Paperboard container for extinguishing and disposal of lighted cigarettes

Abstract

A lightweight paperboard container for the disposal of a lighted cigarette includes (a) an open-top drawer with a lid at one end that receives a lighted cigarette in a longitudinal channel in close-fitting relation; and (b) an open-ended case or box that receives the drawer in close-fitting sliding relation and, when the drawer is fully inserted into the box, quickly smothers and extinguishes the lit cigarette remains without scorching or excessive heating. The drawer preferably has two or more parallel channels, each about the length of a cigarette, so that a plurality of extinguished cigarette remains can be stored in the smoker's pocket or handbag pending the opportunity for their proper disposal.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to personal container for extinguishing and retaining extinguished cigarettes for use by smokers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Improper cigarette disposal is the most common form of littering in the world. Cigarette littering has many negative impacts on the public, most of them environmental. Among the biggest and hardest impacts of cigarette littering are pollution, and maintenance and clean-up costs.

Pollution is the worst effect caused by cigarette littering. Cigarette butts can be easily carried by water and even wind. These butts are then carried into rivers, lakes and the oceans. Cigarette butts thrown in the wild or carried into the streams by rain and wind do not degrade easily.

About 95% of all cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate which is a form of plastic. There is much misinformation about cigarette filters. A major public misunderstanding is that cigarette filters are biodegradable. By definition, biodegradable means that a material is capable of decaying through the action of a living organism. Therefore, cigarette butts do not biodegrade. They are degraded by sunlight and erosion agents like rain and wind. Although no studies have been found about the subject, it is believed that it takes between 8 and 30 years for a cigarette filter tip to degrade. The time will vary depending on the weather, temperature and light conditions.

Various studies and anecdotal reports indicate that cigarette-related debris, and particularly filter tips, constitute significant proportions of litter washed up along sea shores and other bodies of water and that cigarette debris clean-up efforts consume the time of maintenance personnel employed by businesses, institutions and municipalities.

It can be expected that the problem will continue to increase with cigarette world production data indicating significant growth. An abstract of the data for world-wide cigarette production developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Bureau of Census and quoted in “Vital Signs 2005” published by WorldWatch Institute, is as follows.

Cigarette World Production Data
1950 1,686 billion
1960 2,150 billion
1970 3,112 billion
1980 4,388 billion
1990 5,419 billion
2000 5,609 billion
2001 5,643 billion
2002 5,602 billion
2003 5,662 billion
2004 5,530 billion (prelim.)

It has been indicated by some studies that between 40% and 50% of all the cigarettes consumed worldwide are discarded improperly. Taking the smaller figure, this would translate into 2,212 billion (2.12 trillion) cigarettes littered in 2004.

The main reason why people litter with improperly discarded cigarette butts is because they do not consider throwing cigarette remains on the street, on a beach or in the wild to be littering. People who would never improperly discard a soda can, a paper cup or even a gum wrapper, will toss a cigarette butt without remorse.

The second most common reason why people discard cigarette butts as litter is the ban on smoking indoors, combined with the lack of ashtrays on the outside of malls, banks and stores.

Although it has been suggested that more ashtrays on the outside of malls, banks and stores, educational campaigns, peer pressure, enforcement of anti-littering laws and even a ban on smoking outdoors could be the solution for the cigarette littering problem, including means for their proper disposal with the sale of cigarettes would provide a solution for this problem.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, inexpensive, compact container for use by smokers to safely extinguish a cigarette and also to retain one or more extinguished cigarette remains for proper disposal.

It is also an object of the invention to provide smokers with a convenient, compact and readily portable container that can be carried on their person to avoid the discarding of cigarette remains on streets and sidewalks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container that can be used to extinguish and retain cigarette remains that can be produced by cigarette manufacturers using existing equipment and known techniques and which can be distributed with packages and boxes of cigarettes for retail sale.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above objects and other advantages are achieved by the present invention which is directed to a lightweight paperboard container for the disposal of lighted cigarettes that comprises (a) an open-top drawer that receives a lighted cigarette in a close-fitting longitudinal channel and (b) an open-ended case or box that receives the drawer in sliding relation and, when enclosed in the case or the box, quickly smothers and extinguishes the lit cigarette without scorching or excessive heating. The drawer preferably has at least two parallel channels, each about the length of a cigarette so that a plurality of extinguished cigarette ends can be stored pending the opportunity for their proper disposal.

The case and the drawer can be of simple rectilinear design. Preferably, each component is formed from a single sheet of paper stock that has been dyed cut from a larger sheet and folded into the desired configuration by automated equipment that is well known in the box-making and packaging art. The case can be a simple, open-ended sleeve or it can be constructed with a close end.

The tolerances between the sliding components are such that there will be a frictional fit that retains the drawer inside of the case when it is inserted and will also hold the drawer in a partially open position to facilitate the easy placement of the lighted cigarette and in one of the longitudinal receiving channels. These will be apparent the number of cigarette ends that can be accommodated will depend upon whether the cigarette is plain or filter tipped, as well as the extent to which the user has consumed the original length of tobacco. Because of the durability of the container of the present invention and its effectiveness in rapidly extinguishing a lighted cigarette end, the contents of the container can be disposed of in a proper receptacle when it is full and used for the remaining cigarettes in the pack.

A wide variety of paper and paperboard materials can be used, including those typically used in forming the conventional flip-top cigarette box that is in common and widespread use throughout the world.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the container of the invention has a height and width that is approximately equal to that of a standard cigarette package, whether it be a soft pack or flip-top box. This will permit the container to be distributed by releasably attaching it to the edge surface of the cigarette package and, preferably, wrapping the combination in cellophane for retail sales. This combination of a cigarette package and means for the ecologically acceptable disposal of the cigarette ends can serve to enhance the goodwill of the brand. For many smokers, it will also provide a convenient means for disposal of the cigarette ends where none previously existed.

In a second embodiment, the container is formed with the cigarette box from a unitary blank and shares one or more common panel elements with the cigarette package.

In another embodiment of the invention, the drawer is received in an appropriately dimensioned flip-top or hinged-lid box that is of the same general, construction, but smaller than a corresponding flip-top cigarette box that is well known in the cigarette packaging arts. As in the previously-described embodiment employing a close-fitting sleeve, the drawer is configured with at least one, but preferably two or more channels into which a lighted cigarette can be placed and then quickly slid into the box and the top closed to smother and extinguish the cigarette.

Numerous methods of preparing blanks and folding and gluing them to form flip-top cigarette boxes and containers have been disclosed in the patent literature. When closed, the box lid forms a close-fitting seal with the adjacent front and sidewall elements of the box. When adopted for use in the present invention, the small volume of oxygen in the closed case is rapidly consumed by the burning tobacco and the heated volume of combustion gases in the box prevents the incursion of ambient air. Prompt action by the user of inserting the drawer and moving the lid into contact with the upper of edge of the case prevents the temperature of the paperboard adjacent the lighted end of the cigarette from reaching its ignition point, and avoids scorching of the paperboard construction material.

The object of the invention to provide a disposable, temporary ashtray that can be attached to every cigarette package so that smokers have the opportunity to correctly dispose of cigarette butts when not within reach of an ashtray is thus provided. Moreover, the container of the invention is inexpensive to produce and can itself be recycled as a paper product.

The dimensions of the case or sleeves, which holds the slide, are preferably the same as those of the lateral side of a standard cigarette box. The slide consist of two channels that tightly hold up to two cigarette butts each in a way that the butts are secured. To facilitate the storing of the butts and later disposal, the slide retracts from the case in a free but firm manner and has a folding mechanism that further helps in the extraction of the butts.

In describing the invention, it is to be understood that the terms case, sleeve and box are used interchangeably to refer to the outer portion of the container and that the terms sleeve and slide are interchangeably used to refer to the portion that receives the cigarette ends.

Providing ashtrays in the form of the containers of the invention with the sales of cigarettes can provide a crucial step into solving the littering problem. Although results will not show immediately due to a strongly formed habit of “tossing the butt”, it can become a “normal” step for a smoker to extinguish the cigarette end in the ashbox of the invention and dispose of it correctly when the time comes. Even a small percentage of success would mean millions of cigarette remains properly disposed of each year.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in further detail below and with reference to the attached drawings in which the same or similar elements are referred to by the same numbers, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a representation of a smoker with a freshly lighted cigarette;

FIG. 2 is a top, front and right side perspective view of one embodiment of a disposal container of the invention showing the placement of a lighted cigarette end for disposal;

FIG. 3 is a bottom, right side perspective view of the disposal container shown in FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along section lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a user stowing the closed disposal container in the pocket of a garment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along section lines 6-6 of FIG. 5 showing two cigarettes disposed in close-fitting relation inside of the closed container;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a die-cut blank used to produce the slide drawer shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a blank used to produce the box of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a top, front end and right side perspective view of a second embodiment of a slide drawer constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 10 is a front, right side perspective view, partially in phantom, of yet another embodiment of the invention with the open slide drawer flexed to facilitate removal of the extinguished cigarette ends and showing its positioning for attachment to a cigarette package.

FIG. 11 is a front, right side perspective view of another embodiment of a disposal container in accordance with the invention that is flexed in the open position;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 12-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows yet another embodiment of the invention in which the drawer has a single channel;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of a blank for use in assembling a cigarette box with an integral disposal container;

FIG. 15 is a top, front perspective view of cigarette package and integral disposal container of the invention produced from the blank of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a fragment of a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 15 taken along line 16-16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it has been observed that during the course of smoking, a cigarette 1, whether plain or filter-tipped, is typically reduced to a length ranging from two to four centimeters, at which point the smoker desires to dispose of the unextinguished remains or cigarette butt. In accordance with the present invention, a lightweight paperboard container 10 for the disposal of lighted cigarettes includes (a) an open-top drawer 20 that receives the lighted cigarette in a close-fitting longitudinal channel and (b) an open-ended case or box 50. The rectilinear box 50 has an open end 52 and is closed at its opposite end by panel 54 and is formed with sidewalls 56 and top and bottom walls 58 and 60, respectively.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the drawer 20 is provided with a pair of parallel open channels 22 separated by a hollow partition member 24 that extends from lid 30 to the opposing distal end 32. In this embodiment, each of the channels 22 is able to accommodate a plurality of cigarette ends until a proper disposal facility can be found by the smoker. The outer side walls 26 and dividing walls 23 are optionally, but preferably, provided with transversely aligned diagonal slits or cuts 28 which permit the intermediate sections to be folded away from each other when the bottom panel 40 is flexed, thereby defining a generally arcuate structure, which is best shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 and which will be described in more detail below.

The lid or closure 30 is preferably formed from at least two layers of the lightweight paperboard stock from which the box 50 and drawer 20 are fabricated. Since this element is subjected to repeated gripping between the user's fingers and thumb during opening and closing, the preferred structure provides additional reinforcement. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the lid is of folded construction, integral with the rest of the drawer, and requires no adhesive.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is illustrated yet another preferred embodiment of the cigarette disposal container of the invention. In this bottom view, the bottom wall 60 is preferably die-cut with a pair of rectangular tabs 62 that are depressed inwardly along a fold line 64 so that they are predisposed to engage the respective bottom walls 40 in sliding relation as the drawer 20 is moved in and out of case 50. The distal end of drawer 20 is provided with a corresponding pair of tabs 42 which are folded along lines 44 and are outwardly disposed to contact the interior surface of bottom wall 60 when the drawer is moved in and out of box 50. As best shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the respective leading edges of tabs 42 and 62 are aligned longitudinally so that they engage and prevent the drawer 20 from being removed from box 50 under normal conditions of use.

Again with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 10, the lateral incisions or slits 28 in sidewalls 26 are at an acute angle, preferably about 45 degrees, in order to prevent the sliding drawer from jamming or otherwise engaging the end of case 50 when it is withdrawn or inserted.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the disposal container 10 having a plurality of extinguished cigarette ends can be safely and sanitarily stored in the user's shirt pocket or other convenient location until a proper disposal facility is identified. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, the close-fitting relationship of the parallel channels 22 with respect to the cross-sectional diameter of the cigarette and of the drawer 20 inside of case 50 will be seen.

As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the construction of the sliding drawer 20 and the rectilinear, open-ended box or case 50 can be completed using a wide variety of die-cut blank designs and automated folding machines. The art of box making, and particularly, cigarette boxes, hinged-lid or flip top boxes, and the like are very well known.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a die-cut blank of light-weight paperboard stock suitable for folding and assembly into the drawer 20 for use as previously described.

The assembly of the slide drawer 20 proceeds in the following stepwise fashion. It will be understood that the fold lines are identified in the figures by “dash-dot” lines. The solid lines on the interior of the die-cut blank represent slits that are required to define various interior elements and also die-cut openings used to facilitate folding and the interlocking of the folded flaps.

The flaps 250 make up the front section of lid 30. The sequence of folding proceeds with elements 200, 202, 204, and 206 followed by the insertion of the flaps 208 into the centrally positioned die-cut opening 212. The outer portion of the cap 30 is thus formed without the need for gluing, thereby simplifying the assembly steps and making the assembly more economical. In this regard, it is noted that tab 208 is separated along line 209 and is also trimmed by removing portion 210 in order to provide a retaining shoulder when tab 208 is inserted into slot 212. Flaps 42 are bent downwardly or away from the interior of the slide drawer along fold lines 44 so as to provide sliding contact and eventual engagement with corresponding flaps 62 in the case or box 50, as was described above.

Continuing with the assembly steps, flaps 252 are inserted into the die-cut opening 24 to form the inside front portion of the cap and flaps 254 are folded towards the cap. Flaps 27 are folded inwardly over flaps 254 and secured in place with flap 200 which rests on top of, and secures flaps 27 and 254. Next, flap 202 is folded down towards the front and covers flaps 250 of the slide drawer to form the front portion of cap 30. Flaps 204 are folded to the back of the cap to form the sidewalls of the cap and flaps 206 are folded to the back to form and enclose the rear of the cap 30; they are secured by insertion of flaps 209 into the die-cut opening 212 to lock them. This completes the assembly of the slide drawer 20. Flaps 42 are depressed to arm the stop mechanism.

Although not specifically required, the use of glue or other means of bonding of the various is optional and may be desired if it is intended by the marketer that the disposal container be useful for a prolonged period of time. As presently contemplated, the container would be distributed to smokers with the purchase of a pack of cigarettes and discarded when the contents of the pack had been consumed.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the folding and assembly of the box or case 50 will be described. It will be noted that blank 50 is die-cut to facilitate its assembly and also the eventual interactive functioning of the case with the slide drawer 20 during opening and closing. For example, the opposing ends 57 of side walls 56 are die-cut at an angle that corresponds to the angle of the side walls of lid 30 in order to provide a close-fitting relation contact between these elements in the closed position. Tab 55 and the distal portion of side wall section 56A are die-cut, e.g., at 59 in accordance with well known techniques to facilitate folding by removing excess material. The distal portion of bottom wall 60 is also formed into a tapered end section 66 to minimize interference with the bottom portions of slide drawer 20 during closing. The case side walls 56 are folded at 90 degree angles to the top and bottom walls 58 and 60, and end flaps 55 are folded inwardly. Glue can be applied to the opposing surfaces of one or both of the opposing sidewalls and to flap 55 and the box 50 is formed by folding along the lines defining end wall 54.

As noted above, other configurations for constructing the retaining sleeve or case 50 for receiving the slide drawer 20 will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by applying established methods and box-forming machines. The entire process for die-cuting the respective blanks and forming of the case 50 and slide drawer 20 can be fully automated for mass production in the manner that cigarette packaging is produced.

Referring now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a further preferred embodiment in which three channels 22 are provided for the extinguishment and storage of cigarette ends, these channels being defined by a pair of longitudinally extending partitions 24 having top walls 24A. The layout of the blanks for both the slide drawer 20 and the case 50 are similar to those described above for the two-channel container and are well within the skill of the art.

Referring to FIG. 10, the container of the invention is shown with the slide drawer extended and flexed rearwardly along parting lines 28. This configuration is particularly useful when the container 10 is attached to the side wall of a cigarette package 100 as is shown in the phantom portion of FIG. 10. The container 10 is preferably secured using a releasable adhesive 90 applied to either or both of the package 100 or container 10 at one or more positions. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the particular alignment of the container on the cigarette pack, and the means of attachment can be varied while still maintaining the utility of the combination. The cigarette package can be a conventional soft pack or flip top box and can be individually wrapped in the cellophane in the conventional manner, or the cellophane can be applied to the assembly of the cigarette package and the disposal container 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, a further embodiment is illustrated in which a total of six channels 23 are provided in the slide drawer 20. As best shown in the sectional view of FIG. 12 taken along section line 12-12, the partition walls are formed by a double thickness of the paper board 21 that define the channels 23. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the layout of the blank for the slide drawer of this embodiment is similar to that of FIG. 9 above, with the exception that the body portion that defines the channels and dividing walls will be somewhat wider and that the top portion 24A of partition 24 is eliminated.

Another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 13 in which a single central channel 23 is provided between 2 hollow side wall members 24 constructed similarly to the central dividing member 24 shown in FIG. 2. The embodiment will accommodate two to four cigarette remains and can be produced in a narrower width than the previous embodiments.

Reference is made to FIG. 14 which is a plan view depicting one embodiment of a paperboard blank suitable for producing a unitary flip-top cigarette box in combination with a disposal container of the invention. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the interior solid lines identify die-cuts and the broken lines identify fold lines. The elements of the cigarette box 100 are identified as follows: top portion 102, back panel 104, side walls 106, bottom panel 108, and front panel 110. The contiguous blank portion of the drawer 50 is identified by the same element numbers as used in FIGS. 2-4, above. The additional flap 65 joined along fold line 62 to the front portion 110 of the cigarette package will be described in more detail in connection with the views of the assembly in FIGS. 15 and 16. It is to be noted that the tab 62 joined along fold line 64 to flap 65 serves a function similar to those correspondingly numbered tabs shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 above. Referring now to the assembly view of FIG. 15, it will be seen that the disposal container has been folded into position on the left side of the cigarette package and that the forward side wall of modified container 10 is contiguous with, and forms a unitary face with the front panel of cigarette package 100. As shown in the phantom view of drawer 20, and best illustrated in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 16, the flap 62 slides along the adjacent bottom of drawer 20 until it engages the corresponding projecting flap(s) 42. Thus, a stop mechanism is provided that functions in substantially the same manner as that described in detail above in connection with the illustrations of FIGS. 3 and 4.

As will apparent from the various illustrative embodiments described above, the interior construction and configuration of slide drawer 20 can be varied to accommodate perceived consumer needs and desires and also for purposes of marketing. By providing close-fitting tolerances between the interior of the case 50 and the drawer 20, as well as the lid 30, a substantially airtight container is achieved. As explained above, the absence of oxygen to support combustion of the ignited tobacco rapidly leads to its extinguishment. When constructed in accordance with the description, the container materials will not reach ignition temperatures and will not rise to a level that would cause discomfort to the user.

The following description of the types of paper and/or paperboard from which the container can be produced is provided in terms of its characteristics. In order to provide a secure package, it is preferred that the container be made from calipers not lower than 0.008, and for flexibility and manageability, as well as cost, that it be made from calipers not exceeding 0.028. The following types of paperboard and the calipers for each type can be used in manufacturing the containers of the invention.

Board Group:

Qualities                  Bases and/or Calipers
Lineboard                  25#, 33#, 38#, 42#, 69# MSF
SBS C1S (L, M, R, Density) 0.008/0.010/0.012/0.014/0.015/up to 0.030
CCNB/CCKB/CCWB             0.012/up to .040
White Lined NB/WB          0.012/up to .040
ChipBoard                  0.012/up to .040
Pasted Chipboard           0.012/up to .040

Cover Grades:

Qualities        Bases and/or Calipers
Uncoated Cover   60#, 65#, 80#
C1S Cover        0.008/0.010/0.012
C2S Cover        0.008/0.010.0.012
KK1S (Kromekote) 0.006/0.008/0.010/0.012
KK2S (Kromekote) 0.006/0.008/0.010/0.012

Index Grades:

Qualities    Bases and/or Calipers
White/Colors 90#, 110#, 140#

Vellum Bristol Grades:

Qualities    Bases and/or Calipers
White/Colors 56#, 67#, 80#, 100#, 120#, 140#

Based on experimental testing, the longest time that a cigarette remained burning after closing the slide was 5 seconds. With the slide left open, the longest time before extinguishment was 8 seconds. In the latter case, it appears that the tight position of the cigarette inside the narrow channel of the slide contributes to the relatively rapid extinguishing of the burning tobacco.

These tests indicate that it is not necessary to use any chemical or fireproofing agents on the inside of the slide drawer because the lack of oxygen prevents the temperature of the construction materials from reaching their ignition temperature.

With the slide either closed or open, the temperature on the outside of the slide drawer or case never reaches a temperature that could burn human skin. However, cardboard covered with a thin layer of foil can be used for aesthetic reasons and to substantially eliminate the risk of ignition under unusual or extreme circumstances not presently contemplated.

Although a number of illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described, other variations and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from this description, and the scope of its protection is to be determined with reference to the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A container for receiving and extinguishing lighted cigarettes comprising:

a. a retaining case formed of lightweight paperboard that defines a rectilinear volume; and

b. a drawer formed of light-weight paperboard that is slidingly received in an open end of the case, the drawer having a bottom and upstanding side walls and an end closure, and at least one longitudinal channel dimensioned to receive a cigarette in close-fitting relation, the drawer being contained in, and surrounded by the sleeve in close-fitting relation in the closed position.

2. The container of claim 1 that has a plurality of channels defined by one or more longitudinal dividing members that are fixedly positioned and parallel to the sidewalls.

3. The container of claim 2 in which each of the one or more dividing members is formed with two walls joined along a fold line.

4. The container of claim 3 in which the drawer has one dividing member that is parallel to, and extends between the side walls.

5. The container of claim 1 in which at least one channel is defined by dividing members formed with spaced-apart walls joined by a top wall.

6. The container of claim 1 in which the side walls of the drawer extend slightly above a cigarette positioned in a channel.

7. The container of claim 1 in which the at least one dividing member is the same height as the sidewalls of the drawer.

8. The container of claim 1 in which the side walls of the channels are cut along one or more transverse lines to thereby permit the bottom wall of the drawer to be manually flexed by the user when the drawer is withdrawn from the sleeve.

9. The container of claim 1 in which the movement of the drawer relative to the case is limited by the engagement of stops.

10. The container of claim 9 in which the stops are formed in the bottom of the drawer and the adjacent surface of the case.

11. The container of claim 9 in which the stops are in the form of a projecting tab movable along a fold line and a mating recess formed by a folding tab in the opposing surface.

12. The container of claim 9 in which the stops are in the form of projecting tabs that are predisposed to project along a fold line towards the opposing sliding surface of the drawer and case, respectively, whereby the projecting tabs engage each other to resist further movement in one direction and disengage to permit free movement in the opposite direction.

13. The container of claim 8 in which a plurality of stops are provided to limit relative movement in both opening and closing the container.

14. The container of claim 1 in which either or both of the drawer and case include metallic foil-coated surfaces.

15. The container of claim 1 in which some or all of the surfaces that are contacted by a cigarette include a foil-coating.

16. The container of claim 1 in which the drawer is at least as long as a cigarette.

17. The container of claim 1 which is attached to the side panel of a package of twenty cigarettes and where the opposing larger panels of the container are the same size as a panel of the cigarette package to which the container is attached.

18. The container of claim 17 which is releasably attached to the cigarette package.

19. The container of claim 1 which is at least in part constructed from a blank from which a flip-top cigarette box is also constructed and the cigarette box and the container case share a common wall.

20. A container for receiving and extinguishing lighted cigarettes that is formed of lightweight paperboard comprising:

a. a rectilinear flip-top box generally constructed in the manner of a cigarette package in which the top portion is joined along a fold line to the rear wall and is movable to permit easy access to the interior of the box; and

b. a drawer that is slidingly received by the box in close-fitting relation and completely contained in the box when the top of the box is closed, the drawer having a bottom and upstanding side and end walls, and at least one longitudinal dividing member that is fixedly positioned and parallel to the sidewalls to thereby define adjacent channels dimensioned to receive a cigarette in close-fitting side-by-side relation, the drawer being contained in, and surrounded by the sleeve in close-fitting relation in the closed position.