| United States Patent |
6,899,486 |
|
Wetzel
, et al.
|
May 31, 2005
|
Pen with a scented housing
Abstract
A writing pen such as a ballpoint pen having a scented housing or barrel
made by including a scented agent (natural or synthetic) into the material
(such as plastic) forming the pen housing. In the case of a metal housing
or barrel, the pen has a scented coating such as lacquer or enamel. In a
preferred embodiment the pen has a grip incorporated into the pen barrel
made of a relatively soft, polymeric or rubber material which incorporates
a scent giving off the desired aroma. The inventive scented pen is useful
as an advertising or other promotional device and includes imprinted
advertising, logo or other identification of the source for advertising
purposes. The pen has the pleasant aroma of a commercial establishment
with which the aroma is associated, such as the aroma of the coffee of a
particular coffee house, with the name or logo of the coffee house.
| Inventors: |
Wetzel; Eric L. (Taylor, MI), Wetzel; Jon C. (Auburn Hills, MI) |
| Appl. No.:
|
10/618,312 |
| Filed:
|
July 14, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
401/195 ; 401/209; 401/6 |
| Current International Class: |
B43K 29/00 (20060101); B43K 029/00 () |
| Field of Search: |
401/6,52,195,209
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
07290889 |
|
Nov., 1995 |
|
JP |
| |
10291396 |
|
Nov., 1998 |
|
JP |
|
|
Other References
Catalogue, Geddes-Schools of Raymond Geddes and Company, Baltimore, MD,, 2001.. |
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Tuan
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Litman; Richard C.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application
Ser. No. 60/396,585, filed Jul. 18, 2002.
Claims
We claim:
1.
A pen for inducing a mental thought comprising: a writing portion
having a reservoir of ink, and an ink transferring point; a barrel
housing for receiving said writing portion
internally; wherein said housing is adapted to allow said ink
transferring point to extend beyond externally thereof; and means for
emanating an aroma from said housing, wherein said means for emanating
is embedded in said barrel housing; whereby the
aroma is sensed and a thought associated with the aroma is generated in
the mind of a user.
2. The pen according to claim 1, wherein said housing having
an axial bore and two ends, said reservoir is disposed in said axial
bore internally of the housing, and said ink transferring point extends
externally from one of said ends.
3. The pen according to claim 1, said housing further
including a retractor; wherein said housing having an axial bore and
two ends, said reservoir is disposed in said axial bore internally of
the housing, and said refractor is disposed at one
of said ends, and is coupled to said reservoir, said retractor moves
said reservoir along said axial bore, such that said ink transferring
point is moved through the other end of said housing so as to extend
externally from said housing at said other end
in a first position, and to retract internally in said housing.
4. The pen according to claim 1, further comprising indicia
disposed on said housing for conveying a written message associated
with the aroma.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to writing instruments. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a pen having a housing
which having a scent which gives off a desired aroma and advertising on
the housing related to the particular aroma.
2. Description of the Related Art
Writing instruments such as pens are widely distributed as
advertising premiums and for commercial sale. It would be desirable to
provide a pen with enhanced advertising properties beyond imprinted
matter on the barrel of the pen merely
identifying the advertiser or source whether the pen is an advertising
premium or sold to a customer in the case of bars, restaurants, event
souvenirs, or other establishments or sources with which the customer
desires to be identified.
It is known to provide scented pens having scented ink, a
scented polymeric grip integral with the pen barrel, and scented
polymeric grips which may be pulled over the barrel of a pen or pencil.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,242 B1, issued Apr. 17, 20001, to Cote, C.
W. E., describes a scented writing implement that has an absorbent
pencil soaked in a liquid fragrance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,493, issued Aug. 9, 1988, to Anderson,
describes impregnated scented crayons, chalk, and clay, teaching
identification of color to scent and scent to color.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,974 B1, issued Jan. 1, 2002, to C. Chen, describes a fragrant plastic container fabrication method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,584, issued May 5, 1992, to Medri et al., describes a scented cosmetic enamel for nails.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,595 B1, issued Jan. 2, 2001, to Manne
describes a device to deliver various combinations of scents in rapid
succession to a user's nose in conjunction with video graphic images
and/or sounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,263 B1, issued Oct. 2, 2001, describes a
method of odor selection for selecting an odor to match a visual or
auditory target stimulus. The subject matter of the '263 patent is
related to aromachology as see column 3, lines
10-15, thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,598, issued Jul. 22, 1986, to Schwartz et
al., describes a finger gripping device useful as a removable
attachment to a writing implement.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,626 B1 issued Aug. 14, 2001, to Yazawa
describes a grip incorporated in the barrel of a writing device such as
a pen.
Japanese Patent No. 10-291396, published Apr. 11, 1998,
describes a fragrant pen whose purpose is to enhance the efficiency of
business or learning according to a psychological effect brought on to
the user by fragrance having the effect of
encouraging or tranquilizing the user's spirits by sealing perfume in a
ballpoint pen and evaporating the perfume at the time of using the pen.
The catalogue of Geddes-Schools of Raymond Geddes and Company,
Inc., Baltimore, Md. describes scented pencil grips having aromatherapy
attributes.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either
singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention
as claimed. Thus, a pen having enhanced effectiveness as an advertising
vehicle by employing a scent is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a writing pen such as a ballpoint pen
having a scented housing or barrel. The housing or barrel is made by
including a scented agent (natural or synthetic) into the material
(such as plastic) forming the pen housing. In
the case of a metal housing or barrel, the pen has a scented coating
such as lacquer or enamel. In a preferred embodiment the pen has a grip
incorporated into the pen barrel made of a relatively soft, polymeric
or rubber material which incorporates a
scent giving off the desired aroma. The scented pen of the invention is
useful as an advertising or other promotional device and includes
imprinted advertising, logo or other identification of the source for
advertising purposes. The pen has a pleasant
aroma which reminds the user of a commercial establishment with which
the aroma is associated, such as the aroma of the coffee of a
particular coffee house, along with the name or logo of the coffee
house. Aromas may also simulate types of coffee
preparations such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, and cafe mocha and
other flavored coffees. Of course, other types of foods could be
aromatically simulated, such as pizza, hamburgers, tacos, and buttered
popcorn, along with imprinted advertising for
the particular restaurant or other establishment serving the type of
food aromatically simulated. The scent may be a floral scent along with
advertising for a particular florist. Many scents can be envisioned
having aromas having nexus with a type of
commercial establishment which would benefit from the advertising of
the services, goods, or products.
As a specialty advertising item, the invention provides
different benefits to two categories of advertisers. The first is an
advertiser that is promoting a product, service, or overall impression
that is scent specific. The advertiser utilizes
the invention not only to disseminate identifying and/or contact
information about itself (name, logo, address, telephone number, etc.),
but to provide a scent that promotes its products, services and the
overall impression it wishes to convey. Examples
include the scent of coffee for a coffee ship promoting coffee drinks,
and a grower, grinder, or supplier promoting coffee beans and grounds;
a floral scent for a florist or grower promoting flowers, and a ladies'
boutique promoting feminine atmosphere;
the scent of vanilla for a bakery promoting baked goods, and a massage
therapist promoting aromatherapy or aromachology; perfume for a
manufacturer or retailer promoting perfume, and a spa promoting a
feminine atmosphere; popcorn for a theater; and
chocolate for a candy shop.
The second type of advertiser includes advertisers that do not
offer a product or service or promote an overall impression that is
scent specific. The presence of a fragrance in the invention allows the
advertiser's pen to stand out against
other specialty advertising pens. By selecting a generally pleasing
scent for its pen, the advertiser is offering an advertising item that
its target audience is more likely to use in order to enjoy its aroma.
By using the pen more often than other
pens, the advertisement on the pen is seen more often. Increased
visibility of an ad corresponds to an increase in the advertiser's
chances that it leaves an impression on the user, which results in
increased business and revenue for the advertiser.
Businesses having a well-known brand or logo, or other
identifying mark which motivates the buyer to buy souvenirs, such as
bars, restaurants, events, or resorts derives advertising value by
providing a scented pen for sale, whether scent
specific to the business or of generally pleasing aroma.
The inventive pen is distinguishable from those employing
scented ink in ink cartridges in that notes, documents, letters, etc.
are not scented by the ink.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to
provide a scented pen, such as a ball point pen, having the scent
incorporated in the housing or barrel, a coating material, or a grip
incorporated in the barrel, the pen having
advertising or a business logo affixed to the pen.
It is another object of the invention to provide a pen as
above which has a scent specific aroma associated with a business
establishment.
It is another object of the invention to provide a pen as above which is useful as an advertising or promotional device.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements
and arrangements thereof for the purposes describe which is
inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its
intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a pen with a scented housing and advertising according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an environmental perspective view of a pen having a scented grip and advertising according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a quarter-section view of the pen of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a section view of a pen having a scented plastic housing or barrel.
FIG. 5 is a section view of a pen having a housing or barrel with a scented coating.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is a writing pen such as a ball point pen
with a scented housing or barrel and advertising affixed to the
housing, the aroma of which is associated with the advertising. The
advertising may typically include the imprinted
name of the advertising business and its logo. The housing is made by
incorporating a scented agent (natural or synthetic) into the material
(such as a plastic) forming the pen housing. In the case of a metal
housing, the pen has a scented coating such
as lacquer or enamel. A preferred embodiment has a soft, scented,
plastic polymeric or rubber grip incorporated into the pen.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is generally shown a scented pen 10
giving off the aroma similar to the nearby coffee house while the
worker W is working at a desk D. As is illustrated, his thoughts T are
diverted to the coffee house and a cup of
their distinctive coffee as lunchtime approaches.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown an environmental
perspective view of a pen 10 having a barrel 12 in which is
incorporated a plastic polymeric or rubber grip 14, the grip giving off
an aroma A associated with imprinted advertising 16 and logo
17 marked on the barrel 12 as in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a section view of a pen 20
having a scented plastic housing 22 which gives off a pleasant aroma A
relating to advertising (not shown, see FIG. 2).
Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a section view of a pen 30
having a metal housing 34 with a scented coating 36 such as enamel, the
coating giving off a pleasant aroma A related to imprinted advertising
(not shown, see FIG. 2). A pen having a
metal housing may be provided with a scented plastic grip made from
scented compounds listed below.
The material of the scented housing may be of a molded plastic
containing the aromatic oils and other liquids are slowly released as
an aroma from the plastic such as described by C. Chen in U.S. Pat. No.
6,334,974 B1, issued Jan. 1, 2002, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In the case of
a metal housing, a scented coating material may be employees such as
described by Medri et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,584, the disclosure of
which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
Appropriate scented plastic compositions amenable to molding
to obtain the desired pen housing shape are supplied, for example, by
RTP Company, Winona, Minn. Fragrances including coffee and cappuccino,
as well as a large variety of other
fragrances are supplied compounded with olefinic resins such as
polypropylenes, polyethylenes, and olefinic thermoplastic elastomers.
Also available are scent-compounded plastics for personal care product,
medical supplies and air freshening. These
scented plastics can be injection molded, compression molded, extruded,
or blow molded. Colors characteristic to the aroma can also be provided
in the plastic composition.
Other component parts of various writing instruments may be
scented by incorporation into their material of construction or by a
scented coating include, for example, parts such as the tip, the
barrel, the clip, the grip, the cap, the end cap,
the click button, and the decorative ring. Not all pens have all the
parts listed. The term "scented housing" is intended to include the
scenting of one, several, or all component parts which comprise a
writing instrument. It is intended that "pen" or
"writing instrument" as used in this application includes roller ball,
gel, and fountain pens having capped or retractable designs with a
click or twist mechanism.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all
embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *