US1818617A - Smoker's table protector - Google Patents

Description

Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITE -sures EDWARD JAMES GRINWALD, or SE TLE, WASHINGTON I SMOKERS TABLE rRoT Ec'roR Application filed March 18, 1929. Serial No: 347,931.

This invention relates to a card table ac cessory, and has reference in particular to a certain form of tray, or plate, that may be reniovably applied to the edge of a table top and which will serve in the capacity of a protective device on which cigarettes or cigars may be placed in order that the table top, or table cover, will not be burned or Otherwise damaged thereby.

Explanatory to the invention, it will be stated here that card room operators report that there is an exceedingly great amount of damage done daily to card table covers and also to the tables by the careless laying thereon of lighted cigarettes and cigars, and it has been found to' be quite impractical to equip such tables with the usual type of ash tray, or cigarette holder, or any other device having an upstanding rim because they are too easily upset by being caught by the sleeves or cuffs of players and also they interfere with dealing and handling the cards.

In view of the above, it has been the object of thisinvention to provide a form of protective tray on which cigarettes or cigars may be laid, and which is of a construction that cannot be interfered with by the cuff or sleeve of a player in dealing or handling the cards, and which has a yieldable attaching clip whereby it will be held securely and flatly against the tabletop to serve not only as a receptacle for cigarettes and cigars but also as a clamp for holding the table cover in place.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct the device that when it is applied to the table edge, cards cannot be projected beneath it.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of the above character that is well adapted for the displaying thereon of advertising matter.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details of construction and in applied to a table in accordance with the.

present invention.

, Figure 2 is a sectional view, showing the device as applied to a tabletop, particularly illustrating the holding effects of the attaching clip. I

.Figure3 is a sectional View taken on the line 33 in Figure .2, showing the beaded edges of the plate. Figure 4; is a perspective view of an al ternative construction in which the attach ing clip is provided with a clamping screw.

Referring more in detail to the drawings' 1 designates what may be plate provided along its opposite side edges with upwardly formed beads 2 -2 which are made of just sufficient height to prevent a cigarette or cigar thatis placed on the plate fromrolling off and which have their outer edges bent downwardly and slightly below the plane of the bottom side of the plate; preferably, the inner edge of the plate is cut squarely off and the outer edge is curved substantially in accordance with the curvature of the edge of the ordinary circular card table to which thedeviee is to be applied. If it should be desired, beads could also be provided across the ends of the plate, but this is not thought to be necessary.

Extending from the outer end of the plate and centrally thereof, is an attaching clip 4 which, preferably, is integral with the plate 1 and is *bent downwardly therefrom and a flat, metal.

then curved inwardly. and upwardly, as

shown best in Figure 2, so as to directly underlie the plate and, in this way, serve in opposed relation to the plate as a means of clamping the device to the edge of the table top. This attaching clip is yieldable and automatically adjusts itself to table tops of different thicknesses to securely but releasably grip the table.

As is best shown in Figure 2, a table cover, as designated at 6, is usually applied over the table top 7 and then the present device is applied to the table edge in such manner that it will serve in the additional capacity as a means for holding the cover in place. When applied, the plate 1 flatly overlies the table top while the clip 4 extends downwardly at the edge and then inwardly and upwardly and bears yieldably against the under side of the table top, thereby holding the edge of the table cover securely clamped beneath it. The pressure of the clip causes the plate 1 to press tightly against the table and thereby causes the outer edges of the heads 2 to embed themselves in the table cover so that cards cannot be projected beneath the plate, nor can they catch on its edges because of their rounded form. This is due to the fact that the edges of the side portions of the plate, which form the beads, extend somewhat below the plane of the bottom surface of the plate and are pressed tightly against the top of the table. This insures that nothing can catch on the remove or upset it. a

In Figure 4, I have illustrated an alterna tive construction, in which the clip is equipped with a clamping screw 10 that is threaded upwardly through the end portion thereof and is adjustable by a wing head 11 at its outer end. This construction makes possible the application of the device to supports of variousthicknesses.

Assuming the device to be so constructed, it is readily apparent that there is no danger of cigarettes or cigars, when placed in the tray, burning the table or table cover, and thus a great expense in replacement, especially of table covers, is avoided. Not only is the device of great service for holding the cigarettes or cigars, but its fiat upper surface also serves as an effective and desirable medium on which advertising matter may be displayed.

While the device has been described as being designed especially for card tables, it is readily apparent that it is not limited to this particular use but may be applied just as well to various supports, such as the arm of a chair or edge of a cabinet. Devices of this character may be made in various sizes and shapes and the type or character of the clip used to attach it may vary in accordance with the particular support to which the device is to he applied.

Having "hus described my invention, what plate to I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

A device of the character described, comprising a flat plate applicable to a table top adjacent the edge thereof and provided along its opposite side edges with upwardly formed beads, the outer edges of which project slightly below the plane of the bottom of the plate; the outer edge of the plate being shaped to conform to the curvature of the edge of the table to which it is applied and having an attaching clip extending therefrom and bent downwardly and inwardly and adapted to yieldingly engage the underside of the table.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 26th day of January, 1929.

EDWARD JAMES GRINWALD.

Images