US Patent Issued to University of South Florida on Aug. 19 for "Humidity control apparatus and materials" (Florida Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 20 -- United States Patent no. 12,389,837, issued on Aug. 19, was assigned to University of South Florida (Tampa, Fla.).

"Humidity control apparatus and materials" was invented by Ying Zhong (Tampa, Fla.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A ventilation port maintains the humidity range within a sealed or partially sealed enclosure maintaining a level of atmospheric moisture such as a greenhouse. The port is comprised of a polymer blend film made of a hydrophilic component serving as the water-absorbing material and substrate component serving as the mechanical backbone. The film is designed to bend and open the port when the humidity within the enclosure exceeds a predetermi...