Humidifier with floating vaporizing chamber

Claim 1

A vaporizer for a humidifier comprising: a reservoir for a bath of water; means forming a vaporizing chamber floating on and communicating with said bath, said chamber extending at least partially below the surface of said bath and being at least partially filled with said water; and heating means in said chamber at least partially submerged in said water therein for vaporizing same; said reservoir being formed as an upwardly open container having a mouth extending substantially over the full horizontal cross section of the container, a removable cover mounted on the mouth of said container and formed with an opening to one side thereof, and a well formed in the floor of said container at said side; said means forming said chamber including a substantially cylindrical closed-ended receptacle having a horizontal axis and receivable in said wall, and a hollow arm extending from said receptacle toward the other side of said container, said receptacle being formed with a lower inlet port communicating between said chamber and said bath and with an upper outlet port substantially aligned with said opening for discharging steam therethrough, said chamber being of generally cylindrical configuration and receiving water from said bath to substantially half its height; said vaporizer further comprising pivot means between said container and the free end of said arm for swingably mounting said chamber on said container about an horizontal axis parallel to the axis of said receptacle; said pivot means being constructed and arranged to permit withdrawal of said chamber from said container upon removal of said cover; and said heating means including a horizontally oriented rod-shaped electrical heating element mounted in an end wall of said chamber, and electrical conductor means connected to said heating element and running through said arm.