US3478931A

US3478931A - Dispensing container for pipe tobacco

Info

Publication number: US3478931A
Application number: US650440A
Authority: US
Inventors: David Lynn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-06-30
Filing date: 1967-06-30
Publication date: 1969-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1986-11-18

Description

Nov. 18, 1969 D. LYNN 3,478,931

DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR PIPE TOBACCO Filed June 30, 1967 INVENTOR. DA VI 0 L YN N BY wm,mm,

mm M 611 A TTORNE Y8 United States Patent 3,478,931 DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR PIPE TOBACCO David Lynn, 1725 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park, Calif. 94025 Filed June 30, 1967, Ser. No. 650,440 Int. Cl. B67d /64; A47f 5/12 US. Cl. 222166 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container for pipe tobacco adapted to permit the filling of a smoking pipe held in the hand entirely by said hand, comprising a bowl, open at the top, having a rear sump and an upwardly and forwardly inclined dispensing spout with side walls spaced apart by a distance slightly greater than the width of a finger, to permit tobacco to be pulled by the finger from the sump through the spout into the pipe.

In numerous situations, a smoker cannot conveniently use two hands for filling a smoking pipe with tobacco. This is the case, for example, with the operator of a motor vehicle, a pilot, or the like. In such situations, it would be convenient to have a tobacco container which makes it possible to fill the pipe bowl with only one hand, which also holds the pipe, while avoiding the danger of spillage of tobacco. Such a container would find utility not only in vehicles but also in other situations, such as while holding a telephone instrument or the like; and it is not feasible to use both hands for filling a pipe bowl from a conven tional tobacco pouch or the like.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing container for tobacco which permits a user to hold a smoking pipe in one hand and manipulate tobacco from the dispenser into the bowl of the pipe with a finger of the same hand with minimum inconvenience to the user and spillage of tobacco.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a tobacco dispenser of the character described above which may be mounted at a convenient location in a vehicle wherein the operator thereof may only have one hand free for manipulation to fill a smoking pipe with tobacco; and, additionally, a dispenser as described which may be placed on a desk or table top for use where the user may have one hand occupied with equipment such as a telephone or the like and the other hand only free to manipulate both pipe and tobacco.

In summary,the dispensing container is in the form of an open-topped bowl having at its rear a sump for storing several bowl-fulls of tobacco and a dispensing spout having a bottom which is inclined forwardly and upwardly from the sump to a discharge lip, the spout having sides that are spaced apart by a distance only slightly greater than the width of a finger. Preferably, the length of the bowl from the discharge lip to the rear of the sump is not greater than the reach of an average adult finger. The entire dispenser may be provided with a pivotal connection on a base which in turn may be fixed to the dash board of an automobile or aircraft, or may simply rest on a table, whereby the discharge lip can be depressed, resilient means for returning the bowl to its normal position, with the discharge lip raised also being provided.

The bowl is optionally provided with a lid which can be hinged at the rear and so related to the bowl that the lid can be raised with one finger.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and showing two preferred embodiments, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of one embodiment mounted on a permanent part of a structure which, together with 3,478,931 Patented Nov. 18, 1969 portions of a users hand and part of a pipe held therewith, are shown in phantom;

FIGURE 2 is a plan of the container, the lid being omitted;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2, the lid being shown; and

FIGURE 4 is a pictorial view of a second embodiment, mounted on a base which rests on a table top.

Referring to FIGURES 1-3, the container comprises a bowl including a rear sump 5 and a front dispensing spout 6 which terminates in a discharge lip 7. The spout, which is narrower than the sump, has a bottom which is interiorly upwardly concave and sides 8 which are spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the width of a finger. These sides are preferably interiorly inwardly convex as appears in FIGURE 3, whereby the upper marginal portions 9 of the sides diverge, terminating in an upper rim 10. The bottom of the spout is inclined upwardly in the forward direction from the sump bottom to the lip 7, and the rear of this bottom merges smoothly with the bottom of the sump.

The sump 5 is deeper and wider than the dispensing spout and is preferably interiorly concave in cross section, being large enough to hold several bowl fulls of tobacco. The rear wall 11 of the bowl has a pivoted, e.g. a hinged connection 12 to a lid 13 which, in its lowered position, rests on the rim 10 to prevent spillage of tobacco or entry of foreign matter. The front of the lid is preferably related to the rim 10 so that the lid can be raised with one finger. For example, it can have a flange 14 which overhangs the sides of the bowl. The distance from the discharge lip 7 to the rear wall 11 of the sump is preferably not in excess of the reach of an adult finger when the hand holding a smoking pipe 15 is placed in front of the how]. This distance is usually less than the length of the finger, but may exceed that length slightly as when the base of the finger is advanced toward the rear of the lip.

The bowl is supported in this embodiment by a base member or bracket 16 fixed to a structure 17, such as the dash of an automobile. Advantageously, this connection is pivotal on an axis which is horizontal and transverse to the length of the bowl, and includes a pivot pin 18. The bowl may, if desired, be urged resiliently in the clock wise direction (as viewed in FIGURE 1) so as to raise the discharge lip by a spiral spring 19, rotation in that direction being limited by the abutment of a lug 20 on the bowl with a stop 21 on the base 16. When such a pivot at mounting is used it is not essential that the distance from the lip 7 to the wall 11 be less than the reach of one finger, since the entire dispenser may be urged downwardly in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 1, to procure tobacco from the sump into the spout portion of the dispenser.

In operation, tobacco 22 is contained within the sump 5. To fill the pipe 15 with one hand, it is grasped, e.g. with the thumb and second finger (not shown), and the first finger is extended to raise the lid and reach forward along the spout 6 beyond some tobacco. The finger is then flexed, pulling tobacco through the spout between the walls 8 over the lip 7 into the pipe bowl.

When the pivotal connection 1821 is provided, the bowl is further tilted counter-clockwise to aid in moving tobacco to the front part of the sump. Releasing the bowl causes the spring 19 to return the bowl to the position shown, with the abutment 20 in engagement with the stop 21.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 4, the bowl includes a sump 5a, dispensing spout 6a, discharge lip 7a, having sides 8a and diverging sides 9w having a rim 10a, all as previously described but of slightly different arrangement so as to be adapted for table mounting and may be modified in shape for such adaptation in that the bottom of the dispensing spout is curved to provide a down-turned lip 7a. The rear wall 11a is curved convexly both in the central vertical longitudinal plane and in horizontal section.

In this embodiment, the bowl is mounted on a base 23 adapted to lie on a table, as mentioned above, having spaced uprights 24. Such uprights support trunnions 25 fixed to the bowl. In this embodiment, the bowl may be fixed to the base, or if desired, the trunnions can have pivotal motion in the uprights; operationembracing such pivotal motion is as previously described above in respect to the embodiment of FIGURES 13, and more particularly the pivotal assembly of components 1821.

I claim:

1. A dispensing tobacco container suitable for filling a smoking pipe with one hand which also holds the pipe, said container comprising an upwardly open bowl providing a rear sump and a forwardly and upwardly inclined dispensing spout, said spout having a bottom which ends at the front in a discharge lip and merges at the rear smoothly with the bottom of the sump, said spout bottom being interiorly curved concavely in transverse cross section and having sides that are spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the width of an adult finger while permitting passage of said finger therebetween, whereby tobacco from the sump can be pulled by said finger upwards through said spout and over said lip into a pipe held by the hand which contains said finger.

2. A dispensing container according to claim 1 wherein said spout sides are interiorly convex in transverse cross section above the bottom of the spout, whereby the upper marginal portions of the spout diverge.

3. A dispensing container according to claim 1 wherein the distance from said discharge lip to the rear of the sump is approximately equal to the reach of said finger.

4. A dispensing container according to claim 1 wherein said sump is wider than the distance between said spout sides and is interiorly concave in transverse cross section.

5. In combination with the dispensing container according to claim 1, support means for the bowl including a base member and a pivoted connection between said member and the bowl having a pivot axis extending transversely to the length of the container.

6. The combination according to claim 5 which includes, additionally, resilient means urging the bowl to rotate in a direction to raise the discharge lip, and stop means limiting the rotation of the bowl in the said direction.

7. In combination with the dispensing container according to claim 1, a lid for said bowl having a pivotal connection rearwardly of said discharge lip and adapted to be raised by one finger to permit entry of the finger into the bowl.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 110,140 6/1938 Gamble D44-21 D. 170,167 8/1953 Rosen D4421 D. 175,426 8/1955 Martha D44\21 D. 180,586 7/1957 Dube D4421 507,410 10/1893 Brashear 222-572 X 744,635 11/1903 Sinclair et al. 206-.8 1,746,149 2/1930 Elsey 222566 X 2,006,588 7/1935 Ehret 20641 2,516,703 7/ 1950 Kent. 2,652,012 9/1953 Ischinger 222-572 X 2,812,784 11/1957 Palmer 141391 X 3,063,110 11/1962 West 222166 3,147,891 9/1964 Fielitz 222166 1,083,104 12/1913 Johnson 3123l 2,084,908 6/1937 Harris et al 31231.3 X

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner