Gas and liquid contact apparatus – Fluid distribution – Pumping
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-30
2002-05-21
Hopkins, Robert A. (Department: 1724)
Gas and liquid contact apparatus
Fluid distribution
Pumping
C261S078200, C261S100000, C261S142000, C261SDIG006, C261SDIG008, C422S124000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06390453
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for precisely dispensing fragrances and other volatile materials, synthesizing custom fragrances in real time and calibration of electronic sensors.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
Odoriferous substances can be dispensed by numerous methods including passive wicks, aerosol “puffers”, fine particle sprayers and scented candles. Control of the initiation and cessation of sensory experience resulting from conventional dispensing is very difficult. Except in a gross sense, the quantity of odor producing material dispensed is not controlled. It is particularly difficult to cease producing an aroma sensation once begun and miniaturization is not readily achieved. Passive dispensing devices such as wicks or candles require material that remain relatively stable in air as a vapor and are able to withstand heat, for example. Materials which are readily oxidized at room temperature, photodecompose or hydrolyze in humid air are all examples of evanescent fragrances for which periodic active dispensing is the only practical way to produce the fragrance.
The most common method of dispensing fragrances or aromas is the wick method in which a wick in contact with a volatile liquid is exposed in a space. It is evident that once the wick is exposed, there is no way to control the amount of material dispensed nor to easily adjust it or quantify it. It can't conveniently be turned on and off. None of the conventional devices for distributing odor producing chemicals are subject to digital control or quantitative precision dispensing.
The prior art uses the same dispensing methods for the purpose of odor masking or eliminating vapors. Three approaches to removal of bad orders can be considered: A) perceptual masking, B) specific or nonspecific olfactory receptor blockade and C) odor molecule binding or metabolism. It would be desirable to have a precise active jet dispensing method for all three of these approaches because it allows the best odor removal materials to be dispensed interactively, in response to the presence of any specific bad odor. All of these strategies are in part used by companies such as EnviroCon, AMAX, Elim-N-Odor, Inc., BioZapp Labs, inc., Technaal, Inc., and OdorGone (Ray Market).
Perceptual masking is an approach whereby a competing smell is introduced in a sufficient intensity to “mask” the offending odor whereby the subject is aware of both odors but with reduced attention paid to the offending odor. Olfactory receptor blockade can be an effective odor removal strategy if the offensive order is detected by a single receptor type in the nose whereby pharmacologic blockade of that specific receptor with a receptor blocking ligand, will produce a specific “smell blindness” for that smell. This is superior to the use of vapors of formaldehyde or cocaine or zinc oxide cream which have been used as non-specific receptor blocking agents which cause complete anosmia or hyposmia. Odor molecule removal by catabolysis of the molecule or binding another macromolecule to it can both remove the materials from the air and thus remove the odor. There are commercially available products intended to remove specific odors by one of these methods. All of these approaches could benefit from a device or method that would provide dispensing accuracy and precise control.
There is a significant need for accurate controlled dispensing of pharmaceuticals, herbs and psychoactive substances of all types. Potent psycho-active materials like cocaine, adrenalin, and amphetamine can be electronically dispensed from physician's direction using devices such as inhalers. Specific chemicals to control asthma are examples of such use. A more precise method of dispensing would be expected to produce an improvement in controlled dosage. Emergency personnel and military are obviously targets for emergency psycho-stimulant use. Nonprescription drugs like caffeine, nicotine, theopholine, ginseng, and others could also be dispensed in inhalable formulations for use in a variety of medical or even non-medical applications. Pheromones or other natural or synthetic materials that alter behavior and physiology via a nasal inhalation route are also subjects for precise controlled dispensing. Odoriferous materials that affect mood, arousal, stress or other dimensions of human behavior and physiology through primarily olfactory perceptual routes can benefit from improved dispensing apparatus. The invention of this application is a superior method for dispensing such compounds because dispensing can be precise, metered, interactive, and the dispenser can be tamperproof with prescribed dispensing rates possible. It would be desirable to have a dispensing device that was both discreet, digital and programmable, and in many foreseeable applications desirable to provide miniature devices which take up less space and are economical to manufacture and produce. The present invention makes these possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to ink-jet based systems for the micro-dispensation and vaporization of volatile materials obtained from odor producing fluids or materials which can be melted or dissolved in fluids. The invention relies upon tiny electronically operated fluid droplet ejection devices having a fluid supply reservoir and a droplet ejection orifice aimed to deposit fluid droplets onto a target medium or space. The fluid supply reservoir is provided with a viscosity adjusted odor sensation producing fluid which is ejected in a stream of sequential droplets in response to electrical signals comprising voltage pulses. The preferred fluid droplet ejection device comprises one or more piezoelectric actuators but ejection devices can be made with other types of actuators such as magnetoresistive, inductive, thermal or miniature pressure solenoid valve. Pulses are provided by drive electronics operably connected to the ejection device or a plurality of such ejection devices and a system controller operably connected to the drive electronics and a power source whereby operating signals are delivered to the drive electronics to cause sequential droplets of fluid to be deposited onto the target medium or space. A typical orifice size is approximately 60 micrometers. Droplets in the range of 10 micrometers to over 350 micrometers are possible by varying known parameters of ink-jet printing heads.
In one embodiment the fluid droplet ejection device or devices are enclosed in a housing containing a target medium and air-flow outlet. In a variation of the invention, the target medium is a heater having a heated surface operated by the system controller and positioned to intercept ejected droplets deposited thereon. Air moved by an air movement device may be used to increase volatilization of fluid deposited on the target medium by the ejection device. The heater has little or no heat sink characteristics because of its low mass and small size. The heater has a quickly heatable surface upon which fluid droplets are deposited which equally quickly falls back to ambient temperature when not powered.
In a further variation, the heater is a plurality of heaters individually controlled to quickly raise the temperature of the heatable surfaces to vaporized fluid droplets deposited thereon when the ejection device is operated and return to an unheated state when ejection ceases in order to control vaporization of deposited fluid. In some applications the heater temperature is preset, based upon the fluid being ejected, and held constant at the specified temperature. Air movement means may be used to force air over the heated surface or surfaces and thereby carry vapor from a passageway through the air-flow outlet. Individual fluid droplet ejection devices including the reservoir have been produced having a length less than one centimeter and a diameter less than two millimeters. Such miniaturization makes new applications and methods possible in connection with dispensing fragrance, aroma and odor producing materials.
The present
Frederickson Christopher J.
Hayes Donald J.
Hayes Matthew D.
Taylor David W.
Wallace David B.
Hopkins Robert A.
Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP
MicroFab Technologies Inc.
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