Patent Publication Number: US-2017348453-A1

Title: Odor Mitigating Media Caddy

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 62/346,285 filed Jun. 6, 2016 titled Media Deployment Device which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to air freshening devices and, more particularly, to a caddy for selectively retaining and protecting an odor reducing medium such as a dryer sheet. 
     Mitigating or eliminating stale, musty, or debris related odors from closets, utility rooms, trunks, or automobile interior areas is a common goal of various products. For instance, air freshener sprays, odor eating solids, and hanging fresheners are well known. In addition, odor absorbing or scented dryer sheets (typically tossed into a load of laundry being dried in a residential dryer) are placed by residents on closet shelves, automobile floorboards, car trunks, etc. to freshen those areas. Dryer sheets have even been found to have rodent and insect repellant properties. Although dryer sheets are indeed effective for their intended purposes, dryer sheets have the inevitable disadvantages of getting pushed to the side, becoming buried under boxes, blowing away, or otherwise not staying where they are intended and needed. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to have a framework (caddy) for holding, retaining, and protecting an odor mitigating or eliminating sheet, such as a dryer sheet, that enables many alternative uses of the sheet to be accomplished much more successfully than using the sheet by itself. Further, it would be desirable to have a caddy that retains a dryer sheet or similar media for placement in locations such as attics, basements, garden sheds, outdoor storage units, RV&#39;s, boats, and the like in a manner that it will stay where placed or hung. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An odor mitigating caddy according to the present invention includes first and second frame members each having opposed front and rear edges, respective rear edges being pivotally coupled together with a living hinge such that the frame members are selectively movable between a closed configuration at which the front edges, respectively, are generally adjacent one another and an open configuration at which the front edges, respectively, are separated from one another. The first and second frame members are defined by peripheral edges and include first and second grate members extending between respective peripheral edges, respectively. A porous odor mitigating sheet is held between the frame and grate members. First and second frame members include aligned first and second hook members so that the caddy is selectively suspended from a closet rod or the like. 
     Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide an odor mitigating caddy suitable for holding, protecting, and preventing loss of an odor mitigating sheet or a fragrance emitting sheet. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide an odor mitigating caddy, as aforesaid, having a pair of frames that sandwich a dryer sheet and have a hook member making the caddy able to be hung where needed. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an odor mitigating caddy according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in a substantially closed configuration; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the odor mitigating caddy as in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the odor mitigating caddy as in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4 a    is a perspective view of the odor mitigating caddy as in  FIG. 1 , illustrated in a partially open configuration; 
         FIG. 4 b    is a perspective view of the odor mitigating caddy as in  FIG. 1 , illustrated in a closed configuration. 
         FIG. 4 c    is a perspective view of the odor mitigating caddy as in  FIG. 1 , illustrated in a fully open configuration. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     An odor mitigating caddy according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4   c  of the accompanying drawings. The odor mitigating caddy  10  includes a first frame member  20  (“upper frame structure), a second frame member (“lower frame structure”), and respective first and second hook members  28 ,  38 . 
     The first frame member  20  includes opposed front  22  and rear  24  edges. In like manner, the second frame member  30  includes opposed front  32  and rear  34  edges. Respective rear edges  24 ,  34  are pivotally coupled together such that the frame members are selectively movable between a closed configuration at which respective front edges  22 ,  32  are adjacent and immediately proximate one another ( FIG. 4 b   ) and an open configuration in which respective front edges  22 ,  32  are displaced and separated from one another ( FIG. 4 a   ). It is understood that an odor absorbing sheet, fragrance sheet, or other porous odor mitigating medium may be inserted between the frame members when the respective frame members are at the open configuration. The odor mitigating medium  12  is held in a substantially stationary position between the frame members  20 ,  30  when they are again positioned at the closed configuration. The rear edges  24 ,  34  may have a singular construction in the form of a living hinge, although separate construction connected by a traditional hinge would also work. 
     The configuration of the odor mitigating caddy  10  is defined by respective peripheral edges of respective frame members. In the preferred embodiment, the frame members have a rectangular or square configuration although a circular, oval, triangular or irregular shape configuration would also work. In any case, the frame members are substantially symmetrical in shape and design. More particularly, the first frame member  20  includes first peripheral edges and the second frame member  30  includes second peripheral edges generally aligned with the first peripheral edges so that the odor mitigating caddy  10  has a uniform and symmetrical configuration. Each frame member includes a porous grate structure extending between respective peripheral edges so that ambient air is able to move freely and efficiently into, out of, and through the frame members. Specifically, the first frame member  20  includes a first grate member  26  extending substantially between the first peripheral edges of the first frame member  20 . The second frame member  30  includes a second grate member  36  extending substantially between the second peripheral edges of the second frame member  30 . Each grate member may be a wire frame having wires or support members in a single direction such that, together, they form a horizontal-vertical pattern or, alternatively, each grate member may include both horizontal and vertical support members arranged in a grid-like pattern. In any case, the grate members cooperate to minimize any migration of a sheet of odor mitigating or fragrance media. 
     In another aspect, a first hook member  28  may be coupled to a respective peripheral edge of the first frame member  20  and is configured to hang the odor mitigating caddy  10  from a building support structure, e.g. a closet rail, corresponding hook or fastener, appliance handle, or other structure where odor mitigation is desired. More particularly, a respective peripheral edge of the first frame member  20  may include a bent portion extending inwardly into a first interior area  29  defined by the first grate member  26 . In the preferred embodiment, the first interior area  29  and first hook member  28  (which is formed by the bent portion) are adjacent the front edge  22  of the first frame member  20 . The front edge  22  of the first frame member  20  defines a first outlet opening  27  which enables access into the first interior area  29 . It is understood that the first interior area  29  and first outlet opening  27  are essentially voids that enables the first hook member  28  to be hooked onto an external structure. 
     Similarly, a second hook member  38  may be coupled to a respective peripheral edge of the second frame member  30  and is configured to hang the odor mitigating caddy  10  from a building support structure, e.g. a closet rail, corresponding hook or fastener, appliance handle, or other structure where odor mitigation is desired. More particularly, a respective peripheral edge of the second frame member  30  may include a bent portion extending inwardly into a second interior area  39  defined by the first grate member  26 . In the preferred embodiment, the second interior area  39  and second hook member  38  (which is formed by the bent portion) are adjacent the front edge  32  of the second frame member  30 . The front edge  32  of the second frame member  30  defines a second outlet opening  37  which enables access into the first interior area  29 . It is understood that the second interior area  39  and second outlet opening  37  are essentially voids that enables the second hook member  38  to be hooked onto an external structure. The second hook member  38 , second interior area  39 , and second outlet opening  37  are aligned with corresponding structures of the first frame member  20  described above. 
     In another aspect, at least one fastener combination is coupled to corresponding respective edges of the first and second frame members  20 ,  30 . Preferably, one fastener combination is mounted to one end of respective front edges of respective frame members while a second fastener combination is mounted to a second (opposed) end of respective front edges. Each fastener combination may include a first element  42  coupled to one front edge and a complementary receiver element  44  coupled to a corresponding front edge. For example, suitable fastener combinations include snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, magnets, clasps, hooks, friction-fit structures, and the like. In use, the fastener combinations securely maintain the frame members in the closed configuration until overcome manually to move to the open configuration. 
     In use, the first and second frame members  20 ,  30  may be pivotally moved to the open configuration and a dryer sheet (or other fragrance or odor mitigating medium) inserted. Then, the frame members may be moved back to the closed configuration to prevent migration of the sheet. The frame members may be locked in place as described above. The odor mitigation caddy  10  may then be hung from a closet rail, placed in an attic, automobile trunk, or even tossed into a clothes dryer so as to deodorize or impart a fragrance to a surrounding area as desired. 
     It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.