GB2071497A

GB2071497A - Device for vaporising volatile substances

Info

Publication number: GB2071497A
Application number: GB8107822A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Globol Werk GmbH
Current assignee: Globol Werk GmbH
Priority date: 1980-02-02
Filing date: 1981-03-12
Publication date: 1981-09-23

Abstract

A vaporising device comprises a housing (1), an electric heater (2) having more than one freely accessible side, ribs (5) extending from the housing towards the heater to leave a space adjacent each broad side of the heater to receive a carrier element (4) impregnated with a volatile substance. There may be an electrical plug connector mounted on the underside of another form of housing so as to be rotatable through 90 DEG avoiding the danger of the impregnated elements (4) falling out of the housing (1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for vaporising volatile substances The invention relates to a device for vaporising substances, such as pyrethrum or similar insecticides, or air-freshening, bactericidal, disinfecting or curative substances or the like, which are embedded in pulp boards or other solid carrier materials, the device comprising an electric heater disposed in a housing, with a holder which locates a replaceable carrier board for a substance in front of the heater.

A device of this type is known from German Auslegeschrift No. 2,730,855. In this device, the heater, surrounded by a plastics housing, is located behind a window in the housing in which window a carrier board for active substance can be replaceably positioned for the purpose of vaporising the active substances contained therein. For this purpose, the heater is heated to more than 10000. Since, however, by far the major part of the radiating surface of the heater is surrounded by the housing, it is necessary to make the housing of relatively heat-resistant and expensive plastics and/orto design the housing to have a relatively large volume in order to avoid destructive overheating of the housing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide, and to operate, a device of the type described above but incurring less expenditure than hitherto.

According to the invention there is provided a device for vaporising a substance, such as an insecticide, air-freshener, disinfectant or curative, carried by a carrier element, the device comprising a housing, an electric heater disposed in the housing in such a way that more than one side of the heater is freely accessible, a plurality of carrier element holders, each holder being adapted to replaceably locate a carrier element adjacent one of said freely accessible sides of the heater, and a plurality of airconvection channels, all the freely accessible sides of the heater being provided with an element holder and air-convection channels.

Suitably each carrier element holder comprises an insertion opening adapted to receive a carrier board, and in which the heater is of rectangular crosssection, the insertion openings and air-convection channels being provided in the housing in alignment with a respective one of the two opposite broad sides of the heater.

In such a device, almost the entire outer surface of the heater can be utilised for the heating of carrier elements carrying an active substance, one result of which is a considerably higher efficiency than hitherto.

On the other hand, the heat energy transmitted to the housing itself is consequently also considerably lower, so that the housing also is heated to a far lesser extent than hitherto during the vaporisation of active substances and can therefore also be made of less heat-resistant, cheaper plastics.

In addition, it is now also possible, simultaneously in one device, to heat more than one carrier element for an active substance, each of which can contain active substances which differ from one another.

Using the device according to the invention, the emission of active substances can therefore be increased by a large factor, as compared with known embodiments.

Furthermore, it is now also possible for the first time to vaporise simultaneously active substances which differ from one another, the user being able to select those active substances.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with refer ence to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a vaporisation device according to the invention, viewed from above; Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the device taken along line II in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a further embodiment in front elevation, Figure 4 shows the same viewed from above and shown partially cut away, and Figure 5 shows the same, viewed along the line V-V of Figure 3.

The vaporisation device shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a canister-like housing 1 which is assembled from two prefabricated parts having a circular cross-section and in which a right-angled parallelopiped, i.e. brick-shaped, electric heater 2 is arranged, its longitudinal axis being diametrically disposed. Insertion openings 3 of approximately the same surface area, which are each adapted to receive one carrier board 4for carrying an active substance, are provided adjacent the two broad sides of the heater 2. Vertically extending ribs 5, which stop short of the heater a distance corresponding to the thickness of one carrier board, project from those walls of the insertion openings 3 which face the broad sides of the heater 2. The spaces between these ribs 5 form air-convection channels 6.

For further enhancement of air convection along the carrier boards 4, the floors of the insertion openings 3 can be formed in such a way that they extend along the dotted-and-dashed line 7 drawn in Figure 2.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 5, a housing 1' comprises a diametrically extending housing portion 8 of rectangular cross-section moulded to the front side of a substantially canisterlike, multipart housing portion of circular cross section.

The heater 2 is mounted in the housing portion 8, which is provided with windows 9 arranged in front of the broad sides of the heater. Ribs 5 are moulded on the housing portion 8 and extend towards, but stop short of, the heater to leave an insertion opening 3 either side of the heater adapted to receive one carrier board each, the insertion openings 3 being in front of the windows 9.

On the rear of the circular housing portion, there are electrical plug-and-socket connection elements 10 which are mounted on the housing 1' in such a way that they can be rotated through 90" about an axis perpendicular to a long side of the heater 2 and can automatically be fixed in the end positions of rotation.

Independently of the position of the socket contacts of a fixed electric socket, this arrangement makes it possible to dispose the device in such a way that the orifices of the insertion openings 3 point upwardly.

If the insertion orifices 3 open sideways, there is a risk of the inserted carrier boards for active substance being able to drop out inadvertently, and so a user is more or less always forced to rotate the device into a position in which it is correctly located.

The requisite electrical leads are not shown either in this device or in the free-standing apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2.

It is within the scope of the present invention to utilise more than two sides of the heater for the heating of exchangeable carrier boards for active substance. In certain circumstances, it could be advantageous to give the heater 2 a circular profile and to form the carrier for active substance as a sleeve which is to be pushed over that heater.

Claims

1. A device for vaporising a substance, such as an insecticide, air-freshener, disinfectant or curative, carried by a carrier element, the device comprising a housing, an electric heater disposed in the housing in such a way that more than one side of the heater is freely accessible, a plurality of carrier element holders, each holder being adapted to replaceably locate a carrier element adjacent one of said freely accessible sides of the heater, and a plurality of air convection channels, all the freely accessible sides of the heater being provided with an element holder and air-convection channels.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, in which each carrier element holder comprises an insertion opening adapted to receive a carrier board, and in which the heater is of rectangular cross-section, the insertion openings and air-convection channels being provided in the housing in alignment with a respective one of the two opposite broad sides of the heater.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 2, in which walls of the insertion openings opposite the freely accessible sides of the heater are spaced from the heater a distance which is at least twice the thickness of a carrier element, the carrier element holders further comprising supports for the carrier elements, which supports project from the said walls of the openings towards the heater and end short of the heater a distance substantially equal to the thickness of a carrier element.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 3, in which the supports comprise vertically extending ribs.

5. A device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the air-convection channels lead into the bottom of the insertion openings.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the carrier element holders comprise ribs which are arranged mutually spaced on the housing and which are located opposite the two broad sides of the heater, an edge of which is firmly fixed on the housing.

7. A device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the holdersforthe carrier elements comprise pushthrough guides.

8. A device as claimed in Claim 7, in which, at least at the exits of the push-through guides, ramps are provided which point in a direction other than that of pushing through and which momentarily impede the push-through movement.

9. A device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising electrical plug-and-socket connection elements which are secured to the housing which is adapted so that the electrical connection elements are rotatable through at least 900 about an axis perpendicular to the long sides of the heater between a first and a second position and are releasably fixable in these positions.

10. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figures 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.