Selective scent dispensing

• US 10,078,842 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2015
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shmuel Ur Innovations Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shmuel Ur Innovations Ltd.
• Inventors: Ur, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Adam
• Application Number:
  US15/120,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20170169436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/111 Sensor means, e.g. motion, brightness, scent, contaminant sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/015 using gaseous or vaporous substances, e.g. ozone A61L9/20 takes precedence ; evaporation in general B01B1/005
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 2005/008 Smell sense
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 25/00 Equipment specially adapted for cinemas cinematographic projection means G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 5/00 Auxiliaries for producing special effects on stages, or in circuses or arenas
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/192 by electrical means, e.g. by applying electrostatic fields or high voltages
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/50 by odorisation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services

Abstract

A computer implemented method, a computerized system and a computer program product for selective scent dispensing. The computer implemented method comprising: detecting an event, wherein the event is associated with a person entering a predetermined physical area; in response to the detection of the event, determining, by a processor, a scent for the event; and applying, by a dispenser, the scent on the predetermined physical area.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting an event, wherein the event is a first person entering a predetermined physical area (PPA), wherein a dispenser is located within the PPA and is permanently associated therewith so as to be capable of applying a scent to be sensed by the first person located within the PPA;

in response to detecting the event, determining, by a processor, a scent for the event based on a time of day of the detecting and an interaction between the first person and a second person within the PPA; and

applying the scent, using the dispenser, on the PPA based on a movement direction of the first person within the PPA.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining further comprises performing facial recognition of the first person to characterize the first person, wherein the scent is further determined based on the characterization of the first person.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the characterization is selected from the group consisting of:

a gender of the first person;

an identity of the first person;

an age of the first person and a demographic profile of the first person.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first person is a customer, wherein said determining is further performed based on a customer profile of the customer, wherein the customer profile is based on a purchase history of the customer, wherein the purchase history is retained in a data repository, and whereby the scent is further determined based on the purchase history of the customer entering the PPA.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting the event further comprises performing facial recognition to characterize the first person, wherein the scent is further determined based on the characterization of the person.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying comprises applying, the dispenser, a perfume having the scent.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the perfume consists of a top note.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying further comprises transmitting an instruction from an apparatus to the dispenser, wherein the dispenser is external to the apparatus;

and in response to receiving the instruction, the dispenser applying the scent on the PPA.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying the scent comprises applying a perfume having the scent, the perfume having an evaporating coefficient of between 1 and 14.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying a third scent in response to a second event, wherein the first scent and the third scent are different, wherein the third scent and the second scent are different, and wherein the first scent is configured to evaporate without interfering with the third scent.

11. A system comprising:

a detecting component configured to detect an event, wherein the event is a first person entering a predetermined physical area (PPA);

a scent determinator configured to determine a scent for the event based on a time of day of when the detecting component detects the event and an interaction between the first person and a second person within the PPA; and

a dispenser configured to apply the scent on the PPA based on a movement direction of the first person within the PPA, wherein said dispenser is located within the PPA and is permanently associated therewith so as to be capable of applying the scent to be sensed by the first person located within the PPA.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said detecting component is operatively coupled with a camera, wherein said detecting the event further comprises performing facial recognition of the first person to characterize the first person.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said system is operatively coupled with a camera, wherein the camera is physically positioned in a fixed location in which the camera is capable of observing the PPA.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said scent determinator comprises a facial recognition component operatively coupled with a stationary camera, wherein said facial recognition component is configured to characterize the first person, wherein the scent is further determined based on the characterization of the first person.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first person is a customer, wherein said scent determinator is further configured to obtain a customer profile of the customer, wherein the customer profile is based on a purchase history of the customer, wherein the purchase history is retained in a data repository, and whereby the scent is further determined based on the purchase history of the customer entering the PPA.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said dispenser is a stationary dispenser.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising a second dispenser located within a second PPA, wherein the second dispenser is capable of applying a second scent to be sensed by a third person located within the second PPA.

18. A method comprising:

automatically recognizing a food content about to be consumed by a person, wherein the food content has one or more scents;

determining, by a processor, a particular scent associated with a type of the recognized food content, wherein the particular scent is different than the one or more scents of the food content; and

in response to the determining, automatically applying the particular scent on the person with a dispenser embedded within a plate used to serve the food content to the person when the person picks up the food content.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the food content is selected from the group consisting of:

an appetizer, a beverage, a dessert, a main course and a side dish.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said recognizing comprises matching an image of the food content against images of menu items of a restaurant.

21. A dispenser,

wherein said dispenser is embedded within a plate used to serve food content to a person, wherein the food content has one or more scents;

and

wherein said dispenser is configured to automatically apply a particular scent on the person when the person picks up the food content in response to a determination of the particular scent associated with a type of the food content, wherein the particular scent is different than the one or more scents of the food content.