Cigar holder

Abstract

A cigar holder for assisting with lighting a cigar 13 comprises: an outer housing; an inner mechanism 3 coupled to the housing and rotatable within or relative to the housing, the inner mechanism 3 be

Description

Technical Field The present application relates to a cigar holder and in particular to a cigar holder 5 suitable for holding a cigar whilst lighting. Background When lighting a cigar, it is beneficial to achieve an even burn across the various components of the cigar (wrapper, binder, and filler) and across the whole end area. 10 To achieve an even burn, a smoker should heat the tip of the cigar above and near, but not in, a flame, and will rotate the cigar above the flame until all portions of the tip are evenly heated. It can be difficult however for a smoker to rotate the cigar at a constant speed when the cigar is lit manually, or to perform a full 360 degree rotation. Furthermore, inexperienced cigar smokers are often unaware of how to properly light a 15 cigar, and so do not rotate the cigar at all. Summary It is an objective of the present application to provide a cigar holder that can be used to 20 facilitate an even burn across the tip of a cigar when lighting the cigar, in order to avoid the above-mentioned deficiencies in known lighting methods. According to the present invention there is provided a cigar holder for assisting with the lighting of a cigar, the cigar holder comprising an outer housing, an inner mechanism 25 coupled to the housing and rotatable within or relative to the housing, the holder being configured to allow insertion of a cigar into the inner mechanism and the inner mechanism being configured to receive and releasably retain a part of the inserted cigar by gripping the cigar around its outer circumference, and an electrically powered driver for rotating the inner mechanism within or relative to the outer mechanism over 30 at least 360 degrees such that, in use, a received and gripped cigar is rotated within the outer housing to enable consistent lighting. Embodiments of the invention may provide the advantageous effect that a device is used to rotate the cigar to enable consistent lighting, ensuring that the cigar is evenly lit 35 all round its periphery. Air flow due to rotation may also help aid the lighting process. 09 09 24 Embodiments may prevent excessive burning in localised areas of the cigar and may prevent asymmetric burning, which is common and can spoil cigars. Embodiments enable rotation of a cigar through 360 degrees or more, which is not necessarily easy when the cigar is lit directly from a hand. This is especially important for large diameter 5 cigars. There are also benefits for people with reduced hand mobility and osteoarthritis etc. The inner mechanism may comprise a substantially cylindrical tube within which an end of a cigar is received. The inner mechanism may be configured to receive and 10 releasably retain a cigar by way of a push-fit mechanism. The push-fit mechanism may be configured to exert a radially inward force of between 3 and 30 N on a cigar when fully inserted, preferably 3 to 20 N. The push-fit mechanism may comprise two or more, optionally three, sprung fingers spaced circumferentially around an inner surface of the tube. 15 The electrically powered driver may comprise a motor and a pinion gear, and the inner mechanism comprises a ring gear connected to the tube and coupled to the pinion gear, such that rotation of the pinion gear by the motor causes rotation of the tube around its axis. 20 The cigar holder may comprise one or more circular bearings, for example defined on an inner surface of the housing, for rotatably supporting the inner mechanism. Components of the device may be formed of substantially fireproof materials. 25 Brief description of the drawings Figure 1a is a perspective view of a cigar holder suitable for holding a cigar during lighting; Figure 1b is a front view of the cigar holder of Figure 1a; 30 Figure 1c is side partial cross sectional view of the cigar holder of Figure 1a; Figures 2a shows a perspective view of an inner mechanism of the cigar holder of Figure 1a; Figure 2b shows a front end view of the inner mechanism of Figure 2a; Figure 2c shows a side view of the inner mechanism of Figure 2a; 35 Figure 2d shows a rear end view of the inner mechanism of Figure 2a; 09 09 24 Figure 3a shows a side, partial cross-sectional view through the inner mechanism of Figure 2a upon initial insertion of a cigar; Figure 3b shows a side, partial cross-sectional view through the inner mechanism of Figure 2a upon full insertion of a cigar; and 5 Figure 3c shows a bottom, partial cross-sectional view of the inner mechanism of Figure 2a with a cigar fully inserted. Detailed description Figure 1a illustrates a cigar holder 1 for holding a cigar and including an outer housing 10 2 that is configured to be easily and comfortably held within a hand of a user. The holder comprises an inner mechanism 3 and provides an opening 4 into which a user inserts an end of a cigar such that the cigar is firmly held whilst the user lights the other end of the cigar (nb. the mechanism may be configured such that it holds a central part of the cigar rather than an end). Figure 1b is a front view of the cigar holder whilst 15 Figure 1c is a side cross-sectional view of the cigar holder showing in particular an inner mechanism 3. With reference to Figures 2a to 2d the inner mechanism 3 of the cigar holder of Figure 1 will now be described. It will be readily understood how the inner mechanism 3 can 20 be mounted and fixed within the outer housing 2 although this will be considered briefly below. The inner mechanism comprises an electrically powered driver in the form of a motor 5. The motor is secured to an inner surface of the outer housing 2. A rotor 6 of the motor is attached to a small pinion gear 7 such that operation of the motor 5 rotates the pinion gear around the rotor axis. The motor 5 is powered by a battery (not shown) 25 which may be a rechargeable battery located within a battery compartment defined in the outer housing 2. Alternatively of course the holder may be powered from a mains power supply, e.g. via an AC or DC power inlet The inner mechanism further comprises a rotatable inner assembly 8 that is rotatably 30 mounted within the outer housing by means of a pair of circumferentially extending and axially spaced shoulders 9a, 9b that are supported on a pair of complimentary bearings (not shown) extending circumferentially around an inner surface of the outer housing 2. The inner assembly 8 comprises an inner circular cylinder 10 arranged coaxially within an outer circular cylinder 11. A ring gear 12 extends around and is fixed to the outer 35 circumference of the outer cylinder 11. Teeth of the ring gear 12 mesh with teeth of the 09 09 24 small pinion gear 7 such that rotation of the pinion gear by the motor 5 causes the ring gear, and hence the inner and outer cylinders 10, 11 of the inner assembly 8 to rotate around the central axis x of the cylinders and within the outer housing 2. 5 The inner assembly 8 is configured to receive and releasably retain an end of a cigar 13 within the inner cylinder 10. To facilitate this, the inner assembly comprises three sprung fingers 14a,14b,14c arranged at 120 degree intervals around the inside of the outer cylinder 11. [Of course, more or fewer sprung fingers may be utilised.] As will be apparent from the discussion below of the further Figures, each sprung finger has a 10 generally U-shape with a protruding mounting bracket, such that the ends of the fingers are compressible about the bite of the U. The radially innermost ends of the sprung fingers project through respective openings provided in the inner cylinder 10. The sprung fingers 14a,14b,14c are configured to 15 provide a light radially inward biasing force when an end of a cigar is inserted into the inner cylinder and past the ends of the fingers which are pushed outwardly. When the cigar end is fully inserted, the cigar is lightly but firmly held within the cigar holder with an opposite end remaining outside of the holder. Removal of a cigar once lit is easily achieved by exerting a small pulling force on the cigar. The dimensions of the inner 20 cylinder 10 and sprung fingers 14a,14b,14c are such that the majority of commonly sold cigars can be inserted and held, for example cigars of gauge 40 to 60, although a wider range of gauges, e.g. 26 to 64, may also be accommodated. It will be noted that the ends of the sprung fingers are rounded, with no sharp edges, such that cigars are not damaged either on insertion or removal. The total inward gripping force provided 25 by the fingers may be, for example between 3 and 30 N or 1 to 10 N by each of the fingers. The construction and operation of the inner mechanism described above is further illustrated in the cross-sectional views of Figures 3a to 3b. 30 Figure 3a shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the inner mechanism 3 and an end of the cigar 13 before the sprung fingers 14a,14b,14c begin to engage the end of the cigar. Figure 3b illustrates the configuration of the sprung fingers after the end of the cigar has been fully inserted into the inner cylinder 10, and in particular with radially 35 innermost ends of the fingers pushed out of the inner cylinder 10 into a space between 09 09 24 the inner cylinder 10 and outer cylinder 12. An inwardly directed biasing force on the ends of the fingers causes the cigar 13 to be gripped and held firmly within the inner mechanism 3. Figure 3c shows, from below, a partial cross-sectional view of the end of the cigar 13 fully inserted into the inner mechanism 3. 5 Whilst not shown in the Figures, a motor start I stop button may be provided on the outer casing 2 to allow the user to start and stop rotation of a cigar with his or her finger or thumb. The motor 5 may be configured to be driven at a constant speed to ensure an even heat is applied across the tip of the cigar 13. There may be provided however 10 a speed adjuster to allow the user to adjust the speed of rotation of the motor 5, for example depending on the size / type of cigar which is to be lit, and I or to allow the cigar to be rotated in different directions. The cigar holder 1 may further incorporate a lighting mechanism configured to light a 15 cigar. The lighting mechanism may be fuelled from a butane source and may comprise a suitable ignition means. In any case, it will be appreciated that the various components making up the cigar holder may formed of suitably fame-proof or flameresistant materials. 20 It will be appreciated by the person of skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, an inner cylinder that is configured to receive and hold an end of the cigar may be configured as a hollow rotor of an electric motor, with the rotor being located within an outer cylinder that operates as a stator of the motor. DC 25 current may be fed via a commutator to coils of the inner cylinder to selectively energise those coils. Electromagnetic fields produced by the coils will interact with fields of permanent magnets arranged around the outer cylinder to cause the inner cylinder to rotate. 30 It will be appreciated that alternative clamping means may be employed including a resilient foam member or members secured within the inner mechanism, or a clamping mechanism that is locked and released by a user action. The inner mechanism, for example the inner cylinder, may be configured to allow the cigar end to be pressed into and held solely by the shape of the structure. For example, the inner cylinder may 35 have a diameter that tapers inwardly, away from the insertion end. cm The cigar holder may be configured to allow it to be placed on a surface, e.g. a table or bar top, in a stable configuration. It may comprise a mechanism to attach the housing to a surface, for example a clamp.

Claims

09 09 241. A cigar holder for assisting with the lighting of a cigar, the cigar holder comprising:5 an outer housing;an inner mechanism coupled to the housing and rotatable within or relative to the housing, the holder being configured to allow insertion of a cigar into the inner mechanism and the inner mechanism being configured to receive and releasably retain part of the inserted cigar by gripping the cigar around its outer10 circumference; andan electrically powered driver for rotating the inner mechanism within or relative to the outer housing over at least 360 degrees such that, in use, a received and gripped cigar is rotated around its axis within the outer housing to enable consistent lighting.

152. A device according to claim 1, wherein the inner mechanism comprises a substantially cylindrical tube within which an end of a cigar is received and gripped.

3. A device according to claim 2, the inner mechanism being configured to receive 20 and releasably retain a cigar by way of a push-fit mechanism.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the push-fit mechanism is configured to exert a radially inward force of between 3 and 30 N on a cigar when fully inserted.25 5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the push-fit mechanism is configured toexert a radially inward force of between 3 to 20 N on a cigar when fully inserted.

6. A device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the push-fit mechanism comprises two or more sprung fingers spaced circumferentially around an inner surface30 of the tube.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the number of sprung fingers is three.

8. A device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the electrically powered35 driver comprises a motor and a pinion gear, and the inner mechanism comprises a ringcmgear connected to the tube and coupled to the pinion gear, such that rotation of the pinion gear by the motor causes rotation of the tube around its axis.

9. A device according to any one of the preceding claims and comprising one or 5 more circular bearings for rotatably supporting the inner mechanism.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more circular bearings are defined on an inner surface of the housing10 11. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, components of thedevice being formed of substantially fireproof materials.

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