Patent Application
20110239538
U.S. Pat. No. 7,547,004 also invented by the present inventor disclosed a portable humidifier having an ultrasonic vibrator mounted is a bottle operatively vibrating for ejecting water mists as absorbed through the vibrator for humidifying the environment nearby.
However, such a prior art has the drawbacks as follows:
The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the prior art and invented the present humidifier without power supply.
The object of the present invention is to provide a simplified humidifier including a holding device having a trough for storing water therein, and a water-absorbable, telescopically sinuously extendible vaporizing element submerged in the trough of the holding device for absorbing water from the trough and spreading the moisture through the vaporizing element to be evaporated into the surrounding for increasing the humidity nearby.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier further including at least a seed planter or planter embedded or kept in the trough of the holding device for providing a true or natural plant as grown from the planter for freshing the interior air and enhancing the decorative effect of the humidifier.
As shown in
The planters 3 may be simplified to be a single planter 3 held in the holding device 1.
The holding device 1 may be formed as an elongated shape, a wavy or curved shape, but not limited in the present invention.
The holding device 1 includes: a trough 11 for storing water W in the trough 11, and a cover 12 embedded or covered on an upper portion of the trough 11. The cover 12 includes an opening 120 for protruding the vaporizing element 2 outwardly or upwardly through the opening 120.
The trough 11 includes a top edge portion 111 detachably engaged with a peripheral groove 121 circumferentially formed in a bottom portion of the cover 12 for embedding the cover 12 on the trough 11.
A downwardly-protruded extension 124 is circumferentially formed on the cover 12 along the opening 120 to prevent from outward spillage of water W as stored in the trough 11 when accidentally tilted, thereby preventing from wetting of the surroundings.
The cover 12 further includes two lugs 122 protruding downwardly from opposite ends of the cover 12, end lug 122 formed with a hole 123 therein for engaging a projection 112 sidewardly protruded from the trough 11 to stably engage the cover 12 with the trough 11.
The vaporizing element 2 is made of water absorbable materials including paper and fibrous sheet for capillarily spreading water or moisture through the vaporizing element 2 when immersed in the trough 11 of the holding device 1. The vaporizing element 2 is unfolded and flattened as a sheet or board as shown in
The vaporizing element 2 is preferably sinuously or corrugatedly extendible or telescopically retractable along the trough 11 of the holding device 1. Upon extending of the vaporizing element 2 lengthwise in the trough 11, an air-contacting area or diffusing area as effected by the vaporizing element 2 will be increased to increase the total evaporating area of the element 2, thereby increasing the humidity near the vaporizing element 2 as extended.
The longer the vaporizing element 2 is extended, the larger air-contacting area or diffusing area will be, thereby resulting in an increased humidity.
As shown in
The bottom folding line 21 is formed as a zigzag or corrugated shape and comprised of a plurality of V-shaped line sections 211, each V-shaped line section 211 having an apex 212 formed at a center thereof; each right folding line 23 and each left folding line 24 linearly aligned for intersecting each apex 212 of the V-shaped line section 211 of the bottom folding line 21; each right folding line 23 and each left folding line 24 respectively inclined or flared rightwardly and leftwardly from the bottom folding line 21, thereby diverging the right vaporizing leaves 22R and left vaporizing leaves 22L rightwardly and leftwardly to mimic true plant leaves, bracken, grass or flowers, thereby increasing the diffusing or vaporizing area of the vaporizing element 2, besides the decorative effect thereof.
The vaporizing element 2 may be extendibly folded or pleated along the bottom folding line 21, the right folding lines 23 and the left folding lines 24 to be sinuously extended in the trough 11 of the holding device 1 to form an imitated tree or plant as shown in
No power (electricity) consumption, low cost of vaporizing element 2 such as made of paper, and simple construction of the humidifier, an environmentally friendly humidifier may be made in accordance with the present invention, which is simpler, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the prior art.
Before being used, the vaporizing element 2 is folded or retracted as shown in
Although the vaporizing element 2 as illustrated is formed to mimic plant leaves, bracken, grass or flowers, other shapes or designs may however be modified, not limited in the present invention.
For instance, the vaporizing element 2 may be formed as a mountain or architecture model, human or animal gathering, doll assembly, decorative or advertising feature, regularly or irregularly-shaped design, not limited in the present invention. The holding device 1 may also be modified to be other art or decorative designs, other than the elongated trough as shown in
The present invention further comprises a planter 3 fixed, embedded or placed in the trough 11 of the holding device 1.
As shown in
Each planter 3 includes: a pot 31 placed in the trough 11 of the holding device 1; a wick element 30 having its first end protruding into a bottom portion of the trough 11 to absorb water W as stored in the trough 11, and having a second end of the wick element 30 inserted into the bottom portion of the pot 31 to be communicated with a soil, planting medium or nutrient 32 stored in the pot 31 for capillarily feeding water into the pot 31, and a plant 34 such as flower, bracken, tree or any home plant planted in the pot 31 to absorb water and nutrient from the pot 31 for its growth.
The planter 3 may also include: a plurality of seeds 33 buried in the soil 32 in the pot 31, whereby upon absorbing water and nutrient from the pot 31, the seeds 33 may be grown up to be plants 34 as illustrated in
The planter 3, as pre-buried with seeds 33 therein, should be sealed with thin film for convenient storage, shipping and handling thereof.
As shown in
The present invention may be provided in a bed room; an office, a living room, and other interiors for both interior decoration and humidification for enhancing the living environment to be more artistic and healthy.
In a practical experiment, a trough 11 of the holding device 1 of the present invention with a size of 30 cm length×10 cm width×8 cm depth having water stored in the trough is kept in a small room having a dimension of 4 m length×4 m width×2 m height for testing. The vaporizing element 2 for test is made of paper, having a 2 D dimension of about 30 cm×20 cm as flattened before being folded.
The room temperature is kept at 20° C., and the relative humidity is measured to be 15% just at the beginning when the humidifier of the present invention is placed in the room.
Then, the humidifier is placed in the room for humidification overnight as natural evaporation by the paper-made vaporizing element 2 of the present invention. After overnight, it is measured to obtain a relative humidity of 45%, indicating an increase of 30% humidity as effected by the present invention.
According to the present invention, the humidity may be increased up to about 20˜35% in a room provided with the humidifier of the present invention.
Even the vaporing element 2 is formed as an artificial plant. The true or natural plants 34 of the planters 3 as juxtapositioned to the artificial plant of the vaporizing element 2 may activate the artificial plant of the vaporizing element 2 to provide a small interior ecosystem or a “miniature garden” just in the office or in a room, as humidified and decorated synergetically.
Since the present invention does not consume electricity and the elements in construction of the humidifier are simple with lower cost, it is really environmentally friendly or protective. The water vapor is naturally evaporated, without causing excess moisture content in the air to therefore be superior to a conventional electrically operated humidifier.
If needed, a perfume or air refreshing agent may be further added into the trough of the present invention for rendering perfuming or refreshing environment.
For commercial purpose, the planter 3 may also be pre-buried with seeds 33 in the pot 31 which is then sealed with thin film for convenient or hygienic shipping, storage and handling. When used, the planter 3 (by removing the film) is then placed into the trough 11 for absorbing water from the trough for watering and growing the seeds to become plants 34.
The present invention may be further modified without departing from the spirit and scope 11 the present invention.
