Foam-producing and foam-dispensing means

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR EFFECTIVELY MIXING AIR WITH A LIQUID AND THEREBY PRODUCING AN INTIMATELY INTERMIXED AIR-LIQUID FOAM AND FOR EFFECTIVELY DISPENSING SAME, COMPRISING: HOLLOW CONTAINER MEANS OF FLEXIBLE ELASTIC MATERIAL HAVING A PERMANENTLY CLOSED REAR END AND A CLOSED FRONT END PROVIDED WITH A DISPENSING NOZZLE MEANS, SAID CONTAINER MEANS COMPRISING A REAR HOLLOW CONTAINER MEANS PORTION EFFECTIVELY DEFINING LIQUID RESERVOIR AND SUPPLY MEANS THEREIN ADAPTED TO CONTAIN THEREIN A QUANTITY OF A LIQUID WHICH IS TO HAVE AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF EFFECTIVELY INTIMATELY MIXED WITH A QUANTITY OF AIR TO FORM A DESIRED QUANTITY OF FOAM WHICH IS TO BE DISPENSED THEREAFTER, SAID CONTAINER MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING A FRONT HOLLOW CONTAINER MEANS PORTION EFFECTIVELY DEFINING THEREIN MIXING CHAMBER MEANS HAVING A REAR END THEREOF IN COMMUNICATION WITH A FRONT END OF SAID LIQUID RESERVOIR AND SUPPLY MEANS FOR FORWARD PASSAGE OF THE LIQUID ADAPTED TO BE CONTAINED WITHIN SAID LIQUID RESERVOIR AND SUPPLY MEANS; ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLE FLUID-MIXING BAFFLE MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLING SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM A POSITION IMMEDIATELY FORWARD OF SAID REAR-POSITIONED LIQUID RESERVOIR AND SUPPLY MEANS TO A POSITION IMMEDIATELY BEHIND SAID CLOSED FRONT END AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY ACROSS SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS WHEREBY TO SUBSTANTIALLY EXTERIORLY FILL SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS IN A MANNER LEAVING SUBSTANTIALLY NO OPEN SPACE IN THE FRONT INTERIOR CROSS-SECTIONAL PORTION OF SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS IMMEDIATELY BEHIND SAID CLOSED FRONT END UNOCCUPIED BY THE FRONT END OF SAID ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLE FLUID-MIXING BAFFLE MEANS, SAID ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLE FLUID-MIXING BAFFLE MEANS COMPRISING A QUANTITY OF MULTI-CELL SPONGE MATERIAL HAVING INTERCONNECTED ELASTIC SOLID PORTIONS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF INTERCONNECTED HOLLOW COMMUNICATING CELLS DISPERSED THERETHROUGH AND EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF INTERCONNECTED BAFFLE PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, SAID FRONT CONTAINER MEANS PORTION DEFINING SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS THEREIN HAVING A COLLAPSIBLE ELASTIC WALL PORTION ADJACENT TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID MIXING CHAMBER MEANS DEFINED THEREIN AND SAID ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLE FLUID-MIXING BAFFLE MEANS MOUNTED THEREIN AND EFFECTIVELY COMPRISING A PRESSURE-APPLYING MEANS TAKING THE FORM OF A MANUALLY CONTROLLABLY OPERABLE VARIABLE-VOLUME HANDPUMP MEANS MANUALLY OPERABLE FOR EFFECTIVELY FORCING LIQUID, WHICH HAS BEEN SUPPLIED TO SAID ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLE MIXING BAFFLE MEANS FROM SAID LIQUID RESERVOIR AND SUPPLY MEANS, AND AIR, WHICH HAS BEEN SUPPLIED TO SAID ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLE MIXING BAFFLE MEANS THROUGH SAID DISPENSING NOZZLE MEANS, THROUGH SAID PLURALITY OF INTERCONNECTED BAFFLE PASSAGEWAYS OF SAID FLUID-MIXING BAFFLE PASSAGEWAYS OF SAID FLUID-MIXING BAFFLE MEANS FOR EFFECTIVELY MIXING THE LIQUID AND AIR AND FORMING AN INTIMATELY INTERMIXED AIR-LIQUID FOAM AND FOR SUBSEQUENTLY DISPENSING SAME THROUGH SAID DISPENSING NOZZLE MEANS AS A RESULT OF SAID MANUAL OPERATION OF SAID VARIABLE-VOLUME HAND-PUMP MEANS.