US2429682A

US2429682A - Cigarette box

Info

Publication number: US2429682A
Application number: US658000A
Authority: US
Inventors: William S Groom
Original assignee: WILLIAM BOTTS
Current assignee: WILLIAM BOTTS
Priority date: 1946-03-29
Filing date: 1946-03-29
Publication date: 1947-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 1964-10-28

Description

w. s. G'RoQM CIGARETTE BOX Filed March 29, '1946'I INVENTOR ifi/fam 5. @raam Patented Oct. Z8, 1947 CIGARETTE BOX William S. Groom,

to William Botts,

Fort Mitchell, Ky., assignor Fort Mitchell, Ky.

Application March 29, 1946, Serial No. 658,000

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in novelty cigarette boxes and has for its principal object the construction and cooperation of certain elementspf a receptacle to provide for normal storage and protection of cigarettes contained therein and upon manual rotation of said receptacle to automatically transfer a single cigarette from storage to an accessible, dispensing position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a two-part cigarette box which positively dispenses one cigarette by a manually instituted, rotatory movement of the box thereby obviating the use of push buttons, levers, or other similar cigarette dispensing mechanisms. y

A further object of the invention is to provide .a cigarette box of the above stated character which has a simple and durable structure, has a positive dispensing action, is attractive in appearance, and is inexpensive to manufacture.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth in the specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and specifically designated in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my cigarette box in an inverted dispensing position.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken through the longitudinal center of the box illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View similar to that of Fig. 3 showing my box in normal storage position.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Fig. 3 showing the box approaching its cigarette dspensing position.

Referring to the drawing the numeral I 0 indicates an open bottomed box having side walls II -and I2, end walls I3 and I4 and a top wall I5. As is clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 the longitudinally extending, elongated side walls II and I2 are somewhat thickerv than the end walls and to this end each wall may have a supplemental sectionII and i1 secured to its respective inner surface. Preferably each of these sections I6 and Il has formed therethrough a longitudinally extending slot I8 and I9 respectively. As indicated in Figs. 2-5 each slot has an upper and lower side which is downwardly inclined toward the box center and each slot is slightly longer and wider than the length and Width of a cigarette adapted to be contained in and dispensed by the cigarette box. It will be noted that the walls II and I2 of the box serve to close the outer sides of the through slots I8 and I9 respectively, and that said slots are disposed adjacent the bottom edges of the box side walls and open inwardly toward the longitudinal center of said box.

Contained wholly within -arette receptacle or hopper generally indicated by the reference numeral 20. This receptacle has a loose fit with the inside of the box to permit sliding movement of the receptacle toward and away from the open bottom of the box; said fit, however, is not loose enough to cause undue sidewise or endwise movement of the receptacle within the box during box rotation, as might cause rattling, or vibration between the parts.

The receptacle 20 comprises two opposed end walls 2| and 22 which have extending between them a top wall 23 and foreshortened

side walls

24 and 25 preferably constructed from a single sheet of material and secured to said end walls along its transverse edges by means of countersunk nails 26. (Fig. 3.) A V-shaped'bottom wall 21 is providedfor the receptacle and the lower longitudinal edge of said wall 21 is joined with a central partition 210 which divides the hopper into two cigarette compartments. As most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the top wall 21 and partition 213 may be constructed from two sections of flat material having lower abutting vertical portions and diverging upper portions, the transverse edges or" said portions being held in aligned Y-

shaped grooves

28 and 280 formed in the interior surfaces of end walls 2| and 22 respectively. Substantially V-

shaped blocks

29 and 30 are respectively secured to the lower interior sides of the receptacle end walls 2.'I and 22 respectively, the lower transverse edges 3| and 32 respectively of said blocks being inclined toward the center and serving as delivery rails for a cigarette dispensed through either inclined slot I8 or I9,v said rails directing said cigarette to

semi-circular depressions

33 and 34 formed in the blocks.

Side openings

35 and 35 are formed in the receptacle between the longitudinal edges of the wall 2l and the bottom edges of the foreshortened

side walls

24 and 25 respectively, said openings being normally in registry with the slots I3 and I9 respectively when the box is in its normal storage position, indicated in Fig. ll, and out of registry with the slots I8 and I9 respectively when the box vis resting on its top wall I5 in dispensing position, as illustrated in Figs. 1-3. The

the box I0 is a cigv outer limit of motion of the receptacle 2D within the box I U is determined by the alignment of the inclined slots in the box with the openings in the receptacle and is xed by opposed pins 3T and 38 projecting inwardly from end walls I3 and I4 respectively of the box, said pins extending into

slots

39 and 40 formed in end walls 2l and 22 of the receptacle 2B.

In operation the receptacle 20 is removed from the box lo by withdrawing pins 3'! and 3S and each compartment is charged through its

respective opening

35 and 36 with a number of cigarettes 4I and 42 whereupon the parts are reassembled and the whole then inverted to stand upside down on a table or desk. (Figure 4.) During the aforementioned manipulation the hopper falls inside the box, to the position shown in Figure 4 and a cigarette rolls through each of the openings in the sides of the hopper into each of the two slots in the box. Other cigarettes fall behind cigarettes 43 and M as indicated in Fig. 4. The box is now in the closed or storage position.

To dispense a cigarette, the outer box is grasped from either end and slowly turned sideways. It may be turned either to the right or left, regardless of which end faces the operator, but it is assumed that it is turned to the right in a clockwise direction.

Before the turn of 180 degrees is half completed cigarette 44 and those which were behind it fall back into the hopper, while cigarette 3 kand those behind it remain in the positions shown until the box has been further turned to position shown in Fig. 5. At this point in the turn, the hopper slides t the top l5 of the outer box, and cigarette 43 is by-passed and remains in the slot i9 at one side of the outer box, while the cigarettes behind it, fall back into the hopper of their own weight or are forced back by the descent of the hopper into the bottom of the outer box.

The turning of the box is then continued to complete an arc of 180 degrees from the original closed position as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the inclination of the wall will initiate movement of the cigarette out of the slot in the box onto the delivery rails 3l and 32 on the bottom of the hopper where the cigarette rolls to the center and comes to rest in the small, semi-circular depressions 33 and Sli and may be picked up by the operator with thumb and forenger. The box is then inverted against the upside down or closed position (as in Fig. 4) on the desk or table where it is ready for the further dispensing of one cigarette at a time as desired.

As indicated in Fig. 1 my cigarette box may rest normally upon a supporting surface with its open bottom facing upwardly and the box rotated one complete revolution to dispense a cigarette, but, as indicated in Fig. 4, the box preferably assumes a position with its open bottom resting upon said supporting surface. It will be noted that in the latter position, the box effectively precludes the entrance of air and dirt into the cigarette receptacle and the walls maybe decorated in any suitable manner to provide an ornamental appearance for my box when not in use.

What is claimed is:

l. In a device of the character described the combination of an open bottomed box having side walls, end walls and a top wall, a horizontal recess formed in one of the side walls adjacent the open bottom thereof, a cigarette receptacle positioned within the box for vertical sliding movement therein, said receptacle having a top wall, side walls, end walls, and a bottom wall, a disrecess formed in one of the side walls adjacent the open bottom thereof, a cigarette receptacle positioned within the box for vertical sliding movement therein, said receptacle having an inverted V-shaped bottom wall, a top wall, end walls and foreshortened side walls, thus forming openings between the foreshortened side walls and the longitudinal edges of the V-shaped bottom wall, said openings being normally in alignment with the recesses, and inclined delivery rails outside of the receptacle on the bottom wall adapted upon rotation of the box to an inverted position to guide a cigarette from the recess to dispensed position thereon after retraction of the receptacle into the box so as to clear the recess.

8. A cigarette box having a top wall, side walls and end walls and an open bottom, the interior faces of said side walls each having formed therein a horizontal recess disposed adjacent the open bottom, and a reciprocable cigarette receptacle within the box movable from a dispensing position adjacent the top of the box to a normal storage position adjacent the open bottom upon sidewise rotation of the box, said receptacle having end walls, foreshortened side walls, a top wall and a V-shaped bottom wall having longitudinal edges which for-m with the top edges of the side walls a pair of opposed cigarette discharge openings normally in alignment with the recess to introduce cigarettes from the receptacle into said recess whereby upon movement of the receptacle to dispensed position a cigarette is guided from a'recess onto the bottom wall of the receptacle.

4. In a device of the character described the combination of a box having a horizontal receiving recess formed on the interior face of one cf the sidewalls of the box, a cigarette receptacle vertically slidable within the box and having a discharge opening therein normally positioned in registry with the recess whereby a cigarette is initially introduced into the recess from the receptacle said receptacle being of a height such that upon inversion of the box the now top surface of the receptacle is below the recess in the side wall and said now top surface being downwardly inclined from the recess so that the cigarette is dispensed from the recess upon the now top surface of said receptacle.

5. In a device of the character described the combination of an open bottomed box having side walls, end walls and a top wall, a horizontal recess formed in each side wall of the box adjacent its open bottom, a cigarette receptacle positioned within the box for vertical sliding movement therein, said receptacle having an inverted V-shaped bottom wall, a top wall, end walls and foreshortened side walls, a partition between the top edge of the V-shaped wall and the top wall therefor, openings formed between the foreshortened side walls and the longitudinal edges of the V-shaped top wall, said openings being normally in algnmentwith the recesses, and inclined delivery rails disposed on the outside of the bottom wall and adapted upon rotation of the box to an inverted position to guide a cigarette from the recess to dispensed position thereon after retraction of the receptacle into the box so as to clear the recesses.

6. In a device of the character described the combination of an open bottomed box having side Walls, end Walls and a top Wall, a horizontal recess formed in each side wall of the box adjacent its open bottom, a cigarette receptacle positioned Within the box for vertical sliding movement therein, said receptacle having an inverted V-shaped bottom wall, a top Wall, end Walls and oreshortened side walls, a partition between the top edge of the V-shaped Wall and the top Wall therefor, openings formed between the foreshortened side walls and the longitudinal edges of the V-shaped top Wall, said openings being normally in alignment with the recesses, and inclined delivery rails disposed on the outside of the receptacle on the bottom wall thereof and adapted upon rotation of the box to an inverted position to guide a cigarette from the recess to dispensed position thereon after retraction of the receptacle into the box so as to clear the recesses.

7. In a device of the character described the combination of a box, an inclined horizontal cigarette receiving recess formed on the interior face of one of the side walls of the box, a cigarette receptacle vertically slidable within the box and having a discharge opening therein normally positioned in registry with the recess whereby a cigarette is initially introduced into the recess from the receptacle, said receptacle being of a height such that upon inversion of the box the now top surface of the receptacle is below the recess in the side Wall and said now top surface being downwardly inclined from the recess so that the cigarette is dispensed from the recess upon the now top surface of said receptacle.

WILLIAM S. GROOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Dec. 27, 1909 Number