US3404693A - Cigarette extinguishing ash receptacle - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 8, 1968 B. B. CHAPMAN 3,404,693

CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHING ASH RECEPTACLE Filed 001;. 19, 1965 rzi 'g :re 8080 0 22 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 G 0 i I I INVENTOR United States Patent 3,404,693 CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHING ASH RECEPTACLE Burton B. Chapman, Los Angeles, Calif. (1612 W. Shorb St., Alhambra, Calif. 91803) Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 497,684 4 Claims. (Cl. 131-235) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The specification discloses a cigarette extinguishing ash receptacle which, in one form, may be mounted on a conventional motor vehicle ash tray and which includes a cut-off panel having a plurality of through-apertures, each having an effective diameter no larger, and usually slightly smaller, than the diameter of the unburned body portion of a cigarette so as to be capable of receiving the ignited burning tip end thereof up to the location of a junction plane between the burned and unburned portions of a cigarette so that lateral reciprocation will shear off only the burned portion of the cigarette and drop same into an underlying ash receptacle and will leave virtually all unburned tobacco remaining on the fresh unburned tip end of the cigarette. In one preferred form, the cut-off panel is adapted for controllably removable engagement with respect to a conventional projecting snuffer tab of a conventional motor vehicle ash tray, thus providing a very effective means for mounting the entire device on a pre-existing motor vehicle ash tray.

Generally speaking, the present invention relates to the ash tray art and, more particularly, to a cigarette ignitedend extinguisher apparatus which may, in one form, comprise an auxiliary attachment means adapted for removable "attachment with respect to a previously pre-existing ash tray and which, in another form, may comprise such a cigarette ignited-end extinguisher apparatus initially supplied with an ash tray. Broadly speaking, the ash tray may comprise virtually any type of ash tray, but in one particularly highly advantageous exemplary form of the invention, wherein its advantages are most pronounced, the ash tray may comprise a motor vehicle ash tray, either of the type conventionally mounted in or under the instrument panel or dashboard of the motor vehicle and, in some cases, in arm-rest portions positioned either adjacent to the front seat or the rear seat of a motor vehicle or at various other convenient locations within the interior of the body of a motor vehicle.

While the advantages of the present invention exist when it is used in association with any type of ash tray, its advantages are most outstanding and pronounced when it is used in association with the type of motor vehicle ash tray referred to above, which is customarily mounted in the instrument panel or dashboard of a motor vehicle in front of a front seat of the motor vehicle in a position for convenient access into the interior thereof by either the driver of the motor vehicle or another person sitting in the front seat of the motor vehicle. Since it is under these circumstances that the invention provides its greatest advantages and since this is particularly true when the device of the present invention is used by the driver of the motor vehicle for extinguishing the ignited end of a cigarette and for disposal of the remaining butt portion of the cigarette, it will be described primarily in connection with this particular type of usage of the present invention. However, it should be clearly understood that this is not in any way to be construed as limiting the present in vention, but is merely thought to comprise a particularly advantageous way of describing the present invention and its advantages.

It should be noted that, at the present time when a driver of a motor vehicle who is smoking a cigarette wishes to extinguish same, he is faced with a slight problem since some of his attention is diverted from the road, Where it belongs, during the cigarette extinguishing and butt disposal operations. This is necessitated by reason of the construction of conventional prior art motor vehicle ash trays of the type referred to herein. In other words, when a driver of a motor vehicle wishes to extinguish a cigarette and dispose of the butt, and when the vehicle is supplied with a conventional prior art type of dashboard-mounted ash tray, the driver will find that he must first of all reach over with his right hand to grasp the ash tray handle and to then apply outward force thereto for pulling out (or pivoting out) the ash tray, which is normally in the form of a slidably mounted (or, in some cases, pivotally mounted) drawer or t-ray, so that it will be extended and have its top opening in a position for convenient access thereinto. This operation can usually be performed more or less through use of the sense of touch-that is, the driver uses his right hand to feel for the cigarette ash tray drawer so that he may grasp same and forcibly move the cigarette ash tray out into an extended position in the manner just referred to. Normally this does not require that the driver diver his eyes downwardly into the interior of the car to actually look for the the ash tray and, thus, this particular operation is not necessarily hazardous or likely to cause an accident.

However, the driver next must remove the cigarette butt from his mouth and direct the ignited end of the cigarette downwardly and he must locate the conventional horizontally projecting cigarette snulfer tab, which is positioned within the extended ash tray, so that he may press the ignited tip end of the cigarette down thereinto and, in some cases, twist same slightly in an attempt to extinguish the ignited end of the cigarette, after which he drops the butt into the interior of the ash tray.

It is extremely difficult for the driver of the motor vehicle to perform the cigarette-snufiing operation just referred to above without diverting his attention at least momentarily from the road where it belongs. This normally means that the driver of a motor vehicle will find it necessary to look downwardly toward his right within the interior of the motor vehicle body and toward the ash tray in order to see where the above-mentioned horizontally projecting snuffer tab is located so that he may aim the ignited tip end of the cigarette butt directly downwardly thereonto in order to perform the snulfing operation referred to above. This is made necessary by reason of the fact that the horizontally projecting snuffer tab has an operative portion which normally :is not much larger than a conventional twenty-five cent piece, and it is extremely difiicult, if not impossible, to readily locate same without the use of ones eyes. Of course, it is barely possible that by feeling around for some length of time, the driver might eventually locate said projecting snulfer tab without ever diverting his eyes downwardly toward the ash tray in order to visually locate same. However, such a feeling-around type of operation for the purpose of locating the snuffer tab is quite likely to lead to the inadvertent striking of the ignited end of the cigarette on some portion of the projecting ash tray drawer or some portion of the dashboard, or the like, whereby to cause a portion of the ignited tip end of the cigarette to possibly be knocked off of the cigarette butt and to fall into the body of the car and perhaps onto a forward rug portion, or the like, which would be extremely likely to cause a fire and would be very likely to cause the driver to divert his eyes downwardly in an attempt to quickly locate the hot burning ember knocked off of the cigarette tip for the purpose of extinguishing same before such a fire is caused. In other words, the prior art type of dashboard-mounted ash tray is relatively dangerous for the driver of the motor vehicle to use since it is extremely likely to cause him to divert his attention from the road and the proper performance of his driving duties perhaps just long enough to cause a serious accident.

There is an additional prior art problem faced by a person who wishes to extinguish a cigarette in a conventional prior art motor vehicle ash tray in the manner referred to hereinbefore, which comprises the difficulty of fully and completely extinguishing the ignited tip end of the cigarette in the conventional horizontally projecting cigarette snutfer tab. Frequently the ignited tip end of the cigarette will only be partially extinguished on such a conventional snutfer tab in a conventional motor vehicle ash tray, and the butt will then be dropped in the ash tray and, in many cases, the ash tray will then be closed with respect to the dashboard. However, if the ignited tip end of the cigarette butt was not fully extinguished and had even one small ember remaining among the ashes of the tip end, this may reignite the remaining unburned portion of the cigarette butt which is still connected to the ignited tip end and, therefore, conveniently adjacent for such reignition. Also, it is possible that such a non-extinguished portion or ember of the ignited tip end of one cigarette butt may come into contact with the unburned portion of another cigarette butt in the ash tray containing both and may ignite said second-mentioned unburned cigarette butt portion. In either case, smoke will be produced within the ash tray and will be disseminated out into the interior of the body portion of the motor vehicle, which may be quite irritating and annoying to the occupants thereof. This is particularly true when incomplete combustion or smoldering occurs, which produces a rather large amount of highly irritating smoke. Normally when this occurs, the driver of the motor vehicle will feel impelled to reopen the ash tray to attempt to find the smoldering cigarette butt and to fully extinguish same in order to stop the undesirable smoldering and smoke-producing action thereof. However, it will be understood that this normally will require close visual attention of the driver of the motor vehicle and will, therefore, necessitate that he remove his eyes from the road, which, as pointed out hereinbefore, is dangerous and may cause a serious accident.

Both of the above-mentioned prior art problems are completely met and overcome in and through the use of the novel device of the present invention, since the cigarette ignited-end extinguisher means and debris receptacle of the present invention is so positioned within the motor vehicle dash-board-mounted ash tray as to cover a substantial area at a location very easy to find and locate without the necessity of diverting ones eyes toward the ash tray to look for it. In other words, the driver of a motor vehicle having its ash tray equipped with the novel device of the present invention will need only to first draw out (or swing out) the ash tray and to then place the ignited end of the cigarette butt downwardly at virtually any spot of the very substantial area of the cigarette ignited-end cut-off panel means, comprising a part of the device of the present invention, which will be coextensive with a very substantial area of the open top of the ash tray so that it can be located with no difliculty at all without the use of the drivers eyes. Then the driver merely laterally moves or reciprocates the cigarette butt while still in its inverted position, which shears or cuts off the ignited burning tip end of the cigarette to the level of what might be called a junction plane between burned and unburned portions of the cigarette tip so that the remaining butt portion of the cigarette body that remains in the drivers fingers after the shearing operation just described will have no portion which is ignitedin other words, will be completely extinguished and can be dropped into the cigarette-butt-receiving receptacle region or portion of the ash tray.

It will be noted that the sheared-oil ignited burning tip 4 end of the cigarette falls below the cut-off panel means, in the form of debris, into a debris receptacle or tray portion positioned below the cut-off panel means and isolated from the previously-mentioned cigarette-buttreceiving receptacle region or portion of the ash tray, thereby preventing any of said sheared-off tip end portion of the cigarette which may still be ignited from igniting any of the separate fully-extinguished and unburned cigarette butt portions.

It should be noted that each sheared-off cigarette tip end, which effectively comprises the debris mentioned above and which is isolated from the unburned cigarette butts, usually comprises substantially entirely ashes, and hot embers formed mainly of ashes, which had previously comprised the usually conical or frusto-conical ignited burning tip end of the cigarette, and that since the material thereof is normally substantially fully burned, very little further burning action will occur after said ignited burning tip end of the cigarette is sheared off by the cutoff panel means in the manner referred to hereinabove. Thus, said isolated ignited burning tip end debris will normally not support combustion for more than a few moments and will go out, of its own volition, since there is nothing left to burn. Thus, there will be no undesirable smoking fumes emitted from the cigarette ash tray in the undesirable manner of conventional prior art ash trays after an attempted cigarette-extinguishing operation performed on the conventional projecting snutfer tab, which is usually an incomplete extinguishing operation, and which, therefore, frequently results in the remaining butt portion being reignited whereby to cause such smoking fumes to be emitted from the ash tray even if closed for a substantial period of time. This undesirable prior art feature is completely eliminated in and through the novel device of the present invention for the reasons noted above.

It should also be noted that the device of the present invention may be employed in association with motor vhicle ash trays located at positions other than the dashboard of a motor vehicle and may be employed in home or oflice ash trays or other ash trays wherever the advantages referred to hereinbefore are desired.

Incidentally, it should be noted that the word cigarette, as used throughout this application, should be considered as exemplary and illustrative only and not as specifically limiting the invention to use for extinguishing the ignited end of the type of smokers article which is conventionally called a cigarette. Actually, the word cigarette is to be broadly construed as covering any functionally equivalent smokers articlefor example, a cigar of any of the various different sizes thereof which, when smoked, has an ignited tip end portion which, after completion of the smoking operation, is desired to be eX- tinguished. Therefore, throughout this application, the word cigarette is to be read and broadly construed as having such a broad and generic meaning.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel cigarette ignited-end extinguisher means and debris receptacle which may comprise a part of an ash tray or which may comprise an attachment structure adapted for attachment to a preexisting ash tray, whereby to convert such a pre-existing ash tray into an ash tray having any or all of the advantages of the present invention referred to herein and including any or all of the features referred to herein generically and/or specifically and individually or in combination and which is of extremely simple, inexpensive, virtually universally adaptable and mountable construction suitable for ready mass manufacture at a very low cost, both as to initial capital investment and as to the per-unit production cost, whereby to be conducive to widespread use thereof.

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description vention), and said objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study of the detailed description which follows hereinafter.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, several exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single drawing sheet and are described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional, perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional, perspective view illustratirig the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 in removablymounted relationship on the conventional rearwardlyprojecting snuifer tab of the conventional motor vehicle ash tray best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the arrows 4-4 of FIG. 3 and illustrates the cigarette ignited-end extinguishing operation.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view taken substantially in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken substantially along the plane indicated by the arrows 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a portion of the cut-off panel means of FIG. 4 after the ignited burning tip end of the cigarette butt has been moved downwardly from the position of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is an operative sequential view which is third in the operative sequence comprising FIGS. 4, 7, and 8.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a slight modification of the invention.

FIG. 10 is ,a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the arrows 1010 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a greatly-reduced-size top plan view illustrating a further slight modification of the invention.

Generally speaking, the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. l-8 comprises a cigarette ignited-end cut-off panel means, such as is generally designated at 20, which is shown as being of substantially rectangular shape, although it should be clearly understood that it is not specifically so limited. The cut-off panel means has a plurality of through-apertures 22 extending vertically therethrough and separated from each other by non-apertured portions 24 and with each through-aperture 22 having an effective diameter slightly less than the diameter of the unburned body portion 26 of a cigarette, generally indicated at 28, but adapted to receive therethrough the ignited burning tip end 30 of the cigarette 28, which is usually of slightly frusto-conical shape and, therefore, slightly smaller in diameter than the unburned body portion 26 of the cigarette 28 and which, in any case, is composed largely of burned ash and glowing embers of ash and which, therefore, can be readily forced downwardly through any one of the corresponding apertures 22 since it otters little resistance to such forcible insertion of said burning tip end 30 downwardly through any one of the apertures 22.

The downward insertion, just referred to, of the burn- .ing tip end 30 through any one of the apertures 22 of the cut-off panel means 20 will normally occur only until what might be termed a junction plane, such as that shown in broken lines at 32 in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8 reaches the level of the cut-off panel means 20, as is clearly *shown in FIG. 7. When this occurs, the more rigid consistency of the unburned tobacco in the unburned body portion 26 of the cigarette 28 immediately above said junction plane 32 will prevent further downward movement of the cigarette 28. Thus it will be seen that sub ,stantially all of the burning tip end 30 of the cigarette,

which is composed largely of ash and burning embers made of hot ash, will lie below the cut-olf panel means 20, while substantially all of the unburned body portion 26 of the cigarette 28 will lie above the level of the cut off panel means 20 when in the fully inserted position shown in FIG. 7. Then the unburned body portion 26 of the cigarette 28 is laterally reciprocated in any lateral direction, such as indicated by the directional arrow 34 in FIG. 8, for example, which results in the ignited buming tip end 30 being completely severed, sheared off, andcut 01f from the unburned body portion 26 of the cigarette butt 28 substantially along said previously-mentioned junction plane 32, which may also be said to effectively comprise what might be termed a cut-off plane.

After completion of the above-described cut-off or shearing operation, the now-severed ignited burning tip end 30, which comprises largely ashes and burning embers comprising hot ashes, will drop downwardly from the aperture 22 into the hollow interior 36 of the lower burning debris receptacle or tray, generally indicated at 38, which is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

The remaining unburned body portion 26 of the cigarette butt 28 may be dropped into the cigarette-buttreceiving receptacle region or portion of the ash tray which is generally designated by the reference numeral 42.

It will be noted that the burning-debris receptacle and tray 38 completely isolate all of the sheared-off cigarette ignited burning tip end portions 30 from any of the unburned cigarette body portions 26 in the cigarette-buttreceiving receptacle region or portion 40 of the ash tray 42. This prevents any of the hot ashes 30 from igniting any of the unburned cigarette butt body portions 26 and, since the cut-ofl ignited burning tip end portions 30 comprise largely ashes and a small portion of hot embers comprising hot ashes, it will be understood that virtually all of the material of which said severed burned tip ends 30 are composed has already been burned and, therefore, they will go out very quickly as they rest within the burning-debris receptacle and tray 38. Thus there will be no long-continuing smoldering of cigarette butts as has occurred frequently on using prior art ash trays without the novel apparatus of the present invention.

Since the debris which will accumulate in the bottom of the debris receptacle and tray 38 will comprise substantially and entirely ashes, said debris receptacle and tray 38 will not need to be emptied very frequently but when this is desired, it may be accomplished by inverting the combination structure comprising: the cut-off panel means 20 and the underlying debris receptacle and tray 38 so that the accumulated ashes may be emptied out through the multiple apertures 22, or the near side of the debris receptacle and tray means may be optionally open at the location indicated in broken lines at 44 in FIG. 1 so that the debris receptacle and tray 38 need only be tilted so as to cause all of the ash debris which may be contained therein to slide out of said optional emptying opening 44. Of course, it should be understood that said optional opening 44 is normally effectively closed when the complete device is in mounted operative relationship within the conventional motor vehicle ash tray 42, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, by reason of its closely adjacent position with respect to the inside of the front wall 46 of the motor vehicle ash tray 42.

The above description functionally describes the operation of the cigarette ignited-end cut-off panel means 20 and the burning-debris receptacle and tray 38 positioned therebelow. However, to this point no means for mounting the combination structure, comprising the cut-off panel means 20 and the underlying debris receptacle and tray 38, with respect to the ash tray 42 has been described, and this has been purposeful since the mounting may assume a number of different forms without in any way interfering with the above-described novel features of the invention relating to the cut-off panel means 20 and the underlying debris receptacle and tray 38.

However, in the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, said combination structure is controllably removably mounted with respect to the ash tray 42. (which, in said exemplary form, is shown as comprising the conventional motor vehicle ash tray) by novel attachment and mounting means, such as generally designated by the reference numeral 48, and which, in said exemplary first form of the invention, comprises a horizontal slot-defining resilient upper fastener strap or lip member 50 folded down from the top edge of the front wall part 54F and suitably fastened at opposite ends as indicated at 52 to the corresponding top edge portions of the two upstanding side wall parts 548 of the complete wall means 54 extending completely around the cut-off panel means 20 and effectively defining a cigarette receiver tray region, such as is generally indicated at 56. The novel resilient upper fastener strap or lip member 50, together with the pierced and inwardly formed lower lip member 51, defines the horizontal slot 58 which is adapted to receive the conventional horizontally projecting snutfer tab 60 shown projecting rearwardly from the front wall 46 of the conventional motor vehicle ash tray 42. The vertical dimensions of the slot 53 are such as to require the application of some force in order to force the slotdefining upper fastener strap 50 and lower lip member 51 over the projecting snufr'er tab 60 and thus produces what might be called a forcibly resiliently slidably caused frictional engagement between the projecting snuffer tab 60 and said attachment means 48, which will positively mount the entire device in the proper relationship, such as is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for use in the manner described hereinbefore. However, it should be noted that while the attachment means 48 will firmly mount the complete composite structure, comprising the cut-off panel means 20 and the underlying debris receptacle and tray 38, in the operative position best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for use in the manner described hereinbefore, it should be understood that said complete composite device can be completely removed from the projecting snutfer tab 60 when desired.

The previously-mentioned cigarette receiver tray region 56 defined within the upstanding side wall means 54 lies above the level of the cut-off panel means 20 and either coincident with or slightly below the top level of the conventional motor vehicle ash tray 42 and may be used for the purpose of acting as a temporary ignited-cigarette or cigarette butt receiver, if desired.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a slight modification of the invention wherein corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numerals, followed by the letter a, however. In this modification it will be noted that the ash tray 42a is of a different type from the ash tray 42 of the first form of the invention and comprises a home or office ash tray, or the like, which is shown as being of substantially circular configuration, as seen in plan view, although not specifically so limited, and which has a cigarette-butt-receiving receptacle region or portion 40a which is of substantially annular configuration encircling a centrally positioned and substantially circular debris receptacle region or portion 38a. In this modifica tion the cut-off panel means a is of substantially circular shape as seen in top plan view and lies across the circular opening defined above the hollow interior region 36a of the debris receptacle 38a and rests upon an annular shoulder or lip 62 formed within the circular side wall portion 64 defining said receptacle 38a. Of course, said cut-off panel means 20a is removable from said position, when desired. Furthermore, it should be noted that cigarette rest cut-outs 66 are formed at desired locations around the periphery of the upper rim of said wall portion 64. The complete modified form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. '9 and 10, with the exception of the cutoff panel means 201:, may be made of ceramic material, molded plastic material (of course, of a heat-resistant and fire-resistant type), or of glass or metallic material, if desired.

FIG. 11 merely illustrates a further modification wherein the right ash tray portion, generally designated at 42b,

effectively comprises the cigarette-butt-receiving receptacle portion 40b, while the left ash tray portion effectively comprises the burning-debris receptacle 38b and has the cut-off panel means 20b overlying same. The left and right ash tray portions may comprise two separate ash trays, as often found adjacent to rear seat interior portions of an automobile, or may comprise two different sections of one common ash tray.

It should be noted that the attachment means 48 of the firstform of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 may be modified very substantially within the broad spirit, scope, and teachings of the present invention. For example, although not to be construed in a limiting sense, the lower resilient lip 51 may have opposite outer side edges thereof formed upwardly so as to be of substantially U- shaped configuration, as seen in FIG. 6 (or the upper resilient strap member 50 may be similarly formed, although inverted), whereby to resiliently engage side edge portions of the conventional horizontally projecting snuffer tab 60, and said upwardly (or downwardly) formed side edges may be resiliently defiectable to a degree such as to be capable of receiving and making firm engagement with projecting snutfer tabs of various widths. Of course, this is also true with respect to the upper strap or lip 50 and the main horizontal central portion of the lower resilient lip 5lthat is, they may also be so arranged and of a resilient nature such as to be capable of receiving and making firm vertical engagement with snuffer tabs of various vertical thickness. Both of these features provide for a virtually universal adaptability of the attachment means 48 so that it will be capable of positive firm mounting attachment with respect to virtually any snutfer tab of virtually any size, shape, and location. Also, it should be noted that additional modifications of said attachment means 48 within the broad scope and teachings of the invention for cooperation with various different types of snufier tabs, projecting elements, or structural portions of conventional ash trays may be employed in lieu of the specific attachment means designated at 48 in the first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 18, and all such structurally and/ or functionally equivalent attachment means (including initially provided permanent attachment means) are intended to be included and comprehended within the broad scope of the present invention and application as fully as if illustrated and described in detail herein.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept if the present invention.

I claim: 7

1. A cigarette ignited-end extinguisher means and debris receptacle for an ash tray, comprising: a cigarette ignitedend cut-off panel means having a plurality of throughapertures separated by non-apertured portions and with each through-aperture having an effective diameter slightly less than the diameter of the unburned body portion of a cigarette and adapted to receive therethrough an ignited burning tip end portion of a cigarette to the extent of a junction plane between burned and unburned portions of the cigarette for subsequent lateral reciprocation whereby to shear and cut off the burning tip end portion of the cigarette substantially along said junction plane, thus physically separating the burning tip end portion of the cigarette from the unburned portion of the cigarette body and converting said separated burning tip end portion into debris adapted to drop, under the action of gravity, into a debris-receiving region below said cut-olf panel means; an attachment and mounting means for mounting and attaching said cut-off panel means to an ash tray having a cigarette-butt-receiving receptacle region and over an underlying debris-receiving region isolated from the cigarette-butt-receiving receptacle region of the ash tray; said attachment and mounting means being connected to one edge of said cut-off panel means and being removably engageable with a conventional projecting snuifer tab of a conventional motor vehicle ash tray for said mounting of said cut-off panel means and said debris receptacle and tray as a unit within an interior region of a conventional motor vehicle ash tray directly superimposed upon a debris-receiving region isolated from a cigarette-butt-receiving receptacle region of a conventional motor vehicle ash tray, said attachment and mounting means comprising a horizontal slot-defining resilient fastener strap member forcibly resiliently slidably and friction'ally engageable with a conventional horizontally projecting snutfer tab conventionally carried by one upstanding wall of a conventional motor vehicle ash tray.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said cut-oft panel means is provided with upstanding side wall means defining a cigarette receiver tray region lying above the level of said cut-ofi panel means.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said cut-off panel means effectively comprises a thin sheet of heatresistant material wherein said through-apertures are of substantially circular plan view configuration.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said cut-off panel means efiectively comprises an integral thin sheet of metallic material wherein said through-apertures are of substantially circular plan view configuration, thus efiectively comprising a metallic sieve made of perforated sheet metal, wherein the ratio of the effective area of all through-apertures to the effective area of the complete cut-off panel means is at least one to two.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 146,267 1/ 1947 Quigley.

1,635,395 7/1927 Boe. 1,830,543 11/1931 Heise. 1,964,388 6/1934 Simpson l3l235 X 1,988,362 1/1935 Quackenbush.. 2,044,377 6/1936 Bashur. 2,307,645 1/1943 Smith. 2,574,813 11/1951 Cadrain. 2,905,185 9/1959 Croom 13l-235 3,099,270 7/ 1963 Garson 13 l--240 JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner.

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