High output mini foamer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foamers with larger dosages require larger bottle sizes and increased plastic usage, leading to higher production costs and consumer resistance to changing packaging, while current mini foamers deliver insufficient dosages for applications like hand washing and cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A high output mini foamer design that increases the air and liquid chamber sizes and stroke length while maintaining compatibility with bottles having a 33 mm neck finish, achieving a dosage of approximately 1.0 cc to 1.1 cc through optimized component dimensions and ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If chamber sizes and stroke length are increased to achieve larger dosage, then dosage output is improved, but pump size and bottle size increase leading to more plastic usage
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanism is nested within the bottle assembly with the air chamber and liquid chamber arranged in a compact configuration where components are integrated and nested within each other. The piston assembly is nested within the chambers, and the entire pump mechanism fits within the bottle's internal volume, maximizing space utilization without increasing external dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a traditional linear arrangement of pump components to a three-dimensional compact configuration. The air chamber and liquid chamber are arranged in adjacent spatial dimensions rather than linear sequence, and the piston movement is optimized in multiple directions to maximize dosage output within the constrained vertical and radial dimensions of the bottle.
2Quantity of substance
If chamber sizes and stroke length are increased to achieve larger dosage, then dosage output is improved, but production cycle time increases leading to higher production costs
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanism pre-positions the piston and prepares the air-liquid mixture in the chambers before actuation. The valve system is pre-configured to enable rapid intake and discharge phases, and the spring mechanism is pre-compressed to provide immediate force upon actuation, reducing the time required for each dispensing cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump operates through optimized periodic cycles of intake, compression, and discharge phases. The valve timing and piston motion are synchronized to create efficient periodic action where each phase is optimized for speed, allowing high dosage output to be achieved in repeated short cycles rather than requiring a single prolonged action.
3Quantity of substance
If pump size is increased to achieve larger dosage, then dosage output is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air chamber and liquid chamber are merged into a single integrated pump housing structure. The valve stems and seals are combined in a unified arrangement, and the piston assembly integrates both air and liquid displacement functions. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall pump mechanism while maintaining high dosage capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The single piston assembly serves multiple functions by sequentially compressing both air and liquid in different phases of its stroke. The valve system universally controls both intake and discharge operations for both chambers. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, simplifying the overall device structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A foamer for use in dispensing a dosage of a product which has a foam consistency is disclosed. The foamer is described as having a high output and as being a mini foamer such that the associated pump engine is able to deliver a dosage for each stroke which is in excess of that dosage normally associated with mini foamers. The receptacle to which the pump engine is assembled has a neck finish which is smaller than those neck finishes normally associated with higher output foamers. The resulting combination as set forth herein is to provide a higher output dosage without changing the size benefits and preferences of a mini foamer.