U.S. patent application number 16/015185 was filed with the patent office on 2019-12-26 for hookah bowl.
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 | 20190387789 16/015185 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 68182587 |
Filed Date | 2019-12-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190387789 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mehio; Nizar Youssef |
December 26, 2019 |
Hookah Bowl
Abstract
The present invention includes a hookah bowl having a reservoir
that catches massell constituents before they accumulate in a
hookah stem or base. The reservoir is positioned below bowl
apertures and around a bowl spire that leads to a stem.
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: |
68182587 |
Appl. No.: |
16/015185 |
Filed: |
June 22, 2018 |
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 bowl comprising: a bowl tobacco platform defining a
substantially radial platform aperture network flanking a central
solid portion; and a bowl shell defining (i) a peripheral
reservoir, positioned directly below said aperture network,
defining a floor laterally-enclosed within said shell, (ii) a
central spire, extending from said floor toward said platform and
positioned centrally between a projection of said aperture network,
defining a dry smoke aperture, and (iii) a hookah stem contact port
beneath said spire.
2. The hookah bowl of claim 1 wherein said bowl tobacco platform is
removable from said bowl shell.
3. The hookah bowl of claim 1 further comprising a barrier wall
descending from said platform into said peripheral reservoir.
4. The hookah bowl of claim 3 wherein said barrier wall descends
below an apex of said spire.
5. The hookah bowl of claim 3 wherein said barrier wall is affixed
to said platform.
6. The hookah bowl of claim 5 wherein said bowl tobacco platform is
removable from said bowl shell.
7. The hookah bowl of claim 1 wherein said spire extends at least
50% of a height of said peripheral reservoir.
8. The hookah bowl of claim 7 wherein said spire extends at least
75% of a height of said peripheral reservoir.
9. The hookah bowl of claim 1 wherein said radial platform aperture
network is a raised radial platform aperture network.
10. A hookah bowl comprising: a bowl tobacco platform defining a
substantially radial platform aperture network flanking a central
solid portion; a bowl shell defining (i) a peripheral reservoir,
positioned directly below said aperture network, defining a floor
laterally-enclosed within said shell, (ii) a central spire,
extending from said floor toward said platform and positioned
centrally between a projection of said aperture network, defining a
dry smoke aperture, positioned below said central solid portion,
extending below said floor, and (iii) a barrier wall descending
from said platform into said peripheral reservoir and about said
spire.
11. The hookah bowl of claim 10 wherein said bowl tobacco platform
is removable from said bowl shell.
12. The hookah bowl of claim 10 wherein said barrier wall descends
below an apex of said spire.
13. The hookah bowl of claim 12 wherein said bowl tobacco platform
is removable from said bowl shell.
14. The hookah bowl of claim 10 wherein said spire extends at least
50% of a height of said peripheral reservoir.
15. The hookah bowl of claim 14 wherein said spire extends at least
75% of a height of said peripheral reservoir.
16. The hookah bowl of claim 10 wherein said radial platform
aperture network is a raised radial platform aperture network.
17. A hookah bowl comprising: a bowl tobacco platform defining a
substantially radial platform aperture network flanking an inner
portion and an outer portion; and a bowl shell defining (i) a
peripheral reservoir, positioned directly below said aperture
network, defining a floor laterally-enclosed within said shell,
(ii) a spire, extending from said floor toward said platform and
positioned within a projection of said aperture network, defining a
dry smoke aperture, and said spire defining at least one peripheral
inlet allowing direct fluid communication between said reservoir
and said dry smoke aperture; and (iii) a hookah stem contact port
beneath said spire.
18. A hookah bowl comprising: a bowl tobacco platform defining a
substantially radial platform aperture network flanking an inner
portion and an outer portion; and a bowl shell defining (i) a
reservoir, positioned directly below said aperture network,
defining a floor laterally-enclosed within said shell, (ii) a
spire, extending from said floor toward said platform and
positioned outside of a projection of said aperture network,
defining a dry smoke aperture; and (iii) a hookah stem contact port
beneath said spire.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field tobacco smoking
devices and more specifically to the field of hookahs.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 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.
[0003] 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.
[0004] A basic hookah includes a base, a pipe, at least one hose
with a mouthpiece, and a bowl. The hookah bowl 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 bowl to allow heat to evenly circulate through
the pile.
[0005] The heat that ignites the massell derives from coals
positioned above the hookah bowl. 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 bowl, 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 bowl into the hookah pipe.
[0006] The hookah pipe is the body of a hookah and is usually
fabricated from brass, tin, or stainless steel. The pipe transports
the massell smoke from the bowl to the hookah base, which is a
cavern containing water. The base 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 base, the massell smoke is cooled
by the water within. The cooled massell smoke then returns to the
back to the pipe, though not through the same entrance by which the
massell smoke enters the base. From the pipe, the massell smoke
travels through the hose and out of the mouthpiece.
[0007] 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 pipe and the hookah
bowl. The Egyptian style hookah pipe tapers upward into what is
generally referred to as a male connection. The Egyptian style
hookah bowl includes a female connection which receives the pipe's
male connection. In the Lebanese style hookah the bowl has the
tapered male connection and the pipe has the female connection to
accept the Lebanese style hookah bowl. In both styles, to allow a
more airtight connection a collar is generally added to fit around
the male connection.
[0008] The use to which hookahs are put tarnishes them in a way not
faced by other tobacco implements. Massell is wildly different from
other forms of tobacco. Massell is wet, sticky, and vibrant; and
when smoked, the constituents of massell litter the bowl, stem, and
base. Bowls are almost an afterthough; their costs are
insubstantial in relation to the other hookah components, and
subsequent to smoking the exterior of the bowls could require
cleaning with damp cloth (or chemical-based cleaner). The stems of
hookahs should be cleaned subsequent to use, but because stems are
often elongate components with minimal interior space, stems are
infrequently cleaned--and often cleaned inadequately. Because stems
are often made of metal, prolonged contact with the chemicals of
massell, including those having underwent ignition-based chemical
reactions, can accelerate the deterioration of the stems. Hookah
bases often are manufactured of delicate materials with intricate
surface designs. The application of chemicals having the strength
to clean massell constituents can harm the hookah bases and
relegate more expensive hookahs to the shelf or restrict them to
use with a narrow range of massell products.
[0009] What is needed is a tobacco bowl that can be used to halt
the flow of massell constituents beyond the tobacco bowl. A tobacco
bowl that protects the other hookah components would expand the
range of use of hookahs with tobacco products, extend the life of
hookahs, and minimize the necessity of (and severity of chemicals
needed to) cleaning hookahs.
SUMMARY
[0010] The present invention is directed to a hookah bowl. The
hookah bowl includes a tobacco platform and a bowl shell. The bowl
tobacco platform includes a substantially radial platform aperture
network flanking a central solid portion. The aperture network
includes one or more holes in the platform that allows tobacco
smoke to seep further into the hookah bowl and on to the hookah
stem. The hookah bowl shell is positioned below the bowl platform
and houses a reservoir placed below the aperture network such that
drippings from the platform fall into the reservoir. The reservoir
includes a floor laterally-enclosed within the shell and a central
spire, extending from the floor toward the platform and positioned
centrally within a projection of the aperture network. The
projection includes a projection sidewall formed around a dry smoke
aperture that leads to the hookah. A hookah stem contact port lies
beneath the spire.
[0011] The hookah may include a spire that is bifurcated into
separable parts. The spire can include peripheral inlets rather
than an open top that accepts dry smoke.
[0012] 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
[0013] FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the bowl of the
present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of the bowl of the
present invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a side, revealed view of the bowl of the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 4 is an upper, separated perspective view of the bowl
of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a lower, separated perspective view of the bowl of
the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 6 is an upper, cutaway perspective view of the bowl of
the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view of
[0019] FIG. 7 is an upper, cutaway, exploded perspective view of
the bowl of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 8 is an upper perspective view of the platform of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a top, plan view of the platform of the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a lower, plan view of the platform of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 11 is an upper perspective view of the shell of the
present invention.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a top, plan view of the platform of the shell of
the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a lower, plan view of the platform of the shell
of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 14 is a side, exploded view of the bowl of the present
invention.
[0027] FIG. 15 is a revealed, exploded view of the bowl of the
present invention.
[0028] FIG. 16 is a partially exposed view of the bowl of the
present invention.
[0029] FIG. 17 is a partially exposed view of the bowl of the
present invention.
[0030] FIG. 18 is a upper, exploded view of the bowl of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] Referring first to FIG. 1, a basic embodiment of the hookah
bowl 100 is shown. The present invention is directed to a hookah
bowl. The hookah bowl may be manufactured of any material suitable
for the creation of hookah bowls. The preferred material for the
construction of the present invention includes a metal to permit
substantial re-usability of the hookah bowl and sustained constant
heating of the tobacco bowl. Because metals are often disfavored in
the use of tobacco, because an forgetful user may place his hand in
direct contact with the tobacco bowl, bumpers 190 constructed of a
pliable plastic are used in the preferred embodiment to shield
human hands from direct contact with a heated bowl 100.
[0032] The preferred bowl 100 is separable into at least two
portions, a platform 110 and a shell 120. The bowl 100 may
constructed as unitary structure, however, when a separable bowl
100 leads to advantageous features. For example, a bowl 100 that is
removable as depicted in FIGS. 1-7 permits direct access into the
interior of the bowl 100 that would otherwise lack a direct route
for cleaning many surface portions of the bowl. The point of
separation is not a necessary feature of the present invention
either, although the preferred separation is depicted in FIGS. 1-7.
Even in unitary bowls, it is nonetheless worthwhile for purposes of
explanation to discuss the bowl in the conceptual components of a
platform 110 and a shell 120.
[0033] The platform 110 of the present invention is the portion of
the hookah bowl that accepts tobacco or other substance for
smoking. The platform of the present invention may include any
configuration that achieves the purposes of the present invention;
because a traditional hookah bowl configuration is generally
acceptable, except with certain features of the present invention,
the traditional hookah bowl configuration is largely utilized. The
preferred platform 110 includes a fence 102, a floor 104, 106, and
an aperture network 112. The fence 102 ensures that tobacco placed
upon the platform stays on the platform--without being urged over
the side. Hookahs are often top-heavy smoking implements and
carrying hookahs frequently includes a swaying top. The platform
110 includes an aperture network 112 which is simply a network of
one of more apertures. The present disclosure discusses apertures
as a "network" for the simple reason that the number and size of
the apertures are less important than the fact that one or more are
present and configured roughly around the bowl platform. For the
preferred embodiment of the present invention 4-8 holes circularly
arranged at an approximate midpoint between the center of the
platform and the fence works admirably; however, the hookah arts
now feature multiple aperture solutions, including a one continuous
aperture about a raised surface or multiple apertures arranged
throughout the platform floors, etc. Any of the these
configurations capable of being used with the present invention is
acceptable, except as will be explained in greater detail later,
the position of apertures in concert with the spire is significant
in achieving the advantages of the present invention.
[0034] The floor(s) of the platform 110 are of key concern.
Specifically, the platform 110 utilizes an inner floor 106 and an
outer floor 104. In bowls 100 as depicted in FIGS. 1-7, the inner
floor 106 and other floor 104 are readily demarcated by a raised
protrusion 108 in which the preferred aperture network is arranged.
In embodiments lacking a basis of demarcation the difference
between the inner floor 106 and the outer floor 104 hangs on the
question of aperture location. The inner floor 106 lacks apertures
that (i) permit access through the platform and on to the hookah,
and (ii) is positioned directly above (or substantially above) the
sole means of gaseous transport from the tobacco bowl to the hookah
stem. To properly understand the significance of the inner floor
106, the advantages of the present invention should be
analyzed.
[0035] When smoking a hookah a user combusts coal positioned above
a tobacco bowl that then heats tobacco placed within the bowl. The
tobacco is usually covered so that the sole direction of travel for
the tobacco smoke is down into the hookah body. Hookah tobacco is
very unusual tobacco; hookah tobacco is a mixture of tobacco and
various flavorings and binding agents and other specialty,
proprietary materials. Furthermore, massell, unlike cigarette
tobacco, comes commercially to end users via a variety of small and
medium sized sources, many of which are amateurs in the field of
hookah tobacco. Constituents of massell may be resistant to burning
by nature or because of the poor processes of the manufacturer. So
much of the massell can be lost by dripping down into the stem of
the conventional hookah creating a mess that clogs, deforms,
tarnishes, and/or interferes with the airflow within a hookah stem.
Clogged stems can require a hookah to be disassembled during use or
otherwise be unavailable for use. The adherent substances in
massell, when isolated in the harsh environment of the stem, can
solidify into a substance that can only be removed with harsh
chemicals that further tarnish the stem. The same deleterious
results can occur with greater or lesser effect in the hookah base.
Hookah bases can be manufactured of opulent materials that make
replacement a non-option for a conventional budget. So much of the
mess of hookah smoking results from the breaking down, physical and
chemical, of the massell.
[0036] The present invention combats the effects above by creating
a "trap" for the descending massell. The aperture network 112 is
positioned above the shell, and more specifically, above the
reservoir 150 of the shell 120. The reservoir 150 is a void
contained, preferably wholly, within the shell 120 and includes a
floor 124 and is bounded by a shell wall 122. Because the preferred
aperture network 112 circularly traverses the platform 110, the
preferred void of the reservoir 150 circularly traverses the shell
120. Previous attempts to combat unwanted massell drippage utilizes
a blistered aperture system that requires massell components to be
positioned at a substantial altitude in order to have access to the
physical apertures leading into the stem. Because gas, e.g. from
ignited tobacco, has little to no trouble in negotiating heights,
the raised floor of such tobacco bowls had some good results.
However, massell is adherent and can be formed into a `blob` that
has substantial altitude because the massell can be self-supporting
and formed into shapes that position much of the massell over the
raised apertures. Massell is sold in volumes having a quantity that
can result in shapes that tower far above, relatively speaking, the
raised apertures. However, because blistered apertures have some
good effect on the solution offered by the present invention, the
present invention can utilize raised apertures in concert with the
features of the preferred embodiment to achieve a superior
result.
[0037] From the drippings that descend into the shell 120, they
then fall into the reservoir 150 and preferably the floor 124.
Because of the height between the apertures 112 and the floor 124
that may exist in some hookah bowls, drippage may accrue on the
wall 122 or the spire 140 as the falling massell constituents
achieve a horizontal vector component because of motioning of the
hookah, slanted surfaces, etc. The floor 124 circumscribes a
central spire 140, in some embodiments, that projects well above
the floor 124 to provide the dry smoke aperture 142 that serves as
the entry point for dry smoke entering the hookah stem.
[0038] The spire 140 of the present invention in the preferred
embodiment results in a hollow cylindrical component raised above
the shell interior floor 124. The sides of the spire 140 position
the entry to the dry smoke aperture 142 in a position whereby smoke
is unlikely to enter by gravity-induced motion. Here, the aperture
positions and size, as well as the spire position and size (and the
shape and dimensions of the dry smoke aperture) prevent massell
constituents from dripping into the spire 140. The preferred size
of the apertures is approximately five mm and are separated across
a center line from another aperture spanning a distance of
approximately 20-30 mm. This 20-30 mm is location of the inner
platform floor 106 and the space between the apertures and the
fence 102 (or other outer perimeter) of the bowl constitutes the
platform outer floor 104. The aperture complex includes apertures
that have a cross-section that is less than the cross-section of
the reservoir 150, so that drippings that travel directly downward
fall squarely in the reservoir. In other words, if the aperture
network were projected directly downward, no part of the projection
would contact any part of the shell 120 other than the reservoir
floor 124. Naturally, this expresses a preferred construction and
it is a matter preference as to whether drippings fall directly the
reservoir floor 124 or whether it contacts the exterior of the
spire 140 or the shell wall 122 before falling to the reservoir
floor 124. The significant feature is that drippings do not enter
the dry smoke aperture 142 because of the construction of the shell
components. The shell wall 122 is preferably a vertical component
that extends almost entirely to the lower portions of the platform
110.
[0039] Although drippings may be caught in the reservoir 150, and
preferably retained on the reservoir floor 124, the smoke that
descends into the reservoir 150 has no such restraint. The smoke
from the platform 110 descends through the aperture network 112
into the reservoir 150, and then back upwards to the apex of the
spire 140 for entry into the spire 140 and the dry smoke aperture
142. The higher the spire 140 rises, the lower the likelihood that
tobacco constituents can access the dry smoke aperture 142. So, it
is preferred that the spire rise at least 25% of the distance
between the reservoir floor 124 and the platform 110. The preferred
distance is a spire height of 70-95% of the distance between the
reservoir floor 124 and the platform 110.
[0040] The central concern is that drippings are shielded from
entering a hookah stem and a hookah base at the earliest point
possible, and in a manner whereby the drippings can be removed
readily and without damage to the more expensive, sensitive
components of a hookah. The spire 140 is intended to be the entry
point from the bowl into the stem, and therefore the spire is an
ideal point for blocking sizable physical materials from entering
the stem. However, the spire need not be the sole means for
preventing the influx of sizable particles. As shown in the
embodiment of FIGS. 1-13, the spire is accompanied by a barrier 180
descending from the platform 110. The barrier wall 182 serves as an
obstruction that prevents lateral motioning of falling
drippings/particles into the spire 150.
[0041] Particles do not necessarily fall vertically. Often there is
a horizontal component. A spire that is centrally positioned in the
shell 120, and wholly within a projection of the aperture network
112, may still receive particles, particularly lighter particles
(because they are more affected by air) coupled with a spire 140
that is positioned closer to the reservoir floor 124. The likely
position of a falling particle is not linear, but rather a
statistical average that resembles a cone in three dimensions or a
triangle in two dimensions. So a barrier 180 that descends, and is
positioned within a downward projection of the aperture network
112, should be positioned exterior to an upward projection of the
spire 140. In some cases, it may even be advantageous to have a
barrier with a lower position that is positioned beneath an upper
position of the spire 140. Essentially, the barrier 180 overlaps
the spire 140 such that smoke is required to undergo a highly
serpentine path to enter the dry smoke aperture 142, see in
particularly FIG. 6.
[0042] The preferred barrier 180 is positioned within the aperture
network 112, but outside of the spire 140. The barrier may be
physically affixed to the platform and bear a shape similar to that
of the spire. The preferred barrier hangs downward occupying a
distance of less than 50% of the distance between the reservoir
floor 124 and the platform 110.
[0043] The preferred reservoir 150 is sized and shaped to house a
spire 140, a barrier 180, and flanks the spire. There are, however,
reservoirs 150 that may be ideally centrally-positioned with an
annular spire 150 that is positioned directly below the platform
outer floor 104. The depicted embodiment is preferred because
centrally positioning fluid flow components make for simpler
manufacturing and cleaning. The preferred reservoir 150 is wholly
sectioned off from direct exposure to the exterior environment,
such that access to the reservoir must be indirect through by way
of the apertures within platform and through the spire.
[0044] The reservoir leads to the spire which in turn leads to the
dry smoke aperture 142. The dry smoke aperture 142 is the starting
point of the dry smoke's descent into the stem. The dry smoke
aperture should be aligned with the dry smoke conduit of the stem,
or to whatever component the bowl is affixed. The bowl 100 is
generally affixed by its port 160. The particular means of
affixation is not a necessary part of the present invention, and
any means of affixation capable of retaining the hookah bowl in
place will suffice. For Lebanese hookahs, it is preferred that a
rubber gasket affix the outside of a stem to the interior of the
hookah stem port. For Egyptian hookahs, it is preferred that the
outside of the stem bear an elastic grommet that affixes the
exterior of the bowl to the interior of the hookah stem. In either
event the base of the bowl, either the inner lower portion or outer
lower portion, serves as the connection point, i.e., port, for the
hookah bowl. As previously discussed, the port 160 may be internal
in Lebanese hookah embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-13, or external
as is common in Egyptian hookah as shown in FIGS. 14-18. The port
160 is at some portion beneath the apex of the spire.
[0045] Turning now to FIGS. 14-18, the present invention may be
fashioned in an Egyptian embodiment and utilize a spire 140 with a
peripheral inlets 146. The spire 140 can be a unitary structure, or
for purposes of cleaning, can be separable. The spire 140 depicted
in FIGS. 14-18 is both separable and includes peripheral inlets
146. Because dripping tobacco constituents originating from the
platform 102 of the bowl 100 will in the overwhelming majority of
circumstances will have a greater vertical velocity than downward
velocity, entry to the dry smoke aperture 142 of the spire 140 may
be advantageously positioned on the side of the spire. In the
depicted embodiment, the spire 140 includes multiple inlets 146
positioned near the apex of the spire 140. Because, as previously
mentioned, the statistical trajectory of falling particulates is
conical, a higher placement of inlets decreases the likelihood that
particulates can enter the spire. It is even more preferred that
the inlets be oriented with a downward slant, as considered from
the center to the sidewall of the spire, such that the portion of
the inlet 146 facing the reservoir 150 is positioned beneath the
portion of the inlet facing the dry smoke aperture 142. It is
preferred that the inlets are positioned above the middle point of
the spire 140, and to the extent that the spire includes a
removable, upper spire cap 144, it is preferred that the inlets 146
are positioned on the spire cap 144.
[0046] The spire cap 144 can be removable from the spire proper
such that both the upper and lower portions of the dry smoke
aperture 142 can be cleaned--particularly in embodiments where the
platform 110 is removable from the shell 120. In embodiments where
the platform 110 can be separated from the shell 120, multiple
means of fasteners may be utilized. Preferred embodiments utilize a
combination of threading and pressure-fit seals 130. Downward
radial actuation of the threaded platform upon the threaded shell
deforms the seal 130 to form an air-tight fit that also results in
an interference fit that maintains the platform upon the shell. In
other embodiments, the platform and shell may be joined entirely by
the seal 130.
[0047] 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.
* * * * *