US2505351A

US2505351A - Cigarette tray or receptacle

Info

Publication number: US2505351A
Application number: US703729A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sidney M Dickson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-10-17
Filing date: 1946-10-17
Publication date: 1950-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 1967-04-25

Description

S. M. DICKSON CIGARETTE TRAY 0R RECEPTACLE April 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 17, 1946 INVENTOR. 5522 726 Mfia'ckson P 1950 s. M. DICKSON I 2,505,35 1' CIGARETTE TRAY OR RECEPTACLE Filed Oct. 17. 1946 2 Sheets-Shet 2 fllllllll- INVENTOR. Sling/)1 fiz'c/Rson if 2% E:

Patented Apr. 25, 1950 21505351 CIGARE I TELTRKY B, RECEPTACLE Sidney; MJLDiekson; Perrysville, 2a., Application- October, 1946, Serial No. 703,729 420mm; (01. lei-240i My invention. relatesatoraacigaretteaoriashitraw ororeceptacle ofi'suchc'constnuctiomthat it is, fire-- sa'fe: and; has: various" other" advantageous; ieaturesa Common; types. of ash trays; for cigarettes;and;

the like have the outstanding disadvantage: of- Being. unsafe; from" the :Stfilfl'dPOiIlt-ilOi fire hazard,

thatzi's the 'cigarette'z-whemlaid 0112a,; ledges on the. mouth portion ofi the: ashtray, would; as; a. result? of; predetermined:burningtoff the. lit endxthereofi,

finallmfall: outwardlyiinstead of: inwardly imthez ash; tray, thereby: oftentimes; causing aifine-zi. In;

other. words; the; overhanging: portiom of the: cige arette: extendingvoutwardly fromv the supporting; edge? would. become heavier or provide a; greater: momentaarmz than" tl iewinwardiwprojectingi pon tion; of thezcigaretteaduez to: consumption orilournw ing; oiraa; predetermined portiom of such inwardly; extending; portion; Attempts were: made "to pro vide:aizfireproofsstnuctura by laying thecentrah portion ofthes cigarettezon-t-he: edgeyon'rmouthl of: the tray. and: rest; thelit"v portiona om a: grille of; some kind; sometimes.- making vthev outer edge: on

lip? slightly. higher than". the top; of: the: grille? so;

as: to: incline the cigarette. slightly with: the

thoughtthatzasethe; cigarette would. burnzit wouldz' evenafter; burn-mg: or" consumption; Off suclmliti portion of the; cigarette; thereby forming abridge forming a: continuation of: the s'unlit. portion, andbjeingisufiiciently strong to support such unlit? portion of: thewcigarettesorthat finally} such bridge: becomes ofi suchgreat length-that the-unburned;

portion of the cigarette projecting; from: the; ledge? into; theash-tray would become muchzi smaller thanits original 'length andeuen-smal-lerrthan the overhanging portion extending; from a the: ledge: 45:

outwardly 'ofr'the ash tray; thereby eausingqthe:

moment: arm of: the outwardly; extending: portiomto; become greater than: that of the inwardly are tending: portionthereby causing dropping; oi: the: 'Iihisa. would;

cigarette outside: of the: container. oftentimes result in: a fire;

Another outstanding objection to: commonz types ofi cigarette ashitraysis that theiledgesapro vided: on: the? lip? or; mouth portion; thereof have; the outstanding objectionv ofz being; unsanitarai is; ingradially outwardly rtor support. vthe: lit: endon V 2 frormthe standpoint thatithe end of the cigarette moistened: by," the-lip touches suchledges so as: tormakez theserledges convenient means to spread.

' disease fn0mr0nefsm'oke11s: mouth to that. ot a subse uent smokerzonuser Off the ashtray;

AL fiurther outstanding: objection of common: types of; ash: trayszis. that: usuall the: lit? end. of

the'i cigarettezisz SUDDODtGdLOD a surface of a Sui-- ficientlyi largearea: as to=cause:appreciab1e con densation: or sweating one the. burning; end of i the; cigarette; thereb e giving; ail-undesirable tastetothesmoke; rendering; the: smoking of the burned:

end:v much" less}. enjoyable" than: the consumed portion.

Anxobieetzoi my invention is-vto; provide a novel cigarettaor ashytrayg that'issdevoid' of; the variousaboveementioned. disadv-antages ofv well-known types of trays.

Aemorei specific; ohiectv oi: my invention; is to provide a; novel fireproof: cigarette tray or re'- ceptacle's ofisuchtconstructioni that: it would be impossible-ion as cigarette placed therein: to burn away; and: fall? outside thereofs so: as to become a: fireahazardz;

more specific:- object: ofv my: invention is' to; provide an sh f tray: thatcompletely enclosesv a supportedilit-eigarettesoz thauno portion of the; cigarettezwili overhang, itsiouter' edge or lip and; Whichthas' a: grilled:"suimort:- therein on which is; rested theiitsend; ofithe cigarette;

Aif-urlther' object 1 ofi my: invention is: to: provide" an, tray forr cigarettes and the like Whichi hasaantoutwardlyi extending: lip: portion which: is; entirely free: oir'devoid'i of ledges: for: laying the cigaretteheriaontaiiy;; v and which: tray provides a minimum area=- off support ats-the intermediate: portiomofithacigarette and; at thezlitrendthereofi so as to: make: it fireproof; sanitary and at the sameztime eliminate; condensation. or sweating on; the; lit:v end that might impart undesirable:

flavontowthe smoke A; stilivmore: specific objectsof. my invention is. to provideasan ash trayiforcigarettes and thedike,

an outwardlyv flaredLIip; portion: extending;

floms thfit mouth or openingz'ofvthe tray,.. which fiaredzlipportioniextendszbeyondrandr encloses: the:'

ofe'aicigaretta. the: other support for the: lit end;

beingsinzthe: fommofifa; grillehaving spaced mem berszeithenvinconcentric; paralielform; or extendia surface of minimum area and make the cigarette assume an inclined position so that it will be impossible to drop outside of the flared lip portion, serving as a guard or catch basin, irrespective of the extent of burning at the lit end.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification taken with the accompan ing drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top view of a cigarette tray or receptacle embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIII of Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a modified form of my ash tray mounted on a smoking stand, and j Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top view with parts shown broken away of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, numeral I denotes a cup-like receptacle or tray for collecting ashes from a deposited burning cigarette or the like, and at the top or mouth portion of which there is a cylindrical portion 2 from the top edge or mouth of which extends an outwardly flared portion 3. At the peripheral edge 4 forming the joint between flared portion 3 and cylindrical portion 2 there are provided a series of arcuate indentations or bulges that are adapted to conform somewhat to the curvature of the cigarette so as to form a plurality of pockets to prevent the cigarette from rolling along the peripheral edge 4 when leaned thereagainst. These arcuate portions may be made by hammering, pressing or expanding by dies, or by any other suitable method that is known in the metal working art.

Intermediate the cylindrical portion 2 a shoulder is formed for supporting a grille or grid 5 comprising a plurality of concentrically disposed wires, metal stampings, castings of metal, ceramic or other fireproof material having a central opening through which butts may be dropped, which grille is supported on radially extending support members 6 fastened to the walls of cylin-.

drical portion 2 and which underlie the grille. Thus when a lit cigarette, such as I, is placed in the ash tray or container, its intermediate portion will lean against and snugly fit within one of the curved portions of edge 4, whereas its lit end will rest upon one of the concentric elements of grille 5 and will not come in contact with any radially extending elements-of support 6.

The cross-section of the grid or grille elements or sections coming in contact with the burning end of the cigarette should be kept at a minimum, say approximately 1% of an inch in diameter in case they are made of wires, to prevent sweating or accumulation of moisture as well as to prevent piling up or accumulation of burned ash. The distance between grid sections or members for optimum operation should be slightly less than the diameter of the cigarette, that is should be spaced on approximately 1 inch centers to prevent the cigarette from falling through the grid and into the receptacle I and thereby becoming contaminated with ash or collecting moisture and sweating by coming in contact with a large support area or surface. That is to say, if the spacing between grid wires 'were substantially less than T e inch, then instead of one or two of such wires to support the burned end there will be three or more which would increase the supporting area and provide a greaterdegree of 4 condensation or sweating at the burned end which would substantially impair the taste of the smoke. Thus it will be seen that by providing the grid sections in the same parallel direction and of suitable dimensions and by eliminating any crosswise extending sections on or near the surface of the grid the cigarette-supporting or contact area will be materially reduced, hence the condensation or sweating that inherently occurs at the burned end will be practically eliminated. Such grid work structure due to its large openings, of course, allows freer falling of the ashes 'therethrough, hence the grid will remain at all times fairly clear of ashes, hence it will not be subject to substantial discoloration as is usually attendant with sweating or condensation. Only clean ashes, that is ashes devoid of moisture, condensation, etc., will fall into the cup I, which ashes will be of somewhat reduced temperature so as not to mar the inner finished surface of the ash collector or cup-like receptacle I.

When it is desired to empty tray I, it is merely necessary to lift the grill 5 from its supporting shoulders 2a which can be readily done by inserting ones finger through the central opening of the grille.

It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2 that the deposited cigarette 1 which is laid in an inclined position will never. fall outwardly of the flared portion 3 which completely encloses or surrounds it, irrespective of the mode of burning of the burned end of thecigarette. That is, even assuming that the burned end retains its solid cylindrical shape despite consumption or burning thereof and thereby provides a bridge or support of ash for the unburned portion, nevertheless, whenever such bridge portion finally does break down, the most that can happen is that the cigarette will either slide substantially axially so as to drop to a greater extent into the cylindrical portion 2 in its inclined position, or it will tip over and lie on top of the upper surface of the grid. In either event, since the lit cigarette will at all times be maintained within the confines of the cigarette container or tray, it will never constitute a fire hazard. Furthermore, the inclined position of cigarette 1 provides convenience in handling for continued smoking until the cigarette becomes too small for smoking.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a modified form of my cigarette tray or container and shows it supported in a smoking stand or support of the pedestal type. More specifically, upon pedestal 8 there is fitted a substantially hemispherical bowl portion 9 having a stepped marginal edge portion ID for supporting the grid or grille II which edge portion is continued vertically upwardly to edge or mouth I2 having arcuate indentations I2a formed along the periphery thereof similar to those in edge 4 in Figures 1 and 2. From this edge there extends the outwardly flared lip portion I3 similar to flared portion 3 of Figure 2.

Instead of providing a grid II of concentric sections, there is shown by way of modification a grid made up of a plurality of radially extending sections or elements IIa having their outer ends secured to ring I5 and supported on the edge I0 and having inner ends secured to ring I4. The sections Ila may constitute either wires that are Woven through holes in rings I4 and I5 or may be element welded to such rings or, in fact, supported in any desirable manner. It should be understood, however, that the concentric type of grid shown in Figures 1 and 2 could be substituted for that shown in Figures 3 and 4. The essential feature is thatesuch: elements I-Iwshould be of minimum cross-section, say of the order of 1%;

inch in diameter and should be-spaced sufficiently; close: together so that the-cigarette will; not f all densation. or moisture formation at the lit end of.

thecigarette. The general. requirement for the grille: sections; is that they "extend in the samel'direction and are as parallel as: possible.

Within bowl portion e there" is; supported. a correspondingly shaped bowl It for collecting thefbume'd ashes; which bowr' is readilyg' removable"fonthe -purposeof'emptying the ashes after they have accumulated for a period of time therein. A tray I! in the form of a frustum of an inverted cone extends from ring I5 and supports a bracket I8 rigidly secured thereto and depending therefrom. At the bottom of tray I1 is a round hole or opening. The hole or opening is normally closed by disk-shaped door or gate I9 rigidly secured to a stem 20, which stem can be turned in either direction along its axis by manipulating knob 2|. A leaf spring 22 having one end anchored to bracket I 8 and the other end extending radially through a slot formed in stem serves to center at all times or normally bias door I9 to its closed position. Spring clip 26 secured to the bottom of tray I! keeps the door I9 closed tightly. The entire tray as sembly including tray I'I, grid II and door operating mechanism is readily removable by lifting it from the supporting edge portion.

In operation when it is desired to'open door or gate I9 so as to empty the container or tray I! of its accumulated ashes, knob 2| is turned in either direction so that the gate I9 is moved horizontally to provide a sweeping or self-cleaning movement. This action prevents matches or cigarettes from catching or interfering with automatic closing of the gate and keeps the surface reasonably clean. Since leaf spring 22 normally biases or returns the open gate to its closed position, this will facilitate smothering of burning cigarettes. Thus the gate will operate with equal effectiveness in either direction and will permit the operating knob 2I and gate I9 to be returned either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

In order to prevent partially consumed cigarettes or ashes from pyramiding or piling up directly under the gate, spreaders or fingers, such as 24, may extend from the gate so as to provide a wiping action to break up and spread the top of the pile of the ashes. If desired, one or more fingers or arms, such as 25, rigidly secured to stem 20 may serve substantially the same purpose of breakin up and spreading the top of the ash pile to prevent clogging at the gate and increase the capacity of the bowl l8 materially. Thus either

finger

24 or 25 or both of them, as shown, may be used for this purpose.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an ash tray suitable for cigarettes and which may be designed for cigars and the like as well, and which is so constructed as to be absolutely fireproof, and which is substantially devoid of cigarette-supporting ledges which would otherwise make it unsanitary and that includes a grid or grille which provides minimum support or contact area with the lit end of the cigarette, thereby maintaining condensation or moisture asse ses too short; furthermore, have: provided? a: nevi-r1;

cigarettatrayr or;- container; as well; ass a stand-i therefor; which is; relativelyinexpensive? manufacture and capable. oflholdin'gza large;-

number; of cigarettes and of; accumulating;

large amount of: ashes and which: at; theas'ame.

timezprovides a pleasin'g appearance; and isirelae tively easy:t'o 'kee'p;cleam Wh'ilen have illustratedr an'd'idescribed: certain.

specific "embodiments of? my invention,- itwill be:

understood that? this is by: way! of? illustratiom only and that various clianges and modificat tions may bemade within the contemplationi ofi my'irlvention and within' the ing claims.

I claim:

l. cigarette ash tray: comprising: a: round receptacle having a substantially"vertical? upper: wall portion, a lip integrally joined at its lower edge to the upper edge of said wall portion, said lip being curved outwardly and upwardly from its lower edge, the annular juncture of said lip and said wall portion having a plurality of concave recesses spaced equidistant thereabout, and a grid for supporting a lit end of a cigarette positioned below the upper edge of the wall portion, the curvature of said lip portion being such that when a cigarette has its lighted end supported on a portion of the grid on one side of the center thereof and with a medial portion of the cigarette supported by the lower end of the lip portion in one of the recesses on the same side of the center of the grid the portion of the cigarette above the recess will lie within the zone bounded by the lip portion, but out of contact therewith.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the grid comprises radially and downwardly extending wire-like elements providing a truncatedoone-like supportin surface for the lit end of a cigarette.

3. A cigarette supporting and ash receiving tray comprising an open mouthed receptacle portion, an upwardly and outwardly extending curved lip portion formed integrally with the upper portion of said receptacle portion, the integral juncture of said receptacle portion end of said lip portion having a plurality of concave recesses spaced equidistant thereabout, said recesses having curvatures corresponding to that of a cigarette so as to snugly seat and prevent rolling of the cigarette along the upper periphery of the receptacle portion, and a rid supported below the mouth of said receptacle to support the lit end of a cigarette when the body of the cigarette is resting in one of the aforesaid recesses, said grid comprising elongated metallic elements spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a cigarette and an ash receiving well disposed below said grid, the curvature of said lip portion being such that when a cigarette has its lighted end supported ona portion of the grid on one side of the center thereof and with a medial portion of the cigarette supported by the lower end of the lip portion in one of the recesses on the same side of the center of the grid the portion of the cigarette above the recess will lie within the scope of the followzone bounded by the lip portion, but out of contact therewith.

4. An ash tray for cigarettes and the like com- 7 prising a receptacle having a base and side walls projecting vertically upwardly from the peripheral edges thereof, the uppermost end of said side walls providing a ledge for supporting engagement with the medial portion of a cigarette having its lighted end resting against said base, and a protector rim extending upwardly and outwardly from said ledge, the surface formation of said rim being such that when a cigarette has its lighted end supported on a" portion of the base on one side of the center thereof and with a medial portion of the cigarette supported by the ledge on the same side of the center of the base, the portion of the cigarette above the lower end of the rim will lie within the zone bounded by the rim, but out of contact therewith.

SIDNEY M. DICKSON.

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

Number D. 93,029

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Keller Aug. 14, 1934 Scott Dec. 5, 1933 Litschgi Apr. 30, 1940 Brittingham V Feb. 8, 1944 Anholt July 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain July 8, 1926 Germany Mar. 26, 1913 Germany May 6, 1902 Germany July 15, 1928 Germany Mar. 11, 1930 Sweden Apr. 13, 1939