Tobacco filter means superimposedly rechargeably filled with disposable filter units

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6745777
  • Patent Number
    6,745,777
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, October 24, 2002
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 8, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A tobacco filter device includes a plurality of filter units superimposedly rechargeably filled in a sleeve member, having a bowl member connected to an outer end (smoking end) of the sleeve member and a mouthpiece connected to an inner end (mouth end) of the sleeve member, whereby upon smoking of tobacco or a cigarette as loaded or inserted in the bowl portion, the filter unit or units positioned on an outer portion of the sleeve member adjacent to the smoking end, after being saturated with smoking waste including tar and nicotine, may be pushed outwardly and discarded from the outer end of the sleeve member as thrusted and urged by a fresh (new) filter unit (or units) as recharged into the inner (mouth) end of the sleeve member, thereby still keeping use of those filter units not yet saturated and loaded in the rear portion of the sleeve member, without wasting the useful filter units.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




A conventional filter device may be used to insert a cigarette therein for filtering off nicotine or tar of tobacco smoke. However, the tar or smoke waste may easily clog the front portion of the filter device to influence a smooth cigarette smoking. Even the filter device may still be used since the filter material as filled in the filter device is not completely saturated, the smoker may discard the partially saturated filter device just simply because of unsmooth smoking through the partially clogged filter to thereby cause wasting of the filter device.




The present inventor has found the drawbacks of conventional cigarette filter device and invented the present filter device having a plurality of filter units superimposedly rechargeably filled therein.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco filter device including a plurality of filter units superimposedly rechargeably filled in a sleeve member, having a bowl member connected to an outer end (smoking end) of the sleeve member and a mouthpiece connected to an inner end (mouth end) of the sleeve member, whereby upon smoking of tobacco or a cigarette as loaded or inserted in the bowl portion, the filter unit or units positioned on an outer portion of the sleeve member adjacent to the smoking end, after being saturated with smoking waste including tar and nicotine, may be pushed outwardly and discarded from the outer end of the sleeve member as thrusted and urged by a fresh (new) filter unit (or units) as recharged into the inner (mouth) end of the sleeve member, thereby still keeping use of those filter units not yet saturated and loaded in the rear portion of the sleeve member, without wasting the useful filter units.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective drawing of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is an exploded view showing the elements of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a sectional drawing of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a sectional drawing of the present invention as assembled from FIG.


3


.





FIG. 5

is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




A tobacco filter means of the present invention comprises: a sleeve member


2


; having a plurality of filter units


4


, each having filter material


43


absorbing or adsorbing smoke waste materials including nicotine, tar and other smoking residue, superimposedly rechargeably filled in a central hole


21


formed through the sleeve member


2


; having an outer end portion of the sleeve member


2


adapted for filling tobacco T therein or for inserting a cigarette C therein; and having an inner end portion of the sleeve member adapted to be received into or sucked by a smoker's mouth.




After smoking for a time period, the filter unit (or units) loaded on a front or outer portion of the sleeve member


2


may be saturated or clogged by the smoke waste, a new or fresh filter unit may be recharged or refilled into the sleeve member


2


through the inner end portion of the sleeve member for thrusting the filter units forwardly to outwardly discard the filter unit (units) as saturated or clogged at the front end portion of the sleeve member


2


. Therefore, only the saturated or clogged outer filter units are discarded, the remaining filter units


4


may still be used, to thereby save filter units


4


and save money for the cigarette or tobacco smoker. It is also beneficial for environmental protection since waste disposal problem of used filter units can then be improved.




The sleeve member


2


includes: an outer adapter


22


connected with a bowl member


1


for filling tobacco or inserting a cigarette in the bowl member


1


; and an inner adapter


23


of the sleeve member


2


connected with a mouthpiece


3


as received by a smoker's mouth.




The bowl member


1


includes a recess


11


for filling tobacco T therein, and an outer connector


12


fluidically communicated with the recess


11


through a gas passage


10


formed in the bowl member


1


and coupled to the outer adapter


22


of the sleeve member


2


.




The mouthpiece


3


includes an inner connector


31


coupled with and fluidically communicated with the inner adapter


23


of the sleeve member


2


; with the mouthpiece


3


detachably coupled to the inner adapter


23


of the sleeve member


2


for refilling new filter unit


4


into the sleeve member


2


.




The bowl member


1


as shown in FIGS.


1


˜


4


is provided for smoking tobacco as a pipe smoker. Or, the bowl member


1


may be simplified to be a short cylinder as shown in

FIG. 5

to be inserted therein a paper cigarette C.




The filter unit


4


includes the filter material


43


which is formed with fibrous materials added with activated carbon or additives (such as menthol) therein, capable for absorbing or adsorbing nicotine, tar, or other combustion wastes after smoking.




If provided for personal favorite, a special additive such as perfume or menthol may be added into those filter units


4


having marking


40


such as color or figure marking indicating the specific additive incorporated into the filter materials in the filter units


4


, therefore the smoker may fill his or her personal favorite filter units having their preferred additives contained in the filter units for enriching the interesting choices of the present invention.




For preventing a free rotation of each filter unit


4


and ensuring a smooth movement within the sleeve member


2


, each filter unit


4


is formed with at least a lug


44


on a perimeter of the filter unit


4


, with the lug


44


slidably engageable with at least a longitudinal groove


24


longitudinally recessed in an inside wall of the sleeve member


2


and parallel to a longitudinal axis X of the sleeve member


2


.




Each filter unit


4


includes a plug portion


45


protruding forwardly from a front end of the filter unit


4


and a socket portion


46


recessed in a rear end portion of the filter unit


4


so that a rear filter unit may be engaged with a front filter unit by engaging one's plug portion


45


with the other's socket portion


46


.




Each filter unit


4


includes: a male cover


41


having the plug portion


45


formed on a front portion of the male cover


41


, a front central hole


411


formed through the male cover


41


and a first connecting portion or a female-threaded portion


410


formed in a rear portion of the male cover


41


; and a female cover


42


having the female socket


46


formed on a rear portion of the female cover


42


and engageable with the plug portion


45


for coupling a front filter unit with a rear filter unit by engaging the plug portion


45


of the rear filter unit with the female socket


46


of the front filter unit, a rear central hole


421


formed through the female cover


42


, and a second connecting portion or a male-threaded portion


420


formed on a front portion of the female cover


42


to be engaged with the first connecting portion or female-threaded portion


410


formed on the male cover


41


so that the male cover


41


can be combined with the female cover


42


to incorporate the filter material


43


in the front and rear central holes


411


,


421


between the male and female covers


41


,


42


.




The male cover


41


and the female cover


42


may be coupled or combined by any other joining methods including adhesive bonding, not limited in the present invention.




Each filter unit


4


may also be integrally formed by forming the filter material


43


integrally with the male cover


41


and the female cover


42


to be an integrated “porous ball” or “porous disk”, of which a plurality of the porous balls (or disks) may be superimposed longitudinally lengthywise through the sleeve member


2


.




After filling all the filter units


4


in the sleeve (or tube) member


2


, the mouthpiece


3


and the bowl member


1


disposed on opposite ends of the sleeve member


2


will serve as stoppers for limiting the filter units


4


within the sleeve member


2


in between the mouthpiece


3


and the bowl member


1


.




For removing or discarding the clogged filter unit(s)


4


at the front end of the sleeve member


2


, the bowl member


1


may be detached from the sleeve member for discharging the used filter unit and a new filter unit is refilled into the sleeve member


2


by dismantling the mouthpiece


3


from the sleeve member


2


.




So, the present invention provides a cigarette or tobacco filter device for economically saving filter units


4


and for better environmental protection. The present invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A tobacco filter means comprises: a sleeve member including a plurality of filter units, having filter material formed in each said filter unit for absorbing or adsorbing smoke waste materials, superimposedly rechargeably filled in a central hole formed through the sleeve member; each said filter unit formed with at least a lug on a perimeter of the filter unit, with the lug slidably engageable with at least a longitudinal groove longitudinally recessed in an inside wall of the sleeve member and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sleeve member; having an outer end portion of the sleeve member adapted for filling tobacco therein or for inserting a cigarette therein; and having an inner end portion of the sleeve member adapted to be received into or sucked by a smoker's mouth; whereby upon smoking for a time period and when the filter unit loaded on an outer portion of the sleeve member is saturated or clogged by the smoke waste, a new filter unit is recharged into the sleeve member through the inner end portion of the sleeve member for thrusting the filter units forwardly to outwardly discard the filter unit as saturated or clogged through a front end portion of the sleeve member.
  • 2. A tobacco filter means according to claim 1, wherein said sleeve member includes: an outer adapter connected with a bowl member for filling tobacco or inserting a cigarette in the bowl member; and an inner adapter of the sleeve member connected with a mouthpiece as received by a smoker's mouth.
  • 3. A tobacco filter means according to claim 2, wherein said bowl member includes a recess for filling tobacco therein, and an outer connector fluidically communicated with the recess through a gas passage formed in the bowl member and coupled to the outer adapter of the sleeve member.
  • 4. A tobacco filter means according to claim 2, wherein said mouthpiece includes an inner connector coupled with and fluidically communicated with the inner adapter of the sleeve member; with the mouthpiece detachably coupled to the inner adapter of the sleeve member for refilling new filter unit into the sleeve member.
  • 5. A tobacco filter means according to claim 2, wherein said bowl member is formed as a short cylinder for inserting a paper cigarette therein.
  • 6. A tobacco filter means according to claim 1, wherein said filter unit includes the filter material which is formed with fibrous materials added with smoker's personal favorite additives therein.
  • 7. A tobacco filter means according to claim 1, wherein each said filter unit includes a plug portion protruding forwardly from a front end of the filter unit and a socket portion recessed in a rear end portion of the filter unit so that a rear filter unit may be engaged with a front filter unit by engaging the plug portion of a filter unit with the socket portion of the other filter unit.
  • 8. A tobacco filter means according to claim 7, wherein each said filter unit includes: a male cover having the plug portion formed on a front portion of the male cover, a front central hole formed through the male cover and a first connecting portion formed in a rear portion of the male cover; and a female cover having the female socket formed on a rear portion of the female cover and engageable with the plug portion for coupling a front filter unit with a rear filter unit by engaging the plug portion of the rear filter unit with the female socket of the front filter unit, a rear central hole formed through the female cover, and a second connecting portion formed on a front portion of the female cover to be engaged with the first connecting portion formed on the male cover so that the male cover can be combined with the female cover to incorporate a filter material in the front and rear central holes between the male and female covers.
  • 9. A tobacco filter means according to claim 8, wherein each said filter unit is integrally formed by forming the filter material integrally with the male cover and the female cover to be an integrated porous piece, of which a plurality of the porous pieces are superimposed longitudinally lengthywise through the sleeve member.
  • 10. A tobacco filter means according to claim 1, wherein the filter units as filled in the sleeve member are limited by a mouthpiece and a bowl member disposed on opposite ends of the sleeve member.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
01132002 A Oct 2001 CN
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number Name Date Kind
3662764 Blanco May 1972 A
5540241 Kim Jul 1996 A
20030140933 Eichel Jul 2003 A1