Patent Application
20150258235
The present invention relates generally to an air scent device containing a scented gel, and more generally relates to an air scent device that is positioned on the air entry or exit side of an air filter or within the flow of air. The device is designed to allow air to pass through or over the device, releasing the fragrance into the air stream.
In any place where people gather there will be various odors, fragrances and the like. It is common for homeowners and businesses to oftentimes struggle to maintain pleasant smelling environments. Many odors from such various things as cooking, personal hygiene products, the presence of pets, and cigarette smoke can be present in a home or business. Odors of these types are often difficult to combat. As such, a large industry has developed dedicated to the removal and/or masking of these odors. Products such as scented sprays, odor eliminating cleaning products, fans, and air purifiers and filters are now commonly found in homes and businesses. In addition, scent dispersion products such as scented candles and electric scent dispersers are now commonly used and widely available.
Despite the wide variety of readily available devices, products, and apparatuses available to help control or eliminate odors, each and every product suffers from the same limitation, its use is localized to a particular vicinity of use. Specifically and by way of example, use of a scented spray only affects the area in which the spray is used. So, another room in the house or business will not be affected by spraying a scented spray in another room. Likewise, electric scent dispersers and candles are only able to disperse scents in the room in which they are used. If one desires to disperse scents in multiple locations or rooms, one must use a product or device in each room. This is both time consuming and expensive.
Thus, a need exists for a device or product that is able to disperse a scent into all rooms in a home or business simultaneously.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an air scent device includes a base that extends to an outer edge, an outer ring that extends substantially upwardly from the outer edge, an outer lip that extends substantially outwardly from the outer edge, a plurality of protruding structures extending generally upward from the base, and a scented substance disposed within the cavity.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a plurality of ridges disposed on an external surface of the outer lip.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a base that is generally circular.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes at least one clip disposed within the outer lip.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes four clips spaced an equal distance apart around the outer lip.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes an outer lip having a top portion and a bottom portion, whereby the outer lip slopes downwardly with respect to the outer ring.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a clip that is engaged to a biasing member.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a slot within the clip.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a hanging mechanism comprising a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion are substantially c-shaped and the first portion is selectively secured to the second portion.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, an air scent device includes a base that extends to an outer edge, an outer ring that extends substantially upward from the outer edge, an outer lip that extends substantially outwardly from the outer ring, a plurality of protruding structures that extend substantially upward from the base, a clip, and a gel disposed within the cavity.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a gel that is dyed.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a gel that is scented.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a clip that contains raised edges.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a hanging mechanism comprising a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion are substantially c-shaped and the first portion is selectively secured to the second portion, wherein the first portion contains a bore and the second portion contains at least one pair of resiliently flexible fingers for insertion into the bore.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a protruding structure that is cylindrical in shape and has a constant diameter.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the air scent device includes a circular base that extends to an outer edge, an outer ring that extends substantially upwardly from the outer edge, an outer lip that extends substantially outwardly from the outer ring, a plurality of protruding structures extending substantially upward from the base, a clip containing a biasing member for moving the clip from a first position to a second position, and a scented gel disposed within the cavity.
The present invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to the various drawings, in which like reference numbers denote like method steps and/or system components, respectively, and in which:
The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. Any and all patents and other publications identified in this specification are incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
Also, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment.
Referring now specifically to the drawings, an air scent device is illustrated in
The top portion of the base 12 includes a plurality of upwardly extending protruding structures 20. The protruding structures 20 have a first side and a second side, whereby the first side is engaged to the base 12 of the device 10 and extends generally upwardly towards the second side. The protruding structures 20 may have a constant diameter. On the other hand, the second side may contain a top portion that extends perpendicularly with respect to the protruding structure 20. A scented substance, such as a scented gel 22, is disposed within the base with the protruding structures 20 dispersed therein. The alternative top portion of the protruding structure assists with retaining the scented gel 22 within the base 12. The second side of the protruding structure 20 may extend above the upper level of the scented gel 22. The protruding structures 20 serve the purpose to retain the scented gel 22 within the cavity 14 and to prevent a user's fingers from contacting the scented gel 22 when handing the device 10. The scented gel 22 may be dyed to produce a colored scented gel 22.
The device 10 may be attached to a filter, air duct, or other retention device for retaining the device 10 within the flow of air. To assist with attachment, the device 10 contains at least one clip 24 positioned within the outer lip 16. Preferably, and as illustrated, the device 10 may contain four clips 24 for providing multiple arrangements for the device 10 to be attached to a filter, air duct, or the like. As illustrated, the clips 24 may be spaced an equal distance apart around the outer lip 16.
The clip 24 has a generally semi-circular shape and is attached to the outer lip 16 by a biasing member 26. The biasing member 26 is engaged to the clip 24 and the bottom portion of the outer lip 16 of the device 10 for allowing the clip 24 to pivot between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the clip 24 is flush with the outer lip 16. In the second position, the clip 24 is rotated downwards, thus separating the clip 24 from the outer lip 16. Therefore, in the second position, the clip 24 is in a spaced-apart relationship with the outer lip 16, creating a space between the clip 24 and outer lip 16 for inserting a portion of the filter frame. The biasing member 26 of the clip is biased forward towards the first position, creating a selectively secured relationship between the clip 24 and frame of the filter.
A slot 28 may be disposed on the device 10. As illustrated in
The slot 28 is designed to receive a hanging mechanism 30, as shown in
The second portion 34 of the hanging mechanism 30 contains a first end and a second end. The first end of the second portion 34 contains at least a pair of resiliently flexible fingers 40 and the second end contains a retention end 42. The resiliently flexible fingers 40 extend outwardly from first end for receipt within the bore 38 of the second end of the first portion 32 for forming a selectively secured arrangement. Alternatively, the first end may contain a plurality of resiliently flexible fingers. The retention end 42 is inserted within the slot 28 and the first end of the first portion 32 is hung from a duct, vent, louver, air filter or the like and within the stream of air flow.
The device 10 as illustrated is generally circular. However, the device may be generally rectangular, generally square, or any other shape desired by the user. The device 10 may be composed of many materials, such as plastic, rubber, metal, and the like. The scented gel is composed of about 10 to about 40 percent PVC copolymer and from about 60 to about 90 percent dicarboxylic acid ester, and preferably from about 15 to about 25 percent PVC copolymer and from about 65 to about 85 dicarboxylic acid ester, and more preferably from about 20 to about 25 percent PVC copolymer and from about 75 to about 80 percent dicarboxylic acid ester.
The central portion of the cavity 14 may contain a raised central portion. The raised central portion allows a trade name or other identifier to be placed on the device 10. The raised portion may contain a scented gel 22 over this portion, or the raised portion may not contain the scented gel 22.
Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention and are intended to be covered by the following claims.
The current application claims the benefit of the earlier priority filing date of provisional application Ser. No. 61/952,991 that was filed on Mar. 14, 2014.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61952991 | Mar 2014 | US |
