EP1748706B1

EP1748706B1 - Ashtray

Info

Publication number: EP1748706B1
Application number: EP05745675A
Authority: EP
Inventors: René LEICHEL; Arthur William Pierre Annegarn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-05-13
Filing date: 2005-05-12
Publication date: 2008-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-12
Also published as: DE602005004779D1; ATE385704T1; WO2005110130A1; EP1748706A1; CN1953672A; NL1026196C1

Abstract

The invention relates to an ashtray comprising a main body and chambers for receiving cigar and/or cigarette ashes and cigar and/or cigarette butts therein, the ashtray being provided with a central funnel for guiding ashes into the main body, wherein the chambers are shaped as receptacles provided in a second body removably fitted in the main body, said receptacles having open apertures at opposite ends of the second body, and wherein with the second body fitted in the main body, a base-wall of the main body closes off the apertures at the undersides of said receptacles.

Description

The invention relates to an ashtray comprising a main body and chambers for receiving cigar and/or cigarette ashes and cigar and/or cigarette butts therein, the ashtray being provided with a central funnel for guiding ashes into the main body.
Such an ashtray is known from US-A-5,906,314 . The windproof ashtray according to this citation comprises a main body for receiving cigarette ashes and cigarette butts therein. A top portion is on the main body. A base is for stabilizing the main body upon a support surface. A structure in the top portion is for guiding cigarette ashes deposited therein into the main body, while preventing the cigarette ashes from being blown out.
The known windproof ashtray further includes a facility for extinguishing a burning end of a cigarette. The windproof ashtray also further contains a mechanism for depositing the cigarette butt into the main body.
The main body is a cup shaped receptacle. The top portion is a donut shaped cover. The base is a truncated conical stand.
There is an ash guiding structure shaped as a central funnel in the top portion extending downwardly into the main body. The cigarette extinguishing facility is provided in the form of a heat resistant pipe, having a tapered mouth extending downwardly in the top portion. There is a cigarette butt depositing mechanism in the form of a release assembly in the top portion covering an open bottom end of the heat resistant pipe.
There are several problems associated with the known ashtray.
A first problem is that the known ashtray is not well suited to accommodate cigars or cigarettes that have to be extinguished and that are only enjoyed up to a limited extend. This means that the cigars or cigarettes are still relatively large so that consequently these cigars or cigarettes do not fit in their chambers. Practice learns that the cigars or cigarettes are then put in the central funnel of the ashtray where they will slowly burn up and during this process spoil the environment with unintended smoke.
A second problem is that the heat resistant pipe of the known ashtray which is intended to receive the cigarette or cigar is closed off at the underside by a release assembly. This release assembly occupies a fixed position in relation to the said heat resistant pipe, which causes that black ash residue accumulates on this release assembly. Over time this accumulated black ash deteriorates the closing off of the heat resistant pipe and the gas tight fit of the release assembly against said heat resistant pipe. As a result in the course of time the cigarette extinguishing function of the heat resistant pipe gets worse the longer the ashtray is in use. Naturally, this not only spoils the environment with undesired smoke, it also enhances the risk of fires.
A third problem is that practice learns that the windproof capabilities of the known ashtray are rather limited.
It is the object of the invention to counter one or more of the above-mentioned problems and to provide an ashtray which may form an attractive alternative for the known ashtray.
From EP-A-1 532 882 and DE-A-35 04 097 , each taken independently, an ashtray is known comprising a main body and chambers for receiving cigar and/or cigarette ashes and cigar and/or cigarette butts therein, the ashtray being provided with a central funnel for guiding ashes into the main body, wherein the chambers are shaped as receptacles provided in a second body removably fitted in the main body, said receptacles having open apertures at opposite ends of the second body, and that with the second body fitted in the main body, a base-wall of the main body closes off the apertures at the undersides of said receptacles.
The ashtray of the invention is characterized by one or more of the appended claims.
In a first aspect of the invention the ashtray is characterized in that the central funnel has a tapering wall with a circular cross-section exhibiting a diameter that diminishes when looking from the base-wall of the main body upwards, and that the main body is provided with a protrusion that extends centrally in the funnel and is placed on the base-wall of the main body without contacting said funnel.
It has been found that this feature considerably improves the windproof capabilities of the ashtray, and effectively avoids that a user of the ashtray places his cigarette or cigar in the funnel of the ashtray. On the contrary, the user is unconsciously incited to place the cigar or cigarette in one of the receptacles.
Preferably the receptacles have inner diameters that are selected so as to accommodate cigarettes and/or cigars.
Furthermore it is preferable that the main body is closable with a removable lid.
Such lid may also be used as an element to place the ashtray on when in use.
In the following the invention shall be further elucidated with reference to a preferred embodiment of the ashtray according to the invention and with reference to the drawing.
In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows the ashtray of the invention in perspective view with the lid removed;
Fig. 2 shows the main body of the ashtray shown in Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 shows the ashtray of Fig. 1 provided with a partial section.

Wherever in the figures the same reference numerals appear, they refer to the same parts.
Fig. 1 shows the ashtray 1 of the invention in perspective view. The ashtray 1 comprises a main body 2 and a removable lid 3.
Within the main body 2 there is a second body 4 which is removably fitted in the main body 2.
The second body 4 is provided with chambers 5 for receiving cigar and/or cigarette ashes and cigar and/or cigarette butts therein. These chambers 5 are shaped as receptacles having open apertures at opposite ends of the second body 4 which can more easily be seen in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 further shows that the main body 2 has a base-wall 6 and that this base-wall 6 closes off the apertures 10 at the undersides of said receptacles 5.
Fig. 1 and in particular Fig. 3 shows that the ashtray 1 is provided with a central funnel 7 for guiding ashes into the main body 2.
The central funnel 7 has a tapering wall 8 with a circular cross-section exhibiting a diameter that diminishes when looking from the base-wall 6 of the main body 2 upwards. This can be easily seen in Fig. 3.
The main body 2 is further provided with a protrusion 9 that extends centrally in the funnel 7 and is placed on the base-wall 6 of the main body 2.
The above elucidation with reference to the drawing and a preferred embodiment of the ashtray according to the invention shall be understood as an example and not as a specification of all the aspects that the ashtray of the invention must exhibit. Many variations are thinkable that remain within the scope of the invention, the gist of which is reduced in the appended claims. Said claims provide the limitations that define the scope of protection of the instant invention.

Claims

Ashtray (1) comprising a main body (2) and chambers (5) for receiving cigar and/or cigarette ashes and cigar and/or cigarette butts therein, the ashtray (1) being provided with a central funnel (7) for guiding ashes into the main body (2), wherein the chambers are shaped as receptacles (5) provided in a second body (4) removably fitted in the main body (2), said receptacles (5) having open apertures at opposite ends of the second body, and that with the second body (4) fitted in the main body (2), a base-wall (6) of the main body (2) closes off the apertures at the undersides (10) of said receptacles (5), characterized in that the central funnel (7) has a tapering wall (8) with a circular cross-section exhibiting a diameter that diminishes when looking from the base-wall (6) of the main body (2) upwards, and that the main body (2) is provided with a protrusion (9) that extends centrally in the funnel (7) and is placed on the base-wall (6) of the main body (2), without contacting said funnel (7).
Ashtray according to claim 1, wherein the receptacles (5) have inner diameters that are selected so as to accommodate cigarettes and/or cigars.
Ashtray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main body (2) is closable with a removable lid (3).