US2584275A - Cigarette extinguisher - Google Patents

Description

1952 w. L. LILE 2,584,275

CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER Filed June 1, 1949' Patented Feb. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT orrlcs roams. (Crier-237) The present invention relates to smokers ac.- ce i and l 'anee ed me e P, l le ly relates to nov endfli. eved i ed? tinguisher.

It is not generally known to the ayerage lay-Q man that cigarettes are treated wit U pounds containing potassium chlorate and the; are adapted to release oxygen upon the ignition of the cigarette so as to promote even bur g and sustain combustion. As a resultpthe'avera e smoker is apt to be extremely. careless the disposition of lighted cigarettes since he doe si'r ot realize that th ch m el vitr ete ei e s te ill (101111111118 rnin unti p otest nt! c mp t ly extinguished. V r i Because of the latent hazardsresulting from the disposition of improperly extinguished icig arettes, many f res are inadvertently caused whichresult in millions of dollars of property damage.

These hazards have been multiplied to an even greater extent since the advent of the automor bile, as drivers preoccupied with't ailf c pro;- cedures and the mechanical operation of an automobile frequently do not taketheprecaritions necessary to properly extinguish {a cigarette be fore disposing of same." i

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simplified; cigarette ex tinguisher which may be'easily manipulatedwith one hand by a simple reciprocatory pt 'nger movement to properly extinguisha lighted "erg" arette and classify the components th'ereoffor future use or final disposition.

Another object otthe present invention is to provide an-effective cigaretteextinguisher which may be easily adapted for-installationin a locale accessible to the driver -of'-a: vehiclesuch as an automobileor the-like.

A further object of the"present-invention'is toprovide a cigarette extinguisher. which ma ybe economically produced:v from. .a reducednumber of simplified elements toforma handsome. and attractive smoking. accessory for use in- .bu'siness Offices, id c shor invario spubliczplac Yet another object of the present inventiomis to provide an improved severingmechanism for a cigarette extinguisher, whereby a; .eleanecut butt may-be produced thlo lgh the employment of a novel and improved cutting assembly;

According to the general features of the, presout invention, a casing islprovidedw i hwi adapted to suppcrtasevering mechanism;in re'- movable sliding assembly; The severing mech anism isp-characterized bya pair of spaced iwalls in which a blade element defininga cuttih ledger is firmly positioned. A;bifurcated plungerscone structed to be" reciprocatedbetween ,,the ,space.d. walls andadaptedto pa SSthQclltting-edge9f th blade betweenits bifurcated, part is 1 also; pro;-; id d- Th si i ulsuishn of; th s invention is! further characterized by a pivotally mounted tray or trough which is suitably dished to receivea lighted cigarette so that the lighted end may be extended through registering apertures formed in the spaced walls and the bifurcated plunger. 'A stop may be provided on the extinguisher casing to properly position the cigarette.

' The tray or trough is provided with a flanged and slotted lug arranged to lie in registry with a vertically disposed guide slot formed in the spaced walls. The plunger is provided with a camming pin which passes through the lug of the tray andthrough the guide slot so that when the plunger is reciprocated the tray is automatically actuated to a dumping position.

By the provision of such a structure, a lighted cigarette may be eifectively positioned and carried. by the shoulders defined in the apertured bifurcated plunger past the cutting edge of the blade so that the hot coals and ashes of the cigarettei will fallinto anisolated snufling compartment on one side of the Wall while the butt end of the cigarette will fall into a storage compartment on the other side of the walls. The plunger may be spring-biased so as to normally assume an upward position.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention, as well as the specific nature thereof, will become manifest to those. versed in the art upon making reference to. the detailed description which follows and the annexed sheet of drawings which by way of illustrative example only shows a preferred embodiment of a cigarette extinguisher incorporating theprinciples of my invention.

on the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette extinguisher embodying the principles of my invention;

' Figure 2'is a cross-sectional view'with parts in elevation taken on line II--II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view with parts in elevation taken on line III III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line IVIV in Figure 3, with the complete trough showmfor the sake oficlarity;

Figure. 5 is. a c fragmentary cross-sectional view with parts in elevation somewhat similar to Figure 3 but showing the positioning of the pivotedtrayiwith the plunger depressed;

Figure 6 isa fragmentary cross-sectional view with parts in elevation taken on line VI-'-VI of Figure'2; and,

Figure flvis anenlarged fragmentary cross sectional view showing additional details of constructionland taken on line VIIe-VII of Figure 6.

As'shown on thedrawings:

A cigarette vextinguisher is indicated generally byx-the reference numeral it and is shown as comprisihgacasing l l'adapted to receive a fitted cover I 2. As may be most clearly seen on Figures 1, 2, 8 and 5, the cover I 2 is provided with a flanged portion I20; which defines the marginal contours of a cigarette-receiving trough or tray, the details of which will be amplified hereinafter. The cover I2 is further provided with an aperture l3, the utility of which will also become apparent from the description to follow.

As may be seen in Figure 4, a pair of flanged lugs |4 may be affixed to the inside walls of the casing and are so spaced as to define opposing guide tracks to support a removable severing mechanism in the casing.

More specifically, the severing mechanism comprises a pair of walls which, for the sake of convenience, may be referred to as an inner wall l3 and an outer wall H.

The walls |B and H are preferably provided with a flared portion as at Ilia and Ila in which a pair of registering slots |6b and I'll) may be formed. A blade element |8 may be securely positioned between the flared portion Ito and Ila of the walls l6 and I! in the locale of the slots 512 and H1). The blade element 3 may be secured by a pair of rivets or similar fastening means l9 passed through the walls It and I! and thereby serves to space the walls in their upper middle portion. The lower portions of the walls are further spaced by washers 29 (Figures 2 and 3) through which are passed suitable fasteners 2| as in Figure 3.

The blade element I8 is preferably providedwith a V-shaped cutting edge 22 and, in this particular embodiment, is shown as comprising a rectangular element with an irregularly shaped aperture 23 formed therein having its bottom edges sharpened to define the V-shaped cutting edge 22.

According to this invention, a plunger 24 is provided which preferably takes the form of a pair of arms and which may be conveniently formed of a single piece of sheet metal folded back upon itself. The plunger 24 is shaped in such a manner as to define three prongs near its lower end, two of the prongs indicated by the reference character 24a lying along respective edges with a center prong 24b disposed therebetween (Figure The plunger 24 is further provided with an aperture'26 and a relief opening 21 spaced from the aperture 26. A knob 28 may be connected to the plunger 24 in any conventional manner as by making a screw 29 integral with the plunger 24 and threading the knob 28 thereon.

The plunger 24 may be normally biased to an upward position by means of a suitable resilient element such as a coil spring 30 arranged to surround the center prong 24b and shoulder against the bottom edge I60 and 10, respectively, of the openings |6b and I'll) formed in the walls I6 and H.

A tray or trough element 3| is provided having a hinge portion 3|a for pivotal mounting on a pin 32. One end of the pin 32 is journaled in an aperture formed in the casing H and another portion of the pin 32 is journaled in suitable apertures formed in the walls l6 and IT. The pin 32 may be nipped or pinched as at 3211 to preclude longitudinal displacement thereof outwardly through the apertures formed in the casing II and the walls It and I1. Longitudinal movement in an opposite direction is further precluded by extending the length of the pin 32 as at 32b so the end of the pin 32 will lie in approximate relationship to the end wall of the casing Thus, if the severing mechanism is to 4 be taken out of the casing II, the walls l6 and I1 may he slid upwardly until such a time as the pin 32 binds in the pin aperture formed in the casing H and precludes further upward movement. Then, the extended length 3212 of the pin 32 may be cleared over the adjacent wall of the casing II and the pin 32 easily withdrawn from the aperture in' the casing H and the entire severing mechanism may be conveniently removed .for cleaning or servicing purposes.

As will be evident from the drawings, the tray or trough 3| is provided with an angularly inclined dished-out portion of a suitable configuration to receive and accurately position a cigarette. The tray or trough 3|"is. assembled within the casing II in such a'manner as to continue and extend the slope defined by the flanged portion |2a of the cover l2, thereby enhancing the overall decorative effect and contributing to the utility of the extinguisher Hi.

The deep end portion of the tray or trough 3| normally lies in registry with the aperture 26 formed in the plunger 24 and the opening 23 formed in the blade element l8, so that a cigarette, indicated in dotted outline on Figures 2, 3 and 4 and identified by the reference character 33, may be placed on the tray or trough 3| and extended through the severing mechanism with its lighted end against a stop 34 made integral with the cover |2.

The tray or trough 3| is provided with 9. depending flange 3|b on its end portion which defines a camming slot 36, generally horizontally disposed when the tray or trough 3| is in its normal position. The camming slot 36 is arranged to lie in registry with the generally vertical guide slots 31 and 31' formed in each of the walls l6 and H.

As may best be seen on Figure 7, a camming pin 38 may be threadedly received and retained by the plunger 24' and the slot 31' formed in the wall may be adapted to provide a sliding passage for an enlarged head portion formed on the pin 38. To assemble the pin in threaded relation to the plunger 24, one or the bifurcated arms 24a of the plunger 24 is provided with a flanged aperture suitably threaded to receive a complementally threaded portion formed on the pin 38. A projecting portion of the pin 33 may extend through the slot 37 formed in wall H5 and through the camming slot 36 formed in the flange or lug 3|b of the tray or trough 3|. Thus, whenever the plunger 24 is actuated against the bias of the spring 3|], the pin 38 moving downwardly through the guide slot 3'! will bear against the edges of the camming slot 36 and the tray or trough 3| will pivotally rotate about the axis defined by the pin 32, thereby angularly displacing the tray or trough 3| to a dumping position.

In operation, a lighted cigarette 33 positioned on the tray 3| against the stop 34 and through the severing mechanism above the cutting edge 22 of the blade element |8 will be effectively shouldered against the double wall edges of the aperture 26 formed in the bifurcated plunger 2% when the plunger 24 is actuated downwardly against the bias of the spring 30.

As the plunger 24 moves downwardly, the cutting edge 22 of-the blade element I8 will lie between the arms of the plunger 24 and will effectively sever the lighted end of the cigarette 33 with a clean cut, thereby permitting the hot coals and ashes of the cigarette 33 to fall in an isolated snufiing compartment 39 on one side of the walls l6 and I 1 while the butt end of the cigarette 33 is carried by the tray or trough 3|.

The lighted hot coals will be quickly extinguished either through lack of combustion supporting material or combustion supporting oxygen or by having the temperature thereof reduced below a kindling temperature by virtue of heat dissipation throughout the casing ll. Any shreds of tobacco or ash remaining in the locale of the cutting edge 22 and between the arms 2 2a of the plunger 24 will pass outwardly through the relief opening 21 when the plunger 2 is fully depressed over the blade element 18.

It will be evident that as the plunger 24 is depressed, the tray 3! will be angularly displaced and will pivotally rotate about the pin 32 thereby permitting the butt end of the cigarette 33 to be conveniently dumped into the storage compartment 4'0 upon the completion of the severing operation.

From the foregoing description, it should be apparent that I have described a novel and improved cigarette extinguisher operable by a single reciprccatory plunger movement, the mechanical features of which may be readily incorporated in extinguisher casings adapted for mounting in vehicles or constructed for use in homes, business offices, or other public gathering places.

While it is contemplated that various minor modifications may be made to the extinguisher structure which I have described herein by way of preferred example only, it should be understood that I do not propose to be limited to the specific details set forth but desire to embrace all such structures as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a cigarette extinguisher, a severing mechanism comprising spaced walls, a blade supported thereby, and a pronged plunger reciprocable between said walls and over said blade, said walls being apertured and said plunger having an aperture normally registering with the apertures in said walls and spaced above the cutting edge of said blade to carry a lighted cigarette past said blade for severance of the end thereof.

2. In a cigarette extinguisher, a removable severing mechanism comprising supporting walls, a pronged plunger adapted to have a lighted cigarette extending therethrough and being reciprocable between said walls and an apertured blade member carried by said walls disposed relatively between the bifurcated portions of said plunger, the lighted end of a cigarette being receivable in said aperture for severance by the coaction of said plunger and said blade when said plunger is depressed to carry the cigarette across the blade member.

3. In a cigarette extinguisher of the type defining guide means for a reciprocable plunger and a fixed cutting blade, the improvements comprising a pronged plunger adapted for reciprocation relative to a cutting edge defined by a blade disposed between the plunger prongs, said plunger prongs defining a cigarette-receiving aperture spaced from the cutting edge of said cutting blade, the edges of the aperture in the pronged plunger constituting shoulders to support and carry the cigarette past the cutting edge of the blade.

4. In a cigarette extinguisher, a severing mechanism comprising spaced walls, a blade supported thereby, and a plunger reciprocable between said walls and across said blade, said walls and said all plunger having normally registering apertures in the locale of the cutting edge of said blade to position a lighted cigarette for severance of the end th reof, said plunger further having a relief slot spaced from said cigarette-receiving aperture for receiving any shredded tobbaco tending to interfere with the movement of said plunger relative to said walls.

5. A cigarette extinguisher comprising, in combination, a casing, a pair of spaced walls slidably supported therein, said walls having a central opening and a substantially vertically disposed cam slot adjacent thereto, an apertured blade member positioned between said walls in the locale of said opening, a cigarette-receiving tray pivotally mounted in said casing and having a lug with a normally horizontally disposed camming slot in registry with said guide slot, a stop spaced from said tray to position a lighted cigarette in said tray with the lighted end extending through said blade member, an apertured plunger reciprocable between said walls and over said blade member, said plunger having a pin extending through said camming slot and said guide slot, and resilient means normally biasing said plunger upwardly, whereby the lighted end of a cigarette positioned in said tray against said stop and through said blade member and said apertured plunger may be severed when said plunger is depressed against the bias of said resilient means to carry the cigarette downwardly, said tray being simultaneously actuatable in pivotable displacement by said plunger and said pin to deposit the butt end of the cigarette on one side or" said walls while the lighted end of the cigarette will fall on the other side of said walls.

6. In a cigarette extinguisher of the type including a reciprocable plunger associated with a cutting blade, the improvements comprising a cigarette-receiving tray, said tray defining a flanged lug with a pin-receiving cam slot therein and being pivotaliy mounted in said extinguisher and a camming pin carried by said plunger and received in said cam slot for effecting simultaneous dumping action of said tray when a cigarette is severed by actuation of said plunger.

'1. A cigarette extinguisher comprising a casing, a removable severing mechanism insertable in said casing to divide said easing into a storage compartment and a snuiiing compartment, and a tray hingedly supported for pivotal movement by said casing and said mechanism in superlacent relationship relative to said storage compartment, said severing mechanism including a plunger having an actuator element arranged to cooperate with said tray, whereby a cigarette positioned by said tray may have the lighted end severed for disposition in said snufnng compartment upon actuation of said plunger, said tray being simultaneously actuatable by said plunger through said actuator element to dump the butt of said cigarette in said storage compartment.

WALTER L. LILE.

REFERENCES CI'IED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 311,053 Asbury Jan. 20, 1885 1,010,815 Smith Dec. 5, 1911 1,220,442 Merrill Mar. 27, 1917 2,262,440 Moberg Nov. 11, 1941

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