US3099270A - Smoker's ashtray - Google Patents

Description

July 30, 1963 s. P. GARSON 3,099,270

SMOKER'S ASHTRAY Filed Aug. 25,- 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l 6 (3 0 0 0 Q g g 20/ QQQ 0 FlG 2 STANLEY P. GARSON TTORNEY IINVENTOR. I

July 30, 1963 s. P. GARSON 3,099,270

SMOKERS ASHTRAY Filed Aug. 25. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H M 6a W 20 2o f STANLEY P. GARSON INVENTOR,

2o 24 F|G 7 BY A TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,099,270 SMOKERS ASHTRAY Stanley P. Garson, 168 Boston St, Seattle, Wash. Filed Aug. 25, 196i, Ser. No. 134,902 2 claims. (ct. 131-240 This present invention relates to the general art of ashtrays which are so constructed as to normally fully contain the combustible coals of the cigarettes as they may :be produced as the cigarette is lying on the ashtray. This present ashtray is constructed with a perforated metal top having a curvature which by experiment and extended use has been determined as the curvature which will produce a sliding action wherein the ashtray tends to cause the cigarette to gravitate downwardly toward the center of the tray as it may burn over a reasonably long period. This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 725,353, filed March 31, 1958, and now United States Patent No. 3,006,349 which issued on October 31, 1961.

In smoking of cigarettes, particularly during periods in which the users may be playing games and the like or during extended discussions as in a business office, a great number of times it becomes desirable to lay the cigarette down on an ashtray and to leave it there for extended periods, after which it may be desirable to recover it for further enjoyment. In the past, numerous styles of ashtrays have been produced, many of a very fire safe character in which the cigarrette is deposited in a chamber with a top closure. There are, on the other hand, simpler forms of ashtrays that are in effect saucers which give a depository that does not necessarily hold the cigarette in any one place and does not hold the coals which may break off of the cigarette and perhaps be blownabout if a sudden draft occurs from an opened door. These types of ashtrays are probably the most dangerous of all and numerous families have been suffocated by fires started in upholstered furniture through the use of such ashtrays. Even where no serious consequences such as injury or loss of human life have resulted the nonconfining type of ashtrays has been the incipient cause of many fires which have damaged furniture or left holes in expensive floor coverings. This present ashtray has been created in an endeavor to overcome the dangerous mishandling of cigarettes, particularly those laid aside for presumably very short periods and which may be recovered for further use by their owners or, as often happens, may be forgotten.

The principal object of this invention therefore is to provide an easily portable ashtray of a type that insures the maximum safety for the handling of cigarettes that have been laid aside presumably on a temporary basis.

A further object of this present invention is to provide an ashtray that is easily portable, is neat in appearance and is provided with a perforated top in which the perforations are holes disposed very closely together in a manner to :give the maximum number of holes in substantial radial alignment.

A further object of this invention is to provide a perforated top for an ashtray that is easily removable from the In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of an ashtray constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the ashtray top and the position of the coal end of the cigarette;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken through an earlier form of this present ashtray;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing a modified form for joining the dished portion of the ashtray top, the bezel of the top and the manner in which it engages the vertical side wall of the ashtray base;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 5 illustrating a further modified form, this being a fragmentary view in section and on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view taken along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 1; and illustrating, on an enlarged scale, the relative sizes of a cigarette and the ashtray perforations;

FIGURE 8 is a vertical cross-sectional vie-w showing diagrammatically the curvature of the cigarette tray top.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, the numeral Iii designates generally the top of this present ashtray and i2 designates generally the bottom portion of the ashtray. Top It? of the ashtray has in effect two parts which are merged together in the manufacture. It consists of the concave perforated screen shown generally by the numeral 14 and forming a continuation of the bezel 16 which sup- .ports the screen.

Top 10 has, as part of the rim or bezel 16, an inwardly and downwardly directed portion I8 which is unperforated and provides a surface pitched at an angle which has been determined as adequate to insure that the cigarette C will slide downwardly toward the center of the ashtray as the ash burns and shortens the length of the cigarette remaining.

Experience has indicated that any wide surface of solid metal tends to conduct the heat away from a hot cigarette body and to cause a precipitation of the tars which are released from the cigarette components as it burns when the cigarette is not under the draft of a smoker. In this connection it has been found that the density of the tobacco of the average cigarette offers so much resistance to air passing through as it burns on an ashtray that the products of combustion are dissipated immediately into the air and do not pass through the cigarette as they would of course, if the smoker were smoking it. Preference is made to FIGURES 1 and 2 and these may be taken in contrast with the showings of FIGURES 3 and 4 which show the earlier form of this ashtray as illustrated in my co-pending application Serial No. 725,353. It should be noted in FIGURES -1 and 2 that the holes 24} are smaller in diameter than the cigarettes C with which they are to be used. This, when the tray is used with the ordinary American type of cigarette, has been determined as A of an inch as a preferred diameter for a round hole and an equivalent area for other shapes of which the triangular opening is next in preference. Primarily this makes it impossible for the coal or lighted end of a cigarette to be pressed through any of the holes which would be undesirable and unnecessary as the cover can be and is easily raised so that the cigarette may be deposited in base 12 if that is the smokers wish. This desirable relationship is illustrated in FIGURE 2. The holes as indicated are placed as closely together as mechanical strength permits, it being necessary that metal Webs as 22 and 24 be provided so as to give strength and substance to the screen. It is desirable however that these be kept to a minimum width of 3 of an inch, substantially as illustrated, because this proportion has been found adequate to resist all distortion if a person should press heavily on a cigarette in extinguishing it, but more important, the absence of a mass of metal under the burning portion of the cigarette C precludes the precipitation of the tars and the like on the metal screen. Most smokers have had the experience of picking up a cigarette that had been placed on a cold surface for some time to find that the underside of the cigarette was so contaminated with tars precipitated on the outside of the paper as to render the cigarette undesirable for further use. With this present proportioning of metal in the screen portion of this ashtray these unpleasant results do not occur.

In order to assist one in making an ashtray after the teachings of this invention the curvature of the dished or concaved portion of the ashtray is shown in FIGURE 8 in which actual dimensions are given. This is on the premise that the over-all diameter of the ashtray is five inches and the average length of a partially smoked cigarette is 2 and /2 inches. It is not intended that these exact dimensions must be used but they are submitted as an example of proportioning that has proven to be very satisfactory and this proportioning should be followed if any increase in diameter is made. It is not desirable to reduce the diameter of the ashtray below five inches for the ordinary cigarettes as exemplified by the more popular bands of American cigarettes.

With particular reference to the proportions shown in FIGURE 8, the concaved portion is formed to provide a surface of approximately spherical segment form which is preferably approximately equal in radius to 70% of the external diameter of the ashtray. A specific structure having this form and proportion and its function is shown with particular clarity in FIGURE 2 where it will be seen that the approximately spherical structure perruns a burning cigarette to be supported only at two points spaced apart along the length thereof whereby contact between the undersurface of the burning cigarette and the metal portions of the concave perforated plate member 14 is reduced to a minimum to avoid the undesirable condensation of tar on the cigarette.

There are various ways of producing a desirable final shape for top 10 and throughout the drawings of FIG- URES 2, and 6, a preferred form is shown in FIGURE 2 and alternate forms in FIGURES 5 and 6. These latter two forms may prove desirable for certain types of manufacture and are submitted merely as a guide for this purpose. The modified form shown in FIGURE 4 is illustrative of the earlier form of structure employed in this type of ash tray by this present applicant.

Referring to FIGURE 2 it is normally preferable that the screen portion 14 and the bezel portion 16 be joined together during manufacture as by brazing or the like so that the :bezel member 16 can be made of thicker material than is desirable for the screen portion 14 for the reason as previously noted that it is desirable to avoid a heavy mass of metal that tends to cool the cigarette to an undesirable extent.

The base 12 may be variously constructed. The form shown in FIGURE 2 employs a base having a relatively sharp corner 36 and this presents a very pleasing form of ashtray and one which can be easily constructed by usual production drawing methods. The upper margin of the base 12 as shown in FIGURE 2 is provided with a stepped joint at 32 which gives a pleasing appearance and in addition provides a desirable snug fit for the cover onto the base, so that if the tray is knocked down it will not come apart and possibly spill hot embers on valuable floor coverings or furniture. In FIGURES 5' and 6- alternate forms are shown at 40 where the recessed joint 42 is employed but the base portion 44 is made of a single weight of material and formed at 46 to provide the rest required for the engagement of lip portion 49 of cover 10a.

In FIGURE 6 a further modification is formed in which the base 54 is produced by a relatively simple drawing operation having a relatively large annular corner 56 where the radius is given as ample to make the drawing operation simple and to make it possible to thus supply this desirable type of ashtray in the lower price ranges. In FIGURE 6 a minor modification of the bezel portion of cover 1013 is shown in which the thinner metal of the screen member is extended up and then down either by pressing or spinning so as to provide the overlapping sealing portion 57 which fits outside of the base portion and presents a definite top rim with a defined step at 53. Throughout the new FIGURES 2, 5 and 6 a wall, designated generally by W, is provided which in addition to' the height of the bezel 16, will insure a cigarette depository space under the lowermost portion of the dished and perforated top.

In using my ashtray, the smoker may position the cigarette C after the showing of FIGURES 1 or 2. However, because of the construction of the top 1, if the cigarette is dropped on the perforated portion of the screen with the coal end inwardly, the curvature will naturally cause the cigarette to come to rest in a generally radial position. The principal weight of the cigarette will be supported by the coal on its end. As combustion continues the coal is progressively reduced to ash which drops through the perforation and the point of support for the cigarette is changed and it slides downwardly until a new and often lower point of support is secured.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. An ashtray designed to safely hold a burning cigarette while avoiding condensation of tar on the cigarette comprising: (1) a circular base having a closed bottom and an upstanding cylindrical wall; (2) a circular top removably secured to said upstanding cylindrical wall, said top comprising a concave perforated plate of approximately spherical segment form having a radius of curvature approximately equal to of the diameter of said cylindrical wall, thereby enabling a burning cigarette to have its coal end supported by one of the perforations in said plate while said cigarette is supported at a total of only two spaced apart points along its length.

2. The ashtray recited in claim 1 in which said con cave perforated plate is a metal plate perforated with holes smaller than the diameter of a cigarette and at least A inch in diameter spaced sufiiciently to provide mechanical strength for supporting the load imposed by a cigarette being extinguished.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,829,844 Altmayer Nov. 3, 1931 2,199,205 Litschgi Apr. 30, 1940 2,574,813 Cadrain Nov. 13, 1951 2,786,476 Garson Mar. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 357,003 Germany Aug. 14, 1922 254,466 Great Britain July 8, 1926

Claims (1)

1. AN ASHTRAY DESIGNED TO SAFELY HOLD A BURNING CIGARETTE WHILE AVOIDING CONDENSATION OF TAR ON THE CIGARETTE COMPRISING: (1) A CIRCULAR BASE HAVING A CLOSED BOTTOM AND AN UPSTANDING CYLINDRICAL WALL; (2) A CIRCULAR TOP REMOVABLY SECURED TO SAID UPSTANDING CYLINDRICAL WALL, SAID TOP COMPRISING A CONCAVE PERFORATED PLATE OF APPROXIMATELY SPHERICAL SEGMENT FORM HAVING A RADIUS OF CURVATURE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO 70% OF THE DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL, THEREBY ENABLING A BURNING CIGARETTE TO

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