US2091957A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 7, 1937. I c, BOA 2,091,957

HUMIDIFIER Filed March 22, 1935 1 N VE NTOR.

ATT NEY.

Patented Sept. 7,' 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HUMIDIFIEB.

George C. Boa, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 22, 1935, Serial No. 12,445-

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to a humidifier primarily suitable for application to radiatorsr The primary object of the invention is to pro-' vide a more efllcient and improved-means for moistening and filtering heated air.

A further object of the invention is to provide aninexpensive humidifying device of individual units connected by a common conduit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compact humidifying device of assembled units and having a relativelygreater moisture freeing surface thanearlier devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a series of standard water holdingunits which may be connected by a common liquid supply means to provide a member of predetermined length or number of units to fit a given size of radiator to which the humidifier is to be applied.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be noted by reference to the accompanying single sheet of drawing upon which:

Figure 1 is a front view of the top of a common type of radiator with the herein described humidifier thereon, the end units of the humidifier illustrated being ,in section.

Figure '2 is a sectional view on the line Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a right end elevation of the humidifier shown in Figure 1 disposed upon a different type of radiator.

in many lengths and with various numbers of fins, also, that the top surfaces of such radiators are of different formation, the present device has been so designed that it may be made to fit all types regardless of shape, size or'length, without material modification.

To provide such a construction, front and rear cylindrical connections l2 and I3, respectively, have been provided. One connection, the front connection l2, serves as a water conduit for vessels or units l4, and the rear connection l3 supports and stabilizes the vessels 14. If desired both connections may be water conduits but this is not necessary. Connections .l2 and I3 are capped at both ends.

It is usual to mill down connections l2 and I3 about one third of their diameter or to otherwise treat such connections to form therein slots IS. The slots G5 are sufficiently wide to receive the transverse ends of the Vessels I4. Thus, the connections l2 and i3 may be cut to any length desired, and the required number of slots I5 cut therein and properly spaced, after which the vessels l4 arefitted thereinto producing an assembly which will fit any radiator of normal specification.

As mentioned'above, the top surfaces of various radiators are of different formations. Some of such surfaces provide a difiicult and precarious support for. a fiat bottomed humidifier. This has been overcome in the present device by providing two parallel cylindrical bottom surfaces, connections 82 and E3, on the humidifier that it may rest upon a radiator of any shape, whether the supporting surface be round, flat or irregular. Firm seating of the humidifier is obtained with ease and the assemblywill be stable as will be seen by referring to Figures 2 and 3. If the top of the radiator is rounded, the connections elevate the vessels I4 above the fins. The spaced apart connections I2 and I3 engage the fins at opposite sides of the vertical transverse median line of such fins and equalize the distribution of weight. When the fins have depressions in their tops, the connections 12 and I3 occupy such depressions and provide an even more stable seat such as is shown in Figure 3.

The water vessels I4 have slots [6 through their bottoms I! that register with the apertures i5 in the front conduit 12. The contacting edges between the vessels l4 and the front connection I2 are sealed by any suitable means preventing leakages. The rear connection is, when it does not serve as a conduit for the vessels l4, may be secured to such vessels M in any suitable manner, no special careto prevent leakages being necessary for there are no slots on the bottoms of pans l4 over connections l3.

The vessels l'4 that are illustrated are rectangular in horizontal and vertical cross sections and have their bottoms l1 extending upwardly to form side walls [8 terminating in inwardly directed flanges iii. The top edge of each flange I9 is for supporting an absorbent strip 20. The flanges l9 i are so bent to provide for strips 20 a wider unsupported surface 20a. for the absorbent strip 20 between units I4. The moisture radiating surface of strips 20 is thus largely increased. Several narrow strips 20 may be used in place of a single wide strip. 7

The end walls 2| extending upwardly from the bottoms I! of pans I 4 terminate in inwardly extending horizontal flanges 22 for supporting a radiator cover (not shown). These flanges are above the top level of strip 20.

End units 23 are slightly different in construction from units M. The outer side walls of units 23 do not have a flange l9 and extend upwardly to be inwardly bent to form inwardly extending horizontal flanges 24 in the same plane as flanges 22 and serving the same purpose as flanges 22. One of the end units 23 may be cut away as shown at 25 to provide a means for charging the device with water. b

Any suitable means may be used for filling the humidifying device. An automatic feeding means (not shown) with a permanent water conduit connection could be utilized, but manual means are equally effective for all purposes. Water is poured into the end unit 23 through opening 25 and flows through the slot l6 therein into the conduit l2 and into as many units M as comprise the assembly by way of their respective slots l6. All will be filled equally as soon as an equilibrium is established, and the water level will be visible through the opening 25. The water in the humidifier is transferred by capillary attraction from the vessels I4 and 23 to the strips 20 suspended upon the flanges l0, most of the-moisture evaporating from the horizontal moisture radiating surface 20a. The absorbent strips 20 may be removed and replaced with fresh and clean strips as occasion requires.

Ideally, the spacing of the units 14 corresponds generally with the spacing of the radiator fins so that when heated air from the radiator fins rises in a current between the fins, it does so uninterruptedly until it strikes the horizontal portion 200. of the absorbent strip 20. There such air either is deflected in part and passes in part through the strip 20 to be conditioned by the addition of moisture thereto.

To increase the circulation of air and vapor, the wings l9 may contain a transversely arranged slot or series of slots 19a, best shown in Figure 2. Vapor collected under wings I!) and held there by the depending fold of the wick 200, may escape through slots la and air rising between adjacent downward folds of the wick 20a may escape directly through the opening at the top. The downward fold of wick 20a. is the most moist section thereof. Increased evaporation of liquid in a readily appreciable degree is thus secured.

While there has been herein illustrated and described a specific form of the invention, it will be readily seen that the apparatus may be constructed in many different ways without departing from the spirit of the invention, therefore, there is no intention to limit the scope of the claims to the construction shown.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A humidifier comprising a series of pan units, and connecting means between said pans comprising a conduit connecting the interior of said pans, a portion of said connecting means being in a lower plane than the bottom of said pans and said connecting means being suited for engaging the top of a radiator.

2. In combination, a humidifier comprising 9.

series of like parallelepiped pans, each of saidpans having an opening therein, and paired tubular supporting means for said pans, each of said tubular supporting means having segments of its wall cut away to seat said pans, and at least one of said supporting means registering with the openings in said pans.

3. In combination, a humidifier comprising a series of parallelepiped pans, and support means for all of said pans, each of said pans having at its top and directed inwardly of the pan an oblique flange the edge of which is adapted to support a strip of absorbent material, and a strip of absorbent material suspended upon said flanges and depending into said pans.

4. In a humidifier, a series of pans having side walls, connecting means between said pans, and an absorbent open mesh strip extending from said pans, each pan having. upwardly extending flanges, at least one of said flanges being oblique to the side wall and directed inwardly of the pan and supporting said strip, and at least one of said flanges extending above said oblique flange and being horizontally disposed over the top of said pan.

5. A humidifier for mounting upon a radiator and comprising a series of pans having oblique and horizontal flanges, each of said pans being of such size and s spaced as to register with the fin on a radiator, connecting means between said pans comprising elongated members having sections removed from their walls to seat said pans, and an absorbent wick extending from said pans and suspended in and between said pans by said oblique flanges, the horizontal flanges extending over said pans inwardly of the walls thereof.

6. A humidifier for mounting in combination with room heating means, comprising pans, and water conducting means connecting said pans, the connecting means being adapted for engaging the top surface of the radiator and having sections of the walls thereof cut away to seat sections of said pan in the cut away portion.

'7. A humidifier for use upon a radiator having vertical fins extending crosswise thereof, comprising a plurality of separate pans in spaced arrangement side by side, all of said pans forming a unit adapted to be located with the pans crosswise of a radiator, the length of the unit being determined by the number of pans therein, and support members secured to said pans extending crosswise of said pans and below the bottoms of said pans and being adapted'for supporting the unit on the top of the radiator with the pans extending crosswise of the radiator.

8. In combination, a humidifier comprising a series of like pans, each ofsaid pans having an opening therein, and a plurality of tubular supporting means for said pans, each of said tubular supporting means having segments of its wall cut away to seat said pans, and at least one of said supporting means registering with the openings in said pans.

9. In combination, a humidifier comprising a series of pans arranged in spaced side by side relation, each of said pans having at its top and directed inwardly of the pan an oblique perforated flange the edge of which is adapted to support a strip of absorbent material, and a strip of absorbent material suspended upon said flanges and depending into said pans and extending from pan to pan over the spaces therebetween.

10. A humidifier comprising a plurality of sepminating in obliquely inwardly and upwardly extending flanges adapted to support a strip of absorbent material, a strip of absorbent material suspended upon said flanges and depending into said pans and extending from pan to pan over the 'spaces therebetween, the inclination of said flanges providing an upwardly increasing flue area whereby the unsupported area of absorbent material between said flanges is greater than the transverse area of the flue below said flanges. 10

GEORGE C. BOA.

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