Abstract:
A liquid foam composition and a foam dispenser. The liquid foam composition includes a combination of water, a surfactant, and a emulsifier. The foam dispenser includes a container containing the liquid foam composition. The foam dispenser further includes a foam dispensing pump having mesh within a liquid passage, a closure securing the foam dispensing pump assembly within the container, and a nozzle operably connected to the foam dispensing pump and extending from the closure. The nozzle is fluidly connected to the liquid passage.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/355,402, filed Jun. 28, 2016, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to edible foam for beverages and, more particularly, to a foam formula and dispensing apparatus. 
         [0003]    Sweet and edible foams are used to top hot drinks, such as hot chocolate and coffee. Current edible foams need to be refrigerated because they contain a fresh cream ingredient. Further, other edible foams may require the use of nitrous oxide pressure dispensers. 
         [0004]    As can be seen, there is a need for a foam formula that has improved shelf life and a dispensing apparatus that does not require the use of a nitrous oxide. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In one aspect of the present invention, a liquid foam composition comprises a combination of water, a whey protein isolate, and a quillaia extract. 
         [0006]    In another aspect of the present invention, a foam dispenser comprises: 
         [0007]    a container, wherein the liquid foam composition mentioned above is disposed within the container; a foam dispensing pump comprising mesh inserts within a liquid passage; a closure securing the foam dispensing pump within the container; and a nozzle operably connected to the foam dispensing pump and extending from the closure, wherein the nozzle is fluidly connected to the liquid passage. 
         [0008]    These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention with an actuator in a locked position; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention with an actuator in an unlocked position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a section view of the present invention, taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a section view of an embodiment of the present invention illustrating the depression of an actuator; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart of an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
         [0016]    The present invention includes a shelf stable latte foamer. The present invention may be used with coffee and hot chocolate. Where current foams will dissolve quickly in hot beverages, the present invention includes a formulation that allows the foam to be firm for an extended time period, about 2 hours, on hot beverages. The foam is also long lasting on alcoholic beverages, milks, carbonated products, juice beverages as well as use in desserts or breakfast products like pancakes. 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the present invention includes a foam dispenser. The foam dispenser includes a container  10  that contains the foamable liquid up to a liquid level  54 . The container  10  may include external threads on an outer circumferential edge portion of its opening. A closure  40  has a large opening which is provided in its top wall and an outer circumferential portion which is threaded internally. The closure  40  is engaged threadably and sealingly with the container  10  to firmly fasten a foam dispensing pump to the container  10 . 
         [0018]    The foam dispensing pump includes a housing  16  formed of a double cylinder. The double cylinder includes a large air cylinder and a small liquid cylinder, which are formed concentrically with each other. An upper opening edge portion of the double cylinder has a fitting annular portion fitted in a locking arrangement between the container  10  and the closure  40 . 
         [0019]    The present invention may further include an air piston  32  and a liquid piston  28  assembled in a concentric arrangement to each other. When these pistons  32  and  28  are forced into the air cylinder and the liquid cylinder respectively at assembly, a coil spring  24  is inserted between the liquid cylinder and the liquid piston  28  so that the pistons  32 ,  28  are urged upwardly at all times by the spring  24 . 
         [0020]    The housing  16  includes a cylindrical wall portion disposed below the fitting annular portion and a bottom wall portion extending diametrically inwardly from a lower end of the cylindrical wall and then turning upwardly at its central portion. The liquid cylinder includes a cylindrical wall portion extending downwardly in continuation from an upper end of the turned up portion of the bottom wall portion of the air cylinder. An annular seat is formed on an inner surface to provide a seat for receiving a lower end of a spring stem  22 . A funnel-shaped valve seat portion is formed below the annular seat for providing a valve seat for a ball valve  20  and a cylindrical lower hole portion terminating the liquid cylinder. 
         [0021]    The cylindrical wall portion of the housing  16  has, at its upper end portion, an air hole  18  for introducing air into the container  10 . 
         [0022]    The ball valve  20  constitutes a first check valve for opening an inlet of a liquid chamber, which is defined by the liquid cylinder of the housing  16  and the liquid piston  28 , when a negative pressure prevails in the liquid chamber. 
         [0023]    Press-fitted to the lower hole portion of the liquid cylinder of the housing  16 , there is a dip tube  12  which extends to reach the bottom of the container  10 . 
         [0024]    Thus, the air piston  32  and the liquid piston  28 , serving as the piston of the foam dispensing pump of the present invention, moves up and down in the air cylinder and the liquid cylinder of the housing  16 . 
         [0025]    The air piston  32  includes a cap-shaped air chamber portion, an annular sliding seal portion extending downwardly and outwardly from the lower end of the air chamber portion and moving up and down sealingly in sliding contact with inner surfaces of the cylindrical wall of the housing  16  to create sufficient hermetic seal. A hollow rod portion extends upwardly from a central portion of the air chamber portion and an annular seal portion extends upwardly and outwardly from an upper portion of the air chamber portion. 
         [0026]    The hollow rod portion of the air piston  32  includes a lower portion, in which the liquid piston  28  fits within and an upper portion forming a mixing chamber. A gasket  30  fits in between the air piston  32  and the liquid piston  28 . An internal diameter of the lower portion is substantially equal to an external diameter of the liquid piston  28 , and the lower portion has a plurality of relatively wide vertical grooves for forming an air passage in conjunction with the outer surface of the liquid piston  28 . The upper portion of the hollow rod portion has seat disposed within and an opening formed therethrough leading into the mixing chamber. 
         [0027]    The liquid piston  28  is provided, on an inner surface of its upper end portion, with a valve seat, which is funnel-shaped to have a larger internal diameter towards its upper end portion, and, at its lower end portion, with a sliding seal portion which moves up and down sealingly in the cylindrical wall portion of the liquid cylinder. 
         [0028]    In the liquid piston  28 , as shown, there is fitted a rod valve member  26 . The rod valve member  26  forms a second check valve. This second check valve opens and closes a liquid outlet at an upper end of the liquid piston  28  as the housing  16  and the liquid piston  28  is moved up and down. The rod valve member  26  is formed to have a larger rod portion at its upper portion and a smaller rod portion at its lower portion. At the upper end of the larger rod portion of the rod valve member  26  is a valve head portion of an inverted conical shape. At a lower end of the smaller rod portion of the rod valve member  26  is a diametrically enlarged portion extending from the smaller rod portion via a step and then converging towards its bottom end. The larger rod portion of the rod valve-member  26  has an external diameter smaller than the internal diameter of the smaller diameter portion of the liquid piston  28  so that a liquid passage is formed when the larger rod portion is inserted into the upper portion of the liquid piston  26 . Further, at least the largest diameter of the cone of the valve head portion at the upper end of the rod valve member is larger than the smallest diameter of the funnel-shaped valve seat at the upper end portion of the liquid piston  26 , so that valve actions for opening or closing the liquid outlet at the upper-end of the liquid piston  26  are effected by the valve portion in conjunction with the funnel-shaped valve seat at the upper end of the liquid piston  26 . 
         [0029]    As mentioned above, the spring stem  22  sits against the annular se at formed on the inner surface of the housing  16 . The diametrically enlarged portion of the rod valve member  26  is disposed within the spring stem  22 . The spring stem  22  includes an upper opening comprising a smaller diameter than the diametrically enlarged portion, preventing the enlarged portion from passing through. Further, a stopper  23  is disposed at a bottom end of the spring stem  22 , preventing the enlarged portion to pass through the spring stem  22  at the bottom end. The present invention further includes an actuator  46 . A nozzle member  52  of the actuator  46  has an L-shaped foam passage. The actuator  46  further includes an inner and outer cylindrical walls. The outer cylindrical wall fits through a closure lip  44  of the closure  40 . The outer cylindrical wall further includes a vertically disposed ridge  48  and a slot  50  formed through the ridge  48  and forming an air passage into an air chamber formed in between the inner and outer cylindrical walls. The ridge  48  may slide along a closure slot  42  formed in the closure lip  44 . To lock the actuator  46 , the actuator  46  may be rotated about a vertical axis so that the closure lip  44  is disposed within the slot  50 . To unlock the actuator  46 , the actuator  46  is rotated back about the vertical axis so that the closure lip  44  is outside the slot  50  and the ridge  48  is aligned with the closure slot  42 . 
         [0030]    The present invention may further include a first mesh layer  34  and a second mesh layer  38  separate by a mesh insert  36 . The mesh insert  36  includes a cylinder having an upper opening and a lower opening. The first mesh layer  34  and the bottom portion of the mesh insert  36  fits within the mixing chamber of the air piston  32  and the second mesh layer  38  and a top portion of the mesh insert  36  fit within the inner cylindrical wall of the actuator  46 . The inner cylindrical wall of the actuator  46  further fits over an outer surface of the upper portion of the air piston  32 , connecting the actuator  46  to the air piston  32 . 
         [0031]    To operate this foam dispensing pump container, the actuator  40  is rotated about a vertical axis so that the ridge  48  aligns with the slot  42 . In this configuration, the actuator  40  may be pushed downwards. When the actuator  40  is depressed by one&#39;s hand against repelling force of the coil spring  24 , the air piston  32 , and the liquid piston  28  move down simultaneously. At this time, the ball  20  of the first check valve is urged away from the valve seat portion by pressure of the foamable liquid in the container  10 , priming the foam dispenser. The rod valve member  26  does not move relative to the liquid piston  28  until the enlarged portion comes into abutment against the stopper  23  and is forced upward so that the valve member portion of the rod valve member  26  of the second check valve seated in the funnel-shaped valve seat to close the liquid outlet at the upper end of the liquid piston  28  in  FIG. 4  breaks contact with the valve seat and the outlet of the liquid passage to the mixing chamber  26  is opened. The foamable liquid is pumped through the liquid passage into the mixing chamber  26  and converted to foam by the upper and lower mesh  34 ,  38 . The foam then travels out of the nozzle  56  and into a drink. 
         [0032]    The present invention further includes the foamable liquid. The foamable liquid includes water mixed with a surfactant and an emulsifier. The emulsifier is used for the creation and formation of the initial foam bubbles. The surfactant stabilizes the bubbles of the foam and thereby produces a long-lasting foam. The emulsifier ingredient is protected by the surfactant to hold the foam bubbles in place after dispensed through the pump. 
         [0033]    The foamable liquid may further include preservatives, sweeteners, acidulants, rosemary extract, an antioxidant, an antimicrobial solution and the like. The preservatives may include, but are not limited to, benzoate, potassium sorbate, or other natural preservatives. The sweeteners may include, but are not limited to, stevia, sugar, sucralose, sugar alcohols, monk fruit, psicose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, and the like. 
         [0034]    Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids. The surfactant of the present invention may include, but is not limited to, methylcellulose, cellulose ethers, whey protein isolate or a combination thereof. 
         [0035]    An emulsifier is a substance that stabilizes an emulsion by increasing its kinetic stability. The emulsifier of the present invention may include, but is not limited to, quillaia extract, yucca extract, cactus extract, a synthetic emulsifier or a combination thereof. 
         [0036]    A proportion of each ingredient of the foamable liquid may include the following: the surfactant ranging from about 0.05% up to about 0.5%, such as about 0.10% up to about 0.20%, of the foamable liquid; the emulsifier ranging from about 0.05% up to about 0.5%, such as about 0.10% up to about 0.20%, of the foamable liquid; and sweeteners ranging from about 0.01% up to about 20% of the foamable liquid. The water may be about 65% up to about 99.8% of the foamable liquid. 
         [0037]    The foamable liquid may include an acidic pH. The acidic pH ranges between about 1.5 pH up to about 6 pH, about 2 pH up to about 5 pH, about 3.0 pH up to about 4.5 pH, such as about 4 pH. The acidic pH range increases the control of the foam production. A shelf life of the foamable liquid is increased by the preservatives up to about 36 months. Color, low proof alcohol and other flavors can be added to the foamable liquid to modify or change the end use application. 
         [0038]    A method of making the formulation may include the following. Blend the ingredients, including water, preservatives, whey protein, quillaia extract, sweeteners, Acesulfame Potassium and Acidulant flavor, in a mixing tank. The above listed ingredients are blended in the proportions listed above. The order of mixing the ingredients may include the following: water, preservatives, whey protein, sweeteners, flavoring and then quillaia. 
         [0039]    It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.