Refrigeration – Structural installation – With body applicator
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-04
2001-02-20
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Structural installation
With body applicator
C062S314000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189327
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to personal cooling devices, and more particularly to evaporative coolers that are worn around the neck or head of a user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Individuals often wish to be cooled, especially in warm ambient temperatures. The desire to be cooled may arise indoors or out, while exercising, engaging in sports, driving, or being in an environment that is not comfortably cool.
It is known in the art to provide a cap to be worn by an individual that can provide some cooling. U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,607 to Benevento, for example, discloses a cap whose headband includes a plurality of tapered porous pads. The pads are wet with water and apparently produce a cooling effect to the user's head as the water evaporates.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,029,438 to Henschel discloses a water-cooled cap in which an inner aluminum strip contacts the wearer's head, and is contacted with a water absorbent sponge strip (or strips), in turn over-covered by a fabric. The sponge material is wet, and as the water evaporates, the aluminum strip cools, thus cooling the wear's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,902 to Mackenroth discloses a cooling hat band that includes an outer support band, an inner absorbent band, a wicking element and a water reservoir. Reservoir water moves along the wicking element to the absorbent band, whence it evaporates, passing through holes in the support band. The evaporative effect is said to remove heat from the headband, and thus from the wear's forehead.
However, not all individuals like to wear caps, and participation in some sports, e.g. bicycling, may dictate that another type of headgear be worn, a helmet for example. Thus, several attempts have been made in the prior art to improve upon a basic cooling band, such as a tennis player might wear around the forehead. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,581 to Rosenthal discloses a laminated cooling band comprising a skin-contacting air pervious heat conductive layer edge-connected to an air pervious fabric that is moistened with water exposed to ambient air. This device is said to cool the wearer as water evaporates from the outer fabric. However, as is typical with many prior art devices, evaporative cooling is dependent upon ambient air motion. If the wearer is stationary, the efficiency of evaporative cooling decreases.
Notwithstanding the above devices, there is a need for a self-contained personal evaporative cooling device that promotes efficient cooling. If worn about the user's neck, such device should not require headgear. Further, such device should be useable on other portions of the user's body, the forehead, for example. Preferably such device should enhance evaporative cooling by maximizing the heat sinking area, maintaining a thin film of liquid upon such area, and by circulating air within the device. Such device should be simple to use and wear, and should provide cooling that lasts for several hours without replenishment of liquid or energizing source. The present invention provides such a cooling device.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a self-contained evaporative personal cooling device in the form of a C-shaped band that fits conformally around a portion of a user's body, e.g., the neck or forehead. The device includes an articulated housing within which is disposed a heat sinking or dissipating member, preferably implemented as a plurality of side-edge-joined metal plates that each have a first, neck-facing surface, and a second, opposite, surface. The metal plates are urged conformably against the user's neck or forehead such that the first, or exterior plate, surfaces contact the neck. A water-retaining preferably foam-like sponge material is disposed within the housing in contact with the upper and/or lower surfaces or regions of the metal plates but spaced-apart from the second surface of the plate body to form a plenum therebetween. The sponge material is saturated with a liquid, preferably water, introduced through liquid intake slots in the housing, before the cooling device is to be used. The device includes a DC powered fan that draws air into the housing though air intake vents and then circulates the air within the plenum defined between the metal plates and the sponge material and out through air exit vent openings in the housing. Moisture from the sponge material wets the plenum-facing surface of the metal plates, and the fan-circulated air produces evaporation. The evaporation cools the metal plates, which absorb heat from the user's neck or forehead and thus cools the user.
Preferably the plenum-facing surfaces of the metal plates define pins, ridges, fins, or the like to increase plate surface area. To help promote the cooling process, a wicking material is used to coat at least portions of the ridged contact surface area. During device manufacture a surfactant is applied to the sponge material and to the preferably wicked surface areas of the metal plates to encourage capillary-like liquid migration and promote cooling efficiency. In use, a wicking action encourages water migration from the sponge material to the ridge surfaces of the metal plates. Preferably the plenum-facing surface of the sponge material is covered with a moisture barrier. However the moisture barrier does not cover regions where the sponge material contacts the metal plates or where the sponge material is adjacent housing slits through which water is introduced. The barrier helps maximize evaporation at the metal plates by preventing circulation of dry plenum air from evaporating water from the foam. Further, the barrier reduces water loss and water leakage. If desired, a color-changing material may be included to serve as a low water indicator. To promote efficiency, the fan blade preferably includes a centermost axial portion that draws air into the housing through input vents, and an outermost radial portion that circulates the air in the plenum within the housing. Alternatively the fan might be replaced with other air-moving means including electro-kinetic mechanisms that move air silently and without moving parts.
An alternative preferred embodiment provides a reverse air flow such that ambient air is drawn into the device at one or more generally forward or peripherally facing regions of the device, and warmed air is exhausted at a generally rear facing region of the device and/or along peripheral edges of the device. The ambient air may be drawn-in and exhausted actively by a motor, or may be drawn-in and exhausted passively, by relative forward motion of the device in the ambient air, e.g., when worn by a jogger, a bicyclist, etc.
In these and/or other embodiments, the preferably foam-like sponge liquid-retaining material need only contact the heat dissipating member at one location, for example in a central portion of the device-facing surface of the dissipating member. Indeed, the device-facing surface of the heat dissipating member may itself be a porous metal-type material, affixed or integral with the body portion-facing surface of the dissipating member, such the foam-like material can be eliminated. In such embodiment, one or more micro-plenums may be defined within the porous region of the dissipating member. In yet another embodiment, the heat dissipating member is made from a fabric such as felt cloth.
If desired, one or more pumps may be provided to spray a mist of water onto the device-facing surface of the heat dissipating member, and/or into fan-moved air in the plenum(s).
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments have been set forth in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1633586 (1927-06-01), Hunter
patent: 1907709 (1933-05-01), Barrow
patent: 2160567 (1939-05-01), Sterne
patent: 2223332 (1940-11-01), Sterne
patent: 2783474 (1957-03-01), Campagna et al.
patent: 2832077 (1958-04-01), McGinnis
patent: 3029438 (1962-04-01), Henschel
Strauss Ted N.
Taylor Charles E.
Doerrler William
Flehr Hohbach Test Albritton & Herbert LLP
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