Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention is directed to a cigarette-
extinguishing ashtray and more particularly is direc-ted
to a cigarette-extinguishing ashtray which is of simple
construction, simple to use, and readily cleanable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cigarette-extinguishing ashtrays have been
known for many years. In one common form, holes or
bores in the ashtray of a diameter slightly larger than
the diameter of a regular cigarette are positioned on
the ashtray, usually on the top surface thereof, and the
person desiring to extinguish a cigarette simply inserts
the lit end of the cigarette into the extinguishing
hole, whereupon the cigarette extinguishes itself in a
matter of seconds due to the walls of the hole
preventing sufficient o~ygen reaching the lit end of the
cigarette. An obvious advantage of this type of ashtray
is that it avoids the unsightly and generally malodorous
practice common with simple dish-type ashtrays of
squashing the lit end of the cigarette into the ashtray,
which sometimes causes burnt fingertips, burnt
fingernails, particularly with women having long
fingernails, and unsightly bent cigarette butts which
must be removed from the ashtray.
A major disadvantage with the cigarette-
extinguishing design of ashtrays available on the market
or taught in the literature is that they are generally
complicated in construction, difficu]t and complicated
to take apart, difficult to clean, and costly because of
their complex construction.
5UMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The applicant's invention is directed to a
cigarette-extinguishing type of ashtray which is of
simple construction, of low cost, is simple to use, is
dismantleable, and is easy to clean. In its simplest
form, the ashtray is constructed of two simple parts
which can be snapped together. The cigarette snuffing
part can be formed of any suitable fire-resistant,
non-combustible material such as glass or metal, but
preferably is of a heat and fire-resistant, relatively
rigid plastic, such as a -thermosetting phenol-
formaldehyde resin. The part underlying the snuffing
part can also be formed of any suitable fire-resistant,
non-combustible material such as glass or metal, but
preferably is formed of a plastic which is fire and heat
resistant. The plastic should be slightly elastic so
that it can deform slightly when being snapped together
with the snuffing part.
The cigarette-extinguishing ashtray
20 comprises:
(a) a top portion having therein at least one
snuff-hole of a diameter slightly larger
than the diameter of a regular cigarette,
and an extinguished cigarette-butt
receiving area;
(b) a base portion capable of closing off the
bottom of the snuff-hole in the top
portion and rotatably at-tached to the top
portion (a) so that the base portion can
be rotated relative to the top portion;
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(c) at least one hole in the base portion (b)
which can be rotated into alignment
position at the base of the snuff-hole in
the top portion (a) by rotating the base
portion relative to the top portion (a);
(d) a groove around the circumference of the
base of the snuff-hole of the upper
portion adjacent the base portion (b);
and
(e) a raised rim around the circumference of
the alignment hole in the base portion
(b) which rim corresponds in dimension
with and fits within the circumferential
groove (d) of the top portion when the
hole in the base portion (b) is rotated
into a posi-tion of alignment with the
snuff hole.
An ashtray as described wherein the base
portion (b) is attached to the upper portion (a) by
means of a rim-groove combination, the rim on one
portion and the groove on the other portion, the
rim-groove combination enabling the upper portion and
the base portion to be ro~ated relative to one another.
An ashtray as described wherein a raised rim
with no central opening therein corresponding in
dimension and shape with the groove at the base of the
snuff-hole of the upper portion (a) is located on -the
base portion (b) so that the base portion (b) can be
rotated relative to the upper portion (a) to a position
wherein the raised rim with the central opening rests
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within the groove at the base of the snuff-hole of the
upper portion (a), this position being alternative to
the position where the rim (e) rests within groove (d).
An ashtray as described wherein four
snuff-holes are located in the top portion (a) and four
alignment holes are located in the base portion ~b).
An ashtray as described wherein four grooves
are located at the base of the four snuff-holes in the
top portion (a) and four raised rims are located around
the circumference of the four alignment holes in the
base portion (b), and the four grooves align with the
respective four raised rims when the base portion (b) is
rotated to an appropriate position relative to the top
portion (a).
An ashtray as described wherein four stop-rims
with no central openings therein are located on the base
portion in the areas between each of the four alignment
hole rims and the four stop rims can be moved into
alignment with -the respective four grooves at the bases
of the four snuff-holes by rota-ting the base portion (b)
to an appropriate position relative to the top
portion (b).
An ashtray as described wherein a cigarette
butt receptacle is secured below the base portion (b) of
the ashtray, and extinguished cigarettes can be dropped
into the receptacle through the snuff-holes when the
snuff-holes in the top portion (a) and the alignment
holes in the base portion (b) are in a position of
alignment.
An ashtray as described wherein the top area
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of each snuff-hole is bevelled or rounded. The
snuff-holes can be cylindrical or truncated-conical in
shape.
DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIGURE 1 represen-ts a plan view of the
ashtray;
FIGURE 2 represents a side section view of the
ashtray, taken through section line 2-2 of FIGURE l;
FIGURE 3 represents a plan view of the bottom
plate of the ashtray;
FIGURE 4 represen-ts a section view of the
ashtray with a cigarette receptacle mounted underneath
the ashtray; and
FIGURE 5 represents a section view of an
alternative embodiment of ashtray. -
DETAILED DESC~IPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGURE 1, which represents a plan
view of the ashtray 1, a snuffer-top 2 is mounted on a
bottom plate 3. The snuffer-top 2 is constructed in
annular ring form and has a hole in the centre thereof.
Located periodically around the body of the annular ring
shaped snuffer-top 2 are four snuff-holes 4. Positioned
between each snuff-hole 4, and extending radially, are
four rest-grooves 5, which can be used for purposes of
receiving cigarettes that are still burning and intended
for continued use by the cigarette-smoker. The diameter
of snuff-holes 4 is slightly larger than the average
diameter of a regular cigarette. Thus, snuff-holes 4
can readily receive the lit end of a lighted cigarette.
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The tops of the snuff-holes 4 are rounded or bevelled to
ease the insertion of the lit ends of the lighted
cigarettes into the holes. The holes 4 may be
cylindrical or truncated-conical in shape. It will be
understood that while FIGURE 4 shows four snuff-holes,
and four rest-grooves 5, alternative designs can be
visualized having any number of snuff-hoies and any
number of rest-grooves.
Referring to FIGURE 2, which represents a
section view of the ashtray 1 taken through section line
2-2 of FIGURE 1, it is seen that bottom plate 3 is
snapped into the central hole of snuffer-top 2 and held
in place against snuffer-top 2 by means of a snap-on
groove 6, with a corresponding receiving rim formed in
the central hole in snuffer-top 2. This rim, which runs
around the circumference of the central hole, fits in
groove 6 such that snuffer-top 2 and bottom plate 3 can
be rotated relative to one another about a central
vertical axis that is common to both bottom plate 3 and
snuffer-top 2.
Located at the bottom of snuff-holes 4 are
snuff-hole base rim grooves 7. In the position shown in
FIGURE 2, bottom plate 3 closes off the bottom of
snuff-hole 4. In this position, the snuff-holes of the
ashtray can be used for the purpose of extinguishing the
lit ends of cigarettes. The extinguished cigarettes may
then be discarded in the central area of the ashtray 1.
FIGURE 3, which represents a plan view of the
bottom plate 3, has formed therein four equally spaced
bottom plate a:Lignment holes 8, which correspond in
6~
position with the four snuff-holes 4 of snuffer-top 2.
A raised alignment hole stop-rim 9 is formed around the
circumference of each alignment hole 8. These stop
rims 9 are dimensioned to fit within base rim
grooves 7.
Positioned spa-tially between each of the four
alignment holes 8 and at a constant distance from the
central axis are four stop-rims 10. The central areas
of stop-rims 10 do not have any hole therethrough, such
as is the case with alignment holes 8, and surrounding
alignment holes stop-rims 9.
When bottom pla.e 3, as illustrated in
FIGURE 3, is snapped in place against snuffer-top 2 by
means of rotation groove 6 and the corresponding rim on
snuffer-top 2, bottom plate 3 can be rotated relative to
snuffer-top 2 such that alignment holes 8 can be brought
into alignment with snuff-holes 4 of the snuffer-top 2.
The alignment hole stop-rims 9 "click" into place in
respective snuff-hole base rim grooves 7 of each
snuff-hole 4, to enable -the user to know readily that
each snuff-hole 4 is aligned with each alignment hole 8.
In this configuration, with the holes aligned, the
ashtray can be readily cleaned by simply running a brush
or some other cleaning object through -the four
snuff-holes 4 and the corresponding four alignment
holes 8, or washing the ashtray with detergent and
water, or washing the ashtray in a dishwasher, or by
some other suitable means. When the ashtray is in this
configuration, it is also possible to push a cigare-tte
completely through any of the four holes in the ashtray,
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first t~lrough snuff-hole 4, and then through alignment
hole 8.
When it is desired to have the ashtray 1 in
cigarette-extinguishing con:Eiguration, bottom plate 3 is
rotated relative to snuffer-top 2 from the position
where the snuff-holes 4 and alignment holes 8 align with
one another, to the position where the four stop-rims 10
"click" into place in the respective four snuff-hole
base rim grooves 7 located at the base of each of the
four snuff-holes 4. Since the central areas for each
stop-rim 10 are solid, snuff-holes 4 are effectively
sealed at the bottom thus enabling the lit end of a
lighted cigarette to be easily extinguished in a matter
of seconds by inserting the lit end into any one of the
four snuff-holes 4 from the top. The extinguished
cigarette butt can then be discarded in the central
opening.
One simple alternative method of using the
ashtray 1 is to extinguish the lit end of a cigarette in
a snuff-hole 4, when the stop-rims 10 are in position in
the rim grooves 7 at the base of the four snuff-holes 4,
and then, once the cigarette is extinguished in a matter
of seconds, rotate bottom plate 3 relative to snuffer-
top 2, to the position where the alignment holes 8 and
rims 9 "click" into position in the respective grooves 7
of the snuffer-holes 4, whereupon the extinguished
cigarette can then be dropped through plate 3. When the
ashtray is used in this manner, it is helpful to have a
cigarette butt receptacle 11, as represented in
FIGURE 4, snapped in place immediately under bottom
r `~ ~
1~536~
plate 3. Cigarette butt receptacle FIGURE 11 is
preferably made of some suitable fire-resistant,
non-combustible material such as glass, metal, or a fire
and heat-resistant plastic, so that it will readily hold
extinguished cigarette butts, and can be parted ~rom
bottom plate 3, if required, so that it can be emptied
and the parts thoroughly cleaned. Once the extinguished
cigarette butt has dropped into the receptacle, then
snuffer-top 2 is rotated again relative to bottom
plate 3 so that stop-rims 10 are clicked into place in
groove 7 at the base of the respective snuff-holes 4.
In this orientation, the ashtray is ready to extinguish
further cigarettes.
FIGURE 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment
of the ashtray according to the invention. As
illustrated in FIGURE 5, bottom plate 12, which can be
rotated relative to snuffer-top 13, is rotatably engaged
with snuffer-top 13 by means of an upwardly extending
circumferentlal lip which can be snapped over rotation
rim 14, formed at the base of the exterior circumfer-
ential surface of snuffer-top 13. In the orientation
shown, the bottom-plate alignment holes 15 align with
the snuff-holes 16 of snuffer-top 13. As with the
embodiments discussed above in association with
FIGURES 1 to 4, the bottom plate 12 can be rotated to
close the bottom openings of snuff-holes 16.
One major advantage of the applicant's
construction of ashtray in its various embodiments is
that it is of very simple construction, comprising in
its simplest form only two parts, both of which can be
-
manufactured of relatively low cost materials, such as
glass, metal or plastic. Another advantage is that the
ashtray can be cleaned by any one of a number of
suitable means in its assembled form or the respective
parts can be detached from one another for a thorough
cleaning of the separate parts. A further advantage is
that if one part of the ashtray becomes damaged, that
part can be replaced by detaching the parts of the
ashtray and installing a new part. The parts are formed
of hygienic washable materials and do not have any
complicated recesses, springs, metal-on-metal surfaces
which tend to become corroded, or any areas which tend
to accumulate ashes and general dirt thereby contribu-
ting to the generation of offensive odours. The simple
design of the various components of the ashtray reduces
construction costs because complicated molds are not
required in order to form the components of the ashtray.
Moreover, the ashtray is simple to use because of the
existence of the stop-rims located respectively around
the circumference of the alignment holes in the bottom
plate of the ashtray, and in the solid areas between
each of the alignment holes. Thus the user, simply by
feeling or listening for a click, and looking into one
of the snuffer-holes, can immediately tell which of the
two alternative types of rims are in position at the
base of the snuff-holes and consequently whether the
ashtray can be used for extinguishing the lit end of a
cigarette.
As will be apparent -to those skilled in the
art in the light of the foregong disclosure, many
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alterations and modifications are possible in the
prac-tice of this invention without departing from the
spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the
invention is to be construed in accordance with the
substance defined by the following claims.
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