WO2001007094A1

WO2001007094A1 - Electronic recording, analysis, editing, and playback of scents

Info

Publication number: WO2001007094A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/020056
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joel Bellenson; Dexster Smith; Ralph Thomas
Original assignee: Libra Digital, Llc
Priority date: 1999-07-23
Filing date: 2000-07-21
Publication date: 2001-02-01
Also published as: WO2001007093A9; WO2001007093A1; AU1326201A; AU6118100A; WO2001007094A9

Abstract

A system for recording, analyzing, editing, and playback of scents is disclosed. A scent can be sampled and represented in various manners, such as by reference to an activation pattern of olfactory receptors (determined experimentally or by using computer programs), description of chemical structure, description of its characteristics by a panel of human subjects, or its pattern of interaction with an artificial scent-sensing device (an 'artificial nose' device). A scent emitter having a set of chemicals which can be volatilized is disclosed for re-creation of the scents from the stored scent representation. The scent representation can be transmitted over computer networks, such as the Internet, for re-creation at remote locations, and can be stored for re-creation of the scent at times different from the time of sampling of the scent. The system finds applications in advertisements which may appear on pages on the World Wide Web, in re-creating scents for forensic or quality control analysis, as enhancements to virtual reality simulations, custom creation of scents by scent designers, and other uses.

Description

ELECTRONIC RECORDING, ANALYSIS, EDITING, AND PLAYBACK OF SCENTS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority benefit of co-pending United States Provisional Patent Applications Serial Nos. 60/145,412, filed July 23, 1999; 60/155,126, filed September 22, 1999; 60/158,495, filed October 8, 1999; 60/158,615, filed October 8, 1999; 60/181,113, filed February 8, 2000; 60/181,115, filed February 8, 2000; 60/184,809, filed February 24, 2000; and 60/188,332, filed March 9, 2000. This application is also related to U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application Serial No. (Not Yet Assigned), filed July 21, 2000, and entitled "System and Method For Electronic Recording, Analysis, Editing, and Playback of Scents" (Attorney Docket No. 422852000341). The contents of those applications are hereby incoφorated by reference herein in their entirety.

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE A Microfiche Appendix is included in this application that contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone ofthe Microfiche Appendix, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

STATEMENT OF RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH Not applicable. TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed to a system and method for electronically recording a scent, optionally transmitting the electronic representation of the scent over a network, analyzing and editing the scent in electronic form, and re-creating the scent from the electronic representation. The present invention allows archival storage of scents and recreating of scents on-demand either locally or at a remote site. Many practical applications can take advantage of this additional qualitative dimension.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well-known that the sense of smell is important in human perception of events, objects, and the surrounding environment. Scents from foods and the environment dynamically change an individual's interaction and in effect make each experience unique. Common interactions throughout the day involve scents from various sources. City sidewalks, coffee shops, flower shops, and many other sources of smell illustrate the blending of everyday olfactory sensory interaction between the people and the environment. Many previous attempts have been made to enrich people's experience in a variety of settings by the use of scents. For example, there have been efforts to incorporate scents to various presentations by spreading odors in auditoriums or viewing rooms through the use of heating and spraying methods, with the purpose of enhancing cinematic, television, or other video entertainment. Additionally, other methods to provide odor have included items such as pre-programmed cartridges or other containers containing odorous substances. For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,591,409 and U.S. Patent No. 5,724,256 provide example of how odorant containers allow scent particles to permeate the air to provide the desired aroma. However, these patents do not disclose how the scents are to be classified and indexed. Additional scent-related technology includes that described in US Patent

No. 6,053,738, which is directed to a "sense-simile transmission machine;" US Patent No. 6,024,783, which describes aroma sensory stimulation in multimedia; US Patent No. 6,004,516 and International Patent Application WO 99/08174, which describe an apparatus for generating odor upon electronic signal demand; US Patent No. 5,999,105, which describes a multiple sensory message center apparatus; US Patent No. 5,996,396, which describes an apparatus for determining odor levels in gas streams; US Patent No. 5,995,770, which describes a system and method for delivering a scent to a photographic print; US Patent No. 5,987,466, which describes presenting web pages with discrete, browser-controlled complexity levels; US Patent No. 5,985,214, directed to a system and methods for rapidly identifying useful chemicals in liquid samples; US Patent Nos. 5,974,444, 5,696,901, and 5,544,320, which describe a remote information service access system based on a client-server-service model; US Patent No. 5,972,290, which describes a process and equipment for the programmed scenting of environments; US Patent No. 5,966,126, to a graphic user interface for database systems; US Patent Nos. 5,963,302 and 5,832,320, which describes a process and device for diffusing perfumes that correspond to events or scenes during cinematographic representations and the like; US Patent No. 5,949,522, which describes a multimedia linked scent delivery system; US Patent No. 5,930,803, to a method, system and computer program for visualizing an evidence classifier; US Patent No. 5,887,118, which describes an olfactory card; US Patent No. 5,782,692, to a time-segmented multimedia game playing and authoring system; US Patent Nos. 5,767,385 and 5,613,909, directed to an automated forced-choice dynamic dilution olfactometer and method of operating the same; US Patent No. 5,761,071, which describes a browser/kiosk system; US Patent No. 5,727,186, a simulation apparatus and gas dispensing device used in conjunction therewith; US Patent No. 5,724,256, directed to a computer controlled olfactory mixer and dispenser for use in multimedia computer applications; US Patent No. 5,682,330, to a repetitive event analysis system; US Patent No. 5,591,409, which describes a method for providing aromas; US Patent No. 5,574,821, to a plug-in volatile substance dispenser and a method for dispensing volatiles; US Patent No. 5,526,281, which describes a machine-learning approach to modeling biological activity for molecular design and to modeling other characteristics; US Patent No. 5,382,410, directed to an electrostatic vapor/aerosol generator with method and apparatus for conditioning building spaces; US Patent No. 5,196,171, an electrostatic vapor/aerosol/air ion generator; US Patent No. 5,120,709, a method for enhancing fragrance applications; US Patent No. 5,090,232, a method and apparatus for detecting odors; US Patent No. 5,071,621, a method of supplying scents to a room of a motor vehicle; US Patent No. 5,069,877, an article for diffusing volatile substances, particularly perfume; US Patent No. 4,934,386, an apparatus for assessing responses of humans to stimulants; US Patent No. 4,629,604, which describes a multi-aroma cartridge player; US Patent No. 4,611,294, a method of and apparatus for monitoring odorizer performance; US Patent No. 4,532,530, a bubble jet printing device; US Patent No. 4,037,352, an electrical device which emits insecticidal vapors; US Patent No. 4,009,384, a lamp scent unit; US Patent No. 2,871,526, directed to porous containers for thickened air odor control liquids; and US Patent No. 2,562,959, electromechanical scent distribution to accompany a motion picture.

Other documents describing scent-related technology include WO 00/15269, to methods and apparatus for odor reproduction, and WO 00/15268, methods and apparatus for odor transmission; WO 99/48539, which describes a method for aroma delivery; WO 99/48469, directed to a composition for aroma delivery; WO 99/38102 Al , which describes an olfactory emitting system; WO 99/16476, to a device for reproducing or synthesizing odors or aromas; WO 96/02887, a virtual reality and remote reality system; and WO 90/05965, a process for identifying a person for access to an installation, premises and/or equipment, on the basis ofthe person's characteristic odor; EP 0 883 049 , to an olfactometer; EP 0 831 384, to methods and systems for controlling olfactory stimuli; EP 0 775 961, to a virtual reality and remote reality system; EP 0 632 268, to an apparatus and method for determining the indoor air quality within an enclosed space; EP 0 411 681, to cooking oils with reduced odor-producing tendencies; EP 0 325 468, to a method of supplying scents to a room of a motor car; EP 0 290 065 Bl, which describes food or beverage compositions with altered flavor display; EP 0 123 746 A2, which describes a disc-playing aroma generator; CN 1087994, which describes a complex array piezoelectric crystal olfaction biological sensing detector; DE 196 04 600, which describes a procedure and mechanism for the detecting and reduction of smells and odors; FR 2,501,468, which describes an insecticide evaporator casing; and GB 2,279,010, to a device for selectively generating perfume gas.

It would be of great utility to be able to record any scent in electronic format for storage, transmission, analysis, and playback. Much like the use of recorded audio and video, recordings of various scents could be used in a variety of contexts to enrich the experience of simulation. These scents, indexed by various categories, could be retrieved for transmission and playback within the proper context. Expanded possibilities for commercial, entertainment, administrative puφoses exist with such capabilities. It would be highly desirable to employ a system capable of capturing, recording, transmitting, reconstructing, and emitting the necessary scents to enhance various multimedia presentations. Provided that the scents are an accurate representation or approximation of the desired aromas, the featured presentations would have an added dimension of reality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment, the invention embraces a system and method for electronic recording, analysis, editing, and playback of scents is described. There are two basic subsystems in this embodiment: (i) a recording subsystem for capturing and inteφreting scents as well as converting scents to electronic files and analyzing or editing those files electronically, and (ii) an emission subsystem for reproducing scents. The present invention will make possible the capturing, recording, transmitting, reconstructing, and emitting of any scent, or of a particular subset of scents, for a wide variety of applications. The scents will be electronically recorded and indexed for proper retrieval.

In this embodiment, scents can be captured, analyzed and recorded by a sensory device using various methods. Scent capture can be initiated by the user or by an automatic sensing system. A scent can be analyzed in terms of its interaction with olfactory neurons of a mammalian, preferably human, olfactory system (measured either by interaction with a biological preparation of receptors or computer simulation ofthe interaction with receptors), or in terms of its perception by a panel of mammalian, preferably human, subjects, or in terms ofthe structure ofthe chemical components ofthe scent itself. The interaction with olfactory neurons can be determined experimentally, in vitro, by determining the interaction of an odorant with olfactory neurons of a given type (i.e., an olfactory neuron expressing a particular olfactory receptor). Alternatively, the interaction with olfactory neurons can be determined using a computer simulation which provides information regarding interaction of an odorant with the olfactory receptors. A panel of subjects can be used to represent odors in terms of their perception. The data so generated can be used to represent a scent in a manner which can be recorded in electronic or other format, stored in media such as computer memory, disks, or printed format, and transmitted over a data network. The representation ofthe scent can be used to re-create the scent at a local or remote site using an emitter module. The representation ofthe scent allows for scent editing, where desirable aspects of an odor are enhanced or added and undesirable aspects are attenuated or eliminated.

The various embodiments ofthe present invention will be useful for various commercial puφoses. A particular scent could be used in conjunction with a product to promote its characteristics and the sale ofthe product. Retail stores and online shops can enable consumers to smell new products before purchase. Electronic encoding will also allow computer simulation and creation of new scents. Furthermore, existing scents can be edited to improve or enhance desirable characteristics. In the context of multimedia presentations, the electronic scent data may be embedded in a multimedia file to synchronize the production of scents along with visual and audio presentation ofthe multimedia content. For example, virtual reality games could now include scent for more realistic game play.

In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method for representing a scent comprising the steps of profiling the scent based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements to obtain a scent profile; and electronically representing the scent profile, wherein the scent may be substantially reproduced by an emitting device based on the electronically represented scent profile. The ordered set of elements can be linear in relationship, to permit substantially predictable reproduction of any scent by selecting the elements in selective quantity. The scent profile can be based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements that is independent of a mammalian olfactory system. Alternatively, the ordered set of elements is a set of scent components relative to a mammalian olfactory system.

The method of generating the scent profile can comprise the steps of analyzing the scent to determine one or more scent components that makes up the scent in reference to an olfactory space, and characterizing the scent based on the one or more scent components. The analyzing step of this method can include the step of determining the relative intensity of each scent component. The analyzing step of this method can also include the step of determining the one or more scent components based on selective binding of chemical components making up the scent to olfactory receptors in the olfactory space, and determining the relative intensity of interaction ofthe chemical components with the olfactory receptors, where the scent is characterized further based on the intensity ofthe interaction with the olfactory receptors. The scent components can be expressed by using at least one ofthe following type of components: receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components and perceptive complex scent components.

The invention also encompasses electronic represention of a scent by creating or obtaining a vector representation ofthe scent profile. The vector representation can be based on a set of orthogonal basis vectors, each vector representing the status ofthe binding of an olfactory receptor in the olfactory space and the relative intensity of interaction thereof. The electronically represented scent profile can be electronically stored in a file for archival and/or transmission.

In another embodiment, the invention also encompasses a method for reproducing a scent comprising the steps of obtaining a electronic representation ofthe scent based on its scent profile, where the scent profile is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements; and activating one or more corresponding chemical components in accordance with the electronic representation ofthe scent profile, wherein the one or more chemical components when interacted with a user's olfactory' receptors produce a perception ofthe scent to the user. The ordered set of elements can be linear in relationship, permitting substantially predictable reproduction of any scent by selecting the elements in selective quantity. The ordered set of elements can be a set of scent components relative to a mammalian olfactory system. The scent components can be defined based on selective binding of chemical components making up the scent to olfactory receptors. The electronic representation can comprise information representing the relative intensity ofthe chemical components to be activated, so as to result in interaction ofthe chemical components with olfactory receptors in the appropriate relative intensity for a user to perceive the scent that is being reproduced. The one or more elements can be defined in relation to a set of scent components in an olfactory space, and the electronic representation can include information representing the relative intensity ofthe scent components in the scent profile. As in the previous embodiment, the electronic representation can a vector representation ofthe scent profile, and the vector representation can be based on a set of orthogonal basis vectors, where each ofthe vectors can represent selective binding to an olfactory receptor in the olfactory space and the relative intensity of interaction thereof to reproduce the scent. The scent components can be expressed as one or more of receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components, and perceptive complex scent components. The electronic representation ofthe scent can be transmitted or received electronically via an information exchange network, such as the World Wide Web or the Internet. The step of activating one or more corresponding chemical components in accordance with the electronic representation ofthe scent profile can be performed by a scent emitting device that operates on the electronic representation ofthe scent profile. The scent emitting device canoperates on one or more index values which correlate to the chemical components available at the emitting device. As in the previous embodiment, the scent profile can based on elements from an ordered set of elements that is independent of a mammalian olfactory system. The ordered set of elements can be transformed into an ordered set of elements relative to a mammalian olfactory system.

In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method for electronically creating a scent, comprising the steps of selecting two or more elements from an ordered set of elements that relates to an olfactory space, electronically manipulating the two or more elements to create a electronic representation of a scent that has the desired olfactory characteristic, and substantially reproducing the scent by an emitting device based on the electronic representation. The electronically manipulating step can comprise the step of combining the two or more elements in appropriate relative intensity to create the scent.

The ordered set of elements can be linear in relationship, to permit substantially predictable scent characteristics by selecting the two or more elements in selective quantity. The ordered set of elements can be a set of scent components relative to a mammalian olfactory system, and the two or more elements can defined within a set of scent components in an olfactory space. The scent components can be defined based on selective binding of chemical components making up the scent to olfactory receptors. The scent components can be represented electronically as a vector representation. The vector representation can be based on a set of orthogonal basis vectors, where each vectors represents selective binding to an olfactory receptor in the olfactory space and the relative intensity of interaction thereof, in order to reproduce the scent. The scent components can be expressed as one or more of receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components, and perceptive complex scent components. The scent profile can be based on elements from an ordered set of elements that is independent of a mammalian olfactory system. The electronic manipulation step can include assigning one or more index values which correlate to scent emitting components available at the emitting device. In another embodiment, the invention encompasses a method for editing or customizing a scent. This editing or customizing comprises the steps of electronically representing the scent based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements; and performing one or more steps of adding, removing, or changing the relative intensity of one or more elements to obtain a modified scent. In another embodiment, the invention provides for a method for identification of an object, a concept or an event, comprising the steps of providing a electronic scent file representing a scent, where the electronic scent file is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements and where the scent can be substantially reproduced by an emitting device based on the electronic scent file, and associating the scent to the object, concept or event, where the object, concept or event can be identified by reproducing the scent from the electronic scent file. The object, concept or event can be at least one of daily events in life, advertising, promotion, product, service, content delivery, hardware operating status, thought, location, physical object, tangible object and intangible object. "Daily events in life" can be, but are not limited to, experiences such as waking up, washing, walking down a street, entering a kitchen, entering a restaurant, entering a movie theater, and other such events.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a method for fingeφrinting a scent. This method comprises the steps of representing the scent based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements to obtain a scent representation, and electronically representing the scent representation to form a electronic fingeφrint ofthe scent, where the scent can be substantially identified based on the electronic scent representation. The ordered set of elements can be linear in relationship. The scent representation can be based on an ordered set of elements that is independent of a mammalian olfactory system, or the ordered set of elements can be a set of scent components defined relative to a mammalian olfactory system. The scent representation can include information concerning the relative intensity of each element. If the ordered set of elements is defined independently of a mammalian olfactory system, the ordered set of elements can be transformable into another ordered set of elements that corresponds to a mammalian olfactory system, such as an ordered set of scent components; the resulting profile can be in electronic form, able to be stored in a file for archival and/or transmission. The scent components can be expressed as one or more of receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components, and perceptive complex scent components.

In another embodiment, the invention provides for a method for identifying the operating status of a hardware or software system, comprising the steps of providing a electronic scent file representing a scent, wherein the electronic scent file is based on one or ' more elements from an ordered set of elements and wherein the scent may be substantially reproduced by an emitting device based on the electronic scent file, and associating the scent to the operating status ofthe hardware or software system, whereby the operating status may be identified by reproducing the scent from the electronic scent file.

In another embodiment, the invention provides for a method for simulating events, comprising the steps of providing a electronic scent file representing a scent, where the electronic scent file is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements and wherein the scent may be substantially reproduced by an emitting device based on the electronic scent file, and associating the scent to an event, whereby the event is simulated by reproducing the scent from the electronic scent file. The event can be a daily event in life. In another embodiment, the invention provides a system for transmitting a scent over an information exchange network, comprising means for profiling the scent based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements to obtain a scent profile, means for electronically representing the scent profile, where the scent can be substantially reproduced by a scent emitting device based on the electronically represented scent profile, means for transmitting the electronically represented scent profile over the information exchange network, and means for receiving the electronically represented scent profile from the information exchange network. The information exchange network can be the Internet. The system can further comprise means for the identification ofthe scent from the electronically represented scent profile, and a scent emitting device structured and configured to operate on the electronically represented scent profile which substantially reproduces the scent. The scent emitting device can comprise means to selectively vaporize one or more corresponding chemical components in an appropriate relative intensity in accordance with the electronically represented scent profile, where the one or more chemical components when interacted with a user's olfactory receptors produce a perception ofthe scent to the user. The scent emitting device is structured and configured to further operate on one or more index values which correlate to the chemical components that are made available at the emitting device. The means for profiling the scent can comprise means for analyzing the scent to determine one or more elements that makes up the scent, and means for characterizing the scent based on the one or more elements. The means for transmitting can transmit the electronically represented scent profile in a standalone file or as part of another file and the electronically represented scent profile can be referenced in another file. The system can further comprising means for synchronizing the reproduction ofthe electronically represented scent profile to the execution ofthe another file. The electronically represented scent profile can be a electronic fingeφrint ofthe scent.

The means for reproducing the scent can comprise means for transforming the scent profile to a scent profile that is based on an ordered set of elements relative to a mammalian olfactory system. The means for reproducing the scent can comprise a scent emitting device structured and configured to operate on the transformed scent profile to substantially reproduce the scent.

The invention also provides for an operating system for a scent emitting peripheral device, comprising means for processing a electronic representation of a scent profile, where the scent profile is created based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements; and means for instructing the scent emitting peripheral device based on the electronic representation ofthe scent profile. This operating system can be a component of another operating system. The operating system can be in the form of a peripheral device driver. The ordered set of elements can a set of scent components relative to a mammalian olfactory system, and the elements can defined within a set of scent components in an olfactory space. The electronic representation can include information representing the relative intensity of the scent components in the scent profile. The scent components can be defined based on selective binding of chemical components making up the scent to olfactory receptors. The electronic representation can comprise information representing the relative intensity of the chemical components to be activated so as to result in interaction ofthe chemical components with olfactory receptors in appropriate relative intensity for a user to perceive the scent that is being reproduced.

The operating system can use a electronic representation which is a vector representation ofthe scent profile. The vector representation can be based on a set of orthogonal basis vectors, where each vector represents selective binding to an olfactory receptor in the olfactory space and the relative intensity of interaction thereof, to reproduce the scent. The scent components can be expressed as one or more of receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components, and perceptive complex scent components. The operating system can perform the step of activating by utilizing a scent emitting device that operates on the electronic representation ofthe scent profile, such as a scent profile based on elements from an ordered set of elements that is independent of a mammalian olfactory system. That set of elements can be transformed into an ordered set of elements relative to a mammalian olfactory system.

The invention further provides for a method of electronic distribution of scents, comprising the steps of providing an electronic depository of electronic representations of scents, where the electronic representations are electronic scent profiles each based on one or more elements from a ordered set of elements, authorizing user access to the depository, and providing access to the depository to authorized users. The depository can be made available for access via an information exchange network, such as the Internet or the World Wide Web.

The invention further provides for a method for delivering electronic content to a user. This method comprises providing the electronic content; referencing in the electronic content a electronic scent file representing a scent relating to the content, wherein the electronic scent file is a electronic representation of a scent profile that is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements; and offering the user an opportunity to activate a scent emitting device using the electronic scent file to generate the scent to provide a scent effect in addition to visual, audio, or tactile effects, thereby to improve user perception or enjoyment ofthe content.

The electronic scent file can made available to the user via a recorded medium. Alternatively, both the electronic content and the electronic scent file can be made available to the user online. The content can be presented using a electronic information file that refers to the electronic scent file; the electronic scent file can be functionally coupled to or included in the electronic information file. The electronic scent file can be applied to activate the scent emitting device upon user interaction ofthe electronic information file. The electronic information file can contain a link to the electronic scent file, where the electronic scent file is applied when the link is activated by a user. Alternatively, the electronic scent file can activate the scent emitting device without user intervention when the content is displayed. The link can be to a server that serves the electronic scent file to the user upon the activation ofthe link. The server can include a depository of a plurality of electronic scent files, each corresponding to a different scent.

The electronic content can comprise video (visual) content, audio content, or both video and audio content, and the operation ofthe scent emitting device and the application ofthe electronic scent file can controlled such that the scent generated is synchronized to the events in the video content, audio content, or both the video and audio content during playback thereof. Examples of electronic content include, but are not limited to, movies, videos, Web pages, banner advertisements, music, books, reference works, maps, pictures and other images, and the state of a device or operating system. The electronic content can be provided in various formats, including, but not limited to, videotapes, audiotapes, cassette tapes, compact disks (CD's), digital video disks or digital versatile disks (DVD's), computer memory devices such as ROM, RAM, PROM, EPROM, hard disks, floppy disks, electronic files, software cartridges, Web pages, file servers, and the like.

The invention further provides a process for improving promotion of a product or service to a user, comprising the steps of providing a electronic scent file representing a scent relating to the subject matter of a promotion, and offering the user an opportunity to activate a scent emitting device by applying the electronic scent file to generate the scent to provide a sensory effect in addition to a visual and/or audio effect ofthe promotion. The electronic scent file can be a electronic representation of a scent profile based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements. The actual product or service need not be made available to the user at the time ofthe promotion. The promotion can be presented online using a electronic promotion file that includes or refers to the electronic scent file, or where the electronic scent file is made available to the user upon user request. The promotion can be presented as an advertisement in a banner in a web browser interface, and the electronic scent file can be functionally coupled to the banner. Alternatively, the banner can be presented using a electronic banner file which includes the electronic scent file. The electronic scent file can activate the scent emitting device without user intervention when the banner is displayed., or the electronic scent file can activate the scent emitting device upon user selection ofthe banner. The banner can contain a link to the electronic scent file, so that the electronic scent file can be applied when the link is activated by a user. The link can be to a server that serves the electronic scent file to the user upon activation ofthe link by the user. The server can include a depository of electronic scent files, each corresponding to a different scent. The invention further provides for a process for facilitating user selection of a product or service, comprising the steps of identifying a scent associated with the product or service; providing a electronic scent file representing the scent; and offering the user an opportunity to activate a scent emitting device by applying the electronic scent file to generate a sampling ofthe scent. The actual product or service need not be made available to the user at the time of user selection ofthe product or service. The product or service can be offered online, with the electronic scent file made available to the user online to facilitate user selection ofthe product or service. The product or service can be presented using a electronic information file that refers to the electronic scent file. The electronic scent file can be functionally coupled to or included in the electronic information file The electronic scent file can be applied to activate the scent emitting device either with or without user intervention when the electronic information file is displayed. The electronic information file can contain a link to the electronic scent file, wherein the electronic scent file is applied when the link is activated by a user, or the link can be to a server that serves the electronic scent file to the user upon activation ofthe link by the user. The server can include a depository of electronic scent files, each representing a different scent.

In another embodiment, the invention provides for an emitting device for generating a scent comprising means for receiving a electronically represented scent profile that is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements, wherein the scent profile represents the scent to be created; means for holding chemical components which may be selectively activated to create a perception ofthe scent; means for activating individual chemical components; and means for controlling the means for activating the individual chemical components in accordance with the electronically represented scent profile to generate the scent. The means for activating can comprise means for vaporizing the individual chemical components. The means for controlling can selectively vaporize the individual components in appropriate relative intensity in accordance with the scent profile. The emitting device can further comprise means for blending the vaporized chemical components, and can comprise means for delivering a stream of air to transport the vaporized chemical components to emit as the scent from the device. In one embodiment, the means for holding chemical components comprises interchangeable cartridge means for holding a limited set of chemical components required for generating scents relevant to a specific application. The means for controlling can comprise means for operating on one or more index values that correlate to the chemical components that are made available at the emitting device. The scent profile can be based on elements from an ordered set of elements that is independent of a mammalian olfactory system, which can be transformed into an ordered set of elements relative to a mammalian olfactory system.

The emitting device can contain at least one of the chemical components in solid phase or in liquid phase. The liquid phase chemical component can pressurized for delivery for vaporization or as an aerosol.

In a further embodiment, the invention provides for a scent emitting device comprising a plurality of reservoirs for containing chemical components; one or more evaporation chambers in which chemical components evaporate and mix; a plurality of capillaries in fluid communication with the reservoirs and the evaporation chamber, where the chemical components flow through the capillaries to the evaporation chamber by capillary action; and control means for selectively regulating the flow ofthe chemical component through each capillary, so as to deliver the appropriate chemical components in the appropriate amount to the evaporation chamber to be evaporated and mixed to create a desired scent. The control means can comprise micro-valves, each regulating the flow through a capillary, and a controller structured and configured to selectively control the operation ofthe micro-valves based on input data that represents the scent to be created. The evaporation chambers comprises means for heating the chemical components delivered to the evaporation chamber. The scent emitting device can further comprise means for delivering a stream of air through the evaporation chamber to transport the evaporated chemical components to emit as the scent from the device.

In another embodiment, the invention provides for a scent emitting device comprising a plurality of reservoirs for containing chemical components; an evaporation platform on which chemical components are deposited, evaporated and mixed; a plurality of conduits in fluid communication with the reservoir and the evaporation platform, wherein the chemical components flow through the conduits to the evaporation platform; heating means for selectively heating the chemical component in each reservoir to facilitate delivery ofthe chemical component through the conduit and deposition on the evaporation platform; and control means for selectively regulating the flow ofthe chemical component through each conduit by selectively controlling heating ofthe heating means, so as to deliver the appropriate chemical components in the appropriate amount to the evaporation platform to be evaporated and mixed to create a desired scent. The scent emitting device can further comprise means for heating the chemical components deposited on the evaporation platform. The chemical components can be deposited on respective regions on the evaporation platform and the means for heating the chemical components deposited can comprise means for selectively heating the regions to achieve the desired evaporation rate for the respective chemical components so as to achieve the desired intensity ofthe chemical components for mixing to create the scent. The control means can comprise means for controlling operations ofthe separate heating means in synchronization based on input data that represents the scent to be created.

In another embodiment, the scent emitting device further comprises means for delivering a stream of air over the evaporation platform, to transport the evaporated chemical components to be emitted as the scent from the device. Means can be included for moving the evaporation platform to transport the chemical components deposited thereon away from the conduits. The evaporation platform can be designed to transport the chemical components to a heating station downstream in the direction of travel ofthe evaporation platform, where the chemical components are selectively heated and evaporated at the heating station so as to minimize evaporation outside ofthe heating station. The evaporation platform can made of a fibrous sheet material or a high surface area material which absorbs the chemical components deposited thereon, such as blotting paper or gauze. The fibrous sheet material or high surface area material can in the form of a continuous roll, and the means for moving unwinds the roll at one end to let the material pass under the conduits and to the heating station, and winds the roll at another end to take up the material after it passed the heating station. Alternatively, the evaporation platform can comprise a plurality of pads, each positioned under a conduit, where each pad can be separately and selectively heated. Heating elements can include, but are not limited to, resistance heaters, streams of hot air or other gases, lasers, infrared emitters, lamps, and other devices capable of emitting, transmitting or imparting heat to a substance.

The control means ofthe scent emitting device can comprise means for controlling the operations ofthe heating means, the heating station and the means for moving the evaporation platform to synchronize the deposition ofthe appropriate chemical components in the appropriate amount and the evaporation thereof in the appropriate intensity, based on input data that represents the scent to be created. In another embodiment, the invention provides for a scent emitting device which comprises a plurality of reservoirs for containing chemical components; an air flow tube operatively coupled to each reservoir; a plurality of conduits in fluid communication with the reservoirs and the air flow tube, in a manner wherein the chemical components are drawn through the conduits by air flow in the air flow tube; and control means for selectively regulating the flow ofthe chemical component through each conduit, so as to deliver the appropriate chemical components in the appropriate amount to the air flow tube. The control means can comprise a plurality of valves, each regulating the flow through a conduit; and a controller structured and configured to selectively control the operation ofthe valves based on input data that represents the scent to be created. The device can further comprise means for delivering a stream of air through the air flow tube to transport the chemical components drawn from the conduit to emit as the scent from the device. The air flow tube can be a Venturi tube. The conduits can be comprised of tubes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic representation ofthe system for electronic recording, analysis, editing, and playback of scents;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which a deep well plate is used to store the scent reagents; Figure 3A is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which a heating plate is used to vaporize scent chemicals;

Figure 3B is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which a resistor powered heating plate is used to vaporize scent chemicals with different regional temperatures; Figure 4 is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which a blotter paper is used to vaporize scent chemicals over a stationary heating element;

Figure 5 is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which individual heated pads below each orifice is used to vaporize scent chemicals; Figure 6 is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which a Venturi tube is used in conjunction with the fluid mechanical properties of moving air to vaporize scent chemicals;

Figure 7 is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which a high surface area medium, such as a gauze is used to vaporize scent chemicals; and

Figure 8A is a flow diagram depicting the process of representing a scent as a scent object.

Figure 8B is a flow diagram depicting the process of converting the vectors composing a scent object into a scent palette vector (left) or converting a scentographer's design effort into a scent palette vector (right).

Figure 9 is a class diagram for a scent object. Figure 10 is an example of a scent object.

Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C are tabular representations ofthe example scent object. Figure 12 is a diagram showing the chemical structure of gamma-teφinene. Figure 13 is a pictorial representation ofthe sequence of scent digitization, broadcasting and synthesis.

Figure 14 is a pictorial diagram of some ofthe various applications ofthe electronic scent concept ofthe present invention.

Figure 15 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for unlike scents.

Figure 16 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for like scents.

Figure 17 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for like scents. Figure 18 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for unlike scents.

Figure 19 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for like scents for molecules with "strong" scents.

Figure 20 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for unlike scents for molecules with "strong" scents.

Figure 21 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for like scents using longer vectors for distance comparisons. Figure 22 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for unlike scents using longer vectors for distance comparisons.

Figure 23 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for like scents using variations in the order in which entries were run.

Figure 24 is a histogram of computer-generated Euclidean differences for like scents using variations in the order in which entries were run.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present description is made for the puφose of illustrating the general principles ofthe invention and should not be construed to limit the invention.

The present system comprises various components. The system is structured and configured for enabling the following functions; the functions can be performed separately or in conjunction with each other:

1. capturing a physical sample ofthe scent;

2. analyzing the scent, by determining the interaction ofthe scent with olfactory receptors (e.g., quantitating the scent in terms of "olfactory space" vectors, by computer simulations ofthe interaction ofthe scent with olfactory receptors) by using a subjective scent analysis system, by using chemical analysis and/or computer modeling ofthe chemical components ofthe scent; or by using other techniques for scent analysis;

3. classifying, indexing, and/or electronically representing the scent and its components;

4. electronically transmitting and/or archiving the electronic representation ofthe scent;

5. reconstructing the scent from the electronic representation; and

6. emitting the scent. Referring to FIG. 1, the system 10 is composed of two basic subsystems, (i) a recording subsystem 12 which comprises of a sensory subsystem 20 for capturing scents and an inteφretation subsystem 30 for converting scents to digital or other electronic files and analyzing or editing those files electronically and (ii) an emission subsystem 40 for reproducing scents. The subsystems may be coupled electronically via an information exchange network, such as via a wide-area-network (WAN) 50 such as the Internet. Each of the subsystems are described below in detail.

Scent Analysis/Recording

One embodiment ofthe invention is directed to a system that detects, analyzes, records, inteφrets, transmits (in digital or other electronic representation) and re-creates scents. The scent analysis module of this system can be implemented in a variety of ways. The detection ofthe presence of a scent is straightforward. In one embodiment, the user simply signals to the system (via a switch or other device) that a scent is present and should be analyzed; the scent or scent-emitting object can be presented to the intake valve of the device (the "nose" ofthe system). Alternatively, the detection ofthe scent can be performed automatically, as it involves simply detection of a volatile compound not present in the "resting" state ofthe device. Thus, a baseline can be created by sampling the surrounding air, and analyzing the baseline using one or more of various chromatographic, spectroscopic, or other analytical techniques (including, but not limited to, gas chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography, mass spectroscopy, optical or UV spectroscopy, or ionizing radiation devices). Deviation from the baseline by a predetermined threshold signals that a scent is present and should be analyzed.

Analysis ofthe scent can be performed in a number of ways. Various embodiments ofthe scent analysis system are presented. Theories of how these embodiments operate are also presented, although it should be emphasized that the invention is not limited by any particular theory of olfactory perception or scent analysis. An "analysis module," as part of a system for scent analysis, is either one or more humans, or a device, which implements a method of representing a scent symbolically or electronically. Several such methods are described herein.

A "scent representation" is defined as any way of representing a scent or describing a scent in a manner which can be recorded, stored or transmitted, including, but not limited to, representations in terms of receptor primary scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, perceptive complex scent components, scent profiles, scent fingeφrinting, a list of one or more odorant compounds which may include relative proportions and/or concentrations ofthe one or more compounds, or any combination ofthe foregoing representations, as defined herein. A "scent object" is an object which enables storage and/or transmission of a scent representation electronically, such as on a computer or a computer-readable medium, and is described herein in further detail.

An "odorant substance" or an "odorant" is defined as any substance which gives rise to a perceptible odor. An odorant substance may be a pure chemical compound, or it may be a mixture of chemical compounds. A "user" refers to a subject, preferably a mammalian subject, more preferably a human subject, and "sampling" of an odorant by a user simply refers to smelling the scent, that is, perceiving the olfactory stimulus of the scent.

Olfactory Space

The sensory subsystem comprises a series of olfactory receptors, which selectively bind with the chemical component(s) making up a scent. A scent can be characterized in terms of which ofthe approximately 1,000 or more olfactory receptors the scent component(s) bind to, and the strength ofthe interaction ofthe component(s) with those receptors. Each olfactory receptor can be considered an orthogonal basis vector; the entire set of olfactory receptors can be considered a set of basis vectors spanning "olfactory space." This is analogous to vectors pointing along the x, y, and z directions in three- dimensional space, where any point in space can be represented by a combination ofthe x, y, and z basis vectors (with each ofthe x, y, and z vectors multiplied by the appropriate scalar quantity). The intensity of interaction of a scent with an olfactory receptor determines the magnitude ofthe vector along that particular "axis" in olfactory space. Thus, every scent can be uniquely described by a vector representation in olfactory space.

A representation of a scent in such a manner that the scent can later be re-created is defined as scent profiling. The aforementioned vector representation is one example of a scent profile.

An olfactory space can also be defined in terms of odorant substances. That is, given one or more odorant substances, those substances span an olfactory space which encompasses the entire range of scents that can be created from any combination in any intensity of those substances. Thus an olfactory space can be defined in terms ofthe response of a sensor, such as an olfactory receptor, or in terms of odorant substances available to create scents.

Primary Scents

For the puφoses of this invention, a receptor primary scent component is defined as a chemical that activates one and only one scent receptor. A receptor complex scent component is defined as a chemical that activates more than one scent receptor; the receptor complex scent component can activate each ofthe scent receptors to different degrees, to equal degrees, or can activate some receptors to the same degree and others to different degrees. "Activating a scent receptor" is defined as the ability of a chemical to interact with a given olfactory receptor in such a manner as to communicate to a cell expressing such a receptor that the chemical is present external to the cell. Olfactory receptors are proteins which fall in the class of seven transmembrane domain G protein-coupled receptors, and are found in olfactory neurons in vivo. Binding of an odorant to an olfactory receptor causes second messenger systems to become activated in the cell, leading to increased cellular production of second messenger molecules such as cyclic AMP. These second messenger systems in turn lead to the depolarization ofthe olfactory neuron, or other changes in the state ofthe neuron, which provides the signal to the nervous system that the odorant has been detected. With a complete set of receptor primary scent components, any scent can be recreated with the knowledge to the degree to which it activates each olfactory receptor. The instant invention encompasses such complete sets of receptor primary scent components. Other embodiments ofthe invention encompass sets of receptor primary scent component chemicals which provide the ability to re-create a particularly desired subset of scents, but not necessarily all possible scents. Such sets are "incomplete" sets of receptor primary scent components, but retain significant utility in that a particularly desired subset of scents, for example, the subset of perfume scents, or the subset of wine scents, or the subset of scents which are sensed in a forest, can be reproduced. In terms of "olfactory space," such an incomplete set spans an "olfactory subspace," that is, only a portion of olfactory space. Still more embodiments encompass sets of receptor primary scent component chemicals which provide the ability to approximate particular scents, while not necessarily exactly re-creating the activation profile ofthe particular scents. These sets are also "incomplete" sets of receptor primary scent components, and differ from the previous description of incomplete sets in that they approximate, rather than re-create, the receptor activation profile ofthe desired subset of scents.

In some cases, a receptor complex scent will be an acceptable approximation to a receptor primary scent. That is, if a given receptor complex scent activates a first scent receptor strongly, but activates other scent receptors less strongly, it can be considered an approximation to a receptor primary scent component for the first receptor. Such a receptor complex scent component is described by the term receptor quasi-primary scent component.

One embodiment ofthe invention encompasses sets of receptor quasi-primary scent component chemicals suitable for re-creating all scents. Another embodiment ofthe invention encompasses sets of receptor quasi-primary scent component chemicals suitable for re-creating a particularly desired subset of scents, but not necessarily all possible scents. Yet another embodiment encompasses sets of receptor quasi-primary scent component chemicals which provide the ability to approximate particular scents, while not necessarily exactly re-creating the activation profile ofthe particular scents. The identification of receptor primary or quasi-primary scent component chemicals provides the most conceptually straightforward method of re-creating scents. However, another embodiment ofthe invention encompasses the use of receptor complex scent components for re-creating scents. An example of such an embodiment would be recreation of a scent that activates olfactory receptors designated OR1, OR2, OR3, OR4, OR5 and OR6 (for the sake of illustration, it is assumed that the olfactory receptors are stimulated to an equal extent). If one is in possession of two receptor complex scent component chemicals (RCSC's) where RCSC1 activates OR1 and OR5, and RCSC2 activates OR2, OR3, OR4, and OR6, then one can reproduce the original scent by mixing RCSC1 and RCSC2 to re-create the original olfactory receptor activation profile. In practice, the profiles of various receptor complex scent components will be much more complicated than the forgoing example, and components which inhibit olfactory activation as well as stimulate activation can be included in the sets. However, once receptor activation profiles of sufficient receptor complex scent components are known, computer algorithms can be utilized to create the appropriate combination of receptor complex scent components. Using vector representations ofthe olfactory receptor activation profiles for a set of receptor complex scent components, one can create linear combinations of such receptor complex scent components in order to represent a particular scent. For the example given above, such a vector representation would look like (1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0) for the first receptor complex scent component and (0, 1 , 1 , 1, 0, 1 ) for the second receptor complex scent component, while the vector representation ofthe scent to be re-created is (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1). If xi and x₂ are the relative proportions ofthe first receptor complex scent component and the second receptor complex scent component, respectively, to be combined to re-create the scent, then the problem can be represented as a series of linear equations: lxi + 0X₂ = 1

Oxi + 1X2 = 1

Ox, + 1 2 = 1

Ox, + 1X2 = 1

and the solutions for xi and x₂ are xj = 1, x₂ = 1. Solutions to systems of linear equations have been thoroughly studied and many algorithms are available for implementation on computers, including algorithms which evaluate the accuracy of an approximate solution when an exact solution cannot be determined. (See, e.g., Dettman, J.W., Introduction to Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, Dover Pubs., 1986; Press W.H. et al., Numerical Recipes in C: The Art of Scientific Computing, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, 1993; Vetterling (ed.) Numerical Recipes in C: The Art of Scientific Computing/Disk V 2.02, Cambridge University Press, 1997.) These methods can also be used to determine whether a set of receptor complex scent components is suitable for re-creating a given scent. For example, if the scent to be recreated is represented by the vector (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2), there will be no solution to the resulting system of linear equations using the two receptor complex scent components in the illustration above. In this instance, one or more additional receptor scent components will need to be identified in order to be able to re-create the scent in terms ofthe receptor primary scent components. Alternatively, the scent represented by (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1) may be an acceptable approximation to the scent represented by (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2). Integers are used in this example for clarity, but the vectors can contain any real number representing a measured intensity; for example, (1.1, 0.997, 1.08, 1.2, 0.88888..., 2.00001) may be an acceptable approximation to the scent represented by (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2).

It will be readily appreciated that the choice of a complete set of receptor primary, quasi-primary, or complex scent component chemicals (capable of generating all scents) versus a partial set of receptor primary, quasi-primary, or complex scent component chemicals (capable of generating, exactly or approximately, a subset of scents) depends on the application for which scent re-creation is desired.

A special category of receptor scent components are chemicals which bind to a receptor without activating it. If these non-activating chemicals prevent chemicals which do activate the receptors from binding, the non-activating chemicals act to "turn off those receptors. These non-activating chemicals, or receptor binding antagonists, are particularly useful in editing scents, as they can be added to a scent to attenuate or eliminate particular aspects ofthe scent. In the vector example above, if a particular receptor antagonist blocks OR2, OR3, and OR4, but not OR1, OR5 or OR6, then it can be represented in vector format as (0, -1, -1, -1, 0, 0). In the reproduction of (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2) from the vectors (1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0) and (0, 1, 1, 1 , 0, 1), the following combination can be used:

1 x (1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0) + 2 x (0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1) + 1 x (0, -1, -1 , -1, 0, 0) to yield the vector (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2). In some instances, enough of a particular receptor binding antagonist is used to eliminate any possibility of activation by a receptor scent component, in which case the vector entry for the receptor(s) which are blocked by that antagonist contains 0 in the vector position corresponding to that receptor(s).

Perceptive primary scents are defined as scents that give a single scent perception, for example, the scent "lemon" as perceived by a human. A perceptive primary scent can be composed of one or more receptor primary scent components, one or more receptor complex scent components, or a mixture of one or more receptor primary scent components and one or more receptor complex scent components. Since perceptive primary scents are to some extent subjective, identification of perceptive primary scents can be performed by using a panel of subjects who evaluate and describe scents. A perceptive complex scent is made up of more than one perceptive primary scent. The boundaries between a perceptive primary scent and a perceptive complex scent are also to some extent subjective; for example, one person may describe a scent as "pizza," while another person may describe the same scent as "sausage, cheese and tomato sauce." That is, one person may perceive a scent as a perceptive primary scent for "pizza," while another person may perceive the same scent as a perceptive complex scent made up of several individual perceptive primary scents. Perceptive quasi-primary scents can be defined as scents that give one main scent perception, but other minor scent impressions; for example, a chocolate donut may give the main scent perception of "chocolate" and a minor scent impression of "fried dough." In order to standardize perceptive scents,at least one person, or a panel of five or more, preferably ten or more, more preferably fifty or more, still more preferably one hundred or more, people can be surveyed to label various perceptive scents. When a plurality, preferably a majority, more preferably 66 2/3 % or greater, still more preferably 95 % or greater, even more preferably 99% or greater, of a panel identifies a scent as the same scent (e.g., of a panel of 100 people, 95 describe a scent as "pizza," while the other 5 describe the scent otherwise), the scent can be labeled as a perceptive scent (the perceptive scent can be primary or complex, depending on whether the panel identifies it as a single scent or a mixture of scents).

It should be noted that any group of one or more odorants can function as perceptive scent components (whether primary, quasi-primary, or complex), and thus any one or more group of odorants defines an olfactory space. Each individual odorant can independently be either a pure chemical, or a mixture of chemicals. The olfactory space may be extremely small; for example, if the group of odorants consists of one chemical, e.g. acetic acid, the olfactory space defined by the group will be one-dimensional. The perceptive scent may be described as "vinegary", and the strength of the scent may be rated according to how much acetic acid is perceptible to the person(s) perceiving the scent. In preferred embodiments, however, many perceptive primary, quasi-primary, and complex scent components will be used. An example of a set of perceptive scent components is given in Table 1. In that table, allyl methyl trisulfide is assigned the single perceptive scent label "garlic," and thus can be considered a perceptive primary scent component, while 2,6-dimethyl-3-ethylpyrazine has a variety of scent descriptors associated with it, and can be considered a perceptive complex scent component.

In fields where existing classification schemes already exist, the perceptive primary and complex scents can be indexed according to those schemes. For example, the SFP ( Societe Francaise des Parfumeurs) has drawn up a classification system based on 5 main groups, sub-divided into classes. A wine aroma wheel has been developed for describing the aroma of wines; see A.C. Noble, R.A. Arnold, J. Buechsenstein, E. J. Leach, J.O. Schmidy, and P.M. Stern, "Modification of a standardized system of wine aroma terminology", American Journal ofEnology and Viticulture, 38/2 (1987). Such classifications can be used for selecting perceptive primary scents and used as guides for combining the scents.

These methods for representing scents rely on a set of ordered elements, such as a list of receptors which can be activated by a scent, or a list of perceptive primary scents, or an array of individual detectors, in order to describe the scent. In one embodiment, the invention embraces profiling the scent (or equivalently, creating a scent profile) based on one or more elements from such an ordered set of elements. These scent profiles can then be conveniently converted to electronic form to enable the scent profile to be electronically represented, and to enable the scent to be re-created or approximated by an emitting device. The profiling ofthe scent can be performed analyzing the scent in terms of scent components and then describing the scent in terms of those scent components; e.g., a description ofthe scent in terms of an ordered set of elements consisting of olfactory receptors would provide a vector representation in terms of receptor primary or quasi- primary scent components, such as that illustrated herein, which would then characterize the scent in terms ofthe selective binding ofthe scent to the olfactory receptors, more preferably in terms ofthe relative intensity of selective binding ofthe scent to the olfactory receptors. Preferably the scent components define an olfactory space or an olfactory subspace, where any scent, or any member of a subset of scents, can be represented by combinations ofthe scent components. The scent components can be receptor primary scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, perceptive complex scent components, or any combination thereof. Preferably, vector representations ofthe scents are expressed in terms of orthogonal basis vectors which define an olfactory space, where each basis vector represents the binding of a scent to an olfactory receptor. The scent so represented can be stored electronically in a file for scent archival, transmission, and manipulations.

In one embodiment, the elements ofthe ordered set are linear in relationship, as in the matrix illustration above. The members ofthe ordered set of elements can be related to a mammalian olfactory system; for example, the members ofthe ordered set can represent basis vectors in olfactory space, where each member ofthe set describes the intensity of interaction of a scent with an olfactory receptor. Alternatively, the members ofthe ordered set of elements can be independent of a mammalian olfactory system; the ordered set of elements can represent the intensity of interaction of a scent with artificial detectors, such as the "artificial nose," or artificial scent-sensing device, described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,571,401, 5,698,089, 5,788,833, 5,891,398 and 5,911,872. The artificial nose described therein is comprised of several polymeric scent-sensing elements (response elements), each with different response profiles to various volatile compounds. The response elements ofthe scent-sensing device thus define and span an olfactory space.

Scent Objects

As previously defined, a "scent object" is an object which enables storage and/or transmission of a scent representation electronically, such as on a computer or a computer- readable medium. Scent objects provide a particularly useful manner in which scent profiles can be represented on a computer in a form suitable for analysis, editing and re-creation of the scent. A scent object can be implemented in widely differing embodiments, and the examples of scent objects and implementations of scent objects given herein are not intended to limit the definition of scent objects. In one embodiment, a scent object can be implemented in electronic form as a data structure on a computer.

Various components of one example of a data structure implementation of a scent object are now described with reference to the Figures. It should be noted that the scent object can comprise any one or more ofthe components described in the following section (the Hedonic Vector, Polymer Vector, Screening Vector, Chemical Structure Similarity Vector, Docking Vector, or Scent Palette Vector).

Fig. 8 A is a flow diagram depicting the process of representing a scent in a manner suitable for re-creation ofthe scent. A scent-emitting source can be sampled by a panel of human subjects, that is, by human sensory evaluation, and the result of such evaluation expressed as a "Hedonic Vector." A headspace sample of a scent can be fed to an artificial sensor device (such as the artificial scent-sensing device ("artificial nose") described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,571,401, 5,698,089, 5,788,833, 5,891,398 and 5,911,872) for analysis of its interaction with that device; the result of this evaluation and detection is expressed as a "Polymer Vector." The headspace sample can also be screened by receptor-ligand interaction using a panel of olfactory receptors as described above; the result is expressed as a "Screening Vector." Finally, the headspace sample can be broken down by gas chromatography (or other separation techniques well-known in the art of analytical chemistry) as a scent object. The Hedonic, Polymer, Screening, Chemical Structure Similarity and Docking vectors are described in more detail below.

The Scent Palette vector represents the fragrant chemicals available for output. As shown in Fig. 8B, by using a transformation algorithm, the representation ofthe scent object as a Hedonic, Structure, Screening, Polymer or Docking vector is transformed into a Scent Palette vector. The Scent Palette Vector indicates which ofthe available fragrant chemicals at the emitter should be mixed together, as well as the appropriate amounts of each fragrant chemical to use. Alternatively, a human operator or computer program may seek to design a scent using the fragrant chemicals available at the emitter. By combining available scents in the Scent Palette, using scent mixer software, a scentographer can design custom scents. Fig. 9 is a class diagram for a scent object indexed using one or more ofthe Hedonic,

Structure, Screening, Polymer or Docking vectors. Fig. 10 is an example of a scent object for a particular scent, the scent ofthe chemical gamma-teφinene. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the top level field ofthe scent object, listed as "Scent," contains basic identification, such as the name ofthe scent, the REMINISCENTS™ ID number for the scent (a unique number assigned to the scent; REMINISCENTS™is a trademark of DigiScents, Inc., Oakland, CA, for a scent name, scent label, or scent descriptor), alternate names which may be assigned to the scent, a description ofthe scent, and a sensory index value. The example of Fig. 10 lists the name ofthe scent as "Lemony;" the REMINISCENTS™ ID number for the scent as RID-7642; alternate names for the scent as "citrusy, fruity, sweet;" the description ofthe scent as "scent of lemon," and the sensory index as 54. The sensory index describes the scent in relation to a particular scheme of scent classification, such as the aroma wheel described in A.C. Noble, R.A. Arnold, J. Buechsenstein, E. J. Leach, J.O. Schmidy, and P.M. Stern, "Modification of a standardized system of wine aroma terminology", American Journal ofEnology and Viticulture, 38/2 (1987). In the discussion below ofthe scent object diagrams of Figs. 9 and 10, at times the scent described by the scent object is called the "sample scent" when necessaryto distinguish it from other scents used in describing the components ofthe scent object.

The Hedonic Vector, which classifies the scent by using human olfactory perception, implements an embodiment ofthe invention using a set of odorant descriptors~e.g., "lemony," "citrusy," "vinegary," etc. —to generate a scent profile. Odorant descriptors are defined as any descriptive term suitable for describing a scent, such as common terms for scents, specialized terms used in various scent arts for particular scents, or terms for particular notes of a scent. Alternatively, since the odorant descriptors are associated with odorant substances of a particular reference set, the Hedonic Vector is also an implementation of an embodiment ofthe invention where a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans is used to create the scent profile. The Hedonic Vector contains two values, as illustrated in Fig. 9: a Reference Set ID, and a Preferred tag. A Reference Set is a collection of scents against which a sample scent is described. Many different Reference Sets can be compiled, and the Reference Set ID indicates which Reference Set is being used for that particular Hedonic Vector. As indicated in Fig. 9, a single sample scent can have n Hedonic Vectors associated with it, where n is an integer greater than or equal to one if Hedonic Vectors are being used to represent the sample scent. (Clearly, a value of zero for n would indicate that Hedonic Vectors are not being used to represent the scent.) The Preferred tag indicates whether that Reference Set is the preferred set for description of the particular sample scent being described. As depicted in Fig. 10, Hedonic Vector 1 refers to the Reference Set HVID 0921, and the Preferred tag is true, indicating that Reference Set HVID-0921 is the preferred set for describing the "lemony" scent; Hedonic Vector 2 refers to the Reference Set HVID-0498, and the Preferred tag is false, indicating that Reference Set HVID-0498 is not the preferred set for describing the "lemony" scent. An example ofthe generation of a Hedonic Vector is given in Example 2.

As previously described, the Reference Sets are collections of scents against which a sample scent is described. A single Reference Set can be a collection of one or more scents, two or more scents, five or more scents, or ten, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, forty, fifty, or seventy-five or more scents, or one hundred or more scents. As indicated in Fig. 9, a single Hedonic Vector can have n Hedonic Values, where n is the number of scents composing the Reference Set. A panel of human subjects is exposed to both the sample scent and each scent contained in the Reference Set. The panel rates the sample scent against each scent contained in the Reference Set using a numeric scale. The individual scents which compose the Reference Set are given reference numbers for identification, called the Hedonic Category ID. In one implementation of this rating, the human subject panel rates the sample scent against each scent in the Reference Set on a scale from 1 to 100, with 1 being "very similar/identical" and 100 being "very dissimilar." The various ratings from each subject are then averaged together to determine the Hedonic Score for that particular scent in the Reference Set. The ratings can be adjusted as desired, for example, by dividing by 100 to scale the numbers between 0 and 1. Alternate numbers and evaluations can be used, for example, -100 for most unpleasant to +100 for most pleasant.

In Fig. 10, two examples of Hedonic Vectors and their corresponding Hedonic Values are shown. For Hedonic Vector 1, Hedonic Values 1 are given. When the "lemony" sample scent (gamma-teφinene) is compared against the "tart" scent in the Reference Set, it is rated 65.02 by the human subject panel. When the "lemony" sample scent is compared against the "Strong" scent in the Reference Set, it is rated 33.11 by the human subject panel. These values make up the Hedonic Values 1, which in turn is part ofthe Hedonic Vector 1. The scents in the Reference Set are chosen to be representative of a particular scent property; for example, a solution of 5% acetic acid in water can be chosen to correspond to the reference scent "vinegary." A particular Reference Set may often be more appropriate for comparison to the sample scent than other Reference Sets, which is indicated by the Preferred tag in the Hedonic Vector.

The Structural Vector is illustrated in Fig. 9, and an example ofthe Structural Vector is illustrated in Fig. 10 for gamma-teφinene. The top level Scent field references a Compound field. In the example for gamma-teφinene, there is only one chemical compound present in the scent; however, for scents made up of multiple chemical components, there can be as many Compound fields as there are identifiable chemical components. In circumstances where only a few compounds are necessary to reproduce or approximate a scent, there can be fewer Compound fields than the number of identifiable chemical compounds in the scent, while if a scent is altered or enhanced by adding components not normally present in the scent, there can be more Compound fields than the number of identifiable chemical compounds in the original scent. These latter examples, however, are best described as "approximate Scent Objects" and "altered (or edited, or enhanced) Scent Objects" to distinguish them from the Scent Object corresponding to the original sample scent. The Compound field is composed of several values. Fig. 9 illustrates a Compound field composed of: a chemical ID number, which can be arbitrarily assigned, or alternatively, can be a standardized number such as the Chemical Abstracts Registry Number for the compound; a SMILES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry Specification, see Weininger, D., "SMILES 1. Introduction and Encoding Rules", J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. (1988) 28, 31) representation ofthe chemical; the Vapor Pressure ofthe chemical at a particular Vapor Temperature; the Flash Point ofthe chemical; the Viscosity Rating and Oxidation Rating ofthe chemical on a predetermined or standardized scale; and the Solubility ofthe chemical. Other properties can be added to the Compound field. Fig. 10 illustrates a Compound field with the particular values for gamma-teφinene included. As the Compound field contains the chemical-based information regarding the sample scent, the Structural, Receptor Docking, Receptor Screening, and Polymer Reactivity Vectors can be associated with the Compound field. It should be noted that since the Polymer Reactivity Vector and the Receptor Screening Vector can be recorded either for each individual compound in the scent, or for the scent as a whole, that those vectors can be associated with either the Compound field or the top level Scent field, or with both fields. The Structural and Receptor Docking Vectors are dependent on the chemical structure of each component ofthe sample scent, however, and must be associated with the Compound field.

The Polymer Reactivity Vector is an implementation of an embodiment ofthe invention where a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device (an "artificial nose") is used to generate a scent profile. The Polymer Reactivity Vector is a vector which describes interaction ofthe chemical contained in the Compound field with an artificial scent-sensing or "artificial nose" type of detector, such as those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,571,401, 5,698,089, 5,788,833, 5,891,398 and 5,911,872. The artificial scent-sensing devices/artificial noses of those references detect chemicals by an array of polymeric materials, which respond to the presence ofthe chemical in a detectable manner. The Reference Set ID ofthe Polymer Reactivity Vector identifies the particular device which is used to detect the chemical compound, while the Preferred tag indicates whether that device is the preferred detector for that chemical. The Polymer Reactivity Value records the response/reaction of a single polymeric element ofthe artificial scent-sensing ("artificial nose") array; the element is identified by a Reference Polymer ID, and the quantitative response is recorded in the Reactivity Score. When an artificial scent-sensing device

("artificial nose") is used having non-polymeric response elements or detectors in addition to or instead of polymeric response elements, the Polymer Reactivity Vector and Polymer Reactivity Value are easily generalized to such non-polymeric response elements or detectors. The Receptor Screening Vector, which can be associated with the Scent field, the

Compound field, or both, as illustrated in Fig. 9, refers to Reference Sets of olfactory receptors used for screening chemical compounds for interaction with the olfactory receptors comprising the set. The Receptor Screening Vector is an implementation of an embodiment ofthe invention which uses sets of olfactory receptors, preferably mammalian olfactory receptors, more preferably human olfactory receptors, to generate a scent profile. The Reference Sets are identified by Reference Set ID numbers, and the Preferred tag indicates whether that Reference Set of olfactory receptors is the preferred Reference Set for that particular sample scent, as each Scent or Compound may be described by several Reference Sets. The Receptor Screening Value indicates the intensity of interaction with the various receptors making up the particular Reference Set used. Each individual receptor is identified by a Reference Receptor ID number, with the screening score indicating the intensity of interaction ofthe compound with that receptor. The Receptor Docking Vector, which is associated with the Compound field, describes the Reference Set of receptor molecular structures against which an individual chemical compound is described. The Receptor Docking Vector is an implementation of an embodiment ofthe invention which uses sets of olfactory receptor structures, modeled or simulated on a computer, to generate the scent profile. Since the chemical structure ofthe compound to be docked against the set of modeled olfactory receptor structures must be known to use the docking software, the Receptor Docking Vector must be associated with a specific chemical compound. The Receptor Docking Vector contains a Reference Set ID and a Preferred tag, to indicate whether the set of receptors identified by the Reference Set ID is the preferred set to use to describe the particular chemical. Each Receptor Docking Vector refers to one or more Reference Docking Values; the Values are composed of a Reference Receptor ID (which indicates the specific receptor into which the chemical is being docked) and the Docking Score (which indicates the interaction ofthe chemical with the receptor, as determined by the docking program used; these scores can be reported as individual real numbers (scalars) or may be reported as vectors, vectors of vectors, or other mathematical representations ofthe output ofthe docking program). Docking methods and software packages are described in more detail herein.

The Structural Vector represents a comparison ofthe chemical described by the Compound field with reference compounds. , The Structural Vector is an implementation of an embodiment ofthe invention where a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer is used to generate the scent profile. The Structural Vector contains the Reference Set ID, which indicates which set of reference compounds is being used for comparison, and the Preferred tag, which indicates whether that set is the preferred set for description ofthe particular chemical ofthe Compound field. For each Reference Set, a Chemical Similarity Value is determined for the particular chemical ofthe Compound field as compared to the chemicals comprising the Reference Set, and a Similarity Score is assigned. As with the Docking Score in the Reference Docking Value, the Similarity Score may be reported as individual real numbers (scalars) or may be reported as vectors, vectors of vectors, or other mathematical representations ofthe output ofthe chemical similarity program. Methods for assessing chemical similarity, and computer programs suitable for such methods, are described in more detail herein; see Example 3 for a description of a procedure for comparing the similarity of scent molecules. The Palette Vector ofthe scent object differs from the other vectors in that it represents the scent in terms ofthe chemicals available for re-creation of scents, rather than by some characteristic, measurement or analysis ofthe scent itself. The Palette Vector is an implementation of an embodiment ofthe invention which uses a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit to generate the scent profile. The other vectors can be transformed into Palette Vectors by algorithms; alternatively, a human operator (a scentographer) may design a scent using the available chemicals, much as an artist paints a picture from the colors available on the artist's palette. The Palette Vector refers to a Reference Set ID, which identifies a set of chemicals available for scent re-creation, and has a Preferred tag, which indicates whether that particular set of chemicals is the preferred set for re-creation of that scent. For each member ofthe reference set, Palette Values are provided which have a Reference Well ID value, indicating which well of a multi-well plate contains the chemical to be added to the overall mixture, and a Quantity value, indicating how much of that chemical to add to the overall mixture. When emitters utilizing storage devices other than a multi-well plate are used, the Reference Well ID can simply refer to a physical location on a cartridge, plate, or other device where the desired scent is located. In one variation of this embodiment of a scent object, the scent object is composed only ofthe Palette Vector and the appropriate identifying information in the Scent field of the data structure. The odorants available in the scent emitter comprise an ordered set of elements, and the scent to emit is described by the Palette Vector in terms of that ordered set of elements. Thus, the Palette Vector (and associated identifying information) can serve as a complete scent representation in this embodiment.

The various representations ofthe scent profile can be readily transformed or interconverted. A scent profile generated by one method can be generated by another method, and a transformation matrix derived which will convert one representation to another. The most useful transformation is between a scent profile based on a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer, a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans, a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer, a set of odorant descriptors, or a set of response elements in an artificial scent- sensing device, into a scent profile based on a set of odorant substances available in the emitting device. As an example, the odorant substance making up a Palette Vector in a scent object can be tested using an artificial scent-sensing device or artificial nose, to determine which sensing elements are activated by each odorant substance used for emission. When a sample scent is presented to the artificial nose, the activation pattern it produces in the scent-sensing elements is recorded, and a computer program is used to produce the closest approximation to that scent using the odorant substances available for emission (for which the response ofthe artificial nose is already known). Other transformations~e.g., from the artificial nose's set of response elements to the pattern of activation of a set of mammalian olfactory receptors—are also possible, and can have important uses; for example, a transformation from a scent profile generated using a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer into a scent profile based on odorant descriptors can identify scents which have negative scent descriptors.

The Appendix contains code (in C and Java) for computer implementation of a scent object.

Figs. 11 A, 1 IB, and 11C provide tabular representations ofthe scent objects.

Selecting Chemicals for Scent Re-creation

A scent which has been represented as a set of basis vectors in olfactory space can in principle be re-created simply by mixing or synthesizing the receptor primary scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, or receptor complex scent components needed to activate the olfactory receptors in the same pattern as the original scent. Such an approach requires 1) a method to generate a representation ofthe original scent in olfactory space, and 2) suitable receptor primary scent component chemicals which can be mixed in the appropriate manner.

A scent which has been represented as a mixture of perceptive primary scents can be re-created by mixing or synthesizing the receptor primary scents needed to re-create the perceptive complex scent. Such an approach requires 1 ) a method to generate a representation ofthe original perceptive complex scent in terms of perceptive primary scent components, and 2) suitable perceptive primary scent component chemicals which can be mixed in the appropriate manner.

Identification of receptor scent components can be performed by various methods. One such method assays the interaction of candidate components with each olfactory receptor. The receptors can be expressed in vitro and assays can be set up to monitor the interaction of various candidate components with each individual receptor. Chemicals which activate one and only one olfactory receptor are receptor primary scent components, while chemicals which activate more than one olfactory receptor are receptor complex scent components (and can possibly be receptor quasi-primary scent components, depending on the activation profile it displays with the olfactory receptors). Such an approach can use methods known in the art, for example those of Breer et al, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. (1998) 855:175-81 or Malnic et al, CeU (1999) 96(5):713-23. Breer et al. expressed olfactory receptors in Sf9 cells and evaluated the second-messenger response to various odorants. Malnic et al. isolated olfactory neurons from mice and utilized calcium imaging to study the response ofthe neurons to different odorants, while using RT-PCR to determine which olfactory receptor was expressed in the neuron under study. U.S. Patent No. 5,798,275 describes a method for evaluating interaction of compounds with members of a reference panel of proteins. Alternative methods for representing the scent can also be employed. As described above in the context of Scent Objects, a sample scent can be compared to a Reference Set of scents to create a Hedonic Vector representation ofthe sample scent. The particular scents in the Reference Set, along with their Hedonic Values, can then serve as a blueprint for recreation ofthe sample scent. In one embodiment, the Reference Set scents simply serve as the Palette Vector set of scents, to be combined in the amounts indicated by the Hedonic

Values. When a Structural Vector is used to represent a compound, the particular structures used for the Reference Set, along with their Chemical Similarity Values, can be used in an analogous fashion.

Once the electronic representation ofthe scent has been created in terms of an ordered set of elements, an emitter which contains chemical components corresponding to the ordered set of elements (e.g., receptor primary scent components; the elements of a Hedonic Vector Reference Set) can be used to re-create the scent, by activating chemical components within the emitter. If the ordered set of elements are linear in relationship, then re-creation ofthe scent is performed by linearly mixing the chemical components corresponding to the ordered set of elements. This permits substantially predictable reproduction of any scent by selecting the elements in proportional quantities. The ordered set of elements can be a set of scent components relative to a mammalian olfactory system, based on selective binding of chemical components making up the scent to olfactory receptors. Preferably, the elements ofthe ordered set form an olfactory space or an olfactory subspace, for representation and re-creation of all scents or a specific set or subset of scents. The electronic representation ofthe scent can include information about the relative intensity ofthe scent components required to reproduce the scent.

The electronic representation for re-creation ofthe scents can be generated as described herein. Alternatively, other users can generate scent representations, which can then be shared or transmitted via an information exchange network, an archive in a storage medium, such as a disk, or via the Internet.

Selection of Receptor Primary Scents by in silico Methods An alternative method utilizes in silico screening techniques— that is, computer simulation methods-for either description of a sample scent, or for selection of candidate components to use as receptor primary, quasi-primary, or complex scent components, or for both description and selection. Protein-ligand screening can be used to select compounds which bind to particular receptors in order to identify receptor primary scent components. Examples of such programs are DOCK, AutoDock, GOLD, FlexX, LUDI, GROWMOL, and HOOK. (See Wang, J., Kollman, P.A., Kuntz I.D., "Flexible ligand docking: a multistep strategy approach," Proteins 36(1):1-19 (1999) and references therein.) These programs function by taking a protein structure and either matching compounds of known structure to the protein structure to determine the protein-ligand interaction, or by "growing" a molecule in the active site or binding site of a protein to determine what molecule will best interact with the protein. Interaction of a particular compound with an olfactory receptor can also be modeled in order to generate the information contained in the Receptor Docking Vector and associated fields.

Olfactory receptor proteins are membrane proteins, and experimental determination ofthe three-dimensional structures of membrane proteins has lagged the corresponding structural determination of water-soluble proteins for various reasons. However, alternative methods for constructing the three-dimensional structures of proteins are available. The primary (amino acid) sequences of many olfactory receptors are known. This information can be used to model a three-dimensional structure of a receptor protein using various algorithms and computer programs known in the art. The resulting model structure can then be used as the basis for evaluating interaction of candidate components with the receptor. Alternatively, given known chemical structures which give rise to a particular odor, analysis ofthe structures can indicate the particular portion ofthe chemical structure which is responsible for the odor. This is analogous to "pharmacore analysis" used in medicinal chemistry to determine the important portion of drugs. Information generated by programs of this type can be stored as the Structural Vector (and associated fields) in the Scent Object representation of a sample scent.

Methods for developing compounds which bind to receptors and other proteins of known structure, and determining interactions between ligands and receptors, are described in various references The DOCK program evaluates the fit of a ligand into a protein molecule of known structure (see Gschwend, D.A., Good, A.C. and Kuntz, I.D., "Molecular Docking Towards Drug Discovery", J Mol. Recognition 9, 175-86 (1996); Kuntz, I.D., Meng, E.C., and B.K. Shoichet, "Structure-Based Strategies For Drug Design and Discovery", Ace. Chem. Res. 27, 117-123 (1994); and Kuntz, I. D., "Structure-based strategies for drug design and discovery", Science 257, 1078-1082 (1992); see also http://www.cmpharm.ucsf.edu/kuntz/dock.html). Using a known (or modeled) structure of an olfactory receptor, DOCK can be used to screen for compounds which bind to the receptor. The program AMBER (see Cornell, WD, Cieplak P, Bayly CI, Gould IR, Merz KM Jr, Ferguson DM, Spellmeyer DC, Fox T, Caldwell JW and Kollman PA. "A second generation force field for the simulation of proteins and nucleic acids," Journal ofthe

American Chemical Society 117, 5179-5197 (1995); Computer Simulation of Biomolecular Systems, A. Wilkinson, P. Weiner, W. Van Gunsteren, eds. Volume 3, p. 83-96, P. Kollman, R. Dixon, W. Cornell, T. Fox, C. Chipot and A. Pohorille; Bayly CI, Cieplak P, Cornell WD and Kollman PA. "A well-behaved electrostatic potential based method using charge restraints for deriving atomic charges - the RESP model," Journal of Physical Chemistry 97(40), 10269-10280 (1993); Cornell WD, Cieplak P, Bayly CI and Kollman PA. "Application of RESP charges to calculate conformational energies, hydrogen bond energies, and free energies of solvation," Journal ofthe American Chemical Society 115(21), 9620-9631 (1993); see also http://www.amber.ucsf.edu/amber/amber.html) can be used to calculate more precise interaction energies between candidate ligands. Other examples of such methods are described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,866,343, directed to determining the energetically favorable binding site between two molecules; U.S. Patent No. 5,854,992, a system and method for structure-based drug design which takes into account binding free energy as it "grows" candidate molecules into a receptor binding site; and U.S. Patent No. 5,495,423, which describes a method for ligand design (principally applicable to peptidic ligands). The foregoing methods typically depend on a known three-dimensional structure for the receptor. When such a structure cannot or has not been determined experimentally, a structure can be modeled using computer algorithms. Blundell TL, Sibanda BL, Sternberg MJ, Thornton JM, "Knowledge-based prediction of protein structures and the design of novel molecules," Nature 326(611 1):347-52 (1987); Shortle D, "Structure prediction: The state ofthe art," Curr Biol 9(6):R205-9 (1999), Morea V, Leplae R, Tramontano A, "Protein structure prediction and design," .Biotechnol Annu Rev 4: 177-214 (1998) and Onuchic JN, Luthey-Schulten Z, Wolynes PG, "Theory of protein folding: the energy landscape perspective," Annu Rev Phys Chem 48:545-600 (1997) address various methods of predicting protein structure from sequence data. Various implementations for predicting protein structure from amino acid sequences are discussed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,878,373 and 5,884,230.

If the structure, or even the identity, ofthe targeted receptor cannot be determined, alternative computational techniques can be used to generate information regarding possible ligands which will interact with the receptor. Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR; see Green, S.M. and Marshall, G.R., "3-D QSAR: A current perspective," Trends Pharmacol Sci 16:285 (1995); and 3D QSAR in Drug Design: Theory, Methods and Applications, Kubinyi, H. Ed.; Escom, Leiden.), including QSAR refinements such as comparative molecular field analysis (ComFA) (Cramer, R. D. et al. "Comparative Molecular Field Analysis ComFA 1. Effect Of Shape On Binding Of Steroids To Carrier Proteins," J. Am. Chem. Soc. 110: 5959 (1988)); and pharmacophore mapping (Martin YC, Bures MG, Danaher EA, DeLazzer J, Lico I, Pavlik PA, "A fast new approach to pharmacophore mapping and its application to dopaminergic and benzodiazepine agonists," J Comput Aided Mol Des 7(1):83-102 (1993)) have been used to design pharmacophores that can interact with the receptor. U.S. Patent No. 5,699,268 provides a method for producing computer-simulated receptors which functionally mimic biological receptors; the simulated receptors are essentially abstractions of structurally useful information from compounds which are known to interact with a receptor. U.S. Patent No. 5,901,069 describes a method of automatically refining a set of chemicals using structure/activity data. U.S. Patent No. 5,862,514 describes a method of simulating synthesis of compounds of desired biological activity and evaluating their activity via further simulations.

Application of structure-function relationships to classification of odors has been described by Chastrette M., Rallet E. "Structure-minty odour relationships: Suggestion of an interaction pattern," Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 13(1):5-18 (1998); Chastrette M., De Saint Laumer J.Y.,; Peyraud J.F., "Adapting the structure of a neural network to extract chemical information. Application to structure-odour relationships," SAR QSAR Environ Res 1 (2-3):221-231 (1993), Chastrette M., "Trends in structure-odor relationships," SAR QSAR Environ Res 6(3-4):215-254 (1997) and Jain et al., "A shape-based machine learning tool for drug design," J Comput Aided Mol Des 8(6):635-652 (1994). These methods can be useful in determining the "chemical distance" between odors. For example, isoamyl acetate is typically experienced as a banana-like odor, while octyl acetate is typically experienced as an orange-like odor, which gives a measure of how the chain length ofthe alkoxy portion of the ester influences perception. Example 3 describes a structural comparison of compounds within and across subjectively-defined scent categories.

Scent Reproduction/Approximation by Automated Iteration

Scents can also be reproduced or approximated by automated iteration and emission of candidate scents, which are then evaluated for their similarity to the sample scent. A scent can be sampled by a human operator, who can input certain characteristics ofthe scent (e.g., "major characteristic: pungent; minor characteristic: citrus"). The system can then select various odorants and emit appropriate combinations of them as candidate scents for comparison against the reference scent. While the human operator can rate the candidate scents in terms of how similar or dissimilar they are to the sample scent, other methods to rate the candidate scents against the sample scent can also be used, such as the response of an "artificial nose" (an artificial scent-sensing device), or the output of a gas chromatograph. Alternatively, an automatic method, such as the response generated by an "artificial nose" (an artificial scent-sensing device) can be used in the initial sampling step as well. Various combinations of scents are used in order to minimize the difference in response (whether of a human operator or an automatic element) between the sample scent and the candidate scent. Algorithms for exploring such multivariable spaces are well-known, as the problem essentially reduces to minimizing the difference between the response function, F, to the sample scent and the candidate scent; that is, finding the closest solution to

F(sample scent) - F(candidate scent) = 0. Multivariable minimization techniques can often become trapped in "relative minima;" methods for compensating for this problem are well-known in the art. Scent Fingeφrinting

It will be appreciated that in many instances, analysis of a scent (whether expressed in terms of receptor primary scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, perceptive complex scent components,or other scent representations) is of great utility in and of itself, in addition to the utility of that analysis in scent re-creation. Thus, another embodiment ofthe invention encompasses "scent fingeφrinting," which comprises analysis of a scent profile when re-creation of that scent may not be necessary or desirable. The distinction between scent profiling, as defined above, and scent fingeφrinting, as defined here, is that scent profiling is a representation of a scent relative to a mammalian olfactory system in such a manner as to provide useful information about the interaction ofthe scent with that olfactory system, such as sufficient information to enable re-creation ofthe scent from receptor primary scent components, or information about the response of one or more humans to the scent to enable re-creation of the scent from perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, and/or perceptive complex scent components. In contrast, scent fingeφrinting can, but does not necessarily, provide such information.

Various applications and examples of scent fingeφrinting can include, but are not limited to, the following illustrative situations. Natural gas is widely used as a heating and fuel supply, but is in itself odorless. Utility companies routinely add small amounts of odorants such as mercaptans to allow detection of natural gas leaks in households. Should a leak occur at an unattended site, however, potentially dangerous quantities of natural gas can accumulate. In such areas, a device which can recognize odorants would be useful.

Another use of scent fingeφrinting is quality control of a manufacturing process. Many food items, such as freshly-baked bread and pastries, sauces, and cheeses, have distinct odors. A manufacturer can record a scent fingeφrint for a given food item, e.g. spaghetti sauce for packaging in jars. The quality ofthe product can then be monitored at various stages in manufacture and storage, and deviations from the established scent fingeφrint can be used to alert the manufacturer to problems in manufacture or storage. Quality control scent fingeφrints are not limited to food items, but can be used in any circumstance where a volatile component of an item of manufacture can be used as a quality control indicator, e.g., perfume, deodorants, gasoline and other fuels, solvent mixtures, etc. While scent fingeφrints need not be meaningful in terms of a mammalian olfactory system, it will be readily appreciated that a scent profile, which does represent a scent in a manner relevant to an olfactory system, is a special type of scent fingeφrint. Additionally, the response of an artificial scent-sensing device which yields a scent fingeφrint of an odor, such as the "artificial nose" described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,571,401, 5,698,089, 5,788,833, 5,891,398 and 5,911,872, can be measured and stored as the Polymeric Reactivity Vector and associated fields of a Scent Object. The response ofthe device can be calibrated against the response of a mammalian olfactory system. This known relationship can then be used to transform the scent fingeφrint generated by the device into a true scent profile. In turn, the scent profile generated can be utilized to re-create an odor using receptor primary scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, and/or perceptive complex scent components. The invention encompasses such transformations.

Recording the Analyzed Scent in Electronic Form The scent which is analyzed by the analysis module can be recorded in electronic form during or after the performance ofthe analysis. The exact nature ofthe electronic representation ofthe scent will initially be dependent on the manner in which it is analyzed. For example, a scent which is analyzed by exposure to a panel of olfactory receptors can be represented as a multicomponent Receptor Screening Vector as described above, where each component ofthe vector comprises a measure of interaction with the individual receptor, while a scent which is exposed to an artificial scent-sensing device ("artificial nose," e.g. of U.S. Patent No. 5,911,872) can be represented in terms ofthe interaction ofthe scent with each element ofthe device as a Polymeric Reactivity Vector. However, one embodiment of the invention embraces transformation ofthe representation of a scent from one form to another. Thus, a representation of a scent by a device which has no correspondence to natural olfactory receptors can be transformed into a representation that does correspond to natural olfactory receptors. If the scents are represented by vectors, this can be accomplished by constructing an n x m matrix (where the number of rows, n, corresponds to the number of elements ofthe vector being transformed, and the number of columns, m, corresponds to the number of elements ofthe vector resulting from the transformation). Vectors for representations of scents can be readily stored as array data structures on electronic computers; arrays of arrays can be used to represent more complicated scents. One particularly useful representation of data is in terms of index values to be used for the emitter module. The index values consist ofthe data passed to the emitter which enable re-creation ofthe scent by the emitter. The various scent components (whether receptor primary, quasi-primary, complex, or perceptive primary or complex) available at the emitter are mixed according to the index values. For a scent which has been represented in terms of all receptor primary scent components, which is to be re-created by an emitter which can mix primary scents corresponding to all receptor primary scent components, the representation ofthe scent as the primary scent component vector is equivalent to representation as index values. For the example ofthe six olfactory receptor scent, (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1), where two receptor complex scent components (1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0) and (0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1) are available, the index values for the two receptor complex scent components would be 1 and 1 (equal mixing ofthe two components to re-create the scent). The original scent profile ofthe scent, with respect to the olfactory receptors, describes the scent in terms of the analytical system used for profiling, while the index values for the scent describe the scent in terms ofthe chemicals available at the emitter module for scent re-creation. The two representations are equivalent and can be interconverted. Either representation is suitable for transmission over a data network, in digital, electronic, or other form, or for recording in storage media, including, but not limited to, computer disks, computer tapes, printed formats, or RAM, ROM, PROM, and EPROM computer memory devices. In the Scent Object described above, the index values form the Palette Vector, indicating which chemicals from the Scent Palette should be combined, and in what ratio, to re-create a scent.

Scent Editing

Representation of a scent as a scent profile provides the capability of editing the scent. A scent profile which represents a scent in terms of perceptive primary scent components is the most straightforward representation to edit. An example is the perceptive complex primary scent of "burned pizza" comprised of perceptive primary scent components of sausage, cheese, tomato sauce, and burned dough. In order to edit the scent to provide a more pleasant re-creation, the perceptive primary scent component of burned dough would simply be eliminated. The perceptive primary scent component representation corresponds most closely to the Hedonic Vector representation of a scent in the Scent Object. Manipulation ofthe Hedonic Values of a particular scent object provides a straightforward means of scent editing. Manipulation ofthe Palette Vector values of a particular scent object also provides a ready means of editing the scent. An example of scent editing is provided in Example 1.

Other scent profiles can be edited using a knowledge ofthe perception of a particular components. Using our six-receptor example, suppose that the (1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0) receptor complex scent component is known to provide an unpleasant aspect ofthe scent, while the (0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1) component is known to provide the pleasant aspect ofthe scent. The first complex scent component can be omitted from the edited scent profile, leaving (0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1) as the edited scent profile. (This would also alter the index values for scent re-creation, from 1 and 1, to 0 and 1.) More complex editing situations can be manipulated using computer algorithms as discussed above. Individual scent components can be omitted, added, weakened, or intensified, and different scent components can be adjusted in different manners or degrees, depending on the desired result. The editing can be done interactively, with each edited scent emitted by the emitter module for evaluation by the user, or can be done automatically, with removal/weakening or addition intensifying of particular components specified in advance, on either an absolute scale or relative to other components.

Scents can also be created, by selecting two or more elements from an ordered set of elements that represents or corresponds to an olfactory space and creating a scent profile from the elements. The scent can then be emitted by an emitting device in the same manner as any other scent expressed a electronic representation. The relative intensity ofthe elements can be varied, in order to adjust the resulting scent; preferably, the elements are related linearly, so that changes in the electronic profile cause linear changes in the resulting scent. For example, if it is desired to activate two scent receptors in a mammalian olfactory receptor system, multiplying the value for one element by a constant should increase the intensity of stimulation ofthe olfactory receptor by the same constant. A created scent can also be edited by any other method described herein.

The scents may also be created in terms ofthe index values ofthe scents available at the emitter device.

Emission Subsystem The emission subsystem is essentially a "playback" unit for the scent as represented by the object file. Data from the object file can be compressed, uncompressed, or streamed over the Internet and is used to activate the appropriate chemicals which correspond to the index values in appropriate concentrations to reconstruct the scent. For example, the emission subsystem may comprise cartridges of proprietary chemical reagents in an inkjet printer like device. The corresponding reagents in the appropriate amount are sprayed onto an emission medium, where they are blended and vaporized to re-create the scent. The scent chemical cartridge can be a general cartridge, containing a number of reagents which may be dispensed to generate all scents, or as many scents as practicable. The scent chemical cartridge can also be a specialized cartridge, intended to hold a limited subset of chemicals which are well-suited for generating limited scents appropriate and relevant to a specific application (e.g., a perfume cartridge may have chemicals useful in generating a wide type of perfume scents; a game cartridge may have a limited set of chemicals useful in generating scents appropriate to an associated game such as vehicular scents for a racing game, munitions scents for a war game, etc.). The emission system can be capable of using one cartridge, two cartridges, or more than two cartridges; for example, a dual-cartridge emission system can contain a "general" scent cartridge, which contains odorant substances suitable for reproducing common scents, and a "specialty" cartridge, which contains odorant substances suitable for reproducing scents limited to a specific context or application. The operating system for the scent playback unit should be capable of distinguishing between cartridges and adjusting its output accordingly, that is, the system can determine what odorant substances are available, how much of them are to be dispensed, and how to mix them accordingly. Schematically, FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate embodiment of an emitter subsystem in which a deep well plate emission system 60 is used to store the scent reagents. A deep well plate 62 contains the reagents needed to provide a particular scent. The capillaries 64 carry the reagents through a computer controllable well-specific microvalves 66. The microvalves 66 are linked to a controller 68 which determines the flow ofthe reagents to the corridor 70 where heating and mixing of component odorants occur. The corridor 70 is either a liquid or air flow chamber from which the vapors 72 give off the desired scent. Other emitters include a resistor powered heating plate for boiling off the scent chemicals. In a system 80 depicted in FIG. 3 A, a small portion ofthe reservoir 82 ofthe liquid is heated via a resistive element 84, causing an amount ofthe liquid to vaporize and a droplet is formed in a syringe or capillary 86 or other depositing tube by condensation, and the expanding vapor in the reservoir forces the droplet out ofthe tube to drop onto a heated evaporation site 88. The heat from this evaporation site 88 accelerates evaporation ofthe liquid into vapor to be transported by a stream of moving air 90, which flows out through the front ofthe device to the user. Residual deposits from incomplete evaporation may contaminate the evaporation site 88 and consequently may also contaminate subsequent intended scents. In a more elaborate scheme, it may be desirable to heat the evaporation site with different temperatures at different regions to provide different rates of evaporation. Alternatively, instead of heating the liquid, the air space in contact with the liquid can be heated; the resulting vapor pressure ofthe heated air can be used to push the liquid through the syringe, capillary, or other depositing tube. Functions and operations ofthe various components are controlled and synchronized by the controller 92 in accordance with the input signal representing the scents to be played back. In a system 100 depicted in FIG. 3B, much like in FIG. 3 A, a small portion ofthe reservoir 102 ofthe liquid is heated via a resistive element 104, causing an amount ofthe liquid to evaporate and a droplet is formed in a syringe or capillary 106 or other depositing tube by condensation, and the expanding vapor in the reservoir forces the droplet out ofthe tube to drop onto a heated evaporation site 108. The unique aspect of this evaporation site 108 is the fact that each pre-defined region has its own resistive heating element 112. Thus, each region has its own rate of evaporation ofthe liquid into vapor to be transported by a stream of moving air 110, which flows out through the front ofthe device to the user. Functions and operations ofthe various components are controlled and synchronized by the controller 114 in accordance with the input signal representing the scents to be played back. In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 4, a rolling blotter paper 122 over a stationary heating element 124 combines a simple and reliable solution to the serious problem of residual contamination ofthe air stream. A liquid droplet 126 drops onto a sheet of blotter paper 122, which then rolls over a stationary curved heating surface 124 for evaporation. After the appropriate time is allotted for evaporation, the sheet continues to roll into a take- up wheel 128, where there is no longer any heat applied, and consequently the scent ofthe residue on this section of sheet will be stifled. The heated surface 124 will be constantly cleaned by the natural motion ofthe paper over it, as more and more scents are played by the user. The flow of air 130 over the heated element 124 will carry the scent to the user. Functions and operations ofthe various components are controlled and synchronized by the controller 132 in accordance with the input signal representing the scents to be played back. The replacement ofthe blotter paper will be designed to reflect usability on the same level as replacing printer paper in an electronic adding machine, cash register, or other similar device which uses a rolling paper mechanism. Because this design employs continuous movement ofthe paper during the scent-playback mode, the life ofthe roll of blotter paper will depend on the number of wells of liquid as well as the speed with which the paper moves through the emitter system. The purely mechanical approach to removing scent residue (as opposed to relying on the fluid mechanics and timing of evaporation) assures a reliable ceasing of residual odor and predictable functionality. This reliable nature addresses the shaφ "on" and "off which may be desired by the user of the scents. In an alternative embodiment, the rolling blotter paper design may employ a mechanism in which the paper stops moving while the liquid droplets are being deposited. In this manner, the blotter paper will once again resume rolling until a need for another scent is requested. (The scents "played" by this and other emitters are sometimes referred to as "scent notes.") This non-continuous rolling of blotter paper will repeat until all scent notes have been played back.

Another feature ofthe blotter paper method is the ability to fade smells in and out and perhaps also alter blends of smells. Much like a player piano, the blotter paper will roll along, accepting liquids as it goes. The device can begin by squirting one liquid out onto the paper, while slowly fading in subsequent smells in order to create blends. Also, pre-existing blends may also be altered, depending on the proximity ofthe release of one liquid after the other.

In another embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, the system 140 has individual heated pads 144 mounted directly below the orifice 150 through which the liquid 142 emerges after boiling off by the resistor 148 in the reservoir. The liquid wicks out onto the surface ofthe heated pad 144 outside the reservoir and then evaporates into the air stream 152 out to the user. Since these heated pads 144 are individually controlled, the heat to a previous scent note may be stopped before heat to a subsequent note is applied. A small amount of reagent residue from a previous scent note played may remain on the heated pad for that note. The amount of contamination by the residual of an earlier scent note is dependent in part on the control ofthe cooling ofthe pads. The amount of liquid remaining on the heated pad after it is shut off will depend in part on how well such liquid wick. Uniform wicking is desired as the control ofthe evaporation would be more predictable. The tracking accuracy ofthe scent emission from the emitter in synchronization with media presentation depends in part on the length of time it takes for an individual pad to heat up to sufficient temperatures, as well as to cool down sufficiently so that it no longer promotes evaporation. The functions and operations ofthe various components are controlled and synchronized by the controller 154 in accordance with the input signal representing the scents to be played back. The heated pads may be an integral part of a disposable/replaceable cartridge unit that contains the scent reagent reservoirs. The heated pads would be disposed of with the cartridge. The cost ofthe heated pad may be kept to a minimum by adopting conventional printed circuit or deposition techniques to form the pads. It is important to note that in any ofthe aforementioned systems 80, 100, 120, and 140, a reversible fan can be incorporated relatively easily into airflow channels ofthe embodiments and may help solve the problem of shaφ "on" and "off of desired scents.

Other emitter designs involve the fluid mechanical properties ofthe moving air used in the device. In FIG. 6, the system 160 takes advantage ofthe low pressure created by a jet of high speed air 162 through a Venturi tube 164. This design would require a separate Venturi tube 164 to be set up for each individual well of liquid 166, which is regulated by a valve 168. When the desired scent note is requested, the corresponding valve 168 opens and allows some ofthe vapor from the reservoir 170 to be drawn into the fast moving air stream 162 outside via the low pressure induced by the Venturi tube. This vapor would then flow with the air out through the front ofthe device to the user. Functions and operations ofthe various components are controlled and synchronized by the controller 172 in accordance with the input signal representing the scents to be played back.

As depicted in FIG. 7, yet another embodiment ofthe emitter 180 involves a high- surface area medium, such as a gauze 182 (which can be cotton gauze, silk gauze, or made from any other suitable material), to be doused in the liquid 184. This medium would be contained in its own reservoir or compartment 186, sealed off with a valve 188. When the desired scent note is requested, the valve 188 opens, and a jet of air 190 blows through the gauzy surface, blowing evaporated gas and/or reagents sitting in the reservoir, along with perhaps some fine particles of liquid into the transverse air stream above. This combination of gas, liquid and air would then travel through the front ofthe device to the user. Functions and operations ofthe various components are controlled and synchronized by the controller 192 in accordance with the input signal representing the scents to be played back. A benefit of this approach is the relative simplicity in the method of expulsion. As the gauze only needs to be exposed to a pressurized air stream, no additional heating elements or circuitry are needed in order for the scent note to be expelled into the air stream Another emitter design involves the squirting of jets of chemical reagents representing primary scents out toward the user, a space (e.g., a vaporization chamber or corridor as in Fig. 2) or a medium (e.g., a piece of blotting paper) for vaporization. The control ofthe liquid jet is analogous and may be referenced to a Hewlett Packard Ink Jet printer (e.g., U.S. Patent No. 4,532,530). The reagents on the blotting paper may be vaporized in similar manners described in the above embodiments (e.g., Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. Usage ofthe above-described embodiments would depend in part on the balance between the value ofthe specific applications versus the cost of replacement ofthe disposable components.

Instead of using liquid reagents, reagents in solid phase may be used as the starting material for generating scents. The solid reagents may be in the form of palettes or paste stored in receptacles such as containers or wells. The solid reagents are melted and vaporized selectively, such as using the afore-described methods to obtain the desired combination of primary scents. Reagents may be developed such that they do not emit odor when they are in the solid phase. Further, solid reagents may be developed that sublime from solid phase to gaseous phase. Such solid reagents are easier to handle and process, and the emitter design may be simplified.

Another alternative is the use of tanks or other containers of gaseous substances. Regulators can be controlled via computers or other electronic or electromechanical devices to emit appropriate volumes of gas. Alternatively, the reagents may be impregnated into substrate based carriers, such as beads, gauze or other substrates that offer exposure ofthe reagent to a large surface area for vaporization to generate the scents.

Other scent-producing members may be adapted to emit scent in the emitter subsystem as well. U.S. Patent No. 5,887,118, which is fully incoφorated by reference herein, discloses a scent-producing member with an associated resistive element to act as triggers for scent production. Also, mechanisms such as scent rolls as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,832,320, which is fully incoφorated by reference herein, may be employed to provide the odorants by rolling the desired scents onto a scent carrier. Other emitting devices such as a heating plate and a fan which upon actuation causes perfume in the emitting device to be release can be used as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,398,070, which is fully incoφorated by reference herein. Further examples of existing emitters are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,591,409, which is fully incoφorated by reference herein, where metered spray technology introduces controlled amounts of aromatic chemicals in the air from spray containers. Similarly, U.S. Patent No. 5,724,256, which is fully incoφorated by reference herein, discloses a odor dispensing system in which a linear array of odorant containers dispense odorants onto a rotating absoφtive porous member connected to an air channeling device. In all ofthe above embodiments, a carrier can be mixed or otherwise combined with the odorant substances for emission. The carrier is preferably inert (non-reactive with the odorant substances) and odorless. The carrier is selected for compatibility with the form of the substances used; for example, liquid reagents can be mixed with another liquid, such as water, and gaseous reagents can be mixed with another gas, such as ambient room air, a standard room air mixture contained in a tank, helium, or other gases. The carrier can be combined with the odorants at any stage ofthe emission process, e.g., the carrier can be combined with odorant substances immediately before emission; or it can be combined with each odorant substance individually followed by combination ofthe odorant-carrier mixtures and then emission ofthe combined mixtures; or it can be combined with one odorant, followed by addition of more odorants to the initial odorant-carrier mixture; or it can be combined with mixtures of odorants at any stage prior to emission.

The subsystems may find utility and embodied in various implementations without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention, as will be apparent from an understanding ofthe principles that underlie the invention. It is understood that the emitter concept ofthe present invention may be embodied in different types of hardware and/or software platforms, whether in an information exchange network environment or otherwise. For example, the present invention may be applied to devices for game, business, productivity and other types of applications.

It will be appreciated that the line between hardware and software is not always shaφ, and those skilled in the art will understand that such networks and communications facility involve both software and hardware aspects. A method or process is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps require physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.

Useful devices for performing the operations ofthe present invention include, but is not limited to, general or specific puφose electronic processing and/or information processing devices, which devices may be standalone devices or part of a larger system. As used in the context ofthe present invention, and generally, electronic processing and information processing systems may include computers (such as personal computers), personal digital assistant, video game consoles, television consoles, set-top boxes, broadcast radio consoles, application specific systems, and other systems and devices that incoφorates a processing unit. The devices may be selectively activated or reconfigured by a program, routine and/or a sequence of instructions and/or logic stored in the devices. Memory devices, which can be used for memory modules ofthe system, include, but are not limited to, videotapes, audiotapes, cassette tapes, compact disks (CD's), digital video disks or digital versatile disks (DVD's), computer memory devices such as ROM, RAM, PROM, EPROM, hard disks, floppy disks, electronic files, software cartridges, Web pages, file servers, and the like. Control devices which can be used in the system include, but are not limited to, microprocessors, integrated circuits, general puφose computers, and special puφose computers. In short, use ofthe concepts described and suggested herein is not limited to a particular processing configuration.

The subsystems mentioned above are preferably software driven. The operating system and programming language, protocols, and drivers are developed for the various system components. Preferably, the operating system, protocols and drivers should be hardware and/or software platform independent.

In a presently preferred embodiment ofthe invention, scent objects may be incoφorated into Internet or computer software applications, such as multimedia applications or content deployed over the World Wide Web, through the use of functions supplied from a software development kit (SDK) and executable on a runtime machine, such as a personal computer. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, the SDK is a COM model object packaged as a dynamically linked library (DLL) for use as an in process server. Preferably, the SDK may be handled as a standard COM object running under Microsoft Windows, exporting the requisite functions to the application programs, although the functions ofthe SDK may be written in C++ source code or other programming language known in the art, and may be platform and operating system independent. In addition to the SDK, a low level device driver is also installed on the runtime machine to interface between the SDK functions used in the applications programs and the scent emitting device in a manner well known in the art Preferably, the SDK DLL should be included with the software applications that incoφorate SDK functions, and should make use ofthe scent emitting device device driver present on the runtime machine. If there is no scent emitting device and/or corresponding device driver installed on the runtime machine, the SDK functions should fail gracefully, without affecting the exection of other portions of the application program. Preferably, the scent objects may be proliferated via the Internet and may include a built-in security key. The SDK will not emit a scent unless the corresponding scent object contains a valid key. If the key is invalid, the function emitScent() will fail and issue and ssInvalidKey error message. Scents that do not contain keys are called unauthorized scents. Scents with embedded keys are authorized scents. Unauthorized scents may be emitted using a scent browser as described above. Preferably, the SDK may be distributed with a set of fully authorized dummy scent objects containing valid keys. These dummy scent objects may be used for testing with an emulator program, discussed below, and should be replaced with actual scent objects defined in the manner described above for use with a scent emitter device. The SDK has a simple flow of execution. At start run the object is created using a helper function, such as IScentWareSDK *CreateScentWare(void). At the end of program execution the SDK object is destroyed once again with a boileφlate helper function, such as ssBool DestroyScentWareSDK(IScentWareSDK *theScentWare SDK). This function simply calls the SDK's Release() method. Once the object has been created the environment may be opened and closed using the open() and close() member functions. After a successful call to open() has been made, it is possible to call one ofthe emitScent(...) function signatures or the accessor and mutator functions ofthe Scent Ware object. When the application is finished using the SDK, a call is made to close(). In addition, the SDK supplies a function to allow the software environment to set the communications port of an scent emitter device prior to the call to open(). Version accessor functions will allow the software application to obtain version information on both the SDK as well as the scent emitter device driver on the runtime machine. If no driver is found then the getDriverVersion() function will return NULL. A function isDevicePresentQ may also be defined to determine if a scent emitter device is present on the runtime machine, thus permitting the application program incoφorating the function to enable or disable any preference controls related to scent.

The SDK runs on top of a thread that does the work of emitting a scent and timing its persistence envelope. This thread has a lower than normal priority. The rendering thread also prevents the emission of a given scent if the same scent is still persistent. In addition, if an emit call is made for a different scent while the scent emitter device while the device is actually emitting scent essence, the scent will be held pending until the device is not busy and the scent will be emitted. It is only possible to hold a single scent pending at any given time.

In one embodiment ofthe present invention, a scent emitter device may operate by emitting small portions of scent essences. A vaporizer may vaporize the essence mixture, which is then diffused into the surrounding air by the diffuser. Vaporization refers to the amount of heat applied to the scent essence in a vaporization chamber in the scent emitting device. Preferably, vaporization is represented in the SDK as a number from 0 to a maximum vaporizer setting, where 0 is set to off. Higher vaporization values will create scents with a shaφ onset and shorter persistence, as scents will be vaporized more quickly. Diffusion refers to the amount of air passed through a scent vaporization chamber. In the software functions ofthe SDK, diffusion is also represented as a number from 0 to some maximum diffusion value, such as 255. Lower diffusion rates will soften the strength ofthe scent. Preferably, each scent has vaporizer and diffuser settings in the object, so that it is not necessary to specifically call setVaporizer() or setDiffuser(). An overloaded signature of emitScentO may also be available to allow the calling application full control of these settings.

As discussed above, the intensity of a scent is based on several factors, the foremost of which is the amount of essence that is emitted. Vaporizer and diffuser settings can also affect the intensity but to a lesser degree than the amount of essence emitted. The SDK settings for intensity deal with the amount of essence emitted by the scent emitter device. In addition, as discussed above, a scent can be either simple or complex; in one embodiment of the present invention, a simple scent uses only a single scent essence while a complex scent uses up to eight different essences. Complex scents may be inteφreted in the SDK as a product of several different essences emitted with varying intensities. Preferably, both types of scents preferably have singular Vaporization and Diffuser settings for their intensity level, ssMild, ssNormal, and ssStrong.

As discussed above, a scent has two phases of existence: emission and persistence. While the scent is being emitted by the scent emitter device, the device is busy and cannot accept further commands. If a command for a dissimilar scent to the current scent is received during emission time, it should be held pending. While the scent is persistent in the air, the thread mechanism disallows the smell emitter device from producing further emissions ofthe same scent. Functions may be written to access scent objects of recently emitted scents in order to determine whether a given scent, or even any scent is currently persistent. The thread mechanism prevents a succession of game space object triggers from emitting an overwhelming scent when only a single emission is needed. Iteratively calling emitScent() without the protection ofthe threads persistence aging process can overload the vaporizer and produce a strong scent with an overly long persistence envelope. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, the command slot for the thread is a single command deep. If a command is already pending, successive calls will fail. When the thread accepts the command it clears the command slot and makes it ready for the next command.

In a scent enabling an interactive application, generally, "less is more". A world scent that is triggered every 5-10 minutes coupled with prize, event, or entity based scents is one potential design pattern. Because ofthe nature of scent persistence, the calling application should be discreet about the number of calls made. The thread based protection from emitting multiple iterations ofthe same scent, as discussed above, will offer further protection from excessive triggering of scents.

In a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, a software emulator executable in a conventional computer operating system, such as Microsoft Windows, may be supplied. The software emulator, when connected to a host station via a null modem cable, will log and display all transactions with a virtual scent emitting device located at the host station for the puφoses of development testing during the process of scent enabling software applications. The emulator requires a second computer (the target) to be connected to the host (development) station via the null modem. Preferably, this cable should be connected from communications port COMl on the host to COMl on the target. Once the connection is made, the emulator program may be run on the target machine, with a software application that is scent enabled using the SDK function executing on the host station. The emulator outputs the commands sent to it as text in a text window. The emulator program may use a list of scent names supplied in a text file that may be edited in order to customize the list of scent names as needed. Preferably, the file format is a simple text file containing the names of each scent on a separate line with the word End followed by a return at the end ofthe listing.

The Appendix contains source code, including function prototypes, written in the

C++ programming language, for a computer implementation ofthe SDK. Applications of Technology

It is evident that the ability to record, store, transmit, and playback electronic scents would find many applications. For example, scents may be stored for forensic puφoses. This storage system would allow for quick dissemination of information between various investigative agencies and would eliminate cumbersome storage facilities. In other applications, scents for food or cosmetic products may be stored as standards for quality control of production. The olfactory characteristics ofthe production would be measured against that ofthe stored standards.

In other commercial embodiments, a electronic "scent signature" can be created for advertising or other puφoses. A particular stored scent profile can be associated with a given location, event, person, object, concept, or product. Retail stores such as restaurants, coffee shops, and other variety shops may wish to broadcast a particular scent profile along with visual and audio advertising. The present invention will be especially useful with the expanded use ofthe internet and related computer applications. Online sampling of scents will make available for consumers to evaluate new items before deciding on a particular purchase. Online shoppers (e.g., for perfume) could now sample the scent ofthe product when making a purchase decision. Such applications would add a new dimension of virtual reality to advertisements. Association of a scent representation, which can be conveniently stored in a file on a computer, with daily events, advertising, promotion, products, services, content delivery, hardware operating status, thought, location, physical objects, tangible objects, and intangible objects are additional applications. For example, content delivery consisting of movies can contain scents appropriate to scenes in the movie, such as floral scents during a depiction of a garden scene. A Web page displaying a location such as a beach could generate scents associated with that location. Electronic greeting cards can be customized with scent, such as the addition ofthe scent of flowers to an electronic Valentine's Day card.

In the context of multimedia presentations, the electronic scent data may be embedded in a multimedia file to synchronize the production of scents along with visual and audio presentation ofthe multimedia content. For example, virtual reality games could now include scent for more realistic game play. Adult entertainment can be enhanced by specific scents. Scents can be embedded into CD's, DVD's, movies, or broadcast with television and radio programs. It is important to note that with the present invention, it will be possible to also "dub" the scents onto existing CD's and DVD's as an aftermarket feature. For cable or satellite TV broadcasts, existing tracks for closed captioning may be used to "piggyback" the transmission of electronic scents in the programs. Thus, the proper ambience for each movie, song, or game will be provided with the desirable scents. A system for streaming scent playback analogous to the RealAudio/RealNetworks "streaming" method for audio may be desirable. For broadcast radio, electronic scent data may be transmitted in a complementary frequency or multiplexed fashion in synchronization with the radio programming to enable the listener to experience scents that correspond to the particular radio programming. The scents may be playback with an emitter that is integrated with the radio or coupled to the radio frequency.

Scent emission could also be synchronized to the operating activities of a particular electronic system. Personal computers, set-top boxes, audio systems, on-board computers on automobiles, central monitoring unit in a home, as well as other systems could be programmed to emit certain scents based on the then current function ofthe system. For example, a certain scent could be matched up with a computer's initial boot-up sequence, while another scent could go with an error message, and another for shut-down mode. Furthermore, scents of these systems could be synchronized with the times ofthe day. For example, a personal computer, a set-top box connected to a TV, or a central monitoring unit of a home could emit the smell of coffee and fresh-cut flowers during the morning hours and send off the smell of a fireplace or a barbecue in the evening.

Other forms of advertising via the World Wide Web on the internet are possible. For example, banner advertising which are now prevalent throughout various web sites can utilize the scent technology. In an effort to grasp people's attention, banner advertisements for flower shops, for example, could emit floral scents either automatically as soon as the banner appears on the screen, or upon the user's clicking on the banner itself. For banners which emit scents automatically, the banner ad itself would have the scent object files incoφorated in the banner along with other advertising information. For click-and-smell banners, the banners could simply employ a hyperlink which would reference the scent object files. A particular user's clicking ofthe hyperlink would initiate the scent transmission and the server web site would "serve" the scent object file. In effect, the "click-and-smell" function would simulate a "scratch-and-snif ' motif found in various print advertisements of popular magazines. With this new scent feature for banners, the advertisements can "come alive" and add a more forceful promotional effect. User interactive games in which people mail scent objects to each other will also be possible. Scent enabled greeting cards and electronic mail will also provide further marketing tools. In such as case, the greeting cards as well as the electronic mail will be sent from one user to another and will contain the scent chosen by the sender.

Fig. 13 is a pictorial representation ofthe sequence of scent digitization into a electronic file, broadcasting ofthe electronic file , and synthesis ofthe primary scent based on the electronic file.

Electronic encoding of scents also gives flexibility to create new scents. In particular, by providing a unique programming language for the creation of scents, one can design new scents electronically, analogous to computer-aided design of physical or musical objects. Thus, a fine tuning ofthe desired scents can be attained for maximum satisfaction ofthe users. Existing scents can also be edited to add or improve on desirable characteristics, or to remove unwanted characteristics. Consumer products (e.g., shampoos) can be reformulated for more pleasant odor characteristics. One particularly important application of scent editing is in flavoring. Taste perception is strongly odor-dependent, and the flavor of foods can be significantly improved by editing a scent profile of a given food, followed by the addition of an odor to enhance a particular desired flavor. By the same method, the use of a scent-blocking additive can block a particular undesired flavor.

Commercial Applications of Scent Technologies Scent Databases A web site would provide end users such as advertisers a depository/database of scents to be tested to create various new scents. Table 1 of Example 1 provides a description of one such initial database; as new scents and new combinations are created, the scent objects corresponding with the newly-created scent is registered in the scent database. Users can sign up with the web site and each receive a unique user identification and a password to access the system. In the system, each scent object would have a textual description as well as a hyperlink for end users to read and explore, respectively. One model which could be used to classify the various scents for end users is a wine aroma wheel as depicted in A.C. Noble, R.A. Arnold, J. Buechsenstein, E. J. Leach, J.O. Schmidy, and P.M. Stern, "Modification of a standardized system of wine aroma terminology", American Journal ofEnology and Viticulture, 38/2 (1987). The wine aroma wheel would provide an existing "platform" of scents based on pre-classified and well-known aromas. Another way of classifying and presenting scents would be to employ a list of available scents. In either scenario scents would be sub-grouped into categories and the end users could browse the web site to sample the scents.

Advertisers or content developers will be able to purchase electronic objects, typically scent objects (e.g., online over an information exchange network such as the Internet) so that their respective applications may take advantage of this electronic scent technology. As mentioned above, these electronic objects available for purchase will be categorized based on scent classes and form a registry of electronic scent objects. For example, a beach hot dog vendor may have a web site promoting his hot dog stand on the internet. As such, the vendor may wish to incoφorate the smell of hot dogs with his advertisement on the World Wide Web. The vendor could license a electronic description with the generic hot dog smell. A database of scent objects— in effect, a "scent registry"— can be created, with various scents of interest to vendors, advertisers, and individuals or groups which want to incorporate scent into their Web page or other presentation (such as email). The database can be accessed, sampled, and a scent object can be purchased or licensed for placement on the Web page or other presentation. In one embodiment, the database is placed on a Web site, with appropriate text and other descriptors of scents. For example, a scent object entry for decanoic acid can state: "Decanoic Acid. Scent characteristics include fatty, rancid, citrus. Food/beverage compatibility: appears on United States Food and Drug Administration list of 'generally recognized as safe' food additives." In practice, the scent objects listed will be for complex scents, with many elements. The scent objects can be listed, or sorted, by the perception ofthe scent (e.g., "citrus"), by the recommended application ofthe scent object or recommended applications to avoid (e.g., "best used in perfumes; suitable for lotions; cannot be used in detergents"), by its toxicological data (e.g., "safe for skin contact; not safe for ingestion"), by its cost, by its principal or secondary chemical components, or by any other characteristic that would affect the use ofthe scent corresponding to that scent object.

The registry can incoφorate such features as: checking newly-created scent objects against a database existing scent objects, to determine whether the newly-created scent object has already been created by another user (or whether an existing scent object is similar to the newly-created scent object, and the degree of similarity, which can be based on the perceptive classification ofthe scent, the chemical recipe for the scent, or other indices); checking the newly-created scent object against a database to screen for possible infringement of patent or other intellectual property rights; or checking the newly created scent object against a database to determine whether the combination of chemicals used for the scent may be deleterious to health, deleterious to people with certain conditions such as specific allergies, or to determine if the combination of chemicals presents any other hazard, such as to the scent emitting unit or other equipment (for example, combining a volatile acid with a volatile amino compound may produce a solid precipitate, clogging the scent emission unit). In the event a problem or hazard is detected, the user can be warned appropriately, the scent object can be rejected from the registry or listed as inoperative, or other remedial action can be taken.

Furthermore, advertisers or content developers wanting to use a proprietary smell can do so by custom tailoring the electronic description of their unique scent. They may also develop the proprietary scent as a single output odorant substance for emission by the emitter. For example, if a particular perfume maker wishes to advertise with its own scent instead of a generic perfume scent, the maker could provide its own electronic description to be used with the electronic scent technology described and disclosed herein. Alternatively, to provide users with a true representation ofthe perfume, the perfume maker could provide a sample or distillate ofthe perfume to incoφorate into the emitter subsystem. If a cartridge device is used for the emitter system, the advertiser can purchase the right to have a particular scent placed in the cartridge. This effectively divides the space available for storing odorant substances in the emitter system into "real estate" which is then purchased by one or more companies who wish to make their particular scents available for emission by the emission system. In this embodiment ofthe invention, the company purchasing the right to have their scents placed in the emission system will typically supply the actual scent to be placed in the emitter, such as the sample or distillate provided by the perfume manufacturer in the above example.

An additional application of scent technology, which is particularly suitable for advertising, marketing, and promotion, is to associate a scent with an entity or action that normally does not have a scent associated with it, or associating a scent with an entity or action other than the scent commonly associated with that entity or action. One example of this application is to associate a scent with a company name or company logo; e.g., a brokerage firm advertising on the Internet using a banner ad may wish to have the scent of freshly-printed money emitted when a user views or clicks on the ad; a residential developer may wish to have scents associated with the home (e.g., freshly baked apple pie, baby powder, or the like) emitted when a user visits its Web site. An example of a scent not normally associated with an entity or action is the scent of damp earth associated with a sports utility vehicle.

User-created scents and other scents can be listed on a central Web site for sharing with other users, or can be placed in a protected area of a Web site for use only by a limited subset of users, perhaps only one user. A Web site can have a list of freely available scents, and another list of limited access scents, which can be accessed by paying a license fee, subscription fee, or applying for access. Access can then be granted to sample the scent once, a limited number of times, or freely; or permission can be granted to link the scent to the subscriber's Web site or download the scent object, or present the scent on another device (e.g., a standalone scent kiosk). Items and services which utilize scent include, but are not limited to, perfumes, colognes, perfumed articles, candles, incense, sachets, air fresheners, or in cosmetics; in lotions, ointments, and creams for application to the skin; in hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays, hair gels, hair mousses, soaps, etc. in personal care products such as soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shaving creams, aftershave lotions, mouthwashes, toothpastes, respiratory care products and other medicines (e.g., vapor rubs, cough drops, etc.). One of skill in the art will recognize that for any product utilizing a scent, the scent chemical must be safe for the application used; for example, scents used in lotions or deodorants must be safe for application to the skin; scents used with mouthwashes or toothpastes must be safe for contact with the human oral cavity. Other items which utilize scent include, but are not limited to, solid or liquid anionic, nonionic, cationic or zwitterionic detergents; fabric softener articles; dryer-added fabric softener articles; fabric softener compositions; cosmetic powders; hair preparations; perfumed polymers and the like; washes and rinses for fruits and vegetables (using scents that are safe for human consumption on foods); laundry and cleaning products, such as dish detergents, water softeners, fabric conditioners, hard surface cleaners (e.g. floor cleaners, floor waxes, tile cleaners, deodorizers and disinfectants, etc.) and laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and bleaches (when the bleaching component is compatible with the scent components) Additional items which utilize scent include, but are not limited to, hygienic paper products such as diapers, disposable undergarments, feminine protection products such as sanitary napkins and tampons, facial and bathroom tissues and towels, and wipes. Other paper products include, but are not limited to, stationery, postcards, stamps, decals, stickers, business cards, greeting cards, posters, calendars, photographs, household paper towels, paper cups, plates, and other eating utensils (using scents safe for contact with food). Scents can also be incoφorated into foods and beverages, including, but not limited to, wines, beers, candy, soda, mineral water or other water beverages, chewing gum, and processed foods, where such scents are safe for consumption with the food and/or beverage. Scents can also be used in conjunction with electronic systems. Examples include, but are not limited to, transmission of scents via email ("scented email"); scents coordinated or associated with system operations (e.g., startup scents, shutdown scents, error scents, and system clock driven scent alarms; microprocessor-driven home and/or car scents, where emission of scents is controlled by a microchip or a computer driven home and/or car scent system(s), with emission of scent based on time and/or location, or on demand via voice or traditional interfaces.

While the invention described herein has been referred to primarily in terms ofthe human olfactory system, the invention is not limited to the human sense of smell, or even mammalian olfactory systems. The invention can be used with any animal which responds to odorant substances. For example, a human operator can generate or edit scents for pet food, and a panel of dogs, cats, or other household pets can be screened to test the appeal of a particular generated scent. Scents can be tested on mice, rats, guinea pigs, and other rodents and animals, for testing puφoses, research puφoses, or rodent control puφoses. Insects are known to be highly responsive to odorant substances, and the invention can be applied for puφoses of insect control (such as repelling unwanted insects from a house or outdoor location, or attracting beneficial insects to agricultural sites). Thus, while the invention has been primarily described in terms ofthe human olfactory system and human olfactory receptors, it can applied to any animal responsive to scents and odors.

Scent selection by users can also provide useful information for other commercial puφoses. As mentioned herein, the invention embraces the customization of products such as computer games, audio recordings (such as compact disks) or video recordings (such as DVD's) or other products with scent tracks downloaded from a database. Tabulation ofthe usage of scents in each application can provide vendors with useful data, particularly the use of scents associated with particular features ofthe product. For example, statistics can be compiled regarding the frequency with which particular scents are added to characters in a computer game, the frequency with which particular scents are added to certain types of music, or the frequency with which particular scents are added to categories of greeting cards. A vendor can then examine such data for useful information regarding the preferences of scents associated with a particular product. Users adding scents to greeting cards, for example, may prefer specific floral type smells for Valentine's Day-related cards over other types of smells, e.g., lavender may be preferred over rose by a 2-to-l ratio, or all floral scents may be preferred over all other scents by a 4-to-l ratio, or all floral scents may be preferred over food-related scents by a 100-to-l ratio, when applied to the Valentine's Day greeting cards. Vendors can use such information to customize products (such as

Valentine's Day greeting cards sold in ordinary stores) with the preferred scents, or for other marketing or commercial puφoses. Similarly, if purchasers of classical music prefer floral type smells when customizing audio recordings with scent tracks, while purchasers of rock music may choose scents associated with large crowds, such as sweat or smoke. A vendor can then use this information to customize products (such as compact disks or other audio recordings sold in ordinary stores, or on-line via non-scent-enabled computers) with the preferred scents, or for other marketing or commercial products. Similarly, tabulation of data regarding scent tracks added to movies by various users can provide information to the vendor about preferred scents associated with particular scenes. The data regarding scent selection can be sorted using various demographic criteria, e.g., age, sex, income level, by preferred hobbies or activities, by region or locality, or by other demographic categories, in order to target particular markets. For example, a vendor may observe that purchasers of greeting cards in Louisiana prefer magnolia-scented cards, while purchasers of greeting cards in Maine prefer rose-scented cards, and can target their distribution (whether on-line or in traditional sales outlets) accordingly.

In another embodiment ofthe invention, scent vendors can place their own scent tracks on products such as games, musical recordings, movies, etc., as a "scent product placement." This is especially useful when the scent is associated with a particular feature ofthe product, such as a character in a video game or movie, the climax of a musical performance, or an exciting scene in a video game. A maker of perfumes may wish to have their perfume associated with a particular character in a video game or other video display; e.g., a movie featuring an attractive heroine may contain a scent track specifying the delivery of a proprietary perfume scent when the heroine is on screen. Likewise, a movie with scenes where food or beverages are consumed may contain a scent track specifying the delivery ofthe scent of a particular brand of food or beverage when those scenes are displayed; a movie with scenes of people on a beach may contain a scent track specifying the delivery ofthe scent of a particular brand of suntan lotion when those scenes are displayed. In an analogous manner, scent tracks can be placed on music recordings such as compact disks, DVD's, computer games, video games, TV and radio broadcasts, and other multimedia presentations. Examples of features with which the scents may be associated include, but are not limited to, a character in a game or movie; an action in a game or movie; an environment in a game or movie; a scene in a game or movie; an object in a game or movie; a period of time in a game, movie, or musical recording; a level in a game; a phase or stage of a game, movie, or musical recording; a score kept in a game; progress made in a game or movie; a particular sound in a musical recording; a particular musical instrument in a musical recording; or a particular voice or singer in a musical recording.

Fig. 14 is a pictorial representation of some ofthe applications ofthe electronic scent concept ofthe present invention.

The process and system ofthe present invention has been described above in terms of functional modules in block diagram format. It is understood that unless otherwise stated to the contrary herein, one or more functions may be integrated in a single physical device or a software module in a software product, or a function may be implemented in separate physical devices or software modules, without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe present invention. For example, referring to Fig. 1, the recording subsystem 12 or components thereof may be embodied in a personal computer, and the emission subsystem 40 may be embodied in a television console or a standalone scent player, or both the recording and emission subsystems may be integrated in a single device. Other variations may be possible depending on the specific application.

The following examples are provided to illustrate the invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any manner.

Example 1 User-Directed Scent Creation and Customization

The invention provides users with the ability to custom-tailor scents. This is done by presenting the user with a series of components, which can be mixed and matched at the user's direction, and then sampled by emitting the combination of components specified by the user. Table 1 shows a list of odorants which can be loaded in the scent emitting unit. The user is presented with a computer menu (such as a Web page display) which provides a categorization of odorants or scent chemicals, either by the full (chemical) name ofthe scent; by one or more ofthe flavors (odors) associated with that scent; by keywords (woody, citrus, etc.) associated with the scent; by category (e.g., fruits, flowers, perfumes); by preferred application ofthe scent (e.g., detergent, aftershave, food additive); by any other characteristic ofthe odorant; or by any combination of those terms. The preferred arrangements are to provide the flavor or flavors associated with the odorant or the keyword associated with the scent, with the option of viewing the corresponding chemical name and other properties if desired. The computer menu allows selection ofthe intensity ofthe scent; this can be done in terms of relative scent intensity versus a standard odorant (see Example 2), by absolute concentration ofthe scent (e.g., in parts per million), or on an arbitrary scale. The user selects particular components to blend. This could be implemented on a Web page by, for example, selecting a check box to indicate the presence of that component in the mixture. Upon selection of a component, the user is then prompted to enter the intensity of that component. This can be implemented on a Web page by, for example, using a sliding control or entering a numerical value (between specified limits) or choosing a radio button corresponding to an intensity in order to indicate the intensity ofthe selected component. A default intensity can be provided if desired. This procedure provides the user with a "scent palette," that is, a scent mixing interface which can be manipulated to create new scents, analogous to the creation of new colors with a color palette. In the terms ofthe embodiment of a scent object previously described, the user is editing the Palette Vector ofthe scent object.

When all desired components have been selected and their intensities entered, the user indicates that the mixture is to be emitted by the scent emitting unit. This can be implemented on a Web page by simply having an "EMIT" button or a "SMELL" button. The computer sends information regarding the components and intensities chosen to the scent emitting unit. The scent emitting unit then mixes the selected odorants in the specified intensities and emits the mixture. The user can then smell the mixture, and decide whether particular odorants should be added or deleted, or if odorant intensities should be adjusted. Thus, for example, a user trying to create a custom chocolate scent can select the flavor "cocoa" (represented by, e.g., 2, 5-dimethylpyrazine) which has in an arbitrary concentration of "5." Upon sampling the emitted odor, the user may decide to blend a "hazelnut" scent (represented by, e.g., 5-methyl-2-hepten-4-one) the "cocoa" scent, at an arbitrary concentration of "3." The user proceeds in this fashion, adding odorants, adjusting their intensities, and sampling the results, until the desired combination is arrived at. A scent object is then generated which corresponds to the desired combination. Alternatively, instead of starting the scent design de novo, the user can select a pre- mixed scent, which they can then proceed to customize. The user can be presented with a list of scents, and can select a scent to customize. This can be implemented on a Web page using a drop-down menu. For example, a chemical recipe used to simulate the scent "cinnamon" is

Cinnamon Flavor (1) alpha-Pinene 0.2% 1,8-Cineole 1.65% p-Cymene 0.55% Linalool 2.3%

Caryophyllene 1.35% alpha-Humulene 0.2% alpha-Teφineol 0.4% Cuminaldehyde 0.25% Cinnamaldehyde 74%

Cinnamyl acetate 5.1% Eugenol 8.8% Benzyl benzoate 1.0% Camphor 2.1% Acetoeugenol 2.1%

Upon selecting the Cinnamon Flavor (1) from the menu of pre-mixed scents, the "recipe" comprising the chemical odorant components ofthe scent will be presented to the user. The user can de-select an odorant, add odorants not originally present in the mixture, or adjust the intensity of one or more odorants. The user can sample the scent at each step until a desired scent is arrived at. In some instances, the user may simply sample the initial scent, and then select the initial scent recipe as the desired scent recipe; the appropriate scent object can be generated from the scent recipe at that point, or can be previously stored. The "recipe" for the scent can also be presented to the user in descriptive terms, by presenting a list of odorant descriptors for each chemical components, or selected chemical components, instead of or in addition to the chemical names ofthe odorant components; for example, the Cinnamon Flavor (1) recipe above may list "spicy/clove-like" in place of eugenol, and have a numerical rating (on a scale of 1 to 10, or 1 to 100) or a descriptive rating (e.g., oveφowering/strong/moderate/weak/very weak). The user could then adjust the numerical or descriptive rating to enhance or attenuate that component ofthe scent.

Once the desired combination is arrived at, the user can store the scent object corresponding to the custom scent in memory, for example, as part of a scent database. The custom scent can also be communicated or transmitted, for example, by email or by placing a scent link on a Web site, so that a remote user can sample the scent. The user can communicate or transmit the scent to another party, such as a commercial vendor, which can then blend the custom scent into products ofthe user's choice. For example, the user may wish to have a scent blended into a shampoo, a soap, candles, or an air freshener, or imprinted on stationery or postcards. Alternatively, the scent can be supplied in a vehicle suitable for application to the skin, in order to create a customized perfume created according to the user's specfication.

Pre-mixed recipes can also be used for "scent polling." A scent, or a variety of scents, are presented as standard recipes (the ability to alter the combinations typically is not provided in the scent polling application). The user can sample each premixed scent using the scent emitter, and rank or "vote" for each scent in order of preference, or by assigning a desirable/undesirable value to the scent (e.g., on a scale of -10 for undesirable to +10 for desirable), or by other rating systems. This information can then be communicated or transmitted to another party, such as a consumer products vendor. The vendor can analyze the results ofthe scent polling to determine which scents would be most appropriate to mix into various products. For example, a Web page can be entitled "How would you like your shampoo to smell?" with various scent recipes available to sample. Users could vote on each scent, and the vendor could then use the information accordingly in formulation of their products in order to enhance the likelihood of commercial success. Table 1

Other scent recipes which can be edited on-line include the following:

Cheese Flavor (I):

Acetic acid 3.14%; Propanoic acid 4.14%; Hexanoic acid 0.34%; Decanoic acid 2.04%;

Pyrrolidine 0.07%; Butyric acid 1.35%; Palmitic acid 0.36%; Methyl sulfide 0.15%;

Diacetyl 2.41%; Ethyl vanillin 10.15%; Lactic acid 1.01%; 2,4-Decadienal 1.41%; Acetoin 0.74%; Propylene glycol 72.09%;

Cheese Flavor (II):

Butyl butyryl lactate 2 oz; Isovaleric acid 2 oz; Ethyl butyrate 2 oz; Hexanoic acid 1 oz;

Methyl n-Amyl ketone 1 oz; Alcohol (95%) 16 oz; Propyleneglycol 102 oz;

Coconut Flavor (I): Nonalactone 3%; Aldehyde C-1 82%; Vanillin 1.5%; Maltol 1 %; Piperona 10.2%; Laurie acid 0.2%; Cyclotene 0.2%; Ethyl Alcohol 45%; Propylene glycol 46.9%;

Coconut Flavor (II):

Vanillin 6%; Ethyl vanillin 6%; Alcohol (95%) 48.25%; 1-Octanol 0.75%; Hexyl alcohol

3%; Ethyl oenanthate 3%; Aldehyde C-18 33%; Cinnamon Flavor (I): alpha-Pinene 0.2%; 1,8-Cineole 1.65%; p-Cymene 0.55%; Linalool 2.3%; Caryophyllene

1.35%; alpha-Humulene 0.2%; alpha-Teφineol 0.4%; Cuminaldehyde 0.25%;

Cinnamaldehyde 74%; Cinnamyl acetate 5.1%; Eugenol 8.8%; Benzyl benzoate 1.0%;

Camphor 2.1%; Acetoeugenol 2.1%; Cinnamon Flavor (II):

1,8-Cineole 4.7%; Cinnamaldehyde 62.3%; Linalool 6.3%; Benzaldehyde 1.9%; alpha- Teφineol 1.6%; beta-Caryophyllene 2.8%; Cinnamyl acetate 7.8%; Eugenol 6.3%;

Cinnamon bark oil 6.3%;

Jasmin Base (I): Benzyl acetate 65%; Benzyl propionate 5.0%; Benzyl butyrate 2.0%; Linalool 6.0%;

Linalyl acetate 2.0%; Hydroxycitronellal 6.0%; Phenethyl alcohol 7.0%; p-Cresyl phenylacetate 0.5%; Isoamyl valerate 0.3%; Ethyl anisate 0.3%; Eugenol 0.2%; Bitter orange oil 0.2%; Amyl cinnamic aldehyde 5.5%; and Jasmin Base (II): Benzyl alcohol 11%; Linalyl acetate ex bois de rose 11%; Benzyl acetate 19%; Benzyl benzoate 6%; Ethyl phthalate 3%; Jasmin chassis absolute, ex benzene 6%; Laurine 10%; Phenethyl alcohol 8%; Linalool 9%; Bergamot oil, sesquiterpeneless 4%; Peru balsam 5%; Ylang-ylang oil 3%; Benzyl salicylate 5%.

Example 2

Describing Odors in Terms of Perceptive Primary, Quasi-Primary, and Complex

Scent Components Reference is made herein to the publication designated E544-99 by the American Society for Testing and Materials (Annual Book of ASTM Standards, available from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Dr., West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, USA) entitled "Standard Practices for Referencing Suprathreshold Odor Intensity" (1999), referred to as ASTM E544-99; this publication is hereby incoφorated by reference herein in its entirety. Other ASTM publications of relevance to scent detection include ASTM El 593-94 and ASTM E679-91 ; those publications are hereby incoφorated by reference herein in their entirety. The procedure outlined in ASTM E544-99 is a method to reference the intensity of an odor in the suprathreshold region. The procedure relates the intensity ofthe odor to the odor intensity of a known concentration of n-butanol (the reference odor). This can be used to establish a scale of odor intensities relative to the single reference odor.

The scale thus generated provides the magnitude of a perceptive primary scent component, perceptive quasi-primary scent component, or perceptive complex scent component. While the odor of n-butanol is non-linear with concentration, and the odor of an arbitrary odor is also likely to be non-linear with concentration, generating relative scales of odor intensities allows linear measures of subjective odor intensities to be mapped to the actual concentrations. That is, if a given concentration of odor X is judged to be equal in intensity to 1000 ppm of n-butanol, while a given concentration of odor Y is judged to be equal in intensity to 200 ppm of n-butanol, the perceived odor intensity ratio is given by X/Y = (1000/200)° ⁶⁶ = 2.9, as it is know that on average, the odor intensity of n- butanol changes in proportion to its concentration in air raised to the 0.66 power. Thus, the magnitude of odor intensity at those two concentrations is 2.9. Measurement ofthe odor intensity is performed at a wide range of concentrations of odors X and Y, typically, at the concentrations which will be used in practice. This establishes the relative intensities at the concentrations of interest, and allows combination and blending ofthe appropriate amount of odorant in order to re-create a scent or component of scent as desired.

To implement the method, a panel often subjects is selected according to ASTM E544-99 Section 5.5. A selection of odorant molecules is selected which provides a range of sensory stimulation; see, e.g, Table 1, Example 1. The subjects rate the odorants according to intensity versus n-butanol. Equipment and protocols for this procedure are described in ASTM E544-99.

Once the intensity ofthe various odorants has been established, the intensity scale can be used in a variety of applications. One such application is in the creation of custom scents in Example 1 where the intensity scale can be used to calibrate the amount of each odorant to be emitted. That is, the known concentrations of a scent on the intensity scale— e.g., the weakest and strongest concentrations— can be used as, for example, the endpoints on the adjustable scale specified by the user. The absolute amount of each odorant to be added will be heavily odorant-dependent, and by using the intensity scale, users can be prevented from entering, e.g., 1200 ppm for an odorant which is oveφowering at 100 ppm, or entering 50 ppm for an odorant which can barely be sensed at 500 ppm.

The intensity scale can also be used to generate descriptions of unknown scents in terms of perceptive primary, quasi-primary, and complex scent components. An unknown scent can be provided to the scent panel, which compares the unknown with each ofthe odorants which have been previously ranked in intensity versus n-butanol. The panel then rates the unknown scent versus each odorant in terms of similarity. Thus, for example, a panel member, presented with the sample scent of hot chocolate, will rank a "chocolate" odorant (e.g., tetramethylpyrazine)as more similar than an "herbal" odorant (e.g., 2,4- dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-l-carboxaldehyde). (See Table 1, Example 1). For each odorant, then, an intensity level is generated in comparison to the unknown scent. In the illustration using only two odorants, "chocolate" and "herbal," as the perceptive primary scent components, the resulting vector for the ordered set (chocolate, herbal), would appear as (1, 0). Most applications will utilize many more odorants, with correspondingly larger vectors representing the scents.

This method can also be used without first ranking the odorants versus n-butanol, although relative scent intensities ofthe odorants with respect to each other must then be determined at the same time as the relative intensities ofthe odorants with respect to the unknown sample scent. The method described provides a means of generating a description of a scent in terms of a set of odorants. In terms ofthe embodiment of a scent object described previously, a Hedonic Vector is generated, where the reference set ofthe Hedonic Vector is the set of odorants against which the sample scent is compared. The method also provides a means of generating the scent from the set of odorants used for comparison. Again in terms ofthe previously described embodiment of a scent object, a Palette Vector is generated, where the chemicals used in the reference set are substituted for each descriptive category used to describe the scent.

Example 3

Computer Simulations of Odor Similarity The methodology used herein is described in A. N. Jain. Moφhological Similarity: A 3D Molecular Similarity Method Correlated with Protein-Ligand Recognition. Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design. 14: 199-213, 2000; this publication is hereby incoφorated by reference herein in its entirety.

Computer simulations were performed in order to demonstrate that moφhological comparisons can be used to compare molecular structures of odorants, and that molecular structures with similar moφhology display similar odor characteristics. Essentially, computer-generated comparisions of of odorant molecules, by using Euclidean distance calculations between vectors corresponding to reference set similarity calculations, provides a means of categorizing molecules of known structure, but unknown scent.

Eleven odor categories were designated. These were, in alphabetical order:

banana citrus floral herbaceous meaty medicinal minty oily onion rosy vegetable

In each category, six distinct chemical structures taken from various flavor/odor databases were chosen. Each chemical structure was accompanied by data showing the category label to be the "primary" odor.

3-D molecular models of these chemical structures were obtained using the MM2 force field with a commercial molecular modelling application, Molecular Modeling Pro v3.24, from ChemSW Inc. (F airfield, CA). Default settings were used. The resulting energy minimized models were compared for "moφhological similarity" with SurFlex-Sim vl.O from BioPharmics (San Mateo, CA), a 3-D chemical conformational shape comparison program. Default settings were used in this program as well.

Next, the moφhological similarity values (or "distances") were compared in two ways: "like" odors (those within a odor category) were contrasted with "unlike" odors (those from different odor categories). The distance value used was Euclidean distance calculation among vectors ofthe respective sets.

The two sets of values were collected in separate histograms and a gaussian curve- smoothing function was applied to the histograms to obtain the different peaks seen in Figs 15-24.

Protocol for simulation

Database entry flavor descriptors (FD) were correlated with (reference set) vector data from a "whole database" perspective. These correlations were performed in order to determine the patterns generated by comparing entries "like" a given entry with respect to flavor descriptors "unlike" a given entry. That is, pairwise comparisons of FDs within a class were performed, as well as pairwise comparisons of FDs across classes. Each computational run used a large subset ofthe database Euclidean distance calculations in order to obtain on the order of 2000 pairwise Euclidean comparisons, which were then graphed. (See Figures 15-24.)

Each computational run used a standard sized set of randomly chosen flavor- database entries which met the four criteria as outlined below: 1. Entries rich in flavor descriptors (FDs) were chosen at random from the database, meaning that all possessed at least six FDs. These entry shall be referred to as the SEEDs below.

2. Further DB entries were chosen which had above a threshold number of like entries to the SEEDs as defined in 3) below. In addition, for each SEED, the ratio of entries "like SEED" to those "unlike SEED" had to be above another threshold, to eliminate as many potential "outliers" from the survey as possible.

3. Entries were judged to be "like" the SEED if, when entry A was compared with SEED, entry A shared at least half of SEED'S FD's. The reverse comparison of SEED to A was ignored. 4. Entries were judged "unlike" only if A did not share any of SEED'S flavor descriptors at all. Again, the reverse comparison of SEED to A was ignored.

Lists of entries "like" and "unlike" each SEED were compared to within lists. Four different sets of vectors were used to calculate the Euclidean distance within each group: a. The original 20-component vector set, which was "most orthogonal" within a small subset ofthe database. b. A second 20-component vector se_t, derived by choosing a "20 most orthogonal" set from the entire database. c. A third 12-component vector set, comprised of structures that have a "strong smell", chosen from the set of "128 most orthogonal" in the entire database. d. A vector set made by combining set b) and set c).

All the vector sets generated in the computational section were found to be effective to some degree in separating "like" from "unlike." Set b) (see Figs. 17 and 18) appeared most effective. Less effective was set a) [See Figs 1&2], with somewhat better separation seen with sets b) and c). No substantial improvement was seen by lengthening the vectors in set d). (See Figures 21 and 22). Indeed, vector sets made of shorter vectors (set c), 12 components) were almost as effective at separating "like" from "unlike" as long vectors. The vector set with the most effectiveness, set b) (Figs. 17 and 18) contains a number of "odorless" molecules. By including "smellier" molecules as vector components, it is possible that a greater separation of smells can be achieved. Figs. 21 and 22 exemplify one attempt at this approach, although separation is not appreciably greater in those simulations.

In order to take into account the effect of which particular entries are run (in what order), several runs using each vector set were attempted. Except for minor variations in histogram modalities (see Figures 23 and 24), gross graph characteristics stayed relatively constant.

The applications of this moφhological similarity analysis are myriad. Given that chemical analysis of gaseous mixtures can often be automated, an unknown sample scent can be subjected to chemical analysis by, for example, GC/MS analysis, to identify each chemical component ofthe sample scent. Re-creation ofthe sample scent would then be possible by re-combining each ofthe component molecules in their appropriate concentrations. In practice, however, the scent emitter module will have a limited set of odorants to use for scent re-creation. A moφhological comparison ofthe molecules identified in the sample scent versus each ofthe available odorants can determine which odorant or odorants available in the emitter module are most similar to each component of the sample scent. These odorants can then be combined to provide a simulation ofthe sample scent. In terms ofthe embodiment ofthe scent object previously described, this method generates a Structural Vector component ofthe scent object. If desired, the user can use the method outlined in Example 1 to refine and adjust the scent as desired.

It is appreciated that detailed discussion ofthe actual implementation of each module is not necessary for an enabling understanding ofthe invention. The actual implementation is well within the routine skill of a programmer and system engineer, given the disclosure herein ofthe system attributes, functionality and inter-relationship ofthe various functional modules in the system. A person skilled in the art, applying ordinary skill can practice the present invention without undue experimentation.

All references, including patents, patent publications, patent applications, scientific articles and references, technical articles and references, and all other publications mentioned herein, are hereby incoφorated by reference herein in their entirety.

While the invention has been described with respect to the described embodiments in accordance therewith, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrated embodiments, but only by the scope ofthe appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for representing a scent comprising the steps of: profiling the scent, using one or more elements from an ordered set of elements, to obtain a scent profile; and electronically representing the scent profile, wherein the scent can be substantially reproduced or approximated by an emitting device based on the electronically represented scent profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scent profile is generated as a scent object.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ordered set of elements used to profile the scent is selected from: a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ordered set of elements used to profile the scent is a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the profiling step comprises the steps of: analyzing the scent to determine one or more scent components that comprise the scent with reference to an olfactory space; and generating the scent profile in terms ofthe one or more scent components.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the analyzing step includes the step of determining the relative intensity of each scent component.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the olfactory space is defined by a set of mammalian olfactory receptors, and the analyzing step includes the step of determining one or more receptor primary scent component(s), receptor quasi-primary scent component(s), and/or receptor complex scent component(s), based on binding of chemical components making up the scent to the olfactory receptors.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the analyzing step further includes the step of determining the relative intensity of interaction ofthe chemical components with the olfactory receptors, and the scent profile contains information regarding the relative intensities ofthe interactions.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the scent components are expressed using at least one component selected from the group consisting of receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, and perceptive complex scent components.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of electronically representing the vector comprises obtaining a vector representation ofthe scent profile.

1 1. The method of claim 10, wherein each element ofthe vectors in the vector representation corresponds to a member of a set, said set selected from a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of electronically storing the electronically represented scent profile for archival and/or transmission.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emitting step is performed by the scent emitting device which operates on one or more index values, said index values specifying identity and quantity of odorant substances available in the emitting device.

14. A method for reproducing or approximating a scent comprising the steps of: profiling the scent, using one or more elements from an ordered set of elements, to obtain a scent profile; electronically representing the scent profile, wherein the scent can be substantially reproduced or approximated by an emitting device based on the electronically represented scent profile; and emitting one or more odorant substances in accordance with the electronic representation ofthe scent profile.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the scent profile is generated as a scent object.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the ordered set of elements used to profile the scent is selected from: a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the ordered set of elements used to profile the scent is a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the profiling step comprises the steps of: analyzing the scent to determine one or more scent components that comprise the scent with reference to an olfactory space; and generating the scent profile in terms ofthe one or more scent components.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the analyzing step includes the step of determining the relative intensity of each scent component.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the olfactory space is defined by a set of mammalian olfactory receptors, and the analyzing step includes the step of determining one or more receptor primary scent component(s), receptor quasi-primary scent component(s), and/or receptor complex scent component(s), based on binding of chemical components making up the scent to the olfactory receptors.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the analyzing step further includes the step of determining the relative intensity of interaction ofthe chemical components with the olfactory receptors, and the scent profile contains information regarding the relative intensities of the interactions.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the scent components are expressed using at least one component selected from the group consisting of receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, and perceptive complex scent components.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of electronically representing the vector comprises obtaining a vector representation ofthe scent profile.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein each element ofthe vectors in the vector representation corresponds to a member of a set, said set selected from a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of electronically storing the electronically represented scent profile for archival and/or transmission.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the emitting step is performed by the scent emitting device which operates on one or more index values, said index values specifying identity and quantity of odorant substances available in the emitting device.

27. A method for reproducing or approximating a scent comprising the steps of: obtaining an electronic represention of a scent profile corresponding to the scent to be reproduced or approximated via an information exchange network, wherein the scent can be substantially reproduced or approximated by an emitting device based on the electronically represented scent profile; and emitting one or more odorant substances in accordance with the electronic representation of the scent profile.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the information exchange network is the Internet.

29. A method for creating a scent, comprising: providing a user with a computer menu of available odorant substances, where the user can select one or more ofthe available odorant substances and specify the amount or intensity ofthe selected substance or substances.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising: emitting the user selected substance(s) in the amount or intensity specified.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising mixing the user selected substance(s) with an inert carrier prior to emitting the substance.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising the steps of: storing a record ofthe odorant substance(s) and amounts or intensities selected by the user prior to, during, or after emission ofthe substance(s); sampling ofthe emitted scent by the user; and revising the odorant substance(s) selected and/or the amounts or intensities ofthe odorant substance(s).

33. A method for editing a scent, comprising: providing a user with a computer menu which describes the composition of a scent in terms of odorant substances; allowing the user to delete, add, or alter the amount or intensity of, the odorant substances present in the composition to create an edited scent.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of emitting the edited scent.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of mixing the edited scent with an inert carrier prior to emitting the edited scent.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of: storing a record ofthe edited scent; sampling ofthe edited scent by the user; and revising the stored record ofthe edited scent.

37. A method for electronically creating a scent, comprising the steps of: selecting two or more elements from an ordered set of elements which comprise an olfactory space; electronically manipulating the two or more elements to create an electronic representation of a scent that has a desired characteristic or characteristics, wherein the scent can be reproduced or approximated by an emitting device based on the electronic representation.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the electronically manipulating step comprises the step of combining the two or more elements in appropriate relative intensity to create the scent.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the ordered set of elements comprising an olfactory space is selected from: a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent- sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the set of ordered elements which comprise an olfactory space is a set of mammalian olfactory receptors, and the analyzing step includes the step of determining one or more receptor primary scent component(s), receptor quasi-primary scent component(s), and/or receptor complex scent component(s), based on binding of chemical components making up the scent to the olfactory receptors.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein a scent object is used as the electronic represention of the scent.

42. The method of claim 37, wherein the electronically manipulating step includes assigning one or more index values which correlate to odorant substances available at the emitting device.

43. A method for editing or customizing a scent comprising the steps of: electronically representing the scent based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements; and performing one or more steps of adding, removing, or changing the relative intensity of one or more elements to obtain a modified scent.

44. A method for enhancing presentation of an object, a concept or an event comprising the steps of: providing an electronic represention of a scent, wherein the electronic representation is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements, and wherein the scent may be substantially reproduced or approximated by an emitting device based on the electronic scent representation; and associating the scent representation to the object, concept or event, whereby the object, concept or event may be identified by reproducing the scent from the electronic scent file.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the object, concept or event includes at least one of daily events, advertising, promotion, a product, a service, content delivery, hardware operating status, thought, location, physical object, tangible object and intangible object.

46. A method for fingeφrinting a scent comprising the steps of: representing the scent based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements to obtain an electronic scent representation; wherein the scent can be substantially identified based on the electronic scent representation.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the ordered set of elements used to fingeφrint the scent is selected from: a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent- sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

48. The method of claim 46, wheiein the scent representation includes information concerning the relative intensity of each element.

49. The method of claim 46, further comprising the step of electronically storing the electronic scent representation for archival and/or transmission.

50. The method of claim 46 wherein the scent components are expressed using at least one component selected from the group consisting of receptor primary scent components, receptor complex scent components, receptor quasi-primary scent components, perceptive primary scent components, perceptive quasi-primary scent components, and perceptive complex scent components.

51. A method for identifying an operating status of a hardware or software system, comprising the steps of: providing a electronic represention of a scent, wherein the electronic represention is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements and wherein the scent may be substantially reproduced or approximated by an emitting device based on the electronic represention; associating the electronic representation with the operating status ofthe hardware or software, where the operating status can be identified by reproducing the scent from the electronic represention.

52. The method of claim 51 , wherein the electronic representation of the scent is a scent object.

53. A method for simulating events, comprising the steps of: providing a electronic represention of a scent, wherein the electronic represention is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements and wherein the scent may be substantially reproduced by an emitting device based on the electronic represention; associating the electronic representation to an event, where the event is simulated by reproducing the scent from the electronic scent file.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the electronic representation ofthe scent is a scent object.

55. The method of claim 53 wherein the event comprises a daily event in life.

56. A system for transmitting a scent over an information exchange network, comprising: an analysis module which creates a scent profile; and a scent object for electronic representation ofthe scent profile.

57. The system of claim 56, further comprising a transmitter which communicates the scent object over the information exchange network.

58. The system of claim 57, further comprising a storage or receiving device which obtains the communicated scent object from the information exchange network.

59. The system of claim 58, where the storage or receiving device executes a method for identification ofthe communicated scent object.

60. The system of claim 58, further comprising a scent emitting device which can substantially reproduce or approximate the scent from the scent object.

61. The system of claim 58, wherein the scent emitting device comprises a heating element to selectively vaporize one or more corresponding odorant substances in an appropriate relative intensity in accordance with the values stored in the scent object in order to substantially reproduce or approximate the scent.

62. The system of claim 61 , wherein the values stored in the scent object are index values corresponding to the chemical components available at the emitting device.

63. The system of claim 56, wherein the analyzer module is a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors applied to the analyzed scent by humans; a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

64. The system of claim 57, wherein the transmitter transmits the scent object in a standalone file.

65. The system of claim 57, wherein the transmitter transmits the scent object as part of another file.

66. The system of claim 57, wherein the scent object is referenced in another file.

67. The system of claim 58, where the transmitter synchronizes the transmission ofthe scent object to the execution of a computer program or the reading of an electronic file.

68. The system of claim 58, where the emitter synchronizes the emission ofthe scent corresponding to the received scent object to the execution of a computer program or the reading of an electronic file.

69. A system as in claim 58 wherein the information exchange network is the

Internet.

70. An operating system for a scent emitting peripheral device, comprising: a computer program which converts the information contained in a scent object into instructions for the scent emitting peripheral device.

71. The operating system of claim 70, wherein the operating system is a component of another operating system.

72. The operating system of claim 71, wherein the operating system is a peripheral device driver.

73. The operating system of claim 70, wherein the scent object uses a vector representation ofthe scent profile.

74. A method of electronic distribution of scents, comprising the steps of: providing an electronic depository of electronic representations of scents, wherein the electronic representations are electronic scent profiles, wherein each scent profile is based on one or more elements from a ordered set of elements; authorizing user access to the depository; and providing access to the depository to authorized users.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein the depository is made available for access via an information exchange network.

76. The method of claim 75, wherein the informatio exchange network is the

Internet.

77. The method of claim 74, wherein the ordered set of elements used to profile each scent is selected from: a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

78. A method for associating scents with electronic content provided to a user comprising: referencing in the electronic content an electronic scent file containing a scent profile relating to the content; and offering the user an opportunity to activate a scent emitting device using the electronic scent file to generate the scent to provide a scent effect in addition to visual, audio, or tactile effects ofthe electronic content.

79. The method of claim 78, wherein the scent profile is based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements.

80. The method of claim 79, wherein the ordered set of elements used to profile each scent is selected from: a set of mammalian olfactory receptors; a set of mammalian olfactory receptor structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant substances sampled by one or more humans; a set of odorant substance structures modeled on a computer; a set of odorant descriptors; a set of response elements in an artificial scent-sensing device; or a set of odorant substances available in a scent emitting unit.

81. The method of claim 78, wherein the electronic scent file is made available to the user via a recorded medium.

82. The method of claim 81 , wherein the recorded medium is selected from a computer-readable medium, a computer disk, a compact disk (CD), an audiocassette, a videocassette, or a digital video disk or digital versatile disk (DVD).

83. The method of claim 78, wherein the electronic content is offered online, and wherein the electronic scent file is made available to the user online.

84. The method of claim 78, wherein the content is presented using an electronic information file that refers to the electronic scent file.

85. The method of claim 84, wherein the electronic scent file is functionally coupled to the electronic information file.

86. The method of claim 84, wherein the electronic information file includes the electronic scent file.

87. The method of claim 84, wherein the electronic scent file activates the scent emitting device upon a user interaction with the electronic information file.

88. The method of claim 87, wherein the electronic information file contains a link to the electronic scent file, wherein the electronic scent file is activated when the link is activated by a user.

89. The method of claim 88, wherein the link is to a server that serves the electronic scent file to the user upon activation ofthe link.

90. The method of claim 89, wherein the server includes a depository containing a plurality of electronic scent files, each file corresponding to a different scent.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein the electronic scent files contain scent objects.

92. The method of claim 78, wherein the electronic content comprises video and/or audio content, and the operation ofthe scent emitting device and the application of the electronic scent file are controlled such that the scent generated is synchronized to the events in the video and/or audio content during playback thereof.

93. The method of claim 78, wherein the content is presented by visual display, audio display, or video and audio display along with the scent.

94. The method of claim 78, wherein the scent is associated with a particular feature ofthe electronic content.

95. The method of claim 94, wherein the feature is selected from the group consisting of: a character in a game or movie; an action in a game or movie; an environment in a game or movie; a scene in a game or movie; an object in a game or movie; a period of time in a game, movie, or musical recording; a level in a game; a phase or stage of a game, movie, or musical recording; a score kept in a game; progress made in a game or movie; a particular sound in a musical recording; a particular musical instrument in a musical recording; or a particular voice or singer in a musical recording.

96. A method for associating scents with electronic content provided to a user comprising: referencing in the electronic content an electronic scent file containing a scent profile relating to the content; wherein the electronic scent file activates the scent emitting device without user intervention when the content is displayed.

97. A method for promotion of a product or service to a user, comprising the steps of: providing a electronic scent file containing a scent profile relating to the subject matter of a promotion; and offering the user an opportunity to activate a scent emitting device by applying the electronic scent file to generate the scent, thereby providing a scent effect in addition to a visual or audio effect ofthe promotion.

98. The method of claim 97, wherein the electronic scent file contains a scent profile based on one or more elements from an ordered set of elements.

99. The method of claim 97, wherein the actual product or service is not made available to the user at the time ofthe promotion.

100. The method of claim 97, wherein the promotion comprises visual display of the subject matter along with the scent.

101. The method of claim 97, wherein the promotion comprises audio display of the subject matter along with the scent.

102. The method of claim 97, wherein the promotion comprises audio and visual display ofthe subject matter along with the scent.

103. The method of claim 97, wherein the promotion is presented online using a electronic promotion file that includes the electronic scent file.

104. The method of claim 97, wherein the promotion is conducted online and wherein the electronic scent file is made available to the user upon user request.

105. The method of claim 97, wherein the promotion is presented using a electronic promotion file that refers to the electronic scent file.

106. The method of claim 97, wherein the promotion is presented as an advertisement in a banner in a web browser interface, and wherein the electronic scent file is functionally coupled to the banner.

107. The method of claim 106, wherein the banner is presented using a electronic banner file which includes the electronic scent file.

108. The method of claim 106, wherein the electronic scent file is applied to activate the scent emitting device upon user selection ofthe banner.

109. The method of claim 106, wherein the banner contains a link to the electronic scent file, wherein the electronic scent file is applied when the link is activated by a user.

110. The method of claim 109 wherein the link is to a server that serves the electronic scent file to the user upon activation ofthe link by the user.

111. The method of claim 110, wherein the server includes a depository containing a plurality of electronic scent files, each file corresponding to a different scent.

112. A method for promotion of a product or service to a user, comprising the steps of: providing a electronic scent file containing a scent profile relating to the subject matter of a promotion, wherein the promotion is presented as an advertisement in a banner in a web browser interface, wherein the electronic scent file is functionally coupled to the banner, and wherein the electronic scent file activates the scent emitting device without user intervention when the banner is displayed, thereby providing a scent effect in addition to a visual or audio effect ofthe promotion.

113. A method for facilitating user selection of a product or service, comprising the steps of: identifying a scent associated with the product or service; providing a electronic scent file containing a scent profile representing the scent; and offering the user an opportunity to activate a scent emitting device by applying the electronic scent file to generate a sampling ofthe scent.

114. The method of claim 113, wherein the actual product or service is not made available to the user at the time of user selection ofthe product or service.

115. The method of claim 113, wherein the product or service is offered online, and wherein the electronic scent file is made available to the user online to facilitate user selection ofthe product or service.

116. The method of claim 113, wherein the product or service is presented using a electronic information file that refers to the electronic scent file.

117. The method of claim 113, wherein the electronic scent file is functionally coupled to the electronic information file

118. The method of claim 113, wherein the electronic information file includes the electronic scent file.

119. The method of claim 1 13, wherein the electronic scent file is applied to activate the scent emitting device upon user activation ofthe electronic information file.

120. The method of claim 119, wherein the electronic information file contains a link to the electronic scent file, wherein the electronic scent file is applied when the link is activated by a user.

121. The method of claim 120, wherein the link is to a server that serves the electronic scent file to the user upon activation ofthe link by the user.

122. The method of claim 121, wherein the server includes a depository containing a plurality of electronic scent files, each file corresponding to a different scent.

123. A method for facilitating user selection of a product or service, comprising the steps of: identifying a scent associated with the product or service; and providing a electronic scent file containing a scent profile representing the scent; wherein the electronic scent file activates a scent emitting device without user intervention.

124. A method for collecting data regarding preferences of one or more users for one or more scents, comprising the steps of: presenting a menu of scents to one or more users, which allows the one or more users to enter quantitative or qualitative preference rankings corresponding to each scent, and providing a scent emission device which allows the user to sample each scent; and collecting the data provided by the one or more users regarding their preference rankings of each scent.

125. A method for customizing the scent of an item, comprising: providing a user with a computer menu of available odorant substances, where the user can select one or more ofthe availabe odorant substances and specify the amount or intensity ofthe selected substance or substances to create a scent, where said available odorant substances are presented to the user either in terms of chemical components or odorant descriptors; emitting the created scent using a scent emission device to allow the user to sample the created scent; optionally creating additional scents; indicating which ofthe scents created is preferred for customization ofthe item; and transmitting information characterizing the preferred scent to a vendor, where the vendor prepares the item incoφorating the prefeπed scent.

126. The method of claim 125, wherein the item is selected from the group consisting of perfumes; colognes; perfumed articles; candles; incense; sachets; air fresheners; cosmetics; lotions; ointments; creams; hair care products;shampoos; conditioners; hair sprays; hair gels; hair mousses; soaps; personal care products; deodorants; antiperspirants; shaving creams; aftershave lotions; mouthwashes; toothpastes; respiratory care products; medicines; vapor rubs; cough drops; solid or liquid anionic, nonionic, cationic or zwitterionic detergents; fabric softener articles; dryer-added fabric softener articles; fabric softener compositions; cosmetic powders; hair preparations; perfumed polymers; washes or rinses for fruits or vegetables; laundry and cleaning products; dish detergents; water softeners; fabric conditioners; hard surface cleaners; floor cleaners; floor waxes; tile cleaners; deodorizers; disinfectants; laundry detergents; bleaches; hygienic paper products; diapers; disposable undergarments; feminine protection products; sanitary napkins; tampons; facial tissue; bathroom tissue; paper towels; wipes; paper products; stationery; postcards; stamps; decals; stickers; business cards; greeting cards; posters; calendars; photographs; household paper towels; paper cups; plates; eating utensils; foods; beverages; wines; beers; candy; soda; mineral water; other water beverages; chewing gum; and processed foods.

127. A method for customizing the scent of an item, comprising: providing a user with a computer menu which describes the composition of a scent in terms of odorant substances or odorant descriptors; allowing the user to delete, add, or alter the amount or intensity of, the odorant substances or odorant descriptors present in the composition to create an edited scent; emitting the edited scent using a scent emission device to allow the user to sample the edited scent; optionally creating additional edited scents; indicating which ofthe edited scents created is preferred for customization ofthe item; and transmitting information characterizing the preferred scent to a vendor, where the vendor prepares the item incoφorating the preferred scent.

128. The method of claim 127, wherein the item is selected from the group consisting of perfumes; colognes; perfumed articles; candles; incense; sachets; air fresheners; cosmetics; lotions; ointments; creams; hair care products;shampoos; conditioners; hair sprays; hair gels; hair mousses; soaps; personal care products; deodorants; antiperspirants; shaving creams; aftershave lotions; mouthwashes; toothpastes; respiratory care products; medicines; vapor rubs; cough drops; solid or liquid anionic, nonionic, cationic or zwitterionic detergents; fabric softener articles; dryer-added fabric softener articles; fabric softener compositions; cosmetic powders; hair preparations; perfumed polymers; washes or rinses for fruits or vegetables; laundry and cleaning

' products; dish detergents; water softeners; fabric conditioners; hard surface cleaners; floor cleaners; floor waxes; tile cleaners; deodorizers; disinfectants; laundry detergents; bleaches; hygienic paper products; diapers; disposable undergarments; feminine protection products; sanitary napkins; tampons; facial tissue; bathroom tissue; paper towels; wipes; paper products; stationery; postcards; stamps; decals; stickers; business cards; greeting cards; posters; calendars; photographs; household paper towels; paper cups; plates; eating utensils; foods; beverages; wines; beers; candy; soda; mineral water; other water beverages; chewing gum; and processed foods.

129. A method for collecting data regarding preferences of one or more users for one or more scents associated with a product, comprising the step of: collecting information regarding the scent selections which the user or users associate with the product or a particular feature ofthe product.

130. The method of claim 129, wherein the product comprises electronic content.

131. The method of claim 130, where the electronic content is a computer or video game and the feature is selected from: a character in the game, an action in the game, an environment in the game, a scene in the game, an object in the game, a period of time in the game, a level in the game, a phase or stage ofthe game, a score kept in the game, or progress made in the game.

132. The method of claim 130, where the electronic content is a movie and the feature is a character in the movie.

133. The method of claim 130, where the electronic content is an audio recording.

134. A method of advertising a scent, comprising the steps of: associating a scent with a particular feature of a product, wherein emission ofthe scent is synchronized with the particular feature.

135. The method of claim 133, wherein the product is electronic content.

136. The method of claim 134, wherein the electronic content is selected from the group consisting of visual presentations, audio presentations, audiovisual presentations, computer games, on-line reference works, and electronic greeting cards.

137. A method of advertising or promoting a product, comprising: selling, licensing, renting, or otherwise making available to a vendor the opportunity or right to make scents available on a scent emitting device to a user; wherein the scent is used to advertise or promote the product.

138. The method of claim 136, wherein the product is associated with electronic content.

139. The method of claim 136, wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of perfumes; colognes; perfumed articles; candles; incense; sachets; air fresheners; cosmetics; lotions; ointments; creams; hair care products;shampoos; conditioners; hair sprays; hair gels; hair mousses; soaps; personal care products; deodorants; antiperspirants; shaving creams; aftershave lotions; mouthwashes; toothpastes; respiratory care products; medicines; vapor rubs; cough drops; solid or liquid anionic, nonionic, cationic or zwitterionic detergents; fabric softener articles; dryer-added fabric softener articles; fabric softener compositions; cosmetic powders; hair preparations; perfumed polymers; washes or rinses for fruits or vegetables; laundry and cleaning products; dish detergents; water softeners; fabric conditioners; hard surface cleaners; floor cleaners; floor waxes; tile cleaners; deodorizers; disinfectants; laundry detergents; bleaches; hygienic paper products; diapers; disposable undergarments; feminine protection products; sanitary napkins; tampons; facial tissue; bathroom tissue; paper towels; wipes; paper products; stationery; postcards; stamps; decals; stickers; business cards; greeting cards; posters; calendars; photographs; household paper towels; paper cups; plates; eating utensils; foods; beverages; wines; beers; candy; soda; mineral water; other water beverages; chewing gum; and processed foods.