Cigarette lighter receptacle

Details Cigarette lighter receptacle Cigarette lighter receptacle

2000-02-03

2001-05-01

Fidei, David T. (Department: 3728)

Special receptacle or package

With igniter for tobacco content

Igniter is flint-wick type

C206S085000, C206S102000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06223891

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to packaging containing cigarettes for retail sale, and in particular provides a cigarette package having an associated pocket for holding a cigarette lighter. The pocket can be integral with the package and initially folded flat against the package, or the pocket can be attached by the consumer. The pocket can be opened by the consumer to provide a receptacle for holding the cigarette lighter.
2. Prior Art
Cigarettes are sold in shirt pocket sized rectilinear retail containers or “packs” containing twenty cigarettes. The well known cigarette pack comprises an inner foil sheet that surrounds the cigarettes, a glued paper structural layer that forms the container, and a snugly wrapped outer layer of cellophane. In so-called soft packs the structural layer is flexible paper; the cellophane is removable around the top edge of the pack; and the foil is intended to be torn away over a limited portion of the top adjacent to a seal strip. In so called hard packs the structural layer is paperboard; the cellophane is removable below a fold-back lid that extends part way down the sidewalls; and an inserted foil portion can be pulled away to expose the top ends of the cigarettes. Whether hard pack or soft pack, the structural layer is formed of sheet material that has been cut, folded and glued to form the pack.
A smoker must also carry a lighter or a book of matches to ignite the cigarettes. A popular option that has become standard is the disposable butane lighter, which frequently is dimensioned to have a height and width substantially the same as the height and thickness of a cigarette pack. A common annoyance occasionally experienced by cigarette smokers is the misplacement of their cigarette lighter. To reduce the possibility that the lighter will be misplaced, the lighter can be carried commonly with the cigarettes, for example inside the pack after a sufficient number of cigarettes have been removed to clear a space. Similarly, it is known in the art to provide a cigarette pack carrier or caddie that attaches to a pack of cigarettes or has a receptacle to receive the pack, and also has a receptacle for a cigarette lighter. For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,256,549 to Goodnow; U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,488 to Dement; U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,416 to Clark; U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,812 to Pisarski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,148 to Schade, II et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,076 to Caputo et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,613 to Kopp; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,503 to Rhodes et al., disclose various devices for carrying both an incendiary device and pack of cigarettes. French U.S. Pat. No. 1,229,398 to Weiss; and French Application No. 2,693,878—Tibi; and German Patent Application No. DE 3137318 Al also disclose smoking paraphernalia including devices for carrying incendiary means along with a pack of cigarettes.
Cigarette pack and lighter caddies are advantageous in that they keep the pack and the lighter associated, but require that the smoker carry an additional piece of smoking paraphernalia. Thus, it is nearly as easy to misplace a caddie (particularly when empty) as it is to misplace a lighter. Additionally, many pack/lighter caddies are bulky, making them less than desirable for carrying in a smoker's pocket or purse. It would be advantageous if a more convenient and inexpensive way could be provided for smokers to carry their cigarette lighters along with their cigarette packs, without having to purchase and retain a separate carrier device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved package for retail distribution of cigarettes, wherein a deployable lighter receptacle is provided on the structural layer of the cigarette pack. The lighter receptacle initially is collapsed flat, for example compressed against an inner side wall of the package, under the cellophane layer. Thus the lighter receptacle adds no bulk to the package unless the smoker decides to use it. The package has a plurality of walls, conventionally sized to receive and dispensably retain individual cigarettes. The container also includes panels defining a cigarette lighter receptacle on one of its side walls, preferably one of the thinner vertical side walls. The cigarette lighter receptacle preferably has at least an outer wall that is connected to the container by spaced side walls joined to the pack adjacent to the front and rear side walls of the pack. The side walls of the receptacle are inwardly foldable to position the receptacle walls substantially flush with an inner container wall confining the cigarettes, when the receptacle is not being used. The side walls of the receptacle can be unfolded outwardly to deploy the lighter receptacle and to receive and retain the lighter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully disclosed in, or rendered apparent by the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments of the invention, which are to be considered together with the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numbers have been used to refer to like parts.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a box-type retail cigarette package or hard pack having a cigarette lighter receptacle according to a first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2
is a partial perspective view of the cigarette lighter receptacle shown in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is a partial top plan view of part of the retail cigarette pack shown in
FIG. 1
, but with the cigarette lighter receptacle in a collapsed first position where the receptacle is compressed under a cellophane wrapper.
FIG. 4
is a partial top plan view similar to
FIG. 3
, with the cellophane wrapper removed to release the cigarette lighter receptacle, in an initial stage of opening.
FIG. 5
is a partial top plan view similar to
FIGS. 3 and 4
, showing a pair of reverse foldable lighter stops.
FIG. 6
is a partial top plan view similar to
FIGS. 35
, showing the cigarette lighter (in phantom) disposed in the lighter receptacle.
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view taken along lines
7
—
7
in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 8
is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention applied to a soft pack retail cigarette package having a cigarette lighter receptacle formed in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 9
is a perspective view of a box-type retail cigarette package or hard pack having a cigarette lighter receptacle according to a second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10
is a partial perspective view of the cigarette lighter receptacle shown in FIG.
9
.
FIG. 11
is a cross-sectional view taken along lines
11
—
11
in FIG.
9
.
FIG. 12
is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention secured to the side of an automobile sun visor.
FIG. 13
is a partial perspective view similar to the cigarette lighter receptacle shown in
FIG. 9
, but including an alternative stop.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5918734 (1999-07-01), Devens et al.
patent: 91 06 739 U (1992-10-01), None
patent: 296 13 167 U1 (1997-03-01), None
patent: 2 697 139 (1992-10-01), None

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Cigarette lighter receptacle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Cigarette lighter receptacle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cigarette lighter receptacle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2438773