PORTABLE SMOKING CHAMBER

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a portable smoking chamber. The portable smoking chamber includes a canopy assembly. The canopy assembly includes a canopy, one or more air passages coupled with the canopy, and blowing fan in fluid communication with the first end of each of the one or more air passages. The blowing fan is configured to blow air into the first end of each of the one or more air passages. Air envelope is formed when the blown air exits from the second end of each of the one or more air passages. The portable smoking chamber further includes pole member. The pole member includes top end coupled to the canopy assembly, at least one opening, suction fan configured to draw in air from the area below the canopy through the at least one opening and set of filters configured to filter the air drawn in by the suction fan.

Claims

1. A portable smoking chamber, comprising: a canopy assembly comprising: a canopy; one or more air passages coupled with the canopy, wherein each of the one or more air passages comprises a first end and a second end; and a blowing fan in fluid communication with the first end of each of the one or more air passages, wherein: the blowing fan is configured to blow air into the first end of each of the one or more air passages, an air envelope is formed when the blown air exits from the second end of each of the one or more air passages, and the air envelope is configured to provide a barrier between an area below the canopy and an outer environment; and a pole member vertically supporting the canopy assembly, wherein the pole member comprises: a top end coupled to the canopy assembly; at least one opening; a suction fan configured to draw in air from the area below the canopy through the at least one opening; and a set of filters configured to filter the air drawn in by the suction fan.

2. The portable smoking chamber of claim 1, further comprising a base platform coupled to the pole member, wherein the pole member further comprises a bottom end, wherein the base platform is in fluid communication with the bottom end of the pole member, and wherein the base platform is configured to receive the filtered air from the pole member.

3. The portable smoking chamber of claim 2, wherein the base platform comprises a plurality of vents, and wherein each of the plurality of vents is configured to release the filtered air into the outer environment.

4. The portable smoking chamber of claim 1, further comprising at least one motor configured to drive at least one of the blowing fan or the suction fan.

5. The portable smoking chamber of claim 4, further comprising a power supply configured to supply power to the at least one motor.

6. The portable smoking chamber of claim 1, wherein the set of filters comprises a pre-filter, a deodorizing filter, and a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter.

7. The portable smoking chamber of claim 1, further comprising a set of sensors attached to one of the pole member or a bottom surface of the canopy.

8. The portable smoking chamber of claim 7, wherein the set of sensors comprises at least one of a motion sensor and a smoke sensor.

9. The portable smoking chamber of claim 8, wherein the motion sensor is configured to: detect motion in the area below the canopy; and transmit an activation signal to activate the blowing fan and the suction fan.

10. The portable smoking chamber of claim 8, wherein the smoke sensor is configured to: detect smoke in the area below the canopy; and transmit an activation signal to activate the blowing fan and the suction fan.

11. The portable smoking chamber of claim 1, wherein the canopy assembly is removably coupled to the pole member.

12. The portable smoking chamber of claim 1, wherein the canopy is a retractable canopy, wherein the retractable canopy is in one of an extended state or a retracted state, and wherein the blowing fan and the suction fan are deactivated when the retractable canopy is in the retracted state.

13. The portable smoking chamber of claim 1, wherein the one or more air passages are arranged within the canopy.

14. A canopy assembly, comprising: a canopy; one or more air passages coupled with the canopy, wherein each of the one or more air passages comprises a first end and a second end; and a blowing fan in fluid communication with the first end of each of the one or more air passages, wherein: the blowing fan is configured to blow air into the first end of each of the one or more air passages, an air envelope is formed when the blown air exits from the second end of each of the one or more air passages, and the air envelope is configured to provide a barrier between an area below the canopy and an outer environment.

15. The canopy assembly of claim 14, further comprising at least one motor configured to drive the blowing fan.

16. The canopy assembly of claim 15, further comprising a power supply configured to supply power to the at least one motor.

17. The canopy assembly of claim 14, further comprising a set of sensors attached to a bottom surface of the canopy.

18. The canopy assembly of claim 17, wherein the set of sensors comprises at least one of a motion sensor and a smoke sensor.

19. The canopy assembly of claim 18, wherein the motion sensor is configured to: detect motion in the area below the canopy; and transmit an activation signal to activate the blowing fan.

20. The canopy assembly of claim 18, wherein the smoke sensor is configured to: detect smoke in the area below the canopy; and transmit an activation signal to activate the blowing fan.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles.

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of an exemplary portable smoking chamber, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portable smoking chamber of FIG. 1, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates flow of air through an exemplary canopy assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for controlling a portable smoking chamber, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. While examples and features of disclosed principles are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the following detailed description be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

[0015] Referring now to FIG. 1, a front view of an exemplary portable smoking chamber 100 is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The portable smoking chamber 100 is a portable installation configured to isolate smokers from non-smokers.

[0016] Top section of the portable smoking chamber 100 may include a canopy assembly. The canopy assembly may include a canopy 102. The canopy 102 may provide a covering from the top of the portable smoking chamber 100. The canopy 102 may be constructed using materials such as, polyethylene, Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), cotton, other fabrics, hard board canopy sections which can be assembled while installing at the site, etc. The canopy 102 may have a pyramidal shape, a dome-shape, a convex shape, a concave shape, a conical shape, or any combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the canopy is of concave shape towards a top end 103A and of convex shape towards a bottom end 103B. A degree of concavity and convexity may be optimized using computational fluid dynamics.

[0017] The canopy assembly may further include one or more air passages (not shown in figure) coupled with the canopy 102. It should be noted that each of the one or more air passages may include a first end and a second end. The first end and the second end may extend from the top end 103A to the bottom end 103B of the canopy 102, respectively. The one or more air passages may include a hollow space throughout a length between the first end and the second end, forming a channel through which air may flow.

[0018] The canopy assembly may further include a blowing fan 104. The blowing fan 104 may be in fluid communication with the first end of each of the one or more air passages. The blowing fan 104 is configured to blow air into the first end of each of the one or more air passages. The blowing fan 104 draws air from an outer environment and blows the drawn air into the first end of each of the one or more air passages. By way of an example, the blowing fan 104 may be, but may not be limited to, a mixed flow fan, an axial fan, or a centrifugal fan. In a preferred embodiment, the blowing fan 104 is a mixed flow fan. The blowing fan 104 is driven by a motor.

[0019] As the blowing fan 104 blows air into the one or more air passages, an air envelope 106 is formed when the blown air exits from the second end of each of the one or more air passages. The air envelope 106 is configured to provide a barrier between an area below the canopy 102 and the outer environment. This isolates the area below the canopy 102 from the outer environment.

[0020] The portable smoking chamber 100 may further include a pole member 108 vertically supporting the canopy assembly. The pole member 108 may be constructed using materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, fiberglass light, carbon fiber, plastics, and the like.

[0021] The pole member 108 may include a top end coupled to the canopy assembly, at least one opening, a bottom end, a suction fan configured to draw in air from the area below the canopy 102 through the at least one opening, and a set of filters configured to filter the air drawn in by the suction fan. This is explained in greater detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0022] The portable smoking chamber 100 may further include a base platform 110 coupled to the pole member 108. The base platform 110 is in fluid communication with the bottom end of the pole member 108. The base platform 110 is configured to receive the filtered air from the pole member 108. The base platform 110 may include a plurality of vents. Each of the plurality of vents may be configured to release the filtered air into the outer environment.

[0023] In an inactivated state of the portable smoking chamber 100, the blowing fan 104 may be inactivated and therefore, the air envelope 106 may be absent. When a user 112 enters the area below the canopy 102, the user may manually switch the portable smoking chamber 100 to an activated state. Alternatively. the portable smoking chamber 100 may automatically switch to the activated state upon detecting presence of the user 112 in the area under the canopy 102 through a set of sensors (explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 4). In the activated state of the portable smoking chamber 100, the motor driving the blowing fan 104 is activated. The motor drives the blowing fan 104. The blowing fan 104 blows air into the first end of each of the one or more air passages. The blown air exits from the second end of each of the one or more air passages, leading to the formation of the air envelope 106 around the area covered by the canopy 102. This is further explained in detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0024] The portable smoking chamber 100 may allow the user 112 to smoke within the area under the canopy 102 as the air envelope 106 may provide a barrier that may isolate the user 112 from non-smokers in the outer environment. Since the barrier is not a physical obstruction, the user 112 may also be able to interact (i.e., communicate) with the non-smokers in the outer environment, without transferring second hand smoke to the non-smokers. Additionally, the area below the canopy 102 may also be adequately ventilated through the suction fan in the pole member 108. Thus, the portable smoking chamber 100 may provide a comfortable smoking zone to the user 112 in the area below the canopy 102.

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view of the portable smoking chamber 100 is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is illustrated in conjunction with FIG. 1.

[0026] The canopy 102 may be S-shaped and the one or more air passages coupled with the canopy 102 may be S-shaped nozzles. In some embodiments, the canopy 102 may be of other shapes but the one or more air passages are preferably S-shaped nozzles. It should be noted that each of the one or more air passages may include a first end and a second end. The first end and the second end may extend from the top end 103A to the bottom end 103B of the canopy 102, respectively. The one or more air passages may include a hollow space throughout a length between the first end and the second end, forming a channel through which air may flow. Each of the one or more air passages may be an S-shaped nozzle.

[0027] In some embodiments, the canopy assembly may include the plurality of air passages (e.g., 6 air passages, 8 air passages, etc.) arranged uniformly distributed under the canopy 102 (i.e., at equal angular distances). In some other embodiments, the canopy 102 may include a continuous hollow space between a top surface and a bottom surface of the canopy 102. In such embodiments, the hollow space may be used as an air passage. In other words, the canopy 102 may include two sheetsa top sheet and a bottom sheetand the air passage may be a space between the two sheets (i.e., the air passage is integrated within the canopy 102). Alternatively, the canopy 102 may be formed from top surfaces of the one or more air passages. In such an embodiment, the one or more air passages are joined together to completely form the canopy 102 on the top surface.

[0028] The canopy assembly further includes the blowing fan 104 in fluid communication with the first end of each of the one or more air passages. When the blowing fan 104 blows air into the one or more air passages, the air envelope 106 is formed when the blown air exits from the second end of each of the one or more air passages. The air envelope 106 is configured to provide a barrier between an area below the canopy 102 and the outer environment. This isolates the area below the canopy 102 from the outer environment. In some embodiments, speed of the blowing fan 104 may be regulated through a user application or a fan speed regulator attached to the pole member 108. The speed of the blowing fan 104 may be switched from a regular mode (i.e., normal fan speed) to a power mode (i.e., high fan speed) while the portable smoking chamber 100 is experiencing high velocity cross wind from the outer environment.

[0029] The portable smoking chamber 100 may further include the pole member 108 vertically supporting the canopy assembly. The pole member 108 may be constructed using materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, fiberglass light, carbon fiber, plastics, and the like. The pole member 108 may include a top end and a bottom end. The top end may be coupled to the canopy assembly. The pole member 108 may include a hollow space within. The hollow space may extend in continuity from the top end 110 to the bottom end 112. A motor 202 may be positioned near the top end. In some embodiments, the motor 202 may be arranged external to the top end of the pole member 108 to allow air to be drawn into the pole member 108 through at least one opening 204 by a suction fan 206. The motor 202 may be configured to drive the suction fan 206. Alternatively, the motor 202 may be positioned within the pole member 108. Regardless of the position of the motor 202, the motor 202 is preferably located above the at least one opening 202 and the suction fan 206 is preferably located below the at least one opening 202.

[0030] In some embodiments, the canopy assembly may be removably coupled to the pole member 108. In some embodiments, the canopy 102 is a retractable canopy. The retractable canopy may be in one of an extended state or a retracted state. Retraction or extension of the canopy 102 may be driven by one or more retraction motors. The one or more retraction motors may be controlled via a switch or a remote control. It should be noted that the blowing fan 104 and the suction fan 206 may be deactivated when the retractable canopy is in the retracted state. In some embodiments, the one or more air passages may be arranged within the canopy 102.

[0031] By way of an example, the suction fan 206 may be an exhaust fan, a centrifugal suction fan, an axial suction fan, or a radial suction fan). The suction fan 206 is configured to draw in air from the area below the canopy 102 through the at least one opening 204. In other words, the air enclosed in the area below the canopy 102 is drawn into the pole member 108 via the suction fan 206.

[0032] The pole member 108 further includes a set of filters. Preferably, the set of filters may be positioned at a location below the suction fan 206. The air drawn into the pole member 108 is pushed to the set of filters for filtration. The set of filters may span across a cross-section of the pole member 108 to avoid passage of unfiltered air through the pole member 108. The set of filters may include at least one of a pre-filter 208, a deodorizing filter 210, and a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter 212. In an embodiment, the pre-filter 208, the deodorizing filter 210, and the HEPA filter 212 are arranged in series as a filter assembly. The pre-filter 208 may be configured to trap large dust particles (size in a range of about 3 to about 10 microns) from the air drawn in by the suction fan 206. By way of an example, the large dust particles may include soot, carbon, dust, and dirt. The pre-filter 208 may be made using materials, such as, mesh, fiberglass, chemical filters, foam, etc.

[0033] The deodorizing filter 210 may be configured to eliminate unpleasant odour from the air drawn in by the suction fan 206. In an embodiment, the deodorizing filter 210 may receive the air filtered through the pre-filter 208. The unpleasant odour may be associated with tobacco smoke (i.e., cigarette smoke, cigar smoke, hookah smoke, and the like), and other toxic odours. The deodorizing filter 210 may be, for example, but may not be limited to, an activated carbon filter or a zeolite filter.

[0034] The HEPA filter 212 may be configured to trap smaller particles (such as aerosols of approximately 0.3 microns) from the air drawn in by the suction fan 206. In an embodiment, the HEPA filter 212 may receive the air filtered through the deodorizing filter 210. The smaller particles may include, for example, but may not be limited to, allergens, auto exhaust, tobacco smoke, bacteria, and dust mites. The HEPA filter 212 may be constructed using materials, such as glass, synthetics, polymers, and combination of fabrics. In some embodiments, the HEPA filter 212 may trap up to approximately 99.97% of the smaller particles from the air.

[0035] Further, the base platform 110 may be coupled to the pole member 108. The base platform 110 may provide support and stability to the portable smoking chamber 100. The base platform 110 may be in fluid communication with the bottom end of the pole member 108. The base platform 110 may also include a hollow space within. The hollow space of the base platform 110 may be connected to the hollow space of the pole member 108, thus enabling the fluid communication between the pole member 108 and the base platform 110. The base platform 110 may be configured to receive the filtered air from the pole member 108. In some embodiments, the user 112 may stand on the base platform 110 for smoking. The base platform 110 may be constructed using materials, such as, aluminum, magnesium, high-strength steels, titanium, composite of metals, plastic, glass fiber, wood, etc. The base platform 110 may be of different shapes, for example, but not limited to, circular, rectangular, and square. The base platform 110 may include a plurality of vents. Each of the plurality of vents may be configured to release the filtered air received from the pole member 108 into the outer environment.

[0036] in some embodiments, the motor 202 may additionally be configured to drive the blowing fan 104. In some other embodiments, the portable smoking chamber 100 may include separate motors for each of the blowing fan 104 and the suction fan 206. This is explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 3. The portable smoking chamber 100 may further include a power supply. The power supply may supply power to the motor 202.

[0037] In some embodiments, the portable smoking chamber 100 may be manually activated and inactivated by the user 112 through a switch. The switch may be positioned on the pole member 108. In some other embodiments, the portable smoking chamber 100 may be automatically activated and inactivated. In such embodiments, the portable smoking chamber 100 may further include a set of sensors (not shown in figure). The set of sensors may be attached to one of the pole member 108, a bottom surface of the canopy 102, or on the base platform 110. The set of sensors may be controlled by a control logic (discussed in detail in conjunction with FIG. 4).

[0038] The set of sensors may include at least one of a motion sensor and a smoke sensor. In some embodiments, the motion sensor may be configured to detect motion in the area below the canopy 102. For example, when the user 112 enters the area below the canopy 102, the motion sensor may detect the motion of the user 112. Upon detecting the motion of the user 112, the motion sensor may be configured to transmit an activation signal to activate the blowing fan 104 and the suction fan 206. The motion sensor may be, for example, but may not be limited to, Passive Infrared (PIR) Sensor, Microwave Sensor, and Ultrasonic sensor.

[0039] In some other embodiments, the smoke sensor may be configured to detect smoke in the area below the canopy 102. For example, when the user 112 starts smoking in the area below the canopy 102, the smoke sensor may detect the smoke. Upon detecting the smoke, the smoke sensor may be configured to transmit an activation signal to activate the blowing fan 104 and the suction fan 206. The smoke sensor may be, for example, but may not be limited to, Photoelectric Smoke Detector, and Ionization Smoke Detector.

[0040] In some embodiments, the base platform 110 may be embedded with one or more piezoelectric sensors. The one or more piezoelectric sensors may detect presence of the user 112 when the user 112 steps on the base platform 110. The one or more piezoelectric sensors may then send an activation signal to activate the blowing fan 104 and the suction fan 206. When the user 112 exits the base platform 110, there will be no pressure signal detected by the piezoelectric sensors, prompting the portable smoking chamber to be inactivated.

[0041] Referring now to FIG. 3, flow of air through an exemplary canopy assembly 300 is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2. The canopy assembly 300 may be fitted on a portable smoking chamber (such as the portable smoking chamber 100).

[0042] The canopy assembly may include the blowing fan 104. In an embodiment, the blowing fan may be driven by a motor 302 positioned at a top end of the canopy assembly 300. The canopy assembly 300 may further include the canopy 102. The canopy assembly 300 may further include one or more air passages (such as an air passage 304) coupled with the canopy 102. The air passages 304 may include a first end, in fluid communication with the blowing fan 104. The blowing fan 104 may be configured to blow air into the first end of each of the air passage 304. The air envelope 106 may be formed when the blown air exits from a second end of each of the one or more air passages. The air envelope 106 may be configured to provide a barrier between the area below the canopy 102 and the outer environment.

[0043] Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary system 400 for controlling a portable smoking chamber (such as the portable smoking chamber 100) is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2. The system 400 may include a control unit 402 (for example, server, desktop, laptop, notebook, netbook, tablet, smartphone, mobile phone, or any other computing device), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The control unit 402 may operate the portable smoking chamber 100.

[0044] In some embodiments, the control unit 402 may include one or more processors 404 and a memory 406. Further, the memory 406 may store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 404, cause the one or more processors 404 to operate the portable smoking chamber 100, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The memory 406 may also store various instructions to activate the blowing fan 104 and the suction fan 206 while sensing any smoke or motion in the area below the canopy 102. The memory 406 may be a non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM) memory, etc.) or a volatile memory (e.g., Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random-Access memory (SRAM), etc.).

[0045] The system 400 may further include a display 408. The system 400 may interact with a user via a user interface 410 accessible via the display 408. The system 400 may also include at least one of a motion sensor 412 and a smoke sensor 414. In some embodiments, the control unit 402 may interact with the at least one of the motion sensor 412 and the smoke sensor 414 over a communication network 416 for sending or receiving various data (such as activation and inactivation signals from the motion sensor 412 and the smoke sensor 414). The communication network 416 may include, for example, but may not be limited to, a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network, a light fidelity (Li-Fi) network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a satellite network, the internet, a fiber optic network, a coaxial cable network, an infrared (IR) network, a radio frequency (RF) network, and a combination thereof. The motion sensor 312 may include, for example, but may not be limited to, Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor, Microwave sensor, Ultrasonic sensor, Dual sensor, or any other motion sensor. The smoke sensor 414 may include, for example, but may not be limited to, Photoelectric Smoke Detector, Ionization Smoke Detector, or any other smoke sensor.

[0046] Various embodiments in the present disclosure provide a portable smoking chamber. The disclosed portable smoking chamber may include a canopy assembly. The canopy assembly may include a canopy. The canopy assembly may further include one or more air passages coupled with the canopy. Each of the one or more air passages may include a first end and a second end. The canopy assembly may further include a blowing fan in fluid communication with the first end of each of the one or more air passages. The blowing fan may be configured to blow air into the first end of each of the one or more air passages. An air envelope may be formed when the blown air exits from the second end of each of the one or more air passages. The air envelope may be configured to provide a barrier between an area below the canopy and an outer environment. The portable smoking chamber may further include a pole member vertically supporting the canopy assembly. The pole member may include a top end coupled to the canopy assembly. The pole member may further include at least one opening. The pole member may further include a suction fan configured to draw in air from the area below the canopy through the at least one opening. The pole member may further include a set of filters configured to filter the air drawn in by the suction fan.

[0047] Thus, the present disclosure may overcome drawbacks of existing isolating chambers that are designed for permanent setup and available only for indoors. The present disclosure discloses a portable smoking chamber that may cater to problems associated with the existing smoking chambers. The disclosed portable smoking chamber may prevent the tobacco smoke from getting mixed with the outer environment. The disclosed portable smoking chamber may release the filtered air back to the outer environment. The disclosed portable smoking chamber may enable the smokers to communicate with the non-smokers seamlessly without harming them due to presence of the air envelope. In addition, the portable smoking chamber may not have any permanent hard barrier between the smokers and the non-smokers. The disclosed portable smoking chamber may be useful for both indoor setups and outdoor setups. The disclosed portable smoking chamber may be cost effective in various aspects such as installation, transportation, maintenance, etc. The disclosed potable smoking chamber may consume low power for its functioning. The disclosed portable smoking chamber may be portable and convenient to use.

[0048] In light of the above mentioned advantages and the technical advancements provided by the disclosed portable smoking chamber, the claimed steps as discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood in the art, as the claimed steps enable the following solutions to the existing problems in conventional technologies. Further, the claimed steps clearly bring an improvement in the functioning of the device itself as the claimed steps provide a technical solution to a technical problem.

[0049] The specification has described portable smoking chamber. The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments.

[0050] It is intended that the disclosure and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of disclosed embodiments being indicated by the following claims.