Abstract:
This invention relates to cigarettes and tobacco smoking devices. The invention allows for the smoker to encapsulate a cigarette in a reusable holder that prevents fire and burns. The reusable holder traps hot ashes, is safe to handle and is ergonomic in design. The cigarette holder can be dropped without starting fire or causing burns. The cigarette holder can have outer shell produced of different materials. The cigarette holder can be used in bad weather.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
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                 Patent # 
                 Title 
                 Date Issued 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 2,625,163 
                 Safety Cigarette Holder 
                 Jan. 13, 1953 
               
               
                 3,886,954 
                 Fire Safety Cigarette 
                 Jun. 3, 1975 
               
               
                 4,027,680 
                 Safety Cigarette Holder and Ash Retaining 
                 Jun. 7, 1977 
               
               
                   
                 Device 
               
               
                 4,386,616 
                 Cigarette Tube 
                 Jun. 7, 1983 
               
               
                 4,570,645 
                 Safety Holder for Cigarettes 
                 Feb. 18, 1986 
               
               
                 4,572,217 
                 Fire-Safe Cigarette Holder System 
                 Feb. 25, 1986 
               
               
                 4,991,595 
                 Self-Extinguishing Cigarette with Fail-Safe 
                 Feb. 12, 1991 
               
               
                   
                 Tilt-Ring 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to cigarettes and tobacco smoking devices. More particularly, the invention relates to safeguarding cigarettes from becoming a source of fire and burns. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention is to produce a reusable cigarette holder that is safe and renders cigarettes safer to smoke. 
         [0004]    One of the common causes of death is by fire, many of which are started carelessly by cigarettes. Many people, both smokers and non-smokers, fall victims to individuals falling asleep while smoking in bed or carelessly disposing cigarettes. Even more individuals are injured each year by cigarette burns. Dozens of forest fires are started each year by cigarettes. Millions of dollars of damage and medical bills are also contributed to careless disposal of cigarettes. Many more damages are resulted through cigarette burns of clothing, upholstery, carpeting, and the like. Many individuals are hurt each year in car accidents where a driver who is smoking inadvertently drops a cigarette. Smokers must also deal with looking for an ashtray and having a place to dispose the cigarette when done smoking. 
         [0005]    There has been prior art issued for preventing or obviating the hazards of burning cigarettes, but each has its drawbacks, which are addressed with this invention. Some prior art (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,386,616; 4,572,217) present cigarette holders, but the user must insert a lighted cigarette into the holder. By doing so, there is a risk that ashes will hit against the holder, fall to the ground and ignite, or that cigarette may slip out of holder if dropped. Other art (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,027,680; 4,572,217) involve cigarettes being smoked while in the holder where the user smokes the cigarette holding the butt (or filter) of the cigarette in his or her mouth as it protrudes from the opening. This creates a safety concern as the weight of the holder may snap the cigarette in half with the holder, cigarette and ashes falling to the ground starting a fire. Other art (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,386,616; 4,572,217) discusses cigarette holder but does not address containing the ashes or preventing a fire if the cigarette and/or holder were dropped. Nor do they adequately address holding the cigarette in the chamber should the holder be dropped as the cigarette is usually slid through one of the openings. A permanent disposable holder (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,886,954; 4,386,616) has been introduced, but such invention is not a reusable system. Another system introduced involves several pieces to the holder (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,625,163; 4,027,680; 4,570,645; 4,991,595) presenting too many parts or end caps that can wear and tear, fall off, and generally fail, or worse burn the user trying to assemble or disassemble the holder. Other art proposes self-extinguishing holders (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,570,645; 4,991,595) where if a cigarette is not puffed within a certain time frame, it is extinguished. This presents a problem if a cigarette extinguishes too soon, the user would have to open the assembly and potentially burn him or herself, or risk of having hot ash flying out. Another challenge is these cigarettes cannot be smoked in the rain or strong wind. 
         [0006]    Recently there has been a push for cigarette manufacturers to introduce “fire safe cigarettes”. However, many would argue that safety lies with the user, and hot ashes can still ignite many materials. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    A principal object of the present invention is to produce a cigarette holder that renders cigarettes safe to smoke without the risk of starting a fire or causing burns. Another object of this invention is to produce a reusable cigarette holder with few parts, capable of holding cigarette securely, contain the ashes, allow the cigarette to burn naturally without impeding air flow, be safe to handle, ability to set it on a flat surface without it rolling away, stay safe if it was to be dropped. Another object of this invention is to be able to smoke a cigarette in foul weather such as rain, wind, and dust without extinguishing the cigarette. The object of this invention is also for it to be ergonomic in design, only slightly larger than a traditional cigarette. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serve to explain in the principles of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a side view, depiction  1 A showing the right view of the cigarette holder and depiction  1 B showing the left view of the cigarette holder; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is side internal cross section view; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a side dimensional view; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a front view; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a rear view; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a schematic showing a sample cross section open top view; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a schematic of the airflow within the cigarette holder. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    For the purposes of the following description, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “rear,” and derivatives or equivalents thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in  FIG. 1 . It is understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not considered limiting unless the claims expressly state otherwise. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
         [0017]    An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0018]    Referring now in detail to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows the right side view ( FIG. 1A ) and left side view ( FIG. 1B ). The numeral  10  denotes Cigarette Safety Holder, hereby referred as “Holder” body facing right. In this depiction the user would be holding and puffing on the left side, with smoke coming out from the right. The numeral  11  shows Holder body facing left. The rear of the Holder  12 , closest to the mouth and front of the Holder  13 , closest to the burning ashes are shown. There is slit  14  running lengthwise of the holder separating holder into upper and lower halves. The latches  17  and hinges  18  are shown. The latches would have a safety device preventing them from opening accidentally. This would assure that if a Holder is dropped, it would not accidentally open. In addition, two latches would provide additional assurance that the Holder would not accidentally open. There can be one or more latch and two or more hinges on the Holder. A peg stand  15  on the bottom of the Holder in the front prevents the Holder from rolling and ability for the smoker to set the Holder down. It also elevates the front end of the Holder slightly so it is not lying when set down. This further aids in cigarette accidentally rolling off after it is placed down. The exterior area where the smoker has in his or her mouth  16  can be made of softer material such as rubber, plastic or gel-like substance to soften the sense for the lips. There is an opening in the rear  19  where the smoker will puff on the cigarette. There is an opening in the front  20  where smoke will come out and also where the smoker will draw air from. There are upper and lower body slits  26  on both sides of the cigarette. The air will also be pulled from these vents and ensure that the cigarette does not extinguish prematurely. The length of the Holder is approximately an inch longer than a cigarette and approximately half an inch thicker. The Holder can be designed to accommodate normal cigarette, slim cigarettes, cigars or home-made cigarettes rolled up to the size of a cigarette. 
         [0019]    With reference to  FIG. 2  of the drawings, there is a hollow tube-like cavity  21  within the holder where cigarette will be inserted. The cavity runs the lengthwise of the Holder, the length of the cigarette itself. The diameter of the cavity is precisely the diameter of the cigarette it would hold to allow a snug fit of the cigarette inside the Holder and would encapsulate the cigarette all around except front and back. In the front portion of the Holder, and before the front end of the cigarette is a meshed filter  22  within the Holder to capture the ashes and allow for air to be pulled. The filter can be comprised of metallic mesh, carbon or other heat resistant tightly woven mesh that would trap the hot ashes and let the air circulate to the cigarette through the opening. The pointed pegs (or dull pins)  23  that will grip on the cigarette butt (or filter) are shown. Once the cigarette is placed in the bottom half of the Holder (see  FIG. 6 ), the top portion would be closed and latched with the bottom portion. The pegs  23  would thus protrude into the cigarette filter, thereby creating a fastening to the cigarette so it doesn&#39;t move. This is a safety feature in case the cigarette Holder is dropped; the cigarette would stay within the cavity of the Holder. Once the cigarette is smoked, the butt can be easily removed from the pegs and the ashes deposited in a container. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  shows what the Holder looks like in closed position in three dimensions with mouthpiece  16 , latches  17 , slit  14  and bottom peg stand  15  being shown. The air will come through the opening in the front  20  and sides  26 , and smoke will come out through the front  20 . The depiction also shows the upper  24  and lower  25  portions of the Holder. The outer shell  10  of the Holder can be made with one layer, but the preference is for two or more layers. For example, the interior layer can be made of metal such as aluminum, whereas the outer layer can be made of finer material such as mahogany wood or be painted over. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  represents a front view of the Holder. An opening  20  where air intake occurs and smoke comes out encapsulated with top  24  and bottom  25  halves. The embodiment shows that there is inner shell and an outer shell, where inner shell can be a stronger durable material, and the outer shell can be a more expensive or painted material. Several shells also allow for heat dissipation between inner shell and exterior shell so the Holder is not hot to the touch. The latches  17  and hinges  18  are on the sides which open  14  the two halves. On the bottom the peg stand  15  ensures the Holder will not roll away when placed on a surface. The filter  22  is permanently attached inside the cavity of the Holder. If the Holder accidentally touches anything or is dropped, it will not cause a fire because all the hot ashes are secured within the Holder. The filter can be maintained by an occasional rinse in the water to wash away any residual ashes. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a schematic of the rear view of the Holder. An opening  19  is where the butt of the cigarette is held, the end which is puffed by the smoker, encapsulated with top  24  and bottom  25  halves. The latches  17  and hinges  18  are on the sides which open  14  the two halves. As the cigarette is used and gets smaller in length, it is safely in place within the Holder because the user holds the Holder in his hand rather than cigarette itself. This allows the cigarette to be smoked safely without breaking in half at any point due to the weight of the Holder. In addition, if the cigarette is dropped, the pegs within the Holder hold the cigarette securely in its place. Once the cigarette is used, the Holder is opened via latches, and the cigarette butt along with the ashes is safely discarded. 
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is a drawing showing cross sectional top view of the Holder as it is opened. The two halves are shown apart with top half  24  open from the bottom  25  half. Within the bottom half, one can see the pegs  23  that hold the cigarette by the butt. There can be one or several pegs soldered into the cavity to hold the cigarette firmly in place. The filter  22  is shown at the front of the cigarette, where the air would intake and the ashes trapped. The cigarette cavity  21  is shown where a lighted cigarette would be inserted and later removed. The latches  17  and hinges  18  are shown with the Holder in the open position. The cigarette would fit snugly inside the Holder with no portion of the cigarette protruding out. The slits  26  are represented as additional air intakes. 
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a drawing showing the air intake of the Holder. The smoker will puff  19  on the cigarette once it is in the Holder. The air will be pulled  27  through front opening  20  and side slits  26 . The air that goes through the front opening goes right through the front filter  28  and makes its way to the front of the cigarette  29  where it stays secured in the cigarette cavity  21 . The air that goes in through the side slits will pass through the side compartments  30  which run hollow and parallel of the Holder, and make its way through the filter  28  and the front of the cigarette  29 . The cigarette can be smoked in the wind or rain as the cigarette is protected inside the cavity. Any rain that enters the Holder from the sides, top or front will not wet the cigarette but instead drop out from the bottom slits  26 . If it is windy, the cigarette is also protected from the elements as the wind will not hit the hot ambers directly but must go through slits, front opening and filter where the wind would be diffused. These elements of the invention would enable the cigarette to have ample supply of oxygen and ability to smoke in severe weather elements. As ashes fall, they will be stopped by the filter  28 , cooled, before dropping out of front end  20  or bottom slits. 
         [0025]    The above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only. Modification of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make and use the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims. 
         [0026]    In operation, the invention is used as follows:
       (a) first the smoker would open the Holder by parting its latches;   (b) smoker would light a cigarette;   (c) cigarette would be placed into the bottom cavity of the Holder; and   (d) top half would be closed and latched.