Patent Application
20220361566
The present invention generally relates to smoking devices and vaporization devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a water pipe with a detachable ice catcher, a detachable down-stem holder (aka stem), and a silicone armor system. The invention also will include a one-piece water pipe design made from one single mold instead of 4 individual pieces of glass being fused together.
A water pipe with a detachable ice catcher is in demand. A bong (aka a water pipe) is a filtration device designed for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. The purpose of a bong is twofold: it uses water to filter and cool the smoke or vape, thus acting as a filtration and cooling system.
In other words, the bong allows the user to produce a smoother, cleaner smoke or vape. The bong typically consists of 6 major components: main tube, mouthpiece, base, down stem holder (aka stem), down stem, and bowl. However, such pipes, as known in the art, have a single common feature: their relative frailty.
Pipes, including water pipes, are known to break when subjected to forces that exceed their mechanical strength characteristics. At the current time, almost all glass blowers in the USA buy these 6 components and then weld the mouthpiece, main tube, stem, and base together. Many bong manufacturers use a thin 5 mm down stem holder that will crack on impact.
The second problem that all cannabis users face is the inability to clean the pipe thoroughly with a brush due to two major components, the percolator and the ice catcher, which make it physically impossible to introduce a brush and reach all the nooks and crannies. The percolator is much more trouble than it is worth. Careful analysis shows that the percolator serves no functional purpose except to entertain and allow the seller to charge a premium price. No scientific evidence points to its benefits for this particular application. Meanwhile, the problem with all ice catchers is that they are permanent because they use a pinch design and do not allow the user to insert a brush for a thorough cleaning. Thus, there is a need to develop a device to solve these problems.
The present invention is intended to address problems associated with and/or otherwise improve on conventional systems and devices through an innovative bong device that is shatter-resistant and designed to provide an effective means to clean the bong while incorporating other problem-solving features.
In accordance with the present invention, a bong device is provided. The bong device comprises a tubular pipe body having one or more apertures and a reservoir, a base, an ice catcher, a stem and a tubular downstem sized to fit in the stem.
In one embodiment, the ice catcher is detachably connected to the tubular body. The ice catcher is a cylindrical rod with smooth round outer edges to prevent injuries to the human fingers, and has silicone grommets attached on each end and deployed within the air passage defined within the tubular pipe body and configured to support one or more pieces of ice.
In one other embodiment, the tubular pipe body, mouthpiece, base, and stem are made of glass and molded or fused together as a single piece.
In some other embodiments, the tubular pipe body, mouthpiece, and base can be made of 9 mm-thick glass, and the downstem holder (aka stem) can be made of 7 mm-, 8 mm-, or 9 mm-thick glass.
In some other embodiments, the present invention can be made of 9 mm-thick glass throughout the entire bong device of the present invention.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention provides a durable, shatter-resistant glass water pipe (bong) that is easy to clean with a brush.
Although glass is the most sought-after material for water pipes, the problem with this material is that glass will shatter when dropped. The present invention provides a bong that won't crack easily if a user drops it on the ground, even though it's made of glass.
The present invention includes a detachable ice catcher that allows the user to insert a brush to clean the bong thoroughly with soap and water, eliminating the need for professional cleaning and chemical cleaning solutions. All the water pipes currently on the market use a permanent pinch-style ice catcher that makes it physically impossible to stick a brush in.
As shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the tubular pipe body 10, mouthpiece 40, base 50, and stem 30 are made of glass and molded or fused together as a single piece.
In some embodiments, the tubular pipe body 10, mouthpiece 40, and base 50 can be made of 9 mm-thick glass, and the stem 30 can be made of 7 mm-, 8 mm-, or 9 mm-thick glass. The base 50 can be made of 9 mm-18 mm thick glass.
To further strengthen the area surrounding the stem 30, which is the weakest point on the water pipe, an armor system can be provided, which can be made out of flexible silicone that acts as a shock absorber during a sudden impact.
In some embodiments, the entire bong device 100 of the present invention can be covered by the flexible silicone that acts as a shock absorber.
The tubular pipe body 10 defines the air passage 60. The lower portion of the air passage 60 can be configured to serve as a reservoir 65 that can contain a cooling fluid (e.g., water).
In some embodiments, the tubular pipe body 10 may include a plurality of apertures 70 formed through a sidewall to regulate airflow through the tubular pipe body 10.
As shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the tubular pipe body 10 has an aperture 70 that accommodates the insertion of the ice catcher 20 made of glass, which is in the shape of a cylindrical rod in 8 mm thick. The ice catcher 20 could be anywhere from 6 mm-9 mm. The optimal size appears to be 8 mm and should have smooth round edges to prevent injuries to the human fingers. The ice catcher 20 can be suitably sized so that the ice catcher 20 can be easily detached from the tubular pipe body 10.
The ice catcher 20 can alternatively be of any other shape and can comprise a suitable dimension to catch the ice 27 put in the tubular pipe body 10.
The ice catcher 20 can include grommets (which can be any grommets known in the art) on each end to firmly secure the ice catcher 20 on the tubular pipe body 10. The grommet can be made out of silicone and its purpose is to create an airtight seal.
Human lungs are highly sensitive to the sensation of inhaling warm or hot smoke, meaning that the smoke or vape ought to be as cool as possible. The problem with all known ice catchers is that they are permanent because they use a pinch design and do not allow users to insert a brush for a thorough cleaning.
The ice catcher 20 which is detachable solves this problem. The ice catcher 20 can be made from a thick 8 mm glass stirring rod held in place airtight with a silicone grommet.
The stem 30 can be a tube or tubular structure attached to one side of the tubular pipe body 10. The stem 30 can be configured to accommodate the downstem 35 so that the downstem 35 can be inserted into the stem 30 as shown in
In some embodiments, the stem 30 can be made of silicone and detachably connected to the tubular pipe body 10.
The downstem 35, as shown in
In some embodiments, the present invention can be connected to silicone detachable clips known in the art design to hold the stem 30 and the downstem 35 together.
As shown in
As shown in
The proximal end 37 (opposite the distal end 36) of the downstem 35 can be arranged outside one end of the stem 30 (opposite the end attached to one side of the tubular pipe body 10) and can include an upper opening 27.
In some embodiments, the upper member 32 of the downstem 35 may include a greater diameter than the lower member 34 and tapered sides, as shown in
The upper member 32 and the upper opening 27 of the downstem 35 can be sufficiently large to attach a dry herb vaporizer which is known in the art.
In some embodiments, a shoulder 38 can be interposed between the upper member 32 and lower 34 member of the downstem 35.
In the preferred embodiment, the downstem 35 and stem 30 are two separate components. The detachable stem 30 that can be made of silicone will attach to the tubular pipe body 10 through a pre-made hole 45 in the tubular pipe body 10, as shown in
In some embodiments, the present invention may be connected to a bowl known in the art that can be placed on the upper end of the downstem 35. Such bowls can be cold-formed of glass and include a plurality of airflow apertures.
In use, vapor from the present invention can be drawn through the flared upper end (the proximal end 37 and upper opening 27) of the downstem 35 through the lower opening 26 of the downstem 35 and into the water filled in the lower portion (reservoir 65) of the present invention.
The vapor can be further drawn through the ice placed in the tubular pipe body 10 and supported by the ice catcher 20 before being inhaled by the user.
In the tubular pipe body 10, the water filters and the ice cools the vapor prior to the vapor passing into the user's lungs. The lower portion of the tubular pipe body 10 (which can be the reservoir 65) can be partially filled with enough water to submerge the lower opening 26 of the downstem 35 and still provide a substantial volume of air filling the remainder of the reservoir 65 which can extend above the waterline 25.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63189349 | May 2021 | US |
