US2246008A - Diffusing means - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 19411. OQ 'H 2,246,008

DIFFUSING MEANS Filed March 15, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l M J Jk x} OOOOJJOOOOO INVENTOR A/Zm I Foam June 17, 194-1. A. T. ROOCH 2,246,003

DIFFUSING MEANS Filed March 15, 1939 2 Shee+.s $heet 2 4f INVENTOR 41/672 7? Pouch NEY Patented June 17, 194i TENT ore-ice This invention relates to an improvement in air purifiers of the general type as disclosed in my copending patent application Serial No. 147,701, filed June 11, 1937.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier which is adapted to be conveni'ently and readily disassembled for cleaning and servicing.

Another object of my invention is to provide an air purifier comprising an inexpensive diffusion apparatus for volatile liquids which is highly efiicient yet which may be economically renewed or replaced each time the purifier apparatus is serviced.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an air purifier a combined bottle support and wick base cup which is readily removable from said purifier simultaneously with the removal of the volatile liquid bottle therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure means for a bottle containing volatile liquid having a bearing surface provided thereon which will support the entire weight of the fluid filled bottle whereby auxiliary bottle holding brackets and arms, as now provided in such purifi'ers; may be entirely dispensed with.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive yet eificient one-piece closure means which may be'removably fastened to an ordinary bottle whereby such a bottle is adapted for'useas a dispensing bottle for use in so-called air purifier devices.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide in a one-piece bottle closure means a discharge orifice designed so as to minimize the effect of surface tension on the fluid passing therethrough.

It has heretofore been thecustcm to supply a volatile fluid to air purifiers from bottles of special design such as shown in my copending application Serial No. 147,701, said bottles having long narrow necks which are sealed by means of special valves adapted to permit the volatile fluid to bedischarged after a projecting valve-actuating fin ger has been depressed by contacting the bott oni of the container. Due tothe fragility of the bottle neck and valve assembly, it was necessary to provide suitable independent support means such as support'arms ID in said copending application, which engaged the body portion of the'bottles. 7

Due to the characteristics of the volatile fluids difiused in'such'purifiers, a gum-like substance forms in the wick-base cup due to the oxidation of the volatile' fluid therein; Likewise this 'gum-'" like substance i depositedin the wick whereby the rate of'd'iffu'sion' is decrease'd with the pass: ing of time. For the proper operation of an air purifier of the. diffuser type, the wick-baseficup should be thoroughly cleaned each time thepurimay be containedin said Wick-base cup. The' wicks by which the volatile fluid was difiused heretofore have been constructed from suitable woven material such aswool orthe like, and the life of such a wick was" necessarily, from an eco;-' nomic standpoint, considerably longer than its period of maximumfefiiciency.

The present invention is directed to anair' purifier device in which the above enumerated disadvantages are eliminated. The invention'in eludes acombination bottle support and fluid dis: pensing meansjwhich will efiectively eliminate the needjfor a"special type'o fnbottle or fluid c'on tainer an'd'which will'of itself support the entire Weight of a bottle and its contents'whereby the need for independent" bottle support means is entirely eliminated; means for detachably secur -f ing the wick-base cup to the discharge portioifloi the bottle whereby said wick base cup isfwithe drawn with said bottle; and to' an improved and inexpensive wick which may be economically discarded whenever, its rate of diffusion becomes impaired. In addition thereto my device pg rj mits the use of any suitable so called standard bottle as a container for the volatile fiuid to'be i s -W The abovementioneda'ndother objects maybe attained by the"means"describedherein'and dis-5 closed in the accompanying drawings, in which: I Fig. 1 is a'pla view'of'aldevice'embodying the" invention, having part's thereof cut away for clarityof detaill I Fig. 2 isa top planelevation of adetail ofthe invention. 7 p v Fig.3 is a'side plan elevation of theinvention s own n s- 3 Fig. 4 is a verticalse'ctional' view on line 4"4 ofFig. 2..

Fig; 5 is aside elzgvationpfa cap member forming a detail iof'the' invention.

6 r new as. d v ie i dvine .th' 'f wick-base cup lifting means'comprisin a detail of the invention, parts thereof being broken away for clarity of detail.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view on line '!---'i of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the relationship the various parts comprising the invention assume when the bottle is lifted preparatory to removal from the outer housing.

Fig. 9 is a side plan view of a wick, comprising a detail of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view on line Ill-l of Fig. 9.

As shown in Fig. 1, the diffuser type air purifier units comprise an elongated annular housing l0 having a bottom portion H and a removable top or cap member I2. A plurality of spaced apertures 13 are provided in the lower portion of housing I!) whereby a suitable volatile liquid may be diffused from a suitable annular wick M, the lower portion of which fits into wick base cup like member l which normally contains a quantity of volatile fluid to a depth as indicated by broken line It. If desired, cup like member I5 may have a raised central portion or platform I'l. Depending legs H5 are provided on the bottom surface of cup 15 as shown. The walls of cup I5 should be fluid tight and platform I! of sufficient strength to support the combined weight of an inverted bottle B plus the weight of fluid contained therein.

A formed cap like closure member 18 comprises an end l9 and an interiorly threaded cylindrical side wall 29. Extending outwardly of end I9 and formed integrally therewith is a nipple like projection 2| having a passageway 22 extending longitudinally therethrough whereby a nozzle A is formed. If desired, a boss 23 may be provided circumscribing the inner end of said aperture as shown in Fig. 4, said boss functioning to properly center a suitable washer or gasket 24 adapted to bear on the inner side of closure member l8 as shown.

As shown in Fig. 1, closure member [8 is adapted to be removably fastened to the neck of a suitable bottle B by means of engagement with complementary threads disposed exterioriy of said bottle neck 25. Inverted bottle B and its fluid contents C are supported by the free end of nozzle A, which rests upon platform I! of cup 15.

A vertical segment D, Fig. 3, is removed from the free end of nozzle A with the result that thefree end of nozzle A terminates in an offset or step, 26 whereby the effective load bearing surface of said nozzle'is defined by the transverse cross-sectional area of said projecting step 26.

It should be noted that the vertical segment cut away or removed, extends into the vertical center line of passageway 22 so that the removal of such a segment destroys that portion of the circumference of passageway 22 contained in the segment so removed. In this manner the effective length of passageway 22 is reduced by an amount equal to the height of the vertical segment removed from said nozzle. 7

By reason of projecting step 26 the effective length of passageway 22 is shortened whereby to terminate short of platform I1 by an amount equal to the height of vertical wall 21 so that fluid in passageway 22 may be free to be, discharged from the nozzle A whenever the height of the liquid cup. l5 falls below the fluid level line as denoted by broken line 16.

A second important result is obtained by reason of the shortening of the effective length of passageway 22, viz., the tendency for the formation of a meniscus at the end of passageway 22 is appreciably lessened by reason of the removal of a portion of the circumference of said passageway whereby the contractile surface force of liquid in passageway 22, by which it normally tends to assume a spherical shape and form a meniscus, is noticeably lessened, whereby liquid passing down through passageway 22 is free to flow into cup l5. Horizontal wall 28 formed by removal of segment D should be spaced from the plane of projecting step 26 a distance sufficient to assure an ample passageway for fluid.

It should be understood that certain variable factors such as the viscosity of the fluid being dispensed, the composition of the closure member, the diameter of the fluid discharge passageway 22 and the ability of the fluid being dispensed to wet the material comprising the closure member, all influence the degree and type of meniscus formed for any given set of factors. Therefore, the rate of discharge will likewise vary as these factors are varied.

Closure members I8 as herein described, may be fitted to any suitable, so called, standard bottles containing a volatile fluid. Such bottles may be sold equipped with a standard screw cap which may be replaced with a closure member I8 when such a bottle is ready for use, or such closure members may be sold already fastened to bottles containing fluid, in which event a suitable nozzle cap 29 is provided to seal the contents against leakage or evaporation. Such a nozzle cap may be interiorly threaded as at 30 to engage suitable complementary threads 3| disposed exteriorly of nozzle member A. A suitable washer or gasket 32 may be provided to seat against suitable annular shoulder 33 disposed at the base of said nozzle.

In practice, a bottle B, having a closure member l8 secured thereto, is inverted and placed within container II as shown in Fig. 1. The level of fluid within wick-base cup l5 being automatically maintained so long as any fluid re-' mains in bottle B by reason of the well known principle of hydrostatics.

Fig, 1 illustrates how my improved closure member may be adapted to cooperate with purifiers now in common use, in which wick I4 is of the so-called woven wool type. Bottle B may be positioned interiorly of said annular wick whereby the upper portion of said wick may be in close proximity to, or even in actual contact with the side walls of the bottle. When such is the case, diffusion takes place primarily from the outer surface of said wick.

The modifications shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, show an air purifier unit embodying not only my new closure member [8, but also an inexpensive disposable wick for permitting diffusion from both the inner and outer surfaces, and means for detachably securing the wick-base cup l5 to the discharge end of bottle B. This latter means comprises a split ring holder preferably of spring metal, adapted to be positioned around the edges of elevated platform H. In this manner, split ring 40 is rigidly and frictionally secured to wickbase cup I5. Split ring 40 is provided with a plurality of upwardly extending prongs 4|, the free upper ends of which terminate in fingers 42, which are adapted to frictionally engage bottle closure member I8, as clearly disclosed in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive. When a bottle, including a closure member i8, is positioned as shown in Fig. 6, wherein the end of step 26 contacts the upper surface of platform ll, prongs M are flexed momentarily outwardly to accommodate closure member l8 after which the resiliency of the prongs returns the fingers back to a closure member engaging position.

It should be noted that neither prongs tl nor fingers 42, support, either directly or indirectly, inverted bottle B. Bottle B is supported entirely by step of closure member i8 and by reason of the upper body portion of said bottle contacting the inner wall of container lid l2 as at is.

When bottle B is lifted upwardly of housing I l, preparatory to removal therefrom, fingers 2 engage closure member I8, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, whereby wick-base cup It is also lifted upwardly. Since split ring 46 firmly grips the outer perimeter of platform I'l, wick-base cup 15 including its fiuid contents and wick H4 may be easily withdrawn from container H each time bottle B is removed therefrom.

The connection between fingers t2 and said closure member may be severed by grasping cup i5 and lifting on bottle B whereby said prongs will be flexed to permit withdrawal of said closure member therefrom.

Wick i it may be then removed from wick-base cup [5 after whieh split ring ift may be detached from platform i7, oughly cleaned after which the split ring may be reassociated therewith.

If wick H 3 appears to be somewhat gummed up, said wick may be discarded and replaced by a new wick. The wick shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive and shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 10, is fabricated from inexpensive, yet highly absorbent and easily disposable material such as cellucotton. Such a comprises a batting formed from a plurality of laminations of suitable absorbative cellucotton like material. If desired, such wicks may be preformed as shown in Fig. 7 or such a wick may be fabricated by securing the opposite ends of a sheet of multi-ply cellucotton material in a lapped relationship by any suitable means such as by means of staples 45, stitching or the like Such a wick, by reason of its ease of manufacture, low cost and highly absorbative qualities results in an ideal diffuser means for volatile fiuids. The use of such a wick makes it possible to maintain the efficiency of air purifying units at a maximum by merely installing a new wick each time the unit is serviced, or as often as necessary. In some instances, one wick may give satisfactory service for several months before replacement is desirable.

It should be noted that although cellucotton is highly soluble in water and aqueous solutions, it is not soluble in oils nor in solutions having an oil base. The volatile disinfecting or deodorizing fluids commonly used in air purifiers contains an oilbase of either mineral or organic oils. Of these two types of oil bases, experiment has proven that the organic base oils provide a superior base for volatile disinfecting or deodorizing fluids, even though such organic oils have a tendency to oxidine more rapidly than the mineral oils. The hereinabove described disposable cellucotton wick is admirably adapted for diffusing volatile fluids having an organic oil base, by reason of its low cost, its remarkable absorbative qualities and its ease of disposability, whereby to provide an air purifier, the efficiency of which is unsurpassed.

By reason of the relative location of. wick M4, to the side walls of container ll, and its spacing Cup 85 may then be thorfrom'the outer walls of bottle B (Figs. Sta .8 inclusive), diffusion of the volatile liquid in cup I5 occurs from both surfaces of said wick whereby the efficiency of the unit as a whole is materially increased.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided an air purifier device which may be easily and thoroughly serviced and cleaned, the wicks of which may be replaced at frequent intervals without appreciably increasing the cost of maintenance thereof. It should be understood that if desired, fingers 42 may be formed so as to engage an annular bead 46 disposed circumferentially of the bottle nozzle in lieu of engagement with closure members l8 as shown. Likewise oth r modifications and changes in the structural details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described comprising a container having apertured side walls, a base and a displaceable cap on the top of said container, cup like means in the bottom of said container and removable therefrom for supporting an inverted bottle and retaining suitable diffusion means, means to retain a purifying liquid within said bottle including means for discharging said fluid therefrom, and a yieldable clutching means carried by said removable cup like means for engaging the fluid discharge portion of said bottle whereby said cup like means is detech-ably secured to said bottle, whereby the cup may be withdrawn from the container simultaneously with the withdrawal of the bottle therefrom.

2. A removable wick base holder and bottle support comprising a cup having upwardly extending edges, a circular elevated platform, said platform having in frictional engagement therewith a split ring prong holder having a plurality of upwardly extending prongs attached thereto, the free ends of each prong terminating in a. bottle neck engaging finger.

3. An air purifier of the kinddescribed herein comprising an apertured container having a base portion and a hinged cap, a removable wick base cup adapted to rest upon the interior of the container base, said cup having upwardly extending outer edges, and an elevated platform upon its-upper surface, a split ring prong holder embracing said elevated platform and in frictional engagement therewith, said prong holder having a plurality of upwardly extending prongs the free ends of which terminate in inturned yielding fingers, a wick disposed externally and circumferentially of said prongs in spaced relationship thereto and extending into said cup, an inverted bottle containing fluid within said container and supported upon said elevated platform, said bottle having a neck terminating in an apertured closure member adapted to support said bottle upon said platform and to simultaneously permit a flow of liquid from said bottle into said cupand wick, and means adjacent to the discharge end of said bottle for engaging the yielding prong fingers and detachably suspending said cup whereby said cup is removable from said con tainer simultaneously with the removal of the bottle therefrom.

4. An air purifier of the kind described herein comprising an apertured container having a base portion and a hinged cap, a removable wick base cup adapted to rest upon the interior of the container base, said cup having upwardly eX- tending outer edges, and an elevated platform upon its upper surface, and depending legs on its lower surface for spacing the lower cup surface from said container base, a split ring prong holder embracing said elevated platform and in frictional engagement therewith, said prong holder having a plurality of upwardly extending prongs attached thereto, the free ends of which terminate in inturned fingers, a wick disposed externally and circumferentially of said prongs and extending into said cup, an inverted bottle containing fluid disposed within said container and supported upon said elevated platform, said bottle having a neck terminating in an apertured closure member adapted to support said bottle upon said platform and to simultaneously permit a flow of liquid from said bottle into said cup and wick, said wick being disposed intermediate said bottle and the side walls of said container whereby diffusion occurs from both the inner and outer surfaces of said wick, the fingers of said prongs being directed to engage a portion of said bottle for detachably securing said cup to said bottle whereby said cup is removable from said container simultaneously with the removal of the bottle therefrom.

5. In an air purifier, a perforated housing, a fluid reservoir disposed in the bottom of said housing, said reservoir comprising a bottom and upstanding side wall, an open-ended, hollow annular wick disposed in an upstanding manner in said reservoir, a bottle of volatile liquid, a closure member for said bottle, said closure mem ber comprising an upright projecting nozzle including an upright bore extending through said nozzle, the outer end of said nozzle being cut away substantially along the axis of the bore and also transversely at substantially right angles to the bore intermediate the ends of the latter, for shortening the effective continuous length of said bore and providing a weight bearing portion beyond the end of the continuous portion of said bore, the free end of said nozzle resting upon the bottom of the reservoir for supporting the bottle within said housing, said axial out and said transverse cut establishinga fluid outlet shaped to preclude the formation of a meniscus susceptible to congealing upon lowering of the fluid level in the reservoir.

6. In an air purifier comprising a perforated container, a wick base cup adapted to rest on the bottom thereof, a fluid dispensing bottle supported on said cup, a coupling device for securing the wick base cup to the discharge portion of said bottle, said device comprising a plurality of upwardly extending prongs, the lower ends of which are secured to said cup, the upper free ends of which terminate in inturned, bottle-engaging fingers, said cup being so mounted that it is free to be withdrawn from or inserted into the container concurrently with the withdrawal or insertion of said bottle.

7. A diffuser including in combination an inverted fluid supply container and a well having a bottom to support the weight of said container, a fluid discharge port in the container and a cap for said port, the cap consisting of a body attached to the container and a bored stem depending froin the body with the bore upright, the stem having a free end to rest upon the well bottom and support the weight of the container, one side of the stem being cut away along the axis of the bore from the free end toward the cap body, and from a location on the axis perpendicularly to the axis to preclude the formation of a meniscus susceptible to congealing upon lowering of the fluid level in the well.

8. A diffuser including in combination an inverted fluid supply container and a well having a bottom to support the weight of said container, a fluid discharge port in the container and a cap for said port, the cap consisting of a body attached to the container and a weight-supporting bored stem depending from the body with the bore upright, the stem having a free end portion to rest upon the well bottom and support the weight of the container, one side of the upright stem being cut away lengthwise of and substantially along the axis of the bore from the free end portion toward a point on the stem near the cap body, and also from such point on the stem perpendicularly to the axis, thereby to remove a portion of one side of the stem, substantially to the axis of the bore, for establishing a fluid outlet to preclude the formation of a meniscus susceptible to congealing upon lowering of the fluid level in the well.

9. A diffuser including in combination an inverted fluid supply container and a well having a bottom to support the weight of the container, a fluid discharge port in the container and a cap for said port, the cap consisting of a body attached to the container and a weight-supporting bored stem depending from the body with the bore upright, the stem having a free end portion to rest upon the well bottom and support the weight of the container, one side of the lower end of the stem being cut away lengthwise, and crosswise substantially at right angles to the lengthwise cut, to remove a portion of the stem which substantially bisects the bore of the stem, thereby to establish a fluid outlet shaped to preclude the formation of a meniscus susceptible to congealing upon lowering of the fluid level in the well.

10. A difiuser including in combination a well and means for feeding a volatile oil-base liquid thereto, and a readily disposable tubular wick in the well consisting of a multi-ply sheet of oil-resistant and water soluble material sufliciently thick to stand on end in the presence of the oilbase liquid, but to disintegrate in the flush water of a plumbing fixture.

11. A diffuser including in combination a well and means for feeding a volatile oil-base liquid thereto, and a readily disposable tubular wick in the well consisting of a multi-ply sheet of cellucotton sufliciently thick in its annular wall to stand on end unaided in the presence of the oilbase liquid in the well, but to disintegrate in the flush water of a plumbing fixture.

12. As a part of a slow diffuser for oil-base liquid, a readily disposable tubular wick consisting of a multi-ply sheet of cellucotton sufiiciently thick in its annular wall and of an enlarged diameter such that the wick will stand on end unaided in the oil-base liquid of a diffuser, but to disintegrate in the flush water of a plumbing fixture for disposal after usage.

ALLEN T. ROOCH.

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