Humidifier with floating wick assembly and replaceable wick elements

Claim 1

A humidifier comprising a water reservoir tank for holding a supply of water, an evaporator floatable on said water, said evaporator having a horizontally disposed wick element extending across at least two opposite areas of said water reservoir and being freely and independently floatable in operative association with the water, said wick element having an evaporative surface extending above the level of the water, said wick element being constructed such that said evaporative surface extends a substantially uniform and predetermined amount above said water level as said water level in said tank rises and falls to provide a constant evaporative area for said wicking element, said humidifier further comprising a fan in fixed position with respect to an upper end of said reservoir tank, said fan being operated to draw air downwardly into contact with said wick element, an extensible and collapsible closed flow path means between said wick element and said fixedly mounted fan enabling said fan to also draw air upwardly through said closed flow path means from over substantially the entire evaporative surface and constant evaporative area of said wick element so as to discharge air from said humidifier with increased relative humidity while accommodating downward and upward movement of said freely and independently floatable wick element with the fall and rise of the water level within said reservoir tank, and said wick element having a core of sheet wicking material, said core comprising a plurality of spaced, parallel plates and a plurality of inclined ribs extending between said parallel plates, with said plates and said ribs defining air passageways extending through said core, said plates and said ribs being of a one-piece folded web, said plates extending substantially vertically when said wick element is installed in said evaporator, with the lower portion of said plates and said ribs being at least in part immersed within said water, and with the portion of said core extending above said water constituting the constant evaporative area of said wick element.