Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Electrostatic type
Patent
1996-09-30
1998-09-29
Kashnikow, Andres
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Electrostatic type
239692, 239704, B05B 500
Patent
active
058136142
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a dispensing device for comminuting a liquid and the use of such a device, in particular, in medicine.
Dispensing devices are known which produce a finely divided spray of droplets generated by applying an electric field to a liquid at a spray head or spray edge. The strength of the electric field is sufficiently high to comminute liquid issuing from the spray head. The droplets produced are electrically charged and thus are prevented from coagulating by mutual repulsion. This is known as electrohydrodynamic comminution.
United Kingdom patent number 1569707 describes an electrohydrodynamic spray device principally for use in crop spraying. An essential component of the GB 1569707 spray device is a field intensifying electrode, cited adjacent the spray head. The field intensifying electrode is stated to reduce the incidence of corona discharge and allows lower electric field strengths to be used during spray generation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4801086 discloses an electrohydrodynamic spray device which produces multiple spray streams.
United Kingdom patent number 2018627B discloses an electrohydrodynamic spray device wherein the droplet spray is fully or partially discharged by means of an earthed electrode having a sharp or pointed edge and located downstream of the spray head. The GB 2018627B spray device does not comprise the field intensifying electrode of GB 1569707.
European Patent number 0234842 discloses an inhaler which uses electrohydrodynamic spray technology. In use, the spray of charged droplets is discharged prior to inhalation by means of a sharp discharge electrode carrying an opposite charge to the droplet spray and located downstream of the spray head. The droplets are discharged to facilitate droplet deposition into the respiratory tract by preventing deposition of charged droplets onto the mouth and throat of the user. The EP 0234842 spray device does not comprise the field intensifying electrode of GB 1569707.
An essential requirement of the EP 0234842 electrohydrodynamic inhaler is a neutral shield electrode which is stated to be required to prevent the corona from the sharp discharge electrode from adversely affecting the formation of the spray. It has now surprisingly been discovered that a shield electrode is not required for effective spray discharge or partial discharge.
According to the present invention, there is provided a dispensing device, comprising an exposed, unshielded comminution site, means for supplying liquid to the comminution site, means for charging the comminution site to a potential for causing electrohydrodynamic comminution of liquid supplied to the comminution site, a discharge electrode for at least partially discharging comminuted matter, means for charging the discharge electrode to a polarity opposite to that of the comminution site to cause ionization of gaseous molecules in the vicinity of the discharge electrode, the discharge electrode being arranged so as to face towards the comminution site to cause gaseous ions produced by the discharge electrode to be directed towards the comminution site to at least partially discharge comminuted matter produced by the comminution site.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides a dispensing device comprising a field guard electrode located so as to regulate the amount of discharge by the discharge electrode. In one example, the field guard electrode, which may be an annular electrode, is arranged to effect such regulation by adjustably altering the effective shape of the discharge electrode, for example by adjustably enclosing or surrounding the discharge electrode, for example by a screw thread adjustment means.
The device may be adapted to be portable.
A device embodying the invention may be adapted into any form which dispenses comminuted matter for inhalation, for medicinal and non-medicinal use. A suitable non-medicinal use includes the dispensing of a perfume or an aroma. A suitable non-medicinal use includes the dispensing of a biocide or an insecticide.
Preferably, the device is in th
REFERENCES:
patent: 3096762 (1963-07-01), Winchell
patent: 3232292 (1966-02-01), Schaefer
patent: 3456646 (1969-07-01), Phillips et al.
patent: 3837573 (1974-09-01), Wagner
patent: 3897905 (1975-08-01), Tadewald
patent: 3930061 (1975-12-01), Scharfenberger
patent: 3958959 (1976-05-01), Cohen et al.
patent: 4073002 (1978-02-01), Sickles et al.
patent: 4150644 (1979-04-01), Masaki et al.
patent: 4186886 (1980-02-01), Sickles
patent: 4203398 (1980-05-01), Maruoka
patent: 4266721 (1981-05-01), Sickles
patent: 4356528 (1982-10-01), Coffee
patent: 4439980 (1984-04-01), Biblarz et al.
patent: 4467961 (1984-08-01), Coffee et al.
patent: 4476515 (1984-10-01), Coffee
patent: 4508265 (1985-04-01), Jido
patent: 4509694 (1985-04-01), Inculet et al.
patent: 4549243 (1985-10-01), Owen et al.
patent: 4659012 (1987-04-01), Coffee
patent: 4671269 (1987-06-01), Wilp
patent: 4735364 (1988-04-01), Marchant
patent: 4748043 (1988-05-01), Seaver et al.
patent: 4749125 (1988-06-01), Escallon et al.
patent: 4776515 (1988-10-01), Michalchik
patent: 4788016 (1988-11-01), Colclough et al.
patent: 4801086 (1989-01-01), Noakes
patent: 4846407 (1989-07-01), Coffee et al.
patent: 4962885 (1990-10-01), Coffee
patent: 4979680 (1990-12-01), Bauch et al.
patent: 5044564 (1991-09-01), Sickles
patent: 5086972 (1992-02-01), Chang et al.
patent: 5222663 (1993-06-01), Noakes et al.
patent: 5267555 (1993-12-01), Pajalich
patent: 5381789 (1995-01-01), Marquardt
patent: 5409162 (1995-04-01), Sickles
patent: 5483953 (1996-01-01), Cooper
Article entitled: Electro-osmosis Controls Fluid in Novel Transducer Concept by Product Engineering, dated Jul. 4, 1970 authored by: Ray Lewis, Cleveland; pp. 71-72.
Article entitled: Electrodynamic Crop Spraying, dated 1981; authored by; R. A. Coffee; Reprinted from Outlook on Agriculture vol. 10, No. 7, 1981; includes excerpt pp. 350-356.
Electrosols Ltd.
Evans Robin O.
Kashnikow Andres
LandOfFree
Dispensing device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Dispensing device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Dispensing device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-679570