WALL SUSPENDED HUMIDIFIER
United States Patent 3817499
A wall suspended humidifier which is light in weight, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and which has a visible flow of water therein which combines with the appearance of the body and bowl to provide a pleasing visual and audio effect. Previous floor mounted room humidifiers have been generally unattractive in appearance and have not provided optimum circulation of air in the room. The present humidifier has a body with a decorative panel secured to the upper part thereof and a water reservoir removably secured to the lower portion thereof. The humidifier has a fan which maintains circulation of air from the room through a passage provided in the body and through an air flow duct in the decorative panel back out into the room again. A pump is provided to maintain a flow of water from the reservoir up into the air flow duct in the decorative panel, from where it falls back into the reservoir in full view of a person in the room. The humidifier is designed to have the circulation of air and the flow of water cross at a screen provided in the air flow duct on which the water is dispersed. A portion of the water is absorbed by the air and carried out into the room, thereby increasing the humidity in the room. The air flow duct is sloped or curved so that the operating parts are not noticeably visible to a person in the room, and the appearance of the decorative panel and the reservoir is compatible with the visible flow of water therebetween.
US Patent References:
Air conditioner
Lemmon - June 1958 - 2838130
EVAPORATIVE COOLER
Anderson - June 1973 - 3738621
Air conditioner
Lemmon - June 1958 - 2838130
EVAPORATIVE COOLER
Anderson - June 1973 - 3738621
Application Number:
05/335644
Publication Date:
06/18/1974
Filing Date:
02/26/1973
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
261/106
International Classes:
F24F6/04; F24F6/02; F24F3/14
Field of Search:
261/29,106,113,105,100,98
Primary Examiner:
Meister J. M.
Claims:
What I claim is
1. A wall suspended humidifier comprising:
2. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is formed by two vertical portions connected by the flat central portion to have a uniform U-shaped horizontal cross section, the body and the wall thereby defining therebetween a vertically extending passage which has a uniform substantially rectangular horizontal cross section.
3. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the air flow duct extends forwardly downward from the opening in the central portion of the body to the mouth which is located vertically above the water reservoir and forms the drain means.
4. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the air flow duct extends forwardly upward from the opening in the central portion of the body to the mouth, and wherein the air flow duct has a floor with a funnel-shaped portion surrounding a drain aperture located vertically above the water reservoir and forms the drain means.
5. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 further comprising water dispersion means adapted to receive water from the pump means and disperse the water in the air circulation path in the air flow duct.
6. A humidifier as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a screen located in the air flow duct at least a portion of which extends parallel to the central portion of the body in front of the opening therein, the screen being located to receive the continuous flow of water from the pump means, thereby dispersing the water across the air circulation path which passes through the screen.
7. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the opening in the central portion of the body is circular, and the fan is secured to the body and located in the opening.
8. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a switch adapted to terminate operation of the pump means and the fan upon the level of the water in the reservoir dropping below a predetermined level.
9. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the pump means includes an electric pump, a pump inlet located in the reservoir near the bottom of the reservoir, and a hose extending from the pump into the air flow duct.
10. A wall suspended humidifier comprising:
11. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the reservoir has a design compatible with the appearance of the decorative panel.
12. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the body and reservoir are formed of polyurethane.
1. A wall suspended humidifier comprising:
2. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is formed by two vertical portions connected by the flat central portion to have a uniform U-shaped horizontal cross section, the body and the wall thereby defining therebetween a vertically extending passage which has a uniform substantially rectangular horizontal cross section.
3. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the air flow duct extends forwardly downward from the opening in the central portion of the body to the mouth which is located vertically above the water reservoir and forms the drain means.
4. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the air flow duct extends forwardly upward from the opening in the central portion of the body to the mouth, and wherein the air flow duct has a floor with a funnel-shaped portion surrounding a drain aperture located vertically above the water reservoir and forms the drain means.
5. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 further comprising water dispersion means adapted to receive water from the pump means and disperse the water in the air circulation path in the air flow duct.
6. A humidifier as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a screen located in the air flow duct at least a portion of which extends parallel to the central portion of the body in front of the opening therein, the screen being located to receive the continuous flow of water from the pump means, thereby dispersing the water across the air circulation path which passes through the screen.
7. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the opening in the central portion of the body is circular, and the fan is secured to the body and located in the opening.
8. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a switch adapted to terminate operation of the pump means and the fan upon the level of the water in the reservoir dropping below a predetermined level.
9. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the pump means includes an electric pump, a pump inlet located in the reservoir near the bottom of the reservoir, and a hose extending from the pump into the air flow duct.
10. A wall suspended humidifier comprising:
11. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the reservoir has a design compatible with the appearance of the decorative panel.
12. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 wherein the body and reservoir are formed of polyurethane.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to humidifiers and particularly to wall suspended humidifiers.
In the past, a variety of types of individual room humidifiers have been used to increase the humidity in rooms or buildings which are not serviced by a central humidification system, or to supplement the central system. Humidification alleviates the dry uncomfortable feeding caused by dry air, as well as decreases the temperature at which a person feels comfortable. In the winter season, air in homes and other buildings is generally required to be heated to bring it up to this desired comfortable temperature. Therefore, there is usually a strong economic reason for providing humidification to maintain the humidity in a room at an optimum level, in addition to a desire to make the room more comfortable by alleviating this dry uncomfortable feeling.
While these previous room humidifiers are in common use, they have several disadvantages which result in them not being in the widespread use the above factors would otherwise demand. The first of these disadvantages is that these humidifiers are floor mounted, and therefore take up valuable floor space. The second disadvantage is that, although various attempts have been made to overcome this problem, these humidifiers have a generally displeasing appearance. A further disadvantage is that these humidifiers are relatively expensive to manufacture, and the attempts which have been made to improve their appearance have often merely increased their cost. Another disadvantage of these previous floor model humidifiers, which are generally located adjacent a wall to be as inconspicuous as possible, is that they are not constructed to provide the desired circulation of air from the room through the humidifier, in this location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome these disadvantages by providing a light-weight, relatively inexpensive, wall suspended humidifier having a visible flow of water therein to provide a pleasing appearance, with improved circulation of air therethrough.
To this end, in one of its aspects, the invention provides a wall suspended humidifier comprising:
a. a body adapted to be attached in a desired position to a wall of a room, the body having a flat central portion extending parallel to and spaced apart from the wall, thereby defining a space between the body and the wall, the flat central portion having an opening therethrough.
b. a water reservoir having an open top secured to the body to extend forward therefrom,
c. decorative panel means secured to the body to project forwardly therefrom, the decorative panel means defining an air flow duct having a mouth extending therethrough, the air flow duct adapted to connect the mouth with the opening in the central portion of the body without the opening being noticeably visible through the mouth of the air flow duct to a person in the room, the air flow duct having water drain means located vertically above the reservoir,
d. pump means adapted to maintain a continuous flow of water from the reservoir into the air flow duct, and
e. a fan adapted to maintain continuous circulation of air from the room along a path extending through the space between the central portion of the body and the wall, through the air flow duct and out the mouth thereof back into the room.
In another of its aspects, the invention further provides a wall suspended humidifier comprising: a. a vertically elongated body adapted to be attached in a desired position to a wall of a room, the body having two leg portions connected by a flat central portion to have a uniform U-shaped horizontal cross section, the leg portions abutting on the wall to define a vertically extending passage having a uniform substantially rectangular horizontal cross section between the body and the wall, the flat central portion of the body having a circulat opening therethrough,
b. a water reservoir having an open top removably secured to the body adjacent the lower end thereof, the reservoir extending forward from the central portion of the body,
c. decorative panel means secured to the body to project forwardly from the central portion thereof above the reservoir, the decorative panel means defining an air flow duct extending therethrough, the air flow duct having a mouth located vertically above the water reservoir, the air flow duct sloping forwardly downward from the opening in the central portion of the body to the mouth whereby the opening is not noticeably visible through the mouth to a person in the room and water introduced into the air flow duct will drain out of the mouth and fall into the reservoir,
d. pump means including an electric pump immersed in water in the reservoir, a pump inlet located in the reservoir near the bottom of the reservoir, and a hose extending from the pump to the air flow duct, the pump means adapted to maintain a continuous flow of water from the reservoir into the air flow duct,
e. an electric fan secured to the body and located in the circular opening in the central portion of the body, the fan adapted to maintain continuous circulation of air drawn from the room along a path through the vertically extending passage between the body and the wall, through the air flow duct and out the mouth thereof back into the room, and f. a screen fixed in the air flow duct a portion of which extends parallel to the central portion of the body in front of the circular opening therein, the screen being located to receive the flow of water from the hose thereby dispersing the water across the air circulation path which passes through the screen.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II--II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a lower portion of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of an upper portion of a second embodiment of the invention, and;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of a third embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows one embodiment of a wall suspended humidifier generally indicated as 10, as it would appear from the front when attached to a desired position to a wall of a room behind it. The humidifier 10 has a vertically elongated body 12, the lower end of which extends downwardly into a bowl or reservoir 14 with an open top, which is rigidly secured to the body 12 to extend forward from the body. As may be seen, the body 12 also has a decorative panel 16 secured to it towards its upper end. This decorative panel 16 which projects forwardly from the body 12 in a position vertically above the reservoir 14 may, of course, be of any suitable desired shape and appearance. The reservoir 14 may also be of any suitable desired shape and will preferably as shown, have a design which is compatible with the appearance of the decorative panel 16 to give the humidifier a general overall pleasing appearance, when viewed from the front.
The vertically elongated body 12 is attached to the wall by conventional means (not shown) such as hooks or screws, and is U-shaped in horizontal cross section with two vertical leg portions 18, 20 which abut on the wall 22 and a flat vertical central portion 24 which extends parallel to the wall 22. The central portion 24 is spaced from tee wall 22, the vertically elongated body 12 and the wall 22 thereby defining a vertically extending passage 26 therebetween, which is substantially rectangular in horizontal cross section. As shown, the central portion 24 of the body 12 has a circular opening 28 therethrough, which opens onto vertical passage 26.
The decorative panel 16 is secured to the body 12 by any suitable means, such as for instance, extensions 30 projecting through cooperating holes 32 in the central portion 24 of the body. The decorative panel 16 defines an air flow duct 34 extending therethrough from the circular opening 28 in the central portion 24 of the body 12 forward to a mouth 36, the appearance of which is compatible with the frontal appearance of the decorative panel 16. The central portion 24 of the body has a conventional electric fan 38 fixed thereto to operate in or adjacent to the circular opening 28. The fan operates to maintain continuous circulation of air from the room through vertically extending passage 26, through circular opening 28, through the air flow duct 34 and out the mouth 36 thereof back into the room. The general path of the air circulation maintained by fan 38 through the humidifier 10 is shown by the arrows in FIG. 2.
The humidifier also has a pump 40 which operates to maintain a continuous flow of water in the humidifier. FIG. 2 shows the conventional electrically driven pump 40 emersed in water in the reservoir 14. The pump has an inlet 41 located in the water near the bottom of the reservoir and is connected to a hose 42 which extends upward through the vertical extending channel 26 and through the central portion 24 of the body 12 into the air flow duct 34. The pump 40 which operates to pump water from the reservoir 14 through the hose 42 into the air flow duct 34 must, of course, be designed and properly installed to operate under water. Alternatively, the pump could be located above the water line, with an inlet hose extending down to the bottom of the reservoir 14.
The preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 has a rigid screen 44 fixed to the front face 46 of the central portion 24 of the body 12, a portion of which extends parallel to the central portion 24 in front of the circular opening 28 across the path of the air circulating through the circular opening 28. The upper end 48 of the hose 42 is positioned above the rigid screen 44 so that water from the hose disperses over the screen 44 in front of the fan 38. Although the screen 44 is shown to disperse the water in the air flow duct 34, it is apparent that other dispersion means could also be used. The portion of the water which is not absorbed by the air circulating through the humidifier drops from the screen onto the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 and drains out of the mouth 36 back into the reservoir 14. This motion of the water draining from the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 and falling back into the reservoir 14 is visible to a person in the room and cooperates with the appearance of the decorative panel 16 and the design on the reservoir 14 to have a pleasing visual effect on him.
The air flow duct 34 slopes forwardly downward to ensure that the water will drain out the mouth 36, as well as to prevent the circular opening 28, fan 38, screen 44 and upper end 48 of hose 42 from being easily visible through the mouth 36 to a viewer in the room, to detract from this pleasing visual effect. Alternatively, these operating parts may be hidden from view by forming the decorative panel 16 with the air flow duct 34 having a sufficient curve or band to prevent a person looking through its entire length. In addition to this pleasing visual effect, the flow of water into the reservoir 14 from the air flow duct 34 also provides a pleasing audio effect. This is particularly advantageous as the sound of dripping water is often objected to by potential users of room humidifiers. However, this objection is overcome by the present device as the source of the sound is visible and attractive to the user.
As may be seen in FIG. 3, the fan 38 and pump 40 are wired to operate from a conventional 115 volt power supply which is found in most homes and other buildings. The humidifier has a switch 52, such as a micro switch, which is operated by a float 54 in the reservoir 14 to shut off the fan 38 and pump 40 when the water level in the reservoir 14 drops below a predetermined minimum level. This minimum level will be selected to be below the level of the inlet 41 of the pump 40 to prevent the pump running dry.
The relationship between the reservoir 14 and the body 12 is best seen in FIG. 4. The connecting portion 24 of the body has vertical slots 56 extending upward from the lower end, one adjacent each of the leg portions 18, 20. The vertical sides 58 of the reservoir 14 fit into the vertical slots 56 so that the leg portions 18, 20 of the body 12 are located outside the reservoir 14 and the lower end 60 of the central portion 24 extends down into the reservoir 14. The reservoir is removable secured to the body 12 by bolts 62 which are threadably received in the leg portions 18, 20 of the body 12. The reservoir 14 is shaped so that the leg portions 18, 20 are inset thereinto, thereby preventing pivotal motion of the reservoir 14 about the bolt 62. The rear face 64 of the reservoir 14 has a vertical slot 66 therein to receive the power cord 68, as the rear face 64 abuts against the wall 22 in use. The electrical wiring 70, hose 42, pump 40, and float 54 are preferrably attached to the body 12 rather than to the reservoir 14, to allow the reservoir to be detached from the body merely by removing bolts 62. This facilitates access to these various items in the event that service or replacement becomes necessary.
The reservoir 14 is preferably formed of a light weight high density water-proof polyethalane. The body 12 and the decorative panel 16 may be formed of a lower density polyurethane, although the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 must be resistant to erosion by the water flowing over it. The humidifier may also be formed of other suitable materials which are light in weight and economical to manufacture.
In use, the humidifier is attached to the wall of a room in a desired location, and the reservoir 14 is filled with water to a suitable level above the minimum level. The fan 38 and the pump 40 are then turned on by connecting the power cord 68 to a suitable power source, or alternatively by operating a conventional switch (not shown). As discussed above, the fan 38 circulates air from the room through the vertical passage 26, through the circular opening 28 in the body 12, through the screen 44 located in the air flow duct 34, and out the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 back into the room. At the same time, the pump 40 circulates water from the reservoir 14 through the hose 42 onto the screen 44, from which it drops onto the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 and drains out the mouth of the air flow duct 34 back into the reservoir 14. Therefore, the air circulation and the water circulation cross in the air flow duct 34 on the screen 44, at which time a portion of the water is absorbed by the air and carried out through the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 to increase the humidity of the air in the room. The use of screen 44 disperses the water to increase the area of contact between the air flow and water flow, thereby increasing the amount of water absorbed by the air under any given conditions. The rates of circulation of the air and water primarily depend upon the size and operating speed of the fan 38 and pump 40 respectively. It is apparent that appropriate switching means may be provided to adjust the rates of circulation of the air and water under different operating conditions. The water not absorbed by the air falls from the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 vertically back into the reservoir 14, which combined with the appearance of the decorative panel and the reservoir provides the above described pleasing visual and audio effects. These effects, accompanied by the above mentioned benefits of increased humidity in a living area create a demand for this type of wall suspended humidifier which does not exist for floor mounted humidifiers.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the invention in which the air flow duct 34 slopes upwardly to the mouth 36, thereby hiding the operating parts of the humidifier from the view of a person in the room. In this embodiment, the air flow duct has a water drain aperture 72 separate from the mouth. As seen, the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 has a funnel-shaped portion 74 surrounding the drain aperture, thereby ensuring that the water which drops from the screen 44 will drain through the drain aperture. This embodiment of the invention with the upward sloping air flow duct has the advantages over the embodiment with the downward sloping air flow duct that drops of water that are not in suspension in the air are not blown out into the room and that the mouth 36 need not be located vertically over the reservoir 14. On the other hand, it has the disadvantages that its appearance is not as attractive and that the air circulation path created in the room is not as large as when the air is blown downward.
The operation of this embodiment is the same as the operation of the preferred embodiment, except that the flow of air from the mouth of the air flow duct is directed upward, and the water drains into the reservoir from the drain aperture 72 rather than from the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34.
FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the invention which does not utilize a screen, and in which the upper end 48 of the hose 42 is located in the air flow duct 34 below the circular opening 28 in the connecting portion 24 of the body 12. As there is less contact area between the air and water circulation, this embodiment is used when less humidification is desired. The operation of this embodiment is similar to the operation of the previously described embodiments.
Although the disclosure describes and illustrates several preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to these particular embodiments.
This invention relates generally to humidifiers and particularly to wall suspended humidifiers.
In the past, a variety of types of individual room humidifiers have been used to increase the humidity in rooms or buildings which are not serviced by a central humidification system, or to supplement the central system. Humidification alleviates the dry uncomfortable feeding caused by dry air, as well as decreases the temperature at which a person feels comfortable. In the winter season, air in homes and other buildings is generally required to be heated to bring it up to this desired comfortable temperature. Therefore, there is usually a strong economic reason for providing humidification to maintain the humidity in a room at an optimum level, in addition to a desire to make the room more comfortable by alleviating this dry uncomfortable feeling.
While these previous room humidifiers are in common use, they have several disadvantages which result in them not being in the widespread use the above factors would otherwise demand. The first of these disadvantages is that these humidifiers are floor mounted, and therefore take up valuable floor space. The second disadvantage is that, although various attempts have been made to overcome this problem, these humidifiers have a generally displeasing appearance. A further disadvantage is that these humidifiers are relatively expensive to manufacture, and the attempts which have been made to improve their appearance have often merely increased their cost. Another disadvantage of these previous floor model humidifiers, which are generally located adjacent a wall to be as inconspicuous as possible, is that they are not constructed to provide the desired circulation of air from the room through the humidifier, in this location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome these disadvantages by providing a light-weight, relatively inexpensive, wall suspended humidifier having a visible flow of water therein to provide a pleasing appearance, with improved circulation of air therethrough.
To this end, in one of its aspects, the invention provides a wall suspended humidifier comprising:
a. a body adapted to be attached in a desired position to a wall of a room, the body having a flat central portion extending parallel to and spaced apart from the wall, thereby defining a space between the body and the wall, the flat central portion having an opening therethrough.
b. a water reservoir having an open top secured to the body to extend forward therefrom,
c. decorative panel means secured to the body to project forwardly therefrom, the decorative panel means defining an air flow duct having a mouth extending therethrough, the air flow duct adapted to connect the mouth with the opening in the central portion of the body without the opening being noticeably visible through the mouth of the air flow duct to a person in the room, the air flow duct having water drain means located vertically above the reservoir,
d. pump means adapted to maintain a continuous flow of water from the reservoir into the air flow duct, and
e. a fan adapted to maintain continuous circulation of air from the room along a path extending through the space between the central portion of the body and the wall, through the air flow duct and out the mouth thereof back into the room.
In another of its aspects, the invention further provides a wall suspended humidifier comprising: a. a vertically elongated body adapted to be attached in a desired position to a wall of a room, the body having two leg portions connected by a flat central portion to have a uniform U-shaped horizontal cross section, the leg portions abutting on the wall to define a vertically extending passage having a uniform substantially rectangular horizontal cross section between the body and the wall, the flat central portion of the body having a circulat opening therethrough,
b. a water reservoir having an open top removably secured to the body adjacent the lower end thereof, the reservoir extending forward from the central portion of the body,
c. decorative panel means secured to the body to project forwardly from the central portion thereof above the reservoir, the decorative panel means defining an air flow duct extending therethrough, the air flow duct having a mouth located vertically above the water reservoir, the air flow duct sloping forwardly downward from the opening in the central portion of the body to the mouth whereby the opening is not noticeably visible through the mouth to a person in the room and water introduced into the air flow duct will drain out of the mouth and fall into the reservoir,
d. pump means including an electric pump immersed in water in the reservoir, a pump inlet located in the reservoir near the bottom of the reservoir, and a hose extending from the pump to the air flow duct, the pump means adapted to maintain a continuous flow of water from the reservoir into the air flow duct,
e. an electric fan secured to the body and located in the circular opening in the central portion of the body, the fan adapted to maintain continuous circulation of air drawn from the room along a path through the vertically extending passage between the body and the wall, through the air flow duct and out the mouth thereof back into the room, and f. a screen fixed in the air flow duct a portion of which extends parallel to the central portion of the body in front of the circular opening therein, the screen being located to receive the flow of water from the hose thereby dispersing the water across the air circulation path which passes through the screen.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II--II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a lower portion of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of an upper portion of a second embodiment of the invention, and;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of a third embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows one embodiment of a wall suspended humidifier generally indicated as 10, as it would appear from the front when attached to a desired position to a wall of a room behind it. The humidifier 10 has a vertically elongated body 12, the lower end of which extends downwardly into a bowl or reservoir 14 with an open top, which is rigidly secured to the body 12 to extend forward from the body. As may be seen, the body 12 also has a decorative panel 16 secured to it towards its upper end. This decorative panel 16 which projects forwardly from the body 12 in a position vertically above the reservoir 14 may, of course, be of any suitable desired shape and appearance. The reservoir 14 may also be of any suitable desired shape and will preferably as shown, have a design which is compatible with the appearance of the decorative panel 16 to give the humidifier a general overall pleasing appearance, when viewed from the front.
The vertically elongated body 12 is attached to the wall by conventional means (not shown) such as hooks or screws, and is U-shaped in horizontal cross section with two vertical leg portions 18, 20 which abut on the wall 22 and a flat vertical central portion 24 which extends parallel to the wall 22. The central portion 24 is spaced from tee wall 22, the vertically elongated body 12 and the wall 22 thereby defining a vertically extending passage 26 therebetween, which is substantially rectangular in horizontal cross section. As shown, the central portion 24 of the body 12 has a circular opening 28 therethrough, which opens onto vertical passage 26.
The decorative panel 16 is secured to the body 12 by any suitable means, such as for instance, extensions 30 projecting through cooperating holes 32 in the central portion 24 of the body. The decorative panel 16 defines an air flow duct 34 extending therethrough from the circular opening 28 in the central portion 24 of the body 12 forward to a mouth 36, the appearance of which is compatible with the frontal appearance of the decorative panel 16. The central portion 24 of the body has a conventional electric fan 38 fixed thereto to operate in or adjacent to the circular opening 28. The fan operates to maintain continuous circulation of air from the room through vertically extending passage 26, through circular opening 28, through the air flow duct 34 and out the mouth 36 thereof back into the room. The general path of the air circulation maintained by fan 38 through the humidifier 10 is shown by the arrows in FIG. 2.
The humidifier also has a pump 40 which operates to maintain a continuous flow of water in the humidifier. FIG. 2 shows the conventional electrically driven pump 40 emersed in water in the reservoir 14. The pump has an inlet 41 located in the water near the bottom of the reservoir and is connected to a hose 42 which extends upward through the vertical extending channel 26 and through the central portion 24 of the body 12 into the air flow duct 34. The pump 40 which operates to pump water from the reservoir 14 through the hose 42 into the air flow duct 34 must, of course, be designed and properly installed to operate under water. Alternatively, the pump could be located above the water line, with an inlet hose extending down to the bottom of the reservoir 14.
The preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 has a rigid screen 44 fixed to the front face 46 of the central portion 24 of the body 12, a portion of which extends parallel to the central portion 24 in front of the circular opening 28 across the path of the air circulating through the circular opening 28. The upper end 48 of the hose 42 is positioned above the rigid screen 44 so that water from the hose disperses over the screen 44 in front of the fan 38. Although the screen 44 is shown to disperse the water in the air flow duct 34, it is apparent that other dispersion means could also be used. The portion of the water which is not absorbed by the air circulating through the humidifier drops from the screen onto the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 and drains out of the mouth 36 back into the reservoir 14. This motion of the water draining from the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 and falling back into the reservoir 14 is visible to a person in the room and cooperates with the appearance of the decorative panel 16 and the design on the reservoir 14 to have a pleasing visual effect on him.
The air flow duct 34 slopes forwardly downward to ensure that the water will drain out the mouth 36, as well as to prevent the circular opening 28, fan 38, screen 44 and upper end 48 of hose 42 from being easily visible through the mouth 36 to a viewer in the room, to detract from this pleasing visual effect. Alternatively, these operating parts may be hidden from view by forming the decorative panel 16 with the air flow duct 34 having a sufficient curve or band to prevent a person looking through its entire length. In addition to this pleasing visual effect, the flow of water into the reservoir 14 from the air flow duct 34 also provides a pleasing audio effect. This is particularly advantageous as the sound of dripping water is often objected to by potential users of room humidifiers. However, this objection is overcome by the present device as the source of the sound is visible and attractive to the user.
As may be seen in FIG. 3, the fan 38 and pump 40 are wired to operate from a conventional 115 volt power supply which is found in most homes and other buildings. The humidifier has a switch 52, such as a micro switch, which is operated by a float 54 in the reservoir 14 to shut off the fan 38 and pump 40 when the water level in the reservoir 14 drops below a predetermined minimum level. This minimum level will be selected to be below the level of the inlet 41 of the pump 40 to prevent the pump running dry.
The relationship between the reservoir 14 and the body 12 is best seen in FIG. 4. The connecting portion 24 of the body has vertical slots 56 extending upward from the lower end, one adjacent each of the leg portions 18, 20. The vertical sides 58 of the reservoir 14 fit into the vertical slots 56 so that the leg portions 18, 20 of the body 12 are located outside the reservoir 14 and the lower end 60 of the central portion 24 extends down into the reservoir 14. The reservoir is removable secured to the body 12 by bolts 62 which are threadably received in the leg portions 18, 20 of the body 12. The reservoir 14 is shaped so that the leg portions 18, 20 are inset thereinto, thereby preventing pivotal motion of the reservoir 14 about the bolt 62. The rear face 64 of the reservoir 14 has a vertical slot 66 therein to receive the power cord 68, as the rear face 64 abuts against the wall 22 in use. The electrical wiring 70, hose 42, pump 40, and float 54 are preferrably attached to the body 12 rather than to the reservoir 14, to allow the reservoir to be detached from the body merely by removing bolts 62. This facilitates access to these various items in the event that service or replacement becomes necessary.
The reservoir 14 is preferably formed of a light weight high density water-proof polyethalane. The body 12 and the decorative panel 16 may be formed of a lower density polyurethane, although the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 must be resistant to erosion by the water flowing over it. The humidifier may also be formed of other suitable materials which are light in weight and economical to manufacture.
In use, the humidifier is attached to the wall of a room in a desired location, and the reservoir 14 is filled with water to a suitable level above the minimum level. The fan 38 and the pump 40 are then turned on by connecting the power cord 68 to a suitable power source, or alternatively by operating a conventional switch (not shown). As discussed above, the fan 38 circulates air from the room through the vertical passage 26, through the circular opening 28 in the body 12, through the screen 44 located in the air flow duct 34, and out the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 back into the room. At the same time, the pump 40 circulates water from the reservoir 14 through the hose 42 onto the screen 44, from which it drops onto the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 and drains out the mouth of the air flow duct 34 back into the reservoir 14. Therefore, the air circulation and the water circulation cross in the air flow duct 34 on the screen 44, at which time a portion of the water is absorbed by the air and carried out through the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 to increase the humidity of the air in the room. The use of screen 44 disperses the water to increase the area of contact between the air flow and water flow, thereby increasing the amount of water absorbed by the air under any given conditions. The rates of circulation of the air and water primarily depend upon the size and operating speed of the fan 38 and pump 40 respectively. It is apparent that appropriate switching means may be provided to adjust the rates of circulation of the air and water under different operating conditions. The water not absorbed by the air falls from the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34 vertically back into the reservoir 14, which combined with the appearance of the decorative panel and the reservoir provides the above described pleasing visual and audio effects. These effects, accompanied by the above mentioned benefits of increased humidity in a living area create a demand for this type of wall suspended humidifier which does not exist for floor mounted humidifiers.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the invention in which the air flow duct 34 slopes upwardly to the mouth 36, thereby hiding the operating parts of the humidifier from the view of a person in the room. In this embodiment, the air flow duct has a water drain aperture 72 separate from the mouth. As seen, the floor 50 of the air flow duct 34 has a funnel-shaped portion 74 surrounding the drain aperture, thereby ensuring that the water which drops from the screen 44 will drain through the drain aperture. This embodiment of the invention with the upward sloping air flow duct has the advantages over the embodiment with the downward sloping air flow duct that drops of water that are not in suspension in the air are not blown out into the room and that the mouth 36 need not be located vertically over the reservoir 14. On the other hand, it has the disadvantages that its appearance is not as attractive and that the air circulation path created in the room is not as large as when the air is blown downward.
The operation of this embodiment is the same as the operation of the preferred embodiment, except that the flow of air from the mouth of the air flow duct is directed upward, and the water drains into the reservoir from the drain aperture 72 rather than from the mouth 36 of the air flow duct 34.
FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the invention which does not utilize a screen, and in which the upper end 48 of the hose 42 is located in the air flow duct 34 below the circular opening 28 in the connecting portion 24 of the body 12. As there is less contact area between the air and water circulation, this embodiment is used when less humidification is desired. The operation of this embodiment is similar to the operation of the previously described embodiments.
Although the disclosure describes and illustrates several preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to these particular embodiments.