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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to cigarette cases for holding a quantity
of cigarettes and is particularly directed to a cigarette dispenser which
provides limited access to cigarettes stored therein for the purpose of
reducing a smoker's consumption of cigarettes.
The physical hazards of cigarette smoking are well known and their
consumption discouraged by health authorities. The reduction of cigarette
smoking is desirable in itself because it is well-known that the damage
due to cigarette smoking is cumulative and dose related. In addition to
the danger of fire associated with smoking, medical authorities have shown
beyond doubt that there is a greater incidence of heart, lung and throat
ailments including cancer among smokers than among non-smokers. In
addition, non-smokers who are in the vicinity of a cigarette smoker are
exposed to the irritation and possible health hazard of the smoke thus
produced. Furthermore, smoking can be a costly habit particularly in the
case of a heavy smoker. Thus, ever increasing numbers of smokers have
undertaken efforts to reduce, if not to completely stop, cigarette
consumption.
Attempts at giving up the cigarette smoking habit have ranged from the use
of deterrent drugs to professional counseling and even to hypnosis. These
various approaches have, in general, all suffered from various
shortcomings. Individual professional and group counselling have met with
varying degrees of success, although the former is frequently expensive
and the latter frequently inconvenient, requiring time consuming travel
and attendance at meetings. In addition, mass communications campaigns
sponsored by the government and various nonprofit organizations have
attempted to bring the dangers of smoking to the attention of the general
public with limited success. Finally, hypnosis is relied upon as an
anti-smoking aid, however, its nature discourages many smokers from
attempting this approach and it has led to somewhat inconclusive long term
results. Hypnosis and other treatment programs are episodic and not
directly available to the smoker at each moment of decision to light up.
Other anti-smoking efforts have centered not so much on the individual, but
rather on a device for discouraging or inhibiting smoking. Such devices
frequently include a cigarette container having a time controlled locking
mechanism which provides the smoker with access to the cigarettes only at
predetermined times. The use of such devices is based upon the theory that
the cigarette smoking habit can best be terminated, or at least
controlled, by a gradual withdrawal rather than completely stopping all at
once. According to this approach, the craving for cigarettes will
gradually subside until it is lost completely. This type of device,
however, confronts the smoker with a cigarette abstinence situation, at
least temporarily, and frequently proves too much, particularly for the
high rate smoker who then circumvents the system by acquiring another
source of cigarettes. Thus, after an initial period of use, this type of
device is typically discarded by the smoker who is unable to accept and
deal with the complete denial, albeit temporary in nature, of access to a
cigarette.
The present invention is intended to overcome the limitations of the prior
art by providing a device which operates directly and repeatedly at each
moment of decision to smoke a cigarette by forcing the smoker to
reconsider his decision following the initial urge to smoke by temporarily
delaying access to each cigarette while providing the smoker with
up-to-date information regarding past cigarette consumption. The present
invention does not compel the smoker to quit altogether, but rather allows
him/her to control the pace of his/her withdrawal according to individual
needs and lessens the possibility of complete discouragement and the
giving up of the effort to stop smoking. Access to cigarettes is not
completely barred as in other smoking inhibiting devices so as to reduce
the incentive of the smoker to circumvent the device by buying more
cigarettes and thus giving up on trying to kick the habit.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to assist a smoker in
reducing the number of cigarettes consumed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cigarette
dispenser for limiting smoker access to cigarettes stored therein to
predetermined time periods established by the smoker.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette
dispenser which limits smoker access to cigarettes therein to
predetermined time periods and provides an audio alarm when the smoker
attempts to gain unauthorized access and a visual indication of when
access is authorized.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for
limiting access to cigarettes contained therein to predetemined time
periods in which cigarette access may be gained by the smoker only after
waiting a designated resettable time interval.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a limited access
cigarette dispenser which is easy to use and inexpensive to make.
Another object of the present invention is to discourage cigarette smoking
by providing a smoker with access to cigarettes only after the initial
urge to smoke has subsided and the smoker has had an opportunity to
reconsider.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a smoker with
information regarding his past cigarette consumption so as to discourage
continued cigarette usage.
The present invention contemplates a cigarette dispenser including a
generally rectangular case having a hinged lid and latch for closing the
dispenser. A limit switch which couples the lid to the case actuates a
speaker alarm if the lid is opened while the dispenser is in a default
mode when cigarette access is unauthorized. When the user desires
authorized access to a cigarette, he engages a manual switch on the
outside of the dispenser for initiating countdown of a first timer. The
first countdown timer, which is preset and resettable by a user-actuated
switch within the dispenser, is coupled to the limit switch for
deactivating the limit switch and alarm for predetermined periods
following expiration of the countdown interval during which authorized
cigarette access may be gained for a short interval.
Following completion of the first timer countdown, a visual indication is
provided that the dispenser is in the authorized access mode, that the
alarm circuit is disengaged, and that the dispenser may be opened. If the
dispenser is opened in an unauthorized manner without prior running and
expiration of the countdown timer and interval, an audio alarm timed by a
second timer is triggered and emits an embarrassing sound for a
predetermined second period of time. The length of the second period is
set to cause user embarrassment sufficient to discourage unauthorized lid
openings, and the alarm is not user defeatable. Event counters for
counting authorized and unauthorized lid openings as well as the number of
times the lid was not opened, i.e., a cigarette was skipped, following
expiration of the first countdown is provided.
When the dispenser is opened following the countdown interval, a third
timer is triggered for counting a third period. If the dispenser is not
closed by the end of this third period, an audio alarm is triggered to
encourage the user to close the dispenser. The length of the third period
is set to permit the removal of, for example, one cigarette from the
dispenser. A manual switch within the dispenser permits the user to preset
and reset the first countdown period for awaiting authorized access to a
cigarette. Thus, the user may give himself more or less time to wait and
reconsider his initial decision to smoke a cigarette ahead of time but
cannot reset this time at the moment he wants a cigarette. The first timer
resets itself automatically to the prior interval unless the user resets
it.
During the first countdown period various visual messages are provided to
the user by means of an LCD or LED display on the dispenser. These
messages are intended to discourage the smoking of the next cigarette and
include such information as the total number of times the dispenser has
been opened to remove a cigarette, the number of times the timer has
counted down and the dispenser has not been opened and the number of times
the dispenser has been opened while in authorized and unauthorized access
modes. Logic circuitry is provided for determining the optimal countdown
period for user rejection of the next cigarette for an individual user
based upon past usage. In addition, various audio warnings, including
synthesized voice messages, may be provided during this timer countdown
interval to further discourage the removal of a cigarette from the
dispenser.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The appended claims set forth those novel features believed characteristic
of the invention. However, the invention itself, as well as further
objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to
the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference
characters identify like elements throughout the various figures, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette dispenser in accordance with
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view of a lower portion of the lid of the cigarette dispenser
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the lower portion of the lid of the
cigarette dispenser shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 shows partially in block diagram form and partially in schematic
diagram form an electrical circuit for use in the cigarette dispenser of
the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there are shown various views of a cigarette
dispenser 10 in accordance with the present invention.
The cigarette dispenser 10 includes a generally rectangular, elongated case
12 made preferably of a molded hard plastic, which includes a front wall
14, a rear wall (not shown), side walls 16, and a lower wall (not shown).
The various walls forming case 12 are coupled so as to form an enclosure
into which a conventional pack of cigarettes 28 may be placed. The upper
end portion of the case 12 thus formed by the various aforementioned walls
is open and mounted thereto by means of a hinge 26 is a lid 18. Lid 18
similarly is comprised of a front wall 22, a lower wall 23, side walls 24,
and a rear wall 25. The lower wall 23 of lid 18 is recessed from the lower
edge of the lateral walls of the lid so as to provide clearance for the
upper end portions of cigarettes 28 positioned within case 12 when the lid
is in a closed position.
Positioned on a front portion of the cigarette dispenser 10 is a limit
switch 30 which includes a latch mechanism 32 coupled to the inner portion
of the lid's front wall 22 and a clasp 34 mounted to the inner surface of
the front wall 14 of case 16. Latch mechanism 32 engages clasp 34 when the
lid 18 is in the closed position. It is contemplated that the combination
of latch mechanism 32 and clasp 34 may make use of conventional components
and be of conventional design. For example, the engagement of the latch
mechanism 32 with the clasp 34 may be purely mechanical in nature or may
be in the nature of an electromechanical engaging force. Whatever the
mechanical design of the combination of latch mechanism 32 and clasp 34,
the limit switch 30 which they comprise is electrically actuated as
explained below.
Also located within lid 18 in the upper wall 20 thereof is a speaker 42.
Opening of the cigarette dispenser 10 causes the limit switch 30 to close
thus activating speaker 42 which emits an audio alarm in order to
discourage the user from opening the cigarette dispenser during
unauthorized periods. The emission of an embarrassing sound from speaker
42 is intended to further discourage the user from opening the cigarette
dispenser at unauthorized times. The duration of the alarm sound is
determined by a timer circuit and is not user defeatable. A display, such
as a light emitting diode (LED) or liquid crystal diode (LCD) display, 40
positioned on an outer surface of the cigarette dispenser 10 provides a
visual indication of when the cigarette dispenser 10 may be opened in an
authorized manner in accordance with timing information it is programmed
with. Opening of the cigarette dispenser 10 when the display 40 is not
illuminated will similarly result in an audio alarm being emitted from
speaker 42.
Also located on lid 18 is a pushbutton switch 38 which permits the
cigarette dispenser 10 to be opened without sounding the aforementioned
audio alarm. When the pushbutton switch 38 is engaged, a delay timer
(described below) is actuated for counting down a predetermined time
period. Upon expiration of this timer countdown delay, the display 40 is
illuminated signalling to the user that the cigarette dispenser 10 may be
opened without sounding the audio alarm. The same timer circuit will
trigger the audio alarm from speaker 42 if the limit switch 30 is not
engaged within a predetermined time period following the opening of lid
18. This permits the user to open the cigarette dispenser only for a short
period, e.g., long enough to permit the removal of a single cigarette,
before the audio alarm is automatically triggered. Once speaker 42 is thus
actuated, it cannot be defeated and the audio alarm will sound for a
predetermined time period.
Also positioned within the lid 18 is a conventional dry cell storage
battery 36 for energizing the various circuitry, alarms and displays of
the present invention. Battery 36 provides a DC voltage source for
energizing the electrical circuitry of the cigarette dispenser 10 which is
described below.
In addition to providing a visual indication of when the cigarette
dispenser 10 may be opened without actuating speaker 42, the display 40 is
coupled to an event counter 76 shown in FIG. 4 for displaying such
information as the number of times the cigarette dispenser has been opened
to remove a cigarette, the number of times the delay timer counted down to
zero and the dispenser was not opened, the number of times the dispenser
10 has been opened without setting of and/or prior to expiration of the
timer countdown and the time remaining in the timer countdown period.
Details regarding how these various numbers are generated and displayed
are provided in the following paragraphs.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown the lower wall 23 of lid 18. Positioned
in the lower wall 23 is a pushbutton switch 39 by means of which the user
may set the predetermined first countdown time interval between selection
of switch 38 following the initial decision to smoke a cigarette and when
the cigarette dispenser 10 may be opened in an authorized manner without
actuating speaker 42 and triggering the audio alarm. For example, each
engagement of pushbutton switch 39 may increase the first countdown period
by a predetermined time increment. Continued actuation of pushbutton
switch 39 would cause a predetermined maximum time to be exceeded
whereupon the timer would roll-over to a predetermined minimum time
whereupon the selected time interval would again increase with continued
engagement of switch 39. Such arrangements are well known to those skilled
in the art.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown another arrangement for presetting the
desired time interval between the selection of switch 38 and when the
cigarette dispenser 10 may be opened without actuating speaker 42 and
triggering the audio alarm. This arrangement of the present invention
includes a timer control 46 comprised of two rotary dials 48, 50, each of
which is in the form of a thumbwheel. In a preferred embodiment, rotary
dial 48 is calibrated in one minute increments, up to ten minutes, while
rotary dial 50 is calibrated in ten minute increments up to fifty minutes.
Thus, by manually setting in a selected time period on timer control 46,
the user may fix the length of time between the selection of switch 38 and
when the display 40 is illuminated indicating that the cigarette dispenser
10 may be opened without actuating speaker 42. It is to be noted that in
the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 as well as that shown in FIG. 3, the time
between the decision to smoke a cigarette and when authorized access to a
cigarette is provided without triggering an audio alarm may be set, or
changed, by the user only if lid 18 is in an open position. This insures
that the user may not circumvent the timing sequence of the cigarette
dispenser 10 in order to gain unauthorized access to the cigarettes
therein.
Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown in simplified schematic and block
diagram form a control circuit 56 for use in the cigarette dispenser 10 of
the present invention. The operation and configuration of the control
circuit 56 shown in FIG. 4 will now be explained with respect to the
various components of the cigarette dispenser 10 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and
3.
The control circuit 56 is energized by a DC voltage source in the form of a
dry cell battery 36. Battery 36 is coupled across the positive and
negative terminals of a timer circuit 58. Timer circuit 58 is a
conventional countdown timer, the timing period of which may be
established by means of a pushbutton switch 39, or in an alternate
embodiment in the form of timer control 46, as previously described. Once
timer circuit 58 is thus programmed, its contents are then provided to the
digital display 40 for displaying this information thereon. The MM5865
Universal Timer available from National Semiconductor Corporation of Santa
Clara, California may be used in the present invention for timer circuit
58.
While the invention is in the default or unauthorized access mode, the
cigarette dispenser 10 is closed, second switch 66 is closed, and limit
switch 30 which is in series with speaker 42 and second switch 66 is open.
When the cigarette dispenser 10 is opened in an unauthorized manner,
switch 30 will be closed resulting in the actuation of speaker 42.
Authorized access is gained in the following manner: If the second switch
66 is open speaker 42 will not be actuated whether switch 30 is in the
open or closed position. Following the initiation by the selection of
pushbutton switch 39 of the countdown of the pre-set time interval by
timer circuit 58 and completion of the countdown interval, a signal
appears across its output terminals 74A, 74B and is provided to amplifier
60. Amplifier 60, in turn, amplifies the timed output from timer circuit
58 and provides the thus amplified signal across relay coil 62 which is
inductively coupled to a first switch 64 and a second switch 66. The first
switch 64, which is normally open, is closed upon receipt of the output
from relay coil 62 for turning on display 40 in providing a visual
indication that the cigarette dispenser 10 may be opened in an authorized
manner in accordance with the programmed timing information in timer
circuit 58. The second switch 66, which is normally closed, opens in
response to an output from relay coil 62 at the same time that the first
switch 64 is closed. The opening of the second switch 66 results in the
deenergization of speaker 42 so as to preclude the emission of an audio
alarm therefrom upon opening of the cigarette dispenser 10. Following the
countdown of timer circuit 58, expiration of the predetermined time
interval determined by a preset value in timer circuit 58, timer 58 is
automatically reset to its preset time and the voltage applied across
output terminals 74A and 74B is removed. This results in the deactivation,
or disengagement, of switch 64 and the turning off of display 40. In
addition, switch 66 is again placed in the closed position so as to
energize speaker 42 and activate limit switch 30. This arrangement
reestablishes the limited access default mode of operation of the
oigarette dispenser 10.
Also provided for in control circuit 56 are various terminals 70A, 70B and
70C. Various additional conventional components may be easily incorporated
in the control circuit 56 so as to provide additional features in the
cigarette dispenser 10 of the present invention. For example, an event
counter 76 may be coupled across terminals 70A and 70C for counting such
occurrences as the number of times that limit switch 30 is opened for
withdrawal of a cigarette from the cigarette dispenser 10, the number of
times timer circuit 58 counts down to zero and the cigarette dispenser 10
is not opened, the number of times timer circuit 58 counts down to zero
and the cigarette dispenser 10 is opened, and the number of times the
cigarette dispenser 10 is opened without actuation of timer circuit 58
and/or prior to expiration of timer circuit 58 countdown. The display of
the various aforementioned user smoking characteristics is accomplished by
means of a logic and display driver circuit 80 coupling the event counter
76 to display 40. These values could also be provided on display 40 by
coupling the counter 76 to the digital display 40 via line 78. Such logic
and display driver circuits are well known to those skilled in the art. As
such, the details of the logic and display driver circuit 80 are not
further described herein as they do not form a part of the present
invention.
The present invention also contemplates the use of an audio device 82 such
as a voice synthesizer or recorder coupled to speaker 42 for driving
speaker 42 during the time period between the selection of pushbutton
switch 38 following the decision to smoke and when the cigarette dispenser
10 may be opened without sounding the audio alarm. Audio device 82 may be
programmed with various warnings regarding the dangers of smoking which
are provided to speaker 42 to further discourage the user from smoking a
cigarette after the initial urge to smoke occurs and he has initiated the
process to gain authorized access to cigarettes within dispenser 10. The
present invention is not limited to the counting and display of the
aforementioned numbers, but is capable of measuring and displaying other
parameters relating to the smoking habits of a user of the cigarette
dispenser 10.
There has thus been shown a cigar | | |
