Porous Foam Soap Generator for Remote Dispensing Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soap foam delivery systems face issues with foam breakdown and reduced output when the dispensing head is remote from the liquid soap source, leading to inefficient soap dispensing and potential failures due to the distance and pressure challenges in counter-mount systems.
Innovation Solution
A soap foam generator with a housing having separate air and liquid inlets, a mixing chamber where air and liquid converge, and a porous passage to produce consistent and uniform foam, adaptable for use in remote systems with pressurized or unpressurized drive systems, ensuring air and soap separation until reaching the dispensing head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If foam is generated close to the liquid soap source and delivered through conduits to a remote dispensing head, then the dispensing head can be positioned remotely (e.g., in counter-mount systems), but the foam breaks down during transit resulting in reduced output volumes and potential dispensing failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the specific foamer head design with porous passages and mixing chamber) that maintains foam stability during remote delivery through conduits, preventing breakdown and ensuring reliable foam output at the dispensing head
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies physical parameters of the foam generation and delivery system, including pressure conditions, passage geometry, and porous structure characteristics, to maintain foam integrity over extended conduit lengths in remote dispensing applications
2Length of stationary object
If foam is generated close to the liquid soap source and delivered remotely, then remote dispensing is enabled, but the output volume becomes extremely low on subsequent dispensing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The specialized foamer head design acts as an intermediary that preserves foam structure and volume during remote delivery, preventing the extreme volume loss that occurs in conventional systems on subsequent dispensing operations
3Length of stationary object
If foam is generated close to the liquid soap source and delivered remotely, then remote dispensing is enabled, but the foam breaks down into liquid form resulting in wet foam output
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts physical parameters including pressure, passage geometry, and porous structure to maintain foam composition stability during remote delivery, preventing collapse into liquid form and ensuring consistent foam quality at the dispensing head
4Device complexity
If prior art foamer heads are used in remote systems, then simplicity of design is maintained, but the systems experience total failures to dispense when time between operations allows foam to fully breakdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes physical parameters of the foamer head design including passage geometry, porous structure, and pressure conditions to extend foam stability time, preventing total dispensing failures even when extended time intervals occur between dispensing operations
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution generates high-quality, consistent, and uniform soap foam, maintaining integrity over distance, reducing breakdown and ensuring efficient dispensing volumes, even in counter-mount systems with conduits of several feet in length.
Implementation Method 1
driven through a mesh, screen or porous passage to finish or homogenize the soap into a uniform stable composition
Implementation Method 2
a mixing chamber is employed prior to the porous structure or passage in order to prepare a prefoam of randomly sized and spaced bubbles
Data Source
AI summary
A foam soap generator is provided for implementation with various types of foam soap delivery systems. The foam soap generator includes converging air and liquid soap passages at a mixing chamber, where a prefoam is generated for ultimate extrusion through a porous passage member. In one embodiment of the invention, the soap and air are delivered through coaxial tubes, with the soap being introduced axially into the mixing chamber and the air being introduced radially angularly. In another embodiment, the liquid soap is drawn into an entrainment zone by high velocity air passing through the air passageway and into the mixing chamber.