GB2115286A - A vaporizer - Google Patents

Abstract

A vaporizer for fragrances, insecticides or other vaporisable substances is formed in two identical parts 1 and 2 which engage into each other, each part has shaped side walls divided by slots 10 into portions one of which is inset inwardly relative to the other, and toothed guide strips 7 which fit into the slots of the other part. Each part has apertures which are parallel to the direction of relative sliding of the parts and into which noses engage to limit the relative movement of the parts when they are interengaged. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A vaporizer The invention relates to a vaporizer for fragrances, insecticides and/or other vaporisable active substances, consisting of a housing having an open mouth at its top and having a constant cross-section over the entire length of its side wall, and with at least one side-wall aperture, and a cap which can be attached onto the housing and also has a constant cross-section over the entire length of its side wall and which can close the mouth and the side-wall aperture of the housing.

Vaporizers of this type are known, in which the housing and the cap have similar cross-sections, but of different sizes, and insofar as they are each made integrally from plastic by primary moulding, they therefore require their own moulds which are different from one another, thus resulting in, among other things, relatively high mould costs.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved vaporizer of this kind so that there is a considerable reduction in production costs whilst maintaining high operating reliability.

According to the invention there is provided a vaporizer for fragrances, insecticides and/or other vaporisable active substances, comprising two parts namely a housing which has an open mouth, a constant cross-section over the entire length of its side wall and at least one side-wall aperture, and a cap which can be attached onto the housing and also has a constant cross-section over the entire length of its side wall and which can close the mouth and the side-wall aperture of the housing, characterised in that the housing and the cap are of identical form each with at least one slit in its side wall, which slit extends in the direction of attachment of the cap from the bottom up to the open mouth where it opens out, the side wall is divided into two portions by the slit, one of which portions is offset inwardly relative to the other portion by the amount of the thickness of the side-wall so that the profile and peripheral length of the outer face of the first side-wall portion correspond to the profile and the peripheral length of the inner face of the second side-wall portion, and the cap and the housing are assembled together, with their mouths directed towards one another, so that the outer face of the first inwardly offset side-wall portion of the cap is against the inner face of the second side-wall portion of the housing, and the second side-wall portion of the cap surrounds the outside of the inwardly offset first side-wall portion of the housing.

In this vaporizer only one part has to be produced, thus resulting in the desired simplification of production and reduction in production costs.

To allow relatively wide production tolerances which further simplify and reduce the cost of manufacture, without endangering operating capacity, it is advantageous if the other side-wall of the cap and the housing is similarly divided into two portions by a second slit extending in the same direction as the direction of attachment of the cap.

The vaporizer is further characterised in that at the edge, extending along the slit of the second sidewall portion of each part of the vaporizer there is an inwardly directed guide strip which extends parallel to the slit and which can be inserted into the slit of the other part of the vaporizer.

This permits a thin-wall design of the parts of the device, requiring less material, without the danger that the slits will spread open and thereby endanger the operating capacity of the device.

To make handling easier, it is advantageous if in the region of the first side-wall portion the bottom of each part projects laterally beyond the first side-wall portion by more than the thickness of the side wall.

To make it at least more difficult to detach the parts of the device from one another unintentionally, without having to abandon the advantage of a uniform design of the housing and the cap, it is advantageous that each part has at least one inwardly projecting nose on the second side-wall portion, and in the first side-wall portion an elongated aperture extending in the direction of attachment of the two parts, so that the nose on one part engages in the aperture of the other part in a manner so as to be non-releasable and displaceable to a limited extent along the aperture which ends beyond the mouth edge and starts at least at a distance from the bottom which corresponds to the distance between the nose and the mouth edge of the second side-wail portion.

Further the end faces of the second side-wall portion which delimit the slits may be formed with fine teeth directed transversely to the direction of attachment of the parts of the vaporizer.

The teeth are preferably designed as knurlings which, after the parts of the device have been joined together, engage positively and releasably in one another and which fix releasably the particular preselected open position of the parts of the vaporizer.

Preferably active-substance carrier devices are located on the inner face of the first side-wall portion. A groove may be located on the inner face of the first side-wall portion, near each of the slits, which groove extends in the direction of attachment of the parts of the vaporizer and is formed by two inwardly projecting ribs extending parallel to one another and into which an active-substance carrier plate is releasably inserted.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows from the front and partially opened, a vaporizer according to the invention, Figure 2 is a side view, partially cut away, of the vaporizer of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a section on line Ill-Ill of Figure 1.

The vaporizer illustrated in the drawings is in two parts, a housing 1 and a cap 2 which are two box-like parts of squared form which are identical to one another and which can be assembled together.

The mouths of the housing 1 and cap 2 are directed towards one another, and the housing and cap each has a bottom 3 and walls projecting from the bottom at right angles. In each of the narrow side walls of the housing and the cap, there is a slit 4 extending from the bottom 3 up to the mouth in the same direction as the direction of attachment of the housing and cap. The slits open out at the respective mouths.

The side wall of each part is divided into two side wall portions 5 and 6 by the slit 4, and the portion 5 is offset inwardly by the amount of the thickness of the side wall relative to the portion 6, so that the profile and peripheral length of the outer face of the inwardly offset portion 5 corresponds to the profile and the peripheral length of the inner face of the side wall portion 6.

Inwardly directed guide strips 7 are moulded so as to be longitudinally displaceable on the edges of the second side wall portion 6 which delimit the slit 4.

The guide strips 7 engage into the slits 4 and abut against one another in pairs as is shown in Figure 3.

To permit particular preselected open positions of the vaporizer, the faces of the guide strips 7 facing one another are formed with fine engaging teeth 8 similarto knurlswhich engage releasably in one another.

So that the cap 2 cannot be detached inadvertently from housing 1 when the vaporizer is opened, the inner face of the portion 6 is formed with inwardly projecting noses 9 which each engage into one of the slots 10 in the side wall portions 5, which slots extend in the direction of relative movement of the parts of the vaporizer. Also on the inside of the side walls 5 there are ribs 12 extending parallel to the slits 4 in pairs to form grooves 11 into each of which there is inserted a replaceable carrier plate 13 for an active substance, made, for example, of cellulose.

Under certain circumstances, an active-substance carrier can also be fastened to the bottom 3 of the housing 1, in which case it is necessary to ensure that the carrier is spaced sufficiently from the inner faces of the housing and cap so as not to impede the movement of the cap 2 relative to the housing when exposing the vaporisation slots 10.

It is also possible to arrange slots 10 extending at right angles to the direction of attachment of the device parts, both in the housing 1 and in the cap 2, in such a way that the slots 10 are half-hidden when the vaporizer is closed.

The device can have a round or oval profile or a polygonal profile of any kind desired.

The bottom 3 may be concave or convex, without the operation of the vaporizer being impeded.

Claims (9)

1. A vaporizer for fragrances, insecticides andlor other vaporisable active substances, comprising two parts namely a housing which has an open mouth, a constant cross-section over the entire length of its side wall and at least one side-wall aperture and a cap which can be attached onto the housing and also has a constant cross-section over the entire length of its side wall and which can close the mouth and the side-wall aperture of the housing, characterised in that the housing and the cap are of identical form each with at least one slit in its side wall, which slit extends in the direction of attachment of the cap from the bottom up to the open mouth where it opens out, the side wall is divided into two portions by the slit, one of which portions is offset inwardly relative to the other portion by the amount of the thickness of the side-wall so that the profile and peripheral length of the outer face of the first side-wall portion correspond to the profile and the peripheral length of the inner face of the second side-wall portion, and the cap and the housing are assembled together, with their mouths directed towards one another, so that the outer face of the first inwardly offset side-wall portion of the cap is against the inner face of the second side-wall portion of the housing, and the second side-wall portion of the cap surrounds the outside of the inwardly offset first side-wall portion of the housing.

2. A vaporizer according to Claim 1, characterised in that the other side-wall of the cap and the housing is similarly divided into two portions by a second slit extending in the same direction as the direction of attachment of the cap.

3. A vaporizer according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that at the edge, extending along the slit of the second side-wall portion of each part of the vaporizer there is an inwardly directed guide strip which extends parallel to the slit and which can be inserted into the slit of the other part of the vaporizer.

4. A vaporizer according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that in the region of the first side-wall portion the bottom of each part projects laterally beyond the first side-wall portion by more than the thickness of the side wall.

5. A vaporizer according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that each part has at least one inwardly projecting nose on the second side-wall portion, and in the first side-wall portion an elongated aperture extending in the direction of attachment of the two parts, so that the nose on one part engages in the aperture of the other part in a manner so asto be non-releasable and displaceable to a limited extent along the aperture which ends beyond the mouth edge and starts at least at a distance from the bottom which corresponds to the distance between the nose and the mouth edge of the second side-wall portion.

6. A vaporizer according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the end faces of the second side-wall portion which delimit the slits are formed with fine teeth directed transversely to the direction of attachment of the parts of the vaporizer.

7. A vaporizer according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised by active substance carrier devices located on the inner face of the first side-wall portion.

8. A vaporizer according to Claim 7, characterised by a groove in the inner face of the first side-wall portion near each of the slits, which groove extends in the direction of attachment of the parts of the vaporizer and is formed by two inwardly projecting ribs extending parallel to one another and into which an active-substance carrier plate is releasably inserted.

9. A vaporizer substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.