Abstract:
A safety mouthpiece which can be placed over the exit end of an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) effectively blocks the flow path of vapor through the cigarette until the mouthpiece is moved with respect to the e-cigarette in a manner to open a valve. With the valve opened in the mouthpiece, the e-cigarette is allowed to function, and the user can draw vaporized material through the safety mouthpiece.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/918,273 entitled SAFETY MOUTHPIECE, filed on Dec. 19, 2013, by David J. Gennrich, et al., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a safety mouthpiece for use with a cigarette and particularly for use with an electronic cigarette. 
         [0003]    In recent years, the popularity of electronic cigarettes (frequently referred to as e-cigarettes) has increased dramatically. This is due, in part, to a desire for those in the habit of smoking to continue to be able to smoke (or so-called vapor) in areas where smoking conventional cigarettes is prohibited. E-cigarettes include a solution of material which can be volatized, either by heat or other means, to provide a vapor which simulates cigarette smoke. The material may include nicotine or flavorants chosen by the consumer. Frequently, such electronic cigarettes, which are battery powered, also include an LED at the tip end to further simulate the smoking experience. 
         [0004]    Once an e-cigarette is left unattended, it is possible for anyone to pick the device up and use it. In order to deter unauthorized or unapproved use by others, including minors, there is a need for a reliable safety feature for e-cigarettes which would prevent such use and be relatively inexpensive, particularly in the environment of a disposable e-cigarette. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides a safety mouthpiece which can be placed over the end of an e-cigarette and which effectively blocks the flow path of air through the cigarette until the mouthpiece is moved with respect to the e-cigarette in a manner to open a valve allowing the e-cigarette to function as the user draws vaporized material through the safety mouthpiece. 
         [0006]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the safety mouthpiece includes a sleeve extending in sliding relationship to a tubular body of an e-cigarette at one end thereof. The sleeve has a fixed collar at one end slideably engaging the tubular body. An insert, is fixedly attached to the end of the tubular body and includes a central aperture and a locking member. A sealing member is fixedly coupled to the end of the sleeve opposite the collar and includes a valve member for selectively sealing the central aperture of the insert. The sealing member includes a mating locking member such that the insert and sealing member can be axially locked into a position in which the central aperture is sealed. In one embodiment, a spring extends between the fixed collar and the tubular body for urging the sealing member into engagement with the insert to seal a flow path along the tubular body of said cigarette. 
         [0007]    In another embodiment, the spring is eliminated from the safety mouthpiece, such that it can be manually moved between a locked and unlocked position and remain in a selected position. With such a safety mouthpiece, therefore, it is necessary for a user to consciously move the mouthpiece in a prescribed manner for unlocking the mouthpiece and subsequently opening the flow path for vapors from the e-cigarette. 
         [0008]    These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description thereof together with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view, partly broken away, of an e-cigarette embodying the safety mouthpiece of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a fragmentary, partly cutaway view of the safety mouthpiece embodying the present invention, shown in a locked position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the structure shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a fragmentary, partly cutaway view of the safety mouthpiece shown being moved from a locked position as shown in  FIG. 2  toward an unlocked position as illustrated in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the structure shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a fragmentary, partly broken away view of the safety mouthpiece shown rotated to an unlocked position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the structure shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a fragmentary, partly broken away, view of the safety mouthpiece showing the axial movement of the sealing member once in an unlocked position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the structure shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a fragmentary, partly broken away view of the safety mouthpiece in a fully operational position in which the sealing member is moved to a fully open position, allowing use of the e-cigarette; 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the structure shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view of the safety mouthpiece shown in  FIG. 1  with the components shown rotated to a locked position corresponding to  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is an exploded perspective view of the safety mouthpiece with the components shown rotated to an unlocked position corresponding to  FIGS. 10 and 11 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a perspective, partly cutaway view of an alternative embodiment of the safety mouthpiece shown in a locked position; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the safety mouthpiece shown in  FIG. 14 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0024]    Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an e-cigarette  10  embodying the present invention, namely, a safety mouthpiece  20  slideably and rotatably mounted to the end of the e-cigarette opposite the tip end  12 . The tip of e-cigarette  10  may include an LED  14  to simulate the act of smoking. The e-cigarette  10  includes a tubular body  16 , typically housing a battery, and a control circuit including a sensor for determining when the vaporizing element should be activated based upon an individual drawing on the mouthpiece  20  when in an open position to activate the e-cigarette. As schematically illustrated in  FIG. 3 , tubular body  16  of the e-cigarette houses a source  18  of volatizable material, such as propylene glycol, which may include nicotine, flavorants, or other substance desired to be used in connection with the e-cigarette. An axially extending chamber  19  receives the material to be volatized and includes a heater (not shown) or other conventional device, which is selectively coupled to a battery (not shown) for powering the e-cigarette when a pressure drop is detected by a sensor contained within the tubular body  16  of the cigarette. All e-cigarettes have similar internal components for vaporizing or atomizing the source  18  of volatizable material. These components form no part of the present invention other than to provide a tubular housing to which the mouthpiece  20  is mounted. One such e-cigarette is described in PCT Publication No. WO 2014/110119, filed Jan. 8, 2014, and entitled ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0025]    Tubular body  16  defining the body of the e-cigarette  10  is typically made of metal or plastic material to which there is slideably mounted the safety mouthpiece  20  of the present invention. The mouthpiece  20  includes an outer sleeve  22 , which is relatively thin and typically made of stainless steel or other metal. It is slideably mounted to the tubular body  16  by a polymeric collar  24  fixedly secured within one end  23  of sleeve  22  but having an internal diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of tubular body  16 . The sleeve surrounds a stationary locking insert  26  ( FIG. 3 ) which is fixedly mounted to the end  15  of tubular body  16 , such as by press-fitting, a bonding material, ultra-sonic welding, or the like depending upon the materials used. Insert  26  has flange  27  which overlies the cylindrical end of tubular body  16  and has a smaller outer diameter then the inner diameter of sleeve  22  to allow the mouthpiece  20  to move with respect to the e-cigarette body  16 . The insert  26  also has a cylindrical projection  29  which extends into tubular body  16  of the e-cigarette, as seen in  FIG. 2 . Projection  29  assists in the fixed mounting of insert  26  to end  15  of tubular body  16 . 
         [0026]    Air flow through the e-cigarette  10  must be isolated and directed axially through the body of the e-cigarette to travel past the vaporizing section  19  and entrain the vaporized nicotine solution. Effective air seals are necessary in key mating surfaces of the sliding mouthpiece sleeve  22  to prevent undesired air ingress into the mouthpiece assembly during draw (puffing) by the user. The sliding mouthpiece sleeve  22  shown in  FIG. 10  must create and maintain an adequate seal to prevent air ingress between the inside circumferential surfaces of collar  24  and the outside surface of tubular body  16 . In addition, an adequate seal must be created and maintained between the outside circumferential surface of the flange on insert member  26  and the inside surface of sliding mouthpiece sleeve  22 . These seals can be accomplished by employing suitable sealing rings or, in the case of insert  26 , by bonding the fixed insert to the inner cylindrical surface of sleeve  22 . 
         [0027]    Insert  26  has an axial port  28  which includes a conical opening defining a valve seat  30 . Insert  26  also includes axially and radially extending arcuate locking tabs  32  (best seen in  FIGS. 13 and 14 ) which interlock with mating locking tabs  42  of a sealing member  40 , which is fixedly mounted to the end  21  of sleeve  22 . These pairs of angularly and axially spaced locking tabs  32 ,  42  define a bayonet-type lock for securing the mouthpiece  20  to the e-cigarette tubular body  16 . Sealing member  40  includes an axially extending plunger  44  with a conical end  46  that, together with the valve seat  30  of insert  26 , form a valve which opens and closes the flow path (arrow A) of vapor through port  28  as the mouthpiece moves to the left or right, respectively, as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 11 , between open and closed positions. The axially extending arcuate interlocking tabs  42  of the sealing member  40  interlock with tabs  32  of the insert  26  when in a locked position shown in  FIGS. 2-5 . When sleeve  22  is rotated in a counterclockwise direction to an unlocked position as illustrated in  FIGS. 6-11 , the mouthpiece  20  can be manually pulled and moved to the left in these figures against the force of a tension spring  50 , which tends to urge the sealing member  40  into a sealing position as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . For such purpose, spring  50  has one end  52  secured to a tab  34  on insert  26  near end  15  of tubular body  16  and an opposite end  54  secured to a tab  25  on collar  24 . The tab  34  ( FIGS. 2 ,  4 ,  6 ,  8 ,  10 , and  13 ) on insert  26  is used to fixedly anchor end  52  of spring  50  to insert  26  while a similar tab  25  ( FIGS. 2 ,  4 ,  6 ,  8 ,  10 , and  13 ) on collar  24  anchors the opposite end of spring  50  to sliding collar  24 . The spring  50  is in tension to urge the sealing member  40  at the end of mouthpiece  20  into sealing engagement with the insert member  26 . 
         [0028]    In the valve closed and locked position as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the flow path of vapor (normally in the direction indicated by arrow A in  FIG. 3 ) is prevented, and the e-cigarette  10  cannot be used. To unlock the mouthpiece to allow use of the e-cigarette  10 , it is necessary to rotate the sleeve  22  in a counterclockwise direction, as illustrated in  FIGS. 8-11 , in which the interlocking bayonet tabs  32  and  42  clear one another and allow the user to pull the sleeve  22  and mouthpiece  20  rearwardly in the direction indicated by arrow B in  FIGS. 8-11 . This opens the port  28  until it reaches a fully open position as shown in  FIG. 11 . In this position, the mouthpiece must be held in an open position against the tension of spring  50 , typically by the user placing their fingers adjacent the collar  24  around tubular body  16  in an area indicated by arrow C in  FIGS. 8-11  to prevent the spring  50  from returning the conical end  46  of plunger  44  to a sealed position with respect to valve seat  30 . 
         [0029]    Thus, to use the electronic cigarette, it is necessary for the user to both rotate the mouthpiece  20  in a counterclockwise direction approximately 90° and draw the sleeve mouthpiece rearwardly the distance of approximately ¼ inch against the tension of spring  50  to open the vapor flow path from vaporizer chamber  19  into the end area  17  ( FIGS. 9 and 11 ) of tubular body  16 , which is in communication with the port  28  of insert  26 . The end of sealing member  40  includes a pair of arcuate exit apertures  48 ′ which align with the open spaces between the now spaced-apart locking tabs  32 ,  42  when the mouthpiece is in an open position, as seen in  FIGS. 10-12 , to provide a flow path from vaporizing chamber  19  to the exit apertures  48  at&#39;the end of mouthpiece  20 . As long as the sleeve  22  is held in an open position, repeated puffs can be made of the electronic cigarette. Once released; sealing member  40  will, under the tension of spring  50 , move to a sealed position, as illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , whereupon the user can then rotate the sleeve  22  clockwise, such that tabs  32  and  42  interlock, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2-3 , to prevent axial movement of the mouthpiece  20  to an open use position. 
         [0030]    An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . In this embodiment, the spring  50  is deleted, such that the user need not hold the sleeve  22  in an open position with their fingers once in an unlocked position. The sliding friction between the collar  24  and the outer circumferential surface of tubular body  16  is selected such that the mouthpiece can be relatively easily slid along the e-cigarette but, in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , remains in an open usable position for use of the cigarette. In the embodiments with the spring, the collar  24  is in loose frictional engagement with tubular body  16 , allowing the spring to move the sealing member  40  against the insert  26  for closing the valve defined by the interface between the sealing plunger  46  and valve seat  30  under the tension of spring  50 . The spring constant is selected to provide the desired closure of the mouthpiece without requiring an excessive effort on the part of the user to maintain it open during use. The materials of the sealing member  40 , insert  26 , and collar  24  typically will be a polymeric material suitable for use with e-cigarettes. Such material may include a high density polymer, such as polyethylene or polyacetate. The spring  50  typically will be made of stainless steel, as will the outer sleeve  22  of mouthpiece  20 . The length of mouthpiece  20  is approximately ¾ inch, while the diameter is only slightly more than the diameter of tubular body  16  of the e-cigarette  10  and dimensionally simulates a filter on the end of a normal cigarette. 
         [0031]    It will become apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to the preferred embodiments of the invention as described herein can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.