Patent Application
20250134163
Not Applicable
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The disclosure relates to cigarette holders and more particularly pertains to a new cigarette holder for aiding a user to grasp a cigarette.
The prior art discloses devices for holding cigarettes but fails to disclose a cigarette holder with a handle and a pair of prongs such that the prongs clamp a cigarette distally from the handle. Such an apparatus would be advantageous for allowing a user to keep the user's hands in a more comfortable position while using the cigarette. For example, a user could rest the hand which grasps the cigarette holder against a support surface which is spaced from the user's mouth. The user could also position the hand below the user's mouth such that the user would not be required to lift the hand all the way from a natural resting position of the hand to the user's mouth. Such advantages may be particularly useful to individuals with arthritis or other conditions which cause pain or limit movement of the individual's hands.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cigarette holder with a handle and a pair of prongs. The handle is elongated between a first end and a second end of the handle. A front side and a rear side of the handle extend between the first end and the second end. A pair of lateral sides extend between the first end and the second end and between the front side and the rear side. The pair of prongs is coupled to the second end of the handle. The prongs extend parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the handle away from the second end. The prongs are laterally spaced from each other with respect to the handle. Each prong of the pair of prongs is resiliently bendable such that the pair of prongs are configured to clamp a cigarette between the pair of prongs.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The pair of prongs 28 is coupled to the second end 18 of the handle 14 and extends parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the handle 14 away from the second end 18. The prongs 28 are laterally space 34d from each other with respect to the handle 14. Each prong 28 of the pair of prongs 28 has a recess 32 adjacent to a distal end 30 of the prong 28 with respect to the handle 14. The recesses 32 of the pair of prongs 28 define a space 34 between the pair of prongs 28 for receiving a cigarette 88. Each prong 28 of the pair of prongs 28 is resiliently bendable such that the pair of prongs 28 are configured to clamp the cigarette 88 in the space 34 between the pair of prongs 28. The space 34 has a cylindrical shape, and a central longitudinal axis of the space 34 extends forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the handle 14.
Each prong 28 of the pair of prongs 28 comprises an extension portion 36 and a holder portion 42. The extension portion 36 extends from the handle 14 to the holder portion 42 and defines the recess 32. A rear surface 38 of the extension portion 36 is oriented coplanar to the rear side 22 of the handle 14, and a front surface 40 of the extension portion 36 is angled toward the rear surface 38 from the handle 14 to the holder portion 42. The holder portion 42 protrudes forwardly from the extension portion 36 with respect to the handle 14.
The prongs 28 are integrally formed with the handle 14. The cigarette 88 holder 12 is constructed of wood, but may comprise any material suitable to hold the cigarette 88 and facilitate bending of the prongs 28 as described. The cigarette 88 holder 12 also includes an indicia 44 positioned on the front side 20 of the handle 14 which indicates an orientation of the handle 14. The indicia 44 may include alphanumeric characters, symbols, graphical images, logos, or the like. The indicia 44 comprises engraved markings such that the indicia 44 is detectable via touch. The indicia 44 also may comprise embossed markings to achieve the same result.
A stand 46 is positionable to support 54 the cigarette 88 holder 12. The stand 46 comprises a base 48 and a support 54. The base 48 defines a cavity 50 which extends downwardly through a top surface 52 of the base 48. The support 54 is coupled to and extends upwardly from the base 48. The support 54 is spaced from the cavity 50 and has a notch 56 extending into a top side 58 of the support 54. The cigarette 88 holder 12 is positionable in a support position 60 with respect to the stand 46 wherein the first end 16 of the handle 14 abuts a bounding surface 62 of the cavity 50 and the cigarette 88 holder 12 lies in the notch 56 of the support 54. The stand 46 props the cigarette 88 holder 12 when the cigarette 88 holder 12 is in the support position 60 to space 34 the cigarette 88 above the base 48.
An ashtray 64 is positionable on the base 48 of the stand 46 in a collection position 70 wherein the ashtray 64 is positioned under the holder portions 42 of the pair of prongs 28 when the cigarette 88 holder 12 is positioned in the support position 60. The ashtray 64 has a reservoir 66 which is open at a top end 68 of the ashtray 64. An ashtray connector 72 is coupled to the base 48 of the stand 46 and the ashtray connector 72 comprises an ashtray magnet 74. The ashtray 64 comprises an ashtray ferromagnetic material such that the ashtray magnet 74 releasably secures the ashtray 64 to the base 48. The ashtray connector 72 also may comprise other fastening means such as a hook-and-loop fastener, a latch, an inset surface, or the like. A lid 75 may also be provided which is removably positionable on the top end 68 of the ashtray 64 to cover the reservoir 66.
A snuffer 76 is positionable on the base 48 of the stand 46. The snuffer 76 has a channel 78 which extends into the snuffer 76. The channel 78 has a size such that the channel 78 is configured to receive a combustion end 90 of the cigarette 88 and inhibit airflow to the combustion end 90 to extinguish the cigarette 88. A snuffer connector 80 is coupled to the base 48 of the stand 46 and comprises a snuffer magnet 82. The snuffer 76 comprises a snuffer ferromagnetic material such that the snuffer magnet 82 releasably secures the snuffer 76 to the base 48. The snuffer connector 80 also may comprise other fastening means such as a hook-and-loop fastener, a latch, an inset surface, or the like.
In use, the cigarette 88 is positioned in the prongs 28 of the cigarette 88 holder 12 so that the cigarette 88 holder 12 grasps the cigarette 88 for a user 84, who may hold the handle 14 of the cigarette 88 holder 12. The cigarette 88 holder 12 may assist the user 84 in holding the cigarette 88 by allowing the user 84 to place the user's 84 hands 86 in a more natural or comfortable position than near the mouth of the user 84. For example, the user 84 may rest the user's 84 hands 86 on an armrest or other surface while holding the handle 14 such that the cigarette 88 is positioned near the user's 84 mouth. The indicia 44 assists the user 84 in determining via touch a current position of the cigarette 88 holder 12 and consequently a current position of the cigarette 88.
The cigarette 88 holder 12 may be set on the stand 46 while holding the cigarette 88 over the ashtray 64 to ensure ashes and combusting material falls only into the ashtray 64. The cavity 50, in addition to being used to support 54 the first end 16 of the handle 14 of the cigarette 88 holder 12, may be used as a tray to hold items, such as lighters, matches, and the like. The snuffer 76 may be used to extinguish the cigarette 88 as described. The ashtray connector 72 and the snuffer connector 80 prevent inadvertently misplacing the ashtray 64 and the snuffer 76 respectively in a remote location from the stand 46.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
