Cigar box

Jan. 25, 1944

E. W. LILIENFIELD

2,339,933

CIGAR BOX

Filed Aug. 23, 1943

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Patented Jan. 25, 1944

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,339,933

CIGAR BOX

Eugene W. Lilienfield, Chicago, III., assignor to Jose Escalante &amp; Company, Chicago, Hl., a corporation of Illinois

Application August 23, 1943, Serial No. 499,631

Claims. (Cl. 217—61)

The present invention relates generally to cigar boxes. More particularly the invention relates to that type of cigar box which serves as a medium for storing or retaining a group of cigars, is adapted to be placed on top of a sales counter or case when it is desired to display the cigars in connection with merchandising thereof, and as its component parts comprises (l)a rectangular open top body which is formed of wood or other suitable material and consists of a bottom 10 wall, a front wall, a back wall and a pair of side walls; (2) a 4-piece rectangular frame which fits within the front, back and side walls of the body, defines with the body bottom wall a compartment for the cigars and has the upper margin IS the arm constituting the instrumentality for thereof extending above the upper edges of the front, back and side walls of the body; (3) a cover which is hinged to the back wall of the body so that it is movable back and forth between a closed position wherein it overlies and 20 for holding the cover in its open position is so covers the cigars in the compartment, and an open position wherein it extends upwards and rearwards with respect to the rear wall of the body, and embodies a depending marginal flange which when the cover is in its closed position surrounds the upper exposed margin of the frame and forms therewith a lap joint for hermetically sealing the compartment, and (4) a releasable instrumentality which serves to hold the cover in its open position in connection with display of the cigars.

One object of the invention is to provide a cigar box of this type which is an improvement upon, and has certain advantages over, previously designed cigar boxes and is characterized by 35 the fact that the cover holding instrumentality is both simple and novel so far as construction or design is concerned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigar box of the type under consideration in which the cover holding instrumentality consists of a spring wire arm, one end of which is bent at right angles and is journaled or pivotally mounted in a hole in the upper rear portion of one of _ the side walls of the box body and the other end ⁴⁵ imal end of the arm is journalled and held in of which is bent at right angles in the same direction as the one end, is shaped to fit within a hole in the rear portion of the part of the cover flange that overlies said one side wall of the box body when the cover is in its closed position, and is 50 adapted when the cover is in its open position to be inserted into its hole by first flexing the distal portion of the arm in one direction and manipulating it until said other end is in registry with its hole and then flexing the distal por- 55 nection with merchandising or selling thereof.

tion of the arm in the opposite direction in order to bring said other end into interfitting or seated relation with the aligned or registering hole.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cigar box of the last mentioned character in which the proximal end of the arm is interposed between the upper rear portion of said one side wall of the box body and the adjacent side piece of the frame in order that the arm is normally locked in place, and said adjacent side piece of the frame is mounted so that it may be slid upwards out of its operative position in order to permit of ready application and removal of holding the cover in its open position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cigar box which is generally of new and improved construction and in which the arm designed or constructed that the distal end thereof may be readily disengaged from the- hole defining portion of the cover flange when it is desired to close the cover.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages and characteristics of the present cigar box will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and terms a part of this specification or disclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a cigar box embodying the invention, the cover being shown in its open position and held in place by the spring 40 wire arm;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section of the portion of the box that is provided with the spring wire cover holding arm, illustrating in detail the manner in which the prox30 place; and

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3—3 of Figure 2.

The cigar box which is shown in the drawing constitutes the preferred form or embodiment of the invention. It serves as a medium for storing or retaining a group of cigars and is adapted to be placed on top of a sales counter or case when it is desired to display the cigars in con2

2,339,833

As its primary or principal parts the box comprises a rectangular open top body 4, a rectangular frame 5, a cover 6 and a releasable instrumentality 7 for holding the cover in its open position in connection with display of the cigars. 6

The body 4 is formed of wood or other suitable material and consists of a bottom wall 8, a front wall 9, a back wall 10, and a pair of side walls 11 and 12. The bottom is rectangular and has flat top and bottom faces. The front, back and side 10 walls are connected to, and project upwards from, the marginal portions of the bottom wall and are connected together at their ends so that the body is rigid. They are of uniform height and have flat upper edges. 15

The frame 5 fits within the front, back and side walls of the body and defines with the body bottom wall 8 a compartment for the cigars. It is of 4-piece design or construction and consists of a front piece 13, a back piece 14 and a pair of side pieces 15 and 16. The front piece 13 fits against the inner face of the front wall 9 of the box body 4 and is glued or otherwise fixedly secured thereto. The back piece 14 of the frame 5 is disposed in spaced parallel relation with the front piece 13 and fits against, and is glued or otherwise fixedly secured to, the inner face of the back wall 10 of the body of the box. The frame side piece 15 fits loosely against the body side wall 11 and has inwardly bevelled end edges. The adjacent end edges of the front and back frame pieces 13 and (4 are inwardly bevelled and coact with the inwardly bevelled end edges of the frame side piece 15 to form a mount or slide connection whereby the side piece 15 of the frame 5 may be slid vertically into and out of its normal or operative position. When the frame side piece 15 is in its normal position the adjacent inwardly bevelled end edges of the frame front and back pieces 13 and 14 coact with the inwardly bevelled end edges of the side piece 15 to hold such side piece against inward displacement with respect to the side wall I I of the box body 4. The other side piece of the frame, i. e., the side piece 16, fits against the inner face of the side wall 12 of the box body and is glued or otherwise fixedly secured in place. The front, back and side pieces of the frame 5 are of uniform height and the upper marginal parts thereof extend above the upper edges of ⁶⁰the front, back and side walls of the body and have the outer face portions thereof chamfered upwardly.

The cover 6 corresponds in size and shape to the bottom wall 8 of the box body 4. It em- 55 bodies a rectangular depending marginal flange 17 and is connected to the back wall 10 of the box body by way of a pair of hinges 18 in order that it is movable back and forth between a closed position wherein it overlies and covers the. 60 cigars in the compartment in the box foody 4 and an open position wherein it extends upwards and rearwards with respect to the back wall 10. When the cover is in its closed position the marginal flange 17 thereof surrounds the exposed 65 upper marginal parts of the frame pieces 13, 14, 15 and 16 and forms therewith a lap joint for sealing the compartment in an airtight manner. The hinges 18 for pivotally supporting the cover embody hinge parts IS and 20. The pai’ts IS of 70 the hinges are connected to the upper portion of the back wall (0 of the box body 4. The hinge parts 20 are connected to the back part of the marginal flange 17 of the cover. A pivotally mounted hook 21 on the central portion of the 76 front part of the flange 17 and an outwardly extending head equipped stud 22 on the upper central portion of the front wall 9 of the box body serve releasably to secure the cover in its closed position.

The releasable instrumentality 7 for holding the cover 6 in its open position consists of an arm 23 which is formed of spring wire of suitable gauge and has one end thereof bent at right angles to form a pivot part 24, and its other end bent at right angles in the same direction as the pivot part in order to form a latch part 25. The portion of the arm that has the pivot part 24 constitutes the proximal end of the arm and as shown in the drawing is interposed between the Upper rear portion of the side wall 11 of the box body 4 and the upper rear portion of the side piece 15 of the frame 5. The pivot part 24 extends outwards and is journalled or pivotally 20 mounted in a hole 26 in the upper rear portion of the body side wall 11. It permits the arm as a whole to be· swung forwards and downwards into an inoperative position wherein the latch part 25 overlies the upper edge of the side wall 11 of 25 the box body 4 as shown by dotted lines in the drawing, and also permits the arm to be swung upwards and rearwards into an operative position. The latch part 25 of the arm 23 is adapted when the cover is in its open position and the 30 arm is in its operative position to flt within a hole 27 in the rear portion of the side part of the cover flange that is coplanar with the side wall 11 of the box body 4 and serves when in its hole 27 to hold the cover in its open position. 35 In order to render the arm 13 operative when the cover 6 is in its open position the portion of the arm that embodies the latch part 25, i. e., the distal portion of the arm, is flexed inwards and then the cover and arm are swung until 40 the latch part 25 is in registry with the hole 27.

As soon as the latch part is brought into registry or alignment with the hole 27 the distal portion of the arm is flexed outwards in order to bring the latch part into seated relation with the hole 45 27. When the arm is in its operative position with the latch part 25 in its hole 27 it serves as a brace or strut and hence locks the cover in its open position and prevents it from being angularly displaced with respect to the box body 4.

The main portion of the arm 23 is normally straight. When it is desired to close the cover the distal portion of the arm 23 is flexed or sprung inwards in order to withdraw the latch part 25 from the hole 26. After the part 25 is withdrawn from the hole the arm is no longer operative and before closing the cover the arm .is swung forwards and downwards into its inoperative position wherein, as previously pointed out, the latch part 25 overlies the upper edge of the side wall II of the body. When the arm is in its inoperative position the cover may be swung forwards and downwards into its closed position. The upper rear portion of the side piece 15 of the frame 5 bears against the proximal portion of the arm 23 and serves to retain the pivot part 24 in its hole 26 in the upper rear portion of the side wall 11 of the box body. When it is desired to remove the arm 23 for replacement or other purposes the side piece 15 of the frame 5 is slid upwards out of its normal position. When the frame side piece 15 is in disconnected relation with the other pieces of the frame the arm 23 may be removed by shifting it inwards so as to withdraw the pivot part 24 from the hole 26. By having the side piece 15 of the

2,339,933 frame 5 removable the arm 23 constituting the releasable cover holding instrumentality 7 may be readily applied or removed.

The herein described cigar box is simple in design and hence may be manufactured or produced at a low cost. Because the box includes the arm 23 for releasably holding the cover 6 in its open position it may be used to advantage on top of a sales counter or case in connection with display of the cigars in the compartment in the body 4. Due to the fact that the releasable instrumentality for holding the cover in its open position is formed of spring wire and consists only of a normally straight arm with bent ends the cost of equipping the box with the instrumentality 7 is nominal.

Whereas the box has been described as a cigar box it is to be understood that it may be used to store or display other articles or merchandise. It is also to be understood that the invention is not to be restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.