Filter Device for Retrofit to an Electronic

Smoking Device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1 . Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an attachment to common electronic smoking devices for filtering secondary vapor/aerosol that is exhaled from a user.

2. Description of the Related Art

Electronic smoking devices (referred to as“vaporizers” or“e-cigarettes”) sold by JUUL®, Vuse®, Blu®, Logic®, and others, are becoming increasingly popular. These vaporizers are mostly pocket-sized and mimic the shape and size of cigarettes or USB sticks. They work by activating a heating element which converts e-liquid, or“juice,” in a cartridge into vapor for inhalation by a user. The user exhales a visible vapor cloud which then dissipates into the surrounding air. Vaporizers are frequently used indoors and in many cases there are no clear regulations governing their use. There is often an awkwardness being around someone who is vaping, and the health effects of secondary inhalation of the exhaled vapor are not fully understood.

“Stealth” vaping is a reference to users who do not want to draw unwanted attention to themselves and therefore try to hide their exhaled vapor. Common stealth vaping techniques include breathing techniques (holding one’s breath), exhaling into a clothing, such as a sleeve, or exhaling into an external material, such as a paper towel or terrycloth towel.

E-cigarette vapor typically contains propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavors, aroma transporters, and other substances. The exact chemical composition and concentration of ingredients varies across devices, styles, flavors and types. In many e-cigarettes, propylene glycol constitutes about 65-90% of the formulation.

There have been attempts to filter vapor exhaled from e-cigarettes to avoid the need to use the“stealth” techniques mentioned above. For example, some filters are bulky stand-alone devices constructed so that a user can exhale into one end, after which the vapor passes through a filter, with the filtered vapor then exiting through the other end. A drawback is that these devices require a user to carry around a separate, secondary device. Another drawback is that after inhaling the vapor from the e-cigarette, the user must then remove her mouth from the e-cigarette and hold her breath while transitioning to the secondary device to exhale. During transitioning unfiltered vapor may escape into the air and the user may cough due to the need to hold her breath.

Use of a separate, secondary device also typically requires the use of both hands, one to hold the e-cigarette and one to hold the secondary device. Stand-alone devices are also subject to being misplaced or forgotten and make it more difficult to be stealthy while vaping. Another prior art approach is mouth piece that is a fully integrated specialized vaporizer that relies on one-way valves that allow the user to inhale vapor from a heated juice cartridge and exhale into a filter cartridge. However, such specialized vaporizers cannot be used with popular e-cigarettes such as JUUL . Another prior art approach is a casing that holds a vaporizer and a filter, but that device does not allow the user to vape from and then exhale into a single integrated mouth piece. As a consequence, a user needs to hold her breath while she adjusts the device to access the filter mechanism.

There is therefore a need for a simple filtration device which can be retrofitted to commonly available e-cigarettes, such as JUUL, and which allows a user to inhale and exhale through the same mouthpiece while providing a low profile for permitting a user to vape inconspicuously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a filter device that may be retrofitted to commonly available e-cigarettes (such as JUUL), and which allows a user to inhale vapor from the e-cigarette through a mouthpiece on the filter device and, without any adjustment and without removing one’s mouth from the mouthpiece, exhale the vapor back through the mouthpiece and through a filter, thereby effectively removing the visible constituents of the vapor before it reaches the ambient atmosphere.

Attaching the e-cigarette and the filter device keeps the two products connected allowing for easy transport and eliminates the need to carry a separate, stand-alone filtering mechanism. According to some aspects of the invention the mouthpiece of the e-cigarette is received in the body of the filter device thus allowing the mouthpiece on the filter device to be used both to inhale vapor from the e-cigarette and to accept the exhaled vapor and re-rout it through the filter. The filter device includes two check valves, one between the inhale end of the e-cigarette and the mouthpiece on the filter device which opens when the user inhales and closes when the user exhales, and another between the mouthpiece of the filter device and the filter which closes when the user inhales and opens when the user exhales.

According to an aspect of the invention, the size of the filter device is minimized to provide a low profile and enhance portability while still allowing the user to exhale at a rate as close to a normal exhale as possible. This may be accomplished by selecting appropriate filtration chemicals, methods of filtration, and product design. Some filtration methods use filter membranes to remove the visible vapor

constituents. For example, respirator filters may be used for this purpose, as may various cloth materials such as, but not limited to, blends of microfibers,

electrostatically charged microfibers, activated charcoal, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, activated carbon, zeolites, and silica gel. To reduce the exhale pressure required to exhale into the filter, the filter design may be optimized to increase both the surface area on the filter exposed to the exhaled vapor and the surface area on the filter exposed to the ambient atmosphere. Because a user’s exhale may contain high concentrations of water vapor which, over time, might clog the filter and thereby make it unduly difficult to exhale, the filter may include one or more water absorption materials, such as, but not limited to, cloth, wool, bamboo or fiber mixes. In addition or alternatively, the filter may include moisture wicking material to accelerate drying of the filter material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the filter device of the invention retrofitted to an electronic smoking device;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the filter device of Fig. 1 without the electronic smoking device;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of filter device of Fig. 1 ;

Figs. 4a-d are perspective and elevational views of a valve assembly for use in the filter device of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5— 5 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6— 6 in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 7a is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 6 showing the positon of the upper and lower check valves during inhalation; and

Fig. 7b is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 6 showing the positon of the upper and lower check valves during exhalation.

Listing of Parts

10 -- filter device of the invention

100 -- mouthpiece of filter device

102 -- front opening of mouthpiece of filter device

104 -- rear opening of mouthpiece of filter device

104A - rib on inside wall of mouthpiece of filter device

200 - body

202 - front end of body

202A - upper opening at front end of body

202B - extension at top of body

202C - annular shoulder on body

202D - lower opening in lower body portion

202E - blind slot in lower body portion

204 - body bridge

206 - hole in body bridge

208 -bed of body

210 - front end of bed

212 - blind slot in body

214A - annular shoulder in lower body portion

214B - back indent on lower body

216 - lower body portion

218 - shoulder on inner wall of body

220 - shoulder on outer wall of body

222 - detent at back of bed

300 - valve assembly

302 - upper section of valve assembly

302A - opening in upper section of valve assembly

304 - back of upper section of valve assembly 304A - front of upper section of valve assembly

306 - upper check valve

306A - upper valve hinge point

308 - recess in upper valve section

310 - lower section of valve assembly

310A - annular detent on back of lower section of valve assembly 31 OB - detent on front of lower section of valve assembly 310C - opening in lower section of valve assembly

312 - lower check valve

312A - lower valve hinge point

314 - annular shoulder on upper valve section

400 - filter cartridge housing

402 - slots in filter cartridge housing

406 - tab at front of filter cartridge housing

408 - tab at back of filter cartridge housing

500 - filter medium

600 - electronic smoking device

602 - mouthpiece of electronic smoking device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figs. 1-3 illustrate one embodiment of a filter device 10 in accordance with the present invention. In Fig. 1 , the filter device is shown retrofitted to a common electronic smoking device 600. In the following description, the mouthpiece end of the filter device 10 is the front end and the other end is the rear or back end, and likewise the mouthpiece end of the smoking device 600 is the front end and the other end is the rear or back end.

As shown, the filter device 10 includes a mouthpiece 100, a body 200 secured to the back of the mouthpiece, a valve assembly 300 disposed between the mouthpiece 100 and body 200, and a filter cartridge housing 400 removably secured to the body 200, preferably on the underside thereof at the back of the filter device 10. All of these components of the filter device 10 may be made of any suitably rigid material, such as plastic or metal, except that the valve assembly 300, which incorporates two living hinges, is preferably made of silicone rubber.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the filter device 10 of the invention may be retrofitted to a commercially available rectangular-shaped electronic smoking device 600 having a mouthpiece 602 at one end by sliding the electronic smoking device 600 into the body 200 above the bed 208 and below the bridge 204 until mouthpiece 602 is received in the rear opening 104 of the mouthpiece 100. The mouthpiece 100 is ergonomically designed such that a user’s mouth can easily and comfortably cover the entire front end of the mouthpiece.

The shape and size of the electronic smoking device 600 will vary depending on the brand and version selected by the user, with some brands having an elongate rectangular shape as shown in the drawings, while others may be cylindrically-shaped.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the size of the openings in the body 200 that receive the electronic smoking device may be varied to accommodate electronic smoking devices of various shapes and sizes, and that a rectangular-shaped electronic smoking device is shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration only, without intending to limit the scope of the invention. Depending on the brand and design of the electronic smoking device 600, one or more lights (not shown) on the smoking device may serve to indicate that the smoking device is in use or charging. To accommodate viewing of the light(s) when the filter device 10 is retrofitted to the smoking device 600, the bridge 204 may include one or more openings or holes 206 that align with the light(s) on the smoking device. Alignment of the hole(s) 206 with the light(s) may also serve to confirm that the electronic smoking device 600 is correctly positioned in the filter device 10. Because some electronic smoking devices 600 include a charging port on the underside of the back end, the length of the filter device 10 is preferably shorter than the length of the electronic smoking device 600 such that the back end of the smoking device is exposed, thus allowing the smoking device to be charged without removing it from the filter device 10.

Referring to Figs. 3-7, the valve assembly 300 is seated in the rear opening 104 of the mouthpiece 100 and is held in place by the front end 202 of the body 200. An annular shoulder 202C extends from the front end 202 of the body and a tab 202B extends from the front of the annular shoulder. The valve assembly 300 has an upper section 302 and a lower section 310. The upper section 302 is dimensioned to seat in the upper opening 202A in the body 200 between the body portions 202B, C and the front end 210 of the bed 208, and the lower section 310 is dimensioned to seat in the lower opening 202D between the bed 208 and the wall of the lower body portion 216. The valve assembly 300 is secured in place by a shoulder 218 on the inner wall of the main body 200 which abuts the back 304 of the upper section 302, a blind slot 212 between the upper 302 and lower 310 sections which receives the front end 210 of the bed 208, an annular detent 310A on the back of the lower section 310 which abuts an annular shoulder 214A on the inner wall of the lower body portion 216, a rib 104A extending from the top of the inner wall of the mouthpiece 100 which abuts both the upper part of the front 304A of the upper section 302 and the front of the body portion 202B, and a rib 31 OB extending around the bottom and sides at the front of the lower section 310 which abuts the front of the lower body portion 216.

As best seen in Figs. 1-3, the removable filter cartridge housing 400 has a filter medium 500 disposed therein. The side walls and bottom of the housing 400 have multiple slots 402 therein, with the walls of the slots 402 preferably angled to minimize the possibility of objects passing through the slots and damaging the filter medium 500. As best seen in Fig. 3, the filter medium is shaped to occlude all of the slots 402 to prevent any exhaled vapor from escaping the filter cartridge without first passing through the filter medium 500. The breath exhaled by the user will typically contain high concentrations of moisture, and depending on the composition of the filter medium 500, moisture may restrict airflow through the filter medium 500 thus requiring the user to exhale with greater force. Therefore, in addition to the filter medium 500, the cartridge 400 may optionally contain a moisture absorbent material, such as cloth (not shown), for removing moisture from the exhaled vapor before it passes through the filter medium 500.

The filter device 10 may be assembled by inserting the valve assembly 300 into the mouthpiece 100 until the upper section 302 abuts the rib 104A and the bottom of the lower section 310 abuts the upward sloping inner wall of the mouthpiece 100, and then attaching the body 200 by snap fitting the shoulder 214A on the lower body portion 216 past the detent 310A on the lower valve section 310 until the lower body portion abuts the rib 310B, the body portion 202B abuts the rib 104A, the shoulder 218 abuts the back of the upper valve section 302, a shoulder 220 on the outer wall of the body abuts the upper part of the back of the mouthpiece 100, and the front end 210 of the bed 208 seats in the slot 212, thereby creating a fluid tight seal between the

mouthpiece 100, the body 200, and the valve assembly 300. The filter cartridge housing 400 may then be removably secured to the body 200 by sliding the tab 408 at the back of the housing 400 over a detent 222 at the back of the bed 208 and sliding the tab 406 at the front of the housing into a complementary blind slot 202E in the back of the lower body portion 216, thereby creating a fluid tight seal between the cartridge housing 400 and the body 200. If necessary, the filter device may be disassembled by following these steps in reverse.

The opening 302A in the upper section 302 of valve assembly 300 is

dimensioned to receive the mouthpiece 602 of the smoking device 600. As best seen in Figs. 7a and 7b, the upper section 302 has an inwardly extending annular shoulder 314 which seats against the front of the mouthpiece 602 of the smoking device 600 when the smoking device is in its final position in the filter device 10. Referring to Figs. 4-7, the inner wall of the upper section 302 has a ring-shaped recess 308 in which a complementary gasket (not shown) is seated. The gasket is dimensioned to form a tight seal around the mouthpiece 602 when the smoking device 600 is received in the filter device 10 thereby further ensuring that when a user inhales through the mouthpiece 100, only vapor from the smoking device 600 will be inhaled. It will be appreciated that the body 200 and valve assembly 300 are dimensioned to snugly receive the electronic smoking device 600, but with sufficient tolerance that the smoking device 600 may be removed from the filter device 10 without applying undue force.

Still referring to Figs. 4-7, the front end of the upper section 302 of the valve assembly 300 includes an integral mechanical check valve 306 joined to the main part of the upper section 302 at a living hinge point 306A. The valve 306 is normally biased to the closed position shown in Fig. 7b wherein it closes the opening 302A in the upper section 302 and prevents vapor exhaled by a user from flowing back into the smoking device 600. A gasket (not shown) may be secured to the lip of the valve 306 to ensure a fluid-tight seal when the valve 306 is in the closed position. Lower section 310 also has an integral mechanical check valve 312 joined to the main part of lower section 310 at a living hinge point 312A. Check valve 312 is normally biased to the closed position where it closes the opening 310C in the lower section 310 and prevents vapor in the filter cartridge housing 400 from being inhaled by a user inhaling vapor from the smoking device 600. A gasket (not shown) may be secured to the lip of the valve 312 to ensure a fluid-tight seal when the valve is in the closed position.

Referring to Fig. 7a, the arrows denote air flow when a user inhales through the opening 102 at the front of the mouth piece 100. Inhaling though the mouthpiece 100 creates a pressure differential on either side of the upper check valve 306, with the pressure on the back side of the valve 306 being greater than the pressure on the front side. This pressure differential causes the valve 306 to pivot about its hinge point 306A to the open position shown in Fig. 7a, thereby establishing fluid communication between the mouthpiece 602 of the smoking device 600 and the mouthpiece 100 of the filter device 10. Inhaling through mouthpiece 100 also creates a pressure differential on either side of the lower check valve 312 which acts to maintain the lower valve in its biased, closed position where it occludes the opening 310C in the lower section 310 and blocks fluid communication between the filter cartridge housing 400 and the mouthpiece 100. Consequently, when the user inhales, only vapor from the electronic smoking device 600 is drawn into the mouthpiece 100 for inhalation by the user. When the user stops inhaling, the pressure differential dissipates and the upper check valve 306 returns to its biased, closed position where it occludes the opening 302A in the upper valve section 302.

In Fig. 7b, the arrows denote airflow when a user exhales though the mouthpiece 100. Like inhaling, exhaling creates a pressure differential on either side of the check valves 306, 312, with the pressure now being greater on the front side of the valves than the back side. This pressure differential maintains the upper valve 306 in its biased, closed position and causes the lower valve 312 to pivot about is hinge point 312A to the open position shown in Fig. 7b, thereby exposing the opening 310C in the lower valve section 310 and establishing fluid communication between the mouthpiece 100 and the filter cartridge housing 400. Consequently, when the user exhales, all of the exhaled vapor is tunneled through the lower valve section 310 and into the housing 400 where the particulates are removed by the filter medium 500 in the housing 400, after which the resulting clear or substantially clear vapor escapes through the slots 402 in the walls of the housing 400 to the ambient atmosphere. Because the vapor exiting from the filter cartridge is clear or substantially clear, the act of vaping draws little or no attention to the user. When the filter medium becomes saturated with particulate such that it is no longer effective, the housing 400 may be removed from the body 200 whereupon the filter medium 500, and the optional moisture absorbent material, may be cleaned or replaced.

The invention is not limited by the embodiments described above, which are presented as examples only, but can be modified in various ways within the scope of protection defined by the appended patent claims. For example, any one or more of the mouthpiece 100, body 200, valve assembly 300, filter cartridge housing 400, and filter medium 500 may be fixedly or separably joined to the other components of the filter device. Thus, while there have been shown and described fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or suggested embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.