US2768630A

US2768630A - Safety cigarette holder

Info

Publication number: US2768630A
Application number: US313696A
Authority: US
Inventors: Johnson Arthur
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-10-08
Filing date: 1952-10-08
Publication date: 1956-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1973-10-30

Description

A. JOHNSON 2,768,630

SAFETY CIGARETTE HOLDER Oct. 30, 1956 Filed Oct. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l 26T-FE1- El/5 INVENTOR Oct. 30, 1356 A. JOHNSON 2,768,630

SAFETY CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed Oct. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR r/ur Johnson ATT United States Patent i SAFETY CIGARETTE HOLDER Arthur Johnson, Brooklyn, N. Y.

ApplicationOctober 8, 1952, Serial No. 313,696?

7 Claims. (Cl. 131178) This invention relates to holders for cigarettes which are safe to use and which minimize iire hazards in smoking, 'particularly hazards which are due to carelessness, inadverten, or sleeping of the user.

While prior attempts have been made to provide cigarette holders which tend to make smoking in crowded conveyances either safer or not subject to detection, such devices have depended on the alertness of the user to operate mechanisms which bring `the various safety features into operation, or they have incorporated therein insufiicient safety protection. Other disadvantages of such known cigarette holders have been their relative cumbersomeness, tendency to mechanical failure and difficulty in manufacture.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the difficulties of prior cigarette holders and to provide safety -cigarette holders which are mechanically reliable, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain and which automatically guard against the carelessness of the smoker. Other objects of the invention wi-ll be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The features of the invention may perhaps best be understood and appreciated by reference to the -accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a specific embodiment of the invention in use.

Figure 2 is 'a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1 when the barrel is in the safety or extended position with respect to the tube to enclose a cigarette.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional View looking in fr the direction of arrows 3 3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view looking in the direction of arrows 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 `is `a fragmentary plan view of the end of the cigarette holder showing it in the use position.

Figure 6 is a plan view similar to Figure 5 but wherein the holder is in the locked position.

Figure 7 is an axial cross sectional view of another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line V8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure l() is a side view of another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 11 is a side view of still 'another embodiment of the invention; Vand Figure 12 is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of the invention.

'Referring more particularly 'to Figures 1 through 6, the safety cigarette holder collectively designated `as 11 is shown 'in the lnormal smoking position and in the safety Vposition where a cigarette 16 is within the barrel 15. As shown lin Figure l, in the normal smoking position cigarette `16 protrudes from barrel 15 and the user holds barrel ,15 between the first two fingers lof his hand while exerting a slight pressure with his thumb against a flange 17 attached to t-he mouthpiece 14. The thumb pressure ice is exerted against the force of an internal tension spring, described below. Figure 2 shows the eifect of removing the users fingers from either the iiange 17 or the barrel 15, namely the internal spring moves the barrel 15 away from the mouthpiece 14 and smoke conducting ltube 20 so that the barrel encircles cigarette 16, the lighted end 16a of the cigarette being withdrawn into the `barrel "to a position of safety against tire. To this end barrel 15 ex'- tends at least as far as end 16a. Its cigarette encircling portion is therefore at least as long `as an unused cigarette.

Barrel 15 is provided with bayonet slot 22 which is adapted to accommodate detent 18 which is xedlypositioned on smoke conducting tube 20 adjacent to ange 17. Should the smoker' consciously desire to eliminate the automatic safety feature of the invention, he may move barrel 15 close to flange 17, insert detent 18 in slot 22 and slightly rotate barrel 15 with respect to smoke conducting tube 29 so that detent 18 is secured in a lateral portion of slot 22, thereby in effect locking barrel 15 and mouthpiece 14 together.

Referring to the sectional views of Figures 3 and 4, it is seen that `the coiled tension spring 28 lies within barrel 15 and surrounds smoke conducting tube 20, being attached to smoke conducting tube 20 at cigarette receiving portion 24 and being attached at its opposite end to abutment 26 fixed within barrel 15. in Figure 4 the cigarette holder is shown in the safety position of Figure 2 wherein cigarette receiving portion 24 is drawn within barrel 15 by the tensile action of coil spring 28.

in Figures 5 and 6 the operation of the locking detent 1S in slot Z2 is shown in more detail. In Figure 5 the cigarette holder is in the safety smoking position and detent 1S is in the axial or central portion of slot 22. VIn this position should the smoker remove his thumb from iiange 17, as shown in Figure l, the action of the spring moves mouthpiece 14 away from barrel 15 and draws the glowing end 16a of cigarette 16 within the barrel automatically to the position shown in Figure 2. `In Figure 6 detent Elfi is shown placed in the lateral or locking portion of slot 22; this position is reached by slightly rotating barrel 15 relative to the mouthpiece 14 as described above. The locking position will be maintained when cigarette holder 11 is in normal use, i. e. when the smoker is certain that he will have no need for the automatic cigarette retraction feature of the invention.

Figures 7-9 depict another embodiment of the invention wherein tl e locking detent 18 and slot structure 22 are replaced by a safety release button 3i) which is depressed by the thumb or by one of the fingers of the user when the holder is in the smoking position. In this embodiment of the invention, smoke conducting tube 32 is attached at its outer end to cigarette receiving member 33 which in turn accommodates a cigarette 16. Smoke conducting tube 32 is attached to mouthpiece 34 at the opposite end and thus extends within barrel 36. Compression spring 38 surrounds cigarette receiving member 33 and is urged against outer portion 36a of barrel 36 and against inner portion 33a of cigarette receiving member 33. Such ia spring may of course be used in the same way Yin the structure or Figure 2 by suitably modifying the latter. The safety locking mechanism in Figure 7 is comprised of button 3i) which vhas pin 31 passing through barrel 36, the pin being urged upwardly by a compression spring 41B and engaging sleeve 42 attached to smoke conducting tube 32. When in the safety smoking position button 3! is depressed and pin .31 extends into the deeper hoie 41a of slot 41. In Figure 9 is shown the engagement of pin 31 in slot 41 of sleeve 42 when in the smoking position.

Should button 30 rise, pin 31 is free to travel in the axial portion of slot 41 the pin 31 being restrained `from disengagement with barrel 36 by stop-member 31a on the end of pin 31. Barrel 36 then moves relative to mouthpiece 34 and cigarette 16 is surrounded by the barrel. By rotating the mouthpiece 34 relative to barrel 36, pin 31 may be accommodated in the lateral portion of slot 41, thereby maintaining the holder in the locked or nonsmoking position.

Referring now to Figure 10, there is shown another embodiment of the invention. Herein the safety cigarette holder is comprised of mouthpiece 50 which is connected to smoke conducting tube and cigarette holder member 52, the latter being surrounded by barrel S4. Safety lock member 56, is attached to smoke conducting tube 52 at a point close to its junction with mouthpiece 50. At its opposite end, safety lock 4member 56 is adapted to fit into a hole 57 in barrel 54. Normally, member 56 tends to rise from hole 57 and permit a spring 53 (like spring 23 in Figure 3) to move barrel 54 away from mouthpiece .50. However, in use two fingers of the smoker maintain member 56 within the hole, thereby keeping the holder in the smoking position. Should the smoker become inattentive and remove either of his two fingers then lock member 56 is released and the cigarette is drawn within the barrel.Y One may also provide a non-safety lock for the embodiment of Figure l by having a bayonet slot to accommodate member 56, similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 2.

In Figure ll is shown another modification of the invention, wherein the holder comprised of mouthpiece 50, barrel 54 and smoke conducting tube 52 has a safety clutch member 58 attached to tube 52. instead of engaging a hole as in Figure l0, clutch member S8 is flared upwardly at its free end 58a. The user grasps barrel 54 with a lower finger and places an upper finger against the aring end 58a of member 58. By this arrangement the frictional action of the lower finger holds barrel 54 in the smoking position. Upon a lessening of this friction, the spring (not shown but identical to spring 53 in Figure l0) urges barrel 54 away from mouthpiece 50.

Figure 12 shows another modification of the frictional principle. Mouthpiece 62 is attached to smoke conducting tube 65 which is provided with at least one finger accommodating depression or valley 66. Barrel 60 is also provided with at least one corresponding depression or valley 68 so that a depression 66 is exposed. When smoking, the user simply places his fingers in these valleys, thus serving to hold barrel 60 close to mouthpiece '62. This arrangement also lends itself to several pleasing decorative arrangements. As shown, detent 63 may be used to fit into bayonet slot 64 should the safety features of the cigarette holder be temporarily dispensed with. The internal structure within barrel 60 includes a spring 61 (like spring 3S in Figure 7) which urges the barrel to the position shown relative to mouthpiece 62.

As is shown by the drawings, it is a feature of the invention to provide a cigarette holder which is mechanically simple and yet which requires the exertion of slight conscious physical effort by the user to maintain the cigarette outside the barrel while he is smoking the cigarette. Should the smokers vigilance relax or should he become drowsy, his hand naturally falls away from the flange of Figures 1-6, the button of Figures 7-9, the lock or clutch of Figure l0 or l1, or the valleys of Figure 12, thereby allowing the spring mechanism to move the barrel away from the mouthpiece and withdraw the glowing cigarette to a position of safety against fire Within the barrel. It is to be noted that such withdrawal of a cigarette results in putting it out in about l2 seconds.

Although in the foregoing specification I have given various examples of my invention and have suggested certain modifications and alternatives, these are not intended to be exhaustive of my invention, but on the contrary are selected and presented with a view to illustrating and explaining the invention, the principles thereof and the best manner of applying it in practical use in order that others skilled in the art may be enabled to practice the invention and apply it under various circumstances and in various ways, and with modifications each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

What I claim is:

l. A safety cigarette holder comprising a mouthpiece, a hollow tubular member fixed to said mouthpiece at one end and having a recessed portion at the other end adapted to hold a lighted cigarette, the length of said tubular member being at least as long as an unused cigarette, a movable barrel encircling said tubular member along its length, said tubular member being adapted to slide lengthwise within said barrel between an extended position and a retracted position, cooperating limit means on said tubular member and said barrel providing a stop for said tubular member in said extended position, said barrel projecting beyond the recessed end of said tubular member when said tubular member is in said extended position and for a distance at least equal to the length of an unused cigarette, said tubular member being at least as long as said barrel, spring means acting to slide said member into extended position, and finger operated holding means having a released position and a holding position and adapted to be engaged by the user of said holder for retention thereof in holding position to overcome the action of said spring means and to hold said mouthpiece adjacent said barrel thus permitting a lighted cigarette to extend freely from the recessed end of said tubular member and not be encircled by said barrel, said finger operated holding means being normally biased to released position, said barrel and said tubular member sliding relative to each other to said extended position under the action of said spring means when the user releases said holding means.

2. A safety cigarette holder for automatically extinguishing a lighted cigarette when the person using the holder through inadvertence or accident releases his grip on the holder, said holder comprising a small diameter barrel having a length at least as long as an unused cigarette and having a slightly larger inside diameter, a tubular member adapted to move axially within said barrel and having a mouthpiece at one end projecting beyond said barrel and having cigarette holding means at the other end, limit means on said tubular member and said barrel comprising a stop for preventing said barrel from sliding completely beyond the cigarette holding end of said tubular member, spring means for sliding said tubular member and said barrel apart to a stopped position wherein said barrel can extend well beyond the cigarette holding end of said tubular member, the length of said barrel being such that when in said stopped position it extends at least the length of an unused cigarette beyond the cigarette holding end of said tubular member, said tubular member being at least as long as said barrel, and safety means having a holding position and a released position, being normally biased toward released position and adapted when in holding position to hold said barrel and tubular member telescoped relative to each other away from said stopped position and against the action of said spring means so that a cigarette can extend beyond the cigarette holding end of said tubular member without being surrounded by said barrel, said safety means being adapted to be held by the user in holding position while he smokes a cigarette retained in said cigarette holding means.

3. The combination of elements as in claim 2 in which said safety means includes a shoulder member carried on said tubular member near said mouthpiece and which is adapted to be held by a users finger against the end of said barrel.

4. The combination of elements as in claim 2 in which said safety means includes a member adapted to be grasped by the users finger to hold said mouthpiece closely adjacent the end of said barrel and further includes a pin carried on said tubular member and engageable in a bayonet slot in the end of said barrel into which said pin is adapted to slide and lock thereby to defeat the action of said spring means.

5. The combination of elements as in claim 2 in Which said safety means includes a pin carried by said barrel and engageable in a hole in said tubular member adjacent said mouthpiece, said pin being spring urged upward to released position.

6. The combination of elements as in claim 2 in which said safety means includes a cantilever spring secured at one end to said tubular member adjacent said mouthpiece and extending axially toward the cigarette holding end of said tubular member, said spring being engageable under the force of a users finger in a recess in said barrel whereby said tubular member and said barrel can be held in telescoped position.

7. The combination of elements as in claim 2 in which said safety means includes a scalloped ridge on said tubular member having a series of depressions along its length, and said barrel has a corresponding series of grooves so that a users finger can engage a mate-hing groove and depression to hold said tubular member and said barrel telescoped relative to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS