Patent Application
20100226836
Germs can be passed on toys and other moist items, especially moist soft items, since a moist environment is a favorable breeding ground for germs. Sanitizers that employ dry heat to sanitize toys, pacifiers, bottles and other items are known. These known sanitizers typically include a container in which the items to be sanitized are placed. These known sanitizers also include a heating element and a blower assembly. The blower assembly directs air over the heating element and heated air is introduced into the container where the items to be sanitized are placed. Dry heat, as opposed to chemicals, is used to kill bacteria on the items to sanitize these items.
As mentioned above, moist items are often placed in dry heat sanitizers. As these items undergo the sanitizing process, liquid may fall off of the items placed in the sanitizer. Known sanitizers use complicated seals and other mechanisms to handle and direct any liquid that falls off the items that are being sanitized. This can result in complicated construction and assembly.
A sanitizing device that can overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, and/or other shortcomings not mentioned above, includes a base, a container supported by the base, a heating element supported by the base, and a blower assembly supported by the base. The container can include a base wall, a side wall, and a hot air inlet formed in the side wall and vertically offset above the base wall. The blower assembly can be situated with respect to the heating element and the hot air inlet to direct air over the heating element and through the hot air inlet into the container. Items that are placed into the container can be sanitized using dry heat.
Another example of a sanitizing device that can overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, and/or other shortcomings not mentioned above, includes a heating element, a container, a blower assembly, and a water-impervious barrier. The container can include a base wall, a side wall and at least one opening formed in the container. The blower assembly can be situated with respect to the heating element and the container to direct air over the heating element and into the container. The water-impervious barrier can extend upwardly from the base wall of the container. The barrier can be configured such that liquid that has fallen from associated articles disposed in the container onto an area of the base wall that is separated from the at least one opening by the barrier must collect enough to flow over the barrier in order to pass through the at least one opening in the container.
With reference to
The container 14 can be supported by the base 12. With reference to
The container 14 in the depicted embodiment also includes an indented section 30. In the depicted embodiment, the indented section 30 extends inwardly from a portion of the side wall 24. More particular to the depicted embodiment, the container 14 has four sides and the indented section extends inwardly into the enclosed space 26 from one of the four sides. Alternatively, an indented section could extend upwardly from the base 22 and be offset from a side of the container 14, if desired. With reference back to the depicted embodiment, the indented section 30 can be referred to as a portion of the side wall 24 of the container 14 and defines a hot air inlet 32, which is an opening through the side wall at the indented section. The hot air inlet 32 is vertically offset above the base wall 22. Because of this configuration, the portion of the side wall 24 of the container 14 disposed below the hot air inlet 32 can be referred to as a water-impervious barrier 28 that extends upwardly from the base wall 22 of the container adjacent the hot air inlet. This barrier 28 is configured so that liquid falling from moist articles disposed in the container 14 must puddle on the base wall 22 and collect enough to flow over the barrier in order to pass through the air inlet 32. The barrier 28 can preclude liquid that has fallen from the moist articles found in the container 14 from traveling towards the heating element 16, the blower assembly 18, and the electrical components that are connected with the heating element and the blower assembly. In the depicted embodiment, the heating element 16 is disposed vertically above or is at the same elevation as the base wall 22 of the container 14. This makes it difficult for any liquid that may collect in the container 14 from falling on the heating element.
In an alternative embodiment, for example where the indented section can extend upwardly from the base wall of the container and be offset from a side of the container, a water-impervious barrier (similar to the barrier 28) can extend upwardly from the base wall adjacent at least one opening in the container. This at least one opening would be similar to the hot air inlet 32 described above. This barrier is configured such that liquid falling from associated articles disposed in the container must puddle on the base wall and collect enough liquid to flow over the barrier in order to pass through the at least one opening in the container. In an alternative embodiment where an opening is defined in the base of the container and the heating element is received within this opening, e.g. there is no indented section in the container, a water-impervious barrier (similar to the barrier 28) can also extend upwardly from the base wall adjacent at least one opening in the container. This barrier can also be configured such that liquid that has fallen from associated articles disposed in the container must puddle on the base wall and connect enough liquid to flow over the barrier in order to pass through the at least one opening in the container. In each of the aforementioned alternative embodiments, the base wall of the container can be devoid of any openings with the exception of the at least one opening. The barrier can be configured such that liquid that has fallen from articles disposed in the container onto an area of the base wall that is separated from the at least one opening by the barrier must collect enough to flow over the barrier in order to pass through the at least one opening in the container.
With continued reference to
With reference to
The heating element shell also includes the rear housing 42, which along with the front housing 40 can define a cool air inlet 52. The cool air inlet 52 in the depicted embodiment is formed in a lower section of the front housing 40 and the rear housing 42 and is disposed beneath the heating element 16. The rear housing 42 also includes vertically oriented downwardly depending mounting posts 54, which are similar to the mounting posts 46 formed on the front housing 40. The rear housing 42 also includes horizontally oriented standoffs 56, which each include a respective fastener opening 58 that align with the fastener openings 48 in the front housing 40 to connect the front housing with the rear housing using a fastener (not shown).
The heating element 16 is sandwiched between the front housing 40 and the rear housing 42. An air guide 62 is also sandwiched between the front housing 40 and the rear housing 42. In the depicted embodiment, the air guide 62 is disposed upstream from the heating element 16. The air guide 62 is a plate-like member that includes a large circular central opening 64 through which air can flow en route to the heating element 16 and a plurality of fastener openings 66 that align with the fastener openings 48 and 58 to connect the air guide with the front housing 40 and rear housing 42, respectively. In the depicted embodiment, the heating element 16 is a resistive-type heating element.
With continued reference to
The container 14 and the heating element shell 40, 42 are supported by the base 12. As mentioned above, the container 14 is removable from the base 12 without damaging the base or the container. When the container 14 is removed from the base 12 the heating element 16 and the heating element shell 40, 42 remain supported by and connected to the base. The base includes an upper housing 80 and a lower housing 82 connected with the upper housing. The base encloses the blower assembly 18 and other electrical components, which will be described in more detail below.
The upper housing 80 of the base 12 includes an upper wall 84. In the depicted embodiment, the heating element 16 is disposed vertically above the upper wall 84 of the base 12. The upper wall 84 defines a cool air outlet 86. The cool air outlet 86 formed in the upper wall 84 communicates with the cool air inlet 52 of the heating element shell 40, 42 to allow air to pass into the heating element shell. The cool air outlet 86 is disposed on an external side of the side wall 24 of the container 14, and more particularly on an external side of the indented section 30, with respect to the enclosed space 26. The water-impervious barrier 28, which extends upwardly from the base wall 22 of the container 14, prevents liquid from falling through the cool air outlet 86, unless enough liquid collects on the base wall 22 to flow over this water-impervious barrier. This can protect the electrical components that are housed in the base 12. As is more clearly seen in
The upper wall 84 is formed to include inwardly disposed post receiving openings 88 and outwardly disposed post receiving openings 92. The inwardly disposed post receiving openings 88 receive the posts 46 that depend downwardly from the front housing 40 of the heating element shell. The outwardly disposed post receiving openings 92 receive the downwardly depending posts 54 that depend from the rear housing 42. Accordingly, the heating element shell connects with the base 12 by the posts attaching in the respective openings. Fasteners can also be used to provide a more secure attachment.
A wire conductor opening 94 can also be provided in the upper wall 84 of the upper housing 80 between a set of the inwardly disposed post receiving openings 88 and the outwardly disposed post receiving openings 92. The wire conductor opening 94 can receive a wire (not shown) to provide for an electrical connection to the heating element 16 in the heating element shell. The wire (not shown) can attach to a printed circuit board (“PCB”) 96, which can be disposed inside the base 12. The PCB 96 can be in electrical communication with a power source (not shown) via an electrical plug and cord (also not shown). The PCB 96 can provide an electrical path from an associated power source, which could be any AC or DC power source, to the blower assembly 18 and the heating element 16. The cool air outlet 86 in the upper wall 84 of the base 12 can be horizontally offset from the PCB 96 and the area of the upper wall 84 directly vertically above the circuit board can be devoid of openings and impervious to water.
The lower housing 82 of the base 12 includes a plurality of inlet vents 98 through which air is drawn by the blower assembly 18. The lower housing 82 also includes upper housing standoffs 102 each including a respective opening 104 to receive a fastener (not shown) to connect the upper housing 80 to the lower housing 82. The lower housing 82 also includes a plurality of PCB standoffs 106 which each include a respective opening 108. The PCB 96 includes a plurality of openings 112 that align with the openings 108 on the PCB standoffs 106 to fasten the PCB to the lower housing 82. The lower housing 82 also includes a plurality of motor mount standoffs 114 each including a respective opening 116.
The blower assembly 18 includes a motor 120, an impeller 122 connected with the motor, and a motor mount 124 inside the base. The blower assembly can be disposed below the upper wall 84 of the base 12. The motor mount 124 in the depicted embodiment is generally U-shaped and includes openings 126 that align with the openings 116 in the motor mount standoffs 114 to connect the motor mount to the lower base housing 82 and thus mount the blower assembly 18 within the base 12.
An ON/OFF switch 128 mounts to the PCB 96. The ON/OFF switch controls the delivery of power to the motor 120 of the blower assembly 18 and can also control the delivery of power to the heating element 16. Circuitry can be provided on the PCB 96 to limit the amount of time that power is delivered to either the motor 120 or the heating element 16. For example, a timing circuit (not shown) can be provided so that the sanitizing device 10 only operates for a predetermined number of minutes before power is no longer delivered to the motor 120 or the heating element 16. The ON/OFF switch can be operated by a button 130 that can extend through an opening 132 formed in an apron 134 that depends downwardly from the upper wall 84 of the upper housing 80 of the base 12. Recesses 136 (two are shown) can be formed where the apron 134 meets the upper wall 84 in the upper housing 80 of the base 12 to provide a location where an operator of the sanitizing device 10 can grip the container 14 for removal from the base 12.
To operate the device, an operator places the container 14 onto the base 12. Since the heating element shell 40, 42 is connected with the base 12 and the indented section 30 is provided in the container 14, locating the container 14 on the base 12 is facilitated by the indexing feature that the heating element shell provides. With the lid 70 removed from the container 14, items to be sanitized can be loaded into the enclosed space 26 defined by the container 14 and the lid 70. The lid 70 can then be placed on top of the container 14. The operator can then depress the button 130 which activates the ON/OFF switch 128 to deliver power to the motor 120 and the heating element 16. As the impeller 122 of the blower assembly rotates 18 because of its connection to the motor 120, air is drawn through air inlets 98 formed in the lower housing 82 of the base 12. The impeller 122 pushes this cool air through the cool air outlet 86 formed in the upper wall 84 of the upper housing 80 of the base 12. Cool air then enters the heating element shell 40, 42 through the cool air inlet 52. Cool air passes through the central opening 64 of the air guide 62 and then over the heating element 16. Hot air exits the heating element shell 40, 42 through the hot air exit 44 and then enters into the enclosed space 26 of the container 14 through the hot air inlet 32. Hot air can then exit the enclosed space 26 through vent 76 formed in the lid 70 en route to ambient.
A sanitizing device and alternatives thereof have been described in detail above. Modifications and alterations will come to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. The invention is not limited to only those embodiments that are disclosed above. Instead, the invention is broadly defined by the appended claims and the equivalents thereof.
