Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Combined Lighter and Cigarette Paper Dispenser
The present invention relates to a combined lighter and cigarette paper
dispenser.
According to the present invention there is provided a combined lighter and
cigarette paper
dispenser, comprising an ignition mechanism fitted to a housing which includes
a lighter
fluid container in fluid communication with the ignition mechanism, the
housing further
being arranged to receive and dispense one or more cigarette papers.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with
reference to
the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a first transparent perspective view of a combined lighter paper
dispenser
according to a first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a second transparent perspective view of the combined lighter
paper dispenser
of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a further transparent perspective view of the combined lighter
paper dispenser
of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a transparent perspective view of a combined lighter paper
dispenser according
to a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 5 is an exploded transparent view of the combined lighter paper
dispenser of
Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention
which is a
modification of the first embodiment;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the third embodiment showing insertion of a
packet of
cigarette papers into the dispenser;
CONFIRMATION COPY
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Figure 8 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention
which is a
modification of the second embodiment;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment showing insertion of a
roll of
cigarette papers into the dispenser;
Figure 10 is a section through the slot region of the housing of the fourth
embodiment;
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention
which is a
further modification of the first embodiment; and
Figure 12 is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment showing insertion of a
packet of
cigarette papers into the dispenser.
Referring now to Figures 1-3, there is shown a combined lighter and cigarette
paper
dispenser 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The
lighter of the
first embodiment comprises an elongated plastics housing 12 divided
longitudinally into
two portions 12' and 12". The first portion 12' includes a container (not
shown) for filling
with lighter fluid through a sealable hole 13 in the bottom end of the
housing. The fluid
container is in communication with a valve (not shown) housed with an ignition
mechanism 14 fitted to the top end of the housing 12. The ignition mechanism
includes a
spring loaded button 16 which when engaged opens the valve to meter the fluid
as it
escapes as a gas through aperture 18. The button when engaged also creates a
spark by
striking metal against a flint (not shown). The spark ignites the escaping
fluid causing a
flame to come out of the lighter which continues until the button is released,
so
extinguishing the flame by depriving it of fuel. The lighter portion of the
first embodiment
is constructed in generally the same way as conventional disposable butane
lighters.
The second housing portion 12" includes a rectangular cavity 34 terminating in
an opening
35 in the bottom end of the housing. The cavity 34 is sized to receive a
packet of cigarette
papers, for example, one of the range marketed under the Rizla+ brand, by
sliding one end
of the packet through the opening 35 until the packet is fully received into
the cavity. The
fluid container and the cavity 34 extend alongside one another in the
longitudinal direction
of the housing.
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The outside surface of the housing 12 includes two major surfaces 20, 22, one
of which 22
forms the outside wall of the cavity 34. A longitudinal slot 24 is formed in
the surface 22
and a reciprocal slider 26 is located for movement within the slot 24 towards
and away
from the opening 35.
The slider 26 projects into the cavity 34 far enough to bear against a major
surface of the
cigarette paper packet when located in the cavity and so that when the slider
is pushed by a
user in the direction of the bottom end of the housing, the packet is pushed
out of the
cavity sufficiently far to allow the user to grip and draw the packet from the
cavity and so
retrieve a paper from the packet for use in rolling a cigarette, the packet
then being
returned to the cavity. Nonetheless, the slider should not protrude further
into the cavity
than would prevent the packet from being pushed/pulled past the slider when
being
inserted into/removed from the cavity.
In a preferred implementation, the slider 26 is spring loaded to bias the
slider into the
cavity so that it tends to bear against and retain a packet located in the
cavity. Further
preferably, the slider within the cavity is profiled to allow a packet to
slide under the slider
where it is then retained in position within the cavity.
It will be seen that while the first embodiment has been described in terms of
a housing
having particular dimensions and ignition mechanism, the first embodiment of
the
invention can be implemented in any lighter housing sufficiently large to
receive a packet
of cigarette papers of the desired dimensions. Furthermore, the slot/slider
arrangement
24/26 is again only one example of many possible implementations allowing the
packet to
be received and held within the housing and dispensed as required by the user.
Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a combined lighter and paper
dispenser
40 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The lighter
dispenser of
the second embodiment comprises an elongated cylindrical housing 42 arranged
to receive
a roll of cigarette papers, for example, of the type marketed under the Juicy
Jay's brand.
The housing 42 comprises upper and lower portions portion 42', 42" adjacent
the top and
bottom ends respectively of the housing. An ignition mechanism 14' similar in
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functionality to that of the first embodiment is fitted to the top end of the
housing, and
communicates with a lighter fluid container in the upper portion 42'. The
lighter fluid
container is in communication with a central tube 44 which runs along the
longitudinal axis
of the otherwise hollow lower portion 42" of the housing and terminates in a
sealable hole
45 at the bottom end of the housing through which the fluid container is
filled. The lower
portion 42" of the housing forms a cylindrical cavity 43 for receiving a roll
of cigarette
papers by inserting the roll into an opening 49 in the lower end of the cavity
43 so that the
roll surrounds the tube 44. A longitudinal paper feed slot 47 is formed along
the length of
the lower portion of the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, a serrated
edge 46 is
formed beside the slot. In other implementations, the edge can be formed
within the slot, so
that the rough edges 46 are not exposed from the housing.
In either case, when a roll of papers is located in the housing over the tube
44, the leading
edge of the first sheet of paper is fed through and along the slot 47 so that
it extends from
the side of the housing.
A cap 48 is provided to close off the opening 49 at the bottom end of the
housing once the
roll of papers is inserted. In use, paper is drawn laterally from the roll by
a user through the
slot 47 and torn off at a required length for use as an individual cigarette
paper, preferably
leaving the leading edge of the remaining paper extending at least somewhat
from the slot
47. In this specification, laterally means sideways relative to the direction
of insertion of
the papers into the cavity.
In a variation of the second embodiment (not shown), the lighter fluid
container is filled
from a valve located on the outside cylindrical wall at the bottom of the
housing and
communicating with the lighter fluid container through a conduit running along
the
cylindrical wall of the lower portion of the housing.
It will also be seen that in further variations of this embodiment, the
lighter fluid container
can extend through and around the walls of the lower portion 42" of the
housing to the
extent that a slot remains in the side of the lower portion allowing paper to
be dispensed.
By not using the tube as a conduit for filling the fluid container, the tube
44 can act only as
a hub over which the roll of papers is located. In such implementations, the
tube can be
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shortened to allow a modified cap 48 to be located within the housing so that
when in
position, the cap engages the roll. The outside edge of the cap can have a non-
circular
shape conforming with a complementary non-circular opening 49, so that with
the cap in
position its engagement with the edge of the opening prevents the roll either
freely
5 dispensing paper or rolling back into the dispenser. As such, the cap needs
to be loosened
or removed to allow the roll to dispense a subsequent portion of paper to be
used in rolling
a new cigarette. The cap can then be re-inserted to hold the roll in place,
before the user
rips the portion of paper at the edge 46 to ensure a clean cut.
Again, it will be seen that while the second embodiment has been described in
terms of a
housing having particular dimensions and ignition mechanism, the second
embodiment of
the invention can be implemented in any lighter housing sufficiently large to
receive a roll
of cigarette papers of the desired dimensions. Furthermore, the serrated edge
46 is again
only one example of many possible implementations allowing the roll to be
received and
held within the housing with individual papers dispensed as required by the
user.
Figures 6 and 7 show a modification of the first embodiment, and the same
reference
numerals have been used for the same or equivalent parts (the fluid container
is not seen in
Figures 6 and 7). In this case the wall of the housing 12 has a longitudinal
open-mouthed
slot 50 communicating with the cavity 34 so that individual papers 52 can be
dispensed
laterally from a packet 54 of cigarette papers rather than having to remove
the entire packet
from the housing 12 as in the case of the first embodiment. To this end, as
the packet 54 is
inserted into the opening 35 and pushed fully into the cavity 34, the user
should ensure that
the leading edge of the top paper in the packet extends through the slot 50.
This
embodiment has a stopper or cap 56 to close the opening 35 when a packet 54 is
in the
housing 12, to stop the packet falling out (in the first embodiment the slider
performs this
function by bearing on the packet). The cap 56 includes a V-shaped slot to
assist a user in
rolling a cigarette. This embodiment also includes a hinged cover 58 for the
slot 50.
Figures 8-10 show a modification of the second embodiment, and again the same
reference
numerals have been used for the same or equivalent parts. In this case, rather
than being
formed integrally with the housing 42, the slot 47 is formed in a plastics
insert 60 which is
press-fitted to a larger gap 62 in the body of the housing 42. The insert
includes a resilient
tongue 66 which presses against the leading edge of a paper 52 emerging from
the slot 47
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to prevent the roll 64 of papers from rotating within the housing 42 to
inadvertently
withdraw the leading edge of the exposed paper 52, and to prevent the
outermost paper
from emerging further from the slot unless drawn by the user. Otherwise, this
embodiment
operates functionally the same as the second embodiment.
Figures 11 and 12 show a further modification of the first embodiment, and the
same
reference numerals have been used for the same or equivalent parts. In this
case, rather
than being formed integrally with the housing 12, the slot 24 is formed in an
open-ended
plastics clip 70 which is press-fitted to a larger gap 72 in the body of the
housing 12.
Otherwise, this embodiment operates functionally the same as the first
embodiment.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described herein but can be
amended or
modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.
