Abstract:
An air freshener clip removably engages with a louver or slat of a vent, such as an automotive heating and air conditioner vent. The clip has a curved body that tapers from a clip bend at its proximal end to a tip at its distal end. When the clip is engaged over the louver or slat, the distal end of the curved body extends into the vent opening. The air freshener clip has an outer portion formed from one or more fragrance loaded polymers, and releases fragrance into an air stream that contacts the outer portion on the curved body and is directed out of the vent. An accessory may be removably attached or link to the clip to decorate or adorn the clip.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a curved clip formed of a polymer resin and having at least an outer portion loaded with a fragrance oil or oils or other fragrance material, where such clip is adapted to be held directly in the flow of air through a vent, such as an automotive forced air vent, to release fragrance to such air flow. The present invention further relates to an accessory that is removably linked to the clip to decorate or adorn the clip. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The passenger compartments of automobiles and trucks may retain unpleasant odors introduced into such compartment by drivers, passengers or cargo. Examples of unpleasant odors include cigarette and cigar smoke, food odors, body odors, retained cargo odors and gas or exhaust fumes. Various air freshener devices have been designed for use in vehicle passenger compartments, including devices that suspend from a rear view mirror or from a sun visor. Such devices release fragrance into the air, but lack a source of forced air to enhance the rate of fragrance release. 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,344 shows a deodorizer attached to a louver or slat of a heating or air conditioner vent. Attachment is by hook and loop fasteners (Velcro tape). When in use, a cover is pulled away from the vent and further into the passenger compartment to expose deodorant held within a compartment of the device. No portion of the deodorizer extends into the vent opening beyond the louver to which it is adhesively attached. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,264,887 and 6,123,906 disclose an air freshening device formed as a clip with two spaced apart straight legs that fit over a louver or slat of a heating or air conditioner vent so that the distal ends of the legs extend into the vent opening. Each of the straight legs has through holes therein for increasing air contact through the legs where fragrance is introduced. The legs terminate at a proximal end at a curved hand grasp that extends outwardly from the vent opening a substantial distance. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,642 shows a clip mount air freshener assembly in which the air freshener element is inserted into a straight holder that may be rotated into various orientations. The holder is attached to a clip that clips over a louver or slat of a heating or air conditioner vent. At all times, the air freshener element is held outside of the vent opening and air exiting that opening is forced against the air freshener element. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,527,493 and 5,478,505 show an air treating device that may be clipped to a louver or slat of a heating or air conditioner vent, or may be clamped to a sun visor. When clipped to a louver or slat, the air treating device remains in front of the vent opening. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,263 shows an automobile air freshener that is detachably connected with clamps to a louver or slat of a heating or air conditioner vent. The rectangular-shaped fragrance dispersing unit is heat activated. 
         [0008]    U.S. D437,041 depicts an air freshener with a clip near one end. 
         [0009]    Improvements to air freshener devices for use in conjunction with vent systems continue to be sought. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In a first aspect, an air freshener has a curved body with a proximal end and a distal end. The curved body optionally tapers from a first width at its proximal end to a tip of a smaller second width at the distal end. Preferably the air freshener forms a clip having a clip arm with at least one bend therein, more preferably multiple bends therein, is formed at the proximal end of the curved body. An outer portion of polymer loaded with one or more fragrances is associated with or in contact with or over molded over at least a portion of the curved body. Preferably, the curved body has a concavely curved bottom surface with a radius of curvature in the range of about 1 cm to about 100 cm, more preferably about 5 to about 20 cm. Preferably, the distal end of the curved body is displaced from a plane defined by an upper exterior surface of the proximal end at an angle in the range of about 1 to about 30 degrees. 
         [0011]    Preferably, the curved body is formed of a polymer such as polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyoxymethylene (Delrin), polyamide (nylon), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), copolymers thereof, and mixtures thereof. The outer portion is formed of a polymer that may be the same as or different from the polymer forming the body. Preferably, the outer portion is formed of a polymer such as polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), polypropylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, ELVAX® EVA ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, acetate, butyrate, propionate, copolymers thereof, and mixtures thereof. At least the polymer forming the outer portion is loaded with a fragrance material, such as one or more natural and synthetic fragrance oils. 
         [0012]    In another aspect, the air freshener body defines a plane at an upper exterior surface at its proximal end and the distal end of the body flexes or bends from a first position to a second position at an angle of from about 1 to about 30 degrees from the plane. 
         [0013]    In yet another aspect, the outer portion is a jacket that is over molded over the body. 
         [0014]    In still another aspect, an accessory is removably linked to at least one bend or at least one portion of the clip arm. Preferably, at least one projection extends from the accessory, and the projection(s) removably clip or fasten the accessory to the at least one bend or to at least one portion of the clip arm of the air freshener. The accessory may include artwork or advertising indicia on its front face. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0015]    Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent upon reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a right front perspective view of an air freshener clip according to the invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a left bottom perspective view of the air freshener clip of FIG. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a left front perspective view in partial phantom outline of the air freshener clip of  FIG. 1  installed within an automotive heating and air conditioning discharge vent; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is left side elevational view of the air freshener clip of  FIG. 1  as installed within an automotive heating and air conditioning discharge vent; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a right front perspective view of an accessory plate; 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a left rear perspective view of the accessory plate of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is a left rear perspective view of the accessory plate of  FIG. 7  joined to the air freshener clip of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 10  is a left side elevational view of the air freshener clip of  FIG. 1  with accessory plate of  FIG. 7  joined thereto, as installed within an automotive heating and air conditioning discharge vent. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0026]    With reference to the drawings in which like numerals designate similar elements, an air freshener clip  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . The air freshener clip  10  is formed of a body or base or frame  12  having a top surface  14  and a bottom surface  16 . The body  12  has a proximal end  18  and a distal end  20 . In one embodiment, the body  12  has a length in the range of 6 to 10 cm as measured from its proximal end  18  to its distal end  20 . The body  12  curves concavely between the proximal end  18  and the distal end  20 . The body  12  shown in  FIGS. 1-4  also tapers from a first width at its proximal end  18  to a second width at its distal end  20 , wherein the body  12  is wider at the proximal end  18  and forms a narrower tip  28  at its distal end  20 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the width at the proximal end  18  preferably is between about 1 and 2 cm and the width at the distal end  20  preferably is between about 0.5 and 1 cm. 
         [0027]    A clip bend  22  at the proximal end  18  joins clip arm  24  to the proximal end  18  of the body  12 . The clip arm  24  terminates at an end  25  of the clip arm. Together, the clip arm  24  and clip bend  22  generally form a U-shape in conjunction with the bottom surface  18 . Optionally, clip arm  24  is reinforced by one or more reinforcing ribs  26 . 
         [0028]    An upper ridge  32  optionally may extend outwardly from the top surface  14  of the body  12 . A lower ridge  34  optionally may extend outwardly from the bottom surface  16  of the body  12 . 
         [0029]    A an outer portion  30 , which may be a jacket, is attached, formed or molded over at least a portion of the left side  36  and right side  38  surfaces of the body  12 . Preferably, the outer portion  30  also is formed or molded over top surface  14  and bottom surface  16  of the body  12 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the outer portion  30  may be molded over a portion of the top surface  14 , the bottom surface  16  and sides  36 ,  38  of the body  12 . Preferably, for aesthetics and better over molding registration, the outer portion  30  is a jacket that is over molded over the curved body and anchored to at least one of the upper ridge  32  or lower ridge  34 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the outer portion  30  is not molded over the upper ridge  32  and lower ridge  34  of the body  12 . 
         [0030]    Referring next to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the air freshener clip  10  is mounted to a louver or slat  54  in a vent opening  52  of an automotive heating and air conditioning air grill or vent  50 . The clip arm  24  resiliently flexes open to engage the louver  54  and then closes to hold the air freshener clip  10  within the vent opening  52 . The proximal end  18  of the air freshener clip  10  remains accessible to the vehicle occupant, so that the air freshener clip  10  may be disengaged when desired by pulling clip arm  24  and clip bend  22  off of the louver  54 . When the air freshener clip  10  is installed and in use, the distal end  20  of the air freshener clip  10  extends a distance into the vent opening  52 . 
         [0031]    The air freshener clip  10  shown in  FIGS. 5-6  has been installed in vent opening  52  that has a contour sufficient to receive the entire length of the air freshener clip  10  without deforming the air freshener clip  10 . In some instances, however, vent openings or other passageways or constrictions into which an air freshener clip  10  is to be installed have more severely bent sidewalls. The curved and tapered configuration of air freshener clip  10  permits at least a portion of the body  12 , for example, the distal end  20 , to be bent upwardly or downwardly with respect to a central axis of the body  12 . Thus, the air freshener clip  10  may be installed into more restrictive confines of vent openings or other air flow constrictions with a more severely bent contour than is shown in  FIG. 6 . Preferably, the distal end  20  can be flexed or bent up or down and/or side to side within an angular range of plus or minus 1 degree to 180 degrees from a central axis of the body  12 , preferably within an angular range of plus or minus 1 degree to 90 degrees. Alternatively, the distal end  20  may be displaced from or flex from a plane defined by an upper exterior surface of the proximal end at an angle in the range of plus or minus about 1 to about 180 degrees, preferably plus or minus 1 degree to 90 degrees. In one embodiment, the clip body is sufficiently bendable to form it into a hook or “J” shape. Depending upon polymer(s) selected to form the air freshener clip  10 , the clip  10  may have sufficient resilience to return to its unflexed shape when it is removed from restrictive confines. 
         [0032]    Forced air emitted from the heating and air conditioning system is forced against the curved body  12  and jacket  30  of the air freshener clip  10 . The concavely curved contour of the lower exterior surface of the curved body  12  creates a turbulent flow that catches and directs more air across the jacket surfaces, particularly the bottom and side surfaces. Fragrance material loaded in the jacket polymer material releases fragrance into the air that contacts the air freshener clip  10  and then enters into the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. Preferably, the curved body  12  has a concavely curved bottom surface  16  with a radius of curvature r (see  FIG. 6 ) in the range of about 1 cm to 100 cm, more preferably in the range of about 5 to about 20 cm. 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the clip bend  22  may be formed to have a first curved portion  23  and a second curved portion  27 . When clip bend  22  is closed without being attached over a louver or slat, curved portion  23  may form an angle in the range of from 80 to 110 degrees between the top surface  14  and clip bend  22 , and curved portion  27  may form an angle in the range of from 45 to 100 degrees between the clip arm  24  and clip bend  22 . 
         [0034]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , a proximal end  17  of bottom surface  16  forms a first wall of curved portion  23 . An inner surface of clip arm  24  forms a second wall of curved portion  23 . The clip arm  22  has dual bends  23 ,  27  therein, which increases strength of the gripping action of clip arm  24 . In addition, the bend of curved portion  23  results in an open space between the proximal end  17  and the inner surface of clip arm  24 . 
         [0035]      FIGS. 7 and 8  show an accessory plate or decorative element  60  that is adapted to be attached to an air freshener  10 . The accessory plate or decorative element  60  has a front face  62  and a rear face  64 . As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the accessory plate  60  has a generally square periphery with a side frame  68  having rounded corners  69 . Alternative peripheries, such as oval, circular, triangular, irregular, etc., may be chosen as a matter of design choice, and the invention is not limited to accessory plates with generally square peripheries. A label or decal (not shown) may be adhered to the front face  62  surface of the decorative element. When used, the accessory plate  60  decorates or adorns the vent clip. 
         [0036]    In  FIG. 8 , two projections or prongs  70  extend from a surface of the rear face  64  of the accessory plate or decorative element  60 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the prongs  70  are spaced apart from one another and have curved prong tips  72  each of which extends toward the opposite prong  70 . An axis of rotation is defined between the opposite curved prong tips  72 . Curved prong tips  72  releaseably snap fit or connect the accessory plate  60  to an air freshener clip  10 . While two projections  70  are illustrated, the accessory plate or decorative element  60  may have one, two or more projections to facilitate attachment to the clip. 
         [0037]    The accessory plate  60  is attached to the air freshener clip  10  in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . As shown, the curved prong tips  72  fit within the clip bend  22 . With the accessory plate  60  engaged or joined thereto, the air freshener clip  10  still may be mounted over a louver or slat  54  in a vent opening  52  of an automotive heating and air conditioning air grill or vent  50 . The accessory plate  60  may be rotated about the axis formed between curved prong tips  72  to adjust the position of the accessory plate front face  62  with respect to the passenger compartment of the vehicle and with respect to the vent opening  52 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the accessory plate  60  is positioned at an angle with respect to the clip bend  22  to face upwardly. 
         [0038]    The accessory plate  60  may be mounted to the air freshener clip  10  before the air freshener  10  is mounted over a louver or slat  54  in a vent opening  52  of an automotive heating and air conditioning air grill or vent  50 . The dual bend in the clip bend  22  of the clip arm  24  provides an ideal seating location for snap fitting the curved prong tips  72  of the accessory plate  60  to the air freshener  10 . The accessory plate  60  may be released by exerting a pulling force to disconnect the curved prong tips  72  from the clip bend  22 . Accordingly, different accessory plates  60  may be interchangably joined to and removed from the air freshener  10 , either before the air freshener is installed or while the air freshener remains installed over a louver or slat  54 . Alternatively, any form of accessory, including but not limited to accessory plates, may be joined to and removed from the air freshener clip  10  by releasable attachment to the curved portion  23  in clip bend  22 . 
         [0039]    The body  12  may be molded from a polymer containing at least one resin selected from the group consisting of: polyvinylchlorides (PVC), polyethylenes (PE), polyethylene terephthalates (PET), polyoxymethylene (Delrin), polyamides (nylon), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylenes, ethylene vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), copolymers thereof and mixtures thereof. The resin composition may be mixed, blended or compounded together optionally with additives known in the art and with one or more fragrance materials to form an injection-moldable mixture before injection molding. 
         [0040]    The outer portion  30  may be a different polymer resin from that selected for the body. The outer portion may be joined to the body  12  by adhesive or other attachment mechanism or may be in the form of a jacket that is over molded over the body  12  in a multiple shot molding process. In a multiple shot molding process, the body  12  is formed in a first molding step and the outer portion  30  or jacket is formed over the body  12  in a second or subsequent molding step. 
         [0041]    The outer portion  30  may be molded from at least one resin selected from the group consisting of: polyvinylchlorides (PVC), polyethylenes (PE), high density polyethylenes (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinylchoride (PVC), polypropylenes, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), such as ELVAX® EVA ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), polypropylenes, acetate, butyrate and propionate, copolymers thereof, and mixtures thereof. The resin composition may be mixed, blended or compounded together with one or more fragrance materials and optionally with other additives known to those in the art to form an injection-moldable mixture before injection molding. 
         [0042]    Most conventional fragrance materials are highly volatile essential oils. Even those which are less volatile contain highly volatile “top note” fractions which preferably are retained in the composition during processing to obtain desired fragrance power and olfactory impact by the resultant molded article. A fragrance material or a combination of fragrance materials that is compatible with the selected resin composition is preferred. The fragrance material may be a synthetically formed material or may be a naturally derived oil such as, but not limited to, the oil of Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Caraway, Cedar Leaf, Cedar Wood, Champacc, Cinnamon, Frankincense, Geranium, Lavendar, Mimosa, Orange, Orignaum, Patchouli, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Violet, White Cedar, Ylang Ylang, or the like. The particular essential oil or combination of oils to be used depends upon the particular fragrance desired for emission by the product formed. 
         [0043]    Available fragrance materials are catalogued and described in references and databases known to persons skilled in the art. For example, a database is maintained by the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials at www.rifm.org. Fragrance material suppliers include Takasago International Corp. (Rockleigh, N.J.) and Symrise (Teterboro, N.J.). Exemplary synthetic fragrance materials are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,411,829; 4,314,915 and 4,434,306. 
         [0044]    The accessory plate or decorative element  60  may be molded from a polymer containing at least one resin selected from the group consisting of: polyethylenes (PE), high density polyethylenes (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinylchoride (PVC), polypropylenes, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), acetate, butyrate and propionate, copolymers thereof, and mixtures thereof. Optionally, the resin composition may be mixed, blended or compounded together with one or more fragrance materials or other additives known to those in the art to form an injection-moldable mixture before injection molding. 
         [0045]    The invention has been illustrated with reference to joining the air freshener clip  10  to a louver  54  in a vent opening  52  of an automotive heating and air conditioning vent  50 . The air freshener clip  10  may be useful in alternative environments of use, such as attached to ducts for room heating and air conditioning or other areas exposed to air flow, and is not intended to be limited to the environment of use illustrated here. While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated here, various changes, substitutions and modifications to the described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without thereby departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.