Recirculating pet fountain

Abstract

A snubber having a cigarette chamber and cap that releasably holds a cigarette inserted into the chamber during extinguishment or snuffing that communicates with an ash trap that accumulates ash from an extinguished cigarette. One or more vent ports allow the cigarette and cap to displace atmosphere within the chamber during insertion preventing blowback and ash scatter while facilitating ash collection. The cap can include an orifice through which a cigarette held by the cap can be smoked. When inserted into the chamber, a user can blow through the orifice to purge ash from the cigarette into the trap. Purging can also remove stale air and smoke from the cigarette and snubber helping clean the cigarette for later reuse. When removed from the chamber, a user can blow through the one or more ports to purge accumulated ash from the trap blowing it out of the chamber cleaning the snubber.

1 . A cigarette snubber comprising:
 a snubber body comprising an elongate cigarette receiving chamber formed therein; and   a cap in releasable engagement with the snubber body covering the cigarette receiving chamber, the cap comprising a cigarette holder extinguishing combustion of a lit cigarette held thereby when the lit cigarette is inserted into the cigarette receiving chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 1  wherein the cigarette holder comprises a socket in which one end of a cigarette is frictionally telescopically received removably holding the cigarette for movement substantially in unison with the cap. 
     
     
         3 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 2  wherein the cap comprises an endless sidewall with an interior cigarette engaging surface defining the socket where the interior cigarette engaging surface tapers or diametrically narrows providing frictional engagement with the one end of the cigarette received in the bore. 
     
     
         4 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 1  wherein the cap comprises a first endless sidewall, wherein the snubber body composes an interiorly disposed second endless sidewall defining the cigarette receiving chamber, and wherein the first endless sidewall telescopically engages the second endless sidewall releasably engaging the cap with the snubber body covering the cigarette receiving chamber. 
     
     
         5 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 4  wherein the cap and chamber form a protective cigarette storage enclosure when a cigarette held by the cigarette holder is received in the cigarette receiving chamber and the cap is releasably engaged with the snubber body. 
     
     
         6 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 5  wherein the cigarette remains held by the cap when stored in the protective enclosure formed by the cap and cigarette receiving chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 5  wherein the cap comprises an orifice in gas flow communication with a cigarette held by the cap enabling a user to smoke the cigarette through the orifice while the cap is holding the cigarette. 
     
     
         8 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 1  wherein the snubber body comprises a vent in gas flow communication with the cigarette receiving chamber. 
     
     
         9 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 8  further comprising fibrous or porous media disposed between a cigarette received in the cigarette receiving chamber and the vent. 
     
     
         10 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 9  further comprising a removable cover releasably engaging the snubber body enclosing the fibrous or porous media. 
     
     
         11 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 10  wherein the vent is formed in the removable cover. 
     
     
         12 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 11  wherein the cover and snubber body define an ash accumulating compartment in gas flow communication with the cigarette receiving chamber. 
     
     
         13 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 8  wherein atmosphere within the snubber body is vented through the vent out the snubber when a lit cigarette held by the cap is inserted into the cigarette holding chamber. 
     
     
         14 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 1  wherein the snubber body further comprises an ash accumulating compartment in gas flow communication with the cigarette receiving chamber. 
     
     
         15 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 14  further comprising a vent in gas flow communication with the ash accumulating compartment. 
     
     
         16 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 15  further comprising a filter disposed in the ash accumulating compartment disposed in gas flow communication between the cigarette receiving chamber and the vent. 
     
     
         17 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 15  wherein insertion of a lit cigarette held by the cap displaces atmosphere within the snubber body out the vent. 
     
     
         18 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 15  wherein ash accumulating compartment comprises an ash trap. 
     
     
         19 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 15  wherein the vent comprises at least, one bi-directional flow port through which a user blows air when the cigarette and cap are removed from the cigarette receiving chamber purging ash accumulated in the cigarette receiving chamber out the cigarette receiving chamber cleaning the snubber. 
     
     
         20 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 14  wherein the cap comprises an orifice in gas flow communication with the cigarette held by the cap through which a user blows air when the cigarette and cap are received in the cigarette receiving chamber purging smoke and ash from the cigarette. 
     
     
         21 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 15  wherein the cap comprises an orifice in gas flow communication with the cigarette held by the cap through which a user blows air when the cigarette and cap are received in the cigarette receiving chamber purging smoke and gaseous combustion byproducts from the cigarette out the vent. 
     
     
         22 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 15  wherein the cap comprises a bi-directional gas flow orifice in gas flow communication with the cigarette held by the cap (a) through which a user blows air when the cigarette and cap are received in the cigarette receiving chamber purging smoke and gaseous combustion byproducts from the cigarette Out the vent, and (b) through which the user sucks when the cigarette and cap are removed from the cigarette receiving chamber when smoking the cigarette held by the cap. 
     
     
         23 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 1  further comprising a cigarette lighter. 
     
     
         24 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 23  wherein the cigarette lighter comprises a gas lighter. 
     
     
         25 . The cigarette snubber of  claim 24  wherein the snubber body comprises a lighter receiving pocket defined by a pair of flexible lighter engaging sidewalls and a lighter supporting bottom. 
     
     
         26 . A method of extinguishing a cigarette comprising:
 providing an snubber body having a chamber therein in which a cigarette is received and a cap that releasably holds a cigarette;   inserting one end of a lit cigarette into the cap;   extinguishing the lit cigarette by inserting the ht cigarette into the chamber using the cap.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the lit cigarette is extinguished by oxygen starvation during the extinguishing step. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the snubber body further comprises a vent in gas flow communication with a lit cigarette being extinguished in the chamber during the extinguishing step and in gas flow communication with the ambient atmosphere outside of the snubber and the further step of venting atmosphere within the snubber body through the vent to the ambient atmosphere during insertion of a lit cigarette into the chamber using the cap during the extinguishing step. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising a filter in gas flow communication with a lit cigarette being extinguished during the extinguishing step and in gas flow communication with the vent filtering atmosphere within the chamber being vented out the vent. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the snubber body further comprises a vent in gas flow communication with a lit cigarette being extinguished in the chamber and with the ambient atmosphere outside of the snubber, wherein the cap has an orifice in communication with the end of the lit cigarette inserted into the cap, and comprising the further step of purging the lit cigarette after the cigarette has been extinguished to during the extinguishing step to clean the extinguished cigarette by blowing through the orifice purging smoke, ash and gaseous combustion byproducts from the cigarette and venting smoke and gaseous combustion byproducts out the vent. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the snubber body further comprises (a) a vent in gas flow communication with a lit cigarette being extinguished in the chamber during the extinguishing step and with the ambient atmosphere outside of the snubber, and (b) an ash trap in gas flow communication the lit cigarette being extinguished in the chamber during the extinguishing step and in gas flow communication with the vent, and comprising the further step of removing the cigarette from the chamber and then purging the snubber to clean the snubber by blowing air through the vent so the air flows through the vent, through the ash trap and out the chamber purging ash accumulated in the ash trap.