Combination Beverage Container and Smoking Apparatus

Abstract

A combination beverage container and smoking device includes a beverage container, with a cylindrical body member formed by a circular sidewall, having a closed top member, with a pre-cut opening to form a mouth and an opening mechanism, and a closed bottom member. The sidewall of the cylindrical body member includes a bowl and a carburetor. Removable covers are attached to the sidewall of the cylindrical body member and cover both the bowl and the carburetor. After consuming the liquid inside the container, and when ready to smoke, the user simply removes the cover, places his smoking substance on the screen, heats up the smoking substance, and inhales by placing his mouth at the pre-cut opening.

Claims

1. A combination beverage container and smoking apparatus for smoking various substances, comprising: a beverage container, wherein said container is a generally cylindrical body member formed by a circular sidewall; a closed top member attached to a top edge of said sidewall, wherein said top member includes a pre-cut opening to form a mouth and an opening mechanism; a closed bottom member attached to a bottom edge of said sidewall; a generally concave-shaped bowl formed within said sidewall of said cylindrical body member; and a first cover member removably attached to an outer portion of said circular sidewall such that said first cover is positioned over said bowl.

2. The combination beverage container and smoking apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein said bowl is selected from the group consisting of a concave shaped screen member, a flat screen, and a concave indentation defining at least one hole therein.

3. The combination beverage container and smoking apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein said first cover member is made from an aluminum material.

4. The combination beverage container and smoking apparatus set forth in claim 1, further including a carburetor positioned on said sidewall of said container.

5. The combination beverage container and smoking apparatus set forth in claim 4, further including a second cover member that is removably attached to said sidewall and is positioned over said carburetor.

6. A beverage container comprising: a beverage container, wherein said container is a generally cylindrical body member formed by a circular sidewall; a closed top member attached to a top edge of said sidewall, wherein said top member includes a pre-cut opening to form a mouth and an opening mechanism; a closed bottom member attached to a bottom edge of said sidewall; a hole formed within said sidewall of said cylindrical body member; and a first cover member removably attached to an outer portion of said circular sidewall such that said cover is positioned over said hole.

7. The combination beverage container and smoking apparatus set forth in claim 6, wherein said first cover member is made from an aluminum material.

8. A method for converting a beverage container into a smoking apparatus comprising: providing a beverage container having a closed top, said closed top having a pre-cut opening to form a mouth and an opening means, and a closed bottom; providing a generally concave-shaped bowl formed within said sidewall of said beverage container; and providing a first removable cover positioned over said bowl.

9. The method for converting a beverage container into a smoking apparatus set forth in claim 8, further including: providing a carburetor positioned on said sidewall of said container

10. The method for converting a beverage container into a smoking apparatus set forth in claim 9, further including: providing a second cover positioned over said carburetor

11. The method for converting a beverage container into a smoking apparatus set forth in claim 10, further including: opening said container using said opening means and emptying contents; removing first said cover and exposing said bowl; and removing second cover and exposing said carburetor.

12. The method for converting a beverage container into a smoking apparatus set forth in claim 8, further including: placing smoking substances on said bowl of said sidewall; placing user's mouth to said pre-cut opening on said closed top to inhale the smoke; and heating said smoking substances using a flame and inhale from said pre-cut opening.

13. The method for converting a beverage container into a smoking apparatus set forth in claim 9, further including: alternating user's finger between a covered position and an uncovered position over said carburetor to regulate air flow into said container to control intensity of said smoke.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the combination beverage container and smoking apparatus (“smoking can apparatus”), wherein the smoking can apparatus is a beverage can, shown here in a vertical orientation, with a generally cylindrical body member formed by a circular sidewall, having a closed top member, with a pre-cut opening to form the mouth of the container and an opening mechanism, a closed bottom member, a smoking bowl positioned on the circular sidewall of the cylindrical body member, and a carburetor positioned approximately 90 degrees around the sidewall with respect to the bowl.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a side view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus, wherein the smoking can apparatus includes a cover having a pull tab that is removably attached to the circular sidewall and positioned to cover the smoking bowl and a cover having a pull tab removably attached to the circular sidewall and positioned to cover the carburetor.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus, wherein the covers with the pull tab are shown as being partially pulled away from the sidewall of the cylindrical body member to expose the smoking bowl and the carburetor.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a rear view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus, wherein the smoking can apparatus includes a concave shaped smoking bowl formed within the sidewall of the cylindrical body member and a carburetor positioned approximately 90 degrees around the sidewall with respect to the bowl.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a side view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus, wherein the smoking can apparatus includes rectangular-shaped removable covers having pull tabs, wherein the covers are positioned over the smoking bowl and carburetor.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a side view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus, wherein the smoking can apparatus includes a carburetor, or a small hole, positioned on the sidewall of the cylindrical body member and a smoking bowl approximately 90 degrees around the periphery of the sidewall of the carburetor.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 along the lines 7-7, wherein the smoking can apparatus includes a concave shaped smoking bowl and a carburetor formed in the sidewall of the cylindrical body member.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a side view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus, wherein the beverage container shape is a taller, more slender shape than embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-6 and includes covers having pull tabs positioned over the smoking bowl and carburetor.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a rear view of the embodiment of the smoking can apparatus shown in FIG. 8, and includes the smoking bowl and carburetor on the sidewall of the cylindrical body member in an uncovered state.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a side view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus, wherein the beverage container shape is a bottle and includes covers having pull tabs positioned on the side of the cylindrical body member and covering the smoking bowl and carburetor.

[0028] FIG. 11 is a rear view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus shown in FIG. 10, further showing the smoking bowl and carburetor in an uncovered state on the sidewall of the cylindrical body member.

[0029] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus in use, wherein the user is holding a flame over the smoking bowl, and the carburetor is positioned underneath the user's thumb.

[0030] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the smoking can apparatus in use, wherein the user is holding a flame over the smoking bowl, and the user's thumb is positioned away from the carburetor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] The present invention includes, in a first embodiment, a combination beverage container and smoking apparatus (“smoking can apparatus”) 10, as shown in FIGS. 1-13, and includes a beverage container 12 with a generally cylindrical body member 14 formed by a circular sidewall 16, a closed top member 18 attached to the top edge of the container 12, a closed bottom member 20 attached to the bottom edge of the container 12, and a concave shaped smoking bowl 22 formed in the sidewall 16 of the cylindrical body member 14. The closed top member 18 includes a pre-cut opening to form the mouth of the container 24 and an opening mechanism 26, such as an aluminum tab or the like, in the manner of conventional soda or beer cans.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the smoking bowl 22 is a generally concave indentation, located on the sidewall 16 of the cylindrical body member 14, and which includes one or more holes through which smoke can pass. The smoking bowl 22 may take one of many forms, such as a perforated screen, or the smoking bowl 22 may simply be an indentation on the side of the container 12 that includes one or more holes or perforations for allowing smoke to pass therethrough. The smoking bowl 22 may take the form of a perforated screen such as the Stanker® pipe screens. These screens are well known in the art for pipes used for smoking tobacco or cannabis. The smoking bowl 22 is where the user places his or her smoking substances when ready for use. The small holes in the bowl 22 allow the smoke from the smoking substances to enter into the body member 14 of the container 12, while retaining the smoking substance within the bowl 22. In this way, the bowl 22 acts as a filter, similar to other traditional types of smoking bowls. In use, a user may place the smoking material into the bowl 22, light the smoking material with a lighter or the like, and inhale the smoke through the mouth of the container 24 on the closed top member 18 of the body member 14.

[0033] In an alternate embodiment, the combination beverage container and smoke apparatus 10 may include a carburetor 28, or a small hole, on the sidewall 16, preferably oriented about 90° around the periphery of the sidewall 16 with respect to the bowl 22, as shown in FIGS. 1-7. The purpose of the carburetor 28 is to regulate the amount of ambient air that flows into the container 12, so that the user may control the intensity of the smoke being inhaled. When a user places his or her finger or thumb on the carburetor 28 opening, the intensity of the smoke increases by preventing ambient air from mixing with the smoke emanating from the bowl 22. When the user removes his or her finger or thumb from the carburetor 28, more ambient air is allowed to mix with the smoke, so that the intensity of the smoke being inhaled is decreased. The carburetor 28 can be positioned on either side of the bowl 22 to accommodate right-handed and left-handed users, or in any other desired location on the beverage container 12. It should be understood that the carburetor may be positioned at any desired location on the smoking can apparatus.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the combined beverage container and smoking apparatus 10 includes a first cover 30 removably attached to an outer portion of the sidewall 16 such that the cover 30 is positioned over the smoking bowl 22. Another cover 30 is removably attached to the sidewall 16 to cover the carburetor 28. The covers 30 are preferably made from a sturdy but flexible aluminum material, and preferably include pull tabs 32. It should be understood that any other suitable materials may be used to form the covers. The purpose of these covers is to essentially plug the openings or holes in the side of the beverage container 12 formed by the bowl 22 and carburetor 28, to prevent the beverage from leaking or draining out of the beverage container 12 through the bowl 22 and carburetor 28. The adhesive on these covers 30 is preferably strong enough to maintain the cover 30 in place over the bowl 22 and carburetor 28, even when the internal pressure within the beverage container 12 increases due to temperature or jostling caused during shipping and handling. However, the adhesive should also allow a user to easily remove the covers 30 from the container 12 by grasping the pull tab 32 and peeling the covers 30 away without undue difficulty. The pull tab portion 32 of the cover 30 preferably includes a textured section 34, as shown in FIGS. 2, 5, 8, and 10, to make it easier for the user to grip the pull tab 32 when removing the pull tab 32 from the cylindrical body member 14.

[0035] Once the user has opened the beverage container 12 using the opening mechanism 26 and removed the liquid from inside, the container 12 is ready for use as a smoking apparatus. To use as a smoking apparatus, the user may remove the first cover 30 over the bowl 22 by grasping the pull tab 32 and peeling the cover 30 away from the sidewall 16 of the container 12, exposing the bowl 22 in the sidewall 16. The user may also remove the second cover 30 from the container 12 in a similar manner, thereby exposing the carburetor 28. The bowl 22 may take the form of a concave screen, such as the Stanker® pipe screens, flat screens, or may simply be an indentation having one or more holes or perforations for holding the smoking substance while allowing smoke to flow therethrough and into the container. The user may then place any desired smoking substance into the bowl 22 and orient the apparatus 10 in a generally horizontal position with the bowl 22 facing upwardly to contain the smoking materials. The user will place his mouth over the mouth of the container 24 and heat the smoking substances by providing a heat source, such as a flame, to the smoking substances. As the smoking substances heat up, the user inhales through the mouth of the container 24, thus drawing smoke from the bowl 22, through the container 12, out of the mouth of the container 24, and into the user's lungs.

[0036] To regulate the intensity of the smoke, the user can intermittently place his or her finger on the carburetor 28, in order to regulate the intensity of the smoke, as described hereinabove. If the user is right-handed, the user may hold the container 12 with his or her left hand and use his or her right hand to operate the lighter. Right handed users typically hold the container 12 in their left hand while using the right hand to light the bowl 22, and in that case, the carburetor 28 is preferably positioned on the left side of the container 12, so that the right handed user may use his or her left thumb to intermittently cover the carburetor 28. For left-handed users, the operation is reversed, and the carburetor 28 is preferably positioned on the right side of the container 12 as the bowl 22 faces upwardly.

[0037] In one embodiment, the shape of the beverage container 12 may be of a standard soda can, which is well known in the art. In another embodiment, the shape of the beverage container 12 may be a taller, more slender shape, such as the popular hard seltzer brands White Claw® or Truly®. Alternatively, the shape of the beverage container 12 may be more like a bottle, such as the aluminum beer bottles used to contain Bud Light®. It should be understood that any type of aluminum or other metal beverage container may be used and adapted to include the bowl 22, the carburetor 28, and the pull tabs 32.

[0038] In an alternate embodiment, the combination beverage container and smoking apparatus 10 may include a hole 36 on the sidewall 16 of the beverage container 12 and a cover 30 with a pull tab 32 positioned to cover the hole 36. This is to allow users to peel the cover 30 away and “shot gun” the beverage within the container 12. According to Wikipedia, “shutgunning” a beverage refers to the act of “consuming a beverage, especially beer, very quickly by punching a hole in the side of the can, near the bottom, placing the mouth over the hole, and pulling the tab to open the top. To “shotgun” a beverage out of the beverage container 12, the user would simply peel the cover 30 away from the hole 36, place his or her mouth over the hole 36, open the container 12 using the opening mechanism 26 located on the closed top member 18, and quickly consume the beverage.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein. All features disclosed in this specification may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.