Cigarette Pin
A cigarette holding apparatus for a cigarette includes a first cigarette pin and a second cigarette pin. The first cigarette pin has a first holding portion, a first clamping portion and a first hinge portion formed between the first holding portion and the first clamping portion, the first clamping portion has a first clamping indention. The second cigarette pin has a second holding portion, a second clamping portion and a second hinge portion formed between the second holding portion and the second clamping portion. The second clamping portion has a second clamping indention. The first hinge portion and the second hinge portion are pivotally connected with each other so that the cigarette holding apparatus is arranged to move between a releasing mode and a clamping mode.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for holding a cigarette, and more particularly to a cigarette holding apparatus which comprises a pair of cigarette pins for selectively and securely holding a cigarette so that a user may prevent from holding the cigarette by his hands when smoking.
Description of Related ArtsSmoking is very popular throughout the world. Conventionally, a cigarette is a small cylinder of finely cut tobacco leaves which are rolled in thin paper. When people smoke, they need to manually hold one end portion of the cigarette and ignite the other end of the cigarette. The ignited portion of the cigarette will be burnt gradually while smoke will be inhaled from the other end of the cigarette.
One problem for such a smoking method is that when the cigarette is ignited, residuals from the burning tobacco or other chemicals may be formed on the hands of the smokers so that the smokers may have undesirable smell on their hands. Unfortunately, this tobacco smell is difficult to get rid of. For some smokers, this may pose a problem for them either at home or in the workplace. For example, those working as a chef may not want the tobacco smell of their hands to contaminate the foods they made. This is especially true for those who need to directly touch the food with their hands, such as sushi chefs.
As a matter of fact, cigarette holders are available in which a smoker may prevent direct touching of the cigarette during smoking. However, conventional cigarette holders are generally unsatisfactory because the users may still need to touch the cigarette when they retrieve or dispose of it.
As a result, there is a need to develop a cigarette holding apparatus which may allow a smoker to retrieve, smoke and dispose a cigarette without directly touching his or her hands.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONCertain variations of the present invention provide a cigarette holding apparatus which comprises a pair of cigarette pins for selectively clamping a cigarette so that a user may hold the cigarette holding apparatus for smoking.
Certain variations of the present invention provide a cigarette holding apparatus which is capable of minimizing direct hand contact between a user and the cigarette during retrieving, smoking and disposing of a cigarette.
Certain variations of the present invention provide a cigarette holding apparatus which is easy to use and simple in structure, and may be stored in a cigarette package for convenient storage and carrying.
In one aspect of the present invention, it provides a cigarette holding apparatus for a cigarette, comprising:
a first cigarette pin having a first holding portion, a first clamping portion and a first hinge portion formed between the first holding portion and the first clamping portion, the first clamping portion having a first clamping indention; and
a second cigarette pin having a second holding portion, a second clamping portion and a second hinge portion formed between the second holding portion and the second clamping portion, the second clamping portion having a second clamping indention, the first clamping indention and the second clamping indention being positioned to correspond with each other,
the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion being pivotally connected with each other so that the cigarette holding apparatus is arranged to move between a releasing mode and a clamping mode, wherein in the releasing mode, the first cigarette pin and the second cigarette pin are pivotally moved in such a manner that the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion pivotally move away from each other, wherein in the clamping mode, the first cigarette pin and the second cigarette pin are pivotally moved in such a manner that the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion pivotally move toward each other for clamping the cigarette by the first clamping indention and the second clamping indention.
This summary presented above is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify any key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.
The following detailed description of the preferred embodiment is the preferred mode of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in any limiting sense. It is presented for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present invention.
Referring to
The first cigarette pin 10 may have a first holding portion 11, a first clamping portion 12 and a first hinge portion 13 formed between the first holding portion 11 and the first clamping portion 12. The first clamping portion 12 may have a first clamping indention 121.
On the other hand, the second cigarette pin 20 may have a second holding portion 21, a second clamping portion 22 and a second hinge portion 23 formed between the second holding portion 21 and the second clamping portion 22. The second clamping portion 22 may have a second clamping indention 221. The first clamping indention 121 and the second clamping indention 221 are positioned to correspond to each other.
The first hinge portion 13 and the second hinge portion 23 may be pivotally connected with each other so that the cigarette holding apparatus 1 is arranged to operate between a releasing mode and a clamping mode, wherein in the releasing mode, the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20 are pivotally moved in such a manner that the first clamping portion 12 and the second clamping portion 22 pivotally move away from each other. In the clamping mode, the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20 are pivotally moved in such a manner that the first clamping portion 12 and the second clamping portion 22 pivotally move toward each other for clamping the cigarette 80 by the first clamping indention 121 and the second clamping indention 221. As such a smoker may smoke by holding the first and the second holding portions 11, 21 without physically touching the cigarette 80 by his or her hands.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20 may have an elongated structure. The first clamping portion 12 of the first cigarette pin 10 may have a first inner flat surface 122 and a first outer curved surface 123 for forming a generally semi-circular cross sectional shape of the first clamping portion 12. The first clamping indention 121 may be formed on the first inner flat surface 122 of the first clamping portion 12. As shown in
Similarly, the second clamping portion 22 of the second cigarette pin 20 may have a second inner flat surface 222 and a second outer curved surface 223 for forming a generally semi-circular cross sectional shape of the second clamping portion 22. The second clamping indention 221 may be formed on the second inner flat surface 222 of the second clamping portion 22. The second clamping indention 221 may also have a generally semi-circular cross section.
The first clamping indention 121 and the second clamping indention 221 may be formed at a position which correspond to each other so that when first cigarette pin 10 is pivotally connected to the second cigarette pin 20 and the cigarette holding apparatus 1 is in the clamping mode, the first clamping indention 121 and the second clamping indention 221 may correspond with each other to form a through main clamping cavity 30 within the space formed by the first clamping indention 121 and the second clamping indention 221. The main clamping cavity 30 may have a substantially circular cross sectional shape which corresponds to a cross sectional shape of a cigarette 80. A cigarette 80 may therefore penetrate through the main clamping cavity 30. When a clamping force is exerted on the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20, the cigarette 80 may be securely clamped or held in the main clamping cavity 30. Thus, the shape and size of the main clamping cavity 30 may be configured to correspond to the shape and size of a typical cigarette 80 for providing secure clamping thereof.
The first cigarette pin 10 may further have a first auxiliary indention 124 formed on the first clamping portion 12 at a position near or adjacent to the first clamping indention 121. The first auxiliary indention 124 may have a cross sectional shape identical to that of the first clamping indention 121. However, the size of the first auxiliary indention 124 may be slightly smaller than that of the first clamping indention 121. Similarly, the second cigarette pin 20 may further have a second auxiliary indention 224 formed on the first clamping portion 22 at a position near or adjacent to the second clamping indention 221. The second auxiliary indention 124 may have a cross sectional shape identical to that of the second clamping indention 221, but with slightly smaller size.
The first auxiliary indention 124 is positioned corresponding to that of the second auxiliary indention 224 such that they may form an auxiliary clamping cavity 40 as the space between the first auxiliary indention 124 and the second auxiliary indention 224 when the cigarette holding apparatus 1 is in the clamping mode. Therefore, each of the first auxiliary indention 124 and the second auxiliary indention 224 may have a semi-circular cross sectional shape so that the auxiliary clamping cavity 40 formed by these two indentions may have a substantially circular cross sectional shape. A diameter of the auxiliary clamping cavity 40 may be smaller than that of the main clamping cavity 30 for clamping cigarettes or other tobacco objects such as cigars having smaller diameters.
The first holding portion 11 may have a first inner holding surface 111 and a first outer holding surface 112. In this preferred embodiment, the first inner holding surface 111 may have a flat contour while the first outer holding surface 112 may have a curved or semi-circular contour. A thickness of the first holding portion 11 may gradually decrease from the first hinge portion 13 to a free end of the first holding portion 11 so as form a predetermined angle of inclination with a longitudinal axis of the cigarette holding apparatus when it is in the clamping mode (see
Similarly, the second holding portion 21 may have a second inner holding surface 211 and a second outer holding surface 212. The second inner holding surface 211 may have a flat contour while the second outer holding surface 212 may have a curved or semi-circular contour. A thickness of the second holding portion 21 may gradually decrease from the second hinge portion 23 to a free end of the second holding portion 21 so as form a predetermined angle of inclination with a longitudinal axis of the cigarette holding apparatus when it is in the clamping mode. The angle of inclination of the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20 may be designed such that when the cigarette holding apparatus in the releasing mode, the first inner holding surface 111 and the second inner holding surface 211 may be align and contact with each other, as shown in
The first hinge portion 13 may have a first receiving indention 131 and comprise a plurality of first connecting protrusions 132 extended from an inner sidewall of the first receiving indention 131 toward the second hinge portion 23, while the second hinge portion 23 may have a second receiving indention 231 and comprise a plurality of second connecting protrusions 232 extended from an inner sidewall of the second receiving indention 231 toward the first hinge portion 13. The first connecting protrusions 132 are positioned apart from each other. Similarly, the second connecting protrusions 232 are also positioned apart from each other.
The first hinge portion 13 may be pivotally connected to the second hinge portion 23 through a pivot 70. When the first hinge portion 13 is pivotally connected to the second hinge portion 23, the first connecting protrusions 132 may be partially received in the second receiving indention 231 while the second connecting protrusions 232 may be partially received in the first receiving indention 131. In addition, each of the first connecting protrusions 132 and the second connecting protrusions 232 may have a through slot 50, wherein the pivot 70 may penetrate through the slots 50 for pivotally connecting the first cigarette pin 10 to the second cigarette pin 20 while the first connecting protrusions 132 are partially received in the second receiving indention 231 and the second connecting protrusions 232 are partially received in the first receiving indention 131. Referring to
Furthermore, the first cigarette pin 10 may further have a first storage slot 14 indently formed on the first inner holding surface 111 of the first holding portion 11. The first storage slot 14 may extend on the first holding portion 11 and communicate with the first receiving indention 131 of the first hinge portion 13.
Similarly, the second cigarette pin 20 may further have a second storage slot 24 indently formed on the second inner holding surface 211 of the second holding portion 21. The second storage slot 24 may extend on the second holding portion 21 and communicate with the second receiving indention 231 of the second hinge portion 23. The first storage slot 14 and the second storage slot 24 are positioned correspond with each other. Each of the first storage slot 14 and the second storage slot 24 may be elongated in shape.
The cigarette holding apparatus 1 may further comprise a resilient element 60 connecting the first hinge portion 13 of the first cigarette pin 10 and the second hinge portion 23 of the second cigarette pin 20. The resilient element 60 may be configured as a coil spring and may be partially received in the first storage slot 14 and the second storage slot 24. The resilient element 60 may be connected to the first connecting protrusions 132 and the second connecting protrusions 232 for exerting a force to the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20 to normally retain the cigarette holding apparatus 1 in the clamping mode. Thus, the cigarette holding apparatus 1 will be retained in the clamping mode until the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20 are pivotally moved to the releasing mode.
It is worth mentioning that one of the first storage slot 14 and the second storage slot 24 may be omitted (i.e. removed) so that there is only one storage slot in the cigarette holding apparatus 1. In this scenario, the resilient element 60 is received in the remaining storage slot 14 (24).
The cigarette holding apparatus 1 may further comprise a securing member 71 and a securing indention 72 formed on the second cigarette pin 20 and the first cigarette pin 10 respectively. The securing member 71 may be configured as a protrusion extended from the second clamping portion 22 of the second cigarette pin 20 at a position adjacent to the second auxiliary indention 224. The securing member 71 and the securing indention 72 may be formed such that when the cigarette holding apparatus 1 is in the clamping mode, the securing member 71 may be pivotally moved to partially receive in the securing indention 72 so as to minimize a lateral movement between the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20.
Note that the securing member 71 and the securing indention 72 may alternatively be formed on the second cigarette pin 20 and the first cigarette pin 10 in a similar manner as described above.
The operation of the present invention is as follows: the cigarette holding apparatus 1 is normally retained at the clamping mode. When a user wishes to use the cigarette holding apparatus to hold a cigarette 80, he may slightly and inwardly push on the first holding portion 11 of the first cigarette pin 10 and the second holding portion 21 of the second cigarette pin 20 so as to pivotally move apart the first clamping portion 12 of the first cigarette pin 10 and the second clamping portion 22 of the second cigarette pin 20 (releasing mode). At the same time, the cigarette 80 may be put to pass through one of the main clamping cavity 30 and the auxiliary clamping cavity 40. The user may then slightly release the pushing force applied at the first holding portion 11 and the second holding portion 21. The cigarette 80 may then be clamped by the resilient force exerted by the resilient element 60 (clamping mode). The user may smoke by holding the first cigarette pin 10 and the second cigarette pin 20 without actually touching the cigarette by his or her hands. When the user finishes smoking, the user may slightly push the cigarette holding apparatus back to the releasing mode for disposing the cigarette 80.
With the use of the cigarette holding apparatus of the present invention, users with dirty hands (e.g. after contacting chemical solutions) could avoid contacting the cigarette while smoking. Moreover, the present invention may also provide the convenience for smoking because it may hold a short cigarette filter while a user may have put on gloves of certain thickness.
The present invention, while illustrated and described in terms of a preferred embodiment and several alternatives, is not limited to the particular description contained in this specification. Additional alternative or equivalent components could also be used to practice the present invention.
Claims
1. A cigarette holding apparatus for a cigarette, comprising:
- a first cigarette pin having a first holding portion, a first clamping portion and a first hinge portion formed between said first holding portion and said first clamping portion, said first clamping portion having a first clamping indention; and
- a second cigarette pin having a second holding portion, a second clamping portion and a second hinge portion formed between said second holding portion and said second clamping portion, said second clamping portion having a second clamping indention, said first clamping indention and said second clamping indention being positioned to correspond with each other,
- said first hinge portion and said second hinge portion being pivotally connected with each other so that said cigarette holding apparatus is arranged to operate between a releasing mode and a clamping mode, wherein in said releasing mode, said first cigarette pin and said second cigarette pin are pivotally moved in such a manner that said first clamping portion and said second clamping portion pivotally move away from each other, wherein in said clamping mode, said first cigarette pin and said second cigarette pin are pivotally moved in such a manner that said first clamping portion and said second clamping portion pivotally move toward each other for clamping said cigarette by said first clamping indention and said second clamping indention.
2. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said first clamping portion of said first cigarette pin has a first inner flat surface and a first outer curved surface for forming a generally semi-circular cross sectional shape of said first clamping portion, said first clamping indention being formed on said first inner flat surface of said first clamping portion, and having a substantially semi-circular cross sectional shape.
3. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 2, wherein said second clamping portion of said second cigarette pin has a second inner flat surface and a second outer curved surface for forming a generally semi-circular cross sectional shape of said second clamping portion, said second clamping indention being formed on said second inner flat surface of said second clamping portion, and having a generally semi-circular cross sectional shape.
4. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 3, wherein said first clamping indention and said second clamping indention are formed at a position which correspond to each other so that when said first cigarette pin is pivotally connected to said second cigarette pin, and said cigarette holding apparatus is in said clamping mode, said first clamping indention and said second clamping indention may correspond with each other to form a through main clamping cavity within said space formed by said first clamping indention and said second clamping indention, said main clamping cavity being substantially circular in cross sectional shape for fitting said cigarette.
5. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said first cigarette pin further has a first auxiliary indention formed on said first clamping portion at a position adjacent to said first clamping indention.
6. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 4, wherein said first cigarette pin further has a first auxiliary indention formed on said first clamping portion at a position adjacent to said first clamping indention.
7. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 5, wherein said second cigarette pin further has a second auxiliary indention formed on said first clamping portion at a position adjacent to said second clamping indention, said first auxiliary indention being positioned corresponding to that of said second auxiliary indention to form an auxiliary clamping cavity as a space between said first auxiliary indention and said second auxiliary indention when said cigarette holding apparatus is in said clamping mode.
8. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 6, wherein said second cigarette pin further has a second auxiliary indention formed on said first clamping portion at a position adjacent to said second clamping indention, said first auxiliary indention being positioned corresponding to that of said second auxiliary indention to form an auxiliary clamping cavity as a space between said first auxiliary indention and said second auxiliary indention when said cigarette holding apparatus is in said clamping mode.
9. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 7, wherein each of said first auxiliary indention and said second auxiliary indention may have a semi-circular cross sectional shape so that said auxiliary clamping cavity formed by said first auxiliary indention and said second auxiliary indention has a substantially circular cross sectional shape, wherein a diameter of said auxiliary clamping cavity is smaller than that of said main clamping cavity.
10. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 8, wherein each of said first auxiliary indention and said second auxiliary indention may have a semi-circular cross sectional shape so that said auxiliary clamping cavity formed by said first auxiliary indention and said second auxiliary indention has a substantially circular cross sectional shape, wherein a diameter of said auxiliary clamping cavity is smaller than that of said main clamping cavity.
11. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 4, wherein said first holding portion has a first inner holding surface and a first outer holding surface, said first inner holding surface having a flat contour while said first outer holding surface having a curved contour, a thickness of said first holding portion gradually decreasing from said first hinge portion to a free end of said first holding portion so as form a predetermined angle of inclination with a longitudinal axis of said cigarette holding apparatus when in said clamping mode.
12. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 10, wherein said first holding portion has a first inner holding surface and a first outer holding surface, said first inner holding surface having a flat contour while said first outer holding surface having a curved contour, a thickness of said first holding portion gradually decreasing from said first hinge portion to a free end of said first holding portion so as form a predetermined angle of inclination with a longitudinal axis of said cigarette holding apparatus when in said clamping mode.
13. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 4, wherein said second holding portion has a second inner holding surface and a second outer holding surface, said second inner holding surface having a flat contour while said second outer holding surface having a curved contour, a thickness of said second holding portion gradually decreasing from said second hinge portion to a free end of said second holding portion so as form a predetermined angle of inclination with a longitudinal axis of said cigarette holding apparatus when in said clamping mode.
14. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 10, wherein said second holding portion has a second inner holding surface and a second outer holding surface, said second inner holding surface having a flat contour while said second outer holding surface having a curved contour, a thickness of said second holding portion gradually decreasing from said second hinge portion to a free end of said second holding portion so as form a predetermined angle of inclination with a longitudinal axis of said cigarette holding apparatus when in said clamping mode.
15. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 4, wherein said first hinge portion has a first receiving indention and comprises a plurality of first connecting protrusions extended from an inner sidewall of said first receiving indention toward said second hinge portion, while said second hinge portion having a second receiving indention and comprising a plurality of second connecting protrusions extended from an inner sidewall of said second receiving indention toward said first hinge portion.
16. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said first hinge portion has a first receiving indention and comprises a plurality of first connecting protrusions extended from an inner sidewall of said first receiving indention toward said second hinge portion, while said second hinge portion having a second receiving indention and comprising a plurality of second connecting protrusions extended from an inner sidewall of said second receiving indention toward said first hinge portion.
17. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 11, further having a storage slot indently formed on at least one of said first inner holding surface of said first holding portion and on second inner holding surface of said second holding portion.
18. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 12, further having a storage slot indently formed on at least one of said first inner holding surface of said first holding portion and on second inner holding surface of said second holding portion.
19. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 4, further comprising a resilient element connecting to said first hinge portion of said first cigarette pin and said second hinge portion of said second cigarette pin for exerting a force to said first cigarette pin and said second cigarette pin to normally retain said cigarette holding apparatus in said clamping mode.
20. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 18, further comprising a resilient element connecting to said first hinge portion of said first cigarette pin and said second hinge portion of said second cigarette pin, said resilient element being partially received in said storage slot and exerting a force to said first cigarette pin and said second cigarette pin to normally retain said cigarette holding apparatus in said clamping mode.
21. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 4, further comprising a securing member and a securing indention formed on said second cigarette pin and said first cigarette pin respectively, said securing member being configured as a protrusion extended from said second clamping portion of said second cigarette pin at a position adjacent to said second auxiliary indention, said securing member and said securing indention are formed such that when said cigarette holding apparatus is in said clamping mode, said securing member is moved to partially receive in said securing indention so as to minimize a lateral movement between said first cigarette pin and said second cigarette pin.
22. The cigarette holding apparatus, as recited in claim 20, further comprising a securing member and a securing indention formed on said second cigarette pin and said first cigarette pin respectively, said securing member being configured as a protrusion extended from said second clamping portion of said second cigarette pin at a position adjacent to said second auxiliary indention, said securing member and said securing indention are formed such that when said cigarette holding apparatus is in said clamping mode, said securing member is moved to partially receive in said securing indention so as to minimize a lateral movement between said first cigarette pin and said second cigarette pin.
Type: Application
Filed: May 23, 2016
Publication Date: Nov 23, 2017
Inventor: Kim Hong Cheung (Hong Kong)
Application Number: 15/162,425
