Nebulizer

Claim 1

IN A NEBULIZER FOR SUPPLYING SMALL LIQUID PARTICLES IN A MAIN STREAM OF GASES SUPPLIED TO A PATIENT; A HOLLOW BODY ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A LIQUID, THE BODY BEING FORMED WITH AXIALLY ALIGNED INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGES HAVING RELATIVELY LARGE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS FOR CARRYING THE MAIN STREAM OF GASES FOR THE PATIENT THROUGH THE BODY, A JET TUBE EXTENDING INTO THE BODY FOR SUPPLYING ADDITIONAL GASES INTO THE BODY, THE JET TUBE BEING ARRANGED IN THE BODY AT AN ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE AXIALLY ALIGNED INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGES SO THAT THE ADDITIONAL GAS JETTING THEREFROM MIXES WITH THE MAIN STREAM GASES AND ASSISTS THE FLOW OF MAIN STREAM GASES THROUGH THE BODY, A CAPILLARY TUBE HAVING INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS MOUNTED IN THE BODY AND HAVING ITS INLET OPENING ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED IN THE LIQUID IN THE BODY, THE OUTLET OPENING OF THE CAPILLARY TUBE BEING ADJACENT THE OUTLET END OF THE JET TUBE SO THAT THE GASES DISCHARGED FROM THE JET TUBE CARRY LIQUID FROM THE OUTLET OPENING OF THE CAPILLARY TUBE INTO THE MAIN STREAM OF GASES PASSING THROUGH THE BODY, SAID BODY INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND FRUSTO-CONICAL PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES AND ADJACENT THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION, SAID INLET AND OUTLET PIPE EXTTENDING THROUGH SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL PORTIONS AT THE APEX ENDS THEREOF, A MEMBER SECURED TO THE LOWER END OF THE CAPILLARY TUBE AND DISPOSED IN THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF THE BODY, THE MEMBER HAVING AN ARCUATE LOWER EDGE CONCENTRIC WITH THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND SPACED FROM THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION TO DEFINE A NARROW ARCUATE CAPILLARY-LIKE PASSAGE BETWEEN THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND SAID MEMBER, THE INLET END OF THE CAPILLARY TUBE BEING ADJACENT SAID PASSAGE, SAID MEMBER SERVING TO PERMIT SAID NEBULIZER TO BE OPERATIVE EVEN THOUGH IT IS ROLLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE THROUGH A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE AND PITCHED FORWARD OR REARWARDLY THROUGH A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE IN WHICH THE LIQUID IN THE HOLLOW BODY WOULD NORMALLY BE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INLET END OF THE CAPILLARY TUBE WITHOUT THE USE OF SAID MEMBER.