Recognition of scents in fragrances

Abstract

Educational/diversionary apparatus is arranged to present a user with various different scents and data thereon in order to aid scent recognition and enable a user to decide upon a combination of scent types which would be desirable to him/her. The apparatus takes the forms of a kit having a number of different scents and data carrying means, such as a CD Rom, which holds data on the nature, geographical origin and/or source of each of the said scents, wherein the data held on the data carrying means includes a map showing a number of geographical regions and cross-referencing means for cross-referencing each region with an associated scent. The selection of a region by the user can thus result in an associated scent being identified and data on that scent being presented to the user. The data on the carrier preferably comprises a computer program having instructions for causing a computer to display an image of the map and to provide means for selecting an area on the map. The apparatus may also be arranged to cause the computer to accept inputs from the user representative of the relative desirabilities of scents in the kit, and means for generating a display representative of said desirabilities.

1 - 10 . (canceled)  
   
   
       11 . Apparatus for providing an indication of the types of fragrances that a user is likely to prefer, the apparatus comprising a plurality of scents in different predetermined families, a data carrier comprising a computer readable medium comprising a computer programme for causing a computer to instruct a user to sample each scent in turn, and enter data representative of the desirability of each scent and to display a graphical representation of the relative desirabilities of the families (based on said inputs).  
   
   
       12 . Apparatus according to  claim 11 , in which the scents are in a liquid form, each scent being held in a respective container, and the apparatus includes substrate means for receiving a portion of scent to be smelt.  
   
   
       13 . Apparatus according to  claim 12 , in which the substrate means is absorbent, and conveniently comprises a number of pieces of sheet material, for example strips of paper, other non organic matrices such as zeolites or silica or polymer matrices.  
   
   
       14 . Apparatus according to  claim 11 , in which the apparatus also includes a receptacle for mixing individual scents and dispensing means, for example droppers, for transferring controlled amounts of scents from their containers to the receptacle.  
   
   
       15 . Apparatus according to  claim 14 , in which the apparatus also includes one or more materials, such as leather or a fabric, associated with a given scent.  
   
   
       16 . (canceled)