KR20040031844A - Refill for the diffusion of solutions and related diffusing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: Provided is a refill for the diffusion of solutions made up of a limited number of component parts, with simplified structures and easily assembled with one another. CONSTITUTION: The refill(1) for the diffusion of solutions includes a shell(2) consisting of a front half-shell(4) and a rear half-shell(5), and a wick(3) contained inside the shell having a stem part(12) and a head part(11). The stem part is placed in the chamber(7) containing the solution. The head part is designed to be at least partially in contact with the exterior. The front half-shell includes a flat peripheral flange(6) in which a recessed chamber contains the solution and a recess(9) holds the head part of the wick. The rear half-shell is shaped like a flat plate with substantially the same outer profile as the front half-shell. In the recess and/or in the rear half-shell, at least one opening is provided to ensure that the head part of the wick is at least partially in contact with the exterior.

Description

REFILL FOR THE DIFFUSION OF SOLUTIONS AND RELATED DIFFUSING DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a refill for solution diffusion, and more particularly to a refill having an evaporation wick used for diffusing a solution containing an active ingredient such as deodorant, insecticide, fungicide, and the like. .

Depending on the solution contained, the refills according to the invention adhere to specially designed diffusion devices, such as those designed to operate on their own, for example in a vertically maintained state, or to evaporate the solution by heating and / or ventilation. Can be operated in a closed state, or in a state arranged in front of a ventilation outlet such as a vehicle or in front of a convection heater.

The invention also relates to a diffusion device of the type having a fan, to which the refill according to the invention can be attached.

Today, many types of refills are available.

Typically, such a refill consists of a bottle or container containing the solution, a wick used to diffuse the solution, and a special wick-holding stopper disposed on the bottle. In addition, instead of this special stopper, refills are also known in which the top of the bottle is designed to hold the wick and to allow the diffusion of the solution.

However, refills made according to the prior art have a large number of components assembled and the structure of these components is rather complicated. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that the manufacturing cost of the refill affecting the final product is high.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, and to provide a refill for solution diffusion economically and easily manufactured.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a solution diffusion refill that consists of a limited number of components and whose structure is simple and easily assembled.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a refill for solution diffusion that can be reversed and suitable for use alone or in combination with a diffusion device.

The object is a shell (2) consisting of a front half shell (4) and a rear half shell (5) which can be joined together to form a chamber (7) for containing a solution to be diffused; A stem portion 12 disposed in the chamber 7 containing the solution and a head portion 11 designed to at least partially contact the outside for diffusing the solution and contained inside the shell 2. A solution diffusion refill (1; 100) comprising a wick (3), wherein the front half shell (4) holds a recess chamber (7) for containing the solution and the head (11) of the wick And a recess 9 for the rear half shell 5 which is substantially identical to the front half shell 4 in order to be able to engage the peripheral flange 6 of the front half shell 4. In the solution diffusion refill (1; 100) having a flat plate shape having an outline, in the recess 9 and / or the rear half shell 5 holding the head 11 of the wick, In order to ensure that the head 11 of the wick is at least partially securely in contact with the outside, It is achieved by, (1 100), a single opening (8;; 20) and / or (15, 21) are solution diffusion refill, characterized in that service.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a diffusion device of the type having a fan which is particularly suitable for receiving a refill according to the invention.

The above object is directed to a diffusion device comprising an electrical plug 50 suitable for insertion into a power socket, an electrical motor 54 electrically connected to the electrical plug, and a fan 58 rotating by said electrical motor. The refill 100 is achieved by a diffusion device 50, which is attached to the device 50.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a solution diffusion refill according to the present invention.

2 is a plan view showing the assembled state of the refill of FIG.

3 is an enlarged view of the refill of the present invention taken along line III-III of FIG.

4 is a plan view showing a refill of a second embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the refill of FIG. 4 assembled and installed in a fan type diffuser according to the present invention.

6 is a perspective view of a stand used for refilling according to the present invention.

7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a refill according to the present invention installed in the stand of FIG.

[Code Description of Main Part of Drawing]

1, 100: Refill 2: Shell

3: wick 6: flange

7: chamber 8: opening

9: round recess 10: slot

11: head 12: stem

13: hole 15: opening

20, 21: hole 50: diffusion device

52: electric plug 54: electric motor

59: chamber 70: stand

The solution diffusion refill according to the present invention comprises a shell consisting of two half-shells which can be combined to form a solution storage chamber, and a stem contained in the shell and disposed in the solution storage chamber. a wick having a shaped part and a head in at least partially communicating with the exterior of the refill for diffusion of the solution.

The structure and preparation of the refill according to the invention is very simple. In practice, the refill includes only two half shells and wicks and does not have a bottle, cap and wick holder as refills used today.

The two half shells are preferably made of plastic by thermoforming and joined together by heat sealing or high frequency or ultrasonic welding. Thus, the materials and methods used in the refill manufacturing process prove to be very economical.

Further features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The refill for solution diffusion generally shown as 1 is demonstrated with reference to drawings.

The refill 1 has a shell or valve 2 containing a solution and a wick for diffusion of the solution.

The shell 2 is a front half-shell 4 designed to contain a solution and a rear half-shell 5 which can be combined with the front half-shell and used as a cover. Is done.

The front half shell 4 has a flat peripheral flange 6 which defines a recessed chamber or reservoir 7 for containing the solution. Following the chamber 7, a substantially rectangular opening 8 is provided. In the circumference of the opening 8, a substantially circular or annular recess 9 is formed slightly deeper than the peripheral flange 6.

The slot 10 for holding the wick 3 in place is formed in the wall of the chamber 7 opposite to the wall separating the chamber 7 from the opening 8.

The wick 3 has a substantially rectangular shape with a wide head 11 and a narrow stem 12. The head 11 of the wick 3 has a shape that can be fitted to the recess 9 of the front half shell 4. In order to improve evaporation of the solution, a series of holes 13 are formed in the head 11 of the wick.

The head 11 of the wick is disposed in the recess 9 of the front half shell 4, and the series of holes 13 is in direct contact with the outside by being surrounded by the opening 8. . Although the figure shows nine holes arranged in three rows, this is purely one example, and the wick may be made with a different number of holes or no holes at all.

The stem portion 12 of the wick 3 is long enough to rest over the full width of the chamber 7 of the front half shell 4. The stem portion 12 has a free end 14 designed to fit into the slot 10 of the front half shell.

The rear half shell or cover 5 has a flat plate shape with the same outer contour as the front half shell 4. The rear half shell 5 has an opening 15 which is designed to coincide with the opening 8 when it is placed on the front half shell. Thus, the hole 13 of the wick is in contact with the outside of the refill also through the side surface corresponding to the rear half shell 5.

The opening 15 of the rear half shell 5 thus permits the passage of air through the holes 13, which makes it particularly suitable when the refill 1 is used in combination with a fan or fan outlet inside an automobile. do. However, the opening 15 of the rear half shell 5 may be omitted, for example when the refill 1 is used with a contact heating device.

The assembly of the refill 1 is quite simple. In practice, after filling the liquid solution in the chamber 7, the top 11 of the wick 3 fits into the recess 9 of the front half shell 4 and the free end of the stem 12 of the wick 12. 14 is inserted into the slot 10 of the front half shell 4 so that the stem 12 is wetted with liquid in the chamber 7.

The rear half shell 5 is then coupled to the rear half shell 4 to seal the chamber 7 and keep the wick 3 sandwiched between the two half shells 4 and 5. do. Thus, the hole 13 of the wick is located inside the openings 8 and 15 of the two half shells 4 and 5 and remains exposed. Thus, the liquid material absorbed by the wick 3 can evaporate through the hole 13 from the surface of the top 11 of the wick.

The wick 3 has the capillary attraction and porosity necessary to carry the liquid contained in the chamber 7 from the stem 12 toward the head 11 to allow evaporation of the liquid from the head 11. It can be made of suitable material. For this purpose, the wick can be made of a mixture of cellulose fibers and cotton or of some other kind of porous material such as ceramics, polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or the like. The wick 3 is preferably made of a material suitable for welding with the material forming the half shells 4 and 5. Indeed, the wick may be coupled to the half shell using methods such as heat sealing, ultrasonic and high frequency coupling.

The two half shells 4 and 5 may be made of any material which is compatible with the liquid solution contained therein. However, the two half shells 4 and 5 are preferably made of plastic material. In this case, the front half shell 4 is manufactured by thermoforming to form the chamber 7 and the recess 9. The openings 8 and 15 in each of the front half shell 4 and the rear half shell 5 are formed by die cutting.

When using a bondable plastic material, the rear half shell 5 is coupled to the front half shell 4 along the peripheral flange 6. Since at least the periphery of the upper part 11 of the wick is coupled to the two half shells 4 and 5, leakage of the liquid contained in the chamber 7 is prevented even when the refill 1 is not placed vertically. . Thus, to tightly seal the refill, the two half shells 4 and 5 are joined together along their peripheral edges, and the head 11 of the wick 3 is evaporated in contact with air. It is coupled to the wick 3 near the area.

This method comprising coupling the wick 3 to the half shells 4 and 5 has a dual purpose of ensuring a tight seal of the refill 1 and keeping the wick 3 taut. Thus, by preventing the wick from folding or bending during use, the wick can be heated more evenly to better evaporate the solution from the wick.

The material of the two halfshells 4 and 5 is used to allow the two halfshells to be bonded to each other and the two halfshells to be bonded to the wick. For this purpose, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) treated with polytene can be used, or the half shells (4) and (5) and the wicks can be coated with a heat-responsive adhesive that is compatible with the liquid contained in the reservoir Other materials that allow (3) to be combined in combination can be used. For example, the two half shells 4 and 5 are made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and the wick 3 is made of porous PET, or the two half shells 4 and 5 are It is made of PP (polypropylene) and the wick 3 can be made of porous PP.

Once the refill 1 has been assembled, the half shell 4 is made to tightly seal the refill before use and to be able to reseale the refill if it is necessary to transport the refill to another location or to interrupt its operation. The openings 8 and 15 of) and (5) are covered with two strips (e.g., self-adhesive labels) that the user can remove.

Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of the refill according to the present invention, in which the same reference numerals are used for the same members as described in the first embodiment.

In this second embodiment, the refill is shown at 100, which is a series of holes 20 and 21 instead of openings 8 and 15 in the front halfshell 4 and the rear halfshell 5. ) Is different from the refill of the first embodiment only in that it is formed. The two series of holes 20 and 21 formed in the front half shell 4 and the rear half shell 5, respectively, the head 11 of the wick 3 is the front half shell ( When inserted into the recess 9 of 4) and the rear half shell 5 is placed on the front half shell, it is brought into conformity with the hole 13 of the wick 3. The diameter of each hole of the series of holes 20 and 21 may be slightly larger than the diameter of the hole 13 of the wick, in order to further increase the evaporation surface of the wick in communication with the outside.

As shown in FIG. 5, the refill 100 is particularly suitable for use in the fan type diffuser 50.

The diffusing device 50 comprises a housing 51 having an electrical plug 52 to be inserted into the power socket on the back side. The electrical plug 52 is installed to rotate about a pivot provided in the housing 51 of the diffusion device 50. Therefore, the diffusion device 50 may rotate around the electric plug 52 according to the arrangement of the power socket into which the electric plug 52 is inserted.

The housing 51 contains the electric motor 54 which receives electric power from the power cable 55 connected to the electrical contact of the electrode 56 of the electric plug 52. A fan 58 is connected to the shaft 57 of the electric motor 54. Therefore, when the plug 52 is inserted into the power socket, the motor 54 is supplied with power to rotate the fan 58.

The front part of the fan 58 faces a chamber 59 provided in the housing 51, which is defined by the front wall 60, which is provided with slits 61 for passing air therethrough. . The refill 100 is attached to the diffusion device 50 so that the portion where the hole 13 of the wick 3 is formed is aligned with the chamber 59.

Thus, when the fan 58 is rotated, the air flow generated therefrom is the hole 21 of the rear half shell 5, the hole 13 of the wick 3, and the hole 20 of the front half shell 4. After proceeding through), it is discharged through the slits 61 of the front wall 60 of the diffusion device 50. Thus, the airflow generated by the fan 58 promotes the evaporation of the solution in the wick region surrounding the hole 13.

6 and 7 show a stand 70 suitable for holding the refill 1 vertically. The support 70 includes a base 71 that is designed to rest on a flat surface, such as a low table or shelf, and a slot 72 that is designed to hold the bottom of the refill 1 and is open at the top. .

Thus, the head 11 of the wick 3 is at the top while promoting the evaporation of the liquid, and the chamber 7 containing the liquid is at the bottom while limiting the consumption of the liquid. The refill 1 with its associated stand 70 may be placed at any place where diffusion of the essence is desired and the refill 1 may operate on its own and may be located in front of the vent outlet or convection heater.

Those skilled in the art will be able to modify and modify the embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the scope of the invention described in the appended claims.

As described above, the solution diffusion refill according to the present invention is economically and easily manufactured, consists of a limited number of components, and the structure is simple and easily assembled. In addition, the refill for solution diffusion can be reversed and is suitable for use alone or in combination with a diffusion device. In addition, the fan type diffusion device according to the invention is particularly suitable for accommodating refills.

Claims (17)

A shell (2) consisting of a front half shell (4) and a rear half shell (5) which can be joined together to form a chamber (7) for containing a solution to be diffused; A stem portion 12 disposed in the chamber 7 containing the solution and a head portion 11 designed to at least partially contact the outside for diffusing the solution and contained inside the shell 2. A solution diffusion refill (1; 100) comprising a wick (3), The front half shell 4 comprises a recess chamber 7 for containing the solution and a recess 9 for holding the head 11 of the wick, The rear half shell 5 has a flat plate shape having substantially the same contour as the front half shell 4 so that it can be coupled to the peripheral flange 6 of the front half shell 4. In the refill (1; 100) for The recess 9 and / or the rear half shell 5 holding the wick head 11 at least partially ensures that the head 11 of the wick is at least partially securely in contact with the outside. A solution diffusion refill (1; 100), characterized in that one opening (8; 20) and / or (15; 21) is provided. 2. The refill as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wick (3) is glued or heat sealed to the half shell (4,5) for better sealing and to keep the wick tight. Refill according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper part (11) of the wick (3) is provided with a series of holes (13) in communication with the outside to increase the evaporation surface of the wick (3). . 4. The refill as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one of the openings (8) of the front half shell is a substantially rectangular opening of a size that allows the opening (13) of the wick (3) to communicate with the outside. 4. The refill as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one of the openings (20) of the front half shell comprises a series of holes (20) arranged to coincide with the holes (13) of the wick. 6. A substantially rectangular shape according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein at least one of the openings (15) of the rear half shell is sized to be substantially rectangular in size so that the holes (13) of the wick (3) can communicate with the outside. Refill 100, characterized in that the opening. 6. A method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that at least one of the openings (21) of the rear half shell comprises a series of holes (21) arranged to coincide with the holes (13) of the wick. Refill 100 to be used. At least one of the openings 8, 20 of the recess chamber of the front half shell 4 and the openings 15, 21 of the rear half shell 4 is user removable. A refill, which is sealed by a strip. The wall of the recess chamber 7 of the front half shell 4 has a distal end 14 of the stem portion 12 of the wick opposite to the head 11 of the wick. A refill, characterized in that a slot is provided which is inserted to hold the wick (3) firmly. The refill of claim 1, wherein the wick is made of a mixture of cellulose fibers and cotton, or a porous material such as ceramic, polyethylene fibers, or polypropylene fibers. Refill according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shell (4) is made of a plastic material. 12. The refill according to claim 11, wherein the shell is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) treated with polytene. 13. Refill according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the front half shell (4) is made of a thermoformed plastic material. 14. Refill according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the front half shell (4) and the rear half shell (5) are joined together by heat sealing. Refill according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a stand (70) designed to place the refill vertically on a flat surface. An electrical plug 50 suitable for insertion into a power socket; An electric motor 54 electrically connected to the electric plug, In the diffusion device comprising a fan 58 rotated by the electric motor, A diffuser device (50), characterized in that a refill (100) according to any of the preceding claims is attached to the device (50). The method of claim 16, wherein the refill 100 comprises a wick (3) sandwiched between the rear half shell 5 and the front half shell 4, the wick is provided in the front and rear half shell, respectively A top 11 having a series of holes 13 corresponding to the openings 20, 21, wherein the front surface of the fan 58 includes a refill 100 containing the head 11 of the wick. By facing the chamber 59 inside the housing of the device 50 in which the part is disposed, the airflow generated by the fan causes holes 21 in the rear half shell, holes 13 in the wick and the front. Device characterized in that it proceeds through the hole (20) of the half shell.