RU216576U1 - HUMIDIFIER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of care products for musical instruments, namely to products for moisturizing musical instruments made entirely or partially from solid wood of various species. The humidifier consists of an outer casing and an inner shell, with a polymer vapor-permeable capsule, which is filled with hydrogel, which is periodically saturated with water through the holes. The holes are made coaxially and fixed with a metal or plastic grommet. As the resin material for the capsule, for example, a non-woven or woven material made from fibers of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester materials, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polystyrene and other fibers can be used. The technical result is an expansion of the arsenal of technical means for moistening musical instruments while simplifying the design. 3 ill.

Description

The utility model relates to the field of care products for musical instruments, namely to products for moisturizing musical instruments made entirely or partially from solid wood of various species.

A humidifier for musical instruments made wholly or partly from solid wood of various species is used to maintain an optimal level of relative air humidity in the range of 40-60% when storing musical instruments in hard cases and tight cases.

State of the art

From the prior art, devices of various composition and complexity are known that serve to moisten wooden musical instruments. There are humidifiers that contain containers of water, such as the humidifier according to US patent No. 4428892 [US 4428892 "Humidification Device", publ. 01/31/1984]. Some humidifiers use soft sponge materials as a water-absorbing element placed in a rigid container or soft shell with holes, such as China Utility Model No. 201804543 [CN 201804543 "Moisture Regulator for Musical Instruments", publ. 04/20/2011], No. 214043058 [CN 214043058 "Humidifier for musical instruments", publ. 08/24/2021]. The disadvantages of such humidifiers are the high risk of water leakage from the sponge, which can lead to damage to the musical instrument, the lack of gradual release of moisture into the environment, the need to pour water into a container to wet the sponge material.

A number of humidifiers for musical instruments are known, equipped with additional components, such as a hygrometer, a thermometer, a heater, a liquid crystal display, a control printed circuit board (computer) and others, powered by electricity using batteries or a wire connected to an electrical network [US 10121460 "Humidifier and digital hygrometer/thermometer”, publ. 11/06/2018; CN 202904410 "Music box humidity controller", publ. 04/24/2013; CN 206637781 "Piano Tuning Humidifier", publ. 11/14/2017 and others]. The disadvantages of such humidifiers for the purposes of this application are the complexity of the device, the need for a power source, the high cost compared to simpler designs that do not require the use of "digital" technologies.

Known humidifier for musical instruments, including a water vapor-permeable container of non-rigid elastic fabric material containing a water-absorbing material, for example, an acrylate polymer [US 2012043394 "Humidifier", publ. February 23, 2012]. The container has an opening for pouring water into it and a lid covering this opening. To start the humidifier, you need to pour water into the container. The disadvantages of this humidifier are inconvenience in use, associated with the need to fill water, as well as a short period of time (24 hours), during which the optimum level of relative humidity of 40-60% is maintained.

The closest analogue to the claimed utility model (prototype) is a humidifier according to US patent No. 637500, which contains a stabilizing polymer substance in the form of a hydrophilic, water-absorbing sodium salt of cross-linked polyacrylic acid, present in the form of a non-activated powder; means for retaining a substance, including a moisture-permeable container with a mesh-sieve, the specified container with a mesh-sieve is made of polyamide, the pore size of which is from 70 μm to 120 μm; and a protective moisture-permeable container, and the protective container has at least one internal air inlet [US 6375000 "Humidifier", publ. 23.04.2002]. The disadvantage of this humidifier is the inconvenience in use, due to the fact that to start the humidifier it is necessary to remove the moisture-permeable container with the water-absorbing substance, place it in water for about 4 minutes, and then, when the substance swells, return it to the protective container.

The task to be solved by the utility model is to eliminate the shortcomings of the prototype humidifier and create a simple and easy-to-use device for humidifying musical instruments made entirely or partially of wood.

Technical result

The technical result of the claimed utility model is the expansion of the arsenal of technical means for moistening musical instruments made entirely or partially of wood.

The essence of the technical solution

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the inventive humidifier consists of an outer casing and an inner shell. Inside the inner shell there is a polymer vapor-permeable capsule with a hydrogel. The inner shell is made closed. The walls of the inner shell are made of two types of non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with different vapor permeability, the first material has a vapor permeability of not more than 100 mg/(m ² ⋅h), and the second material has a vapor permeability of more than 100 mg/(m ² ⋅h). The outer casing is also made closed of a non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with a vapor permeability of at least that of the second material of the inner shell. One wall of the outer casing and one wall of the inner shell have an opening.

The outer case of the humidifier may be divided into two sections which are spaced from each other, and an inner shell is placed in each section.

The claimed design of the humidifier makes it possible to manufacture a wide range of humidifiers that have different rates of humidity increase. It is possible to make the walls of the inner shell from different materials, that is, one wall is made entirely of the first material, and the second wall of the second material. It is possible to make one wall from the first material, and the second wall partially from the first material, and partially from the second material. It is possible that both walls of the inner shell are made partly from the first material and partly from the second material. The rate of humidity increase depends on the area of the walls made of the second material. The larger the area of the walls made of the second material, the higher the rate of moisture increase. The presence of holes in one wall of the outer casing and the inner shell allows the wetting of the hydrogel in the capsule.

Brief description of the drawings

In the future, the utility model is explained by drawings, which show examples of a specific implementation of the claimed device, which do not limit the scope of claims of the claimed utility model:

figure 1 shows the design of the humidifier;

figure 2 shows an example of a housing with two sections;

figure 3 shows an example of installing a humidifier in the resonator hole of the guitar.

Implementation of the utility model.

The humidifier, as shown in figure 1, consists of an outer case 1 and an inner shell 2, with a polymer vapor-permeable capsule 3, which is filled with hydrogel, which is periodically saturated with water through holes 4 and 5. For clarity, the hole 4 in the wall of the outer case 1 and hole 5 in the wall of the inner shell 2 are shown offset. Hole 4 and hole 5 can be made coaxially and fixed with a metal or plastic grommet (not shown in the figure). As the resin material for the capsule 3, for example, a non-woven or woven material made from fibers of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester materials, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polystyrene, and other fibers can be used. It is also possible to carry out the capsule 3, for example, from a perforated polyethylene film. In our example, the capsule 3 is made of a non-woven fabric of polypropylene fibers.

The walls of the inner shell 2 are made of two types of non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with different vapor permeability, for example, one wall is made of the first material with a vapor permeability of not more than 100 mg/(m ² ⋅h), and the second wall is made of the second material with a vapor permeability of more than 100 mg / (m ² ⋅h). The walls can be additionally reinforced with durable materials, such as polypropylene tape, or fabric-based waterproof tape. In the manufacture of the inner shell 2, the material is selected depending on the required rate of moisture increase.

The inner shell 2 has seams 6 along its perimeter in order to make the volume closed. The seams can be folded over and additionally taped, for example with adhesive tape. The outer shell 1 is also made closed of a non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with a vapor permeability of at least the second material of the inner shell 2. The greater vapor permeability of the non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers of the outer shell 1 compared to the vapor permeability of the material of the inner shell 2 makes it possible to guarantee the unhindered penetration of water molecules into the external environment and increase the humidity in the required volume. The execution of the outer casing 1 and the inner shell 2 closed allows you to completely eliminate the flow of water when using a humidifier.

The outer case 1 of the proposed humidifier can be made divided into two sections (figure 2), and in each section is placed an inner shell 2 with a capsule 3 made of non-woven material made of polypropylene fibers.

The hydrogel used in the polypropylene capsule 3 may be in the form of granules or powder.

The edges of the walls of the inner shell 2 of non-woven textile materials of synthetic fibers can be connected using known (standard) techniques used for the respective types of materials. For example, the synthetic fiber nonwoven fabric forming the inner shell 2 is joined by ultrasonic welding to form welds 6.

Similarly, the body 1 is made of non-woven textile materials made of synthetic fibers.

Use of a humidifier.

Before starting the operation of the humidifier, it is necessary to fill the inner shell 2 with water to saturate the hydrogel in the capsule 3. Filling the inner shell 2 with water is carried out using a dispenser (not shown in the drawings) by installing the mouth of the dispenser in hole 4 and hole 5 on the walls of the outer casing 1 and the inner shell 2 respectively. The humidifier is then left for some time until the water is completely absorbed by the hydrogel in the capsule 3. Thus, the humidifier has the possibility of controlled start-up and multiple humidifier recovery. The humidifier prepared in this way is placed inside the case, the case of the musical instrument, or directly inside the musical instrument itself. The hydrogel used in capsule 3 is able to accumulate moisture and gradually release it, and the declared vapor permeability of the materials used in the humidifier is able to pass moisture vapor into the external environment, thereby moistening the dry air inside the case or cover in which the musical instrument is stored. Once the water has completely evaporated, the hydrogel can be restored by refilling with water.

The process of moisture release by the hydrogel is limited and controlled by the wall material of the inner shell 2, made from a combination of two materials, namely the first non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with a vapor permeability of not more than 100 mg/(m ² ⋅ h) and the second non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with vapor permeability of more than 100 mg / (m ² ⋅ h). And the execution of the body 1 from a non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with a vapor permeability not lower than the vapor permeability of the second non-woven textile material, from synthetic fibers of the inner shell 2 does not prevent moisture from escaping from the humidifier.

The combination of these vapor permeability parameters of nonwoven textile materials made of synthetic fibers provides a smooth gradual return of moisture from the hydrogel to the environment.

The execution of the outer casing 1, the inner shell 2 closed, as well as the fact that the water molecules are bound by a hydrogel, eliminates the possible contact of moisture with the surface of the musical instrument, thereby preventing damage to the musical instrument.

The humidifier can be placed in a hard case or a dense case for storing a musical instrument or directly in the body of a musical instrument in any convenient way. Figure 3 shows an example of the placement of a humidifier for an acoustic guitar. Humidifier (figure 2), the outer case 1 which has two sections, with installed inner shells 2 can be placed in the resonator hole 7 of the guitar by hanging on the strings.

The advantages of the claimed utility model in comparison with known analogues are:

- the possibility of a controlled start of the humidifier,

- the possibility of repeated use,

- the absence of possible contact of moisture with the surface of the musical instrument (leakage exclusion),

- unlimited period of use,

- ease of use,

- simplicity of design that does not require the use of expensive materials and / or technologies in production.

Claims (2)

1. Humidifier for musical instruments made entirely or partially of wood, consisting of an outer casing and an inner shell, inside which there is a vapor-permeable hydrogel capsule, the inner shell is closed, the walls of the inner shell are made of two types of non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers, the first material has a vapor permeability of not more than 100 mg/(m⋅h⋅Pa), and the second material has a vapor permeability of more than 100 mg/(m⋅h⋅Pa), the outer casing is made of closed non-woven textile material made of synthetic fibers with a vapor permeability of not less than the second material of the inner shell, while the wall of the outer casing and the wall of the inner shell have holes. 2. Humidifier according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer casing is divided into two sections, which are at a distance from each other, and an inner shell is placed in each section.

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