ES2596225B1 - Appliance for soap making - Google Patents

Abstract

Appliance for the manufacture of soap from at least oil, water and a strongly alkaline compound, equipped with an oil tank (20), agitation means for the contents of the tank (22), means for emptying the tank (23), Soap collection means (26, 27), electric power supply means and control means for the stirring and emptying elements, consisting in its upper part of a hermetic removable dispenser (19) to manually stir the water mixture and alkaline compound and where the dispenser (19) consists in its lower part of an emptying mechanism (28) that opens when the doser (19) is locked in the bottom of its housing (30), pouring by gravity the alkaline solution on the oil tank (20), so that the saponification is carried out in the tank (20) where the oil is stored.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Appliance for soap making.

Technical sector 5

The present invention is part of the household appliances sector, although it is also part of the recycling sector and the hygiene and cleaning products manufacturing sector.

 10

State of the art

The discharge of fats and oils through sinks and drains is a major environmental problem, since they become pollutants of river channels and / or groundwater. However, recycling is not easy given that there is no specific legislation for this type of waste, clean points are not near homes and the collection network does not reach the effectiveness of other waste streams (glass, paper , etc.).

Therefore, the present invention aims to develop an appliance for transforming oils, fats and / or residues thereof into biodegradable products by converting them into solid or liquid soap. A preferred, but not exclusive, application may be the conversion into soap of the oily residues generated as a result of the preparation of food, recovering an ancestral practice: reusing oils for domestic use to produce handmade products for common use 25 Gabanes, candles, etc.), but using a technology consistent with the demands of contemporary society.

Another possible application may be the self-production of special high-end soaps, selecting certain essential oils and combining them with additives that give them the specific properties desired.

Various devices aimed at the homemade manufacture of soaps, such as those disclosed in WO 2010102370 A1, WO 2013132127 A1, US 2876082 A, US 4578246 A, ES 1077713 U 35 and ES 1078917 U, comprise the prior state of this sector of the art. , among others.

All the disclosed devices have as main drawback the fact that the oil is not stored directly in the reaction chamber, requiring specific internal or external deposits for storage. In all cases, the storage is carried out either in a container external to the soap-making appliance, either in an internal tank other than the reaction chamber, generally above it, or in both successively.

This arrangement means less compactness, which implies a greater need for space, generally scarce in the rooms where the appliance will normally be installed.

In addition, the presence of an external container as an intermediate transport element to the soap making apparatus implies an additional oil transfer step, 50

thereby increasing the danger of spillage, and creates the need to clean it periodically, with the consequent consumption of water, energy and detergent.

Therefore, a first technical problem that is intended to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the number of tanks, ducts and valves, which, in addition to making it more manageable and robust, reduces its manufacturing costs.

Another drawback of the provisions that do not allow the storage of fats or oils directly in the reaction chamber, lies in the difficulty of their transfer when they have a very viscous solid or liquid state at room temperature. This obliges 10 to include in the apparatus some heating element to reduce the viscosity of the stored oil, thus facilitating its pouring into the reaction chamber, or to limit the useable oily compounds to those that at room temperature are easily vehicular.

 fifteen

All this is solved by integrating the oil tank into the reaction chamber, so that the used oil is stored in the same tank where the saponification is performed.

In addition to the background using heat generating elements in the oil reservoir 20 and / or in the reaction chamber, an external source of energy is required in the application WO 2010102370 A1 to heat the water.

Therefore, a second technical problem that is intended to be solved by the present invention is that of suppressing any heat generating means to minimize the energy consumption of the apparatus.

According to the invention, this second technical problem is solved by taking advantage of the high temperature increase that occurs spontaneously during the strongly exothermic dissolution of the alkaline compound in water, so that said hot solution is used to temper the stored oil, decreasing its viscosity without the need for additional heat input and the saponification reaction being carried out in a temperature range between 35 and 50 ° C, optimum conditions for the manufacture of quality soaps.

 35

A third drawback of the described devices is that their structure and operation facilitates the accumulation of waste after each use and makes it difficult to disassemble it for cleaning, repair or maintenance.

In some cases, oil is also added to the alkali solution, which increases the exposure time of the reaction vessel to the chemical and thermal attack of the basic solution, very extreme conditions that cause greater aggression.

Therefore, a third technical problem to be solved is to increase the durability and reliability of the machine. Four. Five

According to the invention, the third technical problem is solved on the one hand by adding the alkaline solution on the oil, thereby achieving greater durability of the saponification tank than acting in reverse.

 fifty

On the other hand, this invention incorporates a self-wash program, prior to its disassembly, with which the possible remains of alkali or oil that could remain inside it are eliminated, thus protecting the valves and mechanical elements from damage or blockages. On the other hand, all the pieces are completely removable, which favors that the machine conceptually behaves as a sum of simple 5 components that allow its disassembly and cleaning quickly and easily without specialized procedures.

The invention presents another differential mark on the bases of the two tanks, in the form of inclined planes oriented towards the drain, which favors the evacuation of the fluids and minimizes the presence of remains.

In the development of the processing machine, a thermoplastic and semi-crystalline material of great hardness and chemical resistance has been chosen, capable of withstanding alkali aggression and thermal fatigue associated with the increase in temperature resulting from the reaction between the base Strong and water. The material is also resistant to the possible attack of additives making the selected material does not need any specific technical measure.

On the other hand, the invention also presents a program for manufacturing liquid soap, taking advantage of the small remains of used soap that are normally discarded. as filings of previously manufactured soap.

In an optional embodiment. The dissolution in water of the strong alkali, such as caustic soda, is done by manually shaking a removable tank. 25

The way of operating the machine also minimizes reaction times.

Optionally The machine can also include a viscosity sensor to optimize the duration of saponification and / or a gas filter to reinforce safety. 30

Brief description of the figures

FIGURE 1: Elevation of the first embodiment

 35

FIGURE 2: Sectional side view of the first embodiment.

FIGURE 3: Perspective view of the soap mold of the first embodiment.

 40

FIGURE 4: Perspective view of the removable tray in the first embodiment.

FIGURE 5: Sectioned elevation of the second embodiment.

 Four. Five

In a first embodiment, the appliance is opened by an upper cover (10) that pivots on hinges located at the rear. On the front of the cover there is an on / off button (12), an LCD screen (13) of up to two rows to indicate the work messages and a selector button (14). The cover also contains a power supply (15), a controller circuit (16) and two 50

electric motors (8.9). A connection cable not shown links the power supply to the low-voltage home power network.

Inside the machine houses an oil storage tank / reaction chamber (1), with a sieve (17) for the retention of solids and with an outlet hole in the bottom 5 through a gate (2) of manual opening by means of push button or electric by means of solenoid valve. leading to a removable tray (3) with a removable soap mold (4).

In a plane slightly above the oil tank (1) there is a second tank, of dissolution of the alkaline compound in water (5), connected to the oil tank (1) through an outlet orifice through solenoid valve (6) . The two tanks incorporate for the agitation process a system of removable stirring blades (7, 11), driven by the two electric motors (8, 9) located in the lid (10). The upper ends of the shafts of both stirring blades (7, 11) have rounded conical heads 15 with star-shaped projections. When the cover is folded down to close the machine, they engage with two holes of complementary shapes located in the engine shafts that appear under the cover, thereby facilitating the mechanical connection and self-centering of the blades with respect to the motor shafts.

 twenty

In the lower part of the machine there is a removable drawer (3) that houses a mold (4), removable in turn from the drawer (3). The machine can optionally consist of a second interchangeable drawer, so that the first one, after picking up the newly manufactured soap, is introduced into the ripening chamber (18) and the second one is placed in the liquid spillage zone to collect the soapy water after the 25 car wash process.

In an optional embodiment, the mold or molds (4) can be made of a flexible material that facilitates the demoulding tasks after the complete maturation of the soaps. 30

In an alternative embodiment, the machine may lack removable drawers (3) and molds (4), so that in the resulting lower recess the user can introduce the desired containers, as a mold and as a container for liquid soap and for soapy water after the car wash. 35

The invention will now be described by means of an example of use, with reference to the attached figures.

The oil to be used, which can be a residual edible oil, is stored directly in the tank / reaction chamber (1), the solids and impurities being retained in the sieve (17). When the stored oil reaches a marked level in the inner wall of the tank, adequate doses of alkali and water are introduced into the solution tank (5). First, the solution tank (5) is filled with water to the corresponding serial marked on its inner wall and a strongly alkaline compound is added thereto, such as soda, for example in the form of pearls. Then the lid (10) is closed, the desired program is selected with the selector (14), the first motor (8) being activated by driving the rotation of the blade (7) of the solution tank (5).

 fifty

After a programmed dissolution time the controller circuit (16) activates the opening of the solenoid valve (6) located at the bottom of the dissolution tank, whereby the resulting liquid from the mixture passes by gravity to the oil tank (1), activating sequentially the second motor (9) to rotate the second shaft and with it the oil tank blade (1), the saponification reaction being initiated. 5

The incorporation of the alkali solution on the stored oil dramatically decreases its viscosity and tempers the reaction mixture in a range between 35 and 50 ° C, sufficient temperature to obtain a quality soap. After a programmed reaction time has elapsed, the second motor (9) 10 stops and with it the rotation of the second blade (11) and simultaneously an acoustic and / or light warning (not shown) is activated for the user to press a button (not shown) for opening a hole located at the lower end of the oil tank (1), whereby the liquid soap produced is transferred by gravity to the cavity located at the bottom of the machine, where a mold or other 15 container to collect the soap produced.

In an alternative embodiment, at the end of the saponification time, the controller circuit (16) activates an electric pump (2) located at the bottom of the oil tank (1) to proceed to its emptying by aspiration, thereby minimizing the presence of 20 remains that once solidified could obstruct the emptying in subsequent cycles.

In another alternative embodiment, the disconnection of the second motor (9) and the activation of the solenoid valve (2) or the acoustic / luminous warning occurs when a viscometer (not shown) detects that the mixture of oil, water and alkali has 25 reached a certain viscosity value.

To complete the maturation process, the drawers (3, 18) are exchanged in such a way that the freshly obtained soap is allowed to stand for a time between 10 and 30 days, in the ripening chamber. 30

After the soap is manufactured, it is necessary to carry out a self-cleaning process. To do this, the lid (10) is opened and the two tanks (1, 5) are filled with water up to the indicated level. Subsequently, the lid (10) is closed and the program is repeated using only water. The soapy waters, which serve as the base formulation to obtain liquid soap, are poured directly into the second mold (18) that has been exchanged with the tray (3), which will be positioned in the ripening chamber. With this self-washing process, the possible soda remains that may have been left in the equipment are eliminated, after which the pieces can be disassembled for total cleaning. 40

For the manufacture of liquid soap it is necessary to grate the solid soap obtained after the maturation process, or use filings of any remaining soap that due to its small size is no longer useful. Soap shavings are incorporated into the oil tank (1) and 4 or 5 doses of water are added, depending on the consistency of the liquid soap required. At this point in the process different additives can also be incorporated to provide aroma, color, foaming properties, bleaching qualities, etc. The lid (10) is closed and the selector (14) is operated. to choose the machine's liquid soap manufacturing program.

 fifty

After a programmed time, the controller circuit (16) stops the second motor (9) and with it the rotation of the second blade (11) and simultaneously an acoustic and / or light warning (not shown) is activated for the user to press a button (not shown) for opening the hole located at the lower end of the tank (1), so that the liquid soap will fall on one of the molds (4, 18) placed in the drain zone, for its Transfer directly to the container that will contain the liquid soap. During the next 24 hours, it will be necessary to manually shake this container several times to homogenize the phases and to form a stable emulsion of perfectly vehicular liquid soap.

 10

In a second embodiment of the invention, the apparatus consists of a cylindrical outer body (31) with three holes in the upper part. In one of them (29), which can optionally incorporate a lid, a removable funnel (24) is inserted that connects to an internal used oil storage tank (20), which also serves as a saponification reactor. The lower part of said funnel 15 includes a filter (25) for the retention of solids.

The lower outlet of the tank (20) is in the form of a threaded bushing, connected to a solenoid valve (23) that leads to a removable tray (26) with a soap mold (27), which can optionally be made of a flexible material for facilitate the release of soaps. As in the first embodiment, the machine may lack a tray and mold in its lower part, leaving a gap for the user to use the desired containers.

The machine has another opening (30) in which the dispenser (19) is placed, with the solution of soda in water. The emptying mechanism (28) located at the base of the dispenser (19) is opened by manually locking it in its housing (30), so that the solution of the alkali falls into the tank (20) forming a circular crown. In the central hole (31) the mixer with double blade in the form of a propeller (22), which meshes with an electric motor (21) is introduced. 30

The appliance also houses inside a power supply and a controller circuit. On the upper front is an on / off button, an LCD screen with up to two rows to indicate the work messages and the cycle start button. 35

The second embodiment will now be described by means of an example of use with reference to the attached figures.

The oil is poured directly into the tank (20) through the funnel (24), leaving the 40 solids and impurities retained in the filter (25). When the stored oil overflows through the filter (25), the dispenser (19) is extracted, where the appropriate doses of alkali and water are introduced. The dispenser (19) is closed tightly and shaken manually for at least 30 seconds. The cylinder is then inserted into its hole (30) and pressed manually until it is locked in its housing to activate the exit of the soda solution through the emptying mechanism (28) to the tank (20). The manual pressure of the metering cylinder (19) also activates the motor (21), which in turn drives the rotation of the mixer (22) inside the tank (20).

The immediate incorporation of the alkali solution onto the stored oil 50 dramatically decreases its viscosity and tempers the reaction mixture in an interval

between 35 and 50ºC, enough temperature to obtain a quality soap. Once the reaction time has elapsed, the control circuit deactivates the motor (21), thereby stopping the rotation of the mixer (22) and activates the opening of the solenoid valve (23), so that the liquid soap produced is emptied by gravity to the mold (27). The freshly obtained soap is allowed to stand for a time between 15 and 30 days, for consistency.

After the soap is manufactured, it is necessary to carry out a self-cleaning process. For this, the cylindrical dispenser (19) and the tank (20) are filled with hot water until it overflows through the filter (25). The self-wash program is started by manually pressing the dispenser (19) into the hole (30), the rotation of the mixer (22) starting for a predetermined time. After this time, the engine stops and with it the mixer (22), activating simultaneously the opening of the solenoid valve (23), so that the soapy water is poured directly into the tray (26), from which it has been extracted previously the mold (27) with the freshly made soap. With this process of 15 car washes, the possible soda remains that may have been left in the equipment are eliminated, after which the pieces can be disassembled for total cleaning.

For the manufacture of liquid soap it is necessary to grate the solid soap obtained after the maturation process, or use filings of any remaining soap that due to its small size is no longer useful. For this, the filter (25) is separated by placing the funnel (24) without the lower sieve. Through this hole, soap filings that fall directly into the oil tank (20) are introduced into the machine and hot water is also added to the indicated mark. At this stage of the process, 25 different additives can also be incorporated to provide aroma, color, foaming properties, bleaching qualities, etc.

To start the manufacture of liquid soap, the dispenser (19) is filled with hot water and locked in its hole (30), starting the cycle by manual pressure. After the necessary reaction time 30 the liquid soap will fall on the removable tray (26), without the mold (27) inside it, for its direct transfer to the container that will contain the liquid soap. It will be necessary to stir this vessel several times during the next 24 hours to homogenize the phases and to form a stable emulsion of perfectly vehicular liquid soap. 35

In an optional embodiment, the machine incorporates a high capacity battery, for example Lithium ion, which optionally in turn is connected to the mains via a USB connection. The battery has sufficient capacity so that the entire manufacturing process can be carried out using only the electric energy accumulated in the battery.

Optionally also, in any of the embodiments one or more of the following elements can be incorporated:

 Four. Five

• A level sensor by hydrostatic pressure or weighing.

• The Firmware (set of instructions programmed in the controller circuit memory) can be updated via a USB connection.

 fifty

• A touch screen instead of the LED screen and buttons.

• A viscometer to stop agitation in the oil tank when the viscosity of the soap formed is adequate, to control the process by viscosity rather than time.

 5

• An accumulator battery for 4 or 5 cycles.

Claims (17)

1. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap from at least oil, water and a strongly alkaline compound, provided with an oil tank (1), a solution tank of the alkaline compound in water (5), means of emptying both (2,6), 5 soap collection means (4), electric power supply means (15) and control means (16), characterized in that: - The solution tank (5) is of a smaller capacity than the oil tank (1) and pours the alkaline solution onto it by gravity; 10 - Saponification is carried out in the same container (1) where the oil is stored; - Both deposits have agitation means (7, 11);  fifteen - It only supplies electrical energy to the agitation, control and emptying means. 2. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to claim 1 and further characterized in that the bases of at least one of the tanks (1, 5) are in the form of a conical hopper and the container (1) incorporates a draining electric pump. 3. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to claims 1 or 2 and characterized in that it also has a flip top lid containing a controller circuit (16), a power supply (15) and two electric motors (8, 9) to drive two vertical axis rotating blades centered on each tank (7, 11). 4. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of the preceding claims and further characterized in that the control circuit includes a solid soap manufacturing program in which the stirring element of the aqueous solution tank of the compound is first actuated alkaline, then the emptying of said tank when the stirring element stops and then the stirring element of the lower tank is activated for saponification of the mixture of oil, water and strongly alkaline compound. 35 5. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of the preceding claims and further characterized in that it incorporates in its controller circuit (16) a program for manufacturing liquid soap by stirring water and scratches of solid soap located in the tank lower (1). 40 6. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of the preceding claims and further characterized in that it incorporates in its controller circuit a self-washing program with water from both tanks, which activates the stirring elements of both tanks and the automatic emptying of the water after a scheduled time. 7. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of the preceding claims and further characterized in that it has interchangeable drawers (3) in its lower part for introducing and removing molds (4) from the machine of 50 collection of soap and / or soapy wash waters, which can be extracted in turn from the drawers (3). 8. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to claim 7 and further characterized in that the mold or molds (4) are formed with a flexible material. 9. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of the preceding claims and further characterized in that it incorporates a level sensor and / or a viscometer and / or a touch screen and / or a battery. 10 10. Household appliance for the manufacture of soap from at least oil, water and a strongly alkaline compound, equipped with an oil tank (20), means for stirring the contents of the tank (22), means for emptying the tank (23 ), soap collection means (26,27), power supply means and means for controlling the agitation and emptying elements, characterized in that: - It consists in its upper part of a hermetic removable dispenser (19) to manually stir the mixture of water and alkaline compound;  twenty - The dispenser (19) consists in its lower part of an emptying mechanism (28) that opens when the doser (19) is locked in the bottom of its housing (30), pouring by gravity the alkaline solution on the oil tank (twenty); - Saponification is carried out in the tank (20) where the oil is stored; 25 - Only the control and agitation (22) and drain (23) means of the oil tank (20) consume electrical power. 11. Appliance for the manufacture of soap according to claim 10 and 30 further characterized in that the manual pressure of the dispenser (19) against its housing (30) activates the rotation of the stirring means (22) of the oil reservoir (20 ). 12. Appliance for the manufacture of soap according to claim 10 or 11 and further characterized in that the emptying mechanism (28) of the oil tank 35 (20 (consists of an electric pump 13. Appliance for the manufacture of soap according to claim 10 or 11 and further characterized in that it incorporates in its control circuit a program of manufacture of liquid soap by stirring water and scratches of solid soap 40 located in the lower tank. 14. Appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of claims 10 to 12 and further characterized in that it incorporates in its controller circuit a self-washing program with water that activates the mixer (22) for a programmed time and the opening of the emptying mechanism (23) after this time has elapsed. 15. An appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of claims 10 to 13 and further characterized in that it incorporates a level sensor and / or a viscometer and / or a touch screen and / or a battery. 16. An appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of claims 10 to 14 and further characterized in that it has a rigid or flexible mold (27) in its lower part. 17. Appliance for the manufacture of soap according to any one of the 5 preceding claims and further characterized in that it incorporates a high capacity battery with USB connection to the mains, which allows to complete at least one complete manufacturing cycle and self-wash with the accumulated energy in the battery.