Air Humidification Injection Apparatus

Abstract

The invention is an apparatus that humidifies air to a selected relative humidity and injects the humidified air into a container to establish the selected relative humidity throughout the container. The apparatus facilitates ambient supply air into a vessel for humidification to a selected relative humidity. The resulting humidified air is purged from the vessel and routed for injection into the container. The injected humidified air infiltrates the container and sustains the selected relative humidity throughout the container. Contents of the container are thus maintained at the selected relative humidity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Proper humidification is essential for cigars or other items that have storage recommendations requiring specific relative humidity levels. Passive methods of humidification include the natural evaporation of ambient moisture. In devices that use passive humidification methods, moisture naturally evaporates from a solid state medium, typically a porous membrane, such as a sponge or foam-type material, a fibrous grid or matrix, a hygroscopic salt, or a polymer designed to expand and contain moisture, as exhibited in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,975,288; 7,892,327; 5,936,178; and 8,087,645 respectively. The rate of evaporation is not able to be controlled, thus a precise and consistent relative humidity cannot be achieved. Furthermore, the relatively slow rate of natural evaporation is not sufficient to rapidly establish a selected relative humidity in an enclosure, specifically a cigar humidor or other enclosure that is repeatedly opened and needs to be repeatedl...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0004]The disclosed air humidification injection apparatus generates a source of air that is humidified to a selected relative humidity and injects the humidified air into a container, thus establishing and sustaining the selected level of relative humidity throughout the container. The continual injection of air that is humidified to a selected relative humidity maintains a stable storage environment inside the container. The apparatus is intended for, but not limited to, the storage and preservation of tobacco products, specifically cigars, or other botanicals, organisms, pharmaceuticals, minerals, chemical preparations, or other specialty items that benefit from an environment that has a specific level of relative humidity. The disclosed air humidification injection apparatus is specifically advantageous in the cigar industry for maintaining cigars at a selected relative humidity.

Problems solved by technology

The rate of evaporation is not able to be controlled, thus a precise and consistent relative humidity cannot be achieved.

Furthermore, the relatively slow rate of natural evaporation is not sufficient to rapidly establish a selected relative humidity in an enclosure, specifically a cigar humidor or other enclosure that is repeatedly opened and needs to be repeatedly humidified.

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