A liquid diffuser includes a base, a liquid reservoir, a spout for resting on the reservoir and having an upper opening, a fan, a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir, and a cover. The gasket includes a flange extending over a portion of an upper surface of the base that extends laterall
A liquid diffuser includes a base, a liquid reservoir, a spout for resting on the reservoir and having an upper opening, a fan, a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir, and a cover. The gasket includes a flange extending over a portion of an upper surface of the base that extends laterally beyond the liquid reservoir. The cover is sized and configured to be positioned over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout, and to rest upon the flange of the gasket. Methods of assembling such a liquid diffuser include resting the spout upon the liquid reservoir, and resting the spout upon the flange of the gasket over the base. Method of using such a liquid diffuser include powering a transducer for generating atomized droplets of the liquid, and supplying power to the fan to carry the atomized droplets of the liquid out from the diffuser with forced airflow.
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1. A diffuser for diffusing liquid into surrounding ambient air, comprising: a base member having an upper surface and a lower surface;an ultrasonic transducer mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof;a liquid reservoir mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof, the
1. A diffuser for diffusing liquid into surrounding ambient air, comprising: a base member having an upper surface and a lower surface;an ultrasonic transducer mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof;a liquid reservoir mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof, the liquid reservoir having surfaces defining a receptacle for holding a volume of liquid therein, at least a portion of an upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond an outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir, the liquid reservoir including a bottom wall, at least one vertically extending sidewall, and an exterior sidewall extending upwardly from the base member and adjoining an upper end of the at least one vertically extending sidewall, the exterior sidewall having at least one aperture extending therethrough, at least a surface of the ultrasonic transducer exposed to any volume of liquid held within the receptacle such that ultrasonic vibrations of the ultrasonic transducer generate atomized droplets of the liquid over the volume of liquid held within the reservoir;a spout sized and configured to rest upon the liquid reservoir and including an opening at an upper end thereof;a fan mounted to the base member and configured to force airflow from the exterior of the diffuser, into the base member, around the receptacle in the liquid reservoir, through the at least one aperture, into a volume of space enclosed by the spout and the liquid reservoir overlying any volume of liquid held within the receptacle, and out through the opening at the upper end of the spout to the ambient air external the diffuser, the forced airflow carrying the atomized droplets of the liquid generated by the ultrasonic transducer to the exterior of the diffuser through the opening at the upper end of the spout;a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir and including at least one flange, the at least one flange extending at least partially over the portion of the upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond the outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir; anda cover sized and configured to be positioned over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout, and to rest upon the at least one flange of the polymeric gasket such that the at least one flange is disposed between the cover and the portion of the upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond the outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir, the cover including at least one opening at an upper end thereof such that the forced airflow generated by the fan passes through the opening at the upper end of the cover. 2. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein the polymeric gasket comprises an elastomeric gasket. 3. The diffuser of claim 2, wherein the elastomeric gasket comprises a silicone gasket. 4. The diffuser of claim 1, further comprising at least one light-emitting diode (LED) disposed between the base member and the liquid reservoir, wherein light emitted by the at least one LED is visible from the exterior of the diffuser. 5. The diffuser of claim 4, wherein the light emitted by the at least one LED is visible through the opening at the upper end of the cover. 6. The diffuser of claim 4, wherein the polymeric gasket is at least partially transparent to the light emitted by the at least one LED, the light emitted by the at least one LED being visible through the at least one flange of the polymeric gasket at an interface between the cover and the upper surface of the base member. 7. The diffuser of claim 4, wherein the at least one LED comprises a plurality of LEDs capable of emitting two or more colors of light. 8. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein the spout includes an outer sidewall configured to rest upon the liquid reservoir and an interior vertical baffle wall having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of the baffle wall adjoining an interior surface of the outer sidewall of the spout, the lower end of the baffle wall positioned vertically over the receptacle of the liquid reservoir such that liquid condensing on interior surfaces of the spout will drain down an interior side surface of the baffle wall and fall back into the liquid reservoir. 9. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein the liquid reservoir further includes a shroud member extending from the exterior sidewall over the at least one aperture extending therethrough, the shroud member sized and configured to prevent liquid condensing on interior surfaces of the spout from falling through the at least one aperture and into the space between the base member and the liquid reservoir. 10. The diffuser of claim 1, further comprising a polymeric seal member disposed between a lower end of the exterior sidewall of the liquid reservoir and the base member. 11. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein the cover is a decorative cover. 12. The diffuser of claim 11, further comprising an additional decorative cover having a different appearance from the decorative cover, the decorative cover and the additional decorative cover being interchangeable on the diffuser so as to allow a user alter a decorative appearance of the diffuser. 13. The diffuser of claim 11, wherein the spout further includes a splash guard located within the spout proximate the opening at the upper end thereof, the splash guard configured to prevent fluid held within the receptacle of the liquid reservoir from splashing out from the diffuser through the opening at the upper end thereof. 14. The diffuser of claim 13, wherein the splash guard includes a lower surface oriented at least substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the spout. 15. The diffuser of claim 14, wherein the lower surface of the splash guard is located between about 0.25 inch and about 0.75 inch from the upper end of the spout. 16. The diffuser of claim 15, wherein the lower surface of the splash guard has a width in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spout that is greater than or equal to a maximum width of the opening at the upper end of the spout in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spout. 17. A method of assembling a diffuser for diffusing liquid into surrounding ambient air, comprising: providing a structure including: a base member having an upper surface and a lower surface;an ultrasonic transducer mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof;a liquid reservoir mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof, the liquid reservoir having surfaces defining a receptacle for holding a volume of liquid therein, at least a portion of an upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond an outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir, the liquid reservoir including a bottom wall, at least one vertically extending sidewall, and an exterior sidewall extending upwardly from the base member and adjoining an upper end of the at least one vertically extending sidewall, the exterior sidewall having at least one aperture extending therethrough, at least a surface of the ultrasonic transducer exposed to any volume of liquid held within the receptacle such that ultrasonic vibrations of the ultrasonic transducer generate atomized droplets of the liquid over the volume of liquid held within the reservoir;a fan mounted to the base member and configured to force airflow from the exterior of the diffuser, into the base member, around the receptacle in the liquid reservoir, through the at least one aperture, and into a volume of space enclosed by a spout and the liquid reservoir overlying any volume of liquid held within the receptacle, the forced airflow carrying the atomized droplets of the liquid generated by the ultrasonic transducer to the exterior of the diffuser; anda polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir and including at least one flange, the at least one flange extending at least partially over the portion of the upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond the outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir;resting a spout upon the liquid reservoir, the spout including an opening at an upper end thereof and enclosing a volume of space between the spout and the liquid reservoir; andpositioning a cover over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout and resting the spout upon the at least one flange of the polymeric gasket such that the at least one flange is disposed between the cover and the portion of the upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond the outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir, the cover including at least one opening at an upper end thereof such that the forced airflow generated by the fan passes through the opening at the upper end of the cover. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the structure further comprises at least one light-emitting diode (LED) disposed between the base member and the liquid reservoir, and wherein the polymeric gasket is at least partially transparent to the light emitted by the at least one LED, the light emitted by the at least one LED being visible through the at least one flange of the polymeric gasket at an interface between the cover and the upper surface of the base member. 19. A method of using a diffuser for diffusing liquid into surrounding ambient air, comprising: providing a diffuser, including:a base member having an upper surface and a lower surface; an ultrasonic transducer mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof;a liquid reservoir mounted to the base member over the upper surface thereof, the liquid reservoir having surfaces defining a receptacle for holding a volume of liquid therein, at least a portion of an upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond an outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir, the liquid reservoir including a bottom wall, at least one vertically extending sidewall, and an exterior sidewall extending upwardly from the base member and adjoining an upper end of the at least one vertically extending sidewall, the exterior sidewall having at least one aperture extending therethrough, at least a surface of the ultrasonic transducer exposed to any volume of liquid held within the receptacle; a spout sized and configured to rest upon the liquid reservoir and including an opening at an upper end thereof;a fan mounted to the base member;a polymeric gasket encircling the liquid reservoir and including at least one flange, the at least one flange extending at least partially over the portion of the upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond the outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir; anda cover including at least one opening at an upper end thereof;providing a volume of liquid in the receptacle of the liquid reservoir;resting the spout upon the liquid reservoir;positioning the cover over and around the liquid reservoir and the spout and resting the spout upon the at least one flange of the polymeric gasket such that the at least one flange is disposed between the cover and the portion of the upper surface of the base member extending laterally beyond the outer peripheral side surface of the liquid reservoir;supplying power to the ultrasonic transducer and generating atomized droplets of the liquid over the volume of liquid held within the reservoir by ultrasonic vibrations of the ultrasonic transducer;supplying power to the fan such that the fan forces airflow from the exterior of the diffuser, into the base member, around the receptacle in the liquid reservoir, through the at least one aperture, into a volume of space enclosed by the spout and the liquid reservoir overlying the volume of liquid held within the receptacle, and out through the opening at the upper end of the spout to the ambient air external the diffuser, the forced airflow carrying the atomized droplets of the liquid generated by the ultrasonic transducer to the exterior of the diffuser through the opening at the upper end of the spout.
Walter, Scott D.; Wolf, Jeffrey J.; Porchia, Jose; Tomkins, David A.; Helf, Thomas A.; Crapser, James R.; Rich, Kelley H.; Calpino, Barry T., Coordinated emission of fragrance, light, and sound.
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