Hookah Mouthpiece Holder

Abstract

A multifunctional device for measuring fluorescence, luminescence and light transmission for diagnostics comprises a first and second group of screens mounted behind the rear surface of a sample solid carrier. A sample carrier is designed in the form of a biochip, cell, pan or microplate. The sample carrier's light sources are provided with light-absorbing elements for suppressing light reflected from the front surface of the sample carrier and from screen surfaces. Screen holders allow for alternatively mounting light reflective/retroreflective screens to maximize fluorescent or luminescent signal. A diffusing screen measures light transmission through the sample. Light-absorbing screens behind the rear surface of the sample and light-absorbing elements on light sources from the sample's top surface, increase signal-to-noise ratio. The device permits measuring signals on biochip surfaces and in solutions during hybridization or amplification reactions. The device and diagnostic method are suitable for mass screening of biological material samples.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to provisional patent application No. 61/446,000 filed on Feb. 23, 2012.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a hook for holding the mouthpiece of a hookah.

A hookah is a tobacco pipe of Near Eastern origin with a long, flexible tube by which smoke is drawn through a jar of water and thus cooled. They are commonly used by consumers for smoking tobacco while socializing, having dinner or drinks, enjoying a night out in public, or at home.

A hookah has a mouthpiece at the tip of a long, flexible hose from which a user smokes. The average smoker disengages the hookah mouth piece from his or her mouth for an estimated 45 minutes in a 60 minute period. During this time, a user must either hold onto the mouthpiece while seated, or put it down if he or she wishes'to walk away. Some users roll the long, flexible hose and mouthpiece around the hookah or place it on a non-sanitized surface, including the floor.

This presents several problems. First, placing the tube and mouthpiece around the hookah can cause the hookah to tip over if the mouthpiece is loose, thereby posing a fire hazard or injury if the charcoal within the hookah were exposed to furniture or a user's body. Second, placing the mouthpiece on an unsanitary surface creates a risk of exposure to germs and bacteria. Third, it is burdensome for a user to hold a mouthpiece connected to a long, flexible hose while socializing or dining during the 45 minutes he or she is not drawing smoke from the mouthpiece.

While the hookah has existed for hundreds of years (1763), there has been a long felt need to address these concerns by creating a means for holding a hookah mouthpiece while the user is not drawing smoke from the mouthpiece. Thus, the objective of the present invention is to create a means for safely holding a hookah mouthpiece for a user while he or she is not drawing smoke from the mouthpiece, in a manner that does not cause a fire hazard or injury to the user, and in a sanitary manner.

SUMMARY

The invention consists of a hookah mouthpiece holder designed to hold a hookah mouthpiece while smoke is not being drawn by a user. The invention maintains a hookah mouthpiece in a safe and germ-free environment because the user need no longer place the hookah mouthpiece on a table or wrap the hose around the hookah to keep the mouthpiece from falling to the ground. The invention comprises a first part attached to the hookah and a second part attached to the hookah mouthpiece; however, it is conceivable that one piece attached to the hookah can be used to hold the hookah mouthpiece when not in use. The hookah mouthpiece can be held in an upright manner by utilizing a hook and loop-type fastener, a magnet, a two arm holder with ring, or a clamp.

FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a hook and loop type fastener with a first part attached to the body of the hookah and a second part wrapped around the mouthpiece.

FIG. 2 shows a magnet-type fastener with a strap around the body and a metal ring with a magnet around the mouthpiece.

FIG. 3A shows a two-armed fastener with a cut opening between the two arms

FIG. 3B shows a two-armed fastener with two arms in the form of a clamp.

FIG. 4 shows a fastener in the form of a strap, connecting piece, and clamp.

100 . . . hookah

200 . . . hose

210 . . . mouthpiece

220 . . . stem

300 . . . hook and loop type fastener first part

310 . . . hook and loop type fastener second part

400 . . . strap

410 . . . metal piece

420 . . . magnet

430 . . . metal ring

500 . . . arms

510 . . . holder ring

520 . . . cut opening

530 . . . mouthpiece ring

600 . . . clamp with two arms

610 . . . connecting piece

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 generally illustrates a preferred embodiment of a hookah mouthpiece 210 holder comprised of hook and loop-type fasteners in which a first part 300 is in the form of a round piece with an adhesive backing that adheres to the surface of a hookah 100. Preferably, the first part 300 would be disposed somewhere along the stem 220 of the hookah. A hook and loop-type fastener second part 310 should be in the form of a strip that wraps around the mouthpiece 210, but could also be wrapped around the hose 200 just below the mouthpiece 210. When the hook and loop-type fastener first part 300 is adhered to the stem 220 of the hookah, a user can then attach the mouthpiece 210 to the hook and loop-type fastener first part 300 by way of the hook and loop-type fastener second part 310 wrapped around the mouthpiece 210 or just below the mouthpiece. In this way, the mouthpiece 210 does not touch any surface and the hose 200 need not be wrapped around the hookah 100.

FIG. 2 is an alternate embodiment in which a first part a strap 400 wrapped the stem 220 of the hookah 100. A metal piece 410 is attached to the strap 410, which could be in the form of a buckle. The second part is a metal ring 430 attached to the mouthpiece 210 or to the hose 200 just below the mouthpiece 210. A magnet 420 is permanently attached to the metal ring 430. In this way, when a user does not draw smoke from the mouthpiece 210, the user may attach the mouthpiece 210 to the strap 400 wrapped around the stem 220 of the hookah 100 by joining the magnet 420 to the metal piece 410.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the same invention, but with a difference in the location of a cut opening 520. FIGS. 3A and 3B both show a first part with two arms 500 joined to a joined to a holder ring 510. A cut opening 520 can be placed in between the two arms 500 (FIG. 3A). In this way, a user may spread apart the two arms 500 so that the holder ring 510 spreads open to allow insertion of the stem 220 inside the holder ring 510. Alternatively, the cut opening 520 can be placed opposite the two arms 500, so that when a user squeezes the two arms 500 together, the cut opening 520 on the opposite end of the holder ring opens up to allow insertion of the stem 220 (FIG. 3B). A second part is a mouthpiece ring 530 placed around the mouthpiece 210. The mouthpiece ring 530 must have an outer circumference sufficiently wide so that when the mouthpiece 210 and mouthpiece ring 530 is placed between the two arms 500, the mouthpiece 210 would be held in an upright position. That is, the mouthpiece ring 530 would keep the mouthpiece 210 from slipping between the two arms 500. For added security, the two arms 500 should have tips that bend in an upwardly position to prevent the mouthpiece from accidentally sliding off the two arms 500.

FIG. 4 illustrates another alternate embodiment comprised of a strap 400 wrapped around the stem 220 of a hookah, with a connecting piece 610 that connects the strap 400 to a clamp 600 with two arms tensioned toward each other. A user opens the clamp 600 and inserts the mouthpiece 210 between the two arms to hold the mouthpiece 210 upright.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.

All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, 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.

Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6.

Claims

1. A device for measuring fluorescence, luminescence, scattering and transmission of light for diagnostics comprising at least two light illuminators that form illumination of a working field, an optical system, a detector, an attachment point for a specimen, a solid carrier of a specimen for analysis, wherein a first group of screens and a second group of screens are present, the first group having at least two screens and the second group having at least two screens, where the screens are placed behind a rear surface of the specimen solid carrier, and said at least one light illuminators contain absorbents for suppressing reflected illumination from a front surface of the specimen solid carrier and surfaces of the screens, where the screens of the first group are positioned perpendicularly to an optical axis of a recording system and the screens of the second group are positioned perpendicularly to optical axes of said at least two light illuminators.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein a first screen from the first group is made so that it can reflect or retroreflect light fluxes of first and second illuminators and is positioned at a minimal distance from 0.01 mm through 10.00 mm from a rear surface of an object solid carrier, where a front surface of the first screen has a reflective or retroreflective layer.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein an attachment point of a holder for the object solid carrier provides a possibility to position the first screen of the first group behind a rear surface of the object solid carrier and to remove the object solid carrier from a field of view.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein a second screen of the first group of screens is positioned relative to a rear surface of the object solid carrier at a distance exceeding a distance from a point of intersection of lower flux boundaries and side boundaries of an optical cone of the recording system, where a front surface of the second screen of the first group of screens has a light-absorbing layer.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein a third screen of the first group of screens is placed behind a second screen of the first group, where a front surface of the third screen is made as a light-scattering surface.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein there is an additional attachment point for second and third screens of the first groups of screens and it is possible to remove the second screen from an area of an optical cone of the recording system.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein there is at least one additional third light source, where the at least one additional third light source illuminates a front surface of a third screen, butt-end surfaces of the third screen, or a rear surface of the third screen.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein there are additional attachment points for a first and second screen of the second group of screens which make it possible to move in and remove the screens from the trajectory of the optical axes of the illuminators, where an attachment point of first and second screens of the second group is made using a hinge joint between the attachment point and the screens, and it is possible to turn the screens relative to the optical axes of the illuminators.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first screen of the second group has a light-reflective layer, and the second screen of the second group has a retroreflective surface.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein there is an additional third screen of the second group which is positioned behind first and second screens of the second group, a front surface of the third screen having an absorbing layer.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the screens are a planar, angular, cylindrical or parabolic element with a reflective, light-absorbing or retroreflective surface.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein a light from the light sources is incident upon a working surface of an object for analysis at an angle α to an optical axis of the recording system in the range from 40 to 60 degrees.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the light sources have an additional light-absorbing coating layered onto a surface of holders with cylindrical apertures, within which light diodes and light-absorbing elements are fixed, that are positioned on the surface of the illuminator casing, where light-absorbing elements have a planar, concave, cylindrical or parabolic shape and where the light sources emits illumination in the range from 300 through 800 nm.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the specimen solid carrier for analysis is made as a biochip, a cell, or a microplate, said specimen solid carrier for analysis being a biological sample immobilized on a solid planar substrate, a biological sample placed within a flow-through cell, a biological sample placed within a hybridization solution, a biological sample layered on a flexible substrate pasted to a solid planar substrate, a sample immobilized on a gel substrate, or a biological sample fixed on a chromatographic carrier; said biological sample chosen from a group consisting of DNA, proteins, enzymes, antibodies, antigens, and cells.

15. The method for performing diagnostic tests by illuminating a specimen immobilized on a solid carrier or placed in a reaction solution, wherein:

a) The mode of diagnostics is chosen from a group including measurements of light fluorescence, luminescence, scattering or transmission;

b) One or several screens are in turn introduced into the trajectory of optical axes of illuminators and/or in the trajectory of the optical axis of the recording system;

c) The object for analysis is placed in the object holder and it is introduced into the trajectory of optical axes of illuminators and the recording system;

d) Based on the preliminary image on the display, shooting conditions are chosen and the first image is saved;

e) The object is removed from the trajectories of the optical axes of the illuminators and the recording system;

f) The second image is saved;

g) A differential image of the first and second images is formed;

h) The differential image is multiplied pixel-by-pixel by the normalized coefficients and the processing of the obtained image is started.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first screen of the first group placed in the sample holder is used for measuring fluorescence or luminescence.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second screen of the first group combined with the first or second screens of the second group is used for measuring fluorescence or luminescence.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the second screen of the first group combined with the third screens of the second group is used for measuring fluorescence and luminescence.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the third screen of the first group combined with the third screens of the second group is used for measuring transmission or scattering.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein a transparent layer uniformly fluorescing over the area is used as a reference object for estimating the normalized coefficient, where the fluorescing layer is a film fixed on a plastic, optical glass or quartz carrier.