Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6176473
-
Patent Number
6,176,473
-
Date Filed
Thursday, October 8, 199825 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 23, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Simmons; David A.
- Hopkins; Robert A.
Agents
- Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 261 26
- 261 67
- 261 721
- 261 104
- 261 107
- 261 DIG 34
- 261 DIG 46
- 261 DIG 65
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A humidifier bottle assembly and a method of dispensing water from humidifier bottles are provided. The humidifier bottle assembly includes a first and a second humidifier bottle adapted to hold water and a humidifier bottle receptacle adapted to receive the first and second bottles. In one embodiment, the receptacle includes a device adapted to determine which of the first and second humidifier bottles contains more water. The device is operable to dispense water from the humidifier bottle containing more water. In an exemplary embodiment, the device comprises a pivot mechanism configured to raise one of the first and second bottles and lower the other of the first and second bottles within the receptacle, so as to activate a dispensing plunger and stopper, thus dispensing water from the bottle containing more water. In another embodiment, each bottle includes a dispensing mechanism adapted to dispense water from the bottle into a reservoir. A pivot member is provided about which the bottles pivot, and at least one biasing member is adapted to position the bottles in a given angular position in response to the amount of water contained in the bottles, such that the dispensing mechanisms of the first and second bottles are alternately positioned below the water level of the water in the reservoir.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to humidifiers, and, more particularly, to a humidifier bottle assembly that alternately dispenses water from two or more humidifier bottles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Humidifiers are commonly used in homes to add moisture to the air, particularly during the winter months, when the air typically has low moisture content. The added moisture content in the air during these dry, cold weather months provides for a more comfortable environment within the home. As a result, humidifiers have become a popular, inexpensive means for achieving optimal air moisture content within the home environment.
One difficulty commonly encountered with humidifiers, however, is the inability to determine the water level of a humidifier bottle with relative ease. Some humidifiers have an elongated clear plastic strip (i.e., a window) on their side such that one can view the bottle compartment of the humidifier. Typically, an individual will rely on direct visual sighting of the bottle's water level through this clear plastic strip to determine the amount of water contained therein. Since most humidifiers are compact in size and are placed on the floor, such viewing of the water level typically requires one to bend down to view the plastic strip of the humidifier. Viewing the water level within close proximity to the humidifier is generally needed since water is colorless, and it is often difficult to ascertain such water level at a distance. Thus, the action of bending down to the humidifier, while being inconvenient to any one individual, is even more burdensome to those who have difficulty accomplishing such, especially the elderly.
Some types of humidifiers utilize two humidifier bottles rather than a single bottle. Two-bottle humidifiers provide several advantages over the single bottle variety. For instance, the two-bottle variety generally permits operation of the humidifier while an individual is re-filling one of the bottles with water, thereby providing continuous operation of the humidifier. In addition, the humidifier bottles of the two-bottle variety tend to be more manageable (i.e., smaller in size) than that of the single bottle variety, thus easing the process of filling the bottles with water in space-constrained areas, such as a bathroom sink. Accordingly, the two-bottle type humidifier facilitates more convenient handling of such containers by an individual than that of the single bottle variety.
While humidifiers of the two-bottle variety provide several advantages over the single-bottle type, they also suffer from their own disadvantages. Typically, humidifiers employing two bottles will empty one of their bottles completely before the second bottle will begin to empty. If an individual refills the first bottle with water as soon as it empties, it will again begin to empty, causing a significant amount of water to still remain within the second bottle. If this refilling sequence continues, the water in the second bottle will undesirably stagnate.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a humidifier bottle assembly is provided. The humidifier bottle assembly includes a first and a second humidifier bottle adapted to hold water and a humidifier bottle receptacle adapted to receive the first and second bottles. The receptacle includes a device adapted to determine which of the first and second humidifier bottles contains more water. The device is operable to dispense water from the humidifier bottle containing more water. In an exemplary embodiment, the device comprises a pivot mechanism configured to raise one of the first and second bottles and lower the other of the first and second bottles within the receptacle, so as to activate a dispensing plunger and stopper, thus dispensing water from the bottle containing more water.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a humidifier bottle assembly includes a first and a second humidifier bottle adapted to hold water, with each bottle including a dispensing mechanism adapted to dispense water from the bottle into a reservoir. A pivot member is provided about which the bottles pivot, and at least one biasing member is adapted to position the bottles in a given angular position in response to the amount of water contained in the bottles, such that the dispensing mechanisms of the first and second bottles are alternately positioned below the water level of the water in the reservoir.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for dispensing water from a humidifier bottle assembly including at least two humidifier bottles for holding water is provided. The method includes the steps of determining which of the humidifier bottles contains more water than the other humidifier bottle, and dispensing water from the humidifier bottle containing the most water.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1
illustrates the operating principle of a humidifier in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2
shows a partial, cross-sectional view of a humidifier and a humidifier bottle assembly disposed within a receptacle of the humidifier;
FIG. 3
depicts a process for visually conveying the water level of the humidifier bottle of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
illustrates a top view of the humidifier with a water level gauge disposed thereon;
FIG. 5
shows the top of the humidifier bottle with a marker tape affixed thereto;
FIG. 6
illustrates of a humidifier with a digital readout, showing the amount of water present within the humidifier bottle;
FIG. 7
illustrates a humidifier with a series of LEDs for indicating the water level of the humidifier bottle;
FIGS. 8A and 8B
illustrate a humidifier bottle receptacle for a humidifier with a pivot mechanism for alternately dispensing water to the humidifier via two humidifier bottles in accordance with one embodiment;
FIG. 9
shows a process for alternately dispensing water from the two humidifier bottles of
FIGS. 8A and 8B
;
FIG. 10
depicts a humidifier bottle assembly utilizing a spring force for alternately dispensing water to a humidifier from two humidifier bottles in accordance with another embodiment;
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nonetheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
FIG. 1
illustrates the operating principle of a humidifier
100
in accordance with the invention. A stream of dry air
12
enters the humidifier
100
through an intake and passes through or over a wet wick
14
and picks up additional moisture to form a humid stream of air
16
. The humid stream of air
16
leaves the humidifier by an output. One end of the wick
14
makes contact with water in a reservoir
20
. Water from the reservoir
20
replenishes water carried away from the wick
14
by the stream of air
16
. At least one humidifier bottle
105
is situated within a humidifier bottle receptacle
110
so as to supply water to the reservoir
20
.
Turning now to
FIG. 2
, a cross-sectional view of a portion of the humidifier
100
, having the humidifier bottle
105
disposed within the humidifier bottle receptacle
110
, is shown in accordance with one embodiment. The humidifier bottle
105
supplies water to the humidifier
100
. When necessary, an individual removes the humidifier bottle
105
from the receptacle
110
, fills the bottle
105
with water, and subsequently places the bottle
105
back into the receptacle
110
. In the embodiment illustrated, access to the humidifier bottle receptacle
110
is achieved via a hinged flap
115
on the top surface of the humidifier
100
.
The humidifier bottle receptacle
110
includes a mounting seat
120
, which extends from the bottom of the humidifier
100
, and provides vertical support to the humidifier bottle
105
via a pivot point
125
about which the humidifier bottle
105
may pivot. The mounting seat
120
further includes a water dispensing actuator
130
for actuating a dispensing cap
135
on the bottom of the humidifier bottle
105
. The dispensing cap
135
discharges water from the humidifier bottle
105
when actuated by the dispensing actuator
130
.
The mounting seat
120
further includes a support
140
, extending vertically from the bottom surface of the humidifier
100
, which is shorter in length than the pivot point
125
by a predetermined length. The height differential between the pivot point
125
and the support
140
allows the humidifier bottle
105
to tilt towards a side wall
145
of the humidifier bottle receptacle
110
as the bottle
105
pivots about the pivot point
125
. The support
140
is not essential to the operation of the invention, as the humidifier bottle
100
could rest against the sidewall
145
when in a tipped position. The sidewall
145
includes a biasing member
150
mounted thereon, which provides a horizontal resistance against the humidifier bottle
105
when leaning towards the sidewall
145
. The biasing member
150
is adapted such that it attempts to situate the humidifier bottle
105
in a given angular position in response to the amount of water contained in the humidifier bottle
105
.
In the particular embodiment illustrated, the humidifier bottle
105
is positioned relative to the pivot point
125
so that the center of gravity
106
of the humidifier bottle
105
is to the left of the pivot point
125
(as viewed in FIG.
2
). Thus, the humidifier bottle
105
will tend to tip towards the sidewall
145
. The biasing member
150
is configured such that it attempts to situate the humidifier bottle
150
orthogonal to the bottom surface of the humidifier
100
by pushing the bottle
105
in an upright or vertical position. In accordance with one embodiment, the biasing member
150
is a plastic tab; however, it will be appreciated that the biasing member
150
could be embodied as a coil spring or other elastic-type material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
When the humidifier bottle
105
is empty, the biasing member
150
applies a force to the upper portion of the bottle
105
such that it is situated in a generally vertical position, approximately perpendicular to the bottom surface of the humidifier
100
. When the humidifier bottle
150
contains water, however, the humidifier bottle
150
overcomes the force of the biasing member
150
and pivots about the pivot point
125
from the vertical position towards the sidewall
145
. When the humidifier bottle
105
is filled with water to its maximum capacity, applies maximum pressure to the biasing member
150
. The tilt of the humidifier bottle
105
at its maximum angular displacement is indicated by the dashed line
155
, which results when the bottle
105
is filled to capacity.
As the humidifier bottle
105
drains its water through the dispensing cap
135
, it becomes lighter, and, consequently, applies less pressure to the biasing member
150
. Thus, as the humidifier bottle
105
empties, the biasing member
150
will have more of an effect on the bottle
105
and cause it to change its angular displacement within the humidifier bottle receptacle
110
until, when the bottle
150
is empty, it is in the vertical position. The angular displacement (i.e., the tilt) of the humidifier bottle
105
is directly proportional to the amount of water contained therein. Accordingly, the amount of water remaining within the bottle
105
can be determined by its angular displacement within the receptacle
110
and the amount of force exerted by the humidifier bottle
105
against the biasing member
150
.
Turning now to
FIG. 3
, a process of visually conveying the amount of water contained within the humidifier bottle
105
to an individual is shown. The process commences in block
50
, with the step of biasing the humidifier bottle
105
to a given angular position when the bottle
105
is empty. In the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the given position is a generally vertical position. In block
52
, the humidifier bottle
105
is displaced from the given angular position as a function of the amount of water contained therein. In block
54
, the amount of displacement from the given position is displayed as an indication of the amount of water held within the humidifier bottle
105
.
In one embodiment, the amount of water remaining within the bottle
105
is visually conveyed to an individual as shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
. In this particular embodiment, the hinged flap
115
, which covers the humidifier bottle receptacle
110
, is provided with a window
210
, which may be fabricated out of plastic. The window
210
provides a view of the top of the bottle
105
when housed within the receptacle
110
. The top of the bottle
105
has affixed thereto a marker
220
, which, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises a marking tape with a center line
230
drawn thereon. Accordingly, when the bottle
105
is disposed within the receptacle
110
, the center line
230
is viewable through the window
210
of the flap
115
.
As the humidifier bottle
105
empties, the bottle
105
goes from a tilting position (as designated by
155
in
FIG. 2
) to a vertical position when empty. As this change in tilting position occurs, the center line
230
of the marking tape
220
moves from the back to the front as viewed through the window
210
, thus indicating the amount of water remaining within the bottle
105
. Accordingly, an individual can ascertain the water level of the bottle
105
with relative ease by standing over the humidifier
100
, and viewing the window
210
. This alleviates the problems associated with the prior art wherein an individual would have to bend down to view the water level of the bottle
105
(through a window on the side of the humidifier
100
) or by removing the bottle
105
from the receptacle
110
for viewing such water level.
Turning now to
FIG. 6
, the water level of the bottle
105
is visually conveyed to an individual via a digital readout
240
on the humidifier
100
, in accordance with another embodiment. The digital readout
240
may be embodied for example as either an LED or LCD. However, the LED would be particularly advantageous since it enables viewing in a dark environment.
In this particular embodiment, the amount of force applied to the biasing member
150
by the humidifier bottle
105
is translated to a percentage of water remaining in the bottle
105
by a control unit (not shown), and such percentage provided on the digital readout
240
. The manner in which the control unit would perform such translation from the tension of the biasing member
150
to the percentage of water remaining is well within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the specifics of such process will not be disclosed herein to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.
In alternative embodiments, at least one LED provides the visual indication regarding the amount of water contained in the bottle
105
. In one exemplary embodiment, a set of four LEDs
250
-
280
is provided on the humidifier
100
to indicate the water level as shown in FIG.
7
. In this particular embodiment, each LED
250
-
280
illuminated represents one-fourth of the humidifier bottle
105
that remains full. Accordingly, if all four of the LEDs
250
-
280
were illuminated, the bottle
105
would be filled to capacity. If only the LEDs
250
and
260
were illuminated, the bottle
105
would be half-full, and, if none of the LEDs
250
-
280
were illuminated, the bottle
105
would be empty. The specific number of LEDs used to indicate the water level could comprise any number and, thus, need not necessarily be limited to the four LEDs
250
-
280
shown. Such visual indication of the water level either via the digital readout
240
or LEDs
250
-
280
would provide a discrete indication of the water level, which could be quickly determined by an individual. This particular embodiment also enables the individual to ascertain the water level of the bottle
105
from a distant location from the humidifier
100
.
In addition to the “water level” LEDs
250
-
280
, in one embodiment another LED
290
is provided on the humidifier
100
to indicate that the bottle
105
is completely empty and, thus, need be re-filled. Also, different colored LEDs could be used to distinguish between the “water level” LEDs
250
-
280
and the “refill” LED
290
when viewed in a dark environment. For example, the “water level” LEDs
250
-
280
could be green in color and the “refill” LED
290
could be red. This would aid an individual to quickly ascertain whether the LED
250
is illuminated (i.e., one-quarter of the bottle
105
is full of water) or whether the LED
290
is illuminated (i.e., the bottle
105
is empty and needs to be refilled), especially when viewed in a dark room (e.g., at nighttime). In yet another embodiment, a single LED is provided, which is adapted to illuminate when the bottle
105
is empty, thus functioning as an “empty” indicator, signaling the user to re-fill the bottle
105
.
In accordance with another embodiment, the humidifier
100
is provided with a limit switch
160
(as shown in FIG.
2
). When the bottle
105
is orthogonal to the bottom surface of the humidifier
100
(in the given. vertical position), the humidifier
100
would be automatically turned off via the limit switch
160
. Configuring such a switch
160
is well within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. This would prevent the humidifier
100
from running when the humidifier bottle
105
is empty.
Some humidifiers employ a plurality of humidifier bottles for supplying water to the reservoir. Turning now to
FIG. 8A
, a humidifier bottle assembly
300
for alternately supplying water to a humidifier from two bottles is shown in, accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The humidifier bottle assembly
300
includes a humidifier bottle receptacle
305
for connection to the humidifier (not shown) for supplying water thereto. The humidifier bottle assembly
300
further includes first and second humidifier bottles
310
and
315
disposed in the receptacle
305
for supplying water to the humidifier.
Typically, with a conventional two-bottle variety humidifier, a first humidifier bottle will empty completely before a second humidifier bottle will commence drainage of water contained therein. Usually, an individual will notice that the first bottle is empty and will refill the empty bottle. When placed back on the humidifier, the humidifier will usually draw water again from the re-filled humidifier bottle, thus causing the drainage of water from the second humidifier bottle to cease. As a result, the water in the second humidifier bottle tends to undesirably stagnate.
To alleviate such stagnation, the humidifier bottle receptacle
305
of the present invention facilitates alternate drainage of water from each humidifier bottle
310
,
315
. To accomplish such, water is dispensed from the bottle
310
,
315
containing the most water; in other words, the heaviest bottle
310
,
315
.
FIG. 9
illustrates a process for dispensing water from a plurality of water bottles in accordance with the present invention. In block
316
, a determination as to which bottle contains the most water is made. In block
318
, water is dispensed from the bottle containing the most water, as determined in block
316
, and the process repeats.
Referring to
FIGS. 8A and 8B
, the humidifier bottle receptacle
305
includes a pivot mechanism
320
that pivots upon a pivot point
325
, which extends from the bottom of the humidifier bottle receptacle
305
between the bottles
310
,
315
. The pivot mechanism
320
supports the bottom right and left corners of the humidifier bottles
310
and
315
, respectively. As illustrated in
FIG. 8A
, the second bottle
315
contains more water than the first bottle
310
. Thus, it is heavier, causing the pivot mechanism
320
to raise the first bottle
310
.
As the water level of the second bottle
315
falls below the water level of the first bottle
310
, the second bottle
315
becomes lighter in weight than the first bottle
310
. As this occurs, the pivot mechanism
320
will cause the second bottle
315
to rise as the first bottle
310
(now being heavier) forces the pivot mechanism
320
down, thus lowering the first bottle
310
, as illustrated in FIG.
8
B.
Each humidifier bottle
310
,
315
has disposed on its bottom portion a dispensing mechanism
330
for dispensing water from their respective humidifier bottles
310
,
315
to the humidifier. As the humidifier bottle
310
,
315
is lowered, a dispensing plunger
340
causes a stopper
345
to rise as the dispensing plunger
340
rests on a plunger seat
350
, allowing for water release from the respective bottle
310
,
315
. When the humidifier bottle
310
,
315
is elevated within the humidifier bottle receptacle
305
, the dispensing plunger
340
disengages from the plunger seat
350
, allowing the stopper
345
to return to its closed position. As a result, the stopper
345
closes the gap for water release, thus preventing water to drain from the humidifier bottle
310
,
315
.
As shown in
FIG. 8A
, when the lighter humidifier bottle
310
rises as a result of the pivot mechanism
320
, the bottle
310
is raised within the water-dispensing receptacle
335
. This causes the dispensing plunger
340
to disengage from the plunger seat
350
and drop the stopper
345
to close the gap for water release into the water-dispensing receptacle
335
from the bottle
310
. A coil spring (not shown), for example, may be situated around the stem of the plunger
340
to bias the stopper to a normally closed position. On the other hand, while the heavier bottle
315
forces the pivot mechanism
320
down, the dispensing plunger
340
of the bottle
315
engages with the plunger seat
350
. As a result, the stopper
345
rises and opens the gap for water flow from the bottle
315
into the water-dispensing receptacle
335
, and, subsequently, to the humidifier unit.
As the water level of the humidifier bottle
315
drops, it eventually will become lighter in weight than the humidifier bottle
310
, which forces the pivot mechanism
320
down on the left side of the pivot
325
, as shown in FIG.
8
B. As a result, the dispensing plunger
340
of the bottle
315
disengages from the plunger seat
350
of the water-dispensing receptacle
335
, thus causing the stopper
345
to close the gap to prevent water release from the bottle
315
. The heavier weight of the bottle
310
causes the engagement of its dispensing plunger
340
with the plunger seat
350
. As a result, the stopper
345
of the bottle
310
raises and opens the gap for water release from the humidifier bottle
310
into the water-dispensing receptacle
335
.
The pivot mechanism
320
will continue to “rock” back and forth on the pivot point
325
as each of the bottles
310
,
315
becomes the heavier bottle. Accordingly, this process will alternately dispense water from the bottles
310
,
315
to the humidifier, thus causing the bottles
310
,
315
to each release water intermittently. Accordingly, such arrangement significantly reduces the likelihood that water will stagnate in either of the bottles
310
,
315
.
The mechanical (i.e. lever and fulcrum) determination of the heavier of the two bottles is exemplary. Other methods of determining which of the two bottles is heavier, then dispensing water from the heavier bottle may be used. For example, the water level of the humidifier bottles
310
and
315
could be determined by sensors configured to determine which of the humidifier bottles
310
,
315
is the heaviest. In response to the sensors, water would then be dispensed from the heavier of the humidifier bottles
310
,
315
.
Turning now to
FIG. 10
, a humidifier
400
having a humidifier bottle assembly in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The humidifier bottle
405
is disposed within a humidifier bottle receptacle
410
of the humidifier
400
. The humidifier bottle receptacle
410
includes on its bottom surface a mounting seat
415
, which extends from the bottom of the humidifier
400
, and provides vertical support to the humidifier bottle
405
via a pivot point
420
. The mounting seat
415
further includes a shallow water receptacle
425
(i.e., a reservoir) for receiving water from the bottle
405
via a dispensing cap
430
mounted on the bottom surface of each respective bottle
405
. A seat
435
is disposed within the reservoir
425
, positioned to contact the dispensing cap
430
. The dispensing cap
430
is of the type illustrated in
FIGS. 8A and 8B
. Hence, it includes a dispensing plunger that causes a stopper to rise as the dispensing plunger contacts the seat
435
, allowing water to flow out of the bottle
405
.
The humidifier bottle receptacle
410
further includes a biasing member
440
mounted on one side of the receptacle
410
, which tends to situate the bottle
405
in an upright (i.e., orthogonal) position relative to the bottom surface of the humidifier
400
. In one embodiment, the biasing member
440
is a plastic tab; however, it will be appreciated that the biasing member
440
could be embodied as a coil spring or other elastic-type materials, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The center of gravity of the bottle
405
, designated as the point
450
in
FIG. 10
, is positioned between the pivot point
420
of the mounting seat
415
and the spring force
440
. Such positioning causes the bottle
405
to tilt backwards (opposite the dispensing cap
435
) towards the biasing member
440
. When the bottle
405
is filled to capacity (i.e., at its heaviest weight), it will apply maximum pressure to the biasing member
440
. As the bottle
405
drains its water into the water receptacle
425
, it becomes lighter, and, consequently, applies less pressure to the biasing member
440
. Thus, as the humidifier bottle
405
empties, the biasing member
440
causes the bottle
405
to move towards a vertical position (i.e., orthogonal to the mounting seat
415
). As with the humidifier bottle assembly illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the angular position of the bottle
405
and/or the force applied to the biasing member
440
may be used to convey information regarding the amount of water contained in the humidifier bottle
405
.
The exemplary humidifier bottles illustrated in FIG.
2
and
FIG. 10
may be configured to provide a humidifier bottle assembly that dispenses water alternately from two bottles. For example, referring to
FIG. 10
, a second humidifier bottle
405
may be situated in the mounting seat
415
, such that the humidifier contains two bottles for dispensing water into the reservoir
425
. The second bottle (not shown) appears directly behind the bottle
405
shown in
FIG. 10
, and is oriented in the humidifier bottle receptacle
410
in much the same way as the bottle
405
shown.
When the plunger of the dispensing cap
430
of the first bottle
405
contacts the seat
435
, water will flow out of the first bottle. The first bottle
405
will become lighter as water is dispensed therefrom, and the biasing member
440
will move the bottle
405
towards a vertical position. Consequently, the dispensing cap
430
is lowered into the water contained in the reservoir
425
. As the dispensing cap
430
contacts the water, incoming air is shut off to the first bottle
405
, such that the bottle
405
will no longer disperse water.
The second bottle (not shown) has not yet dispensed water, and thus, still remains in the maximum tilted position with its dispensing mechanism
430
above the water in the reservoir
425
. Therefore, it will dispense water until the biasing member
440
causes the dispensing mechanism
430
to be positioned lower than that of the first bottle
405
. At that time, the dispensing sequence is again reversed. Thus, the water is dispensed from the heavier of the two bottles. The depth of the reservoir
425
must be constructed to allow for an uneven distribution of water within the reservoir
425
due to the humidifier
400
being seated on an unlevel floor. Additional bottles may be added to the humidifier
400
in the manner described to provide a multi-bottle assembly.
Further, it would be a routine undertaking for one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure to configure a second water bottle of the type illustrated in
FIG. 2
to achieve a two-bottle system similar to that disclosed herein above in conjunction with the bottle
405
of FIG.
10
.
The particular embodiments disclosed above arc illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.
Claims
- 1. A humidifier bottle assembly, comprising:a first and a second humidifier bottle adapted to hold water; and a humidifier bottle receptacle adapted to receive the first and second bottles, the receptacle including: a device adapted to determine which of the first and second humidifier bottles contains more water, the device being operable to dispense water from the humidifier bottle containing more water.
- 2. The humidifier bottle assembly of claim 1, wherein the device includes a pivot mechanism configured to raise one of the first and second bottles and lowers the other of the first and second bottles within the receptacle.
- 3. The humidifier bottle assembly of claim 2, wherein the bottle that is raised within the receptacle is the one of the first and second bottles bottle containing less water.
- 4. The humidifier bottle assembly of claim 2, wherein the bottle that is lowered within the receptacle is the one of the first and second bottles containing more water.
- 5. The humidifier bottle assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second bottles each include:a dispensing mechanism adapted to prevent or allow the release of water from the first and second bottles.
- 6. The humidifier bottle assembly of claim 5, wherein the dispensing mechanism includes:a stopper adapted to prevent the flow of water from its corresponding first or second bottle; a dispensing plunger adapted to raise or lower the stopper, wherein when the stopper is lowered by the dispensing plunger, water does not flow from its corresponding bottle; and wherein when the stopper is raised by the dispensing plunger, water flows from its corresponding bottle.
- 7. The humidifier bottle assembly of claim 6, wherein the receptacle includes:a pair of plunger seats adapted to engage with said dispensing plunger from each respective bottle; wherein when the pivot mechanism lowers the heavier bottle, the plunger seat corresponding to the heavier bottle engages the dispensing plunger of the heavier bottle to cause water to flow from the heavier bottle; and wherein when the pivot mechanism raises the lighter bottle, the plunger seat corresponding to the lighter bottle disengages from the dispensing plunger of the lighter bottle to prevent the flow of water from the lighter bottle.
- 8. A method for dispensing water from a humidifier bottle assembly, said humidifier bottle assembly including at least two humidifier bottles for holding water, said method comprising:determining which of said humidifier bottles contains more water than the other humidifier bottle; and dispensing water from said humidifier bottle containing the most water.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining further comprises:determining which of said humidifier bottles is the heaviest.
- 10. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining further comprises:determining which of said humidifier bottles has the highest water level.
- 11. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining further comprises:mechanically determining which of said humidifier bottles contains more water than the other humidifier bottle.
- 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the humidifier bottle assembly includes two bottles, and wherein:the mechanically determining act further comprises situating at least a portion of each humidifier bottle on opposite ends of a pivot mechanism configured to pivot about a pivot point, such that the heavier of the bottles forces the respective end of the pivot mechanism down; and the dispensing water act further comprises dispensing water from the bottle that forces the respective end of the pivot mechanism down.
- 13. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining further comprises:providing at least one sensor configured to determine which bottle has the highest water level, and wherein said dispensing further comprises dispensing water from said humidifier in response to the at least one sensor.
- 14. A humidifier, comprising:a reservoir adapted to contain water; a wick adapted to be wetted by water contained in the reservoir; first and second humidifier bottles adapted to provide water to the reservoir; a pivot mechanism configured to pivot about a pivot point, the first and second bottles being situated on opposite ends of the pivot mechanism such that the pivot mechanism lowers the heavier of the first and second bottle; and first and second dispensing mechanisms coupled to the first and second humidifier bottles, respectively, the dispensing mechanisms configured to dispense water from the one of the first or second humidifiers lowered by the pivot mechanism.
- 15. The humidifier of claim 14, wherein the dispensing mechanisms each comprise:a stopper having an open position wherein water is allowed to flow out of the respective bottle and a closed position wherein water is prevented from flowing out of the respective bottle, and a plunger operable to move the stopper between the open and closed positions in response to the respective humidifier bottle being lowered and raised by the pivot mechanism.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
61-240049 |
Oct 1986 |
JP |