US2645229A - Portable ash receiver for personal use - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1953 E- A. STILLMAN 2,

PORTABLE ASH RECEIVER FOR PERSONAL USE Filed Jan. 24, 1950 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII- JNVENTOR.

JTTORNEJS' Patented July 14, 1953 PORTABLE ASH REoEivEa Fort I PERSONAL USE r e N Edwin Stillman, New York, N. Y.

Application January. 24, 1950, Serial No. 140,193

This invention relatesqtoiaportable ash re-v ceiver for personal use by smokers, 5 a heinventors object. was ,to provide adevice that could becarried at all time'sin the-smokers pocket, handbag and the like, without inconveniencing the smoker and which would be ready for instant use under what otherwise-might .be-eme barrassing circumstances. For example, agentleman smckersometimesfinds himself stranded with long ashes on his cigaretteand with-no place lzjolann (01. 131 -235) to put the ashes, whereby he is forced to -deposit the ashes in his trouser leg cuff or otherwise dispose of them in an untidy and sometimes dangerous manner. A lady smoker, also,-is sometimes similarly troubled, and she usually has even greater diiliculty in handling the situation, The inventors purpose was to devise a handy and safe device that could be'made sufliciently attractive in appearance and adequately handy to induce the smoker to carry thedevice at all times,-where-v by to be ready for such emergencies. Furthermore, the inventor had in mind the novelty of such a device, his idea. being thatcompaniesof various products whichgive-away inexpensive articles carrying advertisements of their businesses, could usesucha portable ash receiver as such an advertising medium. T

An example of an ash receiver embodying the principles of the present'invention is disclosed hereinafter with the .aid-of-the accompanying drawings. The disclosure of this specific exar n; ple functions toexplain the principles and operation of the invention so that they may be applied in other forms. The manner of making the ;'device should be apparent to those skilled in the art. Consequently, it is considered unnecessary to explain in detail how the device may be manufactured.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the example, with the device shown in approximately full scale; 5

Fig. 2 is on an enlarged scale, as are the balance of the figures, and it shows, in vertical section, the top or upper portion of the device illustrated by Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 shown in Fig. 2; I

Fig. 4 is an exploded view parts of the device.

In the case of the example, the device comprises a tubular casing I having a permanently closed bottom 2 and provided with a hinged top closure '3 having a spring 4, biasing it towards its open position, and a latch 5 for releasably holding it closed. This casing and closure are of certain working I 2 smoothly contoured externally and are dimensioned for convenient carrying in a gentleman smokers pocket. This also adapts it for easy carrying in a ladys handbag and the like. vIn this example the casing is relatively thin and has a rectangular section, the closure 3 bein correspondingly contoured and in the nature of'an inverted cup. c c g The mouth of the casing I has an internal transversegrid 6 adapted to be swung downwardly. This grid has a spring A biasing it to a horizontal position with a force proportioned so as to so position it to permit cigarettes, butts and thelike to be ground thereon to'extinguish them, while permitting the use of manual force to swing the grid downwardly, to provide clear- The grid 5 has an operating handle 1 projecting upwardly from the hinged end of its working 7 surface. I The handle provides the means for the above described manual swinging of thegrid 6, without the users fingers contacting the working surface onwhich the butts are ground and is, therefore, apt to soil the fingers.

The foregoing features are incorporated throughconstructional details whichwill now be described. The casing I and its bottom 2 are illustrated as being an integral form. The same applies to the closure 3 as to its top andits depending skirts or sides which provide it with its inverted cup-like character. These parts may comprise stamped and drawn, sheet metal, units, or they may be made in the form of plastic moldings, using, of course, a plastic thatis at least non-inflammable. In either event, the exterior may be appropriately decorated. These parts provide an attractive means for displaying advertising copy. The use of plastics, for either one or both parts, obviously has attractive color possibilities.

A flat metal strip bent to a U-shape 8,, is designed to fitsnugly in the rectangular casing land to be frictionally retained therein. A projection at one end, appropriately formed, provides the'latch 5, as shown in Fig. l. The other end of the strip 8, has two ears 9 stamped inwardly from its opposite edges and provided with aligned holes in through which a pivot pin II i passed to journal the grid 6 and its operating handle 1. A single strip metal stamping is used for these parts 6 and l, with an upwardly bent portion at one end formin the handle -'I. The cars I2, stamped downwardly from the opposite edges at the same end as the handle 1 have aligned holes l3 through which the pivot pin H passes. This provides the hinge action.

The pivot pin 1 l is also passed through a spring 4. The latter comprising a helical torson spring having a horizontal lever end It bearing upwardly against the bottom of the grid 6, and a depending vertical lever end l5 bearing against the inside of the adjacent portionof the strip 8. The end of the strip 8 providing the ears 9, also is formed with a series of spaced hinge loops l6 which cooperate with complementary hinge loops l1 provided at the hinge end of the closure 3. A pivot pin l9 comprises a portion of the hinge structure for the closure. The handle I, of the grid 6, is shaped to press against the mounting plate l8 of a hinge element secured to the adjacent portion of the closure 3. This plate [8 provides the loops IT, a pivot pin l9 completing the hinge structure for the closure.

As illustrated, the handle 1 of the grid 6, is formed to bear against the inside of the hinge plate It so that when the closure 3 is closed and latched, the grid ii is swung downwardly slightly, the spring 4 thus transmitting a force tending to open the closure 3. Therefore, when the closure is'unlatched, as by using the illustrated latch 5, the spring i functions to bias the closure into a partially or entirely open position. The closure stays open during use because it swings far enough backwardly to put its weight on the outer side of the pivot pin l9, and the handle 7 is therefore freely exposed for use.

When the user grinds butts on the grid 6 the butts are extinguished, a flick of the thumb on the handle 1 then dumps them into the casing I under the grid 6. The metal strip 8 provides a metal bottom above the casing bottom 2, this.

making it practical to use some plastics that might otherwise be unsuitable.

A smoker carrying one of these devices, embodying the principles and operation described, is no longer subjected to embarrassment, when stranded, while smoking, away from the usual ash tray. The device is ready for immediate use when its closure is unlatched, the closure then snapping open. The grid in the device is available for extinguishing the lighted end of cigarettes or cigars. In the case of the example, the user then operates the handle I to deposit the butts and ashes into the casing. Thereafter, the closure may be snapped shut and the device put in the pocket or the handbag, or wherever may be handy about the smokers person. Adequate space is provided on the exterior of the device for illustrative or descriptive matter, or for ornamentation purposes.

I claim:

1. A cigarette ash and butt receiver including a casing having a closed bottom and a top providing an open mouth, a closure for said mouth, a hinge connecting said closure to said casing adjacent said mouth so that the closure is adapted to be swung to open and closed positions, a grid constructed to span said mouth and to permit the ash end of cigarettes to be ground thereon, a hinge adjacent the first-named hinge and mounting said grid transversely across said mouth and so that the grid may be swung downwardly to clear the mouth for the deposit of cigarette butts in said casing, a spring arranged to bias said grid against swingin downwardly from a position transversely across said mouth, an operating handle extending upwardly from said grid shaped so that the handle may be finger operated to swing said grid downwardly without finger contact with thegrids upper surface and said handle being contoured and positioned for engagement by said closure so that swinging of the latter closed moves the handle to swing said grid downwardly whereby the force of said spring is transmitted through the handle to the closure to bias the latter to an open position, and a latch for holding said closure closed.

2. A cigarette ash and butt receiver including a casing having a closed bottom and a top providing an open mouth, a closure for said mouth, a hinge connecting said closure to said casing adjacent said mouth so that the closure is adapted to be swung to open and closed positions, a grid constructed to span said mouth and to permit the ash end of cigarettes to be ground thereon, a hinge adjacent the first-named hinge and mounting said grid transversely across said mouth and so that the grid may be swung downwardly to clear the mouth for the deposit of cigarette butts in said casing, a spring arranged to bias said grid against swinging downwardly from a position transversely across said mouth, an operating handle extending upwardly from said grid shaped so that the handle may be finger operated to swing said grid downwardly without finger contact with the grids upper surface and said handle being contoured and positioned for engagement by said closure so that swinging of the latter closed moves the handle to swing said grid downwardly whereby the force of said spring is transmitted through the handle to the closure to bias the latter to an open position, and a latch for holding said closure closed, a substantially U-shaped member fitting upright in said casing removably retained frictionally therein and having one upstanding end portion mounting the second-named hinge and said spring and the other upstanding end portion providing an abutment for the swinging end of said grid to restrain the spring from swinging the grid upwardly out of said mouth, said member together with said grid and spring and abutment forming a unit removable from said casing.

EDWIN A. STILLMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Images