Event-Driven Scent Dispensing for Personalized Customer Environments

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Solution Overview

Problem

Businesses face challenges in personalizing scents for customers based on individual characteristics and events in various settings, such as retail and hospitality, to enhance customer experiences and sales promotions, as existing technologies lack an efficient and automatic method to adjust scents for different people, locations, and purposes.

Innovation Solution

A system that detects events, such as a person entering a physical area, uses facial recognition to characterize the individual, and applies a specific scent from a dispenser, which can synthesize on-demand top notes to convey desired impressions, adjusting scents based on parameters like demographics, location, and purchase history.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If manual scent selection and application is used, then businesses can control scent application, but it cannot efficiently personalize scents for different customers based on individual characteristics and events

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescent personalization capabilityVSAvoidefficiency of scent application
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automatic scent dispensing by detecting customer characteristics (such as gender, age, or preferences) and autonomously selecting and applying appropriate scents without manual intervention. This self-service mechanism resolves the contradiction by making the system both adaptable to individual customers and efficient in operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes scent parameters (type, concentration, timing) based on detected customer characteristics and contextual events. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system achieves personalized scent application for different customers while maintaining high operational efficiency through automated decision-making.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Extent of automation

If automated scent dispensing is implemented, then efficiency and personalization improve, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation level of scent applicationVSAvoidcomplexity of scent dispensing system
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The scent dispensing system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting customer characteristics, identifying contextual events, selecting appropriate scents, and applying them automatically. This multi-functional design consolidates what could be separate complex systems into a unified solution, achieving high automation while managing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary control unit that receives customer data and contextual information, processes this information to determine appropriate scent selections, and coordinates the dispensing mechanism. This intermediary layer simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the decision-making logic and separating detection from execution functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If scents are applied continuously, then customer experience is consistently enhanced, but energy consumption and scent waste increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsistency of customer experienceVSAvoidenergy consumption of dispenser
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous operation, the scent dispensing system operates periodically based on detected customer presence and contextual events. Scents are dispensed at specific moments when customers are identified and when contextual conditions are appropriate, ensuring consistent customer experience enhancement while minimizing energy consumption and scent waste during periods when no customers are present.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables businesses to create a personalized marketing approach through scent-based experiences, improving customer engagement and sales performance by applying tailored scents that influence behavior and purchasing decisions.

Implementation Method 1

applying the scent on the predetermined physical area

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Data Source

PatentUS10846704B2Selective scent dispensing
Publication Date: 2020.11.24 SHMUEL UR INNOVATION
  • US10846704B2 patent drawing
  • US10846704B2 patent drawing
  • US10846704B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A computer implemented method, a computerized system and a computer program product for selective scent dispensing. The computer implemented method comprising: detecting an event, wherein the event is associated with a person entering a predetermined physical area; in response to the detection of the event, determining, by a processor, a scent for the event; and applying, by a dispenser, the scent on the predetermined physical area.