Patent Application
20120152225
The present invention concerns accessories for smoking implements. More particularly, the invention concerns a device for the ignition of a smoking briquette.
Smoking tobacco and other smoking matter such as various herbs, spices, and other plant matter has been a tradition for centuries. Many devices have been developed to assist in the smoking of such smoking matter, including various types of pipes and hookahs. The main parts to a hookah include a bowl for the tobacco, a hollow tube providing an air passage between the bowl and a water jar, and a hose that provides an air passage from the water jar to the person smoking the hookah. Although smoking matter other than tobacco can be smoked, smoking tobacco is most common and will be referred to herein as the smoking matter, but it is to be understood that any suitable smoking matter can be used. Smoke is drawn from the burning tobacco in the bowl, down the hollow tube, into the water jar, and from the water jar through the hose to the smoker.
Burning briquettes are placed above the tobacco in the bowl to burn the tobacco. The briquettes can be made from wood, sawdust, or coconut, for example. Once the briquettes are ignited they continue to burn, smolder, and maintain an ember for a period of time. Whether in a home or at a public hookah bar, the briquettes are typically ignited over a stove at location remote from the hookah. Once the briquettes are ignited, they are removed from the stove with tongs and placed in a serving dish and transported to the hookah. Tongs are then used to remove the briquettes from the serving dish and place them over the tobacco in the hookah. This process is both inconvenient and possesses safety risks. The process of lighting the briquette requires supervision because leaving a briquette burning on a stove unattended creates a potential fire hazard. This means that someone has to be dedicated to the chore of lighting the briquette, using time and separating that person from others around the hookah. Further, removing burning, hot briquette from the stove and transporting it from the stove to the hookah creates a further hazard because the briquette could be dropped.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a small, self contained briquette igniter that can be located close to the hookah.
According to one aspect of the invention, an igniter for an incendiary briquette of a type suitable for smoking a smoking substance disposed in a bowl of a hookah includes a housing and defining an interior having a sidewall, a bottom wall, and a top opening providing access to the interior. An ignition source is disposed in the interior of the housing and supported by the bottom wall. The ignition source produces a flame. The device includes a removable tray for supporting the incendiary briquette. The tray has at least one heat transfer hole therein and is sized to be removably supported by the housing at a location above the flame of the ignition source, wherein heat from the flame flows upwardly through the heat transfer hole to cause a burning of the incendiary briquette. The tray is sized to seat above the bowl of the hookah so that heat from the burning briquette flows downwardly through the heat transfer hole to cause a burning of the smoking substance.
In a more particular, optional arrangement, the igniter further includes a lid movably supported relative to the sidewall of the housing. The lid is movable between an open state wherein the interior of the housing is accessible, and a closed state wherein the lid is disposed over the top opening of the housing.
In a further arrangement, the igniter the lid, the tray, and the sidewalls of the device provide a substantially air tight seal in the closed state, and wherein the sidewall of the housing includes an access hole sized to provide finger access to the ignition source and to restrict air flow into the interior of the housing so that the air flow is sufficient to maintain the flame of the ignition source prior to the burning of the incendiary briquette, and the air flow is sufficiently restricted such that upon the burning of the incendiary briquette the interior of the housing fills with smoke causing a self-extinguishing of the flame.
According to further optional arrangements, the sidewall of the housing includes an access hole sized and positioned to provide access by a finger to the ignition source.
In more particular, optional arrangements the tray includes a plurality of heat transfer holes.
In further, optional arrangements, a mesh is supported by tray so that the mesh extends across the plurality of heat transfer holes.
In yet a further, possible arrangement, the tray includes a single heat transfer hole.
According to further optional arrangements, a mesh is supported by tray so that the mesh extends across the single heat transfer hole.
In a further particular, possible arrangement, the tray includes a handle.
In further, optional arrangements, the handle is non-heat conducting.
In a more particular, possible aspect, the ignition source is a fuel and wick lighter.
In yet a further, possible arrangement, a sleeve is supported by the bottom wall in the interior of the housing, wherein the sleeve sized to receive the ignition source.
In further, optional arrangements, the ignition source is a candle.
In more particular, optional arrangements a grip member is supported by the sidewall of the housing.
In further, optional arrangements, the grip member is non-heat conducting.
According to further optional arrangements, a self-extinguishing igniter for an incendiary briquette of a type suitable for smoking a smoking substance disposed in a bowl of a hookah includes a chimney having walls defining an internal chamber. An ignition source is disposed within the chimney and supported thereby, the ignition source producing a flame. The igniter includes a removable tray for supporting the incendiary briquette. The tray has at least one heat transfer hole therein and is sized to be removably supported by the chimney at a location above the flame of the ignition source, so that heat from the flame flows upwardly through the heat transfer hole to cause a smoking of the incendiary briquette. A cover is movably disposed above the tray, wherein the cover, tray, and walls of the chimney provides a substantially air tight seal. The walls of the chimney include an access hole sized to provide finger access to the ignition source and to restrict air flow into the internal chamber of the chimney so that the air flow is sufficient to maintain the flame of the ignition source prior to a smoking of the incendiary briquette, and the air flow is sufficiently restricted such that upon a smoking of the incendiary briquette the internal chamber fills with smoke causing a self-extinguishing of the flame.
Various features, aspects and advantages of the invention can be appreciated from the following Description of Certain Embodiments of the Invention and the accompanying Drawing Figures.
By way of overview and introduction, the present invention is described in detail in connection with a portable, self-contained, compact igniter for a briquette.
In one implementation, referring to
The housing 102 that defines an interior space and has a sidewall 108 and a bottom wall 110112. The housing 102 has a top opening 114 that provides access to the interior space 112 of the housing. The housing 102 is illustrated as being cylindrical in shape, but other shapes are contemplated. The housing 102 constitutes a chimney that allows for the burning of an incendiary briquette. The housing can be made from metal, ceramic, or other material. Ceramic or stoneware is preferred due to its ability to withstand high heat and non-flammable characteristics, its relatively low heat transfer rate (insulating), and relative low cost and easy to manufacture.
A shoulder 116 is formed on the interior side 118 of the sidewall 108 of the housing. The shoulder 116 removably seats the tray 104, as can be seen in
The upper portion 122 of the sidewall 108 removably seats the lid 106. The upper portion 122 can be formed with a lip that is complementarily shaped to seat the lid 106. The lid 106 provides a closes the top opening 114 of the housing 102 when the lid 106 is seated on the upper portion 122. Removing the lid 106 provides access to the interior 112 of the housing 102 through the top opening 114.
The interior bottom portion 124 of the housing 102 is sized and shaped to receive the lighter 200. As can be seen in
As can be seen in
Referring to
Referring to
The lid 106 includes a plurality of holes 134 and a handle 136, as shown in
The housing 102 includes a grip member or handle 138. The handle 138 allows the briquette igniter 100 to be transported by a user. The handled is made of a material that does that has a low rate of heat transfer (e.g., ceramic) so that the handle does not become too hot to hold.
Referring now to
With the lighter 200 seated, the tray 104 is seated on the shoulder 116 of the housing with the tray handle 105 extending through the notch 120 in the housing. A briquette 300 is seated on the tray 104 and at least portion of the briquette disposed over the hole 132. As can be seen in
Once the tray 104 and briquette 300 are seated, the lid 106 is seated on upper edge 122 of the housing 102. A user inserts a finger or other instrument through the access hole 126 so that the user can manipulate the lighter 200 such that it produces a flame (e.g., by rotating a flint strike wheel to ignite fuel on a wick). The lighter 200 is located below the tray 104 and briquette 300 so that the flame of the lighter 200 cause the briquette to heat up until the briquette ignites. Once the briquette ignites it produces smoke and the burning of the briquette consumes oxygen. Smoke (indicated by arrows in
Once the briquette 300 is burning, smoke escapes through the holes 134 in the lid 106 indicating that the briquette is ready to be used to smoke tobacco. The holes 134 also allow air to enter the upper portion 140 of the housing in order to maintain burning of the briquette. The lid 106 is removed from the housing 102 once the briquette is burning. Using the tray handle 105, the tray 104 with the briquette 300 seated thereon are removed together, from the housing 102. The tray 104 and briquette 300 can be safely transformed to and seated on a bowl 402 of a hookah 400, as shown in
Accordingly, the ignition device of the present invention provides an easy and safe way to ignite briquettes. The device is relatively small and portable so that the briquettes can be ignited in close proximity to the hookah where tobacco will be smoked. This eliminates the need to transport burning briquettes long distances between the point of ignition and the location of the smoking of the hookah. In addition, the tray 104 can be used to support the briquette during the igniting process in the ignition device and the same tray can be used to support the briquette in relation to the tobacco in the bowl during smoking.
While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments thereof, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments but rather is more broadly defined by the recitations in any claims that follow and equivalents thereof.
