Posted by Frankly saying wearing face masks was one of the most hated, law-enforced measures during the past pandemics. A recently granted US patent (US11613844) by sole inventor and patent holder Tinari Colleen provided a definite compensation for the inconvenience of having them on the face, especially close to the nose. The first (the broader) main claim of the patent is as follows:
A method of infusing an aromatic essential oil into a fabric comprising the steps of:
– depositing a volume of essential oil into a container, wherein the essential oil is a volatile aromatic oil;
– placing a volume of carrier oil into the container;
– adding a volume of cyclodextrin into the container;
– blending the essential oil, carrier oil and cyclodextrin in the container to create a mixture;
– allowing the mixture to rest in the container;
– placing a portion of the mixture into a dry sprayer;
– applying the mixture to a fabric utilizing the dry sprayer; and
– storing the fabric in a sealable container for curing.
The mask was available at http://scentedlife.net/ and also Walmart in various fashionable scents (strawberry, pumpkin spice, cotton candy, levander, mint, sandalwood, coffee). The invention is a very clever use of cyclodextrin ensuring controlled release of the volatiles upon exhaled water vapour, let alone the otherwise proven antiviral effect of the applied cyclodextrin (though not mentioned in the patent application, but discussed widely in scientific literature).