US3576279A

US3576279A - Heater for aerosol foam-dispensing containers

Info

Publication number: US3576279A
Application number: US800868A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Ayres; Irving Reich
Original assignee: Carter Wallace Inc
Current assignee: Meda Pharmaceuticals Inc
Priority date: 1969-02-20
Filing date: 1969-02-20
Publication date: 1971-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 1988-04-27

Abstract

A heating device is provided for heating foam products as they are discharged from aerosol containers. The device heats foam products, such as foam shaving lather, by passing the foam through a radiator in heat transfer relationship with a supply of hot water. An outlet chamber is provided for the radiator that permits the foam to flow uniformly through the radiator to rapidly and efficiently heat the foam as it is discharged from the container.

Description

United States Patent 13 Claims,7DrawingFigs.

U.S.Cl 222/146, l65/73,239/l33 lnt.Cl B67d 5/62 Field of Search 222/146, 146(1-1), 146 (HA); 165/73, 74; 239/133, 135

ReferenoesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,782,008 2/1957 Caughill l65/73X 84 88 as s inventors John Ayres Mountainside; Irving Reich, Princeton Junction, NJ. Appl. No. 800,868 Filed Feb. 20, 1969 Patented Apr. 27, 1971 Assignee Carter-Wallace, Inc.

New York, N.Y.

HEATER FOR AEROSOL FOAM-DISPENSING CONTAINERS 1 3,171,572 3/1965 Reich et a] 222/146(HA) 3,258,170 6/1966 Ayres et al.... 222/146(HA) 3,258,171 6/1966 Reich et al.... 222/146(HA) 3,341,079 9/1967 Marraifino 222/146(HA) 3,341,080 9/1967 Wittke 222/ 146( HA) Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman AttorneyMorgan, Finnegan, Durham and Pine 82 i l/m ml! H8 1 i 511M 1 y I 1! i IOO PAT ENTEU APR 2 7 IEWI SHEET-1 0F 3 n w U!!! IN VENTOR 8 JOHN AYRES mvme REICH PATENTED m2? 197! SHEET 2 OF 3 FIG. 3

I NVENTOR S JOHN AYRES IRVING REICH HEATER FOR AEROSOL FOAM-DISPENSING CONTAINERS This invention relates to a heater for aerosol containers, and more particularly toan improved hot water heater attachment that can be interconnected with the discharge opening of the container for rapidly and efiiciently heating foam products, such as foam shaving lather and the like, as they are discharged from the container.

Conventional aerosol containers use a propellant gas to discharge foam products from their containers. Generally, the propellant gas is dispersed throughout the product under pressure and in liquefied form. Upon release of the discharge outlet of the oontainer, the propellant forces the product out of the container and simultaneously expands, forming gas bubblesthat generate the foam.

The expansion of the propellant from a liquid to a gas, however, has a cooling effect on the foam as it is discharged from the container, frequently cooling it to below room temperatures. This cooling effect is particularly undesirable in shaving lathers, because cold shaving lather foams are not only uncomfortable but are also slow in softening the beard for shaving. Human hair is more easily shaved when softened by the penetration of moisture from the foam shaving lather and this softening effect increases with increasing lather temperature.

For this reason numerous devices have been proposed for heating foam shaving lathers as they are discharged from aerosol containers. Foam shaving lathers are difficult to heat, however, since the foams have a high viscosity and the gas bubbles in the lather act as heat insulators.

Some of the previously proposed devices for heating foam shaving lathers as they are discharged from their containers provide a tubular heat exchanger where a jacket of hot water surrounds the outside of a tube and indirectly transfers heat to the lather as it passes through the tube. Other devices provide a reservoir of hot water and a nontubular heat exchanger that confines the flow of foam to a thin wide sheet in heat transfer relationship with the hot water. These devices, however, have generally not proven entirely satisfactory in heating foam shaving lathers to the desired temperatures within a convenient length of time.

In these hot water heaters, for example, the flow of foam through the heater must be constricted so that heat from the hot water can be quickly transferred to it. Constricting the flow of foam prevents the foam from being supplied to the user at a useful flow rate. Further, if the foam is forced through the constricted passageway at a useful flow rate, the residence time in the device is not sufficient to allow transfer of the desired amount of heat to the foam.

Thus, desired foam temperatures have not been obtainable in such devices unless the flow rate is reduced to about 3cc. per second. Since the average person requires about 35cc. of lather for a single shave, a considerable time is necessary to accumulate sufficient lather for shaving. In addition to the inconvenience in time, the accumulation process also allows the foam to cool, because the initial mass of heated foam expelled from the heater is exposed to room temperature for a relatively long .period before the required mass of foam is accumulated.

Nontubular hot water heat exchangers, where the flow of foam is confined by a thin, wide chamber, have the additional disadvantage .of causing the foam to follow a path of least resistance through the chamber in a short circuit passage between the inlet and the outlet of the device. Consequently, intimate contact of the foam with the entire heating surface of the chamber is not achieved, resulting in an inefficient heating and often in failure to heat the foam to the desired temperature.

it can thus be seen that prior art lather heaters do not achieve all of the attributes desired in hot water heaters for foam to raise it to the desired temperature level, while at the same time delivering the required amount of hot foam at a useful flow rate.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved heating device for heating foam products as they are discharged from aerosol containers.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved heating device that quickly heats foam shaving lather as it is discharged from an aerosol container to a temperature substantially above room temperature and at the same time supplies heated foam at a desirable flow rate.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved hot water heating device for aerosol containers that rapidly and efficiently heats foam shaving lather to the desired temperature as it passes through the device in heat transfer relationship with hot water.

A further object of this invention is to provide a nontubular hot water heater attachment for aerosol containers that prevents the foam from short-circuiting between the inlet and outlet of the heater, thereby achieving uniform distribution and efiicient heating of foam as it flows through the heater in heat transfer relationship with the hot water.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide an improved hot water heating device for heating foam shaving lather that is inexpensive to manufacture, compact and rugged, adaptable to all sizes of aerosol containers, simple in construction, and convenient and reliable in use.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention, the objects and advantages being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, devices, and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

To achieve the foregoing objects and in accordance with its purpose, this invention, as embodied and broadly described, comprises a heating device for heating foam as it is discharged from the outlet of a valve-actuated container. The heating device includes a housing which forms a reservoir for holding a supply of hot water; housing inlet means communicating with the outlet of the container for conducting foam discharged from the container into the housing; flow confining means located within the housing and defining a heating chamber having a length and width substantially greater than its thickness for confining the flow of foam through the housingto a thin, wide sheet in heat transfer relationship with the hot water; a heating chamber outlet communicating with and extending substantially along the width of the discharge end of the heating chamber and having a thickness substantially greater than the thickness of the heating chamber; and housing outlet means for discharging heated foam from the housing.

lt is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but are not restrictive of the invention.

The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification illustrate several embodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heating device of this invention mounted to the top of an aerosol container;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the heating device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 3-3 of HO. 2, showing the heating device in a nondispensing position;

FlG. 4 is a sectional elevation similar to FlG. 3, showing the heating device in a dispensing position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the locking mechanism of the heating device in a locked position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 5, showing the locking mechanism in an unlocked or open position; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of the heating device of this invention.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The present invention provides a hot water heating device foe aerosol containers that rapidly and efficiently heats foam shaving lather to the desired temperature as it is discharged from the container.

A typical aerosol container is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3, having a lid 14 that has a central opening in its top for discharge of the foam product from the container. As is customary, the product is held in container 10 under the pressure of a propellant gas, allowing for discharge of the product through this central opening.

As shown in FIG. 3, the aerosol container includes a valve actuator 16 having an outlet passage 18. Valve actuator 16 is mounted in a valve housing 20 and communicates with the central opening in lid 14. When valve actuator 16 is depressed by actuation of the heating device of this invention, foam is expelled from the container in a controlled manner. A typical valve construction is described in US. Pat. No. 3,171,572 to Reich et al. and reference is made to that patent for a more detailed discussion of the construction and operation of the valve. While the valve construction illustrated in US. Pat. No. 3,171,572 is suitable for use with the heating device of this invention, it will be understood, of course, that other and 1 different forms of valve mechanisms may also be satisfactorily employed.

An embodiment of the heating device of this invention and its removable attachment to the top of an aerosol container is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The heating device includes housing -22 made of plastic. Housing 22 preferably has good stiffness, lightness, and a low rate of heat conduction. Suitable plastic materials for construction of the plastic housing include linear polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, or other similar materials.

The bottom 24 of housing 22 has a configuration generally complementary with the top 14 of container 10. The bottom 24 includes an inner annular flange 26 having a plurality of detents 28 that frictionally grip the outside surface of valve actuator housing 20 for attachment of the heating device to container 10. Bottom 24 also includes a peripheral annular flange 30 that grips and extends over the sides of container 10 when the heating device is attached to the container. Housing 22 is cylindrical and has sidewalls 32 that extend upwardly, forming a hollow enclosure for holding a supply of hot water.

In accordance with the invention, flow confining means are mounted within housing 22 that define a heating chamber having a length and width substantially greater than its thickness for confining the flow of foam through the housing, and in heat transfer relationship with the supply of hot water, to a thin, wide sheet. As embodied and as shown in FIG. 3, the flow confining means comprises a radiator generally indicated at 36 and having a cup-shaped heating chamber 38 formed between a pair of closely spaced and concentrically mounted inner and

outer metal cups

40 and 42, respectively.

A valve stem 44 is attached to the bottom of radiator 36 and is provided with an inlet passage 46 that communicates with outlet 18 of valve actuator 16 and with chamber 38 of radiator 36. Valve stem 44 is mounted for reciprocal movement within a well 48 in the bottom 24 of housing 22, and includes an annular flange 50 that engages the inner wall surface of well 48. Upward movement of stem 44 and attached radiator 36 is limited by engagement of the flared end 52 of annular flange 50 with a rim 54 on the top of well 48, as shown in FIG. 3. Downward movement is limited by engagement of end 52 with the bottom of well 48, as shown in FIG. 4.

Inlet passage 46 of valve stem 44 narrows near its outlet end 56 before delivering foam into radiator 36. The compression of the foam as it passes through outlet 56 creates a hydraulic effect tending to lift radiator 36, as will be more fully described below.

The foam is discharged from outlet 56 into a central cavity 58 in the bottom of radiator 36 from which the foam passes radially outward through radial channels 60 that communicate with cavity 58 and heating chamber 38. Central cavity 58 in combination with radial channels 60 insures a uniform distribution of the foam into heating chamber 38.

The foam discharged into radiator 36 radiates outwardly in the bottom of chamber 38 and then upwardly in a cylindrical pattern toward the outlet of the chamber. A plurality of interconnected radial and vertical ribs 61 are spaced peripherally around chamber 38 to provide a more uniform distribution of the foam as it passes through heating chamber 38. As best shown in FIG. 3, ribs 61 are formed by pressing outer metal cup 42 against inner metal cup 40 at a plurality of places around the outside surface of cup 42.

In accordance with the invention, a heating chamber outlet 62 is provided for receiving heated foam discharged from heating chamber 38. As shown in FIG. 3, heating chamber outlet 62 is annular and extends substantially along the width of the discharge end of chamber 38 and has a thickness substantially greater than the thickness of the chamber. Outlet 62 is formed by flaring outwardly the discharge ends 64 and 66 of inner and

outer metal cups

40 and 42, respectively.

Heating chamber outlet 62 provides an outlet for heating chamber 38 that offers very little resistance to the flow of foam as it is discharged from the chamber. The resistance of heating chamber 38 to the flow of foam is, therefore, uniform throughout its entire heating area, and thus the foam will pass radially outward in all directions from cavity 58 and then uniformly up the walls of radiator 36 toward outlet 62.

The heating device of this invention, therefore, utilizes all of the effective heating surfaces of the radiator to rapidly and efficiently heat the foam as it is discharged from the container by preventing the foam from short-circuiting and following a path of least resistance between the inlet and outlet of the device.

The heating device of this invention includes a cap 70 also constructed of plastic material similar to housing 22. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, cap 70 is annular and has an outer wall 72, and a spout 74 that extends radially outward from the exterior surface of the cap. As shown in FIG. 3, spout 74 contains an internal conduit 76 that communicates with heating chamber outlet 62 of radiator 36 for discharge of heated foam from the device.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, cap 70 includes an inner ring portion 78 that is concentrically mounted with respect to outer wall 72 and spaced therefrom by a plurality of ribs 80. An operating button 82 -is concentrically mounted with respect to inner ring 78 and spaced therefrom by a plurality of ribs 84.

Arcuate openings

86 and 88 are, therefore, provided between outer wall 72 and inner ring 78 and between inner ring 78 and operating button 82, respectively, to permit the addition of hot water to the heating device.

As shown in FIG. 3, inner ring 78 is U-shaped in cross section and houses the flared ends 64 and 66 of inner and

outer metal cups

40 and 42. An annular locking barb 90 extends around the lower portion of inner ring 78 and grips the underside of flared end 66 of outer metal cup 42 to hold radiator 36 to cap 70.

In operation, the user depresses operating button 82, which depresses radiator 36 and attached valve stem 44 to actuate valve actuator 16 and discharge foam from the container. The foam then flows through the heating device of this invention and hot foam is discharged through spout 74, as will be more fully described below in the detailed description of the operation of this device.

In accordance with the invention, locking means are provided to prevent accidental discharge of the foam from the container. As embodied and as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the locking means includes a plurality of arcuate lugs 92 that depend from outer wall 72 of cap 70 and extend into housing 22 when the heating device is assembled. Lugs 92 include a flat 94 and a depending flange 96 having a forward edge 98 and a back edge 100. The locking means also includes a plurality of sets of spaced vertical ribs 102 that are mounted on the inside wall surface I04 of housing walls 32. Ribs R02 are in sets of three (3). and the sets are spaced a distance around the internal wall surface 104 of housing 22 a distance slightly greater than the length of lugs 92.

In a locking position, and as best shown in FIG. 5, cap 70 is rotated in the direction of arrow 97 (see FIG. 2) until the forward edge 98 of each lug 92 engages an outer rib I02 of each set of ribs, so that the flats 94 are located above the top of each group of ribs.

If operating button 82 is depressed, the engagement of flats 94 with the top of ribs 102 prevents downward movement of cap 70, thereby preventing discharge of foam from the container.

If an unlocked or open position, and as best shown in FIG. 6, cap 70 is rotated in the opposite direction shown by arrow 1106 (see FIG. 2) until the back edge I00 of each lug 92 engages an outer rib on the other side of each set of ribs'l02. Lugs 92 are now located between the sets of ribs 102, thereby permitting downward movement of cap '78, to actuate valve actuator 16 and permit discharge of the foam from the container.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer surface of cap 70 can be knurled to permit ease in turning the cap between a locked and open position. As shown in FIGS. 2and 3, ribs 108 can be provided on the outer surface of cap wall 72 to hold cap 70 in both an open and locked position. Slots 118, complementary with ribs 108, can be further provided on the inner wall surface 184 of housing 22. These slots are engaged by ribs 108 when cap 70 is rotated to an open position. The rib and slot arrangement holds the cap in an open position and guides the vertical movement of cap 70 as it moves between an open, nondispensing position, as shown in FIG. 3, and dispensing position, as shown in FIG. 4.

Upon rotation of cap 70 to a locked position, ribs 108 pop out of slots H0 and frictionally engage the inner wall surface 104 of housing 22 to maintain the cap in a locked position.

In operation of the heating device of this invention, the user places the container with the attached heating device under a hot water faucet and fills housing 22 with hot water. The hot water passes through outer arcuate slots 86 and fills the reservoir llll, formed by the inner wall surface 104 and bottom 24 of housing 22 and outer cup 42 of radiator 36. The hot water also flows through inner arcuate slots 88 and fills well H2, formed by inner metal cup 48 of radiator 36. Hot water is permitted to flow into the device until it reaches the top of the housing.

The hot water immediately begins to heat both the bottom and side surfaces of inner metal cup 48 and outer metal cup 42 of radiator 36 to substantially the temperature of the water.

The user then rotates cap 70 to the open position and depresses operating button 82, which in turn depresses cap 70 and attached radiator 36 to the position shown in FIG. 4, thereby actuating valve actuator 16 of aerosol container 18. The propellant in aerosol container 10 propels the product out of the container through. valve outlet 18 in valve actuator 16, and then through inlet passage 46 in valve stem 44 and into central cavity 58 in the bottom of radiator 36.

From cavity 58 the foam passes radially outward through channels 60 and into the bottom of chamber 38, where it is formed into thin, wide sheet by the confining walls of closely spaced inner and outer metal cups 4t) and 42. Under the continued pressure of the container, the foam passes radially outward and then vertically upward through chamber 38 toward heating chamber outlet 62, and emerges from spout '74.

As the foam passes through chamber 38, a rapid heat transfer occurs through intimate contact of the foam with the heated surfaces of radiator 36. Because the product is confined to a thin, wide sheet during its passage through chamber 38, intimate contact of the mass of foam with the closely spaced and hot surfaces of the chamber is assured and the formulation of multiple layers of bubbles, which would otherwise act as heat insulators, is reduced.

Further, the foam flows uniformly through chamber 38 toward heating chamber outlet 62 because the resistance of the chamber to the flow of foam is uniform and, thus, shortcircuiting of the foam is prevented and intimate contact of the foam with the entire heating surfaces of radiator 36 is assured. This results in a rapid and efiicient rate of heat transfer to the foam, permitting the foam to be discharged from the device at a useful flow rate and at a temperature close to the hot water temperaturepreferably, at a temperature of from l30to I60F.

As the foam flows from inlet passage 46 in valve stem 44 into cavity 58 in the bottom of radiator 36, the constriction of the foam through orifice 56 exhibits a hydraulic effect that tends to elevate radiator 36. This hydraulic effect provides a positive shutoff for the heating device, that forces radiator 36 to move to a nondispensing position, as shown in FIG. 3, when pressure is released on button 82, and stops further discharge of foam from the container. If desired, cap 70 can then be rotated to the locked position and the heating device can be conveniently stored with the container for future use.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified form of the heating device of this invention substantially similar to the device shown in FIGS. I and 6. In this embodiment, cap 78 is provided with a cone-shaped top having an opening 122 for adding water on the side of the cone. Cone-shaped top 120 requires the user to hold the container and attached heating device at an angle with respect to the flow of water from a hot water tap to insure an effective filling of inner well 112 and outer reservoir 111.

Cone-shaped top I20 further prevents the water in reservoir ill! from overflowing and spilling over the sides of housing 22 as radiator 36 displaces water in reservoir 111 on depression of the radiator.

In operation of the device shown in FIG. 7 after it has been filled with hot water, the user depresses top 128 at 124 to actuate the valve actuator of the container and discharge foam from the container into heating chamber 38. Movement of radiator 36 displaces some of the water in reservoir 111, but this water is contained by top 120 and flows over inner ring 78 and into well 112 rather than over the sides of housing 22.

While a separate heating device for removable attachment to an aerosol container has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood from the above description that the heating device of this invention may also be made a permanent or integral part of the aerosol container. Further, it will be appreciated that the heating device can be rectangular, or any other desired shape, rather than the cylindrical configuration shown in the drawings.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details shown and described, but departures may be made from such details without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

We claim:

l. A heating device for heating foam as it is discharged from the outlet of a valve-actuated aerosol container comprising:

a. a housing forming a reservoir for holding a supply of hot water;

b. a housing inlet means communicating with the outlet of the container for conducting into the housing foam discharged from the container;

a flow confining means located within the housing comprising a radiator having a pair of spaced metal plates that define a heating chamber, having a length and width substantially greater than its thickness, said radiator plates being cylindrical and concentrically mounted in a spaced relationship to each other so as to define a cylindrical heating chamber for confining the flow of foam through said housing to a thin, wide sheet in heat transfer relationship with the hot water;

d. a heating chamber outlet communicating with and extending substantially along the width of the discharge end of the heating chamber, said heating chamber outlet being annular and having a thickness substantially greater than the distance between the cylindrical plates of the radiator; and

e. a housing outlet means for discharging heated foam from the housing.

2. The heating device of claim 1, wherein the radiator comprises concentrically mounted and spaced metal cups mounted within the housing and defining a cup-shaped heating chamber.

3. The heating device of claim 2, wherein the radiator is spaced from both the bottom and sides of the housing and is substantially immersed in the reservoir of hot water.

4. The heating device of claim 2, wherein the metal cups flare outwardly at their upper ends to provide an annular heating chamber outlet having a thickness substantially greater than the thickness of the heating chamber.

5. The heating device of claim 4, wherein the housing inlet means discharges foam from the container into the bottom center of the cup-shaped heating chamber, and the housing outlet means communicates with the annular heating chamber outlet.

6. The heating device of claim 5, wherein the housing is mounted to the container on the longitudinal axis of the container.

7. The heating device of claim 6, wherein the container outlet valve is pressure actuatable and the radiator is mounted for movement along the longitudinal axis of the housing to actuate said outlet valve.

8. The heating device of claim 7, wherein the housing inlet means constricts the flow of foam prior to discharge of the foam into the radiator heating chamber, whereby the force of flow of the constricted foam tends to elevate the radiator and deactuate the outlet valve.

9. The heating device of claim 5, which includes separating means for separating the flow of foam in the heating chamber into a plurality of individual streams.

10. The heating device of claim 9, wherein the separating means comprises a plurality of ribs that extend radially outward from the bottom center of the heating chamber and vertically upward between the spaced metal cups of the radiator.

11. The heating device of claim 1, wherein the top of the housing is cone-shaped andincludes an opening in the side of the cone for adding hot water to the device.

12. A heating device for heating foam as it is discharged from the outlet of a valve-actuated aerosol container comprising:

a. a housing forming a reservoir for holding a supply of hot water;

a housing means communicating with the outlet of the container for conducting into the housing foam discharged from the container;

c. a flow confining means located within the housing comprising a radiator having a pair of spaced metal plates that define a heating chamber having a length and width substantially greater than its thickness, said radiator plates being cup-shaped and concentrically mounted in a spaced relationship to each other so as to define a cupshaped heating chamber for confining the flow of foam through said housing to a thick, wide sheet in heat transfer relationship with the hot water;

d. a heating chamber outlet communicating with and extending substantially along the width of the discharge end of the heating chamber, said heating chamber outlet being annular and having a thickness substantially greater than the distance between the plates of the radiator; and

e. a housing outlet means for discharging heated foam from the housing.

13. A heating device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said cup-shaped heating chamber has a. cross section that is circular in shape.

Claims

1. A heating device for heating foam as it is discharged from the outlet of a valve-actuated aerosol container comprising: a. a housing forming a reservoir for holding a supply of hot water; b. a housing inlet means communicating with the outlet of the container for conducting into the housing foam discharged from the container; c. a flow confining means located within the housing comprising a radiator having a pair of spaced metal plates that define a heating chamber, having a length and width substantially greater than its thickness, said radiator plates being cylindrical and concentrically mounted in a spaced relationship to each other so as to define a cylindrical heating chamber for confining the flow of foam through said housing to a thin, wide sheet in heat transfer relationship with the hot water; d. a heating chamber outlet communicating with and extending substantially along the width of the discharge end of the heating chamber, said heating chamber outlet being annular and having a thickness substantially greater than the distance between the cylindrical plates of the radiator; and e. a housing outlet means for discharging heated foam from the housing.

11. The heating device of claim 1, wherein the top of the housing is cone-shaped and includes an opening in the side of the cone for adding hot water to the device.

12. A heAting device for heating foam as it is discharged from the outlet of a valve-actuated aerosol container comprising: a. a housing forming a reservoir for holding a supply of hot water; b. a housing means communicating with the outlet of the container for conducting into the housing foam discharged from the container; c. a flow confining means located within the housing comprising a radiator having a pair of spaced metal plates that define a heating chamber having a length and width substantially greater than its thickness, said radiator plates being cup-shaped and concentrically mounted in a spaced relationship to each other so as to define a cup-shaped heating chamber for confining the flow of foam through said housing to a thick, wide sheet in heat transfer relationship with the hot water; d. a heating chamber outlet communicating with and extending substantially along the width of the discharge end of the heating chamber, said heating chamber outlet being annular and having a thickness substantially greater than the distance between the plates of the radiator; and e. a housing outlet means for discharging heated foam from the housing.

13. A heating device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said cup-shaped heating chamber has a cross section that is circular in shape.