Apparatus for generating an aerosol

Claim 1

AN AEROSOL GENERATOR COMPRISING A HOLLOW CASING FORMING AN ELONGATED CHAMBER OPEN AT BOTH ENDS WITH ONE END ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO UNPRESSURIZED AIR, A PRESSURIZED AIR SUPPLY SOURCE, AND A LIQUID SUPPLY SOURCE, SUPPLY MEANS LOCATED WITHIN THE CHAMBER SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE CENTRAL AXIS THEREOF, SAID PRESSURIZED AIR SOURCE BEING CONNECTED FOR AIR FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SUPPLY MEANS, A FLUID RECEIVING MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED SPRAY JET OPENINGS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE OTHER END OF SAID CHAMBER SUPPORTED WITHIN THE CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID SUPPLY MEANS AND CASING, SAID PRESSURIZED AIR AND LIQUID SOURCE BEING CONNECTED FOR AIR AND LIQUID FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID MEMBER, MEANS FOR FORMING AND CAUSING EJECTION FROM EACH OF SAID JET OPENINGS AN AEROSOL OF LIQUID AND AIR UNDER PRESSURE WITH THE AEROSOL UPON EJECTION ENTRAINING THEREWITH UNPRESSURIZED AIR FROM SAID CHAMBER TO FORM A COMBINED AEROSOL STREAM OF PRESSURIZED AND UNPRESSURIZED AIR AND LIQUID TRAVELING TOWARDS THE SAID OTHER END OF THE CASING AT A RELATIVELY HIGH VELOCITY BETWEEN THE SUPPLY MEANS AND CASING, PRESSURIZED AIR BAFFLE MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER FOR CREATING A PLURALITY OF AIR BAFFLES EACH OF WHICH INTERCEPTS ONE OF THE COMBINED AEROSOL STREAMS WHEREBY THE UNPRESSURIZED AIR IS THOROUGHLY MIXED WITH THE AEROSOL ISSUING FROM EACH OF THE SPRAY JET OPENINGS, EACH OF SAID AIR BAFFLES COMPRISING AT LEAST A GROUP OF THREE AIR JETS SPACED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF ITS RESPECTIVE COMBINED AEROSOL STREAM, TWO OF SAID AIR JETS BEING SUPPORTED BY SAID CASING AND ONE BY SAID CENTRAL SUPPLY MEANS, SAID AIR SOURCE BEING CONNECTED FOR FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID TWO AIR JETS AND SAID ONE AIR JET BEING CONNECTED FOR FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH THE AIR FLOW OF SAID SUPPLY MEANS, THE GROUP OF THREE AIR JETS BEING POSITIONED SUCH THAT THE AIR STREAMS ISSUING THEREFROM INTERSECT ONE ANOTHER WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE RESPECTIVE COMBINED AEROSOL STREAM.