Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to metered smoking apparatuses and methods of manufacturing thereof, and more particularly, to metered smoking apparatuses having indicia thereon which indicate metered quantities of a smokable product or an active ingredient thereof.
In general, smoking apparatuses such as cigarettes or joints are typically created by pre-filling substances such as tobacco or marijuana into flexible burnable media provided in tubular or conical form, or by employing rolling materials made of the burnable media and then rolling the rolling materials into substantially cylindrical or conical shapes. For example, smoking apparatuses such as cigarettes or medical marijuana joints may be pre-filled in a factory setting. In this case, the burnable media may be formed into a predetermined shape, such as a cylinder or cone, and then filled from an opening in the top thereof with a substance, such as tobacco, marijuana, and/or other substances. The smoking apparatus would then be sealed and ready for end user consumption. It is also possible for users to purchase the burnable media separately in the form of rolling materials and then roll the burnable media around the substance to prepare the smoking apparatus for consumption. Once the smoking apparatus is lit, the smoke from these substances is inhaled by a user, thereby enabling the user to consume a desired active ingredient contained within the substance, such as nicotine or THC.
For various reasons, users may not want to consume an entire cigarette or joint in a single sitting. For example, the user may be concerned about the adverse physical or psychological effects of consuming a substantial quantity of a substance in a short period of time. Alternatively, the user may have financial reasons for desiring to restrict the quantity of a substance consumed during a single smoking session. Importantly for medical usage in particular, a user may need to consume a precisely measured fraction (dose) of a smoking substance during a single sitting. For example, a user of medical marijuana may need to consume a certain predetermined amount, such as a certain number of milligrams, of active ingredient(s) of medical marijuana during a single sitting. However, the conventional methods using pre-filled burnable media or rolling materials made of such media do not provide any effective indication of the quantity of the substance or its active ingredient being inhaled by the user, and thus, users of the conventional burnable media may end up smoking more or less than a desired amount of a substance or active ingredient during a smoking session.
Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to metered smoking apparatuses and methods of manufacturing thereof, which enable a user to easily monitor and control a precise quantity of a substance and/or an active ingredient of the substance being consumed while smoking.
Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented exemplary embodiments.
According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a metered smoking apparatus including: a burnable media including indicia that visually represent a plurality of smokable units of a smokable substance or an active ingredient thereof, each of the smokable units corresponding to a same predetermined quantity of the smokable substance or the active ingredient; wherein the burnable media is configured such that the indicia are sequentially burned in a burn line direction that is a direction in which a burn line burns when the metered smoking apparatus is smoked, to thereby indicate consumption of the predetermined quantity on a unit-by-unit basis.
The burnable media may further include an axis oriented parallel to the burn line direction, and the indicia may include hash marks oriented perpendicularly along the axis.
The predetermined quantity may be a weight or volume of the smokable substance, and the hash marks may employ a cumulative linear methodology by which the hash marks are evenly spaced apart from each other along the burn line direction to indicate a cumulative increase in the weight or the volume of the smokable substance consumed.
The hash marks may be labeled in an ascending order of integers in the burn line direction.
The predetermined quantity may alternatively and preferably be an amount of active ingredient contained within the smokable substance, and the hash marks may employ a cumulative non-linear methodology by which the hash marks are spaced apart from each other in a non-linear manner along the burn line direction to indicate a cumulative increase in the consumed active ingredient of the smokable substance. The spacing is not linear due to self-concentration of the active ingredient within the remaining amount of unsmoked substance, as smoking proceeds.
The non-linearly spaced apart hash marks may be configured such that spaces between adjacent ones of the hash marks decrease in the burn line direction, to thereby compensate for self-concentration by, e.g., resin buildup in the burn line direction, such that each of the units contains a same amount of the active ingredient.
The burnable media may further include an axis oriented parallel to the burn line direction, and the indicia may include dose units oriented along the axis, where each of the dose units indicates a same dose of the predetermined quantity.
The predetermined quantity may be a weight or volume of the smokable substance, and the dose units may employ a dose unit linear methodology by which the dose units are the same length as each other along the burn line direction, such that each dose unit indicates a same weight or volume of the smokable substance.
The predetermined quantity may be an active ingredient contained within the smokable substance, and the dose units may employ a dose unit non-linear methodology by which the lengths of the dose units decrease in the burn line direction, to thereby account for self-concentration during smoking, via e.g., resin buildup, such that each of the dose units contains a same amount of the active ingredient.
The metered smoking apparatus may have a conical shape that decreases in diameter in the burn line direction.
The burnable media may further include an axis oriented parallel to the burn line direction, the indicia may include hash marks oriented perpendicularly along the axis, and the hash marks may be labeled in a descending order of integers in the burn line direction.
The metered smoking apparatus may further include: a filter provided at the end of the burnable media opposite an end of the burnable media that is initially lit.
According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a burnable media in the form of a rolling material to be rolled around a smokable substance to thereby create a metered smoking apparatus, the burnable media including: indicia that visually represent a plurality of smokable units of the smokable substance or an active ingredient thereof, each of the smokable units corresponding to a same predetermined quantity of the smokable substance or the active ingredient; and wherein the burnable media is configured such that the indicia are sequentially burned in a burn line direction that is a direction in which a burn line burns when the metered smoking apparatus is smoked, to thereby indicate consumption of the predetermined quantity on a unit-by-unit basis.
The burnable media may further include an axis oriented parallel to the burn line direction, the indicia may include hash marks oriented perpendicularly along the axis, the predetermined quantity may be a weight or volume of the smokable substance, and the hash marks may employ a cumulative linear methodology by which the hash marks are evenly spaced apart from each other along the burn line direction to indicate a cumulative weight or volume of the smokable substance being consumed.
The burnable media may further include an axis oriented parallel to the burn line direction, the indicia may include hash marks oriented perpendicularly along the axis; the predetermined quantity may be an amount of active ingredient contained within the substance, and the hash marks may employ a cumulative non-linear methodology by which the hash marks are spaced apart from each other in a non-linear manner along the burn line direction to indicate a cumulative increase in the consumed active ingredient of the smokable substance. The spacing is not linear due to self-concentration of the active ingredient within the remaining amount of unsmoked substance, as smoking proceeds.
The non-linear spaced apart hash marks may be configured such that spaces between adjacent ones of the hash marks decrease in the burn line direction, to thereby compensate for self-concentration by, e.g., resin buildup in the burn line direction, such that each of the smokable units contains a same amount of the active ingredient.
The burnable media may further include an axis oriented parallel to the burn line direction, the indicia may include dose units oriented along the axis, where each of the dose units indicates a same dose of the predetermined quantity, and the predetermined quantity may be a weight or volume of the smokable substance, and the dose units may employ a dose unit linear methodology by which the dose units are the same length as each other along the burn line direction, such that each dose unit indicates a same weight or volume of the smokable substance.
The burnable media may further include an axis oriented parallel to the burn line direction, the indicia may include dose units oriented along the axis, where each of the dose units indicates a same dose of the predetermined quantity, and the predetermined quantity may be an active ingredient contained within the smokable substance, and the dose units may employ a dose unit non-linear methodology by which the lengths of the dose units decrease in the burn line direction, to thereby compensate for self-concentration via, e.g., resin buildup, such that each of the dose units contains a same amount of the active ingredient.
According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method of manufacturing a metered smoking apparatus, the method including: providing indicia to a burnable media, the indicia visually representing a plurality of smokable units of a smokable substance or an active ingredient thereof, each of the smokable units corresponding to a same predetermined quantity of the smokable substance or the active ingredient; and rolling the burnable media with the indicia provided thereon to thereby create the metered smoking apparatus, wherein the burnable media is configured such that the indicia are sequentially burned in a burn line direction that is a direction in which a burn line burns when the metered smoking apparatus is smoked, to thereby indicate consumption of the predetermined quantity on a unit-by-unit basis.
These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Hereinafter, metered smoking apparatuses and methods of manufacturing thereof according to exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
According to exemplary embodiments, it is understood that when a material is referred to as being “rolled around” a substance, the material can be directly wrapped around the substance such that the material directly contacts the substance, or can have intervening substances or layers between the material and the substance. Moreover, according to exemplary embodiments, the term “rolled around” and similar terms are intended to cover many different techniques of preparing a smoking apparatus, including for example, pre-rolling a burnable media (e.g., cigarette or joint) in a factory setting. More specifically, the term “rolled around” and similar terms may refer to a technique performed in a factory or other mass production facility whereby the media material is rolled into a certain shape before the substance is filled and packed within the media material, and then the substance is packed inside the pre-rolled material. In this case, the burnable media may be formed into a predetermined shape, such as a cylinder or cone, by machines or people in the factory, and then a substance, such as tobacco, marijuana, and/or other substances may be filled and packed into the already rolled burnable media through an opening at an end thereof and sealed. The smoking apparatus would thus be sealed in the factory and delivered to the user in a completely pre-rolled form. In this way, it is possible to mass produce smoking apparatuses such as cigarettes or joints according to precise criteria, e.g., physical dimensions, weight, volume, concentration of active ingredient, densities of various substances, size of grinded material, etc. These pre-filled smoking apparatuses would not require any additional rolling by a user, and would be available for immediate consumption by simply lighting and smoking the smoking apparatus. According to another aspect of certain exemplary embodiments, it is also possible for end users to purchase burnable media separately and then add the substance to the burnable media. In this case, the burnable media could be pre-rolled into a certain shape (e.g., cylinder or cone), so that the user simply needs to add substance into an opening of the burnable media and then seal the filled burnable media, or could be sold as a flat burnable media and the user would then need to roll the flat burnable media around the substance. In general, exemplary embodiments cover any and all techniques by which substances, such as marijuana, tobacco, etc., can be contained within a burnable media and smoked by a user, although it is expected that pre-filled smoking apparatuses which are rolled in a factory setting may be a highly desirable implementation.
It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features or operations, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features or operations.
As used herein, the term “unit”, also referred to as a “smokable unit”, and similar terms may refer to a unit of a substance that is measured in some way. For example, the “smokable unit” may have a certain predetermined mass of a smokable substance (e.g., 1 g of tobacco or marijuana), may have a certain quantity of an active ingredient within the substance regardless of the mass (e.g., 1 mg nicotine, THC, cannabidiol (CBD), etc.), or may have some other measured physical or chemical characteristic that is desired. Thus, the “unit” or “smokable unit” may be any kind of quantity that may be measured using many different techniques applicable to various states of matter, including solids, liquids, and gases. In this way, the “unit” can refer to a quantity that is metered or measured based on numerous different physical or chemical characteristics, e.g., weight (e.g., milligrams), volume (e.g., milliliters), density, burn rates, burn temperatures, etc.
The accuracy of the metered information can depend on various factors. Some examples of such factors include the potency of the substance in the smoking apparatus (e.g., cigarette/joint), the packing density of the substance within the smoking apparatus, the geometrical shape of the cigarette/joint, drug losses during combustion, drug loss during idle time, transfer characteristics of the smoke through the cigarette/joint and mouthpiece, and other factors.
Several of the above-mentioned variables may be accounted for by routine technical investigation within the capabilities of those of skill in the art. Developments in testing, mixing, packing techniques and processing, packing machinery, and so forth will reduce the error effects of these variables.
Additionally, according to exemplary embodiments, smoking apparatuses include “indicia”, such as hash marks, dose marks, or other types of visual indicators, that are divided into a plurality of units and indicate a same predetermined quantity related to a substance per each of the units. Thus, the “indicia” are used to indicate the “units” to a user smoking the smoking apparatus. Although certain aspects of exemplary embodiments illustrate the indicia as hash marks or dose marks, exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and the term “indicia” can refer to any kind of information that indicates a unit of consumption to a user. The “indicia” can be any of many different types of tactile or visual indicators, such as hash marks, dose units, color coded symbols, letters, numbers, artwork, other symbols or characters; notches, perforations and so forth in the rolling paper, or portions of substance which burn in a particular way (e.g., different colors or types of flame to indicate the end of a unit, etc.). Moreover, the “indicia” are not limited to being tactile or visual indicators, and may also be audio indicators, etc.
It should be understood that the scope of the exemplary embodiments is not limited by the description of certain exemplary embodiments below and matters that can be derived by those of ordinary skill in the art fall within the scope of the exemplary embodiments. Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings below.
Referring to
The burnable media 11a includes a series of hash marks 12a oriented along an axis 13a where the hash marks 12a function as indicia of units of the substance 17 being consumed. According to an exemplary embodiment, the axis 13a is parallel to the burn line direction 18, and the hash marks 12a are perpendicular to the axis 13a, although it is understood that exemplary embodiments are not limited to this particular configuration. According to the cumulative linear methodology, the hash marks 12a are evenly spaced apart from each other and indicate a cumulative increase in a quantity of substance being consumed. In the example shown in
The burnable media 10a further optionally includes a buffer zone 14, which is a portion designed to provide a buffer between the units of substance 17 to be smoked and the portion of the burnable media 10a being held by the user. The buffer zone 14 may be filled with any kind of material that provides a buffer between the burning substance and the user's hands, to prevent burns or other discomfort.
When a user initially lights the smoking apparatus 16 shown in
According to exemplary embodiments, the method for determining the relationship between potency and other characteristics of a portion of smokable substance includes initially capturing various samples of a specific volume of smoke generated at different times and positions in the life of the joint, and analyzing each of the samples of smoke to determine a concentration of active ingredients in each of the samples. Using this data, a data model is built which reveals the relationship between the amount of active ingredients consumed and other factors, such as quantity of active ingredient (e.g., THC) vs. a position in the joint, quantity of active ingredient vs. density of overall substance, quantity of active ingredient vs. type of marijuana, quantity of active ingredient vs. burn rate, etc. The non-linear relationship determined from the data model informs the location of indicia to be placed on burnable media.
The burnable media 20 shown in
As shown in
The burnable media 21 further optionally includes a buffer zone 24, which may be substantially the same as the buffer zone 14 of the burnable media 10a, although not limited thereto.
When a user initially lights the smoking apparatus 26 shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment, the smoking apparatus 26 may be a pre-filled smoking apparatus (e.g., a joint) that is manufactured in a factory setting to achieve manufacturing of highly accurate pre-filled joints that precisely include the same quantity of active ingredient per each smokable unit. To manufacture an accurately filled smoking apparatus 26, the manufacturing techniques according to exemplary embodiments require consideration of numerous different factors. For example, when the substance 17 is marijuana and the active ingredient of the substance 17 is THC, the manufacturing of the pre-filled joints requires consideration of some or all of the following factors:
(a) potency: the potency of the substance 17 is preferably controlled. Typically, the potency is controlled to be within a specific range such as, for example 20-22% THC, with 21% THC being the desired concentration. Other ranges are also possible, and in general lower potency ranges can be obtained by blending lower and higher potency parts of the marijuana plant.
(b) size/texture: the grind of substance 17 is of a consistent size so that the substance 17 can be readily filled and packed into a joint.
(c) burn rate: the substance 17 may also need to be ‘ground down’ (or chopped) into an appropriate size to achieve a good burn rate. Preferably, the substance 17 is ground down to a size which enables the smoking apparatus 26 to stay lit between puffs, without burning too fast.
(d) density: the substance 17 is filled and packed into pre-rolled joints in a controlled density.
According to another aspect of exemplary embodiments, the smoking apparatus 26 is not limited to being filled and packed in a factory setting, and may instead be made by an end user, in which case the end user may either fill and pack the smoking apparatus 26 by hand or with the aid of devices configured for an end user to pack a smoking apparatus. In either case, the burnable media 21 provides a significantly improved option over the conventional burnable media which does not have any indication of dosage of any kind.
As shown in
The burnable media 31 further optionally includes a buffer zone 34, which may be substantially the same as the buffer zone 14 of the burnable media 10a, although is not limited thereto.
When a user initially lights the smoking apparatus 36 shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment shown in
The burnable media 41 further optionally includes a buffer zone 44, which may be substantially the same as the buffer zone 14 of the burnable media 10a, although is not limited thereto.
When a user initially lights the smoking apparatus 46 shown in
As shown in
By performing careful control, the smoking apparatus 50 can be calibrated such that the hash marks 52 are evenly spaced apart and have the same deliverable quantity of active ingredient between each of the hash marks. Certain users may desire this feature. For example, if a user prefers to have the hash marks evenly spaced apart (e.g., for easy viewing), and also desires to have each of the units contain the same quantity of active ingredient, then the conical shape shown in
It is further understood that the smoking apparatus 50 is not limited to being conically shaped, and is also not limited to employing a cumulative linear methodology, and may instead employ any methodology according to any of the exemplary embodiments, such as the cumulative non-linear methodology shown in
In operation 72, a person adds indicia such as hash marks or dose units that indicate a certain quantity per unit (e.g., quantity of substance, quantity of active ingredient, etc.) to a burnable media. The hash marks or dose units can be, for example, any combination of the hash marks or dose units described above with respect to the exemplary embodiments shown in
In operation 74, the person rolls the burnable media with the indicia added thereon, to thereby create a metered smoking apparatus. This operation can be completed using many different rolling techniques known to those skilled in the art, e.g., by hand, by machine, by a combination, thereof, etc. Additionally, as noted above, operation 74 can be performed either before or after the substance 17 is packed into the burnable media. For example, operation 74 can be performed in a factory setting, where the burnable media is pre-rolled into a certain shape before the substance 17 is packed therein.
It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each exemplary embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other exemplary embodiments.
While one or more exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.
This non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to U.S. provisional patent application 62/557,711, filed on Sep. 12, 2017 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62557711 | Sep 2017 | US |