MAGNETICALLY-BIASED CIGAR/CIGARETTE HOLDER

Abstract

In contrast to spring-biased cigar/cigarette clips, the magnetically-biased clip device has two repelling magnetic poles aligned in its rear lever arm and base rear. The resulting repulsive magnetic force biases the front lever arm of the clip toward a closed position in relation to the base front of the clip, thereby fully enclosing a median slot between them, which firmly holds the cigar/cigarette without crushing or tearing it. Since the biasing repulsive magnetic force decreases as the inverse-square of the distance between the repelling magnetic polesas compared to the linear force decrease for spring-loaded clipsthe holding force on the cigar/cigarette is much less damaging.

Claims

1. A magnetically-biased clip device adapted to hold a cigar or a cigarette, comprising: a lever, a base, and a pivot between the lever and the base; wherein the lever comprises a front lever arm, located forward of the pivot, and a rear lever arm, located rearward of the pivot; wherein the base comprises a base front, located forward of the pivot, and a base rear, located rearward of the pivot; wherein the rear lever arm has a rear arm underside that contains a first magnet, and the base rear has a rear base underside that contains a second magnet, and wherein the second magnet is adapted to magnetically attach the clip device to one or more metallic surfaces; wherein the first magnet has a first north pole and a first south pole, and wherein the second magnet has a second north pole and a second south pole, and wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are aligned so that either the first north pole faces the second north pole, or the first south pole faces the second south pole, thereby causing the first magnet and the second magnet to repel one another with a repulsive magnetic force that is inversely proportional to the square of a separation distance between the first magnet and the second magnet; wherein the front lever arm forms an upward transverse arch, which aligns with a downward transverse arch in the base front, so to form a median slot configured to hold a cigar or a cigarette; and wherein the repulsive magnetic force between the first magnet and the second magnet biases the clip device toward a closed position, in which a proximal underside of the front lever arm engages a proximal upperside of the base front, such that, in the closed position, the median slot is fully enclosed so as to hold the cigar or the cigarette.

2. The clip device according to claim 1, wherein the base front has a front base underside that contains a third magnet, and wherein the third magnet is adapted to cooperate with the second magnet to magnetically attach the clip device to the one or more metallic surfaces.

3. The clip device according to claim 1, wherein the proximal underside of the front lever arm and the proximal upper side of the base front have aligned longitudinal grooves which together form a longitudinal forward channel, which is adapted to hold a cigarette.

4. The clip device according to claim 2, wherein the proximal underside of the front lever arm and the proximal upper side of the base front have aligned longitudinal grooves which together form a longitudinal forward channel, which is adapted to hold a cigarette.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

[0006] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, along the line A-A in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0007] The present invention is a clip used for holding a cigar or a cigarette. The preferred embodiment of the clip is shown in two drawings: FIG. 1 is a perspective view, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross section.

[0008] The clip 10 comprises a lever 11, a base 12, a pivot 13 between the lever 11 and the base 12, and three magnets 14, 15 and 16. The lever 11 comprises a front lever arm 17, ahead of the pivot 13, and a rear lever arm 18, behind the pivot 13, and the base 12 comprises a base front 19, ahead of the pivot 13, and a base rear 20, behind the pivot 13.

[0009] The first magnet 14 is located in the underside of the rear lever arm 18, and it aligns with the second magnet 15 on the underside of the base rear 20. The polarities of the first and second magnets 14 15 are arranged so that these two magnets repel each other. In other words, their respective north poles are facing each other, or their respective south poles are facing each other.

[0010] The third magnet 16 is in the underside of the base front 19, and it functions, in combination with the second magnet 15 on the underside of the base rear 20, in order to magnetically attach the clip to a metallic surface, such as the arm of a lawn chair or the side of a golf bag or cart.

[0011] The midsection of the front lever arm 17 forms an upward transverse arch 21, which aligns with a downward transverse arch 22 in the midsection of the base front 19, so as to form a median slot 23 configured to hold a cigar. The proximal ends of the front lever arm 17 and the base front 19 have aligned longitudinal grooves 24, which together form a longitudinal forward channel 25 configured to hold a cigarette.

[0012] In the operation of this device, the rear lever arm 18 is depressed so as to widen the median slot 23 enough to insert a cigar, and so as to open the forward channel 25 enough to insert a cigarette. When the rear lever arm 18 is released, the repelling magnetic force of the first and second magnets 14 15 causes the median slot 23 and the forward channel 25 to narrow, thereby exerting a retaining force on the cigar or cigarette. Moreover, the magnetically induced convergence of the upward transverse arch 21 and the downward transverse arch 22 has the effect of causing the cigar to self-align if it's inserted obliquely into the median slot 23.

[0013] The cigar clips known in the prior art utilize the spring force of the pivot to retain the cigar in place. But, according to Hooke's Law, the spring force decreases only linearly as the clip closes on the cigar, such that the fully-closed force tends to damage the cigar. In the present invention 10, on the other hand, the repelling magnetic force between the first and second magnets 14 15 follows the inverse square law, so that the closure of the clip 10 to one-half its full opening reduces the retaining force on the cigar to one-quarter of its fully-opened force, rather than one-half in the case of a spring-action clip. Therefore, the reduced magnetic closure force on the cigar enables the present invention 10 to avoid the damage to the retained cigar which is inherent in the existing spring-loaded designs. Moreover, the inverse square force relationship, by scaling to the diameter of the cigar, enables a proportionately larger retaining force to be applied to bigger and heavier cigars having larger diameters.

[0014] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims.