FR2578174A1 - MANUFACTURING METHOD OF FOAM AND FOAM DISPENSER ACTUATED MANUALLY. - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION IS IN THE FIELD OF MANUAL APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING A FOAM. THE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION IS TO PROVIDE EQUIPMENT OF SIMPLE STRUCTURE, WITHOUT SIEVES OR SIMILAR OBSTACLE INTENDED TO GENERATE FOAM. FOR THIS PURPOSE, A DISCHARGE ORIFICE22 OF THE FOAMING PRODUCT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A FOAM COLLAR37 AND THE JET OF PRODUCT HITS THE INTERIOR SURFACE38 OF THIS COLLAR WHICH CAUSES A TURBULENCE FAVORABLE TO THE FORMATION OF THE FOAM.

Description

The invention generally relates to a method for dispensing a product

  foaming agent such as foam, as well as a manually operated pump for achieving the same purpose, and more particularly such a pump with a nozzle cap for generating foam by turbulence.

  Foam dispensers with a dis-

  positive foam generator at the end of the nozzle are generally described in US-A-4,219,159 and US-A-4,350,298. In the first, the foaming device comprises foaming sieves as well as a suction chamber provided with suction passages for drawing air to be mixed with the foaming product in the chamber so as to form a foam as it passes through the sieves. In the second, air inlets are provided to suck air and other measures are taken for the product

  hits arms in the path of the product dis-

  tribute for foaming. These arms constitute a deflector which is struck by the liquid sprayed by the orifice and multiple outlets are

defined by adjacent arms.

  However, these foam dispensers are of rather complex structure, requiring multiple parts

  which significantly increases the time and expense required

  manufacturing and assembly. He is therefore

  to produce a foam dispenser that does not require suction passages or sifters

  foam, homogenisation elements (as in the case

  US-A-3,709,437) or other means through which

  the foaming product must pass to form a foam.

  An atomizer for spraying liquid fuel is described in US-A-1,192,901 as an end member having a chamber

  end of different shapes with a discharge port

  at its base. During spraying, oil exiting the discharge port under high pressure creates a partial vacuum in the end chamber causing the product to be atomized while mixing with

  air below atmospheric pressure in the

  laughing in the room. Creating a partial vacuum inside the end chamber also causes an influx

  of air over the edge of the end and this air penetrates

  be in a hollow cone of oil to form a massive cone of atomized oil. The side wall of the end chamber extends beyond the transverse plane containing

  the discharge port at a distance such that the

  the oil cone does not strike the wall, the end

  open mouth or mouth of the chamber having a diameter

  be planned accordingly. Thus, although the end member does not have air suction passages for atomization, the outer edge of the wall of the end chamber is positioned such that the wall of the atomized oil cone releases this outer edge so as to form an annular pocket for air between

  the walls of the end chamber and the oil cone ato-

  bet. An object of the invention is therefore to provide a

  manually operated dispensing pump and a

  assigned to discharge a foam using a single structure foam generating member having no air suction passages, screens or other

  obstacles necessary to generate a foam.

  The invention provides a foam dispenser having a foaming nozzle cap having a wall containing a discharge port, the cap having a foaming collar extending out of said wall, the collar surrounding the orifice discharging at a given radial distance and having an inner surface that terminates at a predetermined distance from that wall so that the product exiting through the orifice is subjected to turbulence as it strikes the inner surface of the collar and is thus issued in the form of

  foam from this inner surface.

  The invention also provides such a foam dispenser wherein the inner surface of the collar diverges outwardly, is slightly tapered or is cylindrical.

  Other goals, advantages and peculiarities

  the invention will appear from the description

  detailed below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation;

  of a manually operated dispenser

  a cap with a foaming nozzle according to the invention; Figure 2, a section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

  FIG. 3, a section of another embodiment of FIG.

  of the foaming nozzle cap according to the invention and Figures 4 and 5, partial sections of other

  modes of execution of the cap foaming nozzle of the in-

vention.

  In the drawings, the same references designate similar and corresponding parts everywhere; a

  trigger operated dispenser, designated in its

  10, shown in FIG. 1, shows a cap with a foaming nozzle 11 mounted externally on it for dispensing a foaming product under the

  form of a foam. It must be emphasized that the distribution

  Fig. 1 serves only as an illustration since the foaming nozzle cap 11 may be provided with other types of trigger operated sprayers, such as that of US-A-4,174,069, or may be used. with vertical action finger pumps of any type known to generate foam,

without departing from the invention.

  Essentially, the dispenser 10 has a

  pump body 12 which comprises a collar 13 for facilitating

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  the mounting of the dispenser on the neck of a container

  piez (not shown) foaming product to distribute.

  A plunger tube 14 extends from the pump body to the in-

  inside the container so as to form a passage of

  product flow controlled by an inlet non-return valve such as a ball valve 15. During the suction stroke of the pump, assisted by a return spring 16, the product enters the pump chamber 17, and when triggering the trigger 18 during

  the compression stroke, the piston 19 compresses the

  inside the chamber 17 and the product is

  pressurized charge through a valve-controlled discharge passage 21 and exits through a discharge port 22. As in any such manually operated pump, the discharge port forms the end of the valve-controlled discharge passageway in one way or another, either at the level of the pump chamber

  as in US Pat. No. 4,174,069, that is, near the ori-

discharge fice itself.

  The nozzle cap 11 has a skirt 23 provided with an inner annular groove 24 to facilitate mounting of the cap on the pump body since this groove receives an annular flange (not shown) provided on the pump body when the cap is set up with click. A transverse wall 25 of the nozzle cap contains the discharge port 22 which is located at its center and a sleeve 26, coaxially placed at

  cap with nozzle, surrounds the wall 25. This sleeve is sup-

  carried by an outer wall 27 of the nozzle cap which may be conically shaped as shown. A sealing ring 28 located on the wall 27 and directed inwardly can be provided to seal against a cooperating sleeve (not shown) of the pump body to prevent leakage of product by.the cap

with nozzle.

  The sleeve 26 has a collar 29 extending inwardly of the wall 25 and surrounding a portion 31 of the pump body which has two arcuate rims.

  circle 32, 33 so as to define between them a cham-

  30, adjacent to the wall 25. Tangential slots 34 and 35 (FIG. 2) are formed between these flanges so that when liquid is forced into the turbulence chamber through these slots through a groove axial 36 of the collar 29, the product is caused to swirl rapidly near the orifice 22 and forms a vortex of liquid exiting through the discharge orifice, with a configu, "

  virtually conical spray pattern towards the ex-

  TER AL. Sleeve 26 further comprises a collar of

  foaming 37 extending from the wall 25 outwards.

  The inner surface 38 of this collar is spaced a predetermined radial distance from the discharge port and extends outwardly from the wall 25 at a predetermined distance such that the swirling conical jet exiting the orifice discharge hurts

  this surface 38, which thus creates a turbulence effect

  The resultant foaming of the product is as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, as the foaming product exits the discharge port, it is directed against the surface 38 of the foaming collar, causing a flow of liquid in which the speed

  irregularly varies in size and direction of

  because of this turbulent flow, the product

  comes out in the foam state of the foaming collar. Steps-

  air suction systems, sieves or homogeneous

  or other obstacles through which the

  foaming duke is repressed are not necessary at

nozzle cap according to the invention.

  The surface 38 of the mousing collar may be outwardly flared as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it may be cylindrical as in FIG. 4 at 38a or slightly conical as in FIG.

  Figure 5, without departing from the invention.

  The nozzle cap 11A of FIG.

  nozzle-cap nozzle described above, except that the turbulence chamber, from the upstream side of the wall 25, is formed by a pair of arcuate flanges (only one of these flanges 39 is shown). ), mounted on the inner surface of the wall 25 in a manner similar to that described in US-A-4 174 069. Thus, tangential slots are formed between these flanges

  and can cooperate with a needle valve (not shown)

  of the pump body so that when the foaming product is forced back into the turbulence chamber at

  through these slits, it is caused to swirl rapidly

  in addition to the discharge port 22. In addition, the collar 29 is slightly curved at its free end,

  as in 41, and can be relatively flexible in

  parison of the rest of the hat, more rigid. This end

  The curved portion 41 rests against the inner wall of a nipple (not shown) extending from the pump body. On the other hand, the pushing product is caused to foam once discharged from the discharge orifice into a swirling spray when it strikes the surface 38 of the foaming collar, so as to create a turbulence effect resulting in product foaming. in the same way

  to what has been described with reference to FIG.

  From the foregoing, it can be seen that oh devised a foam-forming nozzle cap to dispense a foam / foam without this

  requires air intake passages, sieves,

  The homogenization or other obstacles through the product must be passed in order to ensure foaming as in the prior art. An outwardly directed foaming collar performs the foam discharge according to the invention since a turbulence effect is produced on the particles of conical mist.

  hitting the wall of the foaming collar.

  Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in view of the above teachings. It is therefore understood

  that other modes of execution can be adopted.

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Claims (5)

  1. Manual pump for dispensing a product   foaming foaming product comprising a pump body (12) having valve-controlled inlet and outlet passages defining a discharge path of the foaming product from a storage container through an orifice of discharge (22), the pump being capable of discharging a jet of the foaming product,   diverging outwards through the hole   load, pump characterized by a cap (11) with foam nozzle, mounted externally on the pump body   and having a flat wall (25) directed transversely   containing the discharge port (22), the cap being devoid of any air intake passage and   having a foaming collar (37) which extends   longitudinally outwardly of the wall, the collar having an inner surface (38, 38a, 38b) spaced from a predetermined radial distance from the discharge port and terminating at a predetermined longitudinal distance from the wall, said inner surface (38, 38a, 38b) in the Jet pathway diverge so that the product emitted through the orifice is turbulenced when it strikes the inner surface of the collar and is thus emitted as a foam from said surface, solely by turbulence.   2. Pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner surface of the collar (29) diverges to the outside.   3. Pump according to claim 2, characterized in that the inner surface of the collar (29) is conical.   4. Pump according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner surface of the collar (29) is cylindrical.   5. Method for discharging foam from a product -9 -   foaming product, from a manually operated dispenser-   through a nozzle cap, characterized by the   following steps: unload a divergent jet towards the ex-   inside the foaming product through an orifice of   load located in a transverse plane wall   from cap to nozzle, subject the jet to a turbulence   lence at its outlet from the orifice by striking against the inside surface of a collar of the nozzle cap, radially spaced from the orifice and surrounding it downstream so as to form a foam only by turbulence effect.