US20200390143A1

US20200390143A1 - Device and method for storing and supporting a smokable sleeve

Info

Publication number: US20200390143A1
Application number: US16/900,392
Authority: US
Inventors: Kazi Kased Latif AHMED; Rushabh PATEL; Sameh SAAD
Original assignee: Aire Brands LLC
Current assignee: Aire Brands LLC
Priority date: 2019-06-14
Filing date: 2020-06-12
Publication date: 2020-12-17
Also published as: EP3982764A4; EP3982764A1; CA3143031A1; WO2020252338A1; CN114340413A

Abstract

A device for storing and supporting a smokable sleeve comprises a body defining a chamber for storing the smokable sleeve, and a sleeve holder connected to the body for supporting the sleeve in a fillable position, the sleeve holder comprising an aperture for releasably receiving the sleeve. The device may comprise two or more spaced apertures for receiving a sleeve or a plurality of sleeves. The sleeve holder may be integrally formed with the body or releasably connected to the body such that the sleeve holder is disposed either outside of the chamber or within the chamber. The device may be a rigid or resilient material such as plastic, cardboard, or paper.

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional App. Ser. No. 62/862,003, filed Jun. 14, 2019, the disclosure and teaching of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to smokable sleeves. More specifically, the present invention is, in aspects, concerned with devices for storing and supporting a smokable sleeve as well as related methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smoking articles, such as cigars, cigarettes, or the like can be purchased completely pre-formed and filled or can be formed and filled by an end-user. For example, rolling paper may be used to roll a smokable material. The papers are ordinarily distributed and sold in individual packs that include an outer packaging, which typically serves to protect and sometimes preserve the rolling papers therein. That packaging typically maintains the rolling papers in either a basically flat or folded shape. Alternatively, smokable sleeves may be purchased in a pre-formed configuration, optionally containing a filter, and which are ready to be filled by the end user with the smokable material of choice.
Devices for supporting smokable sleeves have been described. For example, US Design Patent No. D797370 shows the ornamental features of a “Combined Scoop and Holder For Rolling Paper or Cone. US Publication No. 2018/0055087 describes a “Protective Case That Facilitates The Joining Of Ground, Smokable Tobacco And Herbs With Preformed Conical Smoking Wrappers By Gravity And Inertia Through Applied Force And Motion And Method Of The Same.”
Despite this, there remains a need for alternative devices to overcome or mitigate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art and/or to provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect, there is provided a device for storing and supporting a smokable sleeve, the device comprising: a body defining a chamber for storing the sleeve; and a sleeve holder connected to the body for supporting the sleeve in a fillable position.
Preferably, the sleeve holder defines an aperture for receiving a sleeve. However, the sleeve holder may alternatively define two or more spaced apertures for receiving a sleeve. The two or more spaced apertures may be the same or different sizes. In any embodiment, the aperture(s) may be cylindrical, conical, frusto-conical, or any other shape, and in an embodiment with two or more spaced apertures, the apertures may be the same or different shapes. In any embodiment, apertures may extend either partially or fully through the sleeve holder. It is envisioned that the apertures may each comprise of one or more internal flaps to engage the sleeve.
Preferably, the sleeve holder is integral with the body, though it is envisioned that the sleeve holder may also be releasably connected to the body. The sleeve holder may be disposed either on the inside or the outside of the chamber. In an embodiment, the sleeve holder may be hingedly connected to the body and be movable from the inside of the chamber to the outside of the chamber. The sleeve holder may comprise one or more flanges extending from one or more walls of the body, or from one or more edges of the same wall, and the sleeve holder may be extended between two opposing edges of a wall of the body.
It is envisioned that the sleeve holder may be configured to hold a plurality of sleeves. In any embodiment, it is envisioned that the sleeve(s) may be in the shape of a cone or cylinder, and made be made entirely or substantially of plastic, cardboard, or paper. In yet another embodiment, the device may further comprise a funnel for filling the sleeves and/or a packing tool. It is envisioned that the device may further comprise a chamber for storing smokable material, such as tobacco, prior to placement within the sleeve(s). The device may also comprise a chamber for storing unrolled sleeves.
The body preferably comprises a lid for enclosing the chamber. The lid may envelope the chamber such that the chamber is slidable in and out of the lid. The lid may also be hinged to a wall of the body.
It is envisioned that the device may be rigid or resilient, and may be reusable or disposable.
The present invention also provides a method of filling a smokable sleeve, the method comprising placing the sleeve in the sleeve holder of the device described herein in a fillable position and introducing smokable material into the sleeve.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples while indicating aspects of the invention are given by way of illustration only, and various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from said detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the Figures, in which:

FIGS. 1A-1B are perspective views of a smokable sleeve, showing a rolled cone and a rolled cone with a filter tip;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the body of the device described herein;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the body of the device described herein;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the body of the device described herein;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the body of the device described herein;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the body of the device described herein; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the body of the device described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Described herein, in aspects, are devices for both supporting and storing smokable sleeves. Many end users prefer to roll their own smoking articles, such as cigars, cigarettes, or the like. Papers or other sheets of material used as the outer wrapper for smoking articles are commonly made from leaves or pulp derived from a variety of sources, such as wood, rice, cellulose, flax, plant fibers, herbs, palm leaf, tobacco, paper, and combinations of the foregoing (collectively referred to herein as “rolling paper”). Rolling papers can be used to roll cigarette tobacco, cigar tobacco, pipe tobacco, tobacco substitutes, and most any other similar smokable materials. Typically, the papers are distributed and sold in individual packs that include an outer packaging for protecting and sometimes preserving the rolling papers therein. That packaging typically maintains the rolling papers in either a substantially flat or folded shape.
To roll a smoking article, an end user typically removes one or more rolling papers from its packaging, manipulates the one or more rolling papers, places a desired amount of smokable material in the one or more rolling papers, and rolls the one or more rolling papers into a tubular shape. The tubular shape is then sealed using adhesive or moisture, and allowed to dry to form a shell, which contains the smokable material. After drying, the smoking article may be smoked by the end user.
The rolling paper can also be sold pre-rolled as hollow cylinders/tubes or as cones or frusto-cones, herein defined as “smokable sleeves”, to simplify the process of preparing a smoking article. Some of these smokable sleeves are sold pre-rolled with a filter tip attached already to one end. The smokable sleeves are then filled with a smokable material by the end user.
A problem associated with using pre-rolled smokable sleeves is that it is often difficult for an end user to hold the smokable sleeve to fill it with the desired filler material. Either the user holds the sleeve with one hand and attempts to fill it with the other, or one owns a cone/tube holder that the cone can be put in. However, these cone holders are separate parts, and thus often hard to keep possession of when needed. The devices described herein are able to support one or more smokable sleeves in a position for easy filling while, simultaneously, providing storage space for one or more smokable sleeves that have already been filled or that are empty waiting to be filled.
Described herein is a device that both stores smokable sleeves, such as pre-rolled cones or tubes/cylinders, and supports the sleeves so that they can be easily filled with a smokable material, such as cannabis and/or tobacco. This combined functionality removes the need to own a separate cone holder and carrying it wherever the user goes. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary cone-shaped smokable sleeve 10, made of rolling paper 12 and optionally comprising a filter 14.
FIG. 2 shows a device 100 for storing and supporting a smokable sleeve 10, as described herein. The device comprises a body defining a chamber 102 for storing one or more sleeves 10. The chamber 102 is defined by top 104, bottom 106, and side walls 108 of the body. A sleeve holder 110 preferably extends from the side wall 108 and defines an aperture 112 for supporting the sleeve 10 in a fillable position. As is shown in FIG. 3, the aperture 112 may comprise one or more internal flaps 114 that are sufficiently flexible to better support the smokable sleeve 10 and resist slipping or tipping of the smokable sleeve 10 once placed in sleeve holder 110.
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the device 100, wherein the sleeve holder 110 comprises a top sleeve holder portion 116 and a bottom sleeve holder portion 118, which are preferably spaced apart and extend from the side wall 108. The top sleeve holder portion 116 defines an aperture 112 that is slightly larger than an aperture 113 defined by the bottom sleeve holder portion 118 in order to securely support a smokable sleeve 10 that has a smaller diameter at the smoking end as compared to the filling end. Such smokable sleeves 10 are generally cone-shaped and are referred to as “cones,” as shown in FIG. 1. It will be understood that a tube-shaped smokable sleeve could be used with the sleeve holder 110 of FIG. 4 or that the sleeve holder of FIG. 4 could be designed to have apertures 112 and 113 that are the same size in the top sleeve holder portion 116 and the bottom sleeve holder portion 118 to specifically accommodate tube-shaped smokable sleeves 10.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the device 100 that is similar to that shown in FIG. 4. However, in this embodiment, the bottom sleeve holder portion 118 does not define an aperture 113 and, rather, simply provides a support upon which the smokable sleeve may rest. The bottom sleeve holder portion 118 could be provided with a concave region or depression rather than an aperture or flat surface that would guide the smokable sleeve 10 into proper position for filling as desired.
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the device 100, wherein the sleeve holder 110 extends from a side wall 108, and in a preferred embodiment may have a height equal to the side wall 108 such that the sleeve holder 110 extends from an edge of the top wall 104 to an edge of the bottom wall 106 and defines a passageway 120 that is capable of supporting the smokable sleeve 10. The sleeve holder 110 could instead extend substantially from one edge to another, or various distances between the edges with a height smaller than that of the side wall 108. The passageway 120 is illustrated as being frusto-conical, however, it will be understood that it could be conical, cylindrical, or any other shape that would support a smokable sleeve 10.
FIG. 7 shows the device 100 comprising a lid 122 that envelopes the chamber 102 such that the chamber 102 is slidable into and out of the lid 122. In this embodiment, the sleeve holder 110 is disposed inside of the chamber 102 so that it is hidden from view once the chamber 102 is slid into the lid 122. It is envisioned that any of the sleeve holders 110 of the preceding embodiments may be disposed inside chamber 102, with or without the lid 122.
The lid 122 enveloping the chamber 102, in some embodiments, may be operable to move between a closed position and an open position. In some embodiments, the lid 122 may be slidably coupled to the chamber 102, such that the lid 122 slides between a closed position and an open position. In some embodiments where the lid 122 is slidably coupled to the chamber 102, the lid 122 may comprise a raised stop, which can prevent the cover from sliding off the chamber 102. In other embodiments, the chamber 102 may comprise at least one stop operable to prevent the lid 122 from sliding off the chamber 102.
In some embodiments, the lid 122 may comprise window. The window can be constructed of a transparent or translucent material. In some embodiments, the window may allow a consumer to view the sleeve holder 110 disposed in the chamber 102. In other embodiments, the window may allow a consumer to view the entire contents of the chamber 102 including the sleeve holder 110. In some embodiments, the lid 122 may comprise a tractive region comprising a tractive material or design. The tractive region can facilitate moving the lid 122 between the open and closed positions. The tractive region, for example, can facilitate a user's ability to slide the lid 122 between the open and closed positions.
It will be understood that the lid 122 need not be configured to slide with respect to the chamber 102 and, rather, the lid 122 could fold open and closed from one end or from the top, bottom or a side, for example, so long as the lid 122 functions to enclose the chamber 102 and permit access to a smokable sleeve 10 contained therein. In other words, the lid 122 could define a portion of the chamber 102 and could be flexibly connected, such as hinged, to allow opening and closing of the lid 122 relative to the chamber 102.
In some embodiments, the sleeve holder 110 moves between the first position substantially inside the chamber 102 and the second position substantially outside the chamber 102 as the lid 122 moves from the closed position to the open position. In some embodiments, the sleeve holder 110 may be coupled to the lid 122.
It will be understood that the aperture 112 and/or passageway 120 may have any desired shape. Typically, these are configured to support conventional cylindrical and/or conical smokable sleeves 10, however, the aperture 112 and/or passageway 120 need not be themselves cylindrical or conical. They may, for example, be trapezoidal or hexagonal. On the other hand, the aperture 112 and/or passageway 120 may be sized to specifically fit a desired smokable sleeve 10 shape, corresponding to smokable sleeves 10 that may be provided in conjunction with the device 100.
Similarly, any number of sleeve holders 110 may be provided in a single device 100. For example, in any of the aforementioned embodiments, several adjacent apertures 112 and/or passageways 120 may be provided that are sized the same or differently to support difference preferences for shapes and sizes of smokable sleeves 110. Alternatively or additionally, multiple distinct sleeve holders 110 may extend from different sides or from one side of the device 100.
Likewise, the device 100 itself has been illustrated as being rectangular, as this shape would typically fit one or several smokable sleeves 10 that can be conveniently stored for future use. However, the device 100 can take any suitable shape. For example, the device 100 shown in FIGS. 2-7 would store the smokable sleeves 10 in a flat, side-by-side orientation and, therefore, the top 104 and bottom 106 walls are spaced close together and have a greater surface area than each side wall 108. The device 100 could, instead, store the smokable sleeves 10 upright and therefore the top 104 and bottom 106 walls would be spaced further apart. These top 104 and bottom 106 walls could, for example, be round and there could be a single continuous side wall 108 forming a cylindrical or cone-/frusto-cone-shaped device 100. The device 100 can be formed in any suitable shape.
The device 100 described herein may include further elements, either included in additional chambers or compartments of the device 100 or as elements of a kit. For example, the device 100 described herein may include a funnel that can assist in filling the sleeves without spilling any filler material and/or a packing tool to assist in compressing the filler material into the smokable sleeve 10. The device may additional or alternatively include a chamber for storing unrolled sleeves, such as flat rolling papers, and/or a chamber for storing the smokable material to be used to fill the smokable sleeves 10. A grinder may further/alternatively be included and/or a scoop for picking up the filling material and placing it in the smokable sleeve 10. A lighter and/or matches may be included with the device 100 or as part of a kit.
Methods of using the device 100 are also described. Typically, a user removes an empty smokable sleeve 10 from the chamber 102 and places it in the sleeve holder 110 in a filling position, with the filling end facing upwards and the smoking/filter end facing downwards. The user scoops up some prepared smokable material, such as tobacco, and places it in the smokable sleeve 10. This may be facilitated through use of a funnel and/or scoop, and compressed as desired using a packing tool. Typically, the end of the smokable sleeve 10 is sealed, such as by twisting the sleeve material, and the resulting smokable article is ready for use. The smokable article can be smoked immediately or placed into the chamber 102 of the device 100 and stored for future use.
The device described herein is referred to as having a “top” and “bottom,” as well as “sides” extending between the top and bottom. It will be understood that the top, bottom, and sides are relative to the orientation in which the device is held. However, for ease of understanding, these features of the device will be explained relative to the orientation in which the device would be used with a sleeve inserted into the sleeve holder, with an open end of the sleeve facing the upward direction, ready for filling with a smokable material. This is the orientation shown in the drawings herein.
In understanding the scope of the present application, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. Additionally, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including,” “having,” and their derivatives.
It will be understood that any aspects described as “comprising” certain components may also “consist of” or “consist essentially of,” (or vice versa) wherein “consisting of” has a closed-ended or restrictive meaning and “consisting essentially of” means including the components specified but excluding other components except for materials present as impurities, unavoidable materials present as a result of processes used to provide the components, and components added for a purpose other than achieving the technical effects described herein.
It will be understood that any component defined herein as being included may be explicitly excluded from the claimed invention by way of proviso or negative limitation, whether implicitly or explicitly defined herein. In addition, all ranges given herein include the end of the ranges and also any intermediate range points, whether explicitly stated or not.
Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. These terms of degree should be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.
The above disclosure generally describes the present invention. Changes in form and substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient. Although specific terms have been employed herein, such terms are intended in a descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.
All publications, patents, and patent applications cited above are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Although preferred aspects of the invention have been described herein in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for storing and supporting a smokable sleeve, the device comprising:

a body defining a chamber for storing the smokable sleeve; and

a sleeve holder connected to the body for supporting the sleeve in a fillable position, the sleeve holder comprising an aperture for releasably receiving the sleeve.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising two or more spaced apertures for receiving a sleeve or for receiving a plurality of sleeves.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the two or more spaced apertures are the same size or different sizes.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the sleeve holder is integral with the body.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the sleeve holder is releasably connected to the body.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the sleeve holder is disposed either outside of the chamber or within the chamber.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the sleeve holder is hingedly connected to the body and is movable from the inside of the chamber to the outside of the chamber.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the sleeve holder further comprises:

one or more flange extending from a wall of the body; and

one or more internal flaps for engaging the sleeve.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the aperture extends partially or fully through the sleeve holder.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a lid for enclosing the chamber, the lid enveloping the chamber such that the chamber is removable from the lid.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more of a funnel for filling the sleeves, a packing tool, a chamber for storing smokable material, and a chamber for storing unrolled sleeves.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the aperture is cylindrical, conical, or frusto-conical.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a rigid or resilient material.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the resilient or rigid material is one or more of plastic, cardboard, or paper.

15. A method of filling a smokable sleeve, the method comprising placing the sleeve in the sleeve holder of the device of claim 1 in a fillable position, and introducing smokable material into the sleeve.