US1747356A - Smoker's appliance - Google Patents

Description

Feb 18, 1930. R. G. FLEMING SMOKERS APPLIANCE Filed Dec. 29, 1925 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Febr 18, 1930 UNITED STATES ROBERT G. FLEMING, or BLOOMFJIIELD,

PATENT OFFICE,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SMOKADOR MANU- FACTURING (10., INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SMOKERS APPLIANCE Application filed December 29, 1925. Serial No. 78,150.

This invention relates to stands for receiving smokers waste, such as ashes, cigarette and cigar ends, burnt matches, and the like, and the construction is such that such waste will be retained out of sight and smell until such an amount of waste has been accumulated as makes it desirable to remove the same.

One object of the invention is to provide a stand in which such waste may be accumulated for a substantial period out of the way and without contaminating the surrounding atmosphere with objectionable odor. In its preferred form it is also such that the amount of waste accumulated may be easily determined by inspection without the necessity of taking the device apart for that purpose.

Another object of the invention is to not only retain the waste out of sight and smell, but also to so completely hide such waste that the danger of fire from such accumulation will be eliminated.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a construction which will lend itself admirably to direct association with articles of furniture, such as desks, chairs, tables, or stands.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction which will permit, if desired, an ordinary article of commerce, such as a glass'fruit jar, to be utilized as the receptacle for receiving the accumulated waste. For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure-1 illustrates the inventionin side elevation and associated with a stand or table, Fig. 2 is a central, longitudinal section on an enlarged scale, of the waste receiving unit of Fig. l, Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 2 on the line AA,

Fig. 4 is-a side elevation of ceptacle, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of a portion of Fig.

Referring now'more specifically to the drawing the numeral 1 indicates a horizontal flange 9. Cigars,

platform 8 with their lighted;

the waste re-- portion as the top of an article of furniture,

this top, in the illustration, being the top of a 1 stand, asfor instance a tabouret, having four legs 2 which rest upon the floor, the top of the stand being at a convenient height for use and as customary in tables, stands, desks, and the like. It is to be understood that the stand of Fig. 1 is exemplary of various furniture frames which may embody the invention. Supported on the stand is a Waste receiving unit, consisting of a waste receptacle 3 and a waste conducting tube 4, upwardly directed rom the receptacle 3 and having a waste entry aperture 5 at its upper part, said aperture being remote from the receptacle and convenient of access eXteriorly of the stand. Both the receptacle 3 and the tube 4 are made of fireproof material, the tube 4, in the present embodiment, being an upright sheet metal tube which is relatively long and narrow and the upper open end of which provides the waste entry aperture 5,- which aperture is of relatively small diameter compared With the length of the tube 4.

In communication with the upper end of the tube 4, through the waste entry aperture 5, is an ash tray 6 in which the upper end of I the tube 4 terminates, the bottom of the ash tray having an aperture which, in the illustrated embodiment, is identical With the aperture 5, so that smokers waste deposited in the cone-like cavity of the ash tray 6 will gravi tate through the aperture 5 and the tube 4 into the waste receptacle 3. In the embodiment illustrated the ash tray 6 is in effect, an outwardly flared upper part of the tube 4, the

ash tray and tube being separately made and y permanently brazed together at 7 so that the ash tray is fixed to the tube. The upper part of the ash tray may include a narrow annular platform 8 and a circular depending cigarettes and the like may rest on the ends overhanging the interior of the ash tray. Also mounted on the platform 8,/in any suitable manner, are a match box holder 10 and a pair of resiliently coacting gripper jaws 11, between which readily be inserted sidewise and safely 'retained in place on the tray. The numeral 12 jaws a, cigar may be compressed and seal the indicates ahandle or button removably attached to the tray by the screw 13, for conveniently lifting the unit from the stand.

The waste receptacle 3 may easily be attached and detached front the tube 4 and to that end the receptacle is provided with screw threads 14 and 15, the thread 14 extending almostbut not quite around the cylindrical neck 16 of the cylindrical receptacle as the screw thread 15 extends only a short distance therearouml. Carried by and lixed to the-tube 4 so as to move with the latter is a centrally apertured receptacle cover 17 having inner countmpart thread de ices 18 to cooperate. with the outer threads 14 and 15 on the receptacle, It will thus be understood that the open moutlrlll of the receptacle 3 may be introduced vertically part way into the cover 17, whereupon partial tacle relative'to the tube 4; will result in engagement between the threads of the cover and receptacle and attachment of the receptacle to the tube 4. On the receptacle is the circumferential flange 20, and between said flange and the lower edge of the cover 17 is a rubber gasket, or washer 21, which latter will joint of the coupling in the actof coupling so as to prevent. pa ssa go of gas through the coupling to or from the receptaclewhen screwed home. The cover 17 is made of metal, is opaque and is disposed to overlie the mouth 19 and to surround the upper part of the lateral wall of the receptacle. 1

Fixed to the tube 4, in the particular form shown in Fig. 2, and extending downwardly so as to surround the upper part of the receptacle 3 'is the skirt member 22. Preferably this member is made of sheet metal brazedto the tube 4 somewhat above its lower end. This skirt memberacts as a protective hood for the upper end of the receptacle and partly conceals the lateral wall of the receptacle. In this form the lowenpart of the receptacle 3 preferably projects below the lower Q( ge of the skirt 22 when the receptacle is operatively may readily be eas coupled to the tube 4, so that the receptacle 3 ly grasped in the hand for manipulative purposes without interference by the hood. In the embodimentillustrated the member 22 is an opaque metal hood which is laterally spaced as to permit free passage of'the receptacle past the open end-of the hood. By

reason of the the hood or skirt 22 is also adapted to serve as a protecting cushion ing, or steadying device, as will appear.

In the top 1 of the stand, Fig. 1, is an upper opening 23, the diameter of which is such as to permit free passage of the receptacle 3, the diameter of said opening being, however, less than that of the ash tray, so that when the unit consisting of the tube 4, ash tray 6, skirt 22, and waste receptacleB, is operatively. assembled together, this unit structure described 3, whererotation of the recepfrom the receptacle 3 so upper support-adapted to underlie and sup-' port said flange or tray. In this wise said waste receiving unit will hang or be. pendant on the stand or other article of furniture in a manner permitting ready removal and replacement as av unit and so that the bottom of the receptacle is above the bottom of the stand and the floor on which the stand rests. This unit may be laterally supported by a crossplate 24 which I will term a lower support and which is carried by the legs 2'above the bottom of the stand, said cross plate having a. lower opening in vertical alignment with the upper opening 23 and of sufficient size readily to permit the receptacle 3 to pass therethrough and also to permit the skirt 22 to be nicely fitted therein. In this wise the lateral wall in the opening in the plate 24 and the hood 22 will coact to support the waste receiving unit against lateral swinging movement. Furthermore, the skirt efiiciently guards the upper part of the receptacle against chance blows which might damage it; and the outer walls or parts of the article of furniture, as for instance the legs, 2, also guard the receptacle 3 from accidental blows. The numeral 26 indicates a metal guard on the cross-plate 24 coincident with the edge of the lower opening 25, said guard 26 serving to protect the plate 24 from disfigurement therewith.

The waste receiving unit consists primarily of the tube 4 having the waste receptacle 3 pendant from its lower end and under hanging and in communication with said tube, and carrying the tray 6 at its upper end, and the protecting skirt at its lower end, this unit being a receiver for smokers waste and the receptacle'being of a volume to retain a large accumulation of waste. This unit may be made relatively light in weight so as to be adapted ported and inverted, or otherwise manipulated by the user. Such a unit is, therefore, readily adapted to be removed by the user from its condition pendant from the article of furniture when so used and may be transported to any point desired whereupon, by simple manipulation, the receptacle may be easily separated from the tube 4, emptied and thereupon operatively reassembled on the tube 4 and thewhole once more easily replaced as a unit in the article of furniture,

easily to'be lifted, trans-- may be introduced, receptacle foremost, from wherein it will immediately rest in position 3 ready to receive smokers waste until further service and removal is required.

The waste receiving unit above referred to when usetlarith a pieceof furniture should not only be-of the'light weight and general structure lending it to readytransport and manipulation by hand but as far as possible should be made of durable material so that in the exigencies of service it will not be damaged. But when waste receiving units of the type described herein are opaque, it is not practical to determine if the receptacle 3 is filled and ready for discharge, .orcleaning, without dismemberilng the unit so as to permit one to observe the condition of the interior of. the receptacle by looking directly into the mouth of the detached receptacle. Furthermore, the unit will often times be associated with adiifercnt article of furniture than the stand specifically illustrated in Fig. 1, and whatever type be the article of furniture, the receptacle will be vertically, deeply situated therein, although the waste entry aperture 5 and the cavity of the tray 6 will be in communication with the atmosphere and of convenient access exteriorly of the article of furniture. The receptacle 3 will provide, as it were, a. pocket in and surrounded by the article of furniture and therefore in'a relatively dark location. "To render the complete article convenient and satisfactory for service and to lessen the difiiculty in determining if the unit requires service, as for instance that receptacleB requires-to be emptied, the structureof the-receptacle is of such a character as to expose its interior to view through its walls and, in the present embodiment, this object is accomplished by making the receptacle of glass or other translucent material.

For the most eflicient waste receiving conditions the tube-4- should be imperforate and straight and lead directly into the upper end of the receptacle and it results that when the receptacle is translucent, observation of the -interior of-the receptacle may be made by looking into the waste entry aperture 5,

' which thus serves as a peep opening, the receptacle being visible as an illuminated object at the lower endof the tube 4. By making the tube 4 opaque, as of metal, lateral intermediate light between the peep opening and the receptacle is cut off, thus establishing a light contrast which accentuates the visibility of the interior of the receptacle. When the structure of the article of furniture is such as to expose the receptacle to ample light under normal conditions of use, as for instance as illustrated in Fig. 1, in which-the lower part of receptacle 3 is exposed beneath the lower support 24, inspection of the receptacle is possible by looking through the peep opening while the unit rests on the stand; or, when the receptacleis in a comparatively dark room, the unit may readilybe, raised and the receptacle inspected either-through its side or its bottom.

The waste receiving unit is gas-tight; it is impervious to entry and exit of gas except at a point removed from the receptacle, as

through the waste entry aperture 5. As the tube is relatively long and upstanding, and the aperture 5 relatively small, there is practically no chance for air currents to be established in the unit and it is found in practice that the unit, even when containing long standing'waste, is practically odorless, and no objectionable odor arises therefrom. Although the receptacle 3 be made of glass, it is guarded from chance blows by the member 22- and/or the surrounding parts of the furniture article; it is readily replaceable when broken, and its sanitary features render glassa peculiarly efiicient material for the receptacle, in addition to its quality permitting inspection of the interior of the receptacle and lending to convenient and efficient service. In the illustrated embodiment the diameters .of-the tube 4 and of the receptacle 3 are such as to permit them to be grasped one in either hand, for purpose of manipulation to effect attachment and detachment. As the while unit referred to is light in weight, it may be easily handled by anyone and transported, served, and removed and replaced on its stand with no difliculty whatever.

It is to be noted that a feature of the unit hereinbefore referred to is the retention of Y smokers waste without discharge for relatively long periods of time, as for instance, a week or a month, dependent upon conditions of use. Ina club or hotel discharge would probably be required oftener thanin' a privatehousehold. Applicant has discovered that when the receptacle 3 is made-0f glass or lined with glass'it is not injured by the presence'of long standing waste nor by the fumes and gases retained along with the waste. The fumes and gases will attack brass and steel, especially when the parts made of such material contain any fissures or cracks, with the result thata receptacle made of these or similar metal materials tends to have its walls weakened bybeing chemically acted upon by fumes and gases of the waste; Furthermore, if any water is in the receptacle the smokers" waste combines therewith to form lyewhich will attack the metal receptacle. Such objections are avoided by the glass receptacle, the glass being non-oxidizable' and non-corrodible. is rust-proof and acid-proof. Hence the feature of the glass receptacle has special re-- lation to a most important factor of the unit above mentioned, namely, the retention of smokers waste and the fumes and gases thereof-for a long period of time.

Since certain changes may be made in th article and different embodiments of them- Glass,

vention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is'intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in. the accompanying draw ng shall herein described. and all statements ofjthe scope of the invention which, as a matter of lan'guag(. mightbe said to fall therebetwe'en.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: A

1.An article of the character described including a frame, a waste receiving unit carried by said frame and bodily removable threfronnsaid unit comprising a long and relatively narrow waste conducting tube, a

flared waste receiving tra-y at the upper endthereof, a waste receiving receptacle at the lower end thereof, means for detachably con-' necting said receptacle adjacent the lower end of the tube to form a substantially airtight joint between the receptacle andthe tube, and means at'the upper part of the frame for suspending said unit from a point near its upper end. i

i 2. An article of the character described including a frame, a waste receiving unit carried by said frame and bodily removable therefrom, said unit comprising a long and relatively narrow waste conducting tube, a flared waste receiving tray at the upper end thereof, a waste receiving receptacle at. the lower end thereof, means for detachabl y con- "necting said receptacle. adjacent the lower end of the tube to form a substantially airtight joint between the receptacle and the tube, meansat the upper part of the frame for'suspending said unit from a point near its upper end, and means carried by the frame for laterally supporting the lower part of theunit.

3. A device of the character described including in combination, a stand, a waste receiving unit including a waste conducting tube and a Waste retaining receptacle, said unit being suspended from its upper end on said stand and'said tube and receptacle being detachably connectedto each other with the receptacle in position to receive waste discharging from said tube.

4. A deviceof the character described including in combination, a stand, a waste receiving unit including a waste conducting tube and a waste retaining receptacle, said unit being suspended from its upper end on said stand and said tube and receptacle being detachably connected to each other with the receptacle in position to receive Waste dissaid unit also in- .charging from saidtube,

eluding a skirt covering and protecting the upper-part of the receptacle.

5-. A receiver for smokers waste comprising a unit of relatively light weight adapted to be easily lifted, transported and inverted by the user, said unit including in combinationa long upright waste conducting tube having a flared waste receiving entry aperture at its upper end, a removable glass waste receiving receptacle at the lower end of said tube, means for detachably connecting said glass wastereceiving receptacle in operative position relatively to the lower end of the tube for receiving waste passing downwardly theret-hrough, and a skirt overstanding and protecting the upper part of said receptacle. 6. In a device of the character described, a stand, a unit of relatively lightv weight adapted to be easily lifted, transported, and inverted by-the user, said unit including in combination a long upright waste conducting tube having at its upper end a flared waste receiving entry, a glass waste receiving receptacle at the lower end of said tube and in position to receive waste passing downwardly thercthrough, means for detachably connecting said glass receptacle in said position, a skirt overstanding and protecting the upper part of said glass waste receiving receptacle, and means at the upper part of the stand for-suspending said unit on said stand from the upper end of the latter.

7. In a device of the character described, a stand, a unit of relatively light weight adapted to be easily lifted, transported, and inverted by the user, said unit includingin combination a long upright waste conducting tube having at its upper end a flared waste receiving entry, a glass waste receiving receptacle at the lower end of said tube and in position to= rcceive waste passing downwardly therethrough, means for detachably connecting said glass rece'ptaclein said position, a skirt overstanding and protecting the upper part of said glass waste receiving receptacle, means at the upper part of the stand for suspending said unit on said stand from the upper end of the latter, and'means lower down on saidstand for laterally Supporting said unit.

8. In a smokers stand, a supporting frame, a removable waste receiving unit, said unit comprising a relatively long waste conduct" ing. tube having a flared waste receiving entry at its upper end, a glass waste receiving receptacle detachably connected at the lower end of said 'unit in line with said tube to receive waste passing downwardly therethrough, and means at the upper part of said stand for engaging the upper part of said unit to support said unit in suspension therefrom. x v V In testimony whereof I- afiix'my signature.

ROBERT G. FLEMING.

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