Volatile material dispenser and method of emitting a volatile material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9669126-B2
Application number	US-201313959217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2013
Priority date	Aug 6, 2012
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A volatile material dispenser includes a housing having at least one wall and a cavity disposed within the housing and a refill having a volatile material therein and a wick in contact with the volatile material and extending out of the refill. The dispenser further includes a heater arrangement disposed within the cavity and surrounding the wick when the refill is inserted into the dispenser. The heater arrangement provides a reduced power consumption of at least about 30% as compared to other similar volatile material dispensers that have an average rate of weight loss that is similar to or less than the volatile material dispenser.

First claim

We claim:

1. A volatile material dispenser, the dispenser including:
a housing having at least one wall and a cavity disposed within the housing;
a refill having a volatile material therein and a wick in contact with the volatile material and extending out of the refill; and
a heater arrangement disposed within the cavity and surrounding the wick when the refill is inserted into the dispenser;
wherein the heater arrangement operates at a power of less than or equal to about 1.5 watts to achieve an average weight loss of at least 0.01 grams per hour; and wherein the heater arrangement is in the form of a hollow ceramic cylinder with a resistive coating that is deposited on the hollow ceramic cylinder and a spiral pattern is cut into the resistive coating to create a desired resistance value for the heater.

2. The volatile material dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the heater arrangement is in the form of a hollow cylindrical heater surrounding the wick and having an air gap of between about 0.5 millimeters and about 2.5 millimeters between an inner surface of the heater and an outer surface of the wick.

3. The volatile material dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the heater arrangement is in the form of a hollow cylindrical heater disposed within a hollow container forming a channel through which the wick is inserted.

4. The volatile material dispenser of claim 3 , wherein an inner wall of the hollow container forming the channel is spaced between about 0.5 millimeters and about 2.5 millimeters from the wick when the wick is inserted into the channel.

5. The volatile material dispenser of claim 1 , wherein connectors or terminals extend from the hollow ceramic cylinder to an electrical component of the dispenser to provide electrical power to the heater.

6. The volatile material dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the hollow ceramic cylinder is coated in an electrically insulting coating.

7. The volatile material dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the heater with resistive coating has a nominal resistance of between about 14 Kohms and about 16 Kohms with a 5% tolerance and a maximum rated power of 3 Watts.

8. A volatile material dispenser, the dispenser including:
a housing having at least one wall and a cavity disposed within the housing;
a refill having a volatile material therein and a wick in contact with the volatile material and extending out of the refill; and
a heater arrangement disposed within the cavity and disposed adjacent the wick when the refill is inserted into the dispenser, wherein the heater arrangement has a device efficiency factor of greater than or equal to about 13 milligrams per hour per watt; wherein the device efficiency factor is defined as an average overall hourly weight loss divided by the heater arrangement input power; and wherein the heater arrangement is in the form of a hollow ceramic cylinder with a resistive coating that is deposited on the hollow ceramic cylinder and a spiral pattern is cut into the resistive coating to create a desired resistance value for the heater.

9. The volatile material dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the device efficiency factor of the heater arrangement is greater than or equal to about 20 milligrams per hour per watt.

10. The volatile material dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the device efficiency factor of the heater arrangement is greater than or equal to about 25 milligrams per hour per watt.

11. The volatile material dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the heater arrangement is in the form of a hollow cylindrical heater surrounding the wick and having an air gap of between about 0.5 millimeters and about 2.5 millimeters between an inner surface of the heater and an outer surface of the wick.

12. The volatile material dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the heater arrangement is in the form of a hollow cylindrical heater disposed within a hollow container forming a channel through which the wick is inserted.

13. The volatile material dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the heater arrangement operates at a power of less than or equal to about 1.5 watts to achieve an average weight loss of at least 0.01 grams per hour.

14. A method of emitting a volatile material, the method including the steps of:
a. providing a volatile material dispenser having least one wall and a cavity disposed within the housing, wherein the housing accommodates a refill having a volatile material and a wick in contact with the volatile material and extending out of the refill;
b. positioning a heater arrangement within the dispenser, wherein the heater arrangement is configured to reduce the power necessary to operate the dispenser, wherein the heater arrangement includes a heating block positioned adjacent the wick and a heat band having first and second ends, wherein the first and second ends of the heat band are coupled to at least one surface of the heating block; and
c. operating the heater arrangement at a power of less than or equal to about 1.5 watts to achieve an average weight loss of at least 0.1 grams per hour.

15. The method of claim 14 , further including the step of providing the heater arrangement in the form of the heat band extends around the wick forming an air gap between an inner surface of the heat band and an outer surface of the wick, wherein the air gap is between about 0.5 millimeters and about 2.5 millimeters, and the heat band creates a uniform application of heat around a circumference of the wick.

16. The method of claim 14 , further including the step of providing the heater arrangement in the form of an insulator positioned to surround the heat band and at least a portion of the heating block, wherein the insulator retains heat within the heater arrangement.

Assignees

• Jaworski Thomas
• Beaumont Dennis J
• Walter Scott D
• Johnson & Son Inc S C

Inventors

• Jaworski Thomas
• Beaumont Dennis J
• Walter Scott D

Classifications

• A61L9/037 Primary

  comprising a wick · CPC title

• A61L2209/133

  Replaceable cartridges, refills · CPC title

• A61L2209/135

  Vaporisers for active components · CPC title