Hand held skin treatment spray system

Abstract

A spray nozzle system for skin treatments includes separate air outlets moving over the skin surface to deliver one or more streams of supplemental air for the purpose of warming or drying the skin surface to improve efficacy and comfort of the spraying experience. The drying air from the auxiliary ports may be applied while spray is emitted from the nozzle to increase the spray cloud temperature, or may be applied before or after the spray application, with the spray turned off, to warm or dry the skin. A heating source is provided to warm the air directed through one or more supplemental air ports. In the case of air-atomizing nozzles, the supplemental air is delivered through low pressure ports separately from the air emitted through the nozzle's atomizing and pattern shaping orifices to minimize the expansion cooling effect inherent with the spray nozzle ports. In another implementation, the airflow is redirected from the nozzle jets to one or more of the supplemental ports using a control valve which proportions the amount of airflow directed to the main atomizer air jets, the pattern shaping air jets and the supplemental air for drying the skin.

1 . Apparatus, comprising:
 a hand held spray member;   a spray nozzle supported by the hand held spray member, the spray nozzle including a spray jet outlet adapted to spray a skin treatment liquid from the spray nozzle and produce a finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid;   a warm air outlet separate from the spray jet outlet, the warm air outlet adapted to deliver heated air in a warm air stream directed to mix with and warm the finely atomized spray cloud produced by the spray jet outlet; and   a controller adapted to control actuation of the spray nozzle.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a heating unit supported by the hand held spray member and adapted to heat the air delivered to the warm air outlet for the warm air stream. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the spray jet outlet is adapted to spray the skin treatment liquid along a first trajectory and the warm air outlet is adapted to deliver the heated air in the warm air stream along a second trajectory, further wherein the first and second trajectories intersect each other such that the heated air in the warm air stream mixes with the finely atomized spray cloud. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the spray jet outlet is adapted to spray the skin treatment liquid along a first trajectory and the warm air outlet is adapted to deliver the heated air in the warm air stream along a second trajectory, further wherein the second trajectory is oriented to mix the heated air in the warm air stream into one of a leading or trailing edge of the finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the spray jet outlet of the spray nozzle induces a drop in temperature of the skin treatment liquid within the finely atomized spray cloud due to a nozzle expansion effect, and wherein the warm air stream directed to mix with the finely atomized spray cloud counteract the induced drop in temperature. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is adapted to control operation of the apparatus in a plurality of modes including:
 a first mode wherein the warm air stream is delivered from the warm air outlet simultaneously with production of the finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid at the spray jet outlet of the spray nozzle for the purpose of warming the finely atomized spray cloud; and   a second mode wherein the warm air stream is delivered from the warm air outlet absent production of the finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid for the purpose of drying a target surface on which the production of the finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid is deposited.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the spray nozzle is an air-assisted atomizing type nozzle including at least one atomizing air port, and wherein received air for use in providing the warm air stream at the warm air outlet is also supplied to the atomizing air port of the air-assisted atomizing type nozzle for use in atomizing the skin treatment liquid at the spray jet outlet. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising a valve supported by the hand held spray member that is adapted to selectively direct the received air towards one or both of the atomizing air port of the air-assisted atomizing type nozzle and the warm air outlet. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the valve has a controllable position, wherein the controllable position includes: a first position for directing received air towards the at least one atomizing air port; a second position for directing received air towards the warm air outlet; and a third position for directing received air towards both the at least one atomizing air port and the warm air outlet. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further including means for imparting an electrostatic charge on the finely atomized spray cloud. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a triggering mechanism to control actuation of the spray nozzle. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a valve supported by the hand held spray member and adapted to selectively pass skin treatment liquid to the spray jet outlet. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an inlet adapted to receive the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the inlet is further adapted to be coupled to a container which is adapted to hold the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising a receptacle supported by the hand held spray member and adapted to receive the container holding the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further including means for ionizing the air in the warm air stream. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the warm air outlet is further adapted to deliver heated air in the warm air stream directed to shape a spray pattern of the finely atomized spray cloud produced by the spray jet outlet. 
     
     
         18 . Apparatus for hand held spraying, comprising:
 a housing adapted to be held by a human hand;   a spray nozzle mounted to the housing, the spray nozzle including a spray jet outlet adapted to spray a skin treatment liquid from the spray nozzle and produce a finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid for deposition on a target surface;   at least one auxiliary air outlet mounted to the housing separate from spray jet outlet, said auxiliary air outlet adapted to deliver a stream of heated air; and   a controller operable to selectively actuate the spray jet outlet and support operation of the apparatus for hand held spraying in:
 a first operating mode operable to direct the stream of heated air to mix with the finely atomized spray cloud produced by the spray jet outlet so as to warm a temperature of the finely atomized spray cloud which has been cooled by nozzle expansion effect at the spray jet outlet of the spray nozzle; and 
 a second mode operable to direct the stream of heated air in the absence of production of the finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid from the spray jet outlet of the spray nozzle so as to dry the target surface upon which the skin treatment liquid was deposited. 
   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising a heating source adapted to supply the heated air to the auxiliary air outlet. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the heating source is mounted within the housing. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the spray jet outlet is adapted to spray the skin treatment liquid along a first trajectory and the air outlet is adapted to deliver the stream of heated air along a second trajectory, further wherein the second trajectory is oriented to mix the stream of heated air into one of a leading or trailing edge of the finely atomized spray cloud of the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the spray nozzle is an air-assisted atomizing type nozzle including at least one atomizing air port, and wherein received air for use in providing the stream of heated air at the air outlet is also supplied to the atomizing air port of the air-assisted atomizing type nozzle for use in atomizing the skin treatment liquid at the spray jet outlet. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , further comprising a valve mounted within the housing and adapted to selectively direct the received air towards one or both of the atomizing air port of the air-assisted atomizing type nozzle and the air outlet. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the valve has a controllable position, wherein the controllable position includes: a first position for directing received air towards the at least one atomizing air port; a second position for directing received air towards the air outlet; and a third position for directing received air towards both the at least one atomizing air port and the air outlet. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further including means for imparting an electrostatic charge on the finely atomized spray cloud. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the controller comprises a triggering mechanism to control actuation of the spray nozzle. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising a valve mounted within the housing and adapted to selectively pass skin treatment liquid to the spray jet outlet. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising an inlet adapted to receive the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the inlet is further adapted to be coupled to a container which is adapted to hold the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , further comprising a receptacle supported by the hand held spray member and adapted to receive the container holding the skin treatment liquid. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further including means for ionizing the stream of heated air. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one auxiliary air outlet is further adapted to deliver the stream of heated air to shape a spray pattern of the finely atomized spray cloud produced by the spray jet outlet.