Liquid electrical vaporiser

Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid electric vaporiser, comprising a housing, a detachable refill bottle which engages with the housing, the refill bottle having a wick in fluid communication with a material to be dispensed therefrom, the wick extending from the bottle to an area proximate with a heater, a power source operably connectable to the heater to supply power to the heater and vaporise the fluid, and a control circuit disposed within the housing configured to control the supply of power to the heater based on a micro cycle and a macro cycle, wherein the micro cycle comprises alternating between a first operation profile for a first predetermined time, and a second operation profile for a second predetermined time during which the power supplied to the heater is close to or equal to zero, and wherein the power supplied to the vaporiser increases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a first number of cycles under the macro cycle, and decreases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a second number of cycles under the macro cycle.

Description

PAT 15858- WO-PCTLIQUID ELECTRICAL VAPORISERFIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] This invention generally relates to a vaporiser for emanating volatile active and particularly, although not exclusively, to a liquid electrical vaporiser for emanating volatile active over a period of time.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0002] Liquid electrical vaporisers are popular devices with consumers. They typically consist of a housing with plug to connect to mains electricity supply, a heater, a wick or other liquid transfer mechanism and a detachable refill bottle of a volatile liquid containing an active. Usually, the wick forms part of the refill bottle and is designed such that on insertion into the housing the wick is in close proximity to the heater.

[0003] The actives in the solutions typically used with liquid electrical vaporisers, are medicaments, insecticides and fragrances.

[0004] A typical commercial example would be Air Wick's ® plug in devices. These are used to provide fragrance release.

[0005] Once turned on and up to operating temperature, they can provide a steady, low or high level as desired, emanation of volatile active over days or even weeks.

[0006] One of the drawbacks of these devices is that they may cause habituation or olfactory fatigue, where prolonged exposure to a stimulus, i.e. fragrance, leads to reduced sensory response to that stimulus. This significantly impacts the experience of the users. Furthermore, the phenomenon of habituation is worsened with the fragrance strength decreasing over time.

[0007] It is therefore the object of the present invention to improve this aspect of liquid electrical vaporisers to combat habituation in order to improve users’ experience.PAT 15858- WO-PCTSUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0008] The above obj ect is addressed by the combination of features of the main claims; the dependent claims disclose further advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0009] One skilled in the art will derive from the following description other objects of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing statements of object are not exhaustive and serve merely to illustrate some of the many objects of the present invention.

[0010] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid electric vaporiser, comprising: a housing; a detachable refill bottle which engages with the housing, the refill bottle having a wick in fluid communication with a material to be dispensed therefrom; the wick extending from the bottle to an area proximate with a heater; a power source operably connectable to the heater to supply power to the heater and vaporise the fluid; and a control circuit disposed within the housing configured to control the supply of power to the heater based on a micro cycle and a macro cycle, wherein the micro cycle comprises alternating between a first operation profile for a first predetermined time, and a second operation profile for a second predetermined time during which the power supplied to the heater is close to or equal to zero, and wherein the power supplied to the vaporiser increases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a first number of cycles under the macro cycle, and decreases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a second number of cycles under the macro cycle.

[0011] Preferably, the second predetermined time is no more than one third of the first predetermined time.

[0012] Advantageously, the second predetermined time is about 10 to 30 minutes.

[0013] Preferably, the first number of cycles is one, two or three.

[0014] Preferably, the length of each macro cycle is about 3 to 14 days, preferably 7 days.

[0015] Preferably, the average power supplied to the vaporiser increases or decreases with the number of macro cycle when the vaporiser.PAT 15858- WO-PCT

[0016] Preferably, the control circuit is configured to supply power to the vaporiser using a pulse width modulation technique.

[0017] In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating the vaporiser according to the first aspect of the invention for vaporising a fluid, wherein the vaporiser comprises a control circuit configured to control the supply of power to the heater based on a micro cycle and a macro cycle, comprising the steps of: operating the vaporiser under the micro cycle, wherein the micro cycle comprises alternating the operation of the vaporiser under a first operation profile for a first predetermined time, and a second operation profile for a second predetermined time during which the power supplied to the heater is close to or equal to zero; and operating the vaporiser under the macro cycle, wherein the power supplied to the vaporiser increases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a first number of cycles under the macro cycle, and decreases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a second number of cycles under the macro cycle.

[0018] Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0019] The foregoing and further features of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic of a standard liquid electrical vaporiser with the refill bottle in place;

[0021] Figure 2 is schematic of a standard liquid electrical vaporiser with the refill bottle separate immediately prior to engaging the refill with the device;

[0022] Figure 3 is a graph illustrating the average power supplied to the vaporiser during the operation cycle according to another embodiment of the invention; and

[0023] Figure 4 is a graph illustrating the power supplied to the vaporiser during the operation cycle according to another embodiment of the invention.PAT 15858- WO-PCTDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Figures 1 and 2 show a schematic of a standard liquid electrical vaporiser. Figure 1 shows the device with the refill bottle 4 in place. Figure 2 shows the device 1 and refill bottle 4 separately immediately prior to engaging the refill bottle 4 with the device housing.

[0025] Liquid electrical vaporiser 1 has an external housing 3. A mains plug 8 for inserting into an electrical outlet is attached to the housing 3 and is operably connectable to the heater 2 to supply power to the heater 2, which is located adjacent to chimney 6. Other forms of power source may be used instead, such as removable and / or rechargeable batteries. The housing 3 has a top surface 11 and a bottom surface 12. The housing 3 also contains space for the refill bottle 4 to operably engage with the housing 3. The refill bottle 4 has a wick 5 in fluid communication with the liquid active composition to be dispensed from. The wick 5 protrudes from refill bottle 4 and is designed to fit within the chimney 6 close to the heater 2, such that liquid active composition 13 is drawn up through the wick 5 and evaporated off when the device is in use. The chimney 6 has an opening 7 through which the vaporised active leaves the device. The chimney has a side 10 that is proximal to the plug 8 and a side 9 that is distal to the plug 8.

[0026] The vaporiser 1 also has a control circuit (not shown) disposed within the housing 3 configured to control the supply of power to the heater 2 based on a micro cycle and a macro cycle. Figure 3 shows a graph illustrating the operation of the vaporiser under the micro cycle and a macro cycle according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0027] The micro cycle comprises alternating between a first operation profile for a first predetermined time, and a second operation profile for a second predetermined time during which the power supplied to the heater 2 is close to or equal to zero. Preferably, the second predetermined time is no more than one third of the first predetermined time, and preferably the second predetermined time is about 10 to 30 minutes. In one exemplary embodiment, the first predetermined time is 45 minutes, and the second predetermined time is 15 minutes. Advantageously, this minimises the phenomenon of habituation.PAT 15858- WO-PCT

[0028] Preferably, the power supplied to the vaporiser, in particular under the first operation profile during the first predetermined time, is varied by means of pulse width modulation (PWM) whereby the temperature of the wick could be better controlled by varying the fraction of time during which the heater is on within the time cycle, so to affect the output of the heater at a given voltage. Alternatively and / or in addition, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) may be used to vary the amplitude of pulses of energy to the heater during a cycle.

[0029] Figure 3 shows a graph illustrating the average power supplied to the vaporiser during the operation cycle according to one embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in the example of Figure 3, each macro cycle is one week, and the average power supplied to the vaporiser increases with the number of macro cycle. In other words, the average power supplied to the vaporiser increases during each week through the lifecycle of the refill, such that the temperature of the wick also increases during each week to compensate the weight loss of liquid, in order to achieve a more consistent fragrance strength performance.

[0030] Alternatively, the average power supplied to the vaporiser may decrease with the number of macro cycle.

[0031] Figure 4 shows a graph illustrating the power supplied to the vaporiser during the operation cycle according to another embodiment of the invention. The power supplied to the vaporiser increases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a first number of cycles under the macro cycle, and decreases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a second number of cycles under the macro cycle. The first number of cycles may be one, two or three, and the second number of cycles is the rest of the refill lifecycle.

[0032] As illustrated in the example of Figure 4, each macro cycle is one week, and the power supplied and hence the wick temperature during the first operation cycle increases during the first week, followed by a decrease in power supplied and wick temperature during the first operation cycle in the subsequent weeks until the end of life. It is found that the rate of weight loss per day is very high at the beginning, then gradually decreases in subsequent weeks. Therefore, by having an increasing wickPAT 15858- WO-PCTtemperature during the first week in this exemplary embodiment, it can reduce the emanation of fragrance initially while improve the noticeability of fragrance each day, which then allows for a more consistency fragrance performance throughout the product lifecycle.

[0033] Preferably, the power supplied and hence the wick temperature on first day of each subsequent macro cycle is greater than the first day of the previous macro cycle. Advantageously, this acts as a boost for reducing the effect of habituation, and provides a higher contrast compared to the previous cycle.

[0034] In other embodiments, the controller is configured to operate the vaporiser according to both the embodiments as shown Figure 3 and Figure 4.

[0035] Although not shown in Figures, there is also provided a method of operating the vaporiser 1 based on the micro cycle and the macro cycle, as described with reference to Figures 3 and / or 4.

[0036] Optionally, the vaporiser may have a display (not shown) so that users will be able to determine whether the device is on a ‘break’ under the second predetermined period and / or the number of macro cycle which the device is at. The vaporiser may be configured to have multiple control settings, allowing the users to select a desired intensity and / or time interval between operations and breaks throughout the lifecycle of the refill.

[0037] In any of the embodiments described herein, the vaporiser may be modified so that it is a stand-alone unit with the bottle containing the liquid attached to the vaporiser. The length of the first and second predetermined time in the illustrated examples are not intended to be limited. For example, in other embodiments, the macro cycle could be 3 days, 10 days or 14 days.

[0038] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only exemplary embodiments have been shown and described and do not limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It can be appreciated that any of the features described herein may be used with any embodiment. The illustrative embodiments are not exclusive of each other or of other embodimentsPAT 15858- WO-PCTnot recited herein. Accordingly, the invention also provides embodiments that comprise combinations of one or more of the illustrative embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the invention as herein set forth can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated by the appended claims.

[0039] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0040] Any reference to prior art contained herein is not to be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge, unless otherwise indicated.

Claims

PAT 15858- WO-PCTCLAIMS1. A liquid electric vaporiser, comprising:a housing;a detachable refill bottle which engages with the housing, the refill bottle having a wick in fluid communication with a material to be dispensed therefrom; the wick extending from the bottle to an area proximate with a heater;a power source operably connectable to the heater to supply power to the heater and vaporise the fluid; anda control circuit disposed within the housing configured to control the supply of power to the heater based on a micro cycle and a macro cycle,wherein the micro cycle comprises alternating between a first operation profile for a first predetermined time, and a second operation profile for a second predetermined time during which the power supplied to the heater is close to or equal to zero, and wherein the power supplied to the vaporiser increases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a first number of cycles under the macro cycle, and decreases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a second number of cycles under the macro cycle.

2. The vaporiser of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time is no more than one third of the first predetermined time.

3. The vaporiser of claims 1 or 2, wherein the second predetermined time is about 10 to 30 minutes.

4. The vaporiser of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first number of cycles is one, two or three.

5. The vaporiser of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the length of each macro cycle is about 3 to 14 days, preferably 7 days.

6. The vaporiser of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the average power supplied to the vaporiser increases or decreases with the number of macro cycle when the vaporiser.8PAT 15858- WO-PCT7. The vaporiser of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control circuit is configured to supply power to the vaporiser using a pulse width modulation technique.

8. A method of operating the vaporiser of any one of claims 1 to 7 for vaporising a fluid, wherein the vaporiser comprises a control circuit configured to control the supply of power to the heater based on a micro cycle and a macro cycle, comprising the steps of:operating the vaporiser under the micro cycle, wherein the micro cycle comprises alternating the operation of the vaporiser under a first operation profile for a first predetermined time, and a second operation profile for a second predetermined time during which the power supplied to the heater is close to or equal to zero; and operating the vaporiser under the macro cycle, wherein the power supplied to the vaporiser increases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a first number of cycles under the macro cycle, and decreases in each subsequent first operation profile during the first predetermined time during a second number of cycles under the macro cycle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second predetermined time is no more than one third of the first predetermined time.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the second predetermined time is about 10 to 30 minutes.

11. The method of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the first number of cycles is one, two or three.

12. The method of any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the length of each macro cycle is about 3 to 14 days, preferably 7 days.

13. The method of any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the average power supplied to the vaporiser increases or decreases with the number of macro cycle when the vaporiser.9PAT 15858- WO-PCT14. The method of any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the control circuit is configured to supply power to the vaporiser using a pulse width modulation technique.10

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