FOAM DISPENSER FOR FOAMABLE SOLUTIONS

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a foam dispenser which includes a plastic bottle made of a flexible plastic having a bottle opening, a closure cap that seals the bottle opening and has a dispensing opening for a foam, a foam-generating device for foaming a solution including a chamber having at least one wall, at least one inlet for air in a wall of the chamber, and at least one inlet for liquid in a wall of the chamber, and at least one porous body that is arranged in the chamber, the foam-generating device being arranged in or connected to the closure cap, and a riser pipe that is arranged inside the bottle and is connected to an inlet.

Claims

1. A foam dispenser, comprising: a plastic bottle made of flexible plastic having a bottle opening; a closure cap which seals the bottle opening and has a dispensing opening for a foam; a foam-generating device for foaming a solution comprising a chamber having at least one wall, at least one inlet for air in a wall of the chamber, and at least one inlet for liquid in a wall of the chamber, and at least one porous body which is arranged in the chamber, the foam-generating device being arranged in or connected to the closure cap, and a riser pipe which is arranged inside the plastic bottle and is connected to an inlet, wherein the at least one porous body consists of an open-cell foam material and the open-cell foam material has a density of more than 0.03 g/cm.sup.3.

2. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one porous body is compressed in the chamber.

3. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the plastic bottle contains an alcoholic solution.

4. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam has a density of at least 0.035 g/cm.sup.3.

5. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam has a density of at most 0.08 g/cm.sup.3.

6. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam in an uncompressed state has a number of pores of 50 to 130 pores/inch, preferably of 60 to 100 pores/inch, for example of about 70 pores/inch.

7. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam in an uncompressed state has a pore size of 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, measured according to ASTM D 3576.

8. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a foam body is fixed to the wall of the chamber and the foam body is in full contact with side walls of the chamber.

9. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is at least partially cylindrical and the at least one porous body is cylindrical.

10. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the chamber, which is preferably at least partially cylindrical, has a chamber base and at least one chamber wall which extends from the chamber base in a direction of the bottle opening, wherein at least one inlet is arranged in the chamber base and at least one inlet is arranged in the chamber wall.

11. The foam dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the chamber has only a single inlet in the chamber base, which inlet is connected to the riser pipe and forms the inlet for air.

12. The foam dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the chamber has at least two inlets in a side wall of the chamber and the inlets are preferably arranged evenly spaced apart and form the inlet for liquid.

13. The foam dispenser according to one claim 1, wherein the chamber is at least partially designed as a double-walled hollow cylinder and has an inner and an outer cylinder which are arranged concentrically to each other in an overlapping area.

14. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the wherein a ratio of a size of the inlet opening for air to a ratio of a size of an inlet opening for liquid is 1:0.9 to 1:1.5.

15. A method for foaming an alcoholic solution, comprising: providing a foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam dispenser contains the alcoholic solution; and manually squeezing the bottle of the foam dispenser so that an alcoholic foam can be obtained.

16. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one porous body is compressed in the chamber by 10% to 50%.

17. The foam dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the alcoholic solution is an alcoholic disinfectant.

18. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam has a density of at least 0.045 g/cm.sup.3.

19. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam has a density of at most 0.06 g/cm.sup.3.

20. The foam dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the foam in the uncompressed state has a number of pores of 60 to 100 pores/inch.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0085] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the Figures. The Figures show:

[0086] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a foam dispenser according to the invention in a perspective view,

[0087] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a foam dispenser according to the invention,

[0088] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a foam dispenser according to the invention in a sectional view,

[0089] FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of a foam dispenser according to the invention in a sectional view,

[0090] FIG. 5 shows a foam dispenser according to the invention as shown in FIG. 2 during foam generation,

[0091] FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of a foam dispenser according to the invention in a perspective view, and

[0092] FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of the foam dispenser as shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0093] FIG. 1 shows a foam dispenser according to the invention which is used to generate foam in an upside down position. The foam dispenser 1 comprises a bottle 2 with a closure cap 3 screwed onto the bottle. The closure cap is formed here as a hinged cap with a hinged lid 20. A dispensing opening 4 is arranged on the top side of the closure cap 3. A foam-generating device (not shown here) is located inside the closure cap.

[0094] FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of a foam dispenser according to the invention in a sectional view. The foam dispenser 1 is designed to generate foam in an upside down position. The foam dispenser comprises a bottle 2, which is closed with a closure cap 3. The closure cap is designed as a screw cap with an internal thread 21 that is screwed to the external thread 22 on the neck of the bottle. A chamber 5 is arranged in the closure cap 3, in which chamber three porous bodies 9 are placed one above the other. The porous bodies 9 lie against the wall 6 of the chamber 5 so that no liquid can flow past the porous bodies 9 to the dispensing opening 4. There is an inlet 7 on the underside of the chamber 5, which inlet is connected to a riser pipe 10. The riser pipe 10 extends from the inlet 7 at the base of the chamber to the base of the bottle 11. The chamber has two inlets 8 lying opposite of each other in the side walls. The chamber is designed as a single-walled hollow cylinder having a flange 23 on its top side. The flange 23 rests on the neck of the bottle and is fixed in position by the closure cap 3. The top side of the chamber 5 is open and directed towards the dispensing opening 4, with which it is fluidly connected.

[0095] FIG. 3 shows a section of a foam dispenser in a second embodiment. The foam dispenser 1 shown in FIG. 3 is also designed to generate foam in an upside down position. In this embodiment, the chamber 5 is double-walled and has the shape of a double-walled hollow cylinder. The chamber has an inner cylinder 13 and an outer cylinder 12, which are arranged concentrically to each other in the overlapping area. The inner cylinder 13 is connected to the cover 15 of the closure cap 3 and is made from a single piece together with the latter. The three porous bodies 9 are arranged one above the other in the inner cylinder 13 and are each flush with the wall of the inner cylinder 13, so that no liquid can flow past the porous body 9. The inner cylinder 13 extends to the dispensing opening so that the foam is dispensed through the dispensing opening when it leaves the inner cylinder. The inner cylinder 13 has a shorter length compared to the outer cylinder 12. In the lower area of the chamber 5, directed towards the chamber base 14, the chamber is thus only single-walled. The outer cylinder 12 is connected to the chamber base 14 and has a flange 23 on its top side. The inlet 7 is located in the chamber base 14 and is fluidly connected to the riser pipe 10. The riser pipe 10 is held in a riser pipe holder 24.

[0096] FIG. 4 shows a section of a foam dispenser in a third embodiment. The foam dispenser 1 shown in FIG. 4 is also designed to generate foam in an upside down position. In this embodiment, the chamber 5 is also double-walled and has the shape of a double-walled hollow cylinder. The foam dispenser shown in FIG. 4 differs from the foam dispenser shown in FIG. 3 in the position of the inlets 8 in the wall 6 of the chamber. In the third embodiment, the inlets 8 are located in the side wall 6 of the chamber above the chamber base 14 and at the level of the inner cylinder 13, so that during use the liquid first flows into the intermediate space 16 between the two cylinders, mixes with the air from the inlet 7 in the area below the inner cylinder 13 and is transported from there into the porous bodies 9.

[0097] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view through a foam dispenser according to the invention as shown in FIG. 2 when used in an upside down position. The hinged lid 20 of the bottle 2 is open and the bottle is turned upside down so that the base of the bottle 11 is facing upwards and the dispensing opening 4 is facing downwards. The inlet openings 8 of the chamber 5 lie below the liquid level 17 inside the bottle. The riser pipe 10 ends in the air space of the bottle 2. When pressure is applied to the bottle body, the air is pressed down through the riser pipe 10 and the liquid is sucked in from the bottle through the inlet openings 8 into the chamber 5. The direction of movement of air and liquid is additionally illustrated by the arrows L and F. Air and liquid are mixed together in the porous bodies 9 and the foam produced is discharged downwards through the discharge opening.

[0098] FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of a foam dispenser 1 according to the invention in a perspective view. The foam dispenser 1 is designed to generate foam in an upright position and thus has a dispensing device 25 in the form of a spout on the closure cap 3, through which spout the foam is guided to the side after emerging from the dispensing opening 4.

[0099] FIG. 7 shows a section through the foam dispenser from FIG. 6. The chamber 5 has an inner cylinder 13 and an outer cylinder 12, which are arranged concentrically to each other in the overlapping area. The inner cylinder 13 is offset upwards relative to the outer cylinder 12 along the longitudinal axis of the two cylinders towards the dispensing opening 4, so that the chamber protrudes upwards out of the bottle beyond the end of the bottle neck. The area of the chamber 5 at the chamber base 14 is only single-walled. The inner cylinder 13 contains three porous bodies 9, which are stacked one above the other and are flush with the wall of the inner cylinder 13. The chamber has a plurality of inlet openings 8, which lie above the liquid level 17 inside the bottle. The riser pipe 10, which is attached to the lower end of the chamber 5, extends to the base 11 of the bottle. When pressure is applied to the bottle body 2, the liquid is forced upwards through the riser pipe 10, sucking in air from the headspace of the bottle. Air and liquid are mixed together through the porous bodies 9 and the resulting foam is discharged upwards out of the dispensing opening. The dispensing opening 4 is moved to the side of the closure cap and is not shown here since it is located outside the sectional plane.

[0100] In all the embodiments shown, the side wall of the chamber can have further inlets that are located outside the sectional plane and are thus not shown.

EXAMPLES

[0101] A foam dispenser with a bottle size with a capacity of 100 ml and a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 was tested with different chambers and different porous bodies. The cylindrical chambers, each with a volume of 1.45 cm.sup.3, differed from each other in the number of inlets and the size of the inlet openings. With regard to the porous bodies, a different number of cylindrical porous bodies made of open-cell polyurethane with a density of 0.03 g/cm.sup.3 in the uncompressed state, a pore count of 70 pores/inch10 pores/inch in the uncompressed state and a volume of 0.57 cm.sup.3 in the uncompressed state (based on a single porous body) were used. The porous bodies were compressed to varying degrees. Two porous bodies were not yet compressed (density unchanged at 0.03 g/cm.sup.3). Three porous bodies had a compression around 16% (density was then increased to 0.036 g/cm.sup.3). Four porous bodies had a compression around 37% (density was then increased to 0.047 g/cm.sup.3).

[0102] Different embodiments of the foam dispenser were filled with different solutions, a high-alcohol solution, a low-alcohol solution and an aqueous cleaning formulation, in order to investigate foam generation, particularly with a high alcohol content of the foamable solution. The tested solutions had the following compositions:

Examples 1 to 24: Hand Sanitizer (Highly Alcoholic, Leave-on Product)

[0103] Ethanol 80% [0104] Silicone surfactant 1% [0105] Glycerine 0.50% [0106] Tetradecanol 0.75% [0107] optional foam stabilizer (only for examples 17 to 24) [0108] Water ad 100

Examples 25 to 27: Aqueous Soap Formulation

[0109] Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) (surfactant) 2% [0110] Citric acid (pH regulator) 0.50% [0111] Water ad 100

Examples 28 to 30: Surface Disinfectant (Low Alcohol)

[0112] Ethanol 14% [0113] 1-Propanol 6% [0114] 2-Propanol 10% [0115] N-alkylaminopropylglycine 0.50% [0116] Water ad 100

[0117] Foam generation tests were carried out by turning the foam dispenser upside down and squeezing the bottle by hand until foam or liquid came out of the dispensing opening. The foam quality was assessed visually and haptically. The following values between 1 and 10 were assigned: [0118] Value 1 to 4: no stable foam, possibly liquid with individual bubbles [0119] Value 5 to 10: stable foam, recognizably higher viscosity than non-foamed solution, product suitable for customers

[0120] Table 1 in the appendix summarizes the foam generation tests carried out and the evaluation of the foam quality. It can be seen that a stable foam can be produced with the foam dispenser according to the invention even with a high alcohol content of 80% by weight (foam quality value>5). The tested aqueous soap formulation without alcohol produced a very firm foam with high stability.

[0121] The invention is not limited to one of the embodiments described above, but can be modified in a variety of ways.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

[0122] Foam dispenser 1 [0123] Plastic bottle 2 [0124] Closure cap 3 [0125] Dispensing opening 4 [0126] Chamber 5 [0127] Wall 6 [0128] Inlet 7 [0129] Inlet 8 [0130] Porous body 9 [0131] Riser pipe 10 [0132] Bottle base 11 [0133] Outer cylinder 12 [0134] Inner cylinder 13 [0135] Chamber base 14 [0136] Cover of the closure cap 15 [0137] Intermediate space 16 [0138] Liquid level 17 [0139] Cap 20 [0140] Internal thread 21 [0141] External thread 22 [0142] Flange 23 [0143] Riser pipe holder 24 [0144] Dispensing device 25 [0145] Foam 26 [0146] Air flow L [0147] Liquid flow F

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Ex- Density Number Number Diameter of Total area Number Diameter Total area Ratio of total am- foam Den- of po- of inlets inlet in cham- of inlets in of inlets of inlet in of inlets in area of inlets Foam ple material sity rous in cham- ber wall chamber in cham- chamber chamber for air:Inlets qual- no. g/cm.sup.3 lb/ft.sup.3 bodies ber wall [mm] wall [mm.sup.2] ber base base [mm] base [mm.sup.2] for liquid ity 1 0.030 1.9 2 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.0 0.785 1:1.92 3.0 2 0.030 1.9 2 4 0.8 2.011 1 1.0 0.785 1:2.56 3.0 3 0.030 1.9 2 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.33 3.5 4 0.030 1.9 2 4 0.8 2.011 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.78 3.5 5 0.030 1.9 2 4 0.8 2.011 1 1.4 1.539 1:1.31 2.0 6 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.6 0.848 1 1.2 1.131 1:0.75 7.0 7 0.036 2.2 3 4 0.6 1.131 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.00 5.0 8 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.33 5.5 9 0.036 2.2 3 4 0.8 2.011 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.78 6.0 10 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.4 1.539 1:0.98 5.0 11 0.047 2.9 4 4 0.6 1.131 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.00 7.5 12 0.047 2.9 4 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.33 7.0 13 0.047 2.9 4 4 0.8 2.011 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.78 5.0 14 0.047 2.9 4 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.4 1.539 1:0.98 6.0 15 0.047 2.9 4 4 0.8 2.011 1 1.0 0.785 1:2.56 5.0 16 0.047 2.9 4 4 0.8 2.011 1 1.4 1.539 1:1.31 5.0 17 0.036 2.2 3 4 0.7 1.539 1 1.0 0.785 1:1.96 7.0 18 0.036 2.2 3 4 0.6 1.131 1 1.0 0.785 1:1.44 6.0 19 0.036 2.2 3 5 0.6 1.414 1 1.0 0.785 1:1.80 5.0 20 0.036 2.2 3 2 0.8 1.005 1 1.0 0.785 1:1.28 7.0 21 0.036 2.2 3 4 0.6 1.131 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.00 6.5 22 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.33 6.5 23 0.047 2.9 4 4 0.6 1.131 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.00 5.0 24 0.047 2.9 4 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.33 7.5 25 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.6 0.848 1 1.2 1.131 1:0.75 9.5 26 0.036 2.2 3 4 0.6 1.131 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.00 9.5 27 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.33 9.5 28 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.6 0.848 1 1.2 1.131 1:0.75 6.0 29 0.036 2.2 3 4 0.6 1.131 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.00 6.5 30 0.036 2.2 3 3 0.8 1.508 1 1.2 1.131 1:1.33 6.0