Cutlery – Cigar tip cutters – Hand
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-16
2001-11-13
Payer, Hwei-Siu (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Cigar tip cutters
Hand
C030S366000, C030S358000, C131S253000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314645
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention of the present disclosure pertains generally to tobacco use devices and more particularly to an apparatus for perforating cigarettes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various devices are available for perforating the outer covering of a cigarette or otherwise modifying the cigarette in some way to reduce the toxicity of the tobacco smoke by mixing fresh air with the tobacco smoke thereby diluting the smoke. Heretofore, such devices are characterized by complexity because of elaborate construction or providing the capability of perforating a plurality of cigarettes at one time. Further, such devices are more costly to manufacture and in some cases too bulky to conveniently carry in a pocket or a small purse. Other devices do not perforate the outer covering of the cigarette and therefore do not provide the desired toxicity reduction by admitting fresh air to dilute the smoke produced by the combustion of tobacco. What is needed is a pocket sized cigarette perforating device that is very simple to manufacture and to operate and which enables efficient perforation of a cigarette to a user's individual preferences.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention disclosed and claimed herein, an apparatus for perforating a cigarette, comprises a body having a torus shaped portion, said torus shaped portion having an inside diameter forming an aperture and an outside diameter, and a handle portion contiguous with said torus shaped portion and extending along a radius of said torus shaped portion beyond said outside diameter, wherein said aperture is sized to allow passage of said cigarette therethrough; first and second bores disposed through opposite sides of said torus shaped portion along an acting diameter of said torus shaped portion and oriented approximately perpendicular to said radius; and first and second spring-loaded, reciprocating pins formed to a point at each inward-directed end and set in linearly opposing relationship along said acting diameter of said torus shaped portion respectively in said first and second bores.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, each said first and second pin is biased to a retracted position under spring loading within each said respective first and second bore such that said respective pointed end of each said first and second pin is disposed within said retracted position within said respective body portion of said torus shaped portion and the distal end of each said first and second pin extends outward from said first and second respective bores beyond said outside diameter of said body of said torus shaped portion by a first pre-determined distance.
In another aspect, said first and second pins are operable to move inward within said first and second respective bores from said retracted position and enter said aperture upon applying radially inward pressure upon said first or second pins against said spring loading and along the longitudinal axis of each said first and second bore such that said respective pointed end of said first or second pin is caused to move longitudinally inward toward each other into said aperture by a second predetermined distance and pierce the outer covering of a cigarette inserted into said aperture.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the body of said apparatus is sized to be held within a person's hand and configured to permit exerting pressure upon said distal ends of said second and first pins with said person's thumb and at least one finger respectively of said hand.
In yet another aspect of the present disclosure a helical spring is axially disposed over the pointed end of each said first and second pins between an inward end of said respective bore and an inward side of a shoulder portion of the respective pin such that the helical spring provides spring loading for retracting the first or second pin within the respective first or second bore. In another aspect the spring loading is provided by a flat, longitudinal spring supporting the respective pin at one end within the respective bore and the opposite end of the spring is fixed within the body of the cigarette perforator such that the respective pin is supported in cantilever fashion by the flat, longitudinal spring.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 474793 (1892-05-01), Castro
patent: 738540 (1903-09-01), Hopkins
patent: 1368443 (1921-02-01), Lackner
patent: 2333049 (1943-10-01), Shapiro
patent: 3349779 (1967-10-01), Leonard et al.
patent: 4054146 (1977-10-01), Ortiz, Jr.
patent: 4120309 (1978-10-01), Brantl et al.
patent: 4231378 (1980-11-01), Stevens
patent: 5678574 (1997-10-01), Huang et al.
patent: 5873166 (1999-02-01), Page
Howison, Chauza, Thoma, Handley & Arnott, L.L.P.
Payer Hwei-Siu
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