US 5,673,360 AGranted

Travel Humidifier

OwnerJ. Sebastian Scrippsinventor

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Abstract

A portable and compact humidifier for use in a hotel room includes a vaporizing chamber having a heating element that vaporizes water contained in a hotel sink or ice bucket. Various safety devices are provided, all of which connect with a ground fault interrupt circuit ("GFCI") located at the electrical plug end of the humidifier. Upon the occurrence of a fault condition, the GFCI disconnects electricity from the vaporizing element. The safety devices include both high and low water level sensors, and a heating element overheat sensor. The humidifier enclosure may either comprise a single component that allows the entire humidifier to float in the reservoir, or the enclosure may comprise a plurality of enclosure sections that telescope relative to each other. The uppermost section is fixed in height with respect to the reservoir, while the lowermost section floats in the reservoir. As the level of water in the reservoir decreases, the telescoping enclosure increases in length.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A portable humidifier for vaporizing water held in a water reservoir apart from the humidifier, the humidifier comprising:

a. a vaporizing chamber having at least one inlet for passing water therethrough and into the vaporizing chamber, and having at least one outlet for passing water vapor therethrough and out of the vaporizing chamber and into a surrounding environment, the vaporizing chamber having floating means associated therewith for floating the vaporizing chamber in the water reservoir;
b. vaporizing means, disposed in the vaporizing chamber, for vaporizing water within the vaporizing chamber to create the water vapor that passes through the outlet into the surrounding environment;
c. high water means for sensing when a level of the water in the vaporizing chamber has exceeded a first predetermined height, and for preventing the vaporizing means from vaporizing water within the vaporizing chamber when the level of water in the vaporizing chamber has exceeded the first predetermined height;
and
d. a telescoping outer enclosure comprising a plurality of enclosure sections connected together, a lowermost enclosure section enclosing the vaporizing chamber and the vaporizing means, an uppermost enclosure section connected with a housing of the water reservoir, as the level of water in the water reservoir decreases over time as the water is vaporized, the enclosure sections slide with respect to each other such that the uppermost enclosure section is fixed with respect to the water reservoir housing and the lowermost enclosure section contacts the water in the water reservoir.

2 more elements

A portable humidifier for vaporizing water held in a water reservoir apart from the humidifier, the humidifier comprising:

a. a vaporizing chamber having at least one inlet for passing water therethrough and into the vaporizing chamber, and having at least one outlet for passing water vapor therethrough and out of the vaporizing chamber and into a surrounding environment, the vaporizing chamber having floating means associated therewith for floating the vaporizing chamber in the water reservoir;
b. vaporizing means, disposed in the vaporizing chamber, for vaporizing water within the vaporizing chamber to create the water vapor that passes through the outlet into the surrounding environment;
c. ground fault interrupt circuit means for sensing an occurrence of at least one of a plurality of fault conditions associated with the humidifier, and for preventing the vaporizing means from vaporizing water within the vaporizing chamber upon the occurrence of at least one of the fault conditions, wherein electric power is supplied to the vaporizing means from an electric power source located apart from the humidifier, the electric power being supplied through an electrical cord connected to the vaporizing means and also adapted to be selectively connected to the electric power source at an electrical plug end of the electrical cord, the ground fault interrupt circuit means being located at the electrical plug end of the electrical cord;
and
d. a telescoping outer enclosure comprising a plurality of enclosure sections connected together, a lowermost enclosure section enclosing the vaporizing chamber and the vaporizing means, an uppermost enclosure section connected with a housing of the water reservoir, as the level of water in the water reservoir decreases over time as the water is vaporized, the enclosure sections slide with respect to each other such that the uppermost enclosure section is fixed with respect to the water reservoir housing and the lowermost enclosure section contacts the water in the water reservoir.

2 more elements

A portable humidifier for vaporizing water held in a water reservoir apart from the humidifier, the humidifier comprising:

a. a vaporizing chamber having at least one inlet for passing water therethrough and into the vaporizing chamber, and having at least one outlet for passing water vapor therethrough and out of the vaporizing chamber and into a surrounding environment, the vaporizing chamber having floating means associated therewith for floating the vaporizing chamber in the water reservoir;
b. vaporizing means, disposed in the vaporizing chamber, for vaporizing water within the vaporizing chamber to create the water vapor that passes through the outlet into the surrounding environment;
and
c. a telescoping outer enclosure comprising a plurality of enclosure sections connected together, a lowermost enclosure section enclosing the vaporizing chamber and the vaporizing means, an uppermost enclosure section connected with a housing of the water reservoir, as the level of water in the water reservoir decreases over time as the water is vaporized, the enclosure sections slide with respect to each other such that the uppermost enclosure section is fixed with respect to the water reservoir housing and the lowermost enclosure section contacts the water in the water reservoir.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.