Patent ID: 6837445

Claim:
A nozzle type device with an integral pump, where the nozzle type device is adapted to atomize liquids at a nozzle tip surface by capillary waves generated in a liquid layer thereon by application of a frequency above about 200 kHz in transducers attached distal to the nozzle tip comprising: (a) two or more horn stages, each having a central channel defined within a body of the horn stage extending from a base and a horn tip, each horn stage being further adapted to have a length of about one half of the acoustic wavelength at the frequency; (b) a driver section of about one half of the acoustic wavelength at the frequency with the transducers rigidly attached therein and having a central channel defined within a body of the driver stage extending from a forward end to a rearward end; (c) a forward horn stage section comprising one or more sequentially connected forward horn stages, with a first base of a first forward horn stage integral with the forward end; and (d) a pump horn stage section comprising one or more sequentially connected pump horn stages, with a first base of a first pump horn stage integral with the rearward end; (e) the central channels of all the horn stages and the driver section form a continuous channel extending from an inlet opening defined in a free end of the pump horn stage section to an outlet opening defined in a free end of the forward horn stage section.