Dispensing device for dispensing scents

• US 6,834,847 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Issued: 12/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Goodall, Kevin George, Farrell, Michael Sean, Kvietok, Frank Andrej, Owens, Grover David, Kaiser, Carl Eric, Bush, Stephan Gary, Laudamiel-Pellet, Christophe, Westring, Brice Daniel, Rodriguez, Pedro Antonio, Bartsch, Eric Richard, Trinh, Toan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hopkins, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US10/379,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20030168751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 261/26, 261/30, 261/DIG.88, 261/DIG.89
• US Class Current: 261/26
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2033 using a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2038 Holders or dispensers for pressurized insecticide, e.g. pressurized vessels, cans
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2072 combined with a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2077 using an electrical resistance as heat source A01M1/2083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/02 using substances evaporated in the air by heating or combustion
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/037 comprising a wick
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/04 using substances evaporated in the air without heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/042 with the help of a macromolecular compound as a carrier or diluent A61L9/048 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/048 air treating gels
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/122 comprising a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/127 comprising a wick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/88 Aroma dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/89 Electrically heated aroma dispensers

Abstract

A dispensing device for dispensing scents into the environment is disclosed. In one embodiment, the dispensing device is used in conjunction with an article of manufacture which contains one or more scents or aromatic materials.

Claims

1. A method for diffusing aromatic materials into the environment comprising inserting an article of manufacture comprising at least one aromatic material into a device comprising a housing;

wherein said article of manufacture is a removable, closed, aromatic material-containing article of manufacture, said aromatic material-containing article of manufacture comprising a plurality of receptacles for retaining at least one aromatic material, said article having a sealed state so that said at least one aromatic material remains sealed from evaporation when said article is removed from said housing, wherein the aromatic material-containing article is removably inserted into or onto said housing.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the aromatic material-containing article comprises a closed structure that is configured to provide a single opening region therein for the emission of said at least one aromatic material when it is desired to emit said at least one volatile material.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the receptacles of said aromatic material-containing article are closed with a single sealing mechanism that seals said receptacles when said article of manufacture is not in use.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receptacles of said aromatic material-containing article are closed by a single movement of a sealing mechanism that seals said receptacles when said article of manufacture is not in use.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said device further comprises a locking mechanism capable of locking and unlocking the aromatic material-containing article of manufacture.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said article of manufacture further comprises a sealing mechanism having a first sealed position and a second opened position, wherein article of manufacture cannot be removed from said housing until said sealing mechanism is in its sealed position.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said at least one aromatic material is enclosed when said article is removed from said housing and said at least one aromatic material is not accessible from outside said article.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said article further comprises a blank section which does not have aromatic material provided thereon or therein, wherein said blank section provides a start and stop position for emitting said at least one aromatic material from said article of manufacture.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein said article of manufacture comprises aromatic material-containing receptacles wherein said single opening is disposed so that the air into which said at least one aromatic material will be emitted passes adjacent to, rather than through, said receptacles.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein said aromatic material-containing article of manufacture comprises a cartridge.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein said aromatic material-containing article of manufacture comprises a disc.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the aromatic material-containing article of manufacture has a configuration selected from the group consisting of:

disc-shaped, oval, parallelapiped-shaped, rectangular, cube-shaped, cuboid-shaped, cylindrical-shaped, pyramid-shaped, spherical-shaped, or irregularly-shaped.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said device has emission settings wherein at least one of said at least one aromatic material is emitted for an emission period of greater than or equal to about 1 minute and less than 120 minutes.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one aromatic material is emitted for an emission period of between about 1 and about 60 minutes, inclusive.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one aromatic material is emitted continuously during said emission period.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one aromatic material is emitted intermittently during said emission period.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said device is set to shut off for a non-emission period that is of a shorter duration than said emission period.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said non-emission period is less than or equal to one-half of the duration of the emission period.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said device further comprises a heater for heating said at least one aromatic material.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said device further comprises a mechanism for rotating the receptacles within the aromatic material-containing article so as to align said at least one receptacle with the heater.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the heater for heating said at least one aromatic material is provided with a heating element that is heated to a temperature between about 20°

C. and about 100°

C.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the heater heats at least one of said at least one aromatic material for an emission period of greater than or equal to about 1 minute and less than 120 minutes.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the heater heats at least one of said at least aromatic material for an emission period of between about 1 and about 60 minutes, inclusive.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein said heater is set to run continuously during said emission period.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein said heater is set to run intermittently during said emission period.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein said heater is set to shut off for a cool down period that is of a shorter period than said emission period.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said cool down period is less than or equal to one-half of the duration of the emission period.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein after heating at least one of said at least one aromatic material for said period of time, the device seals the receptacle containing the aromatic material being emitted, and prepares to emit an aromatic material from another receptacle.

29. The method of claim 19 wherein said receptacle comprises a staging area in which a portion of the aromatic material in the reservoir is heated while the remainder of the aromatic material is not directly subject to heat.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein said device is provided with a control for the user to control the duration of the emission of said at least one aromatic material.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said article comprises more than one different aromatic material, and the control allows the user to provide the same emission period for the different aromatic materials, or a different emission period for the different aromatic materials.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said article comprises more than one different aromatic material, and said device further comprises a computer program and the device has a control which is controlled by the computer program to allow the user to program the order in which the different aromatic materials are emitted.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein said device further comprises a timer integrated therein which allows the user to set the time for the devices to turn on and/or off.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein said article comprises more than one different aromatic material, and said device further comprises a control that allows user to skip one or more of the aromatic materials.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein said device has a single control which controls both the activation of the at least one aromatic material from a resting state and the diffusion of the at least one aromatic material into the environment.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said device further comprises a heater for activating the at least one aromatic material and a fan for diffusing the at least one aromatic material into the environment wherein said single control controls both the hearer and fan.

37. The method of claim 1 further comprising a hand held remote control so that said device can be operated from a distance away from said device.

38. The method of claim 1 wherein said article of manufacture comprises more than one aromatic material disposed in different receptacles.

39. The method of claim 1 wherein said article of manufacture is reusable in said device after at least one of said at least one aromatic materials has been emitted and said article removed from said device.