An Improved Smokers' Ash Tray or Receptacle.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1898
Conplata Spanification Loft 12th Lul 1200
Accented
fot Oat
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Smokers' Ash Tray or Receptacle.
I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ROTHWELL, Merchant, 3, Clarence Place, Belfast, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an ash tray or receptacle for use by smokers'.
The ash tray or receptacle consists of a box of any suitable shape which is or
may be provided with a movable bottom which may either work on a hinge or
be fitted on or taken off like the lid of a canister.
The chief feature of the invention, however, is the cover or top which may be
made in sections or segments which are so arranged and fitted that by pressing
or turning a button or knob they may be made to move aside and leave the top
open, and, when the knob is turned back or the pressure on it released, the seg-
ments spring back into their place automatically and close or cover up the
receptacle as before. If the button is arranged to turn the mechanism may be
so constructed that a reverse turn or movement will close the segments without
the aid of a spring.
Under another arrangement the button or knob may be fixed at the side of
the box and work in a slot or guide in such a manner that by merely pushing
said button of knob to the right or left the segments are opened or closed.
The object of the covered ash receptacle is to prevent the air of the room being
contaminated by the unpleasant smell from the ends, of cigars, etc., and as these
and the ashes all fall into the receptacle on actuating the button a clean and
tidy appearance is presented. Moreover the receptacle does not require to be
so frequently emptied as the ordinary ash trays.
Dated this 26th dow of Wohmia 1000
I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ROTHWELL, Merchant, 3, Clarence Place, Belfast, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
-
This invention relates to an ash tray or receptacle for use by smokers.
The ash tray or receptacle consists of a box of any suitable shane which is or

page_text: may be provided with a movable bottom which may ether work on a hinge or
be fitted on or taken off like the lid of a canister.
The chief feature of the invention, however, is the cover or top which may be
made in sections or segments which are so arranged and fitted that by pressing
or turning a button or knob they may be made to move aside and leave the top
open, and, when the knob is turned back or the pressure on it released, the seg
ments spring back into their place automatically and close or cover up the
receptacle as before. If the button is arranged to turn the mechanism may be
so constructed that a reverse turn or movement will close the segments without
the aid of a spring.
The object of the covered ash receptacle is to prevent the air of the room being
contaminated by the unpleasant smell from the ends of cigars, etc., and as these
and the ashes all fall into the receptacle, on actuating the button, a clean and
tidy appearance is presented. Moreover the receptacle does not require to be
so frequently emptied as the ordinary trays.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I havo
hereunto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings which shows, by way of
illustration or example, two convenient modes of carrying out the invention.
Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 a plan view with the lid removed, and Fig. 3 a section
of one form of ash receptacle.
Fig. 4 is a plan, Fig. 5 a plan view with the lid removed, Fig. 6 a section (taken
on the line 2Fig. 4) of the other' form of ash receptacle, Fig. 6* is a part
section taken at right angles to the section Fig. 6.
In the arrangement shown at Figs. 1 to 3, the box a has a removable bottom b
which can be fitted in place like the lid of a canister. The box has a cover c
made with a central hole d which can be covered up or uncovered, as desired, by
means of the two movable segments or leaves e, e¹. As will be seen from Fig. 2
these segments or leaves e, e¹, are pivotally secured to the cover by pins f, f¹,
in such a manner that they can be moved laterally. The inside edges of the
rear ends of the segments or leaves are so cut away, or slotted, as to leave a
space resembling a key hole, h is a stop pin fitted in the fixed part of the
cover.,, are catches attached to the segments or leaves e, e¹. j, j¹, are the
arms of a steel spring of C shape which is held in place by the forked stud k
fitted in the fixed part of the cover. As will be seen the extremities of the arms
of the spring bear against the outside edges of the leaves e, e', and normally
force them into the closed position as shown in full lines at Fig. 2. In order
to force the leaves open, that is laterally away from one another, into the
position indicated in dotted lines, a press knob having an inverted cone on
its spindle is provided. The apex of the inverted cone rests in the opening g.
73 is a bent metal strip, or bracket, with a hole in it for guiding the spindle
There may be removably fitted on top of the receptacle a lid m having, on its
upper side, four or other suitable number of grooved recesses m¹ in which cigars
can be laid, and a central truncated cone shaped recess n. This lid, which serves
also as an ash tray, can be provided with a small handle n³ for facilitating the
removal of the receptacle when necessary. The leaves e, e¹, when closed, not
only cover up the entrance to the box a but constitute the bottom of the recess n
as clearly shown at Fig. 1. With this arrangement, whenever it is desired to
let any ash or stumps of cigars collected in the recesses n fall down into the
box a out of sight, all that is necessary is to depress the knob / when the action
of the cone causes the leaves e, e¹, to fly laterally apart automatically, and,
as a consequence, the ash and cigar ends fall down into the box. When the
pressure on the knob is relieved, the leaves, under the action of the spring, auto-
matically close and thereby not only hide the cigar ends and ashes from view
but prevent the unpleasant smell arising therefrom contaminating the air of
the room.
The arrangement shown at Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is somewhat different in so far
that the bottom of the recess n of the cover is not constituted by two laterally

page_text: movable leaves but by two movable segments or blades o, o¹, which can be
operated by means of the press knob p in such manner as to either close up or
open the bottom of said recess.
a is the box, b the removable bottom, and g the removable cover or lid provided
with the recess n. The movable segments or blades o, o¹, are secured to a
revoluble pin o³ having a pinion on it whose teeth mesh with the teeth of
the crown wheel r. The wheel r is mounted on an arbor s carried by the
casing w. t is a casing enclosing a spiral spring t which presses up the spindle u
of the press knob. ¹ is a bent arm on the spindle and whose lower end enters a
hole in the rim of the crown wheel r. is a curved slot made in the blade o in
which a pin fitted in the blade o¹ works.
o is a lug fitted to the casing w and carrying the lower end of the pin o³.
The blade o is rigidly fixed to the pin o whilst the blade o is loosely fitted
thereto. The blades are loosely connected together by the pin and slot arrange-
ment v, v.
With this arrangement whenever the knob p is depressed the wheel r is caused
to revolve partially and thereby turn the pinion and its pin to such an extent
as to move the blades o, o¹, laterally to one side and permit ashes, etc., in the
recess n to drop down into the box. Whenever the knob p is released the spring t
causes the wheel to partially revolve in the opposite direction and thereby bring
the blades back again into the closed position as shown at Fig. 4.
By removing the bottom 6 or the lid m the contents of the box a can be readily
emptied out.
The apparatus can be modified or altered in its details of construction without
departing from the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is:-.
1. A smokers' ash tray or receptacle consisting of a box provided with a cover
said cover having an opening therein which can be opened or closed by means
of laterally movable segments in such manner that ashes, cigar ends, etc., placed
on or in the cover can be allowed to fall down through the opening into the box
and thereafter the opening be closed up, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. The construction of smokers' ash tray or receptacle, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings annexed.
3. The construction of smokers' ash tray or receptacle substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 10th day of July 1898.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.