Patent Description:
Liquid dispenser systems, such as liquid soap and sanitizer dispensers, provide a user with a predetermined amount of liquid upon actuation of the dispenser. In addition, it is sometimes desirable to dispense the liquid in the form of foam by, for example, injecting air into the liquid to create a foamy mixture of liquid and air bubbles. Some liquids, such as, for example, alcohol-based liquids are difficult to foam because alcohol is a defoaming agent. Accordingly, obtaining a high quality alcohol based foam is difficult and requires enhance mixing. Prior art foam sanitizers are either aerosol based and non-aerosol based. Aerosol-based foam utilizes a pressurized propellant to mix with the liquid and dispense the foam. Non-aerosol based hand sanitizers require a pump. Conventional non-aerosol pumps for generating foam form the foam by pumping a liquid and air mixture through a foam cartridge. Conventional foam pumps and foam cartridges are manufactured by Albéa Beauty Holdings S. formally manufactured by Rexam Airspray ("Albea"), and Ophardt Hygiene Technologies Inc ("Ophardt"). While these foam pumps foam certain alcohol formulations containing surfactants, such as silane, the quality of the foamed alcohol is not as high as the quality of foam produced using foam soap. Document <CIT> discloses dispensing systems and refill units for dispensing systems. One exemplary refill unit for a dispensing system includes a liquid reservoir and a rotary liquid pump having a liquid inlet in fluid communication with the liquid reservoir. A mixing chamber having a liquid inlet and an air inlet is also provided. The liquid pump outlet is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber liquid inlet and the air inlet is in fluid communication with an air pump, wherein the air pump can be a multi diaphragm pump.

The present invention provides a non-aerosol foam pump for producing high quality foam sanitizer according to claim <NUM> and a method of producing a high quality non-aerosol foam sanitizer according to claim <NUM>.

Exemplary embodiments of high quality non-aerosol foam sanitizers are disclosed herein. An exemplary embodiment of high quality non-aerosol foam sanitizer includes a liquid mixture that includes an alcohol, water and a surfactant mixed with and entrapping ambient air to form a plurality of foam bubbles. More than about <NUM> percent of the foam bubbles in the high quality foam have a size of between about <NUM> and about <NUM>.

Another exemplary embodiment of a high quality non-aerosol foam sanitizer includes a liquid mixture that includes an alcohol, water and a surfactant mixed with and entrapping air to form a plurality of foam bubbles. The liquid mixture is passed through an non-aerosol foam pump to generate foam and the average diameter of the foam bubbles are less than about <NUM>.

Another high quality non-aerosol foam sanitizer includes a liquid mixture that includes an alcohol, water and a surfactant mixed with and entrapping air to form a plurality of foam bubbles, wherein the maximum diameter of the foam bubbles are less than about <NUM>.

Another high quality non-aerosol foam sanitizer includes a liquid mixture that includes an alcohol, water and a surfactant mixed with and entrapping air to form a plurality of foam bubbles, wherein the mean bubble diameter is between about <NUM> and about <NUM>.

Another high quality non-aerosol foam sanitizer includes a liquid mixture that includes an alcohol, water and a surfactant mixed with and entrapping air to form a plurality of foam bubbles, wherein the average bubble size diameter is less than about <NUM> and the standard deviation of bubble diameters is less than about <NUM>.

An exemplary non-aerosol foam pump for producing high quality foam sanitizer includes a liquid pump portion for pumping a foamable sanitizer containing alcohol, water and a surfactant, two or more air pump portions and a mixing chamber for mixing the foamable sanitizer with the air to form a foam having foam bubbles. More than about <NUM> percent of the foam bubbles have a size of less than about <NUM>.

Another exemplary non-aerosol foam sanitizer includes a mixture of alcohol, water, a surfactant and atmospheric air. The mixture is mixed together to form a foam containing a plurality of bubbles. The plurality of bubbles have an average bubble size of less than about <NUM> and the foam has a foam density of greater than <NUM>/ml.

An exemplary process for preparing a non-aerosol hand sanitizing foam includes providing a foamable hand sanitizing composition that includes water, alcohol and a surfactant. Providing a non-aerosol foam pump, the non-aerosol foam pump includes a mixing chamber for mixing the foamable hand sanitizing composition with atmospheric air. The non-aerosol foam pump pumps liquid and atmospheric air into the mixing chamber to mix together to form a foam. The foam is made of bubbles wherein the average bubble size is less than about <NUM>. The process further includes a foam outlet for dispensing the foam.

The present application discloses exemplary embodiments of high quality foam sanitizer that is an improvement over presently available foam sanitizers. Exemplary embodiments of the improved foam sanitizer exhibits reduced bubble size, more consistent bubble sizes, and is a more stable sanitizing foam.

Additionally, the present application discloses exemplary embodiments of sequentially activated multi-diaphragm foam pumps for use with the improved foaming cartridges as exemplary embodiments of foam pumps that are configured to provide high quality foam. Other foam pumps may be created that produce high quality foam that is disclosed and claimed herein. Without limiting effects, it is believed that some of the exemplary pumps disclosed herein are able to produce the high quality foam shown and described herein because they continually mix small amounts of liquid with small amounts of air. In addition, the pumps may force the air and liquid to mix and pass through the foaming cartridge at higher pressures. In addition, without limiting effect it is believed that the structure and configuration of the improved foaming cartridges may contribute to the high quality foam shown, described, and claimed herein.

<FIG> discloses exemplary embodiments of non-aerosol foam pumps that are capable of producing the high quality foam bubbles disclosed and claimed herein. <FIG> illustrates a refill unit <NUM> for a foam dispenser for creating a high quality foam. The refill unit <NUM> includes a collapsible container <NUM>. Collapsible container <NUM> includes a neck <NUM> and a drip-free quick connector <NUM>. Exemplary drip-free quick connectors are disclosed in <CIT> titled Bag and Dispensing System Comprising Such A Bag, and <CIT> titled Connector Apparatus And Method For Connecting The Same For Controlling Fluid Dispensing. Disposable refill units contain a supply of a foamable liquid. Most of the embodiments disclosed herein center around alcohol based sanitizers, however, in various embodiments, the contained foamable liquid could be for example a soap, a sanitizer, a cleanser, a disinfectant, a lotion or the like. The container is a collapsible container and can be made of thin plastic or a flexible bag-like material. In other embodiments, the container may be a non-collapsing container formed by a rigid housing member, or any other suitable configuration for containing the foamable liquid without leaking. In the case of a non-collapsing container, a vent system may be included. Exemplary venting systems are disclosed in <CIT> titled Closed System for Venting a Dispenser Reservoir; Publication No. <CIT> titled Pumps With Container Vents and Application No. <CIT>, titled Vented Refill Units And Dispensers Having Vented Refill Units.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a touch-free foam dispenser <NUM> that is configured to provide high quality sanitizer foam. The touch-free foam dispenser <NUM> includes a housing <NUM>, a motor <NUM>, a foam pump <NUM>, a refill unit connector <NUM>, a foam cartridge <NUM>, and a nozzle <NUM>. Exemplary embodiments of foam cartridges <NUM> are shown and described below with respect to <FIG>. A refill unit <NUM> may be connected to the refill unit connector <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The refill unit <NUM> contains a foamable liquid, such as a soap, a sanitizer, a lotion, a cleanser, a disinfectant or the like. The touch-free foam dispenser <NUM> is activated when sensor <NUM> detects the presence of a user or object. Upon detection of an object or user, the sensor <NUM> provides a signal to the processor (not shown) in the electronic control board <NUM>. The electronic control board <NUM> provides an output signal that causes the motor <NUM> to rotate an eccentric wobble plate actuator drive mechanism <NUM>. The sensor <NUM> and the electronic control board <NUM> receive power from a power source <NUM>. In some embodiments, the motor <NUM> receives power from the power source <NUM>, and, in other embodiments, the refill unit includes a power source (not shown) that provides power to a rechargeable power source (not shown). Exemplary embodiments of refill units with power supplies that provide power to the wobble plate actuator drive mechanism <NUM> are shown and described in <CIT> titled Power Systems For Touch Free Dispensers And Refill Units Containing A Power Source. Providing power to the motor <NUM> causes wobble plate actuator drive mechanism <NUM> to rotate. Rotation of wobble plate actuator drive mechanism <NUM> sequentially compresses and expands the diaphragms of foam pump <NUM> and pumps liquid and ambient air into mixing chamber <NUM>. The liquid and air mix together and form a foam mixture. The foam mixture is forced through the foam cartridge <NUM>, which creates a rich foam. The rich foam is dispensed from the foam dispenser <NUM> through the nozzle <NUM>.

The refill unit <NUM> and the foam dispenser <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, respectively, are drawn generically because a variety of different components may be used for many of the refill unit <NUM> and the foam dispenser <NUM>. Although foam pump <NUM> is illustrated generically above, it is described in detail below. Some exemplary dispenser components that may be used in accordance with the present invention are shown and described in <CIT> titled Touch-Free Dispenser With Single Cell Operation And Battery Banking; <CIT> titled Off-Axis Inverted Foam Dispensers And Refill Units and Pub. No. <CIT> titled Power Systems For Touch Free Dispensers And Refill Units Containing A Power Source.

<FIG> is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of foam pump <NUM> that is configured to provide a high quality foam sanitizer. Foam pump <NUM> is driven by motor <NUM>. Foam pump <NUM> includes a pump base <NUM>, a wobble plate <NUM>, a diaphragm assembly seat <NUM>, a diaphragm assembly <NUM>, a valve seat <NUM>, outlet valves 323A, 323B, 323C, screws <NUM>, and a cover <NUM>. The valve seat <NUM>, diaphragm assembly seat <NUM>, and pump base <NUM> are secured together by screws <NUM> in screw holes 308A, 312A, 324A. The cover <NUM> is attached to the valve seat <NUM>. Outlet valves 323A, 323B 323C are secured to and seated in the valve seat <NUM>.

The diaphragm assembly <NUM> includes three pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C, and each pump diaphragm 310A, 310B, 310C has a connector 311A, 311B, 311C. The diaphragm assembly <NUM> is located in the diaphragm assembly seat <NUM>. The pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C are disposed in the receiving holes 313A, 313B, 313C of the diaphragm assembly seat <NUM>, and the three connectors 311A, 311B, 311C connect to the wobble plate <NUM> by inserting the three connectors 311A, 311B, 311C in the three wobble plate links 314A, 314B, 314C.

Ambient air enters the foam pump <NUM> through pump air inlet 424B (<FIG>), and liquid, such as for example, foamable soap or sanitizer enters the foam pump <NUM> through liquid inlet <NUM>. Two of the pump diaphragms 310B, 310C receive ambient air, and the other pump diaphragm 310A receives foamable liquid, such as, for example soap or sanitizer.

<FIG> is another exploded view of the exemplary foam pump <NUM> from a different perspective. As described above, the diaphragm assembly <NUM> includes three pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C. Each pump diaphragm 310A, 310B, 310C has a corresponding inlet valve 316A, 316B, 316C (better seen in <FIG>). <FIG> also provides a view of the bottom of the valve seat <NUM>. The bottom of valve seat <NUM> has three areas that correspond to the three pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C. Each area has three fluid outlet apertures 309A, 309B, 309C that extend through valve seat <NUM>, a valve stem retention aperture 329A, 329B, 329C (<FIG>), and a fluid inlet groove 319A, 319B, 319C. The fluid inlet grooves 319A, 319B, 319C do not extend through valve seat <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrate a top view and a bottom view, respectively, of the exemplary diaphragm assembly <NUM> for foam pump <NUM>. In some embodiments, the diaphragm assembly is made of natural rubber, EPDM, Silicone, Silicone rubber TPE, TPU, TPV, vinyl, or the like. The diaphragm assembly <NUM> includes three molded pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C and three corresponding inlet valves 316A, 316B, 316C. The top of the diaphragm assembly <NUM> acts as a sealing gasket. The top of the diaphragm assembly <NUM> has a flat section 310F, and each pump diaphragm 310A, 310B, 310C has gasket walls 327A, 327B, 327C that surround the respective valves 316A, 316B, 316C and pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C. The gasket walls 327A, 327B, 327C seal against the bottom of the valve seat <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>) to prevent fluid, such as, air and liquid soap or sanitizer from leaking out of the foam pump <NUM> at a location other than the pump outlet <NUM> (<FIG>). One-way inlet valves 316A, 316B, 316C allow ambient air, liquid soap, or sanitizer to enter the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C when the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C have a negative pressure (i.e., when the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C are expanding), and seal against inlet apertures 321A, 321B, 321C when the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C have a positive pressure (e.g. when the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C are compressing). The one-way inlet valves 316A, 316B, 316C are formed by flexible tabs and are made of the same material as the diaphragm assembly <NUM>.

<FIG> is a top view of an exemplary valve seat <NUM> for the foam pump <NUM>. One-way liquid outlet valve 323A is shown transparently to more clearly illustrate the flow of liquid 331A through liquid outlet apertures 309A and into mixing chamber <NUM>. One-way liquid outlet valve 323A includes a valve stem 357A (<FIG>) that is inserted into aperture 329A to secure one-way liquid outlet valve 323A to valve seat <NUM>. One-way liquid outlet valve 323A is normally closed and prevents air or liquid from flowing from the mixing chamber <NUM>, back through air outlet apertures 309A, and into liquid pump diaphragm 310A. One-way liquid outlet valve <NUM> opens when liquid pump diaphragm 310A is being compressed to pump fluid.

Similarly, one-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C are shown transparently to more clearly illustrate the flow of air 331B, 331C through air outlet apertures 309B, 309C and into mixing chamber <NUM>. One-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C each include a valve stem 357B, 357C (<FIG>) that are inserted into corresponding apertures 329B, 329C to secure the one-way air outlet valves to valve seat <NUM>. One-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C are normally closed and prevent air or liquid from flowing from the mixing chamber <NUM>, back through air outlet apertures 323B, 323C, and into air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C. One-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C open when corresponding air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C are being compressed to pump air.

The valve seat <NUM> also includes flow directional control walls 308E. The flow directional control walls 308E provide flow paths that aid in the mixing of liquid and air. In this embodiment the flow directional control walls 308E are curved and cause the liquid and air to intersect in a tangential relationship. In some embodiments, flow directional control walls 308E are designed and arranged to cause the liquid an air to intersect at a desired angle, such as, for example, each flow path may intersect at a <NUM> degree angle. In some embodiments, the flow directional control walls 308E are arranged so that the two air paths intersect the liquid flow path at about <NUM> degrees. The design of the flow path intersection may be different for different types of liquids, for example, a higher quality of foam may be obtained by causing the liquid soap to be intersected head on (<NUM> degrees) by the two air flow paths, while a higher quality foam may be obtained for foamable sanitizer by having the air paths tangentially intersect with the liquid path.

<FIG> is a bottom view of the exemplary valve seat <NUM> for the foam pump <NUM>. The valve seat <NUM> includes three liquid outlet apertures 309A that pass through valve seat <NUM> and a liquid outlet valve aperture 329A for retaining one-way liquid outlet valve 323A. Valve seat <NUM> also includes a liquid inlet groove 319A that extends partially into valve seat <NUM> to provide a liquid path from one-way liquid inlet valve 316A to the interior of liquid pump diaphragm 310A. In addition, the valve seat <NUM> includes a first set of three air outlet apertures 309B that pass through valve seat <NUM>, and a second set of three air outlet apertures 309C that pass through valve seat <NUM>. Also, valve seat <NUM> includes air outlet valve apertures 329B, 329C for retaining one-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C, and air inlet grooves 319B, 319C that extend partially into valve seat <NUM> to provide an air path from one-way air inlet valves 316B, 316C to the interior of air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C.

<FIG> is a top view of an exemplary diaphragm assembly seat <NUM> for the exemplary embodiment of a foam pump <NUM>. The diaphragm assembly seat <NUM> includes three receiving holes 313A, 313B, 313C and three inlet apertures 321A, 321B, 321C. In fluid communication with inlet aperture 321A is fluid inlet <NUM> which may be coupled to the liquid outlet of container <NUM>. Each receiving hole 313A, 313B, 313C is sized to receive a diaphragm 310A, 310B, 310C. Each inlet aperture 321A, 321B, 321C extends through diaphragm assembly seat <NUM> and allows either ambient air, liquid soap, or sanitizer to enter one of the diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines A-A of <FIG> showing the liquid pump portion of foam pump <NUM>. In operation, liquid pump diaphragm 310A is moved downward, as shown by reference number 350B, to expand pump chamber <NUM>, which causes liquid inlet valve 316A to open allowing liquid to be drawn into pump chamber <NUM> through liquid inlet <NUM>, inlet aperture 321A, and liquid inlet groove 319A. Once the pump chamber <NUM> is expanded it is primed with liquid, such as, for example, liquid soap or sanitizer. When the liquid pump diaphragm 310A is compressed (i.e. the liquid pump diaphragm 310A moves in the direction shown by reference number 350A), the liquid is pumped in the direction shown by reference number 340A. The liquid travels through liquid outlet apertures 309A, past one-way liquid outlet valve 323A and into mixing chamber <NUM>. One-way liquid outlet valve 323A is normally closed, but one-way liquid outlet valve 323A opens due to pressure caused by compressing liquid pump chamber <NUM>. One-way liquid outlet valve 323A prevents air or liquid from flowing back through liquid outlet apertures 309A and into liquid pump diaphragm 310A. Subsequently, the liquid pump diaphragm 310A begins to expand, which starts the process again by causing liquid inlet valve 316A to open, and liquid is drawn into liquid pump chamber <NUM> through liquid inlet aperture 321A and liquid inlet groove 319A. A operating cycle of foam pump <NUM> includes one pump of liquid from liquid pump diaphragm 310A through liquid outlet apertures 309A, past liquid outlet valve 323A, and into mixing chamber <NUM> (<FIG>) (followed by two pumps of air as described below).

<FIG> are a cross-sectional view taken along the lines B-B and C-C, respectively, of <FIG> showing the air pump portions of foam pump <NUM>. In operation, air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C are moved downward, as shown by reference number 350B, to expand air pump chambers <NUM>, <NUM>, which causes air inlet valves 316B, 316C to open allowing ambient air to be drawn into pump chambers <NUM>, <NUM> through air inlet apertures 321B, 321C and air inlet grooves 319B, 319C. Once the pump chambers <NUM>, <NUM> are primed with air, the air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C may be compressed (moved in the direction shown by reference number 350A). Compression of air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C pump the air in the direction shown by reference number 340A. The air travels through air outlet apertures 309B, 309C, past one-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C, and into mixing chamber <NUM> to mix with the foamable liquid. One-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C are normally closed, but one-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C open due to pressure caused by compressing air pump chambers <NUM>, <NUM>. One-way air inlet valves 323B, 323C prevent air or liquid from flowing back through air outlet apertures 309B, 309C and into air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C. Subsequently, the air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C begin to expand, which starts the process again by causing air inlet valves 316B, 316C to open, and ambient air is drawn into air pump chambers <NUM>, <NUM> through air inlet apertures 321B, 321C and air inlet grooves 319B, 319C. An operating cycle of foam pump <NUM> includes one pump of liquid (as described above) followed by one pump of air from air pump diaphragm 310B through air outlet apertures 309B, past air outlet valve 323B, and into mixing chamber <NUM> (<FIG>). In addition, an operating cycle of foam pump <NUM> includes one pump of ambient air from air pump diaphragm 310C through air outlet apertures 309C, past air outlet valve 323C, and into mixing chamber <NUM> (<FIG>).

The diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C operate sequentially, in which one sequence of operation includes one pump of liquid, such as, for example, soap or sanitizer, or ambient air by each of the three pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C. The order of operation of the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C is dependent upon the configuration of the wobble plate <NUM> (<FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, each pump diaphragm 310A, 310B, 310C has a connector 311A, 311B, 311C, and the three pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C connect to the wobble plate <NUM> by inserting the three connectors 311A, 311B, 311C in the three wobble plate links 314A, 314B, 314C. Wobble plate <NUM> connects to an eccentric wobble plate actuator that causes the wobble plate <NUM> to undulate. As the wobble plate <NUM> undulates, the wobble plate links 314A, 314B, 314C move in upward and downward motions. The upward motion causes the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C to compress, and the downward motion causes the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C to expand. The configuration of the wobble plate <NUM> causes one pump diaphragm 310A, 310B, 310C to compress at a time, which causes the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C to pump sequentially. The configuration of the wobble plate <NUM> also causes one pump diaphragm 310A, 310B, 310C to expand at a time, which causes the pump diaphragms 310A, 310B, 310C to prime sequentially. In the exemplary sequence of operation, the liquid pump diaphragm 310A pumps a shot of fluid, followed by air pump diaphragm 310B pumping a shot of air, and the sequence of operation ends with air pump diaphragm 310C pumping a second shot of air. The sequence may be repeated any number of times depending on the desired output dose of foam. The air from the air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C mixes with either the liquid or sanitizer from the liquid pump diaphragm 310A in the mixing chamber <NUM> (<FIG>), which creates a foam mixture. The foam mixture exits the foam pump <NUM> through the pump outlet <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates the flow path of the liquid soap or sanitizer through the exploded view. When the liquid pump diaphragm 310A expands, liquid enters the foam pump <NUM> through liquid inlet <NUM>, which is shown by reference number 330A. The liquid travels through aperture 321A in the diaphragm assembly seat <NUM>, and past liquid one-way inlet valve 316A, as shown by reference number 330B. Inlet valve 316A opens, the liquid travels through groove 319A and into liquid pump diaphragm 310A, which is shown by reference numbers 330D and 330E.

The liquid pump diaphragm 310A compresses and pumps the liquid through liquid outlet aperture 309A, past one-way liquid outlet valve 323A, and into the mixing chamber <NUM> (<FIG>), which is shown by reference number 340A. Air follows a similar path for air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C. When air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C expand, air is drawn into air inlet 424B, travels through apertures 321B, 321C (<FIG>) in diaphragm seat assembly <NUM>, travels through one-way air inlet valves 316B, 316C (<FIG>), travels into grooves 319B, 319C, in the bottom of valve seat <NUM>, and travels into air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C. When air pump diaphragms 310B, 310C compress, air is forced through apertures 309B, 309C, past one-way air outlet valves 323B, 323C (<FIG>), and into mixing chamber <NUM> where it mixes with the liquid to form a foam mixture. The foam mixture is dispensed through outlet <NUM>, which is shown by reference number 304B.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of a sequentially activated multi-diaphragm foam pump <NUM> that is configured to provide a high quality foam sanitizer. The sequentially activated multi-diaphragm foam pump <NUM> includes a motor <NUM>, a motor shaft <NUM>, a wobble plate <NUM>, a wobble plate pin <NUM> an eccentric wobble plate drive <NUM>, a liquid pump diaphragm <NUM>, two air pump diaphragms <NUM> (only one is shown), mixing chamber <NUM>, and pump outlet <NUM>. The motor <NUM> drives the motor shaft <NUM>, which causes the motor shaft <NUM> to rotate. The rotation of the motor shaft <NUM> causes the eccentric wobble plate drive <NUM> to rotate, and rotation of the eccentric wobble plate drive <NUM> causes the wobble plate pin <NUM> to move along a circular path, which causes the wobble plate <NUM> to undulate. In some embodiments, wobble plate <NUM> includes a ball <NUM> that rides in a socket (not shown) on the pump housing and wobble plate pin <NUM> extends outward and connects to an eccentric wobble plate actuator <NUM> that causes the pin to move along a circular path which causes the wobble plate <NUM> to undulate. As the wobble plate <NUM> undulates, the ends connected to the three pump diaphragms <NUM>, <NUM> move in upward and downward motions, and the three pump diaphragms <NUM>, <NUM> are compressed sequentially. One sequence of operation of the mixing pump <NUM> includes one pump by each of the three pump diaphragms <NUM>, <NUM>. The liquid pump diaphragm <NUM> operates first in the cycle of operation, followed by sequential distributions by the two air pump diaphragms <NUM>.

Similar to the embodiments described above, during operation, the liquid pump diaphragm <NUM> expands and contracts to pump liquid, and the air pump diaphragms <NUM> (only one is shown) expand and contract to pump air. The expansion of the liquid pump diaphragm <NUM> opens the liquid inlet valve <NUM> and allows liquid, such as, for example, soap or sanitizer to enter liquid pump chamber <NUM> through liquid inlet <NUM>. The expansion of the air pump diaphragms <NUM> opens the air inlet valves <NUM> (only one is shown) and allows air to enter air pump chambers <NUM> (only one is shown) through air inlets <NUM>. Circular movement of the wobble plate pin <NUM> causes the ends of the wobble plate <NUM> to sequentially undulate. The undulation causes liquid pump diaphragm to compress, which causes liquid outlet valve <NUM> to open, and liquid to flow into the mixing chamber <NUM> through liquid outlet apertures <NUM>. Subsequently, one of the air pump diaphragms <NUM> is compressed by the undulating wobble plate <NUM>, which causes air outlet valve <NUM> to open, and air to flow the mixing chamber <NUM> through air outlet apertures <NUM>. Then, the other air pump diaphragm (not shown) will compress and pump air into mixing chamber <NUM>. The air and liquid soap or sanitizer mix in the mixing chamber <NUM> to create a foam mixture. The foam mixture exits the mixing pump <NUM> through pump outlet <NUM>.

<FIG> is another exemplary embodiment of a foam dispenser <NUM> that is configured to provide a high quality foam sanitizer. The foam dispenser <NUM> includes a housing <NUM>, a collapsible container <NUM>, an actuator <NUM>, a foam pump <NUM>, a foam cartridge <NUM>, and a nozzle <NUM>. The foam dispenser <NUM> may be a wall-mounted system, a counter-mounted system, an un-mounted portable system movable from place to place, or any other kind of dispenser system. The foam dispenser my include any of the types of pumps disclosed herein. Although most of the embodiments disclosed herein center around alcohol based sanitizers, in some embodiments, the collapsible container <NUM> contains a foamable liquid, such as a soap, a sanitizer, a lotion, a cleanser, a disinfectant or the like. The actuator <NUM> includes one or more parts that cause the foam dispenser <NUM> to move liquid, air and/or foam. Actuator <NUM> is generically illustrated because there are many different kinds of pump actuators <NUM> which may be employed in dispenser <NUM>. For example, actuator <NUM> may be a manual lever, a manual pull bar, a manual push bar, a manual rotatable crank, an electrically activated actuator or any other means for actuating foam pump <NUM>. An electronic actuators may include a sensor (not shown) an electronic control board (not shown), a power source (not shown) and a motor <NUM> such, as, for example, those shown in <FIG> and described above, to provide for a hands-free dispenser system with touch-less operation.

Exemplary embodiments of sequentially activated multi-diaphragm foam pumps that are described in detail above, may be used in foam dispenser <NUM> or <NUM>.

The foam pump <NUM> is in fluid communication with the container <NUM> and an air inlet (not shown). The foam pump <NUM> may be secured to the container <NUM> by any means, such as, for example, a threaded connection, a welded connection, a quarter turn connection, a snap fit connection, a clamp connection, a flange and fastener connection, or the like. The foam pump <NUM> is activated by actuator <NUM>, and the foam pump <NUM> pumps liquid and air through mixing chamber <NUM> and foam cartridge <NUM>. The foam cartridge <NUM> is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber <NUM>. Foaming media are retained within the foam cartridge <NUM>. The foaming media generate foam from foamable liquid and air mixture. Some embodiments are especially well suited for enhanced foaming of foamable liquids containing alcohol. According to the invention, the foaming media contains at least two sponges, an upstream sponge 1301A (<FIG>) and a downstream sponge 1301B (<FIG>)In the exemplary embodiment, the upstream sponge 1301A has a higher porosity than the downstream sponge 1301B.

<FIG> is a cross-section of an exemplary foam cartridge <NUM> for a foam dispenser <NUM> that is capable of providing a high quality foam sanitizer. The foam cartridge <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> and a foaming stage <NUM> with four foaming members. Housing <NUM> has a first cross-sectional shape having a first diameter around the upstream sponge 1301A and a second cross-sectional shape having a second diameter around the downstream sponge 1301B. In the exemplary embodiment the second diameter is larger than the first diameter. The larger diameter of the housing <NUM> and downstream sponge 1301B allow the foam/air mixture passing through the upstream sponge 1301A to expand into a larger area creating additional mixing of the air and liquid. Two of the four foaming members are sponges 1301A, 1301B. In the exemplary embodiment, the first foaming member is an inlet screen <NUM>. The second foaming member is upstream sponge 1301A. The third foaming member is downstream sponge 1301B. The fourth foaming member is outlet screen <NUM>. A mixture of air and liquid enters the foam cartridge <NUM> at inlet <NUM> and is dispensed as rich foam from outlet <NUM>. After the mixture of air and liquid enters the inlet <NUM>, the mixture of air and liquid travels through the inlet screen <NUM>, which starts to enhance the foam. Next, the mixture of air and liquid travels through upstream sponge 1301A. Then, the mixture of air and liquid travels through downstream sponge 1301B. Finally, the mixture of air and liquid travels through outlet screen <NUM> before exiting the foaming cartridge <NUM> through outlet <NUM> as rich foam. Foam cartridge <NUM> may include a single foaming stage <NUM> or several foaming stages. Also, the foaming cartridge <NUM> may include several foaming members, with several different characteristics and configurations, disposed in the one or more foaming stages <NUM>.

The configuration of the foaming members in the foam cartridge <NUM> may vary in different embodiments. In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the upstream sponge 1301A may be adjacent to the downstream sponge 1301B. In another embodiment, a space may exist between the upstream sponge 1301A and the downstream sponge 1301B. In another exemplary embodiment, a foaming member may be disposed between the upstream sponge 1301A and the downstream sponge 1301B.

In this exemplary embodiment, the foaming members include screens and sponges. Foaming members may include screens (<NUM>, <NUM>), sponges 1301A, 1301B, other porous members (not shown), baffles (not shown), or the like. In the case of only two foaming members, some embodiments, include the upstream and downstream sponges 1301A, 1301B. Alternatively, there may be several foaming stages, and each includes at least two sponges 1301A, 1301B.

The characteristics of the foaming members in the foam cartridge <NUM> may vary in different embodiments. In some embodiments, sponges 1301A, 1301B may be made of polyurethane reticulated foam. However, in other embodiments the sponges <NUM> may be made of reticulated polyester, reticulated polyether or polyether open pore foam. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1301A and downstream sponge 1301B may have the same porosities. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1301A and the downstream sponge 1301B may have different porosities. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1301A has a higher porosity than the downstream sponge 1301B. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1301A has a lower porosity than the downstream sponge 1301B. The porosity of sponges 1301A, 1301B may be defined as a function of the pores per cm (pores per inch) of the sponges 1301A, 1301B and the amount of compression of the sponges 1301A, 1301B.

In some embodiments, the sponges 1301A, 1301B have the same amount of pores per cm (pores per inch) and the porosity of the sponges 1301A, 1301B may be a function of the amount of compression of the sponges 1301A, 1301B. In some embodiments, the sponges 1301A, 1301B have between about <NUM> pores per cm (about <NUM> pores per inch) and about <NUM> pores per cm (about <NUM> pores per inch). In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1301A is compressed to between about <NUM> percent and about <NUM> percent of its uncompressed or relaxed state, and the downstream sponge 1301B is compressed to between about <NUM> percent and about <NUM> percent of its uncompressed or relaxed state. Accordingly, in this exemplary embodiment, the upstream sponge 1301A has a higher porosity than the downstream sponge 1301B because the upstream sponge 1301A is less compressed than the downstream sponge 1301B. Sponges 1301A, 1301B may have the same amount of pores per cm (pores per inch) or different amounts of pores per cm (pores per inch), and sponges 1301A, 1301B may have the same amount of compression or a different amount compression. In addition, sponges 1301A, 1301B may have the same firmness or different firmness. Other materials that may be suitable for replacement of the sponges may include fabric felts, metal fibers, wax dipped paper filters etc..

In some embodiments, sponges 1301A, 1301B may be defined by firmness. Firmness is measure in kPa (pounds per square inch) to cause a <NUM>% deflection in the foam from its normal thickness. In some embodiments, the firmness is in the range of about <NUM> to <NUM> kPa (about <NUM> to about <NUM> pounds per square inch) to achieve <NUM>% deflection. In some embodiments, the sponges have a density of less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot), including less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot), including less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot), including less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot).

Furthermore, in embodiments that include an inlet screen <NUM> and an outlet screen <NUM>, the characteristics of the screens (<NUM>, <NUM>) may vary. In some embodiments, the inlet screen <NUM> has less threads per inch than outlet screen <NUM>, or vice versa. In an exemplary embodiment, the inlet screen <NUM> has about <NUM> threads per inch, and the outlet screen <NUM> has between about <NUM> threads per inch and about <NUM> threads per inch. However, screens <NUM>, <NUM> may have the same number threads per inch. A foaming cartridge <NUM> may have several screens <NUM>, <NUM> in different locations throughout the foaming cartridge <NUM>, and screens <NUM>, <NUM> may have many variations in the amount of threads per inch. In addition, the screens <NUM>, <NUM> and sponges 1301A, 1301B may be configured with spaces between the foaming members, with open spaces between two or more foaming members. The foaming members may be arranged as shown with a screen <NUM> followed by sponges 1301A and 1301B followed by screen <NUM>, or arranged in various different orders.

<FIG> is a cross-section of another exemplary foam cartridge <NUM> for a foam dispenser <NUM>, which may be used in lieu of, or in combination with, foam cartridge <NUM> and that is capable of providing a high quality foam sanitizer. Again, foam cartridge <NUM> may be used with any of the pumps described herein.

The foam cartridge <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> and a foaming stage <NUM> with four foaming members. Two of the four foaming members are sponges 1401A, 1401B. In this exemplary embodiment, all of the foaming members have about the same diameter and housing <NUM> has a cylindrical shape with a constant diameter. In the exemplary embodiment, the first foaming member is an inlet screen <NUM>. The second foaming member is upstream sponge 1401A. The third foaming member is downstream sponge 1401B. The fourth foaming member is outlet screen <NUM>. A mixture of air and liquid enters the foam cartridge <NUM> at inlet <NUM> and is dispensed as rich foam from outlet <NUM>. After the mixture of air and liquid enters the inlet <NUM>, the mixture of air and liquid travels through the inlet screen <NUM>, and into space <NUM>. Next, the mixture of air and liquid travels through upstream sponge 1401A and into space <NUM>. Then, the mixture of air and liquid travels through downstream sponge 1401B and into space <NUM>. Finally, the mixture of air and liquid travels through outlet screen <NUM> and exits the foaming cartridge <NUM> through outlet <NUM> as rich foam. Foam cartridge <NUM> may include a single foaming stage <NUM> or several foaming stages. Also, the foaming cartridge <NUM> may include several foaming members, with several different characteristics and configurations, disposed in the one or more foaming stages <NUM>.

The configuration of the foaming members in the foam cartridge <NUM> may vary in different embodiments. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A may be adjacent to the downstream sponge 1401B. In some embodiments, a space may exist between the upstream sponge 1401A and the downstream sponge 1401B. In some embodiments, other foaming members may be disposed between the upstream sponge 1401A and the downstream sponge 1401B.

In this exemplary embodiment, the foaming members include screens and sponges. Optionally, foaming members may include screens (<NUM>, <NUM>), sponges 1401A, 1401B, other porous members (not shown), baffles (not shown), or the like. In the case of only two foaming members, some embodiments, include the upstream and downstream sponges 1401A, 1401B. In some embodiments, there are two or more foaming stages, and each includes at least two sponges 1401A, 1401B.

The characteristics of the foaming members in the foam cartridge <NUM> may vary in different embodiments. In some embodiments, sponges 1401A, 1401B may be made of polyurethane reticulated foam. In some embodiments the sponges <NUM> may be made of reticulated polyester, reticulated polyether or polyether open pore foam or the like. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A and downstream sponge 1401B may have the same porosities. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A and the downstream sponge 1401B may have different porosities. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A has a higher porosity than the downstream sponge 1401B. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A has a lower porosity than the downstream sponge 1401B. The porosity of sponges 1401A, 1401B may be defined as a function of the pores per cm (pores per inch) of the sponges 1401A, 1401B and the amount of compression of the sponges 1401A, 1401B.

In some embodiments, the sponges 1401A, 1401B have the same amount of pores per cm (pores per inch) and the porosity of the sponges 1401A, 1401B may be a function of the amount of compression of the sponges 1401A, 1401B. In some embodiments, the sponges 1401A, 1401B have between about <NUM> pores per cm (about <NUM> pores per inch) and about <NUM> pores per cm (about <NUM> pores per inch). In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A is compressed to between about <NUM> percent and about <NUM> percent of its uncompressed or relaxed state, and the downstream sponge 1401B is compressed to between about <NUM> percent and about <NUM> percent of its uncompressed or relaxed state. Accordingly, in this exemplary embodiment, the upstream sponge 1401A has a higher porosity than the downstream sponge 1401B because the upstream sponge 1401A is less compressed than the downstream sponge 1401B. Sponges 1401A, 1401B may have the same amount of pores per cm (pores per inch) or different amounts of pores per cm (pores per inch), and sponges 1401A, 1401B may have the same amount of compression or a different amount compression. In addition, sponges 1401A, 1401B may have the same firmness or different firmness. Other materials that may be suitable for replacement of the sponges may include fabric felts, metal fibers, wax dipped paper filters etc..

In some embodiments, sponges 1401A, 1401B may be defined by firmness. Firmness is measure in kPa (pounds per square inch) to cause a <NUM>% deflection in the foam from its normal thickness. In some embodiments, the firmness is in the range of about <NUM> to <NUM> kPa (about <NUM> to about <NUM> pounds per square inch). In some embodiments, the sponges have a density of less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot), including less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot), including less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot), including less than about <NUM>/m<NUM> (about <NUM> pounds/cubic foot). In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A and downstream sponge 1401B may have the same firmness. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A and the downstream sponge 1401B may have different firmness. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A has a higher firmness than the downstream sponge 1401B. In some embodiments, the upstream sponge 1401A has a lower firmness than the downstream sponge 1401B.

Furthermore, in embodiments that include an inlet screen <NUM> and an outlet screen <NUM>, the characteristics of the screens (<NUM>, <NUM>) may vary. In some embodiments, the inlet screen <NUM> have less threads per inch than outlet screen <NUM>, or vice versa. In an exemplary embodiment, the inlet screen <NUM> has about <NUM> threads per inch, and the outlet screen <NUM> has between about <NUM> threads per inch and about <NUM> threads per inch. However, screens <NUM>, <NUM> may have the same threads per inch. A foaming cartridge <NUM> may have several screens <NUM>, <NUM> in different locations throughout the foaming cartridge <NUM>, and screens <NUM>, <NUM> may have many variations in the amount of threads per inch. In addition, the screens <NUM>, <NUM> and sponges 1401A, 1401B may be configured with spaces between the foaming members (as shown), with open spaces between two or more foaming members. The foaming members may be arranged as shown with a screen <NUM> followed by space <NUM>, followed by sponge 1401A followed by space <NUM>, followed by sponge 1401B, followed by space <NUM> followed by screen <NUM>, or arranged in various different orders.

While the above-mentioned embodiments show and describe wall mounted and above counter mounted dispensers, the foam cartridges <NUM>, <NUM> work very well with counter mount dispensers. An exemplary embodiment is shown and described in <CIT> and entitled Foam Dispenser with Stationary Dispense Tube.

It has been found that the pumps described herein and the foaming cartridges described herein in use with the pumps described herein in combination produce a high quality sanitizer foam that is superior to the prior art pump products and foam cartridges. Alcohol is a deforming agent and it is difficult to create a rich or stable non-aerosol generated foam using alcohol based sanitizer formulations. It has been discovered that exemplary embodiments of foaming cartridges <NUM>, <NUM> with two sponges having different porosities when used with foamable alcohol compositions and the diaphragm foam pumps described above provide a superior foam output over conventional foam pumps. It has also been discovered that exemplary embodiments of foaming cartridges <NUM>, <NUM> with two sponges having different firmness when used with foamable alcohol compositions and the foam wobble pump described above provide a superior foam output over conventional foam pumps. In addition, it has also been discovered that the exemplary foaming cartridges improve the quality of foam in alcohol foam products when used with mini-foam pumps that have air and liquid pistons. It has also been found that the sequentially operated multi-diaphragm foam pumps disclosed provide improved quality of foam in alcohol foam products.

Preferably, the hand sanitizing foams contain water, alcohol and a surfactant. Suitable alcohols may include lower alcohols, such as, for example, a c1-c8 alcohol, c1-c4 alcohol, or c2-c3 alcohol. Other alcohols may include, for example, ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, mixtures thereof, and the like. Suitable surfactants may include surfactants, such as, for example, compounds containing silicone. Suitable surfactants may contain silicon or silane moiety or mixtures thereof. Dimethicons may be also be used as a surfactant, such as, for example, PEG-<NUM> dimethicone, PEG-<NUM> Dimethicone, mixtures thereof, and the like.

The following are exemplary foam hand sanitizer formulations that may be used to generate the high quality foam shown and described herein. The below exemplary formulas are mixed with air to form foam.

Water; Caprylyl Glycol; <NUM> to <NUM>% Alcohol Dent SDA 3C <NUM>; Glycerin, <NUM> to <NUM> % PEG-<NUM> Dimethicone; Isopropyl Myristate; Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Avenanthramide, PPG-<NUM>/SMDI Copolymer, EO Blend and LBM.

Water; <NUM>-<NUM>% Alcohol: SDA <NUM>-C, <NUM> Proof; <NUM> to <NUM>% PEG-<NUM> Dimethicone; <NUM> to <NUM>% PEG-<NUM> Dimethicone; Hydroxy Ethylurea; Glycerine USP; Propylene Glycol; Isopropyl Myristate and Tocopheryl Acetate.

Water, <NUM>-<NUM>% SDA 3C Alcohol; <NUM>-<NUM>% Isopropanol, Anhydrous; 0to <NUM>% PEG-<NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>% CHG <NUM>% solution; <NUM> to <NUM>% PEG-<NUM> Dimethicone JPE; Isopropyl Myristate and Tocopheryl Acetate.

Water; <NUM>-<NUM>% Alcohol; <NUM> to <NUM>% Peg <NUM> Dimethicone; Glycerin <NUM>% Usp Kosher, Fragrance, Propylene Glycol Usp, Isopropyl Myristate, Tocopheryl Acetate.

Water; Caprylyl Glycol, <NUM>-<NUM>% Alcohol SDA 3C <NUM>, Hydroxyethyl Urea Glycerin;. <NUM> to <NUM>% PEG-<NUM> Dimethicone; Isopropyl Myristate and Tocopheryl Acetate.

Water, Caprylyl Glycol, <NUM>-<NUM>% SDA 3C Alcohol; Glycerin, <NUM> to <NUM>% PEG-<NUM> Dimethicone, Isopropyl Myristate, Tocopheryl Acetate.

Other compositions having alcohol in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>%, water, and a surfactant are contemplated herein. Further, many foaming alcohol compositions may be used to generate the high quality foam disclosed and claimed herein. Exemplary formulations that may provide suitable results, may be found in, for example, compositions shown and described in: <CIT>, titled Foamable Alcoholic Composition; <CIT> titled Foaming Alcohol Compositions with Selected Dimethicone Surfactants; <CIT> titled High Alcohol Content Gel-Like And Foaming Compositions Comprising An Alcohol And Fluorosurfactant; <CIT> titled Foamable Alcoholic Compositions With Skin Benefits; <CIT> titled High Alcohol Content Foaming Compositions With Silicone-Based Surfactants; <CIT> titled Foamable Alcoholic Composition.

As a way of characterizing the quality of alcohol based sanitizer foams, optical imaging was used to measure the bubble sizes in the foam of alcohol based foam sanitizers. The foam shown and described herein was produced using two conventional non-aerosol foam pumps and the novel non-aerosol foam pumps and foam generators disclosed herein.

The first pump was a conventional pump manufactured by Albea, model number F2-L11 which may be purchased at http://www. albea-group. com/en/products/product-catalog/f2. An exemplary embodiment of the Albea foam pump is shown and described in <CIT>. This pump may be referred to herein as the "Air Spray" pump. <FIG> is an image of an alcohol based foam <NUM> foamed with the conventional pump manufactured by Albea under low lighting and low magnification. Bubbles <NUM> are visible under the low magnification in the denser foam mixture <NUM> (the hatching of foam mixture <NUM> indicates areas of foam where the bubbles were not individually identifiable). <FIG> is an image of an alcohol based foam <NUM> foamed with the conventional pump manufactured by Albea under transmitted light at a higher magnification. The image was taken on the edge of the foam <NUM>, described in more detail below. As described below, the centers <NUM> of the bubbles <NUM> appeared light in the images and are denoted by the dashed lines. The bubbles <NUM> are the same bubbles as bubbles <NUM> but are denoted differently because they are under different magnifications. The foam mixture <NUM> indicates areas of foam where the bubbles were not individually identifiable.

The second pump was a conventional pump manufactured by Ophardt, model number SD. An exemplary embodiment of the Ophardt foam pump is shown and described in <CIT> and <CIT>. <FIG> is an image of an alcohol based foam <NUM> foamed with the conventional pump manufactured by Ophardt under low lighting and low magnification. Bubbles <NUM> are visible under the low magnification in the denser foam mixture <NUM>. The foam mixture <NUM> indicates areas of foam where the bubbles were not individually identifiable. <FIG> is an image of an alcohol based foam <NUM> foamed with the conventional pump manufactured by Ophardt under transmitted light at a higher magnification. The image was taken on the edge of the foam <NUM>, described in more detail below. As described below, the centers <NUM> of the bubbles <NUM> appeared light in the images and are denoted by the dashed lines. The bubbles <NUM> are the same bubbles as bubbles <NUM> but are denoted differently because they are under different magnifications. The foam mixture <NUM> indicates areas of foam where the bubbles were not individually identifiable.

The third pump is the sequentially activated diaphragm foam pump described herein, which may be referred to as "wobble pump". <FIG> is an image of an alcohol based foam <NUM> foamed with the wobble pump and the foam cartridge under low lighting and low magnification. Bubbles <NUM> are visible under the low magnification in the denser foam mixture <NUM>. The foam mixture <NUM> indicates areas of foam where the bubbles were not individually identifiable. <FIG> is an image of an alcohol based foam <NUM> foamed with the wobble pump and the foam cartridge under transmitted light at a higher magnification. The image was taken on the edge of the foam <NUM>, described in more detail below. As described below, the centers <NUM> of the bubbles <NUM> appeared light in the images and are denoted by the dashed lines. The bubbles <NUM> are the same bubbles as bubbles <NUM> but are denoted differently because they are under different magnifications. The foam mixture <NUM> indicates areas of foam where the bubbles were not individually identifiable.

To measure the foam bubble size, foam was floated on liquid, shaken slightly to disperse the foam and images were collected. The images were subsequently processed using standard image analysis techniques to identify and measure the bubble diameters. Due to the wide range of bubble sizes, two methods were developed to measure the bubble sizes; a low magnification method for measurement of large bubbles (diameters greater than <NUM>) and a higher magnification method to measure the smaller bubbles (diameters less than <NUM>).

For the low magnification images, the following amounts of foam were dispensed to have about the same volume of foam: Albea pump - <NUM> pump strokes; Ophardt pump - <NUM>% of a pump stroke; sequentially activated diaphragm foam pump (wobble pump) - <NUM> sec. The pumps were operated in a manner that resulted in the same volume of foam output. Half stroking the Ophardt pump did not make a difference in the foam quality. The petri dish was then gently shaken to disperse the foam on the liquid surface (without creating new bubbles). A clear glass cover placed on top of the dish, without contacting the bubbles, in order to reduce evaporation. The lower magnification images were collected with the Q-Color Digital Camera, C-mounted to Canon FD lens adaptor, a <NUM> Canon lens (F1. <NUM>, infinity focus), and a +<NUM> macro lens filter, mounted on a focusing stand. The lower magnification images were calibrated with a mm-scale ruler.

As summarized in Table I, below the Albea pump (identified as Air Spray Pump) produced the largest bubbles (Shown in <FIG>), followed by the sequentially activated diaphragm foam pump (shown in <FIG>) and Ophardt pump (identified as the "SD Pump") (shown in <FIG>). Although the sequentially activated diaphragm foam pump (identified as "Wobble Pump" in the Table) produced some bubbles that were larger than the Ophardt pump, there were fewer numbers of large bubbles in comparison to the overall total number of bubbles.

For all images, the Q-Color Digital camera was controlled by Q Color Pro software (version <NUM>. <NUM>) running on a personal computer with Windows XP operating system. All images were collected in <NUM>-bit gray-scale mode and stored as TIFF files. Images were imported into Adobe Photoshop (version <NUM>. <NUM>) and Fovea Pro plug-ins (version <NUM> by Reindeer Graphics) for analysis. Measurement results were exported to Microsoft Excel for statistical calculations. The low magnification images were processed by blurring the image using a Gaussian blur filter with a <NUM> pixel radius, thresholding the blurred images to select the dark areas, and the measuring the identified bubble sizes. Overhead room lighting was used to illuminate the samples, resulting in reflections from the overhead lights in the larger bubbles; therefore the circumscribed radius was measured and used to calculate the corresponding bubble diameter in order to avoid this interference.

For the higher magnification, images were collected with the Q-Color Digital Camera with a UTV0.5xC-<NUM> adaptor, a BX51 compound microscope with a 5x objective with transmitted light. Images were calibrated with a scale micrometer.

Using the Q Color Pro software, the high magnification images were processed by thresholding the images to select the bright areas, eliminating the small areas of less than <NUM> - <NUM> pixels caused by reflections between bubbles, removing a <NUM> pixel wide band around the border of the image, and measuring the resulting areas. Since selecting the bright areas selected a center portion from each bubble as well as areas between bubbles, areas with a roundness value greater than <NUM> - <NUM> were identified as bubble centers. Bubble diameters were calculated as the diameter of the identified bubble center plus twice the minimum separation between the bubble center and closest bright area, which was expected to be the areas between bubbles. Also, since collecting images from the edges of the foam result in large areas of the image without bubbles, images were cropped to <NUM> x <NUM> or <NUM> x <NUM> pixels to examine consistent areas.

Average bubble diameters as well as size distribution charts from the high magnification method are shown below in Table II below. As can be seen from the chart, the measured bubble diameters produced by the sequentially activated diaphragm foam pump (identified as "Wobble Pump") (<FIG>) were smaller than those produced by the Ophardt (<FIG>) and Albea pumps (<FIG>).

Size distributions from the high magnification images are shown in <FIG> has the bubble size along the x-axis and the frequency of the bubble size along the y-axis. As can be seen in <FIG>, a large portion of the frequency of bubbles produced with the sequentially activated foam pump (identified with a "W") had a diameter of between about <NUM> and about <NUM>. In contrast, a large portion of the frequency of bubbles produced with the Albea pump (identified by "AS") had a diameter of between about <NUM> and about <NUM> and, similarly, a large portion of the frequency of bubbles produced with the Ophardt pump (identified by "SD") had a diameter of between about <NUM> to <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates that the sequentially activated foam diaphragm pump (identified with a "W") produced foam bubbles that exhibit smaller bubble sizes and the majority of the bubbles were less than about <NUM>. In contrast, the Ophardt SD pump had a wider distribution of bubble sizes and a high percentage that were over <NUM>. Similar, the Albea AS pump had a wider distribution of bubble sizes and about half or more were over <NUM>.

It is believed that the high quantity of smaller bubbles provides a higher quality foam. It is also believed that the high number of small bubbles provides a better feel when rubbed on the skin. In addition it is believed that the smaller bubbles provide a more appealing visual image and a perception of a higher quality foam to a user. It further believed that the high quantity of small bubbles gives a user the perception of superior coverage. Other benefits of the herein described foam compared to the prior art foam may include consumers liking the herein described foam sanitizer better, feeling the herein described foam was not as runny or thin as the prior art foam, feeling the herein described foam was thick and more stationary than the prior art foam, feeling that there was less splashing off of their hands and less dripping on the floor with the herein described foam compared to the prior art foam and feeling that the herein described foam was more gentle on their skin than the prior art foam.

In addition to the bubble size, the foam density was measured. To measure the foam density, a graduated cylinder was used to capture the volume and a scale was used to capture the mass. The average foam density produced by the Albea pump was <NUM>/ml, the Ophardt SD pump produced <NUM>/ml, the sequentially activated diaphragm foam pump (or wobble pump) produced foam with a foam density of <NUM>/ml. As can be seen, the sequentially activated diaphragm foam pump produced a higher density foam. The higher density foam has a better feel and a higher perceived quality.

Because the quality of the foam generated by Applicants is so much better than the foam generated by other non-aerosol foam pumps, Applicants also measured the bubble characteristics of foam produced by an aerosol, using Ecolab's Quick Care Aerosol foam sanitizer to make a comparison of Applicants high quality non-aerosol foam with an aerosol foam. Foam generated by use of aerosol typically have small bubbles and provide a foam that is aesthetically pleasing and has a high quality feel.

To measure the bubble characteristics of an aerosol foam, a small amount of Purell liquid was carefully poured into a petri dish without forming bubbles. A small amount of aerosol foam (Ecolab Quick Care Aerosol Foam) was then dispensed onto the liquid Purell. The petri dish was gently shaken to disperse the foam slightly on the liquid surface (without creating new bubbles) and the optical images were collected. The images were collected with the Q-Color Digital Camera with a U-TV0.5xC-<NUM> adaptor, a BX51 compound microscope with a 5x objective using transmitted light. Images were calibrated with a scale micrometer.

The Q-Color Digital camera was controlled by Q Color Pro software (version <NUM>. <NUM>) running on a personal computer with Windows XP operating system. All images were collected in <NUM>-bit gray-scale mode and stored as TIFF files. Images were imported into Adobe Photoshop (version <NUM>. <NUM>) and Fovea Pro plug-ins (version <NUM> by Reindeer Graphics) for analysis. Measurement results were exported to Microsoft Excel for statistical calculations.

The images were processed by thresholding the images to select the bright areas, eliminating the small areas of less than <NUM> pixels caused by reflections between bubbles, removing a <NUM> pixel wide band around the border of the image, and measuring the resulting areas. Since selecting the bright areas selected a center portion from each bubble as well as areas between bubbles, areas with a roundness value greater than <NUM> were identified as bubble centers. Bubble diameters were calculated as the diameter of the identified bubble center plus twice the minimum separation between the bubble center and closest bright area, which was expected to be the areas between bubbles. Also, since collecting images from the edges of the foam result in large areas of the image without bubbles, images were cropped to <NUM> x <NUM> or <NUM> x <NUM> pixels to examine consistent areas.

Claim 1:
A non-aerosol foam pump for producing high quality foam sanitizer having more than about <NUM> percent of the dispensed foam bubbles (<NUM>, <NUM>) with a size of less than about <NUM>, the foam pump comprising:
a sequentially activated multi-diaphragm foam pump (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) having a liquid pump diaphragm (310A; <NUM>) for pumping a foamable sanitizer containing more than <NUM>% by volume of ethanol, water and a surfactant; and
two or more air pump diaphragms (310B, 310C; <NUM>) for pumping atmospheric air;
wherein the liquid pump diaphragm (310A; <NUM>) operates first followed by sequential distributions by the air pump diaphragms (310B, 310C; <NUM>);
a foam cartridge (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the foam cartridge (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) includes a plurality of sponges (1301A, 1301B; 1401A, 1401B), wherein at least two sponges have different properties; and
a mixing chamber (<NUM>; <NUM>. <NUM>) for mixing the foamable sanitizer with the atmospheric air to form a foam having foam bubbles (<NUM>, <NUM>) that is dispensed from the pump after being forced through the foam cartridge (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>).