Abstract:
The invention is directed to a lockable ashtray comprising a cover defining at least one aperture therein, a hinge connecting the cover to a lower section. The cover is reversibly locked to the lower section or the cylinder shaped vessel. A Tray for holding cigarette butts is located out of sight beneath the cover. The at least one aperture has a diameter or width sufficiently small to hinder an adult or child intent on removing cigarette butts from the ashtray. In another embodiment the cover defining at least one aperture is attached to a cylinder shaped vessel having an inner lining defining an internal cavity at least partly filled with a bottom layer of immobile material and an upper layer of the non-inflammable material.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to ashtrays. Specifically, the invention is a lockable ashtray that hides cigarette butts from view.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     The risks posed to children by cigarette butts are well known. For example, government and other health agencies frequently advise adult smokers to ensure that ashtrays and cigarette butts are kept away from the reach of children to help prevent children from ingesting or inhaling the cigarette butts (see, e.g., world wide web (www) sites: http://www.sph.unc.edu/smokefreekids/what/parent_text.htm, and http://www.drugabuse.gov/WHGD/WHGDDirRep6.html). The risk posed by cigarette butts is not limited to one country and impacts on the health of children around the world (see, e.g., http://www.health.gov.fj/tobacco.htm).  
         [0005]     Very young children like to mimic adults. For example, a very young child might pick up a butt from an ashtray and place the butt in their mouth to mimic a parent who has a smoking habit. Very young children can ingest cigarette butts and suffer poisoning incidents because of toxins trapped in ingested filters. For example, between 1988 and 1991 seven hundred children under six years of age were reported to the Poison Control Center as a result of ingesting cigarette butts, McGee D, Brabson T, McCarthy J, Picciotti M.: “Four-year review of cigarette ingestions in children,”  Pediatr Emerg Care,  1995 Feb., 11(1):13-6.  
         [0006]     Homeless people sometimes engage in high-risk smoking practices such as using cigarette butts found in ashtrays. A recent study found that such high-risk smoking practices pose an increased risk of exposure to toxins trapped in filters and tobacco remains, and increase the threat of infectious disease transmission, Aloot C B, Vredevoe D L, Brecht M L: “Evaluation of high-risk smoking practices used by the homeless,”  Cancer Nursing,  1993 April, 16(2), pp 123-30. Thus, there has been a long felt need for ways to help prevent homeless people and children gaining access to cigarette butts.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,787, issued Jan. 10, 1995 to R. K. Haines, describes a pop-up ashtray comprising a hinged lid. The contents of the &#39;787 ashtray are accessed by applying minimal pressure to open the lid. The &#39;787 device does not hinder a child from accessing cigarette butts.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,694, issued Jun. 20, 2000 to Paul-Henri Ragot, describes a trash receptacle that comprises an outer container and an inner trashcan. The &#39;694 device is not especially designed to handle butts. For example, in one embodiment (FIGS.  1  to  5 ) cigarette butts and general trash are thrown through a pair of self-closing gravity doors (member #28). The &#39;694 patent teaches in FIG. 8 to place ashtrays in accessible locations on a plurality of outer posts (member #36). Thus, the &#39;694 patent teaches away from the present invention.  
         [0009]     U.S. Publication No. 20020190615 A1, published Dec. 19, 2002 to C. J. Lin, describes a garbage-box having a container body and a collection container. The &#39;615 device includes a large garbage inlet that automatically opens in response to a sensor that senses the approach of a person. An accessible ashtray is provided proximate to the large garbage inlet thus allowing a child or homeless person to rifle through the ashtray to obtain butts.  
         [0010]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,746, issued Nov. 11, 1986 to Reichle, et al., describes a device for vending newspapers. The &#39;746 device comprises a horizontally disposed drum mounted on a pedestal. A clear plastic dome is used to cover the open top of the drum. A lock and key arrangement is provided so that the dome may be secured to the drum and easily removed therefrom. The &#39;746 device does not teach or suggest the present invention.  
         [0011]     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a lockable ashtray solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The invention is directed to a lockable ashtray that comprises a cover defining at least one aperture therein, and a hinge connecting the cover to a lower section. The cover is reversibly locked to the lower section. A tray for holding cigarette butts is located out of sight beneath the hinged cover. The at least one aperture has a diameter or width sufficiently small to hinder an adult or child intent on removing cigarette butts from the ashtray. In another embodiment the cover defining at least one aperture is attached to a cylinder shaped vessel having an inner lining defining an internal cavity at least partly filled with a bottom layer of immobile material and an upper layer of the non-inflammable material.  
         [0013]     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a lockable ashtray for depositing and temporarily storing discarded cigarette butts.  
         [0014]     It is another object of the invention to provide a lockable ashtray that hinders an adult or child intent on removing cigarette butts from the lockable ashtray.  
         [0015]     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
         [0016]     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a lockable ashtray on top of a trashcan according to the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2A  is a side view of the lockable ashtray and trashcan combination of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 2B  is a further side view of the lockable ashtray and trashcan combination of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 3A  is a section view of a lockable ashtray with narrow elongated apertures according to the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3B  is a top view of the lockable ashtray of  FIG. 3A .  
         [0022]      FIG. 4A  is a section view of the lockable ashtray of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 4B  is a top view of the lockable ashtray of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 5A  is a section view of a further embodiment of the lockable ashtray according to the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 5B  is a top view of the lockable ashtray of  FIG. 5A . 
     
    
       [0026]     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]     The present invention relates generally to ashtrays. Specifically, the invention is a lockable ashtray that hides cigarette butts from view. In a preferred embodiment the invention is an ashtray with a lockable-hinged dome cover to hide discarded cigarette butts from view. Still more specifically, the invention is an ashtray that reduces the accessibility of discarded butts to children and homeless people who might desire access to discarded butts.  
         [0028]      FIG. 1  shows an environmental, perspective view of a lockable ashtray denoted generally by the reference numeral  100 . In this embodiment the lockable ashtray  100  sits atop a trashcan  120  of generally cylindrical shape. The trashcan  120  defines an inlet  240  for handling general trash. It should be understood that the terms “used cigarette” and “cigarette butt” are regarded as equivalent terms.  
         [0029]     Still referring to  FIG. 1 , an adult smoker  140  is shown discarding a cigarette butt  160  into the lockable ashtray  100 . The lockable ashtray  100  comprises a dome shaped cover member  180  and a butt collection tray  200  hidden from general view beneath the dome shaped cover  180 . The dome shaped cover member  180  defines at least one aperture  220  and an inner chamber  225  (see  FIG. 2A ). The cigarette butts  160  are dropped through the at least one aperture  220  and fall through the inner chamber  225  to land on the tray  200 ; the tray  200  is located out of sight beneath the dome shaped cover  180 .  
         [0030]     It should be understood that the at least one aperture  220  can be any suitable shape such as a circular shape, a star shape, a square shape, a generally rectangular shape, and/or an elongated slit shape. A circular shaped at least one aperture  220  is defined in terms of its diameter “d1” (see  FIG. 2A  and accompanying description below). An at least one aperture  220  in the form of a square shape, a generally rectangular shape, and/or an elongated slit shape is defined in terms of its width “w1” (see  FIG. 3A  and accompanying description below).  
         [0031]     It should also be understood that the cover  180  could be any suitable shape such as a cone shaped cover  180   b  (see  FIG. 5A ) or a generally rectangular shape. It will be understood that the tray  200  is difficult to view by a child or homeless adult because the cover  180  lowers the amount of light that would otherwise fall on the tray  200 . In addition, even if an artificial light is shone through the at least one aperture  220  it would still be difficult for a child or homeless adult to see all of the tray  200  and any cigarette butts  160  deposited thereon.  
         [0032]      FIG. 2A  is a side view of the lockable ashtray  100  and trashcan  120  combination of  FIG. 1 . The tray  200  comprises a pan  260  that is optionally at least partly filled with a non-inflammable material  280  such as sand. The discarded cigarette butts  160  are dropped onto the non-inflammable material  280  via the at least one aperture  220 . The dome shaped cover member  180  is hinged to a lower section member  300 . The lower section member  300  defines an interior volume  320 . The tray  200  is located beneath the dome shaped cover member  180  and inside the interior volume  320 . A hinge  340  allows the dome shaped cover member  180  to be moved between a closed position  360  and an open position  380  (see  FIG. 2B ). A key  435  operates a recessed lock  400  that reversibly locks the dome shaped cover member  180  to the lower section  300 . The lower section  300  further comprises an interface member  420 , such as a chain, that connects the lower section  300  to the optional trashcan  120 .  
         [0033]     Still referring to  FIG. 2A , the trashcan  120  comprises an inner lining  440  defining an inner chamber  460 . General trash is pushed through the inlet  240  into the inner chamber  460 . A door  480 , defining a door knob  500 , allows access and removal of trash from the inner chamber  460 . A trash bag may be used to line the inner lining  440 ; when the trash bag is full it is easily removed and replaced via the access door  480 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 2B  is a further side view of the lockable ashtray  100  and trashcan  120  combination of  FIG. 1 , wherein the cover  180  is shown in the open position  380 . The recessed lock  400  comprises a stem  520  and a catch  540 . The stem  520  and attached catch  540  rotate in sympathy when the key  435  (see  FIG. 2A ) is inserted, and rotated, into the lock  400 . When the dome shaped cover  180  is in the closed position  360  the catch  540  rests against an inverted ledge  580  thereby locking the dome shaped cover  180  to the lower section  300 . Turning the lock  400  until the catch  540  is no longer resting against the inverted ledge  580  allows the dome shaped cover  180  to be manually moved from the closed position  360  ( FIG. 2A ) to the open position  380  ( FIG. 2B ). An operator is then free to clean out the tray  200  of butts  160 .  
         [0035]     The at least one aperture  220  is preferably sized to make it difficult for a person, such as a child or homeless person, to get their hand through the at least one aperture  220 . The at least one aperture  220  has a diameter dl of preferably less than about two inches (i.e., less than about 2″), more preferably between about 0.5 inches and two inches (i.e., between about 0.5″ and 2″), and still more preferably between about one inch and two inches (i.e., between about 1″ and 2″). The most preferred diameter is about one inch (i.e., about 1″); a diameter of about 1″ easily prevents a child or adult accessing discarded cigarette butts  160  in the tray  200 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 3A  shows a section view of a further embodiment of lockable ashtray  100  (shown as “ 100   b ”) in which the dome shaped cover  180  defines at least one narrow elongated aperture  220   b . The at least one aperture  220   b  has a width (shown as “w1”) between about 0.5 inches and 1 inch (i.e., between about 0.5″ and 1″). A padlock  620  secures two lock brackets  640   a  and  640   b  connected, respectively, to the dome shaped cover  180  and lower section  300 . In this embodiment the lockable ashtray  100   b  is either used separately from the trashcan  120  or attached to the trashcan  120  by means of the interface member  420 .  FIG. 3B  shows a top view of the lockable ashtray  100   b  of  FIG. 3A .  
         [0037]      FIG. 4A  shows a section view of the lockable ashtray  100  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , wherein the lockable ashtray  100  is used separately from the trashcan  120 . In this configuration the lockable ashtray  100  may be positioned on any suitable flat surface such as that provided by an outside wall or table.  FIG. 4B  shows a top view of the lockable ashtray  100  of  FIG. 3A .  
         [0038]      FIG. 5A  shows a section view of a still further embodiment of the invention in which the lockable ashtray (shown as “ 100   c ”) comprises a cone shaped cover  180   b  defining the at least one aperture  220  of circular dimensions with a diameter between about 0.5 inches and two inches (i.e., between about 0.5″ and 2″), and more preferably a diameter of about one inch (i.e., about 1″). The lockable ashtray  100   c  further comprises a cylinder shaped vessel  660  having an inner lining  680  defining an internal cavity  700  at least partly filled with a bottom layer of immobile material  720 , such as cured concrete, and an upper layer of the non-inflammable material  280   b  such as sand which may be removed or replaced. The combination of the bottom layer  720  and upper layer  280   b  serve as a butt collection tray that is hidden from view. Cigarette butts  160  are dropped through the at least one aperture  220  and land on the layer of non-inflammable material  280   b . The cigarette butts  160  may be removed periodically by unlocking the lock  400  and opening the coned shaped cover  180   b .  FIG. 5B  shows a top view of the lockable ashtray  100   c  of  FIG. 5A .  
         [0039]     It will be understood that a child and/or homeless adult would find it hard to view any cigarette butts  160  deposited on the upper layer  280   b  because the cover  180   b  lowers the amount of light that would otherwise fall on the upper layer  280   b . In addition, even if an artificial light is shone through the at least one aperture  220  it would still be difficult for a child or homeless adult to see all of the upper layer  280   b  and any cigarette butts  160  deposited thereon.  
         [0040]     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.