US3418068A - Control apparatus for air treating systems - Google Patents

Description

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Dec. 24, 1968 1.. A. GILBERTSQN @A CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AIR TREATING SYSTEMS Filed May 19, 1965 Jg nlm." l I l] ummlllnm..

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llll""' fw Dec. 24, 1968 I.. A. GILBERTsoN CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AIR TREATING SYSTEMS Filed May 19. 1965 2 Sheets sheet 2 m M T m TW A RI C UW T BS H C W W MS E R S HIvV o N AS M M RN U PP EC I I I I I II m mA R TW 5 AI 2 s E 7 4 E TR ADDITIONAL FAN com' :DAMPER fom/fw United States Patent O 3,418,068 CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AIR TREATING SYSTEMS Lynn A. Gilbertson, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Honeywell Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 19, 1965, Ser. No. 457,133 14 Claims. (Cl. 21-74) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An air treating apparatus and control system; the apparatus having an air inlet, a vaporizing area, and an air outlet; with a heater disposed in the air inlet to heat the air before it reaches the vaporizing area, with a thermostat controlled damper controlled by the air temperature in the inlet `and arranged to allow increased air flow when the heater is energized, and with a manually operated and timer controlled switch to energize the heater; the air treating apparatus being associated with a forced air heating or cooling system; and with electrical circuitry to allow selective remote control of the heater and the blower of the forced air system.

This invention relates to control apparatus and more specifically to an improved air treating apparatus and control system therefor. In particular, the invention relates to dispensing apparatus for adding a vaporizable air treating material to air, means for varying the rate of evaporation of the material, and a control system for selectively controlling the rate of evaporation of the air treating material and thereby the effectiveness of the dispensing apparatus.

Various methods of counteracting undesirable odors in residences, commercial buildings, and the like have been proposed in the past and several are used widely today. These include the various deodorants marketed in aerosol cans and also deodorants dispensed by means of a wick which can be exposed to the air and thereby convey the deodorant from the container to the air -which is to be treated. Also, some types of deodorants or odor cunteractants are dispensed by bringing a stream of air into contact with them so as to evaporate a portion of the counteractant into the air which is then in turn mixed with the air in the enclosure to be treated. This type of counteractant may take the form of either a liquid, a solid or a gel. Various attempts to control the effectiveness of dispensers for the latter type of counteractant materials have been proposed, generally attempting to vary the amount of air coming into contact with the counteractant and t-o thereby control the amount of evaporation which takes place. These systems have not been altogether satisfactory since they did not provide accurate control which could be easily operated from a remote point.

My invention provides a dispensing or treating apparatus and a control system therefor which permits selective operation of the apparatus at levels of vaporization which vary greatly and which could not be obtained by simply operating a damper to control the amount of air coming into contact with the counteractant in the manner used in the past. Also, my invention provides a control ICC in combination with a dispensing apparatus of the type wherein a vaporizable air treating material is vaporized by bringing a stream of air into contact with it, of a heater selectively operable to increase the temperature of the stream of air prior to its coming into contact with the air treating material so as to increase the rate of vaporization of the material 'and thereby increase the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus. My invention also contemplates the use, in combination with the aforementioned heater, of a thermal actuator responsive to the temperature of the air heated by the heater, to operate a damper which in turn controls the rate of air flow which comes into contact with the air treating material. Thus, the heater is effective to increase the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus in two ways, first by raising the temperature of the air so as to increase the rate of evaporization of the material, and secondly, to cause operation of the damper so as to permit a greater volume of air to come into contact with the air treating material. My invention further lies in structure for adding these controls to an air treating ap paratus and to a remote control system which is selectively operable to bring the heater into operation and to thereby vary the elfectiveness of the dispensing apparatus.

My invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of my invention with reference to the drawing wherein:

FIGURE l is a front view, with portions broken away, of an air treating apparatus constructed according to my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the air treating apparatus, taken generally along line 2-2 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic representation of the air treating apparatus disclosed in FIGURES 1 and 2 utilized in connection with a home heating and/or cooling system and including an electrical control system for the air treating apparatus.

Referring rst to FIGURES l and 2, reference numeral 10 generally designates a dispenser for air treating material. The dispenser 10 takes the form of a box 11, which is generally rectangular in cross-section and which may be formed of any desired material, for example from metal or plastic. Box 11 makes up the main portion of the dispenser but has attached to the side of it an auxiliary box 12 which is also rectangular in cross-section. Box 11 has an opening at the top which is closed by a cover 13 attached to the box by an appropriate hinge 13a and secured by a releasable hasp 13b. Cover 13 provides access to the upper portion of box 11, which upper portion will be referred to as the storage portion 14 of box 11. This portion of the disclosed apparatus is conventional and is adapted to house a plurality of slugs or bars 15 of a vaporizable odor counteractant material. The walls of box 11 have a plurality of alternately spaced, inwardly extending batiles 16 which support the bars or slugs of air treating material and define a passageway through which they art fed by gravity into an intermediate portion of box 11 which will be referred to as a vaporizing chamber 17. The baffles are desirable in the storage area of the dispenser since the slugs are made of a gel-like material and it is not desirable to have the weight of several of these slugs exerted upon a single one of them.

Vaporizing chamber 17 is separated from the storage portion 14 of the box by an extended baffle member 20 which, with the forward wall of the box, defines an opening which has a width less than the diameter of the slugs of counteractant material. The purpose of this construction will be discussed below. Chamber 17 is provided with an air inlet which takes the form of a perforated portion of an end wall 21 which forms the left-hand end of the box 11, as viewed in FIGURE 1. The chamber also has a perforated back wall 22 which is spaced forward from the rear wall of the box 11 and which forms a part of the air outlet from chamber 17. 'Dhe chamber has a horizontal step or pedestal 23 upon which the slugs of counteractant material may lie to be vaporized. The riser portion 24 of this step, spaced backward slightly from the front of box. 11, is also perforated and acts as an additional air outlet from the vaporizingv chamber. A door 25 provides access to the vaporizing chamber and is lhinged by hinge 25a and secured by an appropriate latch 25b.

The areas behind perforated wall 22 and under the step lor pedestal 23, together, dene an outlet passage 26 through which air passes to an outlet opening 27 in the back wall of box 12. This opening 27 may be provided 'with an appropriate gasket or seal 30 and may be connected so as to supply treated air to an enclosure. For example, outlet opening 27 may be connected to the inlet of the blower for the air conditioning system of a building.

At the bottom of box 12 is an additional chamber 31 which has a grilled air inlet opening 32 at the right-hand end (as seen in FIGURE 1). This chamber, along wit'h a chamber 33 at the lower end of the auxiliary box 12, forms an air inlet passage for the treating apparatus. This inlet passage, the vaporizing chamber, and the outlet passage, considered together, dene an air flow circuit through the dispenser. Disposed in the inlet passage, in chamber 31, is an elongated electric heater 34 which is supported by appropriate means such as screws 35 so that the heater is disposed generally along the center of the chamber 31 and extends almost the entire length. The *heater is disposed so =as to be in heat transfer relationship with air passing through chamber 31. Supported by an upstanding member 36 located in chamber 33, and disposed in the air inlet passage, approximately at the point of intersection between chambers 31 and 33, is a temperature responsive switch 37 which is connected in controlling relationship with heater 34. As will be seen hereinafter, this switch 37 acts 'as a high limit safety switch for heater 34 to prevent overheating.

Positioned in air outlet passage 26, intermediate back wall 22 of the vaporizin-g chamber and the rear wall of box 12, is a damper or air valve 40 which cooperates with outlet opening 27 to control the amount of air passing through the outlet passage and thereby controlling the amount of air which can pass through the vaporizing chamber. Damper 40 is carried by a lever 41 which is pivoted at 42 on the rear wall of box 12. The end of lever 41, opposite to the end which carries the damper 40, extends through an opening 43 in wall 21 and into charnber 33 in box 12. There a pin 44 extends transversely from the end of the lever and is engaged by the free end of a bimetal temperature responsive actuator 45. The other end yof bimetal actuator 4-5 is connected to a shaft 46 which is rotatably mounted on support 36. A manual adjustment (not shown) may be provided for selecting the normal position of damper 40, that is the position occupied by the damper when heater 34 is de-energized. 'Ilhese details are not disclosed since they are considered to form no part of the invention and any appropriate adjustment apparatus may be used. Suftice it to say that when the heater is de-energized, the bimetal will normally position damper 40 so that it blocks olf at least a portion of outlet Iopening 27. When heater 34 is energized, the heated -air cornes into contact with bimetal 45 and the bimetal tends to unwind as its ,temperature rises and hence lever 42 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction to open damper 40.

As noted in FIGURE 2, storage portion 14 of box 11 may contain several bars of the air treating gel. In FIG- URE 1 a portion of the box has been broken away to disclose one of these bars in this storage portion. As seen there, a leaf spring 47 engages the right-hand end of the bar so as to urge the bar towards the left as seen in FIG- URE l. At the left-hand side of box 11, there is an opening through end wall 21 through which a switch actuating arm 50 extends so as to be engaged by the lefthand end of the bar. This switch operating lever operates a conventional miniature switch 51 and, when the lever 50 is depressed by the presence of a bar of gel, switch 51 is opened. The function of this switch will be seen in connection with FIGURE 3. Switch 51 is mounted in the upper portion of box 12 which may also be used to house a number of other components such as relays and transformers and the like. Since the specific manner in wlhich these components are mounted is of no significance to the present invention, they have not been disclosed in FIG- URE 1. However, these components will be discussed in connection with the control system disclosed in FIG- URE 3.

In FIGURE 3, dispensing apparatus 10 is shown schematically in combination with the forced air system of a building. While the dispensing apparatus may be used as a free standing unit with its own means for drawing air through the device, it has particular application when used in connection with the central system in the home or other building. For illustrative purposes, outlet 27 has been shown connected to t-he inlet side of a system blower 52 by means of a duct 53. Actually, dispensing apparatus 10 may be mounted directly on the side of a furnace with outlet opening 27 aligned with a corresponding opening through the wall of the furnace and leading into the inlet area for the blower. FIGURE 3 illustrates the central forced air system schematically and shows an air conditioning apparatus 54 which may include cooling, heating, air cleaning or other equipment and shows the air being delivered to a room through a supply duct 55 with the return air coming through a duct 56 into which the duct 53 connects. As illustrated in FIGURE 3, the air treating apparatus may be located in the basement along with the various other air conditioning equipment where it would not be particularly convenient should the occupants of the area being conditioned wish to change the adjustment of the apparatus or otherwise supervise the system. FIG- URE 3 discloses a control system for the dispensing apparatus which is particularly applicable to installations Where it is desired to have a remote control panel located in the occupied area.

The system includes a remote control panel 57, the details of which will be discussed hereinafter. Power for the system is supplied by a pair of AC power conductors 60 and 61. Conductor 61 is connected to one terminal of a motor 62 for driving the system fan, by a conductor 63. A conductor 64 connects conductor 61 to one side of the electric heater 34. Conductor 60 is connected to the other terminal of motor 62 by means of parallel conductors 65, 66 and 67 through switches 70, 71 and 72 respectively. Conductor 60 is also connected to the opposite side of heater 34 by a conductor 73 through a switch 69 and the thermal switch 37, previously discussed. Conductors 60 and 61 are also connected across the primary winding 74 of a transformer 75. Transformer has a secondary winding 76 which has one terminal 77 connected by a conductor 80 to a common terminal 81 in the remote control panel 57.

V.Another terminal 82 of the transformer secondary is connected, by a conductor 83, through an electromagnetic relay coil 84 to one terminal of a manual fan switch 85 located at the `remote control panel 57. The other terminal of this switch is connected to the common terminal 81 in the remote control panel. Terminal 82 is also connected by a conductor 86, through an electromagnetic relay coil 87 to one terminal of a switch 89 which is located at the remote control panel 57 and forms part of a burst switch 88. The switch 89 is controlled by a timer 90 having a manual actuator `91. Timer 90 may take the form of any mechanical or electrical timer which may be manually operated to close the switch and to select a time for which the switch is to remain closed and which will, after the expiration of that preselected period, open the switch. The other side of switch 89 is connected to the common terminal 81 in the remote control panel. Terminal 82 of transformer 75 is also connected, by a conductor 92, through the switch 51 located in box 12 of the dispensing apparatus to an indicator lamp 93 located in the remote control panel. The other side of the lamp 93 is also connected to the common terminal 81.

The operation of the air treating apparatus and the control system therefor will now be described. The systern is shown in the drawing in its de-energized position, that is with all of the switches open so that the system fan is de-energized as is heater 34 and all of the other controls. It it is desired to place the system in operation, this may be accomplished in any one of three different ways. First of all, the system may be placed in operation by the closing of the additional fan control switch 70 which, while shown as a simple switch, may be the condition responsive control apparatus for the air conditioning system. If this switch is closed, a circuit is completed from conductor 60, through conductor 65 and the switch 70 to the fan motor 62 and through conductor 63 back to conductor 61. This energizes motor 62 and causes operation of the system fan 52 which in turn causes the air to be drawn in through opening 32 in box 11. Thus air is caused to pass through vaporizing chamber 17 of box 11 and to come into contact with a slug of gel disposed in chamber 17 as Well as with the lower portion of a slug resting upon the lower baille 20 of storage area 14. Since damper 40 is closed, or substantially closed, the amount of air passing through the air treating apparatus will be relatively small and a normal rate of vaporization of slug will occur and a normal effectiveness of the air treating apparatus will be obtained. As noted, the air passing through charnber 17 contacts a portion of the lower-most slug of gel in storage area 14. The remaining portion of that slug tends to seal oil the storage portion from the vaporizing chamber. As air continues to pass through the vaporizing chamber, the slug laying in the vaporizing chamber tends to 'become smaller and smaller due to evaporation. In the same manner the slug resting upon baille 20 also gradually reduces in size due to evaporation and finally drops through the space between the end of baille 20 and the forward wall of box 11. This will occur when the slug in chamber 17 has been substantially all evaporated away. When this happens the next higher slug rolls down and closes off the space between baille 20 and the front wall. As the slugs 15 evaporate into the air passing through the air treating apparatus, the odor counteractant material is evaporated into the air and this air is added to the air conditioning system to be dispersed throughout the area controlled by the air conditioning system.

Whenever a supply of gel is present in storage chamber 14, the slugs act upon switch actuating lever 50 (see FIGURE l) causing switch 51 to be held open. Referring to FIGURE 3, it can be seen that when this switch 1s closed a circuit is completed from terminal 82 of transformer 75, through conductor 92 and the switch 51 to indicator lamp 93 and back through common terminal 81 and conductor 80 to the secondary of the transformer. Switch 51 and actuating lever 50 are located so that when the last slug in the storage chamber drops onto baille 20, switch 51 is closed and light 93 comes on at the remote control panel to indicate a need for replenishing the supply of counteractant material.

The system can also be placed in operation by closing fan switch 85 at the remote control panel. When this is done a circuit is completed from terminal 82 of the transformer secondary, through relay coil 84 and conductor 83, fan switch 85, common terminal 81 and conductor 80 back to terminal 77 of the transformer. Thus, relay coil 84 is energized and this is effective to close switch 71 so that a circuit is completed from conductor 60, through switch 71, conductor 66, fan motor 62 and conductor 63 to conductor 61. Under this condition the system operates exactly as it was described in connection with the closing of additional fan switch 70.

`Closure of either of the switches 70 or 85 results in normal operation of the air treating apparatus. However, should it be desired to increase the effectiveness of the air treating system, for example upon the occurrence of an extremely objectionable odor, a burst can be obtained by utilization of the burst switch 88 at the remote control panel. This is accomplished by operating actuator 91 to set timer 90 and close switch 89. When switch 89 is closed, a circuit is completed from terminal 82 of transformer 75, through relay coil 87, conductor 86, switch 89, common terminal 81 and conductor 80, to terminal 77 of the transformer. Energization of relay coil 87 results in closure of switches 69 and 72. This completes a circuit from conductor 60, through switch 72 and conductor 67, motor 62 and conductor 63 to conductor 61 so that motor 62 is energized and the system fan is placed in operation. At the same time, the closure of switch 69 completes a circuit from conductor 60, through switch 69, conductor 73, normally closed temperature responsive switch 37, heater 34 and conductor 64 to conductor 61. This causes energization of heater 34 and hence the air drawn in through the opening 32 and passing through the air inlet passage is heated as it passes along heater 34. This alone causes the evaporation rate of the air treating material to increase so that the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus increases substantially. However, at the same time, the increased temperature of the air ,passing through the air inlet passage causes the temperature responsive actuator 45 to operate and to open damper 40. This causes the amount of air passing through the air treating apparatus to increase. Thus, not only is the temperature of the air passing over the air treating material increased, but also the volume of air passing over it is increased. Operation of the burst switch thus results in a two-fold increase in the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus. Should the operation of heater 34, for some reason or other, unduly raise the temperature of the air passing over switch 37, and hence coming into contact with the air treating material, switch 37 opens and breaks the circuit to the heater. Thus switch 37 acts as a high limit safety switch for the system. A safety switch of this type is particularly important to the system since care must be taken not to overheat the odor counteractant material in vaporizing chamber 17.

If the system is already operating due to the closure of switch or switch 85 when the burst switch is operated, the operation of the system fan will not be interrupted and the only effect of the burst switch will be to cause energization of heater 34 which in turn will increase the effectiveness of the system. When the selected time has elapsed, timer 91 will open switch 90 and heater 34 will be de-energized as will fan motor 62 unless one of the other switches for the fan motor is closed at this time.

From the foregoing it can be seen that my invention provides a relatively simple air treating apparatus and control system which is readily adaptable for use either by itself or in connection with a forced air central system. It is particularly adaptable for use with a remote control panel which is located some distance from the air treating apparatus itself. The system provides a simple and effective means for controlling the rate of evaporation and thereby the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus. It renders this selection so simple that it can be readily accomplished by the homeowner or other user of the device to change the level of effectiveness by simply operating a switch.

It should be noted that my invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment which I have shown and described. While I have shown a dispenser and apparatus for using slugs or bars of material in a gel form, it is to be understood that similar principles could be applied where a liquid is used, for example. Also, while I find it preferable to use the bimetal operator for the damper in conjunction with heater 34, the heater may be used alone to provide a substantial increase in the effectiveness of the device if this is desired. Also, the device has been described as used in connection with a central forced air system and indication has been made herein that the device may be used alone as a free standing unit. The apparatus which I have described may be used in connection with other portable devices such as Iportable air filters, h'umidifiers and the like. My disclosure may suggest various modications to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of my invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that my invention is to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Dispensing apparatus for a vaporizable air treating material of the type which is evaporated in air at Ia rate which increases as the temperature of air passing thereover is increased, the apparatus comprising: a structure having an air flow circuit therethrough including an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening and a vaporizing area adapted to have a quantity of vaporizable air treating material retained therein, said structure being constructed and arranged so that air passing through said air oW circuit passes over and makes surface contact with treating material in said vaporizing area; electrically energizable heater means mounted in said inlet opening and adapted to heat air passing therethrough; control switch means; timer means; electrical circuit means including said switch means and said timer means 4connected in controlling relation with said heater means and adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy; and manual means selectively operable to close said switch means and to render said timer means operable, said timer means being effective a predetermined time thereafter to automatically open said switch means to de-energize said heater means.

2. In combination with apparatus for dispensing a vaporizable air treating material of the type which is evaporated in air at a rate which increases as the temperature of air passing thereover is increased and wherein the apparatus includes a dispenser structure with an air passage therein defining an air How circuit having air inlet and air outlet openings, means adapted to connect the air passage to a means for moving -air therethrough, and a vaporizing area of the air passage intermediate the inlet and outlet openings and adapted to have a quantity of vaporizable air treating material retained therein to be evaporated into air moving thereover, control apparatus for selectively increasing the vaporizing rate of the dispensing apparatus comprising: electrically energizable heater means disposed intermediate the inlet opening and the vaporizing `area and adapted, when energized, to heat air moving through said air cir-cuit; electrical circuit means adapted to connect said heater means to a source of electrical power; and timer controlled switch means connected in said electrical circuit means in controlling relationship with said heater means, said switch means including manually operable means for selecting the operating time of said timer and completing an electrical circuit to said heater means to cause energization thereof, said timer thereafter automatically operating said switch means to de-energize said heater means after expiration of the selected operating time.

3. Apparatus for adding to the air in an enclosed area a vaporizable air treating material of the type which is evaporated in air at a rate which increases as the volume and temperature of air passing thereover is increased, the apparatus comprising: a dispensery having an air flow circuit including air inlet mea-ns for admitting air, 'air outlet means for dispelling air to the enclosed area, and a vaporizing chamber intermediate said inlet and outlet means, said chamber being adapted ot have a quantity of vaporizable air treating material retained therein and exposed to air passing therethrough; electrically energizable heater means disposed in said air inlet meansand adapted, when energized, to heat air passing through said inlet means; electrical circuit means adapted to connect said heater means to a source of electrical power; air valve means associated with said air iiow circuit and operable to control the ow of air therethrough, said valve means normally permitting a predetermined amount of air ow; thermally responsive actuator means mounted in operative association with said heater means and operably connected to said valve means so that `upon heating of said heater means said actuator means operates said valve means to permit a flow of air which is greater than said predetermined amount; and manual control means including switch means connected in said electrical circuit means in controlling relationship with said heater means and operable to selectively energize said heater means to`increase the evaporation rate of the treating material.

4. Apparatus for adding to the air of an enclosed space a vaporizable air treating material of the type which is evaporated in air at a rate which increases as the volume and temperature of air passing thereover is increased, the apparatus comprising: a dispenser structure having an air ow passage therethrough 4adapted to have contained therein a quantity of vaporizable air treating material which is vaporized and carried away by such air; means for connecting said passage to apparatus for moving air therethrough; electrically energizable heater means mounted in said passage in a position to heat air passing therethrough before such air reaches the air treating material; control switch means; limit switch means responsive to the temperature of air heated by said heater means; circuit means electrically connecting said control switch means and said limit switch means in controlling relation with said heater means and adapted to be connected to a source of electrical power, said limit switch means being operable to open the circuit to said heater means when the temperature of the air heated thereby reaches a predetermined maximum; air flow control means associated with said passage and operable to controlthe amount of air flowing therethrough and permitting a predetermined ow through said passage when said heater means is de-energized; thermally responsive actuator means operably connected to said air flow control means and responding to heat 4from said heater, when energized, to operate said air flow control means to increase the amount of air flow through said passage.

5. In an air treating apparatus of the type wherein a stream of air is brought into contact with a quantity of vaporizable air treating material so that the material is evaporated into the air, the improvement comprising: heater means in said apparatus, disposed in heat transfer relation with the stream of air and selectively operable to heat the air prior to its coming into contact with the treating material to increase the vaporization rate of the material and thereby increase the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus.

6. Apparatus for adding to air a vaporizable air treating @material of the type wherein the vaporization rate of the material increases with increasing volume and temperature of the air passing thereover, the apparatus cornprising: an enclosure having a passage therethrough through which air is to be conveyed, the passage including a vaporization area which is adapted to house a vaporizable material over which air conveyed through the passage must pass; heater means Iassociated with said passage and operable to heat air traveling through said passage prior to its entry into said evaporization area; air valve means `associated with said passage and operable to control the amount of air conveyed through said pasoperated and responsive to the operation of said heater means to open said valve means to permit a greater amount of air to be conveyed through said passage; and control means operably associated with said heater means and selectively operable to render said heater means operative and to thereby increase the vaporization of the air treating material due to the combined effect of raising the temperature of air entering said vaporization area and increasing the volume of air conveyed threthrough by operation of said valve means.

7. Air treating apparatus for use in combination wit a forced air heating or cooling system of the type having a blower to move air therethrough, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure having an air passage therethrough with an inlet and an outlet and adapted to -be connected to the forced air system so that the system blower effects movement of air through said passage and so that said outlet connects into the system to supply treated fair thereto, said passage including a vaporization chamber adapted to be partially filled with a vaporizable air treating material of the type wherein the vaporization rate increases with increasing temperature of the Iair passing thereover; heater means associated with said enclosure and operable to heat air passing through said passage prior to its entry into said vaporizing chamber to increase the vaporization of the air treating material; and control means associated with said heater means and selectively operable to render said heater means operative to heat air in said passage.

8. Air treating apparatus lfor use in combination with a forced air heating or cooling system of the type having a blower to move air therethrough, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure having an air passage therethrough with an inlet and an outlet and adapted to be connected to the forced air system so that the system Vblower effects movement of air through said passage and so that said outlet connects into the system to supply treated air thereto; said passage including a vaporization chamber adapted to be partially filled with a vaporization air treating material of the type wherein the vaporization rate increases with increasing temperature and volume of air passing thereover; heater means associated with said enclosure and operable to heat air passing through said passage prior to its entry into said vaporizing chamber to increase the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus; damper means operable to control the amount of air flow through lsaid passage upon operation of the system blower; thermally responsive actuator means operably connected to said damper means, said actuator means normally maintaining said damper means in a position to permit a predetermined amount of air flow through the passage when said heater means is not operated and responsive to operation of said heater means to operate said damper means to permit a greater air fiow through said passage to further increase the vaporization of the air treating material; and control means associated with said heater means and selectively operable to render said heater means operative to heat air in said passage.

9. Air treating apparatus for use with a temperature conditioning system of the type having a blower to rnove air therethrough, the apparatus comprising: an enclosure having an air passage therethrough with an air inlet and an outlet and adapted to be connected to an air duct of the temperature conditioning system so that the system blower is effective to move air through said passage from said inlet to said outlet, said enclosure including a vaporization chamber adapted to contain a quantity of vaporizable air treating material of the type wherein the amount of vaporization increases with increasing ternperature of air passing thereover, said enclosure being constructed and arranged so that a portion of the air treating material contained therein is exposed to air passing through said vaporization chamber; electrically energizable heater means associated with said enclosure and effective, when energized, to heat air passing through said passage prior to' its entry into said vaporization chamber to increase the vaporization of the air treating material therein; first electrical circuit means connected to said heater means and adapted to be connected to a source of electrical power; second electrical circuit means adapted to be connected to the system blower and to a source of electrical power; and control apparatus including switch means adapted to be located remotely from said enclosure, connected in controlling relationship with said first and second circuit means, and selectively operable to effect energization of said yheater means and the system blower.

10. The air treating apparatus of claim 9 wherein said switch means includes an electrical switch connected in controlling relationship with said first and second circuit means, timer means operatively connected to said electrical switch, and manual means operably connected to said timer means and said electric switch and selectively operable to effect operation of said timer means and to close said switch means to effect energization of the system blower and said heater means, said timer means being effective for a pre-selected time and thereafter to automatically open said electric switch to de-energize said heater means and the system blower.

11. The air treating apparatus of claim 9 wherein the enclosure further has a damper associated with said passage and operable to control the amount of air moved therethrough, and thermally responsive operating means responsive to the temperature of air in said passage and operably connected to said damper so that said damper is maintained in a first operative position to permit a first predetermined amount of air to be moved through said passage when said heater is de-energized and so that said actuator means responds to heating of air by said heater means, when energized, to operate said damper to permit a greater amount of air to be moved through said passage to further increase the effectiveness of the air treating apparatus.

12. The air treating apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first circuit means includes a temperature responsive switch connected in series circuit with said heater means and responsive to the temperature of air heated by said heater means, said last named switch being normally closed but effective to open the circuit and thereby deenergize said heater means when the temperature of the air heated thereby reaches a predetermined maximum.

13. The air treating apparatus of claim 9 wherein said control apparatus further includes indicator switch means responsive to the amount of air treating material contained in said enclosure and operable thereby upon the amount of treating material reaching a predetermined minimum amount, indicator circuit means connected to said indicator switch means and yadapted to be connected to a source of electrical power, and electrically operated indicator means connected in said indicator circuit means and adapted to be located remotely from said enclosure and in proximity with said remote switch means, said indicator means being operated in response to operation of said indicator switch means to call attention to the need for replenishing the air treating material.

14. An air freshening system comprising: a dispenser enclosure having an air passage therethrough and including a vaporizing chamber forming a part of said passage, said enclosure further including a space above the vaporizing chamber for storing a plurality of bars of vaporizable air freshening material in gel form, said enclosure including a wall separating said storage space and said vaporizing chamber with an elongated opening therethrough so that individual bars of material are fed by gravity from said storage space into said vaporizing chamber, said passage being adapted to be connected to a means for moving air therethrough and through the vaporization chamber so as to pass over the air freshening material therein; electrically energizable .heater means mounted in said passage in a position to heat air passing therethrough before such air reaches said vaporizing chamber and thereby increases the vaporization of the air freshening material therein; circuit means electrically connected to said heater means and adapted to connect said heater means to a source of electrical energy; first manually operable switch means electrically connected in said circuitmeans and selectively operable to control the energization of said heater means; second switch means electrically connected in said circuit means in controlling relationship with said heater means, and responsive to the temperature of air heated by said heater means, said second switch means being operable in response thereto to open the circuit to said heater means when the temperature of the air heated thereby reaches a .predetermined maximum temperature; air ow control means associated with said passage and operable to control the amount of air llowing therethrough and permitting a predetermined ilow through said passage when said heater means is de-energzed; thermally responsive actuator means operably connected to said air flow control means and disposed in heat transfer relationship with the air heated by said heater means and responsive thereto when said heater means is energized, 'to operate said air ilow control means to increase the amount of air flow through said passage and thereby further increase the vaporiz'ation of said air freshening material; electrically operable indicator means; circuit means connected to said indicator means and adapted to be connected to a source of power; third switch means connected in said last named circuit means in controlling relationship with said indicator means and responsive to the presence of at least one -bar of treshening material in said storage space to maintain said indicating means inoperative, said switch means responding to the passing of the last bar from said storage space to operate said indicator means. v

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,733,956 2/1956 Wenner -2 239-58 XR 2,923,479 2/1960 Wenner et al. 239-55 XR 2,942,786 6/ 1960 Wenner et al 239-58 XR 2,021,521 11/1935 Sargent. y. 2,047,973 7/ 1936 Lawton et al. 2,497,068 2/ 1950 Canney. v 2,537,761 1/1951 Howard 21-121 2,614,820 10/ 1952 Boydjiei 21-126 XR 2,686,944 8/1954 Gubelin 2.1-126 2,737,572 6/1956 Wernst 21-119 X 2,937,419 5/1960 Vaughn 21-119 XR 3,042,383 7/1962 Pennington. v y 3,044,276 7/ 1962 Kauten 21-121 XR 3,158,194 1l/1964l Rawlins.

MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner.

BARRY S. RICHMAN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.

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