How to choose the best air purifier for allergies. With spring just around the corner it’s time to prepare for your springtime allergies. We recently covered some tips for preparing for spring allergies and suggested outfitting your home with an air purifier. But with so many options out there, how do you choose the best air purifier for allergies? Let’s take a look at some of the most effective air purifiers, and how they’ll help with your allergies. Probably the most well known and widely used air purifiers, HEPA air purifiers use a filter to remove 99.97% of all particles larger than 0.3 microns from the air. The filters are easy to replace and are effective for most allergy sufferers, because they remove pollen, pet dander and dust. However, HEPA air purifiers don’t capture odors or fumes, so if your home is affected by those contaminants, you’ll want to look for an alternative below. When searching for the best air purifiers for allergies, it’s hard to beat an ionic air purifier.

These air purifiers remove dust, pollen and tobacco smoke from the air and even smaller atomic-sized particles that may pass through other filters. bionaire air purifier red lightThey also have been shown to remove up to 99.9% of bacteria from the air for truly clean air. air duct cleaning burlington wiIonic air purifiers stand out as one of the best air purifies for allergies on the market.kaz honeywell air purifier Air Free Air Purifiers The Air Free Air Purifier is a whole new take on filterless air purification systems. They remove airborne allergens, mold spores, dust mites, viruses, bacteria and pet dander from spaces up to 650 square feet. Air Free air purifiers really excel in that they don’t emit noticeable heat into the room, making them perfect for warmer climates, and especially desirable in the prime allergy seasons of spring and summer.

So, if heat is a concern, the Air Free Air Purifier delivers allergy prevention without warming up the room. Sharper Image has the best air purifiers for your specific needs. Check out our Air Purifier Comparison Chart to learn more and make an informed decision, before your springtime allergies return! Got something to say? Fans of ionic air cleaners and fogless shaving mirrors rejoice: The Sharper Image is back.The gadget retailer, which filed for bankruptcy protection last February and closed all its stores, was purchased by the private investors Blue Star Alliance, Gordon Brothers and Hilco Consumer Capital for $49 million in May. Since then, the company has reconstituted itself (minus the stores) to become a “global lifestyle brand licensor.”Rather than operate its own Web site, catalog and shops, the company will license products and sell them through third-party retailers. It has struck deals with HoMedics, a manufacturer of health and grooming products, luggage maker EnE and others to produce new products.

The company is also trying a new approach for these difficult times: affordability.The problem for the original company was that its stores had plenty of lookers but, because of its high prices, not enough buyers. “Sharper Image was an aspirational brand,” said Federico de Bellegarde, the company’s vice president for licensing. While people wanted the products, not enough could afford them. “Now we can be in Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and midtiered department stores,” Mr. de Bellegarde said.The new company, which has fewer than 10 employees, kept five of its original product licensees. It currently has the Sharper Image name on 40 furniture and accessory products sold in OfficeMax stores. Its big push will come at the end of this year, when it releases “hundreds” of new, less-expensive products in partnership with 12 unnamed partners. At the Consumer Electronics Show, the company presented a number of new products that reflect the cutting-edge approach championed by Sharper Image.

Those shown included home audio gadgets like iPod and iPhone docks, a floating waterproof wireless speaker, and a shower speaker that receives music wirelessly from an iPod.Unlike Sharper Image days of old, when the company sold rides in a zero-G airplane for $3,500 and $1,000 packages of steaks from Donald Trump, the products shown at C.E.S. were affordable. The iPhone dock, which includes a motor to swivel the phone horizontally when watching videos, will sell for about $80, while the floating speaker will cost about $70. The company is also working on a new generation of its famous (or infamous) air purifier. The original $350 Ionic Breeze was lambasted by Consumer Reports in 2005, when it charged that the device not only failed to clean the air, but also released unhealthy levels of ozone.United States Patent Fritzius [58] Field of Search [s4] loN WIND GENERATOR Robert S. Fritzius, 332 8 Cowley Way,#2, San Diego, Calif. 92117 [22] I Filed: June 8, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 44,207H05h HQ5b HOlj 7/24 313/63, 174;

315/1 1 l;417/48, 417/49; [52] [LS-Cl [51] 1nt.Cl. [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 3,116,433 12/1963 Moncrieff-Yeates 15/1 11 51 Jan. 25, 1972 3,071,705 l/1963 Colemanetal 315/111 Primary Examiner-Ronald L. Wibert Assistant Examiner-Conrad Clark Attorney-Richard K. Macneill 571 ABSTRACT An ion wind generator in which a plurality of cathodes is disposed in operable proximity to a plurality of anodes forming an array with a high-voltage electric field on the order of 10 kilovolts per centimeter impressed between them causing the formation of ions which, in turn, are attracted by the anodes creating an ionic wind in the direction from the cathodes to the anodes, the adjacent anodes and cathodes being impressed with opposite polarity fields for neutralizing the ionic content of the combined windstreams. 5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN25 i972 INVENTOR. ROBERT S. FRITZ/US 1 ION WIND GENERATOR BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ion wind generator and more particularly to anion wind generator utilizing the formation and flow of ions to create wind.

According to the invention, an ion wind generator is provided having a plurality of sharp pointed cathodes in operable proximity to a plurality of smooth'surfaced anodes. An electric field in the order of kilovolts per centimeter is impressed between the cathodes and the anodes resulting in a corona discharge region in the immediate proximity of the cathodes. This, in turn, will create ionization of air molecules; i.e., charged particles of the same polarity as the cathode in I that region creating wind streams toward the anodes. high voltage with several of these in an array would be alternated between adjacen't'electrodes. The voltages impressed are preferably alternating pulses, the advantages of which'will be explained below. An object of the present invention is the provision of an ion wind generator for generating a wind of neutralized particles. Another object of the invention is the provision of an ion wind generator which is extremely efficient and inexpensive.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an ion wind generator utilizing a minimum of anode current thereby reducing electrolysis efi'ects. Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection 'withft'he accom panying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 illustrates various voltages and current waveforms; FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate still another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION THE DRAWINGS Referring to FIG. 1, voltage generator 11 is coupled between cathodes 12 and 13 having points 14 and 16, r'espee tively. Cathode 12 is coupled to anode l7 and cathode 13 is coupled to anode 18.

a I 7 Referring to FIG. 2, waveforms 19,21, 22, 23 and 24 are illustrated. Referring to FIG. 3, cathode 26 is shown in spatial relationship with anode 27 with terminals 28 and '29, respectively, attached thereto. Referring to FIG. 4, terminal a 28 is coupled to cathode cathode 26 and anode 31 and terminal 29 is coupled to anode 27 and cathode 32. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, terminal 34 is coupled to cathodes 36 and 37 and to anodes 38 and 39. Terminal 41 is coupled to cathodes 42 and 43 and to anodes 46 and 47. OPERATION Referring back to FIG. 1, it can be seen that with a high DC voltage impressed between cathode point 12 and ring anode 18, an electrostatic field will result causing a coronadischarge region surrounding point 14. This corona discharge region will ionize the air molecules in proximity to point 14 which, being charged particles of the same'polarity as the cathode, will, in ' turn, be attractedtowa rd ring anode 18 which will also act as a focusing anode.

The accelerated ions will impart kinetic energy to neutral air molecules by repeated collisions and attachment. Neutral air moleciiles th'us accelerated, constitute the useful mechanical output of the ion wind generator. The majority of ions, however, will end their usefulness upon reaching the ring 18 where they fan out radially and collide with the ring producing anode current. A small portion of the ions will possess sufficient kinetic energy to continue on through thering alongwith the neutral particles. These result in a slight loss of efficiency because they tend to be drawn back to the anode. The same theory will apply for cathode 13 and anode l7. Sinceopposite polarities are impressed on each cathode-anode pair, their exiting airstreams will contain 'oppositely charged ions which will merge and neutralize; i.e., being of opposite plarity, the ions will attract each other and be neutralized by recombination. Referring to FIG. 2, a series of waveforms is shown which will now be described.

Waveforms 21, 22, 23 and 24 approximate the cathode l2, anode center, downstream space charge 20, and anode 18 currents, respectively, which result when generator 11 produces voltage'waveform 19. The flattening of waveform l9'is caused by current loading; i.e., it occurs dur-, ing the corona period and prevents the gap voltage from reaching the are potential indicated as the highest and lowest dotted lines. The corona period and levels are indicated by dotted lines between which current flows in waveform 21 and the central horizontal dotted lines in waveform 19. polarity as 'the'downstream space charge and gives the ions an added acceleration. The downstream pulses of space charge current from each set of electrodes are of opposite polarity and, therefore, will merge and neutralize ohe another completing the current loop external of the anodes. Utilizing a simple array, as shown in FIG. 1, an array is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 which contemplates further additions thereto in two dimensions thereby enabling the creating of a sheet of wind.

Here, cathodes 26 and 32 have a different geometry as do ar'i'odes 27 and 31 which are simply smooth surfaces in operable proximity to the points of cathodes 26, and 32. This will result in increased aerodynamic efficiency due to drag reduction by streamlining i.e., the ionic wind would be tangential to the surface of anodes 27 and 31. Here, again, the polarity between adjacent cathodes and anodes is opposite resulting a neutralization of the downstream ionic content. The voltages, of course, are applied at terminals 28 and 29. The same voltage may be used downstream for cascading a plurality of arrays. Referring to FIGS 5 and 6, a further refinement is contemplated showing a grid arrangement with one voltage terminal being applied at 34 and another at 41. The grid layout results in a closer knit plurality of ion generators which, in turn, results in a more efficient wind generator for ducting purposes; i.e., by stacking a plurality of the grids. It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only apreferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.