Smokable Material Containment Vessel For A Hookah

Abstract

A smokable material containment vessel designed for use with a hookah is provided including a substantially cylindrical sidewall, a perforated first cover connected to the sidewall and disposed at one edge of the sidewall, a perforated second cover connected to the sidewall and disposed at the opposing edge of the sidewall, and a charge of smokable material encased within the interior open space. The smokable material containment vessel is configured to support burning charcoal, which is placed on top of the containment vessel to provide heat to burn the charge of smokable material inside. The smokable material containment vessel is further configured to be invertible to allow for additionally burning the fresh unburned smokable material on the underside. The smokable material containment vessel is designed to fit in the ceramic bowl of the head of the hookah, with the perforations configured to allow air circulation.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/860,549, filed Nov. 22, 2006, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to water-filtration type smoking devices such as hookahs or water pipes, and more particularly, to a tobacco container for use in such a water-filtration type smoking device.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The hookah, a water-filtration type smoking device of ancient design of Middle Eastern or South Asian origin, is still considered one of the most efficient, relaxing, and pleasurable smoking devices available. It can be used for smoking many substances, such as tobacco or other herbal or organic materials. The hookah, also known as a water pipe, narghile, or shisha, consists of four general components—a base water bowl, a head, and two tubes—which are incorporated into an often ornately decorated device. The head, generally the upper section of the hookah, holds the tobacco or other smokable substance, plus the charcoal for heating the smokable substance. One of the tubes, a pipe stem, extends from the head down into the water of the water bowl. The other tube is a long, flexible hose having a proximal end open to the air above the level of the water in the base water bowl and a distal end configured to be placed in the lips of the person smoking. Thus the smoke from the burning tobacco is drawn down from the head through the pipe stem into the water of the water bowl where it is cooled and filtered before being inhaled by the smoker through the flexible hose.

The head, located on the top of the pipe stem, conventionally includes a ceramic bowl that is vented down into the pipe stem, allowing the smoke to travel down into the water bowl. The tobacco, most commonly a flavored type, is placed in this ceramic bowl. As the burning charcoal is intended to heat the tobacco by indirect heat, it should preferably not be placed directly on the tobacco. Instead, a small piece of aluminum foil is commonly used to cover the ceramic bowl, with the burning charcoal (either a charcoal cylinder or charcoal sticks) placed on the foil. Typically, a flavored tobacco is spread evenly around inside the bowl, packed lightly so as not to restrict airflow, and placed sufficiently below the aluminum foil so as not to be in direct contact with the foil. Before covering the ceramic bowl, the aluminum foil must be punctured with a pin or other similar object. Care must be taken in the sizing and positioning of the holes. Preferably there is a higher concentration of holes near the center of the ceramic bowl. If the holes are too large, too small, too numerous, or too few, the smoking experience will not be optimal. The foil must support the weight of the charcoal; therefore the foil must be stretched taunt over the bowl and must also extend down the sides of the bowl to secure the foil and hold up the burning charcoal placed on top of the foil.

This application of the foil before the smoking experience can commence is troublesome. A significant amount of time and care is required to puncture the foil suitably to provide a favorable smoking condition and to apply the foil correctly.

Additionally, while a great deal of thought and effort may be spent in obtaining a hookah with an aesthetically attractive and appealing design, the appeal and visual enjoyment is lessened by the requirement that, in order to support the weight of the charcoal, the foil must extend down the sides of the ceramic bowl in a way that obscures a portion of the design and detracts from the general form and appearance of the hookah.

Furthermore, the currently popular flavored hookah tobaccos are produced using one part of shredded tobacco leaf mixed with up to two parts of sweet-tasting viscous liquids such as honey, molasses, glycerin, or semi-dried fruit. Although both humectant and flavoring properties of the tobacco are improved, the addition of the viscous liquids increases the stickiness of the tobacco. Thus, upon completion of the smoking session, the bowl containing the flavored tobacco is quite gummy and difficult to clean. Yet, with the large assortment of tobacco flavors that are currently popular, the cleaning of the bowl is particularly important. A different flavor may be used for the next smoking session, and if the bowl is not cleaned well, the flavors will intermingle and be less intense and enjoyable.

Attempts to address this problem of cleanup and tobacco containment have been focused on the tobacco to be used in pipes rather than in a hookah. Tobacco containment filters with sidewalls to surround the pipe tobacco have been proposed. Although such a filter can be inserted into the top opening of a pipe and may be useful in that particular application, such filters are not satisfactory for a hookah application because pipe tobacco is directly burned, whereas the tobacco in a hookah is indirectly burned. The pipe tobacco containment filters also do not provide top support for a charcoal cylinder or charcoal stick, and are therefore unusable.

Additionally, an attempt has been made to address the problem of reducing the required time and effort that must be expended to puncture the foil and to install the foil on the bowl of the hookah. Currently a planar screen is available that extends across the top of the bowl and outward past the sides of the bowl, whereby the burning charcoal can be supported above the tobacco in the bowl. While this does reduce the time and effort of puncturing and installing foil, it does not reduce the cleanup time of changing tobacco after the smoking experience, nor is it a tidy or elegant solution, as the screen extends outward over the edge of the bowl, detracting from the aesthetically attractive and appealing design of the hookah.

Furthermore, because indirect heat is applied to the top of the tobacco in the bowl of a hookah, the tobacco located at the bottom of the bowl is often incompletely burned. It would be more economical to fully utilize the tobacco purchased by providing a device that allows a greater amount of the tobacco to be burned. It is believed that no such device has been designed that can address these problems.

Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an efficient tobacco containment vessel for use in a hookah that is capable of eliminating the need for the cumbersome and time consuming aluminum foil application, eliminating or significantly reducing the mess and cleanup after smoking, and increasing the utilization of the tobacco product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a convenient, invertible smokable material containment vessel for use in a hookah that is capable of eliminating the need for the troublesome application of aluminum foil, eliminating or significantly reducing the mess and cleanup after smoking, and reducing smoking cost by increasing the ability to fully burn the smokable material. The smokable material containment vessel includes a substantially cylindrical sidewall, a perforated first cover connected to the sidewall and disposed at one end of the sidewall, a perforated second cover connected to the sidewall and disposed at the opposing end of the sidewall, and a charge of smokable material encased within the interior open space. A second refillable embodiment is additionally provided.

The smokable material containment vessel is configured to support burning charcoal, which is placed on top of the containment vessel to provide heat for burning the charge of smokable material inside. The smokable material containment vessel is further configured to be invertible to additionally allow for burning the fresh unburned smokable material on the underside. The smokable material containment vessel is designed to fit in the ceramic bowl of the head of the hookah and designed with perforations configured to allow air circulation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a smokable material containment vessel that can be adapted for use with a wide variety of water filtration type smoking devices such as hookahs.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a smokable material containment vessel that will eliminate the need for the time-consuming application of aluminum foil by reliably and conveniently supporting the burning charcoal in such a manner that the burning charcoal is supported near enough to the smokable substance in the vessel to provide indirect heat for burning the smokable substance, but not in a manner that permits direct contact with the smokable substance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a smokable material containment vessel that is configured to eliminate or significantly reduce the mess and the cleanup after smoking.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a smokable material containment vessel that is configured to reduce smoking costs by increasing the ability to fully burn the smokable material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a smokable material containment vessel that is convenient, yet economical.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a first preferred embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel of the present invention illustrated in its typical application in a hookah;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the first preferred embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel of the present invention prior to being inserted in the bowl section of a hookah;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first preferred embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel of the present invention inserted in the bowl section of a hookah;

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the first preferred embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel of the present invention inserted in the bowl section of a hookah.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the second preferred embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel of the present invention inserted in the bowl section of a hookah; and

FIG. 6 is a cutaway view of the second preferred embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel of the present invention inserted in the bowl section of a hookah.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is directed toward a convenient, efficient, economical, and invertible smokable material containment vessel designed to fit in the bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device and configured with perforations to allow air circulation. The smokable material containment vessel is capable of eliminating the need for the troublesome application of aluminum foil, eliminating or significantly reducing the mess and cleanup after smoking, and reducing smoking cost by increasing the ability to fully burn the smokable material.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a smokable material containment vessel, shown generally as reference number 10, is illustrated in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical application of the smokable material containment vessel in a water-filtration smoking device, such as a water pipe, narghile, shisha, or hookah, shown generally as reference number 20. Only the top edge of smokable material containment vessel 10 within hookah 20 is visible in FIG. 1. The hookah 20 has four general components—a base water bowl 11 containing water 12, a head 13, a pipe stem 14, and at least one hose 15. The head 13 includes a bowl 16 into which the smokable material containment vessel 10 is placed. The charcoal 17 to burn the smokable substance is then placed on the smokable material containment vessel 10. An air passageway is conventionally provided by the hookah 20, whereby the smoke from the burning tobacco is drawn down from the head 13 through the pipe stem 14 into the water 12 of the water bowl 11 where it is cooled and filtered before being inhaled by the smoker through the hose 15.

Referring to the more detailed views of the first exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the smokable material containment vessel 10 is illustrated prior to being inserted into bowl 16 (FIG. 2), and then after insertion into bowl 16 (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4). The smokable material containment vessel 10 includes a substantially cylindrical sidewall 21. Fixedly connected to a first edge of sidewall 21 is a perforated first cover 22, which is configured to provide a planar closing for the smokable material containment vessel 10. The first cover 22 provides either a top or bottom for the smokable material containment vessel. A perforated second cover 23 (FIG. 4) is fixedly connected to the opposing edge of the sidewall 21. Similarly, the second cover 23 can provide either a top or bottom for the smokable material containment vessel.

The cylindrical sidewall 21, first cover 22, and second cover 23 define an interior open space or chamber 27. Encased and protected within the chamber 27 is a charge of smokable material 25. Preferably the smokable material is provided prepared in a form that is sized appropriately for optimum burning. The smokable material 25 may be any of a variety of herbal, plant, or other organic materials, but is most commonly any of a variety of available flavored tobaccos. In the first exemplary embodiment, the smokable material 25 is sealed within smokable material containment vessel 10, secured by first cover 22 and second cover 23; therefore, the smokable material containment vessel 10 is disposable.

The smokable material containment vessel 10 is configured in a size and shape to fit conventional hookah bowls 16 and is configured with sufficient strength to support burning charcoal 17. The sidewall 21, first cover 22, and second cover 23 are preferably made of a metal, such as, for example, stainless steel, tin, or aluminum. The choice of metal to be used for the smokable material containment vessel 10 may be based on considerations of some or all of the following properties: heat resistance, formability, economical factors, heat resistance, or easy of manufacturing. The charcoal 17, commonly available as quick lighting or natural lighting disks or sticks, is placed on top of the smokable material containment vessel smokable material containment vessel 10 to provide heat for burning the charge of smokable material 25.

The smokable material containment vessel 10 is configured with small air holes or perforations 24 that allow for air or smoke flow down the passageway from the head 13 through the pipe stem 14 into the water 12 of the water bowl 11 and out to the smoker via hose 15. The perforations 24 are sized and positioned for optimal smoking enjoyment. Thus, the smoking time is increased and the pleasure is enhanced compared to the time, care, and effort that would be required to introduce appropriately sized and positioned holes in aluminum foil to cover the bowl 16.

To use the smokable material containment vessel, the smokable material 25 filled smokable material containment vessel 10 is placed in the ceramic bowl 16 of the hookah 20 with perforated first cover 22 facing upward. Burning charcoal 17 is placed on perforated first cover 22. The perforations 24 of first cover 22 allow air to be drawn into the interior open space or chamber 27 and downward past the smokable material 27. The smoke from smokable material 27 is then drawn down through perforations 28 of the second cover 23, and on downward through pipe stem 14 to water bowl 11, and on to the smoker via hose 15. (Although described with first cover 22 upward, as the smokable material containment vessel is invertible, either the perforated first cover 22 or the perforated second cover 23 may initially be placed upward.)

After the initial smoking session is completed, if unburned smokable material remains on the underside, the smokable material containment vessel 10 may be inverted, due to the symmetry of the smokable material containment vessel. This inversion places the second cover 23 upward and the first cover 22 downward against the bottom of bowl 16. Thus new charcoal 17 can be placed on second cover 23 to allow for the burning of any initially unburned smokable material, thereby reducing smoking costs by more completely burning each charge of smoking material 25.

After the burning of any initially unburned smokable material 25, the smokable material containment vessel 10 can be removed from the bowl 16 and discarded, thus reducing cleanup time.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate a second exemplary embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel of the present invention, generally referred to by the reference numeral 10′. The second exemplary embodiment of the smokable material containment vessel 10′ is substantially similar to, and functions in a similar manner to, the first exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, but illustrates a refillable smokable material containment vessel 10′. The smokable material containment vessel 10′ of the second embodiment further comprises an inner sidewall 29 and is configured to open to allow refilling.

As in the first exemplary embodiment cylindrical sidewall 21 is fixedly attached to the perforated first cover 22. However, the smokable material containment vessel 10 of the second embodiment varies in that the perforated second cover 23 is fixedly attached to an inner sidewall 29. Inner sidewall 29 with attached perforated second cover 23 form an interior casing to contain smokable material 25. The slightly larger exterior casing formed by cylindrical sidewall 21 attached to perforated first cover 22, is removably slidingly engaged over the interior casing formed by inner sidewall 29 with attached perforated second cover 23. Thus the second exemplary embodiment provides a mechanism whereby the smokable material containment vessel 10 can be opened by the user to access the smokable material and reused, if desired. In other aspects, the second exemplary embodiment is substantially similar to the first exemplary embodiment described above.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the smokable material containment vessel 10 of the current invention provides a smokable material containment vessel that will eliminate the need for the time-consuming application of aluminum foil by reliably and conveniently supporting the burning charcoal 17 in such a manner that the burning charcoal 17 is supported near enough to the smokable substance in the vessel to provide indirect heat for burning the smokable substance, but is not in direct contact with the smokable substance.

Additionally, the smokable material containment vessel of the current invention will eliminate or significantly reduce the cleanup after smoking and will prevent contamination of a second tobacco with the residue from a first tobacco, as the burned tobacco and any tar or gummy mess will be contained in the smokable material containment vessel, which may be easily discarded.

Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device comprising:

a substantially cylindrical sidewall having a first edge and an opposing second edge, said substantially cylindrical sidewall being formed of a generally thin formable metal;

a perforated first cover being substantially planar and circular and being fixedly connected to said first edge of said substantially cylindrical sidewall, said perforated first cover being formed of a generally thin metal and being configured with multiple perforations;

a perforated second cover being substantially planar and circular and being fixedly connected to said second edge of said substantially cylindrical sidewall, said perforated second cover being formed of a generally thin metal and being configured with multiple perforations, wherein said substantially cylindrical sidewall, said perforated first cover, and said perforated second cover form an interior open chamber; and

a charge of smokable material of sufficient quantity for use in said water-filtration type smoking device, said charge of smokable material encased within said interior open chamber.

2. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 1, wherein said multiple perforations of said first cover and said multiple perforations of said second cover are sized to allow airflow and to retain a sufficient portion of said charge of smokable material within said interior open chamber.

3. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 2, wherein the diameter of said perforated first cover is approximately equal to the diameter of said perforated second cover, and wherein the diameter of said perforated first cover and the diameter of said perforated second cover are sized somewhat smaller than the diameter of said bowl of said water-filtration type smoking device to allow said perforated first cover and said perforated second cover to fit within said bowl of said water-filtration type smoking device.

4. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 3, wherein said generally thin formable metal forming said substantially cylindrical sidewall is stainless steel.

5. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 3, wherein said generally thin formable metal forming said substantially cylindrical sidewall is aluminum.

6. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 3, wherein said generally thin metal forming said perforated first cover and forming said perforated second cover is stainless steel.

7. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 3, wherein said generally thin metal forming said perforated first cover and forming said perforated second cover is aluminum.

8. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 3, wherein said charge of smokable material comprises an organic material.

9. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 8, wherein said organic material comprises tobacco.

10. The smokable material containment vessel for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 8, wherein said organic material comprises tobacco combined with a second organic material.

11. A containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device comprising:

a substantially cylindrical first sidewall having a first edge and an opposing second edge, said first sidewall adapted to form a cylinder and being formed of a generally thin formable metal;

a perforated first cover being substantially planar and circular and being fixedly connected to said first edge of said first sidewall to form a first open top container, said perforated first cover being formed of a generally thin metal and being configured with multiple perforations;

a substantially cylindrical second sidewall having a first edge and an opposing second edge, said second sidewall being formed of a generally thin formable metal, said second sidewall forming a cylinder having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of said cylinder of said first sidewall; and

a perforated second cover being substantially planar and circular and being fixedly connected to said first edge of said second sidewall to form a second open top container, said perforated second cover being formed of a generally thin metal and being configured with multiple perforations, wherein said second open top container is sized and configured to slide into said first open top container in such a manner that said opposing edge of said second sidewall is facing said perforated first cover, thereby forming an interior open chamber suitable for containing said smokable material.

12. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 11, wherein said multiple perforations of said first cover and said multiple perforations of said second cover are sized to allow airflow, yet retain a sufficient portion of said smokable material within said interior open chamber.

13. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 12, wherein said cylinder formed by said first sidewall has a diameter smaller than the diameter of said bowl of said water-filtration type smoking device.

14. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 12, wherein the diameter of said perforated first cover is sized somewhat smaller than the diameter of said bowl of said water-filtration type smoking device.

15. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 13, wherein said generally thin formable metal forming said first sidewall and said second sidewall is stainless steel.

16. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 13, wherein said generally thin formable metal forming said first sidewall and said second sidewall is aluminum.

17. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 13, wherein said generally thin formable metal forming said first sidewall and said second sidewall is tin.

18. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 13, wherein said generally thin metal forming said perforated first cover and forming said perforated second cover is stainless steel.

19. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 13, wherein said generally thin metal forming said perforated first cover and forming said perforated second cover is tin.

20. The containment vessel for smokable material for use in a bowl of a water-filtration type smoking device, as recited in claim 13, wherein said generally thin metal forming said perforated first cover and forming said perforated second cover is aluminum.