Humidification device
DCFirst Claim
1. A device for humidifying an enclosed volume, comprising:
- a container having at least a portion thereof which is pervious to water vapor but not liquid; and
a quantity of a material disposed within said container which is capable of absorbing and retaining a predetermined quantity of water, said material changing between a granular consistency when dry to a semi-gelatinous consistency when said predetermined quantity of water is absorbed therein, and which is also capable of giving up said water by way of evaporation through a wall of said container.
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Abstract
A container, which may or may not be in the form of a cylinder conforming generally to the shape of a cigar, having a wall thickness and constitution which permits water vapor to escape therethrough, but which will not permit water droplets or palpable moisture to pass therethrough and subsequently over-wet the material to be humidified, such as cigars. The container is adapted to house a quantity of highly absorbent material, such as acrylamide potassium or sodium acrylate copolymer, cross-linked. End caps may be used as desired, including end caps with apertures therein to permit an accelerated rate of humidification by allowing more water vapor to escape the interior of the container than is allowed by ordinary osmosis through the walls of the container.
15 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A device for humidifying an enclosed volume, comprising:
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a container having at least a portion thereof which is pervious to water vapor but not liquid; and a quantity of a material disposed within said container which is capable of absorbing and retaining a predetermined quantity of water, said material changing between a granular consistency when dry to a semi-gelatinous consistency when said predetermined quantity of water is absorbed therein, and which is also capable of giving up said water by way of evaporation through a wall of said container. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of humidifying an enclosed volume, comprising:
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providing an enclosed volume; providing a humidification device comprising; a container having at least a portion thereof which is pervious to water vapor but not to liquid; and a quantity of a material disposed within said container which is capable of absorbing and retaining a predetermined quantity of water, said material changing between a granular consistency when dry to a semi-gelatinous consistency when said predetermined quantity of water is absorbed therein, and which is also capable of giving up said water by way of evaporation through a wall of said container; and placing said humidification device within said volume. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for humidifying tobacco products, comprising:
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a humidor for receiving tobacco products; a humidification device comprising; a container having at least a portion thereof which is pervious to water vapor but not to liquid; and a quantity of a material disposed within said container which is capable of absorbing and retaining a predetermined quantity of water, said material changing between a granular consistency when dry to a semi-gelatinous consistency when said predetermined quantity of water is absorbed therein, and which is also capable of giving up said water by way of evaporation through a wall of said container; and
,wherein said humidification device is at least partially disposed in said humidor. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An apparatus for humidifying tobacco products, comprising:
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a container for housing a supply of aqueous material in semi-gelatinous form, said container having a first end and a second end; said first end of said container defining a first opening for installing said supply of aqueous material into said container; a means for sealing said first opening and for moving the container relative to a housing defining a humidifiable volume; and means, within said housing, for receiving said second end of said container; wherein said container has at least one side wall portion which is pervious to water vapor but not to water in liquid state.
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Specification