US2663504A

US2663504A - Disposal device for cigars, cigarettes, and like waste materials

Info

Publication number: US2663504A
Application number: US241546A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Charles L Hooker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-08-13
Filing date: 1951-08-13
Publication date: 1953-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 1970-12-22

Description

, AND

Dec. 22, 1953 c. L. HOOKER. JR

DISPOSAL DEVICE FOR CIGARS, CIGARETTES THE LIKE WASTE MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 13, 1951 ATTORNEY S;

Dec. 22, 1953 c. HOOKER, JR

DISPOSAL DEVICE FOR CIGARS, CIGARETTES, AND THE LIKE WASTE MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 13, 1951 INVENTOR c. L Hoe/(ER, J

BY 147 ,M 6 M ATTORNEYS latented ee. 22, 1953 FF ICE DESPOSAL DEVICE FOR CIGARS, CIGA- RETTES, AND LIKE WASTE MATERIALS Charles L. Hooker, J12, El Cajon, Calif.

Application August 13, 1951, Serial N 0. 241,546

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in receiving and disposal apparatus for waste material such as the ashes and butts of cigars, cigarettes and the like and more particularly to apparatus of this type provided with means for grinding or comminuting the butts of cigars, cigarettes and the like and for disposing of the resulting ground or comminuted material.

A primary object of the invention is the provision or an improved device for receiving and quickly and efiectively disposing of lighted or unlighted cigar and cigarette butts and ashes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a receiving and disposal device for cigar and cigarette butts adapted to grind and/or coznminute the cigar or cigarette butts preparatory to disposal thereof thereby facilitating extinguishment and discharge of such butts and eliminating or substantially reducing the possibility of the disposal apparatus becoming clogged.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a cigarette, cigar and like waste disposal device for automobiles, airplanes or like types of conveyances adapted to receive and disintegrate such material into relatively small particles and to automatically collect and/or discharge such particles at a point remote from the disintegrating mechanism whereby smoke and odor from the articles deposited is eliminated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a waste disposal device for automobiles, airplanes and the like provided with power operated grinding or comminuting means for disintegrating waste material such as cigar and cigarette butts deposited therein and with suction means for discharging or otherwise disposing of the disintegrated waste material.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a waste disposal unit for automobiles and the like adapted to receive and hold waste material when the automobile is in operation and to automatically discharge such material when the automobile is at rest and the engine cut off thereby avoiding the possibility of discharging burning material when the automobile is in operation.

These and other object and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the device of the invention as applied to the dash of an automobile;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of thereoeiving receptacle;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the receiving re- Fig. 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a modified form of receiving receptacle;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a further modified form of the receiving receptacle.

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line ll of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view or a modified form of the waste disposal member.

One of the more commonly used devices for the disposal of lighted cigars and cigarettes in automobiles and the like consists of a receptacle or tray slidably mounted in the dash and having a dished member suspended therein against which a lighted cigar or cigarette may be pressed by an occupant of the automobile prior to depositing it in the tray. While this device is relatively simple and inexpensive it has the disadvantage that the tray or receptacle must be emptied periodically and while this is a rather simple operation it usually is not thought of at the proper time and place for ready disposal of the contents. As a result cigarette, and cigar ashes and butts are permitted to remain in the trays for relatively long periods of time with consequent unsightliness and disagreeable odor.

Furthermore, the necessity or manually extinguishing the lighted cigar or cigarette prior to depositing it in the tray is a rather troublesome and difficult operation to carry out particularly for the operator of the vehicle who must keep his eyes on the road ahead. As a result the lighted cigar or cigarette is frequently only partially extinguished thereby constituting a very definite fire hazard particularly when dropped into a tray which is partially filled with previously deposited waste material. Furthermore if it is attempted to extinguish a lighted cigar or cigarette in this manner when the windows of the automobile are open the wind will frequently blow the burning particles of tobacco onto the clothes of the occupants or onto the upholstery of the car burning a hole therein and sometimes setting fire to the car.

With the device of the present invention the objectionable practices and features above mentioned are eifectively eliminated. Lighted cigar of the car ride with a greater sense of security and comfort.

In the drawings there are illustrated typical embodiments of the invention which are particularly designed for use with an automobile. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1-4, the numeral H! denotes a support member which may be a portion of the dash of an automobile or the like. The member I8 is provided with an opening H which may be closed by a hinged or slidable door (not shown) when not in use. A receptacle I3 is disposed below the opening H and secured to the dash I in any suitable manner as by welding, bolting or otherwise securing the flanges I4 thereof to the dash.

The receptacle I3 is desirably formed with a substantially rectangular shaped body portion I5 having an open end It at the top thereof in alignment with the dash opening II and a substantially funnel shaped discharge portion IT at the bottom thereof terminating in an outlet I8. Intermediate the top and bottom of the body portion I5 is disposed a toothed cutter I9 rotatably mounted in the side walls 20 of the receptacle by a shaft 2i and adapted to be rotated at a relatively high speed to comminute waste material delivered to the receptacle I3. The toothed cutter 9 may desirably comprise a drumlike cylindrical shaped member 22 secured on the shaft 2i in any suitable manner and provided with relatively small teeth 23 secured to the peripheral surface thereof and projecting radially outward therefrom for cooperation with a serrated bed plate 24 hereinafter described. The teeth 23 may desirably comprise pin-like or spikelike members rigidly secured in spaced relation over the entire peripheral surface of the drum around the toothed cutter I9 as shown and pro- 7 vided with a serrated cutting surface 25 for cooperation with the teeth 23. The bed plate 24 may desirably be formed as a curved wall of the receptacle l3 which narrows toward its bottom and has aflixed thereto in spaced relation thereon cutting teeth 21. The cutting teeth 21 are preferably elongated substantially wedge shaped members having concavely curved upper portions 29 positioned adjacent the path of movement of the teeth 23 and designed for cooperation therewith to quickly and effectively grind or comminute waste material such as cigar and cigarette butts into finely divided particles.

In order to insure that waste material introduced into the receptacle I9 is carried downwardly between the toothed cutter I9 and the serrated bed plate 24 a baffle 30 is secured in the receptacle I9 in any suitable manner and extends diagonally downward from one end thereof in a manner such that waste material introduced through the openings I I and I5 is deflected downwardly and laterally in the desired direction. The bafile 36 thus functions to insure proper delivery of waste material to the grinding and comminuting means and in addition further functions to prevent accidental discharge of comminuted waste material back through the opening in the event any such material is carried around by the rotating toothed cutter.

While the toothed cutter I9 may be rotated or operated continuously, it is preferable to operate it intermittently at such times as it is desired to grind or comminute the waste material. One suitable and preferred means for rotating the cutter I9 comprises an electric motor 3| coupled to the cutter shaft 2! and having electrical connections with the battery of the car. Operation of the motor may be controlled by a push button switch 32 of any suitable type electrically connected to the motor and secured to the .dash of the car closely adjacent the opening II therein. In the modified construction shown in ,Fig. 5 the cutter -a 34 'receptacle I3 I designed to be manually operated and having a portion thereof projecting through an opening 35 in the dash and provided with an operating handle 36. The lever 33 is hingedly connected as at 31 to a toothed rack 38 designed for meshing engagement with a pinion 39 mounted on the shaft of the cutter I9. A spring 40 cooperatively associated with the lever 33 and the rack 38 serves to hold the rack 33 in meshing engagement with the pinion 39 while simultaneously urging the lever 33 toward its upper rest position. If desired, additional springs may be employed to hold the lever 33 in the retracted position shown in Fig. 5 and the rack 38 in mesh with the pinion 39.

The pinion 39 preferably comprises a ratchet sprocket designed to positively rotate the shaft 2| in one direction to grind and comminute the material while being freely rotatable on the shaft in the opposite direction. This permits the cutter to be operated continuously in one direction by one or more actuations of the operating handle against the restraining action of the spring Gil.

In the further modification of the invention shown in Fig. 6 the cutter I9 is rotated by a fluid motor 42 secured to the shaft 2i. The motor 42 is preferably of the suction type comprising a rotor 43, and a casing 44 having an inlet 45 open to the atmosphere and an outlet 16 connected to a source of vacuum. Alternatively, if desired, the motor 42 may be of the pressure type in which case the inlet t5 may be connected to a source of fluid under pressure and the outlet 46 open to the atmosphere. A suitable valve 4! may be placed in the line to the motor .22 so that it may be intermittently operated by an occupant of the automobile or the valve may be omitted so that the motor 42 will operate continuously while the engine of the automobile is in operation.

It will be apparent from the description thus far that cigar and cigarette butts and the like waste material introduced into the receptacle I3 through the dash opening iI and the receptacle opening 66 will strike the bafile 3H and be deflected laterally downward between the descending teeth 23 of the cutter I9 and. the teeth 2? of the serrated bed plate 24. The cutter I9, if not already in operation, may then be actuated by means of any of the various mechanisms hereinbefore described to effectively grind and/or comminute the waste material into small particles. Under the influence of gravity and the rotating cutter I9 as well as a suction means hereinafter described the comminuted material passes downwardly into and through the funnel shaped discharge portion I7 and through the outlet I8 to a discharge conduit 50.

The conduit 56 may desirably comprise a flexible tube formed of any suitable flexible material such as rubber, rubberized fabric, copper tubing or the like and serves to convey the comminuted waste material from the receptacle I3 to a disposal member 5!. The disposal member 5i may be mounted on any convenient part of the body or framework of the automobile as by the bracket 52 and is preferably located at or below the chasis so as to discharge the comminuted waste material directly'onto a street or highway.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1-5 the disposal member 5i comprises a casing 53 having an inlet end '54 communicat ing with the conduit 58 and an outlet end 55 open to the atmosphere. Intermediate the inlet and outlet ends the casing 53 is provided with an air intake orifice 55 having its open end 5'1 facing in tlie direction of movement of-the-car. -'I-'hu whenthecar f tion air is forced through the orifice 56 into and through the disposal member 5! and discharged through the open end thereof. This creates a suction on the discharge conduit 50 which, as pointed out above, assists in withdrawing comminuted waste material from the receptacle l3 and discharging it through the open end of the disposal member.

The modified form of disposal member shown in Fig. 8 is designed for use under conditions which render it undesirable to discharge the Waste material along the highway. This form of the invention eliminates any possibility of discharging sparks or burning material while travelling along the street or highway and hence eliminates the fire hazards occasioned by the discharge of such material.

The construction shown comprises a housing 90 having an inlet 6! at one end thereof for receiving comminuted waste material from the conduit 5.. and a dis harge opening 52 in the bottom thereof for discharging the waste material. A closure door 63 is pivoted to the housing 99 adjacent the opening 92 and is normally maintained in closed position during operation of the engine by a vacuum controlled device 5%. The door 53 preferably slopes downwardly from the inlet end. of the housing 69 so that material discharged thereon will tend to gravitate toward the front of the housing.

The device 56 may comprise a cylinder 65 mounted in the housing 99 and having one end thereof connected to a source of vacuum by a conduit A piston 57 is reciprocably mounted in the cylinder 55 and has a piston rod 59 conn cted to the pivoted door 93 by a connecting link 99. When the engine is running apartial vacuum is set up in the cylinder 6-5 through the conduit 69- which pulls the piston 67 upwardly therein to hold the door 63 in closed position. When the engine is stopped the vacuum is released and a spring ll mounted between the piston and the top of the cylinder urges the piston down to open the door.

It will thus be seen that any waste material discharged into the housing 60 will be retained therein While the engine is running and will not be discharged until the engine is stopped.

As a further feature the end of the housing 60 opposite the inlet end is preferably open to the atmosphere and covered by a relatively fine mesh screen or grating 72. By virtue of this arrangement the housing to acts as an incinerator in which all unconsumed particles, in the presence of a spark or sparks, are caused to burst into flame whereby they are quickly reduced to an incombustible state for discharge in the form of ashes. The screen E2, of course, prevents the discharge of such material but permits the entry of air to support combustion.

It will thus be apparent that the present invention provides an improved apparatus for the quick and ready disposal of waste material such as cigar and cigarette butts and ashes. The grinding and comminuting of the material in accordance with the invention facilitates rapid and automatic evacuation thereof from the collecting receptacle so that fire hazards and disagreeable odors are eliminated or substantially reduced. Grinding and comminuting of the waste material furthermore facilitates movement thereof through the discharge conduit and the disposal member and substantially reduces the tendency of these parts of the device to become clogged as frequently happens when it is attempted to pass butts and the like therethrough. In addition to the above applicants device eliminates the fire hazards and the unsightly appearance created by throwing or discharging lighted cigar and cigarette butts along the streets and highways since the comminuted material is widely scattered when discharged and is substantially unnoticeable.

While the invention herein is illustrated in its preferred forms as applied to an automobile or like type of conveyance it will be understood that it could readily be applied to a stationary construction such as a room wall or the like. These and other modifications of the invention described and illustrated will most likely occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is indicated in the attached claim.

I claim:

In a disposal device for waste material of the nature of cigar and cigarette butts comprising a fixed housing adapted to be secured to the dash of an automobile having an opening for the reception of waste material and suction outlet means communicating with said housing, the improvement consisting of a rotatable cutter extending across said housing in the path of waste material introduced thereinto, said housing having an opening in its top communicating with the first opening for introducing waste material thereinto, and side walls leading from the housing opening converging around the cutter and connecting with the outlet, a baflie plate steeply inclined downwardly from the housing opening tangentially directed with respect to the rotatable cutter to funnel waste material thereto, said rotatable cutter comprising a shaft and a drumlike member on said shaft having a plurality of outwardly projecting pin-like teeth thereon, a plurality of stationary laterally wedge shaped cutting teeth on a converging wall of the housing extending across the length of the rotatable cutter and to adjacent the periphery of the pinlike teeth, the stationary teeth reaching from the point of nearest approach of the pin-like teeth to the side wall to a point removed downstream therefrom, the pin-like teeth and the stationary teeth having substantially the same clearance throughout the extent of the latter, and means for rapidly rotating the rotatable cutter in a direcion away from the baffle plate towards the stationary teeth to comminute waste material for removal by the suction means from the converging housing section.

CHARLES L. HOOKER, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 209,463 Creasey Oct. 29, 1878 544,336 Williams Aug. 13, 1895 1,331,872 Plucker Feb. 24, 1920 2,270,370 Dalrymple Jan. 20, 1942 2,299,668 Webster Oct. 20, 1942 2,556,370 Holmes June 12, 1951 2,558,551 Fox June 26, 1951 2,561,275 Hentschel July 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 267,261 Great Britain Mar. 17, 1927 468,500 France Apr. 25, 1914 517,211 Great Britain Jan. 23, 1940 869,102 France Oct. 29, 1941