WO2023117313A1

WO2023117313A1 - Manually operated foam dispenser for foamable solutions

Info

Publication number: WO2023117313A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/083476
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christine Hegemann; Christian LANGLOTZ; Stefan Kuboteit; Jana Kuboteit; Felix KRAUSE-KYORA
Original assignee: Bode Chemie Gmbh
Priority date: 2021-12-23
Filing date: 2022-11-28
Publication date: 2023-06-29
Also published as: EP4201531A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a foam dispenser. Said foam dispenser comprises: a plastic bottle (2) made of a flexible plastic having a bottle opening; a closure cap (3) that seals the bottle opening and has a dispensing opening (4) for a foam; a foam-generating device for foaming a solution, said device having a chamber (5) with at least one wall (6), at least one inlet (7) for air in a wall of the chamber, and at least one inlet (8) for liquid in a wall of the chamber, and at least one porous body (9) that is located in the chamber (5), the foam-generating device being located in or connected to the closure cap; and a riser tube (10) that is located inside the bottle and is connected to an inlet.

Description

Hand-operated foam dispenser for foamable solutions

The invention relates to a foam dispenser. This includes a plastic bottle made of flexible plastic with a bottle opening, a closure cap that closes the bottle opening and has a dispensing opening for a foam, a foam generating device for foaming a solution, comprising a chamber with at least one wall, at least one inlet for air in a wall of the chamber and at least one inlet for liquid in a wall of the chamber and at least one foam body which is arranged in the chamber, the foam generating device being arranged in or connected to the closure cap, and a riser tube which is arranged inside the bottle and connected to an inlet.

Disinfectants or cleaning agents are often alcoholic solutions, since alcohols have good microbiocidal effectiveness, depending on the chain length. Such agents are offered as a solution, gel or foam. Alcoholic solutions are difficult to foam because alcohol is a defoaming agent. To generate a foam in hand-operated dispensers or mechanical dispensers, when foaming products on AI A foam generating device is used on the basis of alcohol, which ensures that a foam is produced when the liquid and air are mixed. The dispenser systems, especially in the case of mechanical dispensers, often consist of a large number of sensitive components and are therefore complex to produce and more expensive.

GB 1 478 607 A describes a hand-operated device for making and dispensing foam with a bottle with a dip tube. A rigid porous body is placed in the bottle in which liquid and air are mixed. The air flow is regulated by a valve.

The object of the invention is to provide a hand-operated foam dispenser that overcomes the disadvantages known from the prior art and, in particular, can be produced inexpensively with few components and enables alcoholic solutions to be foamed.

The object is achieved according to the invention by a foam dispenser for foamable products according to patent claim 1 .

Further embodiments are the subject matter of the subclaims or are described below.

The foam dispenser according to the invention comprises a plastic bottle made of flexible plastic with a bottle opening, a closure cap that closes the bottle opening and has a dispensing opening for a foam, a foam generating device for foaming a solution, comprising o a chamber with at least one wall, at least one inlet for air in a wall of the chamber and at least one inlet for liquid in a wall of the chamber and at least one foam body arranged in the chamber,

- wherein the foam generating device is arranged in or connected to the closure cap, a riser arranged inside the bottle and connected to an inlet.

The foam body consists of an open-cell foam and the foam body is compressed in the chamber. According to the invention, foam body is understood as meaning at least one foam body, ie when a foam body is described, exactly one foam body or a plurality of foam bodies is included.

The foam dispenser of the invention is a manual foam dispenser which is hand-operated, i.e. the foam is generated by squeezing the bottle with the hand. The plastic bottle is therefore formed from a flexible plastic so that it can be squeezed. The plastic bottle preferably consists of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), soft polyethylene (Low Density Polyethylene, LDPE), hard polyethylene (High Density Polyethylene, HDPE) or a mixture thereof, particularly preferably HDPE and LDPE.

The foam dispenser of the invention preferably contains an alcoholic or non-alcoholic mixture, which is typically a solution. The mixture contains at least one surfactant or surface-active substance that acts as a foamable substance. Preferably the surfactant is a silicone surfactant. The tenside or the surface-active substance is preferably contained in the mixture in an amount of 0.2 to 5% by weight, particularly preferably 0.2 to 2.5% by weight. The foam dispenser according to the invention can be used for cleaning agents for skin and hands, for surfaces or instruments, or for disinfectants for skin or hands, for surfaces or instruments, for wound cleaning agents or wound disinfectants or for cosmetics, such as hair or skin cleaning agents or hair or skin care products be used.

The plastic bottle preferably contains an alcoholic solution, particularly preferably an alcoholic disinfectant. The alcoholic disinfectant preferably contains

70% by weight - 90% by weight of at least one monohydric alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, preferably ethanol,

9.5% - 20% by weight water,

0.2% by weight - 2.5% by weight of at least one surfactant, preferably silicone surfactants, a surface-active substance or mixtures thereof, optionally 0% by weight - 2.5% by weight of foam stabilizers,

0.2% by weight - 2.5% by weight of auxiliaries, for example skin care substances, moisturizers, humectants, pH regulators or mixtures thereof and optionally 0-5% by weight of other active ingredients, for example quaternary ammonium compounds (QAV), QAV similar substances.

The plastic bottle can also contain a low-alcohol solution, such as a surface disinfectant. The low-alcohol solution preferably contains 10% by weight - 30% by weight of at least one monohydric alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms,

69.8% by weight - 89.8% by weight water,

0.2% by weight - 2.5% by weight of at least one surfactant, a surface-active substance or mixtures thereof, optionally 0% by weight - 2.5% by weight of foam stabilizers,

0% by weight - 2.5% by weight of auxiliaries, for example skin care substances, moisturizers, humectants, pH regulators or mixtures thereof and optionally 0-2.5% by weight of other active ingredients, for example quaternary ammonium compounds (QAV), QAV similar substances.

Alternatively, the plastic bottle may contain an aqueous solution such as a soap formulation. The aqueous solution preferably contains

0% by weight alcohol,

87.5% - 99% by weight water,

0.2% by weight - 5% by weight of at least one surfactant, a surface-active substance or mixtures thereof, optionally 0% by weight - 2.5% by weight of foam stabilizers,

0% by weight - 5% by weight of auxiliaries, for example skin care substances, moisturizers, humectants, pH regulators or mixtures thereof and optionally 0 - 2.5% by weight of other active ingredients, for example quaternary ammonium compounds (QAV), QAV-like substances .

In order to foam an alcoholic composition, foamable substances, i.e. surfactants or surface-active substances, must be added to the composition. Alcohols disrupt surface tension and are also used as defoamers. Corresponding chemical auxiliaries and additional physical/mechanical means, such as a foam dispenser, which according to the invention has a chamber with at least one foam body in which liquid and air can be mixed to produce foam, are therefore required for the foam formation of an alcohol-containing composition.

The open-cell foam preferably consists of a polymeric material, particularly preferably polyurethane (PUR) or acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, also known as nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR).

The open-cell foam in the chamber preferably has a density greater than 0.03 g/cm ³ . The density is determined by measuring the outer dimensions of the foam body, determining the weight of the foam body and calculating the density from the weight and volume determined. The measurement or determination of the outer dimensions of the foam body is based on its dimensions in the chamber. The density thus refers to the density of the foam body placed in the chamber. The foam placed in the chamber preferably has a density of at least 0.035 g/cm ³ , particularly preferably at least 0.045 g/cm ³ . More preferably, the foam placed in the chamber has a density of at most 0.08 g/cm ³ , preferably at most 0.06 g/cm ³ . The foam in the chamber preferably has a density of more than 0.03 g/cm ³ and at most 0.06 g/cm ³ .

In the uncompressed state, the foam preferably has a pore count (=number of pores along a straight line per running inch) of 50 to 130 pores/inch, preferably 60 to 100 pores/inch, particularly preferably 60 to 80 pores/inch, for example of about 70 pores/inch. The cell count is preferably determined microscopically.

In the uncompressed state, the foam preferably has an average pore size of from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, measured according to ASTM D 3576-2004, preferably from 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm.

The foam body in the chamber is compressed, the foam body preferably being compressed by 10% to 50% of the volume of the uncompressed body, particularly preferably by 15% to 50%, particularly preferably by 35% to 50% and very particularly preferably by 35% up to 40%. Compression increases the density of the foam and can also change the shape of the pores in the foam. Both the increase in density and the change in shape can make the solution more foamable.

For example, the chamber can have a volume of 1 cm ³ to 5 cm ³ , preferably 1 cm ³ to 3 cm ³ and particularly preferably 1 cm ³ to 2 cm ³ . In particular, the chamber has a volume of 1.4 cm ³ to 2 cm ³ . The foam body or the total number of foam bodies fill the volume of the chamber preferably to at least 80%, more preferably to at least 85%, even more preferably to at least 90%, particularly preferably to at least 95% and in particular essentially completely.

The foam body is preferably fixed to the wall of the chamber, preferably by being clamped in position in the chamber by contact with the wall. This means that the liquid has to flow through the pores of the foam and the foam body is prevented from floating on the liquid. The foam body is particularly preferably in full contact with the side walls of the chamber, so that the liquid has to flow through the foam when flowing through the chamber and no liquid can flow past the foam body. The foam body has in in this case the same cross-section as the chamber. The foam body preferably has a height which corresponds to at least half the length of the chamber, since a particularly good foam is produced when liquid and air have a sufficient distance in which they can mix in the pores of the foam.

In one embodiment, the chamber is at least partially cylindrical and the foam body is cylindrical. For example, where the chamber contains a plurality of foam bodies, these may be shaped as sections of a cylinder, such as two half-cylinders, or as pie slices, again having the overall shape of a cylinder.

If several foam bodies are used, all foam bodies preferably consist of the same foam material. This has the advantage that the production of the foam dispenser is simpler and more economical since different materials do not have to be kept on hand. In addition, the same mixing effect is achieved in all areas and a uniform foam is produced if the foam bodies are made of the same material.

The chamber, which is preferably at least partially cylindrical, preferably has a chamber floor and at least one chamber wall that extends from the chamber floor in the direction of the top of the closure cap, with at least one inlet being arranged in the chamber floor and at least one inlet being arranged in a chamber wall. When the chamber floor is circular, the chamber has a curved chamber wall.

In one embodiment, the chamber has only a single inlet in the chamber floor, which is connected to the riser pipe and, when used overhead, preferably forms the inlet for air. An air chamber, from which the air flows through the inlet into the chamber, can be arranged in a connecting piece between the end of the riser pipe and the inlet.

The chamber preferably has at least two, preferably three to six, particularly preferably three or four inlets in the chamber wall or the side wall of the chamber, the inlets preferably being arranged at equal distances from one another and preferably forming the inlet for liquid when used overhead .

The air inlet is the inlet which, in use, connects to an air reservoir in the bottle. The liquid inlet is the inlet which, in use, is connected to a liquid reservoir. The riser, which is arranged inside the bottle, is preferably connected to an inlet in the bottom of the chamber and preferably forms the inlet for air. In a preferred embodiment, the chamber is at least partially designed as a double-walled hollow cylinder. The double-walled hollow cylinder has an inner and an outer cylinder, which are arranged concentrically to one another in the overlapping area and are preferably arranged offset relative to their longitudinal axis or have different lengths, so that the area on the chamber floor has only one wall. The foam body is placed in the inner cylinder. In this embodiment, the inlets in the side wall of the chamber are preferably located only in the outer cylinder, more preferably only in the lower, non-double-walled part of the chamber. The inner hollow cylinder can be connected to the closure cap and, for example, formed in one piece with the closure cap.

The embodiment of the chamber as a double-walled hollow cylinder is particularly advantageous because the liquid flow is guided by the double-walled cylinder. The liquid first gets into the outer of the two hollow cylinders and thus into the foam-free area and is then transported to the lower opening of the inner hollow cylinder. As a result, it flows into the foam body from below, so that the entire length of the foam body can be used to produce foam. Since the foam is fixed in the inner cylinder, the foam dispenser is easier to assemble, since the foam body is already in position when screwing or clamping the closure cap and does not have to be fixed first during the screwing or clamping process. It is also easily possible to replace the foam body by replacing only the inner cylinder of the chamber or the cap connected to the inner cylinder.

The foam dispenser of the present invention can be used to produce foam either upside down, i.e., with the bottle turned upside down with the bottom of the bottle pointing upwards, or upright, with the bottle bottom pointing downwards. Up means vertically up to the ceiling and down means vertically down to the floor. The bottle can also be held at a slight angle during use, this is also included in upside down and upright.

When the foam is generated, if the bottle is closed, the outlet opening of the bottle is first opened, e.g. by opening a hinged lid, removing a protective cap or pulling up a drawstring. The bottle will a. turned upside down and the body of the bottle is squeezed or b. the bottle is held upright and squeezed.

This creates foam that exits through the outlet opening in the cap and catches with the other hand. For foaming the liquid is located Inside the chamber, the foam material body made of open-cell foam, which has cavities in which air and liquid are mixed with one another and a foam is thereby produced. Optionally, a portion of the chamber in which at least one inlet is located is empty and does not contain a foam body. Air and liquid are preferably already partially mixed after entering the chamber before they are transported premixed into the foam body.

When the bottle is used upside down, the foam generation occurs as follows: The chamber with the foam body has one or more inlets which are below the liquid level inside the bottle in the upside down position. The riser tube is at the top of the chamber when the bottle is inverted and terminates in the headspace of the bottle above the liquid level. When pressure is applied to the body of the bottle, the air is pushed down through the riser tube. At the same time, due to the different pressure conditions during this process, the liquid is sucked out of the bottle through the inlets into the chamber. Air and liquid are mixed in the pores of the open-cell foam and the foam is discharged downwards through the outlet opening as a foam.

When the bottle is used in an upright position, foam generation occurs as follows:

The chamber with the foam body has one or more inlets that are above the liquid level inside the bottle. The riser, which is in the upright position at the bottom of the chamber, extends to the bottom of the bottle. When pressure is applied to the body of the bottle, the liquid is pushed upwards through the riser pipe, with the different pressure conditions during this process causing the air to be sucked in from the headspace of the bottle. Air and liquid are mixed together in the pores of the open-cell foam and the foam thus produced is discharged upwards from the outlet opening.

In the case of the upright position, it is advantageous if the opening for the foam outlet is not directed vertically upwards, but rather the foam is discharged via a spout running in a lateral direction.

Since the foam dispenser is hand operated, the bottle is preferably of a size that is easy to hold with one hand. The bottle has, for example, a volume of 50 ml to 500 ml. The bottle preferably has a volume of 100 ml to 250 ml, in particular 100 ml to 150 ml. In the case of a bottle with a volume of less than 500 ml, the air inlet preferably has a diameter of 1.0 mm to 1.4 mm. The liquid inlet preferably has a diameter of 0.6 mm to 0.8 mm.

The ratio of the size of the inlet opening(s) for air to the size of the inlet opening(s) for liquid is preferably 1:0.9 to 1:1.5, particularly preferably 1:0.9 to 1:1.1. With a ratio of the size of air inlets to liquid inlets of about 1:1, as in the last-mentioned preferred embodiment, foaming works both upside down and upright.

The ratio of the overall size of air inlets and liquid inlets has an impact on foam formation. The diameter of the air inlet opening must not be too large and the proportion of air must not be too high, otherwise good foam will not form.

In one embodiment, the foam generating device is designed as an insert with a flange. The flange is placed on the top edge of the bottle neck, with the cap being attached to the neck of the bottle and fixing the liner.

In one embodiment, the closure cap and foam-generating device are designed in one piece and the closure cap with the foam-generating device is attached to the neck of the bottle, preferably screwed on or crimped.

In one embodiment, the foam-generating device is designed as an insert which snaps into the closure cap, is glued to the closure cap or welded to the closure cap, the closure cap being attached to the insert on a neck of the bottle, preferably being screwed on or crimped.

The closure cap can have a conventional design and can, for example, comprise a hinged lid or a protective cap or be designed as a pull-type closure. It also usually has a fastening device that attaches it to the neck of the bottle, such as a screw thread or snap-on cap.

The foam dispenser according to the invention can be designed as a disposable product for disposal after the liquid has been emptied, or as a refillable reusable product. In the case of a reusable product, the alcoholic or non-alcoholic solution can be refillable and/or the foam body can be exchangeable.

The foam dispenser according to the invention can be produced inexpensively since it is made up of only a few components. Through the foam generating device is a Foam generation is also possible with alcoholic solutions and both when used upside down and upright. The foam is generated according to the invention with a hand-operated foam dispenser with few components. Due to the compact design without a motor, electrical parts or valves for regulation, cost-effective production is possible and easy, intuitive and trouble-free handling is provided. An alcoholic disinfectant can be applied as a foam with the foam dispenser according to the invention. Due to its consistency, foam has the advantage over liquids that it can be better dosed and distributed. For example, while a liquid hand disinfectant flows quickly from the hand when it is removed and therefore not only gets on the hand but also on the floor, the foam flows more slowly and can be distributed more easily and drip-free on the hands.

The subject matter of the invention is also the use of a foam dispenser according to the invention for foaming an alcoholic solution, preferably an alcoholic disinfectant.

Furthermore, the subject matter of the invention is a method for foaming an alcoholic solution, preferably an alcoholic disinfectant, comprising the steps

• providing a foam dispenser according to the invention, the foam dispenser containing the alcoholic solution,

• manually squeezing the foam dispenser bottle so that an alcoholic foam can be obtained.

measurement methods

density

To determine the density of an uncompressed foam, the outer dimensions of a foam sample are first measured and the volume is calculated from the outer dimensions. In addition, the weight of the foam sample is determined and the density is calculated according to the formula density=weight/volume. The density of the uncompressed foam is thus determined according to ISO 845 (g/cm ³ ) or ASTM D 3574-11A (lb/ft ³ ) standards. Since the foam body is compressed in the foam dispenser chamber, the density increases accordingly by the degree of compression. In order to calculate the density, reference is then made here to the volume which the foam body has in the chamber in the compressed state.

pore count The number of pores is determined microscopically. To do this, a straight line is drawn on one surface of the foam and the number of pores is counted over a distance of 1 inch along this distance.

The pore size is determined according to ASTM D 3576-2004. For this purpose, a thin layer of a defined size is cut from foam and placed in a special projector. The projector projects the sample along with a reference line. The length of the reference line is given in millimeters. The number of cells intersected by the reference line is counted. The mean pore size is calculated from the length of the reference line and the number of pores.

The invention is explained further with reference to the figures. Show it:

1 a foam dispenser according to the invention in one embodiment in a perspective view,

2 a foam dispenser according to the invention in a sectional view,

3 shows a foam dispenser according to the invention in a second embodiment in a sectional view,

4 a foam dispenser according to the invention in a third embodiment in a sectional view,

5 shows a foam dispenser according to the invention according to FIG. 2 during foam production, FIG. 6 shows a foam dispenser according to the invention in a further embodiment in a perspective view, and

7 shows a sectional view of the foam dispenser from FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a foam dispenser according to the invention which is used to generate foam in an upside-down position. The foam dispenser 1 includes a bottle 2 with a closure cap 3 screwed onto the bottle. A dispensing opening 4 is arranged on the upper side of the closure cap 3 . Inside the cap is a foam generating device (not shown here).

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a foam dispenser according to the invention in a first embodiment. The foam dispenser 1 is designed to generate foam in an upside down position. The foam dispenser includes a bottle 2 which is closed with a cap 3 . The cap is a screw cap with an internal thread 21 designed that is screwed to the external thread 22 on the bottle neck. A chamber 5 is arranged in the closure cap 3, in which three foam bodies 9 are placed one above the other. The foam bodies 9 each lie against the wall 6 of the chamber 5 so that no liquid can flow past the foam bodies 9 to the dispensing opening 4 . At the bottom of the chamber 5 there is an inlet 7 which is connected to a riser pipe 10 . The riser tube 10 extends from the inlet 7 at the bottom of the chamber to the bottom 11 of the bottle. The chamber has two opposite inlets 8 in the side walls. The chamber is designed as a single-walled hollow cylinder which has a flange 23 at its top. The flange 23 rests on the bottle neck and is fixed in position by the closure cap 3 . The top of the chamber 5 is open and faces the discharge port 4 to which it is fluidly connected.

FIG. 3 shows a section of a foam dispenser in a second embodiment. The foam dispenser 1 according to FIG. 3 is also designed to generate foam in an upside-down position. The chamber 5 is double-walled in this embodiment and has the shape of a double-walled hollow cylinder. The chamber has an inner cylinder 13 and an outer cylinder 12 which are arranged concentrically to one another in the overlapping area. The inner cylinder 13 is connected to the casing 15 of the closure cap 3 and is made in one piece together with it. The three foam bodies 9 are arranged one above the other in the inner cylinder 13 and are each flush with the wall of the inner cylinder 13 so that no liquid can flow past the foam body 9 . The inner cylinder 13 extends to the discharge opening so that the foam is discharged through the discharge opening as it leaves the inner cylinder. The inner cylinder 13 has a shorter length than the outer cylinder 12 . In the lower area of the chamber 5, directed toward the chamber floor 14, the chamber is therefore only single-walled. The outer cylinder 12 is connected to the chamber floor 14 and has a flange 23 on its upper side. The inlet 7 , which is fluidically connected to the riser pipe 10 , is located in the chamber floor 14 . The riser pipe 10 is held in a riser pipe holder 24 .

FIG. 4 shows a section of a foam dispenser in a third embodiment. The foam dispenser 1 according to FIG. 4 is also designed to generate foam in an upside-down position. The chamber 5 is also double-walled in this embodiment and has the shape of a double-walled hollow cylinder. The foam dispenser according to FIG. 4 differs from the foam dispenser according to FIG. 3 by the position of the inlets 8 in the wall 6 of the chamber. In the third embodiment, the inlets 8 are in the side wall 6 of the chamber above the chamber floor 14 and at the level of the inner cylinder 13, so that during use the liquid first flows into the space 16 between the two cylinders, mixes with the air from the inlet 7 in the area under the inner cylinder 13 and is transported from there into the foam body 9 .

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view through a foam dispenser according to the invention according to FIG. 2 when used in an upside-down position. The hinged lid 20 of the bottle 2 is open and the bottle is turned upside down so that the bottom of the bottle 11 is facing up and the dispensing opening 4 is facing down. The inlet openings 8 of the chamber 5 are below the liquid level 17 inside the bottle. The riser tube 10 ends in the air space of the bottle 2. When pressure is applied to the body of the bottle, the air is pushed down through the riser tube 10 and the liquid is sucked out of the bottle through the inlet openings 8 into the chamber 5. Directions of movement of air and liquid are additionally clarified by arrows L and F. Air and liquid are mixed together in the foam bodies 9 and the foam produced is discharged downwards through the discharge opening.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of a foam dispenser 1 according to the invention in a perspective view. The foam dispenser 1 is intended for foam generation in an upright position and therefore has a dispensing device 25 in the form of a spout on the closure cap 3 through which the foam is guided to the side after emerging from the dispensing opening 4 .

FIG. 7 shows a section through the foam dispenser from FIG. 6. The chamber 5 has an inner cylinder 13 and an outer cylinder 12, which are arranged concentrically to one another in the overlapping area. The inner cylinder 13 is arranged offset upwards relative to the outer cylinder 12 along the longitudinal axis of the two cylinders towards the dispensing opening 4, so that the chamber protrudes upwards out of the bottle over the end of the bottle neck. The area of the chamber 5 on the chamber floor 14 is only single-walled. The inner cylinder 13 contains three foam bodies 9 which are stacked one on top of the other and are flush with the wall of the inner cylinder 13 . The chamber has several inlet openings 8, which are above the liquid level 17 inside the bottle. The riser 10, which is attached to the lower end of the chamber 5, extends to the bottom 11 of the bottle. When pressure is applied to the bottle body 2, the liquid is forced upwards through the riser tube 10, sucking in air from the headspace of the bottle. Air and liquid are mixed with one another by the foam bodies 9 and the resulting foam is discharged upwards from the dispensing opening. The dispensing opening 4 is shifted to the side of the cap and is not shown here because it is outside the section plane. In all of the embodiments shown, the side wall of the chamber can have further inlets which are located outside the sectional plane and are therefore not shown.

examples

A 100 ml capacity bottle sized foam dispenser of construction similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 3 was tested with different chambers and different foam bodies. The cylindrical chambers, each with a volume of 1.45 cm ³ , differed from one another in the number of inlets and the size of the inlet openings. Regarding the foam bodies, various numbers of cylindrical foam bodies of open-cell polyurethane having an uncompressed density of 0.03 g/cm ³ , an uncompressed pore count of 70 pores/inch ± 10 pores/inch and an uncompressed volume were used condition of 0.57 cm ³ (based on a single foam body). The foam bodies were compressed to different degrees. In the case of two foam bodies, there was still no compression (density unchanged at 0.03 g/cm ³ ). For three foam bodies, the compression was about 16% (density then increased to 0.036 g/cm ³ ). For four foam bodies, the compression was about 37% (density then increased to 0.047 g/cm ³ ).

Different embodiments of the foam dispenser were filled with different solutions, a high-alcohol solution, a low-alcohol solution and an aqueous cleaning formulation, in order to study foam formation, particularly when the foamable solution had a high alcohol content. The tested solutions had the following compositions:

Examples 1 to 24: hand disinfectants (highly alcoholic, leave-on product)

ethanol 80%

silicone surfactant 1%

Glycerin 0.50%

Tetradecanol 0.75% optional foam stabilizer (Examples 17-24 only)

water to 100

Examples 25 to 27: Aqueous soap formulation Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) (surfactant) 2% Citric Acid (pH regulator) 0.50%

water to 100 Examples 28 to 30: surface disinfectant (low alcohol content)

Ethanol 14%

1 -Propanol 6%

2-Propanol 10%

N-Alkylaminopropylglycine 0.50%

water to 100

Foam generation experiments have been performed by turning the foam dispenser upside down and squeezing the bottle by hand until foam or liquid exits the dispensing orifice. The foam quality was assessed visually and haptically. The following values between 1 and 10 were assigned:

Value 1 - 4: no stable foam, possibly liquid with individual bubbles

Value 5 - 10: stable foam, noticeably higher viscosity than non-foamed solution, product suitable for customers

Table 1 in the appendix summarizes the tests carried out on foam generation with the evaluation of the foam quality. It has been shown that with the foam dispenser according to the invention, a stable foam can be produced even with a high alcohol content of 80% by weight (foam quality value >5). With the tested aqueous soap formulation without alcohol, a very firm foam with high stability was obtained.

The invention is not limited to one of the embodiments described above, but can be modified in many ways.

reference list

Foam dispenser 1

plastic bottle 2

sealing cap 3

Output opening 4

chamber 5

wall 6

inlet 7

inlet 8

foam body 9

riser 10

Bottom of bottle 11 outer cylinder 12 inner cylinder 13

chamber floor 14

Cap sleeve 15

space 16

Liquid level 17

lid 20

Internal thread 21

external thread 22

flange 23

Bracket riser 24

dispenser device 25

foam 26

Airflow L

liquid flow F

Table 1

Claims

patent claims

1. Foam dispenser (1) comprising a plastic bottle (2) made of a flexible plastic with a bottle opening, a closure cap (3) which closes the bottle opening and has a dispensing opening (4) for a foam, a foam generating device for foaming a solution, comprising a Chamber (5) with at least one wall (6), at least one inlet (7) for air in a wall of the chamber and at least one inlet (8) for liquid in a wall of the chamber and at least one foam body (9) which is in the chamber is arranged

- wherein the foam generating device is arranged in the closure cap (3) or which is connected to it, a riser pipe (10) which is arranged inside the bottle (2) and is connected to an inlet (7,8), characterized in that that the foam body (9) consists of an open-cell foam and the foam body (9) is compressed in the chamber (5).

2. Foam dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottle contains an alcoholic solution, preferably an alcoholic disinfectant.

3. Foam dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the foam has a density of more than 0.03 g/cm ³ , preferably at least 0.035 g/cm ³ , particularly preferably at least 0.045 g/cm ³ .

4. Foam dispenser according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam has a density of at most 0.08 g/cm ³ , preferably at most 0.06 g/cm ³ .

5. Foam dispenser according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam in the uncompressed state has a pore count of 50 to 130 pores/inch, preferably 60 to 100 pores/inch, for example about 70 pores/inch.

6. foam dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam in the uncompressed state has a pore size of 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, measured according to ASTM D 3576-2004, preferably from 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. Foam dispenser according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foam body in the chamber is compressed by 10% to 50%, preferably by 15% to 50%, particularly preferably by 35% to 50% and very particularly preferably by 35% to 40% %. Foam dispenser according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the foam body is fixed to the wall of the chamber and the foam body preferably rests completely on the side walls of the chamber. Foam dispenser according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chamber is at least partially cylindrical and the foam body is cylindrical. Foam dispenser according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chamber, which is preferably at least partially cylindrical, has a chamber floor and at least one chamber wall which extends from the chamber floor in the direction of the opening, with at least one inlet being arranged in the chamber floor and at least one Inlet is arranged in the chamber wall. Foam dispenser according to Patent Claim 10, characterized in that the chamber has only a single inlet in the chamber floor, which is connected to the riser pipe and preferably forms the inlet for air. Foam dispenser according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the chamber has at least two, preferably three to six, particularly preferably three or four, inlets in the side wall of the chamber and the inlets are preferably arranged at equal distances from one another and preferably form the inlet for liquid . Foam dispenser according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the chamber is at least partially designed as a double-walled hollow cylinder and has an inner and an outer cylinder which are arranged concentrically to one another in the overlapping area. Foam dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ratio of the size of the inlet opening for air to the ratio of Size of the inlet opening for liquid is 1:0.9 to 1:1.5, preferably 1:0.9 to 1:1.1. Method for foaming an alcoholic solution, preferably an alcoholic see disinfectant, comprising the steps

• Providing a foam dispenser according to one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the foam dispenser contains the alcoholic solution,