Waterpipe Tobacco Substitute

Abstract

The invention relates to a waterpipe tobacco substitute. A waterpipe allows the user to consume aerosols and flavorings present in the fluid. A problem with known waterpipes is that the fluid suffers decomposition or combustion because of substantial heat. Moreover, aerosols and flavorings are no longer sufficiently released. An object of the invention, therefore, is to enable uniform and complete release of the aerosols and flavorings. This object is achieved by means of a waterpipe tobacco substitute which comprises at least one closed-pore carrier for the fluid.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a waterpipe tobacco substitute. A waterpipe allows the user to consume aerosols and flavorings.

PRIOR ART

With conventional waterpipes, tobacco is located within a reservoir. The tobacco serves as a carrier for a fluid which comprises the aerosols and flavorings to be consumed.

Placed above the carrier with the fluid is a fuel, typically coal. The tobacco is separated from the fuel by a perforated aluminum foil or a smoke screen. Located beneath the reservoir containing the tobacco is a water-filled container.

For the use of the waterpipe, the fuel is ignited. When the user sucks on a mouthpiece, air flows past the fuel and through the tobacco, and bubbles through the water, before the air reaches the mouthpiece and can be inhaled by the user. In the course of this process, the fuel heats the air which flows past. When the heated air enters the tobacco, the aerosols and the flavorings are released from the fluid to the hot air.

Publications DE 20 2010 009 589 U1 and DE 20 2010 004 671 U1 disclose tobacco substitutes, i.e., products which can be used instead of tobaccos.

These tobacco substitutes are porous or open-pore. Capillary forces in the pores cause the fluid to be drawn up and to penetrate into the substitute.

A problem with tobacco as a carrier for the fluid is that the aerosols and flavorings are released nonuniformly and incompletely, since the hot air flow affects primarily the surface of the carrier. Consequently, the aerosols and flavorings are released particularly via the outer layers of the carrier, but to a lesser extent via its interior. This is accompanied by an increased temperature in the outer layers. In those layers, therefore, the fluid suffers combustion or decomposition. Moreover, aerosols and flavorings are no longer released sufficiently.

Because of this, the tobacco has to be replaced. The fluid which remains in the interior of the carrier is therefore not fully used up. This is a disadvantage in particular in view of the costs of the flavoring agents in the fluid.

Problem

It is an object of the invention to enable uniform and complete release of the aerosols and flavorings, more particularly without the carrier material suffering combustion.

Solution

This object is achieved by the inventions with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the inventions are characterized in the dependent claims. The wording of all the claims is hereby incorporated by reference as part of this description. The inventions also embrace all rational combinations, and more particularly all stated combinations, of independent and/or dependent claims.

A waterpipe tobacco substitute of the invention for use in a waterpipe comprises a fluid and at least one carrier. The fluid is suitable for releasing an aerosol and/or a flavoring to hot air when the hot air is supplied. Furthermore, the fluid attaches adhesively to the at least one carrier. The at least one carrier is not open-pore in configuration, thus having a closed-pore configuration. This means that the carrier contains no pores for accommodating the fluid.

It has emerged that when a smooth material is used, to which the fluid undergoes predominantly only adhesive attachment, the fluid is evaporated almost completely and more uniformly, and does not remain unused in the interior of the carrier.

In order to be able to accommodate a large amount of fluid in spite of the smooth material, the material must have a very high surface area. This can be achieved by means of granulation. In one advantageous development of the invention, therefore, the waterpipe tobacco substitute comprises a fluid and a plurality of carriers which form the grains of a granular composition. The grains in question are preferably of the size order of medium gravel, fine gravel or coarse sand. The material may also have a diameter of 4 to 8 mm.

Increasing the surface area of the carrier can also be achieved if the surface of the at least one carrier exhibits structuring in an analogy to villi or alveoli. More particularly, high roughness of the surface of the at least one carrier is advantageous.

At least one carrier is favored which comprises at least partly an inorganic substance, such as rock, more particularly a mineral, for instance quartz or feldspar, or such as glass. This has the advantage that the material of the carrier, in contrast to tobacco, does not suffer combustion or decomposition at the temperatures usual for waterpipes. In the case of natural substances, more particularly in the case of rocks, admixtures of other minerals are possible. Against this background, preference is given to a purity of at least 50%. The quartz may be present in the form of glass. This glass may be colored, for decorative purposes, and may also take the form of glass beads or glass gravel. The latter ought to have a size classification between coarse sand and medium gravel, with fine gravel being particularly preferred.

The fluid preferably comprises glycerol and/or 1,2-propanediol and/or a flavoring agent. The fluid may comprise substances from the group of polyols, flavoring agents, active ingredients, water, and mixtures, more particularly a misting fluid and flavor. The misting fluid used may be glycerol and/or 1,2-propanediol. The flavor may comprise a fraction of between 20 and 15%, relative to the fluid. Between glycerol and 1,2-propanediol, all proportions are possible.

Examples of flavoring agents are extracts of fruits, herbs, fruit products, plant products, and mixtures thereof. The flavoring agents preferably take the form of esters, ethers, oils, monohydric alcohols, and mixtures thereof. Preferred flavoring agents are apple flavors, banana flavors, blueberry flavors, caipirinha flavors, cappuccino flavors, chocolate flavors, cherry flavors, coconut flavors, dragonfruit flavors, grape flavors, guava flavors, honeydew-melon flavors, watermelon flavors, lemon flavors, lime flavors, mango flavors, mint flavors, orange flavors, passionsfruit flavors, peach flavors, raspberry flavors, rose flavors, strawberry flavors, mandarin flavors, woodruff flavors, menthol flavors, whiskey flavors, fig flavors, tobacco flavors and mixtures thereof. Exemplary active ingredients are psychoactive compounds such as caffeine, nicotine, and mixtures thereof. The flavoring agents may include a water fraction which ought to be not more than 1% by weight, preferably not more than 0.5% by weight, based in each case on the flavoring agent. The weight fraction given for the flavoring agent as a proportion of the fluid includes this water fraction.

The preferred fraction of fluid as a proportion of the overall mixture, i.e., the fraction of the fluid as a proportion of the composition comprising the fluid and the carrier, is 10% to 20%.

A further embodiment of the invention concerns a keeping form of the waterpipe tobacco substitute. For this purpose the carrier and the fluid are used in a volume ratio of between 60:40 and 40:60, preferably 1:1. When the mixture is taken out, some of the fluid remains in the container, and a mixture with a smaller fraction of fluid in relation to the carrier is introduced into the waterpipe.

According to another aspect of the invention, the waterpipe tobacco substitute is notable for the fact that it comprises at least one fraction of a non-open-pore inorganic substance A, mixed with a fluid B, which attaches predominantly adhesively to the substance A and releases an aerosol on activation.

Provision is made in this case for the substance A to comprise at least fractionally quartz or feldspar.

Provision may be made for the substance A to possess a purity level of at least 50%.

Provision may be made for the substance A to be granulated to give medium gravel, fine gravel or coarse sand in accordance with relevant standards.

Provision may be made for the fluid B to comprise at least glycerol and/or 1,2-propanediol and/or flavor.

The waterpipe tobacco substitute is used, in accordance with the invention, instead of tobacco in a waterpipe.

Further in accordance with the invention is a waterpipe comprising the tobacco substrate described above.

Further details and features will become apparent from the description below of preferred working examples in conjunction with the dependent claims. In this context, the respective features may be actualized each alone or in plural in combination with one another. The possibilities for achieving the object are not confined to the working examples. For example, range indications always include all—unstated—in-between values and all conceivable subranges.

In accordance with DIN 4022, coarse gravel corresponds to a grain size of above 20 mm to 63 mm, medium gravel to a grain size of above 6.3 mm to 20 mm and fine gravel to a grain size of above 2.0 mm to 6.3 mm.

EXAMPLE 1

A quartz rock fine gravel (fine gravel to DIN 4022) is used as a mixture with a fluid. In this case 85% of quartz rock and 15% of fluid are used. The quartz rock has at least a purity of 50%, more preferably 70%, ideally of 90% quartz. The flavor has a proportion of 5% and the glycerol a proportion of 95% in the fluid.

EXAMPLE 2

Red-colored glass gravel with the grain size of a fine gravel (fine gravel to DIN 4022) is used as a mixture with a fluid. In this case 85% of glass gravel and 15% of fluid are used. The flavor has a proportion of 5% and the glycerol of 95% in the fluid.

LITERATURE CITED

Patent Literature Cited

DE 20 2010 009 589 U1

DE 20 2010 004 671 U

Nonpatent Literature Cited

DIN 4022

Claims

1.-8. (canceled)

9. A waterpipe tobacco substitute comprising:

a fluid suitable for releasing an aerosol and/or a flavoring to hot air when exposed to the hot air; and

at least one carrier;

wherein the fluid attaches adhesively to the at least one carrier, and

wherein the at least one carrier is not open-pore in configuration.

10. The waterpipe tobacco substitute according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of the carrier, the carriers forming grains of a granular composition.

11. The waterpipe tobacco substitute according to claim 9, wherein a surface of the at least one carrier exhibits structuring.

12. The waterpipe tobacco substitute according to claim 9, wherein the at least one carrier comprises at least partly an inorganic substance.

13. The waterpipe tobacco substitute according to claim 12, wherein the inorganic substance is a mineral.

14. The waterpipe tobacco substitute according to claim 13, wherein the mineral is quartz, feldspar, or glass.

15. The waterpipe tobacco substitute according to claim 9, wherein the fluid comprises glycerol and/or 1,2-propanediol and/or a flavoring agent.

16. A method of smoking comprising:

providing a waterpipe tobacco substitute comprising: a fluid suitable for releasing an aerosol and/or a flavoring to hot air when exposed to the hot air; and at least one carrier; wherein the fluid attaches adhesively to the at least one carrier, and wherein the at least one carrier is not open-pore in configuration; and

exposing the waterpipe tobacco substitute to hot air.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the waterpipe tobacco substitute further comprises a plurality of the carrier, the carriers forming grains of a granular composition.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one carrier of the waterpipe tobacco substitute has a surface that exhibits structuring.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one carrier of the waterpipe tobacco substitute comprises at least partly an inorganic substance.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the inorganic substance is a mineral.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the mineral is quartz, feldspar, or glass.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the fluid comprises glycerol and/or 1,2-propanediol and/or a flavoring agent.

23. A waterpipe comprising a waterpipe tobacco substitute comprising:

a fluid suitable for releasing an aerosol and/or a flavoring to hot air when exposed to the hot air; and

at least one carrier;

wherein the fluid attaches adhesively to the at least one carrier, and

wherein the at least one carrier is not open-pore in configuration.

24. The waterpipe according to claim 23, wherein the waterpipe tobacco substitute further comprises a plurality of the carrier, the carriers forming grains of a granular composition.

25. The waterpipe according to claim 23, wherein a surface of the at least one carrier exhibits structuring.

26. The waterpipe according to claim 23, wherein the at least one carrier comprises at least partly an inorganic substance.

27. The waterpipe according to claim 26, wherein the inorganic substance is a mineral.

28. The waterpipe according to claim 27, wherein the mineral is quartz, feldspar, or glass.

29. The waterpipe according to claim 23, wherein the fluid comprises glycerol and/or 1,2-propanediol and/or a flavoring agent.