This invention relates generally to the field of waste receptacle devices, and more particularly to the field of waste receptacle devices designed to receive cigarette butts, and even more particularly to such devices that are freestanding and primarily intended for placement outdoors.
Butt receptacle devices, also known as smokers' urns, have become very common as laws forbidding smoking within buildings have proliferated. The laws have resulted in the creation of designated smoking areas. Because cigarettes cannot be brought into buildings, accumulations of discarded butts at entrances and in the designated smoking areas quickly became a problem. To address this, butt receptacle devices are placed at the entrances and in the designated smoking areas. These devices share several common structural features in order to accomplish the primary function of the device—receiving, storing and snuffing large quantities of smoldering cigarette butts for later disposal. These common features consist of an open-topped butt-retaining container composed of a non-flammable and durable material, typically a metal bucket or can, a base to receive the container, and a relatively narrow, elongated, vertically-oriented receiving tube or chute, the receiving tube being provided with one or more small openings for insertion of the cigarette butts. The butt receiving openings are most preferably provided with a cap, cover, overhang or similar structural feature to preclude or limit entry of rain into the tube, or alternatively the butt receiving openings may be simply positioned on the vertical sides of the tube. In typical butt receptacle devices, the tube flares out at the bottom in a manner that allows it to mate with the base in a removable manner, such that the tube may be removed from the base in order to access the butt container for disposal of the butts.
The narrow receiving tube serves two purposes. The first purpose is to direct the falling cigarette butts into the open-topped container. The second purpose is to limit and restrict airflow into and out of the device such that any smoke or odor emanating from the smoldering butts is retained within the device and further such that the amount of oxygen within the device remains limited in order to more quickly snuff out the smoldering butts.
Most cigarette butt receptacle devices in production today are aesthetically limited, with the most common units consisting of a circular-in-cross-section base encasing the container bucket and a co-axially oriented, vertical, linear receiving tube disposed atop the base. Simple design elements, such as ridges or channels, are sometimes disposed either annularly or vertically on the base and tube in a weak attempt to better the visual appearance. These simple design elements do little to disguise or reduce the presence of the butt receptacles in the visual landscape, as the devices are readily identifiable. Given that the butt receptacles are usually disposed at exterior entryways into buildings, this common structure is the equivalent of placing garbage cans at the primary points of entry.
It is an object of this invention to provide cigarette butt receptacles of a structure and design that eliminates or at least dramatically reduces the aesthetic drawbacks of the typical structures by providing structure that presents less obtrusive visual impressions. It is a further object to provide cigarette butt receptacles wherein the functionality remains but is contained within external or additional structural components in order to alter the visual impression of the device, allowing the visual impressions to be readily changed if desired. It is further object to provide such devices where the additional structural components comprise for example exterior housings for the receiving tube or cap elements for the top of the tube. It is a further object to provide such devices wherein the additional structure comprises interchangeable elements such that a given butt receptacle device may have multiple appearances, and wherein particular messages may be conveyed to the public. It is a further object to provide such devices wherein the receiving tube or chute of the device is non-linear, such that it is curved or comprises angled segments, such that the upper portion of the tube does not need to be coaxially aligned with the butt receptacle, thereby allowing greater variety of engineering design. These objects, as well as objects not expressly set forth but which will become apparent upon examination of the disclosure to follow, are set forth expressly or implicitly below in detailed description.
In general, the invention is an improved or alternative construction for a cigarette butt receptacle device, wherein the butt receptacle device comprises in combination an open-topped, butt-receiving container member composed of a non-flammable and durable material, typically a metal bucket or can, a receptacle base member to receive the container therein, and a relatively narrow, elongated, vertically-oriented receiving tube or chute member that connects to and sits atop the base member, the receiving tube member being provided with one or more disposal openings for insertion of the cigarette butts. The receiving tube member is removable from the receptacle base member to provide access to the container member for disposal of the butts.
In a first embodiment, the invention comprises a secondary tube housing or shroud member that is disposed externally to and about the receiving tube, such that the external presentation of the receiving tube is hidden or altered. The secondary tube housing member may be permanently attached to the receiving tube member or may be temporarily connected, such that the secondary tube housing member may be interchanged with secondary tube housing members of different configuration, visual presentation or message as desired.
In a second embodiment, the invention comprises a cap member that mounts onto the upper end of the receiving tube in an interchangeable manner such that cap member may be interchanged with cap members of different configuration, visual presentation or message as desired. The cap member may or may not contain the butt disposal opening.
In a third embodiment, the invention comprises a non-linear receiving tube, such that the tube is completely or partially curved, or is comprised of linear segments joined at angles between 90 and 180 degrees.
In any of the embodiments, the invention may comprise a cigarette butt receptacle device having an external configuration that is shaped as a plant or shrub, or a physical object for advertising purposes, or any similar “deceptive” external configuration serving a dual purpose of providing a functioning cigarette butt receiving means and presenting a visual message.
With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described in detail with regard for the best modes and the preferred embodiments. In a most general sense, the invention is an improved cigarette butt receptacle device.
A typical or traditional cigarette butt receptacle device is shown in
A first embodiment of an improved cigarette butt receptacle device, shown in
A variation of this embodiment is shown in
A third embodiment of the butt receptacle device is shown in
Examples of device configurations include sports (baseball, football, soccer ball), national or country landmarks (Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building), animals, food and beverage (coke bottle, beer bottle, rolling pin), cigarette and cigar, branded products, weapons, company logos, sports team logos, trees or shrubs, statues, sports equipment, etc.
It is contemplated that equivalents and substitutions for certain elements set forth above may be obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore the true scope and definition of the invention is to be as set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/485,936, filed Jul. 8, 2003.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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D82959 | Schwarz | Dec 1930 | S |
5906211 | Mason | May 1999 | A |
6186355 | Luedecke | Feb 2001 | B1 |
D480504 | Taylor | Oct 2003 | S |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050005945 A1 | Jan 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60485936 | Jul 2003 | US |