Abstract:
A multiple purpose container for an air freshener, odor absorber and moisture absorber in a single product includes a tub with a lid that has openings, a basket suspended in the tub that has a vertical partition for holding an air freshener on one side and a moisture absorber on the other side, the basket includes openings on one side of the vertical partition that holds the moisture absorber to allow liquid absorbed to drain from the basket to the space below the basket.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    Applicants claim priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/928,201 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jan. 16, 2014. 
     
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention concerns a multiple purpose product that includes an air freshener, odor absorber and moisture absorber in a single package. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Usually, prior art air fresheners, odor absorbers and moisture absorbers are purchased individually and used separately. The products usually are purchased one at a time by the typical purchasers. 
         [0004]    Since water absorbents generally collect moisture from the air and convert it into water, the collected water must be separately emptied and the retention of water is not compatible with contacting air fresheners and odor absorbers. Further, it has been found that the typical purchaser will purchase the three items at different times since the products are distinct and have different functions. 
         [0005]    If the moisture absorber product is combined with the air freshener or odor absorber, there are potential problems of retaining and later emptying the collected water from the product. This makes the combination of the moisture absorber undesirable when combined with one of the other products. 
         [0006]    It would be desirable to produce a combination product in which the functions of air freshening, odor absorbing, and moisture collection are compatible with one another and which includes a convenient arrangement for collecting and retaining liquid and later emptying the collected liquid from the container without disturbing the air freshener and/or odor absorber. 
         [0007]    Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a multiple purpose air freshener, odor absorber and moisture absorber in a single product that may be conveniently used by the purchaser, with a means for conveniently emptying water from the combination device without deterioration of the contents of the combination product. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective exterior view of the assembled air freshener, odor absorber and moisture absorber, hereinafter referred to as the “product.” 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the exterior of the lid and the label of the product as they are applied to the tub, showing the label partially peeled away from the lid. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of all the components of the product, disassembled from one another, including the tub, the basket, the solid air freshener and odor absorber and the granular moisture absorber contained in an impervious envelope, the lid and the label applied to the lid. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a view of the interior of the tub. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the basket with the granular moisture absorber in a transparent, liquid impervious bag for shipment to the end user. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the basket with the solid air freshener and odor absorber placed in the basket. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the basket when the basket is inverted, and also of the solid air freshener and odor absorber positioned adjacent the basket. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the basket and the solid air freshener and odor absorber positioned adjacent the basket. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a side cross sectional view of the assembled product. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates the product  10  that includes lid  11  and tub  12 , with the lid mounted firmly to the upper rim of the tub. The rim of the tub and the opposed rim of the lid are complementary in shape so that the lid may be firmly fastened to the tub by urging the lid into a connection with the tub. 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , a label  13  is adhesively mounted to the upper surface of the lid  11  so that the label may be peeled back away from the lid to expose the openings  20  in the lid. The label  13  may be partially removed or fully removed from the lid to control the rate of atmospheric contact with the solid air freshener and moisture absorber and odor absorber. Also, the label  13  may be partially removed in a configuration to expose more of one of the products than the other. The openings  20  in the lid  11  may be arranged in a lattice of oblong shapes arranged in concentric circles extending from the center of the lid out toward the sides of the lid. The lid is curved downwardly to form its lower rim  19 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  shows the product disassembled. The solid air freshener and odor absorber  16  is formed first in a liquid condition and is poured into the impervious chamber  27  of the basket  15  to lose its temperature and solidify and take the shape of the basket. 
         [0020]    Basket  15  includes an annular side wall  18 , a vertical divider  21  that may be positioned diagonally in the basket and connected at its side edges to the annular side wall  18 , extending from the bottom wall  22  of the basket in an upward direction toward the lid  11 . The side edges  23  of the vertical divider may engage and be formed integrally with the upwardly extending annular side wall  18  of the basket  15 , in a sealed relationship with the bottom wall and side wall. The vertical divider  21  may extend higher than the annular side wall  18  of the basket and preferably is formed with a plurality of ribs  24  that extend upwardly from the bottom wall  22  of the basket. The vertical divider  21  divides the interior of the basket  15  into separate chambers with the porous chamber  26  on one side of the vertical divider and an impervious chamber  27  on the other side of the vertical divider. Also, the annular side wall and the bottom wall of the basket on the porous side of the basket are formed with open slots  28  with the open slots extending radially from the center of the bottom wall  22  and upwardly through the adjacent portion of the side wall of the basket. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the granular moisture absorber  17  is initially provided in an impervious, transparent bag in a quantity that will fit into the porous section of the basket. When the granular moisture absorber is poured from its bag into the porous side of the basket the open slots  28  are small enough so as to maintain the granules of the moisture absorber in the basket but large enough to allow moisture to drain from the moisture absorber downwardly from the basket into the bottom of the tub  12 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates the interior of the tub  12 . The tub includes interior basket supports  29  that are spaced about the lower inner circular surface of the tub at positions that form basket supports for the bottom of the basket  15 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 9 , the interior basket supports  29  are in the form of fins, and when the basket  15  is placed in the tub  12  the bottom wall  22  of the basket  15  rests on the interior basket supports and the bottom wall of the basket forms a false bottom over the bottom wall  30  of the tub  12 . As shown in  FIG. 9  the space between the false bottom  22  and the bottom wall  30  of the tub  12  is positioned so as to function as a moisture collection space  31  to receive the moisture  32  that is emitted by the granules of the moisture absorbent  17 . 
         [0023]    As shown in FIGS.  3  and  5 - 8 , the annular side wall  33  of basket  15  at the rim of the basket defines four protruding folds  34  that extend inwardly from the perimeter of the rim of the basket and are spaced at intervals about the basket. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the tub  12  includes inwardly extending lock tabs  35  spaced at the same intervals about the upper interior of the tub  12 . When the basket  15  is moved down into the tub  12  with the inwardly protruding folds  34  in registration with the lock tabs  35 , the inwardly protruding folds pass the lock tabs and allow the basket to be fully moved into the tub until the lower portion of the basket rests on the interior basket supports  29 . The vertical dimension of the basket when resting on the interior basket supports  29  is less than the distance between the interior basket supports  29  and the lock tabs  35  so upper rim  25  of the basket  15  is positioned at a lower level than the lock tabs  35 . Once the basket has been positioned in the tub  12 , the basket may be rotated by turning the vertical divider  21  so that the four inwardly protruding folds of the basket no longer register with the lock tabs  35  of the tub and the rim of the basket moves beneath the lock tabs and the basket cannot move vertically out of the tub. In this way, the lock tabs lock the basket in the interior of the tub so that if the product is inadvertently inverted, the basket  15  will not fall out of the tub  12 . This is known as a “bayonet” coupling. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , a plurality of keepers  37  extend inwardly from the edge of the lid  11  and are spaced at intervals about the lid for locking engagement with lock tabs  35  of the tub  12 . When the lid is rotated on the upper rim of the tub, the keepers engage the lock tabs and lock the lid to the tub. 
         [0025]    From the foregoing, it should be understood that the product combines two items that function in one container, in that the granular moisture absorber  17  tends to collect and absorb moisture which may be expelled by the influence of gravity downwardly through the openings  28  in the bottom wall of the basket and accumulated in the collection space  31  beneath the bottom wall  30  of the tub  12 . Also, the solid air freshener and odor absorber  16  in the other half of the basket tends to emit a fragrance for deodorizing and freshening the air about the product. 
         [0026]    The vertical divider  21  facilitates the rotary movement and lifting of the basket  15  from the tub  12  so that the user of the product can open the lid  11  away from the tub  12  and lift the basket  15  and its contents from the tub  12  and pour the liquid collected in the tub out of the tub and then reinsert the basket and its contents back into the tub, all without releasing the tub and basket, in one action. 
         [0027]    Further, the vertical divider  21  functions as a handle for the basket and the vertical ribs  24  of the vertical divider tend to strengthen the vertical divider and to guide the moisture emitted from the granules of the moisture absorbent, and move under the influence of gravity to the open slots  28  of the basket, to pass through the open slots  28  of the basket into the collection space  31  ( FIG. 9 ). 
         [0028]    It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while the foregoing description sets forth in detail preferred embodiments of the present invention, modifications, additions, and changes might be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.