Dehumidifying device

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a dehumidifying device and, more precisely, to a dehumidifying device suitable for being placed in containers, boxes, or objects which are intended to hold metallic or non-metallic, machined or raw materials.

[0002] Materials disposed inside containers have to be protected from moisture to prevent their deterioration due to rust or corrosion, or they may be damaged or marked in some way by the moisture.

[0003] According to the prior art, bags or sachets of porous material containing dehumidifying products which absorb moisture are placed inside the containers.

[0004] These sachets have the disadvantage that they may deteriorate, causing the material which has already absorbed the moisture to leak into the environment.

[0005] A dehumidifying device according to the preamble of independent claim 1 is known from EP-A-0 793 992.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a device which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and which is easy to construct and inexpensive.

[0007] The present invention achieves the above-mentioned objects by means of a dehumidifying device having the characteristics specified in the appended claims.

[0008] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clear in the course of the following detailed description which is given purely by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a section taken in the plane II-II of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention.

[0009] With reference to the drawings, a device according to the present invention is generally indicated 1; it comprises a receptacle 2 which may be, for example, of rectangular or circular shape or of any other shape, and contains a hygroscopic substance 4 which may or may not contain a gelling substance; the hygroscopic substance 4 can absorb moisture from the surrounding air.

[0010] A sheet or film 6 of material that is permeable to water vapour and is impermeable to liquids in the direction from the interior towards the exterior is welded to the receptacle 2, for example, by heat-sealing or ultrasound welding or equivalent systems, thus allowing moisture to enter the receptacle 2 where it is transformed into liquid and can no longer escape.

[0011] When a receptacle according to the invention is inserted in a container in which metallic or non-metallic products are present, the moisture which is present in the container comes into contact with the hygroscopic substance 4 contained in the receptacle 2 - by filtering through the water-vapour permeable sheet 6 as described above - and combines with the hygroscopic substance, forming a type of jelly which retains the water, thus dehumidifying the atmosphere and, by virtue of the material of which the receptacle is made (that is, plastics material or in any case plastics-type material), the moisture can no longer escape.

[0012] The sheet 6 heat-sealed onto the receptacle 2 is formed, for example, by a flexible, microporous, polythene-coated film.

[0013] Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, wide variations may be applied to the embodiments described and illustrated without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention; for example, the receptacle may be of any shape and the hygroscopic substance may contain gelling materials.

Claims

1. A dehumidifying device suitable for being placed inside containers or other receptacles in which materials to be protected from moisture are present, the device comprising a hygroscopic material (4) and a sheet or film (6) of material that is permeable to water vapour and impermeable to liquids from the interior towards the exterior, the device being characterized in that it comprises a rigid or semi-rigid receptacle (2) made of plastics material, the receptacle (2) being closed by the sheet or film (6).

2. A dehumidifying device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the sheet or film (6) is heat-sealed onto the receptacle (2).

3. A dehumidifying device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the sheet or film (6) is a flexible, microporous, polythene-coated film.

Ansprüche

1. Eine Entfeuchtungseinrichtung, die geeignet ist, im Inneren von Containern oder anderen Behältern, in denen vor Feuchtigkeit zu schützende Materialien vorhanden sind, angeordnet zu werden, wobei die Einrichtung ein hygroskopisches Material (4) und eine Folie oder einen Film (6) von Material aufweist, das durchlässig für Wasserdampf und undurchlässig für Flüssigkeiten vom Inneren in Richtung des Äußeren ist, wobei die Einrichtung dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass sie einen steifen oder halbsteifen Behälter (2) aufweist, der aus Kunststoffmaterial gebildet ist, wobei der Behälter (2) durch die Folie oder den Film (6) geschlossen ist.

2. Eine Entfeuchtungseinrichtung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Folie oder der Film (6) auf den Behälter (2) heißversiegelt ist.

3. Eine Entfeuchtungseinrichtung nach Anspruch 1 oder Anspruch 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Folie oder der Film (6) ein flexibler mikroporöser Polyethylen-beschichteter Film ist.

Revendications

1. Dispositif de déshumidification approprié pour être placé à l'intérieur de récipients ou d'autres réceptacles dans lesquels des matières à protéger de l'humidité sont présentes, le dispositif comprenant un matériau (4) hygroscopique et une feuille ou film (6) de matériau qui est perméable à la vapeur d'eau et imperméable au liquide de l'intérieur vers l'extérieur, le dispositif étant caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend un réceptacle (2) rigide ou semi-rigide réalisé à partir d'une matière plastique, le réceptacle (2) étant fermé par la feuille ou le film (6).

2. Dispositif de déshumidification selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la feuille ou le film (6) est thermosoudé sur le réceptacle (2).

3. Dispositif de déshumidification selon la revendication 1 ou la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que la feuille ou le film (6) est un film flexible microporeux recouvert de polyéthylène.

Drawing