U.S. patent application number 11/864997 was filed with the patent office on 2009-04-02 for standardized mobile hookah.
Invention is credited to Trent Krupp.
Application Number | 20090084391 11/864997 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40506802 |
Filed Date | 2009-04-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090084391 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Krupp; Trent |
April 2, 2009 |
Standardized Mobile Hookah
Abstract
A smoking pipe of Middle Eastern/South Asian mechanical design,
which is used to smoke tobacco and other substances while utilizing
liquid, such as water, for purifying the smoke, made novel by the
use of a coupler that allows the smoking pipe to be compatible with
a multitude of standard, consumer bottle types, such as soda
bottles or liquor bottles, as the liquid reservoir, which increases
the versatility and transportability of the smoking apparatus.
Inventors: |
Krupp; Trent; (Jersey City,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
TRENT KRUPP
236 NEWARK AVENUE, APT. 14
JERSEY CITY
NJ
07302
US
|
Family ID: |
40506802 |
Appl. No.: |
11/864997 |
Filed: |
September 29, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
131/173 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24F 1/30 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
131/173 |
International
Class: |
A24F 1/30 20060101
A24F001/30 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for smoking tobacco and other substances that can
be smoked comprising of: (1) a tubular structure running the length
of the apparatus and a head at the end of the apparatus that
interfaces with a bowl to accommodate the smokeable substance, an
alternate hole in the head of the apparatus that is to accommodate
a mouthpiece and a coupler attached to the apparatus, (2) wherein
the coupler may seal upon more than one standard of consumer liquid
receptacle through the use of an adjustable material (such as
plastic or rubber) that may flex over different sizes of bottle
mouth diameters, (3) wherein once the apparatus, with the coupler,
is affixed to the liquid receptacle, a closed system is created
that results in the user's ability to apply a vacuum (such as by
inhaling) to the mouthpiece, draw airflow from outside the system,
through the burning substance placed and ignited within the bowl,
down through the tubular structure, through the liquid within the
receptacle, and up back through the head to the user applying the
vacuum at the mouthpiece.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus may accommodate
more than one coupler, such that the user may interchange different
couplers that accommodate and seal upon different bottle mouth
diameters and threading styles. Each coupler connects to the head
of the apparatus and the opposing end may thread onto a liquid
receptacle, such that the apparatus may seal with the receiving
diameter or threading style of the mouth on the liquid receptacle,
resulting in a functional water pipe.
3. The pipe of claim 1 in which one end of the head, with or
without a coupler, interfaces with the liquid receptacle such that
a grade of inner female threads may seal upon differing male
threading styles or diameters of more than one type of liquid
receptacles.
4. The pipe of claim 1 in which the coupler is tapered such that it
may fit inside the mouth of a liquid receptacle and create a seal
with more than one diameter of bottle mouth.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The tobacco pipe of Middle Eastern and South Asian origin,
known as a "hookah," is differentiated from other smoking pipes by
its use of water as a means to cool and purify the smoke. Kline
U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,204 describes the "hookah" style pipe as one
consisting of a stem and bowl situated in respect to a liquid
receptacle, such that smoke from a burning substance may be drawn
from the bowl through the stem and into a liquid when the user
inhales through a mouthpiece. The smoke is purified and cooled by
the liquid, making the smoke more amenable to the user. The Kline
Patent accurately described hookahs as being inherently bulky and
non-transportable due to the use of a liquid receptacle.
[0002] As with the Kline Patent, the object of this patent is a
hookah-style pipe with the advantage of water cooled smoke in a
configuration that allows for the ease of transport.
[0003] Where the Kline Patent seeks to ameliorate the transport
issue through the use of a collapsible liquid reservoir, the unique
art addressed in this patent is the smoking apparatus' ability to
utilize widely available consumer liquid receptacles, such that the
user may easily transport the smoking apparatus without a reservoir
and then acquire, at their destination, a suitable liquid
receptacle that will interface with the smoking apparatus as the
liquid reservoir.
[0004] The advantage, as described, is accomplished through the use
of an adjustable coupler, affixed to the smoking apparatus, which
may accommodate many different mouth diameters and styles present
on consumer liquid receptacles, such as liquor bottles or soda
bottles. This allows the user to easily find a suitable liquid
receptacle and attach it to the smoking apparatus as a reservoir
resulting in a functional water pipe.
[0005] The object of this patent is described as a hookah-style
water tobacco pipe consisting of a pipe described as having a head
that interfaces with a bowl, to hold the substance to be smoked, at
one end, a coupler attached to the head opposite the bowl that may
be used with different diameters and threading styles of bottle
mouths, and a separate opening on the side of the head used to
attach a mouthpiece.
[0006] Attached to the head of the apparatus, and running the
length of the apparatus, is a tubular structure with two openings;
one that terminates at the top of the head, where the bowl is
attached, and another opening directly opposite, at the bottom end
of the apparatus. A separate side opening in the head is used to
accommodate a mouthpiece with an opposing terminus at the base of
the head, such that when a liquid receptacle is attached to the
coupler, one terminus of the side opening is enclosed within the
assembly.
[0007] The coupler (either built into or affixed to the head of the
apparatus) when threaded on or otherwise affixed to the mouth of a
receptacle containing liquid, forms a airtight seal such that when
a vacuum is applied to the mouthpiece attached to the apparatus, a
decrease in air-pressure within the receptacle causes airflow to be
drawn from the bowl at the top of the head, through the tubular
structure, down into and through the liquid and out through the
mouthpiece situated at the side of the head.
[0008] The "coupler", as defined in this patent, is an adjustable
interface attached to the smoking apparatus, which allows the user
to use the apparatus with more than one bottle mouth diameter,
style or specification. The coupler may accomplish this through
three different methods, which are considered to be the unique art
of this patent: 1) The coupler may be interchangeable. The user may
select a coupler, which possesses compatible female threading
specifications as the receiving male mouth of a consumer liquid
receptacle, attach it to the apparatus and then thread the
apparatus to the bottle mouth forming a seal. 2) The coupler may be
made of an adjustable material, such as plastic or rubber that may
flex around and seal with more than one bottle mouth diameter. 3)
The coupler may be tapered, such that it may fit inside and seal
with more than one bottle mouth diameter. Any or all of these three
coupler styles may be utilized by the pipe so that the user may
utilize more than one consumer liquid receptacle (such as liquor
bottles or soda bottles) as the reservoir for the smoking
apparatus.
[0009] The ability for the smoking apparatus through a coupler to
use more than one widely available, standard liquid receptacle is
central to the unique art claimed within this patent, which is
otherwise functionally typical of hookah-style water pipes, such as
the one described in the Kline Patent. This provides the ability
for the user to easily transport the smoking apparatus without the
need to carry the liquid receptacle, thus adding utility to the
design not found in the prior art of water-filtered smoking
pipes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0010] FIG. 1 is the profile of the smoking apparatus while in its
disassembled state.
[0011] FIG. 2 is the assembled smoking apparatus, which is the
state in which it is operable by the user.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cut-away of the assembled smoking apparatus
attached to a liquid receptacle, without a bowl or mouthpiece
attached.
[0013] In FIG. 1, the bowl 2 is attached to the head 5 of the pipe,
where the top of the head 4 is made of rubber or plastic such that
it may fit tightly into the bottom opening of the bowl 3. The
tubular structure 10 has one terminus at the top of the head 5,
where the bowl 2 is situated and another terminus opposite the head
5. The side opening of the head of the pipe 16 may be connected to
a mouth piece 14 by adjoining the end of the mouthpiece 15 to the
side opening 16. The side opening 16 terminus 17 is within the head
structure 5, such that the side opening 16 does not puncture the
tubular structure 10. The coupler 8 may be attached to the head
structure 5 by affixing the top of the coupler 7 onto end of the
head structure 6 or may be built-in to the head structure 5 as a
single piece. The coupler 8, affixed to the head structure 5, may
be fitted upon different threading types and diameters of the
bottle mouth 11. Before attaching the pipe structure, consisting of
sections 4, 5, 8 and 10, to the liquid receptacle 12, the liquid
receptacle should be approximately half filled with liquid,
typically water, via the bottle opening 11.
[0014] In FIG. 2. the smoking apparatus is assembled and may be
used by placing a smokeable substance into the bowl 2 at the top of
the bowl 1, and by placing on the bowl an appropriate cover, such
as perforated aluminum foil, and a heat source, such as ignited
coal or an electric heater. The user may then apply a vacuum (such
as by inhaling) to the mouthpiece 14 which decreases air-pressure
within the sealed assembly via the head structure 5, drawing
airflow from the burning smokeable substance in the bowl 2, down
through the tubular structure 10, through the liquid 13 contained
with in the liquid receptacle 12. The air then exits the sealed
system through the mouthpiece 14 connected to the head structure 5
via the side opening 16.
[0015] In FIG. 3 the smoking apparatus is cut-away, showing tubular
structure 10 running the length of the pipe, with one terminus at
the head 5 of the pipe and a second terminus within the liquid
receptacle 12. The side opening 16 is shown without a mouthpiece 14
and with a terminus 17 within the head 5. When assembled and a
vacuum is applied to the mouthpiece 14, the airflow within the
assembly travels from the top of the head 4, down through the
tubular structure 10, into the liquid receptacle 12, up to the side
opening terminus 17 within the head 5, and out through the side
opening 16 exiting at the mouthpiece 14 to the user applying the
vacuum.
[0016] Important to the novelty of this patent is the coupler 8
which may be either built into the head structure 5 or may be
interchangeable to accommodate many different threading types and
bottle mouth diameters. The user may have several different
couplers that fits this smoking pipe such that they may adapt the
smoking pipe via the coupler 8 to many different types of liquid
receptacle mouths 11 (FIG. 1); or the coupler 8 may be made of a
flexible material (typically rubber or plastic), which allows for
the coupler to be compatible with a variety of bottle mouth
diameters and types.
[0017] The smoking apparatus head 5 and tubular structure 10 may be
made of any number of materials, favoring non-corrosive materials
such as titanium, anodized aluminum or stainless steel. The bowl
interface 4 at the head of the apparatus 5 should be made of a
flexible material, such as rubber or plastic, so that it may fit
tightly into the opening on the bowl 3. The coupler 8 may be made
of less expensive, adjustable materials, such as plastic or rubber,
or may be made of the same material as the head 5 and tubular
structure 10. It is assumed that the mouthpiece and bowl, which may
be attached to the apparatus, are widely available smoking pipe
accessories. The liquid receptacle used as the reservoir may be any
liquid receptacle, whether glass, acrylic, ceramic, metal or
plastic, that has a bottle top within the specifications compatible
with the coupler 8 or couplers used in conjunction with the smoking
apparatus. Typical bottles that may be used as a reservoir with the
apparatus, include: vases, liquor bottles, soda bottles, or water
bottles.
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