Abstract:
A humidifier for use with an infant incubator is disclosed that has a housing and a reservoir. The reservoir is pivotally affixed to the housing so that it can be tilted from its upright position where it actively provides the heated water vapor to the incubator and a tilted position where water can be added to the reservoir. A heater extends into the reservoir to heat a localized volume of water. The reservoir is also removable from the housing but is constrained in its movement generally along the axis of the heater so as to prevent damage to the heater if the reservoir is immediately tilted during its removal or reinstallation.

Description:
This application claims benefits 60/170,275 filed Dec. 11, 1999 which claims benefit of 60/182,135 filed Feb. 12, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to an infant warming apparatus and, more particularly, to a humidifier for adding moisture to the environment within the infant care apparatus. 
     There are, of course, many differing types of infant incubators currently available and most have some means of humidifying the air that is delivered to the infant compartment within the incubator. The infant compartment itself is a controlled environment within which the infant is positioned and where the environment is controlled to provide warmth and humidity to the infant for its wellbeing. 
     Typical of such humidifiers is the use of a reservoir that underlies the infant compartment and where the heated air to be delivered to that compartment passes over the water contained within the reservoir to increase the humidity, at a controlled rate, of the heated air that is then passed into the infant compartment. Thus, one of the common means of humidification for an infant incubator includes a means of causing the heated air to pass over a body of water, generally heated, where the warm air picks up water vapor and delivers the warm air laden with the water vapor to the infant compartment. One such humidification system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,190 of Gloyd et al. 
     As a drawback of many present systems for humidification, the reservoirs are generally difficult to remove for cleaning and, additionally, some of the reservoirs normally slide horizontally from the humidifier in order to allow filling. The movement of the reservoir filed with water is somewhat difficult in the infant care environment and can cause the spilling of water. The water is also commonly spilled simply due to overfilling of the reservoir. The presence of spilled water is undesirable in that it can be a ground for contamination in the otherwise warm, damp surroundings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention relates to an infant incubator having a novel humidification system that injects the heated water vapor into the infant compartment of the incubator rather than pass the heated air over a body of water. In addition, the present invention includes a reservoir container that is affixed to the infant incubator in such a manner that it can be opened by simply tilting the reservoir with respect to the humidifier housing and the infant incubator and the filling can take place easily in the tilted position. Thus, when the reservoir is again returned to its upright condition, overfilling is avoided as the water level will be safely contained within the reservoir in its upright position. 
     Thus, when filled in its tilted position, the reservoir can be fully filled and yet the reservoir will not spill or be overfilled when the reservoir is returned to its upright operational position. The reservoir can be easily moved between its upright utile position and its tilted, filling position by the user. 
     Too, the water reservoir of the present invention is easily removable from the incubator by the user when it is desired to clean the reservoir. A heater extends downwardly into the reservoir to selectively heat a limited amount of water in the reservoir to provide rapid and controlled heating of the water and to inject the heated water vapor into the infant compartment. As a further feature, when the water reservoir is removed, its movement is controlled such that it is removable along a path that prevents the reservoir from breaking or bending the heater that extends downwardly into that reservoir. 
     In carrying out the present invention, there is a plastic reservoir container that is transparent to the extent that the level of water can be visually perceived from external of the reservoir and the incubator. In its upright position delivering heated water vapor to the incubator, the reservoir is normally locked in position by a forward, upward edge of the reservoir that is in abutment with a outward lip of the housing. That reservoir is affixed to the humidifier housing by means of a pair of resilient latches that are biased upwardly but can, by the user, be pushed downwardly to disengage the forward edge of the reservoir from the outward lip of the housing to free the reservoir from its position mounted to the housing of the humidifier. The reservoir is designed so as to allow the reservoir to be tilted outwardly a controlled or predetermined movement for filling the reservoir with water yet the reservoir is still securely retained to the housing of the humidifier. The tilting of the reservoir is also constrained to a predetermined angular movement and is held in the tilted position for adding water to the reservoir. In the preferred embodiment, the reservoir is held in the tilted position by means of an abrupt shoulder formed on the reservoir that also comes into engagement with the outward lip of the housing to enable the reservoir to be easily and safely tilted to the filling position. 
     The interaction of specially designed flanges on the reservoir and the housing of the humidifier also allows the resilient latch to be maneuvered and released to allow the reservoir to be completely removed from the humidifier housing for cleaning. As such, those interacting flanges require that the reservoir be removed by dropping it straight downwardly and not twisted in its removal process so as to prevent the breaking of the heater that depends downwardly into the reservoir from the humidifier housing to heat the water in a localized area. 
    
    
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent during the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings herein. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the humidifier of the present invention in its filling position; 
     FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional view of the reservoir and in its upright, operative position providing humidification to the infant compartment; 
     FIG. 3 is side cross sectional view of the humidifier of the present invention partially removed from its upright, operative position; 
     FIG. 4 is a side cross sectional view of the humidifier with its reservoir in its filling position; 
     FIG. 5 is a side cross sectional view of the present showing the flanges of the reservoir and the chassis of the reservoir; 
     FIG. 6 is a side cross sectional view of the reservoir of the present invention as it is being removed from the humidifier; and 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the heater used in the humidifier of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of the humidifier  10  constructed in accordance with the present invention and, as shown, comprises a housing  11  shown affixed to the chassis  12  of an incubator  14 . As shown, the humidifier  10  includes a reservoir  16  that, as will be explained, is removable from the housing  11  of the incubator  14  for cleaning. Internal of the reservoir  16  is a volume to contain the water to be heated and vaporized and an external face  18  of the reservoir  16  is transparent so that the user can visually see and monitor the level of the water contained within the reservoir  16 . 
     In the position as shown in FIG. 1, the reservoir  16  is in its filling position such that a filler opening  20  is available with a cover  22  that can be removed by the user to pour water into the reservoir  16  for filling the reservoir  16 . As will be seen, the reservoir  16  can be moved to its filling position by the user easily and without removing the reservoir  16  from the housing  11  of the humidifier  10 . An inset  24  is formed in the reservoir  16  to enable the user to fit a finger or thumb into the inset  24  to move the reservoir  16  to the filling position shown and will be later explained. 
     Also shown in FIG. 1 is a front flange  26  that extends outwardly from the side of the reservoir  16  and there is a similar flange on the opposite side of the reservoir  16  in the same configuration and position. As seen, the front flange  26  extends downwardly from the top of the reservoir  16  and generally extends inwardly as the front flange extends downwardly along the side of the reservoir  16 . A heater  27  is also shown and which extends downwardly from the housing  11  of the reservoir  10  and heats the water in a confined area. 
     Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a side cross sectional view of the reservoir  16  in its upright, operative position with respect to the housing  11  of the humidifier  10 . As can be seen, the reservoir  16  has a downwardly extending rounded lower edge  28  that rests on and is supported by a resilient latch  30  that is affixed to the housing  11  of humidifier  10 . The resilient latch  30  is spring loaded and thus is movable with respect to the housing  11  as will be explained. In the position shown in FIG. 2, the resilient latch  30  is in its upward position and is biased toward that position to hold the lower edge  28  of the reservoir  16  in upright, operative position of FIG.  2 . The housing  11  also includes a front downwardly curled lip  32  that also serves to hold the reservoir  16  in the upright, operative position by providing a support for the upper front edge  34  of the reservoir  16 . 
     Accordingly, as shown, the use of the resilient latch  30  and the confining of the upper front edge  34  by the lip  32  retains the reservoir  16  in the upright, operative position as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross sectional view of the reservoir  16  of the present invention that has been moved downwardly against the bias of the resilient latch  30 . In this Fig., therefore, the user has manipulated the reservoir  16  by pushing downwardly on the inset  24  (FIG. 1) to lower the reservoir  16  such that the upper front edge  34  is no longer contained by the lip  32 . At this position, the reservoir  16  is free to tilt outwardly a controlled angular amount and the tipping action is stabilized by the lip  32  riding along the curved surface  36 . The curved surface end in its upward direction with a abrupt shoulder  38 . As can also be seen in the Figure, the level of water  40  is shown and will be later discussed. 
     Turning next to FIG. 4, there is shown a further cross sectional view of the reservoir  16  but in the tipped or filling position. Thus, in the position shown, the reservoir  16  filler opening (FIG. 1) is available to the user and water can be poured into the reservoir  16 . Also, in the tilted position of FIG. 4, the reservoir is still held in its position affixed to the housing  11  by means of the resilient latch  30  in contact with the lower edge  28  of the reservoir and further held in the tilted or filing position by the abrupt shoulder  38  abutting against the lip  32 , thereby holding the reservoir  16  firmly in position to the housing  11  to allow the reservoir  16  to be filled with water by the user. 
     It should be noted that the level of the water  40  as shown in FIG. 4 is such that the user can fill the water to its uppermost level, since it is in a tilted position, and when the reservoir  16  is returned to its upright, operative position of FIG. 3, the water level will effectively become lowered in the reservoir  16  as the reservoir becomes upright, thus the user cannot over fill the reservoir  16  due to the use of a tilting mechanism as opposed to a sliding movement or other means to make the filler of the reservoir available to the user for filling. 
     Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown a cross section showing the sides of the reservoir  16  and the inner surfaces of the housing  11  into which the reservoir  16  is interfitted. As shown, there are front flanges  26  (also shown in FIG. 1) and rear flanges  42 , both formed at both sides of the reservoir  16  that extend outwardly from the sides of the reservoir  16 . Similarly, there are generally vertical housing flanges  44 , formed in the surfaces of the housing  11  and extending outwardly therefrom. As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical housing flange  44  is positioned intermediate the front flange  26  and rear flange  42  such that vertical housing flange  44  interferes with the front and rear flanges  26 ,  42  of the reservoir  16 . As such, the vertical housing flange  44  serves as a guide in the removal of the reservoir  16  from the housing  11 . 
     Thus, in removing the reservoir for cleaning and the like, the resilient latch  30  is released from its contact with the lower edge  28  of the reservoir  16  and the reservoir can be moved vertically downwardly as shown in FIG.  6  and cannot be angled outwardly until the heater  27  has been cleared. That vertical restraint is caused by the vertical housing flange  44  that interferes with both the front and rear flanges  26 ,  44  of the reservoir  16  so that the reservoir  16  cannot be immediately pulled or angled outwardly but must be lowered generally vertically. Thus the use of the vertical housing flange  44  protects the heater  27  that depends downwardly into the reservoir  16  from the housing  11  and the heater  27  cannot be broken off by a user immediately pulling the reservoir  16  outwardly to remove the reservoir  16 . Instead, by the interaction of the flanges, the reservoir  16  must be lowered vertically downwardly until the front and rear flanges  26 ,  44  clear the lower end of the vertical housing flange  44  and, only at that point, can the reservoir  16  be angled outwardly away from the generally vertical direction. At that point, the heater  27  has been sufficiently uncovered so as to protect it from damage. 
     Finally, in FIG. 7 there is an exploded view of the heater  27  and which includes a cartridge heater element  45  and is inserted into an aluminum sheath  46 . A top bracket  48  affixes the heater  27  to the housing  11  of the humidifier and includes a rubber insulator  50  for insulation and a middle bracket  52  having heat sensors  54  and  56 , one of which senses low water and the other is a safety sensor in series with the heater element  44 . A further flexible washer  56  seals the aluminum sheath  46  to prevent water from contacting the heater element  44 . Further, there is a rubber insulator  58  and a bottom bracket  60  the hold a plastic container  60  that depends downwardly into the water within the reservoir. 
     Thus, as the plastic container  60  is immersed in the water within the reservoir  16 , the plastic container  60  becomes filled with water and the heater element  44  can heat only a localized quantity of water contained in the plastic container  60  and not the entire reservoir filled with water. Thus, with the reservoir filled, there is sufficient quantity of water to provide humidification for a long period of time without refilling, however, at the same time, the heater does not have to heat the entire quantity of water but only the small localized quantity of water that is within the plastic container  60 . 
     Accordingly, the heated water vapor is collected in the plastic container  60  and rises to exit from the plastic container  60  out of the outlet  62  to be directly introduced into the infant compartment of an incubator. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the humidifier of the present invention which will result in an improved apparatus, yet all of which will fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.