WO2024132943A1

WO2024132943A1 - Foaming insert, pump comprising the foaming insert and process of creating a foamed product

Info

Publication number: WO2024132943A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/086091
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sharon Rose GUNZBURG; Vinay JAYASIMHA; Luke Alden JOHNSON; Taehoon Park; Andrea Margaret UKLEJA
Original assignee: Unilever Ip Holdings B.V.; Unilever Global Ip Limited; Conopco, Inc., D/B/A Unilever
Priority date: 2022-12-19
Filing date: 2023-12-15
Publication date: 2024-06-27

Abstract

A foaming insert (11) for forming foam in a surfactant-containing liquid such as a washing or skin care composition. The foaming insert (11) may be built into a pump or form a pump insert. The foaming insert may be in the form of a casing (12), and a tray (18) is slidably received through a front entrance (16) in the casing. The tray comprises a planar platform (20) and partitions (22) having openings (32). The openings in the partitions and spaces between the partitions define passageways which the liquid and/or air will traverse, thereby being subject to turbulence to form the foam. Preferably all components of the foaming insert and the rest of the pump are made of polymers comprising the same monomer material, whereby they are recyclable.

Description

FOAMING INSERT, PUMP COMPRISING THE FOAMING INSERT AND PROCESS OF CREATING A FOAMED PRODUCT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Personal wash products, while always valuable for good hygiene, have gained even greater importance in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and other recent outbreaks. An attractive form for such products is a pumpable foaming product.

Pandemics are not the only major problems which the world has faced in recent years. Another challenge is the impact on our environment of all the packaging and other plastic products which are disposed of. Sadly, many of these take up space in landfills or litter the sides of our roadways, or our parks, our forests or our oceans. Plastics have valuable properties for dispensers and other products, which in part explains their continued widespread use. But it is increasingly important to find ways to re-use plastics in packaging, such as through use of refills and by recycling.

Recycling technology continues to improve, but one obstacle to its use is that typically, the plastics being recycled need to be of the same type. For that reason, packaging which combines different types of plastic is often not susceptible to recycling. Pumps often comprise different types of plastics and so pose a special recycling challenge.

Numerous dispensers and other foaming devices have been proposed.

Frailey US Patent Application Publication No. US 2013/0175306 Al discloses a valve for forming foam from a fluid. The valve includes at least two barriers within a chamber, Each of the at least two barriers defines an aperture.

EP1199105A1 discloses a foaming device with a foaming member comprising a grid with a plurality of passageways.

Chen, CN 102525317 discloses a hand sanitizer having a baffle arranged at the end of a liquid outlet nozzle. Veeger et al., WO 2008/049854 discloses a foaming device to output foam from a mixture of air and a foamable medium, in particular for personal or other care or cleaning. Air and the foamable medium are turned into foam by means of a foaming chamber. The invention provides that flow bars extend within the foaming chamber and intermesh with each other while forming a foaming channel in the shape of a flow labyrinth.

Fawcett et al., US 9,579,613 discloses a foam generator which includes a body, an inlet for receiving air and an inlet for receiving liquid. The foam generator includes a plurality of baffles located within the body. The patent discloses that at least about 3 baffles are generally required to produce foam. A plurality of elongated spaces are formed at least in part by the baffles. The elongated spaces have a length that is greater than a width.

The Fawcett et al. foam generator may be formed in two halves and may be cylindrical. The baffles may be offset when the two halves are connected together, gaps on baffles being across from a solid portion of an adjacent baffle. Baffles with comb-like projections are illustrated, as are baffles with circular openings. In some embodiments the container, foam pump, dip tube, outlet tube and foam generator form a refill which may be replaced when the container is depleted of washing fluid. The turbulence caused by the tortuous path through which the mixture is forced to travel and from passing through gaps and spaces is said to cause the mixture to form a rich foam which is dispensed through an outlet.

Fowler et al., US 5,635,469 discloses a foam-producing foam dispenser. The dispenser may have a static mixer with helical elements and also has screens.

JP2019081592 discloses a pump with a baffle plate in a spouting passage. The pump, the baffle plate and a stopping member are made by injection molding of a synthetic resin material.

JP2019081597 discloses a pump type spouting tool having a squeezing part narrowing a cross section area of a spouting passage.

Boily, US8968449 discloses a spout, system, and method for producing a foam from a pressurized mixture of a liquid containing gas bubbles, e.g., air bubbles. A spout enclosure houses a plurality of screens disposed in series that successively screen the pressurized mixture. Each screen is separated from a consecutive screen by a screen spacing. A turbulence mechanism agitates or mixes the pressurized mixture within a mixing chamber, thereby ensuring a proper mixing of both homogenous and non-homogenous liquids in the pressurized mixture before the bubbles are screened by the plurality of screens.

In a preferred embodiment, Boily’s turbulence mechanism includes an inlet port and an outlet port of the mixing chamber. The inlet port can be any aperture, hole, channel, or similar passage which allows for the constricted passage of the pressurized mixture from the inlet to the mixing chamber. After passing through the inlet port the pressurized mixture exits to a much larger space. Then the pressurized mixture encounters the outlet port, which is similar to the inlet port and which can also increase the pressure of the pressurized liquid. The increase in pressure caused by the inlet and outlet ports can significantly increase the turbulence in the mixing chamber. As one example of an alternate configuration, it is said that baffles positioned within the mixing chamber can also contribute turbulence to the mixing chamber.

Gueret, US5,289,952 discloses a device comprises a pump for delivering a liquid with a foaming agent from a container. In addition to air and liquid inlet grooves, any type of baffles or systems, such as labyrinths, may be provided for creating vortices in order to premix the air and the liquid, in particular before their passage through a porous component. The porous component may be, e. g. a polyethylene frit, a metal or ceramic frit, an open cell foam, a grill, glass fiber, a felt, a nest formed by a multitude of obstructions or any other porous material.

Shigeo, JP3704530 discloses a nozzle head body for producing foam and having a cylindrical nozzle port cylinder including a foaming body immovably inserted. The foaming body may comprise a mesh or a spiral rib.

CN208790238U is directed to a foam pressing pump head including a first foaming means comprising a sieve. A second foam-forming means (17) includes a baffle (18) and the nozzle (19), the baffle (18) being vertically disposed in the foaming mouth (6), there being a plurality of nozzles (19) disposed perpendicular to the baffle (18), the nozzle (19) becomes gradually smaller as the bubbles flow, and the nozzle (19) has an irregular wire.

Lee, US 2019/0001358 discloses a dispenser having a pump with a mesh insert 30 for aeration and production of foam. Lee, WO 2017/141110 discloses a foaming pump having a screen which can snap into place.

Kawano et al., WO 2005/108232 discloses a nozzle head having a porous body in an area of flow passage. The porous body may comprise a foamed synthetic resin, which may be polyolefin- based, or may be polyurethane.

Proper et al., US 2019/0335958 and Lewis et al., US 7,066,355 also disclose dispensers for foaming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a foaming insert for imparting turbulence to air in combination with a liquid surfactant-containing product, e.g., a washing or skin care product, whereby to create the foam. The foaming insert may be an integral part of a pump or may constitute an insert. The invention is also directed to a pump including the foaming insert and to processes of using the pump and the insert. Preferably, the pump is a standalone hand pump.

The foaming insert includes a foaming insert casing, preferably suitable for insertion into a pump, and a tray slidably received within the casing. The tray includes a planar platform comprising two or more partitions associated therewith, the partitions including openings. The partitions may, for instance, be attached to the planar platform or integral therewith. The partitions will typically extend perpendicularly to the platform although they may be disposed at an angle of say, from 70 to 110 degrees with respect to the platform.

The partitions with their openings are suitable for causing turbulence in the flow of a fluid which is meant to flow through the casing, entering at an entrance opening of the casing, passing through along the longitudinal axis of the casing, including through the openings in the partitions, and exiting, preferably at an exit wall having openings for the fluid to pass through. The openings in the partitions and the exit wall are preferably round but may also be of any geometric shape having three or more sides, such as, but not limited to, triangular or rectangular. Typically, the openings are fully contained within the partitions and do not extend to the peripheral surfaces of the partitions, so that the top and side surfaces of the partitions and the bottoms of the partitions and platforms are not interrupted by the openings. The openings may be of the same size or different sizes. They may be aligned vertically and/or horizontally on a partition, and openings on one partition may be aligned, or not aligned, with openings on another partition. Preferably, the foaming insert casing comprises interior walls, and the partitions have several exterior peripheral surfaces above the platform and wherein the exterior peripheral surfaces of the partitions and peripheral side surfaces and the peripheral bottom of the planar platform are not spaced from the casing interior wall when the tray is slid into the casing. That is, the exterior peripheral surfaces of the partitions and the peripheral side surfaces and peripheral bottom of the planar platform are flush against the interior casing walls when the tray is slid into the casing. The interior walls of the casing and the exterior peripheral surfaces of the partitions may comprise planar top walls and arc shaped sides extending to planar bottoms, forming a “racetrack” shape in profile for both the tray and the inner walls of the casing. The casing, the tray (including planar platform, partitions and any attachment structure) and preferably also the pump, are typically fabricated from one or more polymeric plastics made from the same monomers so that they can be recycled together. Especially, the casing and the tray, and even the pump, comprise polymers formed from the same monomers and neither comprises more than 5 wt.% of a monomer not present in the other, such that they can be recycled together. The openings on a single partition may be randomly distributed on the partition or may be evenly distributed in an array.

It is believed that with use of the partitions, casing, and platforms of the invention foaming inserts and pumps with good foaming but made of a single, recyclable material, or materials otherwise sufficiently similar to be recycled together, may be made.

Thus, to summarize, the invention may include one or any or all of the following features: a foaming insert for imparting turbulence to air in combination with a liquid surfactant-containing product, e.g., a washing or skin care product, whereby to create the foam; a foaming insert which is an integral part of a pump or may constitute an insert; a pump including the foaming insert, the pump preferably being a standalone hand pump; a foaming insert including a foaming insert casing, preferably suitable for insertion into a pump, and a tray slidably received within the casing; a tray, separate from the casing, including a planar platform comprising two or more partitions associated therewith, the partitions including openings; partitions attached to the planar platform or integral therewith; partitions are a permanent part of the tray or are removably attached to the tray and are removable from the tray; partitions extending perpendicularly to the platform or disposed at an angle of say, from 70 to 110 degrees with respect to the platform; the casing designed so that fluid flows through the casing, entering at an entrance opening of the casing, passing through along the longitudinal axis of the casing, including through the openings in the partitions, and exiting, preferably at an exit wall having openings for the fluid to pass through; openings in the partitions and/or an exit wall are round; openings in the partitions and/or an exit wall are of any geometric shape having three or more sides, such as, but not limited to, triangular or rectangular; openings in the partitions are fully contained within the partitions and do not extend to the peripheral surfaces of the partitions; openings in the partition(s) of the same size or different sizes; openings aligned vertically and/or horizontally on a partition; openings on one partition may be aligned, or not aligned, with openings on another partition; a foaming insert casing including interior walls, and the partitions have several exterior peripheral surfaces above the platform and wherein the exterior peripheral surfaces of the partitions and peripheral side surfaces and the bottom of the planar platform are not spaced from the casing interior wall when the tray is slid into the casing; that is, the exterior peripheral surfaces of the partitions and the side surfaces and bottom of the planar platform are flush against the interior casing walls when the tray is slid into the casing; interior walls of a casing and exterior peripheral surfaces of the partitions on a tray may comprise planar top walls and arc shaped sides extending to planar bottoms, forming a “racetrack” shape in profile for both the tray and the inner walls of the casing; the casing, the tray (including planar platform, partitions and any attachment structure) and preferably also the pump, are typically comprised of polymers formed from the same monomer or monomers and preferably neither comprises more than 5 wt% of a monomer not present in the other, such that they can be recycled together; preferably, the planar platform, partitions and any attachment structure and preferably also the pump are comprised of one or more polymers having the same monomer and not having more than 5 wt.% of any other monomer; openings on a single partition may be randomly distributed on the partition or may be evenly distributed in an array; friction fit is preferably achieved through a 0.5 to 2 degree taper, preferably a 1 degree taper (from front to back), on both side walls of the tray platform; the partition in the front includes a snap bead 410 along its top and side walls, and casing 12 includes in its front opening a recess preferably along its side and top walls is shaped to accommodate the snap bead, the bead preferably protrudin about 0.005-0.01 inches from the exterior edges of the partition.

For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the foaming insert of the invention prior to insertion of the tray and showing the front entrance of the casing.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the rear wall of the casing.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the foaming insert of Fig. 1 with the tray inserted into the casing.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view from the front of the foaming insert of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an alternate embodiment of the foaming insert of the invention prior to insertion of the tray and showing the front entrance of the casing.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Fig. 7 showing the rear wall of the casing.

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 7.

Fig. 11 is a front elevational view of the foaming insert of Fig. 7 with the tray inserted into the casing.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view from the front of the foaming insert of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a side elevational view of a bottle and pump incorporating the foaming insert of the invention.

Fig. 14 is a vertical partial cross sectional view of a bottle and pump having a foaming insert of the invention inserted therein with the casing being shown in elevation.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view from below of a pump head and casing prior to insertion of a casing according to the invention.

Fig. 16 is a side elevational view, similar to Fig. 3, of an alternative embodiment wherein one of the partitions is disposed at an angle to the platform.

Fig. 17 is a longitudinal cross section of the insert shown in elevation in Fig. 14.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 except that the front partition includes a snap bead and the casing front opening includes a recess for receiving the snap bead.

Fig. 19 is a top plan view of the insert of Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a top plan view similar to Fig. 19 except that the side walls of the platform are tapered. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As seen in Fig. 1 , casing 12 of foaming insert 11 has interior walls having a racetrack shaped cross section, namely straight, planar top and bottom walls 36 and 40, and curved, arc-shaped side walls 38 and 14. At its front end 16, is an opening which serves as an entrance for tray 18. Tray 18 includes a base which is preferably planar platform 20. Tray 18 also includes integral partitions 22 (two are illustrated in the embodiment of Fig. 1), which are disposed perpendicularly to the platform. Partitions 22 are separated by a space 60 (see Fig. 3), and after the tray has been inserted into the casing, rear partition 22 will be separated from rear casing wall 34 by space 62 (Fig. 3). Partitions 22 also are racetrack shaped in profile having a straight top edge 28, a straight bottom edge 24 where it meets the platform or 25 (in the case of the front-most panel) forming the bottom of the platform, and arc-shaped side surfaces 26, 30. The partitions are generally designated with reference number 22, but partitions in specific locations are later given additional reference numbers.

Partitions 22 include openings 32 extending generally perpendicularly to the partition, which are preferably circular. Each opening can be viewed as having an imaginary axis “a” (Fig. 8) running through its center, parallel to the plane of the platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis, b, of the platform (see Fig. 10).

The openings may be arranged in various ways. They may be scattered on a partition at random or arranged on a partition in rows and/or columns. For the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the front partition 19 has in the bottom two rows of openings an axis “a” (axis illustrated in Fig. 8) extending through the center of each opening in each vertical column of openings, for each column the axis “a” passing through the same vertical plane perpendicular to the plane of the planar platform. For the rear partition 21 in all three vertical columns the axis extending through the center of each opening passes through the same vertical plane perpendicular to the plane of the planar platform. And for both partitions 19 and 21 , horizontal rows of openings are provided, wherein the axis “a” extending through the center of each opening in a row of openings passes through the same horizontal plane parallel to the plane of the planar platform.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1 , the center axes “a” of openings 32 in the front partition 19 are not the same as the center axes of the openings 32 in the rear partition 21 so that the openings in partition 19 do not coincide with those of partition 21 . If there are additional partitions to the rear one illustrated, if desired, the “a” axes of the openings on these may be different from those of one or all of the other partitions. However, some or of the “a” axes of the openings in the front partition may coincide with the “a” axes of the openings in the rear partition or any subsequent partitions.

The partitions will typically intersect the platform at an angle of about 90 degrees, e.g., from 88- 92 degrees when viewed from the right side of the platform (right side is determined when viewing the tray from the front looking toward the casing. Fig. 1 views the tray from the right side, albeit at an angle. However, in some cases it may be desirable for the partition to form an angle of 70 to 110 degrees with respect to the platform when viewed from the right side. In the event that the partition forms an angle with respect to the platform, it may also be desirable for the “a” axes of the openings still to be parallel with the plane of the platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platform. This can be achieved by forming the walls of the openings at an angle to the front (310) and rear (312) walls of the partition as illustrated in Fig. 16. There, opening 106 in the angled partition is formed at an angle to the front and rear walls of the angled partition such that the opening has the “a” axis passing through the center at its intersection with both its front and rear walls 310, 312 and the “a” axis is parallel to both the plane of the planar platform and to the longitudinal axis of the planar platform, notwithstanding the angle of the partition with respect to the platform.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, casing 12 includes rear wall 34 having openings 33 through which fluid will exit the foaming insert after having entered at entrance opening 16 and passed along the longitudinal axis c (Fig. 10) of the casing, including passing through openings 32 in the partitions. It is preferred that there not be any spaces between the top or side peripheral surfaces of partitions 22 and the inner walls of the casing, when tray 18 is slid into the interior of casing 12 and that there be no spaces between platform side surfaces 50, 51 (Fig. 4) or platform bottom edge 52 and the interior walls of the casing. Thus, as tray 18 slides into the casing, top surfaces 28 are in contact with casing top interior wall 36, partition side surfaces 26, 30 and platform side surfaces 50, 51 are in contact with casing interior side walls 38, 14 and tray bottom 52 and partition bottom edge 25 are in contact with casing interior bottom wall 40. Preferably, the peripheral top, side and bottom surfaces of the tray/partitions achieve a friction fit seal in the interior walls of the casing. Thus, when fluid travels through the casing along its longitudinal axis it will not be able to travel around the partitions but will need almost exclusively to travel through the openings. However, the partition will block longitudinal flow to some extent causing the fluid to experience lateral excursions around portions of the partitions. The embodiment of Figs. 7-12 is similar except that the openings in the partitions are not distributed in ordered arrays and the opening axes “a” (axes parallel to the plane of the platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis b of the platform) through the centers of the openings in the front partition do not coincide with the axes through the centers of the openings in the rear partition. In various embodiments of the invention, the axes of the openings for each of the partitions may coincide, or not coincide, with the axes for the openings in the rear wall, as desired.

In operation, the tray is slidably inserted into the casing by pushing it along the longitudinal axis c of the casing toward the casing rear wall. Once the tray is inserted, as can be seen, e.g., in Figs. 6 and 12, the foaming insert 11 is inserted into a pump, and surfactant-containing water and air are introduced by the pumping action of the pump into the opening at the casing entrance 16. The liquid and air pass through the openings in the front partition, the space between the partitions, through the openings in the rear partition, through the space between the rear partition and the rear wall and then out as foam through the openings 33 in the rear wall 34. The washing or other product is transformed from liquid and air to foam as it travels through the foaming insert. Preferably there is no space between the partitions and the side, top and bottom internal walls of the casing, so liquid and air do not pass around the partitions but go through the partition openings.

In a preferred embodiment seen in Figs. 18 and 19, the partition 22 in the front includes a snap bead 410 along its top and side walls, (corresponding walls numbered 28, 26 and 30 in Fig. 1), and casing 12 includes in its front opening 412 a recess 414 preferably along its side and top walls. The recess is shaped to accommodate the snap bead so that the snap bead and tray are retained securely within the casing 12 once the tray 18 has been inserted into the casing to form insert 11. The bead protrudes about 0.005-0.01 inches from the exterior edges of the partition.

Friction fit is preferably achieved through a 0.5 to 2 degree taper, preferably a 1 degree taper (from front to back), on both side walls of the tray platform, as can be seen in Fig. 20 at 50a and 51a.

Generally, the foaming insert will be used with a bottle 220 and a pump 200 (e.g., Figs 13-15). The pump will usually have a nozzle 210 through which the foam emerges and the bottle will have a reservoir 208 for the washing or other fluid in the bottle. The foaming insert 11 will typically be placed along the travel of fluid between the reservoir of washing (or other) fluid in the bottle and the pump nozzle. The pump serves to pump air and the fluid into the foaming insert so that foam may be created. Components of the pump will generally include an actuator 230, a collar stem 262 and a collar shoulder 260. The collar may contain internal threads which mate with external threads on the bottle neck to secure the pump to the bottle.

Other components of the pump in addition to the foaming insert and the features mentioned above may include an air cylinder 240, under connector 242, spring 250, valve ball 246, and dip tube 248.

The cylindrical exterior section 270 (see e.g., Fig. 1) of the casing facilitates tight fitting of the casing into the pump. The inside profile of the casing is preferably constant throughout its length (direction of flow of the surfactant-containing liquid) including the short section having the cylindrical exterior 270. As illustrated in Fig.1 , the inside profile of the casing is a racetrack shape.

It is a particular advantage of the invention that the foaming insert, e.g., tray, casing or partitions, may be made of the same material as the balance of the pump. As a result, and contrary to many prior pumps, the pump may be recyclable. Preferred materials for the foaming insert and/or the pump including polyolefins such as polypropylene, high density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene and low density polyethylene.

The openings on the partition and thicknesses of the partitions preferably range in size as follows: Openings: 0.005 - .12 inches diameter or longest side, if not circular

Thickness of partitions (distance from front wall to rear wall along “a” axis): 0.02-.56 inches

The partitions serve as baffles which assist in foam formation. Use of a foaming insert with a tray has the advantage that different types of baffles can be used if desired simply by replacing the tray or by replacing the partitions on the tray in embodiments where the partitions are removable. Adjacent partitions will generally be separated by a space, and fluid flow can be expected to occur through the space(s) separating the partitions and separating the rear partition from the rear wall, in addition to through the openings in the partitions and in the exit wall.

The casing may be manufactured by various methods such as additive manufacturing or injection molding. The casing may be manufactured in a single section with either method. The foaming pump, casing and tray of the invention will generally be used with a surfactantcontaining liquid such as a hand washing composition, a body washing composition, or a skin lotion.

Where ranges are provided above, the end points are meant to be included unless otherwise stated or required by context. Unless otherwise stated or required by context, “a” includes one or more.

Although the invention has been described wherein the tray includes two or more partitions, in certain situations it may be possible to use just a single partition.

The invention can be considered to have at least the following numbered aspects.

1 . A foaming insert for imparting turbulence to a fluid in a pump comprising a) a foaming insert casing suitable for insertion into a pump, b) a tray slidably received within the casing, the tray including i) a planar platform comprising two or more partitions associated therewith, ii) the partitions including openings, c) The partitions being suitable for causing turbulence in the flow of a fluid.

2. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the two or more partitions are removably attached to the planar platform.

3. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the two or more partitions are integral with the planar platform.

4. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the casing comprises interior walls and the partitions have exterior peripheral surfaces above the platform and wherein at least one or two of the exterior partition peripheral surfaces have a maximum of +- 0.1 in spacing from the interior wall of the casing when the tray is slid into the casing, in order to achieve a friction fit seal.

5. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the openings in the partition are circular.

6. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein each partition is planar and each opening has a center “a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the planar platform and wherein the “a” axis extending through the center of each of at least two openings in at least one column of openings on at least one of the partitions passes through the same vertical plane perpendicular to the plane of the planar platform. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein each partition is planar and each opening has a center “a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platform and wherein the “a” axis extending through the center of each opening in at least one row of openings on at least one of the partitions passes through the same horizontal plane parallel to the plane of the planar platform. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein each partition is planar and each opening has a center “a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform and perpendicular to the plane of the partition and wherein the center “a” axis extending through the center of each opening of a first partition extends through the center of an opening on a second partition. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein each partition is planar and each opening has a center ”a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform and perpendicular to the plane of the partition and wherein the center axis extending through the center of each opening of a first partition does not extend through the center of an opening on a second partition. The foaming insert according to claim 4 wherein the interior walls of the casing and the exterior peripheral surface of the partitions each comprise a planar top wall and arc shaped sides extending to a planar bottom. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the casing comprises a front entrance through which the tray is inserted and a rear wall beyond which the tray cannot pass and having openings through which the fluid can flow. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the casing and tray comprise polymers formed from the same monomers and neither comprises more than 5 wt% of a monomer not present in the other, such that they can be recycled together. The foaming insert according to claim 1 in combination with a pump. A pump comprising the foaming insert of claim 1 wherein the pump, including the casing, is recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable. Process of creating a foamed product comprising feeding a surfactant-containing liquid through the pump of claim 13. The foaming pump according to claim 14 comprising an inlet for air and an inlet for liquid leading directly or indirectly to a casing entrance. 17. The foaming insert according to claim 6 wherein each partition intersects the platform at an angle from 70 to 110 degrees with respect to the platform.

18. The foaming insert according to claim 7 wherein each partition intersects the platform at an angle from 70 to 110 degrees with respect to the platform.

19. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the openings pass through front and rear walls of the partitions and at least one of the partitions intersects the platform at an angle outside the range of 88-92 degrees to form an angled partition, and at least one of the openings in the angled partition is formed at an angle to the front and rear walls of the angled partition such that the opening has the axis passing through its center at its intersection with both its front and rear wall and the center axis is parallel to both the plane of the planar platform and to the longitudinal axis of the planar platform.

20. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the casing includes a front opening for receiving the tray, one of said two or more partitions being disposed at a front of the tray and including one or more snap beads along one or more of its front and side walls, the front opening of the casing including a recess along one or more of its top and side walls suitable for receiving the snap bead whereby removably to secure the tray within the casing.

It should be understood, of course, that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

Claims

1 . A foaming insert (11) for imparting turbulence to a fluid in a pump comprising a) a foaming insert casing (12) suitable for insertion into a pump, b) a tray (18) slidably received within the casing, the tray including i) a planar platform (20) comprising two or more partitions (22) associated therewith, the two or more partitions having top and side surfaces, ii) the partitions including openings (32) and having a bottom edge (24) where they meet the platform (20) or, in the case of a front-most panel, forming the bottom of the platform (20), c) The partitions being suitable for causing turbulence in the flow of a fluid.

2. The foaming insert according to claim 1 wherein the two or more partitions (22) are removably attached to the planar platform (20).

3. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein the casing (12) comprises interior walls and the partitions have exterior peripheral surfaces above the platform and wherein at least one or two or more of the exterior partition peripheral surfaces have a maximum of +/-0.01 in spacing from the interior wall of the casing when the tray (18) is slid into the casing in order to achieve a friction fit seal and wherein friction fit is achieved between the tray and the casing in part through a 0.5 to 2 degree taper (from front to back) on the tray.

4. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein the openings (32) in the partition are circular.

5. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein each partition (22) is planar and each opening has a center “a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the planar platform and wherein the “a” axis extending through the center of each of at least two openings in at least one column of openings on at least one of the partitions (22), the axis passing through the same vertical plane perpendicular to the plane of the planar platform (20).

6. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein each partition (22) is planar and each opening has a center “a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platform and wherein the “a” axis extending through the center of each opening in at least one row of openings on at least one of the partitions passes through the same horizontal plane parallel to the plane of the planar platform (20).

7. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein each partition (22) is planar and each opening has a center “a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform (20) and perpendicular to the plane of the partition and wherein the center “a” axis extending through the center of each opening of a first partition extends through the center of an opening on a second partition.

8. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein each partition (22) is planar and each opening has a center ”a” axis extending parallel to the plane of the planar platform (20) and perpendicular to the plane of the partition and wherein the center axis extending through the center of each opening of a first partition does not extend through the center of an opening on a second partition.

9. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein interior walls of the casing (12) and the exterior peripheral surface of the partitions (22) each comprise a planar top wall and arc shaped sides extending to a planar bottom.

10. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein the casing (12) comprises a front entrance through which the tray (18) is inserted and a rear wall beyond which the tray cannot pass and having openings through which the fluid can flow.

11. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein the casing (12) and tray (18) comprise polymers formed from the same monomers and neither comprises more than 5 wt% of a monomer not present in the other, such that they can be recycled together.

12. The foaming insert (11) according to claim 1 wherein the casing (12) includes a front opening for receiving the tray (18), one of said two or more partitions (22) being disposed at a front of the tray and including one or more snap beads (410) along one or more of its front and side walls, the front opening of the casing including a recess (414) along one or more of its top and side walls suitable for receiving the snap bead whereby removably to secure the tray within the casing.

13. A pump (200) comprising the foaming insert (11) of claim 1 in combination with a bottle (220) wherein the pump, including the casing, is recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable.

14. Process of creating a foamed product comprising feeding a surfactant-containing liquid through the pump (200) of claim 13.

15. The foaming pump (200) according to claim 13 comprising an inlet for air and an inlet for liquid leading directly or indirectly to a casing (12) entrance.