To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Otto Kampfe, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellmore, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Cigar Bands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a cigar band. As is well known it is customary for some cigar manufacturers, particularly with certain brands of cigars, to use thereon bands which contain a label or other device indicating either the place of manufacture or the brand of the cigar or both. These cigar bands are merely placed around the cigar and the ends thereof connected by a suitable adhesive. Oftentimes, however, either because of the use of too much adhesive or because the bands are placed too tightly around the cigar, it is difficult, if not substantially impossible, to remove the band from the cigar without injuring the cigar wrapper. In fact, it is quite a customary habit among smokers, irrespective of the manner in which the band may be placed on the cigar, to endeavor to slip the band from the cigar before attempting to smoke the same, and in doing so there is much liability of breaking the wrapper at the joints between the parts of the same by the edge of the band working under the edge of the wrapper. It is equally difficult in many instances to tear the band from the cigar without injuring the wrapper, it being understood, of course, that when the wrapper is punctured or injured in any similar manner that in most cases it is then impossible to smoke the cigar, and the object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty by providing a cigar band that may be readily removed from the cigar without the liability of injuring the wrapper. In carrying out the invention the cigar band may be made in the usual manner with exception that in predetermined portions it is provided with a slit or slits and a weakened line or lines of perforations extending from the extremities of the said slit or slits to the edge of the band so that beginning at the slitted portion the band may be torn along the weakened or perforated line so as to readily separate the parts of a band and thus remove the same from a cigar as will be hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of a cigar with my improved band applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the band.

Fig. 3 shows a plan view in which the band is partially torn.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view in which the parts of the band are completely separated, and

Fig. 5 is a plan showing another view of the invention after the parts of the band are entirely separated.

Referring particularly to the drawing, 10 indicates a cigar which is fitted with a band 11. This band, as is customary in cigar bands, is made of paper and adapted to be placed around the cigar and secured thereto by having the ends thereof overlapped and attached to one another by any suitable adhesive. Also as is customary, the central portion of the band is provided with a circular portion 12 in which there is a design 13 of any suitable nature indicating the brand of the cigar or the place of its manufacture.

In carrying out the invention, in predetermined portions of the cigar band, I employ slits which are preferably circular in configuration. As illustrated, these slits 14 and 15 are placed in the central circular portion of the band, although as will be understood they may be placed in any portion of the band even including the overlapping ends thereof, and as illustrated these slits have intervening a tongue 16 in order to maintain the circular continuity of the band when in place on the cigar. Also as indicated, the opposite extremities of the slits 14 and 15 have straight line continuations 17 and 18 extending therefrom to the edge of the band. These continuations 17 and 18, as will be understood, may be a weakened line in the band made by any desired formation therein as for example by perforations or indentations.

As will now be apparent, after the band has been applied to the cigar in the operation of which my improvements will not interfere in any manner, that when it is desired to remove the band the tongue 16 may be broken and thereby the slitted portion raised and by pulling the same the band will be torn along the lines 17 and 18 to cause the separated edges 19 and 20 of the band, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, making a complete separation of the parts so that the band may be readily removed from the cigar.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cigar band having a slit therein running transversely of the band, and weakened lines extending from the ends of the slit and running at an angle to the central longitudinal line of the band to the edge thereof whereby the tear in separating the parts of the band is made circumferentially of the cigar.

2. A cigar band having straight edge end portions and central oppositely disposed circular portions, a slit substantially concentric to the circularly disposed portions and extending transversely of the longitudinal center of the band, and weakened lines extending from the ends of the slit to the edge of the band at points approximately where the circular edge portions join the straight edge portions.

Signed by me this 24 day of August, 1920.

Otto Kampfe.