Patent Application
20150265984
The present invention relates to a system for disrupting suspensions in a container. Specifically, the system disrupts two immiscible phases that form during soap or cleanser production, so that the resulting suspension can be poured or pumped easily from a soap dispenser.
Chemical emulsifiers are used by manufacturers to reduce surface tension between two immiscible phases such as two different liquid phases or a liquid and a solid phase. However, there are rising health risk concerns about the use of chemical emulsifiers. Various emulsifiers have been shown to cause allergic reactions, skin irritation, respiratory problems, and if ingested, may cause nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Soap is generally made by mixing a triglyceride (such as animal fat or vegetable oils) with a caustic soda (such as lye). The reaction produces glycerin and soap. When certain types of liquid soaps or cleansers are made, the resulting product often separates into a clear bottom liquid portion (usually a high density hydrophilic composition) and a top opaque solid or thick liquid portion (usually a lower density hydrophobic composition having various fats and oils). Hydrophobic and hydrophilic compositions do not mix well together and separate into two phases, even after mixing. Creating a uniform suspension having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions therefore remains a challenge.
Chemical emulsifiers have been used by manufacturers to reduce surface tension between two immiscible phases, and the use of chemical emulsifiers is one way to create a uniform liquid soap suspension having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances. The use of physical, non-chemical, emulsifying techniques are not generally sufficient to thoroughly mix the hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances into a pumpable or pourable suspension. For example, magnetic stir bars have been used to mix substances through the use of an outer electrically controlled spinning magnet, and an inner magnet within a container having multiple substances.
In the magnetically controlled electric stir bar systems, as the outer magnet rotates, an inner stir bar within the container rotates along with the outer magnet. This rotation creates a vortex in the container, thereby mixing the difference substances together. However, this technique has its limitations because the inner magnetic stir bar must remain at the bottom of the container since the inner magnet is magnetically coupled to a magnet housed in a tabletop device. Magnets in these systems therefore cannot easily mix substances that float, stick to container walls, or are generally immiscible because the magnet in the container remains only at the bottom of the container. Therefore, there is a need to find alternative ways to create suspensions of liquid soaps and cleansers that do not use chemical emulsifiers to create more environmentally friendly cleansers.
The embodiments of the present invention are directed to a system and method for mixing immiscible phases. When making soaps, a top immiscible hydrophobic phase and a bottom immiscible hydrophilic phase form when oils are react with lye to form soap. Other skin cleansers contain components that separate out in solution into different phases and adhere to the side walls of the container These phases do not naturally form uniform suspensions without chemical emulsifiers. It is an object of the present invention to create a uniform liquid cleansing or soap suspension without using chemical emulsifiers. The uniform suspension should be pumpable or pourable from a liquid soap dispenser.
In a first embodiment, a soap dispenser has an inner magnet, an outer magnet, and a container. The container has a body surrounding a well. The body has an inner surface, an outer surface, a bottom region, a middle region, and top region. The inner magnet is disposed within the well of the container and the outer magnet is disposed on the outer surface of the container. The outer magnet is designed to attract the inner magnet to the inner surface of the container. The inner magnet can be moved to the bottom, middle or top region of the container as the user moves the outer magnet among the different regions on the outer surface of the bottom, middle, or top region of the container. As the inner magnet moves along the inner surfaces, the magnet will break apart, agitate, disrupt, and/or dislodge the hydrophobic immiscible material, thereby forming a liquid soap suspension that previously separated into two distinct phases that could not both be pumped through a liquid soap dispenser.
In some embodiments, the magnet has a substantially flat first end, a middle region and a second end. There may be one or more protrusions on the inner magnet, or attached to the inner magnet. These protrusions aid in breaking apart solid substances in the liquid soap suspension. The protrusions may be on one of the ends of the magnet, the sides of the magnet, or both the sides and end of the magnet.
In another embodiment, the invention comprises an outer stirring member, and an inner stirring member. The outer and inner stirring member can be magnets, but they can also be a magnetic or magnetizable member. It is not required that both inner and outer stirring members both be magnets magnets, but could be made typically of magnetic iron. In one embodiment the outer member could be a magnet and the inner member could be a magnetic member, or vice versa.
Another object of the invention is a method of creating a liquid soap suspension. The method involves the steps of: placing the outer magnet on the outer surface of the container, attracting the inner magnet to the outer magnet, and moving the outer magnet along the outer surface of the container. The movement of the outer magnet along the outer surface of the container moves the inner magnet along the inner surface of the container because the inner and outer magnets are magnetically coupled to each other. The movement of the inner magnet disrupts the top immiscible phase (which may be comprised of various oil substances), and the continued movement of the inner magnet between the top immiscible phase and bottom immiscible phase (which may be a water based substance, such as glycerin) mixes the two phases together, thereby creating a uniform suspension.
In one embodiment, the user moves the magnet along the bottom, middle, and top regions of the container in order to thoroughly break apart, dislodge and mix the two phases together.
The following discussion addresses a number of embodiments and applications of the present disclosure. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and are shown by way of illustration of specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The beneficial features of the present disclosure will be evident from the described embodiments. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such specific application and that numerous implementations of the present disclosure may be realized.
Disposed within the well 36 is an inner magnet 18. The inner magnet 18 is attracted to an outer magnet 10 on the outside of the body 39 of the container capable of being moved around by a user. The magnets 10, 18 may be shaped in a variety of ways.
The inner magnet may be shaped so that there are protrusions on its second end 24. The second end 24 of the inner magnet maybe be substantially flat 24, have multiple protrusions 24a, or a single protrusion 24b. In addition to the second end 24, 24a, 24b of the inner magnet 18, 18a, 18b having protrusions, the side(s) of the magnet may have side protrusions 26 to help break apart any solid or thick liquid substances that the magnet 18a, 18b engages. The protrusions should preferably not be magnetic or capable of attracting a magnet because the protrusions should project inward or sideward to break up viscous material rather than be attracted to the outer magnet. The protrusion should be integral with the inner magnet 18a, 18b with the non-magnetic attachments. The magnets 10, 18 may be of any size but the outer magnet 10 should be of sufficient size so that it can be easily grasped and moved with one hand, and the inner magnet is of sufficient size that it is large enough to be able to mix the contents of the well 36. Magnet lengths between approximately 1 cm and 5 cm are likely sufficient to accomplish the objects of the invention, but other sizes may work as well.
Although the outer magnet 10 and inner magnet 18, 18a, 18b are illustrated as both being magnetic, the object of the invention would still be satisfied if the invention comprised an outer stirring member 10 and an inner stirring member 18, 18a, 18b were a magnetic and magnetizable member (but not a magnet itself). It is not required that both stirring members 10, 18, 18a, 18b, both be magnets. The magnet could be composed typically of magnetic iron. The outer stirring member 10 could be a magnet and the inner stirring member 18, 18a, 18b could be a non-magnet but made from a metal attracted to the outer stirring magnet 10, or vice versa. In this system, the user can move the outer stirring member 10 in the same manner as in the previously described embodiment, and have the same effect of mixing the two phases 38, 48 of the soap to create a more uniform suspension.
Turning attention now to the method of creating a suspension, the user grasps the outer magnet 10 and moves it to a location on the outer surface 44 of the body 39 near the inner magnet 18. When the inner magnet 18 is sufficiently close to the outer magnet, the inner magnet 18 is magnetically drawn to the inner surface of the soap dispenser body 39. When the user moves the outer magnet 10, the inner magnet 18 correspondingly moves along the inner surface 46 of the body 39, disrupting the solid portion and mixing the solid portion into a useable soap suspension. As shown in
After sufficient agitation and disruption of the top phase 38 by the inner magnet 18, a more uniform suspension 56 of hydrophobic and hydrophilic compositions is created, as depicted in
Over time, without emulsifiers, the suspension 56 may again separate into two layers 38, 48. If this occurs, the user can easily re-suspend the soap by repeating the process of moving the outer magnet 18 along the outer surface 44 of the body 39 when the inner magnet 18 is magnetically attached to it. Moving the magnets may not be sufficient to fully mix the two layers 38, 48 together. To further assist with mixing after the magnets have broken up the ingredients adhering to the walls, the user may shake the container to suspend two layers 38, 48 together. It is advantageous to detach the outer magnet 10 from the outer wall so that the inner magnet 18 is no longer attracted to the inner wall of the container. Without magnetic attraction, the inner magnet 18 is free to move anywhere within the container body 39. By allowing the inner magnet 18 to travel freely within the container 10, the inner magnet 18 can act as an agitator to further mix substances within the container body 39 when shaken.
The specific embodiments described and illustrated should not be understood as limiting the present invention to the precise embodiments and illustrations. For example, although the embodiments have been described as relating primarily to soap and cleanser suspensions, it is to be understood that the device and methods would be able to suspend immiscible layers of non-soap substances. It is intended that the scope of the present invention not be limited by this detailed description, but by the claims and the equivalents to the claims appended hereto
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/969,684, filed on Mar. 24, 2014, fully incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61969684 | Mar 2014 | US |
