U.S. patent application number 16/544894 was filed with the patent office on 2019-12-05 for hookah.
This patent application is currently assigned to Mya Saray, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Mya Saray, LLC. Invention is credited to Nizar Youssef Mehio.
Application Number | 20190364961 16/544894 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58267181 |
Filed Date | 2019-12-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190364961 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mehio; Nizar Youssef |
December 5, 2019 |
Hookah
Abstract
A hookah and method for smoking a hookah are disclosed that
permit more effective purging of "stale" wetted tobacco smoke from
a hookah. The hookah includes a stem, bottle, and check valve in
fluid communication with a dry smoke inlet of hookah. The valve is
located in a `low` position within the hookah for more effective
use of positive pressure within the hookah for purging. The method
includes purging wetted tobacco smoke through a valve that
selectively leads to the dry smoke conduit.
Inventors: |
Mehio; Nizar Youssef;
(Tallet El Khayet, LB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Mya Saray, LLC |
Sterling |
VA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Mya Saray, LLC
Sterling
VA
|
Family ID: |
58267181 |
Appl. No.: |
16/544894 |
Filed: |
August 19, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15063503 |
Mar 7, 2016 |
10383361 |
|
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16544894 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24F 1/30 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A24F 1/30 20060101
A24F001/30 |
Claims
1. A hookah comprising: a hookah bottle having a solid sidewall
defining a bottle interior and a bottle neck; a hookah stem
releasably affixable to said hookah bottle, said stem comprising: a
primary stem, positioned above said bottle neck, adapted to hold a
hookah burner and having: a central, substantially-vertical dry
smoke conduit bounded by a dry smoke inlet and a lower dry smoke
outlet formed by a transverse stem wall; and a wet smoke conduit
bounded by a wet smoke inlet and a peripheral wet smoke outlet
positioned at a height greater than at least co-planer to said
bottle neck; a down tube, affixed to said dry smoke outlet and
further defining said dry smoke conduit, terminating in a lower dry
smoke release aperture and forming a peripheral wet smoke intake,
dimensioned to extend into said hookah bottle to a penetration
depth at least half of a bottle height; a pressure-actuated check
valve, positioned between said wet smoke intake and said dry smoke
conduit, in direct gaseous communication with both said dry smoke
conduit and said bottle interior, with a wet smoke entry directly
exposed to said bottle interior and adapted to selectively impede,
during neutral and negative bottle pressure events, and allow,
during positive bottle pressure events, gaseous communication from
said wet smoke entry to said wet smoke intake; and a hose fitting,
affixed to said wet smoke outlet, for the releasable affixation of
a hookah hose to said hookah stem.
2. The hookah of claim 1 wherein said check valve is exteriorly
affixed to said down tube.
3. The hookah of claim 2 wherein said check valve includes a
manually-removable valve aperture granting interior access to said
check valve.
4. The hookah of claim 1 wherein said check valve is integrated
with said down tube.
5. The hookah of claim 4 wherein said check valve includes a
manually-removable valve aperture granting interior access to said
check valve.
6. The hookah of claim 1 wherein said check valve is releasably
attached to said down tube.
7. The hookah of claim 6 wherein said check valve includes a
manually-removable valve aperture granting interior access to said
check valve.
8. The hookah of claim 1 wherein said down tube is releasably
affixed to said dry smoke outlet.
9. The hookah of claim 1 wherein said hookah primary stem includes:
a burner support, adapted to hold said hookah burner, defining said
substantially vertical dry smoke conduit; and a plenum having said
dry smoke conduit and a sidewall having both said wet smoke outlet
and said dry smoke outlet within said bottle.
10. The hookah of claim 9 wherein said plenum sidewall extends into
said bottle neck and includes a transverse sidewall that defines
said wet smoke conduit as a sinuous wet smoke conduit and further
defines said dry smoke conduit.
11. The hookah of claim 10 wherein said burner support is removably
affixed to said plenum.
12. The hookah of claim 9 wherein said plenum sidewall includes a
transverse sidewall situated entirely above said bottle neck to
create an elevated wet smoke cavern and that defines said wet smoke
conduit as a linear wet smoke conduit.
13. The hookah of claim 12 wherein said burner support is removably
affixed to said plenum.
14. A hookah comprising: a hookah bottle having a solid sidewall
defining a bottle neck, a substantially bulbous body, and a bottle
interior; and a hookah stem releasably affixable to said hookah
bottle and adapted to hold a hookah burner, having a central,
substantially-vertical dry smoke conduit descending within said
hookah bottle below said bottle neck, and terminating in a lower
dry smoke release aperture and forming a wet smoke intake allowing
peripheral access to said dry smoke conduit, and a wet smoke
conduit, segregated from said dry smoke conduit, positioned to
permit wetted smoke from said bottle interior to ascend therein and
having a wet smoke outlet on a periphery of said stem, for the
release of wetted smoke beyond said hookah stem, above said bottle
neck; a pressure-actuated check valve, united with said stem, in
gaseous communication with said dry smoke conduit, said valve
having a wet smoke entry exposed to said bottle interior and
adapted to selectively impede, during neutral and negative bottle
pressure events, and allow, during positive bottle pressure events,
gaseous communication from said wet smoke entry to said wet smoke
intake.
15. The hookah of claim 14 wherein said check valve is exteriorly
affixed to said down tube.
16. The hookah of claim 15 wherein said check valve includes a
manually-removable valve aperture granting interior access to said
check valve.
17. The hookah of claim 14 wherein said check valve is integrated
with said down tube.
18. The hookah of claim 17 wherein said check valve includes a
manually-removable valve aperture granting interior access to said
check valve.
19. The hookah of claim 18 wherein said check valve is releasably
attached to said down tube.
20. A method of smoking a hookah, said method comprising:
downwardly drawing indirectly-combusted tobacco smoke from a hookah
burner into an elongate dry smoke conduit of a hookah stem into a
liquid within an interior of a hookah bottle using a hookah hose
releasably affixed to, and in gaseous communication with a wet
smoke conduit of, said hookah stem; aggregating a substantial
amount of wetted tobacco smoke within said hookah bottle above said
liquid and below a transverse wall of said hookah stem; urging air
from said hookah hose through said wet smoke conduit into said
bottle interior to create positive bottle pressure; directing said
wetted tobacco smoke into a pressure-actuated check valve, united
with said stem and in gaseous communication with said dry smoke
conduit of said stem, with a wet smoke entry exposed to said bottle
interior and adapted to selectively impede, during neutral and
negative bottle pressure events, and allow, during positive bottle
pressure events, gaseous communication from said wet smoke entry to
said wet smoke intake; and directing said wetted tobacco smoke
upwardly through said dry smoke conduit toward and through said
hookah burner.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation, and claims priority
under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120 from, U.S. patent application Ser. No.
15/063,503 titled Hookah filed on Mar. 7, 2016.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of tobacco
smoking and more specifically to the field of hookah smoking.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Of the many proud traditions of Ottoman culture, few have
achieved the world-wide fame of hookah smoking. Once confined to
the Middle East and Near East regions, the hookah's notoriety was
invigorated by Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the stream of
curious Westerners which followed thereafter. Painters, such as
Eugene Delacroix and Jean-Leon Gerome, when depicting Oriental
styles typically included a hookah as a symbol of the depicted
culture. The hookah was elevated from a regional curiosity to a
universal symbol of sophistication.
[0004] The hookah, which has maintained a constant popularity in
the Middle East, presently enjoys in American culture a unique,
niched function. Hookah smoking combines community and relaxation
into a single event. Rarely does one witness a group smokers
crowded about a single cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Though hookahs
are often designed with a single smoke outlet; the presence of
multiple hoses, each capable of simultaneous use, emanating from a
single smoking instrument is unique to the hookah. Multiple hose
hookahs form the centerpieces of hookah clubs in which hookah
smokers gather to unwind and converse with other community members.
A hookah combines fashion, art, and function into a single
device.
[0005] A basic hookah includes a bottle, a stem, at least one hose
with a mouthpiece, and a burner. The hookah burner holds the hookah
tobacco, frequently "massell." Massell is a mixture of tobacco,
molasses, and often a flavor or fruit extract. The molasses and
fruit extract add a substantial amount of moisture to the massell
that is missing in conventional tobacco. This added moisture makes
massell more sensitive to the elements relative to conventional
tobacco; prolonged exposure to air evaporates much of the moisture
of massell and reduces its flavor. When properly protected, massell
allows a smoker a more recreational, flavored smoke than the
tobacco of cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and the like. An experienced
hookah smoker will know to loosely distribute massell into a pile
within the hookah burner to allow heat to evenly circulate through
the pile.
[0006] The heat that ignites the massell derives from coals
positioned above the hookah burner. The coals and massell
preferably never contact one to the other. A common method of
placing coals proximate to the massell involves spreading a foil
upon the top of a hookah burner, punching holes in the foil, and
then placing the coals onto the foil. The heat from the lighted
coals travels through the holes in the foil to ignite portions of
the massell. Particulates from the massell travel in the smoke
created by the ignition down through the hookah burner into the
hookah pipe.
[0007] The hookah stem is the smoke transport component of a hookah
and is usually fabricated from brass, tin, or stainless steel. The
stem transports the massell smoke from the burner to the hookah
bottle, which is a cavern containing water. The bottle of the
hookah is typically fabricated of glass or plastic and tends to be
the most expressive portion of the hookah, ranging from translucent
to wildly-colored. Within the cavern of the hookah bottle, the
massell smoke is cooled by the water within. The cooled massell
smoke then returns to the stem, though not through the same
entrance by which the massell smoke enters the bottle. From the
stem, the massell smoke travels through the hose and out of the
mouthpiece.
[0008] There are presently two prominent versions of hookah
structures: the Lebanese style and the Egyptian style. Although the
aficionado will explain that there are many differences between the
two styles, the practical layman would quickly note the obvious
difference: the connection point between the stem and the hookah
burner. The Egyptian style hookah pipe tapers upward into what is
generally referred to as a male connection. The Egyptian style
hookah burner includes a female connection which receives the
pipe's male connection. In the Lebanese style hookah the burner has
the tapered male connection and the pipe has the female connection
to accept the Lebanese style hookah burner. In both styles, to
allow a more airtight connection a collar is generally added to fit
around the male connection.
[0009] Although hookahs are growing more advanced, there are still
troubles common to hookahs. One of the greatest impediments to
hookah smoking enjoyment is the problem of aggregated, stale wetted
smoke. The stale, wetted smoke sits in the path of fresh smoke, the
density frustrating the internal gas flow dynamics of the hookah
and the taste of the wetted smoke corroding the fresh smoke as it
passes through the stale cloud. The present invention goes a long
way towards solving this lingering, troublesome issue.
SUMMARY
[0010] The present invention is directed to a hookah. The hookah
includes a hookah bottle and hookah stem. The hookah stem includes
a primary stem, which further includes a plenum and a burner
support. The bottle holds liquid for cooling wet smoke and has a
bottle interior and a bottle neck.
[0011] The primary stem, positioned above said bottle neck, is
adapted to hold a hookah burner. The interior of the stem includes
a central, substantially-vertical dry smoke conduit bounded by a
dry smoke inlet and a lower dry smoke outlet formed by a transverse
stem wall. A wet smoke conduit bounded by a wet smoke inlet and a
peripheral wet smoke outlet is positioned above the bottle neck.
The hookah stem further includes a down tube, affixed to the dry
smoke outlet and further defines the dry smoke conduit. The down
tube terminates in a lower dry smoke release aperture and forms a
peripheral wet smoke intake. The down tube is dimensioned to extend
into the hookah bottle to a penetration depth at least half of a
bottle's height.
[0012] The stem further includes a pressure-actuated check valve,
co-planar to the bottle and in gaseous communication with the dry
smoke conduit of the stem. A wet smoke entry is exposed to the
bottle interior and adapted to be selectively impeded, during
neutral and negative bottle pressure events, and allow, during
positive bottle pressure events, gaseous communication from the wet
smoke entry to the wet smoke intake. A hose fitting, affixed to the
wet smoke outlet, permits the releasable affixation of a hookah
hose to the hookah stem.
[0013] The present invention further includes a method for smoking
a hookah. The method includes downwardly drawing
indirectly-combusted tobacco smoke from a hookah burner into an
elongate dry smoke conduit of the hookah stem into a liquid within
the interior of a hookah bottle using the hookah hose releasably
affixed to, and in gaseous communication with a wet smoke conduit
of, the hookah stem. Then one aggregates a substantial amount of
wetted tobacco smoke within the hookah bottle above the liquid and
below the transverse wall of the hookah stem. Then one urges air
from the hookah hose through the wet smoke smoke conduit into the
bottle interior to create positive bottle pressure. Wetted tobacco
smoke is directed into the pressure-actuated check valve, co-planar
with said bottle and in gaseous communication with the dry smoke
conduit of the stem, with a wet smoke entry exposed to the bottle
interior and adapted to selectively impede, during neutral and
negative bottle pressure events, and allow, during positive bottle
pressure events, gaseous communication from the wet smoke entry to
the wet smoke intake. Wetted tobacco smoke is directed upwardly
through the dry smoke conduit toward and through the hookah burner.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive.
Furthermore, some features may apply to certain versions of the
invention, but not others. Other features, aspects, and advantages
of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the
following description, and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a side isometric view of the hookah of the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a side, exposed isometric view of the hookah of
the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is an upper, exposed isometric view of the stem
components of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a side, exposed orthographic view of a hookah of
the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 5A is a side, exposed orthographic view of a down tube
of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 5B is a side, detailed othagraphic view of a down tube
and valve of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 6A is a side, exposed orthographic view of a stem of
the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 6B is a side, detailed othagraphic view of a down tube
and valve of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 7A is an upper, isometric view of a down tube of the
present invention.
[0023] FIG. 7B is a side, exposed view of a down tube and valve of
the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 7C is a side, exposed view of a down tube and valve of
the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 8 is an upper, isometric view of a hookah bowl of the
present invention.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a side, exposed view of a hookah bowl of the
present invention.
[0027] FIG. 10A is an upper isometric view of a valve of the
present invention.
[0028] FIG. 10B is a lower isometric view of a valve of the present
invention.
[0029] FIG. 11A is a side isometric view of a down tube, valve, and
plug of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 11B is a side isometric view of a down tube, valve, and
plug of the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 12 is a view of the method of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, a basic embodiment of the
hookah 100 of the present invention is shown. The hookah includes a
stem 110 and a bottle 102. The bottle 102 can be conceptually
subdivided into at least two regions for the purposes of the
present disclosure, an interior 104 and a neck 106. The bottle 102
may be constructed of any material commonly used in the fabrication
of hookah bottles, and the bottle may feature a generally unlimited
series of shapes and dimensions. The bottle 102 includes a solid
sidewall 108 that holds liquid (not shown) for the cooling of
tobacco smoke. The bottle 102 is generally bulbous for the
retention of a substantial amount of water. The neck 106 of the
present invention is the portion of the bottle upon which a stem is
usually attached, either internally or externally and begins at the
apex of the bottle and continues until the point at which the
bottle flares into the bulbous portion of the bottle, the hookah
body 112. The bottle interior 104 includes the volume of the hookah
bottle bounded by the hookah sidewall, and it should be noted that
there is not necessarily a clear boundary of a hookah "neck." For
purposes of the present disclosure, the hookah neck spans from the
apex of the hookah bottle, to the lower of: the point of the hookah
bottle wherein the bottle first begins to flare outward (to
increase the volume and lower the center of mass for the stability
necessary to support the hookah mass), or the point below where the
stem affixes to the hookah bottle in a manner that forms an
airtight seal between the stem and neck. In the hookah of FIG. 1,
for example the apex of the hookah is the point where stem and
bottle form an airtight seal, but because the bottle begins to
flare outward just adjacent to the lower point of the primary stem.
The bottle and the stem of a hookah are separable, and in the
embodiment of FIG. 1 join via an interference fit through the use
of a compressible seal 184.
[0033] The stem 110 can be conceptually subdivided into three
components, the burner support 120 and plenum 130 (together which
form the "primary" stem), and a down tube 140, which supplements
the dry smoke conduit 190 of the primary stem. The burner support
120 and a stem plenum 130 may, or may not, be separable as
described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,806,123, the disclosure of which
hereby incorporated into the present disclosure. Generally
speaking, the burner support 120 is discernable from the stem
plenum 130 by function; the burner support generally contains only
dry smoke that is transported from the hookah burner downward,
while the plenum 130 includes complex airflow passages for the
shunting of both wet smoke and dry smoke to their respective
destinations. Again, the use of terminology such as "plenum" and
"burner support" is not to imply that the features are clearly
distinct one from the other, or that the components are separable;
instead, such terms are descriptive supports to aid in explaining
the present invention. The burner support holds a hookah
burner/bowl, or such other arbitrary components that further extend
the height of the hookah having a dry smoke conduit and a position
for the burner. The hookah of FIGS. 1-3 has a compressible seal 182
for the interference fit affixation of a burner to the burner
support, as well as a shield 180 for the deflection/collection of
ashes away from the hookah body. The stem plenum includes one or
more wet smoke apertures 132, shown here as a hose fitting, which
as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,001,978 (the disclosure of which
hereby incorporated into the present disclosure), may be for the
purpose of drawing smoke to a user (e.g., a hose fitting) or wet
smoke pressure release. Hose fittings 132 may be releasably affixed
to the stem plenum 130, preferably by means of mating threading on
an end of the hose fitting and the wet smoke outlet 134 of the
plenum 130. The purpose of the hose fitting is to releasably affix
a hookah hose thereto. Although a hookah hose is a significant
component of the hookah, for purposes of the present invention, the
hose need not be considered other than that it is a source of
positive or negative gaseous flow into the hose fitting and plenum.
Therefore, a hookah hose need not be detailed to understand the
present invention.
[0034] The hookah bottle 102 includes a solid sidewall because
unlike other smoking instruments, which lack an ornamental nature,
the stem contains the necessary airflow elements. The hookah bottle
102 has an opening bounded by the neck 106 for the stem 110 to send
and receive smoke. The stem attaches to the hookah bottle through
any means known in the art, including seal, threading, clasps, etc;
and may attach at any position known in the art, such as within a
hookah bottle neck, outside the hookah bottle neck, or atop the
hookah bottle neck.
[0035] Dry smoke begins at the burner (not shown), enters the dry
smoke inlet 192 and travels through the dry smoke conduit 190 of
the burner support 120. From the burner support 120, dry smoke
enters the stem plenum 130 where it may or may not be immediately
directed to the down tube 140. In any case, the dry smoke enters
the stem plenum 130 through a channel that further forms the dry
smoke conduit 190. In the hookah embodiment of FIG. 3, for example,
the plenum lacks internal channeling that defines the dry smoke
conduit; instead, the dry smoke conduit is further formed by the
down tube 140. The dry smoke conduit in most hookahs is effectively
formed of two components: the burner support 120 and the down tube
190, the latter of which shunts dry smoke through the plenum with
an interior ostensibly entirely dedicated to the acceptance of wet
smoke rising from the bottle, an elevated wet smoke cavern. The
hookah embodiment of FIG. 3 can be contrasted with the hookah
embodiment of FIG. 4, which includes a plenum with internal
channeling defining both dry smoke conduit 190 and wet smoke
conduit 136. Sidewalls 170 of the hookah of FIG. 3 "contain" or
"have" the dry smoke conduit, whereas the sidewalls 170 of the
hookah of FIG. 4 define the wet smoke conduit 136 (as an elevated
wet smoke cavern) and dry smoke conduit 190. The present invention
may be used with either type of hookah, or some other variety.
[0036] It is preferred in the present invention that the down tube
140 include an attachment means, e.g. threading, pressure-fit,
clasp, etc., for attaching the down tube to the dry smoke outlet
196 primary stem. By dry smoke outlet 196 it is meant the aperture
through which dry smoke exits the primary stem for its descent into
the hookah bottle 102. Placing a down tube 140 at the apex of the
plenum 130, as shown in FIG. 3, permits greater variations in, and
simplified, wet smoke channeling within the base stem with less
materials removal therein during fabrication. Returning to FIGS.
1-3, the dry smoke travels through the down tube 140 into the
hookah bottle 102 as it exits the down tube dry smoke release 198;
and in the presently discussed embodiment, the dry smoke is
segregated from the wet smoke conduit by transport through the down
tube within the plenum 130.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, when the dry smoke is released from the
down tube 140 into the hookah bottle 102, the liquid 902 cools the
smoke. The smoke ascends through the liquid 902 and is released
above the surface of the liquid to become wetted smoke 904 in the
bottle interior. The wetted smoke ascends from the bottle interior
into the stem base so long as there is negative pressure in the
hookah bottle interior, relative to the dry smoke conduit. By
negative pressure (with reference to the bottle interior), it is
meant pressure less than that of equilibrium. During negative
pressure events, gas is drawn from the interior of the hookah
bottle to the plenum and out the hose fitting through the wet smoke
conduit. Hookah smoking is a negative pressure event. By neutral
pressure (with reference to the bottle interior), it is meant that
the pressure of the hookah bottle interior is in substantial
equilibrium with the dry smoke conduit. A user achieves a neutral
pressure event by refraining from drawing gas from the hookah or
blowing air into the hookah through the hose fitting. By positive
pressure (with reference to the bottle interior), it is meant
pressure greater than that of equilibrium, relative to the dry
smoke conduit. During positive pressure events, gas is blown from
the hose fitting through the wet smoke conduit to the interior of
the hookah.
[0038] One of the great problems confronting hookahs, and their
users, that is not shared by other smoking implements is the
aggregation of stale, wetted smoke 904. Although the purpose of a
hookah is to deliver wetted smoke to a user's mouth, smoke that
spends a substantial length of time in the hookah interior without
being drawn into the plenum becomes "harsh" and undesirable.
Unfortunately, of the gases present in the hookah, wetted smoke is
the densest--and therefor most challenging to move and/or expel.
Therefore drawing a hookah with stale, aggregated wet smoke draws
fresh smoke into the liquid, and then subsequently up into the
plenum. However, the density of the stale smoke prevents a "first
in, first out" scenario; instead, significant quantities of the
newly-drawn smoke is likely to be drawn toward the user, and drawn
through the stale smoke, into the plenum. A cloud of aggregated wet
smoke creates a layer of undesirable gaseous tobacco that affects
each draw of smoke that passes through it. Multiple solutions have
been attempted to purge a hookah of the ultra-dense stale
smoke.
[0039] For users of hookahs exemplified by the figures of U.S. Pat.
No. 7,806,123, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference, the hookahs include no mechanical means of controlling
pressure loss. The hookahs leaked unless manually stopped from
doing so. Unfortunately, the denser the smoke, the less the
likelihood that the smoke would simply dissipate upward through the
hookah hose. Users tended to place a finger on the aperture of a
hookah hose to prevent leakage anyway. To purge a hookah of stale
smoke, one user would blow at a very calculated rate into the
hookah hose to attempt to push the wetted hookah smoke from the
bottle interior. This met with some success; however, because dry
air from a human is less dense than wetted, tobacco smoke, gas that
exited the hookah through an autoseal pressure gate was a mixture
of human breath and wetted smoke, mostly the former. The blow rate
was highly calculated because if not forceful enough, the wetted
smoke would not be sufficiently urged to leave in significant
quantity and the exiting gas would be composed highly
disproportionately of human breath. If the user blew too
forcefully, a portion of gas would exit the autoseal gate, but yet
another portion would operate the hookah in reverse to compress the
liquid in the bottle sending liquid up the dry smoke conduit and
squirting water out through the hookah bowl--extinguishing the
coals and ruining the tobacco.
[0040] Then the hookahs of the '978 patent appeared; although these
hookahs solved the hookah leakage issues during neutral pressure
events, the solution for purging the interior of the hookah bottle
remained the same. Further compounding the issue of purging a
hookah is the myriad of internal dimensions of a hookah stem and
bottle. During a state of equilibrium, wetted smoke behaves
according to the principles of Brownian motion and will achieve a
generally uniform Brownian distribution within the stem base
interior. During states of positive pressure (e.g., blowing into
the stem base) and negative pressure (e.g., sucking from the stem
base), the pressurized wetted smoke behaves according to the
principles of Bernoulli and the Continuity Equation. Wherein p is
fluid density, A is cross section area, v is velocity, and time is
time:
P(A1)v1(.DELTA.t)=.rho.(A2)v2(.DELTA.t)
The entire volume of a hookah stem and hookah bottle capable of
retaining wetted smoke is of consequence--although open volumes are
of greater consequence than constricted volumes (e.g., wet smoke
channels). The complex smoke shunting avenues of a hookah are
located in the stem. Even the in the revolutionary '978 patent, the
patent depicts a hookah having autoseal gates, either independent
or combined into a hose fitting, that are located above where dense
smoke would naturally aggregate. Wetted smoke aggregates around the
surface of the liquid within a hookah bottle; whereas wetted smoke
egress points tend to be in the lower portion of the stem. Gas
blown into a hookah from a hose fitting starts at the entry point
of the hose fitting, usually the periphery of the base of a stem;
from there the gas travels throughout the open volumes of a hookah.
Although there will almost always be a downward open volume from
the hose fitting, often there is a significant upward open volume
that may generate a spiraling downward force acting to nullify any
upward force from the liquid surface. The force of gas in the
direction of the liquid surface to the point of exit is the most
consequential force in the purging process. The present invention
offers two significant solutions: (i) the invention provides
internal contouring that permits the efficient use of internal
forces, and (ii) the invention changes the point of exit to a
central position that is also co-planar to the bottle rather than a
point high in the stem.
[0041] The present invention features a pressure-actuated check
valve 150 preferably positioned co-planar to the bottle. In other
words, the preferred check valve is located on the configured
hookah of the present invention in a position whereby a horizontal
line that intersects the check valve 150 would necessarily
intersect the hookah bottle 102. A check valve is a backflow
prevention device: it allows flow in only one direction. The
pressure of forward fluid flow opens the valve and the pressure
from backflow closes it, forcing the stopper, whether the stopper
includes a gate, ball, wall, etc., against the valve seat. The
preferred location for the check valve is affixed to exterior or
interior of the down tube. The check valve may be integrated into
the down tube; and in instances wherein the stem recedes well into
the hookah neck, the check valve may be integrated into the stem.
The check valve of FIG. 2 depicts a ball check valve. The ball
check valve features a body 152 having a wet smoke entry 154 and a
wet smoke intake 156. The body defines a frustoconical void wherein
a floating spherical stopper 158 utilizes merely the force of
gravity to form a one-way seal during negative pressure events
within the bottle. During positive pressure events, gas travels
from the wet smoke inlet 138 down the wet smoke conduit 136 and
through the wet smoke inlet 138 and into the bottle interior. The
pressure accumulation reaches the entry to the valve, the wet smoke
entry 154, and urges the stopper 158 upward into the larger
diameter of the void thereby permitting gaseous flow from the wet
smoke entry 154 to the wet smoke intake 156. The wet smoke entry
offers gaseous communication between the bottle interior and the
valve; the wet smoke intake offer gaseous communication between the
valve and the dry smoke conduit 190. The valve may directly access
the dry smoke conduit 190 of the down tube 140 or the dry smoke
conduit of the primary stem, depending on which location is most
convenient and accessible.
[0042] A hookah is a unique smoking instrument in that there are
multiple avenues of gas flow within the device, and there is a
central gas collection point from which gas is distributed. The
present invention exploits an avenue of gas transfer as a purge
route not utilized by existing hookahs, the avenue by which dry
smoke is delivered to the bottle. During a positive pressure event,
the check valve 150 allows gas into the dry smoke conduit 190 and
the pressure forces the gas up the dry smoke conduit, through the
stem, and then out through the dry smoke inlet 192. From the dry
smoke inlet 192, gas passes into the outside environment through
the burner (not shown). So for the purposes of the present
invention, certain conventional terms such as "dry smoke conduit"
should be viewed in context to be understood. Conventional hookahs
utilize a dry smoke conduit solely for the unidirectional delivery
of dry smoke. The present invention alters this convention, and
allows during select periods, wet smoke to enter the "dry smoke
conduit" for purposes of purging the wetted smoke. Furthermore,
directing wetted smoke into the usually narrower dry smoke conduit
permits less force to be used to purge the wetted smoke. Wet smoke
collecting in a narrow conduit is less troublesome than wetted
smoke collecting in a larger volume because the wetted smoke is
more easily urged from one direction to another. Wetted smoke not
purged in the dry smoke inlet would settle as the lowest point of
the down tube that remains above the liquid surface. Highly
pressurized air from the dry smoke conduit may even force a
substantial amount of wetted smoke back into the liquid.
[0043] Another differentiating aspect of hookah smoking is the use
of a specialized burner. Specifically, the burners utilized in
connection with hookah stems have inherent structural intricacies
that, although designed to prevent tobacco from falling into the
hookah stem, happens to be an admirable structure for exhaust of
smoke. Hookahs burners (also known as "bowls"), although varying
from brand-to-brand, tend to have a number of similar features as
shown in FIGS. 8-9. The hookah burner 202 as depicted includes the
most common feature of hookah burners, a platform with multiple
tobacco smoke apertures 206. Furthermore, the burners 202 often
include a void 212 below the tobacco platform with a substantially
greater diameter than the dry smoke inlet 190. The hookah burner
depicted includes a spire that works in concert with a plate 204
for holding coals. Although such a burner is proprietary and rare,
there is a parallel to be drawn with more conventional hookah
burners that utilize a foil rather than a solid, perforated plate.
Even hookah bowls that utilize a single aperture, which is usually
raised to prevent tobacco from falling into the hookah stem, tend
to utilize some manner of multi-punctured self-supporting sheet.
Alternatively, as exemplified by U.S. Design Pat. No. 618,389, the
disclosure of which is expressly incorporated into this
application, the hookah bowl may include horizontal apertures.
Whether the hookah burner possesses multiple vertical apertures, a
sizable void, and/or one or more horizontal apertures, these
features, when applied in reverse, act to disperse and/or muffle
the force of purged gas being exhausted through an unconventional
exit point.
[0044] Turning now to FIG. 4, the present invention also
contemplates a plunging hookah stem 102. By plunging hookah stem it
is meant that the hookah stem 102 includes a plenum 130 that
defines the wet smoke conduit 136 and the dry smoke conduit 190.
Such stems generally are less simple to discern between the plenum
and the burner support, mostly because such distinctions are less
useful in describing the internal features. Plunging hookah stems
have certain disadvantages over stems with elevated wet smoke
caverns because the wet smoke conduits must be created within the
sidewall 170, usually with a boring instrument. These conduits are
usually sinuous, meaning for the purposes of this disclosure, that
they include at least one change of direction (i.e., are
non-linear). The sidewalls 170 of hookahs with elevated wet smoke
caverns, as shown in FIG. 2, permit direct, linear wet smoke
conduits to be constructed. Both the hookah stem embodiments of
FIGS. 2-4 feature a sidewall with a tranverse wall 172, simply
located in different positions. By sidewall it is meant a barrier
of the plenum with respect to the outside environment; by
transverse wall it is meant a sidewall portion having a
substantially horizontal portion to a degree that permits a down
tube to be affixed thereto (for releasable down tubes), or extend
therefrom (for unitary down tubes). The preferred down tube 140
releasably affixes to the dry smoke outlet 196; however, the down
tube 140 can be integrated into the stem. The significant feature
of the down tube is that it extends down into the hookah bottle 102
to distance equal to at least half of the hookah bottle's height H,
and that the down tube is the point of the stem at which the stem,
upon being approximately co-planar with the bottle, projects
minimal mass into the hookah bottle. The stem serves several
functions, including structural support and structural
stabilization. As the portion of the stem that need not be a
barrier against glancing blows (because it is within the bottle)
nor affix to the bottle to provide stability, the down tube needs
only the mass to continue to shunt dry smoke into the hookah
bottle. The stem of FIG. 4 utilizes a ball check valve having a
body 152 forming a void with an elevated ceiling. Upon encountering
a positive pressure event, gas enters the wet smoke entry 154 the
stopper 158 is urged upwards to a position above the wet smoke
intake 158.
[0045] Turning now to FIGS. 5A-5B, the down tube 140 may have
affixed externally thereto the check valve 150. Another acceptable
version of check valve includes a swing gate as an operative
element 158. The body 152 of the check valve forms a central void
and element shoulders 159. During negative and natural pressure
events, a swing gate 158 is pressed or rests against, respectively,
the element shoulders. During positive pressure events, gas enters
the wet smoke entry 154 and urges the swing gate, which may or may
not have a spring return, to and allow gaseous communication
between the bottle interior and the dry smoke conduit through the
wet smoke intake 156.
[0046] FIGS. 6A and 6B depict the ball check valve 150, which may
be externally affixed to the down tube 120. The body 152 of the
check valve forms a central frustoconical void. During negative and
natural pressure events, the spherical stopper 158 is pressed or
rests against, respectively, the narrower portion of the void.
During positive pressure events, gas enters the wet smoke entry 154
and urges stopper upward and allow gaseous communication between
the bottle interior and the dry smoke conduit 190 through the wet
smoke intake 156.
[0047] FIGS. 7A-7C depicts a check valve 150 integrated into the
down tube 120. Down tubes are inherently low-mass structures and by
nature lack the volume in which to embed a valve. The preferred
means of integrating a valve into a down tube is by increasing the
mass by use of raised blisters into which the valve is embedded.
The check valve 150 version depicted in FIGS. 7A-7C is a lift check
valve. The body 152 of the check valve forms a central void and
element shoulders 159. During negative and natural pressure events,
a lift gate 158 is pressed or rests against, respectively, the
element shoulders. During positive pressure events, gas enters the
wet smoke entry 154 and urges the lift gate, which may or may not
have a spring return, into a lift gate void 157 to and allow
gaseous communication between the bottle interior and the dry smoke
conduit through the wet smoke intake 156 The check valve of the
present invention may interact with the stem of the present
invention in order to perform its task; the attachment to a down
tube, for example, may be external, integrated, or internal. It is
preferred that the attachment is external, or integrated if easily
accessible, because the valves may require cleaning from time to
time.
[0048] The particular version of the check valve utilized with the
present invention is not an overriding factor. Other forms of
valves that permit one-way gaseous communication capable of
achieving the purposes of the present invention may be freely
utilized. The position of the check valve 150 is a significant
factor of the present invention, the closer that the valve can be
positioned to the surface level of liquid within a hookah bottle,
the better. Unfortunately, a product supplier does not control the
amount of liquid that a hookah user places within the hookah
bottle. A product supplier may, however, provide visual cues as to
the appropriate height of a liquid. These visual cues may be placed
on the bottle exterior or may be based on the lowest surface of the
valve or provided on the down tube.
[0049] Turning now to FIGS. 10A-B, a preferred version of the check
valve 150 includes a clean out means. By clean out means, it is
meant a way of accessing the internal structures of the valve. An
example of a clean out means includes a valve having a bifurcated
body 152 such that a portion of the body is removable therefrom.
The valve may include a valve lid 151 and removal means 153, such
as a slit for a screwdriver or coin. The lid 151 may be affixed to
the body 152 through any common attachment mechanisms such as
interference fitting, threading, pressure fit, etc. The lid may be
located, when a ball valve having a frustoconical void is used,
towards the major diameter of the valve void such that the
spherical stopper may be removed that the void formed by the body
152. Massell smoke is not only corrosive, but it is also highly
adherent. Periodic soaking of the spherical stopper in a
specialized solvent aids the invention in having a lengthy
lifespan.
[0050] Turning now to FIGS. 11A-B, the present invention may
utilize a check valve 150 that is removably affixed to a down tube
140. There may be situation wherein the valve is not desired to be
used, or the valves may be interchangeable based on circumstances.
In the valve version shown, because the down tube 140 extends
vertically into the base of a hookah bowl and the valve extends
roughly perpendicular therefrom, the use of a gravity-based valve
is a non-preferred option. Instead a valve 150 that accommodates a
roughly horizontal airflow from the wet smoke entry 154 to a wet
smoke egress point of the valve, shown here as a wet smoke exit
172, and then into the wet smoke intake 172, preferably utilizes a
swing gate valve (as shown in FIG. 5A-B). The body 152 of the valve
150 releasably affixes to the down tube via the wet smoke intake.
The body of the valve adjacent to the wet smoke exit 172 may be
threaded to mate with threading on the wet smoke intake 156. Again,
any affixation mechanisms known in the art may be utilized to join
the valve to the down tube, including press fit and interference
fit. Furthermore, the present invention may feature a down tube
plug 170. The down tube plug 170 is an impediment adapted to fit
into the wet smoke intake 156 when a valve does not occupy the wet
smoke intake. The wet smoke intake may include any of the
affixation mechanisms of the valve, and preferably utilizes
whatever affixation mechanism is utilized by the valve body 152. As
with the previously discussed lid, the body of the valve and plug
may include a removal means, such as a cavity dimensioned to accept
a screwdriver bit.
[0051] The invention further includes a method for smoking 300 a
hookah. The method includes downwardly drawing 302
indirectly-combusted tobacco smoke from a hookah burner into an
elongate dry smoke conduit of the hookah stem into a liquid within
the interior of a hookah bottle using the hookah hose releasably
affixed to, and in gaseous communication with a wet smoke conduit
of, the hookah stem. Then one aggregates 304 a substantial amount
of wetted tobacco smoke within the hookah bottle above the liquid
and below the transverse wall of the hookah stem. Then one urges
306 air from the hookah hose through the wet smoke smoke conduit
into the bottle interior to create positive bottle pressure. Wetted
tobacco smoke is directed 308 into the pressure-actuated check
valve, co-planar with said bottle and in gaseous communication with
the dry smoke conduit of the stem, with a wet smoke entry exposed
to the bottle interior and adapted to selectively impede, during
neutral and negative bottle pressure events, and allow, during
positive bottle pressure events, gaseous communication from the wet
smoke entry to the wet smoke intake. Wetted tobacco smoke is
directed 308 upwardly through the dry smoke conduit toward and
through the hookah burner.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0052] The present invention allows a user to enjoy hookah smoking
by providing an efficient means of purging the hookah of stale,
wetted smoke. A hookah may be used in a sealed state longer, and
with greater effectiveness, prior to disassembly. The flavors of
the tobacco product used with the hookah are less likely to be
adversely affected by lingering wetted smoke.
[0053] Although the present invention has been described in
considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions
thereof, other versions would be readily apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the
appended claims should not be limited to the description of the
preferred versions contained herein.
* * * * *