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Patent Abstract
A refill for a liquid air freshener or insecticidal device comprising
a cartridge containing a volatile liquid composition to be evaporated
and a porous pad positioned, in use, beneath a lower face of the
cartridge to receive the liquid composition as it is slowly released
from the cartridge; wherein the porous pad is a part of a sheet
of material which is folded to at least partially surround the cartridge.
Patent Claims
We claim
1. A refill for a liquid air freshener or insecticide device comprising
a cartridge containing a volatile liquid composition to be evaporated
and a porous pad positioned, in use, beneath a lower face of the
cartridge to receive the liquid composition as it is slowly released
from the cartridge, wherein the porous pad is a part of a sheet
of material which is folded to at least partially surround the cartridge.
2. A refill according to claim 1, wherein a frame of rigid material
is attached to the cartridge and the sheet of material is attached
to the frame.
3. A refill according to claim 2, wherein the frame and sheet are
provided as a sub-assembly in which the frame has a foldable configuration
with at least some of the fold lines corresponding to fold lines
on the sheet.
4. A refill according to claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the sheet of
material comprises the porous pad, a rear panel and two side panels
which are folded inwardly towards one another from opposite sides
of the rear panel.
5. A refill according to claim 4, wherein the porous pad is foldably
attached to a bottom edge of the rear panel.
6. A refill according to claim 4, wherein the porous pad is attached
to one or both bottom edges of the side panels.
7. An air freshener or insecticide device having a housing adapted
to accommodate a refill according to claim 1.
8. An air freshener or insecticide device having a housing adapted
to accommodate a refill according to claim 4.
9. An air freshener or insecticide which comprises a housing containing
a refill according to claim 1.
10. An air freshener or insecticide device which comprises a housing
containing a refill according to claim 4.
Patent Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a refill for a liquid air
freshener or insecticidal device.
[0002] Refills are known in the art which comprise a cartridge
containing a volatile liquid composition to be evaporated and a
porous pad positioned, in use, beneath a lower face of the cartridge
to receive the liquid composition as it is slowly released from
the cartridge.
[0003] The present invention provides an improvement to such a
refill. According to the present invention, the porous pad is a
part of a sheet of material which is folded to at least partially
surround the cartridge.
[0004] Such an arrangement provides a simple way of securing the
porous pad reliably in position beneath the cartridge which does
not require a separate fitting operation by the consumer. It also
provides a more substantial package which can be easily handled
by the consumer and readily located with the housing of the air
freshener or insecticidal device.
[0005] The folded sheet may be fixed directly to the cartridge.
However, preferably, a frame of rigid material is attached to the
cartridge and the sheet of material is attached to the frame. This
provides a convenient-way of attaching the sheet firmly to the cartridge
and provides a more rigid structure which is easier for the consumer
to handle.
[0006] The frame and sheet are preferably provided as a sub-assembly
wherein the frame has a foldable configuration with at least some
of the fold lines corresponding to fold lines on the sheet.
[0007] Preferably, the sheet of material comprises the porous pad,
a rear panel and two side panels which are folded inwardly towards
one another from opposite sides of the rear panel. The porous pad
may either be foldably attached to a bottom edge of the rear panel,
or may be attached to one or both bottom edges of the side panels.
[0008] Two examples of refills constructed in accordance with the
present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0009] FIG. 1A is an exploded view of a first example showing the
assembly of the refill;
[0010] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the assembled refill;
[0011] FIG. 2A is a view similar to FIG. 1A of a second example;
and
[0012] FIG. 2B is a view similar to FIG. 1B of a second example.
[0013] The first example will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0014] The refill comprises three components, a cartridge 1, a
cardboard sheet 2, and a plastic frame 3.
[0015] The sheet 2 comprises a rear panel 4 with a base panel 5
attached along a fold line 6 to its lowermost edge. The base panel
5 provides the porous pad onto which, in use, liquid composition
is gradually dispensed from the lower end 7 of cartridge 1. Two
sheet side panels 8 are attached via fold lines 9 along the side
edges of the rear panel 4.
[0016] The sheet 2 sits on the frame 3 which has a shape which
generally conforms to the shape of the sheet 2. Thus, the frame
3 has a rear panel 14 corresponding in shape to the rear panel 4
of the sheet and a base panel 15 corresponding in shape to the base
panel 5 of the sheet and attached to the rear panel 14 of the base
along a fold line 16. The base panel 15 has an aperture 17 positioned
to allow penetration of the lower end 7 of the cartridge 1. Two
side panels 18 are attached along opposite sides of the rear panel
14 along fold lines 19. An upstanding flange 20 projects from the
bottom edge of each side panel 18. A cartridge engaging jaw member
21 projects from the outer edge of the upstanding flange 20. A second
jaw member 22 is provided towards the top of each side panel 18.
A clip 23 extends from a downwardly facing surface of the upstanding
flange 20. The clips 23 are arranged to engage in through holes
24 in the base panel 15.
[0017] To assemble the refill, the sheet 2 is positioned on the
frame 3. The side panels 8/18 are then folded inwardly in the direction
of arrows 30 until the cartridge 1 is held by jaw members 21 and
22. The base panel 5/15 is then folded upwardly in the direction
of arrow 31 so that the clips 23 clip into the holes 24, and so
that the lower end 7 of cartridge 1 is aligned with the aperture
17, thereby forming the finished refill as shown in FIG. 1B. The
clips 23 penetrate the base panel 5 to assist in securing the sheet
2 in place.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 1B, a tab 32 is provided on the lower surface
of the base panel 15 to allow the refill to be removed from the
device housing. Further, a number of slits form a star-shaped aperture
33 in the base panel 5. This aperture 33 is arranged to be pierced
by a spike in the housing into which the refill is placed. The spike
also pierces the lower end 7 of the cartridge 1 to allow flow of
the composition out of the cartridge 1 thereby initiating operation
of the device.
[0019] A second example of the invention will now be described
with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. Broadly, this has the same construction
as the first example with the cartridge 1, cardboard sheet 2 and
plastic frame 3. The sheet 2 has a similar rear panel 4 and two
adjacent side panels 8 joined to the rear panel along fold lines
9. The frame 3 has a similar rear panel 14 and adjacent side panels
18 joined to the rear panel along fold lines 19.
[0020] However, in place of the base panel 5 of the first example,
the sheet 2 is provided with a pair of base panels 40, each base
panel being attached along a fold line 41 to a lowermost edge of
a respective side panel 8. The base panels 40 are half the size
of the base panel 5 of the first example and are arranged to meet
one another when the refill is folded up to provide a similar configuration
to the base panel 5 of the first example. Each base panel 40 has
a portion with the star-shaped orifice 33. In the assembled refill,
these portions will overlap forming a porous pad of double thickness
beneath the lower end 7 of the cartridge 1.
[0021] The frame 3 has a base panel 42 attached to the lowermost
edge of the rear panel 14 via a fold line 43. Additional parts of
the base are provided by a pair of half panels 44 which extend from
the lowermost edges of respective side panels 18 and are arranged
to support the base panels 40 of the sheet 2. Each half panel 44
has a tab 32 positioned so that tabs 32 abut one another in the
assembled refill as shown in FIG. 2B.
[0022] The jaw member 21 of the first example is replaced by a
cylindrical orifice 45 which is open at its bottom end as shown
in FIG. 2B to allow the spike to penetrate when the refill is inserted
into the housing. The upper jaw members 22 of the first example
are replaced by a single jaw member 46 which is a part circular
jaw member attached to the top of an upper panel 47 which is attached
to the upper edge of the rear panel 14 along a fold line 48.
[0023] To clip the frame together, a pair of clips 49 are provided
on flanges 50 which extend upwardly from an outer edge of the base
panel 42. These engage with corresponding openings 51 in the side
panels 18. A second pair of clips 52 are provided on the top panel
47. These engage with a second pair of openings 53 in the side panels
18.
[0024] With the sheet 3 in place on the frame 3, the base panel
42 is folded up in the direction of arrow 54 so that the bottom
end of cartridge 1 is retained in cylindrical orifice 45. The top
panel 47 is folded downwardly in the direction of arrow 55 so that
the top of the cartridge 1 is retained within jaw member 46. The
side panels 18 are then folded inwardly in the direction of arrows
56 bringing the tabs 32 together, and bringing the star-shaped orifices
33 into overlapping relation beneath the lower end 7 of the cartridge
1. At the same time, the clips 49 and 52 clip into their respective
holes 51 and 53 securing the frame in place. The clips penetrate
through the cardboard sheet 2 and also serve to secure this in place.
The assembled refill can then be handled as described with reference
to the first example.
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