         10 . A viscous liquid dispenser for dispensing a hand sanitizing composition, the dispenser comprising:
 a container body having a top, a bottom, a front sidewall, a rear sidewall and opposing end walls which together define an initially closed interior, the container body having contained therein a selected quantity of a viscous liquid, the front sidewall of the container body being provided with a centrally located exposed face region;   wherein a plurality of rows of roller balls are rotatably mounted on the centrally located exposed face region of the dispenser body, the balls being freely rotatable within associated openings provided in the exposed face region;   whereby a user's hand being swept across the exposed face region causes the roller balls to rotate and pick up viscous liquid from the quantity of viscous liquid located within the container body interior, thereby applying the viscous liquid to the user's hand.   
     
     
         11 . The dispenser of  claim 10 , wherein a drip shield is located on the front exposed surface of the container body adjacent a lower edge thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The dispenser of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a clip mount for mounting the dispenser to a user's belt, the clip mount also being provided with a pivotal attachment point to provide a pivoting action to the body to allow the dispenser body to be partly rotated about the pivot point in order to pick up additional viscous liquid as the liquid level falls during use.   
     
     
         13 . A viscous liquid dispenser for dispensing a hand sanitizing composition, the dispenser comprising:
 a dispenser body having a front wall and a rear wall separated by an intermediate wall, the intermediate wall and the rear wall defining a receptacle opening for receiving a hand sanitizing cartridge which itself contains a viscous sanitizing liquid, and wherein a passageway underlies the intermediate wall and communicates viscous sanitizing liquid from the hand sanitizing cartridge to a reservoir region located behind the front wall and in front of the intermediate wall, the front wall of the dispenser body being provided with a plurality of openings for dispensing the viscous sanitizing liquid;   wherein the front wall and intermediate wall define an upwardly facing opening on the dispenser body, and wherein a hand pump element is located in the upwardly facing opening, up and down motion of the hand pump element within the upwardly facing opening serving to cause viscous sanitizing liquid to be dispensed through the plurality of openings in the front wall and onto a user's hand; and   a mounting element located on the container body for mounting the dispenser on the body of a user.   
     
     
         14 . The viscous liquid dispenser of  claim 13 , wherein the viscous liquid comprises an anti-microbial hand sanitizing composition. 
     
     
         15 . A viscous liquid dispenser for dispensing a hand sanitizing composition, the dispenser comprising:
 a dispenser body having a front wall and a rear wall and opposing sidewalls which together define a receptacle opening for receiving a hand sanitizing cartridge which itself contains a viscous sanitizing liquid, the front wall of the dispenser body being provided with a plurality of openings for dispensing the viscous sanitizing liquid, the sanitizing cartridge having a bottom opening for supplying viscous liquid to a reservoir region located behind the front wall adjacent the front wall openings in the dispenser body;   wherein the cartridge itself incorporates a hand pump element which moves downwardly within a track opening provided in the cartridge body to thereby force viscous sanitizing liquid from the reservoir region and outwardly through the openings in the front wall and into a user's hand; and   a mounting element located on the container body for mounting the dispenser on the body of a user.   
     
     
         16 . The dispenser of  claim 15 , wherein the viscous liquid is a liquid disinfectant gel.