US-20260124334-A1 - HOUSING FOR VOLATILE COMPOSITION DISPENSER

US20260124334A1US 20260124334 A1US20260124334 A1US 20260124334A1US-20260124334-A1

Abstract

Provided herein is a housing for a volatile composition dispenser that includes: a front portion and a back portion, where the back portion comprises at least one airflow opening, and the front and back portions together define an interior space for receiving a volatile composition cartridge; one or more rupturing protrusions extending from an interior surface of the back portion towards the interior space, the one or more rupturing protrusions for directly rupturing a sealing substrate of a volatile composition cartridge; one or more supporting protrusions extending from an interior surface of the front portion towards the interior space, the one or more supporting protrusions for supporting a volatile composition cartridge in order to facilitate rupturing of the sealing substrate by the one or more rupturing protrusions; and a cartridge insertion opening that allows a volatile composition cartridge to be slidably received by the interior space.

Inventors

Rahul VYAS
Desmond NG
Kumaresh Govindan Radhakrishnan
Mei San Gigi Cho
Hyunjoon YOON
Walter Sordo
Lung Yee TANG
Danilo Rossi

Assignees

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251009

Claims (20)

1 . A housing for a volatile composition dispenser, the housing comprising: a front portion and a back portion, where the back portion comprises at least one airflow opening, and the front and back portions together define an interior space for receiving a volatile composition cartridge; one or more rupturing protrusions extending from an interior surface of the back portion towards the interior space, the one or more rupturing protrusions for directly rupturing a sealing substrate of a volatile composition cartridge; one or more supporting protrusions extending from an interior surface of the front portion towards the interior space, the one or more supporting protrusions for supporting a volatile composition cartridge in order to facilitate rupturing of the sealing substrate by the one or more rupturing protrusions; and a cartridge insertion opening that allows a volatile composition cartridge to be slidably received by the interior space.
2 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more rupturing protrusions comprise a rupturing apex for rupturing a sealing substrate of a volatile composition cartridge.
3 . The housing according to claim 2 , wherein the rupturing apex comprises an arc having an arc radius of less than 0.9 cm, optionally wherein the rupturing apex comprises an arc having an arc radius of less than 0.7 cm, more optionally wherein the rupturing apex comprises an arc having an arc radius of less than 0.5 cm.
4 . The housing according to claim 2 , wherein the rupturing apex comprises an arc, and where a chord defined by a sagitta of 1.025 mm has an arc length of from 4 mm to 8.5 mm.
5 . The housing according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more rupturing protrusions comprise a sloped region facing the cartridge insertion opening, where the sloped region is configured such that as a cartridge is inserted into the interior space via the cartridge insertion opening, the sloped region guides the cartridge towards the rupturing apex of the one or more rupturing protrusions.
6 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more rupturing protrusions comprises at least two rupturing protrusions.
7 . The housing according to claim 6 , wherein the at least two rupturing protrusions are laterally offset from a line bisecting the housing in a longitudinal direction.
8 . The housing according to claim 7 , wherein the at least two rupturing protrusions are laterally and longitudinally offset from each other.
9 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more supporting protrusions comprise a sloped region facing the cartridge insertion opening, where the sloped region is configured such that as a cartridge is inserted into the interior space via the cartridge insertion opening, the sloped region directs the cartridge towards the one or more rupturing protrusions.
10 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more rupturing protrusions is closer to the cartridge insertion opening than one of the one or more supporting protrusions.
11 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of (a) and (b) applies: (a) a cartridge contacting area of the one or more rupturing protrusions is smaller than a cartridge contacting area of the one or more supporting protrusions; and (b) the one or more rupturing protrusions and the one or more supporting protrusions each have an arc defined by a chord at a sagitta of 1.025 mm, and a corresponding arc length of the one or more rupturing protrusions is shorter than a corresponding arc length of the one or more supporting protrusions.
12 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more rupturing protrusions and one or more supporting protrusions are arranged in pairs, such that each rupturing protrusion has a corresponding supporting protrusion.
13 . The housing according to claim 12 , wherein a distal point of each rupturing protrusion is less than 1.5 cm from a distal point of its corresponding supporting protrusion, optionally less than 1 cm from its corresponding supporting protrusion, more optionally less than 0.7 cm from its corresponding supporting protrusion.
14 . The housing according to claim 1 , further comprising a blocking protrusion extending from an interior surface of the front or back portions, the blocking protrusion for preventing insertion of a volatile composition cartridge in an undesired orientation.
15 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the front portion comprises a window, optionally wherein the window is at least partially bordered by one or more guiding protrusions, the guiding protrusions for aligning a volatile composition cartridge as the volatile composition cartridge is inserted into the housing.
16 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein: the one or more rupturing protrusions each comprise a rupturing apex for rupturing a sealing substrate of a volatile composition cartridge; the one or more rupturing protrusions comprise a sloped region facing the cartridge insertion opening, where the sloped region is configured such that as a cartridge is inserted into the interior space via the cartridge insertion opening, the sloped region guides the cartridge towards the rupturing apex of the one or more rupturing protrusions; the one or more supporting protrusions comprise a sloped region facing the cartridge insertion opening, where the sloped region is configured such that as a cartridge is inserted into the interior space via the cartridge insertion opening, the sloped region guides an opposing side of the cartridge towards the rupturing apex of the one or more rupturing protrusions; and at least one of the one or more rupturing protrusions is closer to the cartridge insertion opening than any of the one or more supporting protrusions.
17 . The housing according to claim 16 , wherein each of the one or more rupturing protrusions and one or more supporting protrusions are arranged in pairs, such that each rupturing protrusion has a corresponding supporting protrusion.
18 . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the housing does not comprise moving parts.
19 . A volatile composition dispenser comprising: a housing as defined in any one of the previous claims ; and a volatile composition cartridge, the volatile composition cartridge comprising: a reservoir containing a volatile composition; a sealing substrate enclosing the reservoir; and a membrane enclosing the reservoir, the membrane configured to allow volatilisation of the volatile composition, wherein: the volatile composition dispenser is configured such that as the volatile composition cartridge is slid into the housing via the cartridge insertion opening, the at least one rupturing protrusion is configured to rupture the sealing substrate without rupturing the membrane.
20 . The volatile composition dispenser according to claim 19 , wherein the volatile composition cartridge comprises a sloped section on a side of the volatile composition cartridge that is opposing to the membrane, wherein the sloped section is for engaging with the one or more supporting protrusions, such that as the volatile composition cartridge is slid into the housing via the cartridge insertion opening, the sloped section engages with one of the one or more supporting protrusions and directs the volatile composition cartridge in a direction towards the one or more rupturing protrusions, thereby increasing the force exerted by the rupturing protrusion on the sealing substrate as compared to a force exerted when the sloped section is not engaged with one of the one or more supporting protrusions.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of volatile composition dispensers, particularly to a housing for a volatile composition dispenser, and to a volatile composition dispenser comprising the housing and a volatile composition cartridge. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Systems for delivering volatile materials to the atmosphere are well known in the art. Such systems include insect repellents, air fresheners, malodor removal agents, or the like, and function by evaporating a volatile material into a space to deliver a variety of benefits such as air freshening or malodor removal. Most volatile composition dispensers are configured for one-time use. Typical disposable air freshener dispenser devices are described in PCT Publication No. WO 98/16262 and U.S. Pat. No. 10,561,755 B2, which include an air freshener medium within a container, and a push button actuator which can be manually operated to rupture a foil covering the container for initiating the dispensing of the air freshener into the atmosphere. A problem associated with such device is that after volatile composition is depleted, it is not possible to refill or replenish the volatile composition and reactivate the volatile composition dispenser. As a result, the entire product is disposed of, contributing to the environmental problem of plastics waste. Furthermore, existing commercially available membrane-based volatile composition dispensers are typically intended for use in a high airflow environment such as a room or car air vent. Such products are not very suitable for low airflow environments such as the interior of a waste bin or cupboard, since they may not provide sufficient volatilization of the volatile composition contained therein. There is a consumer need for membrane-based volatile composition dispensers that are adapted for use in these environments, particularly to treat malodors that tend to accumulate in dirty enclosed spaces. In addition, some volatile composition dispensers include a rupture mechanism, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,561,754, 10,561,755 and 10,561,756. Rupture mechanisms significantly reduce the forces required to activate a volatile composition cartridge, facilitating activation by a user. However, the inclusion of these rupture mechanisms presents a risk of accidental premature activation, for example if a volatile composition dispenser or cartridge is dropped during the supply chain. While products that do not comprise a rupture mechanism are known (e.g. in TWI698262B), such products involve a movable rupturing element that impacts a membrane in an orthogonal direction, thereby transferring force onto a sealing substrate located behind the membrane. However, such products are single-use products where a volatile composition cartridge cannot be replaced within the same housing. Consumers do not want to touch a housing to open and close it in a dirty environment, so an openable version of these products adapted for a bin environment would have low consumer appeal. In addition, the presence of moving parts in a housing presents challenges for reusable products, because moving parts are more likely to break during use. There is a need for membrane-based volatile composition dispensers, and associated housings and cartridges, that allow for a cartridge to easily replaced. Thus, there is a need for a product that solves some or all of the problems discussed above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention, in an example, provides a housing for a volatile composition dispenser, which housing is adapted for easy insertion and removal of a cartridge containing a volatile composition. The housing is configured to activate a cartridge upon insertion, thereby providing a simple and efficient cartridge insertion and removal experience. Furthermore, the cartridge insertion and removal experience allows a consumer to avoid touching the housing, solving the consumer problem of disliking touching dirty environments such as the interior of waste bins. The housing of the invention is adapted for use with cartridges that do not contain a rupture mechanism, and is able to rupture a sealing substrate via slide-in activation. There are no existing products on the market that have solved the problem of activating a cartridge via a slide-in activation without a rupture mechanism. Therefore, the invention provides the following examples. 1. A housing for a volatile composition dispenser, the housing comprising: a front portion and a back portion, where the back portion comprises at least one airflow opening, and the front and back portions together define an interior space for receiving a volatile composition cartridge;one or more rupturing protrusions extending from an interior surface of the back portion towards the interior space, the one or more rupturing protrusions for directly rupturing a sealing substrate of a volatile composition cartridge;one or more supporting protrusions extending from an int