Abstract:
The portable foaming device includes a vessel for containing liquids, foaming agents and compressed gas. The compressed gas forces the liquid/foaming agent mixture from the vessel by means of a tube which is controlled by a valve. The liquid/foaming agent mixture is formed into a foam by means of a gas conduit formed in the tube. The compressed gas can be maintained by means of a pump or an air compressor.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/574,469, filed May 26, 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates to a liquid dispensing device and more particularly to a portable liquid dispensing device which dispenses foam.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     Many types of liquid dispensing devices exist. In previous devices, a liquid is turned into a foam by agitating a container of fluid to form foam within a container. The foam is then dispensed from the container. Materials in a liquid state which are transmuted into a foam have a wide variety of uses in commerce, industry agriculture and many other fields. Typically, a liquid is sprayed to clean surfaces, protect plants, animals and people from pests and eliminate weeds or noxious vegetation. In many cases the spay formula is less effective than desired as it is affected by light breezes and gravity. Foamed material has numerous advantages. Foamed agents work over an extended period of time. Foamed materials are less likely to drift in light breezes and are inherently efficient as less material is lost to drippage, drift and run-off. This provides both a favorable environmental and economic impact, as well as, increasing the efficiency of the formula.  
         [0006]     Foaming devices known in the art are often complex, expensive, difficult to manufacture, not easily adapted to existing products and frequently require special mixing chambers to produce the foam.  
         [0007]     An object of the present invention is to provide a foaming apparatus which automatically creates foam from a foaming agent.  
         [0008]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a foaming apparatus which can be does not require manual agitation to form foam.  
         [0009]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a foaming apparatus which can be adapted to existing products.  
         [0010]     An object of the present invention is to provide a foaming apparatus which is simple to manufacture and use.  
         [0011]     Finally, it is an object of the present invention to accomplish the foregoing objectives in a simple and cost effective manner.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The present invention addresses these needs by providing a device for forming foam from a foamable fluid and for dispensing the formed foam. The device includes a tank for holding the foamable fluid. The tank is preferably made from a substantially rigid, fluid impermeable material. The tank is preferably cylindrical in shape as is common for liquid dispensers but may be of any shape appropriate for the intended use. The device further includes a gas introduction device such as a pump or air compressor, for introducing a compressed gas into the tank. The device further includes a foam conduit for transporting the formed foam from the tank. The foam conduit is preferably a pressure hose and can be made from a single length of hose or can include several sections. The foam conduit can be of any appropriate cross-sectional shape but is preferably round or oval. The device additionally includes a gas conduit for allowing the compressed gas to enter the foam conduit such that the compressed gas mixes with the foamable fluid to form foam. The gas conduit is one or more openings formed in the foam conduit such that the opening(s) is located within the compressed gas introduced into the tank. The gas conduit can be of any appropriate shape but is preferably round or oval. The device preferably includes an apparatus for controlling the flow of foam from the tank such as a nozzle or valve whereby flow can be completely stopped as needed. The device may also include an apparatus for directing the foam such as a wand connected to the nozzle or valve.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     A more complete description of the subject matter of the present invention and the advantages thereof, can be achieved by the reference to the following detailed description by which reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention taken across line IA;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is an exploded cross-sectional view of the portion of the preferred embodiment of the present invention indicated by line III in  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0017]      FIG. 4   a  is a partial side view of the conduit used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4   b  is a cross-sectional view of the conduit used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention taken across line IVB;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5   a  is a partial side view of the conduit used in an alternate embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 5   b  is a cross-sectional view of the conduit used in an alternate embodiment of the present invention taken across line VB;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6   a  is a partial side view of the conduit used in an alternate embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6   b  is a cross-sectional view of the conduit used in an alternate embodiment of the present invention taken across line VIB;  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 10  is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0027]      FIG. 11  is an exploded cross-sectional view of the portion of an alternate embodiment of the present invention indicated by line III in  FIG. 1   a ; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 12  is an exploded cross-sectional view of the portion of an alternate embodiment of the present invention indicated by line III in  FIG. 1   a.   
     
    
     ELEMENT LIST  
       [0000]    
       
         
           
              22 tank  
              24 pressure hose  
              26 pump  
              28 nozzle  
              30 wand  
              32 air-tight connector  
              34 gas conduit  
              36 lid  
              38 hose connection port  
           
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0038]     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention.  
         [0039]     The present invention is a foaming apparatus, specifically, a portable foaming device that creates a pressurized foam and discharges the foam in a controlled manner through use of compressed air within a vessel containing foamable material.  
         [0040]      FIGS. 1-4   b  show the preferred embodiment. A generally cylindrical tank  22  is constructed from a substantially rigid material which is capable of containing a liquid formula, which includes a foaming agent, and compressed gas. One end of a pressure hose  24  extends into the interior of the tank  22  through an air-tight connector  32 . This end of the pressure hose  24  extends all the way through the liquid formula so that it remains in the liquid formula as the volume of liquid formula decreases. The opposite end of the pressure hose  24  is connected to a nozzle  28  which controls flow of the liquid formula from within the tank  22 . A wand  30  can be connected to the nozzle  28  for greater control of the exiting foamed liquid.  FIG. 10  shows the present invention used with just a nozzle  28 . The lid of the tank  22  preferably includes or provides for the inclusion of a pump  26  for compressing the gas inside the tank  22 .  
         [0041]      FIGS. 3, 4   a  and  4   b  show the apparatus which causes the liquid formula to become foam. The pressure hose  24  includes a gas conduit  34  on the portion of the pressure hose  24  which extends into the tank  22 . The gas conduit  34  allows compressed gas inside the tank  22  to enter the pressure hose  24  as the liquid formula is allowed to exit the tank  22 . Mixing the compressed gas with the exiting liquid formula causes the liquid formula to become a foam as it travels through the pressure hose  24  such that a foam exits the nozzle  28  or wand  30 .  
         [0042]     While the preferred embodiment of the present invention shows the use of a single, round gas conduit  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b , the gas conduit  34  can be a shape other than round and multiple gas conduits  34  can be formed in the pressure hose  24 . And, as shown in  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b , the gas conduits  34  need not be spaced equally around the pressure hose  24 . Further, while the preferred embodiment shows a round pressure hose  24 , the pressure hose  24  can be of other shapes, such as the oval shape shown in  FIG. 6   b.    
         [0043]     In an alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the tank  22  may use an alternate means for providing compressed gas into the tank  22 . In this embodiment, instead of a pump  26 , an air compressor (not shown) can be used to compress the gas inside the tank  22 . The tank  22  either includes a lid  36  with an air-tight connection or an integral lid.  
         [0044]     In another alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , instead of introducing compressed gas into the upper portion of the tank  22 , compressed gas is introduced into the bottom of the tank  22 . In this embodiment, the pressure hose  24  also enters the tank  22  at the bottom through an air-tight connector  32  and extends through the liquid formula. As the liquid formula exits the tank  22 , the compressed gas forces the remaining liquid formula into the upper portion of the tank  22 .  
         [0045]      FIG. 9  shows another alternate embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a square or rectangular tank  22  is used. Additionally, a handle activated pump  26  is provided for introducing compressed gas into the tank  22 . In this embodiment, the pressure hose  24  enters through an air-tight connector  32  at the lower portion of the tank  22  and winds around inside the tank  22  to extend into the liquid formula.  
         [0046]     In further alternate embodiments shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the pressure hose  24 , shown as a single hose in the preferred embodiment, can consist of multiple portions. As shown in  FIG. 11 , one portion  24   a  of pressure hose  24  extends into and connects with the air-tight connector  32 . The air-tight connector  32  includes a hose connection port  38  which extends into the tank  22 . A second portion  24   b  of the pressure hose  24  attaches to the hose connection port  38  and extends into the liquid formula. This portion  24   b  includes at least one gas conduit  34 . In the alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 12 , the pressure hose  24  includes the external portion  24   a  as described for  FIG. 11  as well as the hose connection port  38  which extends into the tank  22 . In this embodiment, the second portion  24   b  of the pressure hose  24  attaches to the hose connection port  38  and to a third portion  24   c  of the pressure hose  24 . The second portion  24   b  of the pressure hose  24  includes at least one gas conduit  34 . The third portion  24   c  of the pressure hose  24  extends through the liquid formula.  
         [0047]     In use, a functional configuration employs a cylindrical tank  22  having a built-in hand pump  26 . The liquid formula is placed in the tank  22  and the tank is closed in an air-tight fashion. The pump  26  is activated to insert compressed air into the tank  22 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , a pressure hose  24  is used which consists of two sections  24   a , 24   b . The pressure hose  24  is round in cross-section and the portion  24   b  inside the tank  22  has an internal diameter of 0.23 inches. The portion  24   a  of the pressure hose  24  outside the tank  22  has an internal diameter of 0.20 inches. Two round gas conduit openings  34  are located in the portion  24   b  of the pressure hose  24  which is surrounded by the compressed gas. The openings  34  have a diameter of 0.0395 inches. The portion  24   a  of the pressure hose  24  outside the tank  22  connects to a nozzle  28  which has an exit diameter of 0.25 inches.  
         [0048]     While the preferred embodiment of the present invention shows one specific design for a foam dispensing apparatus, other designs are considered within the scope of this invention. The tank  22  may be of any shape capable of containing the liquid formula and compressed gas and which allows for the insertion of a pressure hose  24  or other means for transporting the liquid formula from the tank  22  in foam form. The pressure hose  24  may be of any appropriate shape but must extend into the liquid formula and preferably extends completely through the liquid formula. Pumps and air compressors have been disclosed for providing compressed gas into the tank  22  but other means for providing compressed gas may be used. The gas conduit  34  may be of any appropriate shape which allows the compressed gas to enter the pressure hose  24 . More than one gas conduit  34  may be used and they may be distributed evenly or unevenly around the pressure hose  24 . The gas conduits  34  must be located in the portion of the tank  22  which holds the compressed gas.  
         [0049]     Many improvements, modifications, and additions will be apparent to the skilled artisan without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as described herein and defined in the following claims.