HOOKAH TOBACCO PORTION

Abstract

The invention relates to a cartridge (11), which comprises a container wall (13, 15) with sealed perforations (25) and which within this container wall (13, 15) contains an individual portion of hookah tobacco (17). It further relates to a set for hookahs with such a standardised cartridge having a outwardly extending scaling edge (59) and a standardised bowl (43) for a hookah having a sealing shoulder (53) within the bowl wall working together with the sealing edge of the cartridge (11).

Description

The invention relates to hookahs, especially the bowls of hookahs and a portion of hookah tobacco to be filled into such bowl.

Hookahs comprise a water container. A smoke tube is inserted in this water container, and ends below the surface of the water. A bowl is stuck on the smoke tube, into which bowl a portion of tobacco may be filled. The tobacco in the bowl may be heated by way of glowing charcoal which is applied thereon. Then, the tobacco smoke arising due to the effect of heat, may be sucked through the water via a hose which ends in the air space of the water container.

The tobacco used for hookahs is mixed with sugar molasses, glycerine and aromas, and has a moisture content of 25 to 40 percent by weight, in the countries in which such a high moisture content is permitted. The tobacco prepared in such a manner is offered in tins, which for example contain 1 kilo of hookah tobacco. Most hookah smokers require longer periods of time to consume such a trading quantity. It is only in hookah cafés that such quantities are consumed within short time periods. The tobacco may dry out to a significant extent during storage, and may therefore become compromised with regard to its taste, during the storage.

One disadvantage of the previous manner in which hookah bowls are filled, is the fact that the tobacco must be stirred up in the storage container before the filling of the bowl, in order to distribute the molasses which have partly seeped to the bottom of the container, uniformly again in the tobacco.

A further disadvantage for hookah smokers is the fact that tobacco accordingly to law in certain countries, may only have a moisture content for example of 5% at the most. For this reason, tobacco which is too dry, may only be purchased in these countries. The thorough mixing of the tobacco with molasses and glycerine requires some effort, and is sticky work which is unpleasant to many smokers. These regulations furthermore prevent original and ready-to-use, branded tobaccos for hookahs from being able to be brought onto the market.

It is therefore the object of the invention, to simplify the filling of bowls of or for hookahs, with tobacco. It is also the object to provide hookah tobacco to the consumer, in a manner such that the higher quality of the tobacco is retained over a longer period of time than was previously the case.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a cartridge according to claim 1. The tobacco is offered in cartridges which in each case, at the most, contain an individual portion of hookah tobacco. The cartridge has perforations which are advantageously closed in a moisture-tight manner, so that the moisture content of the tobacco is retained. The presentation form of hookah tobacco in portion cartridges has several advantages:

• • The shares of molasses, aroma agents, tobacco and glycerine may not change within the cartridge and thus within the portion, even if they were to demix within the cartridge.
  • One may counter a demixing by way of evacuating the cartridge.
  • The cartridge may be stored in a targeted manner upside down, so that the molasses collect above the tobacco and not below the tobacco. Thus on heating the contents of the cartridge, the molasses which liquefy thereby, flow away downwards into the dryer tobacco, and moisten the tobacco again. A heating of the dry tobacco may therefore be avoided.
  • The storage of the moist tobacco within a hermetically closed cartridge prevents the drying out of the contents of the cartridge.
  • The packaging of the tobacco in a hermetically closed portion cartridge, as is hoped, permits the import of original-moist hookah tobacco into countries with legal limit values for the moisture content of tobacco.
  • Since the packaging increases the shelf-life of the contents, one may permit increased moisture contents of tobaccos packaged in this manner.
  • Sets with a plurality of differently aromatised portions may be composed thanks to the portioning in cartridges. The purchaser of such a set has different aromas from which to choose, and despite this, only needs to purchase a small supply of tobacco. The storage in the fluid-tight cartridge furthermore has the advantage that the aroma agents in the tobacco are retained.

The container wall of the cartridge is usefully formed of aluminium. Alternatively, the container wall may be formed of sheet steel or another metal, or at least a shell part of the container wall may be formed also of a heat-resistant plastic.

The container wall forms at least one shell, in which the tobacco is present. Preferably the shell is forming the body of the cartridge and is closed by a lid. Perforations in this cartridge are closed in a moisture-tight manner by a part which is separate to the container wall of the shell or the lid. The container wall however also forms part of the hermetic closure itself.

Since the container wall must be able to be permeated by fresh air and smoke when smoking, holes must be present in the cartridge inserted into the bowl. If only one shell is formed with the container wall, then this shell is open to the top and has a perforated upper lid covering this opening, which lid again is covered in a moisture-tight manner up to time when the cartridge is used. Thus an opening only needs to be incorporated or provided in the bottom of the shell. The container wall may preferably form a perforated shell and have a separate layer closing the perforation of the shell.

If a layer separate to the container wall is responsible for the sealing of the moisture content of the cartridge, then the container wall may have perforations in the region of the bottom of the shell and/or the upper lid.

The moisture-tight closure is then advantageously formed by a plastic covering. This may be created in the known manner by way of welding a plastic covering around or to the container wall. Such a covering is advantageously evacuated and/or shrunk, in order to assume as little as possible volume, and to protect the contents from the loss of aromas, desiccation and leakage.

The moisture-tight closure preferably is formed of a removable tab above the perforated area of the cartridge only. Such a tab is connected to the container wall in a sealed manner. Bonding agent or a welding may be provided, in order to maintain this connection and keep it sealed. The tab may be formed from the same material as the container wall. It may also be formed of a material which is not heat-resistant. Preferably, it is formed of or have a layer of a thermoplastic plastic material which softens given the addition of energy, and may thus be bonded to the container wall.

If however the moisture-tight closure is formed in the bottom or the top area by the container wall itself which is not preferred, then this container wall needs to be actively perforated before use of the cartridge. An individual, e.g. metallic tip may be used for perforation. One may also use an apparatus, which cuts or pierces several perforations simultaneously into the container wall. The apparatus may introduce these into the base of the shell or into the upper lid of the shell. This perforation aid may be integrated into a bowl, into which the cartridge must be inserted for smoking.

The cartridge may be subdivided by way of separating walls into partitions, which in each case are filled with the tobacco. This largely prevents a demixing of the tobacco and molasses. The partitions may be filled with differently aromatised tobaccos. The partitions may be arranged in parallel, so that different components of air simultaneously flow through them when smoking, wherein these shares do not mix until outside the cartridge. The partitions may also be arranged in series, so that the sucked air must flow through these one after the other.

With a series arrangement of the partitions, the molasses may be arranged in an uppermost partition, and the tobacco in the partition arranged therebelow. This permits tobacco with a humidity of 5% or less to be used, and the separating wall between the two partitions is to be pierced before lighting up the hookah, so that the molasses impregnate the tobacco. Such a measure satisfies the law which prohibits a high moisture content of tobacco. At the same time, the hookah smokers in this country are provided with a manufactured tobacco preparation, which fulfils the almost ideal conditions for hookahs.

Such a cartridge advantageously has an outwardly projecting sealing edge. The lid and the shell or the closure tab and the shell, or all three, are connected to one another at the sealing edge. The sealing edge may be placed onto a sealing shoulder in the bowl, and thus prevents false air from wrongly flowing past the cartridge instead of flowing through the cartridge.

The cartridge may have a two-layered construction, with a first compartment with tobacco as a first layer, and with a second compartment thereabove as a second layer. The second compartment may merely ensure that the charcoal placed thereon does not lie directly on the first compartment, but is held at a distance thereto. The second compartment may however also be filled with fluid constituents, which serve to moisten a tobacco having the stipulated dryness. One may adhere to the regulations of some countries, which do not permit the sale of moistened tobacco, by way of this separation of fluid ingredients and dry tobacco in two hermetically mutually separated compartments.

The invention further relates to a set for hookahs with a standardised cartridge, as is described above, and with a standardised bowl for a hookah. The bowl in the manner known per se has a bowl wall, an access opening for applying the tobacco into the bowl, and at least one smoke outlet opening. Now the access opening serves for inserting the cartridge. With this set, the shape of the cartridge and the inner shape of the bowl are matched to one another such that the inner shape is filled out by a cartridge or several cartridges essentially abutting up to the bowl wall.

The cartridge fills out the bowl, in a manner such that the volume sucked through the smoke tube must flow through the cartridge. However, it is possible for several cartridges to be arranged above one another in the bowl. The individual cartridge may therefore only contain a part volume of a portion of tobacco. One may further envisage two, three or four part-cartridges having to be joined laterally next to one another, in order to fill out the bowl. Each of these part-cartridges encompasses practically a compartment of a complete cartridge. Only a plurality of these part-cartridges together fills out the bowl in the desired shape.

Another set consists of at least one cartridge, whose container wall encloses the tobacco in a moisture-tight manner, and a perforation aid for perforating the container wall of the cartridge.

A third set for hookahs consists of at least one cartridge, a bowl which is matched to the cartridge, and a perforation aid for perforating the cartridge.

With each of these sets, a perforation aid may already be arranged or formed in the inside of the bowl. This permits the cartridge to be pressed only into the bowl. The container wall is pierced by way of the pressing-in, so that the smoke may escape from the cartridge into the bowl and the smoke tube. The upper side of the cartridge thereby may be closed in a moisture-tight manner with a removable tab, a foil covering or by way of the container wall itself.

The bowl is provided with a sealing shoulder corresponding to the cartridge's outwardly projecting sealing edge. A bowl with such a sealing shoulder has the advantage that a cartridge with the sealing edge may be placed onto this shoulder in a practically airtight manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a perspective sketch of a cartridge according to the invention, whose wall must be pierced for opening the cartridge.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective sketch of a cartridge according to the invention, whose upper side is closed with a tab, and whose wall must be pierced on the lower side.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective sketch of a cartridge according to the invention, whose upper side is open, whose lower side is provided with opening slots, and which is welded into a plastic covering.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective sketch of a still empty cartridge, with four partitions.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective sketch of a part-cartridge.

FIG. 6 shows a sectioned drawing through a filled cartridge with openings on its upper side and on its lower side, which are closed with two tabs.

FIG. 7 shows a cross section through a bowl with a cartridge and integrated cartridge-opening spikes.

FIG. 8 shows across section through a double-decker bowl with two cartridges.

FIG. 9 shows a cross section through a bowl with a cartridge and a charcoal tablet therein.

FIG. 10 shows a cross section through a cartridge with a tobacco compartment and a molasses compartment, with which the container wall and the compartment must be pierced.

FIG. 11 shows a cross section through a cartridge with a tobacco compartment and a molasses compartment, with which the container wall is closed with a closure tab and the compartment must be pierced.

FIG. 12 shows a cross section through a cartridge pair, specifically a first cartridge with tobacco and a second cartridge with molasses, which both comprise a perforated container wall on two opposite sides, which is closed by way of a closure tab.

FIG. 13 shows a bowl with a cartridge pair and the charcoal.

FIGS. 14 to 17 show a preferred embodiment of the cartridge according to the present invention:

FIG. 14 shows a cross section of it,

FIG. 15 shows a detail section of the sealing edge of the cartridge,

FIG. 16 shows a top view of the cartridge, and

FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of the same cartridge.

The cartridge 11 represented in FIG. 1 comprises a shell 13 of a shaped aluminium foil, and a lid of shaped aluminium foil, which have been connected to one another at their periphery 19 after the filling of the cartridge with hookah tobacco (FIG. 6). The cartridge 11, therefore as a tin, may be designed in an air-tight and moisture-tight manner. It may also have moist contents. The shelf-life of the contents is significantly higher compared to the shelf-life with an open storage, thanks to the sealedness of the packaging.

The shape of the lid 15 is designed such that from this, one may tell whether a vacuum, ambient pressure or an overpressure is present in the cartridge. One may take note of the quality of the contents by way of this. The container may be evacuated, in order to increase the shelf-life and to reduce a tendency for the fluid and solid ingredients to demix. The container according to FIG. 1 and according to FIG. 6 is vacuumised. The vacuum prevailing therein sucks the central region 21 of the lid 15 inwards. If the inner pressure and outer pressure are the same, then the central region 21 is arched outwards. If the inner pressure is greater than the outer pressure, then the complete lid is arched outwards. If accordingly the central region is not curved to the inside, then one must assume that the contents are spoilt.

The cartridge 11 according to FIG. 1 is sealingly closed by the container wall 13, 15. The container wall 13, 15 has no openings. This must be opened, for the contents of the cartridge to be able to be smoked. It may be opened by way of piercing the container wall. A tool (not shown) which simultaneously pierces the wall in the region of the base and the lid, may be used for this. Openings 23 (compare FIG. 7) are incorporated into the container by way of this, through which the air may be sucked in and the smoke sucked out. The openings 23 which are incorporated into the container wall by way of piercing it, are boxed in by the bent-up material of the container wall (compare FIG. 7, reference numeral 25).

The container wall 13, 15 may however also be already designed in a perforated manner, so that openings no longer need to be introduced. Such a perforation (consisting of premanufactured openings 25), as is represented in FIGS. 2 and 7, may merely be formed on the upper side of the cartridge, thus in the lid 15. The shell must then be pierced. As represented in FIGS. 6 and 8, it may be formed in the lid as well as in the shell 13. It may also be formed only in the shell. Then the lid 15 may be formed in a removable manner or it must be pierced.

The cartridge shown in FIG. 2 has a lid 15 with premanufactured openings 25. A closure tab 27 is arranged thereabove, which is shown half-removed in FIG. 2. In the non-removed condition, this closure tab 27 sealingly closes the openings 25. For this, it is welded or bonded to the surface of the lid 15, or its edge is folded into the periphery of the lid and/or the shell. In any case, it may be pulled off so that the perforation (sum of the openings 25) connects the atmosphere and the inner space of the cartridge 11 to one another.

A similar closure tab 29 may also be designed via opening 25 in the shell 13. Such a closure tab 29 is represented in FIG. 6. The closure tabs 27, 29 in each case have a corner which may be well gripped, engaging on which, the closure tab may be pulled off.

A further possibility for the closure of the contents of the cartridge 11 is represented in FIG. 3. There, the shell 13 is designed in an open manner. The shell is provided with slots 31 in FIG. 3, through which the smoke may be sucked. The shell 13 with the contents (reference numeral 17) is welded into a covering 35. This covering 35 consists of a plastic foil. It is provided with an opening strip 37, which simplifies the tearing open of the covering 35. The cartridge may also be provided, below the covering 35, with a perforated lid 15 as a modification to FIG. 3. The wall (lid 15 and/or shell 13) may yet need to be perforated after removal of the covering.

As shown in FIG. 4, a subdivision may be present in the cartridge 11. The separating walls 39 divide the cartridge into four partitions 41. A different tobacco may be present in each partition. The subdivision may also be provided to limit the demixing of the molasses and the glycerine from the tobacco. A cartridge subdivided in such a manner may be designed in all variations, with or without openings 25, with or without the lid 15, with or without the covering 35.

A third cartridge is shown in FIG. 5. Three such cartridges together form a volumetric shape which corresponds to a cartridge. Thus three part cartridges with different contents may be simultaneously smoked. The cartridges may therefore be designed with any number and manners of partitions as part-cartridges or as subdivided cartridges.

The cartridge 11 represented in cross section in FIG. 6 is provided with premanufactured openings 25 in the shell and in the lid. Two closure tabs 27, 29 are bonded onto the openings in the lid 15 and the shell 13. They are removable, but before the removal they close the cartridge at least in such a tight manner, than the contents may neither dry out nor run out. The cartridge 11 is completely filled out with hookah tobacco. This tobacco, in the known manner, consists of shares of cut tobacco leaves, molasses, glycerine, and aroma agents, such as desiccated apple and other fruits, or herbs, roots and spices, etc. The share of air in the inside of the cartridge is kept small.

Two bowls 43, 45 which are filled with cartridges 11, are represented in FIGS. 7 and 8. The bowl 43 represented in FIG. 7 is provided with a sieve and perforation insert 47. The bowl 43 is stuck onto a smoke tube 51. Glowing charcoal may be placed above the cartridge. The inner shape of the bowl 43 is matched to the shape of the cartridges 11, such that these connect to the wall of the bowl in a practically tight manner. This is to prevent hot gases being able to be sucked past the tobacco into the smoke tube 51.

The shell 13 is pierced by the tips of the perforation insert 47 when pressing the cartridge into the bowl. The smoke which exits through these openings 23 may go through the perforation insert and the sieve, into the funnel-like exit mouth of the bowl, and thereafter through the smoke tube 51 into the glass and the tube of the hookah. The bowl therefore comprises a sealing part 53 which bears on the cartridge 11, and a smoke funnel 55 which is distanced to the shell 13 of the cartridge.

The bowl 45 shown in FIG. 8 is designed for two cartridges 11. It therefore has a larger volume, than would be necessary for an individual cartridge 11. Again space for the arrangement of glowing charcoal is present above the cartridges. With this arrangement, the smoke from the upper cartridge is drawn through the lower cartridge and there, is enriched with the aromatic vapours and smokes from the lower cartridge. The bowl is provided with a sieve insert 57. Since no perforation aid is incorporated therein, the bowl is to be provided with ready-perforated cartridges.

With regard to the filled bowl 43 according to FIG. 9, a sealing shoulder 53 is formed, on which a sealing edge of a cartridge 11 may lie. The cartridge 11 for this has an outwardly projecting sealing edge 59. The sealing edge 59 is designed in a peripheral manner. Not only is the closure tab sealingly connected to the container wall 13, 15 along this sealing edge 59. This sealing edge may be applied onto the sealing shoulder 53 in a practically airtight manner. By way of this, one succeeds in the heated air hardly being able to escape contact with the tobacco, in that this air gets into the smoke funnel 55 through and between the cartridge and the bowl.

The cartridge does no rest with the shell on the base of the smoke funnel 55, thanks to the sealing edge 59 on the cartridge, and the sealing shoulder 53 on the bowl. For this reason, a space is formed between the smoke funnel 55 and the cartridge shell, into which the smoke may exit from the cartridge and through which it may be drawn into the smoke tube 51.

Two layers of perforated aluminium foil 61 are arranged between the cartridge and the charcoal tablet 63 in the conventional manner, so that the sucked air gets through the openings 25 in the lid 15 into the cartridge 11, also in the region in which a charcoal tablet 63 lies on the cartridge 11.

Such a traditional support of aluminium foil 61 may be omitted, if a structure is embossed into the lid 15, which on the one hand ensures a distance between the tobacco and the glowing charcoal 63, and on the other hand permits an air circulation below the charcoal tablet.

The lid 15 may likewise be designed in a two-layered manner, so that a lower layer of the lid 15 provided with relatively fine openings covers the tobacco, and upper layer provided with larger openings, as a rest surface for the charcoal, is formed at a distance to this lower layer and ensures a distance between the charcoal and the tobacco.

With one advantageous embodiment, as is represented in FIGS. 10 and 11, the cartridge 11 is designed in a two-part manner, inasmuch as it comprises a first compartment 10 with relatively dry tobacco (up to 5%) 16 therein, and a second compartment with the fluid ingredients 18 of the hookah tobacco. The first compartment 10 and the second compartment 12 are arranged above one another as two layers, and are separated from one another by a division 14. This division is an aluminium film which must be perforated before the smoking of the contents of the cartridge.

This division may be effected from the lid side through the molasses 18 or from the shell side through the tobacco. The lid 15 and the shell 13 may be provided with openings 25 and closure tabs 27, 29 (FIG. 11) or however may also be designed in a closed manner (FIG. 10) and must likewise be perforated.

The cartridge may also be designed in a paired manner, wherein a first cartridge 11 contains the dry tobacco 16, and a second cartridge 14 the fluid constituents 18 of the hookah tobacco. Such a cartridge pair 11, 14 is shown in each case in FIGS. 12 and 13. Each of the two cartridges 11, 14 may comprise upper and lower openings 25, which are closed separately with the closure tabs 27, 29, 28, 30. With regard to the cartridge 11 according to FIG. 12, the tobacco cartridge 11 has no lid 15. The tobacco 16 is present in an open manner after pulling away the closure tab 27. The molasses cartridge 14 may then be opened on the side with the sealing edge and be applied onto the tobacco 16 with the opened side. The sealing edges of the two cartridges now lie on one another. After pulling away the second closure tab 30 from the molasses cartridge 14, the fluid constituents 18 present therein may penetrate into the tobacco 16 and moisten this. The molasses liquefy on account of the heat which acts on the molasses and the tobacco, and penetrates into the tobacco from above to below.

The molasses cartridge 14 forms an air layer which permits a uniform permeation of the moistened tobacco with the sucked air also below a charcoal tablet 63.

FIGS. 14 to 17 show a preferred embodiment of the cartridge 11 according to the invention, having one chamber filled with moistened tobacco for to smoke with a hookah. This cartridge 11 is built from a shell 13, formed as an aluminium cup, having a upper opening, and a meshed metal buffle closing this upper opening as lid 15. The meshed metal baffle 15 is made of perforated and stretched aluminium and is fixed on its circumferential edge between a first layer of a shell edge and a second layer of the shell edge folded backwards. It forms a perforated area of the container wall 13,15. The three layered shell edge forms an outwardly projecting sealing edge 59 capable of interacting with a sealing shoulder 53 of the bowl 43. On top of the shell edge or sealing edge 59 the cartridge is sealed in a moisture-tight manner with an upper closure tab 27. The bottom of the shell 13 has a planar section, which is perforated. The perforations 25 are sealed with a separate layer. The upper closure tab 27 covering the expanded metal lid 15 and the lower closer tab 29 covering the perforation 25 of the bottom area of the shell 13 are welded to the aluminium shell 13 and therefore seal the perforations 25 in the container wall 13, 15 hermetically. The closure tabs 27, 29 have a lash 67, 69 for holding them when tearing them from the shell 13 before using the cartridge 11 in a hookah bowl 43. The hookah bowl 43 is specifically adapted to receive this cartridge 11 and has an inner sealing shoulder 53. The charcoal 63 for beating the tobacco 10 in the cartridge 11 is therefore protected from wind influence by a collar of the bowl 43 expanding upwardly from the sealing shoulder 53 to the upper end of the bowl opening.

Claims

1. A cartridge (11), which comprises a container wall (13, 15) and contains an individual portion of hookah tobacco (17) within this container wall (13, 15)

2. A cartridge according to claim 1, characterised in that the container wall having perforations (25) and that means (27,29) are present, by which the perforations (25) in the container wall (13) are closed in a moisture-tight manner.

3. A cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the container wall (13, 15) is formed of aluminium.

4. A cartridge according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the container wall forms a shell (13) in which the tobacco is present.

5. A cartridge according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the container wall, above the shell (13), forms a perforated lid (15) of the shell, preferably made of expanded metal.

6. A cartridge according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the container wall (13, 15) has perforations (23, 25) in a bottom region of the shell (13).

7. A cartridge according to one of the claims 2 to 6, characterised in that the moisture-tight closure is formed by a plastic covering (35).

8. A cartridge according to one of the claims 2 to 7, characterised in that the moisture-tight closure is formed by a removable tab (27, 29) sealing the perforations (25).

9. A cartridge according to one of the claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the cartridge, by way of separating walls (39), is subdivided into partitions (41), which are in each case filled with the tobacco (17).

10. A cartridge according to one of the claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the partitions (41) are filled with different tobaccos (17).

11. A cartridge according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by an outwardly projecting sealing edge (59).

12. A cartridge according to claim 1, characterised in that the sealing edge comprises a first layer of container wall of the shell fixing extending outwardly, a second layer of the container wall of the shell bent backwards and the upper lid being fixed in between the first and the second layer.

13. A cartridge according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by a two-layered design with a first compartment (10) with tobacco (16) as a first layer, and with a second compartment (12) with fluid ingredients (18) therein, as a second layer.

14. A set for hookahs with a standardised cartridge according to one of the claims 1 to 13 and with a standardised bowl (43, 45) for a hookah, said bowl (43, 45) having a bowl wall, an access opening for inserting the cartridge (11) into the bowl (43, 45), and at least one smoke withdrawal opening, with which set the shape of the cartridge (11) and the inner shape of the bowl (43, 45) are matched to one another, characterised by a peripheral sealing shoulder (53) on the inside of the bowl (43) and an outwardly expanding sealing edge (59) on the cartridge (11) sealing on the sealing shoulder (53) of the bowl (43).

15. A bowl for a hookah with a peripheral sealing shoulder (53) on its inner side.