Smoking appliance

A smoking appliance utilizes a solid-phase cooling medium for tempering and treating smoke. The appliance has a housing which defines an upstanding cooling chamber. A burning bowl is arranged to introduce smoke to be treated into a lower portion of the cooling chamber. A flexible hose communicates a mouthpiece with the chamber for withdrawing treated smoke from an upper portion of the cooling chamber. A removable container is provided for supporting a solid-phase cooling medium within an intermediate portion of the cooling chamber. The cooling medium defines a plurality of flow paths for transmitting smoke from the lower portion to the upper portion. During its travel through the cooling medium, the smoke is exposed to a large surface area of the cooling medium to effect a thorough tempering and treating action. While the solid-phase cooling medium preferably takes the form of a reusable frozen cartridge, it may also constitute a plurality of pieces of ice supported within the container. A drainable residue collection area is provided at the base of the cooling chamber for catching ash particles and residue-containing liquid. A perforated wall is provided in the bottom of the container to restrain ash particles from coming into contact with the solid-phase cooling medium while, at the same time, permitting smoke to filter gently upwardly through the cooling medium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to smoking appliances and, more 
particularly, to a novel and improved smoking appliance which utilizes a 
solid-phase cooling medium for effectively tempering and treating smoke. 
2. Prior Art 
In the smoking of organic materials including some rare and expensive 
tobaccos, it is found that inhaled smoke oftentimes tends to be somewhat 
harsh, hot and irritating to the lungs of a smoker. Accordingly, it is 
desirable that the smoke from these materials be tempered and treated 
prior to its being inhaled. Devices known as "water pipes" and "bongs" 
have been used to effect tempering and treatment of smoke. 
A water pipe ordinarily includes an upstanding housing which defines a 
water chamber near its base. A burning bowl is operably connected to the 
housing for introducing smoke into the water chamber. A mouthpiece 
communicates with the water chamber for drawing smoke from the burning 
bowl through the water chamber. As the smoke travels through the water, it 
tends to be cleaned of ash and certain other contaminants, and may be 
cooled slightly to render it more suitable for inhaling. In some 
instances, liquids other than water have been used in the water chamber. 
The use of wine has been proposed as a suitable water substitute. 
A bong is ordinarily quite similar in construction to a water pipe, the 
principal difference being that the bong has no mouthpiece communicating 
with its water chamber but rather utilizes a housing having an open upper 
end which may be pressed against facial portions around the mouth of a 
smoker. As the smoker inhales, smoke from a burning bowl is drawn through 
water or other liquid disposed in a chamber at the lower end of the 
housing. A small diameter air admission hole may be formed through the 
wall of the housing at a level above that of the liquid. This hole may be 
maintained closed by a simple flap valve or may be held closed by the 
smoker during initial stages of a draw, whereupon the smoker may open the 
air admission hole toward the end of a draw to ease the draw as smoke from 
the chamber is inhaled. 
While the adverse effects of harsh, hot and irritating smoke may be 
mitigated to a degree by proposed water pipe and bong appliances, the 
tempering and treating action they provide is not as thorough as many 
smokers desire. One reason for the relatively ineffective tempering and 
treating action provided by such appliances is that smoke being drawn 
through a liquid medium tends to travel through the medium in the form of 
a stream of rapidly moving bubbles. Only the outer surface areas of the 
rapidly moving bubbles are exposed to the liquid medium and the exposure 
time is quite minimal. While proposals have been made to increase exposure 
time by providing a relatively deep body of liquid filtering medium and/or 
by providing structure which defines relatively torturous paths for 
movement of smoke through the liquid medium, these proposals have been 
found to be relatively ineffective in improving the filtering and cooling 
actions and, in most instances, have significantly increased the draw 
strength required to effect passage of smoke through the cooling medium. 
Many proposed water pipe and bong appliances require unduly large draw 
strengths to effect proper operation. 
A further disadvantage of many water pipe and bong appliance proposals has 
been that the liquid utilized as a cooling and filtering medium tends to 
become contaminated with ash particles within a relatively short period of 
time and must therefore be changed frequently. While proposals have been 
made to provide various types of ash collection chambers at locations 
which will prevent the entry of ash particles into the liquid cooling and 
filtering medium, most of these proposals have significantly increased the 
complexity, and hence the cost, of the resulting smoking appliances. 
Moreover, in many instances, these proposals have propounded the excessive 
draw strength problem and have rendered the appliances more difficult to 
clean. 
The problem of providing a relatively simple and inexpensive smoking 
appliance which will provide a desirably effective cooling and filtering 
action, which will require minimal draw strength to operate, and yet which 
is easy to clean has continued to elude those skilled in the art. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other drawbacks of the 
prior art by providing a novel and improved, simple and inexpensive, easy 
to clean smoking appliance which employs a solid-phase cooling medium to 
effect a thorough tempering and treatment of smoke while requiring minimal 
draw strength to operate. 
A smoking appliance embodying the preferred practice of the present 
invention is a self-contained unit, many of the components of which can be 
formed from relatively inexpensively molded plastics material. Components 
of the appliance include an upstanding housing having an open upper end 
which is closed by a removable cover. A cooling chamber is defined within 
the housing and a removable container is positionable within the cooling 
chamber for supporting a solid-phase cooling medium therein. A 
stem-supported burning bowl is provided for introducing smoke into a lower 
portion of the cooling chamber. A mouthpiece communicates with the cooling 
chamber through an opening formed in the cover for withdrawing smoke from 
an upper portion of the cooling chamber. 
In preferred practice, a reusable frozen cartridge serves as the 
solid-phase cooling medium. The cartridge is receivable within the 
container and the container is configured to support the cooling medium at 
a location intermediate the lower and upper portions of the cooling 
chamber. Alternatively, pieces of ice may be supported within the 
container to serve as the solid-phase cooling medium. In either event, the 
solid-phase cooling medium defines a plurality of flow paths for the 
travel of smoke from the lower portion of the chamber to the upper portion 
of the chamber. 
Several advantages obtain through the use of a solid-phase, rather than a 
liquid-phase, cooling and filtering medium. The medium defines a plurality 
of flow paths for the travel of smoke therethrough, whereby the smoke is 
exposed to a large surface area of the cooling and filtering medium to 
effect a far more thorough treating and tempering action than is effected 
where smoke passes in the form of rapidly moving bubbles through a liquid 
medium. The smoke is dispensed through a greater volume of cooling medium 
and, by virtue of the large volume of the medium and the large number of 
flow paths defined therethrough, the smoke can travel quite slowly and 
gently through the medium to significantly reduce its temperature and 
permit the condensation and/or settling out of contaminants. Moreover, 
since the smoke need not displace any portion of the medium as is required 
where smoke bubbles must force their way through a liquid medium, a 
thorough tempering and treating action can be had while, at the same time, 
providing an appliance which requires minimal draw strength. 
Still another feature which obtains through the use of a solid-phase 
cooling medium is that the degree of treating and tempering action can be 
readily controlled. The extent to which smoke is cooled can be controlled 
by regulating the volume and/or temperature and/or torturous nature of the 
flow paths defined through the cooling medium. The degree to which smoke 
being treated is filtered can similarly be regulated by controlling the 
character of the flow paths through the cooling and filtering medium. 
The use of a reusable frozen cartridge as the solid-phase cooling medium is 
preferred over the use of pieces of ice for several reasons. First, where 
ice is used as the solid-phase cooling medium, melt accumulates in the 
base of the appliance and must be periodically drained in order to prevent 
the appliance from operating in a water pipe mode. Moreover, where ice is 
used as the solid-phase cooling and filtering medium, the appliance tends 
to be more position sensitive than when used with a reusable frozen 
cartridge since the ice and the water which forms as the ice melts are 
both subject to spillage. 
While a reusable frozen cartridge is preferred in most instances, there may 
be certain tobaccos which are found to be more effectively treated and 
tempered where ice is used as the solid-phase cooling medium. This may be 
due, at least in part, to the filtering and cleansing action which obtains 
as the smoke passes gently over the moisture laden surfaces of the pieces 
of ice. In such instances, the desirable filtering effects incurred by 
virtue of the exposure of the smoke to water is obtained without 
increasing the draw strength required to operate the appliance. 
A smoking appliance constructed in accordance with the most preferred 
practice of the present invention includes an upstanding housing having a 
cylindrical side wall closed at its lower end by an orthogonally extending 
bottom wall. The side and bottom walls cooperate define an upwardly 
opening cooling chamber. A residue collection area is defined at the base 
of the cooling chamber. A drain opening is provided in the side wall of 
the housing for withdrawing residue-containing liquid from the residue 
collection area. A container supporting formation, preferably in the form 
of an annular, upwardly-facing shoulder is provided on the inside of the 
housing to support the cooling medium container at a location above the 
residue collection area. The container has a perforated bottom wall which 
functions to restrain ash particles from coming into contact with the 
solid-phase cooling medium while, at the same time, permitting smoke to 
filter gently upwardly through the cooling medium. The container has a 
side wall which slip-fits within the interior of the housing side wall and 
is provided with a handle to facilitate inserting and removing the cooling 
medium from the chamber. The housing and its cover are preferably formed 
from molded plastics material which have a relatively low heat transfer 
coefficient to minimize heat transfer therethrough, whereby the effective 
life of the solid-phase cooling medium can be prolonged. The stem of the 
burning bowl extends through an opening formed in the housing side wall 
and can be removed therefrom for cleaning and storage. When the appliance 
is to be stored or transported, the stem-supported burning bowl and the 
mouthpiece can be inserted within the cooling chamber to minimize the size 
of the appliance and to protectively enclose its operating components. 
As will be apparent from the foregoing summary, it is an object of the 
present invention to provide a novel and improved smoking appliance. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and 
improved smoking appliance which utilizes a solid-phase cooling medium to 
effect a thorough and controlled tempering and treatment of smoke. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and 
improved smoking appliance provided with a container for supporting and 
removably positioning a solid-phase cooling medium within the housing of 
the appliance. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and 
improved smoking appliance which can utilize any of a plurality of 
selected solid-phase cooling media for tempering and treating smoke. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and 
improved smoking appliance including a reusable frozen cartridge as a 
solid-phase cooling and filtering medium for tempering and treating smoke. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and 
improved smoking appliance adapted to utilize pieces of ice as a 
solid-phase cooling medium and providing a catch chamber below the medium 
for receiving condensate liquid at a location which will not require the 
passage of smoke through the condensate. 
These and other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention 
described and claimed in the present application may be had by referring 
to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a smoking appliance embodying the preferred 
practice of the present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 
10. The appliance 10 includes a housing 12 which defines an upwardly 
opening cooling chamber 14. While the cooling chamber 14 is not physically 
subdivided, for purposes of discussion it may be considered to have lower, 
intermediate and upper portions, as indicated in FIG. 2 by the numerals 
16, 18, 20. 
A conventional stem-supported burning bowl 22 communicates with the cooling 
chamber 14 for introducing smoke to be treated into the lower portion 16. 
A bucket-like container 24 is provided for supporting a solid-phase 
cooling medium within the intermediate portion 18. A cover 26 is provided 
for closing the open upper end of the housing 12 and is provided with an 
opening 28 for withdrawing smoke from the upper portion 20. A flexible 
hose 30 communicates the withdrawal opening 28 with a mouthpiece 32. 
In FIG. 1, the solid-phase cooling medium takes the form of a reusable 
frozen cartridge 40. The cartridge 40 is of substantially right 
cylindrical configuration and is positionable in a slip-fit within the 
container 24. In FIG. 2, the solid-phase cooling medium takes the form of 
pieces of ice 42, preferably ice cubes, supported within the container 24. 
In either event, the solid-phase cooling medium 40, 42 functions to 
provide a relatively large volume cooling medium having a plurality of 
elongate flow paths formed therethrough for guiding the travel of smoke 
from the lower portion 16 to the upper portion 20. A feature of the 
solid-phase cooling medium is that its flow paths offer relatively little 
resistance to the travel of smoke whereby the draw strength required to 
operate the appliance 10 is minimized. Moreover, in view of the 
multiplicity of flow paths and their relatively non-constricted character, 
smoke tends to travel relatively slowly and gently through the solid-phase 
cooling medium, whereby it is subjected to an extensive and effective 
tempering and treating action to relieve its otherwise hot, harsh and 
irritating character. 
Turning now to the more specific details of construction of the components 
of the appliance 10, the housing 12 has a tubular, substantially 
cylindrical upstanding side wall 50 which is closed at its lower end by an 
integrally formed base wall 52. The base wall 52 has an outer flange 
portion 54 which extends circumferentially around the base of the side 
wall 50 to provide a stable support for the appliance 10. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the upstanding side wall 50 has a lower portion 56 
which is approximately twice as thick as other portions of the side wall 
50. An annular, upwardly facing shoulder 58 is provided at the upper end 
of the lower wall portion 56. The upper end of the side wall 50 defines a 
substantially planar rim surface 60. 
Three openings, 62, 64, 66, are provided through the side wall 50. The 
opening 62 communicates with the lower chamber portion 16 adjacent the 
base wall 52 and provides a means for draining liquid from the lower 
chamber portion 16. A conventional resilient stopper 68 is provided for 
closing the opening 62. The opening 64 is adapted to receive the stem 70 
of the burning bowl 22. The opening 64 is configured to snugly receive the 
stem 70 whereby the burning bowl 22 is supported on the housing 12. The 
fit which obtains between the stem 70 and such portions of the housing 12 
as surround the opening 64 is designed such that the stem 70 can be 
withdrawn from the opening 64 to permit the burning bowl to be stored 
within the cooling chamber 14 when the appliance 10 is not in use. The 
opening 66 is normally closed by a resilient flap 72. The flap 72 is 
secured to the outer surface of the side wall 50 by a pair of rivets 74. 
During operation of the appliance 10, a smoker may deflect the flap 72, as 
indicated in phantom in FIG. 2, to permit the introduction of ambient air 
into the chamber 14 to provide a suitable mix of air with treated smoke. 
The container 24 may be formed from metal or suitable plastics material and 
includes a generally cylindrical upstanding side wall 80 having an 
integrally formed, inwardly turned flange portion 82 at its base. A 
perforated bottom wall, preferably in the form of a woven screen 84, rests 
atop the inwardly turned flange 82. A pair of upwardly extending tabs 86 
are formed integrally with the side wall 80 and are provided with holes 
which receive opposite ends of a handle 88. As will be apparent from a 
comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle 88 is pivotally connected to the 
tabs 86 for movement between upstanding and storage positions. 
The cover 26 has a generally cylindrical top wall 90 with a centrally 
located upstanding projection 92. The withdrawal opening 28 constitutes 
the lower end of a hole 94 formed through the upstanding projection 92. 
The cover 26 has a depending circumferentially extending wall 96 with a 
downwardly facing shoulder 98 configured to rest atop the housing rim 60. 
The hose 30 is preferably formed from a suitable resilient material and has 
one end stretched over the upstanding formation 92 to communicate the hose 
30 with the hole 94. The mouthpiece 32 can be of any suitable conventional 
configuration. 
While the appliance 10 preferably includes the cover 26, the hose 30 and 
the mouthpiece 32, these components are not essential to its operation and 
can be eliminated where the smoker desires to use the appliance 10 in the 
manner of a bong, i.e., by positioning facial portions surrounding his 
mouth in engagement with the rim surface 60 during a draw. It is preferred 
to use the cover 26, hose 30 and mouthpiece 32 because these components 
permit the appliance 10 to be used without grasping and/or moving the 
housing 12. Where the appliance 10 is used as a bong, a plain cover (not 
shown) is preferably used to close the cooling chamber 14 between draws to 
prolong the effective life of the solid-phase cooling medium supported in 
the container 24. 
The reusable frozen cartridge 40 is provided with a plurality of circular 
passages 100 formed through its core and extending from its upper end to 
its lower end. A plurality of circumferentially spaced grooves 102 are 
formed in the outer wall of the cartridge and extend from its upper end to 
its lower end. When the cartridge 40 is positioned in the container 24, 
the passages 100 and the grooves 102 are communicated by the perforated 
screen 84 with the lower chamber portion 16. The side wall 80 of the 
container 24 cooperates with the grooves 102 to define a plurality of 
passages along which smoke may travel as it moves from the lower chamber 
portion 16 toward the upper chamber portion 20. The passages 100 also 
define a plurality of flow paths for smoke as it travels from the lower 
chamber portion 16 toward the upper portion 20. 
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reusable frozen cartridges 
having a variety of other configurations can be used. Cartridges suitable 
for use with the present invention preferably employ a semi-permanent 
refrigerant supported in a sealed container and being adapted to be 
repeatedly frozen and thawed. Cartridges of this type are well-known to 
those skilled in the art as exemplified, for instance, by such teachings 
as are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,800,454; 2,800,455; and 2,803,115, the 
disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Accordingly, 
the construction and arrangement of such cartridges need not be further 
described. 
In operation, the appliance 10 is prepared for use by inserting either the 
frozen cartridge 40 or a plurality of pieces of ice 42 or some other 
suitable solid-phase cooling medium into the container 24, whereafter the 
container 24 is inserted into the cooling chamber 14 to a position where 
its in-turned flange 82 rests atop the housing flange 58, as shown in FIG. 
2. The cover 26 is then positioned atop the housing 12, as shown in FIG. 
2, and the organic material to be smoked is loaded into the burning bowl 
22 and ignited. If ice or some other meltable solid-phase cooling medium 
is used, it may be necessary to periodically remove the drain plug 68 from 
the hole 62 to drain condensate liquids from the lower portion 16 of the 
chamber 14. As smoke is drawn through the hose 30 by drawing on the 
mouthpiece 32, the flap valve 72 may be opened by the smoker as desired to 
admit ambient air into the cooling chamber 14 through the opening 66 to 
provide a desired mixture of air and treated smoke. 
While the cartridge 40 may be configured to have an outer diameter which 
will permit its resting on the upwardly facing housing shoulder 58 thereby 
obviating the need for positioning the cartridge 40 in the container 24, 
it is nonetheless preferred to utilize the container 24 to support the 
cartridge 40 because the container's perforated bottom wall screen 84 acts 
to restrain the passage of ash particles into the cooling medium passages 
and grooves 200, 202. Accordingly, the container 24 not only acts as a 
means for facilitating the insertion and removal of the cartridge 40 from 
the chamber 14, but also acts in the capacity of a screening device to 
prevent the entry of some contaminants into the cooling and filtering 
medium 40, 42. 
As will be apparent from the foregoing description, the present invention 
provides a novel and improved, simple and inexpensive smoking appliance 
which utilizes a solid-phase cooling medium in a manner which overcomes 
many drawbacks of previous proposals. Smoking appliances embodying the 
preferred practice of the present invention are easy to operate, easy to 
clean, and require minimal draw strength to effect passage of smoke 
through the cooling medium. Smoking appliances embodying the preferred 
practice of the present invention can be used with a variety of 
solid-phase cooling media and, for that matter, can also be used without a 
solid-phase cooling medium in the manner of conventional water pipes and 
bongs. 
Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a 
certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present 
disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and 
numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and 
arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit 
and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. It is intended that the 
patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, 
whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.