AU604010B2 - Humidifying apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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pi lWORLD INTELLECTUAL E RI ZAC INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT)

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(51) International Patent Classification 4 (11) International Publication Number: WO 87/ 04339 A61H 33/06, A01G 9/24 Al F24F 6/12 9 (43) International Publication Date: 30 July 1987 (30.07.87) (21) International Application Number: PCT/AU87/00013 (74) Agent: CLEMENT HACK CO.; 601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004 (AU).

(22) International Filing Date: 20 January 1987 (20.01.87) (81) Designated States: AT (European patent), AU, BE (Eu- (31) Priority Application Numbers: PH 4256 ropean patent), CH (European patent), DE (Euro- PH 4888 pean patent), FR (European patent), GB (European PH 5317 patent), IT (European patent), JP, LU (European pa- PH 7808 tent), NL (European patent), SE (European patent),

US.

(32) Priority Dates: 20 January 1986 (20.01.86) March 1986 (05.03.86) 3 April 1986 (03.04.86) Published 2 September 1986 (02.09.86) With international search report.

(33) Priority Country: AU (71)(72) Applicant and Inventor: COLLALTO, Michael, V.

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P, 10 SEP 1987 [AU/AU]; -7-HoughtonTr-Sre-et7 N-tlt-Balwyn-V-IG 3-1+04(AU). 4L(iq (Ftt., _Aw Doc4nCSc AUSTRALIAN7 au l 14 AUG 1987 Se'ct.o4ac.d coUrrc or This document contains the amendments made under PATENT OFFICE Section 49 and is correct for OT L AM PE A T printing. ATM S (54) Title: CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE APPARATUS (57) Abstract A controlled atmosphere apparatus which can be used to produce a sauna or to control the atmosphere of a confined space for any other desired purpose. The apparatus comprises a spray (18), (106) which sprays water into a confined space which may be defined by a panel (12) or a pair of panels (12) and (12a) or tubes (100), (400) to cause air to be drawn into the confined space together with the water: The water is heated to generate steam and the air and steam are drawn through the apparatus and exit an outlet (188), (112), (406) to control the atmosphere of a confined space to produce a sauna.

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i, -5 i _It :4 __1 W087/043 39 I,1 PCT/AU87/00013 1 CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE APPARATUS This invention relates to a controlled atmosphere apparatus and in particular, but not exclusively, to a sauna which may be installed for temporary or permanent use in a domestic shower or enclosed within an enclosure, a device which may be used in proximity to a user's body to subject it to a controlled atmosphere for medical or therapeutic purposes as well as to a device which can surround crops or the like to subject them to the particular environment or controlled atmosphere.

Apparatus for producing controlled atmosphere such as saunas and the like are generally expensive and relatively complicated, require a considerable amount of time to reach

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2 operating temperature and are generally not very versatile.

The object of this invention is to provide a controlled atmosphere which is relatively inexpensive and which has a wide variety of uses.

The present invention provides an apparatus for controlling the environment of a region, said apparatus having a tubular housing, a partition wall in the housing for dividing the housing into a first elongate space and a second elongate space having longitudinal axes, said first space having an air inlet and a spray device for spraying fluid into said first space in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first space, said first spacing being in communication with said second space at a location remote from said spray device, said second space having an outlet for communicating said second space with said region, wherein when said spray device sprays fluid into said first space, air is drawn into said first space through said air inlet, .ego o: said air and fluid contacting one another to thereby condition said air, said air flowing from said first space t into said second space by virtue of the communication between the first and second spaces and out of said outlet to control the environment of said region, and said apparatus having a vortex creating means, for creating a vortex as the air flows between said air inlet and said air outlet when fluid is sprayed to draw air into the apparatus, for separating larger droplets of fluid from smaller droplets of fluid.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: gd 101 0 ~Figures 1 to 4 X show background devices and in n particular; Figure 1 is a front view of an apparatus adapted to be installed in a domestic shower; Figure 2 is a device similar to Figure 1 adapted to be installed in a domestic shower; Figure 3 is a front view of an apparatus similar to Figures 1 and 2;

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Figure 4 is a view of an apparatus similar to that shown in Figure 3 adapted to be installed in its own enclosure; Figure 5 is a view of a further device; Figure 5a shows the preferred application of the device of Figure Figure 5b shows a further aspect which may be included in the embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 shows a further device; Figure 7a is a cross-sectional view of a further device; Figure 7b is a view along the line 7b-7b of Figure 7a; Figure 7c is a view along the line 7c-7c of Figure 7a; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of yet another device; Figure 9 is a view of the embodiment of the invention; Figure 9b is a view along the line 9b-9b of 9 *9 S 5

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Figure 9; ana i- Figure 10 is a view of a nd embodiment of the invention.

With reference to Figure 1 an apparatus 10 for location in the domestic shower is shown which is adapted .o be installed within the shower to enable the shower to be used as a sauna. The apparatus 10 comprises a panel 12 which may be formed of any suitable material and is approximately 1.5 metres high and .8 metres wide. The panel 12 is provided with a peg 14 in each corner to enable the panel 12 to be connected to a wall of the shower in close proximity to the wall. The pegs are approximately centimetres long so that the panel 12 is spaced about 2S/SMcL

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-4centimetres from the wall of the shower. A space 16 is therefore defined between the wall of the shower and the panel 12.

Arranged at the top of the panel 12 is an elongate tube 18 having a closed end 20 and an end 22 which is adapted to be connected to a source of hot water. The tube 18 is S 2 *g 000 0* *0 0e 00 o 72S/SMcL 1 SWO 87/04339 PCT/AU87/00013 provided between the panel 12 an the wall of the shower. The tube 18 has a plurality of small holes (not shown) which are directed downwardly and substantially parallel to the panel 12.

Arranged at the bottom of the panel 12 is a trough which has an outlet opening 32 and a conduit 34 coupled'to the outlet opening 32. In use hot water is applied to the tube 18 and is sprayed from the tube 18 out of the small openings in the direction of arrows A. The spray of hot water which is LO forced downwardly parallel to panel 12 is under relatively high pressure and therefore forces air into the space 16 as shown by arrows B in view of a Venturi effect formed by the high pressure spray and relatively small opening between the top and upper sides of the panel and the wall of the shower.

Steam which is produced from the spray of hot water eminating from the tube 18 is tnerefore drawn downwardly with the air into the space 16 and generally leaves the space 16 from the lower side areas of the panel 12 as shown by arrows C. Thus, steam is transmitted from the space 16 to the shower recess in which the apparatus 10 is installed to heat the shower recess which is closed by a conventional shower curtain or door and to provide steam in the shower recess to provide a sauna like effect within the shower recess. The spray of water which is directed downwardly within the space 16 is collected in the trough 30 and can be transmitted from the conduit 34 back to the source of hot water or to a drain. If the water is transmitted back to the source of hot water it can be recirculated thereby providing an extremely efficient apparatus. Furthermore, since this spray which eminates from the tube 18 is a very fine spray under high pressure a considerable amount of steam will be produced with a minimal amount of water thereby also adding to the efficiency of the apparatus. deve i de vice.

A second -embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 2 which is similar to that shown in Figure 1 exc rpt that the space 16 is defined by the panel 12 and a second I panel 12a which are coupled together by any suitable means.

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The panels 12 and 12a are joined by an intermediate wall which extends from 1/3 the height of the panel to about 2/3 the height of the panel. Arranged between the panels 12 and 12a is a conduit 18 similar to the conduit described in the embodiment which can be coupled to a source of hot water. A trough 30 is arranged in the lower part of the apparatus. The top of the panel 12a is provided with a flap which is adapted to close the top of the space 16 defined between the panels 12 and 12a. The upper side of the panels 12 and 12a are provided with a plurality of apertures 52 which are spaced apart by small panels 54. It should be noted that both sides of the apparatus are identical but only one side has been shown in detail for the purpose of ease of illustration. Arranged parallel to the apertures 52 and panels 54 is a panel 56 which has a plurality of apertures (not shown). The panel 56 is connected to a slide control (shown schematically at 60) which is also connected to the flap 50. The slide control 60 opens and closes the flap via a handle 61 which projects through a slot 63 in the panel 12 and moves the panel 56 vertically so that the apertures in the panel are arranged adjacent with the apertures 52 or the panels 54. This arrangement allows air to either enter through the top of the space 16 when the flap 50 is open or in through the apertures 52 and the apertures in the panel 56 when the flap 50 is closed and the panel 56 is moved vertically to align the apertures in the panel 56 with the apertures 52. Therefore when the spray of hot water is sprayed from the tube 18 as shown by arrow A air can either enter the space 16 through the top if the flap 50 is open or 430 through the side apertures 52 if the top 50 is closed because the apertures in the panel 56 will be in alignment with the apertures 52 when the flap 50 is closed. The steam which is Sproduced within the space 16 by the fine spray of very hot water which leaves the tube 18 is conveyed from the space 16 to the shower recess through lower side openings 62 which areprovided with louvre arrangements 64. The louvre arrangements 64 generally comprise a plurality of louvre element i6 which 1 WO 87/04339 W 3 PCT/AU87/00013 are arranged on pivot axels 68 which extend between the panels 12' and 12a. The pivot axels 68 are connected to a bar 70 and the bar 70 has a handle 74 which projects through an arcuate slot 76 in the panel 12. Thus upward and downward semi-circular movement of the handle 74 will change the angle of inclination of the louvres 66 to thereby direct steam in a given direction. For example if the user desires to direct a considerable amount of steam towards his or her legs the louvres 66 can be arranged so that they point downwardly to generally force the steam downwardly as it leaves the openings 62. If the steam is desired to circulate upwardly the louvres 66 can be directed upwardly.

The ombodiment- shown in Figure 3 is similar to that shown in Figure 2 except that the rear panel 12a is somewhat larger than the panel 12 so that the sides are inclined and louvres are provided on the sides as well as in the front panel 12. de In the -e bed-i-me--t of Figures 1 to 3 the front panel 12 protects the user from the hot water sprayed from the tube 18 so that the user is subjected only to steam and air which leaves the space 16.

The -eodi.ment shown in Figure 2 which includes the two panels 12 and 12a is generally intended to be arranged in close proximity to a shower wall. However, this embodiment can also be used in other environments such as within a flexible enclosure which is coupled to the apparatus. In this regard and with reference to Figure 4, the apparatus shown in Figure 4 is identical to that shown in Figure 2 except that it includes an enclosure 80 which is coupled to the apparatus adjacent to the top of the apparat is so that just the opening in the top of the apparatus and the flap 50 as well as the tube 18 are outside of the enclosure 80. The enclosure 80 can be a flexible type of enclosure such as a very large bag or a bubble type enclosure in which the apparatus may stand. In order to assist the apparatus to stand legs or supports (not shown) may be provided and the base of the bag or bubble type enclosure may be weighted so that it is firmly anchored to the -i 1WO 87q1039 PCT/AU87/00013 S WO 8704339 8. t ground. The apparatus works in exactly the way as described with reference to Figure 2 exact that in this embodiment steam which is forced out of the openings 62 will tend to inflate the bag or bubble 80 if it is a flexible enclosure so that it takes up a prescribed shape. The bag or bubble 80 may be provided with a closable door so that people can enter the enclosure in order to take a sauna. By manipulation of the control 60 a user can select whether air is drawn in through the opening at the top of the apparatus LO which is exterior of the enclosure 80 or through the apertures 52 which are within the enclosure 80 so that a particular atmosphere is maintained within the enclosure It should be noted that apart from use as a sauna the enclosure 80 can be used to provide a controlled atmosphere for other purposes. For example it could be used to provide an environment for growing plants or crops and furthermore fthe atmosphere which is provided inside the enclosure 80 can be controlled by merely controlling the temperature of the fluid, such as water, which is provided to the tube 18. If a sauna type apparatus is required then the water is extremely hot whereas if a very mild atmosphere is desired to be maintained within the enclosure 80 the water can be cool. Since the air which is drawn into the space 16 will be generally entrained with the water in the space 16 before leaving the space 16 the temperature of the water generally controls the temperature of the air leaving the space 16 and therefore the temperature which is in the enclosure 80 to thereby maintain a particular temperature and humidity within the enclosure 80. If a sauna type apparatus is desired the enclosure 80 may have a volume similar to that of a small room whereas if it is desired to provide a controlled atmosphere in which plants or crops may be grown it may be much larger. If the enclosure 80 is extremely large two or more of the apparatuses shown in Figure 2 may be located within the apparatus.

n WO 87/04339PCT/AU87/00013 I 'WO 87/04339 9 ce viCe A further -e mbldime4 t of th invention is shown in Figure 5 which has particular application to hairdressing. In this regard I have found that the application of steam to a person's head is most desirable for both medical and therapeutic reasons. The application of water vapour and in particular steam to a person's hair has the effect of drawing toxins from a person's hair which not only improves the person's hair but can generally improve a person's health since the hair acts as a medium from which toxins may be drawn from the whole body. In the apparatus shown in Figure 5 a rectangular tube 100 which may be about 30 centimetres long is provided with an open end 102 and a closed end 104. Closed end 104 has a drainage tube 107 adjacent thereto. Arranged within the top of the tube 100 is a spray mechanism 106 which may be similar to the tubes 18 previously described although slightly smaller. At the bottom of the tube 104 is an outlet chamber 108 which has a circular outlet 110 communicating with flexible tubing 112. At the other end of the flexible tubing 112 a flexible c-ap 114 (see Figure 5A) is provided which is adapted to be placed over a person's head to enclose the person's hair whilst leaving the face free. Such devices are well known in hairdressing and therefore will not be described in detail herein. With the application of hot water to the spray mechanism 106 a fine spray of hot water is forced downwardly into the tube 100 in the direction of arrows A. As in the previous embodiments this spray draws air into through the open top 102 of the tube, due to a Venturi type effect, and produces a significant amount of steam within the tube 100. The steam is communicated through the outlet chamber 108 and tube 112 to the enclosure 114 whilst excess water is drained from the tube 106. Therefore, the atmosphere within the enclosure 114 is comprised of water vapour and in particular steam which has the therapeutic effects described above.

mi T o A4 "A WO 87/043391 PCT/AU87/00013 As shown on Figure 5a the enclosure 14 may have an outlet tube 113 which can convey the warm and moist air from within the enclosure 114 back to the device shown in Figure for recirculation through the device of Figure 5 and then, in turn, back to the enclosure 114 via tube 112.

devtice In the embdiment* of Figure 5 a syringe (not shown) may be arranged in communication with the tube 112 to force medicinal or other substances into the tube 112 which are then conveyed into the cap 114 for treating the user.

eCce In still further e-'diments a syringe or hollow conduit 170 may be arranged in proximity to spray mechanism- 106 or spray tube 18 so that its outlet end 172 is adjacent to the spray or stream of water eminating from the tube 18 or spray mechanism 106. other end of the conduit 170 may be in communication with a source of medicinal or other substance so that the medicinal or other substance is drawn through the conduit 170 as the fast moving spray passes the outlet 172 so that the substance is drawn from the conduit 170 by a venturi effect. In this embodiment the substance may be used to treat the atmosphere automatically without the need to utilize an external syringe or the like. It should be noted that the embodiment shown in Figure 5B can be incorporated into the devices described with references to any of the other figures.

The shape of the enclosure 114 may be that of a cap as described above or any other desired shape. For example the enclosure 114 could be a suit which is worn by a user to apply a particular atmosphere to the user's body.

The emb1odment of Figure 5 can also be used in large scale environments for maintaining a particular atmosphere about crops and the like by simply making the enclosure 114 of sufficient size to enclose the crop and then making the apparatus comprising the tube 104 of sufficient size to inflate the enclosure 114 if it is flexible or to provide sufficient atmosphere within the enclosure 114 to maintain an atmosphere having the desired characteristics. A number of the apparatuses may be used in combination with a single enclosure 114 if so desired. The use of the enclosure 114 has Al *A MvS WO 87/4339 PCT/AU87/00013 advantages in dry areas since it enables moisture to be retained within the enclosure and collected water cane e recycled for later use. Also water which condenses on the interior surface of the enclosure can be collected for use as drinking water and the device can therefore be used as a water purification system.

Figure 6 shows yet another mbodment in which a side view of an apparatus is shown which is comprised generally of three panels 180, 182 and 184. The panels 180 and 182 are relatively close together whereas the panels 182 and 184 are further apart. The spray mechanism 186 which may be similar to the mechanism 106 or tube 18 is arranged at the top of panels 180 and 182 to force a spray downwardly between those panels. In this embodiment air is drawn in between the panels 180 and 182 and is allowed to communicate into the space between panels 182 and 184 and then out through a conduit 188 arranged at the top of panel 184. It should be noted that the apparatus includes a bottom section 190 which closes the bottom of the panels 180, 182 and 184 and a similar top section 192 from which tube 188 extends. The largest space between the panels 182 and 184 acts as an expansion chamber and the conditioned air which leaves the tube 188 may be conveyed to any remote area for controlling the atmo-sphere of that area.

It is preferred that the spray from the tube 18 via mechanism 106 and mechanism 186 be directed downwardly so that it can forward gravity and follow the shortest possible route through the apparatus to achieve maximum thrust of air displaced through the space. This becomes more important when the apparatus is used to inflate a hemispherical dome or the like with a more temperate atmosphere where the loss of lift is incurred due to the absence of hot air rising when the apparatus is not used to create sauna atmospheres.

As is shown in Figure 5 the apparatus may also include a plurality of elongate fins 113 which extend vertically in the apparatus. The fins 113 are contacted by the hot spray from the mechanism 106 and are heated and heat -u 4 7 9 WO 871 04339 1 2 PCT/AU87/00013 ca-n be conveyed to the surrounding atmosphere to further assist in controlling the atmosphere in the tube 100. The fins 113 effectively increase the surface area of the medium and therefore increase height exchange from the heated medium to the surrounding air. It should be noted that the embodiments of Figures 1 to 4 and 6 could also include fins 11.3 similar to that described with referenc to Figure ec~eC Figures 7a to 7c show a further -embe ime--of the invention which includes a cylindrical outer housing 200.

Arranged about the cylindrical housing 200 is a band 202 which has a plurality of openings 204. The housing 200 immediately behind the band 202 also includes a plurality of openings 206 and the band 202 can be rotated about the housing 200 to bring the openings 204 into alignment with the openings 206. When the openings 204 and 206 are in alignment air can be drawn into the cylindrical housing 200. To increase, decrease or prevent air from being drawn into the cylindrical housing 200 the band is rotated. For example to prevent air from being drawn into the housing, the band is ro -ated-so that the openings 204 and 206 are not in alignment. Arranged within the housing 200 is a vortex creating assembly 210. The assembly 210 includes a plurality of segments 212 which are generally rectangular compartments havin-g outer walls 214, inwardly extending wall 216 and an inner most wall 218. As is clear from Figure 7b the inner most wall 218 is curved in the vicinity of the wall 216 so that when the compartments 212 are arranged in the manner shown in Figure 7b curved portion of the walls 218 define a generally cylindrical space 220.

A plurality of thin vertically extending passages 224 are defined between the walls 216 and 218 of the compartments 212. Arranged at the entrance to each passage 224 is a spray device 230 which can be similar to the spray device disclosed with reference to any one of the previous embodiments. The spray device 230 preferably extends vertically along the entire he'ight of the passage 224 and is directed to spray into the passage 224.

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-WO 87/04339 I PCT/AU87/00013 It should be noted that the assembly 210 is arranged in the upper portion of the cylindrical housing 200 and extending downwardly from the assembly 210 is an inner cylinder 230 which terminates in a cone 232. The cylinder 230 extends upwardly into the assembly 210 and effectively defines a lower continuation of the space 220. The cone 232 is provided with a plurality of cutout portions 234 and arranged within the cone 232 is a second cone 236 which is of similar shape to the cone 232 and is also provided with a plurality of cutouts of similar shape to the cutouts 234. A device (not shown) is arranged to rotate the cones 232 and 236 relative to one another to bring the cutouts in the respective cones into alignment with one another or to move them out of alignment with one another. Furthermore, the cones terminate in an outlet aperture 240 which is provided with an inverted V-shaped cone 242 which can be moved towards and away from the outlet aperture 240 by a control rod 246.

The upper portion of the cylindrical housing 200 is provided with opening and closure device 250 which works in a Z0:' similar manner to a camera shutter to open and close an outlet 252 from the housing 200. By suitable adjustment of the opening enclosure device the size of the aperture 252 can be adjusted or completely closed. Furthermore by controlling the size of the aperture 252 the droplet size of the water spray can be controlled. The larger the, size of the aperture 252 the larger the average size of the droplets.

In use, water (not shown) is conveyed to the spray devices 230 by tubing or the like (not shown) and sprayed from the devices 230 into the passages 204. Excess water is 310 drained from the device through outlet 235 which is controlled by a ball valve 237. The spray draws air from inside the housing 200 into the passages 224 and in view of the cylindrical shape of the space 220 the air drawn into the space 220 from the passages 204 is caused to rotate or i circulate in the direction of arrows X to therefor form a vortex within the space 220. The vortex which is created in the space 220 causes air to circulate within the space 220 and

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WO 87/04339 14 PCT/AU87/00013 to, be brought downwardly to the inner cylinder 214 where it may leave the inner cylinder via the apertures 234 when the cones 232 and 236 are appropriately moved relative to one another to open the apertures or out of the outlets 240. Air which is allowed to exit through the apertures 234 and 240 returns to the interior of the cylinder 200 and can again be drawn into the space 220 through the passages 224. By appropriate adjustment of the band 202 new air can be allowed to enter the cylindrical housing 200 or the device can merely circulate air which is already in the housing.

The vortex action within the space 220 will generally cause the larger size droplets to move outwardly towards the walls 218 whereas small size droplets will tend to remain in the centre of the inner cylindrical space 220. This can allow selection of droplet size for various types of applications of this embodiment. The air in the centre of the vortex tends to circulate upwardly and can exit through outlet 252 where it can be conveyed to a particular location for controlling the atmosphere of that location. Of-. course, the location can be anyone of the devices previousl.ly. described hereinbefore. By suitable control of the band 202, the cones 232 and 236, the converted V-shaped cone 242 and the outlet size of the outlet 252, the air can be recirculated in the device to reach a particular temperature and humidity or new air can be allowed to enter the device.

de v e A further embodiment is shown in Figure 8-which is device similar to the embediment of Figure 2 except that a number of the units of Figure 2 are arranged side-by-side. The embodiment of Figure 8 includes an outer casing 300, a roof 302 and a base section 304. Extending downwardly from the base section 302 are a plurality of partitions 306 and extending upwardly from the base portion 304 is a plurality of partitions 308. The partitions 308 are adjacent the partitions 306 and define small spaces 310 therebetween.

Arranged at the top-of each space 310 is a spray device 312 similar to the spray devices disclosed with reference to the earlier embodiments. Air is allowed to enter the device I .1 #A/T WO 87/04339 PCT/A'AU87/00013 W 87/04339 15 through an inlet 320 at one end of the roof 302 and is drawn by the spray device into the space 310 and leaves the space 310 at its lower portion into an area 314 defined between the partition 306 and the next partition 308. Air is drawn from the space 314 by the next spray device 312 into the next space 310 and enters the next area 314. This continues throughout each of the spaces 310 until the air leaves the device through an outlet 325. In this embodiment the air entering the device can go through a number of spray devices where the temperature can be gradually increased as well as its humidity. Depending on the temperature of the water involved and the number of devices which are arranged side-by-side, the temperature and humidity of the air leaving the device 325 can be controlled.

Base 304 of the device includes a plurality of V-shaped sections 330 to enable water to escape from the device via an outlet tube 332 which can be controlled by a ball valve arrangement 340.

With the arrangement shown in Figure 8 pressure increases as the air moves through each of the areas 314.

In the preferred embedime-n the space between the panels in which the spray mechanism is incorporated can be no greater than the width of spray of water through the space.

Figures 9 and 9b show -4til urther- embodiment of the invention which comprises a pair of tubes 400 and 402 which are arranged side by side. The tube 400 has an air intake opening 404 arranged at the top portion thereof and the tube 402 has an outlet opening 406 arranged at its top portion. The inlet opening 404 and outlet opening 406 may be closed by grills as shown. Arranged adjacent to the inlet opening 404 is a spray device which may be of any one of the types previously described for producing a spray of hot water which extends generally vertically down the tube 400 as shown by arrows X. The tubes 400 and 402 are in communication with one another through a slot 410 which extends from the bottom of the tubes part of the way up the tube. The slot 410 is formed by cutting away part of the common wall of the tubes if the tubes are formed integral or part of each wall of the i P- Li :i WO 87/04339 1 6 PCT/AL87/00013 tubes which abut one another if the tubes are separate and adhered together by suitable adhesive or the like. The slot 410 is closed by a panel 412 which extends from the bottom of the tubes up to the top of the slot 410. A generally V-shaped roof portion 414 closes the space between the top of the panel 412 and the tubes 400 and 402. The tube 400 may have an outlet 416 for draining excess water from the device.

In use, water is sprayed from the spray device adjacent the inlet opening 404 and this draws air into the tube 400 through the inlet 404. The air is drawn down the tube 404 where it passes into the tube 402 through the slot 412. Since the remaining part 418 of the connecting wall between the tubes 400 and 402 in the vicinity of the slot 412 is slightly curved and since the tubes 400 and 402 are generally circular air which passes from the tube 400 into the tube 402 is caused to follow the contour of the wall 412 and the generally circular shape of the tube 402 and therefore swirls within the tube 402 to form a generally low pressure vortex in the tube 402. The steam which is created from the spray and air which is drawn into -the .bube 400 through the opening 404 therefore conveyed up the tube 402 and exits the outlet 406. The tubes 400 and 402 could be provided with fines 409 (only two shown) which extend the length of the slot. The fins 409 assist in creating and stabilizing the vortex and can be positioned during assembly to provide optimum results for any given spray and- air pressure. The device shown in this embodiment may be provided within a normal shower recess or may be offered for sale with its own enclosure in order to form a sauna. In other applications the device could be provided in a specially made room to form a sauna.

TheA--embed1Jmn t shown in Figure 10 comprising a tube 500 which has an internal panel 502 'which divides the tube into a first space 504 and a second space 506. A spray device 508'whichmay be of any one of the types previously described is arranged at the top of the space 504 and is provided to direct water downwardly into the space 504. The water is 4 IV^, MW; 0 r k j', WO8704339 PCT/AU87/00013 heated as in the previous embodiment and is supplied via an inlet tube or hose 510. A second tube 512 which extends transverse to the tube 500 is provided to communicate the space 504 with the space 506. The tube 512 is closed by an end wall 514. The tube 500 is adapted to have coupled thereto a removable head piece 520 which is generally spherical with an opening 522 provided on one side. The opening 522 is adapted to receive the back of a persons for steam treatment of the hair. The head piece 520 is provided with an internal partition 524 which forms an extension of the space 502. The internal partition 524 terminates just short of the opening 522. In this embodimcnt when hot water is sprayed from the spray device 508, air is drawn into the space 504 from the space 526 defined between the partition 524 and the rear of the head piece 520 and is drawn down into the space 504. The steam generated from the mixture of sprayed hot water and air which is drawn into the space 504 passes down the space 504, into the tube 512 and then into the space 506 where it communicates with the head piece 520. When a person locates the back of his or her head in the opening 522 the steam which is generated within the device will circulate about the persons head and steam treat their hair. The air is then drawn into the space between the partition 524 and the rear of the head piece 520 to again be drawn into the space 504. This device therefore circulates steam within its confines.

The head piece 520 is removably from the tube 500 so that other shaped head pieces (not shown) can be located on the tube 500 so that other parts of the body can be steam treated. For example, a suitable head piece could be arranged to receive a persons face for steam treatment or, a person could merely remove the head piece 520 and locate his or her face at the top of the tube 500 for steam treatment. This embodiment of the invention utilizes only a very small amount of water in order to produce the required amount of steam at the required temperature for direct steam treatment of parts of the human body and therefore may not be necessary to _j W'V Oi WO 87/04339 PCT/AU87/00013 WO 870339 8: 18 provide a drainage outlet. from the device. Since the amount of water is small and the device is relatively small, the device could merely be upturned to enable it to be emptied after each use. However, if desired a drainage outlet could be provided.

This embodiment of the invention together with the earlier embodiments described could also utilize filters to purify the water introduced into the device. Filters could also be used on the air inlets to ensure that dust and other air borne particles are not drawn and circulated within the device. Preferably the filters used in conjunction with the water supply are arranged in the water inlet pipe or hose (such as the inlet hose 510) and are of an osmotic nature so as to remove fluoride and/or chloride from the water before the water is introduced into the device.

In some embodiments of the invention it is also feasible to circulate the inlet hose -4--within the device so that the air and steam circulating through the device contacts the hose to further heat the. air and steam. In such applications the hose will. act. as a heat exchanger within the device to maintain the heat within the device or increase the temperature of the steam being circulated within the device.

Since modification within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described by way of example hereinabove.

Claims (4)

1. An apparatus for controlling the environment of a region, said apparatus having a tubular housing, a partition wall in the housing for dividing the housing into a first elongate space and a second elongate space having longitudinal axes, said first space having an air inlet and a spray device for spraying fluid into said first space in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first space, Paid first spacing being in communication with said second space at a location remote from said spray device, said second space having an outlet for communicating said second space with said region, wherein when said spray device sprays fluid into said first space, air is drawn into said first space through said air inlet, said air and fluid contacting one another to thereby condition said air, said air flowing from said first space into said second space by virtue of the communication between the first and second spaces and out of said outlet to control the environment of said region, and 0said apparatus having a vortex creating means, for creating a vortx astheair flows between said air inlet and said air outet henfluid is sprayed to draw air into the apparatus, for separating larger droplets of fluid from smaller droplets of fluid.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said device includes a heat exchanger so that said air drawn into said apparatus will contact the heat exchanger to further condition the air.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein communication between the first space and the second space takes place by virtue of a second tubular section ::arranged at an angle to said tubular housing at the end of said tubular housing remote from said spray device. ~4An-pp-n at us aGGori t~-~ny one of comuniates with epher-icai head piece haVing an opcning I I 20 f and which is adaptcd to receive a r head a constituting the interior of said spherical h ad ece. An apparatus according aim 4, wherein said spherical member has ernal partition which forms an air entry spac said spherical member, said air entry space

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said tubular housing is formed from two tubes, a first of said tubes constituting said first space and a second of said tubes constituting the second space, said communication taking place by virtue of a slot arranged tangentially with respect to said second tube, said vortex creating means being formed by said slot and wherein when said air passes from the first tube into said second tube the air is caused to swirl by virtue of the tangential slot to thereby create said vortex in said second tube. DATED THIS 16th DAY OF July 1990 MICHAEL V. COLLALTO By His Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK CO. Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia S f*, S ***000 S* o I; ,VT i k \fN~y