VAPE CARTRIDGE COVER AND VAPING APPARATUS

Abstract

A cover for a vape cartridge is disclosed. In particular, the cover includes a body having a distal segment. A mouthpiece is formed circumferentially in the distal segment of the body so that when a user's lips are closed around the mouthpiece and the user draws a breath, suction is produced, and the vape cartridge can be operated. The base body can be formed, for example, of a hard plastic, metal, or other rigid and durable substance.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a cover for use with a vape cartridge and more particularly to a vape cartridge cover that incorporates a vaping mouthpiece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this disclosure will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the disclosed method and system, and how it may be made and used, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vape cartridge cover according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an assembled view of the vape cartridge cover of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a truncated longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vape cartridge cover of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a vaping apparatus including the cover of FIG. 1 attached to a vape cartridge.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements of the figures above are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The dimensions of some elements in the figures may have been exaggerated relative to other elements to help to understand the present teachings. Furthermore, a particular order in which certain elements, parts, components, modules, steps, actions, events and/or processes are described or illustrated may not be required. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, for simplicity and clarity of illustration, some commonly known and well-understood elements that are useful and/or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted to provide a clear view of various embodiments per the present teachings.

SUMMARY

Pursuant to the various embodiments, the present disclosure provides a vape cartridge cover. In particular, the vape cartridge cover comprises a base and a connector. The base comprises a tubular base body with a base passageway that extends longitudinally therethrough from a proximal base inlet opening to a distal base outlet opening. The base body further includes a mouthpiece formed in a distal end region that comprises the base outlet opening.

The connector further comprises a tubular connector body with a connector passageway that extends longitudinally therethrough from a proximal connector inlet opening to a distal connector outlet opening. The connector is further operative to receive a proximal end of the base body to form a sealed connection, whereby the base outlet opening is in sealed fluid connection to the connector inlet opening.

In a further embodiment, the vape cartridge cover mouthpiece can extend circumferentially around the outlet opening and wherein the mouthpiece is adapted to produce suction in the connector passageway.

In yet another embodiment, the vape cartridge cover can include an elongate clip arm that is fixedly connected to the base body. The clip arm can, in some embodiments, be flexible.

In an additional embodiment, the vape cartridge cover can be formed of a rigid material, such as a hard plastic.

In another additional embodiment, the vape cartridge cover base body can be of one-piece molded construction.

In some embodiments, the connector body inner surface can have at least a portion that has a smaller circumference than a portion of the base body outer surface. In some embodiments, the connector body can be formed of a material that is radially compressible.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various examples of embodiments of the disclosed vape cartridge cover and vaping apparatus, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various examples of the disclosed subject matter. Other specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, and environments, can be used, and structural modifications and functional modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed subject matter.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described herein, provided in the present disclosure are a vape cartridge cover and a vaping apparatus that includes the cover and a vape cartridge, in which the cover is removably attachable to the vape cartridge.

Turning to FIGS. 1-4, according to an embodiment, a vape cartridge cover 10 comprises a base 12 and a connector 14. The base 12 comprises a tubular base body 16 and an elongate, flexible clip arm 18 fixedly connected to the base body 16. The base body 16 comprises a circumferential sidewall 20 with an outer surface 22 and an inner surface 24, the inner surface 24 defining a cover base passageway 26 that extends longitudinally through the base body 16, the passageway 26 having an inlet opening 28 formed at a proximal end of the inner surface 24 and an outlet opening 30 at a distal end of the inner surface 24.

The base body 16 includes a mouthpiece 31 formed in a distal segment 33 of the base body 16, the mouthpiece 31 extending circumferentially around the outlet opening 30 so that when a user's lips are closed around the mouthpiece 31 and the user draws in breath, distal longitudinal suction is produced in the passageway 26 in a longitudinal pull direction P as indicated in FIG. 1. This distal longitudinal suction tends to draw a breathable substance at the proximal end of the base body 16 proximally into the passageway 26 through the inlet opening 28, proximally along the base body passageway 26 from the inlet opening 28 to the outlet opening 30, and proximally out of the passageway 26 through the outlet opening 30 and into the user's mouth/airway. The base body 16 can be formed of a suitable stiff or rigid material, such as a suitable hard plastic, and can be of one-piece molded construction.

According to a method of use illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, a user can hook the clip arm 18 of the cover 10 onto a lanyard 37 for carrying or hanging (for example, on a wall hook for storage) a vaping apparatus 100 (shown in FIG. 4), which comprises a vape cartridge 102 and the cover 10, the cover 10 being removably attached to the vape cartridge 102 so that the cover base body passageway 26 is in fluid communication with an interior of the vape cartridge 102 where a vape stream P can be formed. a In a method of using the vaping apparatus 100, a user wears the lanyard 37 around the user's neck N (schematically indicated as a point), the cover 10 being hooked onto the lanyard 37 by the clip arm 18, the cover 10 being attached to a vaping cartridge 102. The user then tilts their head forward as indicated by the arrow A to bring the user's mouth to the mouthpiece 31 so as to draw a vaping stream P from the cartridge 102, through the cover 10, and into the user's mouth and airway. For example, a proximal (lower, in FIG. 4) end of the cartridge 102 can pivot against the user's chest C (schematically indicated as a fixed vertical surface) as the user leans forward (left, as illustrated), so that the mouthpiece 31 tips forward to a position within reach of the user's mouth. In this manner, a differently abled or encumbered user can use the vaping apparatus 100 to draw a vaping stream without the use of hands.

The connector 14 likewise comprises a tubular connector body 32 comprising a circumferential sidewall 34 with an outer surface 36 and an inner surface 38, the inner surface 38 defining a cover connector passageway 40 that extends in a longitudinal direction through the connector body 32, the passageway 40 having an inlet opening 42 at a proximal end of the inner surface 38 and an outlet opening 44 at a distal end of the inner surface 38. The proximal segment 48 of the base body 16 is operative to be sealingly inserted into a distal end of the connector body 32. More particularly, the connector body 32 can be formed of a material that is circumferentially stretchable and/or radially compressible, and at least a portion of the connector body inner surface 38 can have a smaller circumference than at least a portion of the base body outer surface 22, so that the connector sidewall 34 is operative to be deformed to fit around the larger circumference of the base sidewall 20, such as by stretching circumferentially and/or compressing its radial wall thickness by deflecting its inner surface 38 outwardly toward its outer surface 36.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, to facilitate such deformation of the connector sidewall 34 as the base body 16 is inserted into the connector body 32 in an insertion direction i, the proximal segment 48 of the base body 16 can have an inwardly tapered proximal end region 49, as illustrated in a longitudinal cross-sectional exploded view of the cover 10 shown in FIG. 3. In other embodiments, the connector body inner surface 38 conforms closely to the shape of the base body outer surface 22, so as to form a sealed connection with little deformation (for example, imperceptibly small) or no deformation of the connector sidewall 34 when the proximal end of the base body 16 is inserted into the distal end of the connector body 32. In addition, the base body 16 further includes a stop 46 formed on its outer surface, the stop 46 extending radially outwardly from the radius of a proximal segment 48 of the base body 16 that extends proximally from the stop 46 to the proximal end. Thus, the stop 46 is operative to obstruct further proximal insertion movement of the base body 16 into the connector body 32 when a distal end of the connector body 32 abuts the stop 46 in a fully inserted position, shown in FIG. 2. The clip arm 18 is joined to the base body 16 by a clip-body joint 50 that is either at or spaced distally from the longitudinal position of the stop 46, so that the clip-body joint 50 does not obstruct full insertion of the base body 16 into the connector body 32 up to the stop 46. As indicated in FIG. 1, the clip arm 18 comprises a proximal end region 52 that is convex on a radially inward facing side and curved or angled radially outwardly from an inward apex toward a proximal end 54 and a middle segment 56. This arrangement allows the clip arm 18 to receive and retain a piece of material, such as the fabric of a user's shirt pocket, inserted between the clip arm proximal end region 52 and the connector 14 when the cover 10 is assembled, for carrying the vaping apparatus 100 when not in use.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the connector body 32 is longer than the proximal segment 48 of the base body 16 of the cover 10, so that when the base body 16 is fully inserted into the connector body 32, a proximal segment 58 of the connector body 32 extends proximally beyond the base body 16. Though the connector body 32 is illustrated as having a uniform inner circumference along its length, the shape and/or size of a circumference of the connector body inner surface 38 can be different within the proximal segment 58 than within a distal region where the base body 16 is inserted. In this manner, the proximal end of the connector body 32 can be adapted and configured to receive a vape cartridge shape (or range of shapes, when the connector sidewall 34 is made of a stretchable and/or compressible material, such as a suitable elastomer) that differs from that of the proximal segment 48 of the base body 16. In still other embodiments, the cover 10 can be provided as a kit with a single cover base 12 and a plurality of interchangeable cover connectors 14 (not shown), each having a proximal end shaped to fit a different vape cartridge shape or range of vape cartridge shapes.

The preceding description of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the present teachings and the practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It should be recognized that the words “a” or “an” are intended to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to plural elements shall, where appropriate, include the singular.

It is intended that the scope of the disclosure not be limited by the specification but be defined by the claim(s) set forth below. In addition, although narrow claims may be presented below, it should be recognized that the scope of this disclosure is much broader than presented by the claim(s). It is intended that broader claims will be submitted in one or more applications that claim the benefit of priority from this application. Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings disclose additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claim or claims below, the additional disclosures are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional disclosures is reserved.

Claims

1. A vape cartridge cover comprising: a base;a connector;the base comprising a tubular base body with a base passageway extending longitudinally therethrough from a proximal base inlet opening to a distal base outlet opening, the base body having a mouthpiece formed in a distal end region comprising the base outlet opening;the connector comprising a tubular connector body with a connector passageway extending longitudinally therethrough from a proximal connector inlet opening to a distal connector outlet opening;the connector being operative to receive an inserted proximal end of the base body to form a sealed connection, whereby the base outlet opening is in sealed fluid connection to the connector inlet opening.

2. The vape cartridge cover of claim 1 wherein the mouthpiece extends circumferentially around the outlet opening and wherein the mouthpiece is adapted to produce suction in the connector passageway.

3. The vape cartridge cover of claim 1 further comprising an elongate clip arm fixedly connected to the base body.

4. The vape cartridge cover of claim 3 wherein the elongate clip arm is flexible.

5. The vape cartridge cover of claim 1 wherein the base body is formed of a rigid material.

6. The vape cartridge cover of claim 5 wherein the base body is formed of hard plastic.

7. The vape cartridge cover of claim 5 wherein the base body is of one-piece molded construction.

8. The vape cartridge cover of claim 1 wherein the connector body has an inner surface, the base body has an outer surface, and wherein at least a portion of the connector body inner surface has a smaller circumference than at least a portion of the base body outer surface.

9. The vape cartridge cover of claim 8 wherein the connector body is formed of a material that is radially compressible.