AU2006101030A4

AU2006101030A4 - Personly Programable Cigarette Dispenser

Info

Publication number: AU2006101030A4
Application number: AU2006101030A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Craig Waugh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-21
Filing date: 2006-12-08
Publication date: 2007-01-18
Anticipated expiration: 2014-12-08

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 P utii A 8 DEC 2 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT PERSONAL PROGRAMABLE CIGARETTE DISPENSER THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THIS INVENTION, INCLUDING THE BEST METHOD OF PERFORMING IT KNOWN TO ME: ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION: AUSTRALIAN APPLICATION NUMBER 2006901433 APPLICANT CRAIG KENNETH WAUGH FILING DATE 21 MARCH 2006 O 1

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0 PERSONAL PROGRAMABLE CIGARETTE DISPENSER.

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This invention relates to improvements in personal programable cigarette dispensers and cases. In particular it relates to dispensers that have a built Sin programable timing device which limits the withdrawal of cigarettes to pre-set intervals.

It is well known that cigarette smoking is a leading cause of preventable death.

Many methods have been suggested to help smokers reduce the number of cigarettes smoked and also to quit. Some of these methods involve people having to absorb various substances, some of which can cause undesirable side-effects. Hypnotism has also been suggested but this does not suit everyone.

Previously proposed personal programable cigarette dispensers have not for one reason or another proved to be commercially successful. Many of them are mechanically complicated and therefore difficult and expensive 1 s to manufacture.

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Numerous personal programable cigarette dispensers have been provided in 00 GO prior art. For example: SUS. PAT. NO. 5,566,855 A timed cigarette case is disclosed which has the complication of relying on an electric motor, gear shafts, a conveyor belt Iand other paraphernalia to deliver a single cigarette at a predetermined N time.

US. PAT. NO. 4,862,431 discloses a cigarette case with a built in electronic timing device. The main drawback with this invention is that once the case is open the the user is able to withdraw more than one cigarette at a time 0 and may be tempted to do so, which is a drawback because the main objective is to limit the number of cigarettes to one at preset times.

These problems are overcome by the present invention which provides a mechanically uncomplicated, easy to manufacture personal programable cigarette dispenser which provides an easy to use method of eliminating cigarette addiction through the gradual reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked daily. A single cigarette only is made available at pre-set times.

N 3 0 00 In the prefered form of the invention the dispenser case is made of moulded Oplastic. One end is fitted with perspex being opaque at the lower part and N transparent at the upper part, through which there is an aperture near the I top which serves as a means to load cigarettes into the case. The aperture C is fitted with inwardly biased bristles.

At the other end of the case is a control panel with programing keys, a monitoring screen, cigarette chamber rotation knob and delivery tray.

Within the case is a gravity fed cigarette funnel system which delivers one cigarette at a time to an electronically time locked cigarette chamber which 0 when in unlocked mode can be (by means of a knob) manually rotated, thereby delivering a single cigarette to the delivery tray.

In other forms of the invention the dispenser case may be made of metal or any other suitable material and the cigarette loading end of the case may be of perspex or any other suitable material and may be transparent or not and the aperture therein maybe fitted with bristles, an iris or flap.

To assist with understanding the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show one example of the invention.

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00 In the drawings: FIG 1 Illusrates one end of the cigarette dispenser case showing a control panel 1 which is fitted with seven programming keys 2 which can be used IND to select a release interval setting for a single cigarette.

CI The selected setting is relayed to a monitoring screen 3 and when this screen indicates that a single cigarette is available it can be obtained by a user first pressing the release button 6 which unlocks the cigarette chamber rotation knob 4 which can then be manually rotated thereby causing a single cigarette to fall into the cigarette delivery tray 5, the said cigarette 0 then being easily retrieved by the user simply manually tilting the cigarette dispenser case thereby causing the said cigarette to slide out of the delivery tray FIG 2 Indicates the position of an unscrewable hatch 7 which when removed gives access to a replaceable battery the function of which is to provide power for the internal electrical circuitry.

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00 oO FIG 3 Illustrates the displays as shown on the cigarette dispenser monitoring Sscreen 3 when it is switched on prior to being programmed by the user.

The low battery icon 8 indicates the charge level of the battery.

IND The cigarette release interval setting 10 can be set by the user by way of CI the programming keys 2.The lockout function 9 can also be set by the user to a predecided length of time during which the user is disallowed from altering the cigarette release interval setting After the above said programming has been carried out by the user, the countdown function 11 will start counting down so as to show the time 0 remaining before the next cigarette will become available.

When the countdown is completed the letters AV 12 will commence flashing indicating to the user that a cigarette is available.

FIG 4 Illustrates the display as shown on the cigarette monitoring screen 3 after the sleep function has been set by the user by way of the 1 5 programming keys 2.

S6 00 FIG 5 Illustrates one end piece of the cigarette dispenser case (the opposite end to the control panel The end piece illustrated consists of one piece of perspex 14, being tranparent at the upper part 15 and opaque at the lower part 16.

A circular hole at the uppermost part of the end piece 17 serves as a means to load cigarettes into the cigarette dispenser case.

The said circular hole is fitted with bristles, multilayered, inwardly biased and radially arranged 18. The said bristles allow the manual insertion of cigarettes into the cigarette dispenser case but stop cigarettes from falling back out.

The small hole 19 at the centre of the bristles 18 is less in diameter than a standard cigarette and acts as a guide hole. The said bristles will easily part inwardly thus allowing cigarettes to be manually inserted into the cigarette dispenser case, one at a time.

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00 FIG 6 is an open ended view of the cigarette dispenser case 20 with the end piece removed.

After a single cigarette has been manually pushed through the bristles 18 it will fall towards the bottom of the cigarette dispenser case 20 under the effect of gravity where it will accumulate with others in the funnel system 21. Each single cigarette in turn upon reaching the base of the funnel system 21 will then fall into the previously empty cigarette chamber 22 which upon being manually rotated by means of the cigarette chamber rotation knob 4 will cause the said cigarette to fall into the delivery tray 0 When the cigarette chamber 22 is manually rotated back to its resting position (concave side pointing upwards) the next single cigarette in line will then fall into the empty cigarette chamber 22.

N 8 00 FIG 7 typifies the cigarette chamber 22 after being manually inverted by

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means of the rotation knob 4 thereby allowing a single cigarette 23 to drop into the delivery tray 5 under the effect of gravity.

_FIG 8 indicates the position of the funnel system 21 within the cigarette dispenser case At each end of the funnel system 21 there is a cigarette chamber bearing 24 (only one is shown here).

FIG 9 is an exploded view of the cigarette chamber 22 which during the assembly process is passed through both of the cigarette chamber bearings .0 24 and held in place by a retaining screw 25 which passes through the cigarette chamber rotation knob 4 then the dispenser case 20 and is finally screwed into the cigarette chamber securing plug 26 which during a previous assembly process was firmly fastened to the cigarette chamber 22.

9 0 FIG 10 is an exploded view of the timelock mechanism. The cigarette chamber wheel 27 is, during the assembly stage firmly attached to the 0 cigarette chamber securing plug 26. When the timelock mechanism is in the locked position the wire tension spring 31 keeps the pivotal rocker arm tilted so that the locking pin 29 is kept firmly pressed into the locking pin slot 28. When the cigarette chamber wheel 27 is in this position the cigarette chamber 22 is in its upright position holding a single cigarette 23.

When the cigarette release button 6 has been manually pressed the solenoid 33 is activated thereby causing the solenoid extendible rod 34 to extend momentarily down against the pivotal rocker arm 30 thereby causing it to tilt so as to cause the locking pin 29 to be extracted from the locking pin slot 28. The tension of the wire tension spring 31 is overcome by the stronger force of the solenoid extendable rod 34.

When the locking pin 29 is extracted from the locking pin slot 28 the coiled spring 32 causes the cigarette chamber wheel 27 to rotate anticlockwise (when looking at FIG 10) until the stop ridge 37 comes to rest against the locking pin 29 which during the chamber wheel 27 rotation is caused to be kept in contact with the edge surface of the chamber wheel 27 by the wire tension spring 31 the tension of which keeps the pivotal rocker arm 00 tilted in a downward direction, anticlockwise (when looking at FIG 10 At the same time the stop ridge 37 is at rest against the locking pin 29 Othe cigarette chamber 22 will be in the inverted position thereby causing a single cigarette 23 to fall into the cigarette delivery tray

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SWhen the cigarette chamber rotation knob 4 is manually rotated clockwise the cigarette chamber wheel 27 will also rotate clockwise (when looking at FIG 10 until the wire tension spring 31 causes the locking pin 29 to relocate into the locking pin slot 28. At this time, the countdown function is restarted by the countdown reset switch 35 which is activated by the extendable rod 36 being pushed upwards by contact with the top surface of the pivotal rocker arm FIG 11 Depicts two internal compartments that are positioned at one end of the cigarette dispenser case 20 (the opposite end from the perspex endpiece 14) The circuitry compartment 38 is adjacent to the control panel 1.

The timelock mechanism compartment 39 abuts the funnel system 21.

The opening 40 provides access so that during the assembly process the cigarette chamber securing plug 26 can be connected to the cigarette chamber wheel 27. The cigarette delivery tray 5 is indicated lower down.

FIG 12 is a circuitry block diagram.

Claims

2. A Personal Programable Cigarette Dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lockable wheel has a cutaway section running around its circumferential edge extending for 180 degrees.
3. A Personal Programable Cigarette Dispenser according to any claims 1 and 2 wherein the lockable wheels cutaway section has a slot at one end of its 180 degrees circumferential edge, engineered to mesh with a removable locking pin.
4. A Personal Programable Cigarette Dispenser according to any claims 1-3 wherein the lockable wheel has a tensionable spring attached to one of its faces.
5. A Personal Programable Cigarette Dispenser substantially as herein before described with reference to figures 1-12 of the accompanying drawings. Craig Kenneth Waugh 04 December 2006