Source: http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5361989.html
Timestamp: 2017-11-23 00:16:02
Document Index: 527795748

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n14', 'art 12', 'art 13', 'art 12', 'art 17', 'art 13', 'art 18', 'art 12', 'art 17', 'art 17', 'art 17', 'art 38', 'art 38', 'art 47', 'art 17', 'art 17', 'art 17', 'art 17', 'art 17']

Device for generating a mist from a liquid, especially a medication - Patent # 5361989 - PatentGenius
Device for generating a mist from a liquid, especially a medication
5361989 Device for generating a mist from a liquid, especially a medication
Inventor: Merchat, et al.
Application: 08/134,733
Inventors: Cinquin; Gerard (Villeneuve-sur-Lot, FR)
Merchat; Serge (Grenoble, FR)
Teixeira; Jose (Grenoble, FR)
Assignee: D.P. Medical (Meylan, FR)
U.S. Class: 239/102.2; 239/524
Field Of Search: 239/102.1; 239/102.2; 239/524; 239/512; 239/338
U.S Patent Documents: 3387607; 3690317; 3828773; 3838686; 5170782; 5235969
Foreign Patent Documents: 3225951; 3826101; 82209; 262321
Other References: Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 009, No. 104 (C-279) 8 Mar. 1985 & JP-A-59 230 658 (Koushin KK) 25 Dec. 1984 (Abstract)..
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 4, No. 186 (C-36) 20 Dec. 1980 & JP-A-55 124 566 (Tokyo Shibaura Denki KK) 25 Dec. 1980..
Abstract: A device for generating a mist from a liquid by a vibrating device. The device comprises a chamber which has a bottom wall on which the liquid rests, a side wall and a top wall. The chamber has at least one mist outlet orifice. The device includes a deflector which has a preferably concave or inclined underside at a distance above the bottom of the chamber and at a level lower than that of the top wall of the chamber.
1. Device for generating a mist from a liquid comprising
a chamber for receiving the liquid and having a bottom wall, a side wall and a top wall provided with at least one mist outlet orifice,
a vibrating member which is located a distance below said bottom wall of said chamber and emits a vibration towards the bottom wall of said chamber for generating a jet at a surface of the liquid,
said side wall of said chamber having a narrower lower part surrounding said bottom wall
a deflector disposed in said chamber at a distance from said at least one mist outlet orifice,
means for connecting said deflector to said top wall of the chamber, said deflector being at a level or distance below said top wall of said chamber and having an underside at a distance above and covering substantially the bottom wall of saidchamber, at least part of a edge of said deflector being at a small distance from said narrower lower part of said side wall of said chamber,
whereby the jet formed at the surface of the liquid impinges on an underside of said deflector so that there is virtually no splashing of liquid droplets above the level of said deflector towards said top wall, said at least one mist outletorifice or the part of said side wall located above said narrower lower part thereof and that the mist formed passes between the edge of said deflector and said side wall towards an upper space of said chamber situated over said deflector before beingevacuated through said at least one mist outlet orifice, therefore small quantities of liquid can be virtually completely converted into mist.
2. Device according to claim 1 wherein said underside of said deflector has at least one concave part.
14. Device according to claim 1, wherein said top wall is a removable lid and wherein said deflector is provided with at least one arm extending upwardly, an upper part of said arm and said lid having mutually interengaging parts for suspendingsaid deflector from said lid and removably installing said deflector in said chamber.
15. Device according to claim 14, wherein said deflector comprises a wall in the shape of a dome suspended from said lid by said arm, the lower edge of said dome being at a small distance from said narrower part of the side wall of saidchamber.
The invention consists in a device for generating a mist from a liquid by means of a vibrating member and comprising a chamber which has a bottom wall on which the liquid rests, a side wall and a top wall which incorporates at least one mistoutlet orifice, in which device said vibrating member is a distance below said bottom wall of said chamber, said side wall of said chamber has a narrower lower part, the upper side of said bottom wall surrounded by said narrower wall is concave and adeflector in the lower part of said chamber is disposed at a level below that of said top wall of said chamber and has an underside at a distance above the bottom of said chamber, at least part of the edge of said deflector being at a small distance fromsaid narrower lower part of said side wall of said chamber.
When the mist is formed in said chamber an upward jet of droplets is produced at the surface of the liquid. The deflector of the invention constitutes an obstacle which reduces or prevents splashing of the liquid droplets against the side or topwall of said chamber, where they could otherwise remain due to capillary action with the result that they would not be converted into mist.
As the vibrating member usually operates on the bottom part of the chamber where the pool of liquid lies, the deflector of the invention can considerably increase the quantity of liquid which is converted into mist from a dose of liquidintroduced into said chamber.
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section of a device for generating a mist from a liquid contained in a chamber equipped with a first embodiment of a deflector.
FIG. 1 shows a device for generating a mist from a liquid.
The device comprises a support 2 which has a cylindrical peripheral wall 3 whose axis is vertical and whose lower edge 4 is adapted to rest on a horizontal supporting surface. The support further comprises, inside the cylinder 3, a lowerhorizontal radial wall 5 and an intermediate horizontal radial wall 6 above which is an open-topped space 7.
In the direction from the top towards the bottom the cup 10 has a short cylindrical part 12, a frustoconical part 13 of reducing diameter and a bottom wall 14 spaced from the intermediate radial wall 6 of the support 2. The cylindrical part 12is inserted with a small clearance in the upper part of the peripheral wall 3 of the support 2 and has a rim 15 which rests on the upper edge 16 of the wall 3. The bottom wall 14 of the cup 10 has a concave upper side and the lower part 17 of thefrustoconical part 13 has a slightly smaller diameter than the remainder.
The lid 11 comprises a short cylindrical part 18 which fits with a small clearance into the cylindrical part 12 of the cup 10 and has an exterior annular rim 19 which bears on the rim 15 of the cup and a horizontal disk 20 with two openings 21and 22 from which extend tubes 24 and 25 for connecting external pipes (not shown).
In the chamber 9 is a deflector 26 comprising a parallel-sided horizontal disk 27 and a vertical suspension member 28 extending upwardly therefrom. The disk 27 and the member 28 are coaxial with the cup 10. The upper end 29 of the member 28 isengaged in an opening 30 in the disk 20 of the lid, i.e. the deflector 26 is suspended from the lid.
The diameter of the disk 27 of the deflector 26 is slightly larger than the diameter of the bottom wall 14 of the cup 10 and is at a small distance from the narrower part 17 of the frustoconical side wall 13 of the cup 10 so that a gap remainsbetween its edge and the latter.
A dose of liquid 31 rests in the bottom of the cup 10 with its upper surface at a distance below the underside 27a of the disk 27 of the deflector 26. The volume of the dose 31 (a few cubic millimeters) is very much less than the volume of thechamber 9.
When the quartz crystal 8 is activated a mist comprising very fine droplets of liquid is generated at the surface of the liquid 31. This mist passes between the edge of the disk 27 of the deflector 26 and the frustoconical side wall 13 of thecup 10 and is drawn off by a flow of air across the chamber 9 from one tube 24 or 25 to the other produced by external means (not shown).
The quartz crystal 8 generates an upward jet localized at the surface of the liquid 31. This jet impinges on the underside 27a of the disk 27 of the deflector 26 with the result that there is virtually no splashing of liquid droplets above thelevel of the disk 27 towards the frustoconical wall 13 or towards the disk 20 of the lid 11. Also, liquid droplets splashed onto the disk of the deflector 26 drop off again.
Due to the effect of the deflector and more specifically the combined effects of the deflector 26 and the concave end wall 14 of the cup 10 it is possible to convert virtually all of the dose 31 of liquid poured into the cup 10 into mist withoutany liquid droplets remaining on the side wall 13 of the cup 10 or on the wall 20 of the lid 11.
If the deflector 26 is not to be used, for example if much larger quantities of liquid are to be converted into mist, all that is required is to remove the lid 11, separate the deflector 26 from it by disengaging the end 29 of the member 28 fromthe hole 30 and replace the lid 11 on the cup 10 as previously.
In the FIGS. 2 and 3 embodiment the deflector 32 is removably suspended from the lid 11 as previously, by means of a vertical arm 33. Instead of the disk 27 it comprises two inclined rectangular plates 34 and 35 which are symmetrical and joinedtogether at their upper edge, from which the arm 33 extends. The lower edges of the plates 32 and 34 are at a small distance from the narrower part 17 of the side wall 13 of the cup 10.
This arrangement has the advantage that it forces the droplets or the jet of liquid striking the lower side of the plates 34 and 35 to drop off again. Moreover, if liquid droplets are deposited onto the upper surfaces of the plates 34 and 35they drop off again rather than collecting there.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the deflector 36 comprises a wall 37 in the shape of a dome or an inverted wineglass suspended from the lid 11 by an arm 37a as in the previous example. The lower edge of the dome 36 is at a small distance fromthe narrower part 17 of the wall 13 of the cup 10. This deflector has a concave lower side facilitating recycling of splashed droplets and a convex upper side so that any droplets which might be deposited on its upper side drop off.
The FIG. 5 embodiment varies from the FIG. 4 embodiment only in that the deflector 36 has at the center of the lower surface of the wall 37 a pointed part 38 projecting downwards. The projecting part 38 also facilitates downward movement of anydroplets which form on the underside of the deflector.
In the example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 the deflector 42 is no longer suspended from the lid 11 by an arm. It comprises a plate folded to a V-shape with the upper ends of its branches 43 and 44 bearing elastically against pegs 45 and 46 on thelower side of the disk 20 of the lid 11. The width of the plate 42 is substantially equal to the diameter of the lower end wall 14 of the cup 10. Its branches 43 and 44 are parallel to the frustoconical side wall of the cup 10 and its rounded point 47is at a small distance from and faces the bottom wall 14 of the cup 10. The edges of the lower part 47 of the deflector 42 are a small distance from the narrower part 17 of the cup 10.
In the remaining embodiments the deflector is no longer suspended from the lid 11 of the chamber but is supported by the wall of the cup 10, for example by resting on at least one inwardly deformed part of the side wall or the bottom wall of thecup or a part provided specifically for this purpose.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12 the deflector 50 is formed by a domed plate whose axis is on the vertical axis of the cup 10. Its edge 51 comprises four notches 52 between which it rests on the upper edge of the narrower part 17 of the sidewall 13 of the cup 10. The edge of the notches 52 is a small distance from the narrower part 17 of the cup 10.
As in the previous examples the jet or droplets of splashed liquid impinge on the concave lower side of the deflector 50, any droplets which may form on its convex upper side dropping off via the notches 52 and the mist formed being evacuatedthrough the notches 52.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 14 and 15 the deflector 55 is formed by a substantially triangular plate with the lower corner 56 rounded and resting on a part of the upper edge of the narrower part 17 of the side wall 13 of the cup 10. Its other twocorners 57 and 58 bear against the side wall 13 of the cup 10, approximately half way up it and on the opposite side of the cup axis. The underside of the deflector 55 is concave and its upper side is convex for the same reasons as previously. The mistformed can flow upwards between the sides of the deflector 55 and the frustoconical wall 13 of the cup 10. The sides of the deflector 55 and the frustoconical wall 13 of the cup 10 are a small distance apart, in particular near the narrower part 17 ofthe cup.
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