Patent Application
20220167685
The present disclosure relates to apparatus and method for consuming aerosols and/or vapors in a manner analogous to the consumption of liquids. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to apparatus and methods for capturing, portioning, and/or distributing smoke or vapor in single-serving and/or portable containers for consumption. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for capturing, portioning, and/or distributing smoke or vapor in single use or portable containers for consumption by inhalation in a matter that invokes consuming a liquid.
Throughout history, people have smoked tobacco and other similar materials such as herbal medicines, cannabis, or the like. Evidence for such activities has been found dating back thousands of years; however, until recently, with the advent of electronic vaporization devices, techniques for consuming such organic materials have remained relatively unchanged.
In modern society, consumption of material by smoking is generally given a negative stigma as smoking indoors and around others is highly restricted and consumption of smokable products are highly regulated. Further, as the available consumption techniques are limited, there are inherent physical disadvantages to smoking in addition to these social stigmas conferred by society. For example, consuming a tobacco cigarette in a modern social setting first typically requires the consumer to be outdoors, which, in instances of inclement weather or unfavorable conditions can be a disadvantage in and of itself. Next, the consumer must then ignite the cigarette with a lighter, match, or similar device and then must consume the cigarette by sucking vapor, typically through a filter, before exhaling unwanted byproducts. This technique is difficult and intends to lend negative social and sexual connotations to the act of smoking.
Other smoking devices, such as pipes, hookahs, or the like similarly impart negative stigma while further increasing difficulty and/or disadvantages to the consumer.
Newer devices, such as vape pens or other electronic smoking implements can be expensive, increase waste material, and may introduce additional health and/or safety concerns. For example, many of these newer devices utilize a glycol based medium to deliver the desired product (e.g. nicotine) to the user which can additionally deliver volatile compounds, heavy metals, chemical flavorants and the like in ultrafine particles which can be inhaled deeply into the lungs. This may lead to additional health concerns. Additionally, burns and explosions cause by defective and/or improperly handled battery units present additional risks for the consumer.
When contrasted with other forms of consumption, most notably consumption of liquids including recreational consumption of alcohol, smoking behaviors tend to isolate consumers while more socially acceptable drinking behaviors tend to facilitate group sharing and connection. For example, in a social setting, it is considered much more socially acceptable for a group of individuals to share a round of drinks as compared to a group of individuals sharing a consumable item by smoking. Further, liquid consumption facilitates the ability to divide and distribute a single common portion into individual servings while current smoking technologies do not afford such commonality, distribution, and/or portioning behaviors. Thus, there appear to be significant behavioral benefits regarding posture and comradery that are allowed by liquid consumption technologies that are not as readily available or allowed by current technologies for vapor consumption.
The present disclosure addresses these and other issues by providing apparatuses and methods for producing, capturing, portioning, and/or distributing smoke or vapor in a manner analogous to liquid consumption that may allow for social and/or more socially acceptable manners of consumption of vapor products. Further, the present disclosure may provide devices and techniques that readily and easily permit transportation, storage, and/or consumption in more socially acceptable and/or less stigmatized manners similar to liquid consumption.
In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method of consuming vapor comprising: extracting volatile oils from an organic material sample in the form of vapor using an extraction device; filling an interior chamber of a container with a volume of liquid; hermetically sealing the container; removing the volume of liquid from the container to draw the vapor from the extraction device and into the interior chamber of the container; and consuming the vapor from the container.
In another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method of storing and transporting vapor comprising: extracting volatile oils from an organic material sample in the form of vapor using an extraction device; chilling a container to a temperature below ambient temperature; filling an interior chamber of the chilled container with a volume of liquid; removing the volume of liquid from the container to draw the vapor from the extraction device and into the interior chamber of the container; retaining the vapor within the container without a lid; and consuming the vapor from the container.
In another aspect, and exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide an apparatus for consuming vapor comprising: an extraction device operable to extract vapor from an organic material sample; a fluid vessel having a container defining an interior chamber, the container having a lid with a liquid port and a vapor port defined therein; and a fluid transfer device operable to remove a volume of liquid from the interior chamber of the container to draw the vapor from the extraction device and into the interior chamber of the container for consumption through the vapor port.
Sample embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the following description, are shown in the drawings and are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.
With reference to the figures in general, a vapor extraction and consumption system is shown at 10 and generally referred to herein as vapor system 10 or simply system 10. At its most basic, system 10 may include three main components, namely, a vapor production device 1, a fluid vessel 2, and a fluid storage and transfer device 3. Each of these specific components will be discussed separately and followed by a discussion of the interaction and operation thereof.
With regards to vapor production device 1 and with reference to
Dense vapor is similar to smoke but differs in that it is extracted at temperatures that are typically below the combustion point of cellulose. Current technology for vaporizing essential oils from plant material is limited to hot air convection, which is a process that requires extended time at limited temperatures. At the consumer level, these conditions are typically unattainable as the consumer technology available is limited. As a result, commercially available vapor portions are typically diluted and require multiple servings or an inflated bag.
With reference to
Sample 32 may be a sample of organic material or any other suitable material from which vapor may be extracted. According to one aspect, sample 32 may be a plant-based material, including, but not limited to, tobacco, hemp, cannabis, or the like.
Heating element 26 may then heat the air within interior chamber 20 to a temperature of approximately 400 degrees, depending on the type of sample 32 being utilized. Fan 24 may circulate heated air within the interior chamber 20 through the sample 32 to increase the load of desired vapor until the extraction cycle is finished. Vapor then may be transferred out of vapor production device 1A for consumption through outlet port 28 and valve 30, as discussed further below.
Vapor production device 1 may be formed of any suitable material including glass, metal, or the like or, as contemplated, may be formed of any suitable combination of materials configured to allow heated air to be circulated therein. Vapor production device 1A may further include any peripheral components or elements as necessary, including a power source for fan and heating elements, as well as any additional components as necessary for the production of vapor.
As discussed further below, our utilization of vapor production device 1A may allow for large volumes of dense vapor to be produced while maintaining the integrity of the vapor. Put another way, using vapor production device 1A to produce vapor may permit large quantities of vapor to be generated while maintaining the full concentration thereof and may permit production at a consumer or individual user level.
With reference to
With reference to
As depicted in
Lid 44 may further include a liquid channel 48 having a liquid port 50 at a top end thereof and a check valve 52 at a lower end thereof. Lid 44 may further include a vapor channel 54 having a vapor port 56 at a top end thereof and a vapor aperture 58 at a bottom end thereof. As discussed further below, with regards to the operation of vapor extraction and consumption system 10, the liquid channel 48 and vapor channel 54 may permit liquids and vapors to flow therethrough, respectively.
With reference to
Although shown and described with the two examples discussed herein, it will be understood that fluid vessel 2 may generally be any suitable single-serving or multiple servings sized container 34 which may have an interior chamber 42 of sufficient volume to contain liquids and/or dense vapors therein, as discussed below.
According to one aspect, lid 44 may be configured to fit multiple types of fluid vessels 2. Alternatively, a plurality of lid 44 sizes may be readily provided or adapted for different sizes, shapes, and/or configurations of fluid vessels 2, as dictated by the desired implementation.
With reference to
Accordingly with reference to
With reference to
With reference to
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Having thus described the general elements and components of vapor extraction system 10, the operation and use of the various embodiments thereof will now be described in more detail. The methods of operation and use described herein may be made with reference to certain embodiments; however, it will be understood that these methods may be utilized with all embodiments equally unless specifically stated otherwise.
With reference to
As the heated air passes through sample 32, volatile oils are extracted therefrom and suspended in the air as vapor which may continue to circulate throughout interior chamber 20 as long as fan 24 is powered on. Once a sufficient volume and/or concentration of vapor is produced from sample 32, valve 30 on outlet port 28 may opened and a volume of vapor may be removed from interior chamber 20, as desired. Vapor may be removed from extraction vessel 12 through outlet port 28 and valve 30 through any suitable means including vacuum, liquid displacement, or the like, as described further below. According to one aspect, a sufficient volume of vapor may be determined as a volume that is at least sufficient to replace an entire volume of liquid within a container 34. This volume may vary depending upon the desired implementation and/or amount of vapor desired to be consumed in a serving. Similarly, a sufficient concentration of volatile oils within the vapor may be any desired concentration and may vary depending upon specific tastes of the consumer, the specific type of organic material used as sample 32, or other similar factors. According to one example, a sufficient concentration may be a concentration wherein a desired flavor is imparted into the vapor from the oils. According to another example, a sufficient concentration may be a saturation concentration wherein no additional volatile oils may be suspended within the vapor.
Plunger 22 may be raised or lowered according as indicated by the arrows in
With reference to
Utilizing vapor production device 1A may allow for continuous production and extraction of vapor as desired and may be useful in scenarios where refills and multiple servings of vapor may be produced, while vapor extraction device 1B is contemplated for producing smaller and/or single servings of vapor for consumption as desired. It will be understood, however, that vapor devices 1A and 1B may be interchangeable depending upon the desired implementation and use thereof. Alternatively, other vapor production devices not described or discussed herein may be utilized with the fluid transfer methods described below, provided they can generate sufficient volumes of vapor from a sample while maintaining a desired concentration thereof.
With reference to
The volume of interior chamber 42 of container 34 that is prefilled with displacement liquid 68 may define a similar volume of vapor 70 that will occupy space within interior chamber 42 of container 34. As best seen in
Since the container 34 is hermetically sealed by lid 44 and membrane 46, the drawing of displacement liquid 68 out of the interior chamber 42 would create a vacuum effect that would draw vapor 70 out of a vapor production device 1 and into interior chamber 42 of container 34, as seen best in
With reference to
With reference to
An additional feature illustrated in
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With reference to
Although shown in various examples and exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that features and components of the various extraction and consumption systems 10, 110, 210, 310, and/or 410 may be combined, omitted, replaced, interchanged, and/or otherwise utilized as dictated by the desired implementation.
Accordingly, a generalized method of vapor production and consumption will now be described. First, vapor may be produced utilizing a vapor production device such as vapor production devices 1A and/or 1B. This vapor may be stored in a storage device and/or transferred directly into a vessel for consumption utilizing fluid displacement techniques wherein a first fluid, such as a displacement liquid 68, may occupy a portion of a container 34 which may be hermetically sealed before connecting container 34 to the vapor source, at which point the displacement liquid 68 may be mechanically removed from the interior of container 34, thus creating a vacuum which may draw vapor out of vapor production device and into the interior chamber of a container. Once the desired volume of vapor is transferred into a container, the vapor may be consumed akin to drinking a liquid by a consumer or user taking “sips” of vapor. This may facilitate easier and more socially acceptable methods of consuming vapor and vaporized products.
Various embodiments and components are described in relation to their operation both above and in further detail below; however, it will be understood that many elements and components of vapor system 10 may be interchangeable between embodiments and/or may be utilized interchangeably and/or with other similar systems. For example, fluid vessels 2 may be generally considered to be interchangeable with the various embodiments of fluid storage and transfer devices 3. Similarly, vapor production devices 1 may be utilized with any suitable fluid vessel 2 and/or any suitable fluid storage and transfer device 3 without deviating from the scope of the disclosure herein. It will be further understood that the element and components of vapor system 10 may be generally formed of any suitable material and/or have other shapes or configurations besides those described herein, as dictated by the desired implementation. According to one example, conduits may be glass, metal, plastic, or other similar materials and may vary depending upon both the desired operation and/or the desired aesthetic properties of a specific implementation. For example, where system 10 may be configured for individual consumer operation and use such as in an individual's home, components may be more utilitarian and less aesthetic while implementations for use in public settings such as bars, smoke shops/cigar lounges, or the like may be more elaborate or aesthetically pleasing while still maintaining the appropriate functionality, as discussed further below.
It will be further understood that system 10 may be adapted for individual, commercial, or any other suitable or desired use thereof and may include components of any suitable size, as desired. For example, portable systems may include single serving fluid vessels 2 and/or fluid storage and transfer devices 3 while commercial systems 10, contemplated for use on the premises, may utilize larger vessels 2 and/or fluid storage and transfer devices 3. Further, the size of various components may vary across implementations such that two similar systems may be sized differently according to the expected use thereof. For example, a high volume commercial establishment may utilize a larger fluid reservoir 94 and/or vapor production device 1 while an individual or smaller commercial establishment may utilize smaller components while both may maintain similarly sized vessels 2 and/or fluid storage and transfer devices 3.
Various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.
While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.
All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
The articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.
When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “above”, “behind”, “in front of”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features/elements, these features/elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussed herein could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussed herein could be termed a first feature/element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.
If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein.
Additionally, the method of performing the present disclosure may occur in a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, no sequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitly stated. It is recognizable that performing some of the steps of the method in a different order could achieve a similar result.
In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of various embodiments of the disclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/205,269, filed on Nov. 3, 2020 and additionally claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/205,535, filed on Dec. 22, 2020; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63205269 | Nov 2020 | US | |
| 63205535 | Dec 2020 | US |
