Patent Application
20150014428
This invention relates generally to devices and methods for providing scents to a user—in particular, in a portable way that can dispense a plurality of scents to an individual user based on the individual user's personal preferences or needs.
The concept of aromatherapy has been the subject of studies documenting the effects of particular scents on behavior, emotions, memory, and performance. Additionally, studies have shown that different scents can elicit different psychological and biological responses, and that individuals strongly develop their own unique associations connecting scents and memories/emotions. What an individual smells has a much bigger impact on his or her day-to-day life than many may realize. Evidenced-based science has revealed just how significant the effects of scents can be on behavior, emotions, memory, and performance. For example, it is now widely accepted that smell has stronger ties to memory than any other sense. According to the Sense of Smell Institute (http://www.senseofsmellinstitute.org/mss-fun-facts.php), people report recalling smells with about 65% accuracy after a year, compared with a recall of about 50% after three months for vision.
Like one's sense of vision or hearing, one can lose one's sense of smell with age. Unlike one's vision or hearing, however, there are exercises one can do to protect and even sharpen the sense of smell. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (“Uncork the Nose's Secret Powers” Feb. 12, 2013) estimates that “[b]y age 60, about half of people will experience a reduction in their ability to smell, and by age 80, about three-fourths will.” According to this article, it has been shown that by sniffing 3-4 different scents around 4-6 times a day, an individual can eventually spark different receptors that will help train the brain to discern differences among scents.
Different products and technologies have been designed to dispense scents to evoke different psychological and biological responses. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0123548 shows an inhaler for administering aromatherapy. This device has an aromatherapy composition housed within a container. The container has an opening where the composition can be inhaled through the mouth and/or nose. While this device provides a method for delivering an odor, only one odor is capable of being carried and/or delivered.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,691,336 shows a device that is capable of dispensing multiple odors. This device uses a power supply, a heater, and a fan to sequentially emit different volatile materials. Because this device is designed to emit scents broadly into the environment, it is not well suited to provide therapeutic effects to only a single user, for example in a crowded environment. Additionally, this device is not portable; it is also less durable, more costly, and involves a great number of moving parts and maintenance due to the requirement of features such as a power source, a heater, a fan, and a safety interlock. Further, the sequential emitting of scents limits a user's ability to conveniently experience a particular aroma at the time he or she might desire.
Thus, no device formerly developed provides a means of conveniently carrying a diversity of scents that can be portably and individually dispensed by simple, solely or substantially mechanical (that is, non-electric) methods as the user desires. A need exists for devices that are easily transported and carried, and that are useful in providing multiple scents for personal use, based on an individual's desire to be exposed to certain scents.
The present technology is directed, in certain embodiments, to a portable device for providing a scent, the device having a length comprising a first cartridge compartment connected to a second connected cartridge compartment; wherein the first cartridge compartment encloses a first cartridge, the first cartridge comprising a material having a first scent; and wherein the second compartment encloses a second cartridge, the second cartridge comprising a material having a second scent.
The present technology is directed, in other embodiments, to a portable device having a substantially elongated shape, the substantially elongated shape having a length comprising a first cartridge compartment connected to a second connected cartridge compartment; wherein the first cartridge compartment is threadably connected to and encloses a first cartridge, the first cartridge comprising a material that emits a first scent; and wherein the second compartment is threadably connected to and encloses a second cartridge, the second cartridge comprising a material that emits a second scent that is different from the first scent; the first cartridge compartment being movable to expose the first cartridge and emit the first scent; and the second cartridge compartment being movable to expose the second cartridge and emit the second scent.
The present technology is directed, in other embodiments, to a method of providing two different scents to an individual user, the method comprising the steps of:
As used herein, any reference to any of the “first cartridge compartment” or “first cartridge” may also apply to any of the subsequent (second, third, fourth and so on) cartridge compartments and cartridges. Further, the general terms “cartridge compartment” and “cartridge,” are understood to refer broadly and generally to any of the first, second, third, fourth and so on of these terms.
In certain embodiments, a device is provided herein that comprises one or more individual units (e.g., cartridge compartments) that each comprise an absorbent material saturated with a liquid comprising a volatile compound. As used herein, “volatile” is used to refer to any compound that is capable of releasing a scent, and can be impregnated into an absorbent material for the purpose of providing a scent to a user when exposed to air or the immediate environment of the material, such that a user can experience the scent.
As used herein, “portable” refers to anything that can be easily removed and carried around by an individual. For example, the present disclosure contemplates portable devices that are, in various embodiments, small enough to carry in a backpack, suitcase, pocket or handbag, that can be placed on a desk or table next to a user or that can be carried in a user's hand. However, it is important to note that a device need not be tiny to be portable. So long as the device is capable of being carried by an individual, it is portable for purposes of the embodiments herein.
In certain embodiments, a portable device may or may not be connected to a power source such as an electric source. In certain embodiments, the advantage of certain devices described herein is the ability for a user to use them without the need for electric power, e.g., power supplied by connection to an electrical source such as through a wall socket or a battery.
Throughout the present disclosure, reference is made to a portable device having a substantially elongated shape. As used herein, “substantially elongated shape” means a shape that has a longer length than width.
As used herein, “scent” means something that can be detected by a user's sense of smell, and includes any fragrance or odor, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
In various embodiments of the present technology, the devices and methods herein are useful for application to an individual user—that is, only one user and no more. In other embodiments, the devices and methods may be applicable for a plurality (that is, two or more) of users.
In various embodiments, a device according to the present technology comprises two or more cartridge compartments that are connected, e.g., end to end. These cartridge compartments are the basic segments that together make up the length of the body of the device. For example, as shows in
In certain embodiments, it can be seen that in operation an individual user may use the device as a vehicle for dispensing different pre-selected scents as the user may desire. As can be seen in
In the embodiment shown in
Thus, in use, the user can move a portion or all of the first cartridge compartment 11 (or any of the other cartridge compartments 12, 13, 14, and 15 shown in
Once the cartridge is exposed, the user can choose to experience a concentrated dose of the scent by placing the cartridge close to his or her nose and breathing in the odor, or even inserting a portion of the cartridge directly into a nostril. Alternatively, the user can choose to experience a less concentrated dose of the scent by, for example, having the cartridge exposed in his or her immediate vicinity (for example, holding the exposed section of the cartridge up near his face, hanging it from his neck or clipping it to his clothing), or exposing only a portion of the cartridge.
In certain embodiments, the user may opt to remove the first cartridge compartment (or any of the cartridge compartments) completely from the remainder of the device. In various embodiments, the removal of the cartridge compartment will fully expose the cartridge. However, in other embodiments the user may opt to move the first cartridge compartment (or any of the cartridge compartments) a distance that exposes only part of the cartridge. As an example, in certain embodiments, the vents 23 may be disposed on the cartridge in such a manner so as to maximize the exposure of the scent while minimizing the required movement of the cartridge compartment. For example, in one embodiment they could be substantially present toward one end of the cartridge such that exposing only a small portion of the cartridge will unleash a large amount of scent, while in another embodiment they could be substantially evenly distributed along the length of the cartridge so as to provide a more measured release of scent, while in yet another they could be substantially present toward one end of the cartridge such that removing the entire cartridge compartment and holding the exposed end of the cartridge near or in the user's nostril delivers a concentrated burst of scent to the user.
In certain embodiments, the cartridge compartment may be prevented from complete removal by the presence of a cartridge compartment lip 21, which catches the cartridge compartment. In certain embodiments, the cartridge compartment lip 21 allows for the cartridge compartments to be separated from each other and opened without being unintentionally removed from the base device. In other embodiments, the lip 21 may either not be present, or may be removable or flexible in such a manner that the user can easily detach the first cartridge cover 11 from the second cartridge cover (or any cartridge cover from the one immediately adjacent to it) in a manner that exposes the cartridge within it, allowing the scent to escape the device into the environment.
In various embodiments, the absorbent material may be disposable or may have the ability to be used more than once—for example, may either need to be removed and replaced after a certain number of uses, or may be capable of being re-impregnated multiple times with the same or different scented composition(s). As can be seen in
When the user wishes to cease the diffusion of the scent, it is only necessary to seal the cartridge compartment by reversing the movements that led to exposure of the cartridge—e.g., screwing it closed, snapping the two adjacent cartridge compartments back together, releasing the spring that has forced the two adjacent cartridge compartments apart, or otherwise reconnecting the two cartridge compartments at the respective connection 16, 17, 18, and/or 19. In certain embodiments, each of the connections 16, 17, 18, and 19, when closed, creates an airtight or near-airtight seal, to prevent odors from escaping or entering the cartridge compartment.
In certain embodiments, a clip 20 extends from the topmost cartridge compartment 15, or any of the cartridge compartments, to enhance carrying convenience—for example, in the user's pocket or attached to a belt or strap carried or worn by the user.
Further, in certain embodiments, a cartridge compartment 11 will comprise a cartridge 28 having internal threads 35 disposed at some point along its length. As can be seen in
In certain embodiments, the cartridge comprises two pieces that can be separated to access the space within, and when held together enclose the material (for example, the wick) having the scent. In such embodiments, the cartridge may comprise a separate nose piece 34, as shown, for example, in
In another embodiment, not shown in the Figures, the device as shown in
The present technology contemplates further applications. For example, in various embodiments, the devices herein may further comprise additional features such as a flashlight, a pen, a keychain, a carabiner attachment or the like. Thus, while in some embodiments the devices herein do not include any power source, in other embodiments they may include power sources such as, e.g., batteries or conduits to electrical sources such as an electrical outlet, to power any of the additional features.
In certain embodiments, the present technology also contemplates methods for improving a user's sense of smell, by, e.g., permitting a user to experience a plurality of scents as a way to “train” his or her nose to recognize such scents. For example, a user could load two or more known scents into a device in accordance with the embodiments herein, and practice smelling such scents, thus permitting his or her olfactory senses to recognize the scents.
Although the present technology has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, these embodiments and examples are merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting. Many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. The present technology should, therefore, not be limited by the specific disclosure herein, and may be embodied in other forms not explicitly described here, without departing from the spirit thereof.
