Abstract:
The present invention is a heat management device for a hookah, wherein the device is provided to enclose a heat source such as burning charcoal. The heat source is provided on the top surface of a base which conducts heat to tobacco located at the bottom side of the base. The heat management device is further provided with a hollow riser which defines an air path from the top side of the base to the bottom side of the base while preventing particulate from the heat source from contaminating the tobacco.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/336,574 filed on May 14, 2016, entitled “Heat Management System” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of tobacco smoking devices, and more particularly to a heat management system for use with a hookah. 
       2. Description of Related Art 
       [0003]    The term “hookah” herein refers to the well-known type of water pipe that a smoker uses to smoke flavored and sweetened tobacco. It is sometimes referred by other names, including narghile, argileh, shisha, hubble-bubble, shisha, and goza. The smoker places tobacco in a small tobacco-holding bowl that is referred to as a “hookah head” or simply a “head” located on the upper portion of the hookah (e.g., a funnel or phunnel head), where the tobacco burns from the heat of burning charcoal set above it. Smoke from the tobacco travels from the head, down a stem, through a water bowl, and along one or more hoses to one or more smokers for inhalation. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 9,237,770 issued Jan. 19, 2016 to Bavar and assigned to Kaloud, Inc. (a California corporation) describes a hookah heat management accessory that some smokers use to hold the burning charcoal and regulate the transfer of heat to tobacco in the head. That patent is referred to herein as the Kaloud patent, recognizing that KALOUD is a trademark of Kaloud, Inc. The specification and claims thereof are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference for all the information they provide. 
         [0005]    The hookah heat management accessory (HHMA) described in said Kaloud patent is a charcoal-holding container with a circular sidewall-defining mid-section (i.e., a wall  103 ) mounted atop a disc-shaped base plate (i.e., a plate  102 ). A dome-shaped adjustable lid (i.e., the combination of a lower lid  104  and an upper lid  105 ) sets atop the HHMA mid-section. 
         [0006]    During hookah use, with burning charcoal in the HHMA and the HHMA atop the tobacco-holding head of the hookah (e.g., the head 1302 of the hookah 1300 illustrated in FIG. 13 of the Kaloud patent), air enters the HHMA through multiple inlet slits through the lower portions of the sidewalls. Then, the air flows over the burning charcoal and exits downwardly into the tobacco-holding head by flowing through multiple air outlet apertures in the base plate. As that occurs, adjustment of air vents on the adjustable lid controls charcoal burning and heat ventilation. 
         [0007]    The present invention improves upon existing HMMA devices, as described above, predicated on the inventor&#39;s realization that charcoal ashes from the HMMA sometimes mix with the tobacco. That unwanted event occurs when the charcoal ashes move downwardly from the HHMA through the air outlet apertures in the base plate; the ashes move downwardly into the tobacco-holding hookah head and thereby contaminate the tobacco. Such tobacco contamination is something that smokers do not appreciate. 
         [0008]    Based upon those and other related realizations, the inventor conceived an improved device that is similar in some respects to an HHMA. The improved device is referred to herein as a riser-outfitted heat management device, or ROHMD; it is an apparatus for placement in an operative position atop a hookah head, where it holds burning charcoal or other heat source above tobacco in the hooka head. Unlike prior art HHMA devices, however, the ROHMD has a base without multiple apertures. Instead, the ROHMD has an upwardly extending central structure within it that is referred to herein as an “air passageway riser” or “hollow riser.” 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention is a hookah heat management device provided with a hollow riser. The hollow riser is an air passageway defining structure. It defines an air passageway having an entranceway located above the highest level normally attained by charcoal ashes during normal use of the Riser-Outfitted heat management device (ROHMD); it also includes an outlet opening located at or beneath the base. The air passageway extends vertically downward from its entranceway and through the base to the outlet opening. As a result, by eliminating multiple openings in the base and adding the hollow riser, the above arrangement alleviates the problem of charcoal ashes contaminating tobacco in the head on which the ROHMD is being used. 
         [0010]    More specifically, an ROHMD constructed according to the present invention for use with a hookah, includes what is referred to herein as an “aperture-free base” (and just as a “base”) that is configured to hold hot charcoal, or other heat source, atop a hookah head on the hookah in order to conduct heat to tobacco held by the hookah head. An upwardly extending sidewall is attached to the base; it combines with the base to form an enclosure for the burning charcoal, or other heat source, while enabling transfer to the hookah head (and its contents) of heat produced by the hot charcoal, or other heat source. The ROHMD also includes a dome-shaped adjustable lid for ventilation-controlling purposes. 
         [0011]    Preferably, the sidewall of the ROHMD is attached to the aperture-free base in integral one-piece construction. Preferably, the sidewall defines multiple sidewall inlet openings for ventilation of air and heat. Those sidewall inlet openings are, preferably, located upwardly from the base so that charcoal ashes do not pass through them. And, as mentioned above, the ROHMD includes a hollow riser that defines an air passageway extending from an entranceway above the level of charcoal ashes to an outlet end located at or beneath the base. 
         [0012]    The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the prior art, hookah heat management accessory; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the riser-outfitted heat management device, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the riser-outfitted heat management device, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the riser-outfitted heat management device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages may be understood by referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. 
         [0019]    In reference to  FIG. 1 , structural details of a Hookah Heat Management Accessory (HHMA)  10  are shown according to the prior art. Additional aspects of the HHMA  10  are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 9,237,770 (i.e., the Kaloud patent). That patent is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0020]    The HHMA  10  is generally similar to the Hookah Heat Management Accessory 100 described in the Kaloud patent. Thus, the HHMA  10  includes a plate  11 , a wall  12 , and a lid  13  that cooperatively hold burning charcoal (not illustrated), while cooperatively controlling the transfer of heat from the charcoal to tobacco a smoker has placed in a hookah head on which the HHMA  10  is used. A hookah head is not illustrated in  FIG. 1 , but it may be similar to the hookah head 1302 shown in FIG. 13 of the Kaloud patent. 
         [0021]    When in use, with the plate  11  disposed horizontally in an operative position atop a hookah head (i.e., a position similar to that occupied by the accessory 100 as it is shown in FIG. 13 of the Kaloud patent), air passes into the HHMA  10  through slits in the wall  12 , as depicted by horizontally pointing bold arrows in  FIG. 1  (just two slits are illustrated diagrammatically). Some of that air may be vented through the lid  13 . When the smoker draws on the hookah hose (not illustrated, but similar to a hose 1305 shown in FIG. 13 of the Kaloud patent), some of the air passes downwardly through multiple apertures in the plate  11 , and into the hookah head, as depicted by the vertically pointing bold arrows in  FIG. 1 . However, charcoal ashes are prone to move downwardly though those multiple apertures into the hookah head, also. 
         [0022]    In reference to  FIG. 2-3 , the Riser-Outfitted Hookah Management Device (ROHMD)  20  constructed according to the present invention. The ROHMD  20  may be similar in some respects to the HHMA  10 , with a base, sidewall, and lid; but, instead of having a plate  11  that defines multiple apertures, the ROHMD  20  includes an aperture-free base  21 . The base  21  is aperture-free in the sense that it does not include, slits, vents, openings, or other apertures like the plate  11  of a prior art HHMA through which charcoal ashes can move downwardly into the hookah head. A sidewall  22  and a lid  23  combine with the aperture-free base  21  to cooperatively hold burning charcoal (not illustrated) while cooperatively controlling the transfer of heat from the charcoal to tobacco in a hookah head on which the ROHMD  20  is used. In other words, the base  21  and sidewall  22  cooperatively form an enclosure for holding the charcoal, or other heat source, while the lid  23  controls ventilation. 
         [0023]    To enable the flow of air downwardly into the hookah head, the ROHMD  20  includes a hollow riser  24  that defines an air passageway  25  extending along an axis of elongation  25 A. The air passageway  25  has an entranceway  26  located above the highest level normally attained by charcoal ashes (i.e., slightly less than one-half inch, or so) and an air outlet  27  located at or beneath the aperture-free base  21  ( FIG. 2 ). In use, the ROHMD  20  sets in an operative position atop the hookah head (i.e., an operative position in which the aperture-free base  21  lies in a horizontal plane, with the axis of elongation  25 A of the air passageway  25  disposed vertically). Air passes into the ROHMD  20  through sidewall inlet openings, as depicted by the horizontally pointing bold arrows in  FIG. 2  (just two sidewall inlet openings  28  and  29  are illustrated diagrammatically). Some of that air may be vented through the lid  23 . 
         [0024]    When a smoker draws on the hookah hose (not illustrated, but it may be similar to the hose 1305 shown in FIG. 13 of the Kaloud patent), some of the air enters the hollow riser  24  through the entranceway  26 , as depicted by the downwardly directed single bold arrowhead in  FIG. 2 . That air then flows downwardly through the air passageway  25  in the hollow riser  24 , out the air outlet  27 , and into the hookah head, as depicted by the downwardly directed double bold arrowhead in  FIG. 2 . With air flowing that way, movement of charcoal ashes to the hookah head is avoided. 
         [0025]    Preferably, the sidewall  22  is attached to the aperture-free base  21  in integral one-piece construction (e.g., it is molded, cast, or machined from a suitable metal material). Preferably, the sidewall inlet openings  28  and  29  are located upwardly from the aperture-free base  21  to avoid charcoal ashes passing through them (e.g., halfway between the base  21  and the lower portion of the lid  23 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 ). In addition, the upperside of the base  21  is preferably corrugated or grooved (i.e., not flat) in order to enhance airflow to the underside of charcoal set upon it, thereby promoting a better burning of the charcoal. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of an ROHMD constructed according to the present invention that includes such elevated openings in the sidewall. It is identified as an ROHMD  30 , and it is similar in many respects to the ROHMD  20 ; it has an aperture-free base  31 , a sidewall  32 , and a lid  33 , together with a hollow riser  34  that defines an air passageway  35  extending along a vertically extending axis of elongation  35 A. One significant difference in the ROHMD  30 , however, is that the air inlet openings  38  and  39  in the sidewall  32  are disposed upwardly from its aperture-free base  31  for charcoal ash avoidance purposes. In addition, the ROHMD  30  has multiple entranceways  36  to the air passageway  35  that face radially outward relative to the vertically extending axis of elongation  35 A, and it has multiple outlet openings  37  that also face radially outward (for preferred airflow purposes). 
         [0027]    In summary, the present invention provides an apparatus for placement in an operative position atop a hookah head in order to hold burning charcoal or other heat source in a position above tobacco in the hookah head. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a base, a sidewall, a lid, and a hollow riser. The base is an aperture-free base and the sidewall is attached to the base (preferably in unitary one-piece construction) to form an enclosure for the heat source. The enclosure has an upwardly opening upper portion, and it includes at least one inlet opening for admitting air into the enclosure (preferably located upwardly from the level of the base). The lid covers the upwardly opening upper portion of the enclosure, where it defines adjustable vents for controlling enclosure ventilation. 
         [0028]    The hollow riser is located within the enclosure, extending upwardly from the base along a straight line axis of elongation that is vertically disposed when the apparatus is in the operative position atop the hookah head. The hollow riser defines an air passageway having an entranceway within the enclosure and an outlet opening beneath the base. The entranceway of the air passageway is located above a highest level normally attained by ashes formed by the heat source during normal use of the apparatus so that air can flow from within the enclosure to beneath the base, while ashes are prevented from doing so. The hollow riser also prevents a vacuum from being created between the hookah bowl and the bottom side of the base when a user inhales from the hookah. 
         [0029]    Thus, the present invention provides a riser outfitted heat management device having significant improvements that alleviate the problem of charcoal ashes contaminating tobacco in the head of a hookah on which the ROHMD is being used. Although exemplary embodiments are described, a person having ordinary skill in the art (i.e., a PHOSITA) can readily make many changes, modifications, and substitutions to the exemplary embodiments described herein without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Moreover, the dimensions and shapes may be changed from those shown and described, according to the precise use anticipated. As for the specific terminology used herein to describe the exemplary embodiment, it is not intended to limit the invention; each specific term is intended to include all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose or function. The term “aperture-free base,” for example, applies to a base even though the base has a hole in it through which the air passageway extends. In addition, the “highest level” normally attained by ashes formed by the heat source during normal use of the apparatus is slightly less than about one-half inch above the base. 
         [0030]    The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments for the purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the invention can be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not be regarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with the following claims.