Patent Application
20180070631
The present invention relates generally to cigarette packaging and more specifically, to a novel means and method for collecting and disposing of cigarette butts to avoid soiling the environment.
A “cigarette butt” is defined in Webster's Online Dictionary (http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/cigarette%20butt) as “the small part of the cigarette that is left after smoking it.” Frequently cigarette butts are disposed of merely by being thrown or tossed on the ground only to end up soiling the environment. To avoid this adverse impact to the environment, various prior art devices have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,621 (Grant et al) discloses a cigarette box with partitioned compartments for individual cigarettes. The compartments are lined with silver foil. After smoking an individual cigarette withdrawn from a particular compartment, the smoker then places the cigarette butt in that compartment. There is nothing in this prior patented device however to prevents the user from emptying the contents of the box on the ground when the user is so disposed. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved method and means for capturing or collecting cigarette butts within and using the smoker's original cigarette packaging thereby encouraging the smoker to responsibly dispose of same in a way that does not do harm to the environment. Such a method and means are achieved by the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, a conventional cigarette pack includes a thin pouch of heat-resistant flexible material disposed therein between the rows of cigarettes and one of the sidewalls of the pack, or in a corner of the package. The pouch has a recloseable top opening that is sized to permit a cigarette butt easily to be placed in the pouch following withdrawal of successive cigarettes from the pack. The pouch expands to fill the space in the pack created when each successive cigarette is withdrawn to be smoked. When the entire contents of the pack are consumed by the smoker, the pack and the pouch filled with butts can be responsibly disposed above to avoid adverse environmental impact.
Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The invention will be better understood and the above object as well as objects other than those set forth above will become more apparent after a study of the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference to the drawings, preferred embodiments of my invention will now be described in detail, it being understood that the foregoing detailed description is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art and therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents falling within the broad scope of the subject matter described herein may be resorted to in carrying out the present invention.
In accordance with the broadest aspect of the present invention, a cigarette butt collection means in the form of a disposable pouch or bag generally represented by reference numeral 10 is pre-packaged and included in each conventional cigarette pack in juxtaposed relation to the cigarettes contained therein when the packages are filled at the cigarette factory. Thus, turning to
Pouch 10 comprises a front wall 12, an opposed rear wall 14, a left side wall 16, an opposed right side wall 18, a bottom wall 20 and an opposed top wall 22. Located on top wall 22 near the intersection of the latter and right side wall 18 and generally in alignment with right side wall 18 substantially as depicted is an upstanding hollow neck extension, generally represented by reference numeral 24. Hollow neck extension 24, in turn, comprises a front panel 26, an opposed rear panel 28, a left-side fan-foldable side panel 30, an opposed right-side fan-foldable side panel 32, and a top extension 34 suitably attached to opposed rear panel 28. Top extension 34, in turn, comprises a main panel portion 36, and a semi-circular distal end portion 38, substantially as depicted. By the foregoing construction, hollow neck extension 24 defines a recloseable opening for pouch 10 for facilitating depositing cigarette butts in the interior space of pouch 10 (
More specifically, front panel 26, opposed rear panel 28, left-side fan-foldable side panel 30, and opposed right-side fan-foldable panel 32 define a through passage or opening 40 through which cigarette butts may be passed whereas the fan-foldable character of opposed side wall panels 30, 32 permits selective opening or widening adjustment of this opening 40. A pull-tab 42 suitably is attached to the bottom portion of front panel 26 to facilitate such adjustment. It will be noted that top hollow neck extension 34 has on the underside of its main panel portion 36 and semi-circular distal end portion 38 a layer of tacky material or light adhesive indicated by the stippling in the drawing. As a result of this arrangement, extension 34 defines a “flap member” that can be folded over opening 40 and attached to front panel 26 thereby to temporarily close or seal this opening (
In accordance with the present invention, pouch 10 can be fabricated of any known suitable relatively thin, fire-retardant and heat-resistant, pliable or flexible material capable of being relatively inexpensively manufactured in quantity given that a single pouch will be placed into each container of fresh cigarettes when the latter are being originally packaged at the cigarette factory. An especially suitable material is a heat-resistant polyethylene thin film and is particularly preferred in carrying out the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, it is contemplated that a single pouch 10 will be placed in each cigarette package behind or juxtaposed to the various rows of cigarettes 46 also contained therein, or in a corner of the package. By locating hollow neck extension 34 on or proximal to one corner of the pouch, positioning of the pouch 10 with the aforesaid neck extension 34 being located in one corner of a cigarette package is facilitated. Thus, when more and more cigarettes are withdrawn to be consumed from each package, due to the pliable nature of the pouch material, each pouch 10 will be able to expand and fill the volume in the original cigarette package created by the withdrawn cigarettes.
In summary, a thin disposable pouch made of heat-resistant material will be placed in a typical cigarette package. The pouch will have an opening to accommodate a typical cigarette butt. The opening of the pouch will be recloseable via a flap treated with a tacky adhesive or the like. The theory behind the present invention is that the pouch 10 while contained in the fully packed cigarette container functions as a thin liner inside the package; however, it is made of separable layers of pliable material and is expandable. As the smoker removes the first cigarette from the package, a void is created which can be filled by the expanding pouch to define space for receiving and storing a cigarette butt. With the consumption of each successive cigarette, a larger space or volume inside the pouch and inside the original cigarette pack is created yielding room for receiving and storing still more butts. After the final cigarette in the pack is consumed, the smoker may then be able to “responsibly dispose” of the original cigarette package and/or the pouch inside.
As to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention, the same is apparent from the above disclosure, and accordingly, no further discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation need be provided.
Thus, while the present invention has been shown in the drawings and fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications thereof may be made without departing from the principles and concepts set forth herein, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use.
Hence, the proper scope of the present invention should be determined only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all such modifications as well as all relationships equivalent to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification.
