Cooling filter for cigarettes and smoking articles

Abstract

An integral cooling and filtering device designed to be fitted on a smoking end of a cigarette or other smoking article is provided to reduce the temperature of smoke produced by combustion of smoking material and to filter the cooled smoke prior to contact with a smoker's mouth. The device is configured with a receptacle to hold a cigarette or like smoking article and a mouthpiece section that directly contacts the smoker's mouth. A cooling section and a filter section are positioned between the receptacle and the mouthpiece section. Temperature reduction of the smoke is provided by a thermionic cooling means. The filter section can include a substantially permanent cleanable filter or a replaceable filter. The mouthpiece section may be a heat-resistant metal, a plastic, or another appropriate mouth contact material, while the receptacle and cooling and filtering sections are preferably formed of a suitable metal.

1 . A device for cooling and filtering smoke produced by the combustion of a material to be smoked comprising
 a. receptacle means for receiving and holding a smoking article including a combustible smoking material to be burned to produce smoke and smoked by a smoker;   b. cooling means in heat transfer contact with smoke produced by burning said smoking material designed to transfer heat from said smoke, thereby cooling said smoke;   c. filter means positioned in filtering contact with smoke cooled by said cooling means and configured to trap undesirable constituents desired to be removed from the cooled smoke; and   d. mouthpiece means connected to said filter means for directing cooled and filtered smoke to a smoker's mouth.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said cooling means comprises thermionic cooling means sized to be positioned within a cooling section of said device between said receptacle means and said filter means. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said receptacle means and said filter means are formed of a metal. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said filter means comprises a removable, cleanable element. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said mouthpiece means is formed of a heat-resistant plastic material. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein said thermionic cooling device comprises a thermotunneling gap diode. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said receptacle means, said cooling means, said filter means, and said mouthpiece means are formed as an integral structure designed to be used for a period of time and then discarded. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said cooling means is removably connected to said receptacle means and to said filter means and said filter means is removably connected to said cooling means and to said mouthpiece means, whereby said receptacle means, said cooling means, said filter means, and said mouthpiece means can be separated from each other for cleaning or replacement. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said smoking article is selected from the group comprising cigarettes and cigars and said receptacle means is sized to hold said selected smoking article. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said smoking article comprises a pipe and said receptacle means is modified to connect the cooling and filtering device to a stem of said pipe. 
     
     
         11 . A device for cooling and filtering combustible smoking material in a smoking article comprising:
 a. a receptacle sized to receive and hold a smoking article comprising combustible smoking material selected to be smoked by a smoker of said smoking article;   b. a cooling section comprising thermionic cooling means in heat transfer contact with smoke produced by burning said combustible smoking material in said smoking article and designed to transfer heat from said smoke;   c. a filter element positioned in filtering contact with smoke cooled by said thermionic cooling means and configured to trap undesirable constituents desired to be removed from the cooled smoke; and   d. a mouthpiece connected at one end to said filter and shaped at an opposite end to be held in a smoker's mouth, wherein said receptacle, said cooling section, said filter element, and said mouthpiece are all configured to direct the passage of smoke from said smoking article to the smoker's mouth.   
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein said thermionic cooling means comprises a pair of nanoscale-sized electrodes separated by spacers to create a gap therebetween, a first active area in heat transfer contact with smoke to be cooled and one of said pair of electrodes, and a second active area in heat transfer contact with another of said pair of electrodes, wherein said second active area comprises a heat sink. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , further comprising a heat activated nano-sized battery in contact with one of said pair of electrodes. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein said filter element comprises a filter element that is reusable or a filter element that is disposable. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein said receptacle, said cooling section and said filter element comprise a heat resistant metal and said mouthpiece comprises a plastic material. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein said receptacle is connected to said cooling section, said cooling section is connected to said filter element, and said filter element is connected to said mouthpiece by mating threaded connections. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein said receptacle, said cooling section, said filter element, and said mouthpiece are formed as an integral structure designed to be used for a period of time and then discarded. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein said receptacle is sized to hold smoking articles comprising cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or hookahs.