BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to scent dispensation.

Existing solutions for dispensing scents within a location, such as a home, include conventional scented candles, incense stocks, hanging air fresheners, and electric fragrance diffusers, such as those that plug into an outlet socket and include a heating element to heat a fragrant substance. In some cases, a porous substrate is saturated with the fragrant substance and then placed adjacent to a heat source, which heats up the fragrant substance to diffuse it within a predetermined space.

While functional, these solutions are limited. For example, it is often difficult to tell when a fragrance dispenser has run out of fragrance, as the dispenser typically lacks any sort of indicator and one is left to smell the dispenser manually to determine how much fragrance is actually left, which is ineffective as the dispenser itself may still smell like the diffuse fragrance up close that may have little effect in the area that is to be perfumed. In addition, if the users wishes to change a fragrance, the user has to manually open the dispenser to replace the cartridge in the dispenser, or in the case of hanging dispensers, replace it with a fresh version.

Existing scent dispensers also provide little control to users to configure how much scent is actually being diffused. Some existing electronic scent dispensers include a hardware selector to switch the device between off, low, and high operating states. However, these electronic scent dispensers are not self-aware, and therefore output the same amount of scent over time. Therefore, even at a low setting, the scent dispenser can eventually over-perfume a room, and only change state when manually switched off or set to another level by the user using the switch. This results in the unpleasant experience of the room becoming too perfumed and, in some cases, causes people to leave the room.

SUMMARY

According to one innovative aspect of the subject matter being described in this disclosure, an example system includes a first vial including a first side, one or more sidewalls, and a second side. The one or more sidewalls connect the first side to the second side. The first side, the one or more sidewalls, and the second side collectively form an inner cavity. The first side includes an opening through which a solution containable in the inner cavity is dispensed from the first vial. The system includes a vial sensor including a first array of sensor pads electrically coupled to a controller, a sidewall from the one or more sidewalls of the first vial being situated adjacent to the first array of sensor pads within a first array of electric fields. The first array of sensor pads are electrically charged to produce the first array of electric fields. The controller detects changes in one or more of the electric fields of the first array as the solution is dispensed from the first vial.

In general, the system may optionally include one or more of the following features: a second vial including a first side, one or more sidewalls, a second side; that the one or more sidewalls of the second vial connect the first side of the second vial to the second side of the second vial; that the first side of the second vial, the one or more sidewalls of the second vial, and the second side of the second vial collectively form an inner cavity of the second vial; that the first side of the second vial includes an opening through which a second solution containable in the inner cavity is dispensed from the second vial; that the first array of sensor pads are situated along a first side of the vial sensor; that the vial sensor includes a second array of sensor pads electrically coupled to the controller and situated along a second side of the vial sensor situated located adjacent to the first side of the vial sensor; that a sidewall from the one or more sidewalls of the second vial is situated adjacent to the second array of sensor pads with a second array of electric fields; that the second array of sensor pads is electrically charged to produce the second array of electric fields; that the controller detects changes in the one or more of the electric fields of the second array as the second solution is dispensed from the second vial; a vial retaining mechanism including a first vial coupling and a second vial coupling; that the first vial coupling receives and detachably retains the first side of the first vial, and the second vial coupling receives and detachably retains the first side of the second vial; that the first side of the first vial includes a neck through which the opening of the first side of the first vial extends; that the first side of the second vial includes a neck through which the opening of the first side of the second vial extends; that the first vial coupling includes one or more surfaces shaped to engage with and secure the neck of the first side of the first vial; that the second vial coupling includes one or more surfaces shaped to engage with and secure the neck of the first side of the second vial; that the vial retaining mechanism includes a first wick receiver and a second wick receiver; that the first wick receiver includes a stopping member having a wick hole extending through the stopping member of the first wick receiver; that the second wick receiver includes a stopping member having a wick hole extending through the stopping member of the second wick receiver; that the wick hole of the first wick receiver receives a wick extending outwardly from the opening of the first side of the first vial; that the wick hole of the second wick receiver receives a wick extending outwardly from the opening of the first side of the second vial; a first heating element situated on a side of the stopping member opposing the first vial; a second heating element situated on the side of the stopping member opposing the second vial; that the first heating element heats an end of the wick extending through the wick hole of the first wick receiver, and the second heating element heats an end of the wick extending through the wick hole of the second wick receiver; that the first heating element includes a ring that receives the end of the wick extending through the wick hole of the first wick receiver; that the second heating element includes a ring that receives the end of the wick extending through the wick hole of the second wick receiver; that the first heating element and the second heating element are formed at least in part of a ceramic material; a first vial coupling that receives and detachably retains the first vial; a heating element that heats the solution receivable from the first vial; a housing that houses the first vial coupling, the heating element, and the vial sensor; that a front side of the housing includes an opening providing access to the first vial; a removable cover that, when attached to the front side of the housing, covers the opening providing access to the first vial; that the removable cover includes one or more first magnetic fasteners; and that the front side of the housing includes one or more second magnetic fasteners that are compatible with the one or more first magnetic fasteners and that magnetically engage with the one or more first magnetic fasteners when the removable cover is situated abuttingly with the front side of the housing.

In general, according to a further innovative aspect, an example system includes a vial retaining system, a heating element, a vial sensor, and a controller. The vial retaining mechanism includes a vial coupling that removeably retains a vial containing a scented solution. The vial includes a neck forming an opening, a hollow body forming a cavity containing the scented solution, and a wick extending from the cavity through the opening of the neck. The heating element is shaped to receive and heat the wick of the vial. The vial sensor includes an array of sensor pads that are arranged in alignment with the vial retained by the vial coupling. The controller is electrically coupled to the heating element and electrically coupled to the array of sensor pads. The controller regulates a temperature level of the heating element. The controller receives signals from the array of sensor pads and processing the signals to determine a fluid level of the vial.

In general, the system may optionally include one or more of the following features: that the wick passes the scented solution to the heating element; that the heating element diffuses the scented solution by heating the scented solution to the temperature level regulated by the controller; that the controller electrically charges the sensor pads of the array; and that the controller detects a change in the signals received from the array of sensor pads charged by the controller and determines a corresponding change in the fluid level of the scented solution of the vial; the change in the signals is a change in capacitance of at least one of the sensor pads; that the signals from a first subset of the sensor pads reflect a maximum capacitance level; that the signals from a second subset of the sensor pads of the array reflect a minimum capacitance level; and that the controller determines the fluid level of the vial based on the signals from the first subset and the signals from the second subset; that the sensor pads comprise copper pads; that the vial coupling includes one or more fasteners formed to detachably engage with the neck of the vial; that the one or more fasteners include one or more clips;

In general, according to a further innovative aspect, an example system includes a vial retaining system, two or more heating elements, a vial sensor, and a controller. The vial retaining mechanism includes two or more vial couplings that removeably retain two or more vials. The two or more vials each include a neck forming an opening, a hollow body forming a cavity, and a wick extending from the cavity through the opening of the neck. Each of the two or more heating elements are shaped to receive and heat the wick of a corresponding vial of the two or more vials. The vial sensor includes two or more arrays of sensor pads that are respectively arranged in alignment with the two or more vials retained by the two or more vial couplings. The controller is electrically coupled to the two or more heating elements and electrically coupled to each of the two or more arrays of sensor pads. The controller regulates a temperature level of each of the two or more heating elements, and the controller receives signals from the arrays of sensor pads and processes the signals to determine a fill level of each of the two or more vials.

Further innovative aspects include corresponding systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products. These systems, methods, apparatus, computer program products, and other aspects, are particularly advantageous in a number of respects. For example, the technology enables users to remotely control scent dispensers, switch between scents remotely, and receive notifications when a scent solution is running/has run out, automatically switches the scent solution(s) to diffuse based on user location, allows users to schedule scent diffusion for different locations, etc. In addition, the technology can collect data about scent solution usage and user habits when using scent dispensers, and then analyze that data to produce analytics to inform producers about characteristics of the users, the scents being consumed, etc. Numerous additional features are also possible and contemplated, many of which are discussed herein.

However, this list of features and advantages is not all-inclusive and many additional features and advantages are within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the present disclosure has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein.

