Smoke generator with combined spacer and wetting wire and toy smoke-ring gun using same
First Claim
1. A smoke generator comprising:
- a) a supply tank that holds a liquid, b) a source of variable fluid pressure in sealed fluid communication with the supply tank for increasing and decreasing fluid pressure in the tank to feed the liquid to and from a heating unit;
c) a first tube with a first end entering into the supply tank, and a second smoke outlet end;
d) a heater positioned at least partially within the first tube for vaporizing the pressurized liquid driven by an increase in the pressure into a narrow annular region between the heating element and the surrounding tube; and
e. a spacer that maintains a generally uniform circumferential spacing between said heater and said first tube along the length of said heater, wherein said spacer is disposed in said narrow annular region and is constructed to allow a flow of said liquid and its vapor through said spacer and said narrow annular region and to increase the flow path length of said liquid and its vapor as it is driven from said tube to said narrow annular region.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A toy gun produces a series of traveling smoke rings. It has a smoke chamber fed with smoke from a battery-powered electrical resistance generator. An elastic, edge-mounted diaphragm extends across at least a portion of the rear of the smoke chamber. A reciprocating actuator movable in response to a trigger strikes the diaphragm to eject a smoke ring through an orifice in the opposite wall of the smoke chamber. The smoke generator includes a supply tank of a suitable liquid and a source of variable pressure to drive the liquid through a narrow annular clearance to the heater where it is rapidly vaporized. The generator includes a pair of concentric tubes that define the annular clearance and an electrical resistance heating element mounted on one of them at a point spaced from the supply tank. The generator also includes a spacer and a member that increases the length of the flow path of the fluid driven through the narrow annular gap. The spacer establishes and maintains a generally uniform clearance circumferentially. A spiral wound wire preferably acts as the spacer and establishes a helical fluid flow path of increased length as compared to a linear, axial fluid flow path.
33 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A smoke generator comprising:
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a) a supply tank that holds a liquid, b) a source of variable fluid pressure in sealed fluid communication with the supply tank for increasing and decreasing fluid pressure in the tank to feed the liquid to and from a heating unit;
c) a first tube with a first end entering into the supply tank, and a second smoke outlet end;
d) a heater positioned at least partially within the first tube for vaporizing the pressurized liquid driven by an increase in the pressure into a narrow annular region between the heating element and the surrounding tube; and
e. a spacer that maintains a generally uniform circumferential spacing between said heater and said first tube along the length of said heater, wherein said spacer is disposed in said narrow annular region and is constructed to allow a flow of said liquid and its vapor through said spacer and said narrow annular region and to increase the flow path length of said liquid and its vapor as it is driven from said tube to said narrow annular region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A smoke generator comprising:
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a) a tank holding a supply of a liquid that can be vaporized to produce the smoke, b) a first tube that has a first end in fluid communication with the fluid in said tank and extending generally upwardly from said tank, c) a heater disposed in said first tube above said liquid in said tank, d) a spacer that maintains a generally uniform circumferential spacing between said heater and said first tube along the length of said heater, and e) a variable fluid pressure source generally connected to the tank operable to force the said liquid from said tank into said heater-to-tube space in response to an increase in the pressure produced by said variable fluid pressure source from a first level, and evacuate the fluid from said heater-to-tube space in response to a decrease in said pressure from said increased level, said heater vaporizing the portion of said liquid driven by said pressure increase into said heater-to-tube space to produce the smoke, and said spacer being disposed in said narrow annular region and constructed to allow a flow of said liquid and its vapor through said spacer and said narrow annular region and to increase the flow path length of said liquid and its vapor as it is driven from said tube to said narrow annular region. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A toy smoke-ring gun, comprising:
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a body extending generally in an axial direction, a smoke chamber at a front end of said body, said smoke chamber having front, rear and side walls and an outlet orifice formed in a front end wall for forming smoke rings that travel axially, an axially displaceable member forming at least part of said rear end wall that is generally parallel to, and spaced from, said front end wall, a smoke generator whose outlet is in fluid communication with said smoke chamber, said smoke generator including a heater, a supply of a smoke-producing liquid in a tank, and a pressurizer acting on said liquid supply to produce on-demand smoke to said smoke chamber, a first tube extending into said liquid supply at a lower end and surrounding said heater over a region above said tank, a spacer to establish a generally uniform circumferential spacing between said heater and said first tube, and an actuator mounted on the body and operable to move the displaceable member to produce a wave pressure inside the smoke chamber that causes a traveling smoke ring to be formed as a portion of the smoke held in the smoke chamber is ejected through said orifice, wherein said spacer is disposed in said narrow annular region and is constructed to allow a flow of said liquid and its vapor through said spacer and said narrow annular region and to increase the flow path length of said liquid and its vapor as it is driven from said tube to said narrow annular region. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification