Patent Application
20210000170
The present invention relates to a hookah bowl. In particular, the present invention relates to hookah bowls with safety features.
A hookah bowl is a bowl used for smoking tobacco using a water pipe, such as a hookah. Such hookahs generally include a head or bowl for holding tobacco, a plate disposed over the bowl for holding charcoal, a body having an internal pipe, a base containing water and a hose. In use, the pipe is placed in the base with water with the body creating an airtight seal with the base. The tobacco is placed in the bowl over the pipe. The plate with charcoal is placed over the bowl so that the charcoal heats the tobacco under the plate. The user can inhale through the hose which draws smoke from the burning tobacco through the pipe and through the water into the hose so that the smoke can be inhaled.
However, such hookah bowls often create safety issues. In many hookah bowls, a lid may merely rest on top of the plate containing the charcoal, with the plate may be easily removable to allow placement of the tobacco underneath. If the hookah bowl or hookah falls over, the hot or burning charcoal and tobacco may be spilled out of the bowl onto a floor, a carpet or even onto a person using the hookah.
Accordingly, an improved hookah bowl with safety features is desired.
Embodiments of the invention comprise a hookah bowl that includes a bowl having an interior space for holding tobacco, a plate disposed above the bowl for holding charcoal to be burned thereon to ignite the tobacco, a lid disposed over the bowl and over the plate to enclose the charcoal on the plate, and a latch mechanism configured to selectively latch the lid in a closed position over the plate or unlatch the lid allowing the lid to be rotated to an open position in which the plate is exposed to an outside environment.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention over the prior art will become apparent from the detailed description of the drawings which follows, when considered with the attached figures.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.
Embodiments of the invention comprise a hookah bowl that includes a bowl having an interior space for holding tobacco, a plate disposed above the bowl for holding charcoal to be burned thereon to ignite the tobacco, a lid disposed over the bowl and over the plate to enclose the charcoal on the plate, and a latch mechanism configured to selectively latch the lid in a closed position over the plate or unlatch the lid allowing the lid to be rotated to an open position in which the plate is exposed to an outside environment.
A hookah bowl 100 is illustrated in
The handle 102 is configured to be held in a human hand, or can be attached to a hookah pipe (not shown). The handle may be made from various materials, but is preferably made from a material to increase grip. For example, the handle 102 may be a rubber material. The handle 102 may include a lower lip 138 that extends outward. The handle may include protrusions 134 to increase grip. The protrusions 134 may be separated from areas of the handle not having protrusions by areas 136. Other configurations of the handle 102 may be used with embodiments of the invention.
The bowl 104 is configured to hold tobacco therein. The bowl 104 also supports the plate 110 on an upper edge of the bowl 104. The plate is configured to support a material such as charcoal to provide heat to the tobacco in the bowl 104. The lid 108 sits on top of the plate 110, and can be securely retained over the plate 110 by the latch assembly 106, as further described below.
The latch assembly 106 includes a latch 114. The latch 114 has a hook portion 112. The hook portion 112 has a curved end configured to interface with a connector 128 on the side of the lid 108. When the latch 114 is turned, it causes the hook portion 112 to extend in an upward or downward direction to hook onto or release from the connector 128 on the lid 108, securing the lid 108 on to a top of the bowl 104 and the plate 110, or alternatively releasing the lid 108.
When the latch 114 is turned to cause the hook portion 112 to move upward, it is moved upward a distance such that the end of the hook portion 112 is at a higher position than the end of the connector 112. In a preferred embodiment, a portion 116 of the latch assembly 106 may rotate around a pivot point 115, allowing the lid 108 to be lifted off of the plate 110 and off of the bowl 104. To secure the lid 108, the portion 116 of the latch assembly may be pushed upwards so that the hook portion 112 interfaces with the connector 128, and the latch 114 may be turned, causing downward movement of the hook portion to secure the lid 108.
In a preferred embodiment, a connection portion 124 of the lid 108 is positioned at an opposite side of the lid 108 from where the connector 128 is disposed, and the connection portion 124 of the lid 108 may be connected to a pivot point 122. When the latch 114 is turned to release the lid 108, and the lid 108 is lifted such as by pushing on an underside of handle 130, the right side of the lid 108 in
The plate 110 may include cutout portions 132. The cutout portions 132 may allow airflow to the plate 110 and any charcoal thereto when the lid 108 is closed. Further details of the plate are discussed herein in conjunction with
On an opposite side of the central portion 118 from the latch 114, the latch assembly 106 includes an attachment portion 120 configured to attach the latch assembly 106 to the lid 108, such that the lid 108 can rotate around rotation point 122. A rod or other element may be disposed through the holes in the attachment portion 120 at rotation point 122 to facilitate rotation when the lid 108 is lifted. The attachment portion 120 may extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the central portion 118 extends.
The latch assembly 106, other than the portion 116 may be formed from two halves divided down a center, as shown by the central line in
The bowl 104 has a bottom wall 308, an outer wall 310 having an upper rim and an inner side wall 312, and an inner wall 314 having an upper rim 316. The bottom wall 308 may be flat or curved. The outer wall 310 may be formed in a circular shape, although other shapes could be used. The outer wall 310 may extend upward in a direction substantially perpendicular to a top surface of the bottom wall 308. The inner side wall 312 of the outer wall 310 may also be circular, but other shapes could be used. The outer wall 310 may have a substantially uniform thickness, although a varying thickness could be used.
The inner wall 314 may have a substantially uniform thickness or a varying thickness. In a preferred embodiment, the inner wall 314 may be sloped inward from bottom to top. The inner wall 314 may be circular in shape, although other shapes could be used. The inner wall 314 may form a hole 318 that extends all the way through the bottom of the bowl 104. The handle 102 may have a corresponding hole through its center that extends all the way down the handle 102.
The bowl 104 may have a plurality of projections 320 extending upward from the bottom wall 308. The projections 320 extend from the inner side wall 312 of the outer wall 310 towards the inner wall 314. In a preferred embodiment, the projections 320 extend to the upper rim of the outer wall 310 and have a top surface 322 that decreases in height as it moves from the outer wall 310 towards the inner wall 314. The projections 320 may have side walls 324 that are curved.
The bowl 104 has an inner chamber that is formed by the inner side wall 312, the inner wall 314 and the projections 322. The inner chamber is configured to receive tobacco to be burned. The hole 318 allows smoke from burning the tobacco to flow down through the hole 318 in the bowl 104 and through the corresponding hole in the handle 102.
In one embodiment, the plate 110 may have a connector portion 414 configured to connect the plate 110 to the attachment portion 120 of the latch assembly 106 at pivot point 122. When the plate 110 is connected to the latch assembly 106, the plate 110 can be raised to an open position by pushing on a bottom side of the plate 110 to raise the plate at a side of the plate opposite from the connector portion 414 which can rotate about pivot point 122.
The plate 110 may also have one or more projections 416. The projections 416 may be circular. As shown in
It will be appreciated that the hookah bowl illustrated in the figures is only exemplary of the specific illustrated embodiments. For example, it is possible to for the hookah bowl to have various other configurations, including different shapes and styles and having different components than as just described.
For example, instead of the latch mechanism 106 and connector 128 for selectively connecting or disconnecting the lid to the bowl 104 and plate 110, the hookah bowl 100 could include another means for selectively connecting or disconnecting the lid to the bowl 104 and plate 110, such as another type of fastener. For example, in place of the latch 106, embodiments of the invention could use a magnetic connector, a screw-on lid, a locking hinge, or even a connector utilizing a material such as Velcro.
Additionally, while the embodiments illustrate a single latch 114 with a rotation point on the opposite side of the bowl, an alternative embodiment could have two latches on opposite sides of the bowl.
It will be understood that the above described arrangements of apparatus and the method there from are merely illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention and many other embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
