Abstract:
A vaporization device including a housing, a plurality of wicks, a plurality of heating elements and a power control circuit. The plurality of wicks are at least partially contained within the housing and include a first wick and a second wick. The plurality of heating elements include a first heating element and a second heating element. The first heating element is proximate to the first wick and the second heating element is proximate to the second wick. The power control circuit powers the first heating element at a first level when the second heating element is not powered. The power control circuit powers the first heating element at a second level when the second heating element is powered.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a wick vaporization system, and, more particularly, to a multiple. wick vaporization system using heating elements.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     An electrically heated chemical delivery system, which is connectable with an electrical receptacle, is known. For example, it is known to provide a housing, which directly carries a pair of terminals, which extend therefrom and may be plugged into a conventional 115 volt electrical receptacle. The electrical terminals are electrically connected to a heater disposed within the body of the delivery system. A heat actuated chemical is disposed within the body and releases its gases into the ambient environment with the heat that is supplied accelerating the release.  
         [0005]     One method used to alter the amount of vaporizable material that is released in the environment is to control the airflow around the heating element and/or wick. Controlling the airflow requires adjustable elements in the housing to alter the airflow that passes by the vaporizable material.  
         [0006]     Another method of controlling the vaporization of the vaporizable material is to alter the wick position relative to the heating element. This includes mechanical adjustment of the position of the wick relative to the heater or the extending of the wick past the heater.  
         [0007]     The compact design of a diffuser system often places the heating elements and the wicks in close proximity to each other. The proximity of the heating elements for one wick can accelerate the vaporization of material from another wick. A problem often occurs if multiple heaters are utilized to accelerate vaporization of materials from multiple wicks, in that the total heat delivered for the vaporization process causes an excessive amount of material to be delivered to the ambient environment.  
         [0008]     What is needed in the art is a method to control the total diffused material coming from a vaporization diffusion device.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention provides a vaporization system that controls the vaporization rate of multiple wick system.  
         [0010]     The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a vaporization device including a housing, a plurality of wicks, a plurality of heating elements and a power control circuit. The plurality of wicks are at least partially contained within the housing and include a first wick and a second wick. The plurality of heating elements include a first heating element and a second heating element. The first heating element is proximate to the first wick and the second heating element is proximate to the second wick. The power control circuit powers the first heating element at a first level when the second heating element is not powered. The power control circuit powers the first heating element at a second level when the second heating element is powered.  
         [0011]     An advantage of the present invention is that the vaporization rate of material in the multiple wick system is balanced when more than one wick is being utilized for the vaporization of material.  
         [0012]     Another advantage of the present invention is that the vaporization rate of one vaporizable material is not overdriven when more than one heating element for separate wicks are energized.  
         [0013]     Yet another advantage of the present invention is that an average power is controllably delivered to the heating element, which results in simpler switching mechanisms.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a multi wick vaporization device of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a partially sectioned front view of the vaporization device of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the vaporization device of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the vaporization device of  FIGS. 1-3 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a schematical representation of a control system of one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a schematical representation of a control system of another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
       [0021]     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1-4 , there is shown a vaporization device  10 , which generally includes electrical terminals  12  that are attached to a rotary interface located at  14 , a housing  16 , a first bottle  18  and a second bottle  20 . Housing  16  includes a circuit assembly that is electrically connected to electrical terminals  12 . Electrical terminals  12  are mounted to the rotary interface, which rotates about an axis allowing the repositioning of electrical terminals  12  so that housing  16  may remain vertically oriented regardless of the orientation of the electrical receptacle into which vaporization device  10  is plugged. Housing  16  has a somewhat conical shaped outer housing with a top surface having multiple vents, each vent being associated with a wick.  
         [0023]     On a portion of housing  16  there is included a pushbutton  22  and an airflow adjustor  24 . Airflow adjustor  24  functions to alter the flow through vaporization device  10 . Pushbutton  22  interfaces with the electrical circuit assembly, thereby allowing a selection of multiple modes of operation.  
         [0024]     Internal to housing  16  and associated with first bottle  18  and second bottle  20  are respectively first wick  26  and second wick  28 . First wick  26  is fluidly coupled with material in first bottle  18 . In a like manner second wick  28  is fluidly connected with material in second bottle  20 . Material in first bottle  18  and second bottle  20  are conveyed by wicks  26  and  28  causing material to be drawn from bottles  18  and  20  and respectively positioned proximate to a first heater  30  and a second heater  32 . Heaters  30  and  32  may be resistors  30  and  32  that have the same resistance value. For purposes of clarity, heaters  30  and  32  are schematically shown in  FIG. 2  as being between wicks  26  and  28 ; however, heaters  30  and  32  may be located elsewhere, such as, behind, in front of or to the outside of wicks  26  and  28 . Although heaters  30  and  32  are respectively closest to wicks  26  and  28 , heat conveyed from either heater  30  or  32  also has an influence on the wick that is not proximate to a specific heater. For example, heat supplied by first heater  30  primarily influences the material in first wick  26 . However, some of the heat may also affect the material in second wick  28  to a significantly lesser degree when first heater  30  and second heater  32  are both activated. The heat from the two heaters causes the vaporization of the material in each of the wicks to be higher than if only one of heaters  30  or  32  is activated. For example, if heaters  30  and  32  are activated at the same level as heater  30  and  32  would be when separately activated, the total heat dissipation within housing  16  is higher, causing the vaporization from wicks  26  and  28  to exceed that which would have been drawn from each wick if only one heater had been activated.  
         [0025]     The present invention alters this activity and compensates the heat dissipated by heaters  30  and  32  when both heaters  30  and  32  are activated. For example, when it is desired to vaporize material from both bottle  18  and bottle  20 , heater  30  and heater  32  produce a reduced amount of heat as compared to when only material from either bottle  18  or bottle  20  is being vaporized.  
         [0026]     Indicators  34  and  36  are positioned so as to infer that indicator  34  is associated with bottle  18  and indicator  36  is associated with bottle  20 . This association allows an operator to visually perceive the activation scenario. For example, indicator  34  is illuminated when power is being supplied to heater  30  and material from bottle  18  is being vaporized.  
         [0027]     Now, additionally referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6  there is schematically illustrated two embodiments of the control system of the present invention. A controller  38  causes power from power source  40  to be selectively supplied to heaters  30  and  32  by the way of switches  42 ,  44  and  46 , also known as transistors  42 ,  44  and  46 , for the selective powering of heater  30  and heater  32 .  
         [0028]     Now, specifically referring to the circuit of  FIG. 5 , controller  38  selectively turns on transistors  42  and  44  to control the power from power source  40  being applied to heaters  30  and  32 .  
         [0029]     Several modes of operation are possible with the present invention. For purposes of clarity the changing of the modes may be in any order even though an order is presented in this example. Further, it is to be understood that the various modes are selected by pressing pushbutton  22  causing a sequential selection of modes.  
         [0030]     When vaporization device  10  is plugged into an electrically active outlet a default mode is entered. The default mode may be heaters  30  and  32  both being supplied power. In this mode indicators  34  and  36  are both illuminated continuously. Both heater  30  and heater  32  are activated simultaneously, but at a lower level than a high level when only one of heaters  30  and  32  are activated. For purposes of reference, this will be referred to as a low level. The low level of heat supplied to both heaters  30  and  32  simultaneously advantageously prevents or reduces a symbiotic relationship if heaters  30  and  32  were both powered at a high level causing the vaporization rates of materials in bottle  18  and  20  to be higher than when there each separately activated.  
         [0031]     A press of pushbutton  22  causes vaporization device  10  to increment to a mode where only heater  30  is activated. Indicator  34  is illuminated continuously and indicator  36  is not illuminated. The heat supplied to heater  30  is at a high level than the low level.  
         [0032]     A second press of pushbutton  22  causes vaporization device  10  to increment to a mode where only heater  32  is energized. Indicator  36  is illuminated continuously and indicator  34  is not illuminated. Power supplied by way of power source  40  to heater  32  is at a high level similar to the previous mode.  
         [0033]     A third press of pushbutton  22  causes vaporization device  10  to increment to an alternating mode where first heater  30  is energized for a period of time after which heater  32  is energized for a period of time. Both heater  30  and heater  32  are activated at a high level when they are alternatively activated. Indicators  34  and  36  are likewise alternatingly illuminated to correspond to the activation of heater  30  and heater  32  respectively.  
         [0034]     A further press of pushbutton  22  return vaporization device  10  to its default mode.  
         [0035]     Additional modes are contemplated such as heater  30  being on continuously with heater  32  intermittently turning off and on at a predetermined time interval. In a like manner heater  32  can be on continuously with heater  30  turning off and on at predetermined time intervals. Another mode of operation is for heaters  30  and  32  to turn on for some time period simultaneously or with some time lag, and then off for some time period simultaneously or with some time lag associated between the two heaters. Further, the power supplied to heaters  30  and  32  could be varied with numerous time schemes so that chemical diffusion rates from wicks  26  and  28  are varied over a predetermined time period. A further mode is a randomization mode, which can be used to change between any operation mode and any time parameter so that the diffusion rate of either when the materials in bottles  18  and  20  would be unpredictable and of a random nature. Having multiple operation modes allows the consumer to tailor their experience with the diffusion chemical and provides the opportunity to overcome the habituation that occurs as a consumer experiences a diminished response with a particular diffused chemical over time.  
         [0036]     Controller  38  can cause an average power to be dissipated selectively in heaters  30  and  32 . The term average power is to be understood that controller  38  would supply power to heater  30  and/or heater  32  for an extended period, which can be at least one second, several seconds or several tens of seconds long. While the selective control of power supplied to heaters  30  and  32  could be on a much shorter time scale, such as individual cycles of the alternating current supplied by way of electrical terminals  12 . This type of control is not necessary since the heat supplied to the materials that have wicked into wicks  26  and  28  can be simply an averaging amount of heat supplied by way of heaters  30  and  32 . In this manner when a mode is selected in which heaters  30  and  32  are both activated a low level of power is supplied by reducing the average power dissipated by both heaters  30  and  32 .  
         [0037]     Now, specifically referring to the schematical representation of an embodiment of the present invention in  FIG. 6 , there are additionally shown resistors  48  and  50 . In this embodiment power is supplied to just heater  30  or heater  32 , when transistors  42  or  44  are, respectively, turned on in a continuous manner. If power is to be supplied to both heaters  30  and  32  then transistor  46  is activated, rather than transistors  42  or  44 , thereby reducing the power flow through heaters  30  and  32  due to the current dropping effect of the additional resistance of resistors  48  and  50 . The total power dissipated, when transistor  46  is activated, is reduced over that which would be supplied by heaters  30  and  32  if both transistors  42  and  44  were activated.  
         [0038]     Advantageously, the present invention greatly reduces the symbiotic effect of multiple heaters proximate to wicks that are closely spaced within a vaporization device.  
         [0039]     While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.