Air freshener and insect repellant

Details Air freshener and insect repellant Air freshener and insect repellant

2001-01-23

2001-11-20

Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)

Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preser

For deodorizing of, or chemical purification of, or...

Including means adding material into environmental gas

C424S412000, C051S302000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06319478

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cedar products utilized as air fresheners and insect repellants.
II. Description of Related Art
Cedar products have long been used both as air fresheners as well as insect repellants. Most notably, the aroma from cedar products is known to repel certain types of insects, such as moths.
These previously known cedar products have come in a number of different sizes, shapes and configurations. For example, in one type of previously known cedar product, cedar blocks or cedar balls are placed in clothes closets or clothes drawers which may be subject to insect infestation.
One disadvantage of the previously known cedar products which are used as air fresheners and insect repellants is that such cedar products emit the cedar aroma necessary to freshen the air and repel insects by diffusing the aroma from the surface of the cedar product. After a period of time, however, the diffusion of the aroma from the cedar products dissipates the source of the aroma from the surface of the cedar product thus decreasing the amount of the aroma. When this happens, the amount of aroma emanating from the cedar product is so minor that the cedar product is no longer effective in either freshening the air or repelling insects.
It has been known, however, that the freshness of the cedar scent from the cedar products can be restored by abrading the surface of the cedar product with sandpaper or other abrasives. Such abrasives remove the top layer from the outer surface of the cedar product thus exposing “fresh” cedar and restoring the emission of the cedar aroma from the cedar product.
In practice, however, users of cedar products have found it inconvenient to abrade the outer surface of the cedar product after prolonged use in order to restore the freshness to that cedar product. Instead, many users have simply discarded the old cedar product and replaced it with new cedar product. While effective, this previously known procedure is wasteful and expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention provides an air freshener/insect repellant which overcomes all of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previously known devices.
In brief, the air freshener/insect repellant of the present invention comprises a housing having a wall section. An abrasive strip, such as a strip of sandpaper, is then secured to at least a portion of that wall portion.
A cedar block is then movably mounted to the housing so that, upon movement of the cedar block relative to the housing, the abrasive strip abrades an outer surface of the cedar block. In doing so, the abrasive strip removes an outer aged layer from the cedar block thus restoring the cedar block to a fresh condition in which the aroma from the cedar block is restored.
There are several different preferred embodiments of the present invention. In one preferred embodiment, the housing is generally rectangular and tubular in shape with the abrasive strip positioned on the inside surface of the housing. The cedar product is then slidably mounted through the interior of the housing and is dimensioned so that, upon movement of the cedar block relative to the housing, the abrasive strip secured to the housing abrades the outer surface of the cedar block.
In still a further embodiment of the present invention, the housing is generally tubular and cylindrical in shape with the abrasive strip secured to at least a portion of the interior surface of the housing. The cedar block, in turn, is cylindrical in shape and disposed within the interior cavity of the housing. Furthermore, the cedar block is dimensioned so that, upon rotation of the cedar block relative to the housing, the abrasive strip secured to the housing abrades and removes the outer surface of the cedar block.
In both cases, the housing preferably includes at least one and preferably several ventilation openings to expose the outer surface of the cedar block to the outside of the housing. Furthermore, a resilient pad is preferably sandwiched in between the abrasive strip and the housing to ensure contact between the abrasive strip and the cedar block.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view illustrating a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a view taken substantially along line
2
—
2
in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a view similar to
FIG. 1
, but illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4
is a sectional view taken substantially along line
4
—
4
in
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 5
is an elevational view of still a further preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 6
is a view taken substantially along line
6
—
6
in FIG.
5
.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4918871 (1990-04-01), Widmann
patent: 5098713 (1992-03-01), Mattesky

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