Controlled-rate liquid dispenser

Claim 3

A method of claim 1 in which said porous structure is positioned in a container that contains an additional quantity of said liquid inside the container; the container being closed except for an opening adapted to tightly receive said wicking structure, with the wicking structure being positionable in the opening so that a portion is exposed outside the container and another portion extends into the liquid stored inside the container.

Claim 4

A method of claim 2 in which at least 50 weight-percent of said liquid consists of active volatile olfactory ingredients.

Claim 5

A vapor dispenser comprising a wicking structure and a volatile liquid stored in, and capable of wicking through, said wicking structure for release as vapor from the periphery of the structure; characterized in that the wicking structure comprises a matrix of closely packed, rounded solid particles adhered together so as to leave an interconnected network of pores that occupies at least 20 volume-percent of the porous structure; the average diameter of said particles in the wicking structure being between about 150 and 600 micrometers and all of said particles in the wicking structure having a diameter within plus-or-minus 20 percent of said average diameter, whereby the pores in the porous structure are uniform in size and the liquid is released from the porous structure at a uniform rate over an extended period of use.

Claim 6

A vapor dispenser comprising a wicking structure and a volatile liquid stored in, and capable of wicking through, said wicking structure for release as vapor from the periphery of the structure; characterized in that the wicking structure comprises a matrix of closely packed, rounded solid particles adhered together so as to leave an interconnected network of pores that occupies at least 20 volume-percent of the porous structure; the average diameter of said particles in the wicking structure being between about 150 and 600 micrometers and all of said particles in the wicking structure having a diameter within plus-or-minus 20 percent of said average diameter, whereby the pores in the porous structure are uniform in size and the liquid is released from the porous structure at a uniform rate over an extended period of use.

Claim 7

A dispenser of claim 1 in which the dispenser further includes a container and an additional quantity of said volatile liquid inside the container; the container being closed except for an opening adapted to tightly receive said wicking structure, with the wicking structure being positionable in the opening so that a portion of the wicking structure is exposed outside the container and another portion extends into the volatile liquid stored inside the container.

Claim 8

A dispenser of claim 4 in which said particles are microspheres.

Claim 9

A dispenser of claim 4 in which at least 50 weight-percent of said volatile liquid consists of active olfactory ingredients.

Claim 10

A dispenser of claim 4 in which said particles are bonded together with a bonding material that comprises a cured organic material and that only partially fills the interstices between the particles so as to form said network of pores.

Claim 11

A dispenser of claim 4 in which said particles are individually coated over their exterior surface with a thin layer of bonding material, and those thin layers are fused together at their points of contact to adhere the particles together.

Claim 12

A dispenser of claim 4 in which said particles are between about 150 and 300 micrometers in diameter.

Claim 13

A dispenser comprising a wicking structure and a container that is closed except for an opening adapted to tightly receive said wicking structure, with the wicking structure being positionable in the opening so that a portion is exposed outside the container, and another portion extends into a liquid that is stored within the container, whereby the liquid can wick through the wicking structure for release from the periphery of the wicking structure; characterized in that the wicking structure comprises a matrix of closely packed, solid, discrete rounded particles bonded together with a bonding material that only partially fills interstices between the particles so as to form an interconnected network of pores that occupies at least 20 volume-percent of the porous structure; the average diameter of said particles in the wicking structure being between about 150 and 600 micrometers, and all of said particles in the wicking structure having a diameter within plus-or-minus 20 percent of said average diameter, whereby the pores in the porous structure are uniform in size and the liquid is released from the porous structure at a uniform rate over an extended period of use.

Claim 14

A dispenser comprising a wicking structure and a container that is closed except for an opening adapted to tightly receive said wicking structure, with the wicking structure being positionable in the opening so that a portion is exposed outside the container, and another portion extends into a liquid that is stored within the container, whereby the liquid can wick through the wicking structure for release from the periphery of the wicking structure; characterized in that the wicking structure comprises a matrix of closely packed, solid, discrete rounded particles bonded together with a bonding material that only partially fills interstices between the particles so as to form an interconnected network of pores that occupies at least 20 volume-percent of the porous structure; the average diameter of said particles in the wicking structure being between about 150 and 600 micrometers, and all of said particles in the wicking structure having a diameter within plus-or-minus 20 percent of said average diameter, whereby the pores in the porous structure are uniform in size and the liquid is released from the porous structure at a uniform rate over an extended period of use.

Claim 15

A dispenser of claim 11 in which said matrix particles are individually coated over their exterior surface with a thin layer of bonding material, and those thin layers are fused together at the point of contact of the coated particles to form a self-sustaining structure.

Claim 16

A dispenser of claim 11 in which said matrix particles are glass microspheres.

Claim 17

A dispenser of claim 11 in which said particles are between about 150 and 300 micrometers in diameter.