Tobacco product snuffer

Details Tobacco product snuffer Tobacco product snuffer

1999-09-03

2001-08-14

Silverman, Stanley S. (Department: 1731)

Tobacco

Tobacco users' appliance

Cigar or cigarette extinquishers

C131S235100, C131S237000, C131S175000, CD27S102000, CD27S136000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06273094

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to a tobacco product snuffer. More particularly, this invention relates to a snuffer for extinguishing lighted tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars.
Devices for extinguishing lighted tobacco products, such as cigars and cigarettes, have been known for a long period of time. In years past, when the cost of cigarettes in particular were relatively modest, if a smoker had to extinguish a partially used cigarette, the cigarette was simply discarded. As the cost of cigarettes has increased, a need has arisen for smokers to be able to extinguish and then re-use a partially used cigarette. Further, due to various laws and ordinances, the locations where cigarettes or cigars may be smoked have become limited. Accordingly, in some cases, if a cigarette has not been fully used, a need arises to be able to extinguish the cigarette for transportation to a smoke-free environment for subsequent re-use in a smoke-permitted area.
Heretofore, various types of devices have been employed as cigarette snuffers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,634 describes a device having an elongated tubular cap with a closed end into which an elongated tubular holder is telescoped. The holder and cap fit together so that a lighted tobacco product placed in the holder is extinguished by frictional closure between the cap and the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,953 describes a cigarette snuffer which employs a tube having an open end and a closed end. In addition, slots are provided in the side walls of the tube to permit an extinguished cigarette to be manually slid out of the snuffer. Similar types of snuffing devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,002,073; 4,886,076 and 4,497,329 and various types of cigarette snuffer designs are known from U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 344,612; 291,126; 255,498 and 245,344.
One of the problems which arises with the previously known cigarette snuffers is that cigarettes are manufactured in different diametric sizes. Thus, while a snuffer may be suitable for one size diameter cigarette, the snuffer may not be suitable for a smaller or larger sized diameter cigarette. Further, where a snuffer may be suitable for a cigarette, the snuffer may not be suitable for a cigar of a greater diameter. Accordingly, in order to accommodate different diameter cigarettes and/or cigars, multiple snuffers would be required by a user.
Other problems which have arisen with previously known cigarettes snuffers is that, once a cigarette has been extinguished, it has been cumbersome to remove the used cigarette for re-use.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a tobacco product snuffer which can be readily adapted to different diameter tobacco products.
It is another object of the invention to provide an aesthetically pleasing snuffing device which can be carried in a shirt or jacket pocket.
It is another object of the invention to provide a snuffing device which can quickly extinguish a lighted tobacco product and which makes the product readily available for re-use.
Briefly, the invention provides a tobacco product snuffer which is comprised of three basic pieces, namely, a tubular member having a closed end, a sleeve sidably received in the tubular member and a cap to retain the sleeve in place.
The tubular member is also provided with an open end and a tapered inner peripheral wall which extends from the open end toward the closed end and which is sized to accommodate tobacco products of different diameters.
The sleeve is one of a plurality of such sleeves which differ from each by having different inside diameters. Each sleeve has an outside diameter to be slidably received within the tubular member with a friction fit while the inside diameter is such as to slidably receive and hold a cylindrical tobacco product. The outside diameter of the sleeve is such as to fit into the tubular member in a recessed manner. That is to say, the sleeve is mounted within the tubular member close to the open end.
The cap is provided with a tubular stem which is slidably received in the open end of the tubular member in order to abut and retain the sleeve within the tubular member. The same also has a bore for passage of a lighted cylindrical tobacco product therethrough. The cap is also provided with a resilient clip extending co-extensively with the tubular member to enable the snuffer to be held in place in a shirt pocket or the like.
In order to use the snuffer, the appropriate sleeve of the set of sleeves is selected to fit the outer diameter of the tobacco product Typically, three sleeves are provided in a set, each with a slightly different inside diameter.
Once selected, the sleeve is inserted into the open end of the tubular member and comes to rest inside the tubular member in a recessed manner. The cap is then fitted into the open end of the tubular member to abut and retain the sleeve in place.
The assembled snuffer may be carried in a pocket of a shirt, a jacket, purse, or in any other suitable manner.
Should a smoker desire to extinguish a partially used cigarette in the snuffer, the cigarette is inserted lighted end first through the bore in the cap and thence through the sleeve. Typically, the sleeve fits snugly around the lighted cigarette and seals off the interior of the tubular member to prevent further burning of the cigarette. Since the lighted end of the cigarette is thus fitted into a closed space, the cigarette will become quickly extinguished.
Typically, the cigarette is fitted into the snuffer with the filter end (or unlighted end) projecting from the snuffer. Thus, the cigarette can be readily grasped and removed manually by the smoker from the snuffer at a later time for re-use.
The snuffer can be readily transported, e.g. in a pocket of a shirt, a jacket, purse or the like with the extinguished cigarette in place.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2113745 (1938-04-01), Pyatt
patent: 4660575 (1987-04-01), Andreason et al.
patent: 5002073 (1991-03-01), Chiang

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