Drawer type ash receiver

#The present invention relates to ash receivers to receive a lighted cigar or cigarette therein and put out the same, and more particularly to a drawer type ash receiver adapted to be secured to an instrument panel of a vehicle.

#In known drawer type ash receivers, a container in the form of a drawer is telescopically suspended by a stationary supporting member secured to the instrument panel in such a manner that the container is air-tightly covered by the supporting member in fully closed position to extinguish sparks of cigar or cigarette ends within the container. The supporting member is generally formed in a half-box shape from sheet metal cut in a proper shape by bending both side edges and the closed end edge. There are, however, undesired slit spaces between the bent side flanges and the bent flange at the closed end. The slit spaces decrease the air-tightness of the container in fully-closed position. This creates a danger that cigar or cigarette ends stored in the container may be ignited by a fresh butt thrown in before it is fully extinguished, since the fresh butt may keep smoking and resume a fully-lit condition with the help of the air supplied through the slit spaces. To avoid this kind of danger, some sealing members have to be additionally adapted to ensure the air-tightness of the closed container.

#The primary object of the present invention is to provide a drawer-type ash receiver assembly in which a supporting member for a container is formed in a half-box shape from sheet metal by stamping to have closed corners so as to avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks.

#In a preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, an ash receiver assembly 10 comprises a supporting member 11 adapted to be secured to the under side of an instrument panel of a vehicle and an ash container 12 in the form of a drawer telescopically suspended by the supporting member 11.

#The supporting member 11 is formed in a half-box shape from sheet metal by stamping to have a trapezoidal cross-section, as best shown in FIG. 2. In this formation, opposite-spaced sides flanges 13, 14 and a closed end flange 29 of the supporting member 11 are formed in one piece to provide closed corners therebetween and are downwardly and outwardly flared to circumscribe the three flanged rims 19, 20 and 28 of the container 12. The supporting member 11 is provided at the forward portion thereof with opposite spaced arms 13a and 14a which are inwardly extended from the respective side flanges 13 and 14 to provide a carrier for slidable movement of the container 12. Each of the arms 13a and 14a is provided at the inside thereof with bowed leaf springs 15 and 16 which are secured at the center thereof to each of the arms 13a and 14a by rivets 17 and 18.

#The ash container 12 is made of heat-resistant synthetic resin and includes a finger knob 24 formed at the front thereof and a snuffer element 25 formed at the inside thereof to facilitate putting out cigars or cigarettes. Each of the flanged side rims 19 and 20 of the container 12 is provided at the outside thereof with tapered surfaces 19a and 20a which are formed complementary to the flared side flanges 13 and 14 of the supporting member 11 and extend from the forward end to the rearward end of the container 12. Each of the flanged side rims 19 and 20 is further provided at the bottom side thereof with taper surfaces 19b and 20b which are resiliently received by the opposite spaced arms 13a and 14a of the supporting member 11 by way of the leaf springs 15 and 16 to provide slidable engagement of the outside tapered surfaces 19a and 20a of the container 12 against the flared side flanges 13 and 14 of the supporting member 11.