Device for the evaporation of volatile substances, in particular of aromatics and/or insecticides

• US 7,962,017 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CTR Consultoria Técnica e Representações, Lda.
• Original Assignee: C.T.R. Consultoria Tecnica E Representacoes
• Inventors: Viera, Pedro Queiroz
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIK, SANG YEOP
• Application Number:
  US10/594,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20070280653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,636 Days
• Field of Search: 392386-406, 239 34- 60, 219/385, 219391-401
• US Class Current: 392/392
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2072 combined with a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2077 using an electrical resistance as heat source A01M1/2083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/11 Apparatus for controlling air treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/032 comprising a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/035 emanating multiple odours
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/037 comprising a wick
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/122 comprising a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/127 comprising a wick

Abstract

An evaporation device for evaporating volatile substances such as aromatics and/or insecticides comprising a housing; and a receptacle arrangement carried by the housing having two receiving chambers for substances to be evaporated. Wicks inserted into the receiving chambers include wick ends protruding from the receiving chambers. A heater arrangement is carried in the housing for providing heat to the protruding wick ends for producing an evaporated substance. At least one blower is provided for generating a targeted air stream to entrain the evaporated substance. A control unit is provided for controlling the heater arrangement to evaporate the substances and for controlling the blower to be switched on at defined evaporation times.

Claims

1. An evaporation device for evaporating volatile substances such as aromatics and/or insecticides comprising:

a housing;

a receptacle arrangement carried by the housing having two receiving chambers for substances to be evaporated;

wicks inserted into the receiving chambers having wick ends protruding from the receiving chambers to provide wick end evaporation areas in which evaporated substance is present;

a heater arrangement carried in the housing for providing heat to the protruding wick ends adjacent said wick end evaporation areas for evaporation;

at least one blower for generating an air stream;

a tapered nozzle positioned generally transverse to said wick end evaporation areas for creating a targeted air stream directed across said evaporation areas to entrain and carry said evaporated substance out of said housing; and

a control unit for controlling the heater arrangement to evaporate the substances and for controlling the blower to be switched on at defined evaporation times.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the blower is associated with a wick end evaporation area;

and a said nozzle directs said targeted air stream entraining the evaporated substance at the wick end evaporation area and conveys the substance to an air outlet of the housing.

3. The device of claim 2 including a plurality of blowers wherein a separate blower is associated with each wick end evaporation area so that a targeted air stream is supplied to each evaporation area when the associated blower is switched on.

4. The device of claims 1 including an interior housing wall for at least partially enclosing the blower in a partial housing area;

and said tapered nozzle includes an air stream passage opening defined in the partial housing area for targeting the air stream toward the wick end evaporation area.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the interior housing wall includes an inclined wall that forms a part of said tapered nozzle for air stream passage.

6. The device of claims 1 wherein the heater arrangement includes a heating block having an individual heating block area for each wick end.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the individual heating block areas are thermally isolated from each other by at least one air gap between the individual heating block areas.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein each heating block area has a wick passage through which an associated wick end protrudes.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein each heating block area has assigned at least one electrical heating element controllable by means of the control unit.

10. The device of claims 1 wherein the heater arrangement is formed by individual heaters at a distance from each other and one of the heaters is assigned to each wick end.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the heater arrangement includes a heater block having wick passages through which the assigned wick ends protrude.

12. The device of claim 10 where the heaters include an electrical resistance heating element controllable by the control unit.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a timer switch device and a programmable microprocessor coupled with the timer device and integrated into the housing.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a manual switch arrangement for switching the heater arrangement and the blower, and a timer switch device coupled with the manual switch arrangement so that upon actuation of the heater arrangement the blower can be switched on for a prescribed time.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the manual switch arrangement includes a manual heater switch switching on the heater arrangement and a manual blower switch for switching on the blower.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the control unit controls the heater arrangement to provide that no substance is evaporated, that one substance is evaporated, or that several substances are evaporated at the same time.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein the manual switch arrangement has a manual blower switch for controlling the blower in combination with the timer device to be on for a prescribed evaporation time when the heater arrangement is switched on.

18. The device of claim 1 including a housing heating area defined by said interior housing wall;

a wick end heating area generally enclosed within the housing heating area;

the heating arrangement and wick end being disposed in the wick end heating area and housing heating area; and

the housing heating area having at least one ventilation slot for releasing the evaporated substance.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the ventilation slot of the housing heating area is formed in the housing wall and opens into the targeted air stream passage;

and including a mixing chamber in which the targeted air stream impinges upon said evaporated substance and in mixed for delivery of the substance to an air outlet of the housing.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein the receptacle arrangement is formed by one of several separate receptacles which provide the receiving chambers and by a single receptacle having a plurality of receiving chambers.

21. The device of claim 1 including one of a connection plug integrated with the house and a connection plug coupled with via a cable to power the heating arrangement and blower.

22. The device of claim 1 wherein the heater arrangement has at lest one heating element arranged in the housing so that the air stream generated by the blower is heated to create a hot air stream that impinges upon a wick end protruding from a receptacle for a substance to be evaporated.

23. The device of claim 1 including two receiving chambers, an aromatic contained in a first receiving chamber, and an insecticide contained in a second receiving chamber;

and that the heater arrangement is controlled by the control unit, having a timer switch device so that the aromatic and the insecticide are periodically and alternately evaporated for a period of time prescribed by the timer device.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the blower is switched on for a prescribed period of time defined by the timer device at the corresponding switchover time.

25. The device of claim 1 including two receiving chambers, a first insecticide contained in a first receiving chamber, a second insecticide contained in a second receiving chamber, the second insecticide being different from the first insecticide, and the heater arrangement is controlled by the control unit having a timer switch device so that the two insecticides are periodically and alternately evaporated for a period of time prescribed by the timer device.

26. An evaporation device for evaporating volatile substances such as aromatics and/or insecticides comprising:

a housing;

a receptacle arrangement carried by the housing having two receiving chambers for substances to be evaporated;

wicks inserted into the receiving chambers having wick ends protruding from the receiving chambers;

a heater arrangement carried in the housing for providing heat to the protruding wick ends;

wick end evaporation areas adjacent wick ends in which an evaporated substance exists;

at least one blower for generating an air stream;

a control unit for controlling the heater arrangement to evaporate the substances and for controlling the blower to be switched on at defined evaporation times; and

at least one tapered interior wall disposed between the blower and the protruding wick ends and forming a nozzle passage positioned generally transverse to said wick end evaporation areas for creating a targeted generally transverse air stream that impinges upon the wick end evaporation areas.

27. The device of claim 26 including a mixing chamber disposed in the housing above the interior housing wall in which said evaporated substance and the air stream mix before exiting the housing.

28. An evaporation device for evaporating volatile substances such as aromatics and/or insecticides comprising:

a housing;

a receptacle arrangement carried by the housing having two receiving chambers for substances to be evaporated;

wicks inserted into the receiving chambers having wick ends protruding from the receiving chambers to provide at least one wick end evaporation area in which an evaporated substance is present;

a heater arrangement carried in the housing for providing heat to the protruding wick ends;

at least one blower for generating an air stream;

a control unit for controlling the heater arrangement to evaporate the substances and for controlling the blower to be switched on at defined evaporation times;

at least one tapered interior wall disposed between the blower and the evaporation area forming a nozzle passage positioned generally transverse to said wick end evaporation area by which a targeted generally transverse air stream is directed toward and entrains said evaporated substance and

at least one interior housing wall at least partially separating the targeted air stream and the heating arrangement to avoid cooling of the heating arrangement.

29. The device of claim 28 including a mixing chamber disposed at the exit of the nozzle passage in the housing and above the heating arrangement in which said evaporated substance and the air stream mix before exiting the housing.