Tray for an electronic smoking device or parts thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10865030-B2
Application number	US-201615759393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2016
Priority date	Sep 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to electronic smoking devices and in particular to a tray for at least a portion of an electronic smoking device. The tray (100) comprises at least one cavity (101) for containing the portion. The tray (100) is configured to be reversibly deformed from a default form into a deformed form by finger interaction with interaction elements of the tray (100) having a distance to each other of at least 90% of the average distance between thumb tip and index finger tip or a middle finger tip of an adult. The tray (100) is configured to return to the default form once the finger interaction is terminated. The default form provides the at least one cavity (101) for containing the portion in an inaccessible manner and the deformed form is required for accessing the portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tray adapted for accommodating at least a portion of an electronic smoking device in a child-safe manner, the tray comprising at least one cavity adapted for accommodating said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device, wherein the tray is configured to be reversibly deformed from an undeformed shape into a deformed shape by simultaneous finger interaction of a user with at least two interaction elements of the tray, the at least two interaction elements being spaced apart from each other and having a distance to each other of at least 6 cm, wherein the tray is configured to return to the undeformed shape once the finger interaction is terminated, and wherein the undeformed shape is configured such that the at least one cavity locks said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device to the tray and the deformed shape is configured such that the at least one cavity unlocks said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device from the tray; wherein the tray comprises a rotatable portion configured to be rotated around a normal of a top surface of the tray, wherein, in the undeformed shape, the rotatable portion is inaccessible for rotation by a hand of a user, wherein, in the deformed shape, the rotatable portion is accessible for rotation, and wherein the rotatable portion is configured to be rotatable in the deformed shape for accessing said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device.

2. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the interaction elements are located on opposite surfaces of the tray.

3. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the finger interaction comprises applying pressure on the interaction elements.

4. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure required for deforming the tray into the deformed shape is at least 90% of the pressure which an average adult can apply on the interaction elements using a thumb tip and an index finger tip or a middle finger tip.

5. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cavity is configured such that, by deforming the tray, an opening is opened in the tray of the cavity having a width such that said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device is unlocked from the tray.

6. The tray according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one cavity is configured such that, by deforming the tray, said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device is further moved, at least partly, through the opening.

7. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable portion has to be rotated in the deformed shape from a starting point to a predetermined point for accessing the said electronic smoking device or said portion of the electronic smoking device.

8. The tray according to claim 7 , wherein, for the tray returning into the undeformed shape, the rotatable portion has to be rotated in the deformed shape to the starting point before the finger interaction is terminated.

9. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity is configured for accommodating an electronic smoking device.

10. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein said portion of the electronic smoking device is a mouthpiece portion, a liquid reservoir portion, a cartomizer or an atomizer/liquid reservoir portion.

11. The tray according to claim 1 , wherein the tray comprises a plurality of cavities.

Assignees

• Fontem Holdings 1 Bv

Inventors

• Rehders Thorben
• Senftleben Sebastian
• Robinson Duncan B

Classifications

• B65D83/0454

  the whole forming a circular container with rotating parts (B65D83/0463 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A24F15/00

  Receptacles or boxes specially adapted for cigars, cigarettes, simulated smoking devices or cigarettes therefor (adaptations for use in vehicles B60N3/12; packages specially adapted for cigarettes B65D85/10) · CPC title

• A24F15/01

  specially adapted for simulated smoking devices or cigarettes therefor (battery charging means structurally associated with the case A24F40/95) · CPC title

• B65D81/113 Primary

  of a shape specially adapted to accommodate contents {(B65D81/053 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65D2215/06

  based on the difference in size between children's and adults' hands · CPC title