Patent Application
20200386700
The present disclosure relates to a meter for measuring the moisture content of a cigar, and in particular a moisture content meter that provides a digital readout to the user of the relative humidity of the interior of the cigar.
It is well known among cigar smokers that the relative humidity of cigar storage has a direct bearing on the smoker's enjoyment from smoking the cigar. At the retail level, cigars are usually stored and displayed in humidor rooms set at an approximate temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 percent relative humidity. The accepted norm today is to maintain a cigar moisture content in the range of 65-75 percent relative humidity, where the range of a68-72 percent relative humidity is considered optimum. At a relative humidity over 75 percent, mold can grow in the cigar, and the cigar can be difficult to smoke (or draw). When the cigar is kept in relative humidity under 65 percent, it can become hard and dry and the outer wrapper can crack or break.
When a cigar smoker desires to start smoking a cigar, they could be expected to desire information as to the relative humidity of the cigar to ensure that the cigar is suitable to smoke, and will deliver the taste and pleasure the user expects from the smoking experience. There are moisture meters available today that are capable of sensing the moisture content of a cigar prior to use, but those meters do not provide the user with a direct display of the relative humidity of the cigar. Instead these meters display the moisture content, but not in terms of the relative humidity, which is the factor most cigar smokers are used to observing when purchasing and/or using a cigar.
One such moisture content sensing meter is shown in Caldwell, U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,409, where the resistance differential across the probes of the meter in turn indicates the moisture content in the portion of the cigar in contact with the probes after the resistance is amplified by a resistor/transistor coupling prior to being output to the display. The display in the Caldwell patent is shown as a needle indicating “wet,” “dry,” “good,” etc. While the Caldwell patent indicates, but does not illustrate, that a numerical reading could be provided at the display, there is no teaching in the Caldwell patent of a display of relative humidity inside the cigar. Caldwell detects only the moisture content of the cigar, which is a different parameter than relative humidity. Further, the circuit illustrated in Caldwell would not be capable of providing a display of the relative humidity of the cigar being tested.
Therefore, it is an object of the disclosed meter to provide a meter readily usable by a cigar smoker for sensing the moisture content in a cigar and transforming the sensed moisture content into an accurate display of the relative humidity of the cigar about to be smoked stored, or simply used as a diagnostic tool by the cigar industry.
A cigar moisture meter with electrical probes connected to a circuit that transforms a reading of resistance across the probes of the meter into a visual display of the relative humidity inside the cigar. The meter's circuit receives the resistance reading of the moisture content of the cigar, and using a preinstalled table comprising values of relative humidity for moisture content at a given temperature converts the moisture content value to a relative humidity value. The relative humidity value is then electronically displayed on a screen visible to a user.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following detailed description of the embodiments, the appended claims and the accompanying figures.
The various features, advantages, and other uses of the apparatus will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.
Referring to
Referring to
The power supply output (
A thermistor or temperature sensor 38 subcircuit.
Microprocessor 32 includes embedded data comprising relationships of relative humidity values for given increments of moisture content of cigar 26 at multiple temperatures. When a moisture content value signal is generated at prongs 18 (
A low battery circuit 40 (
In an alternate embodiment of the presently disclosed relative humidity meter, microprocessor 32 includes data for converting moisture content information to a relative humidity value at a single given temperature. For example, the given temperature may be 70 degrees F., which is the temperature cigars are normally stored in humidors.
The prongs 18 can also be used as a small hole insert or punch to cut two small holes in the cap of the cigar to allow ease of draw.
The meter 10 described above can be used to read the moisture content and display the relative humidity factor of cigars, cigarillos, cigarette tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, hookah material, pipe tobacco, and medicinal marijuana.
While the present disclosure has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.
