US2271035A - Cigarette case - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 27, 1942. oux

CIGARETTE CASE Filed Feb. 14, 1940 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE CASE Joseph F. Rioux, Attleboro, Mass.

Application February 14, 1940, Serial No. 318,849

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a cigarette case and has for one of its objects to provide a cigarette' case which may be used for cigarettes of two different sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigarette case into which cigarettes of the long size may be placed in one direction and cigarettes of the heretofore common size may be placed in a direction at right angles thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single resilient arm which will be so arranged as to hold the cigarettes in the section in which they are located regardless of the direction in which they are placed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the cigarette case closed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cigarette case open;

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are top plan views illustrating different shaped arms for retaining cigarettes in one section of the case.

At the present time cigarettes are ofiered on the market which are longer than cigarettes which have been customarily placed upon the market for several years. Cigarette cases have been designed heretofore on the basis of receiving the shorter cigarettes and in many instances, such cigarette cases are not suitable for receiving cigarettes of the new longer size; and in order to obviate this difficulty, I have provided a generally rectangular cigarette case so dimensioned that it will receive the short size cigarettes in a parallel arrangement when extending in one direction and which Will receive the long size cigarettes in a parallel arrangement when extending in a direction at right angles to the position of the short cigarettes, thereby making it possible for the cigarette case to receive cigarettes of either size; and I have provided the cigarette case of duplicate opposed sections whereby cigarettes of one size may be retained in one section and cigarettes of another size retained in the other section, if the user so chooses; and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawing, I designates one section and II, another section of the body of the cigarette case. These sections are hinged together as at I2 by a spring hinge and there is provided a catch I3 in one section and a latch I4 on the other section to engage this catch for holding the sections in closed position.

The relatively short size or length cigarettes are indicated at I5, and the relatively long size or length cigarettes are designated I6. Each section III and II is of a shallow dish formation of a depth substantially the depth of a cigarette. This dish formation has a dimension parallel to the hing I2 which connects the sections such that itwill just receive a full length short cigarette I5 as designated in connection with section I 0, while the dimension of this shallow dish formation in each section at right angles to the hinge is of a length to just receive a full length long cigarette I6. Thus, I may place in the case short cigarettes I5 as shown in section I0 in Fig. 2 parallel to hinge I2 or long cigarettes I6 as shown in section II in Fig. 2 at right angles to the hinge I2.

I have illustrated in Fig. 2 the short cigarettes placed in one section and the long cigarettes in the other section, but obviously, this relationship might be reversed; or I may retain in the case cigarettes I5 of the short length in each section or cigarettes I6 of the long length in each section.

In order to hold these cigarettes in position I provide a retaining means 20 which is disposed in such a relationship that it will laterally cross all of the cigarettes regardless of which direction they are positioned. In Fig. 2, two such members 20 are provided hingedly mounted on the pintle 2| of the hinge I2 and which are actuated by the spring 22 having its ends 23 and 24 resting against the arms 20 and also serving as a means through which the sections of the case are swung open from a closed position to an open position where the formation of the covers will limit their opening relation to an angle a little greater than a right angle, as shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2 I have shown this member 20 as an arm extending on a curve generally at an angle from its hinged connection across the case in one direction and then reversing and extending at a different angle across the case to the opposite side. This angular relationship is such as to cover th cigarettes regardless of which direction they are placed, as can clearly be seen from a comparison of the two sections of the case shown in I0 and II.

Other relations of retaining members may be I provided, as illustrated at 25 in Fig. 4, there being shown a question mark shape; or as at 26 in Fig. 3, there being shown a cross shape; and of course various other modifications of shape may be resorted to in accordance with the teaching of this invention.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible.

I claim:

1. A cigarette case comprising a pair of gener ally rectangular body sections, one of said sections being of shallow dish formation and of a dimension in one direction substantially equal to cigarettes of one length for receiving the same and of a dimension in a right angular direction substantially equal to cigarettes of a difierent length for receiving the same, and a cigaretteretaining clip hinged along one edge of said dish section and extending therefrom to adjacent a second edge of said section and another portion thereof positioned to extend from adjacent a third edge of said section to the opposite edge thereof so as to overlie and retain any cigarettes placed parallel to and any cigarettes placed at right angles to one edge of said section.

2. A cigarette case comprising a pair of generally rectangular body sections, means to hinge said sections along one edge, one of said sections being of shallow dish formation and of a dimension in one direction substantially equal to cigarettes of one length for receiving the same and of a dimension in a right angular direction substantially equal to cigarettes of a different length for receiving the same, and cigaretteeretaining clip hinged along the edge hingedly con.-

necting said sections and hairing an arm extending therefrom to adjacent a second edge of said section and then extending from said second edge across to adjacent the other two edges of said section so as to overlie and retain cigarettes placed in said sections parallel to and at right an le o ai hi e- 3. A cigarette case comprising a pair of generally rectangular body sections, means to hinge said sections along one edge, one of said sections being of shallow dish formation and of a dimension in one direction substantially equal to cigarettes of one length and of a dimension in a right angular direction substantially equal to cigarettes of a different length, a member of skeleton formation hinged along the hinged edge of said sections comprising an arm extending from the hinged portion to adjacent the opposite edge portion of said section and a cross piece positioned intermediate the ends of said arms and extending therefrom to adjacent the other two edges of said section so as to laterally cross any cigarettes arranged parallel to the hinge of said sections and across any cigarettes arranged at right angles to the hinge of said sections.

4. A cigarette case comprising a pair of generally rectangular body sections, one of said sections being of shallow dish formation and of a dimension in one direction substantially equal to cigarettes of one length for receiving the same and of a dimension in a right angular direction substantially equal to cigarettes of a diiferent length for receiving the same, and a cigaretteretaining clip of stifi construction hinged at one end to a section adjacent the peripheral edge of said section to swing at right angles to the plane thereof, and comprising a narrow elongated member having some portion lying close to each of the four edges of the case to overlie and cross any cigarettes placed parallel to and any cigarettes placed at right angles to one edge of said se men- 5- A c gare te pa m fis n a a of erally rectangular body sections, one of said sections being of shallow dish formation and of a dimension inwone direction substantially equal to cigarettes of one length for receiving the same and of a dimension in a right angular direction substantially equal to cigarettes of a different length for receiving the same, and a cigaretteretaining clip comprising a generally U-shaped member hinged at'the end of one of its arms to an edge of said section and having the bight thereof positioned adjacent a second edge of said section and with the other arm thereof extending from the bight to adjacent the intersection of the other two edges of said section so as to retain any cigarettes placed parallel to and any cigarettes placed at right angles to one edge of said section.

6. A cigarette case comprising a pair of elongated rectangular case sections hinged together, the dimensions of the case being such as to accommodate cigarettes of a certain length longitudinally of the case and cigarettes of a different length transversely ,of the case, a one-piece retainer for holding the cigarettes in place, said retainer being hingedly secured to the case sections along the common hinge thereof and comprising a narrow elongated member having a configuration in plan such as to have some portion thereof lying close to each of the fo ur edges of the case at a point spaced fromthe adjaqchtcorners, whereby said retainer may serve to hold cigarettes in place whether such cigarettes are disposed longitudinally with respect to the case or transversely thereof.

JOSEPH F. RIOUX.

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