Ash-tray

Claim 1

In an ash-tray of the kind including an ash compartment having a floor, and a moveable closing element which closes off the ash compartment at the top; the improvement comprising: a wall extending upwardly from the floor of the ash compartment; an upwardly extending sleeve supported by said wall at a distance from the floor of the ash compartment; said sleeve defining a bore which only slightly exceeds the diameter of given commercially available smoking items; said moveable closing element comprising a spring-loaded flap pivotally connected at the lower terminal region of said sleeve around a horizontal axis for selectively opening and closing off said bore, said spring loading normally maintaining said flap in a position to close off said bore; and actuating means operatively coupled to said spring-loaded flap for pivotally moving said spring-loaded flap into an open position for opening the bore to such an extent to permit a smoking item to substantially freely fall through the bore of said sleeve and past said open spring-loaded flap, said actuating means comprising an annular disc member slideably and substantially coaxially mounted around said sleeve, a spring biasing said disc member upwardly relative to said sleeve, and an intermediate member operatively coupled between said disc member and said spring-loaded flap for causing said spring-loaded flap to open said bore when downward pressure is exerted on said disc member, said intermediate member including a pin or rod-shaped member slideably movable longitudinally of said sleeve, said pin or rod-shaped member being arranged to be slideably moved by said annular disc member to actuate said spring-loaded flap to the bore open position, whereby the stub of a smoking item inserted in said bore of said sleeve falls into the ash compartment which is located beneath it when said flap is actuated to its bore open position.