Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   In a dry room or car interior, it may require a humidifier for humidifying the air for comfortable living or driving. However, it is not available or it is difficult to obtain a portable mini humidifier from the commercial source. 
   Even a prior art of U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,893 disclosed an ultrasonic humidifier for atomizing water or other liquid, which however has the following drawbacks:
     1. A water supply system including conduit or tube must be provided for supplying the water to be atomized by an ultrasonic vibrator, thereby causing a complex structure and unsuitable for portable uses.   2. There is no sensor provided for sensing the humidity in the air.   3. There is also no indicator showing the water content in a water supply system.   

   The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the prior art and invented the present portable humidifier. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The object of the present invention is to provide a portable humidifier comprising: a bottle for storing water therein, a capillary device immersed in the bottle for capillarily absorbing water as stored in the bottle, an ultrasonic vibrator mounted on an upper portion of the bottle for normally contacting a top wick portion of the capillary device and operatively vibrating for compressing the top wick portion for ejecting water mists upwardly outwardly through a plurality of perforations formed through the vibrator, a control device formed on a top cover of the bottle for controlling the on-off operation of the vibrator, a sensor formed on the top cover for sensing the surrounding humidity for reminding the user whether to actuate the control device for humidifying the surrounding, and a light indicator for illuminating and checking water stored in the bottle to remind whether to refill water into the bottle. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional drawing of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view showing the elements of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a front-view illustration showing an inside wall of the sensor means having guiding ribs flared on the inside wall for homogeneously dispersing the water mists into the surrounding. 
       FIG. 5  is a partial sectional drawing of the present invention showing the depression of the control means and opening of the sensor means for spreading water mists outwardly. 
       FIG. 6  shows the closing of the sensor means and the restored control means for switching off the vibrator operation of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   As shown in the drawing figures, the present invention comprises: a housing  1 , a capillary means  2 , an ultrasonic vibrator  3 , a control means  4  adjacent to a rear side R of the housing  1 , a sensor means  5  adjacent to a front side F of the housing  1 , and a light indicator  6 . 
   The housing  1  includes: a transparent bottle  11 , a bottom holder  10  embedded on a bottom portion of the bottle  11 , a covering plate  111  formed on an upper portion of the bottle  11  for closing the bottle  11  having an upper opening  112  formed through the covering plate  111  for refilling water into the bottle  11  and for inserting the capillary means  2  into the bottle  11  by passing through the opening  112 , a side socket  110  formed in the bottle  11  for resiliently providing a coupler  13  in the socket  110  for coupling an upper casing  12  detachably engaged on an upper portion of the bottle  11 , and a top cover  14  encapping the upper casing  12 . 
   The capillary means  2  includes: a capillary tube  21  having its upper portion secured in the upper casing  12  of the housing  1  and protruding downwardly through a tube opening  121  formed through the upper casing  12  and through an upper opening  112  in the covering plate  111  to be inserted into the bottle  11 ; a wick member  22  longitudinally formed in the capillary tube  21  having a top wick portion  23  protruding upwardly from the capillary tube  21  to be contacted with the ultrasonic vibrator  3 ; a bottom plug  24  fixed on a bottom portion of the capillary tube  21  having a plurality of slots  241  formed in the plug  24  to be fluidically communicated with the wick member  22  disposed in the capillary tube  21 ; and a tension spring  25  retained in the lower portion of the capillary tube  21  and resiliently urging the wick member  22  upwardly to help a resilient contacting between the top wick portion  23  with the vibrator  3 . 
   The capillary means  2  may be inclinedly secured in the housing  1  as shown in  FIG. 2  to increase the length of capillary tube for absorbing much water therein. The wick member  22  may be further protected by a sleeve disposed around the wick member  22  which is made of water-absorbable material, such as cotton, foam, etc. 
   The ultrasonic vibrator  3  includes: a piezoelectric actuator  31  secured in the upper casing  12  and electrically connected to the control means  4 ; and a perforated vibrating blade  32  having a plurality of perforations  33  formed through the blade  32  and secured to the piezoelectric actuator  31 , whereby upon switching-on of the control means  4  to actuate the piezoelectric actuator  31 , the vibrating blade  32  will be vibrated to compress the top wick portion  23  having water absorbed therein to eject water mists upwardly outwardly through the perforations  33  in the blade  32  to be spread into the environment through a front opening  141  formed in the top cover  14 . 
   Each perforation  33  formed in the vibrating blade  32  may have a diameter of 6˜9 microns, but not limited in the present invention. 
   The control means  4  includes: a button plate  41  pivotally secured in a rear portion of the top cover  14  by a pivot means  40  for normally shielding a rear opening  142  formed in the top cover  14 , a front tooth  42  formed on a front portion of the button plate  41  to be engaged with a pair of bifurcated teeth  511  formed in a rear portion of the sensor means  5  for opening the sensor means  5 , a switch button  43  resiliently formed on an electronic module  45  and having a button spring  44  disposed around the switch button  43  to normally urge a central bottom portion of the button plate  41  upwardly to be slightly separated from the switch button  43  ( FIGS. 2 and 6 ) to keep normal-open of the switch button  43 , and a power source adapter  46  adapted to be connected with an utility power supply and electrically connected to the electronic module  45 , with the electronic module  45  secured in a rear portion of the upper casing  12 . 
   The button plate  41  includes a bottom protrusion  411  preferably formed as an arcuate shape as shown in  FIG. 5  for smoothly depressing the switch button  43  of the control means  4 . 
   The sensor means  5  includes: a sensor plate  51  pivotally secured in a rear portion of the top cover  14  by a pivot  50  formed on a rear portion of the sensor plate  51  for normally shielding a front opening  141  of the top cover  14 , a pair of bifurcated teeth  511  formed on a rearmost end portion of the sensor plate  51  to be engaged with the front tooth  42  of the button plate  41  of the control means  4 , a humidity indicator  52  secured in an indicator recess  512  formed in the sensor plate  51  for indicating the humidity as sensed from the surrounding through a vent  531  formed in a cover sheet  53  (with the cover sheet  53  covering the humidity indicator  52  on the sensor plate  51 ); with the sensor plate  51  corresponding to the vibrating blade  32  of the ultrasonic vibrator  3  adjacent to the front side F of the housing  1 ; whereby upon depression on the button plate  41  of the control means  4 , the front tooth  42  of the button plate  41  will downwardly bias the bifurcated teeth  511  to lift the sensor plate  51  from  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 5  to open the sensor plate  51  to allow the water mists as ejected by the ultrasonic vibrator  3  to be spread outwardly through the front opening  141  of the top cover  14  for humidifying the surrounding such as in a room or in a car. Simultaneously, the depression of the button plate  41  will downwardly depress the switch button  43  to actuate the ultrasonic vibrator  3  for ejecting the water mists upwardly. 
   The humidity indicator  52  may be a color-change indicator including cobalt chloride which will be changed from red color to blue color, indicating the change from a wet condition (red) to a dry condition (blue). When it shows a blue color, it indicates the environment is dry and the present invention may be actuated to spread water mists into the air for obtaining a suitable humidity. 
   The sensor plate  51  has its inside wall  54  formed with a plurality of guiding ribs  55  flared sidewardly from a longitudinal center of the inside wall  54  as shown in  FIG. 4  for guiding the water mists as upwardly ejected from the ultrasonic vibrator  3  to be spread outwardly sidewardly for homogeneously dispersing the mists into the surrounding air for rapidly reaching a desired comfortable humidity. 
   The light indicator  6  includes: at least a lamp  61  such as a light-emitting diode (LED) mounted in a lower portion of the upper casing  12  for projecting light downwardly through a prism lens  62  formed in the covering plate  111  of the bottle  11  for illuminating the water stored in the bottle  11  for checking the water level L whether to refill water into the bottle or not. 
   The lamp  61  may be modified to be a plurality of LEDs with different colors and may be flashed as driven by a flashing circuit, not limited in the present invention. 
   Upon decoupling of the upper casing  12  from the bottle  11  by depressing the coupler  13  inwardly, the upper casing  12  and the elements implemented therein will be removed and the water may be re-filled into the bottle through the opening  112 . 
   When depressing the button plate  41  of the control means  4  for starting the ultrasonic vibrator  3 , the front tooth  42 , as engaged with the bifurcated teeth  511  of the sensor plate  51 , will be biased and lifted upwardly as shown in  FIG. 5 , a rear tooth  511   r  of the bifurcated teeth  511  will be frictionally engaged with the front tooth  42  to temporarily “lock” the front tooth  42  in position for continuously depressing the switch button  43  for actuating the vibrator  3  during the humidifying operation. 
   When it is intended to stop the humidification, the sensor plate  51  is lowered to close the opening  141  and the bifurcated teeth  511  will spur the front tooth  42  of the button plate  41  upwardly (from  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 6 ) to restore the button plate  41  to allow the button spring  44  to resiliently urge the protrusion  411  of the button plate  41  upwardly to be separated from the switch button  43 , remaining a gap G between the button  43  and the button plate  41  and thereby deactivating the vibrator  3  to stop its vibrating operation. 
   The present invention is superior to the prior art with the following advantages:
     1. The humidifier is a compact portable unit, being easily carried and conveniently used in a tiny space.   2. A sensor is provided for checking when to start the ultrasonic vibrator for operating the humidifier in a more scientific way.   3. Light indicator (LED) is provided for always checking the water level (L) in the bottle and also for projecting color light into water for enriching beautiful ornamental effect.   4. Guide means is provided for guiding the water mists from the vibrator to be homogeneously spread outwardly to the air for a more uniform humidity within the room or in a car.   

   The present invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   The housing may also be further added therein with air-refreshing agent, deodorant or other hygienic agents.

Technology Category: 4