The present disclosure relates generally to volatile material dispensers for volatilizing volatile materials and, more particularly, to volatile material dispensers having a heater and fan for volatilization of a volatile material.
Various volatile material dispensers are known in the prior art and generally include a housing with a refill inserted therein. The refill generally includes a container for holding a volatile material therein. In some dispensers, the volatile material is passively emitted therefrom. In other dispensers, a diffusion element is utilized to facilitate the dispensing of the volatile material. Examples of diffusion elements include heaters such as positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heaters, piezoelectric elements, fans, aerosol actuators, and the like. Regardless of the manner in which the volatile material is emitted, once the volatile material has been expended from the refill, the refill is removed by a user and replaced with a new refill.
One type of volatile material dispenser, which is sometimes referred to as a plug-in scented oil dispenser, includes a housing and a heater disposed within the housing. A refill for use with a plug-in scented oil dispenser generally includes a container with a volatile material therein and a wick in contact with the volatile material and extending out of the refill. Upon insertion of the refill into the dispenser, at least a portion of the wick is disposed adjacent the heater such that volatile material that moves through the wick is volatilized by the heater. The volatile material dispenser typically includes a plug assembly having electrical prongs extending outwardly from the housing. The electrical prongs are inserted into a standard electrical outlet and thereafter supply electrical energy to the volatile material dispenser. One such dispenser is disclosed in the commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Publication 2014/0037273. Plug-in scented oil dispensers may also utilize a fan to aid in vaporizing and dispersing volatile material.
According to a first aspect, a volatile material dispenser includes a housing configured to receive a refill containing a volatile material and a wick, the housing including a first cavity supporting a heater arrangement and a second, separate cavity supporting a fan arrangement for dispersing a vapor plume of the volatile material. A chimney is provided between an upper, interior surface of the housing and an upper surface of the heater arrangement. The housing also includes an aperture through which the vapor plume exits the housing and a plurality of openings through which air from the fan arrangement is directed away from the aperture and toward the vapor plume. When the refill is received within the housing, the upper surface of the heater arrangement is disposed nearer the aperture than a distal end of the wick, and a radial gap is formed between the heater arrangement and the wick.
According to another aspect, a volatile material dispenser includes a housing configured to receive a refill containing a volatile material and a wick. The housing supports a heater arrangement to volatize the volatile material into a vapor plume and further supports a fan arrangement for dispersing the vapor plume. The housing includes an aperture extending along a first axis and through which a vapor plume of the volatized material exits the housing. The housing further includes a plurality of openings through which air from the fan arrangement is directed away from the aperture. The housing additionally defines a solid panel adjacent to and spaced rearward from the aperture, the solid panel formed in a gap between two of the plurality of openings and having a width substantially equal to a width of the aperture. At least one of the fan arrangement and the plurality of openings is angled along a second axis, the second axis being angled upward relative to a line perpendicular to the first axis.
According to yet another aspect, a volatile material dispenser includes a housing configured to receive a refill containing a volatile material and a wick. The housing supports a heater arrangement to volatize the volatile material into a vapor plume and a fan arrangement for dispersing the vapor plume. The housing includes a concave upper surface defining an aperture through which a vapor plume of the volatized material exits the housing and a plurality of openings through which air from the fan arrangement is directed away from the aperture. The concave upper surface includes a leading edge angled rearwardly from a front of the housing to a top of the housing, such that the plurality of openings are deepest proximate the aperture and get progressively shallower toward the top of the housing. Additionally, the aperture is elevated relative to a portion of the concave upper surface disposed between the aperture and a front of the housing, the portion of the concave upper surface angling downwardly between the aperture and the front of the housing.
The present disclosure is directed to heater and fan arrangements for volatile material dispensers that reduce condensation of the volatile material back onto the dispensers after that volatile material is emitted from the dispensers. While the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms, the present disclosure is to be considered only as an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure, and it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated.
Referring to the drawings,
The neck 70 of the refill 52 includes a threaded portion disposed on an outer surface thereof and an opening 72 disposed through a top portion thereof, wherein the opening 72 allows access to the volatile material. The retaining mechanism 58 is disposed within the neck 70 and further includes a sheath 76 that extends around at least a portion of the wick 60 to protect the wick 60. In the present embodiment, an upper, free end 78 of the wick 60 extends above the sheath 76. Although a specific dispenser 50 and container 54 are described with particularity, it is contemplated that the heater and fan arrangements disclosed herein may be utilized in conjunction with any type of refill and/or container. For example, useful containers include, but are not limited to, the containers described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,831, and the containers described in U.S. Pat. Pub. 2011/0139885, both of which are owned by the same assignee as the present disclosure.
The volatile material disposed in the container 54 may be any type of volatile material adapted to be dispensed into an environment. For example, the container 52 may include a cleaner, an insecticide, an insect repellant, an insect attractant, a disinfectant, a mold or mildew inhibitor, a fragrance, a disinfectant, an air purifier, an aromatherapy scent, an antiseptic, an odor eliminator, a positive fragrancing volatile material, an air-freshener, a deodorizer, or the like, and combinations thereof. Additives may be included in the volatile material, such as, for example, fragrances and/or preservatives.
Now turning generally to
Referring to
As best seen in
The planar wall 106 of the support 100 includes an aperture 120 therethrough, as seen in
The support 100 also includes a plurality of arms 136 extending outward from the first arm 108, the arms 136 each defining a channel 138 configured to receive an edge of a circuit board 140, as best seen in
Additionally, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 146, 148 may be electrically coupled to the circuit board 140 in order to indicate a status of the dispenser 50. For example, a first LED 146 may illuminate a first color when the dispenser 50 is in a “Low” setting, and a second LED 148 may illuminate a second color when the dispenser 50 is in a “High” setting. The second LED 148 may illuminate by itself in the high setting, or the lighting may be additive, such that both that first LED 146 and the second LED 148 illuminate in the high setting. Alternatively, the first LED 146 may be illuminated when the dispenser 50 is plugged in but not on, and the second LED 148 may be illuminated when the dispenser 50 is plugged in and turned on. The dispenser 50 may include one or more separate openings in the housing 56 or translucent portions of the housing 56 to permit passage of a portion of each LED or of the light emitted by each LED. Alternatively, light from one or both LEDs may be visible through the opening 144, e.g., if there is a gap between a sidewall of the opening 144 and the button 142 or if at least a portion of the button 142 is translucent.
While the dispenser is disclosed as having particular switches, one skilled in the art will appreciate the dispenser may include any number of switches and/or may include any suitable types of switches, for example, timing switches, on/off switches, setting switches, switches controlling the fan, switches controlling the heater, and/or any other suitable switches.
Referring again to
The housing 206 and/or any potting disposed within the housing 206 may comprise a ceramic, aluminum, or other thermally conductive material, such that the housing 206 is configured to convert the localized heating of the resistor 202 to a radiant heat source surrounding the wick 60 on a plurality of sides. Additionally, as best seen in
As seen in
In one aspect, the heater arrangement 200 may be a positive temperature coefficient (PTC)-type heater or thermistor, either potted or assembled without potting. Alternatively, the heater arrangement 200 may include a ceramic cylinder coated in a resistive metal oxide, a carbon film, or a resistive film and wrapped with a resistive wire or flexible heating element. Other types of heater arrangements 200 may be employed, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art.
In another aspect, as seen in
Although the heater arrangements herein are described as being utilized with dispensers that utilize liquid electric refills, the heater arrangements may be utilized for any electrical dispenser from which any type of volatile material is dispensed out of any type of refill by way of a heater, e.g., scented oils, insect repellant, etc. Optionally, a dispenser employing any of the heater arrangements disclosed herein may further include one or more heaters and/or additional devices for dispensing the volatile material, for example, one or more of a fan (as discussed below), a piezoelectric element, and/or other components disposed in a housing thereof to help facilitate the release of volatile material.
Referring to
In another aspect, the gap, G1, may be defined in terms of an average cross-sectional area along the distal end of the wick 60, e.g., between about 10 mm2 and about 30 mm2 at each cross-section along a length of the distal portion. In yet another aspect, the gap, G1, may be defined in terms of an average volume, e.g., between about 50 mm3 and about 250 mm3 in one example, and between about 100 mm3 and about 200 mm3 in another example.
Heat from the heater arrangement 200 travels inwardly through the air gap G1 toward the wick 60 through conduction and radiation and gets trapped around the wick 60, thereby increasing the overall temperature in the gap G1 and therefore in the wick 60, creating a distribution of heat around a circumference of the wick 60, and further increasing volatilization of the volatile material in the wick 60. In one aspect, heat may be distributed substantially uniformly about a circumference of the wick. Additionally, or alternatively, heat may be distributed substantially uniformly longitudinally along the wick 60 and/or the heater 202. In still another aspect, the heater 202 may apply a greater or lesser amount of heat at different longitudinal or radial portions of the wick 60, e.g., by locating the heater closer to or farther from the wick, by forming the housing 206 of more or less thermally conductive material at different longitudinal or radial positions, by adding one or more additional heaters at different locations, or by modifying the geometry of the housing 206 to be closer to or farther from the wick 60 at different locations.
The heater arrangement 200 also may be substantially exposed to the open space within the first chamber 84, as best seen in
A second gap G2 also may be disposed between an upper end of the wick 60 or an upper end of the flange 218 or the upper surface 220 of the housing 206 and a lower extent of the aperture 86 in the housing 56, which may be longitudinally and/or laterally aligned with the wick 60 when the refill 52 is inserted into the housing 56. The gap G2 should be large enough to form a warm air pocket that promotes evaporation or volatilization and an upward draft of the vapor emanating from the wick 60, but small enough to prevent condensation of the evaporated fluid within the cavity 84 or soon after exiting the aperture 94. In illustrative embodiments, the gap measures between about 5 millimeters and 15 millimeters in an axial direction. In alternative illustrative embodiments, the gap is between about 7 millimeters and about 12 millimeters axially. In yet other illustrative embodiments, the gap is about 10 millimeters axially.
In another aspect, the gap may be defined in terms of a volume disposed between an uppermost area of the wick 60 and a lowermost area of the aperture 86. The volume may be defined by an imaginary line forming a perimeter, the imaginary line surrounding a periphery of either the wick or the wick plus the first gap, G1, and then extending upward to the aperture. Alternatively, the imaginary line may surround a periphery of the aperture and then extend downward to the wick. The periphery of the aperture and the periphery of the wick, or of the wick plus the first gap, may be approximately the same radial distance away from the axis, aw, such that the volume may be generally cylindrical. Alternatively, the periphery of one section may be larger or smaller than the periphery of the other section, such that the imaginary line defining the volume may taper or expand along the length of the volume.
The volume may define an unobstructed chimney through which a majority of the volatilized material may be drawn, e.g., upward, from the area around the wick to an exterior of the housing 56. In this regard, the fan arrangement 250 (described below in greater detail) may serve a plurality of purposes. In addition to dispersing the volatilized material into the environment once it has left the interior chamber, it also may create a reduced air pressure zone in or around the aperture 86, external to the dispenser 50. That negative relative air pressure may serve to draw the volatilized material outward from within the housing for dispersal to the environment, while at the same time reducing the amount of volatile material dispersed within the remainder of the interior chamber 84.
Turning now to
The chimney 230 may define one or more openings 236 spaced around a periphery of the base portion 232. Preferably, a plurality of openings 236 is provided through the base portion 232. In a particular embodiment, the openings 236 are symmetrically spaced around the periphery of the base portion 232. An exit opening 238 is disposed at a top of the chimney 230. The openings 236 may serve to draw in air from the remainder of the first chamber 84, which is then heated by the heater assembly before leaving the chamber through the exit opening 238. The narrowing shape of the chimney 230, i.e., the decrease in diameter from the base portion 232 to the distal portion 234, may result in a decrease in volume in the chimney when moving upwards. As a result, air leaving via the exit opening 238 may be moving at a higher velocity than air entering through a sum of the openings 236 in the base portion 232, which may lead to better dispersal and a decrease in condensation of the volatilized material on the dispenser 50.
Each opening 236 may be similarly shaped as compared to the other openings. For example, the openings 236 may include a pair of generally parallel or converging sidewalls 240 joined by an arch-shaped wall 242 at the top of opening 236. Other shapes for the openings 236 are possible, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art.
Turning again to
In one aspect, the fan may be rated at about 12 VDC and about 0.72 W, with a rated speed of 3000 RPM+/−about 20%, to produce an air output of between about 1.56 and about 1.95 CFM in free air. Other types of fans may be employed, however, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art. Additionally,
When the dispenser 50 includes a second heater 202′, the capacitor 155 may be in series with that heater 202′, and both elements may be coupled in parallel with the first heater 202. Thus, the capacitor 155 may only be energized when the second heater 202′ is activated. This configuration may be particularly suitable when the fan 252 is not engaged when only the first heater 202 is active, but instead is turned on in conjunction with energizing the second heater 202′.
The fan arrangement 250 includes a plurality of intake openings 256 disposed on the rear portion 82 of the housing 56 in order to draw air into the fan 252 and a plurality of output openings 258 disposed on the front portion 80 of the housing 56 in order to expel air from the fan arrangement 250, across the path of the volatized material exiting the aperture 86.
In one aspect, the intake openings 256 may be equally circumferentially and/or radially spaced about the fan axis, as best seen in
Similarly, the output openings 258 also may be equally circumferentially and/or radially spaced about the fan axis. The output openings 258 may be disposed in a concave portion 264 of front portion 80, with radially inward portions 266 of each opening being narrower than corresponding radially outward portions 268. The output openings 258 may be circumferentially spaced about the fan axis at substantially equidistant intervals, although there may be a gap in that spacing. For example, the output openings 258 may form an arc extending through about 270° of a circumference, with no output openings 258 at a bottom of the arc. The concave portion 264 may define a solid panel 269 having a lack of output openings at the bottom of the arc formed by the openings 258, the solid panel 269 having a width substantially equal to a width of the aperture 86. The concave portion 264 may further define one or more secondary openings 276 within the gap, as discussed in greater detail below. Additionally, the concave portion 264 may include a leading edge 270 angled rearwardly from a front of the housing to a top of the housing, such that the aperture 86 is disposed laterally a greater distance away from the leading edge than the output openings 258.
At the same time, as seen in
As seen by comparing
One or more output openings 258 may include an upper surface 272 angled upwardly relative to a line perpendicular to the wick 60, as best seen in
As best seen in
Whereas the output openings 258 may have lower surfaces 274 angled downwardly, the secondary output openings 276 may be oriented such that their internal surfaces are perpendicular to the wick axis, aw, and/or to the outer surface of the aperture 86. This orientation may assist in preventing airflow from the fan from coming in direct contact with the aperture 86, thereby maintaining an elevated temperature of the volatilized material at and around the aperture 86 and, as a result, minimizing condensation of that material in the area proximate the aperture 86.
An equal or unequal number of secondary openings 276 may be disposed on opposite sides of the aperture 86 when the dispenser is viewed from the front, and the openings 276 may be oriented to direct airflow away from the aperture 86. As seen in
In order to further inhibit airflow from the fan arrangement 250 from acting on the volatilized material until that material has exited the aperture 86, the fan arrangement 250 may be disposed in a second cavity 280 separate and isolated from the cavity 84. As such, the dispenser 50 may include a thermal and/or airflow barrier 282 to keep heat within the cavity 84 and to minimize the effects in the cavity 84 of cooling caused by the fan 252, as seen in
Turning to
Turning now to
Similarly,
Specifically, one or more of the larger output openings 258, the smaller secondary output openings 276, and the solid panel 269 may reduce airflow proximate the aperture and cause a higher airflow farther from the aperture 86. One or more of the shape of the upper and/or lower surfaces 272, 274 of the output openings 258 and the angling of the fan 252 may be responsible for directing the volatilized material upward and away from the aperture 86. Further, the shape of the elongated output openings 258 also may diminish the rotational energy of the fan, resulting in unidirectional airflow.
One skilled in the art should understand that variations of the heater and fan arrangements as disclosed herein may be utilized. For example, any number of the features of any of the embodiments herein may be combined to further increase heater efficiency, decrease overall power consumption, and minimize condensation in the vicinity of the dispenser 50.
Any of the embodiments described herein may be modified to include any of the structures or methodologies disclosed in connection with other embodiments.
Further, although directional terminology, such as front, back, top, bottom, upper, lower, etc., may be used throughout the present specification, it should be understood that such terms are not limiting and are only utilized herein to convey the orientation of different elements with respect to one another.
Any of the embodiments described herein may be modified to include any of the structures or methodologies disclosed in connection with different embodiments. Further, the present disclosure is not limited to the heater mechanism, the fan arrangement, and/or the dispensing device of the type specifically shown. Still further, the support for any component of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be chosen or modified to work with various types of volatiles consistent with the disclosure herein.
Dispensers are commonly used to dispense a variety of volatile materials such as air fresheners, deodorants, insecticides, germicides, perfumes, and the like, that are stored within refill containers. Heating and fan components allow the volatile materials to be volatilized and then distributed into an environment in order for the contents thereof to be released without human interaction, for example, continuously or according to a predetermined time schedule.
Numerous modifications to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying out same. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved. Additionally, each of the references cited herein, including U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,831, U.S. Patent Publication 2014/0037273, and U.S. Patent Publication 2011/0139885, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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