System and method of controlling operation of a liquid diffusion appliance

Abstract

A method and system of controlling operation of a diffusion appliance to treat the atmosphere within an enclosed space. The appliance may be programmed to operate according to a control scheme specifying a flow rate of liquid to a diffusion means and a periodic operation of the diffusion means. Control schemes may be associated with different volumes of spaces to be treated by the appliance. Anti-fatigue schemes may provide variation of the flow rate or periodic operation of the appliance. Initiation controls schemes may be used to start treatment of the space before the appliance is programmed to operate according to one of the control schemes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 090,240, filed Apr. 19, 2011 which is a continuation-in-part of commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 691,363, filed on Mar. 26, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods of controlling operation of a liquid diffusion device.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]In existing scent and liquid diffusion devices, a variety of approaches to controlling the operation or output of the devices are currently used. However, these conventional approaches tend to be sub-optimal with regard to initiating treatment of a space with a liquid or scent compound, and do not take into account fatigue or resistance by users or occupiers of the space. Existing approaches also do not take into account operational characte...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent is about controlling how a liquid diffuser operates. It focuses on how to control how fast the diffuser works and when it should be operated.

Problems solved by technology

However, these conventional approaches tend to be sub-optimal with regard to initiating treatment of a space with a liquid or scent compound, and do not take into account fatigue or resistance by users or occupiers of the space.

Existing approaches also do not take into account operational characteristics of the diffusion devices in determining when, for how long and at what speed to operate the apparatus.

However, providing connectivity between the sensor and the diffusion device may add undesirable complexity to an installation and may not be appropriate in situations where permanent or persistent mounting of the diffusion device is not desired or possible.

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