Patent Application
20160022858
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the fields of scent and aroma management. This may include, for example, but not be limited to increasing the amount of desirable aroma, fragrance, or odor neutralizer in a room, a vehicle, or another area.
2. Background of the Related Art
Many devices for providing a fragrance to an area over a period of time are known. Generally, these devices operate by allowing a fragrance contained in the device to passively diffuse from the device and into the atmosphere. In some cases these devices are suspended from a loop, wire, string, or other connector, allowing them to depend from a knob, minor, or the like.
In some cases distribution of a fragrance is assisted by actively forcing air through the housing of a device. This may be done by including a fan or other air-moving device as an integral part of the fragrance device. It may also be accomplished by securing the fragrance device in close proximity to another source of moving air. One variety of the latter kind of device is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,609, which shows a fragrance device in which an automobile vent is used to provide an air flow to assist in the distribution of a fragrance. That patent is incorporated by reference herein.
Unfortunately, known solutions for fragrance distribution may suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, a consumer may purchase a device meant to depend from a loop, but then decide that the more aggressive fragrancing made available by a secured model is either permanently or temporarily desired. In another situation a consumer using a secured fragrance device may decide that while both the air flow and the fragrance are still desired, the enhanced fragrancing provided by securing the fragrance device to a vent is not still desired. Unfortunately, such a useful device has not previously been proposed.
It would be helpful to have a fragrance distribution device that retained maximum flexibility in potential location of the device and fragrance delivery. Embodiments of the invention provide a fragrance distribution device comprising a housing, and a fragrance in a polymer or thermoplastic carrier. The housing includes an aperture into which a hook, clip, adhesive peg, or other attaching device may be secured. Typically the aperture is covered by a decal (also referred to as a label) or other cover until its use is desired. In some cases the attaching device is held by a recess in the air freshener when not in use.
In some embodiments the attaching device may be removably secured to the housing. By “removably secured” it is meant that the attaching device may be repeatedly removed from and replaced in the housing without damaging the housing or the attaching device. This may be accomplished, for example, by an interference fit or a screw.
Other aspects, objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Embodiments of the invention provide a fragrance distribution device comprising a housing. The housing includes an aperture into which a hook, clip, adhesive peg, or other attaching device may be secured. Typically the aperture is covered by a label, decal, or other cover until its use is desired. The housing encloses a polymer or thermoplastic fragrance carrier. Typically the housing is plastic, though it may be other materials as desired, and the material of the housing is not critical.
In some embodiments the attaching device may be removably secured to the housing. By “removably secured” it is meant that the attaching device may be repeatedly removed from and replaced in the housing without damaging the housing or the attaching device. This may be done, for example, by having the attaching device able to be freely inserted into a slot, and then twisted to be secured. It may also be done by having the attaching device screw into the housing.
In typical embodiments the housing is attached to a loop or other device that will allow the device to be placed over a knob, mirror, or other protrusion. This kind of temporary placement allows the device to passively release fragrance without attachment to a vent or fan.
The aperture(s) in the fragrance device may have any of a number of shapes and configurations. For example, it may be a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal slot. It may be a circular hole. The hole may be threaded or unthreaded. The aperture may be centered in the housing or off-center.
The housing may be any shape. Typically the housing includes vents on one or more of the side, front, or reverse of the housing, allowing the fragrance to escape the housing. The vents may be any shape but are typically holes or slots. In some embodiments the vents are on the same surface as the aperture.
In some embodiments the aperture is covered when not in use. This may be done by a decal, sticker, or other adhesive. In other embodiments the aperture may be closed by a more substantial cover, for example a hard plastic cover. This cover may be attached, for example by hinges or by an interference fit. The cover may be able to be replaced after it has been removed, or its removal may be permanent. In some embodiments the covering over the aperture is punctured rather than removed.
Removal of the cover may reveal one or more vent openings in the surface of the housing. In some embodiments a user may elect to reveal less than all of the vent openings when removing the cover.
Embodiments of the invention include the fragrances in a polymer or thermoplastic carrier/support. One preferred polymeric fragrance carrier/support is ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). EVA is a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The EVA has no odor by its nature, however, it can adsorb or otherwise be permeated with a fragrance. EVA approaches elastomeric materials in softness and flexibility, yet can be processed like thermoplastics.
EVA used in the invention may have a molecular weight in the range of, for example, 10,000 Daltons to 100,000 Daltons, more preferably 22,000 to 87,000 Daltons. Fragrance may be introduced into the polymer at weight percents varying from 10 to 90%, from 20 to 80% from 30 to 70%, from 30 to 60%, and from 30 to 50%. In further embodiments, fragrance is introduced into the polymer at a weight percent of about 1%, about 10%, about 20%, about 30%, about 40%, about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, about 80%, about 90%, or about 95%.
Other elastomeric or thermoplastic carriers or combinations thereof may be used as fragrance carriers/supports, so long as they will release fragrance upon heating. Other suitable polymeric materials share the beneficial properties of EVA and may be substituted for use in embodiments of the invention. These include, for example, but are not limited to, high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polystyrene, acrylic polymers, polycarbonates, polyurethanes, nylons, and mixtures and copolymers of the foregoing.
Organic and/or inorganic gellants may also be used as a fragrance carrier/support. This may include odor adsorbing or fragrance impregnated gels or fragrance gallants. For example, an IFO gel (for example, a polyamide gel) is one suitable example of a gellant that may be used in embodiments of the invention to replace all or part of the polymer component. Examples of gels and gallants may include, but are not limited to, silica, carrageenan, and/or polyamide, which may be combined with other materials to enhance stiffness. Other examples of gels may be a thermoset polymer including a fragrance and epoxy so as to allow it to polymerize into a rubber-like article.
Non-polymer fragrance carriers/supports may be used as well. These may include, but are not limited to, porous ceramic, wood, pressed cellulose (blotter), etc. For example, silica or sintered aluminum oxide may be formed with sufficient porosity to enable permeation of fragrance within the article comprising the non-polymer fragrance carrier/support.
One or more fragrances or odor neutralizers may be used in embodiments of the invention. If addition of fragrance is desired, suitable fragrances may be selected from those compiled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Sections 172.510 and 172.515, incorporated by reference herein. Fragrance components selected from benzaldehydes, phenols, cinnamic aldehydes and esters, octadienes, dienes, cyclohexadienes, and terpenes may be used in the invention. Fragrance oils are also suitable for use alone or in combination with other fragrance chemicals. Suitable fragrance oils are, for example spice oil, flower oil, and fruit oil. Although fragrances are featured in many embodiments as reported here, other things deliverable by air including odor neutralizers and insect repellents may also be used.
Other suitable fragrances include but are not limited to benzyl alcohol, ethyl maltol, furaneol, 1-hexanol, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, menthol, benzaldehyde, hexanal, cinnamaldehyde, citral, cis-3-hexenal, furfural, neral, vanillin, ethyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl decanoate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, hexyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, methyl butanoate, methyl salicylate, pentyl butanoate, pentyl pentanoate, sotolon, strawberry aldehyde, fructone, anethole, anisole, eugenol, dihydrojasmone, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, 6-acetyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine, gamma-decalactone, gamma-nonalactone, delta-octalactone, jasmine lactone, massoia lactone, camphor, citronellol, linalool, nerol, nerolidol,alpha-terpineol, thujone, and thymol.
In further embodiments of the invention, fragrances and/or odor neutralizers are mixed with one or more hindered amines. The hindered amines useful in the instant invention are well known in the art and are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,115, the relevant parts of which are incorporated herein by reference. Examples of the hindered amines are: 1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropoxy)-4-octadecanoyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperi-dine; 1-(2-hydroxy-2 -methylpropoxy)-4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-e; bis(1-octyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) sebacate; bis(1-cyclohexyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) sebacate; 1-cyclohexyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-octadecylaminopiperidine; 2,4-bis [(1-cyclohexyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)butylamino]-6-(2-hydroxyethylamino-s-triazine; bis(1-cyclohexyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) adipate; 1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropoxy)-4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; bis(1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropoxy)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) sebacate; bis(1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropoxy)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) adipate; bis(1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropoxy)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) succinate; bis(1-(2-hydroxy-2methylpropoxy)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl) glutarate; and 2,4-bis{1N-[1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropoxy)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-y-1]-N-butylamino}-6-(2-hydroxyethylamino)-s-triazine) 1-methoxy-4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; 1-methoxy-4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; 1-octyloxy-4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; 1-cyclohexyloxy-4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; 1-methoxy-4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; 1-octyloxy-4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine; and 1-cyclohexyloxy-4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, or a mixture thereof.
In yet further embodiments of the invention, fragrances and/or odor neutralizers include one or more antioxidants. Antioxidants used in embodiments of the invention may be, for example, tertiary butylhydroquinone, n-octadecyl 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate, butylated hydroxyanisole, phenol bisphosphite, butylated hydroxytoluene, and phosphite compounds. An effective amount of antioxidant in the instant composition is 0.015% to 2.5% by weight of the EVA or other polymer, preferably 0.1 to 0.75% by weight and most preferably 0.2 to 0.5% by weight. In preferred embodiments of the invention, high concentrations of antioxidants are mixed with fragrance prior to addition of the fragrance/antioxidant mixture to any other components of the mixture.
Still further embodiments of the invention contemplate inclusion of the fragrance and/or odor neutralizer in a diluent prior to incorporation into a polymeric carrier. A diluent is organic, for example: triethyl citrate; di-isopropropyl adipate; di-octyl adipate; isopropyl myristate; isopropyl palmitate; butyl stearate; benzyl alcohol; benzyl benzoate; and diethyl pthalate. The quantity of diluent preferred is the quantity necessary for dissolving the fragrance or the antioxidant.
In one preferred embodiment, a selected fragrance and/or an odor neutralizer (with or without the other additives reported above) is embedded in and/or adsorbed on the polymer. Further information regarding creation of a fragrance/antioxidant/diluent mixture may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,288, which is incorporated by reference as if fully rewritten herein.
Various other additives such as color additives may be added in different embodiments depending on desired characteristics of a particular fragrance device.
Plasticizers may also be added to polymeric materials that are used in embodiments of the invention. These may include, for example, diethyl phthalate and tri-acetic acid ester of glycerin.
The following examples are given to help those skilled in the art appreciate the invention. They should not be construed to limit the scope of the claims.
Example 1 describes the construction of a polymer support containing a fragrance. An amount of fragrance that is 33.4% by weight of the anticipated final formula amount is weighed and loaded into a vessel. Into the fragrance is added antioxidant and hindered amine at 0.7% and 0.7% by weight of the anticipated final formula amount, respectively. An amount of 0.2% of a color solution is added. This is mixed until dissolution.
The fragrance solution is transferred to a 5 gallon drum. EVA in the amount of 65% by weight of the anticipated final formula amount is added as solid beads. The drum is sealed and rotated until the fragrance mixture is completely absorbed into the EVA.
The beads are loaded into an injection molding machine. It is preferred that prior to injection molding the beads be no larger than 325 mesh. A fragrance support is created in the desired shape through the injection molding process. The finished fragrance support may be packaged for sale as a refill item or may be placed within a housing.
Once the polymer support has been created, it is inserted into a housing. The housing is, for example, of a clamshell design. Opposite sides of the housing may be held by an interference fit, by an adhesive, by melting, or by other methods as appreciated by those in the art.
Referring to
The hinged engagement 106 can include a flexible member connecting a portion of the first compartment 102 to a portion of the second compartment 104. Other hinged engagements 106 may include, but are not limited to, a curved extension member extending from the first compartment 102 engaged with a slotted extension member extending from the second compartment 104, a pin and hinge assembly, a pin and hub assembly, etc. The portions connected by the hinged engagement 106 may be the bottom portions of each compartment 102, 104; however, any portion of the compartments 102, 104 that can be hingedly connected to facilitate selective envelopment of the carrier/support 7 can be utilized.
The first compartment 102 may be structured to form a general rectangular shape with a first cavity formed as a recess within an interior surface thereof. The second compartment 104 may be similarly structured. While the compartments 102, 104 may be described and illustrated as having rectangular shapes, they may have other shapes, such as triangular, spherical, hexagonal, etc. It is understood that only one compartment 102, 104 or both compartments 102, 104 may have a cavity formed within their interior surfaces. The cavity(ies) can form a hollow interior to the housing 1 when the first compartment 102 is rotated about the hinged engagement 106 to abut against the second compartment and generate a closed position At least one cavity may exhibit a shape to complement that of the carrier/support 7, but it is not necessary to match that of the carrier/support 7. At least one cavity of a compartment 102, 104 may be configured to receive at least half the thickness of the carrier/support 7 when placed therein. Once placed inside a cavity(ies), a compartment 102, 104 may be rotated about the axis defined by the hinged engagement to abut against the opposing compartment 104, 102. As the first compartment 102 abuts the second compartment 104, the housing 1 may envelop the carrier/support 7 placed therein, wherein the structure of the cavity(ies) can be such that they receive and envelop the carrier/support 7.
A portion of the housing 1 may be provided with a fastening mechanism 110 to temporarily retain the housing 1 in the closed position, where the closed position may be defined by the compartments 102, 104 abutting each other, as described above. The fastening mechanism 110 can be positioned on any portion of the housing 1 to facilitate retaining the housing 1 in the closed position. In an exemplary embodiment, the fastening mechanism 110 can be located at a top portion of the housing 1 and the hinged engagement 106 can be located at the bottom portion of the housing 1. The fastening mechanism 110 can include a first fastening component located on the first compartment 102 and a second fastening component located on the second compartment, where each are configured to align with and engage each other when the housing 1 is in the closed position. The fastening mechanism 110 can be structured to operate by a protrusion configured to extend into a receptacle and form an interference/snap fit with each other. Other fastening mechanisms 110 may include, but are not limited to, a mechanical clasp, interference tab engagement, magnetic clasp, etc. The fastening mechanism 110 may enable a user to easily and quickly remove, replace, and replenish carriers/supports 7, as needed.
A top portion of the housing 1 may include a lanyard ring 112 configured to receive the loop 15 (see
In the alternative, or in addition, the housing 1 may include a bifurcated aperture 116, which may serve as a secondary lanyard ring. The bifurcated aperture 116 may include a first aperture component formed into the first compartment 102 adjacent the first cavity and a second aperture component formed into the second compartment 104 adjacent the second cavity such that the first and second aperture components align to form the bifurcated aperture 116 when the housing 1 is in the closed position. The loop 15 may be routed through the bifurcated aperture 116 after the housing 1 is in the closed position, which may be desirable in situations where routing the loop 15 through the lanyard ring 112 is impracticable and/or generates a tendency to unfasten the fastening mechanism 10 (e.g., the loop is too thick, the fastening mechanism is damaged or worn, etc.). The housing 1 may be configured such that as the compartments 102, 104 are rotated to form the closed position, the first and second aperture components align to form the lanyard ring 112.
At least one of the first and second compartments 102, 104 may include the clip 5 disposed on an external surface thereof, in a similar manner as described above. One skilled in the art, with the benefit of the present disclosure, will appreciate that other attachment devices may be used instead of the clip. These may include an adhesive peg, a hook, etc. Use of the clip 5 may enable removably attaching the housing 1 to an ancillary structure via securement by the clip 5. As described above, the clip 5 can be secured to the compartment 102, 104 by a screw, an interference fit, or by a ball and socket attachment. In addition, a portion of the compartment 102, 104 having the clip 5 may include a recess 30 formed into the external surface thereof. The clip 5 may be attached to the housing 1 at the location of the recess 30 or at a location adjacent the recess 30.
With the ball and socket attachment embodiment, the recess 30 may be structured to receive the clip 5 by rotating the clip 5 about the pivot defined by the ball/socket and into the recess 30 for a stowed position. Rotating the clip 5 from within the recess 30 can be done to place the clip 5 in a deployed position, which may enable removably attaching the housing 1 to an ancillary structure via securement by the clip 5. The recess 30 may be configured to form an interference fit with the clip 5 when rotated into the stowed position to retain the clip 5 in place. In addition, the ball and socket pivot assembly may be structured such that the ball is formed on a distal end of the clip 5 and the socket is formed into the surface of the compartment 102, 104. However, the socket can be on the clip 5 and the ball on the compartment 102, 104. The ball and socket assembly may be configured to enable removable engagement of the ball with the socket to facilitate removabe securement of the clip 5 to the housing 1. Alternatively, the clip 5 may be permanently secured to the housing 1.
The clip 5 may be removably attached without a pivoting engagement. For instance, the clip 5 may be attached via an interference with between a protrusion of the clip and a receptacle of the compartment 102, 104. In some embodiments, the clip 5 can be completely removed from the housing 1 and secured within the recess 30 to be placed in a stowed position. In such a stowed position, the clip 5 may lay within the recess 30 so as to be approximately flush with, or even counter-sunk within, the outer surface of the compartment 102, 104, held in place by the interference fit between the clip 5 and the recess 30. The clip may then be removed from the recess 30 and placed into a deployed position by inserting the protrusion of the clip 5 into the receptacle of the compartment 102, 104.
Similar to the embodiment described above, the label 3 may be positioned on an inner and/or outer surface of at least one compartment 102, 104. Attachment of the label 3 may be achieved via an adhesive. The label 3 can be configured to cover a face of a compartment 102, 104 and conceal the carrier/support 7 within the housing 1.
As described above, at least one fragrance vent 9 can be included in any compartment 102, 104. The fragrance vents 9 may be an aperture or other opening formed into a compartment 102, 104 so as to penetrate through the compartment 102, 104 and enable fluid communication between the hollow interior of the housing 1 and an exterior environment. While it is shown for the fragrance vent 9 to be positioned on the second compartment 104 in
At least one bifurcated slot 118 may be formed into the housing 1. The bifurcated slot 118 may be used to facilitate release of fragrance from the hollow interior of the housing 1 from side portions of the housing 1 by enabling fluid communication between the hollow interior of the housing 1 and the exterior environment. The bifurcated slot 118 may include a first slot component formed into the first compartment 102 adjacent the first cavity and a second slot component formed into the second compartment 104 adjacent the second cavity such that the first and second slot components align to form the bifurcated aperture 116 when the housing 1 is in the closed position.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of international application PCT/US2014/044130 filed on Jun. 25, 2014 and claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/839,138, filed on Jun. 25, 2013, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61839138 | Jun 2013 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/US2014/044130 | Jun 2014 | US |
| Child | 14874846 | US |
