Patent ID: 8062588

Claim:
A method for sanitizing an enclosed space using an atomized fog of particles, the method comprising the steps of: providing a tank having an interior space including a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion is substantially smaller than the bottom portion; supporting a reactor vessel within the interior space and above the bottom portion, the reactor vessel having an opening including a top edge, wherein the opening in the reactor vessel is dimensioned substantially greater than the top portion of the tank; positioning an ultrasonically vibratable disc having an ultrasonic head at a fixed position within the reactor vessel and below the top edge; placing an aqueous sanitizing liquid into the interior space at the bottom portion; transferring the aqueous sanitizing liquid from the bottom portion into the reactor vessel; continuing the aqueous sanitizing liquid transferring for permitting the aqueous sanitizing liquid to continuously cascade over the top edge of the reactor vessel for maintaining a constant distance between a surface of the aqueous sanitizing liquid within the reactor vessel and the ultrasonic head, and thus maintaining a substantially constant immersion depth of the ultrasonic head within the aqueous sanitizing liquid carried by the reactor vessel; vibrating the ultrasonically vibratable disc to generate ultrasonic energy, the ultrasonic head positioned within and beneath the top edge of the reactor vessel and submerged in the aqueous sanitizing liquid to form the atomized fog of particles from the aqueous sanitizing liquid; positioning a fan above the surface of the sanitizing liquid for directing the atomized fog of particles; directing the atomized fog of particles from the vessel toward the top portion of the tank; and exhausting only the atomized fog of particles from the top portion to the enclosed space exterior of the tank through an outlet of the tank.