Humidifier unit
OwnerRoger Footeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low cost medical humidifier for adding moisture to a patient air flow is disclosed. The humidifier comprises a water reservoir, a disposable evaporative wick containing a heater, a lid containing electrical contacts to engage the heater in the wick and airway connections. The wick heater comprises a PET film with aluminium tracks and a cover layer of PTC resistive ink. The heater is covered with paper to provide a water pathway via capillary flow. There is a capillary path from the water reservoir to the wick. The wick and heater are manufactured with printing and calendaring processes in reel to reel processes.
Claims13
1-17. (canceled)
A multilayer humidifier wick, comprising at least a top layer, a bottom layer, and a heating element intermediate the top and bottom layer, the top and bottom layer being hydrophilic and in communication so that water will pass from the bottom layer to the top layer by a wicking action, wherein the wick further comprises a transport component extending down from the bottom layer, so that the transport component is operatively adapted to project into a reservoir of water and transport water from the reservoir to the bottom layer by a wicking action, and the heating element will operatively increase the temperature of the water in the wick.
A humidifier for a flow of air, comprising a reservoir adapted to retain water, a lid, an air inlet and an air outlet, and a wick positioned over the reservoir, the wick comprising at least a top layer, a bottom layer, and a heating element intermediate the top and bottom layer, the top and bottom layer being hydrophilic and in communication so that water will pass from the bottom layer to the top layer by a wicking action, the arrangement being such that operatively the bottom layer passes water through the heating element to the top layer, wherein the wick is positioned so that it is not in direct contact with the water in the reservoir, a transport component extending down from the bottom layer into the reservoir so that operatively the transport component contacts the water and transports water to the bottom layer by a wicking action, and the heating element increases the temperature of the water in the wick, and so that operatively the humidity of a flow of air passing from the air inlet to the air outlet is increased.
A method of humidifying an air flow, including at least the steps of:
- (a) Providing a humidifying chamber with and inlet and an outlet, and a reservoir of water;
- (b) Providing a wick positioned above but not in contact with the water, and a transport component extending into the water, so that water travels to the wick using a wicking action;
- (c) Heating the wick using an internal heating element, so that the water in the wick is increased in temperature;
- and
- (d) Passing the air flow across an upper surface of the wick, so that the humidity of the air flow is increased.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.