Patent Application
20220061381
The present invention relates in general to smoking implements. More specifically, the present invention relates to a non-contact smoking implement that may be shaped as a football to be passed around while in use. In exemplary embodiments, a smoking implement in accordance with the present invention may be especially designed for smoking rolled plant matter or plant extracts.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent application may contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
Certain marks referenced herein may be common law or registered trademarks of third parties affiliated or unaffiliated with the applicant or the assignee. Use of these marks is by way of example and should not be construed as descriptive or to limit the scope of this invention to material associated only with such marks.
Recreational smoking implements such as pipes, hookahs, bongs, steamers, and other apparatuses appear in many forms. In fact, the prior art is riddled with different types of smoking implements that have various features and functions. Traditionally, a smoker may use a simple pipe for consuming their smoking material, such as loose tobacco, herbs, smokable plant matter, or the like. Moreover, these devices are traditionally shared in social settings in which friends part take in recreational activities in which smokable consumables form part of the recreational activities. However, in the current unprecedented climate of a deadly pandemic, the manner in which people socialized has drastically changed, including the manner in which people socially smoke.
Some devices may have multiple tips—such as certain hookahs—that have multiple and separate hoses for allowing a group of friends to smoke from the device. The problem with this approach is that despite the separate hoses, the device has a common chamber in fluid communication with each hose. Ultimately, a smoker using one of these devices may be inhaling particles from another individual, which defeats the purpose. As is now well known, it is this saliva or fluids that often carries microbial agents such as the COVID-19 virus. The ongoing pandemic aside, other infections, whether viral or bacterial, may be similarly transferred between individuals sharing a smoking implement or smoking out of devices that have a fluid communication between them. Other devices may include replaceable tips to avoid sharing saliva or fluids. The problem of course is that even if a replaceable or disposable tip is used, there is a portion of the device that inevitably comes into some fluid contact with a depository of shared particles.
Accordingly, with current devices and a new climate of awareness of infectious diseases, a typical social gathering with friends that want to socially share smoking consumables would have to resort to bringing their own device. As such, it would be advantageous to provide a device that avoids contact while supplying consumable smoke so that it may be shared socially. Moreover, it is desirable that the device is one that is fun to pass around and enjoy in an entertaining manner.
Therefore, there exists a previously unappreciated need for a non-contact smoking implement for recreational consumable materials that addresses the problems and shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above. It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.
To minimize the limitations in the prior art, and to minimize other limitations that will be apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention describes a non-contact smoking implement that may be shaped as a football to be passed around while in use, and which may be especially designed for smoking rolled plant matter.
Generally, the invention is a smoking implement that may be passed around and used in such a way so as to avoid contact with the device itself while the device supplies smoke for inhalation. In exemplary embodiments, the device includes a body that may be shaped like ball, for example a football. Inside the football shaped housing, a holding device may be disposed, wherein the holding device is configured to secure rolled plant matter inside the football shaped housing. The rolled plant matter may be a cigarette comprising of any type of smoking consumable without limiting the scope of the present invention, such as but not limited to tobacco, herbs, smokable plant matter, and the like. The football shaped body is typically configured to supply air though a channel of the holding device so that when the device is activated, the cigarette is supplied with a stream of air therethrough. A cap at a terminal end of the football shaped housing, is in fluid communication with the holding device and thus the cigarette; this allows smoke from the lit cigarette inside the football-shaped body to be expelled as a smokable stream. Because the body is shaped and adapted as a football, the smoking implement can be passed around between friends. Moreover, because a smokable stream is expelled from the device, no one has to make contact with the device by way of their mouth, nor do users have to make fluid contact that may expose their mouth or airways to particles so as to avoid unintended contamination with an infectious disease, such as COVID-19, the flue, or any other contagious ailment.
The present disclosure envisages a smoking implement. In one exemplary embodiment, the smoking implement comprises a housing body having an air inlet port and an air outlet port; a nippleless cap attachable to the housing body at the air outlet port, the nippleless cap having an internally configured first channel; and a holder configured for holding a cigarette, the holder being securable to the nippleless cap in a manner that the holder is partially accommodated into the first channel and extends into an interior space of the housing body.
In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the housing body is a football shaped housing having a first end and a second end.
In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the air inlet port is configured at any location on the housing body, and the nippleless cap is attached to the first end of housing body.
In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the housing body has a resilient configuration for allowing air to be introduced in the interior space of the housing body via the air inlet port, and exhausting the air from the outlet port on pressing of the housing body.
In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the nippleless cap has a conical configuration extending between a base and a tip, wherein the base of the nippleless cap is configured for attachment to the first end of the housing body, and the first channel of the nippleless cap extends from the tip and opens to the base of the of nippleless cap.
In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the holder includes a first portion having a cylindrical configuration with a first radius and a second portion extending from the first portion, the second portion having a cylindrical configuration with a second radius, wherein the first radius is greater than the first radius.
In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the first portion of the holder includes a holding channel for holding the cigarette, wherein the holding cavity is in fluid communication with an outlet channel formed within the second portion of the holder.
In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the second portion of the holder is configured to fit within the first channel of the nippleless cap, and the outlet channel is in fluid communication with the first channel.
The present disclosure also envisages a method of using a smoking implement. The method comprises inserting a rolled cigarette into a cigarette holder of a football-shaped housing of the smoking implement; lighting the cigarette and while the cigarette is lit, coupling the cigarette holder to the cap, and the cap and holder to the football-shaped housing; placing a finger over a vent hole on the football-shaped housing; and squeezing the football-shaped housing to expel smoke from the hole in cap end of football, wherein the football-shaped housing is configured to be thrown to another user after use.
As will be appreciated from the present disclosure, various objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings submitted herein constitute a part of this specification, include exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
Elements in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale in order to enhance their clarity and improve understanding of the various embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, elements that are known to be common and well understood to those in the industry are not depicted in order to provide a clear view of the various embodiments of the invention. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:
In the following discussion that addresses a number of embodiments and applications of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying figures, which form a part thereof. Depictions are made, by way of illustration, of specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced; however, it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present teachings may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well known structures, components, and/or functional or structural relationship thereof, etc., have been described at a relatively high-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present teachings.
Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuanced meanings suggested or implied in context beyond an explicitly stated meaning. Likewise, the phrase “in one embodiment/example” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and the phrase “in another embodiment/example” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment. It is intended, for example, that claimed subject matter include combinations of example embodiments in whole or in part.
Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z to each be present. The term “and/or” means that “and” applies to some embodiments and “or” applies to some embodiments. Thus, A, B, and/or C can be replaced with A, B, and C written in one sentence and A, B, or C written in another sentence. A, B, and/or C means that some embodiments can include A and B, some embodiments can include A and C, some embodiments can include B and C, some embodiments can only include A, some embodiments can include only B, some embodiments can include only C, and some embodiments include A, B, and C. The term “and/or” is used to avoid unnecessary redundancy. Similarly, terms such as “a,” “an,” or “the,” again, may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term “based on” may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for the existence of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, depending at least in part on context.
While exemplary embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Thus, nothing in the foregoing description is intended to imply that any particular feature, characteristic, step, module, or block is necessary or indispensable. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or inventions disclosed herein. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.
The present disclosure relates to, among other things, a noncontact smoking implement comprising a football shaped housing. The housing includes a cigarette holder adapted to secure a cigarette within a cavity of the housing, the cigarette holder including a first channel for providing a supply of air through the cigarette. At one end of the housing, a cap secures the cigarette holder at least partially within the cavity of the football-shaped housing. The cap includes a second channel in fluid communication with the first channel of the cigarette holder configured to expel inhalable smoke from the cigarette therethrough. The football-shaped housing may be passed around like a regular football, and because a smokable stream is expelled from the device, no one has to make contact with the device by way of their mouth, nor do users have to make fluid contact that may expose their mouth or airways to particles so as to avoid unintended contamination with an infectious disease, such as COVID-19, the flue, or any other contagious ailment. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the drawings for illustration purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The air inlet port 104, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment, may be configured at any location on the housing body 102 of the smoking implement 100. The air outlet port 106 is configured at the first end 102A of the smoking implement 100. The housing body 102 may be a resilient housing body that may be pressed to expel out air, which is already contained in an interior space 102C of the housing body 102, from the air outlet port 106 on being pressed or deformed, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fresh air may be introduced again in the interior space 102C again once the resilient housing body 102 is made to regain its original shape.
Referring to
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The holder 112 further comprises heat distribution means 112E configured on the first portion 112A of the holder 112. The first portion 112A is configured to hold the cigarette and as such is subjected to high temperatures. Therefore, heat distribution means 112E help in heat distribution to ensure that the material of the housing body 102 does not burn on coming in contact with the high temperature surface of the first portion 112A. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the heat distribution means 112E may be heat distribution grooves (as seen in
Reference hereinafter is directed to
An advantageous aspect of the structure and configuration of the smoking implement 100 is that the smoking implement 100 need not be in contact with the mouth of the user for consumption of the plant material or any other material rolled in a cigarette and loaded into the smoking implement. Such a feature mitigates the transfer of any kind of disease-causing viruses or bacteria that may be contained in the saliva of a user when used in a group gathered for recreational smoking. Another advantageous aspect of the smoking implement 100 is the fun element of playing catch with a group of friends while enjoying the pleasures of smoking the cigarette.
and passing or throwing the football-shaped housing to the another user.
A smoking implement has been described. The foregoing description of the various exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and disclosure. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching without departing from the spirit of the invention.
The present application is a Non-provisional Patent Application of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application with Serial No. Filing 63/073,058 filed on Sep. 1, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63073058 | Sep 2020 | US |
