Room air deodorizer

[57] ABSTRACT

A device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorizing material includes a substantially hollow housing having an external air deflector at one end and an internal air deflector at the other end. At least two air carrying conduits extend outwardly from the outer surface of the housing. Each conduit has an air passageway having an outer end spaced from the outer surface of the housing. The passageway extends from its outer end inwardly toward the internal air deflector in a straight line to the interior of the housing. An air outlet is provided on the housing to permit deodorized air to leave the housing.

Claims, 14 Drawing Figures

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PATENTED &gt;241973

3.747.902

SHEET 1 OF 4

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FIG. 4

INVENTOR

JAMES RUSHTON BAILEY ^{BY f}jFnne^an_&gt; Jlendason fiFFtfatfote

ATTORNEYS

ΡΑΤΕΝΪ£βΜ^Ι973

3.747.902

SHEET 2 OF 4

124

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FIG. 6

FIG. 5

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FIG . 7

JAMES

INVENTOR

RUSHTON BAILEY

BY

Jinegcui, Jfoid&amp;tson &amp; 3ακαύοω

ATTORNEYS

PATENTED &lt;241973

3,747,902

SHEET 3 OF 4

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INVENTOR

JAMES RUSHTON BAILEY ^BY rjtnneoan, J{tnc/&amp;iS6n^^rJa^a6oa) ATTORNEYS

PATENBM^w.

3,747.902

SHEET U OF 4

<img file="US3747902A_D0007.tif" />

INVENTOR

JAMES RUSHTON BAILEY

BY ^inneqafij Mend&amp;tscn &amp; Ja*a6oa)

ATTORNEYS

3,747,902

ROOM AIR DEODORIZER

This invention relates to a device for bringing gaseous material into surface contact with a solid or liquid, and more particularly to a device for bringing odoriferous air into surface contact with a solid or liquid deodorant.

Many office buildings and apartment houses are equipped with central air conditioning and heating systems which control the flow of air throughout the building. Air outlets from these systems are not, however, placed in every room of the building or house. The air in rooms without air outlets from central systems is not subject to a great amount of air circulation and forms pockets of stagnant air. In particular, internal bathrooms, powder rooms, and kitchens in houses, apartments, motels, hospitals, and the like, often do not have an air outlet for circulating air from the central air conditiong and heating system and are known as “closed air rooms.”

The air in rooms without air outlets often becomes stale, musty, or odoriferous, and it is frequently necessary to provide an alternate system for circulating the air in these rooms. In the past, a central air duct extending throughout the house or apartment and having outlets in rooms that are not connected to the central system has sometimes been used to circulate the air in these rooms. An area of low pressure is created in the central duct which results in the pulling or drawing of air from these rooms into the central duct. In turn, fresh air is pulled into these rooms from adjoining rooms which are connected to the central system. The use of a central duct, however, is quite costly and is inefficient in providing fresh air to closed air rooms since the draw created in the central duct is usually not great enough to effect a large circulation.

Fans located in one of the walls of a closed air room or elsewhere in the room have also been used to circulate the air in these rooms. These fans, however, do not treat the air in the room to remove odor or bring in fresh air free of odor, but merely circulate the odoriferous air.

In the past, deodorizing compositions have been used to clear the air of objectionable odors. These compositions have been placed in aerosol sprays, deodorizing sticks, liquid containers and various other devices which enable odoriferous air to come into contact with the deodorizing compositions. These devices, however, have various drawbacks. For example, aerosol sprays are intermittently operated and thus do not continuously contact the deodorant with the air. Deodorant sticks effectively contact a small portion only of the air to be treated. Prior liquid deodorant holders capable of effectively treating large volumes of air have occupied relatively large areas of space.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved device for holding a deodorizing liquid or solid material which enables odoriferous air to come in contact with deodorant.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device that is easy to refill, reliable, safe, and which can be repeatedly used over a long period of time.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved deodorizing system that is capable of bringing large quantities of air into contact with a deodorant.

Additional objects and advantages of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from that description or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages are realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

To achieve its objects and in accordance with its purpose, this invention provides a device for contacting odoriferous air with a liquid or solid deodorant material. As embodied and broadly described, this device comprises a substantially hollow housing having an external air deflector at one end and an internal air deflector at the other end; at least two air carrying conduits extending outwardly from the outer surface of the housing, each conduit having an air passageway having an outer end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, the passageway extending from the outer end inwardly toward the internal air deflector in a straight through path to the hollow interior of the housing; and an air outlet on the housing.

Preferably, the housing includes a cylindrical sleeve having a sleeve wall and the internal air deflector comprises a removable closure which sealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall.

Additionally, it is preferred that each air passageway has an inner opening in the sleeve wall to permit air to enter the interior of the sleeve, and the removable closure has a hollow stem which sealingly engages the inner surface of the sleeve wall and extends beyond the air outlet and the inner opening of each air passageway; the stem being movable between an inoperative position where the stem wall prevents communication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageway and air outlet, and an operative position where the stem wall opening permits communication between (a) the interior of the sleeve and (b) the air passageways and air outlet.

It is also preferred that the outer surface of the external air deflector is in the form of a cone and that the external air deflector have an internal recess which communicates with the hollow of the sleeve. It is further preferred that the air outlet comprises transversely aligned openings and that the air conduits are transversely aligned.

In accordance with the invention the device is mounted on a support within an enclosure haying a front perforated wall, and a means for directing air past the external air deflector toward the air carrying conduits is mounted within the enclosure on another support.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but are not restrictive of the invention.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a room air deodorizer device made in accordance with the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 1 looking from the cone shaped end of the device toward its opposite end.

FIG. 3 is a right side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

3,747,902

FIG. 4 is a vertical section of the device shown in FIG. 3 taken along line 4—4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of an enclosure supporting a device made in accordance with the teachings of this invention and having a fan for drawing air past the device.

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of another embodiment of an enclosure for supporting a device made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a device made in accordance with the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a right side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of an alternate embodiment of this invention having three air carrying conduits.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the device of this invention showing air outlet openings adjacent the external air deflector.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view in section of another embodiment of the device of this invention and showing a stem wall opening in the stem of an internal air deflector.

FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view of the device of FIG. 12 and showing the internal air deflector in an operative position.

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of the device of FIG. 12 and showing the internal air deflector in an inoperative position.

In accordance with this invention, the device for contacting odoriferous air with a deodorant includes a substantially hollow housing having an internal air deflector at one end and an external air deflector at the other end. As here embodied, and as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the housing includes an elongated cylindrical sleeve, generally 20, having a hollow interior 22 defined by a cylindrical sleeve wall 24. Sleeve wall 24 has an inner surface 26 and an outer surface 28. The housing, including the sleeve wall, is made of a suitable material such as plastic, and is preferably made of a clear or translucent plastic which enables light to be transmitted so that the level of deodorant in the housing can be readily determined. Plastic materials suitable for use in the present invention include polymeric materials such as, for example, polyethylene, polystyrene and the like.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, an internal air deflector, generally 30, in the form of a removable closure, is positioned within an open first end 32 of sleeve 20. Internal air deflector 30 has a cylindrical stem 34 which engages inner surface 26 of sleeve wall 24, and an outer cylindrical collar 36 which has a diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of sleeve 20. A shoulder 38 connects the outer surface of collar 36 with the outer surface of stem 34. Internal air deflector 30 is dimensioned so that when it is inserted within open end 32 of sleeve 20 its stem 34 sealingly engages inner surface 26 of sleeve wall 24 while shoulder 38 abuts against the end of the sleeve wall to prevent any liquid material that may be within the interior of the sleeve from leaking out through that end. Stem 34 has a flat end face 40 that faces the interior of sleeve 20 and deflects air entering the sleeve from its open end 32 to its opposite second end 42.

Second end 42 of sleeve 20 is provided with an external air deflector 44 in the form of a substantially solid cone having its apex 46 as the outermost part of the device. This end of the device is the end past which the oderiferous air initially flows, and thus must direct the air toward the air conduits, generally 56 and 58, described in greater detail hereafter, to permit air to enter the interior of sleeve 20. It has been found that use of an external air deflector having an outer surface in the form of a cone is important in permitting the flowing air to be directed toward air conduits 56 and 58. External air deflectors having other outer shapes are not as effective in directing air toward air conduits, and, in fact, can direct substantial portions of air to be treated away from the air conduits.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the interior of external air deflector 44 is provided with a recess 50 which is connected to hollow interior 22 of sleeve 20. Recess 50 is comprised of a generally rectangular opening which communicates with hollow interior 22 of sleeve 20 at one end and which terminates in a cone shaped opening at its other end. Recess 50 increases the amount of deodorant that can be held within the interior of the device and thus external air deflector 44 is preferably provided with such a recess. Though it is preferred to provide a recess in external air deflector 44, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the recess could be eliminated without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, an external air deflector 52 is entirely solid.

In an alternate embodiment of the external air deflector, and as shown in FIG. 11, the outer surface of the deflector is in the form of a truncated cone 53. It has been found that use of a truncated cone shape does not substantially interfere with the flow of air toward air conduits 56 and 58 and it is sometimes desirable to use this configuration, although best results are usually achieved with a cone that is not truncated. In a further embodiment of the external air deflector, as shown in FIG. 8, an external notch 54 is provided in the outer surface of the cone.

In accordance with this invention, at least two projecting air carrying conduits extend outwardly from the outer surface of the housing. Each conduit has an air passageway having an outer end spaced from the outer surface of the housing, with the passageway extending from its outer end inwardly toward the internal air deflector in a straight-through path to the interior of the housing.

As here embodied, and as shown in FIG. 1, a first air conduit 56 and a second air conduit 58 are transversely aligned adjacent internal air deflector 30 and extend radially outward from outer surface 28 of sleeve wall 24. Conduits 56 and 58 each have a flat front wall 60 whose outer surface lies in a plane which extends substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing. Front wall 60 is bounded by two opposed side walls 62 and 64 whose outer surface lies in planes which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing, and a top wall 66 which extends downwardly from the top edge of front wall 60 to outer surface 28 of sleeve wall 24 adjacent internal air deflector 30.

Each air conduit 56 and 58 is provided with an air passageway, generally 68, which extends from front wall 60 inwardly toward internal air deflector 30 in a straight-through path to the hollow interior of sleeve 20. Air passageway 68 has an outer open end 70 adja3.747.902 cent the top of front wall 60 and terminates in an inner opening 71 in sleeve wall 24 which permits air to enter the interior of sleeve 20.

Air passageway 68 is cylindrical in cross-sectional shape, but as shown in FIG. 2, its ends are elliptical because they lie in planes that are transverse to the longitudinal axis of the passageway. The straight-through path of air passageway 68 is an important feature of this invention since it has been found that paths other than straight-through paths, such as paths which have bends therein, cause a substantial pressure drop to occur in the passageway, resulting in a decrease in the ability of the device to accommodate high air flow rates. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, air passageway 68 forms an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the housing. The structure of the present device with air passageways that form acute angles with the longitudinal axis of the device causes a cyclonic air flow within the interior of the device so that the air comes into efficient surface contact with the deodorant material.

As best seen in FIGS. 1-3, air conduits 56 and 58 are positioned approximately 90° from each other about the outer periphery of sleeve 20. It is preferred that when using only two air conduits that they be positioned at least 90° apart from each other to enable different segments of the air flowing past the device to be directed into its interior. The conduits can, however, as illustrated in FIG. 7, be diametrically opposed to each other about the outer periphery of sleeve 20. Conduits that are spaced apart 180° are desirably used when the air to be treated is divided into two distinct air streams that pass opposed portions of the device.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the device can be provided with more than two conduits, such as the device illustrated in FIG. 10 having three air conduits 72 that are an equal distance from each other. The use of more than two air conduits insures that the air entering the device is a representative sampling of the air circulating in the room. The exact number of air conduits and their relative position can, of course, be varied to meet the requirements of particular air circulation systems, but at least two air conduits are needed to bring about a representative sampling of the air circulating in the room.

In accordance with the invention, an air outlet is provided on the housing. As here embodied, and as shown in FIG. 1, the air outlet comprises two spaced circular openings 74 and 76 located in sleeve wall 24 between air conduits 56 and 58 adjacent their front wall 60. Openings 74 and 76 permit air that has entered the interior of the housing and contacted the deodorant within the housing to leave the device free from objectionable odors. Openings 74 and 76 face toward the internal air deflecting end of the device so that the leaving air is directed toward that end of the device. The number of air openings and their exact location on sleeve wail 24 can readily be determined by those of ordinary skill in the art. The device of the present invention can be used in numerous positions of orientation and care must be taken that for the particular orientation in use, the air outlet openings are located above the fill line of the deodorant. As shown in FIG. 11, the air outlet openings can comprise transversely aligned rectangular slots 78 which are adjacent the external air deflector end of the device.

In use, the device of the present invention is an integral part of an air circulating system. After the device is filled with deodorant through open end 32 of sleeve 20, internal air deflector 30 is placed within the open end to provide a sealed hollow interior. The device is then supported in any suitable structure and means are 5 provided for directing air pass external air deflector 44 toward air conduits 56 and 58. As the air reaches air conduits 56 and 58 it enters the interior of the device through air passageways 68 and comes into surface contact with the deodorant contained within the de10 vice.

It is preferred to support the device of the present invention in a structure which hides it from view. A suitable structure for supporting the device is shown in FIG. 5 and comprises a substantially rectangular enclo15 sure generally 80 which has a perforated front wall, generally 82, which directly communicates with the air in the closed air room. Front wall 82 has a bottom screened section 84 for admitting air to enclosure 80 and a top louver section 86 for permitting air to leave 20 the enclosure. A support bar 88 extends toward the middle of enclosure 80 from front wall 82 to back wall 90 and a brace 92 is angularly connected to support bar 88 and to the back wall. Brace 92 receives and supports a fan 96.

²⁵ As shown in FIG. 5, a second brace 94 is positioned above support bar 88. A device 93, made in accordance with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 is supported in a substantially vertical direction in this brace. Fan 96 draws air from the closed air room into enclosure 80 ³⁰ through bottom screened section 84 and past external air deflector 44. As the air flows past external air deflector 44, it is directed to air conduits 56 and 58 where it enters air passageways 68. Air passageways 68 direct air traveling therein toward and into contact with end ^{3 3} face 40 of internal air deflector 30 which in tum deflects the air toward the other end of the device and into contact with the deodorant. Odoriferous air is continuously brought into the device and drives air which has been treated with the deodorant out through air ⁴⁰ outlet openings 74 and 76 to permit the treated air to re-enter the closed air room.

The enclosure for the device of the present invention can be a portable unit or can be mounted on a wall or ceiling. Also, the enclosure can comprise a recess in a ⁴⁵ wall or ceiling and if desired, a perforated screen can be used to close the opening to the recess. Deodorizing systems using the device of this invention can be used in a variety of places such as submarines, automobiles, trains, bathrooms, kitchens and any other place where ⁰ stale, musty, or offensively odoriferous air is present. The exact size of the device of the present invention and the size of the fan to pull the offensive air into the device will of course depend on the amount of air to be treated. For example, in rooms of approximately 80 to 225 square feet, a fan which will cause air to enter the device at a rate of 65 cubic feet per minute can be used to provide an efficient deodorizing system.

In an alternate embodiment of the internal air deflec₆₀ tor, and as best seen in FIGS. 12 to 14, an internal air deflector, generally 98, has a cylindrical stem 100 which sealingly engages inner surface 26 of sleeve wall 24 and a collar, generally 102. Stem 98 is hollow and has an annular stem wall 104 which extends past air ₆5 outlet openings 74 and 76, and past the inner openings 71 in sleeve wall 24 which permits air to enter the interior of sleeve 20. Stem wall 104 has a stem wall opening 106 which, as best seen in FIG. 13, extends about a por3,747,902 tion of the circumference of the stem wall slightly greater than the circumferential distance between the inner openings 71 in air passageways 68 and thus greater than the distance between air outlet openings 74 and 76. In the axial direction, stem wall opening 106 begins immediately before the inner openings 71 of air passageways 68 and extends beyond air outlet openings 74 and 76.

Collar 102, as best seen in FIG. 12, has a cylindrical hub which axially extends into the interior of sleeve 20 from an inner flat end face of the collar. Hub 108 has an axial extending bore 110 at its center and a wick 112 made of a suitable absorbent material has one end firmly held within the bore. The outer cylindrical surface of collar 102 is serrated or notched to enable a user to firmly grip the collar so that he can remove the collar or turn it in either direction when it is positioned within sleeve 20. An indicator marker 114 projects outwardly from the outer cylindrical surface of the collar immediately above the center of stem wall opening 106. An alignment marker 116 is provided on the outer surface of sleeve wall 24 between air outlet openings 76 and 78.

Internal air deflector 98 is movable between an operative position and an inoperative position. In the operative position, and as best seen in FIG. 13, stem wall opening 106 is aligned with air outlet openings 74 and 76, and inner openings 71 of air passageways 68 to permit communication between these openings and the interior of the sleeve so that air can enter the interior of the sleeve through inner openings 71 and leave through the outlet openings. In the inoperative position, and as best seen in FIG. 14, stem wail 104 overlies air outlet openings 74 and 76 and inner openings 71 of air passageways 68 to block or prevent communication between these openings and the interior of the sleeve. In this position, all of the openings of the device are closed so that the device is sealed and any material within the device, such as a liquid deodorant, cannot escape or leak from the device. Also, in the closed position air cannot enter the device and cause the deodorant to be evaporated or contaminated, Thus, the closed position enables the device to be filled and then shipped without possibility of leakage, loss or contamination of the deodorant material within the device. Internal air deflector 98 is rotatably movable between its operative and inoperative position by turning the collar. When internal air deflector 98 is in its operative position, indicator marker 114 on collar 102 and alignment marker 116 on sleeve 20 will be in alignment.

When using the device of the present invention with its longitudinal axis aligned in a substantially vertical direction, it is preferred to provide a wick such as that shown in FIG. 12 within sleeve 20. Also, the wick can be in the form of a “T” having the outer ends of the top of the T in contact with opposed points on inner surface 26 of sleeve wall 24 and having its stem positioned within the liquid deodorant material within the housing. Use of a wick achieves additional contact between the odoriferous air entering the device and the deodorant liquid.

In another embodiment of the enclosure for supporting a device of the present invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, a front wall, generally 118, is provided with a bottom screen 120 and a removable top section 122 mounted on the screen. Top section 122 is imperforate and is spaced from the top wall 124 of the enclosure to provide an opening 126. In this embodiment, air to be treated enters through bottom screen 120 and after treatment leaves the enclosure through opening 126.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details shown and described and departures may be made from such details without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.