US 2004O108229A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2004/0108229 A1 Singh (43) Pub. Date: Jun. 10, 2004 (54) POUCH FOR EXTINGUISHING, STORING (57) ABSTRACT AND DISPOSING CIGARETTE BUTTS A pouch for extinguishing, Storing and disposing cigarette butts comprising a receptacle having a front panel, a back (76) Inventor: Jaswir Singh, Fresno, CA (US) panel and opposing Side panels forming one or more interior Correspondence Address: compartments. A two-ply material used for the pouch has a metallic or otherwise non-combustible Side facing into the RYAN & ENGNATH interior compartments and a paper outside. The top Section 8469 N. MILLBROOKAVENUE, SUITE 104 of the receptacle has a mechanism for Sealably closing the FRESNO, CA 93720 (US) interior compartments comprising a pair of top flaps with Appl. No.: 10/315,495 adhesive bands thereon. The outside of the back panel has (21) one or more pieces of Sandpaper or like material thereon to (22) Filed: Dec. 10, 2002 allow the Smoker to extinguish the cigarette butt and to provide Some rigidity to the pouch. A non-combustible sheet Publication Classification can be disposed between the receptacle and Sandpaper to protect the receptacle. A mechanism for opening the interior (51) Int. Cl. ................................................ B65D 33/00 compartments, Such as perforations, allows the contents (52) U.S. Cl. ........................... 206/216; 206/246; 383/105 therein to be disposed without having to be handled. Patent Application Publication Jun. 10, 2004 Sheet 1 of 2 US 2004/0108229 A1 Patent Application Publication Jun. 10, 2004 Sheet 2 of 2 US 2004/0108229 A1 32 4/4/ 18 48 26 US 2004/0108229 A1 Jun. 10, 2004 POUCH FOR EXTINGUISHING, STORING AND properly dispose of the butt. The proliferation of cigarette DISPOSING CIGARETTE BUTTS butts being disposed in improper places is well known, indicating the severity of the problem of being able to find BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION a proper disposal location. Although most SmokerS will dispose of a cigarette butt in an ashtray or like device if it is 0001 A. Field of the Invention readily available, Such as an automobile ashtray, the problem 0002 The field of the present invention relates generally of disposal arises when Such devices are not readily avail to containers and Similar devices used for extinguishing able. Because the butt was lit and is Subject to breaking apart lighted Smoking materials, Such as cigarettes or cigarette and Spreading ash and cigarette “charcoal,” SmokerS tend to butts, and Storing Such materials in the container until ready not want to place the butt in a pocket of their pants, Shirt, for disposal. More particularly, the present invention relates jacket or other clothing. Likewise, many SmokerS are con to Such containers which are low cost, collapsible and cerned with throwing a cigarette butt, even if believed to be Suitable for distribution with Standard cigarette packages. So properly extinguished, in a combustible trash container or a as to provide a readily accessible means of Safely and trash container having other combustible materials therein. responsibly disposing of cigarette butts and related materi AS Such, many SmokerS may consider it to be safer and more als. convenient to Simply drop or throw the cigarette butt on the ground, particularly if it is a hard Surface Such as asphalt or 0003) B. Background concrete. In fact, dropping the butt on the ground and then 0004. It is well known that many people Smoke cigarettes grinding it with one's shoe or boot appears to be a common and Similarly configured Smoking articles. It is also well way of collectively extinguishing and disposing of the butt. known that, with regard to the vast majority of these While it is effective, from certain viewpoints, it is unsightly Smoking materials, the Smoker does not consume the entire and contributes to pollution and overall environmental deg article during the process of Smoking it. With regard to radation. cigarettes in particular, the Smoker lights and then Smokes 0008 Over the years, a number of devices have been the consumable tobacco portion of the cigarette by inhaling developed to receive and Store cigarette butts. One Such the lit tobacco through the non-consumable filter portion of device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,297.831 to Gilbert, the cigarette. When the Smoker is finished Smoking the which discloses a combination cigarette and match box cigarette, which may be before the consumable portion is package that has a Space below the match box portion for entirely consumed, he or she must extinguish the cigarette. receiving cigarette butts. Another Such device is described in The non-consumed portion of the cigarette is commonly U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,775 to Beattie, which discloses a referred to as the cigarette butt. Because the butt portion of tobacco pouch having a removable liner for holding tobacco the cigarette is not consumed during the Smoking process, that is configured to be secured to the pouch. U.S. Pat. No. the user must dispose of the butt. 3,090,482 to Sandacz discloses a cigarette package that has 0005. When the Smoker extinguishes the cigarette, he or an ash receptacle on its front wall which folds outward to She must take care to ensure that the cigarette butt is properly receive cigarette ashes. The ash receptacle is lined with extinguished. The failure to completely extinguish a ciga metal foil and is configured to close by attaching to or being rette butt is known to have resulted in numerous fires, Secured by the top of the cigarette package. Another device particularly when the butt is improperly disposed in outdoor is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,670 to Segal, which or other locations. For instance, forest fires, house fires and discloses a disposable receptacle for cigarette butts in the trash fires are known to have been started by the disposal of form of a collapsible pouch that includes an adhesive band a cigarette butt that was not completely extinguished. In for attaching the pouch to a Support Surface during use. addition to fires, the continued burning and Smoke genera When the receptacle is full, it is rolled or folded up and tion of a non-extinguished cigarette butt is generally con discarded with the cigarette butts inside. The receptacle is sidered unsightly by most people, unhealthy to people who made from a two ply material having a metal foil, heat do not Smoke and Somewhat annoying to others. Despite resistant inner ply and a paper outer ply. U.S. Pat. No. these known problems, Some SmokerS Still do not com 5,370,138 to Mou discloses a disposable paper ashtray that pletely extinguish their cigarette butts. has a wax coated bottom with wetted paper for extinguishing cigarette butts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,093 to Hogan discloses 0006 The typical mechanism for extinguishing cigarette a cigarette package having an interior partitioned compart butts is to push or rub the lit end of the cigarette butt against ment comprising a pouch for receiving cigarette butts and an object So as to extinguish it. Often, the problem with other articles therein for Storage and disposal. Another incomplete extinguishment of a cigarette butt results from device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,406 to Yang, the difficulty in finding a suitable surface to rub the lit butt which discloses an ash tray having a disposable ash pocket against So as to completely extinguish it. Due to the lit nature with an extinguishing mechanism in the form of an inverted of the butt, it cannot be extinguished against combustible cone attached to the inside of the ash pocket. Yet another materials or surfaces which could be harmed by the lit butt device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,621 to Grant, (i.e., skin). In addition, the nature of burning materials is that which discloses a conventional paperboard carton having they typically leave charcoal-like dark marks on the Surface two aluminum foil inner assemblies or inserts forming that is used to extinguish the lit butt. As a result, absent an cylindrical tubes Suitably sized for extinguishing and Storing ashtray or like object, the Smoker is forced to improvise by cigarette butts. finding a non-flammable, dark and otherwise Suitable Sur 0009. Although the prior art discloses containers for face upon which he or She may extinguish the butt. receiving and Storing cigarette butts and disposable ash tray 0007 Once the cigarette butt is extinguished, the Smoker devices, none of the presently known containers and devices is still faced with the dilemma of where to safely and are low cost pouches that can be easily distributed with US 2004/0108229 A1 Jun. 10, 2004 cigarette packages and which have a Stiff extinguishing poured out into a recycling container. The opening mecha mechanism to allow the Smoker to rub or crush his or her nism can be a plurality of perforations placed across the top cigarette butt out prior to Storing in the pouch. The devices Section of the receptacle. which utilize modified cigarette packages require the manu 0012. In use, the Smoker will pull the pouch out of the facturer to change its package making and packaging pro cigarette pack or carton with which it is included. When the cesses, which is believed to be somewhat costly. Therefore, Smoker Smokes the cigarette down to the butt or the Smoker what is needed is an improved pouch for receiving, Storing is otherwise finished with the cigarette, he or she will unfold and disposing of cigarette butts. The preferred pouch should the pouch and rub or crush the cigarette butt against the be collapsible for distribution with cigarette packages, lined extinguisher to completely extinguish the cigarette.