Patent Application
20130037039
Currently there are limited alternatives to devices that allow users the ability to smoke all the tobacco a cigarette contains. A smoker, on average, will purchase one pack a day at a price of six dollars and unknowingly dispose twenty to forty percent of the overall tobacco within each cigarette.
The present invention generally relates to a tobacco related device. More specifically, the invention is a tobacco saving device.
It is an object of the invention to provide a tobacco saving device that minimizes the frequency of purchasing tobacco cigarettes.
It is an object of the invention to provide a tobacco saving device that eliminates tobacco waste and allows a smoker to utilize more tobacco within a cigarette.
It is an object of the invention to provide a tobacco saving device that saves a cigarette smoker money.
What is really needed is a tobacco saving device that minimizes the frequency of purchasing tobacco cigarettes, that eliminates tobacco waste and allows a smoker to utilize more tobacco within a cigarette and that saves a cigarette smoker money.
The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:
Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrative embodiments.
Various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the present invention. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in the order of presentation.
The phrase “in one embodiment” is utilized repeatedly. The phrase generally does not refer to the same embodiment, however, it may. The terms “comprising”, “having” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise.
The tobacco saving device 100 includes an elongated tube 110 and a filter pusher 120.
The elongated tube 110 is an elongated hollow tube 112 that receives a standard tobacco cigarette that is placed within the elongated hollow tube 112. The elongated tube 110 is made of nonflammable material that is selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, ceramic or plastic, although the elongated tube 110 can be made of other suitable materials. The elongated tube 110 is approximately 5/16th of an inch wide and in the range of approximately 1- 1/2 inches to 2 inches long. The elongated tube 110 is utilized to connect a cigarette filter CF at one end 114 and half of the cigarette HC at the other end 116 with a gap between each end 114,116 so that relatively more of the tobacco in the cigarette half is actually smoked and used cleanly. The elongated tube 110 can also be flared 118 at an end 114, 116 as well to accommodate relatively slight diameter variations in cigarettes that are placed within the elongated tube 110.
Typically a smoker will not smoke or waste approximately 20-40% of the tobacco within the cigarette the smoker is smoking. A one pack-a-day smoker can save at $6.00 a pack approximately $35 to $70 per month by utilizing the tobacco saving device 100. Cigarette smokers throughout the world would benefit from the tobacco saving device 100 with the tobacco saving device 100 paying for itself in a relatively short period of time many times over resulting in indirectly saving the smoker utilizing the tobacco saving device 100 money from buying fewer cigarettes. In one example of commercial success, a user went from buying 30 packs of cigarettes a month to 16 packs a month while consistently utilizing the tobacco saving device 100 on all of the cigarettes that the user smoked, without reducing the amount of smoking.
The filter pusher 120 includes a distal end 122, a proximal end 124, an elongate stem 126 and a plunger head 128 disposed on the distal end 122 of the elongate stem 126. The filter pusher 120 is the approximate same 5/16th of an inch wide and in the range of approximately 1- 1/2 inches to 2 inches long size as the elongated tube 110 and is utilized to push the cigarette filter CF of a cigarette through the elongated tube 110 to remove tobacco residue formed within the elongated tube 110. The filter pusher 120 can also serve as a cap on one of the ends 114, 116 of the elongated tube 110.
The tobacco saving device includes a non-flammable tube made from ceramic, plastic or stainless steel, which separates the cigarette from the cigarette filter. The separated filter is placed on one end of the tube while one-half of the tobacco side is secured on the opposing end, 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch within the smoking unit. The versatility of the design of the tobacco saving device allows individuals to smoke each half of the tobacco side to its entirety without burning the filter. The tobacco saving device benefits smokers in search of a relatively more effective option in cigarette flexibility and will be readily available anywhere tobacco items are vended. The tobacco saving device features a filter pusher which is pressed through the tube and cleans tobacco residue when the user is finished smoking. The non-flammable tube will be manufactured with different diameter variations to accommodate all cigarette widths on the market.
The user removes the filter from their cigarette and puts it on one end of the tube. A user cuts the cigarette in half and puts the device on the other end of the cigarette (only pushing the cigarette into the device between 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch) allowing a user to smoke the 1/2 cigarette all the way down without burning the filter. The cigarette cannot be put-out until the user is done with the cigarette and the user will have twice the number of 1/2 cigarettes to light.
While the present invention has been related in terms of the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described. The present invention can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Thus, the description is to be regarded as illustrative instead of restrictive on the present invention.
