Tobacco – Tobacco users' appliance – Device used for smoking
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-09
2004-04-06
Griffin, Steven P. (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Tobacco users' appliance
Device used for smoking
C131S229000, C131S222000, C131S226000, C131S210000, C131S330000, CD27S164000, CD27S167000, C128S202210, C128S203120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715494
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The current use of cigarettes or smoking pipes for the inhaling of cannabinoids, nicotine, and other active constituents of commonly smoked herbal materials is recognized as delivering numerous irritants and possible carcinogens along with the desired active principles to the tracheobronchial tree and oral cavity. Vaporization, the temperature range of which is represented by the boiling points of the desired active constituents, occurs significantly below the flash point and pyrrolytic temperature of both the active and non-active components of commonly smoked materials, and thus, as a delivery medium, separates out the more therapeutic and active chemical components from the crude plant or resin impurities and breakdown products of pyrrolsis. The commonly used means by which to vaporize traditionally smoked materials include various heating element heated trays with collection bubbles that effectively vaporize the active constituents out of the traditionally smoked materials, but do so in a manner which is not conducive to popular use for three significant reasons: 1) use of such devices radically alters the smoking ritual and process both medical and recreational users have come to appreciate and are familiar with, and 2) the heated surface, or vapor tray, in contact with the traditionally smoked material as a means of heating it to the necessary temperature for vaporization combined with the fact that the vapor is collected and stored momentarily prior to inhalation creates an undesirable taste that is unattractive to users, and 3) the momentary storage of the vapor within the collection bubble of such devices allows a prolonged process of oxidation to occur which can undesirably alter the chemical make-up of the active chemical components. Heat guns have also been used with limited success for the purpose of vaporization of active chemical components in commonly smoked materials by simply directing the heated air flow at the traditionally smoked material in one of many designs of a common smoking bowl on a commonly used smoking pipe. Although this technique addresses both the loss of ritual and vapor taste issues found with the heating tray with collection bubble type vaporization devices it has only met with limited success as effectiveness varies greatly dependent upon the particular pipe bowl design being used, the level of intake suction, and the total volume of inhalation attainable by the user. In general, using a heat gun with currently available pipe bowls for the purpose of vaporization of traditionally smoked materials requires a great deal more intake suction and a much longer inhalation draw than smoking of the same material, and thus is unattainable by some users especially those with medical conditions, and also presents the complication of smoke material being blown out of the bowl by the propelled heat air flow from the heat gun.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed to successfully address these shortcomings by increasing the attainable effectiveness of the heat gun technique of vaporization, and thus; improve the therapeutic utility, convenience, economics, and desirability of vaporization as an alternative to smoking. This invention relates to various smoking pipe devices, but is of novel design and original conception. Specifically it enables the smokeless vaporization of the active constituents of commonly smoked materials to occur in a manner conducive to popular use as it is designed to be used in conjunction with common pipe designs currently in use by replacing the standard bowl used for smoking and using temperature controlled hot air from a heat gun directed into its intake in lieu of flame from a lighter or match. This would be helpful for people with immune deficiencies using cannabis medically as it would enable the delivery of the cannabinoids to the tracheobronchial tree via the oral cavity without the numerous irritants and possible carcinogens contained within the smoke while still maintaining the convenience and familiarity of conventional smoking techniques. It would also be helpful for recreational users of cannabis, tobacco, and other herbal blends that are commonly smoked as it would provide a safer, more desirable, alternative means of delivery of the active principles without radically changing the process by which they engage in the activity of smoking as is required by the use of more elaborate vaporization devices. It would also be helpful to both groups mentioned above by delivering substantially more of the active constituents than is possible with conventional smoking techniques, and thus, would represent a significant economic improvement.
To attain this, the present invention provides a two-piece smoking pipe vaporization chamber with directed heat intake designed to be used in conjunction with various smoking pipe designs and a heat gun with adequate temperature control. The apparatus, the instant invention of which is designed to connect at the point of the bowl attachment to the various conduits of commonly used and available smoking pipes and apparatuses, consists of a bowl with a projecting conduit either externally threaded for point of attachment with threaded-type pipe conduits or simply elongated and fitted with an o-ring for compatibility with slider-type pipe conduits that has a screened vapor intake like is common as a smoke intake orifice on most pipe bowls and is threaded, tapered, or otherwise shaped in a male manner on the upper, outer bowl surface to accept an upper chamber forming top fitting heat intake housing that serves to cap the lower portion in an air-tight, chamber forming manner and houses a heat intake orifice in conduit enabled communication with a flanged heat intake intended to accept the output nozzle of a heat gun. The invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but rather in the particular combination, both mechanically and functionally, of all of them herein disclosed and claimed, and it is distinguished from any related prior art that it is intended to be operated in conjunction with or that exhibits any common characteristics, as it is of completely unique device and novel design in overall terms of function and is intended for either completely different applications or similar applications with a substantially greater level of convenience and desirability to the user.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the general purpose of the present invention. Such variations are likely to include, but should not be considered as limited to, various air flow valve assembly options, and angles of intersection of the chambers housing and heat intake being compensatory to other angles of heat gun air flow output than is proposed and illustrated, or for sources of sufficiently heated air flow other than a conventional heat gun. Other variations are likely to include various bore altering rifling intended to create air flow turbulence within the vaporization chamber and external handles for ease of handling. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseol
Griffin Steven P.
Sierra Patent Group Ltd.
Walls Dionne A.
LandOfFree
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