US2683460A - Portable ash tray - Google Patents

Description

July 13, 1954 P. D. RICE PORTABLE ASH TRAY Filed May 19, 1955 v FIG 2.

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This invention relates to ash trays, and more particularly to an improved portable ash tray of a type suitable to be carried around by the user and which is readily available for use whenever required.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved portable receptacle for cigarette ashes and the like, said receptacle being simple in construction, being easy to manipulate, and being collapsible to a compact size so that it may be readily carried in the users pocket.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved portable receptacle for cigarette ashes and the like, said receptacle being inexpensive to manufacture, being sturdy in construction, being easy to expand and contract, as required, being provided with easily operated closure means which may be moved to a securely closed position so that the contents of the receptacle Will not spill, being light in weight and being attractive in appearance.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of an improved portable receptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the receptacle of Figure 1, shown in a collapsed position.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view or the receptacle of Figure 1 shown in an expanded position.

Figure i is another elevational view of the receptacle, shown in the position of Figure 2, said View` being taken at right angles to the direction of the view shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a perspective View of the receptacle of Figures 1 to 6, shown in expanded position.

Referring to the drawings, II generally designates the receptacle, said receptacle comprising a generally cylindrical outer housing portion I2 which is telescopically engaged with a lower inner housing portion I3, said inner housing portion I3 having the bottom Wall Ill, and the housing portions I2 and I 3 being generally cylindrical in shape. As shown in Figure 5, the lower housing portion I3 is provided with two pairs oi diametrically opposed vertical grooves I5 spaced at angles of 90 around its circumference, as illustrated, each of the vertical grooves I5 terminating at its top end in a horizontal groove portion I6. Received in the grooves I5 are inwardly projecting lug elements Il carried by the inside bot'- torn marginal surfaces of the outer housing section I2, the lugs Il being slidable in the grooves I5, and being arranged so that the outer housing I2 may assume an extended position relative to the inner housing It by rotating said housing through a small angle relative to the inner housing I4, whereby the lug elements I1 will be received in the horizontal groove portions I6, thus placing the receptacle in its expanded position shown in Figures 3, 5, and 7. The receptacle may be collapsed to the position shown in Figures 2 and 4 by reversing the rotation of the outer housing member I2 relative to the inner housing member I4 to 'align the lug elements Il with the vertical grooves I5, and then merely compressing the two housing portions to cause the inner housing portion I 3 'to be telescoped inside the outer housing portion I2.

Hingedly connected to the rim of the upper housing portion i2 at I3 is a generally circular cover member I9, the hinged connection i8 being provided with the biasing springs 20 acting between the inner wall surface of housing section I2 and the cover I 9 to bias the cover upwardly to the dotted view position thereof shown in Figure 4. The cover I9 is provided with a peripheral depending ange 2 l, and mounted slidably in diametrically opposing relationship in the flange 2| are the locking members 22, each locking member comprising a shank portionl 23 which is slidably received in an aperture in the flange ZI the shank portion 23 having integrally connected thereto at its inner end a hook 2t and being in tegrally formed at its outer end with the button element 25. Engaged between the button element 25 and the external surface of the flange 2i beneath the shank portion 26 of each locking member is a coiled spring 26 which biases the locking member outwardly and thus exerts a biasing force on the hook 2i of each locking member. The inner surface of the housing section I2 is formed with detent recesses in which the pointed end-.s of the hook elements 24 are lockingly engageable, as illustrated in Figure 5, whereby the cover I9 may be locked in closed position. To release the cover, it is merely necessary to press the opposed button elements Z5, inwardly, whereby the hook elements 2li of the associated locking members 22 disengage from their seats in the wall of the hou-sing section I2, allowing the cover I9 to open to the dotted view position thereof shown in Figure 4 by the biasing action exerted on said cover member by coiled springs 20.

As shown in Figure 5, the pointed ends of the hook elements 24 are preferably beveled in the manner illustrated, whereby the hook elements will slip into locking engagement in the recesses provided therefor in the inner wall surface of housing member I2 when the cover is manually moved to its closed position.

As shown in Figure 5, the locking elements 22 are preferably located on a diameter parallel to the hinge I8 and spaced angularly 90 from the location of said hinge on the rim of the outer housing section I2.

The top cover I9 is formed with pairs of aligned, radially extending grooves 21, 28 and 29, 30 and with a central, substantially circular opening 3U communicating with the said grooves. As shown Fig. 1, the grooves 21, 28 are preferably narrower than the grooves 29, 39, and the central opening 39 is slightly larger in diameter than the width of the larger grooves 29, 30. Slidably carried in the cover and the grooves 2, 28 for radial sliding movement toward and away from the central opening 33l are the channeled, upwardly concave rest members 3l, 32, and slidably carried in the grooves 29, 30 are the upwardly concave channeled rest members 33, 34, the rest member 35i being integrally formed at its inner end with a circular, upwardly concave cover element 35 which is adapted to overlie the central aperture 3Q of the top cover when the rest member 33 is in the normal position thereof shown in Figure '7. The rest members 3|, 32, 33 and 34 may be made of thin sheet metal or the like, and the edges of said rest members may be slidably received in guide grooves 36 formed in the side walls of the grooves 2 to 30. Each rest member is formed adjacent its outer end with a transversely extending slot 31 in which a fingernail may be engaged so that the user may slide the associated rest member outwardly, if so desired, as where it is desired to employ the rest member for supporting a cigarette or the like thereon.

The narrower rest members 3| and 32 may be employed for supporting cigarettes, whereas the wider rest members 33 and 34 may be used for supporting cigars.

Normally, the receptacle is carried in the users pocket and is in its collapsed position, shown in Figure 2. When it is desired to use the device an ash tray, the user extracts the receptacle from his pocket and expands the receptacle to the position shown in Figures 3, 5 and 'l and the receptacle may be placed in its expanded position, above described, by engaging the lug elements il in the horizontal groove portions I6. The cigarette ashes and the like may be emptied into the receptacle by sliding the rest member 33 out wardly, providing access to the interior of the receptacle through opening 30. The receptacle may be closed by returning the rest member 33 to the position shown in Figure '7, after which the receptacle may be collapsed to the position shown in Figures 2 and 4 and may be returned to the users pocket.

When it is desired to empty the receptacle, the top cover I9 is opened by pressing the button elements 25 inwardly, releasing the cover and allowing the springs 20 to open the cover to the dotted view position shown in Figure 4. After emptying, the cover may be closed and the receptacle may be placed in the users pocket until needed for further use.

While a speciiic embodiment of an improved portable receptacle for cigarette ashes and the like has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the mvention except as deiined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable receptacle for cigarette ashes and the like comprising a housing having a removable top cover, means releasably securing said cover on said housing, said top cover being formed with a central opening, a plurality of channeled upwardly concave rest members slidably mounted in said top cover and extending from the edge there ci to said opening, and a cover plate carried by one of said rest members and being arranged to normally overlie said central opening, said opening being exposed when said one of the rest members is moved away from the central portion of the cover.

2. A portable receptacle for cigarette ashes and the like comprising a housing, sai-d housing ccmprising a plurality of slidably connected telescop ing sections, whereby said housingr is 'able in size, a tcp cover hingedly connected to the "im of the uppermost housing section, ably securing said top cover in closed pcssaid uppermost section, said top cover being formed with a central opening, a pluraiity of channeled, upwardly concave rest members slid ably mounted in said top cover and extending' from the edge thereof to said opening, and a cover plate carried by one of said rest members and being arranged to normally overlie said central opening, said opening being exposed when d one of the rest members is moved away from the central portion of the cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 702,106 Lewis June 10, 918,928 Thomas Apr. 2G, 19@

1,744,123 Kolar Jan. 21, 1930 2,011,619 Dufour Aug. 20, 1935

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