Patent Application
20080251089
The invention relates to personal container for extinguishing and retaining extinguished cigarettes for use by smokers.
Improper cigarette disposal is the most common form of littering in the world. Cigarette littering has many negative impacts on the public, most of them environmental. Among the biggest and hardest impacts of cigarette littering are pollution, and maintenance and clean-up costs.
Pollution is the worst effect caused by cigarette littering. Cigarette butts can be easily carried by water and even wind. These butts are then carried into rivers, lakes and the oceans. Cigarette butts thrown in the wild or carried into the streams by rain and wind do not degrade easily.
About 95% of all cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate which is a form of plastic. There is much misinformation about cigarette filters. A major public misunderstanding is that cigarette filters are biodegradable. By definition, biodegradable means that a material is capable of decaying through the action of a living organism. Therefore, cigarette butts do not biodegrade. They are degraded by sunlight and erosion agents like rain and wind. Although no studies have been found about the subject, it is believed that it takes between 8 and 30 years for a cigarette filter tip to degrade. The time will vary depending on the weather, temperature and light conditions.
Various studies and anecdotal reports indicate that cigarette-related debris, and particularly filter tips, constitute significant proportions of litter washed up along sea shores and other bodies of water and that cigarette debris clean-up efforts consume the time of maintenance personnel employed by businesses, institutions and municipalities.
It can be expected that the problem will continue to increase with cigarette world production data indicating significant growth. An abstract of the data for world-wide cigarette production developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Bureau of Census and quoted in “Vital Signs 2005” published by WorldWatch Institute, is as follows.
It has been indicated by some studies that between 40% and 50% of all the cigarettes consumed worldwide are discarded improperly. Taking the smaller figure, this would translate into 2,212 billion (2.12 trillion) cigarettes littered in 2004.
The main reason why people litter with improperly discarded cigarette butts is because they do not consider throwing cigarette remains on the street, on a beach or in the wild to be littering. People who would never improperly discard a soda can, a paper cup or even a gum wrapper, will toss a cigarette butt without remorse.
The second most common reason why people discard cigarette butts as litter is the ban on smoking indoors, combined with the lack of ashtrays on the outside of malls, banks and stores.
Although it has been suggested that more ashtrays on the outside of malls, banks and stores, educational campaigns, peer pressure, enforcement of anti-littering laws and even a ban on smoking outdoors could be the solution for the cigarette littering problem, including means for their proper disposal with the sale of cigarettes would provide a solution for this problem.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, inexpensive, compact container for use by smokers to safely extinguish a cigarette and also to retain one or more extinguished cigarette remains for proper disposal.
It is also an object of the invention to provide smokers with a convenient, compact and readily portable container that can be carried on their person to avoid the discarding of cigarette remains on streets and sidewalks.
Another object of the invention is to provide a container that can be used to extinguish and retain cigarette remains that can be produced by cigarette manufacturers using existing equipment and known techniques and which can be distributed with packages and boxes of cigarettes for retail sale.
The above objects and other advantages are achieved by the present invention which is directed to a lightweight paperboard container for the disposal of lighted cigarettes that comprises (a) an open-top drawer that receives a lighted cigarette in a close-fitting longitudinal channel and (b) an open-ended case or box that receives the drawer in sliding relation and, when enclosed in the case or the box, quickly smothers and extinguishes the lit cigarette without scorching or excessive heating. The drawer preferably has at least two parallel channels, each about the length of a cigarette so that a plurality of extinguished cigarette ends can be stored pending the opportunity for their proper disposal.
The case and the drawer can be of simple rectilinear design. Preferably, each component is formed from a single sheet of paper stock that has been dyed cut from a larger sheet and folded into the desired configuration by automated equipment that is well known in the box-making and packaging art. The case can be a simple, open-ended sleeve or it can be constructed with a close end.
The tolerances between the sliding components are such that there will be a frictional fit that retains the drawer inside of the case when it is inserted and will also hold the drawer in a partially open position to facilitate the easy placement of the lighted cigarette and in one of the longitudinal receiving channels. These will be apparent the number of cigarette ends that can be accommodated will depend upon whether the cigarette is plain or filter tipped, as well as the extent to which the user has consumed the original length of tobacco. Because of the durability of the container of the present invention and its effectiveness in rapidly extinguishing a lighted cigarette end, the contents of the container can be disposed of in a proper receptacle when it is full and used for the remaining cigarettes in the pack.
A wide variety of paper and paperboard materials can be used, including those typically used in forming the conventional flip-top cigarette box that is in common and widespread use throughout the world.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the container of the invention has a height and width that is approximately equal to that of a standard cigarette package, whether it be a soft pack or flip-top box. This will permit the container to be distributed by releasably attaching it to the edge surface of the cigarette package and, preferably, wrapping the combination in cellophane for retail sales. This combination of a cigarette package and means for the ecologically acceptable disposal of the cigarette ends can serve to enhance the goodwill of the brand. For many smokers, it will also provide a convenient means for disposal of the cigarette ends where none previously existed.
In a second embodiment, the container is formed with the cigarette box from a unitary blank and shares one or more common panel elements with the cigarette package.
In another embodiment of the invention, the drawer is received in an appropriately dimensioned flip-top or hinged-lid box that is of the same general, construction, but smaller than a corresponding flip-top cigarette box that is well known in the cigarette packaging arts. As in the previously-described embodiment employing a close-fitting sleeve, the drawer is configured with at least one, but preferably two or more channels into which a lighted cigarette can be placed and then quickly slid into the box and the top closed to smother and extinguish the cigarette.
Numerous methods of preparing blanks and folding and gluing them to form flip-top cigarette boxes and containers have been disclosed in the patent literature. When closed, the box lid forms a close-fitting seal with the adjacent front and sidewall elements of the box. When adopted for use in the present invention, the small volume of oxygen in the closed case is rapidly consumed by the burning tobacco and the heated volume of combustion gases in the box prevents the incursion of ambient air. Prompt action by the user of inserting the drawer and moving the lid into contact with the upper of edge of the case prevents the temperature of the paperboard adjacent the lighted end of the cigarette from reaching its ignition point, and avoids scorching of the paperboard construction material.
The object of the invention to provide a disposable, temporary ashtray that can be attached to every cigarette package so that smokers have the opportunity to correctly dispose of cigarette butts when not within reach of an ashtray is thus provided. Moreover, the container of the invention is inexpensive to produce and can itself be recycled as a paper product.
The dimensions of the case or sleeves, which holds the slide, are preferably the same as those of the lateral side of a standard cigarette box. The slide consist of two channels that tightly hold up to two cigarette butts each in a way that the butts are secured. To facilitate the storing of the butts and later disposal, the slide retracts from the case in a free but firm manner and has a folding mechanism that further helps in the extraction of the butts.
In describing the invention, it is to be understood that the terms case, sleeve and box are used interchangeably to refer to the outer portion of the container and that the terms sleeve and slide are interchangeably used to refer to the portion that receives the cigarette ends.
Providing ashtrays in the form of the containers of the invention with the sales of cigarettes can provide a crucial step into solving the littering problem. Although results will not show immediately due to a strongly formed habit of “tossing the butt”, it can become a “normal” step for a smoker to extinguish the cigarette end in the ashbox of the invention and dispose of it correctly when the time comes. Even a small percentage of success would mean millions of cigarette remains properly disposed of each year.
The invention will be described in further detail below and with reference to the attached drawings in which the same or similar elements are referred to by the same numbers, and in which:
With reference to
In the embodiment of
The lid or closure 30 is preferably formed from at least two layers of the lightweight paperboard stock from which the box 50 and drawer 20 are fabricated. Since this element is subjected to repeated gripping between the user's fingers and thumb during opening and closing, the preferred structure provides additional reinforcement. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the lid is of folded construction, integral with the rest of the drawer, and requires no adhesive.
Referring now to
Again with reference to
Referring now to
As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the construction of the sliding drawer 20 and the rectilinear, open-ended box or case 50 can be completed using a wide variety of die-cut blank designs and automated folding machines. The art of box making, and particularly, cigarette boxes, hinged-lid or flip top boxes, and the like are very well known.
Referring now to
The assembly of the slide drawer 20 proceeds in the following stepwise fashion. It will be understood that the fold lines are identified in the figures by “dash-dot” lines. The solid lines on the interior of the die-cut blank represent slits that are required to define various interior elements and also die-cut openings used to facilitate folding and the interlocking of the folded flaps.
The flaps 250 make up the front section of lid 30. The sequence of folding proceeds with elements 200, 202, 204, and 206 followed by the insertion of the flaps 208 into the centrally positioned die-cut opening 212. The outer portion of the cap 30 is thus formed without the need for gluing, thereby simplifying the assembly steps and making the assembly more economical. In this regard, it is noted that tab 208 is separated along line 209 and is also trimmed by removing portion 210 in order to provide a retaining shoulder when tab 208 is inserted into slot 212. Flaps 42 are bent downwardly or away from the interior of the slide drawer along fold lines 44 so as to provide sliding contact and eventual engagement with corresponding flaps 62 in the case or box 50, as was described above.
Continuing with the assembly steps, flaps 252 are inserted into the die-cut opening 24 to form the inside front portion of the cap and flaps 254 are folded towards the cap. Flaps 27 are folded inwardly over flaps 254 and secured in place with flap 200 which rests on top of, and secures flaps 27 and 254. Next, flap 202 is folded down towards the front and covers flaps 250 of the slide drawer to form the front portion of cap 30. Flaps 204 are folded to the back of the cap to form the sidewalls of the cap and flaps 206 are folded to the back to form and enclose the rear of the cap 30; they are secured by insertion of flaps 209 into the die-cut opening 212 to lock them. This completes the assembly of the slide drawer 20. Flaps 42 are depressed to arm the stop mechanism.
Although not specifically required, the use of glue or other means of bonding of the various is optional and may be desired if it is intended by the marketer that the disposal container be useful for a prolonged period of time. As presently contemplated, the container would be distributed to smokers with the purchase of a pack of cigarettes and discarded when the contents of the pack had been consumed.
Referring now to
As noted above, other configurations for constructing the retaining sleeve or case 50 for receiving the slide drawer 20 will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by applying established methods and box-forming machines. The entire process for die-cuting the respective blanks and forming of the case 50 and slide drawer 20 can be fully automated for mass production in the manner that cigarette packaging is produced.
Referring now to
Referring to
Referring now to
Another embodiment is illustrated in
Reference is made to
As will apparent from the various illustrative embodiments described above, the interior construction and configuration of slide drawer 20 can be varied to accommodate perceived consumer needs and desires and also for purposes of marketing. By providing close-fitting tolerances between the interior of the case 50 and the drawer 20, as well as the lid 30, a substantially airtight container is achieved. As explained above, the absence of oxygen to support combustion of the ignited tobacco rapidly leads to its extinguishment. When constructed in accordance with the description, the container materials will not reach ignition temperatures and will not rise to a level that would cause discomfort to the user.
The following description of the types of paper and/or paperboard from which the container can be produced is provided in terms of its characteristics. In order to provide a secure package, it is preferred that the container be made from calipers not lower than 0.008, and for flexibility and manageability, as well as cost, that it be made from calipers not exceeding 0.028. The following types of paperboard and the calipers for each type can be used in manufacturing the containers of the invention.
Based on experimental testing, the longest time that a cigarette remained burning after closing the slide was 5 seconds. With the slide left open, the longest time before extinguishment was 8 seconds. In the latter case, it appears that the tight position of the cigarette inside the narrow channel of the slide contributes to the relatively rapid extinguishing of the burning tobacco.
These tests indicate that it is not necessary to use any chemical or fireproofing agents on the inside of the slide drawer because the lack of oxygen prevents the temperature of the construction materials from reaching their ignition temperature.
With the slide either closed or open, the temperature on the outside of the slide drawer or case never reaches a temperature that could burn human skin. However, cardboard covered with a thin layer of foil can be used for aesthetic reasons and to substantially eliminate the risk of ignition under unusual or extreme circumstances not presently contemplated.
Although a number of illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described, other variations and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from this description, and the scope of its protection is to be determined with reference to the claims that follow.
