The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 25, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 21, 1995
Lamar Heath Gipson, Acworth, GA (US);
Bernard Cohen, Berkeley Lake, GA (US);
Lee Kirby Jameson, Roswell, GA (US);
Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Neenah, WI (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for ultrasonically producing a spray of liquid. The apparatus includes a die housing which defines a chamber adapted to receive a pressurized liquid and a means for applying ultrasonic energy to a portion of the pressurized liquid. The die housing further includes an inlet adapted to supply the chamber with the pressurized liquid, and an exit orifice defined by the walls of a die tip. The exit orifice is adapted to receive the pressurized liquid from the chamber and pass the liquid out of the die housing to produce a spray of liquid. When the means for applying ultrasonic energy is excited, it applies ultrasonic energy to the pressurized liquid without applying ultrasonic energy to the die tip. The method involves supplying a pressurized liquid to the foregoing apparatus, applying ultrasonic energy to the pressurized liquid but not the die tip while the exit orifice receives pressurized liquid from the chamber, and passing the pressurized liquid out of the exit orifice in the die tip to produce a spray of liquid.