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`VMR-Ex. 1013-001
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`

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`lPa.t“enl:e¢'i Oct. 13, 1936;
`
`2,057,353
`
`Uurrsioi STATES PATENT OFFICE
`
`varomzmo UNIT son THERAPEUTIC
`APPARATUS’
`Clinton L. Whittemore, Jr.. St. Louis County, Mo.,
`assignor
`to Levering Laboratories,
`Incorpo-
`rated, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of_Delaware
`Application September 27, 1935, Serial No: 42,391
`
`13‘Claims.
`
`(Cl. 219-38)
`
`'
`
`This invention relates to vaporizing units for
`therapeutic apparatus of the particular type dis-
`closed in U. 8. Patent No. 1,968,509,
`to F. E.
`Tiirany, dated July 31, 1934.
`The object of my/' invention is to provide a
`vaporizing unit- of the kind mentioned, which is
`of such construction that it will function prop-
`erly, even though the heating element is spaced
`a considerable distance above or away from the
`medicament from which the vapor is evolved.
`Figure 1 of the drawing is a side elevational
`view of a therapeutic apparatus equipped with
`\a vaporizing unit constructed in accordance with
`my invention.
`Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view
`of said unit; and
`Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional
`view, illustrating another form of my invention.
`In the drawing A designates the vaporizing
`vessel of my improved unit, said vessel being
`preferably constructed in the form of a hollow
`glass container adapted to hold a liquid medica-
`ment :1: and provided with an electricalIy-oper-
`ated heating means comprising two electrical
`conductors I and 2 and a filament or heating
`element 3 combined in such a way that when
`said conductors are energized by an electric cur-
`rent, the fllament 3 will become heated. Sim-
`ilarly to the vaporizing unit disclosed in said
`Tiffany patent, the vaporizing vessel A is pro-
`vided with an air inlet orifice 4 disposed at a
`point below the upper end'of the vessel, a vapor
`outlet 5 formed preferably in the top wall of
`the vessel A, and a solid or substantially imper-
`forate bottom portion 8 up through which con-
`ductors _i and 2 extend and project upwardly
`into the interior of said vessel,
`the said con-
`ductors being sealed in the bottom portion 6
`of the vessel. The vessel A is carried by and
`permanently connected to a terminal plug B of
`any preferred construction, that is adapted to
`be plugged into or positioned in a terminal socket
`forming part of an electric circuit, such, for ex-
`ample, as the receptacle or socket of an ordinary
`‘ flashlight C. Asshown in Figure 2, the con-
`ductor I
`is soldered to the inner surface of the
`‘ metal shell 1 of the plug B, and the other con-
`ductor 2 is soldered to the inner surface of the
`. center conducting button 8 of the plug.
`In order that the unit will function properly,
`even though the heating element or filament 3 is
`spaced a considerable distance above or away
`from the medicament x, the unit is equipped with
`a wick D made of any suitable material and com-
`55 bined with the heating element or filament 3 in
`
`3 such a way that a portion of said wick is always
`in contact or approximate contact with the heat-
`ing element or filament 3, and a portion of said
`wick is always in contact with the medicament
`in the vaporizing vessel, whereby said medica-
`ment will be carried by capillary action to a
`pointwhere it will be vaporized by the heat from
`the filament 3.
`In the form of my invention
`shown in Figure 2, the wick D consists of a
`thread, ‘string or stand of some suitable wick
`material doubled intermediate its ends so as to
`form a substantially inverted V-shaped device
`whose side portions are encased in. and sur-
`rounded by coiled or looped portions of the fila-
`ment 3, the lower ends or free ends of the side
`pieces of the wick projecting downwardly into
`the medicament and terminating at or in close
`proximity to the closed bottom 6 of the vessel A.
`With such a unitiit is not necessary that the
`level of the medicament ‘be maintained in close
`proximity to“
`the heating element of
`the ap-
`paratus, but, on the contrary, the unit will op-
`erate properly so long as there is suificient med-
`icament in the vaporizing vessel A to engage or
`contact with a portion of the wick D.
`Figure 3 illustrates another form of my in-
`vention, in which the filament or heating element
`3“ is constructed in the form of a single vert-
`ically-clisposed coil attached to the electrical con- .
`ductors I and 2, and arranged so as to sur-
`round a wick D’ whose lower end terminates in
`close proximity to the inner face of the bottom
`6. of the vaporizing vessel up through which the
`conductors i and 2 project.
`«Having thus described my invention, what I
`claim as new and desire to secure by Letters
`"Patent is:
`1. A vaporizing unit for therapeutic apparatus,
`consisting of a vessel or container adapted to
`hold a medicament, electrical conductors pro-
`jecting into said vessel through the bottom of
`same, a heating filament carried by said conduc-
`tors, and a wick directly engaged by the heating
`filament and extending from said filament to a
`point in close proximity to the bottom of said
`vessel.
`2. A vaporizing unit of the kind described in
`claim 1, in which said vessel is carried by a ter-
`minal plug thatis rigidly attached to the bottom
`portion of said vessel.
`3. A tiltable vaporizing unit_'of the kind de-
`scribed in claim 1, in which said vessel is "pro-
`vided with an air inlet and a vapor outlet.
`4. A vaporizing unit of the kind described in 55
`
`VMR-Ex. 1013-002
`
`

`
`claim 1, in which the heating filament is coiled
`around a portion of said wick.
`5. A vaporizing unit of the kind described in
`claim 1, in which the wick comprises a plurality
`of strands that extend‘ downwardly from the
`heating filament and terminate in close proximity
`to the bottom of said vessel.
`6. A vaporizing unit of the kind described in
`claim 1, in which the wick consists of a substan-
`tially inverted V-shaped device whose side por-
`tions are surrounded by coiled portions of the
`heating filament.
`7. A vaporizing unit comprising, in combina-
`tion, a liquid reservoir, a heating filament and
`a wick extending from said reservoir to said
`filament, said latter-named element being con-
`structed and arranged to provide the sole support
`for said wick and being in direct contact there-
`with.
`_
`8. A vaporizer of the class described, compris-
`ing a vessel having an outlet open to the atmos-
`phere and a closed bottom adapted to receive a
`vaporizable medicament, electric conductors hav-
`ing portions thereof extending through and above
`that portion of the interior of the vessel adapted
`to receive the medicament, and a wick associated
`with said conductors also having portions there-
`of extending through and above that portion of
`the interior of the vessel adapted to receive the
`medicament so that a portion of the wick will
`be submerged in the medicament and other por-
`tions will extend above the level thereof, the con-
`struction being such that when an electric cir-
`cuit is completed through the conductors to heat
`the same and the medicament entrapped within
`the wick, a stream of vapor will be formed and
`projected upwardly within the vessel.
`9. A therapeutic vaporizing unit adapted to be
`plugged into a conventional socket terminal of
`an electric circuit, comprising .a plug terminal
`having a plurality of insulated circuit contacts,
`a vessel mounted upon said plug, said vessel hav-
`ing an outlet open to the atmosphere and a
`closed bottom to receive a medicament, conduc-
`tors extending through the plug and into the
`vessel containing the medicament, said conduc-
`tors terminating in a filament adapted to become
`heated upon completion of an electric current
`therethrough, and a porous wick entwined with-
`in the filament for lifting the medicament by
`capillary attraction whereby the liquid becomes
`vaporized upon the filament becoming heated.
`10. A therapeutic vaporizer of the class de-
`scribed, comprising a vessel having an outlet at
`its upper end open to the atmosphere and a closed
`bottom adapted to receive a medicament, a. ter-
`minal plug permanently attached to the bottom
`of said vessel and having conductors extending
`
`2,057,353
`through that portion of the vessel adapted to
`contain ‘the medicament and terminating in a
`filament slightly above the bottom of the vessel.
`said terminal plug being adapted to be plugged
`into a conventional terminal socket of an electric
`circuit and carrying contacts to complete the
`circuit through the filament, and a wick asso-
`ciated with the filament and in direct contact
`therewith whereby heat generated by the fila-
`ment causes vaporization of the medicament en-
`trapped within the wick.
`11. As a new article of manufacture, a vaporiz-
`ing unit for therapeutic use, comprising a plug
`terminal adapted to be plugged into a conven-
`tional socket terminal of an electrical circuit. a.
`vessel for a medicament mounted upon said plug
`and having inlet and outlet openings to the at-
`mosphere, filament wires extending from the
`plug through the bottom of the vessel and termi-
`nating therein, portions of the filament wires
`extending from the plug beinglocated in that
`part of the vessel_ adapted to contain the medica-
`ment and other portions extending above the level
`thereof, and a.wick carried by the filament wires
`for lifting the medicament by capillary attraction
`to those portions of the wires extending above
`the liquid level of the vessel.
`12. As a new article of manufacture, a vaporiz-
`ing unit for therapeutic use, comprising a plug
`terminal adapted to be plugged into a conven-
`tional terminal socket of an electrical circuit, a
`vessel for a medicament mounted upon said plug
`and having an outlet for vapors at its upper por-
`tion and an air inlet at a point lower down, elec-
`trical heating wires extending from the plug
`through the bottom of the vessel into the space
`adapted to contain the medicament and termi-
`nating above the normal liquid level thereof, and
`a wick surrounded and supported by the electrical
`heating wires for carrying the medicament by
`capillary attraction above the liquid surface level
`thereof.
`13. As a new article of manufacture, and in
`combination with. a portable casing having an
`electric battery cell and a conventional socket
`terminal, of a vessel for a medicament associated
`with the portable casing. said vessel carrying
`conductors extending through that portion of
`the bottom of the vessel in which the medicament
`is to be placed and provided with portions ex-
`tending above the level of the medicament, a
`wick associated with the conductors and adapted
`to be heated thereby, and a manually operable
`switch carried by the casing and adapted to make
`and break the circuit at will leading from the
`battery through the plug terminal and the said
`filament.
`
`2
`
`CLINTON L. ORE, JR.
`
`VMR-Ex. 1013-003