Abstract:
A self-extinguishing pipe is described for use with tobacco or other smoking material. The pipe is made in two parts, a body and an endpiece, and holds a filter internally. The endpiece includes a reservoir for the tobacco or other smoking material at one end which has an adjustable base for changing the depth of the reservoir. The two-part construction and adjustable base facilitate cleaning of the pipe, replacement of the filter, and removal of ash without needing additional tools. The depth of the reservoir is adjusted by rotating an inner component of the endpiece in relation to a surrounding cowl. Various bores through the body of the pipe and the components of the endpiece communicate with each other so as to form an air passage from the smoking material to the mouth end of the pipe, thereby allowing smoke to be drawn into the user&#39;s mouth.

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/460,041, filed Jun. 2, 1995, now abandoned. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This invention relates to an apparatus used in smoking and, more particularly, to an improved, self-extinguishing pipe. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is known to make smoking systems which use pipes to hold the tobacco for smoking instead of rolling a cigarette or buying ready-made cigarettes. It is also known to make the pipe so that it extinguishes itself after each puff. The SmokeLess Cigarette used in the Dugout Smoking System is an example of such a pipe and its related smoking system. Another example of a pipe for use with smoking material and its related system are described in Crow U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,658. 
     Such self-extinguishing pipes, however, have various drawbacks and shortcomings which ultimately reduce the user&#39;s comfort or enjoyment. For example, such extinguishing pipes generally accommodate only short, less effective filters, which at times results in a raw, bitter or otherwise harsh taste when smoke is inhaled. 
     Another drawback is that self-extinguishing pipes generally have filters located at the portions of the pipe inserted into the user&#39;s mouth. As such, the filter frequently comes in contact with the user&#39;s mouth or tongue, which causes discomfort to the user, especially when the filter is made of a gauzy material. When such a filter is used, it may become saturated with saliva or other foreign matter at the end closest to the user&#39;s mouth, further diminishing enjoyment of the smoking experience. 
     As still another disadvantage to such pipes, the filters are difficult to install in the pipes. The filters, generally formed of a resiliently compressible material, must be compressed by the user and stuffed through the mouthpiece of the pipe into position. This operation is time-consuming and may even require tweezers to assist in insertion of the filter, making the filters inconvenient to use. 
     An additional disadvantage is that if the filter is not carefully inserted, it may become cut, damaged, or otherwise lose its integrity from abrading against the mouthpiece of the pipe. The effectiveness of such filters, when damaged, is reduced. 
     Further drawbacks of current self-extinguishing pipes relate to the difficulty and discomfort in removing filters from the pipes. To remove a used filter, the user must resort to reaming out the filter by inserting a pipe cleaner through the pipe and pushing the filter out. The user generally must also grasp the filter at the end which was in contact with the user&#39;s mouth and has been soiled during the smoking process. The user is thus confronted with an unpleasant and inconvenient operation whenever a used filter needs to be removed from a pipe of the current art. Tar from the filter is sometimes inadvertently deposited on the mouthpiece because the filter passes through the mouthpiece during its removal. This, again, results in inconvenience or unpleasantness to the user. 
     Various additional disadvantages of current pipes relate to the structure of the self-extinguishing pipe apart from the filters used therein. Self-extinguishing pipes are often a single piece. Such a single-piece design makes ashes and any spent tobacco difficult to remove after use. The ashes and other spent material must be reamed out with a pipe cleaner, which, again, is both a time-consuming and messy process. 
     Current self-extinguishing pipes are disadvantageously constructed of a heat-conducting material, generally a metal. Although such a material resists melting, it makes the pipe far heavier than a traditional cigarette. Thus, users accustomed to holding cigarettes in the mouth or fingers find the heavier pipes clumsy to manipulate and thus distracting enough to interfere with enjoyment of smoking. 
     In addition, heat from the smoking material is often conducted down the length of the pipe to where the user is holding the pipe, or even as far as the user&#39;s mouth. Such heat potentially results, again, in a sharp diminution in smoking pleasure. 
     Thus, there is a need for a self-extinguishing pipe which is easily cleaned, safe, and comfortable. There is also a need for the pipe to be convenient to operate, namely by having the ashes and filter easily removable. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved self-extinguishing pipe for use with smoking materials, which pipe can be simple and convenient to operate. 
     Another object is to provide a pipe constructed in such a manner as to allow it to be easily cleaned, safe, and comfortable for the user. 
     According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are obtained by a smoking system which includes a pipe separable into a body and an endpiece removably secured to one of the ends of the body. The endpiece has portions which define the reservoir for smoking materials. Components of the endpiece and the body can be manipulated to vary the volume of the reservoir so that it can alternately be filled with smoking materials or emptied of ashes and spent smoking material. According to another aspect of the invention, a chamber is located within the pipe and a filter is removably received within the chamber. One end of the filter abuts an interior surface of the chamber to hold the filter away from the mouth of the user. The other end of the filter protrudes from the chamber through an opening in the body, which enables the filter to be manually grasped for removal from the chamber. 
     In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the reservoir includes a base which is longitudinally displaceable toward or away from the edge of the reservoir so as to vary the reservoir depth. The base of the reservoir is connected to an internal component of the endpiece, and the internal component is surrounded by a cowl. The longitudinal displacement of the internal component in relation to the cowl causes the base of the reservoir to be longitudinally displaced. 
    
    
     The above mentioned and other features of this invention will be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a smoking system according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the pipe of FIG. 1 taken along line  2 — 2 ; 
     FIG. 3 is a cut-away side view of the pipe of FIGS. 1 and 2; 
     FIG. 4 is an end view of the pipe of FIGS. 1-3 taken from the mouthpiece end; 
     FIG. 5 is an end view of the pipe of FIGS. 1-4 taken from the reservoir end; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the pipe of FIGS. 1-5 disassembled; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged, exploded cut-away side view of the smoking material reservoir of the pipe of FIGS. 1-6; and 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the pipe of FIGS.  1 - 7 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     A smoking system  18  according to the invention is shown in FIG.  1  and includes a container  21  and a pipe  20  which can be inserted into or stored in the container  21 . The pipe  20 , in general terms, comprises two components: an elongated, generally cylindrical body  22  and an endpiece  24  attached to one of the ends of the body  22 . The endpiece  24  includes portions which define a reservoir or bowl  37  for smoking material  62 . 
     The container  21  in this embodiment is sized to be easily transported by the user, such as in a pocket or purse, and includes a base  23  and generally elongated sidewalls  25 . Container  21  includes a compartment  31  for storing the smoking material  62 , such as tobacco, and a compartment  33  sized to removably receive the pipe  20  therein. The compartments  31 ,  33  are accessible from the top of the container  21  and are covered by covering portions  35   a  &amp;  35   b , respectively. 
     To load the pipe  20  with the smoking material  62 , the reservoir  37  of the pipe may be plunged into the compartment  31  containing a supply of the smoking material  62 . When the user applies downward pressure on the pipe  20  and a clock-wise twisting motion, the smoking material  62  is packed into the reservoir  37  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The pipe  20  can then be smoked by inserting mouth end  27  of the body  22  into user&#39;s mouth  19  and drawing air through passages in the pipe  20  as described subsequently. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2-6, the body  22  has a passage  39  which extends longitudinally through the body  22  and communicates with an opening  29  located at the mouth end  27  of the body  22 . The other end of the passage  39  communicates with a second opening  41  at opposite end  43  of the body  22  (FIG.  6 ). The passage  39  thus permits air to circulate between the opposite ends  27 ,  43  of the body  22 . 
     The passage  39  includes an interior wall  47  (FIGS. 2 and 3) which defines a chamber  28  within the body  22 . The chamber  28 , in this particular embodiment is also a segment of the passage  39 , but alternate locations of the chamber  28  are suitable so long as the chamber  28  communicates with both of the ends  27 ,  43  of the body  22 . The chamber  28  extends through the body  22  a sufficient distance to receive substantially a filter  26 . 
     The chamber  28  and the openi ng  41  connecte d to the chamber  28  have sufficient cross-sectional area so that the filter  26  can be removably inserted into the chamber  28  through the opening  41  as best seen in FIG.  6 . The chamber  28  includes an interior, transverse surface  89  located between the chamber  28  and the opening  29  at the end  27  of the body  22 . The transverse surface  89  extends sufficiently into the passage  39  to cause the filter  26  to remain longitudinally spaced from the opening  29 . In this way, the filter  26  is kept from contact with the user&#39;s mouth  19  at the mouth end  27 . 
     Referring to FIG. 6, the endpiece  24  and the body  22  are connected to each other in such a manner that they can be manually separated. When the endpiece  24  and the body  22  are separated, an end of the filter  26  protrudes from the chamber  28  through the opening  41  allowing the user easily to grasp the filter  26  by the protruding end. The endpiece  24  includes a cavity  49  which is sized to accommodate the protruding end of the filter  26  when the endpiece  24  is attached to the body  22 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2,  3 , and  8 , the ca vity  49  in the endpiece  24  communicates with a passage  51  which extends from the cavity  49  longitudinally through the endpiece  24  to communicate with the reservoir  37 . As best shown in FIG. 8, the endpiece  24 , the filter  26 , and the body  22  share a common longitudinal axis. In this way, an air passage extends longitudinally through the pipe  20  from the reservoir  37  through the filter  26  and to the opening  29  at the mouth end  27  of the body  22 . In use, smoke from the ignited smoking material  62  may be drawn through the resulting air passage and out the opening  29  and into the user&#39;s mouth  19 . 
     Further features of the endpiece  24  will now be described with particular reference to FIGS. 2,  3 ,  5 ,  7  and  8 . The endpiece  24  includes a cowl or outer sheath  30  and an inner component  53  received within the cowl  30 . The inner component  53  is formed from two sub-components, a coupler  32  and a plunger  34 , although the internal component  53  may also be a single integral piece. The inner component  53  is mounted within the cowl  30  so as to be displaceable in relation to the cowl  30  in the longitudinal direction. 
     By virtue of this longitudinally displaceable mounting of the inner component  53 , portions of the inner component  53  and the cowl  30  cooperate with portions of the body  22  to create means for varying the volume of the reservoir  37  as described below. The cowl  30  includes an inner surface which forms side  55  of the reservoir  37  at end  83  of the cowl  30 . The end  83  includes a beveled edge  87  to facilitate loading the smoking material  62  within the side  55  of the reservoir  37 . The side  55  extends from the end  83  of the reservoir  37  to a threaded segment  59  inside the cowl  30 . End  81  is located opposite the end  83  and includes an inner wall extending within the cowl  30  to the threaded segment  59 . 
     As best shown in FIG. 7, within the cowl  30  is a raised portion  57  in which threads have been machined. The threads extend longitudinally along the inner surface of the cowl  30 , thereby creating a threaded segment  59 . The coupler  32  is thereby longitudinally received within the cowl  30 . The coupler  32  has external coupler threads  61  corresponding to and engaged in the threaded segment  59  of the cowl  30 . The coupler threads  61  extend longitudinally from end  63  to a seat or undercut  67  of the coupler  32 . 
     A medial portion  42  of the coupler  32  is connected to the end  63 . The medial portion  42  has a larger cross-sectional dimension than the end  63  and thereby creates the seat or undercut  67  at the boundary between the end  63  and the medial portion  42 . 
     End  65  of the coupler  32  extends from the medial portion  42  and is located opposite the end  63  of the coupler  32 . The end  65  has internal coupler threads  82  extending from edge  69  toward the medial portion  42 . 
     The passage  51  which extends longitudinally through the coupler  32  includes internal aperture threads  71  extending longitudinally through the end  63 . The plunger  34  has a head  77  and a stem  75  extending from the head  77 . External threads  73  extend along the stem  75  of the plunger  34  and correspond to the internal aperture threads  71  in the coupler  32 . The head  77  has an outer surface  79 , an inner surface  100  opposite the outer surface  79 , and a cross-sectional dimension sufficiently small to allow the head  77  to be longitudinally received within the cowl  30 . 
     A passage  50  extends from the outer surface  79  of the head  77  longitudinally through the plunger  34  to the end of the stem  75 , creating an air passage through the plunger  34 . The passage  50  includes a bored segment  54  extending inwardly from the outer surface  79  and having a hexagonal cross-section. The hexagonal cross-section allows the plunger  34  to be tightly threadably secured by means of an allen wrench or other tool having a corresponding hexagonal cross-section. 
     The assembled endpiece  24  is formed by inserting the coupler end  63  through the end  81  of the cowl  30  and engaging the threads  61  in the threaded segment  59 . The plunger  34  is received through the cowl  30  from the end  83  opposite the end  81 . The threads  73  on the stem  75  of the plunger  34  engage the internal aperture threads  71  of the coupler  32  to form the inner component  53 . The end  63  is sufficiently engaged through the threaded segment  59  so that the plunger  34  is fully received by the internal aperture threads  71 . 
     When the endpiece  24  is thus assembled, the outer surface  79  of the plunger  34  serves as the base of the reservoir  37 . When the inner component  53  is rotated to advance the external coupler threads  61  in relation to the threaded segment  59 , the outer surface  79  moves toward the edge  87  of the reservoir  37 . In this way, the effective volume of the reservoir  37  is varied as the depth of the reservoir changes as a result of advancing or retracting the outer surface  79 . 
     The advance of the inner component  53  toward the reservoir edge  87  is limited, as shown in FIG. 3, when the seat  67  of the coupler  32  abuts the raised portion  57  of the threaded segment  59  of the cowl  30 . The position of the threaded segment  59  and the length of the coupler end  63  are such that the outer surface  79  of the plunger  34  is substantially co-extensive with the edge  87  of the reservoir when the seat  67  abuts the raised portion  57 . In this way, when the inner component  53  has been fully advanced toward the edge  87 , the base of the reservoir  37  is substantially even with the edge  87 , thereby making the effective volume of the reservoir almost zero. 
     The longitudinal displacement of the inner component  53  away from the edge  87  of the reservoir is limited, as shown in FIG. 2, by contact between the inner surface  100  of the head  77  and the raised portion  57 . When the inner component  53  has been retracted to this limit position, the base of the reservoir  37  is farthest from the edge  87 , thereby giving the reservoir  37  its greatest depth. 
     The body  22  has external body threads  52  extending at the end  43  of the body  22  from the opening  41  and terminating in a flange  85 . The external threads  52  cooperate with the internal coupler threads  82  in the coupler end  65 . The end  43  of the body  22  thus is removably attachable to the endpiece  24 . When the end  43  of the body  22  has been fully received in the coupler end  65 , the flange  85  around the opening  41  abuts the edge  69  of the coupler  32 , thereby seating the body  22  against the endpiece  24 . 
     The threads associated with the cowl  30 , the coupler  32 , the plunger  34 , and the body  22 , have been selected to have either left-hand or right-hand orientation. The various thread orientations cooperate to bring about certain desirable features in the operation and use of the pipe  20 , as will now be described. The external coupler threads  61  of the coupler  32  and the threaded segment  59  of the cowl  30  have a left-hand orientation. The following threads have a right-hand orientation: the body threads  52 , the internal coupler threads  82 , the internal aperture threads  71  located at the end  63  of the coupler  32 , and the corresponding external threads  73  disposed on the stem  75  of the plunger  34 . 
     According to the above described arrangement of threads, the inner component  53  is displaced longitudinally from its position shown in FIG. 2 toward the edge  87  of the reservoir  37  by rotating the body  22  relative to the cowl  30  in a counter-clockwise direction indicated by the arrow A. This operation shortens the reservoir depth and can thus be used to push spent tobacco or ashes out of the reservoir  37 . The volume of the reservoir  37  decreases until it reaches its minimum volume as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     If the body  22  continues to be rotated relative to the endpiece  24  in the counter-clockwise direction indicated by the arrow A, further longitudinal advancement of the plunger  34  is prevented by contact between the seat  67  and the raised portion  57 . Instead, continued counter-clockwise rotation of the body  22  relative to the endpiece  24  causes the body  22  to disengage from the internal coupler threads  82  of the endpiece  24 . With continued counter-clockwise rotation relative to the endpiece  24 , the body  22  separates from the endpiece  24  as shown in FIG.  6 . Separation of the body  22  and the endpiece  24  allows the user to insert or replace the filter  26  into the chamber  28 . 
     When the user desires to reassemble the separated components  22  and  24 , the external body threads  52  are engaged in the cooperating internal threads  82 , and the body  22  is rotated relative to the endpiece  24  in a clockwise direction indicated by the arrow B. (FIG. 3) Continued clockwise rotation of the body  22  relative to the endpiece  24  in the direction indicated by the arrow B will cause the flange  85  of the body  22  to contact the edge  69  of the endpiece  24 , thereby securely attaching the body  22  to the endpiece  24  as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     After the flange  85  has seated against the edge  69 , continued clockwise rotation of the body  22  relative to the cowl  30  will cause the inner component  53  to rotate in relation to the cowl  30 . Because the external coupler threads  61  are left-handed, the clockwise rotation will longitudinally displace the inner component away from the edge  87  of the reservoir. Continued clockwise rotation relative to the cowl  30  in the direction of arrow B eventually extends the reservoir  37  to its full depth as shown in FIG.  2 . When the reservoir  37  is at its full depth, the inner surface  100  of the head  77  contacts the raised portions  57  to limit further retraction of the base of the reservoir. The pipe  20  can be plunged into the tobacco compartment  31  (FIG.  1 ), as discussed previously, to load the fully extended reservoir  37  with the smoking material  62 . 
     If the user continues to rotate the body  22  relative to the endpiece  24  in the clockwise direction of the arrow B after the reservoir has been extended to its full depth, the pipe  20  will remain intact and ready for use. In fact, the arrangement of threads detailed above prevents accidental disassembly of the endpiece  24  into its component parts. In particular, the plunger  34  seated against the raised portion  57  will not be disengaged from the coupler  32  by rotation in the clockwise direction because the cooperating threads  71 ,  73  are right-handed. 
     The various threaded engagement and disengagement of the body  22 , the inner component  53 , and the cowl  30  described above combine to make operation of the pipe  20  by the user simple and convenient. From beginning to end, a user may employ the smoking system  18  as follows: The pipe  20  would be removed from the compartment  33  (FIG.  1 ). Assuming the inner component  53  is positioned as shown in FIG. 3, the user would rotate the body  22  relative to the endpiece  24  in a counter-clockwise direction to separate the body  22  and the endpiece  24  if the user wanted to insert or replace the filter  26  into the pipe  20 . To reclose the pipe, the user would reattach the body  22  and the endpiece  24  by rotating the body  22  relative to the endpiece  24  in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow B, thereby engaging the cooperating threads  52 ,  82 . Once the flange  85  of the body  22  is seated against the edge  69 , the user simply continues to rotate the body  22  relative to the cowl  30  in the clockwise direction of the arrow B, thereby retracting the inner component  53  from the reservoir edge  87  until the reservoir  37  has been extended to its full depth shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The pipe  20  is plunged into the compartment  31 , where the beveled edge  87  cuts into the smoking material  62  stored in the compartment  31 . Downward pressure, combined with a clockwise twisting action, accomplishes the loading of the smoking material  62  into the reservoir  37  without causing the pipe  20  to become disassembled during the course of loading it with tobacco. 
     After the pipe is lit up and the tobacco consumed, the user simply rotates the body  22  relative to the cowl  30  in the counter-clockwise direction indicated by the arrow A, thereby advancing the plunger  34  toward the reservoir edge  87  to expel spent smoking material and ashes. After the expulsion of spent material from the reservoir, the pipe  20  again is in the position shown in FIG.  3 . 
     At this point, the user has two options which are simple to execute because of the features of this invention. If the user wishes to replace the filter  26 , he merely continues the counter-clockwise rotation relative to the cowl  30  used to expel the ashes in order now to separate the body  22  and the endpiece  24  and thereby expose the spent filter  26  as shown in FIG.  6 . If, instead, the user wishes to have another smoke without changing the filter  26 , he rotates the body  22  relative to the cowl  30  in the clockwise direction of the arrow B to re-extend the reservoir  37  to its full depth so that the reservoir is ready to receive fresh tobacco. 
     Although pipes incorporating the principals of this invention can be built in various sizes, the dimensions of a preferred embodiment are about 3.25″ in length when the pipe is extended to its full depth, 0.34″ in diameter at the mouth end, and 0.41″ in diameter at the tobacco-receiving end. When the body and endpiece are separated, the body  22  has a length of 2.25″ and the endpiece, a length of 0.85″, not including any protrusion from the endpiece by the coupler  32 . 
     The interior chamber  28  of the body has a length of about 2.05″. Such a length allows a standard, charcoal pipe filter, such as those made by Dr. Grabow, Sparta Industries, Sparta, N.C., to be received in the chamber  28  with an end slightly protruding to facilitate the interchange of filters. 
     The body  22  is preferably made of a lightweight, heat-resistant, and thermally insulating material, such as Lexan plastic. The endpiece  24  is preferably formed of a machinable metal, such as aluminum. Use of aluminum is also advantageous because it is relatively lightweight and has relatively low heat conductivity. The decreased weight from using Lexan plastic and aluminum results in the pipe  20  having a shape and weight more nearly like a conventional cigarette. In this way, the user can hold the pipe  20  in his or her fingers or mouth in the same manner as a conventional cigarette, which increases its attractiveness to those who are accustomed to smoking in social situations. 
     In addition to the advantages apparent from the foregoing description, the pipe  20  according to the present invention has numerous other advantageous features. Construction of the body  22  from heat-resistant material results in a pipe  20  which not only does not melt, but also does not conduct undesirable heat through the body  22  to where the user may be holding the pipe or inserting it into his or her mouth. 
     The pipe according to the present invention also has the advantage of holding the filter within the pipe so that it does not touch the user&#39;s tongue, making for a cleaner, more pleasant smoke. The pipe  20  also can accommodate a longer, more effective filter within the chamber  28 . 
     As to another advantage, the multi-piece form allows ashes and spent smoking material to be expelled from the pipe without requiring additional tools. This makes the pipe much less messy to deal with. 
     Alternative embodiments of the present invention may replace the threaded segment  59  of the cowl  30  and the cooperating threads  61  of the coupler  32  with another means, such as a friction fitting, for longitudinally displacing the inner component  53  in relation to the cowl  30 . For example, the threaded segment  59  may instead comprise a sleeve formed of rubber or polymeric material and the cooperating threads  61  may be replaced by a smooth surface which frictionally engages the sleeve. 
     Similarly, the cooperating threads  52 ,  82  between the body  22  and the coupler  32  can be replaced with alternative means for making the body  22  removably securable to the endpiece  24 , such as by replacing the threads  52  with a configuration, such as a flange to engage the end  65  of the coupler  32  in a snugfit manner. 
     As still another alternative, although the body  22  includes integral portions to be inserted in the user&#39;s mouth at the mouthend  27 , separate mouthpiece portions could be provided, which portions are removable from the body  22 . 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention; therefore, the appended claims are to be construed to cover equivalent structures.