Active material emitting device

• US 7,350,720 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Inventors: Holzberger, Dean, Schram, David J., Froehlich, Thomas, Demarest, Scott W., Jaworski, Thomas, Wolf, Jeffrey J., Niederberger, Mark, Mineau, Steven B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alavi; Ali
• Assistant Examiner(s): DZIERZYNSKI, EVAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/140,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20050285538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 362/161, 362/157, 362/643, 362/810, 431/289, 422123-126, 422/120, 422/305, 422/306, 239/34, 239/55
• US Class Current: 239/55
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/12 Lighting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/037 comprising a wick
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/122 comprising a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/127 comprising a wick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/81 Imitation candle

Abstract

An active material cartridge comprises a frame and an active material refill. The active material refill comprises at least one reservoir having an active material therein and a protrusion extending from a first end thereof. The active material refill is disposed on and attached to the frame.

Claims

1. An active material cartridge, comprising:

a frame; and

an active material refill comprising first and second reservoirs having active materials therein and joined to one another by a flexible connecting portion, wherein the refill is attached to the frame by flexing the refill about the connecting portion;

wherein the first frame includes first and second frame portions having first and second sets of tabs extending inwardly from first and second flanges, respectively, such that lip portions of the reservoirs are retained between the respective ledge and the respective tabs.

2. The active material cartridge of claim 1, wherein the refill further includes first and second lip portions surrounding the first and second reservoirs, respectively, and wherein the connecting portion joins the first and second lip portions to form the refill.

3. The active material cartridge of claim 2, wherein the first and second reservoirs include first and second non-removable vapor permeable sealing layers, respectively, disposed in first and second top surfaces, respectively, thereof and further include first and second removable vapor impermeable layers disposed above the non-removable vapor permeable sealing layers, respectively, and wherein one or more of the vapor impermeable layers may be removed to transmit active material from the respective reservoir.

4. The active material cartridge of claim 1, wherein the first and second frame portions include first and second ledges respectively extending inwardly therefrom, thereby forming first and second apertures, respectively, and wherein the first and second reservoirs are aligned with the first and second apertures, respectively, when the cartridge is assembled.

5. The active material cartridge of claim 4, wherein the first frame portion includes a first plurality of posts extending from a back surface of the first ledge, respectively, and the second frame portion includes a second plurality of posts extending from a back surface of the second ledge, respectively, and wherein the first plurality and the second plurality of posts are joined to one another to form the frame.

6. The active material cartridge of claim 5, wherein the frame includes a protrusion extending from a first end of the frame.

7. The active material cartridge of claim 6, wherein the connecting portion includes an aperture therein such that the connecting portion extends over the first end of the frame and wherein the protrusion extends through the aperture.

8. The active material cartridge of claim 6, wherein the protrusion includes a U-shaped opening wherein the opening is adapted to snappingly engaged a post disposed within an active material emitting device and the protrusion is adapted to actuate a switch in the active material device when the active material cartridge is inserted therein.

15. The active material cartridge of claim 1, wherein the reservoir includes a non-removable vapor permeable sealing layer disposed in a top surface thereof and further includes a removable vapor impermeable layer disposed above the non-removable vapor permeable sealing layer, such that the vapor impermeable layer may be removed to transmit active material from the reservoir.

9. An active material cartridge, comprising:

a frame; and

an active material refill comprising first and second reservoirs having active materials therein and joined to one another by a flexible connecting portion, wherein the refill is attached to the frame by flexing the refill about the connecting portion;

wherein the frame includes first and second frame portions having first and second ledges respectively extending inwardly therefrom, thereby forming first and second apertures, respectively, and wherein the first and second reservoirs are aligned with the first and second apertures, respectively, when the cartridge is assembled; and

wherein the first frame portion includes a first plurality of posts extending from a back surface of the first ledge, respectively, and the second frame portion includes a second plurality of posts extending from a back surface of the second ledge, respectively, and wherein the first plurality and the second plurality of posts are joined to one another to form the frame.

10. An active material cartridge, comprising:

a frame; and

an active material refill comprising first and second reservoirs having active materials therein and joined to one another by a flexible connecting portion, wherein the refill is attached to the frame by flexing the refill about the connecting portion;

wherein the frame includes a protrusion extending from a first end of the frame; and

wherein the connecting portion includes an aperture therein such that the connecting portion extends over the first end of the frame and wherein the protrusion extends through the aperture.

11. The active material cartridge of claim 10, wherein the protrusion includes an opening that is adapted to engage snappingly a post disposed within an active material emitting device and the protrusion is adapted to actuate a switch in the active material emitting device when the active material cartridge is inserted therein.

12. The active material cartridge of claim 10, wherein the frame includes an aperture in a side thereof and wherein the refill is disposed within the aperture.

13. The active material cartridge of claim 12, wherein the frame further includes at least one tab for securing the refill to the frame.

14. The active material cartridge of claim 13, wherein the reservoir further includes a lip portion surrounding the reservoir and wherein the at least one tab secures the refill by the lip portion thereof to retain the refill within the frame.