U.S. patent number 3,589,505 [Application Number 04/815,830] was granted by the patent office on 1971-06-29 for cigarette case.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Swank, Inc., Prince Gardener Division. Invention is credited to Anthony J. Burniski.
United States Patent |
3,589,505 |
Burniski |
June 29, 1971 |
CIGARETTE CASE
Abstract
A cigarette case including a boxlike container portion and a
closure flap overlying the open end of the container portion. A
partition strap extends downwardly from the front wall of the
container portion, loops across the interior thereof, and extends
upwardly along the rear wall. The free upper end of the strap may
be connected to either the upper end of the backwall or to the
closure flap. When in the former position, the looped portion of
the strap is against the bottom wall so that the container portion
will accept cigarette packs of maximum length, whereas in the
latter position the looped portion is above the bottom wall and the
container portion accommodates packs of shorter length so that the
cigarette in those shorter packs are easily accessible.
Inventors: |
Burniski; Anthony J. (Warson
Woods, MO) |
Assignee: |
Swank, Inc., Prince Gardener
Division (St. Louis, MO)
|
Family
ID: |
25218960 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/815,830 |
Filed: |
April 14, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/250; 206/248;
206/37; 206/804 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C
13/12 (20130101); A45C 13/02 (20130101); A24F
15/12 (20130101); A45C 3/00 (20130101); Y10S
206/804 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A24F
15/12 (20060101); A24F 15/00 (20060101); A45C
13/10 (20060101); A45C 13/02 (20060101); A45C
13/00 (20060101); A45C 13/12 (20060101); A45C
3/00 (20060101); A24f 015/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/56,41D,41.2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Leclair; Joseph R.
Assistant Examiner: Caskie; John M.
Claims
I claim:
1. A cigarette case for holding cigarette packs of at least two
different lengths such that the cigarettes therein are easily
accessible; said case comprising a boxlike container portion having
an opening through which a cigarette pack may be inserted into the
interior thereof, a flexible partition member fastened at one end
to the container portion and looping across the interior of the
container portion in spaced relation to the opening, and adjusting
means for varying the spacing between the looped portion of the
partition member and the opening so that the ends of the cigarette
packs of varying lengths may be presented near the opening, said
adjusting means comprising a closure flap swingably connected with
the container portion such that it will overlie the opening, and a
connector for releasably securing the opposite end of the flexible
partition member to the closure flap, said connector including an
outwardly projecting stud on the said opposite end of the flexible
member, the container portion including a slot for accepting the
stud when the opposite end of the partition member is detached from
the closure flap, the spacing between the looped portion of the
partition member and the opening being greater when the stud is in
the slot than when the connector is secured to the closure
flap.
2. A cigarette case for holding cigarette packs of at least two
different lengths such that the cigarettes therein are easily
accessible; said case comprising a boxlike container portion having
an opening through which a cigarette pack may be inserted into the
interior thereof, said container portion comprising opposed front
and rear walls, opposed sidewalls, and a bottom wall arranged in a
boxlike configuration with the bottom wall located opposite to the
opening, a flexible strap partition member fastened to the front
wall of the container portion and looping across the interior of
the container portion in spaced relation to the opening, and
adjusting means for varying the spacing between the looped portion
of the partition member and the opening so that the ends of the
cigarette packs of varying lengths may be presented near the
opening, said adjusting means comprising a closure flap swingably
connected to the backwall of the container portion such that it
will overlie the opening, and a connector for releasably securing
the opposite end of the flexible partition member to the closure
flap, said connector including a rearwardly projecting stud on the
end of the strap opposite to the end thereof connected to the front
wall, the rear wall being provided with a cutout which accepts the
stud so that the strap will lie flat against the rear wall, the
spacing between the looped portion of the strap and the opening
being greater when the strap is connected with the closure flap
than when the stud is in the cutout.
3. A cigarette case according to claim 2 wherein the cutout is a
slot formed in the rear wall and opening outwardly through the
margin of the rear wall which bounds the opening.
4. A cigarette case according to claim 3 wherein the closure flap
includes a back panel connected to the backwall beyond the end of
the slot, and a top panel foldably connected to the back panel and
overlying the opening; wherein the connector attaches the strap to
the top panel of the closure flap; and wherein the looped portion
of the strap lies against the bottom wall when the stud is in the
slot.
5. A cigarette case according to claim 4 wherein the closure flap
further includes a forepanel which overlies a portion of the front
wall; and wherein a connector releasably connects the forepanel to
the front wall.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to carrying cases and more
particularly to cigarette cases.
Cigarettes are normally marketed in soft packs of 20, and it is
often desirable to encase those packs in more rigid cigarette
cases, primarily to prevent the cigarettes from being crushed and
to contain loose tobacco which may otherwise spread about from the
open ends of such packs. Currently, cigarettes are being
manufactured in three different sizes, namely, regular, king-size
and 100 millimeter, and each size is significantly different in
length from the other sizes. By reason of this fact, conventional
cigarette cases are capable of accommodating only two sizes at the
most. For example, while conventional cases may be suitable for
regular and king-size packs, they are too short to accommodate 100
mm. packs. On the other hand, regular size cigarette packs fit into
100 mm. cases too deeply for convenient access to the cigarettes
therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide
a cigarette case capable of accommodating and protecting cigarette
packs of varying sizes. Another object is to provide a cigarette
case in which the ends of the cigarettes are easily accessible
irrespective of the length of the cigarettes. A further object is
to provide a cigarette case of the type stated which easily is
converted for use with different size packs. Still another object
is to provide a case which is simple and rugged in construction and
attractive in appearance. These and other objects and advantages
will become apparent hereinafter.
The present invention resides in a case having a container portion
provided with an opening at one end. A flexible partition member
loops across the interior of the container portion, and means are
provided for varying the spacing between the looped portion and the
opening. The invention also consists in the parts and in the
arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and
claimed.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
In the the accompanying drawings which form part of the
specification and wherein like numerals and letters refer to like
parts wherever they occur:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette case constructed in
accordance with and embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the case taken along lines 2-2 of
FIG. 1 with a pack of 100 mm. cigarettes therein;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the case with a pack of king-size
cigarettes therein; and
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the case with a pack of regular
cigarettes therein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, 2 designates a cigarette case having
a boxlike container portion 4 which is fairly rigid and is
configured to conform to the shape of the standard pack of twenty
100 mm. cigarettes. More specifically, the container portion 4
includes a reinforcing shell 8 which is preferably molded from a
plastic having a limited amount of flexibility. The shell
integrally includes a rear wall 10, a front wall 12 spaced from the
rear wall 10, a pair of sidewalls 14 interconnecting the side
margins of the front and backwalls 10 and 12, and a bottom wall 16
extending across the lower margins of the front and rear walls 10
and 12 and the sidewalls 14. The opposite ends of the front and
rear walls 10 and 12 and the sidewalls 14 define a rectangular
opening 18 which provides access to the interior of the container
portion 4. The length of the shell 8 is equivalent to the length of
a pack of 100 mm. cigarettes, whereas the shape of the opening 18
is such that it will slidably receive a conventional pack of 20
cigarettes. The container portion 4 further includes an attractive
leather or synthetic covering 20 adhesively fastened to the
outwardly presented surface of the shell 8 and extending completely
across each of the walls 10, 12, 14 and 16 thereof.
The opening 18 is normally closed by a closure flap 22 which is
flexible and is preferably formed from the same material as is the
covering 20. The flap 22 includes a back panel 21 which overlies
the back wall 10 and is sewn to the covering 20 on that backwall 10
along a stitch line 24 located adjacent to its lower margin. The
closure flap 22 further includes a top panel 26 connected with the
back panel 21 along a fold line 28 and a forepanel 30 connected
with the top panel 26 along another fold line 32. The top panel 26
is configured to conform to the shape of the opening 28 in the
shell 8, while the fold line 28 is located such that it coincides
with the upper edge of the rear wall 10 when the back panel 21 is
against the rear wall 10. Accordingly, when the top panel 26 is
over the opening 18 the fold line 32 overlies the upper margin of
the front wall 12, allowing the forepanel 30 to depend downwardly
across the covering material 20 on the front wall 12. The top panel
26 is maintained across the rectangular opening 18 by means of
mating snap fastener elements 33 and 34 which are secured to the
covering material 20 extending across the front wall 12 and to the
forepanel 30 of the flap 22, respectively. When the elements 33 and
34 are engaged the forepanel 30 will overlie the upper end of the
front wall 12.
Within the interior of the shell 8, a partition strap 36 is
fastened against the inwardly presented face of the front wall 12
slightly below the rectangular opening 18. That strap 36 is
flexible and is preferably formed from the same material as the
covering 20 and the closure flap 22. It extends downwardly along
the inwardly presented face of the front wall 12, loops across the
interior of the shell 8, and then extends upwardly along the
inwardly presented face of the rear wall 10, although it is not
permanently secured to the rear wall 10. At its free upper end the
strap 36 is provided with fastener element 38 having a rearwardly
projecting stud 40 which engages a mating fastener element 42
secured to the inwardly presented face of the top panel 26
centrally thereof (FIGS. 1 and 4). When the free end of the strap
36 is so connected, its midportion will loop across the interior of
the shell 8 above the bottom wall 16, and the distance from that
loop to the upper margin of the shell 8 approximates the length of
a conventional king-size cigarette pack.
When the strap 36 is retracted into the shell sufficiently to allow
the loop at its midportion to extend across the inwardly presented
surfaces of the bottom wall 16, the stud 40 at the free end of the
strap 36 will align with a vertical slot 44 in the upper end of the
rear wall 10. The slot 44 opens outwardly through the upper margin
of the rear wall 10 and is wide enough to accommodate the stud 40
so that when the stud 40 is inserted therein the strap 36 will lie
flat against the backwall 10 (FIGS. 2 and 3) .
OPERATION
When the smoker desires to carry a pack 46 of 100 mm. cigarettes
(FIGS. 2 and 3), the stud 40 on the free end of the partition strap
36 is fitted into the slot 44 and the pack 46 is inserted into the
shell 8 through the opening 18 therein. Since the strap 36 loops
down to the bottom wall 16, it allows the pack 46 to advance into
the shell until the bottom face of the pack 46 rests upon the
bottom wall 16. By reason of the fact that the shell 8 is the same
length as the pack 46, the upper end of the pack 46 will be
presented at the rectangular opening 18 where the cigarettes are
conveniently accessible to the smoker. The upper end of the pack 46
is, of course, normally protected by the top panel 26 on the
closure flap 22 which is held in its closed position by engaging
snap fastener elements 33 and 34.
For those smokers who prefer regular or king-size cigarettes (FIG.
4), the fastener element 38 on the free end of the strap 36 may be
connected with its mating element 42 on the top panel 26. In that
case the midportion of the strap 36 will loop across the interior
of the shell 8 above the bottom wall 16 thereof. When a king-size
cigarette pack 48 is inserted into the shell 8, the lower face of
the pack 48 will engage the strap 36 which will prevent the pack 48
from advancing all the way to the bottom wall 16. On the contrary,
the strap 36 allows insertion of the pack 48 only to a point where
its top end is at the rectangular opening 18 so that the cigarettes
therein are also conveniently accessible. Moreover, when the
closure flap 22 is folded rearwardly toward the rear wall 10, the
strap 36 is withdrawn slightly from the shell 8, and this, in turn,
urges the upper end of pack 48 out beyond opening 18, providing
even easier access to the cigarettes therein.
The partition strap 36 is left in the same position, that is with
its fastener element 38 connected with the mating element 42 on the
top panel 26, when regular size cigarette packs 50 are encased in
the case 2 (FIG. 5). Again, the strap 36 prevents those packs from
sliding all the way to the bottom wall 16. Since packs 50 of
regular length cigarettes are shorter than packs of king-size
cigarettes 48, the upper ends of the regular packs will be disposed
below the upper margins of the shell 8, but the difference in
length is not enough to make access to the cigarettes awkward. In
any event, regular cigarette packs 50 may be drawn outwardly still
further for more convenient access by folding the closure flap 22
rearwardly as illustrated in FIG. 5.
This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications
of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the
disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and
scope of the invention.
* * * * *