Vapor dipensing device

• US 5,647,053 A
• Filed: 10/11/1995
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Heaters Engineering, Inc., SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Inventors: Wefler, Mark E., Schroeder, John A., Smith, Kevin W., Hygema, Terry L., Clobes, Armin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIK, SANG YEOP
• Application Number:
  US08/541,050
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 392/392, 392/394, 392/395, 392/390, 122/242, 122/243, 122/366, 239/44, 261/97, 261/99
• US Class Current: 392/390
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2077 using an electrical resistance as heat source A01M1/2083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/037 comprising a wick

Abstract

A vapor dispensing device having an outer shell (10); a one piece electric plug heater block (40) having attached electric plug pins (48), the block being attached to the outer shell such that the block can rotate a predetermined amount around an axis parallel to the plug pins; and a wick (36) in fluid communication with a material to be dispensed and extending into an opening (52) through the block; wherein the opening has a shape defined by the rotation through an internal angle at least equal to the predetermined amount of rotation of a solid geometric shape transverse to the axis and wherein the block has an electric heating element (60) in close proximity to the opening.

Claims

1. A vapor dispensing device which comprises:

(a) an outer shell;

(b) a one piece electric plug heater block having attached electric plug pins, the block being rotatably attached to the outer shell such that the block can rotate through predefined range of rotation around an axis parallel to the plug pins; and

(c) a wick in fluid communication with a material to be dispensed and extending into an opening through the block;

wherein the opening has a shape defined by rotating a solid geometric shape transverse to the axis through an angle at least equal to the predefined range of rotation of the block and wherein the block has an electric heating element in close proximity to the opening.

2. The device of claim 1 which further includes a container attached to the shell which contains the material to be dispensed.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the geometric shape is a cylinder.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the range of rotation is about 90 degrees.