Patent Application
20100059601
The present invention relates to electrical vapor-dispersing devices and in particular to a plug-in vapor-dispersing device with repeating energy-conserving cycles optionally and irreversibly started by the user. More specifically, the present invention is a diffuser that vaporizes volatizable material continuously and uninterrupted when first plugged into an electrical outlet, but upon operation of an initiator switch begins irreversible repetition of fixed “ON”/“OFF” cycles to conserve both energy and volatizable material.
Vapor-dispersing devices are well known and include a variety of devices for vaporizing a liquid such as a perfume, odor neutralizer, air sanitizer or insecticide into the surrounding environment. For example, vapor-dispersing devices include; electrical diffusers with resistive heating elements and/or fans for driving liquids into the vapor phase; and, passive devices that rely on large pads or fiber wicks for evaporating liquids without energy input.
Vapor-dispersing devices that are electrically powered are very common in home and institutional settings around the world and include air fresheners, insecticidal devices, humidifiers, medicament inhalers and aroma therapeutic vaporizers. These devices may comprise a reservoir of volatizable material and they may operate by heat to volatize the composition. Most common of these devices are “plug-in” air fresheners wherein a wick constructed of porous material is placed in communication with a reservoir of scented fragrance oil. The wick, operating as both a liquid capillary transfer means and evaporative member, is placed in close proximity to a resistive heating element that accelerates the evaporation of the liquid from the wick. Another common configuration for a household air freshener comprises a bottle of scented fragrance oil with a porous plastic wick positioned in front of a fan. In these devices the fan moves air across the wick and the scented air is expelled into the immediate environment. Yet another configuration is where the device incorporates both a heating element and a fan. These devices exist in the marketplace, both house current powered (110 v/220 v, AC) and battery powered (1.5 v, 3 v, 9 v, etc., DC). Exemplary plug-in electric diffusers include Glade® Plugins® Scented Oil air freshener from S.C. Johnson & Son and Airwick® Scented Oils air freshener from Reckitt Benckiser. An obvious limitation of these (and many other) plug-in electrical diffusers is that they run continuously and uninterrupted when plugged into an electrical outlet. For most electrical diffuser applications it is not necessary or even desirable to vaporize material continuously. For example, with air fresheners there is little reason to volatize fragrance throughout the home when the occupants are asleep, or at night in institutional settings when public spaces are vacant. With insecticide diffusers, it may be desirable to vaporize insecticidal substances only throughout the night for protection against insects while sleeping. Low cost electric vapor-dispersing devices operate continuously unless they are unplugged from the electrical outlet. It is a waste of energy and materials to leave diffusers running uninterrupted. Certainly the need to make low cost diffusers is the most likely reason for this design simplicity. The addition of on/off switches or timing features necessarily adds to the cost, and even more so if any level of programmability is included in the device (e.g., where the consumer may adjust the length of both on- and off-time periods independently). Whether or not a vapor-dispersing device is best designed to run continuously or periodically depends upon a number of factors including; nature/form of the volatizable material; the application; the setting (institutional, industrial or residential); cost-of-goods/retail price/profit margin for the device; and, level of end-users' education/skill/familiarity to properly and safely interact with the device as instructed.
Timed vapor-dispersing devices are certainly known from the prior art and exist in the marketplace, appearing most prominently as timed aerosol sprayers in both institutional and residential markets. Airwick® FreshMatic® marketed by Reckitt Benckiser and the AutoFresh®, Microburst®, and AutoFresh® Pulse® timed aerosols by Technical Concepts are exemplary of timed aerosol air freshener products used in residential and institutional settings. Country Vet®, manufactured by Waterbury, is exemplary of a battery operated, timed aerosol insecticide sprayer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,444 to Brown claims a fan driven air freshener with a timing circuit comprised of two capacitors and two resistors that allow the user to select between delay times of 15 or 30-minutes between the time periods when electricity is delivered to the fan motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,883 to Glucksman et al. claims an aroma generating apparatus and driver circuit. The driver circuit operates between a low frequency when the heating element is off and a high frequency when the heating element is powered. In this way, the driver circuit monitors the real time operation of the device and can trigger a true end-of-use signal when the real elapsed time reaches a predetermined point, thus eliminating the need for memory circuits. The on- and off-time periods are determined and fixed by the resistors and capacitors chosen and are preferably around 30-minutes each (
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,935 to Pezaris claims a driver circuit (also described in Glucksman '883) that provides a rectified drive signal to the heating element of an aroma generating apparatus to affect a periodic discharge of aromatic vapor into the room to avoid fragrance habituation. A rectified AC signal is necessarily a fast-pulsed on/off DC signal that would provide only on/off cycling that is indiscernible to the consumer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,791 to Muderlak et al. claims a timed fan-driven air freshener. The device includes a timer that generates periodic on-times at predetermined intervals. The preferred time span between pulses is presumably about 15-minutes (Column 4, Lines 53-57 in Muderlak '791). The device may be switched to an energy-saving mode where the fan is only activated when room light is sensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,133 to Yang claims a multiple-mode perfuming device that operates at predetermined intervals and also has a light-sensing mode so that the device will not needlessly operate at night. When the consumer selects the “INTERMITTENT MODE”, the timing circuit provides an intermittent output signal to the fan motor. There is no mention in the '133 patent of the magnitude of the “desired frequency of perfuming”, (Id. Column 3, Lines 8-11).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,791 to Muderlak et al. claims an elaborate fragrance diffuser wherein a timing circuit is used to vary the duty cycle to the heating element through the life of the volatile material in order to provide a more uniform evaporation rate over time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,361 to Harper claims a fragrance device wherein a timing circuit is used to periodically expel fragrance that is allowed to accumulate within an enclosed space from a wick air freshener.
Lastly U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,717 to Millan claims an electrical diffuser with a timing circuit made inaccessible to the consumer. Although this device alternates between fixed “ON” and “OFF” cycles, the purpose of the unchangeable cycling is to reduce fragrance habituation. Although the preferred periodicity is not described, a purpose of that invention is to deliver “ON”/“OFF” periods “not perceivable” by the user (Id. Column 2, Lines 4-5, and claim 1) rather than periods of several hours or more.
What is lacking both in the prior art and in the market is a low cost electrical vapor-dispersing device that offers selection from continuous to energy-conserving modes, and in particular between a “default” continuous mode of operation and an energy-conserving intermittent mode of operation that may be irreversibly elected to override the default mode of operation. Thus it is broadly an object of the present invention to provide a vapor-dispersing device adapted for a default continuous operation and optional pre-set energy-saving operation. That being said, the present invention relates to an energy conserving vapor-dispersing device that minimally comprises a timer circuit of fixed periodicity that may be started by the consumer. The device of the present invention will operate continuously and uninterrupted unless the consumer elects to switch it to the energy-conserving mode by depressing a momentary contact switch, in which case the device will enter into repeating and fixed “ON/OFF” cycles that cannot be altered. The device may be returned to the continuous operation mode only by purposeful or unintentional power interruption, not by activating a switch. That is, the default continuous operation of the device is restored only if the device is unplugged and plugged back into an electrical outlet, or if there is an otherwise unintentional power failure.
The device of the present invention may also include an indicia means, such as a single color or multiple-color LED or lamp(s) that may signal to the user that the device is operating (i.e., “ON”) rather than sleeping (i.e., “OFF”), and/or that the “end-of-life” of the volatizable material is reached and that the device should be refilled with new material. Thus an additional goal of the present invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive vapor-dispersing device that can signal to the user important events such as when the device is “ON” versus “OFF”, or when in need of volatizable material replacement, preferably through a single LED.
The cost of the device of the present invention is kept exceptionally low by incorporating only minimal electronics; a simple timing circuit having fixed time cycles that cannot be changed by the consumer; a single momentary contact switch to optionally and irreversibly enter the energy-savings mode; and, an optional LED or other suitable indicia means. In the preferred embodiment, the vapor-dispersing device of the present invention is refillable by trading out an empty reservoir with a new reservoir of volatizable material. In this way a low cost, reusable and sustainable vapor-dispersing device is provided that features an optional energy-saving mode that saves both electricity and volatizable material.
The following description is of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function, the size, and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Most importantly, changes in overall shape and size of the vapor-dispersing device do not depart from the intended scope of the invention. Additionally, the placement, shape, form and type of initiator switch used to enter the device of the present invention into the energy-conserving mode of operation may each be varied considerably, and all variations are considered within the spirit of the invention. For example, the switch may be a small round button, toggle or other lever, or other spring-loaded contact switch of any size or shape, or the like, and which may be positioned anywhere around the device. Similarly, the optional indicia means used to signal important events to the user may be any LED or any other visible indicator lamp of any size of color(s), and may be positioned anywhere around the device. Also, various shapes and sizes for the reservoir used to hold the volatizable material of the present invention are variable in shape, size and materials of construction, and all are anticipated to be within the scope of the invention, Lastly, electronics that achieve the same overall timing/energy-conserving purpose, even through comprised of alternative components varying widely from those described herein, are anticipated. For example, different timing circuits (e.g., flip-flop, monostable, or other) may be conceived and may be interchangeable with the preferred circuit means of the present invention described herein, yet still achieve the desired fixed “ON”/“OFF” energy-conserving periodicity required for the device.
That said, the present invention is a low cost electrical vapor-dispersing device that operates in a “default” continuous mode unless an energy-conserving intermittent mode of operation is started that will necessarily override the default mode of operation. The present invention is limited to a vapor-dispersing device that vaporizes volatizable material by means of heat radiating from at least one electrically energized resistive heating element, and wherein the device minimally comprises: a housing with walls enclosing an interior space; an electrically powered vapor delivery means within the housing for volatilizing a vaporizable material; a vent anywhere on the housing; a circuit means substantially within the housing, electrically coupled to the vapor delivery means, where the circuit means includes a timing circuit preset to cut off electrical power to the vapor delivery means in fixed repeating cycles when activated; and, an initiator or “start” switch, electrically coupled to the timing circuit for irreversibly activating the cyclical energy-conserving mode of operation. Additionally the device of the present invention may include an optional indicia means such as an LED to alert the user of events occurring in the device and/or the status of the device. These elements are more easily understood by discussions of each of the accompanying drawing figures and illustrations of preferred embodiments therein.
Referring now to
It is important not to read spatial relationships or geometrical constraints into
The housing 300 defines the overall shape of the device 1, with walls defining an interior. The housing may be comprised of any suitable material such as metal, plastic, glass or fiberboard, or combinations thereof, with blow-molded or injection-molded plastic being most preferred and practical materials of construction. It is important to note that the overall housing may be comprised of housing portions that are separately molded and later assembled to define the overall shape to the device, and which can provide for structural complexity inside and outside of the overall shell of the device. For example, housing portions may be screwed together, or fit together with plastic protrusions and holes, or sonically welded together to form the overall housing 300. The shape of the housing may be cylindrical, or more box or block-like in shape, or may be some other practical and appealing overall shape, and may include various interior shelves, recesses and mounting surfaces for various interior components, along with contours, colors and exterior ornamentation for aesthetic reasons. Overall, the housing 300 is essentially a container with walls that define an interior space in which various components of the present device (printed circuit board, etc.) may be placed and held. As mentioned, the configuration of the housing, and the placement of the components therein, may lead to various degrees of user accessibility for each of the particular components. The most preferred materials of construction for the housing 300 of the present invention are polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate, or mixtures thereof, wherein the preferred plastic materials are blow-molded, injection blow-molded, injection molded, and/or thermoformed to create the various shapes of the housing portions. The housing 300 may be created to appear opaque or transparent (in part or in whole) and may be constructed of any color (e.g., white or beige or some decorative color). Construction from injection molded plastic allows for transparent/clear, transparent/colored, or opaque/colored plastic parts, further allowing wide variation of functionality and aesthetic appeal.
The switch 101, depicted generically in
Momentary contact switches are highly common, and may be miniature or sub-miniature in size for inclusion in the device of the present invention. The switch 101 may preferably be a momentary contact rocker, toggle, pushbutton or slide switch. Most preferred is to use a switch 101 comprising a miniature or subminiature momentary contact pushbutton switch. Exemplary of the most preferred switch 101 for use in the present invention are the 3M-series and 3S-Series PC mount miniature and subminiature pushbutton switches available from Carling Technologies. Whether or not a SPST, SPDT, DPST or DPDT switch with “momentary on” or “momentary off” operation is ultimately preferred, will be determined by the design of the timing circuit. As mentioned above, portions of the switch 101 may protrude from the housing 300 of the device, and in the most preferred embodiment wherein the switch 101 is a momentary contact pushbutton PC mount switch, the “button” potion of the switch may be allowed to protrude out from a small hole in the housing 300 so that it can be fully depressed. As will be discussed below in the context of the timing circuit, the preferred switch for inclusion in the present invention is a SPST momentary contact pushbutton switch, which is “momentarily on” when depressed.
The optional indicia means 102 may be any type of light source that operates to visibly signal to the user events occurring in the device, or the current status of the device.
For example, indicia means 102 may be a small indicator bulb of an incandescent type, or a spark-gap neon tube lamp, or may preferably comprise one or more LED's (light emitting diodes). Non-limiting examples of preferred LED's include bicolor LED's, or dual 2-color LED assemblies, SMD LED's, micro LED's, 3-10 mm LED's, rectangular LED's, single color LED's, infrared LED's, right-angle LED's, blinking LED's, and the like. The preferred LED may be chosen on the basis of: the particular events or status that requires signaling to the user, (for example, “ON”, and/or “end-of-life” of the volatizable material); the electronics, (including printed circuit board (PCB) design, cost, compatibility of the LED with other electronic components, current/voltage requirements etc); and, the physical layout of the PCB, its size constraints, location and orientation within the housing 300 of the device, (for example, orientation of the PCB may dictate the choice between a right-angle LED and a standard LED). Most preferred is to incorporate a suitable LED (such as a bicolor LED or an assembly of LED's) as the indicia means that may provide one color when the device is vaporizing volatile material (e.g., green, to signal that the device is running rather than off) and a second color to signal when the device is depleted of volatizable material (e.g., a red color, or a blinking color). Most preferred is to use a 3-pin bicolor LED such as the WP59EGW bicolor green/red LED available from Kingbright USA.
Referring still to
Lastly, and still referring to
Referring now to
For air freshener applications, the reservoir 201 to be used in the present invention preferably comprises a plastic or glass bottle having a fill volume of from about 5 mL to about 45 mL. If plastic is used for the reservoir, the preferred materials of manufacture include polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene terephthalate, wherein the bottle is preferably blow-molded with a threaded neck to accept a screw cap. An opening is necessarily configured on one portion of the reservoir and that opening may be created from the blow-pin used in the plastic blow-molding operation, or it may be molded into a glass reservoir. A molded glass bottle is also preferred for its durability, beauty and clarity, and ease of recycling. Indeed, tying in with the energy-conserving emphasis of the present invention, a glass reservoir may appear more environmentally acceptable to the consumer. A glass bottle reservoir is also preferably molded with external threads on the neck portion of the opening in order to accept a screw cap. Preferably the reservoir is fitted with a porous plastic or other wick that extends to the bottom of the reservoir to ensure complete emptying. Suitable wick materials include cellulose fiber bundles, porous sintered plastic, wood, ceramics, graphite, and synthetic fiber bundles, and combinations of these materials, but as mentioned, the porous sintered plastic wicks are highly preferred. It is common in the art to also include a “fitment” or suitable molded plastic collar that snaps over the opening of the bottle to adapt the reservoir opening to a smaller hole that accepts and seals around the wick. The fitment also provides a better sealing platform for a screw cap. Such a screw cap can then be used to seal the bottle and wick together (a so-called “witch hat” shaped cap that covers the exposed end of the wick and seals down around the neck fitment and the screw threads of the bottle). Such configurations for the reservoir, fitment, porous wick and screw cap assembly are well described in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2006/0022064 to Triplett, et al. and 2005/0191481 to He, et al., along with PCT Application Publication WO/2002030220 to He, et al, all incorporated herein in their entireties. In order to effectuate volatization of the volatizable material from the vapor-delivery means of the present device, the wick is positioned in close proximity to the previously described resistive heating element 202. In this way, when the resistive element is energized, the emitted heat will warm the saturated porous wick, vaporizing the volatizable material. To achieve the alignment of the reservoir such that its wick is placed into close proximity to the heating element, a guidance system as that claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,867 to Stathakis, et al. may be readily employed within the design of the housing 300 of the present invention.
The volatizable material 203 in the reservoir 201 for evaporation from the device of the present invention may be present from about 1 gram to about 50 grams. Depending on whether the composition is a fragrance or an insecticide or other air treatment mixture, the composition may contain anywhere from trace actives to 100% actives and may contain any number and amount of solvents and/or carriers, volatile or otherwise. For example, the device of the present invention may comprise a volatile material further consisting of only a single volatile chemical such as citronella. In another embodiment of the invention the volatile material may comprise only eucalyptus oil as a medicament. The material may comprise anywhere from one or a few to up to many active materials dissolved or compounded with solvents and carriers that may or may not be volatile. Most preferred is to utilize volatile mixtures (comprising mixtures of actives and solvents together) wherein all of the components are volatile such that the reservoir 201 will eventually empty of all visible contents after a predetermined use-up period referred to as the “end-of-life”. Most preferred is to place from about 5 mL to about 45 mL of a liquid or gelled volatizable material 203 within reservoir 201.
For use as a fragrance-dispersing device, fragrance components of the volatizable material 203 for the present invention may comprise one of more volatile organic compounds available from any of the now known, or hereafter established, perfumery suppliers, such as International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) of New Jersey, Givaudan of New Jersey, Firmenich of New Jersey, etc. Many types of fragrances can be used in the present invention. Preferably the fragrance materials are volatile essential oils. The fragrances, however, may be synthetically derived substances (aldehydes, ketones, esters, etc.), naturally derived oils, or mixtures thereof. Naturally derived fragrance substances include, but are not limited to, musk, civet, ambergis, castoreum and like animal perfumes; abies oil, ajowan oil, almond oil, ambrette seed absolute, angelic root oil, anise oil, basil oil, bay oil, benzoin resinoid, bergamot oil, birch oil, bois de rose oil, broom abs., cajeput oil, cananga oil, capsicum oil, caraway oil, cardamon oil, carrot seed oil, cassia oil, cedar leaf, cedarwood oil, celery seed oil, cinnamon bark oil, citronella oil, clary sage oil, clove oil, cognac oil, coriander oil, cubeb oil, cumin oil, camphor oil, dill oil, estragon oil, eucalyptus oil, fennel sweet oil, galbanum res., garlic oil, geranium oil, ginger oil, grapefruit oil, hop oil, hyacinth abs., jasmin abs., juniper berry oil, labdanum res., lavander oil, laurel leaf oil, lavender oil, lemon oil, lemongrass oil, lime oil, lovage oil, mace oil, mandarin oil, mimosa abs., myrrh abs., mustard oil, narcissus abs., neroli bigarade oil, nutmeg oil, oakmoss abs., olibanum res., onion oil, opoponax res., orange oil, orange flower oil, origanum, orris concrete, pepper oil, peppermint oil, peru balsam, petitgrain oil, pine needle oil, rose abs., rose oil, rosemary oil, sandalwood oil, sage oil, spearmint oil, styrax oil, thyme oil, tolu balsam, tonka beans abs., tuberose abs., turpentine oil, vanilla beans abs., vetiver oil, violet leaf abs., ylang ylang oil and like vegetable oils, etc. Synthetic fragrance materials include but are not limited to pinene, limonene and like hydrocarbons; 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexanol, linalool, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, menthol, borneol, borneyl methoxy cyclohexanol, benzyl alcohol, anise alcohol, cinnamyl alcohol, β-phenyl ethyl alcohol, cis-3-hexenol, terpineol and like alcohols; anethole, musk xylol, isoeugenol, methyl eugenol and like phenols; α-amylcinnamic aldehyde, anisaldehyde, n-butyl aldehyde, cumin aldehyde, cyclamen aldehyde, decanal, isobutyl aldehyde, hexyl aldehyde, heptyl aldehyde, n-nonyl aldehyde, nonadienol, citral, citronellal, hydroxycitronellal, benzaldehyde, methyl nonyl acetaldehyde, cinnamic aldehyde, dodecanol, α-hyxylcinnamic aldehyde, undecenal, heliotropin, vanillin, ethyl vanillin and like aldehydes; methyl amyl ketone, methyl β-naphthyl ketone, methyl nonyl ketone, musk ketone, diacetyl, acetyl propionyl, acetyl butyryl, carvone, menthone, camphor, acetophenone, p-methyl acetophenone, ionone, methyl ionone and like ketones; amyl butyrolactone, diphenyl oxide, methyl phenyl glycidate, gamma.-nonyl lactone, coumarin, cineole, ethyl methyl phenyl glicydate and like lactones or oxides; methyl formate, isopropyl formate, linalyl formate, ethyl acetate, octyl acetate, methyl acetate, benzyl acetate, cinnamyl acetate, butyl propionate, isoamyl acetate, isopropyl isobutyrate, geranyl isovalerate, allyl capronate, butyl heptylate, octyl caprylate octyl, methyl heptynecarboxylate, methine octynecarboxylate, isoacyl caprylate, methyl laurate, ethyl myristate, methyl myristate, ethyl benzoate, benzyl benzoate, methylcarbinylphenyl acetate, isobutyl phenylacetate, methyl cinnamate, cinnamyl cinnamate, methyl salicylate, ethyl anisate, methyl anthranilate, ethyl pyruvate, ethyl α-butyl butylate, benzyl propionate, butyl acetate, butyl butyrate, p-tert-butylcyclohexyl acetate, cedryl acetate, citronellyl acetate, citronellyl formate, p-cresyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl caproate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl phenylacetate, ethylene brassylate, geranyl acetate, geranyl formate, isoamyl salicylate, isoamyl isovalerate, isobornyl acetate, linalyl acetate, methyl anthranilate, methyl dihydrojasmonate, nopyl acetate, β-phenylethyl acetate, trichloromethylphenyl carbinyl acetate, terpinyl acetate, vetiveryl acetate and like esters, and the like. Suitable fragrance mixtures may produce a number of overall fragrance type perceptions including but not limited to, fruity, musk, floral, herbaceous (including mint), and woody, or perceptions that are in-between (fruity-floral for example). Typically these fragrance mixtures are compounded by mixing a variety of these active fragrance materials along with various solvents to adjust cost, evaporation rates, hedonics and intensity of perception. Well known in the fragrance industry is to dilute essential fragrance oil blends (natural and/or synthetic) with solvents such as ethanol, isopropanol, hydrocarbons, acetone, glycols, glycol ethers, water, and combinations thereof, and using solvent up to as much as 90% of the volatile fragrance composition. Thus a preferred fragrance composition for use as the volatizable composition 203 in the present invention is comprised of a mixture of many fragrance actives and volatile solvents, sometimes along with smaller amounts of emulsifiers, stabilizers, wetting agents and preservatives. More often than not, the compositions of the fragrance mixtures purchasable from the various fragrance supply houses remain proprietary.
Volatizable insecticide compositions for use in the present invention are those of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,315 to Hasegawa, et al., incorporated herein by reference. Hasegawa describes many useful volatile insecticidal compositions that will work well within the reservoir 201 of the present invention.
Although the volatizable material 203 for use in the present invention has been described generally as a liquid, it is important to realize that this material may feature any range of viscosities. For example, the volatizable material placed into the reservoir for evaporation may be a “water-thin” liquid, a thickened gel, an emulsion or suspension, or a moderate to very viscous liquid, for example resembling a gel or a waxy semi-solid. Using volatizable material having substantially high viscosity has the advantage of added child resistance in that children are less likely to be able to suck thickened volatizable material through a porous wick at any appreciable dangerous rate. The volatizable material may be “naturally” thick depending on the ingredients used in its formulation, or it may be purposely thickened with silica gel, clay, synthetic or natural polymers or other structurant, as is well known in the art.
Electrical connection from the PCB to the resistor 202 may be achieved with wires or simply by extending the pins of the resistor through the structural member and to solder points on the PCB. Additionally, wires may be used to bring the electrical power to the PCB, these being soldered between points on the PCB and the electrical prongs on the rotating plug deck. In this way the wires simply twist around freely if the rotating plug deck is utilized for sideways or upside down mounted electrical outlets. Reservoir 201 is shown to fit relatively snugly within the housing 300 when inserted from underneath the device and internal structural elements may be judicially located to help hold the reservoir therein. Reservoir 201 further comprises a collar/fitment 205 and porous wick 204 fitted within said collar 205 as described in detail above. As shown, the porous wick 204 is preferably positioned in close proximity to the resistive heating element 202 when the reservoir 201 is inserted into the housing 300. Vapors that emanate from the heated end of the wick 204 will necessarily migrate out of the vent(s) 303 and into the local environment such as a room of a house.
Referring now to
The OSC1 and OSC2 pins of the CMOS timer 103, (#2 and #3 pins, respectively), may be connected to an external oscillator further comprising a 1 MHz quartz crystal Y1 and capacitors C3 and C4, leading to ground, as is standard practice for more accurate timing. As is known, selection of capacitors C3 and C4 is important for stability, with larger capacitance giving better stability but longer oscillator startup times. To that end, both C3 and C4 should be less than 50 pF, and herein C3 is preferably from about 20 to about 25 pF, and C4 is from about 10 to about 20 pF.
Power to the resistive heating element 202 (R7) is half-wave rectified AC voltage. To that end, diode D1, Zener diode D2, resistors R1, R2, and R3, and filter capacitors C1 and C2, together form the half-wave rectifier circuit that feeds the heating element, and when filtered, supplies the DC voltage required by the microcontroller U1. As mentioned above, nodes 104 (load) and 105 (neutral) are connected through to an AC power source (e.g., through wires leading to metal prongs), which is this U.S. version is preferably from about 100 v to about 130 v AC. As configured in
The resistance of R4 and capacitance of CS provide time delay reset signal to the microcontroller. A small program in the microcontroller provides the timing sequences on the order of from about 21,600 sec (6 hrs) to about 64,800 sec (18 hrs). Most preferred is to adjust these dependent components to produce an “OFF” time duration of from about 6 hr to about 9 hr and an “ON” time duration of from about 12 hr to about 18 hr. In this way, the initiation of the timer circuit through momentary contact of switch S1 will place the device of the present invention into preferred “ON” times of about 8 hr and “OFF” times of about 16 hr. For this to be of practical use, the consumer will be instructed to press the initiator switch S1 upon retiring for the night (e.g., at 10:00 PM), which will then put the device into its first “OFF” cycle (of about 8 hrs for example), followed by successive “ON”/“OFF” cycling each 24 hr period. The preferred about 8 hrs “OFF” and about 16 hrs “ON” time durations come from the assumption a consumer would prefer the device to be “OFF” while sleeping for about 8 hr and “ON” while not sleeping for about 16 hr, with this periodicity repeating each day (24 hr cycle). As mentioned, for other applications other than an electric air freshener (e.g., insect repellant device), these cycle times may be much different and the capacitance and resistance of these components would be adjusted accordingly in order to achieve those desired cycle times.
As shown in
The circuit means of
The circuit means 100 as depicted in
We have herein described a unique low-cost vapor-dispensing device 1 that features a consumer initiated energy-saving mode of operation. The device of the present invention will operate continuously and uninterrupted unless and until the consumer elects to switch it to the energy-conserving mode by operating a momentary contact switch, in which case the device will irreversibly enter into repeating and unchangeable “ON/OFF” cycles of from about 6 to about 18 hours. The device may be returned to the continuous operation mode only by purposeful or unintentional power interruption. As shown and described, the preferred embodiment for this unique device further includes a bicolor LED that signals “green” during each “ON” period, and “red” when the total elapsed “ON” time reaches a set value roughly corresponding to when the volatizable material is estimated to be emptied. Incorporation of only these few simple and inexpensive electronic features provide for a sustainable, environmentally friendly and consumer desirable, low-cost vapor-dispersing device.
