System and cartridge for dispensing fragrances

Abstract

The fragrance dispenser comprises a housing that has an air inlet at the bottom of the dispenser and a cartridge basket at the top of the dispenser, and a cartridge that is removablely disposed in the basket, the cartridge having a cartridge housing that has an air inlet at the bottom and an outlet at the top, and a tray stack of circular trays configured identically to each other, each circular tray having at least one storage section configured to receive fragrance components, a tray drive shaft configured to continuously rotate each of the trays around the center of the tray stack, a drive unit connected to the tray drive shaft, and an air intake unit that draws air into the air inlet of the dispenser, into the air inlet of the cartridge, and out through the cartridge and out through the air outlet of the cartridge while the trays are rotating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Utility Patent Application No. 18 / 136,520, titled "System and Cartridge For Dispensing a Fragrance", filed on April 19, 2023, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Embodiments herein relate to a fragrance dispenser, and more particularly, to a system and cartridge for dispensing a fragrance.

Background Art

[0003] A wide variety of devices can be used to dispense both liquid and solid fragrances into environments such as rooms and automobiles. A long - lasting fragrance dispenser can consist of a housing that holds a fragrance reservoir internally, which gradually evaporates the fragrance into the surrounding air. The reservoir is often defined within a cartridge that can be removed from the housing when emptied and replaced. It is desirable to extend the life of the fragrance available within the cartridge.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Thus, existing fragrance dispensers are suitable for their intended purposes, but there remains a need for improvement, particularly in providing a fragrance dispenser having one or more of the features described herein.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Disclosed is a system for dispensing fragrance, comprising: a housing extending from the bottom to the top of the dispenser, with an air inlet at the bottom and a cartridge basket at the top; a cartridge detachably disposed within the cartridge basket, the cartridge comprising a cartridge housing extending from bottom to top, with an air inlet at the bottom and an outlet at the top, the cartridge comprising a tray stack of circular trays configured identically to each other, each circular tray having at least one storage section configured to receive fragrance components; a tray drive shaft configured to continuously rotate each of the trays within the cartridge about the center of the tray stack; a drive unit with a dispenser operably connected to the tray drive shaft; and an air intake unit configured to draw air into the air inlet of the dispenser, into the air inlet of the cartridge, and out through the cartridge and through the air outlet of the cartridge while the drive unit rotates the trays.

[0006] Further embodiments of the dispenser may include, in addition to or alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, an air inlet in a cartridge housing comprising a central opening and an annular or ring-shaped opening radially offset and spaced apart from the central opening and having a first circumferential span, and each tray comprising a central opening and a first annular or ring-shaped section having a first air passage, wherein the first section forms at least one storage section, and the storage section has a second circumferential span.

[0007] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include a tray drive shaft configured to continuously rotate each tray around the tray stacking center over the circumferential span of one storage section, such that in the initial and final rotational states, each storage section of the tray is circumferentially aligned with each other and with the offset openings of the cartridge housing.

[0008] Further embodiments of the dispenser may include, in addition to or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, each tray extends from the bottom to the top of the tray at the tray height, each storage section wall in the first section extends from the bottom to the top of the tray, and the floor of the storage section has an opening that allows airflow but does not allow fragrance material to pass through, and has a height less than the tray height, with the difference between the tray height and the floor height determining the depth of the storage section.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include a storage section in the second compartment of the tray being configured to prevent the placement of fragrance components in the second compartment.

[0010] Further embodiments of the dispenser may include, in addition to or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, each tray in the tray stack extends between an outer and inner diameter wall radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defines a shaft opening that penetrates the tray stack, inwardly facing gear teeth defined along the inner diameter wall, a tray drive shaft extends axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, being radially smaller than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the tray drive shaft is offset from the center of the tray stack, and the tray drive shaft has teeth that are axially spaced apart from each other to engage with each inwardly facing gear tooth of each of the trays.

[0011] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include the following: each tray in the tray stack extends between an outer and inner diameter wall radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defines a shaft opening that penetrates the tray stack, inwardly facing gear teeth are defined along the inner diameter wall, the inwardly facing gear teeth of each tray engage with an independently rotating idler gear, an axially spaced stack of idler gears extends axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, the idler gears are radially smaller than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the idler gears is offset from the center of the tray stack, and the tray drive shaft has an axial stack of intermittent gears that engage with each idler gear, the tray drive shaft extends axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, and is radially smaller than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the tray drive shaft is offset from the center of the tray stack.

[0012] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include a tray stack having a first number of trays, and a tray drive shaft having a second number of axially spaced intermittent gears, which are the same as the first number, and where present, the number of idler gears is the same as the first number.

[0013] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include each of the axially spaced intermittent gears in the drive shaft having a set of at least one gear tooth and, if present, spreading in a circumferential division of less than 360 degrees to engage with the teeth of each idler gear, or to engage with the teeth of each tray to rotate the idler gear or tray when the teeth are engaged.

[0014] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include each of the axially spaced intermittent gears in the drive shaft having, if present, an expanded ring or circular plate extending in a circumferential division of less than 360 degrees for engaging with the teeth or semicircular grooves in the idler gear or in the tray, to prevent the idler gear or tray from rotating while the ring or plate is engaged.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include the fact that each set of teeth in the tray drive shaft intermittent gear is angularly offset from the teeth adjacent to the set in the tray drive shaft such that each set of teeth in the intermittent gear engages in a continuous manner with the teeth of the respective idler gear or tray.

[0016] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include each tray in a tray stack extending between an outer and inner diameter wall radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defining a shaft opening that penetrates the tray stack, and inwardly facing gear teeth defined along the inner diameter wall, the inwardly facing gear teeth in the tray having a closed section with a first circumferential span and a cut-out section with a second circumferential span, the first section being positioned to prevent the drive shaft or idler gear teeth from engaging with the tray before the initial rotation of the tray at a certain angle in the cartridge, and the second section being positioned at the final rotation at a certain angle, i.e., when the tray is rotated so that the last unused storage section is positioned above the offset opening in the cartridge, the idler gear or drive shaft gear is positioned in the cut-out so that the teeth of the tray are disengaged from the teeth of the idler gear or drive shaft.

[0017] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include an energy storage device and a reduction gear powered by the energy storage device, wherein the reduction gear includes an output gear, and the tray drive shaft includes a lower end formed of spline teeth and configured for engagement with the output spline of the reduction gear.

[0018] Further embodiments of the dispenser may include, in addition to or alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, a cartridge tray cap positioned above the upper tray, the tray cap being the same size as the tray, the tray cap defining an offset opening that aligns with an offset opening in the cartridge housing, a cartridge louver pivotably connected to a base plate in the offset opening of the tray cap and configured to pivot between a closed state in which the offset opening of the tray cap is closed and an open state in which the offset opening of the tray cap is exposed, the cartridge louver being air-forced to transition from the closed state to the open state, otherwise remaining in the closed state.

[0019] Further embodiments of the dispenser may include, in addition to or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, a top plate of the cartridge is positioned above the tray cap, and the top plate has a central opening of the same size as the central opening in the top cap, and the top cap has a central opening of the same size as the central opening in the tray stack and an offset opening that is aligned with an offset opening in the cartridge housing, thereby configuring the combination of the tray cap and the top plate to guide air flowing through a first or second section of the tray stack through the offset opening to combine with air flowing through the central opening of the tray stack before flowing out of the cartridge.

[0020] Further embodiments of the dispenser may include, in addition to or alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, a cartridge comprising a storage device that stores flash memory data indicating one or more of the types of fragrance components to be stored in the cartridge, the history of use of the fragrance components, the target speed of the air transfer device, and / or the target speed of the tray drive shaft, and the dispenser comprising a processing device configured to communicate with the storage device in the cartridge and to control the speed of the air transfer device and / or the output gear in response to the flash memory data.

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include a fan configured to draw air into an inlet, and a motion sensor, wherein the processing unit in the dispenser is configured to activate the fan when the motion sensor detects movement.

[0022] In addition to, or alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include a dispenser comprising a fan configured to draw air into an inlet, and a motion sensor, wherein the processing unit in the dispenser is configured to predictively operate the fan based on a time history of signals from the motion sensor that detect movement, and / or a preset schedule from a connected software application and / or processing unit firmware. In one or more embodiments, the predictive operation of the fan is based on machine learning.

[0023] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include an LED array on the top of the housing and an LED array control device operably connected to a processing device in the housing and configured to illuminate in response to settings from a software application, settings from capacitively sensed gestures in the device, and / or when a motion sensor detects movement.

[0024] In addition to, or alternatively to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include that the dispenser comprises an LED array configured to illuminate the upper part of the cartridge.

[0025] In addition to, or alternatively to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include that the dispenser comprises a ring-shaped lip under which a capacitive tactile sensing circuit board is used to detect gestures by the user and adjust the operation settings for the dispenser.

[0026] In addition to, or alternatively to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include that the dispenser comprises a base plate disposed below the cartridge basket, the base plate extending between an outer diameter edge and an inner diameter edge that are radially spaced from each other, the inner diameter edge defining a fan opening, a central fan being disposed in the fan opening and operably connected to a processing device in the dispenser and configured to direct air through a shaft opening of the tray stack.

[0027] In addition to, or alternatively to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the dispenser may include that the base plate of the dispenser defines a misaligned opening that is aligned with a misaligned opening of the cartridge housing, a second fan being disposed below the misaligned opening and operably connected to a processing device in the dispenser and configured to direct air through the misaligned opening.

[0028] In addition to, or alternatively to, one or more of the features described herein, a housing louver is pivotally connected to a cartridge basket at a displaced opening in the cartridge basket and is configured to pivot between a closed state in which the displaced opening is blocked and an open state in which the displaced opening is exposed, and the housing louver is air-urged by a second fan to transition from the closed state to the open state and otherwise is in the closed state, and a further embodiment of the dispenser may include this.

[0029] Also disclosed is a cartridge for dispensing fragrance, the cartridge comprising: a cartridge housing extending from a lower portion to an upper portion and defining an air inlet at the lower portion and an outlet at the upper portion; a tray stack of circular trays configured identically to one another, each circular tray having at least one storage portion configured to receive a fragrance member; and a tray drive shaft configured to be driven by an external drive unit and configured to continuously rotate each tray about the center of the tray stack within the cartridge.

[0030] In addition to, or alternatively to, one or more of the features described herein, the air inlet of the cartridge housing includes a central opening and a radially displaced opening spaced from the central opening and having a first circumferential span, each tray extends between an outer diameter and an inner diameter radially spaced from one another, each tray includes a first section having the first circumferential span and a first air flow path and a second section having a second circumferential span and a second air flow path, and a further embodiment of the cartridge may include the first section forming at least one storage portion.

[0031] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include a tray drive shaft configured to continuously rotate each tray around the tray stacking center over the circumferential span of one storage section, such that in the initial and final rotational states, each storage section of the tray is circumferentially aligned with each other and with the offset openings of the cartridge housing.

[0032] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include the following: each tray extends from the bottom to the top of the tray at the tray height, the walls forming the storage section of each first compartment of the tray extend from the bottom to the top of the tray, the floor of the storage section has an opening that allows airflow but does not allow fragrance material to pass through, and has a height less than the tray height, the difference between the tray height and the floor height determines the depth of the storage section.

[0033] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include a storage section in the second section being configured to prevent the placement of fragrance components in the second section.

[0034] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include each tray in the tray stack extending between an outer and inner diameter wall radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defining a shaft opening that penetrates the tray stack, with inwardly facing gear teeth defined along the inner diameter wall, a tray drive shaft extending axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, smaller radially than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the tray drive shaft is offset from the center of the tray stack, and the tray drive shaft having teeth axially spaced apart from each other to engage with each inwardly facing gear tooth of each of the trays.

[0035] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include the following: each tray in the tray stack extends between an outer and inner diameter wall radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defines a shaft opening that penetrates the tray stack, inwardly facing gear teeth are defined along the inner diameter wall, the inwardly facing gear teeth of each tray engage with an independently rotating idler gear, an axially spaced stack of idler gears extends axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, the idler gears are radially smaller than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the idler gears is offset from the center of the tray stack, and the tray drive shaft has an axial stack of intermittent gears that engage with each idler gear, the tray drive shaft extends axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, and is radially smaller than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the tray drive shaft is offset from the center of the tray stack.

[0036] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include a tray stack having a first number of trays, and a tray drive shaft having a second number of axially spaced intermittent gears, which are the same as the first number, and where present, the number of idler gears is the same as the first number.

[0037] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include each of the axially spaced intermittent gears in the drive shaft having a set of gear teeth, having at least one tooth, which, if present, extends in a circumferential division of less than 360 degrees to engage with the teeth of each idler gear, or to engage with the teeth of each tray to rotate the idler gear or tray when the tooth is engaged.

[0038] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include each of the axially spaced intermittent gears in the drive shaft having, if present, an expanded ring or circular plate extending in a circumferential division of less than 360 degrees for engaging with the teeth or semicircular grooves in the idler gear or in the tray, to prevent the idler gear or tray from rotating while the ring or plate is engaged.

[0039] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include the fact that each set of teeth in the tray drive shaft intermittent gear is angularly offset from the teeth adjacent to the set in the tray drive shaft such that each set of teeth in the intermittent gear engages in a continuous manner with the teeth of the respective idler gear or tray.

[0040] Further embodiments of the cartridge may include, in addition to or alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, a tray cap of the cartridge being positioned above the upper tray, the tray cap being the same size as the tray, the tray cap defining an offset opening that aligns with an offset opening of the cartridge housing, a cartridge louver being pivotably connected to a base plate in the offset opening of the tray cap and configured to pivot between a closed state in which the offset opening of the tray cap is closed and an open state in which the offset opening of the tray cap is exposed, the cartridge louver being air-forced to transition from the closed state to the open state, otherwise remaining in the closed state.

[0041] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include a top plate of the cartridge positioned above the tray cap, the top plate having a central opening of the same size as the central opening in the top cap, the top cap having a central opening of the same size as the central opening in the tray stack and an offset opening that aligns with an offset opening in the cartridge housing, thereby configuring the combination of the tray cap and the top plate to guide air flowing through a first or second section of the tray stack through the offset opening to combine with air flowing through the central opening of the tray stack before flowing out of the cartridge.

[0042] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include a tray drive shaft having a lower end formed of spline teeth and configured for engagement with a matching spline.

[0043] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include each tray in a tray stack extending between an outer and inner diameter wall radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defining a shaft opening that penetrates the tray stack, and inwardly facing gear teeth defined along the inner diameter wall, the inwardly facing gear teeth in the tray having a closed section with a first circumferential span and a cut-out section with a second circumferential span, the first section being positioned to prevent the drive shaft or idler gear teeth from engaging with the tray before an initial rotation of the tray at a certain angle in the cartridge, and the second section being positioned at the final rotation at a certain angle, i.e., when the tray is rotated so that the last unused storage section is positioned above the offset opening in the cartridge, the idler gear or drive shaft gear is positioned in the cut-out so that the teeth of the tray are disengaged from the teeth of the idler gear or drive shaft.

[0044] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments of the cartridge may include a storage device that stores flash memory data indicating one or more of the following: the type of fragrance component to be stored in the cartridge, the history of use of the fragrance component, the target speed of the air transfer device, and / or the target speed of the tray drive shaft.

[0045] These and other advantages and features will become clearer from the following description, which should be interpreted in conjunction with the drawings.

[0046] This disclosure is illustrated by examples and is not limited to the accompanying diagrams in which similar references indicate similar elements. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0047] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a fragrance dispenser according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Another perspective view of the fragrance dispenser showing the fragrance cartridge inside. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a fragrance dispenser, without showing the outer casing. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of a fragrance dispenser. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of a fragrance dispenser, with a localized cross-section for detail, but without showing the outer casing. [Figure 6] This is a top-down perspective view of the fragrance dispenser, showing the cartridge receiving basket and louvers. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of the cartridge from below. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view of the internal mounting plate of a fragrance dispenser, showing the internal fan, motor, and reduction gear train, although no specific configuration is shown. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view of the internal mounting plate of a fragrance dispenser, showing the internal fan, motor, and reduction gear train, although no specific configuration is shown. [Figure 10]Two bottom perspective views of the cartridge receiving basket and the upper printed circuit board (PCB) of a fragrance dispenser, showing the light guide and LED array, but no specific embodiment is shown. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view of a fragrance cartridge according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a cross-sectional view of a fragrance cartridge according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a perspective view of the fragrance cartridge tray stack, drive shaft, and idler gear. [Figure 14] This is a top view of the stacked fragrance cartridge trays, drive shaft, and idler gear. [Figure 15] This is a magnified view of a portion of Figure 13. [Figure 16] This is a magnified view of a portion of Figure 14. [Figure 17] A top-down perspective view of the fragrance cartridge, showing the inner tray stacking cap and louvers, but not a specific aspect. [Figure 18] This is a cross-sectional view of a fragrance cartridge according to another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0048] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and methods is presented herein by reference to the figures and in an illustrative, non-limiting manner.

[0049] Figures 1 and 2 show a system 50 for dispensing fragrance (also referred to as a dispenser). The dispenser 50 has a lower (or downward) portion 200 and an upper (or upward) portion 100. The lower portion 200 of the dispenser 50 extends from the bottom 299 of the dispenser 50 to an intermediate location or joint 199 between portion 200 and portion 100. The upper portion 100 extends from the intermediate location 199 to the top 101 of the dispenser 50 and is longer axially than the lower portion 200. A removable cartridge 300 is installed in the upper portion 100 through the top 101 of the dispenser 50.

[0050] The upper portion 100 of the dispenser 50 comprises an outer housing 130, which extends from the intermediate joint 199 to the upper part 101 of the dispenser 50 and is referred to as a housing or shell. The lower portion 200 of the dispenser 50 comprises an outer shell 230, which forms the outer surface of the lower portion extending from the lower part 299 to the intermediate joint 199 of the device 50 and is referred to as a housing or shell. Both shells 130 and 230 may be substantially cylindrical or frustoconical with rounded ends at the joint 199.

[0051] At the top 101 of the dispenser 50, a ring-shaped lip 112 surrounds the cartridge 300. The ring-shaped lip 112 may conceal a tactile sensing component that allows the user to control the dispenser 50. For example, the tactile sensing component may be a capacitive device. The tactile sensing component may have an indicator light 113 to display the current operating setting.

[0052] The lower portion 200 of the dispenser 50 includes a lower frame 240 that forms the base on which the dispenser sits. A gap 235 between the lower shell 230 and the lower frame 240 forms an air inlet for the dispenser 50. A window 210 is formed within the lower portion 200, and behind the window 210 is a motion sensor 520 for controlling the dispenser 50. That is, optionally, when motion is detected, the dispenser 50 can change from standby mode to operating mode and / or dispense fragrance at a faster or slower rate based on the motion sensor reading.

[0053] The cartridge 300 has an upper opening 317 that forms an air outlet or vent for the dispenser 50. The cartridge 300 has a lifting strap 320 for inserting and removing the cartridge 300 from the dispenser 50. As will be described in more detail later, the top of the cartridge 300 is configured to illuminate when the device 50 is turned on. The illumination can be controlled by the user via a tactile sensing ring 112, via a mobile software app that wirelessly connects to the device's control unit 510, or by a motion sensor 520, as will be described in more detail later.

[0054] As seen in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the inner housing 120 is positioned within the upper portion 100, extending from the joint 199 toward the upper part 101 of the dispenser 50, supporting the upper circuit board 400 and the cartridge receiving basket 110. The cartridge receiving basket 110 is a generally cylindrical structure extending from the base 119 toward the upper part 111, the upper part of which has a tactile ring-shaped lip 112. The upper circuit board 400 is held beneath the ring-shaped lip 112 of the cartridge receiving basket 110 to provide tactile sensitivity. The upper circuit board 400 comprises an LED array 410 or LED ring and an LED array control device 420 (shown in Figure 10, which will be discussed later) which can be controlled by a motion sensor 520, the tactile circuit board 400 of the dispenser 50, or a wirelessly connected software application. The lower part of the inner housing 120 defines a circular airway opening 125 that receives air from the dispenser inlet 235. A flexible gasket 140 near the top 101 of the dispenser 50 extends between the inner housing 120 and the upper shell 130. The gasket 140 has the advantage of concealing the dimensional difference between the cartridge receiving basket 110 and the outer shell 130 to provide a more visually appealing appearance. A base plate 600 is attached to the bottom of the cartridge receiving basket 110. Mounted on the base plate are an off-center air transfer device 660, which may be, for example, a centrifugal blower; a central air transfer device 650, which may be, for example, an axial fan; a motor 629 that drives a gear train 630 on an output drive shaft 640; and an intermediate printed circuit board (PCB) 680.

[0055] The lower portion 200 of the dispenser 50 includes a flat, ring-shaped elastomer foot 220 that supports the device. The foot can be attached to a lower base frame 240. The lower base frame 240 can be fastened, for example, by screws 281 (Figure 5) that pass through molded standoffs 280 that extend axially to an upper base frame 260. The upper base frame includes intake vanes 265 that form a labyrinthine air intake configuration to prevent direct viewing of the internal device.

[0056] The upper foundation frame 260 can be attached to the inner housing 120, for example, by screws 292 (Figure 5) that pass through axial standoffs 291 in the upper foundation frame 260. The screws 292 can be attached to the corresponding axial standoffs 290 in the inner housing 120. Gasket rings 170, 270 can surround the axial columns 290, 291, compressing, positioning, and supporting the upper outer housing 130.

[0057] A lower circuit board 500, along with a system control or processing unit 510, is mounted above the lower base frame 240. An energy storage device 530 (e.g., a battery) is located in the lower section 200, and there is also a charging port 540 for charging the energy storage device 530. The energy storage device 530, the upper circuit board 400, the intermediate circuit board 680, the central air transport device 650, the off-center air transport device 660, and the motor 629 are operably connected to the lower circuit board 500. In this embodiment, the energy storage device 530 includes a cover with a battery inside. A strap 205 keeps the energy storage device 530 attached to the upper housing support 260, which includes a pocket for the energy storage device 530.

[0058] Figures 6 and 7 show the inside of the cartridge basket 110 from above (Figure 6) and the cartridge 300 from below (Figure 7). The cartridge 300 is removably positioned inside the cartridge basket 110 of the dispenser 50. The cartridge basket 110 extends from a base 119 to an upper part 111, where the base 119 is locked with a slot feature 114. The cartridge 300 extends from its base 301 to its upper part 399. A projection 314 formed on the base 301 of the cartridge 300 aligns with the slot feature 114 in the cartridge basket 110 so that the cartridge 300 is positioned in a predetermined orientation when it is removably positioned inside the dispenser 50. The lower cartridge housing 310 may include a molded ferrous insert, and the cartridge basket 110 may include a magnet for attracting the ferrous insert so that it is attracted and held in place when the cartridge 300 is removably placed in a predetermined orientation in the dispenser 50.

[0059] The cartridge basket 110 has a base 119 with a central opening 115 and an offset opening 116, which is instead referred to as an off-center opening. The offset opening 116 is shaped like a ring or annular area. The offset opening 116 is formed by an outer radius 104, an inner radius 105 near the central opening 115, and circumferential boundaries 106 and 107. In some embodiments, the angle enclosed between the circumferential boundaries 106 and 107 of the offset opening 116 is between 10 and 180 degrees. In other embodiments, the angle is between 10 and 90 degrees. In yet another embodiment, the angle is between 30 and 60 degrees. The cartridge 300 comprises a lower cartridge housing 310 extending from a lower section 301 to an intermediate joint 339, and has two air inlets in the lower section 301: a central opening 315 and an offset opening 316, which is instead referred to as an off-center opening. The openings 115 and 116 in the cartridge basket 110 align with the openings 315 and 316 at the base of the cartridge 300 when the cartridge is removably positioned in a predetermined orientation within the device 50. The cartridge 300 includes an upper cover 330 (Figure 2) extending from an intermediate joint 339 to an upper section 399, with a central air outlet 317 (Figure 2) at the upper section 399. The cartridge 300 also includes a lifting strap 320. The vanes 321 (Figure 2) spread out at the central opening 317 in the upper cover 330 to support the lifting strap 320.

[0060] The housing louver 190 is pivotally connected to the base 119 at the offset opening 116 in the cartridge basket 110, so as to be located between the base plate 600 (Figures 4 and 8) and the cartridge 300. The housing louver 190 is configured to pivot between a closed state, where the offset opening 116 is closed, and an open state, where the offset opening 116 is open. The housing louver 190 is pneumatically driven by the operation of an off-center air transfer device 660 (Figure 8) to move from the closed state to the open state. Otherwise, the housing louver 190 is in the closed state. In this embodiment, the housing louver 190 moves to the closed state under the influence of gravity. It is understood that the opening 316 in the cartridge base 301 is positioned to allow the movement of the housing louver 190.

[0061] In other embodiments, the housing louvers 190 are omitted, and the opening 116 remains open.

[0062] Spring-loaded electrical leads 681 (also in Figures 4 and 8) extend from the intermediate PCB 680 (Figures 4 and 6) through the cartridge basket 110 and through slots in the base 301 of the lower cartridge housing 310 to receive data from a solid memory device 360 ​​(Figure 7) in the cartridge 300, such as flash memory. The flash memory 360 stores data that can indicate one or more of the following: the type of fragrance component to be stored in the cartridge, the target speed of the dispenser fans 660 and 650, the target time interval for the tray drive shaft 340, and the history of cartridge use. The processing unit 510 in the dispenser 50 is configured to communicate with the storage unit 360 in the cartridge 300. The processing unit uses data from the storage unit 360, along with user-selected operation settings, and data from the motion sensor 520 to control the timing of the output gear drive shaft 640 and the speed of the dispenser fans 660 and 650. In the embodiment, the processing unit uses machine learning to predict when the fans 660, 650 can be operated. In the embodiment, the machine learning can be trained at least in part on the time history of signals from the motion sensor 520.

[0063] It should be understood that the spring-loaded lead wire 681 is an example of a means for transferring data. In other embodiments, data transfer can be carried out by any suitable method or device, such as contact or contactless communication media, but is not limited to these. Methods of transfer may include, for example, near-field communication, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or other radio frequency methods.

[0064] An output gear drive shaft 640 with tapered external splines extends through the base 119 of the cartridge basket 110. When the cartridge 300 is removably positioned in a predetermined orientation in the device 50, the driven shaft 340 with tapered internal splines in the cartridge 300 engages with the drive shaft spline 640.

[0065] As seen in Figures 8 and 9, the base plate 600 extends between an outer diameter edge 601 and an inner diameter edge 609 that are radially separated from each other. The inner diameter edge 609 defines the central opening 615. The central opening 615 is a frustoconical area surrounding the outlet of the central air transfer device 650, which in this embodiment may be an axial fan at one end and the central opening 115 of the cartridge basket 110 at the other end. The off-center opening 616 is defined by an outer radius 604, an inner radius 605, and edges at two sides 606 and 607. The off-center opening 616 is shaped to surround the outlet of the off-center air transfer device 660, which may be a centrifugal blower, and the off-center opening 116 in the cartridge basket 110.

[0066] A reduction gear train 630, driven by an energy storage device 530 via a motor 629, is supported on a base plate 600. The gear train may have an input gear 631 directly driven by the motor 629, intermediate gears 632, 633, and an output gear drive shaft 640 having an extension axial shaft 641 with tapered external splines 642 at its ends. The extension shaft 641 may have a timing mark 643 on its outer diameter that engages with a microswitch 682 on an intermediate PCB 680 to provide feedback to a microcontroller 510 that drives the motor 629, so as to send a signal when the drive shaft 640 reaches a target rotation.

[0067] An off-center centrifugal fan 660 is supported by a vibration-damping mounting section 661 below the base plate 600, below the off-center opening 616. A central axial fan 650 is supported by a vibration-damping mounting section 651 at the central opening 615 of the base plate 600. The central fan 650 and the off-center fan 660 may be referred to as the first fan and the second fan, or the primary fan and the secondary fan. Fans 650 and 660 form an air intake unit configured to draw air into the air inlet 235 of the dispenser 50 and out through the cartridge 300 from the air outlet 317 of the dispenser 50. The base plate 600 and cartridge basket 110 may have axial walls that conform around the central openings 115, 315 and the off-center openings 116, 316, respectively, forming duct-type airflow passages between the central air transporter 650 and the off-center air transporter 660, and between the central cartridge opening 315 and the off-center cartridge opening 316. The off-center fans may be used to control the diffusion rate of fragrance from the cartridge. The central fan 650 may be used to control the diffusion rate of fragrance-infused air into the surroundings. The fans 650, 660 are controlled to operate based on a schedule selected by the user via a wirelessly connected software application, a schedule stored in the cartridge memory chip 360, when the motion sensor 520 detects motion, or a combination thereof. The gear reduction mechanism 630 operates periodically to actuate the drive shaft 340 of the cartridge 300 based on the operating speed of the fans 650 and 660, parameters stored in the cartridge storage device 360, and a wirelessly connected software application.

[0068] Figure 10 shows a tactile sensing ring PCB 400 positioned below the ring-shaped lip 112 of the cartridge basket 110. A transparent lens or light guide 430, which may have a reflective surface, is mounted below the ring PCB 400 (see also Figure 4). An LED array 410 and an LED array control device 420 are mounted below the ring PCB 400. The LED array 410 emits light towards the light guide 430, which roughly directs the light radially. This light passes through the transparent window in the cartridge basket 110 and is directed towards the upper housing 330 of the cartridge 300 to provide illumination to the top of the cartridge 300. An indicator LED emitter 413 is oriented to emit light upward through the ring-shaped lip 112 of the cartridge basket to provide the user with visual information about the device settings.

[0069] In this embodiment, features such as male and female features may be included in the cartridge basket 110 and the cartridge 300 in order to align the cartridge 300 with respect to the cartridge basket 110 in a desired orientation.

[0070] As seen in Figures 11, 12, 13, 14, 15-16, and 17, the lower housing 310 of the cartridge 300 comprises a frustoconical outer wall 311, an inner wall 312, and a flat bottom wall 313 that form a tray basket. A stack of circular trays 370, including four trays 371, 372, 373, and 374, is rotatably arranged in the tray basket so as to rotate around the axes of the inner wall 312 and the outer wall 311. A step 318 in the outer wall 311 rotatably supports each tray by its tray flange 377 such that the trays are separated by a small gap. Each of the trays 371, 372, 373, and 374 extends from the bottom wall 385 to the upper edge 389 between the radially spaced outer diameter walls 381 and inner diameter walls 382. The embodiments described herein show a device 50 having four trays 371, 372, 373, and 374, but it should be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only and the claims are not limited in that way. In other embodiments, the device 50 may have more or fewer trays.

[0071] Each circular tray in the tray stack 370 is further divided into several storage compartments 380, 387, such as 15 storage compartments. The first division is defined by a first number of loadable storage compartments 380, which are instead referred to as fragrance-loaded storage compartments. The second division is defined by a second number of non-loadable storage compartments 387, which are instead referred to as non-loadable storage compartments. The loadable storage compartments 380 and non-loadable storage compartments 387 are defined by circumferential walls 383, 384 having a circumferential span 386. The circumferential walls 383, 384 extend from the tray base 385 to the tray upper edge 389. The circumferential span of a storage compartment may be a multiple or divisor of the circumferential span of the opening 316 off-center from the cartridge. The circumferential spans of some loadable storage compartments 380 form the first division. The circumferential spans of some non-loadable storage compartments 387 form the second division. The lower part of each storage section 380, 387 has an arrangement of air passages in the lower wall 385, that is, the lower wall 385 may have a sieve or strainer-like structure. The air passages in the lower wall 385 of each loadable storage section 380 are configured to support fragrance components such as fragrance beads, allowing air to pass around the fragrance components while preventing them from falling out of the storage section 380. In embodiments, the fragrance components may be the same as those described in the jointly owned PCT application PCT / US2022 / 019289 entitled "FRAGRANCE COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF AND ARTICLES COMPRISING THE SAME", the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Thus, a first number of loadable storage sections 380 in each tray are configured to receive several fragrance components. Each tray has a second number of storage compartments 387, each having a wall 376 that extends from a lower airflow passage 385 to the upper edge 389 of the tray, which is spaced sufficiently close together to allow airflow to pass through to the non-loadable storage compartments 387 while preventing the loading of fragrance components.When rotated to a specific position, the stack of trays 370 forms a closed airflow passage or duct from the off-center opening 316 through several loadable and non-loadable storage sections 380 and 387 to the top of the tray stack, so that airflow passes only through the storage sections 380 and 387 located just above the off-center opening 316, and not through the other storage sections 380 and 387 that are not located just above the off-center opening 316. Thus, the other storage sections 380 and 387 that are not located just above the off-center opening are effectively sealed off from airflow or fluid communication with the surroundings.

[0072] The central opening 315 of the cartridge extends to the cartridge outlet 317 by the inner wall 312. The offset opening 316 extends to the top of the tray stack 370 by the walls 381, 382, ​​383, and 384 of the tray storage section, which have substantially the same size, shape, and radial / circumferential location as the offset opening 316. A tray stack cap 390, supported by the lower cartridge housing 310, forms the upper wall of the upper tray in the tray stack. The tray stack cap 390 has a central opening 395 and an offset opening 396, which have substantially the same size, shape, and radial and circumferential location as the central opening 315 and the offset opening 316 of the lower cartridge housing 310. The offset opening 396 is covered by a cartridge louver 391 which is pivotably connected to the tray stack cap 390. The cartridge louver 391 is configured to pivot between a closed state in which the offset opening 396 of the tray stacking cap 390 is blocked and an open state in which the offset opening 396 of the tray stacking cap 390 is exposed. The cartridge louver 391 is air-forced to move from the closed state to the open state. Otherwise, the cartridge louver 391 is in the closed state. An upper cover 392, instead called a top plate, having a central opening 393 the same size as the cartridge outlet 317, is positioned axially above the tray stacking cap 390 and mixes the air released from the two openings 395, 396 after it has flowed through the tray stack 370 and before it exits the cartridge outlet 317. The tray stacking cap 390 is provided with support ribs 394 that support the top plate 392.

[0073] A stack of four preferably axially spaced idler gears 350, which rotate the external gear teeth on the shaft member 351, is positioned to engage with the internal gear teeth 375 of each tray in the stack 370. The internal gear teeth 375 extend from the inner wall 382 in a circumferential arrangement that is interrupted at a starting position 378 and an ending position 379. At the starting position 378, the tray gear teeth 375 are blocked to prevent engagement with the idler gears 350 prior to the starting position. At the ending position 379, the tray gear teeth 375 are removed after disengaging with the last internal tooth 375 so that the rotation of the idler gears does not continue to rotate the tray.

[0074] The tray drive shaft 340 is rotatably positioned in place within the cartridge 300 to engage with the stack of idler gears 350. The tray drive shaft 340 extends axially through the tray stack 370. The tray drive shaft 340 and the idler gears 350 are radially smaller than the inner diameter wall 312 of the cartridge 300. The tray drive shaft 340 is configured to continuously rotate each of the idler gears 350, which in turn continuously rotate each of the trays in the tray stack 370, as described in more detail later. The drive shaft 340 comprises a stack of intermittent gears 342, such as four, spaced apart in the axial direction. Each intermittent gear has a section of gear teeth 343 with a first circumferential span and a locking ring 344 with a second circumferential span. In embodiments, the second circumferential span of the locking ring is greater than 270 degrees. Each gear tooth 343 of the intermittent gear 342 is oriented at intervals such as 90 degrees around the axis of the drive shaft 340. This configuration allows each tray in the tray stack to move continuously by the distance of one storage unit 380 for each partial rotation of the drive shaft 340, such as 90 degrees, as follows.

[0075] When initially assembled, one tray, such as tray 371 below the tray stack 370, is positioned above the off-center cartridge opening 316 and has a number of loadable storage compartments 380, such as two, that are circumferentially aligned with the off-center cartridge opening 316. Other trays, such as reference numerals 372, 373, and 374, have unloadable storage compartments 387, which are positioned above the off-center opening 316 and circumferentially aligned with the off-center opening 316. Thus, before rotation, there are a number of storage compartments 380 filled with fragrance material and a number of unfilled storage compartments 387, such as six, that receive the airflow released from the off-center opening 316.

[0076] After a time interval determined by the system processing unit 510, user settings, and cartridge storage device 360, the system processing unit commands the motor 629 to rotate. This rotates the gear train 630. The output shaft 641 of the gear train 630 is connected by a tapered spline 642 to a matching tapered spline 341 on the cartridge drive shaft 340. Thus, the cartridge drive shaft 340 rotates by the same amount as the drive shaft gear 640. When the home switch 682 engages with the timing mark 643 on the drive shaft gear 640, the motor 629 stops rotating. The drive shaft gear 640 of the gear train rotates the cartridge drive shaft 340 by less than a full turn, such as a quarter turn, before stopping. When the drive shaft 340 rotates in less than one revolution, a single set of teeth 343 on one of the drive shaft intermittent gears 342 engages with a tooth on one of the idler gears 350, causing the idler gear to rotate by a fixed amount determined by the number of teeth 343 on the intermittent gear 342 and the number of teeth on the idler gear 350. The rotating idler gear 350 further rotates one of the trays in the tray stack 370 by an amount corresponding to the angle of the storage section 380. The other trays remain stationary during this rotation because the teeth of the other idler gears 350 are continuously engaged with the locking ring 344 of the intermittent gear 342 on the cartridge drive shaft 340.

[0077] The diameter of the locking ring 344 is set so that the tooth surfaces of the two teeth of the idler gear 350 on either side of the plane defined between the shaft of the drive shaft 340 and the shaft member 351 are in near contact with the locking ring. Thus, the idler gear 350 cannot rotate freely because rotation would cause the idler gear teeth to intersect with the locking ring 344. In other words, the idler gear engaged by the locking ring 344 and not engaged by the teeth 343 of the intermittent gear remains locked in place with respect to rotation, which further locks the tray, which is not rotated by the teeth 343 of the intermittent gear, in rotation. After the first partial rotation of the drive shaft, the fragrance loading and storage section 380, such as the second tray 372, rotates to a position above the off-center opening 316, and the non-loadable storage section 387 rotates out of the position above the off-center opening 316. After a second partial rotation of the drive shaft 340, the fragrance loading and storage section 380, such as the third tray 373, rotates to a position above the off-center opening 316, and the non-loadable storage section 387 rotates out of the position above the off-center opening 316. After a third partial rotation of the drive shaft 340, the fragrance loading and storage section 380, such as the fourth tray 374, rotates to a position above the off-center opening 316, and the non-loadable storage section 387 rotates out of the position above the off-center opening 316. After the fourth rotation of the drive shaft 340, the fragrance storage section 380, such as the first tray 371, rotates to a position above the off-center opening 316, and the fragrance storage section 380 of the first tray 371, which was previously exposed to the airflow released from the off-center opening 316, rotates outward from its position above the off-center opening 316 and no longer releases fragrance.

[0078] As the partial rotation of the drive shaft 340 continues, the fragrance storage units 380 that are not exposed to the airflow continue to replace the fragrance storage units 380 and unloadable storage units 387 that were previously exposed to the airflow. At any given time, there may be a number of fragrance storage units 380, such as eight, positioned above the off-center opening that provides fragrance to the airflow. The fragrance storage units 380 exposed to the airflow will change from the oldest storage units, which will be replaced by the next partial rotation of the drive shaft 340, to the newest storage units, which were most recently moved to a position above the off-center opening 316 by the last partial rotation of the drive shaft 340. When the last unexposed fragrance loading and storage section 380 is rotated to a position above the off-center opening 316, the tray is rotatably positioned so that the idler gear aligns with the end 379 of the tray's internal teeth, thereby preventing any further rotation of any of the trays in the tray stack 370 from any continuous rotation of the drive shaft 340 and the idler gear 350, as the idler gear teeth no longer engage with the tray teeth 375. Furthermore, reverse rotation of the drive shaft does not reverse the rotation of trays 371, 372, 373, and 374 in the tray stack 370.

[0079] Referring now to Figure 18, another embodiment of the cartridge 700 is shown. In this embodiment, the tray stack 770 includes trays 771, 772, 773, and 774. In the embodiments of Figures 11 to 17, trays 371, 372, 373, and 374 are provided with flanges (e.g., flange 377) that engage with a step (e.g., step 318) in the wall of the cartridge housing 310. The flanges and the step cooperate to maintain a predetermined gap between adjacent trays. In this embodiment, the tops of each tray 771, 772, 773, and 774 are open, or in other words, there are no structural members between the storage area and the bottoms of vertically adjacent trays. In the embodiment of Figure 18, trays 771, 772, 773, and 774 are provided with flanges 779 that engage with a roughly conical inner wall 712 surrounding a central opening 315 of the lower housing 710 that provides radial alignment of the tray stack 770.

[0080] In the embodiment shown in Figure 18, the plate 775 is positioned between the upper part of a lower tray (e.g., tray 771) and the lower part of a vertically adjacent tray (e.g., reference numeral 772). The plate 775 is configured to cover an unused storage area. The plate 775 includes an outer wall 776. In the embodiment, the outer wall 776 engages with a spacer 777 formed on the inner surface of the wall 711 of the lower housing 710, and the spacer 777 aligns the plate 775 in rotation and, in some embodiments, in the vertical direction. In the exemplary embodiment, the vertical wall 776 of the plate 775 includes a male-female mating feature 778 that maintains the rotational positioning of subsequent plates 775 in the tray stack 770 and, in some embodiments, maintains the vertical positioning. The plate 775 provides spacing between trays, as it is positioned above a vertically upward tray (e.g., tray 772) and above a vertically downward tray (e.g., tray 771) in some embodiments, and below a lower plate 775 or spacer 777 in other embodiments.

[0081] In this embodiment, the plate 775 engages with a feature on either the spacer 777 or the lower housing 710 to prevent the plate 775 from rotating during operation. It should be understood that having a stationary plate 775 reduces the force between adjacent trays when one tray is moving and the other tray is stationary.

[0082] In the embodiment, a plurality of lid members 780 may be provided to cover each of the storage sections. In the embodiment, the lid members 780 cooperate with the tray and are connected by fasteners such as snap fasteners. In the embodiment, the lid members 780 include openings that allow air to pass through. In the embodiment, the openings in the lid members 780 are the same size as the openings in the storage section.

[0083] The terms used herein are for the sole purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a, an” and “the” are also intended to include plural forms unless the context otherwise explicitly indicates. It is to be further understood that the terms “equipped with” and / or “equipped with” express the presence of the described feature, integer, step, action, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, actions, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0084] Those skilled in the art will understand that while various exemplary embodiments, each having specific features in specific embodiments, are illustrated and described herein, the disclosure is not so limited. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate numerous variations, substitutions, substitutions, combinations, partial combinations, or equivalent configurations that are not described herein but are appropriate to the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, while various embodiments of the disclosure are described herein, it will be understood that aspects of the disclosure may include only some of the embodiments described herein. Accordingly, the disclosure should not be understood as being limited by the foregoing, but only by the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 50 Systems, Dispensers, Devices 100 upper part, upper part 101 Top 104 outer radius 105 inner radius 106, 107 Circumferential boundary 110 Cartridge receiving basket 111 Top 112 Tactile Sensing Ring-Shaped Lip 113 Indication lighting 114 Slot Features 115 Center opening 116. Offset opening, opening that is not centered. 119 Base 120 Inner enclosure 125 circular airway opening 130 Outer enclosure, upper shell, outer shell 140 Flexible Gasket 170 Gasket Ring 190 enclosure louvers 199 Intermediate location, intermediate joint 200 lower part, lower part 210 Window section 220 Elastomer Foot 230 Outer shell, lower shell 235 Gap, dispenser inlet, air inlet 240 Lower foundation frame 260 Upper foundation frame, upper housing support section 265 Intake Feathers 270 Gasket Ring 280 Standoff 281 Screws 290, 291 Standoff, Pillar 292 screws 299 Lower 300 cartridges 301 Base, lower part 310 Cartridge lower housing 311 Exterior Wall 312 Interior wall 313 Lower wall 314 Protrusion 315 Center opening 316 Offset opening, opening that is off-center 317 Top opening, central air outlet, cartridge outlet 318 steps 320 Lifting Straps 330 Top cover 339 Intermediate joint 341 Spline 342 Intermittent gear 343 gear teeth 344 Locking ring 350 Idler Gear 351 Shaft material 360 Solid-state memory devices, flash memory, storage devices 370 Stackable circular trays 371, 372, 373, 374 trays 375 Internal gear teeth 376 Wall 377 Tray flange 378 Starting position 379 End position 380 Loadable storage section, fragrance loading storage section 381 Outer diameter wall 382 Inner diameter wall 383, 384 Circumferential wall 385 Lower wall, base, lower air passage 386 Circumferential span 387 Non-loadable storage section, non-loadable storage section, unfilled storage section 389 Upper edge 390 Tray Stacking Cap 391 Cartridge Louver 392 Upper cover, top plate 393, 395 center opening 394 Support Ribs 396 Off-center opening, misaligned opening 399 Top 400 Upper circuit board, tactile sensing circuit board, tactile sensing ring PCB 410 LED array, LED ring 413 LED Indicator Emitter 420 LED array control device 430 Transparent lens, light guide 500 Lower circuit board 510 Control devices, processing units, microcontrollers 520 Motion Sensor 530 Energy Storage Devices 540 charging ports 600 Foundation plate 601 Outer diameter edge 604 outer radius 605 inner radius 606, 607 Side 609 Inner diameter edge 615 Center opening 616 Off-center opening 629 Motor 630 Reduction gear train 631 Input Gear 632, 633 Intermediate gears 640 Output gear drive shaft, drive shaft gear 641 Extension axial shaft, output shaft 642 External spline 643 Timing Mark 650 Central air transfer device, dispenser fan, axial flow fan 651 Vibration-damping section 660 Off-center air transfer device, dispenser fan, centrifugal fan 661 Vibration-damping section 680 Intermediate printed circuit board, intermediate PCB 681 Spring-loaded electrical lead wire 682 Microswitch 700 cartridges 710 Lower cabinet 712 Interior wall 770 Tray Stacking 771, 772, 773, 774 trays 775 board 776 Exterior Wall 777 Spacer 778 Male-female matching features 779 Flange 780 Lid component

Claims

1. A fragrance dispenser, A housing extending from the lower part to the upper part of the dispenser, with a first air inlet defined at the lower part and a cartridge basket at the upper part, A cartridge removably disposed within the cartridge basket, the cartridge comprising a cartridge housing extending from bottom to top, with a second air inlet at the bottom and an air outlet at the top, the cartridge comprising a tray stack of identically configured circular trays, each of which has at least one storage compartment configured to receive a fragrance component, The cartridge includes a tray drive shaft configured to continuously rotate each of the trays in the tray stack around the center of the tray stack, A drive unit operably connected to the tray drive shaft, An air intake unit configured to draw air into the first air inlet of the dispenser, into the second air inlet of the cartridge, and out through the cartridge and out through the air outlet of the cartridge, A fragrance dispenser equipped with a fragrance dispenser.

2. The second air inlet in the cartridge housing includes a central opening and an annular or ring-shaped opening that is radially offset and spaced apart from the central opening of the cartridge housing and has a first circumferential span. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein each of the trays in the tray stack includes a central opening and a first section having an annular or ring cross-sectional shape with a first air passage, the first section defines at least one storage section, and the at least one storage section has a second circumferential span.

3. The dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the tray drive shaft is configured to continuously rotate each of the trays around the tray stacking center over the circumferential span of the at least one storage portion of each of the trays, such that in the initial rotation state and the final rotation state, the at least one storage portion of each of the trays is aligned with each other and with the offset opening of the cartridge housing in the circumferential direction.

4. Each of the aforementioned trays extends from the bottom to the top of the tray by the height of the tray. Each of the at least one storage section includes a wall in the first section that extends from the bottom of the tray to the top of the tray, The dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the floor of at least one storage section has an opening that allows airflow but does not allow the fragrance material to pass through, and is less than the height of the tray, and the difference between the height of the tray and the height of the floor determines the depth of the storage section.

5. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the storage section in the second section of the tray is configured to prevent the placement of the fragrance member in the second section.

6. Each of the trays in the aforementioned stack extends between an outer diameter wall and an inner diameter wall that are radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defines a shaft opening that penetrates the stack of trays, and inwardly facing gear teeth are defined along the inner diameter wall. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the tray drive shaft extends axially through the stack of trays within the shaft opening, is radially smaller than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the tray drive shaft is offset from the center of the stack of trays, and the tray drive shaft has teeth spaced axially apart from each other to engage with each of the inward-facing gear teeth of each of the trays.

7. Each of the trays in the aforementioned stack extends between an outer diameter wall and an inner diameter wall that are radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defines a shaft opening that penetrates the stack of trays, and inwardly facing gear teeth are defined along the inner diameter wall. Each of the inwardly facing gear teeth of the tray engages with an independently rotating idler gear, and the axially spaced stack of idler gears extends axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, and the stack of idler gears is smaller radially than the inner diameter wall such that the axis of rotation of the stack of idler gears is offset from the center of the tray stack. The dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the tray drive shaft has an axial stack of intermittent gears that engage with each idler gear, the tray drive shaft extends axially through the tray stack within the shaft opening, and the axis of rotation of the tray drive shaft is smaller radially than the inner diameter wall such that it is offset from the center of the tray stack.

8. The dispenser according to claim 7, wherein each of the intermittent gears spaced axially in the tray drive shaft has a set of at least one gear tooth, which, if present, spreads out in a circumferential area of ​​less than 360 degrees to engage with the teeth of each of the idler gears, or, if the set of gear teeth is engaged, to engage with the teeth of each of the trays to stack the idler gears or rotate the tray.

9. Each of the intermittent gears spaced axially apart in the tray drive shaft is provided with an expanded ring or circular plate extending in a circumferential division of less than 360 degrees for engaging with the teeth or semicircular grooves in the stack of idler gears or with the teeth or semicircular grooves in the associated tray, thereby preventing the stack of idler gears or the tray from rotating while the ring or plate is engaged, according to claim 7.

10. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein each set of teeth in the tray drive shaft intermittent gear is angularly offset from the teeth adjacent to the set in the tray drive shaft such that the teeth of each intermittent gear engage in continuous with the teeth of each idler gear or the tray.

11. Each of the trays in the aforementioned stack extends between an outer diameter wall and an inner diameter wall that are radially spaced apart from each other, the inner diameter wall defines a shaft opening that penetrates the stack of trays, and inwardly facing gear teeth are defined along the inner diameter wall. The inward-facing gear teeth in the tray have a closed section with a first circumferential span and a cut-out section with a second circumferential span, wherein the first section is positioned to prevent the tray drive shaft or the idler gear teeth from engaging with the tray before the tray is initially rotated at a certain angle within the cartridge, and the second section is positioned such that when the tray is rotated such that the last unused storage section is positioned above the offset opening in the cartridge, the stack of idler gears or the drive shaft gear is positioned within the cut-out and the teeth of the tray are disengaged from the idler gear teeth or the drive shaft, according to claim 5.

12. The dispenser comprises an energy storage device and a reduction gear powered by the energy storage device, the reduction gear including an output gear. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the tray drive shaft is formed to have spline teeth and includes a lower end configured for engagement with the output spline of the reduction gear.

13. The dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the tray cap of the cartridge is positioned above the upper tray in the tray stack, the tray cap is the same size as the tray, and the tray cap defines an offset opening that is aligned with the offset opening of the cartridge housing.

14. The dispenser according to claim 13, wherein the top plate of the cartridge is positioned above the tray cap, the top plate has a central opening of the same size as the central opening of the tray cap, the tray cap has a central opening of the same size as the central opening of the tray stack and an offset opening that is aligned with the offset opening of the cartridge housing, and the combination of the tray cap and the top plate is configured to guide air flowing through the offset opening and through the first or second section of the tray stack, thereby combining with air flowing through the central opening of the tray stack before flowing out of the cartridge.

15. The cartridge includes a storage device that stores flash memory data indicating one or more of the following: the type of fragrance component stored in the cartridge, the history of fragrance component usage, the target speed of the air transfer device, or the target speed of the tray drive shaft. The dispenser according to claim 12, further comprising a processing unit configured to communicate with the storage device in the cartridge and to control the speed of the air transfer device or the output gear in response to the flash memory data.

16. The dispenser according to claim 1, comprising a fan configured to draw air into the first air inlet and a motion sensor, wherein the processing device in the dispenser is configured to activate the fan when the motion sensor detects movement.

17. The dispenser according to claim 1, comprising a fan configured to draw air into the first air inlet and a motion sensor, wherein the processing unit in the dispenser is configured to predictively operate the fan based on a time history of signals from the motion sensor that detect movement, or at least a portion of preset schedules from a connected software application or processing unit firmware.

18. The dispenser according to claim 17, wherein the predictive operation of the fan is based on machine learning.

19. The dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: an LED array on the upper part of the housing; and an LED array control device operably connected to the processing device in the housing and configured to illuminate based on settings from a capacitively sensed gesture in the dispenser, or at least one of the motion sensor detecting movement.

20. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser includes an LED array configured to illuminate the upper part of the cartridge.

21. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser is equipped with a ring-shaped lip, a capacitive tactile sensing circuit board is used below the ring-shaped lip, and the ring member detects a gesture by the user and adjusts one or more operating settings for the dispenser.

22. The dispenser comprises a base plate positioned below the cartridge basket, the base plate extending between an outer diameter edge and an inner diameter edge that are radially spaced apart from each other, and the inner diameter edge defines a fan opening. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a central fan is positioned in the fan opening and operably connected to the processing device in the dispenser, and is configured to direct air through the shaft opening of the tray stack.

23. The dispenser according to claim 22, wherein the base plate of the dispenser defines an offset opening that is aligned with the offset opening of the cartridge housing, and a second fan is positioned below the offset opening and operably connected to the processing device in the dispenser, and configured to direct air through the offset opening.

24. The dispenser according to claim 23, wherein a housing louver is pivotably connected to the cartridge basket at the offset opening in the cartridge basket and is configured to pivot between a closed state in which the offset opening is closed and an open state in which the offset opening is exposed, and the housing louver is biased by the second fan to move from the closed state to the open state, otherwise it is in the closed state.

25. The dispenser according to claim 23, wherein a housing louver is pivotably connected to the cartridge basket at the offset opening in the cartridge basket and is configured to pivot between a closed state in which the offset opening is closed and an open state in which the offset opening is exposed, and the housing louver is biased by the second fan to move from the closed state to the open state, otherwise it is in the closed state.

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