WO2000051649A1

WO2000051649A1 - Air freshening device

Info

Publication number: WO2000051649A1
Application number: PCT/BE2000/000015
Authority: WO
Inventors: Louis Brouwers
Original assignee: Louis Brouwers
Priority date: 1999-02-26
Filing date: 2000-02-04
Publication date: 2000-09-08
Also published as: AU2425800A

Abstract

The invention relates to an air freshening device for emitting fragrances and/or absorbing odours, comprising a dosing housing, a dosing chamber and a scented body, which scented body is received interchangeably between the dosing chamber and the dosing housing, wherein the dosing chamber is arranged for axial displacement in the dosing housing in at least two positions, i.e. a first position in which the scented body is wholly enclosed and a second position in which the scented body is at least partially in a fragrance-transferring contact with its surroundings, wherein the three elements a) the dosing housing, b) the dosing chamber and c) the scented body are disc-shaped or disc segment-shaped and describe a decreasing radius in said sequence a to c. The invention further relates to an assembly comprising an air freshening device and a set of scented elements. The invention also relates to the use of an air freshening device for dosed neutralizing of negative odours and dosed emission of positive odours.

Description

Air freshening device

The invention relates to an air freshening device for emitting fragrances and/or absorbing odours.

Such air freshening devices are already known.

US-A-3 , 065, 915 describes a container for volatile substances in the form of the widely known scented Christmas tree wherein a dosing in time, for instance from one to five weeks, is determined by the rate at which the scented member is released from its packaging.

US-A-3 , 823 , 873 relates to a fragrance-releasing device for deodorants, pesticides or other volatile materials, wherein the device takes the form of slide and can be provided with one or more volatile substances .

BE-A-765280 relates to a fragrance-emitting device for emitting a volatile insecticide substance, comprising a housing assembled from two halves and provided with permanently clear openings in which an insecticide-carrying scented body is provided.

These known fragrance-emitting devices are not provided with any dosing measures for the dosed emitting of fragrances and/or absorbing of odours . These known fragrance-emitting devices are hereby always in scenting or fragrance-transmitting contact with the surrounding area. This is not always desirable or economically acceptable since excessive use of these volatile fragrances can be disadvantageous and even irritating.

The invention has for its object to at least partly obviate these drawbacks and provides for this purpose an air freshening device for emitting fragrances and/or absorbing odours as according to claim 1.

In the closed position no transfer of scent will be possible. This may be desired when no scenting effect is intended, wherein the scents present on the scented body also retain their concentration whereby they are available for a longer time.

Air freshening devices according to the invention can likewise be used for releasing perfume fragrances when they are carried in or on clothing or on the body of a person.

The air freshening device according to the invention is preferably embodied such that the fragrance-emitting or odour-absorbing capacity can be adjusted between a position with a maximum transfer and a position in the closed situation without any transfer of volatile substances, and all positions therebetween. For this purpose the invention provides an air freshening device wherein the wall of the dosing chamber is provided with one opening or with a series of openings and wherein the dosing chamber is received displaceably in the dosing housing between positions leaving none of the openings clear and positions leaving all openings clear and all positions between a maximum and a minimum transfer. The openings preferably differ in size such that the dosing can be controlled even better.

Air freshening devices according to the invention are generally small so that it is possible to arrange them without much volume loss in places such as a handbag, a pocket in clothing and in cupboards. To this end the dosing chamber is partly received in the dosing housing. The air freshening device preferably takes the form of a slide wherein the dosing chamber is received for axial rotatable displacement in the dosing housing.

In another embodiment the air freshening device takes the form of a polygonal slide, for instance square or rectangular, and the dosing chamber is received for linear displacement in the dosing housing. The scented body is then enclosed in the dosing chamber which in turn is then partly received in the dosing housing. For fixing of the air freshening device to a suitable carrier the device is provided with a fixing element. In the embodiment where the carrier is a person, this can for instance be a dermatologically suitable adhesive for multiple use. For fixing to carriers in the form of rods, pins, clothes hangers, fabrics and so on, the air freshening device is provided with a fixing element which is manufactured from a flexible material and has a bent end part . The bent end part can clamp round any shape due to its flexibility. In a further preferred embodiment of an air freshening device according to the invention the fixing element is received slidably in the dosing housing. The scented element can hereby occupy a different position when the position of the fixing element is fixed. This is particularly suitable when the air freshening device is arranged over a forced air transport, for instance a fan. As a result dosage will then not only be possible by adjusting the openings which are in a fragrance- transferring contact, but also by adjusting the position of the scented body relative to the forced air flow by displacing the fixing element.

Scented elements are generally manufactured from a tissue-like structure, for instance paper or other cellulose materials which can be provided with a volatile scent. This scent can either have the purpose of a regular fragrance emission, such as for instance perfumes with fruity, spicy flower-like woodsy fragrances or other perfume fragrances or be provided with absorbing scented elements, for instance for odour absorption and masking possible bad odours, such as for instance an anti-tobacco fragrance, anti-perspiration fragrance, anti-pet fragrances and optionally anti- toilet fragrances. Functional scents are further also known as fragrances, i.e. with a specific purpose, such as for instance mint/eucalyptus fragrance for clearing the bronchial tubes, fragrances for repelling insects such as mosquitos, and soothing fragrances. It will be apparent that there is a very wide range of scents, wherein new possibilities are still being discovered.

It is further also possible to partly provide a part of a scented element according to the invention with a scent A and to provide another part with another scent B.

The invention further relates to an assembly containing at least one air freshening device and a set of scented elements.

The invention will be elucidated hereinbelow with reference to the drawing, in which the separate components are pulled apart and placed together and: figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the invention; and figure 2 shows a perspective view of a modification of the first embodiment of figure 1.

Figure 1 shows an air freshening device 1 in its dismantled position la and in its placed together position lb. Air freshening device 1 consists substantially of three parts, i.e. a dosing housing 2, a dosing chamber 3 and a scented body 4.

Fragrance-dosing housing 2 takes the form of a hollow half-disc 5 and is provided in its central part with a receiving element 6 for receiving a part of dosing chamber 3. A corresponding central element 8 on dosing chamber 3 can then be placed in element 6 and dosing chamber 3 can rotate slidably round dosing housing 2 on a common central axis. Both dosing housing 2 and dosing chamber 3 take a hollow form wherein the scented body 4 is enclosed between dosing housing 2 and dosing chamber 3. When dosing chamber 3 is displaced rotatingly in dosing housing 2 the scented body 4 is brought in dosable manner into a fragrance-transferring contact with its surroundings. When fragrance transfer no longer need take place, dosing chamber 3 is positioned in dosing housing 2 such that scented body 4 is wholly enclosed and no further fragrance transfer can take place. With a suitable adjustment a desired dosed fragrance transfer can thus always take place. When scented body 4 is wholly enclosed the concentration of the scents on scented body 4 is sustained for a longer time .

Figure 2 shows a further embodiment of the embodiment of an air freshening device according to the invention shown in figure 1. Central part 16 is provided with a groove 7 and a lip 8 for positioning herein of a fixing element 9. Fixing element 9 comprises a bent end part 10 and is preferably manufactured from a flexible material, whereby bent end part 10 can be arranged round any suitable carrier. A series of openings 11 is arranged in dosing chamber 13, whereby an even better dosing is possible with axial displacement of dosing chamber 13 in dosing housing 12. Fixing element 9 is provided on its underside with apertures 17 corresponding with lip 8. Fixing element 9 is provided with a surface 28 which can be provided with a suitable adhesive 29 sealed by a removable cover sheet 30.

The scented elements generally correspond in shape and size with the assembly of dosing housing-dosing chamber. These are generally manufactured from a cellular or tissue-like material, such as for instance blotting paper, and provided with a volatile substance. These substances are known per se to the skilled person. These substances can in principle fulfil three functions, i.e.:

1. a normal fragrance emission, such as for instance perfumes ranging from pleasant fruity, spicy flower and woodsy fragrances to the widely known perfume fragrances; 2. combatting undesired odours where this entails a combination of odour absorption and the masking of bad odours by providing an anti-fragrance, such as for instance the existing anti-tobacco fragrance, anti- perspiration fragrance and anti-pet fragrances as well as the anti-toilet fragrances;

3. there are further the so-called functional fragrances wherein these are fragrances with a very specific purpose, for instance in respect of health, such as the mint/eucalyptus fragrance for clearing the bronchial tubes. There are in addition fragrances with insecticide function such as mosquito-repellent fragrances.

An particular embodiment of the invention relates to providing a fixing element whereby the air freshening device can be arranged on a suitable carrier, for instance clothing or even the skin or in travel bags and suitcases. The fixing element can likewise be arranged fixedly somewhere whereby the position of the scented body can be changed by displacing it along the fixing element. This is advantageous in the environment of a forced air flow such as a fan.

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Claims

1. Air freshening device for emitting fragrances and/or absorbing odours, comprising a dosing housing, a dosing chamber and a scented body, which scented body is received interchangeably between the dosing chamber and the dosing housing, wherein the dosing chamber is arranged for axial displacement in the dosing housing in at least two positions, i.e. a first position in which the scented body is wholly enclosed and a second position in which the scented body is at least partially in a fragrance-transferring contact with its surroundings, characterized in that the three elements a) the dosing housing, b) the dosing chamber and c) the scented body are disc-shaped or disc segment-shaped and describe a decreasing radius in said sequence a to c .

2. Air freshening device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the air freshening device takes the form of a polygonal slide, for instance square or rectangular, and wherein the dosing chamber is received for linear sliding in the dosing housing.

3. Air freshening device as claimed in claim 1 or

2, characterized in that the scented body has a form similar to the dosing chamber and is arranged interchangeably in the dosing chamber.

4. Air freshening device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the dosing housing comprises a fixing element for fixing the air freshening device to a suitable carrier.

5. Air freshening device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the fixing element is manufactured from a flexible material and has a bent end part.

6. Air freshening device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the fixing element is provided with a surface which in turn is provided with an adhesive and is sealed by a removable cover sheet .

7. Air freshening device as claimed in claim 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the fixing element is received slidably in the dosing housing.

8. Air freshening device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the dosing housing and the dosing chamber are manufactured from a plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene.

9. Air freshening device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the scented body is a scented element emitting fragrances or a scented element combatting (undesired) odours or a combination thereof .

10. Assembly comprising an air freshening device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims and a set of scented elements.

11. Use of an air freshening device as claimed in any of the claims 1-9 for dosed neutralizing of negative odours .

12. Use of an air freshening device as claimed in any of the claims 1-9 for dosed emission of positive odours .

13. Use of an air freshening device as claimed in any of the claims 1-9 in the vicinity of a forced air flow at the position of the ventilation/heating of an automotive vehicle.

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