US3096878A - Tobacco package with built in ashtray - Google Patents

Description

July 9, 1963 J. M. WHlTLEY ETAL 3,096,873

TOBACCO PACKAGE WITH BUILT IN ASI-ITRAY Filed June 21, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TORS James/ INVEN ATTORNEYS,

July 9, 1963 J. M. WHITLEY ETAL 3,096,378

TOBACCO PACKAGE WITH BUILT IN ASHTRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1961 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent ()fiice 3,095,878 Patented July 9, 1963 3,096,878 TOBACCO PACKAGE WITH BUILT IN ASHTRAY James M. Whitley and William N. Whitley, both of 3875 E. 154th L, Cleveland 28, Ohio Filed June 21, 1961, Ser. No. 118,716 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-41) This invention relates to a tobacco package such as a cigarette package, and more particularly to such a cigarette package that has .a built in ashtray.

The primary object of the present invent-ion is to provide a cigarette pacakge which includes a wrapper there on, and wherein the wrapper is adapted to be made of transparent material, and wherein the wrapper is provided with an opening that has a removable closure thereon, so that when it is desired to use the built in ashtray, the removable closure can be manually removed to expose the opening so that ashes from a cigarette or the like can be deposited in a tray that is arranged to conveniently receive the ashes from the cigarette.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a built in portable cigarette ashtray which is arranged and constructed so that ashes can be conveniently received and stored therein, and wherein when desired the parts can be arranged so that the ashes cannot accidentally escape or spill from the ashtray, and a further object of the present invention is to provide a built in portable cigarette ashtray which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description which follows and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the built in portable cigarette ashtray of the present invention, and showing the position of the parts in their initial location before the user starts to open the package or wrapper.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view generally similar to FIG. 1 but showing the parts in extended position and illustrating the step of removing the closure to expose the opening in the wrapper for permitting the ashes to be deposited in the tray.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the opening in the wrapper closed by the cigarette package and showing the ashtray in collapsed or folded position.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on theline 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the parts inextended position so that the ashtray is extended ready to receive ashes, and showing the hole or opening in the wrapper exposed and with the closure for the opening removed.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at right angles to the view shown in FIG. 3 and with the parts in the position of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section-a1 view taken in a plane similar to that shown in FIG. 6, but with the parts in the position of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view, with parts broken away showing ashes being held or stored in the device and showing the opening in the wrapper closed by the cigarette package.

FIG. 9 is a view in elevation, with parts broken away and in section showing how the device can be turned upside down to empty the ashes into a suitable receptacle or the like.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view with the parts in a position such as that shown in FIG. 5, and illustrating the positioning of the cigarette in relation to the ashtray.

FIG. 11 is :a plan view of the blank for making the ashtray and showing the blank per se.

FIG. 12 is an edge view of the blank of FIG. ll.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the ashtray per se, with parts broken away and in section.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the opening for receiving ashes from the cigarette, and illustrating a bright colored line that is adapted to be arranged contiguous to the opening in order to facilitate location of the opening by the user.

Referring in detail to the drawings, thenumeral 20 indicates the article constructed according to the present invention which is shown to comprise a cigarette package that is indicated generally by thenumeral 21, and thenumeral 22 indicates a transparent wrapper for thepackage 21, FIG. 2. Thenumeral 23 indicates a pull tape that may be provided on thewrapper 22 and thistape 23 can be manually removed when the article is to be used. Thecigarette package 21 may be provided with advertisements, printed matter or the like as indicated by thenumeral 24, so as to indicate the brand of cigarettes in the package in the usual manner, and such printed matter may be viewed through thetransparent wrapper 22.

As shown in the drawings thewrapper 22 includes anend wall 25, as well as spacedparallel side walls 26, and one or both of theside walls 26 may be provided with printed matter thereon as indicated by thenumeral 27, FIG. 2, and such printedmatter 27 may consist of instructions or directions explaining how to use the article of the present invention. Thewrapper 22 further includes spaced parallel back andfront walls 28 and 29, and thefront wall 29 is provided with an oval shaped access opening oraperture 30 which is adapted to be selectively closed by a closure 31, as later described in this application, and a tear strip orpull tape 32 is adapted to be manually gripped in thefingers 33 in order to facilitate removal of the closure 31 from theopening 30, as for example as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. :14 there is illustrated by the numeral 34 a brightly colored line or marking which may have a red color and such abright line 34 is adapted to be arranged around the outer periphery of theopening 30 in order to call attention to theopening 30 so that the user can readily locate theopening 30, and this brightcolored marking 34 may be of the type which is formed on thewall surface 29 by transfer of a bright colored pigment or ink from the closure to thewall surface 29.

According to the present invention there is provided an ashtray which is indicated generally by thenumeral 35, and theashtray 35 is adapted to be made of a material which will not burn as for example thetray 35 can be made of aluminum foil or other incombustible material in sheet form. The sheet is sub-divided by fold lies 38 to form afirst panel 50, asecond panel 52, athird panel 54, and afourth panel 56 which extend from one wrapper side wall to the other and are in abutting face to face re lation when thewrapper 22 is in the normal position enclosing thepackage 21, as in FIGURE 1. Upon opening of the end of thewrapper 22 remote from the oneend wall 25, thewrapper 22 may he slid on thepackage 21 to an extended position, as in FIGURE 2, in which the panels of the tray are unfolded and the intermediate adjacentsecond panel 52 and thethird panel 54 form atrough 39 with thefirst panel 50 and thefourth panel 56 sloping upwardly on each side of thetrough 39. Aflap 36 is provided on one of the end panels and adhesive or other securing means fixes theflap 36 to the inner surface of theend wall 25. The opposite end panel of the sheet is provided with alip 37 similarly secured to the bottom of .thecigarette package 21 so that when thewrapper 22 is slid on thepackage 21 to the extended position the tray panels will unfold and when the wrapper is slid to the normal position the panels will fold.

Thetrough 39 formed by thesecond panel 52 and thethird panel 54, when the wrapper is in the extended position, has its apex spaced from the wrapper back wall and spacers with the adjacent portions of the back and side walls forms achamber 47 for receiving ashes from the trough, there being provided acutout 41 in one end of the trough providing communication between the trough and the chamber. An abutment ortab 40 is provided in the trough spaced from the cutout so as to receive thereagainst the lit end of the cigarette when projected through the access opening in the wrapper front wall.

In FIG. thenumeral 43 indicates the position of a cigarette which is extended through theopening 30 as when the closure 31 is removed, and thecigarette 43 includes a lit or burningend 44, and in FIG. 10 thenumeral 45 indicates a supporting structure such as a table or the like which may be used for supporting the article. In FIG. 9 the article is shown upside down whereby ashes can be dumped or emptied into a receptacle such as the receptacle indicated by the numeral 46.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been provided a cigarette package with a built in ashtray, and in use with the parts arranged as shown in the drawings, it will be seen that when the article is initially purchased or obtained, the parts are in the position such as that shown in FIG. 1, and then when the device is to be used thetape 23 can be manually moved so as to permit thecigarette package 21 to be partially withdrawn from thewrapper 22 so that the parts can be moved from a position such as that shown in FIG. 1 to a position such as that shown in FIG. 2. Since thetray 35 is arranged within thewrapper 22, and since one end of the tray as indicated by thenumeral 37 is secured as by means of a suitable glue or adhesive to thepackage 21, while theother end 36 is secured to theend wall 25 of the wrapper, it will be seen that as thepackage 21 is moved partially out of the wrapper, thetray 35 will be extended or expanded due to its accordion like construction. The indicia or printed matter as indicated by thenumeral 27 on the side of thewrapper 22 is adapted to include arrows so as to. provide instructions for the use of the present invention, and for example one arrow may point in one direction indicating the direction of movement to be followed in order to close the device, and there may be an oppositely pointing arrow to indicate the direction for opening the article.

Thepull tape 32 can be manually gripped as for example between thefingers 33 and -by removing thetape 32, the closure 31 will be removed from the opening so that with the parts arranged in extended position, a cigarette such as thecigarette 43 can :be positioned or extended through the uncovered or exposedopening 30 whereby the lit end of thecigarette 43 as indicated by the numeral 44 [can rest on thetray 35 as for example as shown in FIG. 10, and the tab helps maintain theashes 42 in their proper position on thetray 35. With thecigarette 43 removed from the device, after theashes 42 sufficiently cool off, the device can be manually tapped on so as to cause the ashes to move through the cutout or opening 41 whereby such ashes can be received in thestorage area 47, FIG. 8. With theashes 42 received inthe area, 47, thepackage 21 can be pushed into thewrapper 22, as for example as shown in FIG. 8 whereby the device can be held in this position until a convenient time, and with the parts in the position of FIG. 8 it will be seen that thepackage 21 closes the opening 30 so that the ashes will not accidentally spill out through such opening. When a convenient receptacle such as a container 46 is available, thecigarette package 21 can again be partially extended as for example as shown in FIG. 9 and then the entire article can be turned upside down and by tapping on the article gently with the fingers, theashes 42 will fall out of theopening 47 through thecutout 41, then through the opening 30 into a container or receptacle 46.

Thetray 35 is adapted to be made of a material which will not burn, as for example thetray 35 can be made of thin aluminum foil. Thewrapper 22 is adapted to be made of a transparent material such as cellophane. While the present invention has been described'specifically for use in connection with a package of cigarettes, it is to be understood that it is adapted to be used with other members or articles such as packages of cigars, other packages of suitable tobacco products or the like.

Theflap 36 is secured in place slightly up from the lower end of thewall 25 so as to help insure that the ashtray will be supported in a slightly raised position in order to prevent a hot surface from damaging a finished surface or the like.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and in different shapes or sizes.

In the view shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, it will be seen that thetray 35 may consist of a single piece of material which can be folded along crease or fold lines in order to provide the finished tray having the accordion like structure.

The portable built in ashtray of the present invention can be used for holding cigarette butts, ashes, stubs of cigars or the like, and the present invention is especially suitable for use in periods where conventional or regular ashtrays are not readily available and for example can be advantageously used during periods of travel, when in certain buildings or the like.

To open or close the device, the forefinger and thumb are adapted to be placed along the sides of the package and the cellophane wrapper can he slid in the proper direction as indicated by :thearrows 27, and when the cellophane wrapper is slid back into original position, the ashes are held and will not spill. The use of a colored marking strip orborder 34 makes theopening 30 readily visible. Thetab 40 serves to prevent cigarettes, ashes or the like from falling of]? of the tray, and the hole or opening 41 permits the ashes to fall into the package area as indicated by the numeral 4-7.

When the device is being used, thetear tape 32 is adapted to be pulled on so as to remove the closure 31 and provide theopening 30, and the forefinger and thumb are used to slide the cellophane wrapper 22 :and thus expose thealuminum foil tray 35, and the Wrapper is slid back until the opening 3%) is directly over the center of thetray 35, and the ashtray is then ready for use. To rest a cigarette thereon, theburning tip 44 of a cigarette such as thecigarette 43 is adapted to be directed through the opening 31 and placed against the tab 4t] as shown in FIG. 10, and the ashes can be stored by shaking them through the opening 41 after the ashes cool off. When the wrapper is slid back into its original position as shown in the drawings, the ashes cannot escape or spill.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a cigarette package including a bottom, and a wrapper having spaced side walls, a front wall, a back wall, and an end wall connecting the adacent ends of said front, back, and side walls together, sa d Wrapper norm-ally enclosing said package and upon being opened at the end remote from said end Wall being slidable on said package from the normal position to an extended position in which said end wall is spaced from sa d bottom, of a tray for cigarette ashes, said tray comprismg a flat sheet folded along :a plurality of parallel fold lines to form a flap, first, second, third, and fourth panels, and a lip, said flap being on one end of said sheet and being secured to said wrapper end wall, said lip being on the other end of said sheet and being secured to said package, said first, second, third, and fourth panels being disposed in face to face abutting relation between said flap and said lip when said wrapper is in the normal positron, said sheet unfolding upon execution of movement of said wrapper from the normal position to the extending position so that said second and third panels form a V-shaped trough with said first and fourth panels sloping upwardly on each side of said trough, said Wrapper front wall being provided with an access opening in registry with said trough when said Wrapper is in the extended position, and an abutment in said trough spaced from said trough opening for positioning the lit end of a cigarette 5 When said cigarette projects through said access opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Montgomery Oct. 27, 1936 Douglas Feb. 23, 1937 Duhaime et al. Feb. 24, 1953 Cohen et a1. Oct. 2, 1956 Watkins Jan. 30, 1962 Content Apr. 10, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Feb. 18, 1926 Australia Mar. 2, 1926 Canada June ,29, 1954

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