Patent Application
20210212360
The present invention relates to a smoking-waste receptacle and, more particularly, to a smoking-waste receptacle adapted for a residence.
Smoking-waste receptacles are often provided in residential and public spaces so that smokers can dispose of smoking waste, e.g., cigarette ash, cigar ash, lit cigarettes or cigars, and cigarette or cigar butts. However, conventional smoking-waste receptacles have numerous shortcomings.
For instance, the smoking-waste receptacles commonly found in public spaces are generally too large for residential use.
The typical smoking-waste receptacles found in homes are generally a variation of a plate, i.e., the conventional ashtray. Such ashtrays are prone to being accidentally tipped or flipped over, dispersing the smoking-waste where it is not desired. Additionally, such conventional ashtrays permit one to inadvertently put one hand or fingers into the ashes. If the residence has a pet such as a dog or cat, the animal might eat or play with the ashes. Additionally, young children may also disperse smoking-waste from a conventional ashtray.
Furthermore, conventional ashtrays may not add to the decor of the smoker's residence.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a receptacle for a smoker's ashes is formed from a hollow prism. The hollow prism can have any shape, such as a rectangular prism, a square prism, a circular prism, an elliptical prism, a pentagonal prism, a hexagonal prism, and an octagonal prism.
The hollow prism has a top surface joined to a first edge of a side wall, and a second edge of said side wall is joined to a bottom surface. The top and bottom surfaces are substantially parallel. Additionally, to prevent the hollow prism from being inadvertently tipped over, the shortest distance separating a point on said top surface from a point on said bottom surfaces (i.e., the height of the side wall) is less than the greatest distance separating a first point on said side wall from a second point on said side wall (e.g., the longest diagonal of the top surface).
In preferred embodiments, the hollow prism is made of a material that is fire retardant under the conditions found in a fire that is burning paper and tobacco. For instance, preferred materials for the manufacturer of the hollow prism include metals, such as iron, copper, aluminium, stainless steel; and thermoplastics having a fire retardant component such as antimony trioxide dispersed throughout.
The top surface of said prism having an aperture connecting the exterior of said hollow prism to its interior. The aperture can have any shape and has an area of between about 0.5 square inches and about 16 square inches. Joined to the top surface (either above or below the top surface), and positioned adjacent to the aperture, is a grating or mesh.
The grating or mesh has a plurality of openings. These openings may be uniformly sized, or they may multiple different sizes. The openings in said grating or mesh are sized from about 0.01 [⅛×⅛ inch] square inches to about 0.15 [⅜×⅜ inch] square inches.
The grating or mesh is joined to said top surface of said prism in a manner effective to limit access to the interior of said prism via the top surface aperture to objects having a cross-sectional area of less than about 0.15 square inches. This sizing is to prevent fingers or other parts of small children and pets from acing the smoking waste in the ash box.
The side wall includes a drawer that can slide in, and out, of the interior of said hollow prism. This drawer is configured so that when it is closed, it is positioned below said aperture in said top surface to collect anything that passes through said aperture. When the drawer is closed, the exterior surface of said drawer is preferably substantially flush with the exterior of said side wall. The drawer opens substantially perpendicular to a side wall to permit access to, and removal of, the smoking waste that has accumulated in said drawer.
In a further preferred embodiment, the drawer holds a removable tray to collect the smoking waste and make remove of the smoking waste easier.
In another preferred embodiment, the interior of the hollow prism has an inclined surface attached to an interior surface of said side wall that terminates above said drawer, and removable tray if any, to guide the smoking waste to the center of the drawer.
The accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The present inventions now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
Aperture 10 preferably has a size of between about 0.5 square inches and about 16 square inches. More preferably aperture 10 has a size of between about 1 square inches and about 9 square inches, and still more preferably aperture 10 has a size of between about 1.5 square inches and about 6.25 square inches.
Grating 15 provides a plurality of openings through which smoking-waste can pass into smoking-waste receptacle 1 while preventing children and pets from accessing the smoking-waste inside smoking-waste receptacle 1. The openings in grating 15 generally range in size from about 0.01 [⅛×⅛ inch] square inches to about 0.15 [⅜×⅜ inch] square inches. More preferably the openings in grating 15 have a size of between about 0.03 square inches and about 0.1 square inches.
To ensure the stability of smoking-waste receptacle 1, the shortest distance separating a point on said top surface from a point on said bottom surfaces (i.e., the height of smoking-waste receptacle 1) is less than the greatest distance separating a first point on said side wall from a second point on said side wall (a measure of the width of smoking-waste receptacle 1.
Smoking-waste receptacle 1 has a drawer 40 in side wall 35. Drawer 40 is slidably mounted in said smoking-receptacle 1. Preferably, when drawer 40 is closed, the exterior of drawer 40 is flush with the exterior of side wall 35. In a preferred embodiment, drawer 40 has a locking means that prevents drawer 40 from being opened by a child or pet. For instance, the locking means might include a rotatable bar mounted above drawer 40 that prevents drawer 40 from opening unless the bar is rotated out of the path of drawer 40 path of movement when opening. Alternatively, the locking means might include one or more pins inserted through side wall 35 and into drawer 40 to prevent its opening. In a further alternative embodiment, the locking means might include an electro magnet that when turned off by an application on the user's phone, permits drawer 40 to be opened.
In a still further alternative embodiment of smoking-waste receptacle 1 two, or more, grating 15 are mounted so that the user can rotate their choice in grating 15 into position below aperture 10.
In another embodiment of smoking-waste receptacle 1, there is a tilt sensor in smoking-waste receptacle 1 that detects if smoking-waste receptacle 1 has been substantially tipped, i.e., by for example 45°. The tilt sensor can be either electronic (e.g., an inclinometer) or mechanical (e.g., a weight on a narrow shelf). When the tilt sensor is activated, it causes a flap to cover the aperture in the smoking-waste receptacle 1 to prevent the contents from leaving the receptacle.
