US1780330A - Soap cake and art of making same - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 4, 1930. Rfs. BLAIR 1,780,330

soAPcAxE AND ART oF MAKING SAME Filed Feb. 25, `1923:

Patented Nov. 4, 1.930

UNITED STATES 'ROBERT S. BLAIR, OF STAIIIFOBD, CONNECTICUT SOAI CAKE A ND .ART MAKING SAME Application led February 23,V 1923'. Serial No. 620,633.A

This invention relates to soap, and with regard to its more specific features to cakes of soap adapted for individual use. One of the obgects thereof is to provide an individual cake of soap adapted for economical and convenient use. Another object is to provide a soap cake of a size adapted for easy handling and comprising a small volume of soap.

.Another object is to provide such a soap cake which is practical and eiiicient and well adapted to serve in a highly satisfactory manner.

Another object is to provide means whereby cakes of soap of the above character may be conveniently made at low cost and with inexpensive apparatus. Other obects will be in part obvious or in-part pointe out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts and in the several steps and relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others, all as will be illustratively described herein, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the ollowino claims.

In the accompanying drawings in Vwhich are shown one or more of the various possible embodiments of the several mechanical features of this invention, y

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a soap mold or frame and apparatus associated therewith;

Figure 2 shows a sponge-like cake of soap;

Figure 3 shows the soap of Fig. 2 formed to oval shape;

Figure i shows a pair of dies adapted to receive a soap cake therebetween;

Figure 5 shows a finished cake oit ly cut away;

Figure 6 diagrammatically represents` a cylinder provided with a piston adapted to 'force soap therefrom through a die;

Figure 7 shows a tube of soap after leaving the apparatus shown in Fig. 6;

Figure 8 shows the soap of- Fig. 7 at a later stage of the process; and

Figure 9 is a plan of Fig. 8.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the 5u drawing.

soap vpart- As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention, it may be here noted that in many places, such as, for example, in hotels and the like, small individual cakes of soap are supplied for the use of guests and patrons. It is highly desirable from the standpoint of economy that only a. small amount of soap be employed in making these individual cakes. The result is that the soap cakes are exceedingly small and on account of their small size are handled and employed with the greatest ditliculty and annoyance to the user. The provision of a cake of soap which contains only a relatively small-volume of soap suitable for individual use but which is of sufficient size to be conveniently handled and used is one of the dominant aims of this invention.

Referring now to Fig.1 of the drawing, there is shown a vessel or container 10, such as is commonly known in the soap-making art asa mold or frame. This frame may be of any desired structure and, for example,

as shown in the drawing, may comprise a rectangular receptacle having removable side walls 11 held in place by pins 12. In the commercial v manufacture or certain soaps the oils or fat and alkali are mixed and heated in large boiling kettles. Upon completion of the reaction, the soap is removed from the mixture in the kettles and after being purified and mixed with any further desired ingredients is run into large molds or frames, such as that shown in the drawing, to harden therein. Upon hardening, the soap is removed from the mold and cut and formed into cakes of the desired size and shape.

The mold l() shown in Fig. 1 in the drawing is shown to contain the soap 14; before it has hardened, the soap being, for example, in a thick, almost plastic, state. A tank 15 is provided in which is stored air under pressure and from which extends a flexible conduit 16 adapted to be inserted 1n the soap 14. As the soap 14 thickens in the mold 10, the compressed air is led through the hose 16 to the lower portions of the mass of soap and is permitted to bubble up therethrough, the soap being stirred if desirable. The result of this action is to fill the soap with a mass of air bubbles of substantial size. In place of employing compressed an as above described, the bubbles in the soap may be brought about by mixing the soap with suitable volatile material which upon volatilization will ill the soap with a mass of bubbles. In this condition the soap is allowed to harden, after which it is removed from the mold 10 and cut up into cakes, for example, as shown in Fig. 2. This cake of soap is porous or cellular due to having hardened while fuil of entrained bubbles of air, and the cells or pores are preferably of substantial size and close together, only a thin wall of soap intervening between adjacent cells. It may here be noted that the term hard as used herein throughout is indicated to denote a substantial degree of rigidity as distinguished from the `softness and plasticity of paste or cream soap and the like. The structure of the soap is preferably similar to that of a rubber sponge, for example. In this manner a soap cake of relatively large size is providedusing a no greater volume of soap than would be required for a much smaller solid cake.

In Fig. 3 the soap cake of Fig. 2 is shown trimmed off to oval shape, the corners and edges having been removed by cutting or paring. Th'ese cuttings may be again melted down and used over. In Fig. 4 there is shown a pair of dies shaped to receive the soap cake shown in Fig. 3. These dies may be made to form any suitable impression in the surface of the soap cake and are heated by electric or other suitable means. The sponge-like cake of soap having been placed between the warm dies, the surface thereof is 'softened by the heat, and upon the dies being urged together the softened soap about -the porous openings Hows together, subst-antiallyA sealing the openings and forming a smooth, even surface. The heat is not sufficient to penetrate to the interior portions of the cake and cause the cells therein to collapse. In Fig. 5 there is shown a soap cake after leaving the heated dies of Fig. 4. The cake has the exterior appearance of a solid cake of soap, the outer surface being smooth and even, but the interior thereof is cellular and sponge-like.

Referring now to Fig. 6, there is shown a receptacle 15 preferably in the form of a cylinder and provided with a piston 16 slidably fitted therein. I n the end 17 of the cylinder 15 is formed an opening 18 preferably of elliptical shape. The piston 16 is inserted from the opposite end `of the cylin der, and secured to its face is a rod or mandrel 19, the axis of which is directly in line with the center of the opening 18. This mandrel 19 is of elliptical cross section and the area of its section is smaller than the area of the opening 18. In operation the cylinder 15 receives soap which is preferably in a. thick, plastic state. The piston 16 is then inserted within the cylinder and upon being thrust along the cylinder forces the soap out through the opening 18, the mandrel 19 protruding through the opening 18 at the same time.- Thus there is forced out or extruded through the opening 18 a hollow tube of soap of elliptical cross section, the thickness of the walls theref being equal to the difference in length of the corresponding radii of the elliptical cross sections of the mandrel 19 and the opening 18. A tube of soap after leaving the cylinder 15 is shown in Fig. 7.

Forming dies similar to those shown in Fig. 4 are now applied to the tube of soap shown in Fig. 7 at intervals successively along its length while the soap is still in a soft, yielding condition. In this manner there is formed a succession of hollow cakes of soap 2O joined by a thin web of soap 21, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The opposing die members enclose a space which is at its central portion of a transverse cross section substantially equal to the transverse cross section of the tube of soap, and thus in forming the hollow cakes there is little or no tendency to collapse the tube of soap at the portion forming the central part of the cakes, and the end portions of the cakes are readily pressed together to shape the elliptical cake. The pressure of the opposing die members seals the converging walls of the soap cakes as shown at 22. The formation of the soap cakes, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, from the tube of soap, shown in Fig. 7, may also be accomplished by passing the tube of soap between rolls having a series of recesses similar to those shown in the dies of Fig. 4 formed in their opposing faces.

The web of soap 21 may now be trimmed off and melted down for further use. are thus provided cakes of soap 20 of substantial size formed of a solid outer sheli. o? L with a hollow interior whereby only7 a rela`v i tively small volume of soap is required for each cake. The cakes have the exterior appearance of the ordinary cake of soap and are adapted for efficient service in a prac" manner. Furthermore, the process of i ufacture is simple and practical.

It will thus be seen that there is herein provided an article and art of making the same which embody the features of 'this invention and attain the objects thereof and at the same time are well adapted to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A soap cake having an outer solid shell of soap and an inner non-solid soap filling of hard structure and extending throughout the interior of said shell in sponge-like form and of such size as largely to increase the size of the cake.

2. The herein described art Which consists in forming a non-solid soap member, containing airin such amount as largely to increase its size, the proportion of enclosed air to solid soap being not substantially less than such proportion in a. rubber sponge and cornpressing the same with its contained air between dies to bring it into a predetermined form With a continuous outer surface.

3. The herein described'art which consists in forming a cake of soap comprising a mass of air cellsof such substantial size as largely to increase the size of the cake and comparable to those of a rubber s onge, permitting the soap to harden, and orming the outer surface thereof into an outer shell of solid soap.

4:. The herein described art which consists in introducing air into a mass of soap in physically soft condition to form therein a mass of air cells of such substantial and readily perceptible size as largely to increase the volume of the soap, permitting the soap to harden, and forming its surface into a substantially smooth shell.

'In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 16th day of February, 1923.

ROBERT S. BLAIR.

Images