US2910072A - Cigar protectors - Google Patents

Description

-4 1959 s. K. LOOMIS' 2,910,072

CIGAR PROTECTORS Filed Oct. 26. 1956 Inventor StaJZZejjf. LOGJZZiS,

United States Patent CIGAR PROTECTORS Stanley K. Loomis, Oak Park, 111.

Application October 26, 1956, Serial No. 618,588 3 Claims. Cl. 131-189 The present invention relates to devices for increasing the pleasure to be derived from cigar smoking.

An important part of the enjoyment to be derived from cigar smoking comes from the act of holding the cigar in the mouth. Most cigar smokers continue to chew on their cigar long after the cigar has ceased to burn, and even after it has become too short to be smoked. In this manner, the smoker releases juices from the cigar which he enjoys.

Unfortunately, the mouth juices penetrate the portion of the cigar that is Within the mouth and cause it to become soggy. All too soon, the tobacco begins to detach from the cigar and must be spit out of the smokers mouth. Also, a soggy cigar can not be smoked, because smoke cannot be drawn through the soggy end of the cigar. Sooner or later, the smoker must bite olf the soggy end of the cigar and throw it away. Because of this necessity, the life of the cigar is shortened, and the smoker is deprived of the juices from the cigar at a time when they are most enjoyable.

One method of solving the problems caused by a soggy cigar is to employ a cigar holder which retains the cigar but does not permit any portion of the cigar to enter the mouth of the smoker. A cigar holder of this type prevents the cigar from becoming moist since it isolates the cigar from the juices of the mouth of the smoker. However, by so doing, the cigar does not release its own juices, nor do these juices have access to the mouth of the smoker- As a result, the smoker is deprived of a significant portion of his smoking pleasure.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a device which will prevent the tobacco of the portion of a cigar disposed within the mouth of a smoker to become detached from the cigar but will not hinder the free flow of juices from the cigar. I

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a device which will permit a smoker to enjoy the juices of a cigar and still assure him of the ability to draw smoke from the cigar.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device achieving the above objects which is durable and inexpensive to fabricate.

These and additional objects of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a further reading of this disclosure, particularly when viewed in the light of the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a cigar protector constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the cigar protector illustrated in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is also a side elevational view of the cig protector illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

In order to assure full enjoyment to a cigar smoker, both the teeth and the lips of the smoker must be in contact with the cigar. Contact of the teeth with the end of the cigar is necessary in order to aid the juices of the mouth in penetrating the cigar and thus causing it to release its juices. Also, a cigar presents a better surface for the teeth to rest upon and grasp than is afforded by the usual materials employed for mouth pieces of cigar.

For these reasons, the inventor has provided a cigar protector which encompasses the end of a cigar and is largely disposed within the mouth of the smoker of the cigar. The cigar is retained between the teeth, in exactly the same manner a smoker retains a cigar when employing no cigar holder or protector, and the smokers lips contact the exterior surface of the cigar itself.

As illustrated in the figures, a cigar protector constructed according to the teachings of the present invention has a skeleton frame 10 which fits about the en'd'of the cigar to be placed within the smokers mouth, the cigar being designated by the reference numeral 12 and indicated in dashed lines. The frame 10 has a curved portion 14 at one end and a pair of legs 16 and 18 extend outwardly from the ends of the curved portion14 generally in a common plane with the curved portion 14,

and the ends .of the leg portions 16 and 18 remote from the curved portion are closer together than at the curved portion. The curved portion 14 has a radius of curvature slightly greater than that of the cigar, and the inventor has found that a radius of curvature of 71 inch accommodates the cigars commonly available. An aperture smoke drawing tube 22 opposite to the curved portion 14, designated 24, terminates on a plane disposed at an angle .of approximately 45 relative to the axis of the tube 22, in order to provide a relatively sharp point to pierce the wrapper of the cigar 12 when it is desired to insert the cigar protector about the end of the cigar.

A curved strip portion 26 is disposed at the end of the leg 16 opposite to the curved portion 14, and a similar curved strip portion 28 is disposed at the end of the leg 18. The strip portions 26 and 28 confront each other and are curved toward each other with a radius of curvature which is equal to that of the largest cigar to be positioned in the protector. The inventor has found that a radius of curvature for the strip portions 26 and 28 of /8 inch is suitable for commonly available cigars. As

stated above, the leg portions 16 and 18 are inclined pair of strut portions 32 and 34 which secure the strip portions 26 and 28 to the leg portions 16 and 18.

When the cigar protector is being employed by a' smoker, the smoker forces the protector over the end of the cigar to be placed in his mouth, the smoke drawing tube 22 piercing the wrapper of the cigar 12 and terminating within the cigar. The smoker then places the protector and cigar in his mouth, the curved portion 14 and leg portions ;16 and 18 being almost entirely enclosed within the smokers mouth. Only the strut portions 32 and 34 and the strip portions 26 and 28 are disposed out of the smokers mouth. Also, the leg portions 16 and 18 are disposed on a plane generally parallel to the smokers teeth, so that the teeth grip the cigar 12 directly,

rather than any portion of the cigar protectQI, The Cigar 2.91m V Patented 27, 19 59? itself forms a resilient and pliable surface for the smokers teeth to grasp the cigar, and is much less damaging to the teeth of the smoker than the relatively hard materials used in conventional cigar and cigarette. holders.

Figure 3 illustratestwo planes normal to theaxisof the frame 10, designated A and B, and the smokers teethcontact the cigar 12 between these planes. Plane A intersects .the axis of the smoke drawing tube 22 at a distance of approximately inch from the aperture in the curved portion 14, and plane B is disposed at a distance of approximately inch from the aperture in the curved portion 14. The inventor has found that virtually all smokers grip their cigars within this region, and-as a result, the leg portions 16 and 18 of the frame must be relative- 1y narrow in this region. The teeth of the smoker bear down upon the cigar 12, and cause large indentations, illustrated by the reference numeral 36 in Figure 3, and it is undesirable for the teeth of the smoker to rest upon the leg portions 16. and 18. For this reason, the inventor has found that the width of the leg portions 16 and 18 must be less than /3 inch, andare preferably of the order of A; inch. Also, the smoke drawing tube 22 must extend beyond the plane B in order to be certain that the smoke drawing tube will not become clogged as the smoker increases the depth of the indentations 36.

The strip portions 26 and 28 are designed to maintain the frame 10 in alignment with the cigar 12. If all cigars were of exactly the same diameter, the strips 26 and 28 could be replaced by a continuous angular portion, however, cigars differ greatly in diameter. For this reason, the material employed to construct the frame 10 is selected to have sufficient resiliency to apply a pressure against the'cigar between the strip portions 26 and 28. This fact also makes it necessary that the frame 10 be constructed of a thickness suitable to impart adequate mechanical strength, although it is to be understood that the frame should be as thin as possible while performing its necessary functions. The inventor has found that brass is a. very suitable material for the frame 10 and possesses sufficient mechanical resiliency and strength when fabricated with a & inch thickness. Other materials having the resiliency of brass may also be employed.

Since the principal portions of the cigarprotector are disposed within the mouth of the smoker when in use, it is desirable that the material employed to fabricate the cigar protector be. noncorrosive within the human mouth and suitable for this purpose. While brass itself is a suitable material, blemishes and rough spots on the surface of the brass mustbe carefully avoided to prevent areas in which contamination can occur. For this reason, a coating of gold, silver, or other material of suitable chemical properties which will form a smooth surface over the frame 10 is employed, this coating being designated in Figure 2 with the reference numeral 38. The coating material must be capable of forming a smooth surface, noncorrosive in the human mouth, and sufficiently hard to resist wear.

From the foregoing disclosure, those skilled in the art will readily devise many modifications and embodiments of the present invention within its intended scope. It is therefore intended that the scope of the present invention be not limited by the foregoing disclosure, but rather only by the appended claims.

The inventionv claimed is:

1. A cigar protector comprising a frame having a curved portion at one end adapted to fit about one end of the cigar and a pair of spaced confronting leg portions extending outwardly therefrom, said leg portions having widths between two planes spaced from the end of the frame by distances of and inch, respectively, no greater than inch, the curved portion having a central aperture therein, and the end of each of the leg portions being bifurcated and terminating in a strip portion disposed between the bifurcations thereof, the strip portions confronting each other being curved toward each other, and a hollow tube sealed within the aperture in the curved portion of the frame and extending from the curved portion only between the leg portions of the frame, said tube being open at the end seal within the aperture and having a closed portion extending therefrom.

2. A cigar protector comprising a frame having a curved portion at oneend with a radius of curvature of approximately A inch adapted to fit about one end of the cigar and a pair of spaced confronting leg portions extending outwardly therefrom, said leg portions having widths between two planes spaced from the end of the frame by distances of and 4 inch, respectively, no

greater than inch, the curved portion having a central aperture therein, and each of the leg portions being bifurcated and terminating in a strip portion disposed between the bifurcations thereof, the strip portions confronting each other being curved toward each other with a radius of curvature of approximately inch, and a hollow tube sealed within the aperture in the curved portion of the frame and extending from the curved portion only between the leg portions thereof.

3. A cigar protector comprising a frame having a curved portion at one end adapted to fit about one end of the cigar and a pair of spaced confronting leg portions extending outwardly from the curved portion, said leg portions having widths no greater than inch in the region between a pair of planes spaced from the end of the frame bya distance of inch and inch, respectively, the curved portion having a central aperture therein, and each of the leg portions terminating opposite the curved portion in a transverse. strip portion, the strip portions confronting each other and being curved toward each other to accommodate a cigar therebetween, and a hollow imperforate tube sealed within the aperture of the curved portion of the frame and extending from the curved portion only between the leg portions a distance greater than inch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 8, 1926

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