Air freshening device
AssigneePhilip Morris USA Inc.
InventorsChristopher S. Tucker, Walter A. Nichols
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air freshening device includes a liquid supply operable to supply liquid fragrance material, a wick in contact with the liquid supply, a conductive mesh material operable to retain the liquid material in interstices thereof, and a power supply operable to apply voltage across the mesh material so as to heat the mesh material and the liquid fragrance material contained in interstices of the mesh material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid. The air freshening device is operable to substantially prevent deposition of the vaporized liquid material.
Claims22
An air freshening device comprising:
- a liquid supply operable to supply liquid fragrance material;
- a wick in contact with liquid in the liquid supply;
- a conductive mesh material operable to retain the liquid material in interstices thereof;
- and
- a power supply operable to apply voltage across a heater comprising the conductive mesh material so as to heat the liquid material contained in interstices of the mesh material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid,
- wherein the air freshening device is operable to substantially prevent deposition of the vaporized liquid material.
A method for generation of vaporized material comprising:
- drawing liquid fragrance material into a wick from a liquid supply;
- using the wick to deliver the liquid material into interstices of a mesh material;
- and
- periodically applying voltage across the mesh material to heat the liquid material in the interstices of the mesh material to a temperature sufficient to heat the mesh material and at least partially vaporize the liquid material such that the liquid material is driven out of the interstices of the mesh material and forms a vaporized material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.