This invention relates to the production of foam. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus which capable of creating foam and a method for creating foam whereby the apparatus is simple to manufacture and to operate.
The production of foam is one that has fascinated persons for some time. Foam may be used as a toy, item of entertainment, or even to decorate. There have been numerous attempts on the part of inventors to create foam to suit their needs. U.S. Pat. No. No. 53,692 issued in 1866 was directed to producing foam while dispensing beer. The inventor recognized a desire to dispense “foaming beer or other liquids to any degree desired.” Here was an early recognition of foam used in delivery of a beverage. The foam may have been intended as enhancing both the beverage and the aesthetic presentation of the beverage. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,252 issued to Tasaki et al. in 1990 relates to a nozzle cap affixed to an inlet source, whereby a foaming cylinder creates foam in receiving the liquid from an inlet source. U.S. Pat. No. No. 6,708,902 issued in 2004 to Takeshi et al. relates to a foam water delivery port whereby an aerator is attached to a water inlet source. Said aerator functions to produce the desired foam. U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,286 relates to a toy whereby bubbles are produced in bath water. Each of these concepts contain a common feature, there must be an external supply of liquid in order to produce the foam desired. The present invention has addressed this deficiency and provided a single unit whereby no inlet source of liquid is required.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for producing foam.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for making foam whereby said apparatus may produce foam shapes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for making foam intended to be used as a toy or item of entertainment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process for creating foam.
An apparatus for producing foam comprising:
The apparatus has a solution chamber wherein said solution chamber retains a solution comprising at least one solvent. This solvent may be either organic, aqueous, or a cosolvent comprising at least one aqueous and at least one organic solvent. The solvent in said solution chamber further comprises at least one surfactant which may be at least one ionic surfactant, at least one non-ionic surfactant, or any combination thereof.
The apparatus further comprises a gas inlet to supply gas from outside the apparatus to the interior of the apparatus. The gas may be any gas desired. The desired gas may include, but would not be limited to air, nitrogen, helium, or any inert gas. In one embodiment, the gas may be supplied to the interior solution chamber of the apparatus at a pressure between 0.1-60 psi, preferably 0.1-40 psi. In one embodiment the gas may be supplied at a pressure between 0.1-20 psi.
The apparatus comprises a perforated membrane formed with a plurality of perforations along opposing surfaces of said membrane. The perforations allow for the solution in said solution chamber to be transported through the membrane and into a foam formation chamber. The physical shear of the solution passing through the perforations combined with aeration of gas supplied through the inlet port commences the formation of the foam along the surface of the membrane that is in the foam formation chamber.
The perforated membrane may be formed of rubber, plastic, polymer or metal. Further, the size and shape of the perforations in the membrane may vary depending on the physical and chemical characteristics of the solution placed in the solution chamber. In one embodiment, the apparatus has an exit port that is substantially round. In another embodiment the exit port may be covered with either a fixed or removable/changeable cover whereby the foam exiting the apparatus may be extruded into a shape. It is also contemplated to have a process for producing foam.
A process for producing foam comprising:
The process comprises filling a solution chamber with a solution. Said solution chamber retains a solution comprising at least one solvent. This solvent may be either organic, aqueous, or a cosolvent comprising at least one aqueous and at least one organic solvent. The solvent in said solution chamber further comprises at least one surfactant which may be at least one ionic surfactant, at least one non-ionic surfactant, or any combination thereof.
The process further comprises a gas inlet to supply gas from outside the apparatus to the interior of the apparatus. The gas may be any gas desired. The desired gas may include, but would not be limited to air, nitrogen, helium, or any inert gas. In one embodiment, the gas may be supplied to the interior solution chamber of the apparatus at a pressure between 0.1-60 psi, preferably 0. 1-40 psi. In one embodiment the gas may be supplied at a pressure between 0.1-20 psi. Because the operating pressure may be small, it is possible, in one embodiment for a person to blow exhaled air into the apparatus to produce the foam. In an alternative embodiment, one may use a hand pump similar to a conventional bicycle pump in order to supply air through the gas inlet and into the solution chamber. In yet another embodiment, one may utilize any manual, mechanical or electric pump to supply air through the gas inlet and into the solution chamber.
The process further comprises a perforated membrane formed with a plurality of perforations along opposing surfaces of said membrane. The perforations allow for the solution in said solution chamber to be transported through the membrane and into a foam formation chamber. The physical shear of the solution passing through the perforations combined with aeration of gas supplied through the inlet port commences the formation of the foam along the surface of the membrane that is in the foam formation chamber.
The perforated membrane may be formed of rubber, plastic, polymer or metal. Further, the size and shape of the perforations in the membrane may vary depending on the physical and chemical characteristics of the solution placed in the solution chamber. In one embodiment, the apparatus has an exit port that is substantially round. In another embodiment the exit port may be covered with either a fixed or removable/changeable cover whereby the foam exiting the apparatus may be extruded into a shape.
While the invention has been described in its preferred form or embodiment with some degree of particularity, it is understood that this description has been given only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction, fabrication, and use, including the combination and arrangement of parts, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.