Volatile material diffuser and method of preventing undesirable mixing of volatile materials

• US 8,320,751 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Inventors: Porchia, Jose, Vieira, Pedro Emanuel Vasconcelos de Queiroz, Payne, Martin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, THOR S
• Application Number:
  US12/288,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20090162253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 392/395
• 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 2209/12 Lighting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/02 using substances evaporated in the air by heating or combustion
• 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

Abstract

A volatile material diffuser includes a housing and first and second containers holding first and second volatile materials and having first and second wicks, respectively, in contact with respective volatile materials and extending out of respective containers, wherein the containers are inserted into and detachably attached to the housing. The diffuser further includes first and second heaters disposed within the housing adjacent the first and second wicks, respectively, to vaporize the first and second volatile materials, respectively. A means for providing an air flow is disposed in the housing such that air from the means for providing an air flow transports vaporized volatile materials away from the housing. The heaters are energized in an alternating sequence such that, when a heater is deactivated, the means for providing an air flow cools a wick associated with the deactivated heater.

Claims

1. A volatile material diffuser, comprising:

a housing;

first and second containers holding first and second volatile materials and having first and second wicks, respectively, in contact with respective volatile materials and extending out of respective containers, wherein the containers are inserted into and detachably attached to the housing;

first and second heaters disposed within the housing adjacent the first and second wicks, respectively, to vaporize the first and second volatile materials, respectively; and

means for providing an air flow disposed in the housing such that air from the means to provide air flow transports vaporized volatile materials away from the housing;

wherein the heaters are energized in an alternating sequence such that when a heater is deactivated, the means for providing an air flow cools a wick associated with the deactivated heater;

wherein the means for providing an air flow is a fan that is alternated between first and second different speeds and wherein the first speed is greater than the second speed such that the first speed provides a burst of the volatile material for a larger detection area and the second speed provides a more concentrated emission in a smaller detection area.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the means for providing an air flow is a fan that cools the wicks associated with deactivated heaters to a temperature that is closer to ambient temperature than the wicks would be cooled without the fan.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the fan is angled upwardly at an angle of between about 0 degrees and about 45 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of the diffuser.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the means for providing an air flow is a fan that is energized continuously and runs at one speed.

5. The device of claim 1 further including a second means for providing an air flow, wherein the first-named means is associated with the first heater and the second means is associated with the second heater, the first-named means is energized for a period of time when the first heater is deactivated, and the second means is energized for the period of time when the second heater is deactivated, and wherein the period of time is less than a period of time that the first and second heaters are activated.

6. The device of claim 1 further including a light source having first and second light emitting diodes (LEDs) of first and second different colors, respectively, and disposed within a single lens that forms a diffuser, wherein when the first heater is activated, a first of the LEDs is illuminated, when the second heater is activated, a second of the LEDs is illuminated, when the first and second heaters are activated, the first and second LEDs are illuminated to form a third different color, and when neither of the first and second heaters is activated, neither of the LEDs is illuminated.

7. The device of claim 1 further including a first light emitting diode (LED) disposed within the housing behind the first container and a second LED disposed within the housing behind the second container, wherein when the first heater is activated, the first LED is illuminated and when the second heater is activated, the second LED is illuminated.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein each of the containers includes a membrane on an inner surface thereof that is wet and transparent when volatile materials are disposed within the containers and wherein, as the volatile materials are dispensed, the membranes dry out and become opaque to indicate to a user that one or more of the containers needs to be replaced.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first and second LEDs appear as a point source when the membranes are transparent and appear as a blended source of light to the user when the membranes are opaque, thereby indicating that one or more of the containers needs to be replaced.

10. The device of claim 1, further including an odor sensor that senses an amount of volatile material within one or more of the containers within the diffuser, wherein when the sensor detects that there is little or no volatile material left in one or more of the containers, the sensor can notify a printed circuit board disposed within the device to activate or deactivate a light emitting diode or turn off one or more of the heaters.

11. A volatile material diffuser, comprising:

a housing;

first and second containers holding first and second volatile materials and having first and second wicks, respectively, in contact with respective volatile materials and extending out of respective containers, wherein the containers are inserted into and detachably attached to the housing;

first and second heaters disposed within the housing adjacent the first and second wicks, respectively, to vaporize the first and second volatile materials, respectively; and

a fan disposed in the housing such that air from the fan exhausts vaporized volatile materials from the housing;

wherein when the first heater is deactivated and the second heater is activated, the fan acts to cool the first wick to reduce temperatures of the first wick and the first heater to minimize the amount of the first volatile material that is emitted while the second volatile material is being emitted;

wherein the fan is energized for a period of time after the deactivation of each heater to aid in cooling the deactivated heater and the wick associated with the deactivated heater and wherein the period of time is between about 30 seconds and about 5 minutes.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein when the second heater is deactivated and the first heater is activated, the fan acts to cool the second wick to reduce temperatures of the second wick and the second heater to minimize the amount of the second volatile that is emitted while the first volatile material is being emitted.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the fan is energized continuously, alternating between first and second speeds, the first speed being greater than the second speed, and wherein when one heater is deactivated and the other is activated, the fan is energized to the first speed.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the fan is at zero degrees with respect to a vertical axis of the diffuser.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the fan is angled upwardly at an angle of 22.5 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of the diffuser.

16. A volatile material diffuser, comprising:

a housing;

first and second containers holding first and second volatile materials and having first and second wicks, respectively, in contact with respective volatile materials and extending out of respective containers, wherein the containers are inserted into and detachably attached to the housing;

first and second heaters disposed within the housing adjacent the first and second wicks, respectively, to vaporize the first and second volatile materials, respectively; and

means for providing an air flow disposed in the housing such that air from the means to provide air flow transports vaporized volatile materials away from the housing;

wherein the heaters are energized in an alternating sequence such that when a heater is deactivated, the means for providing an air flow cools a wick associated with the deactivated heater;

wherein the means for providing an air flow is disposed in a first chamber, the wicks and heaters are disposed in a second chamber separate from the first chamber, the wicks are disposed in channels formed within the second chamber, and the air flow moves air through gaps formed by channel walls and the wicks to thereby cool the wicks and heaters.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the fan is angled upwardly at an angle of between about 0 degrees and about 45 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of the diffuser.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the fan is angled upwardly at an angle of 22.5 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of the diffuser.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein when the second heater is deactivated and the first heater is activated, the fan acts to cool the second wick to reduce temperatures of the second wick and the second heater to minimize the amount of the second volatile that is emitted while the first volatile material is being emitted.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the fan is energized continuously, alternating between first and second speeds, the first speed being greater than the second speed, and wherein when one heater is deactivated and the other is activated, the fan is energized to the first speed.