Cigarettepipe with purifier

Claim 2

A pipe for use in connection with the smoking of cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco articles, said pipe having: a receiving hollow at one end to receive the article to be smoked; a mouthpiece; a smoke channel communicating said mouthpiece with said receiving hollow; and an apparatus fixed in said smoke channel to purify the smoke; said apparatus for purifying the smoke comprising catalytic afterburner means operable to catalytically oxidize incompletely burned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and to reduce, substantially, the percentage of nicotine and tar in the smoke passing through said catalytic afterburner means; said catalytic afterburner means comprising a spiral-shaped catalyst extended in the direction of flow of smoke and disposed in said smoke channel in the path of smoke passing therethrough, to force the smoke to flow in contact with said spiral shaped catalyst along an extended path.

Claim 3

The pipe according to claim 1, wherein said afterburner means is an electrically heated incandescent spiral body.

Claim 4

The pipe according to claim 2, further comprising a source of electric current, said source of electric current being operably connected across said incandescent body thereby to generate heat in said incandescent body.

Claim 5

The pipe according to claim 3 wherein said incandescent spiral body is fixed around a cylindrical support made of heat resistant material.

Claim 6

The pipe according to claim 3 wherein said incandescent spiral body and the inner wall of said smoke channel define, therebetween, a spiral shaped space through which the smoke is constrained to flow.

Claim 7

The pipe according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising a smoke cooling chamber disposed downstream of said catalytic afterburner means and operable to partially cool gases passing therethrough.

Claim 8

The pipe according to claim 1, wherein said afterburner means is electrically heated, further comprising a source of electric current disposed outside said pipe, and electrical connectors connecting said source to said afterburner means.

Claim 9

The pipe according to claim 1 wherein said afterburner means is electrically heated, further comprising a source of electric current disposed inside said pipe.

Claim 10

The pipe according to claim 7 or 8 further comprising a vacuum switch and a relay, said vacuum switch being operable to switch the relay upon application of a vacuum caused by the sucking of the person smoking the cigarette, said relay being connected between the source of electric current and the catalytic afterburner to switch the source of electric current for the mobile smoker during each suck of 2 seconds duration.

Claim 11

The pipe according to claim 3, 2, 7 or 8 wherein said afterburner means comprises a platinum, chromium or vanadium composition or alloy.

Claim 12

The pipe according to claim 3 or 8 wherein said source of electric current for the stationary smoker comprises an electric transformer.

Claim 13

The pipe according to claim 6 wherein said cooling chamber comprises heat exchange fins disposed on the outside thereof.

Claim 14

The pipe according to claim 1 or 2 further including a capillary inlet passage disposed through the wall of said pipe, upstream of said incandescent body means and having substantially the same sucking resistance as the cigarette (20 cm wc), the fall of pressure over the capillary being similar or equal to that across a cigarette or other smoking article, to provide additional air to the smoke stream without substantially affecting the smoking comfort of the person using the pipe.

Claim 15

The pipe according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the catalytic afterburner means further comprises a catalyst support, said spiral-shaped catalyst being spiraled about said support to fill a major cross-sectional portion of the smoke channel and constrains the smoke to an extended spiral path in contact with said spiral-shaped catalyst, thereby to ensure that substantially all of the smoke passing through the channel contacts said spiral-shaped catalyst.

Claim 16

In a pipe for use in connection with the smoking of cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco articles, said pipe having a receiving hollow at one end to receive the article to be smoked; a mouthpiece at the other end, and a smoke channel communicating said mouthpiece with said receiving hollow; the improvement comprising in combination: an apparatus fixed in said smoke channel to purify the smoke, said apparatus for purifying the smoke comprising catalytic afterburner means operable to catalytically oxidize incompletely burned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and to reduce, substantially, the percentage of nicotine and tar in the smoke passing through said catalytic afterburner; and, a capillary inlet passage disposed through the wall of the pipe upstream of the catalytic afterburner and having substantially the same sucking resistance as a cigarette (20 cm wc), the fall in pressure over the capillary being similar or equal to a cigarette or another smoking article, to provide additional air to the smoke stream without substantially affecting the smoking comfort of a person using the pipe.

Claim 17

In a pipe for use in connection with the smoking of cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco articles, said pipe having a receiving hollow at one end to receive the article to be smoked; a mouthpiece at the other end, and a smoke channel communicating said mouthpiece with said receiving hollow; the improvement comprising in combination: an apparatus fixed in said smoke channel to purify the smoke, said apparatus for purifying the smoke comprising catalytic afterburner means operable to catalytically oxidize incompletely burned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and to reduce, substantially, the percentage of nicotine and tar in the smoke passing through said catalytic afterburner; and, a capillary inlet passage disposed through the wall of the pipe upstream of the catalytic afterburner and having substantially the same sucking resistance as a cigarette (20 cm wc), the fall in pressure over the capillary being similar or equal to a cigarette or another smoking article, to provide additional air to the smoke stream without substantially affecting the smoking comfort of a person using the pipe.