Scented Fan Blade Covers and Related Methods

Abstract

Disclosed is an ornamental fan blade cover with pockets or liners for housing a fragrance effective to produce a scent. In one embodiment, a fan blade cover may be defined by a slip that is configured to fit around a ceiling fan blade. Preferably, the slip may comprise a decorative feature on one side and a fastening mechanism on the other side for securing the cover to a fan blade. Suitably, the slip may include a pocket so that a fragrance emitting means may be deposited therein. The more specific aspects of this disclosure are disclosed with reference to the figures.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/825,400 filed May 20, 2013 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present disclosure generally relates to scented covers for fan blades.

2. Background

A mechanical fan is a device defined by a rotating arrangement of vanes or blades for causing air flow. Mechanical fans may be used for climate control and personal thermal comfort by moving air to either (a) cool a person's temperature by speeding the evaporation of perspiration or (b) heat a room by counteracting stratification of hot and cold air. Not surprisingly, many fans have household applications and are common elements of many modern homes. In particular, many American houses feature a ceiling fan that is suspended over a room so that air may be moved in a downward or upward direction.

The overall appearance of most ceiling fans is the same because ceiling fans are usually defined by a plurality of pitched vanes/blades that spoke outwardly from a central hub around which the vanes rotate. The result of said similarity of appearance is that the aesthetic of a fan can become common or mundane. Accordingly, there is a need for apparatus and related methods of ceiling fan ornamentation.

Some have attempted to provide apparatus for improving the aesthetics of a ceiling fan. For example, fan blade covers are a common way of altering the appearance of a ceiling fan blade (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,676,721; 4,832,572; 5,281,093; 5,516,264; 5,591,006; 5,947,686; 6,015,261; 6,019,479; 6,619,920; D341,881; D453,219) (see also, e.g., U.S. Pub. Pat. Apps. No.: 2003/0202881; 2005/0152783; 2006/0018755; 2009/0041581). Without question, fan blade covers provide one solution to the lack of aesthetic variety of ceiling fans. This said, fan blade covers can be problematic during ceiling fan use because the covers can take on the substances in the air of a room and, after a while, become polluted or malodorous. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,721 which discusses the use of a fan blade cover to clean the air of a room. Thus a need still remains for apparatus and related methods of ceiling fan ornamentation without the drawbacks of fan blade covers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present application to provide an ornamental fan blade cover with pockets or liners for housing a fragrance effective to produce a scent. In one embodiment, the fan blade cover is defined by a slip that is configured to fit on the underside of a fan blade. Suitably, the slip may be fashioned of a variety of sheet materials wherein a decorative feature may be provided on one side of the slip and where the reverse side of the slip has a fastening mechanism to secure the fan blade cover to a fan blade. Suitably, the slip may include a pocket so that a fragrance emitting means may be deposited therein. In a preferred embodiment, more than one fan blade cover may be installed on a ceiling fan wherein the decorative features of each cover may be themed, including outdoor themes, patriotic themes, and floral themes to name a few.

It is another objective of the present application to provide a method of using the disclosed fan blade cover. In a preferable embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: providing a fragrance emitting means to the pocket of the slip; placing the slip cover against a fan blade so that a decorative feature is oriented on the underside of the fan blade; securing the slip cover to the fan blade via the fastening means; and emitting a fragrance from the slip cover and the fragrance emitting means.

Other objectives of the invention will become apparent to persons ordinarily skilled in the art once the invention has been shown and described. These objectives are not to be construed as limitations of Applicant's invention, but are merely aimed to suggest some of the many benefits that may be realized by the device and methods of the present application and with its many embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The manner in which these objectives and other desirable characteristics can be obtained is better explained in the following description and attached figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fan blade cover;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the fan blade cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the fan blade cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the fan blade cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the fan blade cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the fan blade cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the fan blade cover of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 8 is an environmental front view of five (5) of the fan blade covers of FIG. 1 attached to a typical ceiling fan; and,

FIG. 9 is bottom view of an alternative embodiment of a fan blade cover; and,

FIG. 10 is a top view of another alternative embodiment of a fan blade cover.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended figures illustrate only typical embodiments disclosed in this application, and therefore, are not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments that will be appreciated by persons ordinarily skilled in the arts. Also, figures are not necessarily made to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed is an ornamental fan blade cover with pockets or liners for housing a fragrance effective to produce a scent. In one embodiment, a fan blade cover may be defined by a slip that is configured to fit around a ceiling fan blade. Preferably, the slip may comprise a decorative feature on one side and a fastening mechanism on the other side for securing the cover to a fan blade. Suitably, the slip may include a pocket so that a fragrance emitting means may be deposited therein. The more specific aspects of this disclosure are disclosed with reference to the figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fan blade cover 1000. FIGS. 2 through 7 are respectively a front, rear, left side, right side, top and bottom view of the fan blade cover 1000 of FIG. 1. As shown, the fan blade cover 1000 is defined by: a slip 1100 with an over side 1110 and under side 1120; a decorative feature 1200 on the underside 1120 of the slip 1100; a fastening mechanism 1300 on the over side 1110 of the slip 1100; and at least one pocket 1400 with an opening 1410 disposed on the over side 1120 of the slip 1100.

FIGS. 2 through 6 illustrate the slip 1000. As shown, the slip may be a sheet of fabric, plastic, or the like. Suitably, the slip 1000 may be rigid or non-rigid. In a preferred embodiment, the slip 1000 is adapted to interface with the underside of a fan blade.

The decorative feature 1200 may be seen in FIG. 2. Referring to that figure, the decorative feature 1200. As shown, the decorative feature 1200 is in the form of a leaf. The slip 1000 itself may also define a decorative feature of the fan blade cover 1000. It is contemplated that the decorative feature may be any ornamentation without departing from the spirit and intent of this disclosure. For instance, the decorative feature 1200 may be a face, animal or the like. Those of skill art will know well the type of ornamentation that may be used for the decorative feature. In a preferred embodiment, multiple fan blade covers are used on a single ceiling fan wherein the decorative features of the blade covers may be themed, including outdoor themes, patriotic themes, and floral themes to name a few.

One preferable fastening mechanism 1300 may be seen in FIG. 3. As shown in the figure, the fastening mechanisms 1300 may be defined by straps that are configured with hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro) for holding the slip 1100 against the underside of a fan blade. Although shown as a strap with hook and loop fasteners, it is contemplated that the fastening mechanism 1300 may be any fastening mechanism suitable for holding the slip 1100 against the underside of a fan blade. For instance, the fastening mechanism may be tyable strings or a slip cover.

FIG. 3 shows the pockets 1400. As shown the pockets feature an opening 1410 so that a fragrance emitting means may be deposited into the pocket and emitted while the fan blade cover is secured to a fan blade. In one embodiment the pocket is a fabric sheet that has (a) been sown around its edges to the over side 1120 and (b) cut or slit open in a middle portion to define the opening 1410. Fragrance emitting means may be potpourri, incense, or anything emitting a fragrance. Oils may also be deposited onto the fan blade cover with absorbable properties and dispersed on fan operation.

FIG. 8 is an environmental front view of five (5) of the fan blade covers of FIG. 1 attached to a typical ceiling fan. In a preferable embodiment, the fan blade cover may be installed on a fan blade by competing the steps of:

providing a fragrance emitting means to the pocket of the slip;

placing the over side of the slip against the underside of a fan blade so that a decorative feature is on the underside of the fan blade cover;

securing the slip cover to the fan blade via the fastening means; and

emitting a fragrance from the slip cover.

FIG. 9 is bottom view of an alternative embodiment of a fan blade cover 1000. As shown, and like the earlier described embodiment, the fan blade cover 1000 is defined by: a slip 1100 with an over side and under side 1120; a decorative feature 1200 on the underside 1120 of the slip 1100; and at least one felt piece 1115 disposed between decorative feature 1200 and the underside 1120 of the slip 1000. Operably, the felt may be soaked with odorous oil. Suitably, the felt piece 1115 may suitably be positioned at any location under the decorative feature 1200.

FIG. 10 is a top view of another alternative embodiment of a slip cover 1000. As shown, the fan blade cover 1000 is defined by: a slip 1100 with an over side 1110 and under side; a decorative feature 1200 on the underside 1120 of the slip 1100; a fastening mechanism 1300 on the over side 1110 of the slip 1100; and at least one felt piece 1115 on the over side 1110 of the slip. Operably, the felt may be soaked with odorous oil. Preferably, the felt piece 1115 is disposed at a perimeter portion of the over side 1110 of the slip so that the felt piece can be out-of-contact with a fan blade installed in the cover 1000. In other words, the felt piece 1115 may be disposed at any perimeter portion of the slip 1000 despite it being depicted at a tip portion thereof.

In an undepicted embodiment of a fan-blade cover, the entire slip 1100 or decorative feature 1200 may be constructed of felt so that odorous oil may be provided to any portion thereof.

It should be noted that FIGS. 1 through 10 and the associated description are of illustrative importance only. In other words, the depiction and descriptions of the present invention should not be construed as limiting of the subject matter in this application. The device and methods discussed hereby are susceptible to modification without changing the overall concept of the disclosure. Additional modifications may become apparent to a person ordinarily skilled in the art after reading this disclosure.

Claims

1. A fan blade cover comprising:

a slip configured to fit around a ceiling fan blade;

a fastening mechanism on the over side of the slip for securing the slip around the blade; and,

at least one pocket so that a fragrance emitting means may be deposited therein.

2. A fan blade covering according to claim 1 wherein the fastening mechanism is defined by straps that are configured with hook and loop fasteners for holding the slip on the underside of a fan blade.

3. A fan blade cover according to claim 1 further comprising a decorative feature on the underside of the slip.

4. A fan blade cover according to claim 1 wherein the slip is made of fabric.

5. A fan blade cover according to claim 1 wherein the slip is made of plastic.

6. A fan blade cover comprising:

a slip configured to fit around a ceiling fan blade;

a fastening mechanism on the over side of the slip for securing the slip around the blade;

a decorative feature on the underside of the slip; and,

at least one felt piece.

7. A fan blade according to claim 6 wherein the felt piece is disposed between the decorative feature and the underside of the slip.

8. A fan blade according to claim 6 wherein the felt piece is positioned under the decorative feature.

9. A method of providing fragrance to a room comprising:

obtaining a fan blade cover wherein the cover features a slip with a decorative design on the underside of the slip;

providing a fragrance emitting means to the cover;

securing the fan blade cover to the blade of a fan using a fastening mechanism; and

turning on the fan, allowing the fragrance to disperse.

10. A method of providing fragrance to a room according to claim 9 wherein fragrance is introduced to the cover by placing fragrance emitting means into at least one pocket located on the fan blade cover.

11. A method or providing fragrance to a room according to claim 9 wherein the fragrance emitting means is provided by dipping at least one felt slip located on the cover into a scented liquid.

12. A method of providing fragrance to a room according to claim 10 wherein fragrance emitting means is potpourri.

13. A method of providing fragrance to a room according to claim 11 where the fragrance emitting means is scented oil.