US3791390A

US3791390A - Smoking pipe

Info

Publication number: US3791390A
Application number: US00280505A
Authority: US
Inventors: V Hendricks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-08-14
Filing date: 1972-08-14
Publication date: 1974-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 1991-02-12

Abstract

A smoking pipe having a foraminous bowl insert which serves as a grate for the burning tobacco, the insert coacting with the inner wall of the bowl cavity to provide a surrounding air chamber having a communication with a smoking stem passage, and an auxiliary passage between the air chamber and the bowl exterior adapted for finger control by the smoker so as to be closable during conventional smoking, and opened for short inactive smoking periods to provide combustion air to the air chamber to maintain combustion and continued burning of the tobacco.

Description

Wnited States atent [191 Hendricks 51 Feb. 12, 11974 smotonc 1P1P1E [76] lnventor: Victor 1. Hendricks, 1776 Wright St., Pomona, Calif. 91766 [22] Filed: Aug. 14, 11972 [21] Appl. No.: 280,505

[58] Fiefld of Search ..131/3,174,175,195,196, 131/183, 220,198 R, 198 A [56] References (Iited UNITED STATES PATENTS 610,839 9/1898 Wright 131/196 647,740 4/1900 Beatty..... 131/196 2,091,440 8/1937 Gilliam 131/3 2,313,344 3/1943 Jacob 131/220 X 3,605,758 9/1971 Patterson... 131/183 X 1,486,031 3/1924 Phillips 131/183 1,118,276 11/1914 Fredericks.... 131/183 782,219 2/1905 Coleman.... 131/3 764,125 7/1904 Heald 131/196 UX 1,552,548 9/1925 Donivan et a1. 131/175 Primary Examiner-Joseph S. Reich Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Whann & McManigal [57] ABSTRACT A smoking pipe having a foraminous bowl insert which serves as a grate for the burning tobacco, the insert coacting with the inner walll of the bowl cavity to provide a surrounding air chamber having a communication with a smoking stem passage, and an auxiliary passage between the air chamber and the bowl exterior adapted for finger control by the smoker so as to be closable during conventional smoking, and opened for short inactive smoking periods to provide combustion air to the air chamber to maintain com bustion and continued burning of the tobacco.

4 Cllaims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 n1 w 330 m 2 /8 20 SMOKENG PIPE PRIOR ART cams are the following patents:

578.881 Mar. 16. 1897 695.185 Mar. 11. 1902 883.954 Apr. 7. 1903 1.313.280 Aug. 19.1919 1.967.367 July 24. 1934 3.303.849 Feb. 14. I967 3.336.929 Aug. 22. 1967 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to smoking pipes.

Heretofore. in conventional smoking pipes it has been a problem to keep the tobacco burning during inactive smoking periods, as when the smoker temporarily sets the pipe down. The burning tobacco quickly goes out because of a lack of combustion supporting air. As a consequence, the smoker is subjected to the nuisance of having to continuously relight the tobacco.

It has previously been known from U. S. Pat. No. 695.185 to use an inner bowl with a large number of perforations to increase and distribute the burning area of the tobacco in order to induce a more complete combustion of the tobacco, and while the inner bowl is surrounded by a chamber, this chamber is used primarily as a mixing and cooling chamber for the smoke rather than for the purpose of supplying combustion supporting air as in applicant's invention.

In US. Pat. No. 1.967.367, the problem has been appreciated of supplying combustion supporting air to the burning tobacco in the pipe bowl to keep the tobacco burning during periods when the smoker is not actively puffing on the pipe in the usual manner. The use of the controllable spaced openings around the bowl as disclosed in this patent has the inherent disadvantage that the combustion supporting air is restricted to limited intake areas in the bowl. In applicants invention, this problem is solved by the use of an air chamber around the tobacco supporting inner bowl or grate.

A later U. S. Pat. No. 3,336,929 discloses a cigarette holding device for reverse smoking of the cigarette, and while a fingercontrolled air hole is provided in the cigarette supporting bowl, the cooperative association is not the same as in the use of a grate for supporting the tobacco in a pipe bowl.

Applicant's smoking pipe concept provides a new combination which respectively overcomes the problems existing in the presently known smoking pipes. and particularly those as disclosed in the patents discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION buming of the tobacco during iiitervals of nonactive smoking.

One object of the herein described invention is to provide an improved tobacco smoking pipe with an inner bowl insert which provides a grate. the grate being surrounded by an air chamber having communication with the pipe stem, and an auxiliary passage which may be selectively manually closed when puff ing on the stem for smoking in the usual manner, or opened during idle periods to provide combustion supporting air to keep the tobacco burning so as to obviate the necessity of having to continuously re-light the tobacco.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing a preferred embodiment of the invention without placing limitations thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pipe embodying the features of my invention, portions being shown in section to reveal the cooperative relationship of the coacting components:

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section through the pipe bowl, taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 an d illustrating manual control of an auxiliary air supply passage; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the bowl insert or grate as utilized in the smoking pipe of my invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes, the invention is: shown in FIG. 1 as being applied to a smoking pipe.

As illustrated, the smoking pipe of my invention embodies a bowl 10 formed with an internal cavity which is circumscribed by a side wall 11 and a bottom wall 12. The bowl cavity at its uppermost end forms an opening 13 at the bowl brim 14.

A tubular sleeve insert as generally indicated at 15 is removably receivable within the bowl cavity and forms a grate for receiving the smoking tobacco therein.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the tubular insert comprises a foraminous wall 16 which may vary as to construction, but is illustrated as being of a screen-like material. At its uppermost end, the wall connects with an annular end flange 17 which is arranged to peripherally project outwardly over the bowl brim so as to provide a sealing engagement therewith, when the insert is in an operative position. The insert is of appropriate length so that in its position of use, a lower end ring will make seating engagement with the bottom wall of the bowl cavity.

It will be observed that the insert wall 16 is tapered towards its lowermost end, and in accordance with a main feature of the invention the wall 16 coacts with the side wall 11 of the bowl cavity to provide a surrounding air chamber 19 which extends substantially the entire length of the insert between the end flange 17 and lower end ring 18.

Adjacent the bottom of the bowl cavity. the air chamber 19 communicates with a connecting passage 20 leading through a conventional pipe stem 21 in a conventional manner for puffing the pipe during smok- At substantially a mid-way position between the top and bottom of the bowl cavity, the bowl wall is provided on diametrically opposite sides with a pair of auxiliary passages 22a and 22b which connect the air chamber 19 with the exterior of the pipe bowl.

By placing the passages 22a and 22b in axial alignment with the stem axis, these auxiliary passages are manually controllable by means of a smokers thumb 23 and a finger 24, as shown in phantom lines, in a facile manner during smoking. The purpose of the passages 22a and 22b is to provide a supply of air to the air chamber 19 between active smoking puffs on the pipe, and during inactive periods when, for example, the smoker may set the pipe down fora few moments. It is a very natural movement to cover and uncover the passages 22a and 22b, so that in setting the pipe down, air will be supplied to the air chamber and distributed over substantially the entire surface of the foraminous wall 16 so as to provide combustion air which will keep the tobacco burning and obviate the extinguishment of the burning tobacco and necessity of re-lighting it each time tirebipe is picked u p to continue actively the smoking in the usual manner. It will of course be appreciated that when puffing on the stem during smoking, the smoker will close the passages 22a and 22b, unless of course the smoker should desire to admit cool air to cool the smoke prior to its passage into the stem.

From the foregoing description and drawings, it will be clearly evident that the delineated object and features of the invention will be accomplished. Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, hence, I do not wish to be restricted to the specific forms shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. As an article of manufacture, an insert for the bowl of a smoking pipe, comprising:

a. a generally open ended tubular wall of a foraminous material; b. a pe rifireral upper end outwardly projecting flange on said wall; and c. a peripheral lower end bowl seating ring on said wall. 2. An article of manufacture according to claim 1, wherein the wall is of a screen mesh material.

3. An article of manufacture according to claim 1, in which the wall is tapered towards its lower end.

4. A smoking pipe, comprising: a. a bowl having an inner wall forming a topopening i cavityr b. a tobacco containing tubular sleeve insert extending through said, top opening into said cavity, said insert having an upper end peripherally engaged with the bowl brim, at said top opening, a lower open end peripherally engaged with a bottom wall portion of the cavity, and a foraminous wall coacting with said cavity wall, to provide an air chamber surrounding the forarninous wall, said air chamber being closed at its top except foricommunication through the foraminous wall; c. a smoking stern having a passage connection with said air chamber; and

d. at least one auxiliary manually controllable passage in said bowl connecting said air chamber and the outside of said bowl adapted to be closed by a finger of the smoker while applying suction to the stem, and opened when not smoking to provide a supply of combustion air to the chamber to maintain combustion and continued burning of the tobacco.

Claims

1. As an article of manufacture, an insert for the bowl of a smoking pipe, comprising: a. a generally open ended tubular wall of a foraminous material; b. a peripheral upper end outwardly projecting flange on said wall; and c. a peripheral lower end bowl seating ring on said wall.

2. An article of manufacture according to claim 1, wherein the wall is of a screen mesh material.

4. A smoking pipe, comprising: a. a bowl having an inner wall forming a top opening cavity; b. a tobacco containing tubular sleeve insert extending through said top opening into said cavity, said insert having an upper end peripherally engaged with the bowl brim, at said top opening, a lower open end peripherally engaged with a bottom wall portion of the cavity, and a foraminous wall coacting with said cavity wall, to provide an air chamber surrounding the foraminous wall, said air chamber being closed at its top except for communication through the foraminous wall; c. a smoking stem having a passage connection with said air chamber; and d. at least one auxiliary manually controllable passage in said bowl connecting said air chamber and the outside of said bowl adapted to be closed by a finger of the smoker while applying suction to the stem, and opened when not smoking to provide a supply of combustion air to the chamber to maintain combustion and continued burning of the tobacco.