GB2056902A

GB2056902A - Method and apparatus for pieces producing a roll of a thin band of foamed detergent or soap

Info

Publication number: GB2056902A
Application number: GB8021003A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-06-27
Filing date: 1980-06-26
Publication date: 1981-03-25
Also published as: FR2459831B1; FR2459831A1; SE8004607L; ES492892A0; GB2056902B; ES8102725A1; SE441277B; DE2925915C2; IT8023098A0; DE2925915A1; CA1150022A; IT1198334B

Abstract

The band is produced by agitating a detergent or soap mixture for a long time within a mixing chamber 3 with the addition of air through a filter 7 to form a basic, foamed, homogeneous mixture A of desired viscosity, and the mixture A is then fed to an extruder 15, 16, 17 from which it is extruded as a thin band B onto a circulating conveyor belt 19. The band B is dried using hot or warm air blowers 20, 20a and is then lifted off the conveyor belt 19, is embossed by rolls 23, 23a and is made up into a roll R. The soap is manually detachable from the roll for disposable use, thereby avoiding serious disadvantages - including lack of hygiene - associated with conventional soap pieces. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method and apparatus for producing a thin band of foamed detergent or soap Background of the Invention The invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing a thin band of foamed detergent or soap, which band can be of the thickness of foil or film.

It is already known to support layers of soap on paper and to use such soap just once.

It is also known to use cakes or pieces of soap which are used by a number of people.

This is unhygienic and has the disadvantage that the soap does not dissolve easily and thus does not clean sufficiently. Besides, this is uneconomic because such pieces of soap become so small that they can no more be used. Furthermore the pieces dry out only very slowly after use so that the consumption of soap is increased because the soap is dissolved away. Finally, the use of pieces of soap during a journey is largely inconvenient because of their size, the difficulty of handling, and keeping them in a soap container.

The object of the invention is to avoid the disadvantages of cakes of soap and to provide a method and apparatus for producing thin bands of foamed soap for use only once, which one can detach as desired from a roll and which one can easily put in one's luggage or in a handbag for using just once.

The Invention According to the invention, there is provided a method as set forth in Claim 1, a band of detergent or soap as set forth in Claim 19, and apparatus as set forth in Claim 20. The remaining Claims set forth preferred features of the invention.

When dissolving the water-soluble fibrous material and water-soluble synthetic resin of Claim 2 in the distilled water, the temperature can be 15 to 60"C, preferably 20 to 40"C, forming an initial solution to which the other ingredients can be added. In this particular case, the drying air may be at a temperature of 40 to 100"C, preferably 45 to 50"C, and the air speed may be about 1 m/sec.

When the initial solution is made up by dissolving polyvynl alcohol in distilled water, the temperature may be about 15 to 60"C, preferably 20 to 40"C.

An advantage of the invention is that the bands can be mass produced in a simple manner. The rolls of foamed detergent or soap bands are immediately ready for use and can be suspended by the user for example in his house or in another suitable position in a roll holder, and pieces can be torn off or broken off as. desired. In this way, one obtains a hygienic detergent or soap which is suitable for only a single use in that, as opposed to conventional cakes of soap, the same piece cannot be used by more than one person.

Because of the inclusion of air bubbles, the detergent or soap of the invention dissolves well, and it also foams well because it is made of foaming detergent or soap. The detergent or soap of the invention can be completely utilised and can thus be economic and not wasted.

The actual band thickness can be a fraction of a millimeter, for instance similar to that of a sheet of paper, e.g. not more than 0.2 mm and e.g. not less than 0. 1 mm. The thickness or thinness of the band is the dimensions at right angles to its width. Normally the band will be flexible. The bubbles in the band may be very small or even burst.

In addition to soap itself, it would be possible to use other detergents. Although soap is a detergent, the expression "detergent or soap" is used in the Claims.

Description of Preferred Embodiment The invention is further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view, partly schematic and partly in vertical section, of apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through a piece of foamed soap in accordance with the invention; and Figure 3 is an isometric projection of a roll of foamed soap in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a stirring device 1 which forms the basic mixture of soap solution and produces the foamed soap.

For example, 0.6 grams polyvynl alcohol are dissolved in 4400 grams distilled water at a temperature of 15 to 60"C, preferably 20 to 40"C, forming a homogeneous solution.

0.005 grams polyethylene glycol, 4040 grams beef tallow soap (sodium soap), 1040 grams coconut oil soap (sodium soap), as well as if desired small proportions of at least one bacteriacide, at least one fungicide, at least one perfume and/or at least one colourant are mixed into the solution. The basic mixture obtained in this way is fed through a feed funnel 2 into a mixing chamber 3 of the stirring device 1. A vertical shaft 5, driven by a motor M1, passes through the stirring device 1 and carries fan blades 6 and stirring blades 8, 8a, Sb, so spaced one below the other, as well as conveyor blades 11 at the discharge end, the blades being fixed to the shaft 5. The shaft 5 is rotatably journaled in bearings 4, 4a. Clean air is fed to the mixing chamber 3 by means of the fan blades 6 through a filter 7 in the base of the funnel 2.

The shaft 5 rotates at a speed of about 1 20 r.p.m.

The rotating blades 8, Sa, 8b, so cause the basic mixture to foam up into a foamed soap mixture A and stir the basic mixture into a homogeneous mixture in which all the parts of the basic mixture are uniformly distributed.

The degree of foaming and the viscosity of the basic mixture are sensed or observed through a window on the side of the mixing chamber 3.

As soon as the foamed soap mixture A has reached the desired degree of foaming and the required viscosity, which may take about five hours, a valve 10 is opened and the mixture is passed by means of the conveyor blades 11 on the lower end of the shaft 5, through a connecting pipe 1 2 into an intermediate container 1 3 connected thereto.

After this, valve 14 on the lower part of the intermediate container 1 3 is opened so that the foamed soap mixture A passes in the conveying direction into the connected press chamber of a screw extruder 1 5. The extruder 1 5 is driven by a motor M2 through a belt drive T and the screw shaft 16a and the screw 1 6 fixed thereto extrude the foamed soap mixture A through a thin, elongate, wide slit nozzle 1 7 with its slit extending horizontally, forming a foamed soap band B of the thickness of a foil or film.

The band B rests on the conveying plane of an endless, circulating conveyor belt 1 9 which passes over conveyor rollers 18, 18a in the direction u, and the band B is thus conveyed onwards. The thin foamed soap band B which has air bubbles 25 in it (Fig. 2) is at the same time dried in the desired manner by blowing warm or hot air obliquely on to its surface from one or more air blowers 20, 20a, preferably inclined at an angle of about 45 . The air temperature is from 30 to 100 , particular 45 to 50 if the air speed is 1 m/sec.

The dried, thin foamed soap band B runs from the conveyor belt 1 9 over a rotating separating roll 22 and is lifted off. The direction of rotation of the separating roll 22 is indicated as uand the upper surface of the separating roll 22 is preferably somewhat higher than the conveying plane of the conveyor belt 1 9. Following this, the band B passes between a pair of embossing rolls 23, 23a rotating in a direction u so that the band B is embossed with a desired pattern 24 (see Fig. 3). Fig. 2 shows the band 26 after embossing, and its maximum thickness may be about 0.16 mm.

The embossed band 26 is fed in the conveying direction F to a rotating drive roll 28 and is wound up in the direction of rotation u into a roll R on a winding mandrel 29.

The thin foamed soap band 26 in roll form in the described manner is ready for use and can be suspended by the user in a suitable holder and, as required, used by tearing off pieces. In this way one has a hygienic soap in that each piece is for a single use by one person. The soap dissolves easily and foams well as it is made from foaming soap. The soap can be used up completely and is therefore economic. In addition, the soap is very convenient because it can be carried in desired amounts in for instance a pocket or a handbag.

Claims

1. A method of producing a thin band of foamed detergent or soap, comprising: agitating a detergent or soap mixture for a long time in the presence of air to form a basic, foamed, homogeneous mixture of desired viscosity; extruding the mixture as a thin band of foamed detergent or soap onto conveying means; drying the band while it is on the conveying means using heated air blown onto its surface; and winding the band into a roll.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the detergent or soap mixture is made up by dissolving water-soluble fibrous material and synthetic resin in distilled water, in a ratio of 6:44000, at a temperature of 15 to 60"C, and beef tallow soap and surface active materials as well as a small proportion of at least one bactericide, at least one fungicide, at least one perfume and at least one colourant are foamed together with the initial solution while adding filtered air and stirring.

3. The method of Claim 1 or 2, wherein the detergent or soap mixture is made up by dissolving polyvynyl alcohol in distilled water and then adding polyethylene glycol and at least one soap.

4. The method of Claim 3, wherein beef tallow soap and coconut oil soap are included.

5. The method of Claim 3 or 4, wherein the polyvynyl alcohol is dissolved in the distilled water at a temperature of 15 to 60"C, the ingredients are in the weight ratio of 0.6:4400:0.005:4040:1040 of polyvynyl alcohol: distilled water: polyethylene glycol: tallow soap: coconut oil soap, and at least one bacteriacide, at least one fungicide, at least one perfume and at least one colourant are added.

6. The method of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the detergent or soap mixture is agitated by stirring for about five hours, with the addition of air during stirring.

7. The method of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the air is blown onto the band at a temperature of 30 to 100"C.

8. The method of Claim 7, wherein the air is blown onto the band at a temperature of 40 to 100 C.

9. The method of Claim 8, wherein the air is blown onto the band at a temperature of 45 to 50"C.

10. The method of Claim 8, wherein the air is blown onto the band at a temperature of 40 to 60"C.

11. The method of any one of the preced ing Claims, wherein the air is blown onto the band at a speed of about 1 m/sec.

1 2. The method of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the air is blown onto the band at an angle of less than 90 .

1 3. The method of Claim 12, wherein the air is blown onto the band at an angle of about 45 .

14. The method of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the conveying means has a continuously moving surface on which the band is extruded.

1 5. The method of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the band is removed from the conveying means by lift-off separating means.

1 6. The method of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the band is embossed after removal from the conveying means and before being formed into a roll.

1 7. The method of any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the foamed homogeneous mixture is not immediately extruded but is held for a while, being subsequently extruded in a continuous extruder to form a band of film-like thickness, the conveying means being endless and circulating.

18. The method of producing a thin band of foamed soap, substantially as herein described.

1 9. A thin band of foamed detergent or soap, produced by the method of any one of the preceding Claims.

20. Apparatus for producing a thin band of foamed detergent or soap by the method of any one of Claims 1 to 18, comprising: a mixing chamber having a rotating fan for drawing air in through a filter, mixing blades for agitating the detergent or soap mixture in the presence of air to form a foamed, homogenous mixture of desired viscosity, and a discharge impeller and a discharge valve for discharging the mixture from the mixing chamber; an intermediate container following the discharge valve, the intermediate container also having a discharge valve; a delivery duct connected to the intermediate container discharge valve; an extruder connected to the delivery duct, the extruder having a wide slit nozzle for extruding a thin band of the mixture; an endless, circulating conveyor belt beneath the extruder nozzle, for receiving the extruded band;; one or more inclined blowers for blowing heated air at an angle onto the surface of the conveyor belt so as to dry the extruded band of soap, a separating roll for removing the band from the conveyor belt; a pair of embossing rolls for embossing the band; and a device for winding up the band into a roll.

21. The apparatus as Claim 20, wherein each blower is arranged to blow air onto the surface of the band at an angle of about 45 .

22. The apparatus of Claim 20 or 21, wherein each blower blows air at a speed of about 1 m/sec.

23. The apparatus of any one of Claims 20 to 22, wherein the separating roll has its upper surface above the level of the conveying plane of the conveyor belt.

24. The apparatus of any one of Claims 20 to 23, wherein the mixing chamber has a central, vertical stirring shaft on which vertically spaced stirring blades are fixed.

25. The apparatus of any one of Claims 20 to 24, wherein the mixing chamber has an inlet funnel for the ingredients of the detergent or soap mixture with said filter in its base.

26. Apparatus for producing a thin band of foamed detergent or soap, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.