Squeeze Foamer With Concentric Annular Mixing Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foam dispensing devices have suboptimal air and liquid mixture quality due to complex structures and bent passages, leading to reduced foam quality and increased production complexity.
Innovation Solution
The dispensing device features annular mouths for the air and liquid passages, a conical flexible valve body, and a constriction in the dispensing passage to enhance mixing and foam formation, allowing for a simpler and more efficient foam production process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the air passage and liquid passage are bent to connect the container to the dispensing opening, then the device structure is more flexible and compact, but the stream speed of liquid and air decreases leading to reduced foam quality
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using bent passages that slow down the flow, the patent inverts the approach by using substantially straight passages for both air and liquid flow from the container to the dispensing opening, maintaining high stream speed and improving foam quality while achieving compact configuration through the straight path design
2Device complexity
If conventional circular mouths are used for air and liquid passages, then the device structure is simple, but the mixture of air and liquid is not optimum resulting in unsatisfactory foam quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional circular mouths to substantially annular mouths for both air and liquid passages. This dimensional change from a point/circular opening to a ring-shaped opening increases the surface area for flow distribution, optimizing the mixture of air and liquid while maintaining simple device structure, thereby improving foam quality
3Reliability
If the valve body is made rigid for precise control, then the valve function is reliable, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing becomes more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible valve body made of elastomeric material that automatically responds to pressure changes. The flexibility of the valve body allows it to be pushed by pressurized air toward the liquid passage mouth, providing reliable valve function through material properties rather than complex mechanical structures, thus reducing device complexity
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 results in improved foam quality by distributing the liquid and air over a larger surface area, maintaining stream speed, and accelerating the foam flow, thereby simplifying the device construction and improving foam formation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
When the container is being squeezed, the valve body is pushed by the pressurized air towards the mouth of the liquid passage so that the liquid passage opens up
Implementation Method 2
a stream of air from the air passage and a stream of liquid from the liquid passage come together in the dispensing passage. In the dispensing passage, the mixture of liquid and air is passed through a number of sieves in order to create a foam
Implementation Method 3
After the container has been squeezed, the container will essentially return to its original state, either by the elasticity of the container itself or by restoring means which are provided in order to return the container to its original state
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a dispensing device for dispensing a foam, comprising a manually compressible container (2) for storing a liquid and air, which container comprises an opening (3), a rigid housing (4, 5) to be fitted in or on the opening, the housing comprising an air passage (11, 12) and a liquid passage (9), which are in communication with a dispensing passage (14) which ends in a dispensing opening (8), and a valve body (6) which, in a rest position, covers a mouth of the liquid passage and a mouth of the air passage (10) in a sealing manner in order to prevent a flow from the liquid passage and the air passage to the dispensing passage, and which, during dispensing, opens the mouth of the liquid passage and the mouth of the air passage in order to allow mixing of air and liquid to take place in the dispensing passage. The invention is characterized by the fact that the mouth of the air passage and the mouth of the liquid passage are- substantially annular and are arranged substantially concentrically with respect to one another.