Air freshener dispenser

• US 4,739,928 A
• Filed: 03/13/1987
• Issued: 04/26/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Dail Corporation
• Original Assignee: The Drackett Company (SC Johnson & Son Incorporated)
• Inventors: O'Neil, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Application Number:
  US07/027,094
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 239/42-47, 239/49-51, 239/51.5, 239/53-60, 239/326
• US Class Current: 239/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/127 comprising a wick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/88 Aroma dispensers

Abstract

An air freshener dispenser of the type containing in a reservoir a liquid fragrance composition comprising a necked container, a wick provided in the neck, an emanator pad holder retaining within a containment enclosure an absorbent or emanator pad in contact with the wick, and a cover member including at least one fragrance-diffusion aperture, the emanator pad holder including means defining at least one fragrance diffusion channel, the emanator pad being detachably rotatable within the cover member, whereby rotation of the cover member brings the diffusion aperture and the diffusion channel into registry.

Claims

1. An air freshener dispenser comprising a container having an opening;

a wick depending into the container;

an emanator pad;

emanator pad holding means detachably connected to the container and retaining the emanator pad in contact with the wick, said pad holding means including at least one fragrance diffusion channel and at least one upwardly extending side wall member;

a cover member having a top and a substantially cylindrical side wall and including at least one fragrance diffusion aperture registrable with said fragrance diffusion channel, and retention means comprising a first mating surface associated with the pad holding means and a second mating surface associated with the cover member, said mating surface in operative position detachably retaining the cover member on the pad holding means, the first mating surface being inoperative in cooperation with said cover member substantially cylindrical side wall to detachably retain said cover member on the pad holding means, said cover member being rotatable in said detachably retained position with respect to said pad holding means, the pad holding means being nonrotatable with respect to the container by the torquing force for rotating the cover member on the pad holding means, whereby rotation of the cover member enables said at least one fragrance diffusion aperture and said at least one fragrance diffusion channel to be brought into registry.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the seocnd mating surface is a circular flange depending from the top of the cover member, and wherein the uppermost portion of the pad holding means side wall member curves inwardly towards the center of the pad holding means and terminates in an arcuate edge, said arcuate edge being said first mating surface, said uppermost portion of the side wall member being outwardly flexed when said arcuate edge is in mating relationship with said flange.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the pad holding means includes a planar base portion from which said side wall member upwardly extends and a peripheral skirt depending from said planar base portion, the skirt having a preipheral boss proximate its bottom edge, said boss being the first mating surface, and wherein the second mating surface is a peripheral boss on the interior surface of the substantially cylindrical side wall of the cover member, said first mating surface overlying said second mating surface in operative position.

4. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein the pad holding means includes a planar base portion from which said side wall member upwardly extends.

5. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the uppermost portion of the pad holding means side wall member curves inwardly towards the center of the pad holding means.

6. The dispenser of claim 4 or 5, wherein the base portion of the pad holding means includes a central aperture through which the wick extends, the base portion further including a plurality of radial spokelike portions between the central aperture and the periphery of the base portion, thereby defining air circulation apertures in said base portion.

7. The dispenser of claim 6, wherein there is a plurality of pad holding means side wall members extending upwardly from the base portion, the number of fragrance diffusion apertures in the cover member being of the same number as said plural number of side wall members.

8. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the pad holding means includes a hollow cylindrical shaft depending from proximate the periphery of the central aperture in the planar base portion, and wherein the container includes a neck, the shaft being detachably connected to the neck.

9. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the base portion includes a raised area.

10. The dispenser of claim 7, further including emanator pad securing ribs radially extending from said side wall members towards said central aperture.

11. The air freshener dispenser of claim 1, further comprising closure means removably attachable to the container to seal the container opening during periods of nonuse.

12. The air freshener dispenser of claim 1, wherein the container has at least one updraft groove to establish a fluid pathway from between proximate the bottom of the container to proximate the top of the container.

13. An air freshener dispenser comprising a container having an opening;

a wick depending into the container;

an emanator pad;

emanator pad holding means detachably connected to the container and retaining the emanator pad in contact with the wick, said pad holding means including a planar base portion having a central aperture through which said wick extends, at least one side wall member including a plurality of fragrance diffusion channels, said planar base portion having a plurality of radial spokelike portions between the central aperture and the periphery of the base portion and defining air circulation apertures therethrough;

a cover member having a top and a substantially cylindrical side wall and including a plurality of fragrance diffusion apertures equal in number to the fragrance diffusion channels and registrable with said fragrance diffusion channels, and retention means operative to detachably retain the cover member on the pad holding means, said cover member being rotatable in said detachably retained position with respect to said pad holding means, the pad holding means being nonrotatable with respect to the container by the torquing force for rotating the cover member on the pad holding means, whereby rotation of the cover member enables said at least one frqgrance diffusion aperture an said at least one fragrance diffusion channel to be brought into registry.

14. The dispenser of claim 13, wherein said retention means comprise a first mating surface associated with the pad holding means and a second mating surface associated with the cover member, the first mating surface being inoperative in cooperation with said cover member substantially cylindrical side wall to detachably retain said cover member on the pad holding means.

15. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the second mating surface is a circular flange depending from the top of the cover member, and wherein there is a plurality of pad holding means side wall members, the uppermost portions of the side wall members curving inwardly towards the center of the pad holding means and terminating in an arcuate edge, said arcuate edge being said first mating surface, said uppermost portion of the side wall members being outwardly flexed when in mating relationship with said flange.

16. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the pad holding means further includes a peripheral skirt depending from said planar base portion, the skirt proximate its bottom edge having a peripheral boss which is the first mating surface, and wherein the second mating surface is a peripheral boss on the interior surface of the substantially cylindrical side wall of the cover member.

17. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the uppermost portion of the pad holding means side wall member curves inwardly towards the center of the pad holding means.

18. The dispenser of claim 17, wherein there is a plurality of pad holding means side wall members extending upwardly from the base portion, the number of fragrance diffusion apertures in the cover member being of the same number as said plural number of side wall members.

19. The dispenser of claims 15 or 18, wherein the pad holding means includes a hollow cylindrical shaft depending from proximate the periphery of the central aperture in the planar base, and wherein the container includes a neck, the shaft being detachably connected to the neck.

20. The dispenser of claim 19, wherein the base portion includes a raised area.

21. The dispenser of claim 19, further including emanator pad securing ribs radially extending from said side wall members towards said central aperture.