Smoking Device

Abstract

The present invention is a smoking device comprising a glass housing having forward and rear open end portions and an inner portion. The smoking device further comprises a mouthpiece engaged with the rear open end portion of the housing. The smoking device includes screen member that is movable along the inner surface of the housing in response to the application of a magnetic field thereto. The magnetic field may be created by a power source located on a spacer member along the exterior surface of the housing or a power source associated with the screen member along the inner surface of the housing. The application of the magnetic field causes the corresponding movement of a screen member in the interior of the housing in response to the application of a magnetic force.

Claims

1. A device for consuming a smoking material comprising: an elongate housing comprising a forward open end portion, a rear end portion, and an inner and outer surface: A screen member movable along the inner surface of the housing; A source of magnetic force movable along the housing wherein forward or rearward movement of the magnetic force causes the screen member to correspondingly move along the inner surface of the housing; and A mouthpiece engaged with said rear end portion of said housing.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein a spacer member magnetically causes the screen member to correspondingly move along the inner surface of the housing.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein at least one of spacer and said screen member are formed of a magnetic material.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein a spacer is formed of a magnetic material and magnetically causes the screen member to correspondingly move along the inner surface of the housing.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said screen member is formed of a magnetic material.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said screen member is a cylindrical member extending along the inner surface of the housing and wherein said screen member is movable forwardly and rearwardly along the inner surface of the housing in response to the application of a magnetic force thereto.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the screen member is a generally cylindrical member having at least one passageway extending therethrough and wherein the screen member is movable forwardly and rearwardly along the inner surface of the housing in response to the application of a magnetic field thereto.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein movement of a spacer member along the housing causes the corresponding movement of the screen member along the housing without physical contact between the spacer member and screen member.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is engaged with said rear end portion of said housing and said mouthpiece comprises a front surface, a rear surface, and a first air passageway extending from said front surface to said rear surface and in communication with said inner portion of said housing.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the screen member includes a power source associated therewith and the inner surface of the housing includes a coiled wire therein between the forward open end portion and the rear end portion.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the screen member includes a pair of magnetic members adjacent to the power source along the inner surface of the housing.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein a spacer includes an inner surface positioned adjacent to the outer surface of the housing and the inner surface thereof includes a friction reducing material thereon.

13. A device for consuming a smoking material comprising: an elongate and generally cylindrical housing comprising a forward open end portion, a rear end portion, and an inner and outer surface; a screen member movable along the inner surface of the housing; a spacer movable along the outer surface of the housing wherein forward or rearward movement of the spacer causes the screen member to correspondingly move along the inner surface of the housing and wherein said spacer is a cylindrical member movably extending along the outer surface of the housing; and a mouthpiece engaged with said rear end portion of said housing and said mouthpiece comprises a front surface, a rear surface, and a first air passage way extending from said front surface to said rear surface and in communication with said inner portion of said housing.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein at least one of said spacer and said screen member are formed of a magnetic material.

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. A device for consuming a smoking material comprising: a generally cylindrical housing comprising a forward open end portion, a rear end portion, and an inner and outer surface; a screen member movable along the inner surface of the housing wherein the screen member is a generally cylindrical member having at least one passageway extending therethrough; a spacer movable along the outer surface of the housing wherein forward or rearward movement of the spacer causes the screen member to correspondingly move along the inner surface of the housing and wherein said spacer is a cylindrical member movably extending forwardly and rearwardly along the outer surface of the housing; a mouthpiece engaged with said rear end portion of said housing and said mouthpiece comprises a front surface, a rear surface, and a first air passage way extending from said front surface to said rear surface and in communication with said inner portion of said housing; and wherein at least one of said spacer member and said screen member are formed of a magnetic material.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the spacer includes a coiled wire and power source thereon to apply a magnetic field to the screen member upon the actuation of a switch member associated with the spacer.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein movement of the spacer member along the housing causes the corresponding movement of the screen member along the housing via the application of a magnetic force thereto without physical contact between the spacer member and screen member.

20. The device of claim 17 wherein the screen member is a generally cylindrical member having at least one passageway extending therethrough and wherein the screen member is movable forwardly and rearwardly along the inner surface of the housing via magnetic forces in response to movement of the spacer along the housing without physical contact between the spacer member and the screen member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The following description of the invention will be more fully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a prior art perspective view of a smoking device.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a smoking device according the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a smoking device according the present invention with the spacer and screen member positioned midway along the cylinder.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a smoking device of the present invention with the spacer and screen positioned rearwardly along the cylinder.

[0016] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the smoking device.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

[0018] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] FIG. 1 is illustrative of a Prior Art smoking device. FIGS. 2-6 are illustrative of the smoking device of the present invention. The smoking device 10 of the present invention may be used by a person to smoke or consume a smoking material 8 such as tobacco, medical marijuana or the like. Smoking device 10 generally comprises an elongate and generally cylindrical housing 12, a mouthpiece 20, and a spacer 30. The cylindrical device 12 is preferably an elongate member having a smooth inner surface 14 and a substantially smooth outer surface 16. The cylindrical housing 12 also includes a forward end 17 for the insertion of dry herb therein and a back end 18 for the attachment of the mouthpiece 20 thereon. The cylindrical housing 12 is preferably made of a heat resistant material such as a glass quartz, borosilicate or similar materials. Other materials may be used for the cylindrical housing 12 to provide heat resistance, durability and aesthetic appeal. As will be described more fully herein, movement of spacer 30 causes the corresponding movement of the screen member 40.

[0021] The body 22 of mouthpiece 20 is generally cylindrical and is made from brass or any other heat resistant material such as a plastic or metal and fabricated by conventional processes. The material and shape of the mouthpiece preferably assists in dissipating the heat of the smoke. The mouthpiece 20 includes a forward end 24 that is shaped to frictionally fit within the back end 18 of the cylindrical housing 12. As shown in the drawings, the mouthpiece includes a central passageway 26 that extends therethrough from the forward end 24 to a tapered back end 28. The back end 28 is tapered to allow the user to put their lips on the smoking device 10 and draw smoke from the device. The mouthpiece 20 may also be used to attach to other devices for water filtration, water cooling or accumulating smoke in a larger chamber. Additionally, the smoking device 10 may be attached to a device that is used to divide smoke passage to multiple users.

[0022] The spacer 30 is preferably formed of a magnetic material to cause the corresponding lateral movement of the screen member 40 located along the inner surface 14 of the cylindrical housing 12. The inner surface 32 of the spacer 30 is configured to smoothly travel along the outer surface 16 of the cylindrical housing 12 with minimal frictional resistance. The inner surface 32 of the spacer 30 may include a silicone or similar material thereon to assist with the movement of the spacer 30 along the cylindrical housing 12. Forward or rearward movement of the spacer 30 along the outer surface 16 of the cylindrical housing magnetically causes the corresponding movement of the screen member 40 along the interior of the cylindrical housing. In the preferred from of the present invention, both the spacer 30 and the screen member 40 are magnetic members to allow for the coordinated movement therebetween. In an alternate form of the present invention, one of the of the spacer 30 or screen member 40 may be magnetic while the other member is movable in response to the application of the magnetic field. Alternately, although the spacer 30 is shown as a cylindrical member, it is anticipated that it may be formed as a variety of shapes wherein finger members are provided on the exterior surface thereof or one or more separate magnets are utilized. The spacer may also include a shock resistant or protective housing to prevent damage. This may be made from a variety of materials including silicone. Variations of the configuration of the spacer may be utilized to facilitate the compact storage and durability of the smoking device as well as to conveniently allow the use to move the screen member 40 in response to the lateral movement of the spacer 30. Similarly, the configuration of the spacer 30, mouthpiece 20 and screen member 40 allow for the convenient disassembly of the smoking device for cleaning or transport.

[0023] The screen member 40 may include one or more passage ways 42 that are arranged between the front surface 44 and rear surface 46 of screen member 40. The air passage way 42 is preferably shaped in the form of a cylinder having a preferred inside diameter of approximately 1-7 mm and more preferably of about 6.35 mm. Any diameter that is significantly larger results in smoking material passing thru the air passage way. Any diameter that is significantly smaller reduces air flow. The diameter may be readily optimized depending on the number and shape of the desired air passageways as well as the type of smoking material 8 being used in the smoking device 10.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the smoking device 10 includes the forward end 17 of the cylindrical housing 12. The user may pack the smoking material 8 through the forward end 17 in a desired amount. The packing of the smoking material 8 may be facilitated by grasping the spacer 30 to retain the screen member 40 the desired distance from the front end 17 of the cylindrical housing 12. Once the desired amount of smoking material is packed into the cylindrical housing 12, the user may light the smoking material 8. As the smoking material 8 is burned, the spacer 30 may be moved forwardly or rearwardly to assist with the burning of the smoking material. The smoke from the smoking material 8 passes through the passage way 42 of the screen member 40. The smoke passes from the screen member 40 to a mixing chamber formed rearwardly of the screen member 40 and forward of the mouthpiece 20. The smoke passes from this chamber area to the forward end 24 of the mouthpiece 20. The smoke then passes through the central passage way 26 to the back end 28 of the mouthpiece 20 to the user.

[0025] The smoking device 10 may further include a cap (not shown) that is removably engaged with upper forward end portion 17 of the cylindrical housing 12. The cap is made from plastic and fabricated by conventional processes. The cap is provided so that housing 12 can be filled with smoking material and to prevent loss of smoking material during non-use and/or transport of smoking device 10 thereby making smoking device 10 easily portable. Cap may be made from a variety of materials such as silicone rubber and fabricated by conventional processes. Alternately, the cap may also include a magnetic member therein. When the spacer and/or the screen member are positioned on the opposite end of the cylinder from the cap, opposing forces from the spacer and/or the screen member and the magnetic cap member will cause the entire assembly to float due to the opposed magnetic force from a magnetic base positioned directly below the assembly.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 7, the smoking device 10 of an alternate embodiment of the present invention may include a modified spacer 50. In this embodiment, the spacer 50 includes a power source 52, a switch 54 and coiled wires 56. As described above, the smoking device 10 of this embodiment generally comprises an elongate and generally cylindrical housing 12, a mouthpiece 20, and a spacer 50. The cylindrical device 12 is preferably an elongate member having a smooth inner surface 14 and a substantially smooth outer surface 16. The cylindrical housing 12 also includes a forward end 17 for the insertion of smoking material 8 therein and a back end 18 for the attachment of the mouthpiece 20 thereon. The cylindrical housing 12 is preferably made of a heat resistant material such as a glass quartz, borosilicate or similar materials. Other materials may be used for the cylindrical housing 12 to provide heat resistance, durability and aesthetic appeal and to promote the magnetic properties of the present invention. As will be described more fully herein, movement of spacer 50 causes the corresponding movement of the screen member 40.

[0027] The spacer 50 of this embodiment is preferably formed with a coiled wire 56 to create a magnetic field that causes the corresponding lateral movement of the screen member 40 located along the inner surface 14 of the cylindrical housing 12 as the spacer 50 is moved along the cylindrical housing 12. The spacer 50 is configured to smoothly travel along the outer surface 16 of the cylindrical housing 12 with minimal frictional resistance. The coiled wire 56 is formed of a sufficient width and thickness of copper or similar wires to create a magnetic field of a sufficient force to control the movement of the screen member 40 along the interior of the cylindrical housing 12. The coiled wire 56 is activated by a power source 52 such as a battery that is positioned along the exterior of the cylindrical housing 12. A switch member 54 is also formed as part of the spacer 50 to activate or deactivate the coiled wire 56. Although the present embodiment is shown with the power source 52, switch member and coiled wire 56 shown as integral components of the spacer 50, it is anticipated that each component may be separate or removable from the spacer 50 and may be provided with a variety of alternate configurations. This embodiment allows the user to control the application of a magnetic force to the screen member 40 such that the smoking device is non-magnetic until the coiled wire 56 is activated by the user. Forward or rearward movement of the spacer 50 along the outer surface 16 of the cylindrical housing magnetically causes the corresponding movement of the screen member 40 along the interior of the cylindrical housing 12 when the power source 52 activates the coiled wire 56. If the coiled wire 56 is not activated, the spacer is separately movable with respect to the screen member 40 and cylindrical housing 12. This feature allows the components of this embodiment to be easily removed and separately cleaned and stored as desired by the user. Alternately, multiple spacers may be utilized that are aligned one after another along the outer surface of the cylindrical housing. Therefore, when one spacer is actively retaining the screen member with its electromagnetic field, it decreases and/or shuts off its electromagnetic field as the next spacer turns on. This attracts the screen member to the next active spacer and so on until the screen member has been moved to the desired location or distance.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 8, the smoking device 10 of an alternate embodiment of the present invention may include a modified screen 70. In this embodiment, the screen 70 includes a power source 72, screen member 74 and a switch 76. As described above, the smoking device 10 of this embodiment generally comprises an elongate and generally cylindrical housing 12, a modified mouthpiece 80, and a screen 70. The cylindrical device 12 is preferably an elongate member having a preferably smooth inner surface 14 and an outer surface 16. The cylindrical housing 12 also includes a forward end 17 for the insertion of dry herb 8 therein and a back end 18 for the attachment of the modified mouthpiece 80 thereon. The cylindrical housing 12 is preferably made of a heat resistant material such as a glass quartz, borosilicate or similar materials. In this embodiment, the modified mouthpiece 80 is integrally connected to the back end 18 of the cylindrical housing and may be made of glass quartz, borosilicate, plastic, metal or similar materials. As will be described more fully herein, the inner surface 14 of the cylindrical housing preferably includes one or more coiled wires 82 circumferentially positioned thereon. The coiled wire 82 is exposed to the inner surface to make electrical contact with the magnetic screen members 74 of the screen 70. In this embodiment, activation of the power source and magnet components of the screen member 70 cause the corresponding movement of the screen member 70 along the coiled wire 82.

[0029] In this embodiment, activation of the coiled wire 82 creates an electromagnetic field that causes the corresponding lateral movement of the screen member 70 located along the inner surface 14 of the cylindrical housing 12. The screen surface 74 preferably consists of a pair of magnetized members that surround the power source 72. For example, a pair of neodymium magnets 74 may be placed along the ends of a battery such as an AA battery. The coiled wire 82 may be a 20-gauge copper wire. In this embodiment, a nonuniform magnetic field is formed inside the coiled wire 82 to cause the movement of the screen member 70 through the coil wire and cylindrical housing 12. The magnets of the screen surface 74 form north and south magnetic poles on the opposite ends of the power source 72. When the magnets contact or engage the coiled wire 82, the screen member is propelled through the coiled wire 82 in the cylindrical housing by the nonuniform magnetic force. As with the prior screen member described above, the screen member 70 of the present embodiment, includes one or openings therein or therearound to allow the smoke from the smoking material 8 to pass to the mouthpiece 80. When the user withdraws smoke from the device, the screen surfaces 74 (magnets) and power source 72 (battery) are compressed and contacted or engaged with the coiled wire 82 to form the magnetic field that powers the screen member 70 through the coiled wire 82. This causes the screen member 70 to be moved laterally along the cylindrical housing 12. The screen member 70 is configured to smoothly travel along the inner surface 14 of the cylindrical housing 12 with minimal frictional resistance. The coiled wire 82 is formed of a sufficient width and thickness of copper or similar wires to create a magnetic field of a sufficient force to control the lateral movement of the screen member 70 along the interior of the cylindrical housing 12. Additionally, an optional switch member may be used to power the screen member 70 on an off by causing contact between the power source 72, screen surfaces 74 and the coiled wire 82. As the screen member 70 moves along the cylindrical housing 12, ash from the smoking material 8 is forced forwardly out of the forward end 17 of the cylindrical housing 12. When the user stops drawing on the modified mouthpiece 80, the screen surface 74, power source 72 are no longer compressed and the coiled wire 82 is no longer activated by the power source 72. Alternately, an airflow sensor diaphragm that changes capacitance when air is sucked over it and it is deformed may be used in the present invention. This functions as part of an oscillator circuit that produces a frequency output that a microcontroller reads to know when to supply power. This allows the diaphragm to detect the direction of air flow such that it is not turned on when the user blows into it.

[0030] The foregoing description is intended for purposes of illustration. The invention may be embodied in other forms or carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.