Patent Application
20170076403
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the selective dispensing of combinations and sequences scents that are specified in scent specifications.
Description of the Related Art
The sense of smell (i.e., olfactory perception) is extremely important to humans. For example, the smell of smoke can alert a person of the potential dangers of a nearby fire. Additionally, smells can trigger memories and impact our emotions. Various forms of aromatherapy have been investigated in attempts to alter a person's mind, mood, cognitive function, and/or health.
A number of systems and devices have been developed for selectively providing olfactory sensations. For a variety of reasons, such systems and devices have proven to be inadequate and have not gained commercial acceptance. For example, the Smell-O-Vision system was developed over fifty years ago, which caused a number of different odors to be emitted from the seats in a movie theater when triggered by a film's soundtrack. That system was expensive and had technical problems. Accordingly, the Smell-O-Vision system was used in conjunction with only one film.
New approaches that enable users to quickly and easily generate customized scent specifications for communicating specific themes, ideas, and/or feelings using sequences and combinations of scents are desirable. Additionally, new systems and devices that dispense scents based on such scent specifications are desirable.
A computer-implemented method of messaging in a social network environment may be summarized as including: receiving a scent message at a social network service over a communications network, the scent message including at least one of a scent specification file or a reference to a scent specification file stored in a data storage, the scent specification file specifies at least one scent dispensable by a scent dispensing device; and sending the scent message to a receiving client device of a receiving user of the social network service over the communications network.
The computer-implemented method may further include: sending the scent specification file to the receiving client device. The computer-implemented method may further include: in response to receiving the scent specification file, causing scent dispensing instructions to be sent from the receiving client device to a scent dispensing device. The computer-implemented method may further include: causing at least one scent to be dispensed according to the scent dispensing instructions receive by the scent dispensing device. The scent message may include at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion, and the method may further include: presenting the at least one of the audio portion and the visual portion by the receiving client device during at least a portion of the dispensing of the at least one scent at the scent dispensing device. The scent message may include at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion, and the method may further include: presenting the at least one of the audio portion and the visual portion by the receiving client device. The scent message may include a reference to at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion, the at least one of the audio portion and the visual portion stored in a data storage. The computer-implemented method may further include: receiving the scent specification file from a sending client device over the communications network; and sending the scent specification file to the receiving client device. The scent message may include a reference to the scent specification file stored in the data storage, and the method may further include: receiving a request including the reference to the scent specification file; retrieving the scent specification file from the data storage; and sending the scent specification file to the receiving client device responsive to the received request. The receiving a request may include receiving a request originating at the receiving client device. The scent specification file may include timing information for the dispensing of the at least one scent on a scent dispensing device. The timing information may specify the at least one scent is dispensed sequentially a number N times. The scent message may include at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion, and the timing information may associate playback of the at least one scent with the at least one of the audio portion and the visual portion. The scent specification file may specify a plurality of scents and may include a visual portion, the visual portion providing a time-based visual illustration of the scent specification file. Sending the scent message may include sending a personal message to the receiving client device through the social network service. Sending the scent message may include generating a digital post associated with the scent message on the social network service that is viewable on the receiving client device. Sending the scent message may include sending an email to the receiving client device. The scent message may include at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion. The scent specification file may specify a sequence of scents. The computer-implemented method may further include: receiving a comment from a client device of a user of the social network service; and associating the comment with the scent message. Sending the scent message may include generating a digital post associated with the scent message on the social network service that is accessible on the receiving client device, and associating the comment with the scent message may include adding the received comment to the generated digital post. The computer-implemented method may further include: receiving a modification instruction associated with the scent message from a client device; and generating a modified scent specification file according to the modification instruction. The computer-implemented method may further include: causing a presentation of a scent sequence specification user interface on a display of a sending client device, the scent sequence specification user interface including a scent palette of a set of user selectable scent icons, each of the user selectable scent icons corresponding to a respective scent, the scent sequence specification user interface further including an array of scent specification fields which are selectively populatable via selections of the user selectable scent icons from the scent palette; receiving inputs via the scent sequence specification user interface; and generating the scent specification file based at least in part on the inputs received via the scent sequence specification user interface. The computer implemented method may further include: storing the scent specification file in a data storage. Causing the presentation of the scent sequence specification user interface may include causing a presentation of the scent sequence specification user interface including two or more categories of scents. Causing the presentation of the scent sequence specification user interface may include causing a presentation of a first array of user selectable scent icons each of which represents a respective scent of a first category of scent, and at least a second array of user selectable scent icons each of which represents a respective scent of a second category of scent, the second category of scent different from the first category of scent. The computer-implemented method may further include storing the scent specification file on a data storage of a service other than the social network service.
A computer-implemented method of messaging in a social network environment may be summarized as including: receiving a digital post from a sending client device at a social network service over a communications network, the digital post identifying at least one scent dispensable by a scent dispensing device; and sending the received digital post to a receiving client device of a receiving user of the social network service for viewing on a display of the receiving client device.
The computer-implemented method may further include: receiving a selection of the digital post from the receiving client device; and responsive to receiving the selection of the digital post, sending a scent specification file to the receiving client device, the scent specification file encoding instructions for dispensing the at least one scent. The computer-implemented method may further include: sending scent dispensing instructions from the receiving client device to a scent dispensing device. Receiving a selection of the digital post may include detecting that the receiving user has selected a link using a user interface of the receiving client device. Receiving a digital post may include receiving a digital post that includes at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion. Receiving a digital post may include receiving a digital post that includes a visual portion comprising at least one of a text portion, an image portion, and a video portion. The digital post may include a selectable reference to a scent message, the scent message specifying the at least one scent. The scent message may include at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion. The scent message may include at least one of an audio portion, a visual portion, a reference to an audio portion stored in a data storage, and a reference to a visual portion stored in a data storage.
A client device to facilitate participation in a social network service for a user of the client device may be summarized as including: a user interface including a display; a communications interface that provides communication with a scent dispensing device of the user and communication with the social network service; a processor coupled to the user interface and the communications interface; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the client device to: present a digital post on the display, the digital post providing an indication of at least one scent specified by a user of the social network service different than the user of the client device; receive a selection of the digital post from the user via the user interface; and receive a scent specification file that includes instructions for the dispensing the at least one scent.
The instructions may cause the client device to: send at least a portion of the scent specification file to the scent dispensing device. The communications interface may be a wireless communications interface, and the instructions may cause the client device to send at least a portion of the scent specification file to the scent dispensing device over the wireless communications interface. The digital post may include a reference to a scent message stored in a data storage, the scent message may specify the at least one scent, and the instructions may cause the client device to: receive the scent message from the data storage via the communications interface. The scent message may include at least one of an audio portion and a visual portion. The scent message may associate the at least one scent with the at least one of the audio portion and the visual portion. The communications interface may include a short-range radio and antenna interface. The instructions may cause the client device to: receive inputs from the user via the user interface; modify a scent specification file for the specified at least one scent based at least in part on the received inputs to generate at least one modified scent specification file; generate a digital post associated with the at least one modified scent specification file; and send the digital post to a computing device of the social network service such that the digital post is subsequently viewable by at least one other client device connected to the social network service. The scent dispensing device may receive a consumable scent cartridge and may store a contents indicator for the consumable scent cartridge when the consumable scent cartridge is removably disposed within the scent dispensing device; wherein the instructions may cause the client device to: send a message to the scent dispensing device requesting the stored contents indicator; and receive a message from the scent dispensing device that includes the requested contents indicator. The consumable scent cartridge may include a memory that stores the contents indicator, and the scent dispensing device may include a memory access portion operative to access the memory of the consumable scent cartridge to read the contents indicator. The memory access portion may include at least one electrical contact that interfaces with an electrical contact of the consumable scent cartridge that is communicatively coupled to the memory of the consumable scent cartridge. The instructions may cause the client device to: identify a social network service contact of the user; send a request for a contents indicator for a scent dispensing device associated with the social media service contact; and receive the contents indicator from a computing device associated with the social network service. The consumable scent cartridge may contain a consumable quantity of scent medium, and the instructions may cause the client device to: monitor a present level of the quantity of scent medium present in the consumable scent cartridge; and provide an indication of the present level to the user via the user interface. The instructions may cause the client device to track at least one of a number of uses and a duration of use for the consumable scent cartridge. The scent dispensing device may include a sensor operative to measure a physical characteristic of the quantity of scent medium, and the instructions may cause the client device to monitor a signal that corresponds to an output of the sensor. The communications interface may provide communication with a plurality of scent dispensing devices, each of the plurality of scent dispensing devices operative to dispense a plurality of scents, and the instructions may cause the client device to: receive inputs from the user via the user interface, the inputs defining at least one scent specification file and a selection of at least one of the plurality of scent dispensing devices; and send the at least one scent specification file to the selected at least one of the plurality of scent dispensing devices over the communications interface, wherein each of the scent dispensing devices in the selected at least one of the plurality of scent dispensing devices dispenses a scent according to the scent specification file. The communications interface may include a wireless interface. The instructions may cause the client device to send the same selected at least one scent specification file to at least two of the plurality of scent dispensing devices. The selected at least one scent specification file may include at least two scent specification files, and the instructions may cause the client device to send the at least two scent specification files to different ones of the plurality of scent dispensing devices.
A client device to facilitate participation in a social network service for a user of the client device may be summarized as including: a user interface including a display; a communications interface operative to provide communication with an external device; a processor coupled to the user interface and the communications interface; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the client device to: present a scent sequence specification selection interface on the display, the scent sequence specification selection interface including a scent palette of a set of user-selectable scent icons, each of the user selectable scent icons corresponding to a respective scent, the scent sequence specification selection interface further including an array of scent specification fields which are selectively populatable via selections of the user selectable scent icons from the scent palette; receive inputs from the user via the user interface; generate a scent specification file based at least in part on the received inputs; generate a digital post associated with the scent specification file; and send the digital post to a computing device of the social network service so that the digital post is subsequently viewable by at least one other client device connected to the social network service.
The instructions may cause the client device to receive inputs from the user via the user interface specifying at least one of text, audio, and video, and to associate the at least one of text, audio, and video with the digital post. The scent specification file may be stored on a data storage, and the digital post may include a reference to the scent specification file accessible by at least one other client device connected to the social network service. The scent specification file may specify at least one scent and may specify timing information for dispensing of the at least one scent on a scent dispensing device.
A client device to facilitate participation in a social network for a user of the client device may be summarized as including: a user interface including a display; a communications interface that provides communication with a scent dispensing device, the scent dispensing device operative to dispense a plurality of scents; a processor coupled to the user interface and the communications interface; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the client device to: establish a link with a media player that provides media content for consumption by the user; receive time-based signals from the media player that relate to the media content; and control the dispensing of scents by the scent dispensing device according to the received time-based signals.
The media player may include a video player and the time-based signals may include video time code signals. The media player may include an audio player and the time-based signals may include audio watermark signals. The media player may include an electronic book reader and the time-based signals may be indicative of the user's location in a textual document.
A client device to facilitate participation in a social network for a user of the client device may be summarized as including: a user interface including a display; a communications interface that provides communication with a scent dispensing device, the scent dispensing device operative to dispense a plurality of scents; a processor coupled to the user interface and the communications interface; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the client device to: establish a link with a sensing device including a sensor operative to sense input and generate a sensor output dependent on the sensed input; receive signals from the sensing device that correspond to the sensor output; and control the dispensing of scents by the scent dispensing device according to the received signals.
The sensor of the sensing device may sense a physical characteristic of the user, and the instructions may cause the client device to control the dispensing of scents by the scent dispensing device dependent on the sensed physical characteristic of the user.
A computer-implemented method of messaging in a social network environment may be summarized as including: providing an image file; providing a graphical icon including a reference to a resource, the resource relating at least one of a scent message or a scent message application; associating the graphical icon with the image file; and posting the image file and the associated graphical icon to a social network service where the graphical icon is selectable by a user of the social network service.
The method may further include: receiving a selection of the graphical icon from a client computing device; and providing the resource to the client computing device responsive to receiving the selection. Providing the resource to the client computing device may include serving a web page to the client computing device. Providing the resource to the client computing device may include sending a scent message to the client computing device.
A computer-implemented method of messaging in a social network environment may be summarized as including: providing a content file that relates to at least one product or service; associating a reference to a resource with the content file, the resource relating to at least one scent dispensable by a scent dispensing device; posting the content file to a social network service; receiving a selection relating to the content file from a client computing device; and causing the resource to be sent to the client computing device responsive to receiving the selection.
Causing the resource to be sent to the client computing device may include causing an application to be sent to the client computing device for execution by a processor of the client computing device, and the application may cause the client computing device to present one or more scent messages to a user of the client computing device. Causing the resource to be sent to the client computing device may include causing a scent message to be sent to the client computing device.
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with microcontrollers, motor devices, power supplies such as DC/DC converters, wireless radios (i.e., transmitters, receivers or transceivers), computing systems including client and server computing systems, and networks (e.g., cellular, packet switched), as well as other communications channels, have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.”
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the embodiments.
The structure of various embodiments of a scent dispensing device will be described first. A scent dispensing system will then be described. The structure of various components of scent dispensing system will be described next. Several examples of operating of the scent dispensing system will then be described.
The diffuser 122 is assembled by attaching the first diffuser portion 134 to the second diffuser portion 136, and by attaching the third diffuser portion 138 to the second diffuser portion 136. More particularly, the second diffuser portion 136 is placed inside the first diffuser portion 134, the retaining members 136d are aligned with the rectangular apertures 134e formed in a lower portion of the chamber 134b, and the second diffuser portion 136 is advanced toward the first diffuser portion 134 until the tapered portions 136e extend through the rectangular apertures 134e. The third diffuser portion 138 may be attached to the lip 136c of the second diffuser portion 136 using an adhesive. For example, an epoxy resin is placed on the top surface of the lip 136c, the third diffuser portion 138 is placed above the second diffuser portion 136, and the third diffuser portion 138 is advanced toward the second diffuser portion 136 until the bottom surface of the third diffuser portion 138 contacts the epoxy resin on the top surface of the lip 136c.
The first diffuser portion 134 and the second diffuser portion 136 are sized and dimensioned such that, when the second diffuser portion 136 is attached to the first diffuser portion 134, a passage is formed between the interior surfaces of the chamber 134b of the first diffuser portion 134 and the exterior surfaces of the second diffuser portion 136. When the scent emitter 118 is assembled and operated, the fan 126 causes air to flow into the inlet port 134a of the first diffuser portion 134, around the exterior surfaces of the second diffuser portion 136, and out of the outlet port 134c of the first diffuser portion 134.
Four scent mixing chambers 130 are attached to the upper shelf 112 using a plurality of nuts and bolts (not labeled). A process for attaching one of the scent mixing chambers 130 to the upper shelf 112 will now be described with reference to
Sixteen motors 114 are attached to the lower shelf 106 using a plurality of bolts (not labeled). A process for attaching one of the motors 114 to the lower shelf 106 will now be described with reference to
A scent cartridge 900 according to one illustrated embodiment will now be described with reference to
As shown in
A second end portion 912 is disposed at the second end 902b of the scent cartridge 900. As best shown in
Referring now to
A first selective membrane 936 may be attached to the bottom surface of the first end portion 906 of the scent cartridge 900. The first selective membrane 936 includes apertures (not shown) formed therein that are sized and dimensioned to enable the molecules of the scent medium 934 to flow from the apertures 908 of the first end portion 906 of the scent cartridge 900. For example, the scent medium 934 may be in a particulate form and the first selective membrane 936 selectively passes air or scented air while not passing the scent medium 934 in the particulate form. In one embodiment, the scent cartridge 900 does not include the first selective membrane 936.
A second selective membrane 938 may be attached to the upper surface of the second end portion 912. The second selective membrane 938 may include apertures (not shown) formed therein that are sized and dimensioned to prevent the scent medium 934 from falling out of the apertures 914, and to enable air to flow through the apertures 914. In one embodiment, the second selective membrane 938 is a non-porous plastic material. In another embodiment, the scent cartridge 900 does not include the second selective membrane 938. In one embodiment, the first selective membrane 936 and the second selective membrane 938 are formed from a cotton material having a thread count of 56 threads per centimeter.
As shown in
In one embodiment, one or more interior surfaces of one or more of the walls that define one or more of the scent cartridge chambers 932 have a coating 942 (e.g., wax) formed thereon. In
A scent dispensing device 1000 according to one illustrated embodiment will now be described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The scent cartridge 1200 according to one illustrated embodiment will now be described with reference to
A first end portion 1206 is disposed at the first end 1202a of the housing 1202. The first end portion 1206 includes five wedge-shaped apertures 1208 and an aperture 1210. The aperture 1210 and the end portion 1008c of the shaft 1008b of each of the motors 1008 are sized and dimensioned such that the end portion 1008c can be inserted into the aperture 1210. In one embodiment, the end portion 1008c and the aperture 1210 are circular and the end portion 1008c can be inserted snugly into the aperture 1210 such that rotation of the shaft 1008b causes rotation of the scent cartridge 1200 about a longitudinal, rotational axis 1222. In one embodiment, the end portion 1008c and the aperture 1210 are “D” shaped and the end portion 1008c of the shaft 1008b of each motor 1008 can be inserted into the aperture 1210 such that rotation of the shaft 1008b causes rotation of the scent cartridge 1200 about the longitudinal axis 1222.
A second end portion 1212 is disposed at the second end 1202b of the housing 1202. The second end portion 1212 includes five wedge-shaped apertures 1214. A circular aperture 1216 is formed in the second end portion 1212 and extends upwardly into the housing 1202 and ends a bearing surface 1218. The circular aperture 1216 and the axles 1012c of the scent cartridge holder 1012 are sized and dimensioned such that each axle 1012c can be inserted into the circular aperture 1216 such that the scent cartridge 1200 is able to rotate about the longitudinal axis 1222 when the axle 1012c is inserted into the circular aperture 1216. An annular bearing surface 1018 is included at the second end 1202b of the housing 1200 adjacent the circular aperture 1216. The annular bearing surface 1018 is disposed about the axis of rotation 1222 such that, when the axle 1012c of the scent cartridge holder 1012 is inserted into the circular aperture 1216 and the scent cartridge 1200 is rotated, the annular bearing surface 1018 abuts the side surfaces of the axle 1012c.
As shown in
As will be explained in detail below, the end portion 1008c of the shaft 1008b of the motors 1008 can engage the aperture 1216 of the scent cartridge 1200 and cause it to rotate into one of five predetermined positions/orientations in which a particular one of the wedge-shaped apertures 1208 of the first end portion 1206 of the scent cartridge 1200 is aligned with one of the wedge-shaped apertures 1014d of the lower portion 1014b of the scent mixing chamber 1014. When the scent cartridge 1200 is in such a position, the corresponding wedge-shaped aperture 1214 of the second end portion 1212 of the scent cartridge 1200 is aligned with one of the wedge-shaped apertures 1012d of the scent cartridge holder 1012. In one embodiment, the size and dimensions of the wedge-shaped apertures 1012d, 1014c, 1208, and 1214 are the same. When the scent cartridge 1200 is in such a position/orientation, the fan 1016 can cause air to flow into one of the wedge-shaped apertures 1012d of the scent cartridge holder 1012, through one of the chambers 1232 via corresponding wedge-shaped apertures 1214 and 1208, through the scent mixing chamber 1014 via apertures 1014d and 1014c, and out of the diffuser 1004.
The scent cartridge 1200 also includes an alignment indicator 1220. The alignment indicator 1220 may take a variety of forms, for example, a marking, an indentation, or a projection. When the alignment indicator 1220 of one of the scent cartridges 1200 is aligned with one of the alignment indicators 1012e of the scent cartridge holder 1012, an aperture 1214 of a predetermined one of the chambers 1232 (i.e., a default chamber) is aligned with one of the apertures 1012d formed in the scent cartridge holder 1012. A user of the scent dispensing device 1000 may align the alignment indicator 1220 of one of the scent cartridges 1200 with one of the alignment indicators 1012e of the scent cartridge holder 1012 when the scent cartridge 1200 is initially installed in the scent cartridge holder 1012. When the alignment indicator 1220 of one of the scent cartridges 1200 is aligned with one of the alignment indicators 1012e of the scent cartridge holder 1012, and the scent cartridge holder 1012 is inserted into the housing 1002 of the scent dispensing device 1000, an aperture 1208 of the first end portion 1206 of the default chamber 1232 of the scent cartridge 1200 is aligned with one of the apertures 1014d of the lower portion 1014b of the scent mixing chamber 1014.
Although the scent cartridge 1200 is described in connection with the scent dispensing device 1000, the scent cartridge 1200 may be used in other scent dispensing devices. For example, the scent cartridge 1200 may be used in other scent dispensing devices that are included with printers, cameras, clothing, chairs, kitchen appliances, and automobiles. Such scent dispensing devices may enable a user to specify a particular scent or scent combination by manually rotating one or more of the scent cartridges 1200 such that a particular chamber 1232 of each of the scent cartridges 1200 has a predetermined orientation. Alternatively, the scent dispensing device 1000 may be integrated with other devices, such as printers, cameras, clothing, chairs, kitchen appliances, and automobiles.
The scent cartridge holder 1012 of the scent dispensing device 1000 described above includes four scent cartridge receptacles 1012b, and each of the scent cartridges 1200 described above includes five chambers 1232. If four of the chambers 1232 of each of the scent cartridges 1200 include a scent medium 1234 (e.g., one of the chambers 1232 of each of the scent cartridges 1200 is empty) and the scent of each scent medium 1234 is different than that of every other scent medium 1234, the scent dispensing device 1000 could dispense 340 different scent combinations (i.e., 44+43+42+41).
In one embodiment, the scent cartridge holder 1012 of the scent dispensing device 1000 includes five scent cartridge receptacles 1012b, and each of the scent cartridges 1200 includes six chambers 1232. If five of the chambers 1232 of each of the scent cartridges 1200 include a scent medium 1234 (e.g., one of the chambers 1232 of each of the scent cartridges 1200 includes an air filter) and the scent of each scent medium 1234 is different than that of every other scent medium 1234, the scent dispensing device 1000 could dispense 3,905 different scent combinations (i.e., 55+54+53+52+51).
In another embodiment, the scent cartridge holder 1012 of the scent dispensing device 1000 includes six scent cartridge receptacles 1012b, and each of the scent cartridges 1200 includes seven chambers 1232. If six of the chambers 1232 of each of the scent cartridges 1200 include a scent medium 1234 (e.g., one of the chambers 1232 of each of the scent cartridges 1200 is empty) and the scent of each scent medium 1234 is different than that of every other scent medium 1234, the scent dispensing device 1000 could dispense 55,986 different scent combinations (i.e., 66+65+64+63+62+61).
Of course, the scent cartridge holder 1012 of the scent dispensing device 1000 may include another number of scent cartridge receptacles 1012b, and each of the scent cartridges 1200 may include another number of chambers 1232. Additionally, the scent media 1234 can be distributed within the chambers 1232 of the scent cartridges 1200 such that the scent dispensing device 1000 could produce virtually any desired number of different scent combinations.
A number of example embodiments of the scent cartridge 1200 will now be described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
The scent media 1234 may be disposed on one of the walls of one or more of the chambers 1232. For example, each scent medium 1234 may be disposed on the outer wall 1204 as shown in
Each scent medium 1234 may be arranged such that greater than fifty percent of the total surface area of the scent medium 1234 is exposed to the air that flows through one of the chambers 1232. For example, the dimensions of each scent medium 1234 shown in
The example cross-sectional shapes and positions of the scent media 1234 shown in
The scent cartridge 1400 also includes one or more hermetically sealed membranes 1408. The hermetically sealed membrane 1408 may be formed from tin foil, aluminum foil, or a foil formed from an alloy thereof, for example. The hermetically sealed membrane 1408 includes a main portion 1410, a tab 1412, and a contents indicator 1414 formed on an upper surface of the main portion 1410.
The contents indicator 1414 may include a picture, text, and/or a computer-readable structure (e.g., a barcode or RFID tag) indicating the particular scents, aromas, or other items contained in each of the chambers of the scent cartridge 1400. For example, the contents indicator 1414 may indicate that a first specified chamber includes particles having a first scent (e.g., the scent of hazelnut coffee), a second specified chamber includes particles having a second scent (e.g., the scent of espresso), a third specified chamber includes particles having a third scent (e.g., the scent of Kona coffee), that a forth specified chamber includes particles that neutralize odors (e.g., baking soda), and that a fifth specified chamber is empty. In one embodiment, the contents indicator 1414 is provided on a housing of the cartridge 1400.
The first mobile device 1604 and the second mobile device 1608 may be various types of computing devices including, but not limited to, smart phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, notebook computers, in-flight entertainment systems (IFE systems), built-in automotive computing devices, and the like.
As will be explained below, the first mobile device 1604, the server 1606, and/or the second mobile device 1608 may include computer-executable code that, when executed by a processor, generates one or more messages 1612. The messages 1612 may be in the form of a “digital post” published on a social network service. Each message 1612 may include a text portion 1614, a scent portion 1616, an audio portion 1618, and/or a video portion 1620. The first mobile device 1604 stores a software application including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the first mobile device 1604 to process the messages 1612. For example, the first mobile device 1604 may begin to execute such instructions when one or more of the messages 1612 are received via one or more applications, such as a text message application, an electronic mail application and/or a social media application. Non-limiting examples of social media applications include Facebook®, Twitter®, Instagram®, Pinterest®, Vine®, Snapchat®, Yelp®, Foursquare®, and Youtube®.
Upon receipt of one or more of the messages 1612 the software application may, for example, instruct or cause the processor to cause a display device (e.g., a touch screen) of the first mobile device 1604 to display the text portion 1614, which may include a description of the scent portion 1616, the audio portion 1618, and/or the video portion 1620 of the message 1612. A user of the first mobile device 1604 may indicate using an input device (e.g., a key pad or touch screen) whether the message 1612 or a sequence of related messages 1612 may be processed further. If the processor receives an indication that the message(s) 1612 are to be processed further, the processor may cause the first mobile device 1604 to send information corresponding to the scent portion 1616 to the first scent dispensing device 1602. The processor also may cause a speaker to produce one or more sound(s) corresponding to the audio portion 1618 and/or a display device to display one or more image(s) corresponding to the video portion 1620.
Additionally, one or more software applications may include computer-executable instructions for gathering information regarding the contents of scent cartridges (e.g., scent cartridges 900, 1200, or 1400). For example, the software application may enable a user to indicate that one or more scent cartridges are being or have been loaded into the first scent dispensing device 1602. In response, the software application instructs the processor to cause a display device (e.g., a tough screen) of the first mobile device 1604 to display a series of prompts for a user to input information regarding each cartridge that has been or is being loaded into the first scent dispensing device 1602. Such information may include information regarding a particular location within the first scent dispensing device 1602 (e.g., a particular scent cartridge receptacle 1012b of a scent cartridge holder 1012) and information regarding the contents of each scent chamber (e.g., an identifier of each scent chamber 1232 and an identifier of the contents thereof). For example, the user may respond to the prompts indicating that the front, right scent cartridge receptacle 1012b has been loaded with a scent cartridge that includes five chambers, wherein a first predefined chamber contains a first scent, a second predefined chamber contains a second scent, a third predefined chamber contains a third scent, a fourth predefined chamber contains an odor neutralizer (e.g., baking soda, activated carbon), and a fifth predefined chamber is empty.
Additionally or alternatively, the software application may cause the display device of the first mobile device 1604 to display a message instructing the user to place a machine-readable symbol (e.g., barcode symbol) included with the scent cartridge within the field of view of a camera of the first mobile device. The software application may then instruct the processor to cause the camera to take or capture an image and to process corresponding image data to obtain the information regarding the contents of the cartridge. In this case, the user may simply enter information regarding the location within the first scent dispensing device 1602 (e.g., a particular scent cartridge receptacle 1012b of a scent cartridge holder 1012) in which the cartridge is being or has been placed. After the software application has caused the processor to store information regarding the contents and locations of the cartridges loaded within the first scent dispensing device 1602 into a memory of the first mobile device 1604, the application can process the messages 1612.
In some embodiments, the scent cartridge 1200 may include a memory 1238 that stores information regarding its contents, and electrical contacts 1236 (
The computer system 1800 may also include a plurality of interfaces such as network interface 1860 and interface 1850 supporting any other wireless/wired interfaces. Computer-readable storage media can be used to store the information that may be accessed by processing unit 1812a. For example, such computer-readable storage media may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or other solid state memory or any other medium.
Program modules can be stored in the system memory 1814, such as an operating system 1836, one or more programs 1838, other programs or modules 1840, and program data 1842. Programs 1838 may include instructions that cause the processor unit(s) 1812 to generate, process, and/or receive scent messages and scent information. Other program modules 1840 may include instructions for handling security such as password or other access protection and communications encryption. The system memory 1814 may also include communications programs, for example, a Web client or browser 1844 for permitting the computer system 1800 to access and exchange data with sources such as Web sites of the Internet, corporate intranets, extranets, or other networks and devices as described herein, as well as other server applications on server computing systems. The browser 1844 in the depicted embodiment is markup language based, such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML) or Wireless Markup Language (WML), and operates with markup languages that use syntactically delimited characters added to the data of a document to represent the structure of the document. A number of Web clients or browsers are commercially available such as those from Mozilla, Google, and Microsoft.
An operator can enter commands and information into the computer system 1800 through input devices such as a touch screen 1852, and/or via a graphical user interface. Other input devices can include a microphone, a pointing device, etc. These and other input devices, such as camera unit 1856, are connected to one or more of the processing units 1812 through the interface 1850 such as a serial port interface that couples to the system bus 1816, although other interfaces such as a parallel port, a game port or a wireless interface or a universal serial bus (USB) can be used. The touch screen device 1852 or other display device is coupled to the system bus 1816 via a video interface 1854, such as a video adapter.
The computer system 1800 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers and/or devices as described above with reference to
The computer system 1900 may include one or more processing units 1912a, 1912b (collectively 1912), a system memory 1914 and a system bus 1916 that couples various system components including the system memory 1914 to the processing units 1912. The processing units 1912 may be any logic processing unit, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) 1912a, digital signal processors (DSPs) 1912b, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc. The system bus 1916 can employ any known bus structures or architectures, including a memory bus with memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus. The system memory 1914 includes read-only memory (ROM) 1918 and random access memory (RAM) 1922. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 1920, which can form part of the ROM 1918, contains basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the computer system 1900, such as during start-up.
The computer system 1900 may also include a plurality of interfaces such as a network interface 1960 and an interface 1950 supporting a modem 1962 or any other wireless/wired interfaces.
The computer system 1900 may include a hard disk drive 1924 for reading from and writing to a hard disk 1926, an optical disk drive 1928 for reading from and writing to removable optical disks 1932, and/or a magnetic disk drive 1930 for reading from and writing to magnetic disks 1934. The optical disk 1932 can be a CD-ROM, while the magnetic disk 1934 can be a magnetic floppy disk or diskette. The hard disk drive 1924, optical disk drive 1928 and magnetic disk drive 1930 may communicate with the processing unit 1912 via the system bus 1916. The hard disk drive 1924, optical disk drive 1928 and magnetic disk drive 1930 may include interfaces or controllers (not shown) coupled between such drives and the system bus 1916, as is known by those skilled in the relevant art. The drives 1924, 1928 and 1930, and their associated computer-readable storage media 1926, 1932, 1934, may provide non-volatile and non-transitory storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer system 1900.
Although the depicted computer system 1900 is illustrated employing the hard disk drive 1924, optical disk drive 1928 and magnetic disk drive 1930, those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that other types of computer-readable storage media that can store data accessible by a computer may be employed, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory, Bernoulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, smart cards, etc. For example, computer-readable storage media may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, solid state memory or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which may be accessed by processing unit 1912a.
Program modules can be stored in the system memory 1914, such as an operating system 1936, one or more programs 1938, other programs or modules 1940, and program data 1942. Programs 1938 may include instructions that cause the processor(s) 1912 to generate, process, transmit, and/or receive scent messages 1612 and scent information. Other program modules 1940 may include instructions for handling security such as password or other access protection and communications encryption. The system memory 1914 may also include communications programs, for example, a Web server 1944 for permitting the computer system 1900 to be accessed and exchange data with Web browsers of the Internet, corporate intranets, extranets, or other networks and devices as described herein, as well as other server applications on server computing systems. The Web server 1944 in the depicted embodiment is markup language based, such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML) or Wireless Markup Language (WML), and operates with markup languages that use syntactically delimited characters added to the data of a document to represent the structure of the document. A number of Web clients or browsers are commercially available such as those from Mozilla, Google, and Microsoft.
While shown in
An operator can enter commands and information into the computer system 1900 through input devices such as keyboard 1946 and/or a pointing device such as a mouse 1948, and/or via a graphical user interface. Other input devices can include a microphone, joystick, game pad, tablet, scanner, etc. These and other input devices are connected to one or more of the processing units 1912 through an interface 1950 such as a serial port interface that couples to the system bus 1916, although other interfaces such as a parallel port, a game port or a wireless interface or a universal serial bus (USB) can be used. A monitor 1952 or other display device is coupled to the system bus 1916 via a video interface 1954, such as a video adapter. The computer system 1900 can include other devices, such as speakers, printers, etc.
The computer system 1900 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers and/or devices as described above with reference to
It should be understood that the various techniques described herein may be implemented in connection with hardware, software and/or firmware or, where appropriate, with a combination of such. Thus, the methods and apparatuses of the disclosure, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, hard drives, flash drives, or any other machine-readable or processor-readable storage medium wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a processor of a computer or mobile device, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing various embodiments. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers or mobile devices, such generally includes a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. One or more programs may implement or utilize the processes described in connection with the disclosure, e.g., through the use of an API, reusable controls, or the like. Such programs are preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object-oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system including the computer system 1900 depicted in
The scent sequence specification user interface 2000 includes a scent palette 2002 that includes four categories of scents 2004a-2004d. The first category of scents 2004a includes four different coffee scents. The second category of scents 2004b includes four different chocolate scents. The third category of scents 2004c includes four different caramel scents. The fourth category of scents 2004d includes four different nut scents. The categories of scents 2004a-2004d include twenty selectable icons 2006, each of which indicates a particular scent (or absence of a scent). For example, one or more of the selectable icons 2006 may include text, symbols, and/or pictures that represent a particular scent.
The scent sequence specification user interface 2000 also includes a two-dimensional array of scent specification fields 2008. The array of scent specification fields 2008 includes sixteen text input boxes 2010. The text input boxes 2010 are arranged along a first axis 2012 and a second axis 2014, which is perpendicular to the first axis 2012. A distribution of the scent specifications fields (e.g., text input boxes 2010) along the first axis 2012 of the array of scent specification fields 2008 represents a position in a temporal sequence. For example, the scents specified via the text input boxes 2010 in the top row of the array of scent specification fields 2008 may be produced before the scents specified via the text input boxes 2010 in the bottom row of the array of scent specification fields 2008. A distribution of the scent specification fields (e.g., text input boxes 2010) along the second axis 2014 of the array of scent specification fields 2008 represents one or more scents to be dispensed at a respective position in the temporal sequence. For example, the scents specified via the text input boxes 2010 in a first row of the array of scent specification fields 2008 may be produced at a first time, the scents specified via the text input boxes 2010 in a second row of the array of scent specification fields 2008 may be produced at a second time, etc. That is, the scents specified via the text input boxes 2010 in each of the rows of the array of scent specification fields 2008 may represent a compound scent that is a mixture or combination of the scents specified via the input boxes 2010 in that row. Additionally, the scents specified via the text input boxes 2010 in the four illustrated rows of the array of scent specification fields 2008 may represent a sequence of four such compound scents.
When each of the selectable icons 2006 is selected, the server 1606 causes one of the text input boxes 2010 to display corresponding text. For example, if a user of the second mobile device 1608 selects the selectable icon 2006 labeled “Coffee 1,” the second mobile device 1608 sends the server 1606 information indicating that the selectable icon 2006 has been selected and, in response, the server 1606 causes the top text input box 2010 under the first category of scents 2004a to display “Coffee 1.” The scent sequence specification user interface 2000 also includes a text input box 2016, a text input box 2018, a text input box 2020, and a submit button 2022.
The server 1606 may initially enable the text input boxes 2010 in the first row (e.g., top row) of the two-dimensional array of scent specification fields 2008 to be populated, and then the scent specification fields 2008 in the second row, and so on. The scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may include a display area (not shown) in which instructions are displayed. The instructions may indicate that the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 can be used to generate up to four scent messages, each of which specifies a user-defined combination of up to four scents. The instructions may indicate that a theme or a name to be associated with the scent messages can be specified by entering text into the text input box 2016, that a sender to be associated with the scent messages can be specified by entering text into the text input box 2018, and that a recipient of the scent messages can be specified by entering text (e.g., an e-mail address) into the text input box 2020.
For example, a user of the second mobile device 1608 may initially select the selectable icons 2006 labeled “Coffee 1,” “Chocolate 1,” “Caramel 1,” and “Nut 1,” respectively, which causes the server 1606 to populate the text input boxes 2010 of the first row of the array of scent specification fields 2008 with text corresponding to the labels of the selectable icons 2006 that were selected. The user may then select the selectable icons 2006 labeled “Coffee 2,” “Chocolate 2,” “Caramel 2,” and “Nut 2,” respectively, which causes the server 1606 to populate the text input boxes 2010 of the second row of the array of scent specification fields 2008 with text corresponding to the labels of the selectable icons 2006 that were selected. The user may then select the selectable icons 2006 labeled “Coffee 3,” “Chocolate 3,” “Caramel 3,” and “None,” respectively, which causes the server 1606 to populate the text input boxes 2010 of the third row of the array of scent specification fields 2008 with text corresponding to the labels of the selectable icons 2006 that were selected. The user may then select the selectable icons 2006 labeled “Coffee 4,” “None,” “Caramel 1,” and “None,” respectively, which causes the server 1606 to populate the text input boxes 2010 of the fourth row of the array of scent specification fields 2008 with text corresponding to the labels of the selectable icons 2006 that were selected. The user may then enter a name or description to be associated with the selected scent combinations in the text input box 2016. The user also may enter her name in the text input box 2018, and an e-mail address of an intended recipient in the text input box 2020, and then select the submit button 2022.
In response, the server 1606 generates a scent specification file including a sequence of four scent messages 1612, each of which includes indicators of the scents specified in one of the rows of the array of scent specification fields 2008. Generally, a scent specification file is composed of a series of time-dependent instructions to enable a scent dispensing device to generate a desired set of scents. A scent specification file serves to depict the progression of the delivery of those scents. The modulation of scent can be a single scent which is released in a rhythmic pattern (e.g., timed pauses, or rests, between the releases of the scent), or a variety of layered scents which change and alternate over time. This progression of scents is associated with a visual representation of the scent progression, shown to the user (e.g., using a display of a mobile device, such as a phone or tablet computer). The scent specification file may also assign the appropriate wired or wireless signals (e.g., Bluetooth), so that if the application is linked to the scent dispensing device, the proper signals will be transmitted for the scent progression to be released.
In some embodiments, the server 1606 also generates an e-mail message and attaches the scent specification file to the e-mail message and sends the e-mail message using the e-mail address input in the text input box 2020. Instead of or in addition to an email message, the server 1606 may publish a scent notification or “digital post” to a social network service that includes the scent specification file or a reference thereto that is viewable and selectable by a user of the social network service. The server 1606 also may include a default or user-specified duration (e.g., in seconds) for each scent message. For example, the scent specification file may include information corresponding to the information shown in Table 1 below.
Each scent message portion 1A-1 D of the scent message may be referred to as a “scent measure,” similar to a bar or measure in music terminology. When the e-mail message from the server 1606 is received at the first mobile device 1604, a user may open the message and select the attached file, which causes a processor of the first mobile device 1604 (e.g., processing unit 1812a) to execute an application for processing the scent specification file. The application may cause the processor to display a user interface on a touch screen (e.g., on the touch screen 1852). For example, the application may instruct the processor to cause a user interface to be displayed that displays a message indicating a name or theme of the scent messages (e.g., the text entered into the text input box 2016), from whom the message was sent (e.g., the text entered into the text input box 2018). Additionally, the displayed message may indicate the amount of time required for the scents specified in the scent specification file. For example, the processor may add the time durations specified in each scent measure and cause the resulting sum to be displayed in the message. The user interface also may include selectable icons labeled “Continue,” and “Cancel,” for example. The displayed message may indicate that the user can select the “Continue” icon to continue processing the scent messages, and indicate that the user can select the “Cancel” icon at any time to cancel processing of the scent messages.
When the message is sent as a digital post to one or more social network services, the server 1606 may serve the post to a program executing on the first mobile device 1604. The user may select the post (e.g., by clicking on or touching a link, etc.), which causes the program to process the scent specification file as discussed above. In some embodiments, the program may execute one or more additional programs to process the scent specification file. For example, the user may select the post in a social network service application which causes a separate scent processing application to execute and process the scent specification file.
The scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may include categories of scents 2004a-2004d other than those described above. For example, the scents included in the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may correspond to different flowers, and the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may be used to create scent combinations and sequences that represent different bouquets of flowers.
Additionally, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may be used be to create paragraphs that convey ideas and/or emotions. Each paragraph may include a number of sentences, each of which is comprised of a number of words. Similarly, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 can be used to generate symphonies of scents, wherein each symphony includes a paragraph.
For example, each of the scents may correspond to a scent that has been observed in a particular city, and the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may be used to generate paragraphs that represent experiences in that city. A user of the second mobile device 1608 may use the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 to generate a paragraph and cause a corresponding scent specification file to be transmitted to a user of the first mobile device 1604 so that the scent dispensing device 1602 can dispense a combination of scents in a particular sequence that is intended to remind the user of the first mobile device 1604 of a morning the two users had spent together in Paris. A first sentence included in the paragraph may include a number of words or particular scents observed while walking to a café (e.g., the scents of bread and other goods being baked). A second sentence may include a number of words or particular scents observed while dining in the café (e.g., the scents of coffee and croissants). A third sentence may include a number of words or particular scents observed while walking through a park on the way to the metro (e.g., the scents different trees). A fourth sentence may include a number of words or particular scents observed while riding the metro (e.g., the scents of subways and perfumes). A fifth sentence may include a number of words or particular scents observed while walking in the Jardin du Luxembourg (e.g., the scents of different flowers). Similarly, the user of the second mobile device 1608 may use the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 to generate another paragraph that is intended to remind the user of the first mobile device 1604 of another time the two users had spent together in Paris.
In one embodiment, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 generates sentences according to predetermined grammatical rules. For example, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 enables a user to select one or more of the selectable icons 2006 to specify: a scent or a scent combination that is the subject of a sentence, a scent or a scent combination that is the verb of the sentence, a scent or a scent combination that is a modifier of the subject of the sentence, and a scent or a scent combination that is a modifier of the verb of the sentence. In response to the user selections, the server 1606 generates information in which the scent corresponding to the subject is specified in one or more predetermined locations in the sequence (e.g., the first scent and the last scent of the sequence), the scent corresponding to the modifier of the subject is included immediately following or immediately the scent corresponding to the subject, the scent corresponding to the verb is repeated a predetermined number of times in the sequence (e.g., 3), and the scent corresponding to the modifier of the verb is included immediately before and/or immediately after each instance of the scent corresponding to the verb.
In one embodiment, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 enables a user to specify information corresponding to the text portion 1614, the scent portion 1616, the audio portion 1618, and the video portion 1620 of a plurality of messages 1612. For example, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may be used to generate a message 1612 having a text portion 1614 that includes a text message, a scent portion 1616 that specifies a scent combination corresponding to the aroma of a particular coffee, an audio portion 1618 that specifies a recording of milk being frothed, and a video portion 1620 that specifies a picture of a cup of coffee. When the scent message 1612 is processed by the first mobile device 1604, a processing unit (e.g., processing unit 1812) of the first mobile device 1604 causes a display device to display the text corresponding to the text portion 1614, causes the first scent dispensing device 1602 to dispense a scent corresponding to the scent portion 1616, causes speakers to emit sounds corresponding to the audio portion 1618, and causes the display device to display a picture corresponding to the video portion 1620. The audio portion 1618 and the video portion 1620 of the message 1612 may include references to attached files and/or links (e.g., URIs) to files that are stored by other devices (e.g., the server 1606).
The software application also may cause information regarding an amount of usage of each scent medium included in each chamber of each scent cartridge to be stored. For example, the software application may cause a first variable and a second variable to be stored for each scent medium, wherein the first variable indicates a number of seconds of actual use time and the second variable indicates a total number of seconds of expected use time. The software application may cause the first variable to be incremented each time the scent medium is used, and cause the second variable to be initialized to a particular value when a scent cartridge containing the scent medium is loaded into a scent dispensing device (e.g., first scent dispensing device 1602). Additionally, the software application may cause a message to be displayed when the actual use time indicated by the first variable exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., 90% of the total expected use time indicated by the second variable). In some embodiments, the scent cartridges may include a sensor that senses the amount of each scent medium present in each chamber. For example, in embodiments where the scent medium includes scented wax, a sensor may be provided that senses the stability of the wax remaining in each chamber.
At 2102, the processing unit of the first mobile device 1604 causes the touch screen to display a prompt requesting the user to enter an identifier of a scent cartridge receptacle in which a scent cartridge is to be loaded. For example, the identifier of the scent cartridge receptacle may be embossed, printed, provided on a label, or is otherwise visible to the user on an upper surface of one of the axles 1012c of one of the scent cartridge receptacles 1012b of the scent cartridge holder 1012 shown in
At 2104, the processing unit of the first mobile device 1604 causes the touch screen to display a prompt requesting the user to enter an identifier of the scent cartridge that is to be loaded into the scent cartridge receptacle. For example, the identifier of the scent cartridge may be embossed, printed, provided on a label, or is otherwise visible to the user on an exterior portion of the scent cartridge. The user may enter the identifier of the scent cartridge via the touch screen. In response, the processor obtains the identifier of the scent cartridge and stores it in RAM.
In one embodiment, at 2104, the processing unit of the first mobile device 1604 causes the touch screen to display a prompt requesting the user to take a picture using a camera (e.g., camera unit 1856) of a computer-readable symbol (e.g., barcode) included on the housing 1202 of the scent cartridge 1200 shown in
At 2106, the user loads the scent cartridge identified at 2104 into the scent cartridge receptacle of the first scent dispensing device 1602 identified at 2102. For example, the user loads the scent cartridge 1200 into one of the scent cartridge receptacles 1012b of the scent cartridge holder 1012 show in
At 2108, the processing unit causes the touch screen to display a prompt requesting the user to enter a number of chambers included in the scent cartridge that was loaded into the scent cartridge receptacle of the first scent dispensing device 1602 at 2102. In response, the processing unit obtains the number of chambers and stores the number in RAM. In one embodiment, the processor obtains the number of chambers from image data obtained at 2104.
At 2110, the processing unit causes the touch screen to display a series of prompts requesting the user to enter an identifier of the contents of each of the chambers included in the scent cartridge that was loaded into the scent cartridge receptacle at 2106. In response, the processing unit obtains the identifiers of the contents the chambers and stores them in RAM. In one embodiment, the processor obtains the identifiers of the contents of the chambers from image data obtained at 2104. In another embodiment, the processing unit obtains the identifiers of the contents each of the chambers from system memory. For example, the processing unit obtains the identifiers of the contents of each of the chambers from a table stored in program data, which is associated with the identifier of the scent cartridge obtained at 2104.
At 2112, the processing unit determines whether another scent cartridge is to be loaded into the first scent dispensing device 1602. For example, the processing unit causes the touch screen to display a prompt requesting the user to select a selectable icon to indicate whether another scent cartridge is to be loaded. If the user indicates via the touch screen that another scent cartridge is to be loaded, the method returns to 2102. If the user indicates via the touch screen that no other scent cartridge is to be loaded, the method proceeds to 2114.
At 2114, the processing unit causes one or more of the following to be stored in system memory: the identifier of the scent cartridge receptacle obtained at 2102, the identifier of the scent cartridge obtained at 2104, the number of chambers included in the scent cartridge receptacle obtained at 2108, and the identifiers of the contents of the chambers obtained at 2110. For example, the processing unit causes information corresponding to Table 2 or Table 3 below to be stored in program data at 2110.
After the information is stored at 2114, the touch screen of the first mobile device 1604 may display a selectable icon that, when selected, causes the processing unit to display a user interface that enables a user to specify scents to be dispensed by the first scent dispensing device 1602. For example, the user interface may include a plurality of selectable icons, wherein each selectable icon includes one of the identifiers of the contents of the chambers obtained at 2110. In response to each of the icons being selected, the processing unit generates a message including a scent specification that identifies a scent corresponding to the selected icon and transmits the message to the first scent dispensing device 1602. After the first scent dispensing device 1602 receives each scent specification, the first scent dispensing device 1602 causes a corresponding scent to be dispensed, as will be explained below.
At 2202, the processing unit determines whether a scent message has been received. For example, the processing unit inspects a message buffer in the system memory for the presence of a scent message. If the processing unit determines that a scent message has not been received, the method returns to 2202. If the processing unit determines that a scent message has been received, the method proceeds to 2204.
At 2204, the processing unit determines whether the scent message is to be processed. For example, the processing unit 1812 causes the touch screen to display a prompt requesting the user to select a selectable icon indicating whether the scent message is to be processed. If the processing unit determines that the scent message is not to be processed, the method returns to 2202. If the processing unit determines that the scent message is to be processed, the method proceeds to 2206.
At 2206, the processing unit parses the scent message and identifies each scent indicator included in the scent message. Each scent indicator may indicate, for example, a particular scent (e.g., Chocolate 1) or a lack of particular scent (e.g., an empty chamber or a chamber including a particular type of air filter). For example, the processing unit obtains a first scent identifier of “Coffee 3” and a second scent identifier of “Chocolate 2” from the scent message. The processing unit then obtains a scent cartridge receptacle identifier and a chamber identifier that correspond to the first scent identifier. For example, the processing unit accesses information corresponding to Table 3 above and determines that the scent “Coffee 3” is included in chamber number 4 of the scent cartridge loaded in the scent cartridge receptacle “B,” and also information corresponding to Table 2 above and determines that the scent “Chocolate 2” is included in chamber number 3 of the scent cartridge loaded in the scent cartridge receptacle “A.” The processing unit then obtains the corresponding motor identifiers and position identifiers from information corresponding to Tables 4 and 5 below, for example. That is, the processing unit obtains, from information corresponding to Table 4, a motor identifier of “00,” which corresponds to the scent cartridge receptacle identifier “A” and a motor identifier of “01,” which corresponds to the scent cartridge receptacle identifier “B.” The processing unit also obtains, from information corresponding to Table 5, a position/orientation identifier of “010,” which corresponds to the chamber number 3, and a position/orientation identifier of “011,” which corresponds to the chamber number 4.
At 2208, the processing unit transmits the motor identifier and the position/orientation identifier obtained at 2206 for each scent identifier included in the scent message to the first scent dispensing device 1602. The processing unit may cause a network interface for Bluetooth communications (e.g., network interface 1860) to transmit a first message for the first scent identifier and a second message for the second scent identifier to the first scent dispensing device 1602. For example, for the first scent identifier of “Coffee 3,” the first message includes a motor identifier of “01” and a position/orientation identifier of “011” and, for the second scent identifier of “Chocolate 2,” the second message includes a motor identifier of “00” and a position/orientation identifier of “010.” The first and the second messages may include other information, for example, network addresses of the first scent dispensing device 1602 and the first mobile device 1604. The first and the second messages may also include other information, such as control information indicating whether each message is the first or last message of a group of messages that create a particular scent combination or sequence of scent combinations.
At 2210, the processing unit determines whether an end of processing instruction has been received. For example, the processing unit 1812 causes the touch screen to display a selectable icon that, when selected, causes the processing unit to receive the end of processing instruction. If the processing unit determines that the end of processing instruction has not been received, the method returns to 2202. If the processing unit determines that the end of processing instruction has been received, the method proceeds to 2212.
At 2212, the processing unit 1812 causes the network interface to transmit a predefined message that indicates a stop condition to the first scent dispensing device 1602. The method 2200 ends after the message is transmitted at 2212.
At 2302, the microcontroller determines whether a scent specification has been received. For example, the microcontroller may inspect an internal Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) to determine whether a message from the first mobile device 1604 has been received via a Bluetooth communications module (e.g., Bluetooth communications module 1710). The received scent specification may be included in, or correspond to, information included in a scent specification file generated using the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 shown in
At 2304, the microcontroller starts operation of a fan (e.g., fan 1708) by causing an appropriate control signal to be provided to the fan. The particular control signal provided to the fan may depend on the position of a switch (e.g., slide potentiometer 1706). For example, if the switch is at a first position, the microcontroller provides a first control signal to the fan and, if the switch is at a second position, the microcontroller provides a second control signal to the fan, wherein the first control signal causes the fan to rotate faster than the second control signal.
At 2306, the microcontroller determines whether an indication of a stop condition is present. For example, the microcontroller monitors a particular input/output line that is connected to a circuit that provides an indication when the charge remaining in a battery that supplies power to the first scent dispensing device 1602 falls below a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold is selected such that the charge remaining in the battery is sufficient to move each of the motors and thus each of the scent cartridges of the first scent dispensing device 1602 to a default position or orientation. At 2306, the microcontroller also may determine whether a predetermined message indicating a stop condition has been received from the first mobile device 1604. If the microcontroller determines that the indication of the stop condition is present, the method proceeds to 2318. If the microcontroller determines that the indication of the stop condition is not present, the method proceeds to 2308.
At 2308, the microcontroller determines a direction of movement and an amount of movement of one or more cartridges and/or motors. The acts performed at 2308 will be described with reference to
For example, the aperture corresponding to chamber 1 may be aligned with an aperture 1014c formed in the bottom portion 1014b of the scent mixing chamber 1014 shown in
Table 6 below shows an example of information that may be stored in internal memory of the microcontroller. In one embodiment, the apertures in the end portion 2402 of the cartridge 2400 have the same size and dimensions, and are uniformly spaced on the end portion 2402 of the cartridge 2400. The orientation of the center of each chamber can be defined by the orientation of a line that starts at the center of the end portion 2402 of the cartridge 2400 and passes through the center of the aperture corresponding to the chamber. The microcontroller can cause the shaft of stepper motors (e.g., stepper motors 1704) to move one step at a time, wherein 200 steps cause one full rotation of the shaft. Table 6 also includes the number of steps that are required to rotate the cartridge 2400 counterclockwise from the default position shown in
Table 7 shows a table similar to Table 6 that is for clockwise rotation. Information corresponding to Table 7 may be stored in internal memory of the microcontroller.
The processing performed at 2308 will be explained with reference to a series of calculations performed by the scent dispensing device 1602 in response to receiving a scent specification corresponding to a scent specification file, for example, generated using the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 shown in
As noted above, the scent cartridge 2400 initially is in the default orientation shown in
At 2310, the microcontroller controls the motor coupled to the scent cartridge 2400 to move in the direction of movement determined at 2308, by the amount of movement determined at 2308. For example, the microcontroller 1702 provides control signals to the stepper motor 1704a that cause the shaft of the stepper motor 1704a to move 80 steps in the clockwise direction to orient the scent cartridge 2400 as shown in
At 2312, the microcontroller starts an internal timer. In one embodiment, the microcontroller initializes the timer started at 2312 using a default timer value (e.g., 5000 milliseconds). In another embodiment, the microcontroller initializes the timer started at 2312 using a timer value (e.g., 10 seconds) that is included in the scent specification received at 2302.
At 2314, the microcontroller determines whether the timer has expired. For example, the microcontroller monitors the timer for a predetermined voltage level that indicates that the amount of time used to initialize the timer has elapsed after the timer was set at 2312. If the microcontroller 1702 determines that the timer has not expired, the method returns to 2314. If the microcontroller 1702 determines that the timer has expired, the method proceeds to 2316.
At 2316, the microcontroller determines whether an additional scent specification has been received. For example, the microcontroller performs the same acts as described above in connection with 2302. If the microcontroller determines that the additional scent specification has been received, the method returns to 2306.
For example, at 2306, the microcontroller determines that the indication of the stop condition has not been received and proceeds to 2308. At 2308, the microcontroller determines the third orientation corresponding to
At 2316, if the microcontroller determines that the additional scent specification has not been received, the method proceeds to 2318. At 2318, the microcontroller returns each cartridge that was moved based on the controlling performed at 2310 to its default orientation or position. For example, if the cartridge 2400 is currently oriented/positioned as shown in
At 2318, the microcontroller causes the fan to stop operating. For example, the microcontroller 1702 provides a control signal to the fan 1708 that causes the fan 1708 to turn off.
At 2502, a sending user of the second mobile device 1608 (e.g., a sending client device) may generate a scent specification file. The scent specification file may be generated through the scent sequence specification user interface 2000, which may be provided by the server 1606 and/or by the program 1838 executing on the second mobile device 1608. For example, a processor of the device (e.g., processing unit 1812a) causes a display device (e.g., touch screen 1852) to display the scent sequence specification user interface 2000. As discussed below, a processor (e.g., processing unit 1912a) of the server 1606 executes predetermined instructions (e.g., that are stored in the programs 1938) in response to receipt of information from the first mobile device 1604 and/or the second mobile device 1608.
At 2504, the server 1606 receives the scent specification file from the second mobile device 1608, and a digital post or scent notification is received by the server at 2506. The scent notification may instruct the server 1606 to publish a message or digital post to a social network service operated by the server 1606 or operatively coupled to the server. Intended recipients of the scent notification may include one or more users specifically selected by a user of the second mobile device 1608. Intended recipients may also include a group of associated users, such as users that are social contacts of the user of the second mobile device 1608. As another example, the intended recipients may include users that have agreed to receive scent notifications from the user of the second mobile device 1608 (e.g., “subscribers” or “followers”).
At 2508, the server 1606 publishes the scent notification on the social network service. The scent notification is then viewable by one or more users of the social network service. For example, a user of the first mobile device 1604 may be able to view the scent notification when a processor of the device (e.g., processing unit 1812a) causes a display device (e.g., touch screen 1852) to display the scent notification on the user's “wall” or news feed, or other display area. As discussed above, in addition to including the scent specification file that specifies at least one scent, the scent notification may also include a text portion, audio portion, and/or video portion. In one embodiment, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 enables a user to specify information corresponding to the text portion 1614, the scent portion 1616, the audio portion 1618, and the video portion 1620 of a plurality of scent notifications. For example, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 may be used to generate a scent notification having a text portion 1614 that includes a text message, a scent portion 1616 that specifies a scent combination corresponding to the aroma of a particular coffee, an audio portion 1618 that specifies a recording of milk being frothed, and a video portion 1620 that specifies a picture of a cup of coffee.
At 2510, the server 1606 receives a selection of the scent notification one of the client devices, such as the first mobile device 1604. The user of the first mobile device 1604 may select the scent notification (e.g., by clicking on or touching a link associated with the scent notification, etc.), which causes the server 1606 to send the scent specification file to the first mobile device 1604 at 2512. At 2512, the program executing on the first mobile device 1604 causes the first mobile device to send the scent specification file to the scent dispensing device 1602. This may be accomplished using wired or wireless communications. For example, as discussed above the first mobile device 1604 and the scent dispensing device 1602 may communicate via a wireless Bluetooth connection. In some embodiments, the server 1606 may send the scent specification file directly to the scent dispensing device 1602 through wired or wireless communications.
A processor executing the program processes the scent specification file and the scent notification as discussed above. When the scent notification is processed by the first mobile device 1604, a processing unit (e.g., processing unit 1812) of the first mobile device 1604 causes a display device to display the text corresponding to the text portion 1614 causes speakers to emit sounds corresponding to the audio portion 1618, and causes the display device to display a picture corresponding to the video portion 1620. The audio portion 1618 and the video portion 1620 scent notification may include references to attached files and/or links (e.g., URIs) to files that are stored by other devices (e.g., the server 1606). At 2516, the processing unit causes the first scent dispensing device 1602 to dispense a scent according to the scent specification file.
In some embodiments, the program will postpone causing the first scent dispensing device 1602 to dispense one or more scents according to the scent specification file. For example, the user of the first mobile device 1604 may receive or view the scent notification when the user is not located near the scent dispensing device 1602 (e.g., the scent dispensing device is at the user's home and the user is away from home). In this case, the program may allow the user to view the scent notification without dispensing the scent, and then view the scent notification at a later time with the scent when the user is once again near the scent dispensing device 1602. The program may provide an indicator for the user to easily determine that a scent notification has not yet been experienced so the user may experience the scent notification at a later time.
In some embodiments, the program allows the user of the first mobile device 1604 to modify the scent specification file. For example, a user may vary the one or more scents or may add scents to or subtract scents from the scent specification file. The first mobile device 1604 may then publish the modified scent specification file to the social network service for viewing by other users, as discussed above. In addition to allowing users to modify or customize the scent specification file, the program may also allow users to add comments to the scent notification to be shared with other users of the social network service.
At 2602, the server 1606 receives a request from a mobile device (e.g., the first mobile device 1604) associated with a first user for a contents indicator of a scent dispensing device (e.g., the scent dispensing device 1622) associated with a second user different than the first user. As discussed above, one or more software applications may include computer-executable instructions for gathering information regarding the contents of scent cartridges (e.g., scent cartridges 900, 1200, or 1400). For example, the software application executing on the second mobile device 1608 may enable a user to indicate that one or more scent cartridges are being or have been loaded into the second scent dispensing device 1622. Additionally or alternatively, the software application may cause the display device of the second mobile device 1608 to display a message instructing the second user to place a machine-readable symbol (e.g., barcode symbol) included with the scent cartridge within the field of view of a camera of the second mobile device. The software application may then instruct the processor to cause the camera to take or capture an image and to process corresponding image data to obtain the information regarding the contents of the cartridge. In this case, the second user may simply enter information regarding the location within the second scent dispensing device 1622 (e.g., a particular scent cartridge receptacle 1012b of a scent cartridge holder 1012) in which the cartridge is being or has been placed. As discussed above, the scent cartridge 1200 may include a memory that stores information regarding its contents and electrical contacts 1236 (
After the software application executing on the second mobile device 1608 has caused the processor to store the information regarding the contents and locations of the cartridges loaded within the second scent dispensing device 1622 into a memory of the second mobile device 1608, the program may send the information to the server 1606. At 2604, the server 1606 may send the contents indicator for the second scent dispensing device 1622 to the first mobile device 1604 associated with the first user.
The program executing on the first mobile device 1604 may allow the first user to generate a scent specification file directed to the second user taking into account the particular contents information of the second scent dispensing device 1622 associated with the second user. Thus, the first user can generate scents for the second user that the second scent dispensing device 1622 will be able to dispense without requiring the second user to obtain different scent cartridges from those already disposed within the second scent dispensing device 1622. Although this example describes obtaining the contents information for one other user's scent dispensing device, it should be appreciated that the program may provide contents information on the first mobile device 1604 for numerous users. This may allow the first user to create a scent specification file that can be experienced by all users in a group, and/or may be used to tailor scents directed to users based on the contents information for the users' respective scent dispensing devices.
In this embodiment, the mobile device 1604 is configured to communicate with a media player 2702. The media player 2702 may be any type of media player, such as a television, stereo, audio player, tablet computer, smart phone, notebook computer, video projector, or the like. The mobile device 1604 may communicate with the media player 2702 using any suitable wired or wireless interface, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, or the like. In some embodiments, the media player 2702 may be a software application executing on the mobile device 1604.
In this embodiment, the scent sequence specification user interface 2000 can be used to generate a sequence of messages 1612 that correspond to media content, for example, a novel, a song, or a movie. An electronic or physical copy of such media content may be accompanied by a group of scent cartridges (e.g., scent cartridges 900, 1200, or 1400) that includes scents for creating the scent combinations specified in the scent portions 1616 of a group of messages 1612 corresponding to the media content. The media content and/or the scent cartridges may include a code or a link for accessing additional contents specified in the messages 1612. For example, a paper copy of a novel may include a machine-readable symbol (e.g., a Quick Response Code) that, when scanned and decoded by the first mobile device 1604, causes the first mobile device 1604 to access a web page from which image files, audio files, and/or video files may be obtained. The first mobile device 1604 may also cause the media player 2702 to access media content or begin playback of the media content.
The first mobile device 1604 may process each message 1612 such that a scent specified in the scent portion 1616 is dispensed by the first scent dispensing device 1602 while sounds are emitted by speakers of the media player 2702 and/or images are displayed by a display device of the media player. For example, the program may cause information identifying a sequence of messages 1612 corresponding to the media content to be stored in system memory (e.g., program data 1842) in association with an identifier of the next message 1612 that is to be processed, which may be incremented each time one of the messages 1612 is processed. The program may control the timing of when each of the messages 1612 is processed to be synchronized with the media content. For example, in some embodiments the program is configured to utilize video time codes or audio watermarks associated with the media content to control when each of the messages is processed. In the case where the media content is a novel stored on an electronic reader, the program may receive the page information from the electronic reader (e.g., current page number) that is used to synchronize the scent messages 1612 with the story of the novel.
The mobile device 1604 of the scent dispensing system 2700 is also operative to communicate with a body sensor 2706 wearable by a user of the mobile device 1604. The body sensor 2706 is responsive to one or more physical characteristics, and provides signals to the mobile device 1604 based on the sensed (e.g., detected, measured) characteristics. The program of the mobile device 1604 receives the signals from the body sensor 2706 and causes the scent dispensing device 1602 to dispense one or more scents based on the received signals. For example, the body sensor 2706 may be operative to sense the pulse rate of a user of the mobile device 1604. The body sensor 2706 sends the user's pulse rate information to the program executing on the mobile device 1604. In response to detecting an elevated pulse rate, the program may cause the scent dispensing device 1602 to emit one or more scents believed to have a calming effect. As another example, the body sensor 2706 may be operative to sense that a user is drowsy or is falling asleep (e.g., by monitoring the user's movements). In response to detecting the user is drowsy, the program may cause the scent dispensing device 1602 to emit one or more scents believed to cause the user to be more alert (e.g., a coffee scent). Other combinations of body sensors and scents may be used as desired.
As shown in
As shown in
The scent message window 2924 also includes a logo 2930 for the scent message and an explanation or description of the message. A comments section 2932 of the window 2924 displays comments made by one or more users associated with the social media application or other applications. Option icons 2934 are presented at the bottom of the scent message window 2924.
During playback of the scent message one or more images 2946 and captions 2948 may be displayed. The timing of the display of the images 2946 and captions 2948 may be synchronized with the scents in the message.
As shown in
In some embodiments, each aromatic vocabulary 2984 may include sixteen scents. The sixteen scents may be divided into four scent cartridges containing four scents apiece. For example, the Paris Stroll vocabulary may include four scent cartridges titled Flesh, Floral, Vegetation, and Violence. The Flesh scent cartridge may include scents for Baby, Virgin, Orgy, and Aura. The Floral scent cartridge may include scents for Noblesse, Baldini Boutique, Absolu Jasmin, and Absolu Lavande. The Vegetation scent cartridge may include scents for Sea, Nuit Napolitaine, Amor et psyche, and Salon Rouge. The Violence scent cartridge may include scents for Human Existence, Paris 1738, Ermite, and Atelier Grimaldi.
As another example, the Coffee Stroll vocabulary may include four scent cartridges titled Earth, Countryside, Passion, and Exoticism. The Earth scent cartridge may include scents for Roasty, Watery Fruit, Licorice, and Red Fruit Seed. The Countryside scent cartridge may include scents for Bergamot, Apricot Pit, Berry, and Malty. The Passion scent cartridge may include scents for Cassis, Passion Fruit, Legumineux, and Animal. The Exoticism scent cartridge may include scents for Smokey, Exotic Wood, Milk Chocolate, and Milky.
In some embodiments, a Base Stroll vocabulary is also provided. For example, a scent dispensing device may include eight scent cartridges, four of which are the Base Stroll vocabulary and four of which are another vocabulary (e.g., Paris Stroll or Coffee Stroll). The Base Stroll vocabulary may be used alone or with other vocabularies. In one embodiment, the Base Stroll vocabulary includes four scent cartridges titled Confection, Plantation, Gardening, and Nibbling. The Confection scent cartridge includes scents for Buttery, Caramel, Red Sugar, and Espelette Pepper. The Plantation scent cartridge includes scents for Zesty, Cocoa Bean, Balsamic, and Fermented Yogurt. The Gardening scent cartridge includes scents for Green Vegetation, Jasmine, Malty Cereal, and Butyric. The Nibbling scent cartridge includes scents for Cedar, Nut, Chocolate Powder, and Grilled Bread.
After selecting one of the available aromatic vocabularies 2984, the user is presented with the scents 2986 of the four selected scent cartridges associated with the selected aroma vocabulary (
After the user has selected the scents 2986 for the scent message, the user may select one or more videos or photos 2990 to accompany the scent message (
As shown in
At 7302, a user takes, captures, or otherwise acquires a photo on a computing device. The photo may depict nearly anything including a location, event, food, beverage, product, or the like. At 7304, the user may operate the application to tag or associate the photo with a selectable icon. For example, the selectable icon may be a graphical icon that depicts a logo for the social media application discussed above with reference to
At 7306, the user may post the photo containing the selectable icon to one or more social media applications, such as Facebook®, Instagram®, Twitter®, Vine®, Snapchat®, and the like. Users of the social media applications may view the photo and select the selectable icon (e.g., by tapping on the icon, by hovering over the icon, etc.). When a user of the social media application selects the selectable icon associated with the photo, one or more actions may occur. For example, in some embodiments, the user's computing device may be directed to a location where it can download the social media application discussed above with reference to
At 7308, the user may add the photo and associated selectable icon to the user's profile on one or more social media applications. For example, if the user likes a particular brand of coffee, the user may take a photo of the coffee and add a selectable icon to the photo that encodes a link to a scent message that includes a scent for the coffee. When another user selects the selectable icon, the other user's computing device may be controlled to provide the user with the scent message. The receiving user may then play back the scent message on his or her computing device and experience the scent using a scent dispensing device connected to the computing device.
Although the selectable icon is discussed above with reference to a photo, it should be appreciated that links associated with scent messages and/or the social media application of
At 7402, the user operates the social media application to create a scent message comprising a single scent or a composition of scents for use as the user's olfactive identity. The process for creating a scent message is discussed above with reference to
In one example, a user may operate an application executing on a computing device to generate a grocery shopping list. The application may associate one or more scent messages with one or more items on the user's shopping list. For example, coffee may be one of the items on the shopping list, and the application may provide the user with a scent message that relates to coffee. The user can therefore get a “virtual taste” of one or more types of coffee using the computing device and/or a connected scent dispensing device, as discussed above.
As another example, a café owner may add one or more scent messages to a web site associated with the café, or a social media application page associated with the café. Users interested in the café may select the one or more scent messages to experience one or more products offered by the café without having to be physically present. Similarly, customers of the café may create a digital post of a coffee that they experienced at the café so that their social media contacts or followers can get a virtual taste of the coffee using their computing device and/or a scent dispensing device.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments. For example, instead of starting operation of the fan at 2304, the first scent dispensing device 1602 may start operation of the fan after the one or more scent cartridges are oriented at 2310. Additionally, instead of stopping operation of the fan at 2320, the first scent dispensing device 1602 may stop operation of the fan before returning each of the one or more scent cartridges to the default position at 2318.
In addition, the first scent dispensing device 1602 may include a display device and a user input device (e.g., a touch screen) that enables a user to specify scents and/or durations of scents to be dispensed by the first scent dispensing device 1602 (e.g., without receiving any message from the first mobile device 1604). The microcontroller of the first scent dispensing device 1602 may store instructions that cause the first scent dispensing device 1602 to perform the method shown in
U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/944,866 filed Feb. 26, 2014, is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.
These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2014/060614 | 10/15/2014 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61944866 | Feb 2014 | US |
