Abstract:
A container for containing an air freshener, comprising: (a) a first cup adapted to contain the air freshener, having a closed bottom and a first open top exposing the air freshener to the air; (b) a removable first seal covering the first open top to prevent loss of the air freshener prior to use; and (c) an attachment member on the closed bottom for connecting with a second cup to remove a second seal covering a second open top of the second cup. 
     A method of using a first container to remove a cover on a second container, comprising: (a) contacting a bottom of the first container with a top of the second container; (b) rotating the first container relative to the second container, so that attachment means on the first container attaches to the cover of the second container; (c) removing the first container from the second container, thereby removing the cover from the second container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/147,004, filed Jan. 23, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, including but not limited to those portions that specifically appear hereinafter, the incorporation by reference being made with the following exception: In the event that any portion of the above-referenced provisional application is inconsistent with this application, this application supercedes said above-referenced provisional application. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Air freshener dispensers are often located in public places such as in public restrooms. These dispensers may use containers of pressurized liquid freshener, actuated by depressing a spray head or opening a valve. Another type of air freshener uses a fan driven dispenser, wherein the air freshening material is disposed in an open container of liquid or gel. A fan causes air to blow across or onto the material, thereby vaporizing part of the freshening material and dispensing the vapor into a room. The material is contained in a cup or cartridge or other similar type of container that may be placed in the housing of the dispenser adjacent to the fan. 
         [0004]    Typically gel-based air freshener compositions have a high perfume content that makes them subject to rapid evaporation rates. Accordingly, in air freshener dispensers, cartridges containing such gels must be periodically replaced. Because of the gel volatility, it is important that the tops of cartridges containing the gels be tightly sealed at the time of manufacture and remained sealed until used. At the time of use, it is advantageous that the cartridges be easily and safely opened for positioning in a dispenser. 
         [0005]    The cartridge covers are tightly sealed, typically with aluminum foil or a metal lid. Accordingly, removal of the sealed cover presents a major safety problem. Manual removal of a seal may be difficult and time consuming. Further, manual removal of a aluminum foil or a metal lid requires exerting significant force, that may cause slipping and/or injury to the user. The use of knives or other cutting devices to remove aluminum foil or a metal lid also raises the risk of injury to the user. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A container for containing an air freshener, comprising: (a) a housing having a wall and a base for containing the air freshener, having an opening for exposing the air freshener to the air; (b) a removable cover disposed over the opening; and (c) contacting means on the housing adapted to contact an aperture of another container having a cover device over an aperture and adapted to remove the cover device from the aperture. 
         [0007]    A container for containing an air freshener, comprising: (a) a first cup adapted to contain the air freshener, having a closed bottom and a first open top exposing the air freshener to the air; (b) a removable first seal covering the first open top to prevent loss of the air freshener prior to use; and (c) an attachment member on the closed bottom for connecting with a second cup to remove a second seal covering a second open top of the second cup. 
         [0008]    A method of using a first container to remove a cover on a second container, comprising: (a) contacting a bottom of the first container with a top of the second container; (b) rotating the first container relative to the second container, so that attachment means on the first container attaches to the cover of the second container; (c) removing the first container from the second container, thereby removing the cover from the second container. 
         [0009]    A container for containing an air freshener, comprising: (a) a cup adapted to contain the air freshener, having a closed bottom and an open top exposing the air freshener to the air; (b) a seal over the open top to seal the air freshener from evaporation or vaporization until ready for use; and (c) a plurality of members disposed in the cup to provide for additional surface area for the air freshener to evaporate or vaporize after the seal has been removed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    In the detailed description that follows, reference will be made to the following Figures, in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a prior art exploded view of an air freshener unit; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of two refill cartridges according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of a depleted cup according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of the cup shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a partial close-up view of a portion of the bottom perspective view of the cup shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the depleted cup shown in  FIG. 2 , disposed above a refill cup of like dimensions; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of the depleted cup and refill cup of  FIG. 6  in mated position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7B  is a partial close-up view of a portion of the perspective view shown in  FIG. 7A ; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the depleted cup and refill cup of  FIG. 6  in separated position after removal of a foil seal. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Before the present apparatus and methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such configurations, process steps, and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 
         [0021]    The publications and other reference materials referred to herein to describe the background of the invention and to provide additional detail regarding its practice are hereby incorporated by reference. The references discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention. 
         [0022]    It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0023]    Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. 
         [0024]    In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below. 
         [0025]    As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is to be interpreted as including the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.” 
         [0026]    As used herein, “consisting of” and grammatical equivalents thereof exclude any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim. 
         [0027]    As used herein, “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof limit the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic or characteristics of the claimed invention. 
         [0028]    A prior art dispenser unit  100 , shown in  FIG. 1 , comprises a front cover  102  having air vents  103 , and a back piece  104 . A disposable cartridge  106  having perfumed air freshener gel  108  is disposed in a cup holder  110 . A battery-powered fan unit  112  is mounted over the cartridge  106  when it is positioned in holder  110 . In use, the cover  102  is attached to the back piece  104  and the fan unit  112  is actuated. The resulting increased air flow over the open cartridge  106  causes an increase in evaporation of the air freshener gel  108 , which is blown through the air vents  103  and into the surrounding air. 
         [0029]    The present invention provides a mechanism for removing a foil seal that can be cut using a built-in safe cutting tool. The cutting tool is designed so that there are no exposed blades and it is safe for the user. The user may remove an expended refill cup and position it on top of the new refill cup. The user pushes the expended cup down over the refill cup and twists the expended cup causing substantial rotation of the expended cup relative to the refill cup. As a result, the foil of the new cup is cut open and caught by the cutting pieces in the bottom of the expended cup. When the expended cup is separated from the refill cup, the cut foil is pulled free of the refill cup, allowing access to the gel in the new cup. The new cup is then ready to be inserted into the fan dispenser and used as intended. 
         [0030]    The present invention concerns a new structure of an air freshener refill cartridge for an air freshener dispenser. Referring to  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of the present invention shows two cartridges in the form of sealed refill cups  120 . Each cup  122  has a circular shape  124  and is filled with an air-freshening gel (not shown here). The top of each cup  122  is tightly sealed by an aluminum foil  126 . The bottom of each cup  128  has a unique structure comprising a plurality of cutting pieces, two of which are shown at  130   a  and  130   b . The function of these cutting pieces will be subsequently shown and discussed. 
         [0031]    Looking at  FIG. 3 , a refill cup  160  according to the present invention is shown, depleted of its gel (not shown here). A plurality of concentric and radial sections  162  are shown that facilitate gel evaporation by providing many cup surfaces each of which interfaces with the gel. As the gel evaporates and shrinks, spaces develop between each section  162  and the gel. Thus, in addition to the surface area provided at the flat surface of the gel, the spaces between each section  162  and the gel substantially increase the total evaporation surface area. This greatly enhances the air freshening capability of the new cartridge. 
         [0032]    In  FIG. 3 , the base  166  of the depleted cup  160  has a skirt  167  with a greater diameter than the rest of cup  160 , so that base  166  will fit over the top of another refill cup of the same dimensions. A slot  168  is shown for aligning the depleted cup  160  with a cartridge holder (not shown here) in an air freshening unit similar to the unit  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . The skirt  167  is slightly taller than the cutting blades, so that the blades are not exposed. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the bottom  170  of cup  160  is shown. Below the skirt  167  is a circumferential ledge  172  for engaging the top of new refill cup of like structure (not shown here) so that the bottom  170  of the depleted cup  160  and top of the new refill cup mate with each other. Two blades  174  and  175  having inclined cutting surfaces  176  and  177  are circumferentially spaced from each other and disposed just inside of the ledge  172 . Two other blades (not shown here) are similarly space around the bottom  170 , just inside of the ledge  172 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  shows a close-up view of cutting piece  174  relative to ledge  172  and the skirt  167 . A small space  178  is shown between cutting piece  174  and ledge  172 . Space  178  is instrumental in trapping the foil of another refill cup (not shown here) so as to easily remove the foil from the cup. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , the operation of the disclosed embodiment of the present invention is shown. Depleted cup  160  is disposed over the top of a new refill cup  190  of like structure. A foil seal  194  covers the top  192  of the refill cup  190 . The base  166  of depleted cup  160  is positioned to mate with the top  192  of new refill cup  190  so that blades  174  and  175 , as well as partially viewed blades  184  and  185 , will cut into the periphery of the foil seal  194 . Beneath foil seal  194  is a gel  196  and the tops of a plurality of sections  198  of the type previously described herein. As shown by the arrows  197  and  199 , the depleted cup  160  is meant to be moved downward toward new refill cup  190 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 7A  shows the depleted cup  160  and new refill cup  190  in fully mated position with the skirt  167  of the depleted cup  160  entirely covering the top  192  of the new refill cup  190 . The ledge  172  (not shown here) ensures that the depleted cup  160  may not be pushed too far down into the new refill cup  190 . As shown by arrows  193  and  195 , depleted cup  160  may be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise relative to new refill cup  190  sufficient to cut into the foil seal  194  (not shown here). In one embodiment, the rotation of depleted cup  160  relative to new refill cup  190  is approximately 45 degrees to 90 degrees. 
         [0037]      FIG. 7B  is a close up view of cutting member  174 . As depleted cup  160  is rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise with respect to new refill cup  190 , cutting member  174  slices through foil seal  194  to leave an opening  191  around the periphery of foil seal  194 . 
         [0038]    Looking now at  FIG. 8 , depleted cup  160  has been removed from new refill cup  190 . Foil seal  194  has been caught by teeth  174 ,  175 ,  184 ,  185  to detach from new refill cup  190  as depleted cup  160  is removed. The surface of gel  196  and the tops of a plurality of sections  198  are now exposed to enable the evaporation action of the gel to begin. Depleted cup  160  and removed foil seal  194  may be discarded or recycled. 
         [0039]    As shown herein, the preferred embodiment of this invention enables the opening of refill cups without the use of knives or other sharp objects that might injure a user. The invention enables one to prepare freshener containers for use in a fast, easy, and safe manner. 
         [0040]    It should be understood that the embodiment shown herein is only one embodiment of the invention, and many variations of the present embodiment will fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, rather than being made of plastic, the cups shown herein may be made partially or completely of metal or other suitable material. Other types, shapes and numbers of blades may be used beside those that are shown herein, as well as their positioning on the bottom of a cup. In addition, attachment members, such as magnetic means, rather than blades, may be used to attach to and remove the foil seal. Further, the foil seal may be replaced by other sealing means over the top of the gel, such as a metal lid. In addition, other types of air fresheners, including liquids and solids, may be used instead of gels. As used herein, the term “air freshener” refers to any type and composition of freshener, deodorant or other substance that may be used to clean the air, neutralize or mask odors, or to stimulate the olfactory senses. 
         [0041]    It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit, characteristics or coverage of the present invention. The present example and embodiment are to be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not intended to be limited to the details of the described embodiments. Rather, the invention is defined by the claims, and as broadly as the prior art will permit.