Room temperature vaporizer

Abstract

Device (1), possibly portable, for vaporizing a liquid substance (26) at room temperature, in which the device (1) comprises a main body (2) having a removable tank (3) with an external surface (9) and an internal surface (10) to contain the liquid substance (26), and a removable dispenser (4) coupled to an upper portion (5) of the tank (3) to dispense a mixture (25) consisting of said substance (26) and air (24), where the device (1) also includes a vibrating surface (6) located in the tank (3) at a lower portion (7) of that tank ( 3 ), and an electronic control unit (15) comprising an electronic generator (8) coupled to the vibrating surface (6) to produce an ultrasonic signal that feeds the vibrating surface (6) and to create a vapor of nano-droplets (23) of the liquid substance (26), in which the external surface (9) of the tank (3) has a different shape than the internal surface (10) of the tank (3) and in which the section of the tank (3) in correspondence with the lower portion (7) is smaller than the tank section (3) at the upper portion (5).

Description

[0001] Room temperature vaporizer

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present invention refers to a device , possibly portable , for vaporizing a liquid substance at room temperature and to a corresponding method of vaporization .

[0004] STATE OF THE ART

[0005] In the medical field, the vaporizer or inhaler is a device used for the administration of drugs or therapeutic substances through an inhalation of said substances . This method of administration allows it to reach the respiratory tract and lungs directly, enabling rapid absorption of the drug into the circulatory system . Vaporizers can be used to treat respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis , or cystic fibrosis , as well as to administer anesthetics during surgery .

[0006] The limitations of current vaporizers , both for liquid and solid substances ( e . g . powders ) , lie in the difficulty of reaching deep areas of the respiratory system, such as the pulmonary alveoli . In fact , the delivery of these devices stops in the tree , which constitutes the respiratory system, in the areas of the bronchi , which in itself is not suitable for transferring pharmacological principles , whether liquid or powder, into the bloodstream.

[0007] To improve the inhalation process and reach deeper areas of the respiratory system, some vaporizers , in addition to using the Venturi effect , are also designed to heat the substance to be delivered, for example to 40 ° C or higher temperatures . Heating is necessary to raise the temperature of the substance above the sublimation point , thereby transforming it into a gaseous form. This process takes place inside the vaporizer, which is designed to reach a controlled and constant temperature in order to vaporize the substance without burning or decomposing it . Heating is usually achieved through a process of thermal induction .

[0008] Vaporization devices are known in the literature that use ultrasound to create a vapor of the substance to be administered . For example , the Italian patent application IT1020240000003451 describes a device designed to vaporize a liquid substance by means of ultrasonic vibrations . This device involves in particular the use of induction thermal heating means to heat the mixture of substance to be vaporized and bring it to a temperature of e . g . 50 ° C .

[0009] However, there are substances that cannot be administered at temperatures above room temperature due to a breakdown of the pharmacological principles and / or a loss of therapeutic properties . For example , insulin must necessarily be administered to diabetic patients at cold or room temperature .

[0010] Currently, insulin exists in the water-based liquid pharmacological form and is administered by inj ection by subcutaneous or intramuscular inj ections . There is only one drug, recently approved in the USA, that shows a pharmacological form of insulin powder, to be taken by inhalation . However , being in powder form, this substance has a low penetration and the effectiveness is comparable with drugs used as partial compensatory of meals that are normally taken orally such as metformin . Furthermore , as mentioned above , the most effective vaporizers currently on the market that guarantee greater penetration of the substance are based on the principle of heating the substance and are therefore not suitable for the administration of insulin .

[0011] In addition, due to the need to heat the vaporization tank, since an inductive heating process is usually used, the tank must be made of stainless steel suitable for the specific use of induction heating , which is a heavy material that is difficult to work with . Such a device also requires a lot of energy, which makes the power supply unusable , for example via batteries . Therefore , a vaporizer of this type could not be made as a portable device of suitable size for use in off-site or unexpected situations ( e . g . for sudden pathological manifestations ) .

[0012] A further limitation of the vaporizers known in the literature is represented by the high amount of drug that remains unused in the vaporization phase . It is estimated that about 50% of the amount inserted into the device is not actually inhaled but remains inside the tank or is dispersed .

[0013] Therefore , the purpose of the present invention to provide an effective and easy-to-apply solution to the above-mentioned problems relating to the vaporization of liquid substances to be inhaled at room temperature . In particular , the purpose of the this invention to provide a vaporizer and a corresponding vaporization method that allows the vaporization of a liquid substance , particulary for medical-therapeutic purposes , capable of reaching the deepest areas of the respiratory system. In addition, the purpose of the this invention is to create a vaporizer that is portable and that minimizes the waste of the substance to be administered .

[0014] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] These purposes are achieved by a device and a vaporization method according to the claims at the end of this description .

[0016] In a first aspect of the invention, a device is provided for vaporizing a liquid substance at room temperature . The device includes a main body having a removable tank with an external surface and an internal surface to contain the liquid substance , and a removable dispenser coupled to an upper portion of the tank to dispense a mixture consisting of said substance and air . The device also comprises a vibrating surface positioned in the tank in correspondence with a lower portion of said tank, and an electronic control unit including an electronic generator coupled to the vibrating surface to produce an ultrasonic signal that feeds the vibrating surface and to create a vapor consisting of nano-droplets of the liquid substance , the nano-droplets being droplets of the liquid substance having a median diameter of particles less than 1pm, in which the external surface of the tank has a different shape than the internal surface of the tank and in which the section of the internal surface of the tank in correspondence with the lower portion is less than the section of the tank in correspondence with the upper portion .

[0017] In a second aspect of the invention, a method is provided for vaporizing a liquid substance at room temperature using the device is provided according to the first aspect . The method comprises the step of feeding the vibrating surface positioned in the tank at a lower portion of said tank with an ultrasonic signal and causing a corresponding ultrasonic vibration of said vibrating surface , generating a vapor of nano-droplets of the liquid substance inside the tank, the nano-droplets being droplets of the liquid substance having a median particle diameter of less than 1pm, mixing air external to the device with said vapor to create a mixture of vapor and air, and dispensing said mixture outside the device .

[0018] Thanks to this device and this method, it is possible to generate nano-droplets of the substance to be inhaled ( or aspirated) necessarily at room temperature . In fact , thanks to ultrasonic vibration, it is possible to nebulize the liquid substance without the need for a heating system . In other words , the device is devoid of any heating element , for example inside the tank . Since the tank is not heated, there will be no encumbrance of the inductor or excess energy consumption, minimizing the use of rechargeable batteries and thus allowing the device to be easily portable .

[0019] Ultimately, the device described here is preferably a handheld device . However, this can also be conceived and configured to be a home device that is not necessarily portable , for example it can be connected to the mains for the power supply of one or more electronic components .

[0020] The liquid substance can be liquid insulin . However , any liquid substance that is water-based or hydroalcoholic ( even with different pharmacological principles ) can be advantageously used and vaporized in nano-droplets through this device . It should be noted that insulin as well as chemotherapeutic substances must be administered at low temperature or at room temperature . Therefore , these pharmacological solutions can be used with this medical device due to the absence of a heating system.

[0021] With this device it is possible to reach deep areas of the respiratory system ( e . g . the pulmonary alveoli ) or , through the nasal cavities , to cross the blood-brain barrier, and from here allow the pharmacological principle to mix with the blood flow, of diabetic subj ects or in general in subj ects in a pathological state to be treated with the vaporized pharmacological principle . It is noted that from the pulmonary alveoli , through their mucous membranes , the drug can reach the bloodstream and dilute in the blood, reaching levels of concentration of the principle equivalent to the dose obtainable by inj ection . In a much more practical way, a diabetic patient will be able to receive their dose of insulin simply by using the vaporizer without having to resort to subcutaneous or intramuscular inj ections . This is possible thanks to the particular configuration of the device in terms of structure and operation that allows to obtain nano-droplets with a median diameter of less than 2 pm, in particular less than 1 pm, for example between 0 . 4 and 0 . 6 pm . The median diameter of the particles of liquid substance means the diameter at which 50% of the particles are smaller and 50% are larger than this value . It is to be understood that the median diameter corresponds to the central value considering an odd number of particles , while it can be estimated as the arithmetic mean of two values occupying , for example the positions n / 2 and n / 2+1 for a number n of even particles . The high presence of droplets with a diameter of less than 2 pm, and particularly less than 1 pm, determines the high tendency not to condense and therefore not to adhere to the cilia of the respiratory tree .

[0022] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0023] These and other aspects of the present invention will be clearer in the light of the following description of some of the preferred embodiments described below .

[0024] Fig . 1 shows a schematic representation of a vaporizing device according to an example .

[0025] Fig . 2A shows the geometry of the tank according to an example .

[0026] Fig . 2B shows the geometry of the tank according to another example .

[0027] Fig . 2C shows the geometry of the tank according to a further example .

[0028] Fig . 3 shows a block diagram of the device according to an example .

[0029] Fig . 4A shows a graph indicating the median nano-droplet size for a water solution .

[0030] Fig . 4B shows a graph indicating the median size of nanodroplets for a liposome solution .

[0031] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the device (vaporizer ) 1 used to vaporize a liquid substance 26 at room temperature .

[0032] Device 1 includes a main body 2 with a tank 3 and a dispenser 4 both removable from said main body 2 . The main body 2 can consist of a structure ( or frame ) to which both the tank 3 and the regulator 4 are removable attached . Alternatively, the main body 2 simply consists of the tank 3 and the regulator 4 attached, removably, to each other . The possibility of removing the tank 3 and the dispenser 4 serves to facilitate cleaning and possible disinfection .

[0033] In particular , the dispenser 4 is coupled to the upper portion 5 of the tank 3 . The dispenser 4 can be made of plastic material (preferably Dalrin) .

[0034] The tank 3 is mainly used to contain the liquid substance 26 to be vaporized in a space defined by an internal surface 10 of said tank 3 . The structure of the tank 3 can be made of plastic or metal material ( aluminum) and mainly cylindrical in shape with a size that allows the insertion of said tank 3 in a container of the order of that of a 300 gram bottle or less . The tank 3 can be made of treated aluminum to prevent it from being attacked by the pharmacological principle . Alternatively, the internal surface 10 of the tank 3 can be made of plastic material ( e . g . Dalrin) or ceramic or glassy .

[0035] It is noted that the absence of a heater allows the use of materials that are not necessarily resistant to high temperatures . For example , the tanks at the vaporization can be made of resin instead of metal . The possibility of having resin tanks ( typically Dalrin ) reduces production costs as it allows the production of these tanks by molding with a very simplified process compared to metal ones (typically in steel) which must be processed, one by one, with mechanical means.

[0036] As shown in figure 1, the tank has an external surface 9 which has a different shape than that of the internal surface 10. In particular, the section of the tank 3 of the internal surface 10 in correspondence with the lower portion 7 is less than the section of the tank 3 in correspondence with the upper portion 5. Advantageously, the ratio of the lower to upper section is between 0.5 and 0.7, specifically about 0.6. According to an example, the diameter of the section of the tank 3 at the lower portion 7 is about 15 mm while the diameter of the section of the tank 3 at the upper portion 5 is about 25 mm.

[0037] At the lower portion 7 of tank 3, the device 1 also includes a vibrating surface 6. The vibrating surface 6 located at the bottom of the tank 3 may be in direct contact with the substance to be vaporized 26. Alternatively, there may be an interposed element between the vibrating surface 6 and the substance 26, such as a thin film or membrane representing the bottom of the tank 3. The thickness of said film or membrane is advantageously less than 0.1 mm.

[0038] According to one example, the vibrating surface 6 is made of double-layered piezoelectric ceramic material. In other words, the vibrating surface 6 uses the superimposition of two ultrasonic ceramics, i.e. , by longitudinally sectioning the vibrating surface 6 there are two ceramic layers positioned one on top of the other. This allows to obtain an increase in the amount of steam produced at room temperature, reaching the energy density of 24 W / cm2, i.e. double the maximum achievable with a single ceramic , as is the case in all devices known in the literature .

[0039] The device 1 also includes an electronic control unit 15 with an electronic generator 8 coupled to the vibrating surface 6 . The electronic generator 8 is used to produce an ultrasonic signal that feeds the vibrating surface 6 and to create a vapor of nano-droplets 23 of the liquid substance 26 .

[0040] The ultrasonic signal produced by the electronic generator 8 is not a sinusoidal signal but is an impulsive signal and causes a vibration of the vibrating surface 6 greater than l OOKHz . In particular , the vibration can be greater than 2 . 5 MHz , greater than 6 MHz or even greater than 10 MHz . The corresponding energy density may be greater than 5 W / cm2, in particular greater than 12 . 5 W / cm2, more particularly greater than 20 W / cm2. To control the control signals of device 1 , the electronic control unit 10 may include at least one microprocessor . The use of an impulsive signal over a sinusoidal one is advantageous for the following reasons . The sinusoidal signal vaporizes only for the short time in which this signal is close to the maximum value , while the impulse signal used in this device vaporizes for the entire duration of the pulse . Advantageously, the pulse signal used can be non-symmetrical , i . e . the pulse duration can be shorter than the pause duration ( typically in a ratio of 1 to 2 ) . This allows for smaller nano-droplets as if generated by a 6 MHz ultrasound but with the typical amount of 3 MHz ultrasound . It should be noted that if the ultrasonic frequency exceeds 3 MHz , the amount of vapor produced decreases rapidly as the frequency increases . The vibrating surface 6 can have a diameter of about 15 mm and be able to deliver over 20 W / cm2thanks to the use of a special two-layer ceramic .

[0041] Given the high amount of steam produced thanks to the use of two-layer ceramics , it is possible to use an outdoor air suction pump at a higher pressure than those normally used ( typically 0 . 5 atmospheres ) , with the advantage of being able to produce steam in such a way that it can also be delivered with small diameter pipes ( 5 mm or less ) suitable for use in endoscopic surgery to reach, for example , with chemotherapy, the internal organs ( typically the peritoneal area ) dispensing through the Trocars normally used in surgery . Using this device can be a valid alternative to the PIPAC system currently in use for peritoneal oncology treatment as it allows you to manage the flow of chemotherapy sent to the peritoneal area, through the management of its parameters , such as the choice of chemotherapy, its concentration, the flow of the propellant can and the delivery pressure with respect to the target to be reached, Etc . . . compared to the current delivery carried out by expelling the chemotherapy with propellant can, in which it is not possible to control these parameters .

[0042] In an example , device 1 therefore includes at least one suction fan 11 ( not shown in figure 1 ) to draw air 24 out of device 1 and direct it to tank 3 . This is to create a mixture 25 consisting of air 24 and nano-droplet vapor 23 that can be dispensed from dispenser 4 through the outlet nozzle 18 . For this purpose , the upper portion 5 of tank 3 may be provided with at least one slot 16 for the inlet of air outside device 1 into tank 3 . It is noted that placing one or more slots 16 in the upper portion of the tank 5 to facilitate the entry of outside air improves the efficiency of the nebulization . In fact , in combination with the suction pump, the flow from the pump is allowed to mix with the steam and to release the airsteam mixture at positive pressure , even high, from device 1 so that small diameter cannulas can be used, as mentioned above . Placing slot 16 in another location, such as at the bottom portion 7 , would not give this advantage . In fact , an air inlet coming from below, for example at the vibrating surface 6 , could induce the generation of air bubbles inside the liquid solution, reducing the transmission capacity of the ultrasonic vibration in the liquid and thus reducing the atomization efficiency .

[0043] Ultrasonic vibration is used to produce droplets of very small diameter . For example , nano-droplets can have a field of existence of less than 5pm, specifically less than 2pm, and more specifically less than 1pm. It can be seen that given the variation in diameter between values greater than and less than 1pm, the drops of substance can be defined indistinctly as "nano-drops" or "micro-drops" .

[0044] This diameter has been designed so that the mist (vapour ) produced behaves like a gas and does not tend to condense , forming macro-droplets that would prevent them from reaching the pulmonary alveoli suitable for the transfer of insulin or the pharmacological principles contained in the various vaporised solutions in the bloodstream . The transformation of the liquid into nano-droplets takes place through ultrasonic vibration which is caused by an electric current , preferably impulsive , which oscillates a piezoelectric ceramic that vibrates at the same frequency as the electric current that feeds the ceramic itself . The higher the frequency of repetition of the electrical impulses sent to the ceramic, the smaller the circumference of the turbulence , in a circular pattern, that will be produced in the liquid . When the energy of the ultrasonic vibration is sufficient , the turbulence will detach from the liquid forming a spheroidal droplet with the maximum circumference equal to that of the turbulent that will have determined it . The circumference of the turbulence is equal to the space traveled by the ultrasound in the liquid, during the duration of the ultrasonic pulse . In this device 1 , the repetition frequency is equal to or greater than 3 MHz but the pause / pulse ratio is not symmetrical ( i . e . the duration of the pulse is not equal to the pause time ) but the duration of said pulse will be determined based on the desired circumference for the nano-droplets to be generated . Therefore , the duration of the pulse depends on the diameter of the nano-drop to be generated . An air flow by mechanical generation (by means of a fan) , mixing with the nano-droplets , will give rise to an air / nano-droplet mixture 25 which will have a behavior similar to that of a gas , i . e . , it will have very little tendency to condensation .

[0045] As mentioned above , the inner surface 10 of tank 3 has a different shape from the outer surface 9 . In one example , the inner surface 10 of tank 3 is tapered from the upper portion 5 to the lower portion 7 of tank 3 . On the other hand, the outer surface 9 does not show any shrinkage or enlargement when passing from the upper portion 5 to the lower portion 7 of the tank 3 .

[0046] It should be noted that this difference between the external surface 9 and the internal surface 10 serves to avoid wasting the liquid substance 26 to be vaporized . This configuration between the internal surface 10 and the external surface 9 , in addition to reducing the waste of the pharmacological substance to be vaporized, is also particularly suitable in the case of administering doses of small quantities of pharmacological solution ( typically from 4 cc to 8 cc ) .

[0047] According to an example shown in figure 2A, the outer surface 9 has a cylindrical shape and the inner surface 10 has a truncated cone shape with a maj or base 12 and a minor base 13 , in which the vibrating surface 6 is positioned at said minor base 13 .

[0048] Figure 2A is only one of the possible geometries of the internal surface 10 and external surface 9 of the tank 3 . In fact , as shown in figures 2B and 2C, the inner surface 10 can take other shapes , for example a truncated pyramid ( Fig . 2B ) or a truncated cone with stepped walls ( Fig . 2C ) . The important thing is that the minor base 13 , in correspondence with which the vibrating surface 6 is positioned, has a smaller surface area than the maj or base 12 . These types of geometry are used to make the best use of all the liquid substance 26 present in the tank 26 as mentioned above . It is noted that these geometries allow drug loss to be reduced from about 50% to less than 25 % ( typically between 15 and 20% ) .

[0049] Figures 2A-2C show an external surface 9 of a cylindrical type . It is however evident that the external surface 9 can have a different shape , for example of a parallelepiped . For the effectiveness of this device 1 , it is important that the relationship between the inner surface 10 and the outer surface 9 is maintained as described above . Figure 3 shows a block functional diagram of the vaporizer device 1 .

[0050] The electronic control unit 15 includes at least one microprocessor to produce and manage control signals inside device 1 . As shown in the figure , the electronic control unit 15 is connected to the various components of the device 1 , such as the vibrating surface 6 in the tank 3 , a rechargeable battery 17 to power the device , a touch screen 22 and a USB interf ace / Wi-Fi card 19 for remote control . The touch screen 22 can be used for direct programming and data viewing ( 3 ) .

[0051] The electronic control unit 15 is also connected to a suction fan 11 to regulate the air flow 24 in the tank . The suction fan 11 is advantageously located downstream of a dust filter 21 and upstream of a conveyor 20 to conduct the air 24 into the tank 3 ( e . g . via a slot 16 shown in figure 1 ) . It should be noted that the suction fan 11 is used to convey external air inside tank 3 where the nebulization will take place to obtain a mixture 25 between the nano-droplets 23 and the air 24 with increase and adj ustment of the outlet pressure of the air / nano-droplet mixture 25 . Mix 25 is sent through the outlet noz zle 18 of dispenser 4 to the patient without the need for the patient to aspirate since the pressure of mix 25 is sent at positive pressure . The outlet nozzle 18 can be connected to a standard hose to bring the air / vapor mixture 25 to the patient .

[0052] In one example , device 1 additionally includes at least one sensor 14 to detect the amount of substance in the tank 3 . Figure 3 shows two sensors 14 , both connected to the electronic control unit 15 , in which one sensor is used to measure the minimum level of liquid substance 26 to be vaporized and the other is used to measure the maximum level of liquid substance 26 to be vaporized .

[0053] Vaporization obtained through this device 1 by placing the vibrating surface 6 with high energy density in the smaller base of the tank 3 allows vaporization to be carried out at room temperature (which is necessary for many drugs such as insulin, hormonal and / or monoclonal drugs ) . In addition, by reducing energy consumption, it allows the use of rechargeable battery power , allowing the creation of a portable device instead of a home device , which can therefore be used outside one ' s home ( replacing the inj ection, for example , in the case of insulin ) or for sudden and / or unpredictable pathological manifestations ( such as anxiety attacks and / or asthma attacks ) .

[0054] In addition, this device 1 is able to generate droplets of the liquid substance used that are on average considerably smaller than those of the systems known in the literature . The possibility of obtaining nano-droplets with a median diameter of less than 2 pm, in particular less than 1pm, is given by various factors . First of all , the use of an impulsive ultrasonic signal that favors a high vibrational frequency . This effect is further emphasized if an asymmetrical impulse signal is used . In addition, a further synergistic effect is offered by the use of a vibrating surface 6 made of piezoelectric double-layer ceramic material ( two superimposed ultrasonic ceramics ) which, together with the use of an impulsive signal instead of a sinusoidal signal , allows to obtain a high vibrational frequency and therefore a generation of nano-droplets with a median diameter considerably smaller than that produced by systems known in the literature .

[0055] Figures 4A and 4B show the experimental data obtained through the present device 1 . The nebulization performance of the device was tested with different aqueous solutions under various conditions . The solutions were selected based on their different density and viscosity . Specifically, Figure 4A shows the water nebulization performance , and Figure 4B shows the nebulization performance of a liposome solution .

[0056] The atomized / nebulized samples were analyzed by the Malvern Spray-Tec instrument , which allows the evaluation of the atomized / nebulized particle size in gaseous medium ( air ) . The instrument is based on light scattering, a system in which a laser source irradiates the nebulized sample . The system is equipped with a suction device that directs the spray-dried product / nebulized product and linearizes its flow, making it more homogeneous in terms of particles / intensity . The analytical range is 100 nm - 2 mm. For these experiments , it was necessary to use the maximum sensitivity of the instrument and make it work close to the lower limit . The analyses were performed using dispensing device 1 and an approximately 70 cm tube applied to the dispenser ( outlet noz zle 18 ) to reduce leakage .

[0057] Figures 4A and 4B show that in both cases the median diameter of the particles is less than 1 pm, in particular between 0 . 4 pm and 0 . 5 pm.

[0058] To device 1 and the method described above , a technician of the branch, in order to satisfy further and contingent needs , may make numerous further modifications and variations , all of which, however , fall within the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the attached claims .

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 04 December 2025 (04.12.2025)

1. Device (1) for vaporizing a liquid substance (26) at room temperature, wherein the device (1) includes: a main body (2) having a removable tank (3) with an external surface (9) and an internal surface (10) to contain the liquid substance (26), and a removable dispenser (4) coupled to an upper portion (5) of the tank (3) to dispense a mixture (25) consisting of said substance (26) and air (24), wherein the device (1) further comprises: a vibrating surface (6) positioned in the tank (3) at a lower portion (7) of said tank (3), and an electronic control unit (15) comprising an electronic generator (8) configured to produce an impulsive ultrasonic signal and coupled to the vibrating surface (6) to produce said impulsive ultrasonic signal that feeds the vibrating surface (6) and to create a steam of nano-droplets (23) of the liquid substance (26), the nano-droplets (23) being droplets of the liquid substance (26) having a median diameter of particles less than 1pm, wherein the external surface (9) of the tank (3) has a different shape than the internal surface (10) of the tank (3) and wherein the section of the internal surface (10) of the tank (3) at the lower portion (7) is smaller than the section of the tank (3) at the upper portion (5), wherein the vibrating surface (6) is made of double-layered piezoelectric ceramic material.

2. Device (1) according to claim 1 , wherein the internal surface(10) of the tank (3) is tapered from the upper portion (5) to the lower portion (7) of the tank (3).

3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the external surface (9) has a cylindrical shape and the internal surface (10) has a truncated cone shape having a larger base (12) and a smaller base (13) and in which the vibrating surface (6) is positioned at said minor base (13).

4. Device (1) according to one of claims 1-3, further comprising at least one suction fan (11) to draw air from outside the device (1) and direct it to the tank (3).

5. Device (1) according to one of claims 1-4, wherein the electronic generator (8) is configured to produce an impulsive ultrasonic signal that results in a vibration of the vibrating surface (6) greater than 100KHz, in particular greater than 2.5 MHz with an energy density greater than 5 W / cm2, in particular greater than 12,5 W / cm2, more particularly greater than 20 W / cm2.

6. Device (1) according to one of claims 1-5, further comprising at least one sensor (14) to detect the amount of substance present in the tank (3).

7. Device (1) according to one of claims 1-6, wherein the electronic control unit (15) comprises at least one microprocessor to produce and manage control signals within the device (1).

8. Device (1) according to one of claims 1-7, wherein the upper portion (5) of the tank (3) is provided with at least one slot (16) for the entry of air from outside the device (1 ).

9. Device (1) according to one of claims 1-8, further comprising at least one rechargeable battery (17) to power the device (1).

10. Method of vaporizing a liquid substance (26) at room temperature using the device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises the step of: supplying the vibrating surface (6) arranged in the tank (3) at a lower portion (7) of said tank (3) with an ultrasonic signal and causing a corresponding ultrasonic vibration of said vibrating surface (6), generating a steam of nano-droplets (23) of the liquid substance (26) inside the tank (3), the nano-droplets (23) being droplets of the liquid substance (26) having a median diameter of particles less than 1pm, mixing air (24) from outside the device (1) with said steam to create a mixture (25) of steam and air, and dispensing said mixture (25) outside the device (1).

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic signal is impulsive with a pulse frequency greater than 100KHz, in particular greater than 2.5 MHz with an energy density greaterthan 5W / cm2, in particular greater than 12.5 W / cm2, more particularly greater than 20 W / cm2.

12. Method according to claim 11 , wherein the duration of the pulse depends on the diameter of the nano-droplets (23) to be generated.[0001][0002]STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19 (1 )[0003]The following statements are presented in support of the claims of international application PCT / IB2025 / 058049 as amended under Art. 19(1) PCT. The statements addresses the objections raised in the written opinion of ISA, and indicate how the amendments render void the objections.[0004]The Examiner states that the subject-matter of claims 1-13 is industrially applicable and meets the requirements of Article 33(4) PCT.[0005]A clarity objection under Art. 6 PCT is raised due to essential features of independent claim 1 missing.[0006]In addition, the Examiner states that the subject-matter of claims 1-13 would appear to involve an inventive step, if the objection under Article 6 PCT was overcome.[0007]According to the Examiner, this objection could be overcome e.g. by adding the features of present dependent claims 5 and 6 to claim 1, or by adding the corresponding features disclosed by page 16 and 17 of the translated version of the application.[0008]Originally filed claim 1 is the basis for new claim 1, which is amended to comprise that: i. the device comprises an electronic generator (8) configured to produce an impulsive ultrasonic signal ii. the vibrating surface (6) is made of double-layered piezoelectric ceramic material

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