AIR FRESHENING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES

ASSAINISSEUR D'AIR POUR AUTOMOBILES

English Abstract

A device for allowing either perfumed materials or deodorizing materials to
the surrounding
vehicle known as an air freshener including a clip device holding the material
and adapted to be
connected to an air vent fin which vents warmed or cooled air into a space.
The device is adapted
to be inserted into the vent where it will be less intrusive into space
outside the vent.

Claims

CLAIMS
1. ~An air freshener for mounting to an air grill including parallel louvers
spaced apart a
predetermined distance to define air passages therebetween and comprising:
a unitary flat stock of fragrance impregnated resilient thermoplastic material
configured to
form a fork having a length and width, said fork defining parallel tines of a
width less than the
predetermined distance for receipt in passages disposed on opposite sides of a
selected louver;
said tines spaced laterally apart and being sufficiently resilient to be
received over said selected
louver, said tines being formed with openings spaced along the length thereof
for flow of air
therethrough for release of fragrance therefrom; and
said fork further including a hand grip on the closed end thereof whereby said
hand grip may
be grasped and said tines flexed to be inserted straddling the selected louver
so as to be received in
the selected passages to divide the passages for flow of air on opposite sides
of said fork.
2. ~An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said tines are wider than they are thick.
3. ~An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
at least one of said tines includes a protrusion projecting laterally toward
said other tine to
form a stop to be registered behind said selected louver.
4. ~An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said tines are formed with a uniform thickness defining planar surfaces on the
opposite sides
thereof.
5. ~An air freshener as set forth in claim 5 wherein:
said fork includes a portion on the closed end thereof projecting laterally of
the extended plane
of one side of said tine to form said hand grasp.
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6. ~An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said fork includes a transverse tab defining said hand grasp.
7. ~An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said tines are formed with respective widths greater than one-half said
predetermined distance.
8. An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said tines are formed with respective widths sufficient to project
substantially across said
predetermined distance defined by the spacing between said louvers.
9. ~An air freshener for mounting to an air grill including parallel louvers
spaced apart a
predetermined distance to define air passages therebetween and comprising:
a unitary flat stock of fragrance impregnated resilient material configured to
form a fork having
a length and width, said fork defining parallel tines of a width less than
said predetermined distance
for receipt in passages disposed on opposite sides of a selected louver;
said tines spaced laterally apart and being sufficiently resilient to be
received over the selected
louver; and
said fork further including a hand grip on the closed end thereof whereby said
hand grip may
be grasped and said tines flexed to be inserted straddling the selected louver
so as to be received in
the selected passages to divide the passages for flow of air on opposite sides
of said fork.
10. An air freshener for mounting to an air grill including parallel louvers
spaced apart a
predetermined distance to define air passages therebetween and comprising:
a unitary flat stock of fragrance impregnated resilient material configured to
form a fork having
a length and width, said fork defining parallel tines of a width less than
said predetermined distance
for receipt in passages disposed on opposite sides of a selected louver;
said tines spaced laterally apart and being sufficiently resilient to be
received over the said
selected louver, at least one of said tines further including a stop spaced
from the closed end of said
fork a distance greater than the width of the selected louver and projecting
toward the other said tine
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for receipt of the selected louver between said tine behind said stop; and
said fork further including a hand grip on the closed end thereof whereby said
hand grip may
be grasped and said tines flexed to be inserted straddling the selected louver
so as to be received in
the selected passages to divide the passages for flow of air on opposite sides
of said fork.
11. An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said fork is constructed with said tines having confronting edges normally
spaced apart, at least
one of said tines being formed on its confronting edge with a stop projecting
laterally toward the other
of said tines but terminating short of said confronting edge of said other of
said tines to leave a space.
12. An air freshener as set forth in claim 11 wherein:
said other of said tines includes a stop projecting laterally of said other of
said tines toward
the first mentioned stop but terminating short thereof to leave a space
between said stops.
13. An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said fork is formed from a sheet of polymer material.
14. An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said holes project through the thickness of said tines.
15. A method of making an air freshener for mounting over a louver of an air
grill having parallel
louvers spaced apart a predetermined distance and including:
selecting a polyethylene material;
impregnating said polyethylene material with a fragrance;
forming said fragrance impregnated polyethylene material in the shape of a
fork having a pair
of resilient parallel tines projecting longitudinally and spaced so as to be
fitted over a selected louver
and formed with a width to project laterally in the spaces on the respective
opposite sides of such
louver for receiving air flow along the opposite sides thereof;
forming said tines with openings spaced along the length thereof for enhancing
air flow for
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carrying the impregnated fragrance into the air flow; and
forming the fork on the closed end with a hand grasp element.
16. The method set forth in claim 15 that includes:
in the step of forming said tines, forming said tines with said openings
projecting through the
body of said tines.
17. An air freshener as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
said tines are spaced apart throughout a majority of their respective lengths.
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Description

CA 02197954 2000-03-23
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to air fresheners adapted to remove or to cover
unpleasant odors in
some living space. It is adapted for use in automotive vehicles or in
dwellings and includes a novel
clip device adapted to be held in the discharge of a heating or a cooling
system.
In many types of living space, but particularly in the passenger compartment
of cars and
trucks, there are often unpleasant odors. Such odors as that of stale tobacco
smoke or odors of some
material being carried in the passenger compartment can be offensive to many
people. Often that
offensive odor is opposed by use of hanging devices having other perfumes or
deodorant material
absorbed into the device to be hung in the car. These devices are most often
hung from the rear-view
mirror or the sun shades in the vehicle.
This invention provides a simple and much more efficient way of distributing
the sort of
material that is absorbed into the former hanging devices. It also avoids any
dangling object which
might be distracting to the driver of an automobile. Further, it is inserted
to be non-intrusive in outer
space.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the air freshener clip in place on a discharge
grill.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the clip to an enlarged scale, and
Fig. 3 is an edge view of the clip shown in Fig. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Briefly, this invention is a clip adapted to carry a deodorant or perfumed
material and adapted
by its formation to be held directly in the flow of air from a vent whether
that air is heated or cooled.
More specifically, and referring to the drawings, the clip is designed
principally to act as an
air freshener and be held in an air grill 10 of a ventilation system but it
may also be adapted to any
similar vent of any ventilating mechanism such as a central heater or air
conditioner or a room air

CA 02197954 2000-03-23
conditioner or other similar system which has at least one louver 11 in the
discharge.
The clip itself is shaped as a unitary flat stock and formed from a resilient
thermoplastic
material, more specifically, polypropylene impregnated with an oil having a
desired fragrance. Such
materials are generally known and are often used in the form of small cakes
for use in urinals in men's
public restrooms. In essence it is shaped as a fork with a width and a length
and having two legs 14
defining parallel tines. A portion on the closed end 13 projects laterally of
the extended plane of one
side of the tines, forming a hand grip 19. The tines, having confronting
edges, are spaced apart a
predetermined distance so as to leave spaces 15 between them, but also carry
matching, opposite
protrusions 16, projecting towards each other, that function as stops and
which are adapted almost
to close the spaces. Further, the tines are wider than they are thick and have
a uniform thickness and
define planar surfaces on the opposite sides. Thus while the tines are wide
enough that they cannot
easily be spread, there is space enough in the open spaces to receive the
louvers of the vent.
The tines fit between a parallel arrangement of louvers, so that the clip can
then be inserted
into place over a selected louver. The tines are of a width greater than one
half, but less than the total
predetermined distance for receipt in the passages disposed on opposite sides
of the louver.
Configured in this manner, the tines project substantially across the above
mentioned predetermined
distance . The width of the tines, when combined with the sufficient natural
resilience of the material
of the clip, combine to apply pressure over the louver. The protrusion
contained in the tines then acts
to slide over the louver and thus hold the clip in place.
Holes 17 are provided to increase the area from which the fragrance
impregnated into the
polypropylene material will be emitted. When the clip is placed in the air
grill 10, the passages for
flow of air are divided to opposite sides of the fork. If the clip is placed
somewhat diagonal to the
airflow, the flow of air through these holes will also greatly enhance the
effectiveness of the device.
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Representative Drawing