Patent Application
20060027242
This invention relates to cigar and cigarette holders generally, and is more specifically directed to an enclosure for holding a burning cigar or cigarette and reducing the harmful effects of smoke produced thereby.
The term “second hand smoke” refers to smoke that is discharged by a cigar or cigarette that is received by a person other than the smoker of the cigar or cigarette. In enclosed areas, such as rooms, persons in the area who do not smoke are subjected to the harmful effects of second hand smoke. Two of the harmful components of tobacco smoke are carbon monoxide, and what is referred to as “tar.” These materials are components of second hand smoke. There is a need for a device that will reduce the output of these harmful materials that are contained in second hand smoke.
The present invention is an enclosure for a cigar or cigarette. A cigarette is contained within the enclosure. The enclosure comprises filters that reduce tar output to the surrounding atmosphere. This device introduces additional oxygen into the smoke prior to the smoke being ingested by the smoker, reducing levels of carbon monoxide, and oxidizing components of the tar.
The term “cigarette” is used here to include any tobacco product or other smoking material that is ignited for the purpose of ingesting the smoke, including cigars.
In
The tank is preferred to have multiple vents, with filters covering each of the vents, so that air, and particular oxygen, can enter the tank. The filters also filter the smoke produced by the burning cigarette, and retain tar from the smoke within the enclosure. As shown in
The device comprises a mouthpiece at one end. It is preferred that the mouthpiece 2 is tapered toward an end of the mouthpiece that is opposite the cigarette, so that the user's lips will fit over the end of the mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece comprises a spring-biased door 18. The spring-biased door is hinged and is normally open, as shown in
The cigarette is inserted into and joins a conduit. On an end of the conduit that is opposite the cigarette, removable insert 22 is present. The conduit connects the cigarette with the insert. A portion of the insert is present in the user's mouth when the user is ingesting smoke. The conduit has a plurality of orifices 24 within the portion of the conduit that is in the mouthpiece. Oxygen enters the mouthpiece through the door, and is present in the mouthpiece. As the user draws smoke from the cigarette, oxygen is pulled through the orifices into the smoke, which oxidizes the carbon monoxide in the smoke and converts it to carbon dioxide. The additional oxygen also oxidizes materials within the tar. The presence of the orifices within the mouthpiece prevents the user from placing his or her fingers or lips over the orifices, which would block the orifices. Further, the mouthpiece is separated from the tank by a wall or partition 26, so that smoke from the burning cigarette does not pollute clean air that has entered through opening provided by the door 18 and is present in the mouthpiece.
The insert 22 is positioned in the conduit, and communicates with the conduit. The insert is inserted into the conduit through an orifice in the end of the mouthpiece that is opposite the cigarette, and is retained within the conduit. The insert contains a filter, which filters the smoke, and which the filters tar from the smoke. Further, the insert may have supplemental nicotine present therein. Additionally, or alternatively, the conduit may have supplemental nicotine therein. The additional nicotine is provided to the user in a smokeless form, so that the user's desire for nicotine is supplied. The user is able to feed his or her nicotine requirement, while also having the sensation of smoking. However, the smoke that is ingested contains less of the harmful carbon monoxide and tar that is normally found in cigarette smoke. The insert is removable and may be replaced from time to time, to refresh the supplemental nicotine, and to provide a clean filter within the mouthpiece.
As shown in
The device may comprise an integrated lighter 30. The integrated lighter is positioned within the tank near the end of a new cigarette of normal length. The actuator 32 for the lighter is accessible from an exterior of the tank. This allows the cigarette to be ignited after the cigarette is in position within the enclosure, and the door is closed. It is not necessary to light the cigarette from outside the enclosure after the cigarette is in position.
It is believed that the presence of a magnetic field within the device will also break down harmful chemicals in the tobacco. Accordingly, in one embodiment of the device, the interior of the mouthpiece is coated with, or otherwise has a magnet 34 affixed to, the interior thereof. An electrical current may supplement the magnetic field produced by the magnet. A battery may provide the electrical current.
The invention reduces the amount of second hand smoke that is emitted by the cigarette, while also reducing the tar and carbon monoxide that are ingested by the smoker. Further, when the device is properly used, it prevents fires associated with cigarette use, such as those fires associated with smokers falling asleep in bed with a burning cigarette.
