Abstract:
A pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter, operationally configured to receive a base of a lighter and which facilitates tobacco and ash compaction.

Description:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    The present application relates to the field of tools relating to smoking pipes and compacting the contents of smoking pipe bowls. This application claims the benefit of priority from provisional patent application No. 60/990,253, filed on Nov. 26, 2007. 
         [0004]    2. Background of the Invention 
         [0005]    Pipe tools historically have been used to aid in packing, smoking, and emptying tobacco pipes. A pipe tool may contain a tamper. The tamper is a blunt instrument, either a simple dowel or shaped like the top of a nail, with a flat end for tamping, the act of compacting down the tobacco when the bowl is being packed, and for crushing the ash together to aid relighting. 
         [0006]    However, most of the pipe tool designs popularly used today all suffer from the same problem, namely that they are awkward instruments. Therefore, a pipe user must carry such a tool in addition to a lighter and the pipe itself. Thus, it is necessary that the pipe tool be made available for quick and easy use without the inconvenience of carrying any additional items. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present application to provide a device which facilitates the ash and tobacco tamping process for the user of the pipe. 
         [0008]    It is yet another objective of the present application to provide a pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter which conveniently attaches to the base of various commonly used lighters. 
         [0009]    It is yet another objective of the present application to provide a pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter that is capable of attaching to a key ring or other device. 
         [0010]    Other objectives of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the invention has been shown and described. These objectives are not to be construed as limitations of applicant&#39;s invention, but are merely aimed to suggest some of the many benefits that may be realized by the apparatus of the present application and with its many embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0011]    The manner in which these objectives and other desirable characteristics can be obtained is explained in the following description and attached drawings in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is an angled overhead perspective view of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter displaying the device positioned horizontally with the base of the apparatus in the foreground. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front plan perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter, displaying the device positioned vertically. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a back plan perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter, displaying the device positioned vertically. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a top plan perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a top plan perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a side-facing perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter displaying the device positioned vertically. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a side-facing perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter displaying the device positioned vertically. 
       
    
    
       [0019]    It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments that will be appreciated by those reasonably skilled in the relevant arts. Also, drawings are not necessarily made to scale but are representative. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing of a preferable embodiment of a pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter. Basic components of the pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter may include a tamper arm  1 , body  3 , accessory attachment loop  5 , body base plate  11 , tamper foot  7 , and lighter receptacle  9 . The basic components of the pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter may be made of any rigid material such as high density plastic such as polypropylene or polyethylene, composite, wood, metal, or any other compound or substance having similar attributes. It should also be noted that the design embodied in the current drawings represent a version of the device designed for use with the most common disposable lighters which have ovular bases. Other versions may be made to accommodate lighters of various shapes and sizes, such as those with square or rectangular bases. A preferable mode of use is that a lighter be inserted into the lighter receptacle  9 . Once inserted, the lighter acts as a handle, giving leverage to the use of the pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter&#39;s tamper arm  1 . Holding the lighter, the user inserts the pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter&#39;s tamper arm  1  into the bowl of the pipe and uses the tamper arm  1  in an up and down motion to compact the ash or unsmoked tobacco. Once the ash or unsmoked tobacco has been compacted to a desirable degree, the user removes the tamper arm  1  from the bowl of the pipe and may proceed with utilizing the pipe. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 2 &amp; 3  are perspective drawings of a preferable embodiment of a pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter displaying the device positioned vertically with the side views displayed. In these renderings, these opposite side views are identical, although alternative embodiments may have sides which are not identical, since similarity here is not necessary for use of a pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter. The body  3  of the pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter is connected to the tamper arm  1  at the body base plate  11 . An accessory attachment loop  5  may attach at the side of the body  3 . A hollow area  13  allows for the accessory attachment loop  5  to accept attachment to items, such as key chains, lanyards, chords or other devices. The tamper arm  1  terminates at the tamper foot  7 , which may have partially curved sides and a flat terminus.  FIGS. 2 &amp; 3  display a preferable orientation of use in that the lighter receptacle  9  is positioned above the tamper arm  1  and the tamper foot  7 , which are inserted into the pipe&#39;s bowl vertically as such. 
         [0022]      FIG. 4 . is an aerial plan view of one preferred embodiment of the pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter which depicts the lighter receptacle base  21 , lighter receptacle rim  17 , and the inner wall of the lighter receptacle  19 . Additionally, this view exposes four symmetrical internal cavities  15  which may traverse the inside of the tamper arm  1 . These internal cavities  15  are close-ended and do not necessarily exit through the tamper foot  7 . Alternative embodiments may utilize a solid tamper arm  1  and forgo the internal cavities  15 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 5  depicts a bottom perspective of the preferred embodiment of the pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter. This view displays the terminal end of the tamper foot  7 , as well as the bottom surface of the accessory attachment loop  5  and the body base plate  11 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 6  depicts a side-facing perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter displaying the device positioned vertically. Here the tamper foot  7 , tamper arm  1 , body base plate  11 , body  3 , and lighter receptacle  9  are all visible. 
         [0025]      FIG. 7  depicts a side-facing perspective view drawing of a preferable pipe bowl tobacco and ash compacter displaying the device positioned vertically with the accessory attachment loop  5  side visible. Also visible is the accessory attachment groove  25  and accessory attachment slot  27 . 
         [0026]    The lighter receptacle  9  may vary in size and shape to accommodate various popular types of lighters. Such lighters may be ovular in shape, rectangular, square, or some other shape. Additionally, the size, shape, and dimensions of the tamper arm  1  may be made in various sizes to accommodate use with a variety of pipes with varying bowl sizes. Some pipe bowls may have a shallow depth with a wider diameter, while others may have a narrow diameter and a deep bowl, or any combination thereof. Further, the accessory attachment loop  5  may vary in size and shape to accommodate usage with key chains, rings, jewelry, ropes, lanyards, hooks or any of a number of devices known in the relevant art which may be used to secure the pipe tool through the accessory attachment loop  5  and which may vary in size. Minimally disclosed is a pipe tool comprising a body with at least one lighter receptacle disposed therein; at least one tamper arm fixedly connected to a body base plate of said body. Also disclosed, the tamper arm may be cylindrical, cubical, rectangular, blunt, rounded, or also having a length of ranges from about 0.1 and 2.0 inches, although longer or shorter may be used. The tamper foot may have a range of diameters of about 0.1 and 0.5 inches. The tamper arm may be tapered, up or down. The tamper arm  1  may also be removable from the pipe tool, and in one non-limiting example, the tamper arm  1  may be threadably attachable on or near the body base plate  11  by a screwing motion, although snapping devices may also work. This may facilitate interchanging of tamper(s) to accommodate various uses, or for worn tampers. The pipe tool may also have at least one accessory attachment loop affixed to the lighter receptacle body. The pipe tool usually has a tamper arm  1  perpendicular to a base plate  11 , where the base plate is located beneath the body, opposite from the lighter receptacle  9 . The tamper arm  1  may also be ideally fixedly attached at the body base. The accessory loop  5  may be vertically affixed to the receptacle body  3 . Also disclosed are a method of compacting ash or unsmoked tobacco comprising: holding a pipe tool containing a lighter receptacle vertically; inserting a lighter into said lighter receptacle; inserting the tamper arm of said pipe tool vertically into the pipe bowl; moving the tamper arm in an up and down motion to compact the ash or unsmoked tobacco located in said pipe bowl. Also disclosed is a method of compacting ash or unsmoked tobacco comprising: inserting a lighter into the lighter receptacle of a pipe tool; holding a pipe tool containing a lighter receptacle vertically; inserting a lighter into the lighter receptacle. 
         [0027]    It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention, are not to scale, and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments which are appreciated by those skilled in the arts.