Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02599199 2007-08-28
APPLICATION FOR PATENT
Inventor: MICHAEL SHRAIBER
Title: TOBACCO CARTRIDGE PARTICULARLY FOR USE
WITH NARGHILES
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
60/661,909, filed on March 16, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated
herein by
reference.
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention relates to smoking appliances, particularly narghiles,
and to
tobacco cartridges for use in such appliances.
A narghile, sometimes called a hookah or water pipe, is an oriental tobacco
pipe
in which smoke is drawn through a container of water by means of a flexible
suction tube
received within the smoker's mouth. Narghiles have been used for hundreds of
years
with little changes in their basic construction. They generally include a
water container
for containing a quantity of water, a tobacco bowl or head for receiving a
quantity of
tobacco to be burnt in order to produce smoke, and a suction tube
communicating with
the container above the level of the water therein for drawing smoke from the
tobacco
head through the water and the flexible suction tube into the mouth of the
smoker.
The manner of using such narghiles has also changed very little over the
years.
Thus, when the narghile is to be used, a quantity of tobacco is placed by hand
into the
tobacco bowl, and then a glowing ember, e.g. of coal or wood, is placed over
the tobacco
so as to ignite the tobacco and thereby to produce the smoke. After each such
use of the
narghile, it has to be cleaned by removing and disposing the residue ashes of
the tobacco
and the ember, and cleaning the bowl.
The foregoing actions are both time-consuming and inconvenient, similar to the
time-consuming and inconvenient actions involved in rolling cigarettes in the
early days
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of cigarette smoking. Moreover, such narghiles utilize only the water for
filtering out
undesired contents of the smoke produced by the ignited tobacco. In addition,
during the
use of the narghile, liquids tend to settle out and to drop into the water
container, thereby
requiring frequent cleaning of the water container.
Similar inconvenient and time-consuming activities are required with respect
to
other smoking appliances, such as the conventional smoker's pipe.
OBJECTS AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a smoking apliance,
particularly a
narghile, having advantages in the above respects. Another object of the
invention is to
provide a tobacco cartridge particularly useful in smoking appliances.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tobacco
cartridge for use with a narghile or other smoking appliance having a tobacco
bowl for
receiving tobacco, comprising: a quantity of tobacco enclosed within an
enclosure; the
enclosure having a lower end configured for applying the cartridge to the
tobacco bowl of
the smoking appliance, and an upper end which is openable to provide access to
the
tobacco for igniting same.
According to further features in the described preferred embodiment, the upper
end of the enclosure includes a metal foil which, after opened to permit
access to the
tobacco for igniting same, is foldable downwardly over and around the tobacco
bowl for
securing the cartridge to the tobacco bowl. Preferably, the metal foil is
aluminum foil.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiment, the
lower end of the enclosure includes a metal base configured for reception in
the tobacco
bowl of the smoking appliance, and formed with a passageway for passing smoke
from
the tobacco, when ignited, into the smoking appliance.
According to still further features, the cartridge includes a filter
underlying the
quantity of tobacco therein, and a body of a combustible material capable,
when ignited,
to produce a glowing ember for igniting the tobacco.
Providing the tobacco in the form of a cartridge, according to the above
features
of the present invention, produces a number of important advantages. Thus, it
provides
the convenience of having all the elements necessary for using the smoking
appliance
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included in a single cartridge unit so as to be immediately available when the
smoking
appliance is to be used. It eliminates, or substantially reduces, the need for
finger contact
with the tobacco, and the need to clean the smoking appliance after each use.
Further, it
facilitates the disposal of the ash residue of the tobacco and the ember
material after use
of the appliance. A still further advantage is that it enables a filter to be
used, in addition
to the water, for filtering the tobacco smoke.
It will thus be seen that the present invention provides narghile smokers, and
smokers of other appliances, with many of the advantages and conveniences
provided
cigarette smokers when the now conventional pre-rolled cigarettes were first
introduced
to eliminate the need for rolling each cigarette.
According to still further features in the preferred embodiments of the
invention
described below, the quantity of tobacco in the cartridge is in the form of a
disc. The
cartridge further includes an apertured metal disc underlying the disc of
tobacco. The
underlying metal disc is preferably formed with channels for accumulating
liquids
separated from the tobacco when ignited. Since such liquids are separated from
the
tobacco before being drawn into the water of the water container, this feature
tends to
maintain the water container cleaner for longer periods of time.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a provided a
smoking appliance having a tobacco bowl for receiving a quantity of tobacco to
be
ignited in order to produce smoke, with a tobacco cartridge constructed
according to the
above features, or any combination of such features.
While the invention is particularly useful with respect to narghiles, it will
be
appreciated that many of the advantages provided by some of the above features
would
also be present when such a cartridge is used with respect to a conventional
smokers'
pipes, e.g. the advantage of eliminating the need for cleaning the pipe bowl
after each
use, and/or the advantage of introducing a filter to separate undesired
elements before
being drawn into the smoker's mouth.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the
description below.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to
the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig.1 illustrates a narghile including a tobacco cartridge constructed in
accordance with the present invention ready for use;
Fig. 2a illustrates the cartridge in its initial form; Fig. 2b illustrates the
cartridge
when first opened for use; and Fig. 2c illustrates the various elements
included within the
cartridge;
Figs. 3a-3c illustrate different stages in the application of the cartridge of
Figs. 2a-2c, to the narghile of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is an exploded view illustrating a modification in the construction of
some
of the elements of the cartridge of Fig. 2c;
Fig. 5 is a view of the cartridge, in its open condition, along line A of Fig.
4; and
Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the metal discs in the
cartridge of
Fig. 4 along line B - - B of Fig. 4.
It is to be understood that the foregoing drawings, and the description below,
are
provided primarily for purposes of facilitating understanding the conceptual
aspects of
the invention and possible embodiments thereof, including what is presently
considered
to be a preferred embodiment. In the interest of clarity and brevity, no
attempt is made to
provide more details than necessary to enable one skilled in the art, using
routine skill
and design, to understand and practice the described invention. It is to be
further
understood that the embodiments described are for purposes of example only,
and that the
invention is capable of being embodied in other forms and applications than
described
herein.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Fig. 1 illustrates a narghile including a cartridge constructed in accordance
with
the present invention mounted in an open condition on the narghile ready for
use. In
Fig. 1, the tobacco cartridge constructed in accordance with the present
invention is
generally designated 10, and is more particularly described below with respect
to
CA 02599199 2007-08-28
Figs. 2a-2c, while the manner of applying the cartridge to the narghile is
described below
with respect to Figs. 3a-3c.
The narghile illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a water container 2 which serves
as the
base of the narghile, and an upwardly-extending stand 3 terminating at its
upper end by a
5 tobacco bowl or head 4 (Fig. 3a) for receiving the tobacco, in this case,
tobacco
cartridge 10. Underlying the pipe bowl 4 is a circular tray 5 serving as an
ash receptor for
receiving the ash residue of the burnt tobacco as well as the combustible body
(e.g. a
piece of coal or wood) which is ignited to produced the glowing ember for
igniting the
tobacco.
The narghile illustrated in Fig. 1 further includes a long flexible suction
tube 6
communicating with the interior of container 2, above the level of the water
therein.
Suction tube 6 is fitted at its outer end with a mouthpiece 7 to be received
within the
mouth of the smoker. The construction is such that the suction produced by the
smoker
draws smoke from the ignited tobacco within the tobacco bowl 4 through the
water
within container 2, and via suction tube 6 and mouthpiece 7 into the smoker's
mouth.
The narghile illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3a further includes an air inlet 8
having a
manually-adjustable valve 9 to enable adjustment of the concentration of the
tobacco
smoke to be drawn into the smoker's mouth. Thus, adjusting valve 9 to restrict
the air
inflow via inlet 8 increases the concentration of the tobacco smoke drawn into
the
smoker's mouth.
According to an important aspect of the present invention, the tobacco to be
received within the tobacco bowl or head (4, Fig. 3a) is in the form of a
cartridge,
generally designated 10. Fig. 1 illustrates the cartridge 10 after it has been
applied to the
tobacco head 4 in the manner described below with respect to Figs. 3-3c. Fig.
2a
illustrates the initial condition of the cartridge; Fig. 2b illustrates its
open condition: and
Fig. 2c illustrates the various elements included within the cartridge in its
initial
condition. The various elements of the cartridge as illustrated in Fig. 2c,
are also more
particularly illustrated in Figs. 4-6, relating to a modification in the
construction of
certain elements included within the cartridge, as will be more particularly
described
below.
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Cartridge 10, in its initial condition as illustrated in Fig. 2a, includes a
quantity of
tobacco, as shown at 11 in Figs. 2c and 4, within an enclosure. The enclosure
is
constituted of a base 12 at its lower end, and a metal foil 13 at its upper
end. The
enclosure initially encloses the quantity of tobacco 11, as well as several
other elements
used in the narghile as will be described more particularly below with
respects to Figs. 2c
and 4.
Metal base 12 is configured for reception in the tobacco bow14. It is formed
with
a plurality of passageways, as shown at 12a in Fig. 5, for passing
therethrough the smoke
from the tobacco when ignited.
Metal foil 13 is, in the initial condition of the cartridge as shown in Fig.
2a, closed
so as to enclose all the elements of the cartridge, but is openable, as shown
in Fig. 2b, to
permit access to these elements, particularly the tobacco 11 within the
cartridge, for
igniting the tobacco. As will be described more particularly below, after
metal foil 13 has
been opened, as shown in Fig. 2b, it is foldable downwardly over the tobacco
bowl 4, as
shown in Fig. 3c, for securing the cartridge and its contents to the tobacco
bowl. Metal
foil 13, and also the metal base 12 of the above-described enclosure, are
preferably of
aluminum.
As shown in Figs. 2c and 4, metal base 12 and metal foil 13 enclose, in the
initial
condition of the cartridge, not only the tobacco 11, but a number of
additional elements.
The quantity of tobacco within cartridge 10 is in the form of a disc 11.
Tobacco disc 11
is sandwiched between an underlying apertured metal disc 14 and an overlying
apertured
metal disc 15.
Cartridge 10 further includes a filter disc 16 underlying the lower apertured
metal
disc 14, for purposes of filtering the smoke drawn from the tobacco disc 11
before even
reaching the water within container 2. Filter 16 may be of any of the filter
materials now
commonly used in filtered cigarettes for filtering the cigarette smoke.
Cartridge 10 further includes, over the upper apertured metal disc 15, a disc
17 of
a combustible material, such as coal or wood, capable when ignited of
producing a
glowing ember to ignite the tobacco disc 11, and thereby to produce the smoke
inhaled by
the smoker. Since the ember-producing disc 17 is at the upper end of the stack
of discs
included within the cartridge, it will be exposed for ignition as soon as
metal foil 13 of
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the enclosure is opened and wrapped around the tobacco bowl 4 when the
cartridge is
applied to the narghile.
Figs. 3a-3b illustrate the manner of applying the cartridge 10 to the tobacco
head
4 of the narghile. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3a, the cartridge in its initial
closed form as
illustrated in Fig. 2a, is opened by the user's fingers which press the metal
foil 13
outwardly and then press base 12 into the tobacco bowl 4 of the narghile, as
shown in
Figs. 3a and 3b. The metal foil 13 is then folded downwardly over the tobacco
bowl 4, as
shown in Fig. 3c. This exposes the ember-producing disc 17 and all the other
elements
included within the cartridge 10.
The ember-producing element 17 may then be ignited, which in turn ignites the
tobacco disc 11 causing it to produce smoke. The so-produced smoke is drawn
through
the apertured metal disc 14, the underlying filter disc 16, and through the
passageways
12a (Fig. 5) in the metal base 12 into the interior of the water container 2.
The smoke
thus passes through the water in container 2 before reaching the suction tube
6 and before
drawn into the smoker's mouth via the mouthpiece 7. As indicated earlier, the
concentration of the inhaled smoke may be varied by adjusting valve 9
controlling the air
inlet 8.
After the tobacco disc 11 has been fully consumed, metal foil 13 of the
enclosure
may then be folded upwardly to its initial closed condition, as illustrated in
Fig. 2a,
thereby to enclose the ash residues of the burnt tobacco disc 11 and ember-
producing
disc 17, as well as the apertured metal discs 14, 15 sandwiching the tobacco
disc 11, and
also the filter disc 16. This permits convenient disposal of all the foregoing
elements
without the necessity of cleaning the tobacco bowl 4.
Figs. 4-6 illustrate a slight modification in the construction of the
apertured metal
discs, corresponding to discs 14 and 15 in Fig. 2c. These metal discs, as
identified by the
reference numerals 24 and 25 respectively in Fig. 4, are formed not only with
the
apertures as shown at 24a in Fig. 6, but also with annular channels as shown
in 24b in
Fig. 6. The remaining elements of the cartridge illustrated in Fig. 4 are the
same as
described above with respect to Fig. 2c, and therefore carry the same
reference numerals
to facilitate understanding.
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Thus, in the modification illustrated in Figs. 4-6, the apertures 24a formed
in the
lower metal disc 24 also serve as passageways for the smoke produced by the
tobacco
disc 11, when ignited. The annular channels 24b in the apertured metal disc 24
serve to
accumulate any liquids or drippings from the ignited tobacco 11. The liquid
drippings are
thus retained within the cartridge for disposal with the cartridge, rather
dripping into the
interior of container 2. Such an arrangement reduces the frequency at which
the water
within container 2 must be changed.
The upper metal disc 25 is preferably of the same construction as the lower
metal
disc 24 to minimize initial tooling costs, as well as inventory costs. The
upper aperture
disc 25 of Fig. 4 (as well as 15 of Fig. 2c) could be omitted entirely,
whereupon the
ember-producing disc 17 will be in direct contact with tobacco disc 11 in the
initial
configuration of the cartridge (Fig. 2a) as well as in its open condition when
used
(Figs. 1, 3).
While the invention has been described particularly with respect to a
cartridge for
use with a narghile, it will be appreciated such a cartridge, or elements
thereof, can also
be advantageously used in other smoking appliances, such as in a conventional
smoker's
pipe. Thus, when so used, such a cartridge would also provide the convenience
of having
all the elements in a form for one-time use and for quick disposal, without
the necessity
of having to clean the pipe bowl after each use. In addition, the provision of
the filter
disc 17 would filter out many of the undesirable elements of the smoke drawn
by the
smoker, and the aperture disc 24, particularly when including the channels 25b
illustrated
in Fig. 6, would tend to accumulate liquids separated from the tobacco, and
thereby
remove them from the smoke drawn into the smoker's mouth.
