This disclosure relates generally to plug-in diffusers, including, but not limited to, fragrance diffusers. More specifically, a diffuser according to this disclosure may have a configuration that preserves a substance that is to be diffused, such as a fragrance. A diffuser according to this disclosure may include a body with a configuration that prevents a substance that is to be diffused from contacting an electrical plug of the fragrance diffuser and/or from entering into an electrical outlet. A diffuser according to this disclosure may include a body with a receptacle that can receive a reservoir of substance that is to be diffused in a top of the body; such a diffuser may include a canopy that may provide decorative effects (e.g., appearance, lighting, etc.).
In various embodiments, a diffuser according to this disclosure may comprise a so-called plug-in diffuser, which can operate when plugged into an electrical outlet. Such a diffuser includes a body, a receptacle, a converter, a diffusion nozzle, a power supply, and an electrical plug. The diffuser may also include a plug protrusion.
The body may include a front, sides, a back, a top, a bottom, an exterior, and an interior. The body may define or carry other elements of the diffuser. For example, the receptacle may be defined within the top of the body. The converter may be carried within an interior of the body. The diffusion nozzle may extend from the interior of the body to and optionally through an opening in the front of the body. The plug protrusion may comprise a protruding portion of the back of the body. The electrical plug may protrude from the plug protrusion.
The receptacle, which receives a reservoir (e.g., a reservoir for a substance to be diffused, such as a fragrance, another liquid, etc.), communicates with the interior of the body. In some embodiments, the receptacle may be located in the top of the body. The receptacle may include a coupler, which enables it to receive and retain an opening of the reservoir. The receptacle (e.g., the coupler thereof, etc.) may also have a configuration that provides for the communication of the substance (e.g., a fragrance, another liquid, etc.) carried by the reservoir to the converter.
The converter may be located within an interior of the body, where it can receive the substance from the receptacle (e.g., through the coupler, etc.; from a reservoir received by the receptacle, etc.). When the diffuser receives power (e.g., from a power supply associated with the electrical plug, etc.), it may be turned on and facilitate diffusion of the substance it receives from the receptacle. Stated another way, the converter may place the substance in a diffusible state (e.g., a vapor, atomized droplets, etc.). In some embodiments, the converter may comprise a heater or other apparatus that can change a state of the substance (e.g., from a liquid to a gas, etc.). In other embodiments, the converter may comprise a pump or other apparatus that conveys the substance under pressure to facilitating atomization of the substance. The converter may facilitate communication of the substance to the diffusion nozzle.
The diffusion nozzle receives the substance from the converter and directs the substance through an opening in the front of the body of the diffuser to a location outside of the diffuser. Additionally, the diffusion nozzle may atomize or otherwise facilitate dispersion of the substance through the air outside of the diffuser. The diffusion nozzle may be oriented in such a way as to recapture any substance that is not dispersed into the air around the diffuser. Without limitation, the diffusion nozzle may be oriented at an angle (e.g., a somewhat upwardly oriented, or diagonally oriented, angle of less than 90° to vertical; etc.) that facilitates collection of an undiffused portion of the substance to be diffused and enables the undiffused portion of the substance to flow back to the converter and/or the receptacle.
The power supply may comprise any suitable power supply. The power supply provides power to electronics and electrically operated components of the diffuser.
In some embodiments, the diffuser may include a light source carried by the body. The light source may provide one or more lighting effects, as described in further detail hereinafter.
A diffuser may include one or more controls. Without limitation, the diffuser may include a power switch (i.e., an on/off switch) (e.g., a push-button switch, etc.), which may control the flow of power from a power supply (e.g., through an electrical outlet, etc.) to the converter and any other electrical components of the diffuser. As another example, the diffuser may include one or more controls that are used to control the amount of a substance the diffuser diffuses. The diffuser may also include other types of controls (e.g., lighting controls, sound controls, controls that enable operation of the diffuser to be wirelessly controlled (e.g., by way of a remote control, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.), etc.).
A shape of the exterior of the body, including a shape of the plug protrusion, may prevent any liquid (e.g., the substance to be diffused, etc.) that collects on the exterior of the body from flowing to the electrical plug. The shape of the exterior of the body, including the shape of the plug protrusion, may prevent any liquid that collects on the exterior of the body from flowing into an electrical socket with which the electrical plug has been coupled.
The electrical plug may include a plurality of prongs that extend from the plug protrusion to facilitate coupling of the diffuser to a power source (e.g., an electrical outlet, or wall socket, etc.). In some embodiments, the electrical plug may be positionable in (e.g., rotated to, etc.) a plurality of different orientations; such an electrical plug may enable the diffuser to be positioned upright or substantially upright regardless of the orientation of an electrical outlet (e.g., upright, sideways, upside down, diagonal, etc.) the electrical plug is coupled with, or plugged into. When coupled with a power source (e.g., an electrical outlet, etc.), the electrical plug may facilitate the communication of power from the power source to the converter, which may facilitate operation of the diffuser. In addition, the electrical plug may facilitate the communication of power from the power source to a light source of the diffuser, as well as to any other electrically operated components of the diffuser.
The diffuser may also include a canopy. The canopy may be removably positionable over the receptacle and, thus, over a reservoir that has been received by (e.g., coupled to, etc.) the receptacle. The canopy may have a decorative exterior. The canopy may include an exterior wall that receives light from a light source of the diffuser (e.g., a light source that directs light to a canopy positioned over the receptacle, etc.). The exterior wall of the canopy may transmit light in a manner that illuminates the canopy (e.g., illuminates the exterior wall of the canopy, etc.). Such a canopy may also transmit light to other features of the diffuser, such as decorative charms that may be assembled with the canopy, which may enable illumination of the other features.
In another aspect, methods of using a diffuser are disclosed. For example, methods for recycling a diffused substance are disclosed. A method of recycling a diffused substance (e.g., a fragrance, etc.) with a dispenser may include directing a diffused substance that collects on an exterior of the dispenser (e.g., by condensation, etc.) at a location near a nozzle of the dispenser back into the dispenser (e.g., to a converter that converts the substance to a diffusable state, to a reservoir for the substance, etc.). Other methods include, but are not limited to, preventing a diffused substance from collecting on an electrical plug of the diffuser, and providing lighting effects on the diffuser.
Other aspects of the disclosed subject matter, as well as features and advantages of various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art through consideration of the disclosure, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
In the drawings:
The body 20 of the diffuser 10 comprises a housing 22. As shown in
The housing 22 may carry, or at least partially carry, other components of the diffuser 10. For example, as shown in
As shown in
With continuing reference to
With added reference to
An emission face 52 of the diffusion nozzle 50 may be exposed through the front opening 37 through the housing 22 to enable the substance to be emitted, or diffused, to the air around the diffuser 10. In some embodiments, the front opening 37 may receive the emission face 52. The emission face 52 may be recessed relative to the exterior 36 of the housing 22.
The diffusion nozzle 50 and its emission face 52 and, optionally, the front opening 37 through the housing 22 may be oriented in such a way as to recapture any substance that is not dispersed into the air around the diffuser 10. In some embodiments, the diffusion nozzle 40 and/or a lower surface of the front opening 37 may be oriented (e.g., at a downward slope, or angle, etc.) to allow any of the diffused substance that collects (e.g., condenses, etc.) within the front opening 37 or on the emission face 52 of the diffusion nozzle 50 to flow (e.g., under force of gravity, etc.) toward the interior 35 of the housing 22. Without limitation, the diffusion nozzle 50 and/or the lower surface of the front opening 37 may be oriented at an angle (e.g., a somewhat upwardly oriented, or diagonally oriented, angle of less than 90° to vertical; etc.) that facilitates collection of an undiffused portion of the substance. The collected substance may be returned, or recycled, (e.g., by way of conduits, etc.) to the converter 40 (as shown) and/or the receptacle 30.
The controls 60 of the diffuser 10 may also be carried by the housing 22. The controls 60 may include electronics 62, as represented in
Referring again to
As shown in
In some embodiments, the electrical plug 80 may be positionable in (e.g., rotated to, etc.) a plurality of different orientations.
In some embodiments, such as that depicted by
A shape of the exterior of the body 20, including a shape and a length of any plug protrusion 70, may prevent any liquid (e.g., the substance to be diffused, etc.) that collects on the exterior 36 of the housing 22 of the body 20 from flowing to the electrical plug 80 and into an electrical socket with which the electrical plug 80 has been coupled. Without limitation, a surface of the exterior 36 of the housing 22 and an exterior surface 76 of the plug protrusion 70 may have shapes (e.g., curves, contours, channels, etc.) that prevent fluid from flowing into the electrical plug 80 and instead direct the fluid to a bottom 79 of the plug protrusion 70 and or the bottom 29 of the housing 22.
As shown in
As
Although this disclosure provides many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of any of the claims that follow, but merely as providing illustrations of some embodiments of elements and features of the disclosed subject matter. Other embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, and of their elements and features, may be devised which do not depart from the spirit or scope of any of the claims. Features from different embodiments may be employed in combination. Accordingly, the scope of each claim is limited only by its plain language and the legal equivalents thereto.
A claim for priority is made to the Aug. 4, 2022 filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/395,300, titled DIFFUSER (“the '300 Provisional Application”). The entire disclosure of the '300 Provisional Application is hereby incorporated herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63395300 | Aug 2022 | US |