The volatizer is a plug-in diffuser for such active materials as fragrances and air fresheners, and uses replaceable cartridges of volatile material to be dispensed. In these devices, a resistance heater is disposed in a housing, out of which electrical prongs extend directly. When the prongs are plugged into a wall socket, the resistance heater generates heat. Volatile material, such as fragrance or an insect repellant to be emitted into the air is maintained, either in liquid, gel or solid form, in close proximity to the heater. As the heater heats the substance, controlled amounts are vaporized or “volatized” and emitted into the surrounding atmosphere.
These devices are typically used in households, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms, because they provide a continuous, controlled flow of desired volatile material into the air. They are inexpensive and are made in large quantities as compared to other consumer products.
In many consumer products, stand-alone thermal cutoff devices (TCO's) are used to prevent overheating. Companies manufacture stand-alone thermal cutoffs in a wide variety of configurations that can be easily integrated into consumer products such as toasters, hot plates, coffee makers, toaster-ovens, hair dryers, and the like by consumer product manufacturers.
Using a stand-alone TCO in a consumer device increases its cost to manufacture and increases assembly time. Manufacturing cost and assembly time may not be a significant issue for larger and more expensive consumer products such as toasters, hot-plates, coffee makers, toaster-ovens and hair dryers. Manufacturing cost an assembly time are significant issue with smaller, low cost items such as volatizers.
What is needed is a volatizer with an integrated thermal cutoff that avoids the costs of a separate stand-alone thermal cutoff. What is also needed is a way of incorporating the thermal cutoff into the volatizer that permits faster assembly. It is an object of this invention to provide such a volatizer.