Shield for cigarettes and cigars

Abstract

A holder having a socket for receiving a cigar or cigarette is threaded at one end and a cylinder having regular perforations is proportioned to fit over the cigar or cigarette, one end of which is received in the socket of the holder. The perforations provide ventilation for the ignited end of the cigar or cigarette and the ash which is generated during burning is retained by the holder against spillage. The ignited end of the cigar or cigarette is not accidentally dislodgeable and the shield also serves to prevent accidental burning if the holder is dropped.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It frequently happens, that cigarette and cigar smokers will spill ashes and also, the ignited end can become accidentally dislodged and can cause personal and property damage. It also frequently happens that while smoking during driving in an automobile, drafts or accidental contact of the lighted end of the cigar or cigarette with objects will cause the burning embers or ignited end to become completely dislodged and this has been the source of many accidents, property damage and even loss of life. Moreover, the experience of having a lighted cigarette roll off of an ashtray or protected area and onto table, floor, or clothing is a disturbing and damaging event which happens with annoying regularity.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to devise a simple and inexpensive guard for cigarettes, cigars and the like which will surround the cigarette and, without in any way interfering with normal smoking, to protect against the occurrence of ash spillage from the end of the cigarette.

It is an object of the present invention to retain the ash on the end of the cigar or cigarette even if the ash should extend the full length of the cigarette or cigar. It is therefore possible to smoke the entirety of a cigarette without the necessity of an ashtray and without ash spillage.

It is another object of the present invention to protect the cigar or cigarette user against accidental dislodgement of hot embers at the lit end of the cigar or cigarette thereby promoting safer smoking.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the invention illustrating the holder and guard;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of a cigarette, guard and holder;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are longitudinal section views illustrating the progression of ash formation within the guard; and

FIG. 6 illustrates how the residual butt of the cigarette or cigar can be expelled from the holder.

SPECIFIC WORKING EXAMPLE OF THE INVENTION

Referring next to the drawings, a holder 10 including a mouthpiece 12 and socket 14 has a threaded sleeve 16 at the end 18 that is adapted to receive an internally threaded opening 20 of a cylinder 22 having a plurality of openings 28.

The cylinder 22 constitutes a shield or guard which is proportioned to receive a cigarette 29 or cigar within the centrally located passage 30 extending throughout the length thereof.

End 32 of cylinder 22 is open-ended in order that cigarette 29 can be lighted, and when once lit combustion is supported by air through the open end of the cylinder and through the openings 26, 28 which are uniformly disposed throughout the length of the cigarette guard. Typically, the cigarette guard is crush-proof and is constituted by aluminum, heat resistant plastic or the like.

After the guard is in place, the cigarette 29 can be lit in the usual fashion and air has access to the burning tip of the cigarette both through the end 32 of the guard, the slots 26 and openings 28 in the guard. As the cigarette 29 burns toward the stub or filter end 38, there is a continuous ash (FIG. 5) which is formed and the ash is retained within the guard or shield and does not separate from the burning section of the cigarette. What develops is an ash length which is continuous and unbroken and does not readily separate because of engagement with the inner surface of the shield along the passage length. The ash will not break away but will continue to form continuously until the burning ember reaches the incombustible filter 38 or until the smoker elects to discard. At this stage, the stub end 38 is expelled (FIG. 6) by blowing into the mouthpiece 12 and this expels the cigarette 29 from the socket 14 and also expels the ash which is held within the shield.

OPERATION

In use, a cigarette 29 is inserted with the filter end pressed into the socket 14 and the shield is then passed over the cigarette and its threaded end coupled by screwing the internal opening onto the threaded end 16. The cigarette is then lit through the open end 32 of the shield and the cigarette 29 is smoked in the usual manner by drawing through the mouthpiece 12. Neither the ash nor the burning end of the cigarette can be distrubed since both are retained against accidental dislodgement by the internal passage of the shield.

The cigarette ash has a stable formation within the shield and does not readily dislodge therefrom even when exposed to an external draft such as encountered within an automobile from time to time and furthermore the ash will not readily disengage from normal movements of the cigarette between the mouth and holding position for the cigarette holder 10. It should be further understood that the likelihood of the burning section of the cigarette becoming accidentally separated from the cigarette and causing damage to persons and objects is also minimized because it is at all times confined within the shield.

The shield does not impart any taste to the cigarette 29 since it is a neutral object which in no way affects the flavor, burning rate or other functional aspects of the cigarette.

In another embodiment of the invention, the shield can be laminated with plastic or metallic material, foil or the like, for the sake of appearance or for the insulation value, and it should also be understood that once the cigarette is in place within the shield even though the shield and holder 10 should accidentally roll off the heat insultating surface, it does not absorb the major part of the heat of the cigarette. It should also be understood that the various materials suitable for use in connection with the present invention include both heat resistant plastic materials and metallic materials as well, the only requirement being that the material be both heat resistant and be relatively non-crushable since it is contemplated that the same shield can be use for repeated applications.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in accordance with a single example embodiment, it is understood that this is illustrative of the invention and is by no means restrictive thereof. It is reasonably to be expected that those skilled in this art can make numerous revisions and adaptations and it is intended that such revisions and adaptations will be included within the scope of the following claims as equivalents of the invention.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A protective device for cigarettes comprising a holder having a mouthpiece, a socket and a threaded sleeve, and a protective shield comprising a cylinder proportioned to be only slightly longer in diameter than a cigarette received therein and having a threaded portion adapted to be threadedly received on the threaded sleeve of said holder, said sleeve consisting of an elongated shell with means providing a plurality of longitudinally spaced elongated collinear slots each having its major dimension oriented parallel to the axis of the cylinder and arranged in sets of axial columns and transverse rows about the surface of the cylinder, and means providing circular openings between adjacent rows of slot means also regularly disposed over the entirety of the cylindrical surface of said protective shield, said slots means and opening means forming access opening means by which air can communicate with the ignited end of the cigarette and smoke can be vented through the same such opening means, said circular opening means and said elongated slot means being proportioned relative to the diameter and length of the holder to retain the generated ash therein even in the presence of external draft, said shield being characterized by non-flammable composition and proportioned to substantially cover the cigarette in its unburned condition.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cylinder is of non-metallic relatively non-heat conductive composition.

3. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the interior of said cylinder is relatively smooth and substantially encloses the ignited cigarette to retain the generated ash therein.