Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Slow diffusers – Garment or body attached
Reexamination Certificate
1993-12-03
2001-05-08
Harrison, Robert H. (Department: 1619)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Slow diffusers
Garment or body attached
C424S076400, C036S071000, C036S001000, C036S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227458
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
According to Robert T. Maleeny and William F. Palmer, Environmental Odor Control, Soap/Cosmetics/Chemical Specialties for January 1991, pp. 28-31, malodors are usually caused by chemicals that are perceived at very low concentrations. Although malodors may not be dangerous to health at low levels, they can affect one's enjoyment of the environment. Maleeny and Palmer disclose that the perfumers of ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe practised masking by deodorizing through the use of perfumes, colognes and sachets. The authors also suggested that foot care can be one of many applications for malodor counteractants. However, there are few, if any commercially available perfume deodorizers in which the perfume component of the deodorizer can be releasably attached to and removed from the interior of a shoe, and still provide sufficient perfume to mask foot or shoe odors. Part of the problem of constructing such a deodorizer lies in the relatively high loading of fragrance in the component containing the perfume (ie. about 10 milligrams (mg) or greater) necessary to mask the foot and shoe odors. Such concentrated loadings of fragrance in the perfume component can cause the adhesive holding the deodorizer to the footwear to soften, causing the deodorizer to loosen from the footwear. In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a convenient deodorizer for masking foot and shoe odors in which the perfume component could be easily applied to and removed from the shoe interior. It would also be desirable to provide a deodorizer for masking foot and shoe odors through controlled release of fragrance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first embodiment, the present invention is directed toward a deodorizer for masking foot and shoe odors, comprising:
a) a patch containing fragrance in amounts effective to mask foot and shoe odors;
b) a fastener having means for securing said fastener to the interior surface of a shoe; and
c) means attached to said fragrance containing patch and means attached to said fastener providing releasable interlocking surfaces which engage upon pressing together said interlocking surfaces of said patch and said fastener and release upon pulling said surfaces apart.
In a more limited embodiment, the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said fragrance-containing patch is a surface containing loops or fibrous material and the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said fastener contains velcro hooks for interlocking with said loop or fibrous material of said fragrance-containing patch.
In a second embodiment, the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said fragrance-containing patch is a surface containing velcro hooks and the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said fastener contains loop or fibrous material for interlocking with said velcro hooks of said fragrance-containing patch.
In another embodiment, the present invention is directed towards a deodorizer for masking foot and shoe odors, comprising:
a) a patch containing fragrance in amounts effective to mask foot and shoe odors;
b) a retaining ring having an opening into which said fragrance-containing patch is inserted into and said retaining ring also having means for securing said fastener to the interior surface of a shoe;
c) a cap for maintaining said patch within said retaining ring; and
d) means attached to said retaining ring and means attached to said cap providing releasable interlocking surfaces which engage upon pressing together said interlocking surfaces of said retaining ring and said cap and release upon pulling said surfaces apart.
In a more limited embodiment, the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said retaining ring is a surface containing velcro hooks and the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said cap contains loop or fibrous material for interlocking with said velcro hooks of said retaining ring.
In another more limited embodiment, the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said retaining ring is a surface containing loops or fibrous material and the means providing a releasable interlocking surface for said cap contains velcro hooks for interlocking with said loop or fibrous material of said retaining ring.
In a third embodiment, the present invention is directed toward a method for deodorizing foot and shoe odors comprising attaching to the interior of a shoe the deodorizer comprising:
a) a patch containing fragrance in amounts effective to mask foot and shoe odors;
b) a fastener having means for securing said fastener to the interior surface of a shoe; and
c) means attached to said fragrance containing patch and means attached to said fastener providing releasable interlocking surfaces which engage upon pressing together said interlocking surfaces of said patch and said fastener and release upon pulling said surfaces apart.
In a fourth embodiment, the present invention is directed toward a method for deodorizing foot and shoe odors comprising attaching to the interior of a shoe the deodorizer comprising:
a) a patch containing fragrance in amounts effective to mask foot and shoe odors;
b) a retaining ring having an opening into which said fragrance-containing patch is inserted into and said retaining ring also having means for securing said fastener to the interior surface of a shoe;
c) a cap for maintaining said patch within said retaining ring; and
d) means attached to said retaining ring and means attached to said cap providing releasable interlocking surfaces which engage upon pressing together said interlocking surfaces of said retaining ring and said cap and release upon pulling said surfaces apart.
Preferably, the deodorizer, including its components, ie. patch, fastener and cap are circular in shape. Also preferred is that the means for securing said fastener or said retaining ring to the interior of a shoe is a pressure-sensitive adhesive. In a more preferred embodiment, the fragranced patch is made of a carrier containing a mixture of fragrance and polymer binder. Preferably, the carrier is made of a non-woven felt, such as derived from polypropylene fibers. Also preferred is that the amount of fragrance in the patch ranges from about 10 milligrams or greater. Also preferred is that the polymer binder is polyvinylpyrrolidone.
The present invention has the advantage of masking undesirable odors in a shoe by the controlled release of fragrance lasting over a normal day's wear. A second advantage is that the controlled fragrance release can be triggered by moisture from the foot, thus minimizing fragrance loss from the patch prior to application to the foot or footwear, or during periods when the footwear is not in use. Where a felt carrier is employed, a third advantage of present invention is that it reduces the tackiness at the exposed surface of the fragrance patch. A fourth advantage of the present invention is that the patch containing the fragrance is easy to insert and remove with the need for little or no adhesive (other than the adhesive for securing the device to the shoe), since the deodorizer utilizes its loops/velcro hooks or a capped type construction to hold the patch in place. A fifth advantage of the present deodorizer is that it will stay secured to the footwear even when the deodorizer is moistened or wetted.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2973286 (1961-02-01), Ulrich
patent: 3655129 (1972-04-01), Seiner
patent: 3685734 (1972-08-01), Paciorek et al.
patent: 4051159 (1977-09-01), Tsoucalas et al.
patent: 4161284 (1979-07-01), Rattan
patent: 4283011 (1981-08-01), Spector
patent: 4284444 (1981-08-01), Bernstein et al.
patent: 4316333 (1982-02-01), Rothschild
patent: 4419396 (1983-12-01), Sugimoto
patent: 4493869 (1985-01-01), Sweeny et al.
patent: 4605592 (1986-08-01), Paquette et al.
patent: 4654256 (1987-03-01), Doree et al.
patent: 4694590 (1987-09-01), Greenawalt
patent: 4696844 (1987-09-01), Spector
patent: 4701536 (1987-10-01), Klingen et al.
patent: 4714655 (1987-12-01), Bordoli et al.
patent: 4720409 (1988-01-01), Spe
Dever Gerald R.
Laughlin Thomas J.
Rogers William S.
Hadad Henry S.
Harrison Robert H.
Lipka Robert J.
Schering-Plough Healthcare Products Inc.
LandOfFree
Deodorizer does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Deodorizer, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Deodorizer will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2497121