Patent Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a hookah bowl with a central spire and a hookah bowl system with the hookah bowl and a coal plate. The coal plate fits about the spire and may be retained upon the hookah bowl via multiple means. The spire assists transportation, attachment, use, and removal of the hookah bowl.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of smoke-wetting implements and more specifically to the field of hookahs. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Of the many proud traditions of Ottoman culture, few have achieved the world-wide fame of hookah smoking. Once confined to the Middle East and Near East regions, the hookah&#39;s notoriety was invigorated by Napoleon&#39;s invasion of Egypt and the stream of curious Westerners which followed thereafter. Painters, such as Eugene Delacroix and Jean-Leon Gerome, when depicting Oriental styles typically included a hookah as a symbol of the depicted culture. The hookah was elevated from a regional curiosity to a universal symbol of sophistication. 
         [0003]    The hookah, which has maintained a constant popularity in the Middle East, presently enjoys in American culture a unique, niched function. Hookah smoking combines community and relaxation into a single event. Rarely does one witness a group smokers crowded about a single cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Though hookahs are often designed with a single smoke outlet; the presence of multiple hoses, each capable of simultaneous use, emanating from a single smoking instrument is unique to the hookah. Multiple hose hookahs form the centerpieces of hookah clubs in which hookah smokers gather to unwind and converse with other community members. A hookah combines fashion, art, and function into a single device. 
         [0004]    A basic hookah includes a base, a stem, at least one hose with a mouthpiece, and a bowl. The hookah bowl holds the hookah tobacco, frequently “massell.” Massell is a mixture of tobacco, molasses, and often a flavor or fruit extract, The molasses and fruit extract add a substantial amount of moisture to the massell that is missing in conventional tobacco. This added moisture makes massell more sensitive to the elements relative to conventional tobacco; 
         [0005]    prolonged exposure to air evaporates much of the moisture of massell and reduces its flavor. When properly protected, massell allows a smoker a more recreational, flavored smoke than the tobacco of cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and the like. An experienced hookah smoker will know to loosely distribute massell into a pile within the hookah bowl to allow heat to evenly circulate through the pile. 
         [0006]    The heat that ignites the massell derives from coals positioned above the hookah bowl. The coals and massell preferably never contact one to the other. A common method of placing coals proximate to the massell involves spreading a foil upon the top of a hookah bowl, punching holes in the foil, and then placing the coals onto the foil. The heat from the lighted coals travels through the holes in the foil to ignite portions of the massell. Particulates from the massell travel in the smoke created by the ignition down through the hookah bowl into the hookah pipe. 
         [0007]    The hookah stem is the body of a hookah and is usually fabricated from brass, tin, or stainless steel. The stem transports the massell smoke from the bowl to the hookah base, which is a cavern containing water. The base of the hookah is typically fabricated of glass or plastic and tends to be the most expressive portion of the hookah, ranging from translucent to wildly-colored. Within the cavern of the hookah base, the massell smoke is cooled by the water within. The cooled massell smoke then returns to the stem, though not through the same entrance by which the massell smoke enters the base. From the stem, the massell smoke travels through the hose and out of the mouthpiece. 
         [0008]    There are presently two prominent versions of hookah structures: the Lebanese style and the Egyptian style. Although the aficionado will explain that there are many differences between the two styles, the practical layman would quickly note the obvious difference: the connection point between the stem and the hookah bowl. The Egyptian style hookah pipe tapers upward into what is generally referred to as a male connection. The Egyptian style hookah bowl includes a female connection which receives the pipe&#39;s male connection. In the Lebanese style hookah the bowl has the tapered male connection and the pipe has the female connection to accept the Lebanese style hookah bowl. In both styles, to allow a more airtight connection a collar is generally added to fit around the male connection. 
         [0009]    As hookah use increases in prominence, the need to make hookah smoking more amenable to a larger market increases in importance. Unlike cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and many other portable smoking instruments, a hookah lacks a means for effective movement of the combustion unit while in use. A pipe user may grasp the handle of the pipe and the cigarette and cigar holder positions her fingers distant from the burning tip, but a hookah bowl generally lacks an extremity and instead relies upon the use of heat-dissipating construction materials or users knowledgeable enough to utilize heat shielding (e.g., gloves). Furthermore, pipes, cigars, and cigarettes employ a unitary construction that permits motion to be reliably translated throughout the body of the device. Hookahs may include multiple components fastened with crude attachment implement, (e.g. tape or cloths). 
         [0010]    Therefore, there is a need for a hookah bowl that accommodates a hookah stem portion and permits simple affixation, transport, and removal of the hookah bowl during combustion. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    The present invention is directed to a hookah bowl system and hookah bowl. The hookah bowl includes a bowl body with a floor and a raised peripheral wall that circumscribes the floor. The body includes a base aperture with a sidewall that mates with a hookah stem connection. A dry smoke aperture in the floor permits communication into the base aperture. The centrally affixed upon the floor is a bowl spire that extends above the raised peripheral wall. A preferred height of the spire is greater than twice the height of the raised peripheral wall. The spire permits a user to grasp the bowl from above, but away from, the raised peripheral wall for simple attachment of the bowl upon a hookah stem. The spire positioning further simplifies removal as a user may use radial force, rather than longitudinal force away from the hookah stem, to remove the hookah bowl. 
         [0012]    The system of the present invention includes the bowl with a longitudinally movable perforated coal plate a means for fixing the position of the coal plate upon the spire. Means of fixing the position of the coal plate include a removable barrier, fixed barrier, a raised peripheral wall diameter less than or equal to the diameter of the coal plate, a spire girth adapted to provide a close fit between the spire and coal plate, and other mechanisms described herein. 
         [0013]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hookah bowl and system that provides a user with an advantageous means of attachment and removal. 
         [0014]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hookah bowl and system that provides a rotatable coal plate. 
         [0015]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hookah bowl and system that accommodates a transversely-stabilized coal plate. 
         [0016]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hookah bowl and system that provides effective transportation of a hookah bowl during combustion. 
         [0017]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hookah bowl and system that allows removal and affixation of a hookah bowl without contacting the peripheral wall. 
         [0018]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hookah bowl and system to that allows selective positioning of a coal plate upon a hookah bowl. 
         [0019]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a hookah bowl and system that allows selective positioning of a coal plate upon a hookah bowl irrespective of bowl dimensions. 
         [0020]    These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive. Furthermore, some features may apply to certain versions of the invention, but not others. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the system of the present invention, 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the system of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the system of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a cutaway view of the bowl of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the system of the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the bowl of the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the system of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a basic embodiment of a system  100  of the present invention is shown. The system  100  includes a hookah bowl  102  and a coal plate  120 . The hookah bowl  102  includes a bowl body  104  with a floor  106  and a raised peripheral wall  108  that circumscribes the floor  106 . A bay  130  is formed in the open space bounded by the wall  108  and the floor  106 . Within the floor  106  are one or more dry smoke apertures  112 . Centrally positioned within the bay  130  and upon the floor is a spire  110  that extends above the raised peripheral wall  108 . Preferred heights for the spire include heights  1 . 25  times the height of the wall  108  and greater. Although the spire  110  may include multiple dimensions and configurations, a preferred spire configuration is disclosed in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0029]    The spire  110  may assumes functions, including stability, heat dissipation, and placement. A spire increases the stability of the coal plate as a coal plate generally lacks support as it is placed upon the hookah bowl. The spire running through the body of the coal plate, irrespective of whether a close fit (i.e., minimum clearance fit) is achieved, provides a central barrier that prevents significant lateral motion of the coal plate. To assist with heat dissipation, the spire may include a solid interior to permit a greater volume of mass. The spire, or a portion thereof, may be constructed of a material different from that of the bowl. A preferred bowl and spire construction material includes ceramic or clay. A solid interior spire construction further permits greater latitudinal force to be applied to the spire in placement and removal of the bowl. As a spire apex  114  increases in height, the girth g of the spire  110  should increase accordingly. The girth g of the spire  110  may be generally uniform, or may be variable along the height thereof. A preferred embodiment of the bowl  102  includes a spire  110  with a girth g that gradually diminishes downwardly from the apex of the spire. 
         [0030]    The perforated coal plate  120  of the system  100  of the present invention serves to support combustible materials, e.g. coals, and preferably includes dimensions that are substantially planar in height and mimic the shape of the bowl  102  otherwise. Shapes of the coal plate  110  and bowl  102  may include rectangular, circular, polygonal, and other shapes—as viewed from above. The coal plate  120  includes perforations  122  that permit heat from the combustible materials to traverse the body of the coal plate  120  into the howl. The coal plate  120  includes a central plate aperture  124  with a plate aperture diameter d 2 . 
         [0031]    A preferred system  100  of the present invention includes a peripheral support means of positioning the coal plate  120  about the hookah bowl  102 . The peripheral wall  108  is located a distance of diameter d 1  from a central point occupied by the spire  110 . The peripheral wall diameter d 1  need not be constant, and indeed, preferably slopes gradually inward with respect to the floor  106 . The wall diameter d 1  is less than or equal to the coal plate diameter d 3  at the point of contact. As shown by  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the coal plate  120  slides down the spire  110  through the central aperture  124 . As the coal plate  120  longitudinally traverses the spire  110  the central aperture  124  is sized is accommodate the entirety of the spire  110  positioned above the plane of the apex of the wall  108 . The coal plate  120  rests upon the wall  108  for support. The coal plate  120  may rest upon the wall in multiple ways, including use of indentures in the wall and plate wherein the interlocking effect is mutually supporting, but the preferred means of wall support of the coal plate includes a wall that with a substantially uniform height and a coal plate with a substantially planar periphery along portions that would contact the wall. A coal plate planar periphery mated with a substantially uniform wall height permits the coal plate to rotate on the wall about the spire. The radial motion of the coal plate allows a user to selectively burn tobacco within the tobacco bowl with reference to the placement of coal upon the coal plate. Coals, and other combustible materials, are not always uniformly dispersed about a coal plate. Non-uniform coal distribution may lead to non-uniform tobacco burn and the ability to rotate the coal allows a user to select portions of tobacco to burn, while the central placement of the spire ensures that tobacco will be placed in a non-central location within the hookah bowl. 
         [0032]    The extents, or other portions, of the bowl wall  108  and coal plate  120  need not be dimensioned for wall support. Another means of positioning the coal plate  120  upon the spire  110  includes correlating the spire girth g and central aperture diameter d 2  to form a close fit arrangement at a position predefined for effective burning of tobacco within the tobacco bowl  102 . Effective burning of tobacco occurs when a commercial coal array when placed upon the coal plate can burn commercial tobacco positioned upon the floor of the hookah bowl. A preferred arrangement includes a position proximate to the height of the peripheral wall  108 . 
         [0033]    The close fit occurs at the point where g approaches d 2  in magnitude. In discussing the spire, but applicable to all such mentions of diameter, girth, and the like, it is important to note that the dimensions of the present invention are not limited to circular and quasi-circular shapes and may include any shape suitable to achieve any aspect of the present invention. For example, a rectangular central aperture  124  and rectangular cross-sectioned spire  110  may be desirable. The preferred spire  110  is symmetrical by cross-section to permit radial motion by the coal plate. The close fit between the spire  110  and the coal plate  108  may occur above the peripheral wall  108  apex or below the peripheral wall  108  apex. 
         [0034]    As  FIG. 4  shows, the tobacco burned within the bay  130  passes through one or more dry smoke apertures  112  to a base aperture  118  formed by a base sidewall  116 . The base sidewall  116  may be dimensioned to connect to a hookah stem through either direct connect or some other medium, including a grommet or other compressible device. 
         [0035]    As  FIG. 5  shows, the system  100  or the present invention may include a barrier  140  detachable from the spire  110 . The detachable barrier  140  includes a barrier diameter d 5  and a barrier aperture  142  with a harrier aperture diameter d 4 . The barrier aperture  142  accepts the spire along portions of the spire amenable to effective combustion of tobacco. It is preferred that the barrier  140  include an elastic construction to ensure sealed contact with the spire  110 . To promote aspects of rotatability of the coal plate  120  about the spire  110 , a washer may be placed above the harrier  140  upon which the coal plate  120  may sit. The barrier diameter d 4  is dimensioned such that the central aperture  124  cannot pass through the barrier. The barrier  140  includes a diameter d 5  that is greater than the girth g of the spire  110  at portions contiguous, i.e. immediately below and above (when applicable), to the barrier in its position on the spire. A second barrier  140  may be included for placement about the top surface of the coal plate  120  to prevent longitudinal movement of the coal plate  120  during turbulent uses of a hookah, e.g. smoking while walking. The preferred second barrier  140  includes a weighted ring or an elastic ring. 
         [0036]    Turning now to  FIG. 6 , the bowl  102  of the present invention may include barriers  140  fixed along the spire  110 . The fixed barriers  140  are permanently attached to the spire  110  and serve to block the longitudinal motion of the coal plate (not shown) along the spire  110 . A spire  110  may include a single fixed barrier  140  or multiple fixed barriers  140 . If a fixed barrier  140  is present, it is preferred that at least one fixed barrier be positioned in an inferior position, i.e. a lower position adapted to position a coal plate above the bay  130  in a location suitable for effective burning of tobacco within the bay  130 . The fixed barrier  140  includes a contact surface  146 , which is the surface of the barrier  140  that naturally contacts the coal plate  120 . The contact surface  146  may include any configuration, but it is preferred that the barrier  140  posses a substantially planar contact surface  146  to allow a coal plate with a substantially planer lower surface to rotate about the spire. The inferior fixed barrier blocks downward movement of the coal plate proximate to the bay and permits a coal plate of dimensions less than those of the peripheral wall  108  to be used effectively with the bowl. A superior fixed barrier, when present, blocks upward movement of the coal plate at any position deemed pertinent. A natural position for the superior barrier is proximate to the spire apex  114 . Use of two fixed barriers permits a coal plate to be permanently positioned on the spire with a fixed path of travel between the two barriers rather than permitting a user to selectively remove the coal plate from the spire. 
         [0037]    A user of the bowl of the present invention can position the bowl on a hookah stem (not shown) by grasping and moving the bowl by the spire toward a hookah stem connection. The bowl may be guided solely by the spire and downwardly positioned on to the hookah stem attachment with the spire. Downward force originating from a hand through the spire may attach the bowl without resorting to hand pressure upon the wall of the bowl. Radial force may be more effectively utilized in affixing the bowl upon the hookah connection. The spire acts as a lever and permits a user to position and remove the bowl with slower, more deliberate motions, contrasting with a forceful downward positioning of a bowl which may often dislocate the contents of the tobacco bowl. Additionally, the bowl may be removed from the stem connection by radial force from a hand acting upon the spire. 
         [0038]    As  FIG. 7  shows the coal plate  120  may include a raised periphery  150  that prevents combustible material from leaving the upper surface of the coal plate  120 . The raised periphery  150  may be integrally formed into the coal plate, or the coal plate  120  may include a surface indenture or track  152  about a perimeter that accepts a separable raised peripheral fence  150 . 
         [0039]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0