Improvements in and relating to Tobacco Pipes, Cigar or Cigarette Holders.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Tobacco Pipes, Cigar or Cigarette
Holders.
I, ALFRED LYSTER SHEPARD of 8 West Kensington Gardens in the County
of Middlesex Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to tobacco pipes, cigar or cigarette holders and is designed
to afford means whereby I obtain in a pipe or holder of ordinary length and
appearance the advantages of one having three or four times the length, and also a
perfectly simple means for purifying the smoke and for cleaning and examining
the bore.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide an ordinary pipe or holder
having a stem of suitable size and after enlarging the bore in the stem of the
same to a suitable extent I insert into it a well fitting rod of ebonite, ivory or other
suitable material on which I cut or mould or otherwise form a spiral groove of
suitable dimensions and of about seven threads to the inch. I make this grooved
part of such a length that when the rod is in its proper position in the stem of the
pipe or holder, one extremity of the spiral groove comes within a short distance of
and is open to the hole in the bottom of the bowl; the other extremity of the said
groove is covered by the stem and opens into an annular chamber formed by cutting
away the surface of the grooved rod at the point where it joins the mouthpiece to
the depth of about one eighth of an inch and for about three eighths of an inch of
its length; the said mouthpiece, which may or may not be a part of the grooved
rod, is constructed in the ordinary way and has a central bore of suitable dimensions
into which the smoke passes from the annular chamber through a suitable hole or
holes.
By my invention the smoke instead of travelling straight from the bowl to the
mouth, is caused to traverse the stem in a spiral direction, the velocity of the
rotating smoke being sufficient to separate a large proportion of the heavier
nicotine and other impurities from the smoke and to cause them to adhere to the
interior of the stem, whence they may easily be removed by withdrawing the
grooved rod. Moreover the condensation and separation of these impurities is
greatly facilitated by the cooling of the smoke owing to the distance it has to
travel before reaching the mouth.
Although I have described convenient and advantageous means for carrying my
said invention into practice it is obvious that I can somewhat modify the construc-
tion of my improved tobacco pipe, cigar or cigarette holder without departing in
any way from the nature of my said invention. In some instances I prefer to form
the grooved rod of carbon and to continue into the mouthpiece, which I hollow out
to fit over it, sometimes I cut or mould a right hand thread on one part of the rod
and a left hand thread on the other, and I sometimes prefer instead of cutting or
moulding a groove on the rod, to wind on it a spiral wire or other suitable material,
the space between the adjacent turns of the spiral acting in the same manner as
the groove; by this means I can use a flexible rod for insertion into a curved stem
Dated this 4th day of December 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Tobacco Pipes, Cigar or Cigarette
Holders.
I, ALFRED LYSTER SHEPARD, of 8 West Kensington Gardens, in the County
of Middlesex Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention relates to tobacco-pipes cigar-holders and cigarette-holders. The
chief object of my said invention is to provide improved means whereby I am
enabled to obtain in a pipe or holder of ordinary length and appearance the
advantages of one having three or four times the length, and also simple means for
purifying the smoke and for cleaning and examining the bore. An important
feature of my said invention consists in the introduction into the stem of a pipe,
cigar-holder or cigarette holder of a suitably grooved moulded rod or plug of
compressed carbon. The smoke in passing to the mouth comes in contact with the
surface of the carbon, a large proportion of the moisture and impurities in the
smoke become thereby separated by condensation and are absorbed by the carbon
which may be removed when required and purified by the application of heat, and
may then be replaced. I find that compressed carbon possesses properties which
render it particularly well adapted for the purpose of my invention, a grooved
plug or rod manufactured of this material being capable of absorbing a very large
proportion of the nicotine which would otherwise be drawn up into the mouth of
the smoker, moreover the said plug or rod can be readily cleaned or purified by
simply placing it in a fire or gas flame. I manufacture the said grooved rod or
plug by mixing finely powered retort-carbon with a suitable agglutinant such as
tar to the consistency of a stiff putty and moulding the mixture under pressure, on
leaving the moulds the rods or plugs are then baked or fired in closed ovens at a
high temperature.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Fig. I is a longitudinal section showing my invention adapted to an ordinary
tobacco-pipe.
Fig. II shows the carbon rod or plug removed from the stem.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the two figures.
A is the bowl of the pipe, B is the stem, C is the mouthpiece, D is a metal band
connecting the two parts, E is a metal pin fixed into the stem and engaging with a
groove in the band D so as to form a bayonet joint, F is the spirally grooved rod
or plug of compressed carbon fitting closely into the stem B, which is bored out to
form a chamber to receive the said plug or rod. The said spiral groove is open to
the bowl A at one end and to the mouthpiece C at the other the length of the
spiral groove should be from three to four times the length of the rod and will
vary according to the diameter of the rod and the number of turns of the spiral
per inch.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows, that is to say :-The smoke passes
or is drawn from the bowl A to the mouthpiece C by way of the spiral groove in
the rod F in the direction of the arrows thereby travelling three or four times the
distance it would have to travel if the bore were straight, the advantages of a much
longer stem are therefore obtained in a pipe of ordinary dimensions, the smoke is
cooled and the spiral course which it follows on its passage from the bowl to the
mouth materially assists the separation of moisture nicotine and other impurities,
which adhere to the interior of the stem and become absorbed by the carbon.
According to another part of my said invention I use in or for a tobacco-pipe,
cigar-holder, or cigarette-holder, having a curved stem, a flexible cylindrical rod
having wound upon it a spiral of asbestos or other suitable cord acting in the same
manner as the spiral above described,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood that
I do not claim generally or irrespectively of my improvements herein described,
the use of a grooved rod or plug in a pipe, cigar-holder or cigarette-holder, as I
am aware that such rods or plugs made of vulcanite, ivory and other non-absorbent
materials have been devised for the purpose of cooling the smoke; but by my
invention I provide not only for cooling the smoke but also for absorbing the
moisture and the nicotine and other impurities and thus purifying the smoke on its
way to the mouth of the smoker; and I claim:
First. A tobacco-pipe, cigar-holder or cigarette-holder, the stem whereof is
provided with a chamber in which is placed a spirally grooved plug or rod formed
by moulding carbon under pressure, substantially as hereinbefore described and for
the purposes above specified.
Second. A spirally grooved plug or rod of compressed carbon formed by
moulding as and for the purposes above specified.
Third. In or for a tobacco-pipe, cigar-holder or cigarette-holder, a flexible rod
having wound thereon a cord of asbestos or other suitable material for the purposes
above specified.
Dated this 4th day of September 1891.