JP2009291138A - Ashtray - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ashtray using a granule material such as sand and gravel or the like to extinguish a cigarette, having a simple constitution especially designed to simplify its structure and to make its cleaning easy. <P>SOLUTION: A sieve (net) is set to cover an upper opening surface of a funnellike vessel receiving a predetermined amount of the granule exhibiting extinction action to the cigarette, which sieve has holes or gaps larger than the granule material but smaller than the diameter of the cigarette, wherein, a lid is set to close the upper opening end of the vessel, a shutter selectively opening the bottom of the vessel is set at the bottom of the vessel and an auxiliary vessel receiving the granule material falling from the vessel through the shutter is set at the bottom of the vessel, so that the constitution is provided to support with a supporting medium the vessel and the auxiliary vessel to be turnable. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cigarette case suitable for installation in a hall, a lobby, or the like, which uses a granular material such as sand or pebbles for extinguishing cigarettes, and particularly relates to a cigarette case that facilitates cleaning.

  For cigarette butt holders (so-called ashtrays), it is desirable that the cigarettes after smoking should be extinguished reliably, and the fire and fire spread caused by forgetting to extinguish can be prevented. One example of a butt jar that achieves such a purpose is one in which a granular material such as sand or pebbles is placed on a saucer. This type of cigarette butt extinguishes cigarettes using the heat capacity (latent heat) of the granular material by inserting tobacco after smoking into the granular material such as sand and pebbles piled on a saucer. For this reason, there is an advantage that it does not give off a strange odor caused by nicotine, tar or the like dissolved in water like a soup container filled with fire extinguishing water in a so-called container. However, at the time of cleaning, it is necessary to pick up the butts one by one from sand, pebbles, etc., which is very troublesome.

On the other hand, a bowl-shaped receiving tray having a hole through which a circular conveying particle smaller than the diameter of the cigarette can pass is provided inside the container, and the conveying particle is continuously supplied onto the receiving tray, The tobacco after smoking put into the fire is extinguished with the above-mentioned transport granules, and the transported granules subjected to fire extinguishing are dropped below the cigarette butts through the saucer, and then separated on the saucer again. An ashtray (a cigarette jar) is proposed that is supplied to (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-10-257877

  However, in the ashtray (cigarette jar) disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to circulate a plurality of transport particles using motor power, and it cannot be denied that the configuration and structure are complicated. In addition, when removing (cleaning) the butts accumulated on the saucer, it is necessary to stop the circulation of the above-mentioned transport particles and drop all of the transport particles supplied on the saucer below the saucer. is there. Furthermore, since it is necessary to remove the tray from the supply mechanism of the transporting granule and take it out of the container, there are problems such as complicated cleaning work.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and its purpose is a cigarette case using sand, pebbles and other granular materials for extinguishing cigarettes, and in particular, simplification of the structure and cleaning. It is an object of the present invention to provide a butt case having a simple configuration for the sake of simplicity.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose,
<a> A funnel-shaped container containing a predetermined amount of granular material that exerts a fire extinguishing action on tobacco,
<b> A sieve having a hole or gap larger than the granular body and smaller than the diameter of the cigarette, and covering the upper opening surface of the container, for example, a net,
<c> a lid provided to be able to close the upper open end of the container;
<d> a shutter provided at the bottom of the container and selectively opening the bottom of the container;
<e> An auxiliary container connected to the bottom of the container and receiving the granular material falling from the container via the shutter;
<f> It is characterized by comprising a support body which supports the container whose upper opening end is closed by the lid body so as to be able to fall down.

  Preferably, the auxiliary container has the same shape as the container, includes the sieve body and the lid body, and is provided in a reverse direction in a pair with the container. In addition, for the container, for example, a passage that is provided inside the container and forms a main storage part of the granular material on the upper end side thereof, and the granular material can enter from the storage part to the bottom of the container. It is preferable to realize an inner container in which the lid is formed as a structure that supports the upper open end of the container so as to be opened and closed. In addition, the lid body is preferably realized as, for example, a bowl shape capable of accommodating a predetermined amount of granular material stored in the container, and is covered in an opposite direction on the upper end opening of the container.

  According to the cigarette case of the above configuration, the granular material stored in the container is dropped into the auxiliary container simply by opening the shutter provided at the bottom of the container, and at this time, the granular material is embedded in the granular material and extinguished. A cigarette butt is left on the sieve. Therefore, it is possible to easily remove the butts remaining on the sieve body (net body) and clean the butts case. In particular, if the auxiliary container is configured to be provided with the sieve body and the lid body in a reverse direction in a pair with the container, if the lid body is closed and the shutter is opened, the upper container is Granules can be dropped into the lower container (auxiliary container). Thereafter, the auxiliary container can be used as a new container simply by closing the shutter and tumbling the container and the auxiliary container so as to change the upper and lower positional relationship. And since the cigarette butt separated from the granular material by the sieve body (net body) is left inside the lid of the container positioned on the lower side, the lid is opened by opening the lid. The cigarette butt can be easily removed (cleaned).

  In addition, by providing an inner container inside the container, a receiving surface (ash tray surface) of a cigarette butt formed by covering the sieve body (net body) and storing the granular material is secured sufficiently wide, and the butt of the cigarette butt is received. The amount of the granular material can be suppressed while ensuring a passage for smoothly dropping the granular material having the surface (ash tray surface) into the auxiliary container. Therefore, the time required for dropping the granular material from the container to the auxiliary container can be shortened, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

  If the lid is of a bowl shape that can accommodate a predetermined amount of granular material stored in the container, the granular material can be easily collected and cleaned. In addition, a secondary effect such that it is possible to prevent unnecessary objects such as dust from being placed on the lid by covering the bowl-shaped lid in the opposite direction to the upper end opening of the container. Can also be played.

Hereinafter, a cigarette butt case (ash tray) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a cigarette cup according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cigarette butt case has a funnel-like container 2 having a substantially conical shape for accommodating a predetermined amount of the granular material 1 exhibiting a fire extinguishing action on tobacco, and a hole larger than the granular material 1 and smaller than the diameter of the cigarette. Or it has the clearance gap and is provided with the sieve body 3 provided so that the upper opening surface of the said container 2 might be covered. The granular material 1 is made of, for example, sand, pebbles, or granular zeolite that digests smoked tobacco embedded therein using its heat capacity (latent heat). The sieve body 3 is made of a metal mesh or a so-called punching metal or mesh body having a plurality of small holes formed on one surface.

  Further, inside the container 2, a main storage portion of the granular material 1 is formed on the upper end side thereof, and a passage through which the granular material 1 can enter from the storage portion to the bottom portion of the container 2 is formed. An inner container 4 is provided. In particular, the inner container 4 has a conical lower surface portion 4a substantially parallel to the inner wall surface of the container 2, and a truncated cone shape in which the central portion rises while gradually reducing the diameter continuously to the upper end edge of the lower surface portion 4a. It has a top-of-the-piece shape including an upper surface portion 4b having an inclined surface and a pedestal portion 4c protruding from the center of the upper surface portion 4b. The inner container 4 is supported and fixed inside the container 2 by forming a predetermined gap in which the granular material 1 can move between the inner wall surface of the container 2.

  In this way, the inner container 4 provided inside the container 2 accommodates the granular material 1 on the upper end side of the container 2 surrounded by the upper surface portion 4b of the inner container 4 and the inner wall surface of the container 2. A main part of the space is formed. In other words, the granular material 1 is dropped without gaps in order from the bottom of the container 2 through a gap formed between the inner wall surface of the container 2 and the inner container 4 and the lower surface part 4a. The container 2 is accommodated up to a position that covers the entire upper surface portion 4b. The sieve body 3 provided so as to cover the upper end opening of the container 2 is embedded in the granular material 1 accommodated in the container 2 as described above. For example, the sieve body 3 is formed on the upper surface portion 4b of the inner container 4. And is realized as a ring-shaped component that is mounted around the pedestal portion 5c.

  In addition, a bowl-shaped (umbrella-shaped) lid body 5 is provided on the upper end side of the container 2 that is largely opened so that the upper opening end can be closed, with the recess facing the upper end opening of the container 2. ing. The saddle-shaped lid body 5 has an inner side surface that forms a recess as a space portion having a volume capable of accommodating the granular material 1 accommodated in the container 2, and is accommodated in the container 2 as described later. It also has a role of receiving the granular material 1. The lid 5 is vertically fitted to the container 2 by fitting a shaft part 5a provided at the center thereof into a bearing part (not shown) provided on the base part 4c of the inner container 4. It is pivotally supported to move forward and backward.

  The bearing portion that supports the shaft portion 5a of the lid body 5 is a thrust bearing. In particular, the lid body 5 is lifted from the position where the upper opening end of the container 2 is closed and from the upper opening end of the container 2. And a lock mechanism that is alternatively fixed to a space where a hand holding a cigarette can enter, for example, a height position that forms a gap of about 20 cm, between the upper open end of the container 2. The cigarette holder provided with such a lid 5 is used in a state where the lid 5 is opened and the upper end opening of the container 2 is opened.

  On the other hand, the lower end (bottom) of the container 2 squeezed into a funnel shape is opened to a size that allows the granular material 1 to pass smoothly. A shutter 6 that selectively opens the bottom is provided at the bottom of the container 2, and the auxiliary container 7 is connected to the bottom of the container 2 through the shutter 6. The auxiliary container 7 plays a role of receiving the granular material 1 falling from the container 2 when the shutter 6 is opened. In particular, in this embodiment, the sieve body 3, the inner container 4 and Another container 2 provided with a lid 5 is used as an auxiliary container 7.

  These two containers 2 are provided in pairs by being connected in the upside down direction via the shutter 6, and in particular, a support 8 that rotatably supports the shutter 6 about the horizontal direction as an axis. Is supported so that it can fall down. The one container 2 positioned on the upper side of the shutter 6 exhibits the original function as a butt case configured to store the granular material 1 as described above, and is positioned on the lower side of the shutter 6. The other container 2 thus formed functions as an auxiliary container 7 that receives the granular material 1 dropped from the one container 2 during cleaning.

  Incidentally, the two containers 2 pivotally supported by the bearings incorporated in the support 8 are locked so as not to be tilted in a state where they are positioned up and down. And only when the lock | rock is cancelled | released, these containers 2 rotate inclining centering | focusing on the installation position of the shutter 6 mentioned above, and the upper and lower positional relationship is switched. As for the mechanism that supports these two containers 2 so as to be rotatable up and down, it is also useful to incorporate a link mechanism that can be allowed only when the lid 5 is closed, for example. In other words, it is also effective to provide a mechanism that allows the lid 5 to be opened and closed only when the two containers 2 are positioned up and down.

  Next, a usage pattern of the cigarette case constructed as described above will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the cigarette butt case is used by closing the shutter 6 and opening the lid 5 with the granular material 1 stored in the container 2 positioned on the upper side. The user (smoker) preferably places the cigarette after smoking on the granular body 1 exposed on the upper surface side of the container 2 from the opened upper part of the container 2, preferably The cigarette is extinguished by pushing (embedding) the tip of the cigarette with fire into the granular material 1.

  In order to clean the butts used in this way, for example, the shutter 6 is opened, and the granular material 1 accommodated in the upper container 2 as shown in FIG. Into the lower container 2 (auxiliary container 7). At this time, the granular material 1 covering the sieve body 3 is also dropped into the lower container 2 (auxiliary container 7), but the cigarette butt extinguished using the granular material 1 is shown in FIG. 2 (b). So that it remains on the sieve 3. As a result, it is possible to easily remove (clean) only the butts remaining there from the top of the sieve body 3. In other words, the conventional cleaning work for picking up the cigarette butts inserted into the granular material 1 one by one is unnecessary, and the work efficiency can be greatly increased.

  Thereafter, the shutter 6 is closed, the lid 5 of the upper container 2 is closed, the container 2 is tilted, and the vertical relationship between the two containers 2 is changed. Then, the granular material 1 dropped into the lower container 2 and accumulated inside the lid body 5 falls into the container 1 moved to the upper side with the rotation, and between the container 2 and the inner container 4. And the upper end opening of the container 2 is covered by filling the sieve body 3 provided on the upper surface of the inner container 4. By opening the lid 5 in this state, a state in which the present butts case can be used as shown in FIG. 2A is reproduced.

  In addition, when the auxiliary container 7 is a simple container that can store the granular material 1, the shutter 6 is opened, the granular material 1 in the container 2 is dropped into the auxiliary container 7, and the container 2 is cleaned. The lid 5 is closed, the container 1 and the auxiliary container 7 are turned over, and thereby the granular material 1 dropped into the auxiliary container 7 is returned to the container 2. Thereafter, the shutter 6 is closed and the container 1 and the auxiliary container 7 are turned over again to position the container 2 above the auxiliary container 7.

  Further, as described above, if the lid 5 has a volume capable of receiving all of the granular material 1 at its bowl-shaped inner surface (concave portion), the lid 5 is dropped into the container 2 positioned on the lower side. The granular material 1 can be easily recovered by opening the lid 5. As a result, it is possible to easily clean the granular material 1 contaminated with the ash lump of tobacco. For the cleaned granular material 1, it is sufficient to fill the container 1 positioned on the upper side from the upper end opening after the shutter 6 is closed.

  If the lid 5 and the sieve body 3 described above are configured to be removable from the container 2, the lid 5 and the sieve body 3 can be easily cleaned. In particular, the ring-shaped (annular) sieve body 3 is provided so as to be removable, and the butts can be easily removed by removing them from the container 2 while the butts are placed on the sieve bodies 3. . Furthermore, since the lid 5 has a bowl-like shape as described above, and the concave portion is provided so as to face the upper end opening of the container 2, dust or the like is unintentionally placed on the lid 5. There is also a secondary effect that it can be effectively prevented from being placed.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, it is also useful to mix the granular material 1 having a deodorizing effect such as activated carbon. In addition, the outer shape of the container 1 does not necessarily have a funnel shape, and it is sufficient if the inside of the container 1 has a shape that does not hinder the dropping of the granular material 1. Further, when a large ashtray area is not required as the upper end opening of the container 1, it is possible to omit the inner container 3 and realize a cigarette holder. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the support structure for opening and closing the lid 5 is not particularly limited. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the cigarette case which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the usage condition of a cigarette case shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Granule 2 Container 3 Sieve (wire mesh, punching metal, mesh)
4 Inner container 5 Lid 6 Shutter 7 Auxiliary container 8 Support

Claims (5)

A funnel-like container that contains a predetermined amount of granular material that exerts a fire extinguishing action on tobacco;
A sieve having a hole or gap larger than the granular body and smaller than the diameter of the cigarette, and covering the upper opening surface of the container;
A lid provided to be able to close the upper open end of the container;
A shutter provided at the bottom of the container to selectively open the bottom of the container;
An auxiliary container connected to the bottom of the container and receiving the granular material falling from the container via the shutter;
A cigarette butt case comprising: a support body which supports the container whose upper opening end is closed by the lid body so as to be able to fall down.   The cigarette butt case according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary container has the same shape as the container, is provided with the sieve body and the lid body, and is provided in the opposite direction in a pair with the container.   The cigarette butt case according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sieve body is a net body that allows the particulate matter to pass therethrough and prevents passage of the cigarette butts.   The container is provided inside the container and forms a main storage part of the granular body on the upper end side thereof, and a passage through which the granular body can enter from the storage part to the bottom of the container is formed. The cigarette holder according to claim 1, further comprising an inner container, wherein the lid is supported by the inner container so that an upper opening end of the container can be freely opened and closed.   The lid has a bowl shape having a recess capable of storing a predetermined amount of granular material stored in the container, and the upper opening end of the container is provided to be openable and closable with the recess facing the container. The cigarette butt case according to claim 1.

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