WO2012149594A1

WO2012149594A1 - Foam dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2012149594A1
Application number: PCT/AU2012/000434
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Nicholas HADDON
Original assignee: HADDON, Bruce Alexander
Priority date: 2011-05-05
Filing date: 2012-04-26
Publication date: 2012-11-08
Also published as: GB2505799B; GB201321313D0; GB2505799A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for generating and dispensing a foam. The device comprises a cap adapted to sealably attach to a neck of a bottle and a foam conduit extending from said cap. The conduit has a foam inlet end and a foam outlet end, wherein, when the cap is sealably attached to the neck of the bottle, the conduit extends into an inner region of the bottle such that the foam inlet end is in the inner region. The device also comprises a solid foam generating material comprising a surfactant. The location of the foam generating material is remote from the foam inlet end of the conduit.

Description

Foam dispenser

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a foam dispenser for use in sanitary applications and to a method of use thereof.

Priority

The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2011901666, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

Background of the Invention

A common problem when using a toilet is the generation of unpleasant odours. This problem has become more serious for several reasons. Firstly society has become less tolerant of unpleasant odours due to improvements in methods for controlling them generally. Secondly, the lower instance of smoking and passive smoking has improved the sense of smell in the community at large. Thirdly, an increase in dietary fibre in the Western diet increases the likelihood that faeces will float in water. This causes exposure of the faeces to the air while the toilet is in use and before it is flushed, facilitating the release of odours to the atmosphere. If faeces sink in water, the water will form a barrier and will therefore reduce the odour generated.

A previous solution to this problem, described in patent AU703418, involved a system which reacted with water in a toilet bowl so as to generate a barrier foam. Disadvantages with this system include:

• the ingredients in the powder designed to produce effervescence and generate foam on contact with water in the toilet required storage in an oxygen free, nitrogen filled pouch;

• the mixture would commonly discharge and harden in the nitrogen filled pack, greatly reducing the shelf life;

• the packs were difficult to dispose of since they could not be flushed down the toilet;

• the large volume of powder required to produce sufficient foam made the packs bulky; and

• the formulation was expensive to produce.

Other systems are known for generating and dispensing foams. Many of these rely on compressed gases for generating the foam. Commonly foams generated by use of compressed gases are not self healing. If used as an odour barrier in a toilet these will be ineffective, as once faeces pass through the foam, a hole will remain in the foam which allows odours to be released.

There is therefore a need for a device and associated method for conveniently generating a self-healing foam for use in preventing odours from toilets,

Object of the Invention

It is the object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above disadvantages. It is a further object to at least partially satisfy the above need.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a device for generating and dispensing a foam. The device comprises a cap adapted to sealably attach to a neck of a bottle, a foam conduit extending from, optionally through, said cap and a solid foam generating material comprising a surfactant. The conduit has a foam inlet end and a foam outlet end, wherein, when the cap is sealably attached to the neck of the bottle, the conduit extends into an inner region of the bottle such that the foam inlet end is in said inner region. The location of the foam generating material is remote from the foam inlet end of the conduit .

The following options may be used with the first aspect, either individually or in any suitable combination.

The foam generating material may be coupled to, optionally disposed on, either the cap or the conduit or both the cap and the conduit.

The distance between the foam inlet end and the foam outlet end may be variable. The conduit may be concertinaed. At least a portion of the conduit may be in the form of a spiral. The conduit may be flexible.

The surfactant may have an HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) of about 11 to about 16. It may be such that a foam formed from agitating the surfactant in water is self healing. It may be such that a foam formed from agitating the surfactant in water lasts or persists for at least about 15 minutes at atmospheric pressure at about 20°C.

The foam generating material may be sparingly soluble in water. It may comprise one or more, optionally all, of an odour neutralising agent, a fragrance, a bleaching agent and, a lubricant. Whichever of the above components is present in the foam generating material should not impede the formation of foam from the surfactant and water. In some embodiments the foam generating material comprises each of an odour neutralising agent, a fragrance, a bleaching agent and a lubricant wherein none of these components impedes the formation of foam from the surfactant and water.

The device may comprise a sealing apparatus for sealing the foam outlet end of the conduit to prevent dispensing of foam and for unsealing the foam outlet end of the conduit to allow dispensing of foam.

In an embodiment there is provided a device for generating and dispensing a foam, said device comprising:

a cap adapted to sealably attach to a neck of a bottle,

a foam conduit extending from or through said cap having a foam inlet end and a foam outlet end, wherein, when the cap is sealably attached to the neck of the bottle, the conduit extends into an inner region of the bottle such that the foam inlet end is in said inner region and wherein the distance between the foam inlet end and the foam outlet end is variable and

a solid foam generating material comprising a surfactant and one or more of an odour neutralising agent, a fragrance, a bleaching agent and, a lubricants, said foam generating material being disposed either on the cap or on the conduit or on both the cap and the conduit, the location of the foam generating material being remote from the foam inlet end of the conduit.

In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a dispenser comprising the device of the first aspect and a bottle, wherein the device is sealably attached to the neck of said bottle.

The following aspects may be used in conjunction with the second aspect, either individually or in any combination.

The foam inlet end of the conduit may be located inside the bottle near the end of the bottle remote from the cap.

The bottle may have an upper fill marker. This may indicate an upper level above which the bottle should not, in use, be filled with water. It may be located such that the volume in the bottle below the upper fill marker is less than the volume in the bottle above the inlet end of the conduit. The upper fill marker may be located below a lowest portion of the foam generating material.

In an embodiment there is provided a dispenser comprising:

a bottle,

a cap sealably attached to the neck of the bottle, a foam conduit extending from or through said cap and having a foam inlet end and a foam outlet end, wherein the conduit extends into an inner region of the bottle such that the foam inlet end is in said inner region, and

a solid foam generating material comprising a surfactant, said foam generating material disposed either on the cap o on the conduit or on both the cap and the conduit, and remote from the foam inlet end of the conduit.

In another embodiment there is provided a dispenser comprising:

a bottle,

a cap sealably attached to a neck of the bottle,

a foam conduit extending from or through said cap having a foam inlet end and a foam outlet end, wherein the conduit extends into an inner region of the bottle such that the foam inlet end is in said inner region and wherein the distance between the foam inlet end and the foam outlet end is variable, and

In a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method for generating a foam comprising:

providing a dispenser according to the second aspect, said dispenser containing a volume of water less than the volume inside the bottle of said dispenser above the inlet end of the conduit,

agitating the dispenser so as to contact the water with the foam generating material and generate foam within the bottle,

inverting the bottle and

ejecting the foam from the foam outlet end of the conduit of the dispenser.

The following aspects may be used in conjunction with the third aspect, either individually or in any suitable combination.

The step of inverting may be conducted before the step of agitating or may be conducted after the step of agitating. In some cases the step of agitating may comprise repeated cycles of inverting the bottle and returning it to an upright position. In other cases the step of ejecting the foam may be repeated one or more times following the inversion of the bottle. Thus it may not be necessary to return the bottle to an upright position between successive ejections of the foam. Multiple ejections of foam may be desirable or necessary when either the bottle is quite small (so that the volume of foam ejected is relatively small) or the area of liquid to be coated by the foam is relatively large (e.g. in particular types of toilets such as those commonly used in USA).

The step of ejecting may comprise squeezing the bottle. The squeezing may indent a wall, commonly a side wall, of the bottle. This may result in a reduction in the internal volume of the bottle so as to eject the foam.

The method may additionally comprise restoring the dispenser to an upright position after the step of ejecting so that the level of the water is below the lowest portion of the foam generating material.

The step of ejecting may comprise ejecting the foam onto the surface of water in a toilet bowl so as to form a layer of foam which completely covers said surface. The layer of foam may be at least about 0.5cm thick.

In a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided the use of a dispenser according to the second aspect for generating a foam on the surface of water in a bowl of a toilet so as to inhibit odours resulting from use of the toilet.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In the present specification, the term "comprise" and related terms should be taken to indicate the presence of the specified integer and the optional presence of other integers (optionally unspecified).

The invention provides a device for generating and dispensing foam and a dispenser comprising the device sealably disposed in the neck of a bottle. This provides a self- contained means for generating a relatively stable foam which may be used for inhibiting odours emanating from a toilet bowl and/or for hiding the contents of the toilet bowl.

Advantages that are provided by the invention include:

1) there is no need to agitate the water in the toilet in order to generate the foam. This obviates the need for a utensil for agitating the water in the toilet bowl and the attendant hygiene issues;

2) in many embodiments the foam is stable for extended times. If desired, therefore, a user may use the toilet more than once without flushing between uses. The foam can inhibit the generation of odours and also hides urine, faecal matter or other materials deposited in the toilet from view. This can be useful in saving water and/or minimizing the disturbance to other family members who may be sleeping when the toilet is flushed late at night; in particular it may be useful for reducing or obviating flushing after urination. The presence of the foam prior to defaecation may hide the resulting faecal matter from view, particularly in toilets in common use in USA in which an elevated water level presents such faecal matter in plain view unless concealed by, for example, foam generated as described herein;

3) the foam may also incorporate an odour neutralising agent which can further reduce odours from the toilet;

4) the foam may also incorporate a fragrance in order to mask any odours that do escape from the toilet bowl;

5) the foam may also incorporate a lubricant which can reduce adhesion of faecal matter to the toilet bowl, thereby facilitating, or obviating, or reducing the necessity for, cleaning of the bowl.

Advantages of various embodiments of the present invention relative to simply agitating a surfactant in a toilet bowl in order to generate a foam include:

• a suitable chemical mixture may not be available;

• suitable chemical mixtures may be toxic and/or corrosive in concentrated form and for safe use would need to be dispensed without contact with the skin or inhalation of vapours;

• a suitable device for agitating the mixture in the water may not be available when and where requred and, if it were available, would need to be stored, creating inconvenience;

• agitating the water may cause toilet water and/or the chemical mixture to splash onto the user, which would be unhygienic, unaesthetic and possibly harmful;

• the operation of generating a foam via adding a chemical to the water then agitating the water is distasteful and may require the individual to dress as they would for cleaning the toilet.

In the context of the present specification, terms such as "upper", "lower" and related terms are with reference to the dispenser in an upright position, i.e. with the cap or the neck of the bottle uppermost. Conversely, an "inverted" position of the dispenser is one in which the neck of the bottle is lowermost. Where reference is made to an "inner" portion of the cap, this refers to the portion of the cap which is inside the bottle when the device is fitted (i.e. sealably attached) to the bottle. The device of the invention comprises a cap, a foam conduit extending therefrom, optionally therethrough, and a solid foam generating material. The device should be such that foam can pass into the inlet end of the conduit and out from the dispenser. This may be achieved by having a conduit passing through the cap. It may be achieved by having a conduit extending to, optionally at least partially into, the cap and matching up with a hole in the cap so as to allow the foam to pass from the conduit and through the hole in the cap. It may be achieved by having the conduit extend through the cap so that portions of the conduit extend from either side of the cap. The cap is adapted to sealably attach to the neck of a bottle. It may comprise a seal (e.g. a washer). It may comprise a screw thread or a bayonet attachment for attaching to the neck of the bottle. It may be tapered towards its lower end so as to fit into the neck of the bottle. The means for sealably attaching should be adapted to the corresponding attaching means on the neck of the bottle to which it is to be attached. The cap may be made of a rubber material so as to conform to the shape of the neck. It may comprise a rigid material (e.g. a plastic or a metal), particularly in the event that it has a screw thread or a bayonet attachment. It may have a diameter such that it can fit sealably onto or into the neck of the bottle. The device as described herein may be insertable into a bottle. It may be an insert to a bottle. Once inserted into a bottle the device together with the bottle may be a dispenser for dispensing foam. In some embodiments the insert is insertable into a variety of different bottles (e.g. of different size, volume, neck shape, neck design etc.) so as to form a dispenser.

The foam conduit is such that, when the device is fitted to a bottle, the foam inlet end is inside the bottle near the bottom of the bottle. The purpose of this arrangement is so that, when the bottle with the device fitted thereto is shaken and then inverted, the foam inlet end can be above the level of liquid so that only foam is ejected from the conduit. In some embodiments the conduit is designed for use with bottles of particular dimensions, in this case the conduit may be rigid. However in other embodiments the device is suitable for use with bottles of a range of dimensions. In this case the conduit should have variable length or a variable distance between the foam inlet end and the foam outlet end. This may be achieved by having a spiral shaped conduit, or a concertinaed conduit or simply having a flexible conduit. The foam conduit end may be about 5 to about 100 mm from the inside bottom surface of the bottle, or about 10 to 100, 20 to 100, 50 to 100, 5 to 50, 5 to 20, 10 to 50, 10 to 30 or 20 to 50mm therefrom, e.g. about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100mm therefrom. In some cases, particularly in the case of a flexible conduit, it may contact the bottom surface of the bottle provided that the hole at the inlet end of the conduit is not blocked by the inside bottom surface of the bottle.

The conduit may be a tube or a cannula or some other suitable conduit. It may have a round cross-section, or it may have a square, oval or other shaped cross-section. It may be made of any suitable material, commonly a polymeric material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, silicone, polyurethane, PET etc. The conduit may have an internal diameter (or mean internal diameter) of about 5 to about 10mm, or about 5 to 8, 7 to 10 or 6 to 8mm, e.g. about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10mm. The bottle may have a volume of about 100 to about 1000ml, or about 100 to 500, 100 to 200, 200 to 1000, 500 to 1000 or 200 to 500ml, e.g. about 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 or 1000ml, however bottles with other volumes may be suitable. The bottle may have a height of about 10 to about 25cm, or about 10 to 10, 10 to 15, 15 to 25, 20 to 25 or 15 to 20cm, e.g. about 10, 15, 20 or 25mm, however bottles of different height may be suitable. The bottle should be of suitable dimensions to be easily grasped by a person's hand

The mass of foam generating material may be about 1 to about 50g, or about 1 to 20, 1 to 10, 1 to 5, 5 to 50, 10 to 50, 20 to 50, 5 to 20, 5 to 10 or 10 to 20g, e.g. about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 or 50g. It will be understood that in use the foam generating material is consumed slowly, so that after some time the mass of foam generating material will be less than originally provided and, near the end of the usable life of the device, it may be less than lg.

The foam generating material comprises a surfactant, for producing foam, and optionally one or more of an odour neutralising agent, a fragrance, a bleaching agent and a lubricant. In some instances one of the above components of the foam generating material may serve more than one of the above purposes. Thus for example a surfactant may also act as a lubricant, and the odour neutralising agent may also act as a bleaching agent. In some embodiments therefore the foam generating material comprises a surfactant and one or more of a fragrance, a bleaching agent and a lubricant, optionally all of these. In such cases the fragrance and/or bleaching agent may perform the function of an odour neutralising agent.

Surfactants used in the present invention may be anionic, cationic, amphoteric or nonionic. They may be polymeric or may be non-polymeric. Mixtures of surfactants, optionally with cosurfactants, may be used although those skilled in the art will recognise that some mixtures are incompatible, such as a mixture of anionic and cationic surfactants. The surfactant should be a foaming surfactant. In order to achieve this, it should have an HLB of about 11 to about 16, or about 11 to 15, 11 to 13, 12 to 16, 14 to 16, 12 to 15, 12 to 14 or 13 to 15, e.g. about 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16.

The foam generated by the foam generating material in normal use may be self healing. Thus it should be capable of resealing following passage through the foam of an object (e.g. faeces) of diameter about 1cm, or of about 1.5cm, or of about 2cm, or of about 2.5 cm, or of about 3cm. It should also be capable of resealing following passage of a stream of fluid (e.g. urine). The stream may have a diameter of about 2 to about 10 mm, or about 2 to 5, 5 to 10 or 3 to 7mm, e.g. about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10mm. The foam should be long lasting so as to have a long lasting odour reducing effect. It may remain for at least about 15 minutes, or at least 20, 25, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, or for about 15 minutes to about 12 hours, or about 15 minutes to 6, 3 or 1 hour, or about 30 minutes to about 12, 6, 3 or 1 hour, or about 1 to 12, 3 to 12, 6 to 12, 1 to 6 or 1 to 3 hours, e.g. for about 15, 30 or 45 minutes, or about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 hours, or in some cases longer than 12 hours. It should be long lasting at a temperature of between about 5 and about 35°C, or about 5 and 30, 5 and 25, 5 and 20, 10 and 35, 15 and 35, 20 and 35, 15 and 25 or 20 and 25°C, e.g. about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35°C.

The foam generating material is preferably sparingly soluble in water. This prevents the entire bulk of the material from dissolving on its first exposure to water. Preferably the device of the invention may be used for generating foam multiple times without refreshing the foam generating material, e.g. at least about 10 times, or at least about 20, 30, 50 or 100 times.

Examples of anionic surfactants are water-soluble soaps or water-soluble synthetic surface active compounds. Examples of the soaps are unsubstituted or substituted ammonium salts of higher fatty acids (e.g. C10-C22, which may be saturated, unsaturated, polyunsaturated etc.), such as the sodium or potassium salts of oleic acid or stearic acid or of natural fatty acid mixtures such as coconut oil or tallow oil, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts or fatty acid methyllaurin salts. Examples of synthetic surfactants are alkylarylsulphonates, sulphonated benzimidazole derivatives, fatty alcohol sulphates, or fatty alcohol sulphonates.

Examples of alkylarylsulphonates are the calcium, sodium or triethanolamine salts of dodecylbenzenesulphonic acid, dibutylnaphthalenesulphonic acid, of a condensate of naphthalenesulphonic acid and formaldehyde or the phosphate salt of the phosphoric acid ester of an adduct of p-nonylphenol with 4 to 14 moles of ethylene oxide. Examples of sulphonated benzimidazole derivatives are 2 sulphonic acid groups and one fatty acid radical containing approximately 8 to 22 carbon atoms. Examples of fatty alcohol sulphates or sulphonates are unsubstituted or substituted ammonium salts such as C8-C22 alkyl or alkenyl radicals including the alkyl or alkenyl moiety of acyl radicals such as the calcium or sodium salt of lignosulphonic acid, of a mixture of fatty alcohol sulphates from naturally occurring fatty acids, of dodecylsulphate, alkali metal salts or alkaline earth metal salts or the salts of sulphated and sulphonated fatty alcohol/ethylene oxide adducts.

Examples of non-ionic surfactants are polyglycol ether derivatives of aliphatic or cycloaliphatic alcohols having approximately 3 to 30 glycol ether groups and approximately 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the (aliphatic) hydrocarbon moiety; saturated or unsaturated fatty acids and alkylphenols having approximately 6 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety of the alkylphenols; water-soluble adducts of polyethylene oxide with ethylenediaminopolypropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, or alkylpolypropylene glycol having approximately 1 to 10 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, having approximately 20 to 250 ethylene glycol ether groups and approximately 10 to 100 propylene glycol ether groups in the usual ratio of 1 to 5 ethylene glycol moiety: propylene glycol moiety; fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan such as polyoxyethylene sorbitan trioleate; octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol; polyethylene glycol; tributylphenoxypolyethyleneethanol; polypropylene/polyethylene oxide adducts; castor oil polyglycol ethers; nonylphenolpolyethoxyethanols.

Examples of cationic surfactants are quaternary ammonium salts in the form of halides, methylsulphates or ethylsulphates which have as N-substituent at least one C8- C22 alkyl or alkenyl radical or unsubstituted or halogenated lower alkyl, alkenyl or benzyl or hydroxy-lower alkyl or alkenyl radicals, such as stearyltrimethylammonium chloride or benzyldi(2- chloroethyl)ethylammonium bromide.

Examples of amphoteric surfactants are the aminocarboxylic and aminosulphpnic acids and salts thereof such as alkali metal 3-(dodecylamino)propionate and alkali metal 3-(dodecylamino)propane-l-sulphonate; alkyl and alkylamido betaines such as cocamidopropyl betaine; higher fatty alkanolamides having approximately 12 to 16 carbon atoms in the acyl group which is reacted with a lower (1 to 3 carbon atoms) mono- or dialkanolamine such as lauric monoethanolamide or cocodiethanolamide.

Examples of surfactants which may be used in the combination are surfactants from the Teric® series such as N4 Teric, N9 Teric, G9 A6 Teric or the Rhodafac® series such as Rhodafac RA 600, Rhodafac RA or the Empinin® series such as Empinin Q70 or the Empilum® series such as NP9 or the Empilan® series such as Empilan KM11, Empilan CME or the Gardiquat® series such as Gardiquat 1450. Further examples are soap, sodium lauryl sulphate, or sodium cholate. Especially preferred surfactants are Decol BD/80, and Geropon T-77. Geropon T-77 produces more foam but is less stable than Decol BD/80 foam, but with foam stabiliser this surfactant gives a successful foam thick enough and stay long enough (10 minutes) to cover the bowl with a thickness of about 2cm at the end of 10 minutes. Other preferred surfactant and sodium lauryl sulphate (eg. EMPICOL LZV/D, as pellets, EMPICOL LZD as powder both from Albright and Wilson), sodium alkyl benzene sulphonate (eg. NANSA HS80/AP from Albright and Wilson, DECOL BD/80 from Harcros Industrial Chemical), and sodium methyl oleoyl taurate (GEROPON T-77 from Rhone-Poulenc).

Further examples of surfactants are described in "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", Kirk Othmer, 3rd edition, Volume 8, John Wiley & Sons 1982, "Handbook of Surfactants", M.R. Porter, Blackie (Glasgow and London), Chapman and Hall (USA) 1991 , "Encyclopedia of Surfactants", compiled by Michael and Irene Ash, Volumes I-III, Chemical Publishing Co. 1980-1981 , "Encyclopedia of Surfactants", compiled by Michael and Irene Ash, Volume IV, Chemical Publishing Co. 1985, "A Formulary of Detergents and Other Cleaning Agents", compiled by Michael and Irene Ash, Chemical Publishing Co. 1980, "Emulsifying Agents An Industrial Guide", Ernest W. Flick, Noyes Publications 1990, "What Every Chemical Technologist Wants To Know About... Volume IV Conditioners, Emollients and Lubricants", compiled by Michael and Irene Ash, Edward Arnold 1990, "McCutcheon's Detergents and Emulsifiers Annual", MC Publishing Corp., Glen Rock, NJ, USA, 1988 and "Tensid-Taschenbuch", H. Stache, 2nd edition, C. Hanser Verlag, Munich, Vienna, 1981 , the contents of which are incocporated herein by cross reference. More than one surfactant may be used,

Generally the amount of surfactant used in the foam generating material is about 0.5 to about 100wt%, or about 10 to 100, 90 to 100, 0.5 to 90, 0.5 to 50, 10 to 90, 20 to 90, 50 to 90%, e.g. about 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100%.

Other optional components of the solid foam generating material include a frothing agent, foam stabiliser, thickening agent, a foam booster or any other component which is capable of promoting the formation and/or stability of a foam.

Examples of frothing agents are short, branched-chain alcohols, such as, methyl isobutyl carbinol, 4-methyl-2-pentanol, poly(propylene glycol) methyl ethers, glycerol, pine oil, cresylic acid or creosote. Examples of foam stabilizers are vegetable oils or epoxidised vegetable oils such as epoxidised coconut oil, rape oil, or soybean oil, or soaps, proteins, extract of licorice root, fatty acids or sulphite liquors. Examples of thickening agents are starch, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, methocel, carboxy vinyl polymers, xanthan gum, magnesium aluminium silicates, methyl cellulose, natural gums, gum arabic, clays, soap gels, lipophilic fatty acid esters or alumina gel. Further examples of foam promoting agents are glycerine, glycerol, diglycerol, pinus Montana Needle Oil, Pine Needle Oil, saponins, or sodium cholate.

Foam boosters may be added to increase the foam volume. Examples of foam boosters are cocamide, cocamidoethyl betaine, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, cocoamphodipropionic acid, coco-betaine, coco/oleamidopropyl betaine, coco-sultaine, cocoyl hydroxyethyl imidazoline, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyox, cetyl betaine, decyl betaine, DEA-cocamphodipropionate, DEA-lauraminopropionate, disodium isostearyl sulphosuccinate, isopropyl stearate, lauramide, lauramidopropyl betaine, lauryl betaine, lauryl sultaine, myristamidopropyl betaine, myristaminopropionic acid, myristyl betaine, olea idopropyl betaine, oleamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, oleyl betaine, palmamidopropyl betaine, palmitamidopropyl betaine, PEG-6 cocamide, PEG-3 lauramide, PEG-5 lauramide, PEG-6 lauramide, sodium cocoamphoacetate, sodium cocoamphopropionate, sodium lauraminopropionate, sodium lauroamphopropionate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, sodium myristoamphoacetate, sodium myristoyl sarcosinate, TEA-hydrogenated tallow glutamate, TEA-lauraminopropionate, TEA- myristaminopropionate or undecylenamidopropylarnine oxide.

More than one foam promoting agent may be used. The amount of foam promoting agent used in the combination may be about 1 to about 99wt%, based on the total weight of the foam generating material, or about 1 to 50, 1 to 20, 1 to 10, 10 to 99, 50 to 99, 10 to 50, 10 to 30 or 30 to 50%, e.g. about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95 or 99%.

An abherent (lubricant) may be further added to the combination to assist in the removal of solid waste from the toilet and prevent adhesion of the waste to the bowl thereof. Examples of abherents include flour, talc, polytetrafluoroethylene, hydrocarbon wax, silicone oil, peanut oil, poly(vinyl alcohol), stearates or other like abherents. Further examples of abherents are described in "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", Kirk Othmer, 3rd edition, Volume 1, John Wiley & Sons 1982, the contents of which are incorporated herein by cross reference. Generally the amount of abherent used in the combination is 1 to 99wt%, based on the total weight of the combination, or about 1 to 50, 1 to 20, 1 to 10, 10 to 99, 50 to 99, 10 to 50, 10 to 30 or 30 to 50%, e.g. about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95 or 99%.

A bleaching agent may be included in the solid foam generating material. The bleaching agent may be an oxidant, such as a peroxide, such as hydrogen peroxide, zinc peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, potassium peroxide, sodium perborate, potassium perborate, oxone (KHSO₅), sodium persulphate, sodium percarbonate, sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite, ammonium hypochlorite, potassium percarbonate, ammonium percarbonate, ammonium persulphate, potassium persulphate, t-butyl hydroperoxide, magnesium monoperoxyphthalate, sodium peroxide, urea hydrogen peroxide, magnesium peroxide, calcium peroxide, for example or a mixture of any two or more of the foregoing. The bleaching agent may be present in the foam generating material in the range about 0.1 to about 20wt%, based on the total weight or volume of the solution, or about 0.1 to 10, 0.1 to 5, 0.1 to 1, 1 to 20, 5 to 20, 10 to 20, 1 to 10, 1 to 5 or 5 to 10%, e.g. about 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 or 20%. Common bleaching agents which may be used include a perborate, persulphate, or percarbonate, or urea hydrogen peroxide. The bleaching agent is generally used in solid form (e.g. in the form of granules, a powder, gel or a tablet) such as a solid form of sodium perborate, potassium perborate, sodium persulphate, sodium percarbonate, potassium percarbonate, ammonium percarbonate, ammonium persulphate, potassium persulphate, or urea hydrogen peroxide. In some embodiments the bleaching agent chosen is one for which free chlorine is not produced when the foam is produced. The bleaching typically assists in oxidising any organic matter. Thus, for example, in a toilet bowl the inclusion of bleaching agent has a cleaning action.

The foam generating material may also comprise 0.1 to 99wt% or 1-99, 1-30 or 2- 10wt% of further additives such as preservatives, antimicrobial agents, perfumes or fragrances, activators, water softeners, or detergent builders.

Examples of suitable preservatives include glycerine, sodium benzoate or lower carboxylic acids.

Examples of antimicrobial agents include antibacterials such as penicillin, amoxycillin, phenol, paraben, chlorobutamol, sorbic acid, sulphur drugs, strongly acidic pH, strongly alkaline pH, l-phenoxyphenyl-l-triazolylmethyl-carbinols or mixtures thereof. Examples of perfumes or fragrances include naturally occurring oils and fragrances and synthetic equivalents thereof, for example ambergris, bergamot oil, benzoin oil, castoreum, civet, clove leaf oil, eucalyptus, geranium oil, jasmine absolute, lavender, grapefruit oil or fragrance, citrus fruit oil or fragrance, lemon grass oil, myrrh, musk tonquin, mimosa, rose oil, rosemary oil, or sandalwood oil or synthetic aroma chemicals for example benzyl acetate, citronellol, geraniol, linalool, musk ambrette, or te<pinyl acetate. Further examples of perfumes or fragrances are described in ''The Perfume Handbook", Nigel Groom, 1st edition, Chapman & Hall 1992, the contents of which are incorporated herein by cross reference.

As the purpose of the foam generating material is to generate foam when agitated with water, none of the other components of the foam generating material other than the surfactant should impede the formation or longevity of the foam.

It will be understood that any or all of the components of the foam generating material may be incorporated into a foam generated from the foam generating material.

The foam generating material of the present invention should be suitable for retention in its desired location without detaching in use. This may be achieved by its being in a suitable physical form, e.g. a sticky mass. It may alternatively (or additionally) be achieved by the presence of a suitable restraining device, e.g. a porous or foraminous enclosure in which the material is located, one or more restraining members (e.g. wires) disposed so as to retain the foam generating material. In some embodiments the device of the invention is shaped and/or textured so as to promote physical attachment of the foam generating material. For example the device may, at the location of attachment of the foam generating material, have projections, grooves etc, shaped so that the material can "key in" so as to prevent or inhibit detachment of the foam generating material from the device. In some embodiments the cap is shaped so as to restrain the foam generting material. This may for example be achieved by provision of extensions on the inner portion of the cap to act as a "claw" to prevent detachment of the foam generating material. More than one of the above retention means may be used in combination.

The solid foam generating material is disposed above the level of the water when water is filled into the bottle. This prevents excessive erosion of the foam generating material by the water when the bottle is stored upright, as is commonly the case when not in use. The material may be attached to an inner surface of the cap, or to an upper portion of the conduit. In one embodiment the material is disposed around the conduit where the conduit meets the cap, i.e. in contact with both the cap and the conduit. Thus in the present invention the solid foam generating material, comprising surfactant and optionally one or more of bleach, lubricant and fragrance is maintained above the water level when the bottle is in an upright position so as to keep it from becoming water-logged and therefore prevent over-dispensing of the foam generating material when the bottle is shaken. Commonly, the water in the bottle is used up in generating foam well before the foam generating material is used up. A user may therefore refill the bottle (by removing the cap, filling the bottle and replacing the cap). The positioning of the solid foam generating material above the water level results in a correct dose after the bottle is refilled. Other methods of achieving this result, such as selling the product with the correct concentration of surfactant already in the water, or the user adding the surfactant with each refill, are not convenient and may involve the user touching a harsh (e.g. toxic, corrosive or otherwise harmful) chemical or may introduce variation in the concentration (a user may refill when not fully empty) etc.

The invention also encompasses a foam dispenser comprising a bottle fitted with the device described above. In storage, the bottle will be upright. The bottle may be stored with water inside. In this case, the level of the water should be below the lowest portion of the solid foam generating material, i.e. the water should not be in contact with the solid foam generating material. This prevents excessive dissolution of the material during storage.

In use the dispenser is shaken briefly (commonly from 1 to 10 shakes) and inverted, or may be inverted and then shaken briefly. This generates foam in the bottle above the water. The level of the water should be such that, when the dispenser is in its inverted orientation, the level of water is below the foam inlet end of the foam conduit. When this is the case, squeezing the bottle (or otherwise reducing its internal volume) results in foam being ejected from the dispenser through the foam conduit, with no, or little, liquid being ejected therethrough. The squeezing may be repeated one or more times in order to eject additional foam. The bottle may have a fill level marker to indicate a suitable water level. The foam conduit may extend beyond the fill level marker, i.e. the foam inlet end of the conduit may be between the marker and the bottom of the bottle.

The dispenser, optionally the cap thereof, may comprise a sealing apparatus so as to seal the foam outlet end of the conduit and prevent egress of liquid and/or foam from the dispenser. Suitable sealing apparatuses include a cap, a central sealing plunger which can urge against the surrounds of a hole so as to seal the foam outlet end, a sealable insert formed so as to fit sealably within the foam outlet end, or any other suitable sealing apparatus. If no sealing apparatus is used, a user may simply seal the foam outlet end with a finger, a thumb etc.

As noted above, ejection of the foam from the dispenser may be achieved by reducing the internal volume of the bottle while the bottle is inverted. Commonly the level of water in the bottle will be adjusted so that, even with the reduced internal volume, the water level remains below the foam outlet end of the foam conduit. A convenient method for reducing the volume of the dispenser is to squeeze the bottle. This requires that at least a portion of the bottle is flexible so that squeezing the bottle forces a portion of the bottle inwards so as to reduce the internal volume of the bottle. Suitable materials for bottles that allow for squeezing include various plastics, including suitable grades of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) etc. The material from which the bottle is made may be flexible. It may be suitably for adhesion by the solid foam generating material. Commonly a recyclable plastic bottle will be used. The bottle may be at least partially transparent or translucent to allow visualisation of the liquid level inside the bottle. Other methods for reducing the internal volume of the bottle may be envisaged, for example plunging a plunger fitted to the bottle. The amount of foam dispensed from the bottle may be controlled by adjusting the degree of volume reduction of the bottle, for example by adjusting the pressure of squeezing of the bottle. Foam may be ejected sufficient to form a layer of foam of at least about 0.5cm thickness, or at least about 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5 or 5cm thickness, or of about 0.5 to about 10cm, or about 0.5 to 5, 0.5 to 2, 1 to 10, 2 to 10, 5 to 10 or 1 to 5cm, e.g. about 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10cm.

The invention provides a method comprising ejecting the foam from the dispenser described herein onto the surface of water in a toilet bowl. This may form a layer of foam which at least partially, optionally completely, covers the surface of the water. Commonly the layer of foam will be at least about 0.5cm thick, as described above. The ejecting may be such that the foam contacts a portion of the toilet bowl which extends upwards from the surface of the water in said bowl. In some instances it may contact that portion fully circumferentially, and in other instances only part of the circumference of the bowl above the water surface may be coated. The foam, or one or more of the components of the foam generating material, may be such that the foam adheres to the bowl. This may be due to an adhesive property of the foam, or it may be due to the physical nature of the foam such that it rests on the bowl without collapsing, or it may be due to both of these. The foam may provide lubrication to the bowl. This may inhibit or prevent solid matter, e.g. faeces, which contact the bowl from adhering thereto. This may therefore facilitate cleaning of the toilet. Accordingly the invention provides a method for inhibiting or preventing soiling of a toilet bowl comprising applying a foam to the toilet bowl above the water level therein using the device described herein. The foam may be generated using the method described herein.

Toilets in common use in USA have wide, relatively shallow bowls. In these, the problem of soiling the bowl above the water level is reduced, since faeces generally enter the water directly rather than contacting the bowl above the water level. However these types of bowl present the deposited faeces in full view. Accordingly the concealing aspects of the foam of the present invention are of greater importance in such toilets. Toilets in use in Europe and other parts of the world commonly have a smaller area of water and angled sides to the bowl. In this case it is more common for faeces to contact the bowl before entering the water. This frequently causes small amounts of faeces to adhere to the bowl above the water level. The lubricating properties of the foam may therefore be of greater importance in such toilets. It should be noted that in many Asian cultures, particularly in Japan, there is great sensitivity to matters relating to defecation. Acccordingly the present invention may be of great benefit in such cultures by assisting in concealing faecal matter from a user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is drawing of a device for generating and dispensing a foam according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a drawing of a dispenser according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a series of drawings illustrating the generation and dispensing of foam from the dispenser of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a drawing illustrating the use of the foam for preventing or inhibiting odours escaping from a toilet bowl.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

Figure 1 shows a diagram of device for generating and dispensing foam according to the invention. Thus device 10 comprises cap 15 which has screw thread 20 for sealably attaching device 10 to a neck of a bottle. Washer 25 is fitted to the inside of cap 15 so that, when device 10 is attached to a bottle, the neck of the bottle urges against washer 25 so as to seal against device 10. A foam conduit 30 extends from cap 15. Conduit 30 has foam inlet end 35 and foam outlet end 40, so that, when cap 15 is sealably attached to the neck of a bottle, conduit 30 extends into an inner region of the bottle such that foam inlet end 35 is in the inner region. Conduit 30 has a concertinaed section 45 which enables conduit 30 to be extended or contracted as required to fit within bottles of a variety of sizes. A solid foam generating material 50 comprising a surfactant is disposed at the junction of cap 15 and conduit 30, remote from the foam inlet end 35.

Figure 2 shows a diagram of a dispenser for dispensing foam according to the invention. The numbers of Figure 1 apply equally to Figure 2. Thus in Figure 2, dispenser 100 comprises device 10 sealably fitted to bottle 110. Bottle 110 has screw thread 115 in its neck (not numbered in Figure 2 for reasons of simplicity). Screw thread 115 is complementary to screw thread 20 so as to enable device 10 to screw onto bottle 110. In doing so, the top of the neck of bottle 110 urges against washer 25 so as to seal bottle 110 against cap 15. Concertinaed section 45 of conduit 30 is extended a little so that foam inlet end 35 is near the bottom of bottle 110. Bottle 110 has upper fill marker 120 to indicate the maximum desirable fill level of water in bottle 100 in Use. If the water level is filled above this level, then normal squeezing of bottle 110 when inverted in use may result in ejection of water through conduit 30.

Figure 3 illustrates the operation of dispenser 100 of Figure 2, and the numbers presented in Figures 1 and 2 apply equally in Figure 3. Figure 3 has four separate diagrams, labelled A to D. In diagram A, the dispenser of Figure 2 is shown with water (310) therein. The level (315) of water 310 is well below upper fill marker 120, leaving a space 320 inside dispenser 100 above level 315. Arrow 325 indicates shaking of dispenser 100. This causes generation of foam 330 (diagram B) above water 310, in space 320, due to the interaction of foam generating material 50 with water 310. Commonly the shaking is sufficiently vigorous that foam 330 substantially fills space 320. During shaking, foam outlet end 40 may be sealed with stopper 335, or alternatively with some other sealing means such as an operator's finger or thumb, a sealing apparatus built into cap 15, or other suitable means, so as to prevent water escaping through foam outlet 40. Dispenser 100 is then inverted: diagram C shows dispenser 100 in its inverted orientation. In this position the water is in the cap end of dispenser 100, so that foam inlet end 35 of conduit 30 is within foam 330._At this stage, stopper 335 (or other sealing means) should be removed from foam outlet 40 so as to allow egress of foam 330. When bottle 110 is squeezed from the side (diagram D), indentations 340 are formed, resulting in a reduction in the internal volume of dispenser 100. This causes foam 330 to be expelled from dispenser 100 through conduit 30. In the event that insufficient foam is produced or ejected, the above process may be repeated one or more times in order to generate and eject more foam.

Figure 4 shows a cross-section of a toilet 400 so as to illustrate the effect of the present invention. Toilet bowl 410 contains water 415. Prior to using the toilet, water surface 420 is completely covered by foam 425, which is generated as described in Figure

3. As toilet 400 is used, faeces 430 pass through foam 425 into water 415. As foam 425 is self healing, any hole therein caused by the passage of faeces 430 (and/or urine, not shown for reasons of simplicity) therethrough rapidly seals so as to regenerate a complete surface coverage of foam over surface 420. As discussed previously, modern dietary practices can lead to low specific gravity faeces, which float on water as shown in Figure

4. However foam 425 forms a barrier to odours emanating from faeces 430 which would otherwise escape and cause discomfort to the user or others. Foam 425 is commonly not transparent. Consequently, if required (for example in times of severe water shortage), the toilet need not be flushed after each use. Additionally the toilet need not be flushed when used late at night, thus preventing disturbance of other members of the household who may be sleeping. The presence of foam 425 prevents unpleasant odours and the unpleasant sight of faeces 430 and/or urine in bowl 410. The presence of lubricant in foam 425 (which may be surfactant or may be some other lubricant) can serve to prevent staining of, or adhesion of faecal matter to, inner surface 435 of toilet 400, thereby facilitating cleaning. The presence of odour neutralising agent and/or fragrance can serve to further suppress minor amounts of odour which escape despite the presence of foam 425. Fragrance may do so by masking the odour of the faecal matter, whereas the odour neutralising agent can do so by reacting with odour producing substances so as to reduce or eliminate odour. Commonly these are oxidants which oxidise the odour producing substances. The presence of a bleaching agent in the foam may reverse residual staining of bowl surface 435 which does occur. As bleaching agents are commonly oxidants, they may serve the dual purpose of odour neutralisation and bleaching.

Claims

Claims:

1. A device for generating and dispensing a foam, said device comprising:

• a cap adapted to sealably attach to a neck of a bottle;

• a foam conduit extending from said cap, said conduit having a foam inlet end and a foam outlet end, wherein, when the cap is sealably attached to the neck of the bottle, the conduit extends into an inner region of the bottle such that the foam inlet end is in said inner region; and

• a solid foam generating material comprising a surfactant;

whereby the location of said foam generating material is remote from the foam inlet end of the conduit.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the distance between the foam inlet end and the foam outlet end is variable.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the conduit is concertinaed.

4. The device of claim 2 or claim 3 wherein at least a portion of the conduit is in the form of a spiral.

5. The device of any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the conduit is flexible.

6. The device of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the surfactant has an HLB of about 11 to about 16.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the surfactant is such that a foam formed from agitating the surfactant in water is self-healing.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the surfactant is such that a foam formed from agitating the surfactant in water lasts for at least about 15 minutes at atmospheric pressure at about 20°C.

9. The device of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the foam generating material is sparingly soluble in water.

10. The device of any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the foam generating material comprises one or more of:

an odour neutralising agent

a fragrance

a bleaching agent and

a lubricant;

wherein whichever of the above components is present in the foam generating material does not impede the formation of foam from the surfactant and water.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the foam generating material comprises a fragrance, a bleaching agent and a lubricant wherein none of these components impedes the formation of foam from the surfactant and water.

12. The device of any one of claims 1 to 11 comprising a sealing apparatus for sealing the foam outlet end of the conduit to prevent dispensing of foam and for unsealing the foam outlet end of the conduit to allow dispensing of foam.

13. A dispenser comprising the device of any one of claims 1 to 12 and a bottle, wherein said device is sealably attached to the neck of said bottle.

14. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein the foam inlet end of the conduit is located inside the bottle near the end of the bottle remote from the cap.

15. The dispenser of claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the bottle has an upper fill marker located such that the volume in the bottle below the upper fill marker is less than the volume in the bottle above the inlet end of the conduit.

16. The dispenser of claim 15 wherein the upper fill marker is below a lowest portion of the foam generating material.

17. A method for generating a foam comprising:

providing a dispenser according to any one of claims 13 to 16, said dispenser containing a volume of water less than the volume inside the bottle of said dispenser above the inlet end of the conduit;

agitating the dispenser so as to contact the water with the foam generating material and generate foam within the bottle;

inverting the bottle; and

ejecting the foam from the foam outlet end of the conduit of the dispenser.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of ejecting comprises squeezing the bottle so as to indent a wall thereof.

19. The method of claim 17 or claim 18 additionally comprising restoring the dispenser to an upright position so that the level of the water is below the lowest portion of the foam generating material.

20. The method of any one of claims 17 to 19 wherein the step of ejecting comprises ejecting the foam onto the surface of water in a toilet bowl so as to form a layer of foam which completely covers said surface.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the layer of foam is at least about 0.5cm thick.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21 wherein the step of ejecting also results in the foam contacting a portion of the toilet bowl which extends upwards from the surface of the water in said bowl.

23. Use of a dispenser according to any one of claims 13 to 16 for generating a foam on the surface of water in a bowl of a toilet so as to inhibit odours resulting from use of the toilet.