Patent Application
20230255260
The present invention relates to smokable items, including an edible mouthpiece for use with cigars, cigarettes, pre-rolls, and other smokable items.
Cigars are well known and smoked for pleasure throughout the world. Cigar mouthpieces (also referred to as cigar tips) are mouthpieces designed to be coupled to the mouth end of a cigar (e.g., the end that is pressed against one's lips for smoking) to provide one or more surfaces for the user to hold the mouthpiece with his/her mouth (e.g., lips, teeth, etc.).
Currently, cigar mouthpieces are formed of plastic and thereby add no flavoring to the cigar during the smoking experience.
Accordingly, there is a need for an edible cigar mouthpiece for use with cigars and that add flavoring to the cigar to maximize the user's smoking experience.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the sev-eral views, and wherein:
For the purposes of this specification, the terms below will mean the following.
Cigar generally refers to a smokable comprising a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves. Cigars typically include three distinct components: the filler, the binder leaf which holds the filler together, and a wrapper leaf to form the smokable.
Cigarette generally refers to a smokable comprising a thin cylinder of finely cut tobacco, cannabis, other types of leaves, flowers, herbs, and/or other smokable materials, rolled in a suitable paper for smoking.
Cone generally refers to a conical- or frustum-shaped cigarette (or “joint”) wherein the shape flares from a smaller diameter proximal base to a larger diameter distal tip. Cones may typically comprise paper, hemp, palm leaves, rice, cotton cellulose, glycerin, and/or other suitable materials.
Pre-roll generally refers to a cigarette or cone that has been formed prior to its sale and is therefore consumer-ready (i.e., a consumer is not required to fill or otherwise form the smokable).
Empty cone refers to an empty cone into which a consumer may place smokable materials (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, etc.) to form a smokable cone.
Mouthpiece refers to a tip coupled with the mouth end of a cigar, cone, cigarette, or other smokable item that acts to support the proximal end of the smokable (e.g., the end that is pressed against one's lips for smoking) and to provide one or more surfaces for the user to hold the mouthpiece with his/her mouth (e.g., lips, teeth, etc.).
In general, and according to exemplary embodiments hereof, an edible mouthpiece system 10 for use with a smokable item (e.g., a cigar, a cigarette, a pre-roll cone, an empty cone, a pre-rolled or hand-rolled cigarette, etc.) is provided. The edible mouthpiece system 10 may generally comprise candy (e.g., hard candy, chewing gum, etc.), other types of edible materials, and any combinations thereof. During use, the edible mouthpiece system 10 is coupled with the mouth end of a smokable item, comes into physical contact with the user's mouth, and provides flavoring thereto to enhance the smoking experience. Smoke from the smokable item also may be enhanced with flavor while passing through an inner passageway within the mouthpiece system 10 to the user's mouth.
In some embodiments, the edible mouthpiece system 10 is provided as a standalone item for use in pre-rolling and/or hand rolling a cigar, cone, cigarette, etc. In other embodiments, the edible mouthpiece system 10 includes (e.g., is coupled with) an empty cone and is provided to the consumer. The consumer then may fill the empty cone with smokable materials to form a smokable cone wherein the edible mouthpiece system 10 is used as the cone's mouthpiece. It is understood that the edible mouthpiece system 10 may be used with any suitable smokable item in any suitable configuration and that the examples provided herein are not meant to be limiting.
In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in
In some embodiments, the system 10 also includes a mouth portion 24 including an upper mouth surface 26 and a lower mouth surface 28 that may provide areas onto which the user may place his/her teeth and/or lips to generally hold the system 10 within his/her mouth during use. The insert system 10 also may include other elements as necessary for the system 10 to perform its functionalities.
The edible mouthpiece system 10 will next be described in further detail with respect to
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the first end 14 of the mouthpiece body 12 is adapted to be abutted against and coupled to an unlit mouth end of a smokable item SI such as a cigar. In some embodiments, an outer layer of wrapping leaf, paper, or other suitable material may be wrapped circumferentially around the outer interface between the mouthpiece body 12 and the mouth end of the smokable item SI to form a seal between the two 12, SI. In this embodiment, it may be preferable that D1 of the mouthpiece body 12 be chosen to generally match the diameter of the mouth end of the smokable item SI so that the outer sidewalls 18 of the mouthpiece body 12 and the outer sidewalls of the smokable item SI are generally flush.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the end cavity 38 includes a diameter D5 chosen to generally match the diameter of the mouth end of the smokable item SI so that the mouth end of the smokable item SI may be inserted into the end cavity 38 and be held securely therein. This is shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the mouthpiece body 12 comprises an edible material. For example, the body 12 may comprise any type of hard sugar candy, compressed sugar candy, caramel, butterscotch, chewing gum, bubble gum, sucker, jaw breaker, chocolate, taffy, toffee, marzipan, praline, marshmallow, candy cane, mint, gumdrop, gummy, other types of edible materials, and any combinations thereof. It is understood that the edible material may include any type of flavoring as desired, such as, without limitation, fruit flavored (e.g., cherry, grape, lemon-lime, raspberry, mango, coconut, banana, orange, apple, lemonade, limeade, etc.), mint, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, sour, other flavors, and any combinations thereof.
In some embodiments, the edible material is chosen to have a melting point that enables the mouthpiece body 12 to generally hold its form without completely melting during use. It is understood that the edible material may be affected by the temperature of the smoke from the burning smokable item SI, and that the temperature may cause the edible material to slightly melt or otherwise warp during use. However, it is preferable that the edible material be designed to generally withstand bursts of high temperature smoke from the smokable item SI being inhaled by the user and to not completely lose its shape and form during the duration of the smoking experience (e.g., 5-15 minutes). For example, it may be preferable that the edible material be able to withstand 3-5 second bursts of 400° C.-900° C. smoke without significantly deforming (e.g., without the inner passageway 20 closing and/or becoming obstructed).
In some implementations, e.g., the mouthpiece system 10 may be provided to manufacturers of cigars, cigarettes, pre-roll cones, and/or empty cones, etc. to be coupled to these types of products and then sold to consumers. In another example, the mouthpiece system 10 may be coupled with a cigar, pre-roll cone and/or cigarette, and/or to an empty cone during its manufacturing and made for sale to consumers as the combination. In another example, the mouthpiece system 10 may be sold directly to consumers such that the consumers themselves may couple the mouthpiece system 10 with wrapper leaf, rolling paper, or other materials to form a cigar, cigarette, a cone, an empty cone, or other type of smokable item. It is understood that the examples described above are meant for demonstration and are non-limiting.
It is understood that any details and/or aspects of any embodiments described herein may be combined with any details and/or aspects of any other embodiments in any way to form additional embodiment(s) all of which are within the scope of the filter system 10.
Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In another embodiment, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., a step is performed by or with the assistance of a human).
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “at least some” means “one or more,” and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase “at least some ABCs” means “one or more ABCs”, and includes the case of only one ABC.
As used herein, including in the claims, term “at least one” should be understood as meaning “one or more”, and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with “at least one” have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as “the” and “the at least one”.
As used in this description, the term “portion” means some or all. So, for example, “A portion of X” may include some of “X” or all of “X”. In the context of a conversation, the term “portion” means some or all of the conversation.
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “using” means “using at least,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “using X” means “using at least X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “using X” does not mean “using only X.”
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “based on” means “based in part on” or “based, at least in part, on,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “based on factor X” means “based in part on factor X” or “based, at least in part, on factor X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “based on X” does not mean “based only on X.”
In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word “only” is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “distinct” means “at least partially distinct.” Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, “X is distinct from Y” means that “X is at least partially distinct from Y,” and does not mean that “X is fully distinct from Y.” Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “X is distinct from Y” means that X differs from Y in at least some way.
It should be appreciated that the words “first,” “second,” and so on, in the description and claims, are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, letter labels (e.g., “(A)”, “(B)”, “(C)”, and so on, or “(a)”, “(b)”, and so on) and/or numbers (e.g., “(i)”, “(ii)”, and so on) are used to assist in readability and to help distinguish and/or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting or to impose or imply any serial or numerical limitations or orderings. Similarly, words such as “particular,” “specific,” “certain,” and “given,” in the description and claims, if used, are to distinguish or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting.
As used herein, including in the claims, the terms “multiple” and “plurality” mean “two or more,” and include the case of “two.” Thus, e.g., the phrase “multiple ABCs,” means “two or more ABCs,” and includes “two ABCs.” Similarly, e.g., the phrase “multiple PQRs,” means “two or more PQRs,” and includes “two PQRs.”
The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” or “approximately 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).
As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Throughout the description and claims, the terms “comprise”, “including”, “having”, and “contain” and their variations should be understood as meaning “including but not limited to”, and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.
It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).
Use of exemplary language, such as “for instance”, “such as”, “for example” (“e.g.,”) and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
