JPS63200858A - Foaming device using no injection gas - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a non-spray foaming device containing a foam-forming liquid as well as air, having a flexible outer wall and advantageously configured as a stand surface. a container with a bottom portion that is heated and a container opening that is arranged at the top of the container, for example, a squeeze pin and a foam generating device inserted into the container opening, in which a foaming nozzle is assigned and which generates foam. The foam can be released from the container by compressing the container when the container is used upside down using the generating device, that is, when the foam generating member is located below the liquid level in the container, and The generating device includes an insert having a circumferential wall portion inserted into the container opening and a bottom portion coupled thereto, a porous member disposed within the insert to cover the inlet of the foaming nozzle, and the insert The bottom portion of the container is provided with a passage port for passage of liquid and an air passage port, and a tubular air conduit extending inside the container and close to the bottom of the container is connected to the air passage port. .

In known foaming devices of the above type (U.S. Pat. No. 3,422,993, FIGS. 3 to 5), which can be used for example to release cleaning agents, abrasives and cosmetic preparations in the form of foam, the insert The body contains a spongy material as a porous member, which fills the insert entirely. When manually compressing a container in an upside-down usage position, with a tubular air conduit protruding into the air chamber present in the container, liquid flows through the liquid passage hole in the insert at the same time as the tubular air conduit or insert Air is forced into the sponge-like material through the body's air passages, in which the liquid and air mix and form bubbles. Foam exits the device through a foam nozzle. When the pressure on the container is removed, a so-called "inhalation of the container" occurs when the container returns to its original shape. In order to reach the inside of the container, the air must first pass through a spongy material.In this case, this suction of the container takes place very slowly because the air has to pass through the spongy material. Another disadvantage of the known device is that during this suction the air passes through a spongy material. The resulting air mixes with the liquid remaining in the substance, so that the air chambers present in the container quickly become froth-filled, so that satisfactory foaming is no longer guaranteed. This result shows that since the liquid passage present in the insert has a relatively large cross section, a certain amount of air can also enter the liquid passage and pass through the liquid column in the container, thereby This is further enhanced by additional foam formation occurring at .

It is an object of the present invention to provide a foaming device which eliminates the disadvantages of the known technology and allows the air entering through the foaming nozzle to flow into the air chamber of the container without any hindrance, without having to pass through a porous member when the container is inhaled. It is about finding out.

The solution according to the invention is to provide a foaming device of the type mentioned at the outset, in which a space forming a mixing chamber is formed between the bottom part of the insert and the porous element.
The perforated member is designed as a sieve plate, which is movable axially in this space with radial play inside the peripheral wall part, and which is pressed when an overpressure occurs in the container. , brought into a first end position so as to come into contact with the circumferential flange surrounding the inlet of the foaming nozzle, and pushed away from the circumferential flange when negative pressure is present in the container. and is brought to a second end position defined by at least one stop, in which air flowing into the foaming nozzle from the outside flows between the sieve plate and the peripheral wall part of the insert. through the air passage directly to the mixing chamber and into the container through the air passage opening in the bottom part of the insert and the air conduit.

If the sieve plate is not made of a rigid material, e.g. if the sieve plate is made of woven fabric of nylon or other similar material (if not retained, the overpressure in the container created during foaming may cause it to be extruded from the foaming nozzle). ),
According to a feature of the invention, the foam generating device comprises a tubular piston arranged between the sieve plate and the bottom part of the insert and movably guided in the axial direction of the sieve plate; It has an annular flange extending perpendicularly to the stone axis, which annular flange presses against a circumferential flange surrounding the inlet of the foaming nozzle in the entire circumferential area of the sieve plate in the vessel under overpressure. It looks like this.

According to an arrangement of the invention, the piston is guided in an annular groove formed in the bottom part of the insert on the side of the mixing chamber, and a plurality of openings extend from the bottom of the annular groove to the bottom part. It communicates with the inside of the container through the container, and the air passage opening and the liquid passage opening in the bottom part open into the annular groove on the side of the mixing chamber. As a result, the cylinder is loaded from inside the container by the overpressure or underpressure respectively occupying the container.

Starting from the known device with an air passage opening centrally provided in the bottom part of the insert and liquid passage openings arranged around it, according to the invention it is provided that the liquid passage opening is located on the side of the mixing chamber. It is proposed to be open immediately adjacent to the air passage opening and advantageously transitioning to the air passage opening. This provides an intimate mixing of air and liquid even upon entry into the mixing chamber, thereby ensuring a foam of constant consistency.

According to the invention, the stop for defining the second end position of the sieve plate can be constituted by a central projection of the bottom part of the insert on the side of the mixing chamber, which projection extends in the lateral direction. It has an opening that communicates with the air passage port.

If there are several stops for defining the second end position of the sieve plate, these stops are also advantageously constituted by projections on the peripheral wall part or the bottom part of the insert, which are evenly distributed over the entire circumference. It's okay.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the insert of the foam-generating device consists of two components connected to each other, preferably by a snap connection, one of which primarily forms the bottom part of the insert, and the other forms the peripheral wall portion of the insert and the peripheral flange surrounding the inlet of the foaming nozzle as well as the foaming nozzle itself.

It is further provided that the inlet of the foaming nozzle is tapered and preferably has a cone angle of about 600. This enlarges the effective cross section of the sieve plate on the one hand, and on the other hand forms a kind of nozzle injector (which increases the outflow rate of the foam), so that the foam is directed vertically downwards by the foaming nozzle. Even if it is not, it can be emitted at a distance that exceeds a certain distance.

If the foam needs to be ejected in an approximately horizontal direction or upwards (e.g. in the case of so-called toilet cleaners, where the cleaner has to be applied behind the downwardly projecting inner rim of the toilet bowl) , the axes of the foam generator and the foam nozzle can be arranged obliquely to the bottom of the container. This can be achieved in a simple manner by arranging the container opening in a suitable oblique position relative to the container axis.

In that case, the container can be constructed flat and with a narrow side of the container wall that is curved and extends in the same direction as its longitudinal direction, and the axis of the foam generator and the foaming nozzle is on the concave side of the container wall. and the free end of the air conduit is guided to the concave narrow side of the container wall. The stronger the curvature of the narrow side of the container and the inclination of the axes of the foam generator and foaming nozzle, the stronger the
Foaming can be done at a steep angle upwards.

Finally, according to an embodiment of the invention, the free nozzle edge surrounding the nozzle outlet of the foaming nozzle is preferably chamfered at an angle of about 45°. As a result, the foam flowing out from the foaming nozzle can be easily cut off from the foaming nozzle at the end of foaming, and no part of the foam will remain attached to the foaming nozzle, which is inconvenient.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The foaming device shown in FIG. 1 comprises a flat container 1 made of flexible material, in particular plastic, containing initially a foam-forming liquid, in this example about 75% toilet cleaner solution, and air. It contains about 25%. A foam generator 4 and a foam nozzle 5 are assigned to the container opening. A screw cap 6 closes the container. The illustrated foaming device is a device that emits foam when the container 1 is upside down, that is, the foam generating device 4 is located below the liquid level in the container. In this embodiment, it must be possible to direct the foam diagonally upward in order to apply it behind the downwardly projecting inner edge of the toilet bowl. In order to enable such diagonally upward foaming, the narrow side of the container is configured to curve toward one side, and the axes of the foam generating device 4 and the foaming nozzle 5 form a stand surface. Container bottom 1
It is arranged diagonally with respect to a. The air conduit leading from the foam generator 4 into the interior of the container is designated by γ.

The free end of the air conduit is guided close to the junction of the bottom 1a and the concave narrow side of the container wall, so that the container 1
In the use position (upside down), it always protrudes into the air chamber 3 inside the container.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 8, the foam generating device 4
is an insert 8, a movably supported piston 9 and a sieve plate 1.
0. The insert 8 has two components 8a, 8
b, which are separably connected to each other by a snap connection 11. One component 8
a is the bottom part of the insert 8, and the other component 8b has a peripheral wall part 12 of the insert and a part following this peripheral wall part 12 and forming the foaming nozzle 5; The body is inserted with the peripheral wall part into the container opening 13.

As can be seen in particular from FIGS. 4 to 6, the component 8a forming the bottom part of the insert is provided with a central air passage 14, into which air is guided into the interior of the container. An air conduit 7 is connected. The air passage consists of a central projection 15 which opens into a mixing chamber 16 between the bottom part 8a and the sieve plate 10 both at the end face and in the radial direction on the side of the bottom part facing the foaming nozzle 5. . There are 4 protrusions
It has two radial notches 15a. The wall of the air passage opening 14 has longitudinal ribs 17 between which the air conduit 7 is accommodated. In this way, a passage opening 18 for the liquid 2 to be discharged is formed between the longitudinal rib 1γ, the air conduit γ and the wall of the air passage opening 14. Behind the end of the air conduit (19, FIGS. 2 and 5), the passage passes into the air passage 14, after which it opens on the side of the mixing chamber.

Finally, an annular groove 20 is formed in the component 8a, which forms the bottom part of the insert, on the side of the mixing chamber. The annular groove is used for guiding the piston 9, and from the bottom of the groove four openings 21 distributed over the entire circumference lead through the bottom part to the interior of the container.

The piston 9 has a cylindrical tube portion 9a and an annular flange 9b extending radially outward from the tube portion 9a (FIG. 8).
, the diameter of the annular flange is smaller than the inner diameter of the peripheral wall portion 12.

The sieve plate 10 is fabricated from a thin nylon fabric and likewise has a smaller diameter than the inner wall of the peripheral wall portion 12.

Next, the mode of operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

Applying a wide range of pressure by hand-clamping the walls of the container 1 creates an overpressure inside the container, so that air is forced into the air conduit 7 communicating with the air chamber 3 of the container and the air in the bottom part of the insert. and the liquid passes from the container into the mixing chamber 16 through the liquid passage opening 14 in the bottom part.

At the same time, the liquid enters the annular groove 20 in the bottom part through the opening 21, so that the piston 9 foams the sieve plate 10 (on which the liquid/air mixture in the mixing chamber 16 also acts). It is pushed in the direction of nozzle 5. In this case, the sieve plate 10 contacts in the edge region a radial circumferential flange 23 surrounding the nozzle inlet 22 and an annular flange 9 of the piston 9.
b is pressed tightly against this circumferential flange and is thus held fixedly. This fixed retention of the sieve plate means that the nylon fabric that makes up the sieve plate does not have sufficient inherent stiffness to withstand the pressure of the liquid/air mixture.
This is necessary since the sieve plate may therefore be extruded from the foaming nozzle. If pressure is subsequently applied to the container wall, the liquid/air mixture is forced out of the sieve plate 10 and exits the foaming nozzle 5 in the form of foam.

When the pressure on the container 1 is released, a negative pressure is created inside the container as the container returns to its original shape. This negative pressure brings the stencil 9 and the sieve plate 10 to the position illustrated in FIG.

In this position, the sieve plate rests on the central projection 15 of the bottom part and the piston 9 is moved to the bottom part 8 with an annular flange 9b.
a, and therefore at least a large part of the air entering from the foaming nozzle 5 passes through the sieve plate 10 and the peripheral wall portion 12 of the insert 8.
and the notch 15a of the protrusion 15 on the bottom part.
It enters the air passage opening 14 through the lateral opening of the protrusion constituted by and from there flows into the air chamber 3 of the container 1 through the air conduit γ.

This airing of the container therefore takes place very quickly and virtually without bubble formation within the container. As soon as the container has returned to its original shape, a new foaming process can be carried out.

As can be seen from Fig. 2, Fig. 6, and Fig. 7, the foaming nozzle 5
has a nozzle inlet 22 that tapers into a tapered shape. Therefore, on the one hand, the effective sieving area of the sieve plate 10 is enlarged, and on the other hand, it constitutes a kind of nozzle injector, which increases the outflow velocity of the foam, so that even if the nozzle orientation is not vertically downwards, it can be e.g. Even with a directional nozzle, bubbles are ejected in a predetermined manner over a certain distance.

In practice, a cone angle of the nozzle inlet 22 of approximately 60° has been shown to be particularly advantageous. Using the illustrated embodiment, it is possible to regularly eject foam horizontally over distances of 20 to 250 mm.

As further illustrated, it is advantageous if the free edge of the foaming nozzle surrounding the nozzle outlet is beveled, preferably at an angle of approximately 45°. This allows the foam to be easily expelled from the foaming nozzle 5 when the pressure on the container 1 is reduced.

The cross section and length of the cylindrical part of the foaming nozzle 5 determine the final exit velocity of the foam. The consistency of the foam is controlled via the cross section of the liquid passage 18, taking into account the viscosity of the liquid and the foam behavior. The cross-section of the air passage opening 14 in the bottom part, connected to the cross-section of the air conduit T, determines the rate of air outflow into the mixing chamber 16 and thus the amount of foam produced and the cost of the forces required for foam production. .

It is advantageous if, as in the case of the present example, the liquid passage opening 18 transitions into the air passage opening 14, since the resulting injector action already causes the liquid to air before it reaches the mixing chamber. This is because it is mixed with

Although this measure is highly advantageous, such a transition of the liquid passage into the air passage is not absolutely necessary. However, in order to ensure effective mixing within the mixing chamber, care must be taken that the liquid passage opening opens as close as possible to the air passage on the side of the mixing chamber.

In order to substantially block air inflow from the liquid passage ports when the container is inhaled, care should be taken to keep the cross section of each liquid passage hole as small as possible. Therefore, when the liquid to be foamed is such that, due to its viscosity and foam behavior, it has to be supplied in larger quantities than the detergent solution used in this example, the number of liquid passage ports rather than the cross section increase.

In a container 1 of the type shown in FIG. 1, the free end of the air conduit automatically reaches its correct final position within the container when the air conduit 1 is inserted into the 4ft container fitted with the foam generator. is important from the point of view of economical manufacturing. For this purpose, the container bottom 1a should have a configuration that gradually transitions into the container wall via a suitably curved connecting part and ensures sliding of the conduit end into the correct final position, i.e. the conduit end Care shall be taken to ensure that there are no edges that may impede the sliding of the slide. Therefore, the bottom (which must form a stable stand surface) should either be slightly concave and smooth, or it should have scale-like reinforcements, as illustrated by the dashed lines in Figure 1. It is advantageous to have one.

The two 9a, 9b and the piston 9 that constitute the insert 8
It is advantageous if it is a polyethylene or polypropylene component produced by injection molding.

The embodiment of the foam generating device 4' shown in FIG. 9 differs from the embodiments described above in the following respects: the sieve plate 10'
is, for example, a rigid sieve made of metal, so that the piston 9, the annular groove 20 and the opening 21 of the above embodiment can be omitted.

When the container is compressed, the sieve plate 10' is pressed against the peripheral flange 23 by the pressure of the liquid/air mixture in the mixing chamber acting on it. When the pressure on the container is removed, the sieve plate is pushed onto the central projection 15 of the bottom part 8a due to the negative pressure now present in the container.

It is obvious that many modifications can be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, sieve plates 10, 10
Instead of a single stop for the insert 8, 8', a plurality of protrusions, preferably evenly distributed over the entire circumference, are provided.
They can be provided in the peripheral wall part or in the bottom part of the sieve plate, and these take into account appropriate travel limitations of the sieve plate. Furthermore, in order to enable foaming at a steep angle or directly upward in the vertical direction using the foaming device shown in FIG. It can be configured by adding Finally, in order to be able to apply the foam to areas that are otherwise inaccessible, it is also possible to consider a flexible conduit that can optionally be attached to the foaming nozzle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a schematic representation of a foaming device according to the invention in the form of a so-called toilet cleaner, and FIG. 2 shows the foam generation of the device according to the invention in the foaming process, with the foaming nozzle directed vertically downwards. An enlarged sectional view including the axis of the first embodiment of the device, FIG. 6 being in the process of inhalation, a sectional view similar to FIG. 2;
FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are views from below of the components constituting the bottom portion of the insert of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, respectively; 7 shows the peripheral wall portion of the insert of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the peripheral flange restricting the nozzle inlet, and the structural members constituting the foaming nozzle. 8 is a sectional view including the axis of the piston of the embodiment according to FIGS. 2 and 6, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the second embodiment of the foam generating device of the foaming device according to the present invention. It is a diagram. 1... Container, 1a... Container bottom, 2... Liquid, 3
... Air chamber, 4, 4'... Foam generating device, 5... Foaming nozzle, 6... Screw cap, 7... Air conduit,
8.8'...Insert body, 8a...Bottom part, 8b...
Component, 9... Piston/, 9a... Pipe part, 9b
...Annular flange, 10, 10'...sieve plate, 11
...Snap joint part, 12...Peripheral wall part, 13...
・Container opening, 14...Air passage port, 15...Protrusion, 15a...Notch, 16, 16'...Mixing chamber,
17...Vertical lip, 18...Liquid passage port, 19...
Air conduit, 20... Annular groove, 21... Opening, 22
... Nozzle inlet, 23... Circumferential flange, 24...
·edge. IjD Rg, 8

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A foaming device that does not use propellant gas, which contains a foam-forming liquid and air, has a flexible outer wall, and has a container opening disposed at the bottom and the top of the container. and a foam generating device inserted into the opening of the container,
A foaming nozzle is attached to the opening of the container, and the foaming nozzle is used to compress the container when the container is in an upside-down operating position, that is, when the foaming device is located below the liquid level in the container. The foam is thus expelled from the container and the foam generating device comprises an insert having a circumferential wall portion inserted into the container opening and a bottom portion connected thereto, the foam nozzle flowing into the insert. A porous member is arranged covering the inlet, and the bottom portion of the insert is provided with a passage for the passage of liquid and an air passage, the air passage extending inside the container and immediately adjacent to the bottom of the container. In the case of a type in which a pipe-shaped air conduit is connected,
A mixing chamber (16, 16') between the bottom part (8a, 8a') of the insert (8, 8') and the porous member (10, 10')
A porous member (10,
10') is constructed as a sieve plate which is movable axially in this space with radial play inside the peripheral wall part (8b), which sieve plate prevents overpressure from flowing inside the container (1). When occupied, the peripheral flange (2) is pressed and brought into a first end position and surrounds the inlet (22) of the foaming nozzle (5).
3) and is pushed away from the circumferential flange into a second end position defined by at least one stop (15) when negative pressure in the container takes over; In this terminal position, the air flowing from the outside into the foaming nozzle (5) penetrates the sieve plate (10, 10') and the peripheral wall portion (8b, 8b) of the insert (8, 8'). ') directly into the mixing chamber (16,
16') and the bottom part of the insert (8a, 8a')
A foaming device without propellant gas, which is configured to be able to flow into the container (1) through the air passage opening and the air conduit (7). 2. The foam generating device (4) is connected to the sieve plate (10) and the insert (8)
It comprises a tubular piston (9) disposed between the bottom part (8a) of the sieve plate (10) and movably guided in the axial direction of the sieve plate (10), the piston being perpendicular to the piston axis. a circumferential flange comprising an extending annular flange (9b) which surrounds the inlet (22) of the foaming nozzle (5) in the outer circumferential region of the sieve plate (10) in the container (1), which is under overpressure; The foaming device according to claim 1, wherein the foaming device is adapted to be pressed against (23). 3. The piston (9) is adapted to be guided in an annular groove (20) formed in the bottom part (8a) of the insert (8) on the side of the mixing chamber, and a plurality of openings (21) are provided. The groove bottom of the annular groove passes through the bottom portion (8a) and communicates with the inside of the container, and the air passage port (14) and the bottom portion (8a)
3. The foaming device according to claim 2, wherein the liquid passage opening (18) opens into the annular groove (20) on the side of the mixing chamber. 4. The insert has an air passage hole provided in the center in the bottom part and a liquid passage hole arranged around the air passage hole, where the liquid passage hole (18) is located on the side of the mixing chamber and the air passage hole (14) is located on the mixing chamber side. Any one of claims 1 to 3, which opens immediately near the
Foaming device as described in section. 5. A stop defining the second end position of the sieve plate (10) is constituted by a central projection (15) of the bottom part (8a) of the insert (8), which is provided on the side of the mixing chamber. and the protrusion has a lateral opening (15a).
5. The foaming device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foaming device has an opening that communicates with an air passage opening (14). 6. Any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stops defining the second end position of the sieve plate are constituted by uniformly distributed projections on the peripheral wall part or the bottom part of the insert. Foaming device as described in section. 7. The insert (8, 8') of the foam generating device consists of two mutually connected components, one of which primarily forms the bottom part (8a, 8a') of the insert, and the other are the peripheral wall portions (8b, 8b') of the insert and the foaming nozzle (
7. The foaming device according to claim 1, further comprising a circumferential flange (23) surrounding the inlet (22) of the foaming device (5) and the foaming nozzle (5) itself. 8. The foaming device according to claim 1, wherein the inlet (22) of the foaming nozzle (5) is tapered. 9. According to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the axes of the foam generating device (4) and the foaming nozzle (5) are arranged obliquely with respect to the container bottom (1a). Foaming equipment. 10. The free end of the air conduit is guided close to the container wall, and the container is constructed with a narrow side of the container wall extending flat and curved in the same direction as its longitudinal direction. ,
and the axes of the foam generator (4) and the foaming nozzle (5) are oriented towards the side defined by the concave narrow side of the container wall, and the free end of the air conduit (7) is concave. The foaming device according to claim 9, wherein the foaming device is guided close to the narrow side of the foaming device. 11. Claims 1 to 11, wherein the free nozzle edge (24) surrounding the nozzle outlet of the foaming nozzle (5) is chamfered.
The foaming device according to any one of the preceding items.