Patent Application
20180042297
Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to smoking pipes and more particularly to a pipe having an elastic body formed of a heat resistant polymer and a removable heat resistant bowl.
Background
Smoking pipes are well known and have been in use for thousands of years by cultures spanning the globe. According to the prior art, a pipe typically includes a bowl attached to a stem. A bore extends through the stem and connects to the bottom of the bowl. The stem may separate from a shank that extends laterally from the bowl and through which the bore extends. Often times the bowl and shank are formed as a single piece and the stem inserts into the shank and is held in this manner by a mortise and tenon connection. The interior of the bowl forms a combustion chamber into which a dried or substantially dry material, tobacco or the like, is packed and then ignited. Smoke is drawn through the bore by the smoker.
Historically the described structure has been fashioned of materials that are rigid by nature. Briarwood has commonly been used to fashion howls and stems although other woods are popular. Stems have commonly been fashioned of wood or plastic. The prior art also includes pipes made of glass, various metals, ceramic materials and stone. All of these pipes have a single common feature, their rigidity. Pipe stems have been known to break when subjected to forces that exceed their mechanical strength characteristics.
Advantage may be found in providing a smoking pipe that includes a pipe body formed of an elastic material that is readily deformable while having the capability of returning substantially to the pipe's original shape and configuration. Therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a smoking pipe that includes a pipe body formed of an elastic material so that it may be folded, bent, crushed and generally deformed while retaining the capability of returning to its original shape configuration.
Smoking pipes require frequent and thorough cleaning in order to “draw” properly and in order to reduce unwanted tastes that may be experienced when a pipe accumulates residue of previously smoked materials. Cleaning a pipe is a tedious undertaking achieved only partially at best by scraping the bowl with a tool designed for this purpose and by inserting a “pipe cleaner.” an implement including a bristle formed on a twisted wire repeatedly through the stem and the draft hole at the bottom of the combustion chamber in an attempt to clean the interior surface of the bore.
Advantage may also then be found in providing a smoking pipe that includes a removable bowl and a pipe body each formed of a material that may be cleaned by immersion in a liquid that acts as a mild solvent or cleaning solution that readily removes built up residue from the pipes surfaces. Therefore another object of the present invention is to provide a smoking pipe that includes a removable bowl and a pipe body each formed of a material that may be cleaned by immersion in a liquid that acts as a mild solvent or cleaning solution that readily removes built up residue from the pipes surfaces.
Pipe smokers often times regulate air flow through the pipe's bore from the combustion chamber to the mouthpiece by placing one or more fingers over the open end of the bowl in a manner that reduces airflow volume while increasing airflow velocity through the combustion chamber. This practice is exercised in the attempt to get the charge in the pipe's combustion chamber to burn hotter or more completely. The risk of burning one's fingers while exercising this practice is obvious.
Advantage may also then be found in providing a smoking pipe that includes a pipe body formed of an elastic material that may be deformed by pinching the stem and holding the stem in a manner that regulates airflow volume while increasing airflow velocity through the combustion chamber in the attempt to get the charge in the pipe's combustion chamber to burn hotter or more completely. Therefore another object of the present invention is to provide a smoking pipe that includes a pipe body formed of an elastic material that may be deformed by pinching the stem and holding the stem in a manner that regulates airflow volume through the pipe stem.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a pipe to be used for smoking that includes a pipe body portion formed of a highly elastic polymer that is heat resistant and which may be subjected to cleaning with boiling water, detergents, isopropyl alcohol and even mild solvents without degradation of the material. Similarly, the present invention is directed to a pipe having a removable bowl that is formed of a material that is heat and flame resistant and which may be subjected to cleaning with boiling water, detergents, isopropyl alcohol and even mild solvents without degradation of the material.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, silicone is employed to fashion the pipe body, as silicone as a material is characterized by suitable levels of thermal stability, elasticity and chemical resistance. Also in the preferred embodiment of the invention, a food grade stainless steel is used to form the bowl of the pipe, as food grade stainless steel is characterized by suitable levels of flame and heat resistance and chemical stability.
The elasticity and chemical resistance of silicone employed in the manufacture of the pipe body distinguishes the smoking pipe of the present invention over historically used and know smoking pipes. The smoking pipe of the present invention is foldable, bendable and generally deformable, so that it can use safely and packed for travel without fear of breakage or injury. Furthermore, the pipe will easily return to its original shape, absent any appreciable wear or fatigue to the material, thereby enabling the smoking pipe to be stored in a smaller space than required by smoking pipe formed from rigid materials. Additionally, the pipe body, formed of silicone, may be deformed or pinched at a location between the combustion chamber and the mouthpiece in a manner that allows the smoker to regulate air flow through combustion chamber thereby allowing the smoker to stoke the charge.
The bowl may be formed of a food grade stainless steel, cold formed and includes a flange around its uppermost edge. The bowl is formed including one or more draft apertures formed in the lower segment of the bowl. The flange of the bowl is configured to fit snugly within a groove formed near the uppermost edge in the bowl receiving portion of the pipe body. An elastic lip is formed just above the groove near the uppermost edge in the bowl receiving portion of the pipe body. To insert the bowl, the uppermost edge of the bowl receiving portion is stretched about the flange of the bowl. The bowl is inserted into the bowl receiving portion of the pipe body until the flange seats within the groove. The bead closes snugly against the flange of the bowl forming an airtight seal between the pipe body and the bowl.
An alternate embodiment of the smoking pipe is fashioned as a water pipe and the stem is formed to contain water in its lower end.
Inasmuch as the smoking pipe of the present invention includes a removable bowl and a pipe body each formed of a material that is resistant to boiling water, detergents, isopropyl alcohol and even mild solvents without degradation of the material, the smoking pipe may be readily cleaned when required.
As shown in
Elastic lip 56 is formed proximate to upper edge 58 of bowl receiving portion 55. To insert smoke conduit 70 and bowl 60 into bowl receiving portion 55, elastic lip 56 is rolled back slightly allowing smoke channel flange 75 and bowl flange 65 to be inserted and seated within groove 57 formed beneath and proximate to elastic lip 56. Once smoke channel flange 75 and bowl flange 65 are seated within groove 57, elastic lip 56 is released and returns substantially to its non-deformed configuration. Elastic lip 56 seals against bowl flange 65 forming a secure and substantially airtight interface between bowl 60 and bowl receiving portion 55.
The foregoing description of the illustrated embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiment(s) and implementation(s) disclosed. Modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. Process steps described might be interchangeable with other steps in order to achieve the same result. At least one preferred embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and a best mode of practical application, thereby to enable others skilled in the art to understand the invention and the various modifications that are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents. Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather means “one or more.” No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, sixth paragraph unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for . . . ”
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14877138 | Oct 2015 | US |
| Child | 15794674 | US |
