Compartmentalized cigarette snuffer and receptacle

Abstract

A compartmentalized cigarette snuffer and receptacle (10) includes a container having a storage compartment sized to receive cigarettes and cigarette butts therein (16) and a cigarette snuffer compartment (14) containing mounted therein a heat sink (20) for extinguishing the lit end of a cigarette when inserted into the cigarette snuffer compartment (14). The storage and cigarette snuffer compartments are separated within the container by a dividing wall (18). Each compartment has a separate opening and a corresponding independently actuable lid (32, 50) mounted thereon. Each lid is releasably closable for selective actuation by a user between an open position providing access to the corresponding the compartment, and a closed position sealing closed, in an air-tight fitment, the corresponding compartment.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to a compartmented device which enables a user to efficiently extinguish a partially smoked cigarette in a first compartment and store the remainder portion of the cigarette in a second compartment for example for later reuse and consumption. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Due to current societal influences, today's cigarette smokers are under pressure to comply with restrictive smoking legislation often requiring them to smoke outside of buildings, and often in situations where no or limited ash trays are available. Further, smokers often do not have sufficient time to smoke a complete cigarette, for example during a break in the work day, and thus must extinguish their lighted cigarettes prior to their full consumption. Further, many public places entirely forbid smoking and do not at all provide ashtrays where cigarettes can be conveniently extinguished and deposited. In many outdoor facilities, again there is a lack of ash...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] A second cigarette-receiving compartment is sized to receive both, or alternatively, cigarette butts and partially consumed cigarettes after they have been extinguished in the snuffer compartment. This second compartment is substantially larger than the first compartment. It too has an opening opposite the bottom wall, which is also closable by a removable cap having a flip-up access lid. The end cap has peripheral walls which depend therefrom and are sized to frictionally engage the inside surface of the second cigarette-receiving compartment enabling the end cap to be removably mounted onto the container.

[0012] The flip up access lids facilitate opening of each compartment by use of the thumb of the band within which the device is held. Removal of the caps facilitate cleaning of the compartments and removable parts.

Problems solved by technology

Due to current societal influences, today's cigarette smokers are under pressure to comply with restrictive smoking legislation often requiring them to smoke outside of buildings, and often in situations where no or limited ash trays are available.

Further, smokers often do not have sufficient time to smoke a complete cigarette, for example during a break in the work day, and thus must extinguish their lighted cigarettes prior to their full consumption.

Further, many public places entirely forbid smoking and do not at all provide ashtrays where cigarettes can be conveniently extinguished and deposited.

In many outdoor facilities, again there is a lack of ashtrays for the deposition of cigarette butts, leaving the smoker no choice but to deposit them on the ground.

Most smokers find it wasteful to be forced to throw away a partially smoked cigarette and distasteful to deposit the butt of a cigarette on the ground or out of a car window or the like.

This has been found to be unsatisfactory since a cigarette extinguished in the presence of air results in an accumulation of tobacco by-products at the burning tip, which adversely affects the taste of the cigarette once re-lighted.

Cigarette butts stored within the cigarette package in the presence of un-smoked cigarettes are also unsatisfactory since the un-smoked cigarettes generally become contaminated by ash or odours emanating from the extinguished cigarette butt.

Storing uncovered cigarette butts in a pocket or purse is obviously undesirable.

In the latter, the inconvenient need for the use of both hands to open and close the device is evident.

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