US2647523A - Ash tray adapter - Google Patents

Description

A g- 3 F. A. VOLLENDER, JR 2,647,523

ASH TRAY ADAPTER Filed March 16, 1950 Ferd/hand A. Vol/ender; Jr.

INVENTOR.

BY WW 3M Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ASH TRAY ADAPTER Ferdinand A. Vollender, JrQ, Guttenberg, N. J. Application March 16, 1950, Serial No. 149,916

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in an ash tray adapter and more specifically pertains to an'attachment which may be releasably secured upon the side walls of a container for adapting the same for use as an ash tray.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an attachment or adapter which may be easily applied to the upper edge of the side wall of any suitable container and when so applied will function to support a burning cigar or cigarette in such a position as to enable the container to receive the ashes of the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment or adapter in conformity with the preceding object, which shall be of a very simple, inexpensive and light weight construction, and ideally adapted for ready fabrication by mass production methods from sheet metal or other similar materials for dispensing at a very economical cost.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an adapter or attachment which shall have a resilient clamping action upon the side walls of a container, and yet may be readily applied to or released therefrom.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide an ash tray adapter and attachment as set forth in the foregoing objects which is especially adapted for fabrication as a unitary article from a single or integral sheet of material. :1.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide an adapter in conformity with the above mentioned objects and which shall have a clamping means releasably engageable upon the side walls of a container for securely l supporting the attachment therefrom, and which preferred embodiments of which have been illustrated, by way of example only, in the a'c-' companying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment incorporating the principles of the invention therein;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of Figure 1, both Figures 1 and 2 showing the device applied to the rim of a can or the like;

3 Claims- (Cl. 131-257) Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, attention is first made to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1-3 of the drawings. In this form of the invention there is disclosed an attachment or adapter indicated generally by the numeral Ill and which is shown mounted upon the upper portion of the side wall l2 of a container M of any desired type. This container can be any discarded can or the like, which may be available,sinc'e the primary purpose of this invention is to provide a device readily attachable to such a can for converting the same into use as an ash tray.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figures 13, the attachment or adapter H1 includes a horizontally disposed flat strip of material [6, which at what may be termed its outer portion is provided with upwardly curved side walls [8, defining a U-shaped trough therebetween as clearly shown in Figure 3. This trough is, of course, preferably open at both of its ends, in order that a cigarette, cigar or the like may be readily disposed therein, easily removed therefrom and securely supported against displacement when placed upon the device.

At its inner extremity, the fiat portion I6 is provided'with a perpendicular, depending leg 20, which preferably has an inturned flange 22 at its lower extremity. Obviouslyfthis flange could be at any desired point along the length of the depending leg 20, and the flange serves as an abutment surface engaging the inner surface of the side wall l2 of the container M, as readily disclosed in Figures 1 and 2.

Intermediate the depending leg 20 and the curved sidewalls I8 of the tray, the fiat portion I6 is provided with laterally extending members 24, see particularly Figure 3, which at their outer ends are provided with depending ears 26 disposed in parallel relation with respect to each other.

In addition to the relatively fixed leg 20, the device disclosed in Figures 1-3 includes a movable leg, the same including a depending member 28, which at its lower extremity is provided with a forwardly turned flange 30, similar to the flange 22, and adapted to grip or engage the outside surface of the side wall I2 of the container I4.

A pivot pin 40 extends through the nested ears 26 and 34, and pivotally connects the tray and fixed jaw to the movable jaw and to the handle extending therefrom, this handle consisting of the members 32 and 34. A resilient means is provided for resiliently urging the jaws or legs 28 and 20 towards each other for resiliently gripping and clamping the side wall l2 of the container l4 therebetween in order that the device may be resiliently yet releasably mounted and supported upon the upper portion of the side wall of the container. This resilient means preferably includes a wire spring consisting oi a helical coil 42 which embraces the pivot pin M) between the nested ears, this spring having arms M and it with transverse terminals 48- and 50, respectively engaging the under surface of the tray and the topsurface of the horizontal member 32; This spring evenly urges the jaws or legs into their closed position as shown in Fig.- ure 2;

In the operation of this form of the invention, it will be seen that the tray and the handle portion 32 enable the spring to be. compressed whereby the clamping jaws or legs may be open and the device may be installed or removed from the satisfactory for: application to difEerent sizes and types of containers, a much simpler and less expensive construction is disclosed in Figure 1,. the same consisting of av single integral sheet metal blank, comprising angularly disposed portions re spectively forming a tray indicated generally at 54 and. a clamp generally indicated at 56. As shown, the blank from which this embodiment is fabricated bent.- at substantially its. mid-portion at right angles so that the clamping portion 56 will depend trom a horizontally disposed tray portion 54. with parallel, upwardly curving side: walls 58 which are similar to the walls l8 oi the previous embodiment, and. which in cross section are substantially semi-circular to providea cylindrical trough or tray of a proper size tor retaining a cigarette or the like The clamping, portion 56. is preferably formed by vertically sliding the depending fiat, sheet metal member 80 by a pair of parallel slots 62 from the lower edge thereof, thus providing a pair of parallel outer legs 64, and an intermediate leg 66.

It is preferred to have the outer legs 64 substantially straight, and these legs at their lower 'ends, or any convenient portion intermediate their ends, are provided with inturned flanges 68 similar in utility to flanges 22 previously described.

However; the intermediate leg 66 is preferably bowed outwardly from the straight legs 64-, and

llhe tray portion-l itself is provided resilient nature, and the legs 64 and 66 are given a permanent bias or set with respect to each other so that the bowed or convex portion of the leg 65 may be pressed into alignment with the outer surface of the legs 64, thereby moving the flange 16 to the inner side of the legs 64 and in spaced relation to the flanges 68 so that the side wall of a container may be inserted between the legs by lowering the device thereon in a manner which will be readily understood. When released, the normal bias of the legs will cause the flange E2 to engage the outside surface and the flange t8 the inside surface of the side wall of a container to frictionally and resiliently but detachably hold the device in proper and firm position upon the upper portion of the rim or upper edge of the side wall.

It is a very prime advantage of this invention to provide a readily removable attachment which may be easily applieclto or removed from any discarded container or the like for temporarily adapting the same to function as an ash tray.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device together with its many advantages will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted. to, falling within the scope oi the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An ash tray adapter comprising a substantially horizontal cigarette receiving tray, a depending clamping means atone end. of said tray adapted to engage the upper portion of the. opposite sides of the: side wall of a container, said clamping means comprising an integral depend ing. leg engageable with the inner surface of said container side wall and a. depending leg pivoted on the tray and engageable with the outer surface-of. said container side wall, a handle integral with said pivoted leg, and a spring engaging said tray and handle biasing said legs toward each other, said. integral leg having a flange inturned toward said tray adapted to engage said container side wall inner surface.

2. An ash tray adapter comprising a cigarette receiving trough having a leg depending integrally from one end thereof, ears depending from the sides of said trough adjacent said one end thereof, a lever disposed below and substantially parallel to said tray, ears rising from, the sides oisaid lever adjacent one end thereof and being in juxtaposition with said trough cars, a pivot pin extending through said juxtaposed ears and securing said lever and trough to one another, a leg; integrally depending from said one end of said lever, and resilient means on said pivot adapted to engage the trough and lever to urge said. lever leg toward said trough leg for clamping the to ash tray.

3. An ash tray adapter comprising an elongated cigarette receiving. tray having a leg depending integrally from one end thereof, a lever disposed below and substantially parallel to said tray, a leg depending from one end of said lever in substantially parallel, adjacent relation to said tray leg, lugs in pairs on said tray and said lever at the ends from which their legs depend, the lugs of said lever nesting within the lugs of 5 the tray and being pivotaliy secured to the latter Number lug, and resilient means interposed between said 46,692 tray and said lever adapted to urge the tray and 1,802,332 lever away from one another thereby urging said 2,047,786

legs toward one another. 4 5 2,272,084

FERDINAND A. VOLLENDER, JR. 2,400,433

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS gz Number Name Date 10 402: 32 D. 56,963 Fields Jan. 25, 1921 Name Date Morse et a1. Mar. 7, 1865 Burns Apr. 28, 1931 Kuntz July 14, 1936 Clapp Feb. 3, 1942 Cochran May 21, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1898 Great Britain Dec. '7, 1933

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