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Patent Abstract
The invention concerns 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, 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 along at least one fold line which, in use, extends substantially
vertically to at least partially surround the cartridge, the sheet
of material and cartridge being supported in a frame.
Patent Claims
1. 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, 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 along at least
one fold line which, in use, extends substantially vertically to
at least partially surround the cartridge, the sheet of material
and cartridge being supported in a frame.
2. A refill according to claim 1, wherein the sheet of material
comprises the porous pad, a rear panel and two side panels which
are folded inwardly along the vertical fold lines towards one another
from opposite sides of the rear panel.
3. A refill according to claim 2, wherein the porous pad is foldably
attached to a bottom edge of the rear panel along a fold line which,
in use, is substantially horizontal.
4. A refill according to claim 2, wherein the porous pad is attached
to one or both bottom edges of the side panels along a fold line
which, in use, is substantially horizontal.
5. An air freshener device having a refill according to claim 1
any one of the preceding claims.
6. A refill according to claim 1 any one of the preceding claims,
wherein the folded sheet is retained in the frame by the resilience
of the folded structure.
7. A refill according to claim 1 any one of the preceding claims,
wherein the frame is non-foldable.
8. 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, 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, the sheet of material and cartridge
being supported in a frame; wherein the sheet of material is folded
to meet the cartridge towards the end of the cartridge opposite
to the end from which the composition is released.
9. 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, 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, the sheet of material and cartridge
being supported in a frame; wherein the cartridge is retained in
at least one pair of resilient jaws in the frame.
10. A refill according to claim 9, wherein the cartridge is retained
in two pairs of resilient jaws, the pairs being spaced along the
length of the cartridge.
11. A method of manufacturing 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, 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,
the sheet of material and cartridge being supported in a frame;
the method comprising the steps of: folding the porous pad over
a mandrel; removing the mandrel from the folded pad; and inserting
the folded pad into the frame, so that the folded pad is retained
within the frame by the resilience of the folded structure.
12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising the step
of inserting the cartridge into the frame from the opposite direction
to the direction in which the pad is inserted on the mandrel.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the cartridge is retained
in at least one pair of resilient jaws in the frame.
14. A method of making 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, 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, the sheet of
material and cartridge being supported in a frame; the method comprising
the steps of: inserting the folded pad into the frame in a first
direction; and inserting the cartridge into the frame in a second
direction in which is opposite to the first direction.
15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the cartridge is retained
in at least one pair of resilient jaws in the frame.
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 a first aspect of the present invention, there
is provided 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, to receive
the liquid composition as it is slowly released under gravity 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.
[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] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there
is provided 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, 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 along at least one fold line which, in use, extends substantially
vertically to at least partially surround the cartridge, the sheet
of material and cartridge being supported in a frame.
[0006] The provision of a pad with vertical fold lines has the
advantage that the assembly of the sheet of material and frame is
simply carried out by folding the sheet of material on a mandrel
which folded material is then inserted into the frame. Complementary
tags may be provided on the sheet and frame in order to guarantee
precise location of the sheet within the frame. The folded sheet
is retained in the frame by the resilience of the folded structure.
[0007] Preferably, the sheet of material comprises the porous pad,
a rear panel and two side panels which are folded inwardly along
the vertical fold lines 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 along a fold line which, in
use, is substantially horizontal.
[0008] The frame and sheet may be 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. Alternatively,
however, the frame has a non-foldable configuration as this lends
itself to the manufacturing method with the mandrel described above.
[0009] According to a third aspect of the present invention there
is provided 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, 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, the sheet of
material and cartridge being supported in a frame; wherein the sheet
of material is folded to meet the cartridge towards the end of the
cartridge opposite to the end from which the composition is released.
[0010] By folding the sheet of material to meet the top end of
the cartridge, the stability of the refill structure is enhanced
as this top part supports the pad against the cartridge, and also
can provide support for side panels of the sheet if these are present.
[0011] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there
is provided 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, 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, the sheet of
material and cartridge being supported in a frame; wherein the cartridge
is retained in at least one pair of resilient jaws in the frame.
[0012] Providing a pair of resilient jaws to receive the cartridge
provides a secure means of retaining the cartridge on the frame.
Further, the manufacturing process is simplified as the cartridge
is simply required to be moved in a single direction to ensure that
it is retained on the frame. Preferably two pairs of resilient jaws
are provided spaced along the length of the cartridge.
[0013] The present invention also extends to a method of manufacturing
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, 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, the sheet of material and cartridge
being supported in a frame; the method comprising the steps of:
folding the porous pad over a mandrel; removing the mandrel from
the folded pad; and inserting the folded pad into the frame, so
that the folded pad is retained within the frame by the resilience
of the folded structure.
[0014] Such a method provides a way of assembling the sheet of
material into the frame which simply requires a two-stage process:
folding on a mandrel and inserting into the frame. Preferably the
frame is formed in a non-foldable configuration.
[0015] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of inserting
the cartridge into the frame from the opposite direction to the
direction in which the pad is inserted on the mandrel. This again
facilitates the assembly procedure as the mechanisms for inserting
the sheet of material and cartridge allow both to be inserted independently
without interference from the other.
[0016] Preferably, the cartridge is retained in at least one pair
of resilient jaws in the frame. Again, this facilitates insertion
of the cartridge in a single direction.
[0017] This aspect of the method forms an independent aspect of
the present invention which can broadly be defined as a method of
making 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, 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, the sheet of
material and cartridge being supported in a frame; the method comprising
the steps of: inserting the folded pad into the frame in a first
direction; and inserting the cartridge into the frame in a second
direction in which is opposite to the first direction.
[0018] Three examples of refills constructed in accordance with
the present invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1A is an exploded view of a first example showing the
assembly of the refill;
[0020] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the assembled refill;
[0021] FIG. 2A is a view similar to FIG. 1A of a second example;
[0022] FIG. 2B is a view similar to FIG. 1B of a second example;
[0023] FIGS. 3A and D are similar views to FIGS. 1A and 1B of a
third example;
[0024] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the folded sheet of the
third example of FIG. 3A; and
[0025] FIG. 3C is a view similar to FIG. 3D without the cartridge.
[0026] The first example will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0027] The refill comprises three components, a cartridge 1, a
cardboard sheet 2, and a plastic frame 3.
[0028] 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.
[0029] 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.
[0030] 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.
[0031] 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.
[0032] The second example 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.
[0033] 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.
[0034] 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.
[0035] 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.
[0036] 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.
[0037] 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.
[0038] The third example will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C. Again this has broadly the same construction
as the first and second examples 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 sheet 2 has a similar base panel 5 to that of
the first example, and in addition has a single end panel 60 which
is attached to the rear panel 4 along the fold line 61. The end
panel 60 has an arcuate cut out 62, to accommodate the outer wall
of the cartridge 1, when the sheet is in position within the frame
3.
[0039] The frame 3 differs from the frame of the second example
in that it is a non-foldable frame which is not provided in an assembleable
form. It is manufactured as a moulding in a preassembled form as
shown in FIG. 3C. The sheet 2 is folded on a mandrel along each
of the fold lines to form the structure as shown in FIG. 3B. The
mandrel is a metal block with an end face shaped generally in the
shape of the rear panel 4. The mandrel is then removed from the
folded sheet manually and the folded sheet is inserted manually
into an open underside of the frame 3. The resilience of the folded
sheet retains it in place in the frame. The base panel 5 is supported
by the frame 3 in a position such that the lower end of the cartridge
7 will rest on or very close thereto, when it is inserted in the
frame 3. The cartridge 1 is inserted into the frame 3 so that it
is supported by clip members 63, 64 at each end of the frame 3 in
the correct position relative to the base panel 5. The assembled
refill can then be handled as described above, with reference to
the first example.
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