EP4565087A1

EP4565087A1 - A smoking device of the non-electric and non-electronic type

Info

Publication number: EP4565087A1
Application number: EP23748326.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lorena D'ALFONSO; Giulia NOCIVELLI; Roberto Polloni
Original assignee: GD SpA
Current assignee: GD SpA
Priority date: 2022-08-04
Filing date: 2023-07-17
Publication date: 2025-06-11
Also published as: IT202200016629A1; WO2024028678A1

Abstract

A smoking device (10) of the non-electric and non-electronic type is described, comprising: a suction mouth (6) configured to receive at least one rod portion (100) of filtering material by means of which a user can inspire air; an air inlet (8) for letting suctioned air enter into the device (10); a conduit (12) connecting the air inlet (8) to the suction mouth (6); an extractable drawer (4) which is formed to contain a dose of smokable material (T) and is movable between an extracted position (P2, P3, P4) for letting the smokable material be inserted into the drawer (4) and a closed position (P1) to allow the combustion of said smokable material.

Description

A smoking device of the non-electric and non-electronic type

TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a new non-electric and nonelectronic smoking device.

Nowadays electronic smoking devices are becoming very widespread. The two most common types involve either the use of an interchangeable cartridge containing a liquid product intended for evaporation, or the use of a tobacco stick which is heated to create an aerosol.

In general, these smoking devices have in common the fact that they have relatively complex structures that include various electric and/or electronic components, and that for their use they require various accessories such as, for example, cables, USB sockets and batteries.

In this context, the Applicant has, therefore, set itself the objective of producing a new non-electronic and non-electric smoking device which has a simpler structure designed to be easily disassembled to be intended for disposal through the recycling chain.

At the same time, the Applicant has set itself the objective of producing a smoking device capable of offering ease of use and a certain versatility during operation.

One or more of the objects indicated above are achieved by means of a non-electric and non-electronic smoking device having the characteristics of claim 1.

The attached claims form an integral part of the disclosure provided here.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the description that follows with reference to the attached drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

- Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the smoking device described here, according to an axonometric view;

- Figure 2 illustrates the device of Figure 1 in a condition for loading smokable material into the device; - Figure 3 represents a view from below of the device of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 represents an exploded view of the device of Figure 1.

In the following description various specific details are illustrated aimed at a thorough understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments may be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of the embodiments.

The references used here are only for convenience and do not, therefore, define the field of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

As anticipated above, the smoking device described herein is of the non-electric and non-electronic type, or rather, it does not comprise electric or electronic components.

As will be seen in detail below, the smoking device 10 is arranged to operate with a dose of smokable material, in particular tobacco, which is subjected to combustion inside the smoking device 10, after being ignited manually, for example through a lighter.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the smoking device 10 comprises a housing 2 having a lower portion 21 on which an extractable drawer 4 is mounted, arranged to contain a dose of a smokable material T. In particular, the drawer 4 is movable along an extraction direction Y, between at least one extracted position, for inserting the smokable material inside the drawer, and a closed position, wherein the drawer is brought to carry out the combustion of the smokable material previously loaded.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the smoking device 10 also comprises a suction mouth 6, which is mounted on an upper portion 22 of the housing 2 opposite the lower portion 21.

On the suction mouth 6 a user may perform a suction action to suck air into the device from the outside. On the other hand, on the drawer 4 there is an inlet 8 for the entry into the device 10 of the air that is sucked in from the outside by effect of the suction action performed by the user on the suction mouth 6.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the housing 2 internally comprises a conduit 12 which connects the inlet 8 to the suction mouth 6.

During operation, the air sucked into the device through the inlet 8 first hits the smokable material contained in the drawer 4, so as to incorporate the fumes from the combustion of the smokable material T, and subsequently, together with these fumes, reaches the suction mouth 6 along the conduit 12.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the suction mouth 6 is arranged to receive a rod portion 100 of filtering material. In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the suction mouth 6 comprises a gasket element 7 intended to fit with and hold the rod portion 100 of filtering material.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the housing 2 is formed by two parts 2A, 2B that can be coupled together, for example, by means of a joint, which overall form a hollow shell internally defining the housing 2. Preferably, the two parts 2 A, 2B are made of plastic material.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the part 2A has a generic half-shell shape and includes inner walls 25 which, in the coupled condition of the two parts 2A, 2B, form the inner conduit 12. The part 2B may also have a half-shell conformation or a planar conformation as in the illustrated example.

The inner conduit 12 may define a flow path for the inspired air in a zigzag shape (as in the example shown) or straight according to the so-called "intensity of smoke" required or rather, the characteristics that the flow of air and fumes must have (in terms of flow rate and temperature) to achieve a given smoking effect.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the drawer 4 comprises a slider 14, which is movably mounted along the direction Y in the lower portion 21 of the housing 2, and may be extracted from the housing 2 through an opening 2D obtained at the same lower portion 21.

On the bottom 2E of the housing 2 a slot 2F is obtained, which extends along the direction Y and is engaged by an appendix 15 of the slider 14, on which a gripping portion 16 is obtained; the latter protrudes outside the housing 2 through the same slot 2F.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated (see Figure 3), the slot 2F is delimited by a shaped edge 2G to define a plurality of predefined positions Pl, P2, P3, P4 of the slider 14 corresponding to different conditions for extracting the drawer 4 from the housing 2. In the example shown, the position Pl corresponds to the closed position of the drawer 4.

In one embodiment, the shaped edge 2G may have a plurality of formations, for example, recesses 2H (see Figure 3) or protrusions, arranged to interact with the appendix 15 of the slider 14 so as to define a plurality of stop positions of the slider 14 corresponding to the aforesaid predefined positions; for this purpose, the appendix 15 may, for its part, have one or more portions arranged to interact with the shaped edge 2G and its recesses 2H (for example, one or more flexible flaps). In an alternative embodiment, the shaped edge may, instead, have a plurality of formations arranged solely to constitute a visual indication of the aforesaid predefined positions of the slider 14.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the drawer 4 also comprises a container 18, which is intended to contain the dose of smokable material T and is carried by the slider 14.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the container 18 extends longitudinally along the direction Y so that the different predefined positions of the slider 14 along the same direction correspond to different degrees of exposure of the inside of the container 18 to the outside. In the closed position of the drawer 4, the container 18 closes the opening 2D of the housing 2 with one of its ends 18A facing outwards.

It will be noted that in this position of the drawer 4, the user is prevented from accessing the dose of smokable material T.

During operation, the user may, therefore, open the drawer 4 by acting on the gripping portion 16 to bring it to a position chosen from among the predefined positions P2, P3, and P4, according to the quantity of smokable material that is intended to be inserted inside the container 18. In a preferred application of the smoking device described herein, the smokable material is in the form of tablets, in particular tobacco tablets. In a preferred embodiment, the container 18 comprises a movable wall (not shown) to vary its inner space intended to receive the smokable material, according to the envisaged dose of smokable material. In one or more preferred embodiments, the container 18 is made of metal, while the slider 14 is made of a thermally insulating material and at least partially encloses the container 18 so as to thermally insulate it from the housing 2. In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the slider 14 has two opposite side walls 14A, which extend longitudinally parallel to the direction Y and between which a seat 14B is obtained for housing the container 18; the two walls 14A overlap, externally, with corresponding longitudinal walls 18A of the container 18, so as to cover them for their entire extension.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the end 18A of the container 18 is constituted by a perforated wall, or rather, by a grid, preferably always of metal, so as to define the aforesaid inlet 8 for the air sucked from the outside.

It can be noted that the inlet 8 thus created is also capable of constituting a point for the ignition of the smokable material T by means of the flame of an ignition device, for example, a lighter or other similar device; this means that the smokable material T may be ignited even when the drawer 4 is already in its closed position.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the smoking device 10 also comprises a cap 19, which can be coupled to the end of the slider 14 to cover the inlet 8 (or rather, the perforated wall 18A of the container 18) while the device is not being used. Furthermore, in one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the housing 2 comprises a coupling portion 21, which is spaced apart from the inlet 8 and is shaped to receive and retain the cap 19, thus preventing the cap 19 from being lost when removed from the slot 8 while using the device. Preferably, the cap 19 is made of a thermally insulating material, for example silicone, so as to protect the user from the high temperatures which the perforated wall 18A may reach after using the device.

Moreover, once the device has been used, the residues from the combustion of the smokable material T remain inside the drawer 4 and the user, when he wants, can easily clean the device from the aforesaid residues simply by extracting the drawer 4 and emptying it of the contents. In this way the user is facilitated in keeping the device 10 perfectly clean and in avoiding dispersing the combustion residues outside. In view of the above, the use of the smoking device described here is therefore easy, effective and comfortable.

Finally, the person skilled in the art will understand that the device 10 described here can be easily disassembled and its parts made of different materials separated from each other to be disposed of through the recycling chain.

Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to those illustrated here, purely by way of non-limiting example, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A smoking device (10) of non-electric and non-electronic type, comprising: a suction mouth (6) configured to receive at least one rod portion (100) of filtering material by means of which a user can inspire air; an air inlet (8) for letting suctioned air enter into the device (10); a conduit (12) connecting the air inlet (8) to the suction mouth (6); an extractable drawer (4) which is formed to contain a dose of smokable material (T) and is movable between an extracted position (P2, P3, P4) for letting the smokable material be inserted into the drawer (4), and a closed position (Pl) to allow the combustion of said smokable material.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet (8) is made in the drawer (4) so that the suctioned air goes through the smokable material when the drawer is in the closed position (Pl).

3. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a housing (2) inside which said conduit (12) is made and on which said extractable drawer (4) is movably mounted.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said drawer (4) has a gripping portion (16) intended to be gripped by a user, which can be accessed from outside of said housing (2).

5. A device according to claims 3 or 4, wherein the housing (2) has a slot (2F) through which the drawer (4) may be moved between the extracted position and the closed position, and vice versa.

6. A device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein when moving the drawer (4) between the extracted position and the closed position, and vice versa, the drawer (4) may set itself at a plurality of predefined extraction positions (Pl, P2, P3, P4) corresponding to different extraction conditions of said drawer (4) from said housing (2).

7. A device according to claims 5 or 6, wherein the slot (2F) is delimited by at least one shaped edge (2G) for defining the plurality of predefined extraction positions of the drawer.

8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the suction mouth (6) comprises a gasket element intended to fit with and hold the rod portion of filtering material (100).

9. A device according to anyone of the preceding claims 3 to 8, wherein said drawer (4) comprises a slider (14) and a container (18) which is intended to contain the dose of smokable material (T) and is carried by said slider (14); wherein said container (18) is made of metal and said slider (14) is made of thermally insulating material and encloses at least partially said container (8) so as to thermally insulate the container (18) with respect to the housing (2).

10. A device according to claim 9 depending on claim 2, wherein the air inlet (8) is made in said container (18).

11. A device according to any one of the preceding claims depending on claim 2, comprising a cap (19) which can be coupled to the drawer (4) to cover the air inlet (8) while the device is not being used.

12. A device according to claim 11, comprising a coupling portion (21), which is spaced apart from the air inlet (8) and is shaped so as to be coupled to the cap (19) when said device is being used.

13. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said conduit (12) defines a flow path for the suctioned air which is zigzag shaped or straight.

14. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said drawer (8) comprises a movable wall for varying an inner space of the drawer that is intended to receive the smokable material, as a function of the dose of smokable material to be provided.

15. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (10) is shaped so that when the drawer (4) is in the closed position (Pl) access to the dose of smokable material by the user is prevented.