Ash Vac

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63/647,688 filed on May 15, 2024, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

Various embodiments related to a cleaning apparatus for smoking devices/components.

Typical smoking device cleaners include the manual process of utilizing chemical solutions to scrub away resin, tar, and other residue from pipes, bongs, vaporizers, etc. While these chemical solutions are effective at cleaning the smoking devices, the chemicals can be harsh, producing strong fumes, posing flammability risks, and potentially damaging certain materials like acrylic or silicone. Additionally, this manual process of cleaning is time consuming and inconvenient. More recently, people are using handheld, electric smoking device cleaners, which aim to automate the cleaning process and make it more efficient, while also eliminating the need for harsh chemicals. However, these devices face significant limitations, including high cost, limited compatibility with various smoking device shapes and materials, and inconsistent effectiveness against buildup. For example, many electric smoking device cleaners are designed for specific types or sizes of devices and lack modular components to adapt to different shapes or materials.

According to an embodiment a cleaning assembly for a smoking component is provided with a housing and a base. The housing has a proximal end and a distal end. The base is removably coupled to the distal end of the housing. The cleaning assembly is also provided with a first tool member with a stem portion and a head portion. The stem portion of the first tool member is sized to fit within the proximal end of the housing. The cleaning assembly is further provided with an electric drive device oriented within the housing to rotationally oscillate the first tool member about an axis when the first tool member is connected to the housing.

According to another embodiment, the cleaning assembly is further provided with a suction device disposed within the housing for sucking debris from a smoking component.

According to another embodiment, the first tool member is provided with an opening associated with the suction device for introducing debris from a smoking component into the housing.

According to another embodiment, the housing is provided with a debris collection compartment for receiving debris sucked from a smoking component by the suction device.

According to another embodiment, the first tool member is provided with a wire brush connected to the head portion to remove debris from a smoking component.

According to another embodiment the cleaning assembly is provided with a second tool member with a stem portion sized to fit within the proximal end of the housing and a tapered head portion. The tapered head portion is provided with an abrasive surface to remove debris from a smoking component.

According to a further embodiment, the first tool member is removably coupled to the housing and is interchangeable with a second tool member.

According to yet another embodiment, the cleaning assembly is provided with an attachment member removably coupled to the housing. The attachment member is sized to receive the stem portion of the first tool member.

According to another embodiment, the cleaning assembly is provided with an attachment member connected to the housing. The attachment member is sized to receive the stem portion of the first tool member. Additionally, the attachment member cannot be removed from the housing.

According to another embodiment, the housing is provided with a cavity sized to receive a filter of a smoking device.

According to another embodiment, the housing is provided with a tool member sized to be received within the cavity of the smoking device.

According to a further embodiment, the distal end of the housing is provided with a threaded region sized to receive and be in threaded engagement with the base.

According to a further embodiment, the electric drive device oscillates at a predetermined speed.

According to an even further embodiment, the distal end of the housing is provided with a circumference and the proximal end of the housing is provided with a circumference that is smaller than the circumference of the distal end of the housing.

According to an even further embodiment, the base is provided with a rechargeable electric power source.

According to yet another embodiment, the base further is provided with an indicator in communication with the electric power source, to indicate a charge level of the electric power source.

According to yet another embodiment, the indicator further is provided with an LED and a controller. The controller is programmed to receive a signal indicative of the charge level of the electric power source and turn the LED on in response to the charge level of the electric power source being below a predetermined threshold.

According to yet another embodiment, the indicator is provided with a plurality of LEDs and a controller. The controller is programmed to receive a signal indicative of the charge level of the electric power source and turn on a selective number of the plurality of LEDs that correspond to the level of charge left in the electric power source.

According to an embodiment, a cleaning assembly for a smoking component is provided with a housing and a first tool member. The first tool member has a stem portion and a head portion and is receivably connected with the housing by the stem portion of the first tool member, being operably associated with the housing. The cleaning assembly is also provided with an electric drive device within the housing to oscillate the head portion of the first tool member to enable the head portion to remove debris from a smoking component when the first tool member is operationally received within the housing and the head portion is disposed within a smoking component.

According to another embodiment, the cleaning assembly is further provided with a suction device disposed in the housing for sucking debris from a smoking component. The first tool member is provided with an opening associated with the suction device for introducing debris from a smoking component into the housing.

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure known to the inventors. However, it should be understood that disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the present disclosure which may be embodied in various and alternative forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, rather merely as representative bases for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure.

Referring to, a cleaning assemblyfor a smoking device/component is illustrated. The cleaning assemblyis provided with a housing, having a proximal endand a distal end. In the illustrated embodiment, the distal endis provided with a larger circumference than the proximal endof the housing. In an alternate embodiment, the distal endmay be provided with a circumference of the same size or smaller than the proximal endof the housing. The cleaning assemblyis further provided with a baseremovably coupled to the distal endof the housing. The distal endof the housingis provided with a threaded region, according to an embodiment, so that the housingis in threaded engagement with the base(best shown in). However, the housingcan be connected to the baseby any suitable means, according to another embodiment. Furthermore, the basecan be integral with the housing.

The cleaning assemblyis provided with a first tool member. The first tool memberhas a stem portionand a head portion. The stem portionof the first tool memberis sized to fit within the proximal endof the housing, connecting the first tool memberto the housing. The head portionof the first tool memberis provided with a wire brushto aid in removing resin, tar, and other debris from a smoking component, generally referred to as debris. The head portionof the first tool memberalso has an openingthat allows debris from the smoking component to be introduced into the housing.

The cleaning assemblyis further provided with an electric drive deviceoriented within the housingto, in at least one embodiment, rotationally oscillate the first tool memberabout an axis when the first tool memberis connected to the housing. The rotational movement of the first tool memberhelps to break up any residue, debris, left in the smoking component. Additionally, while the first tool memberis rotating, the cleaning assemblyis simultaneously suctioning the debris out of the smoking component into the openingin the head portionof the first tool memberand into a debris collection componentlocated within the housing(not shown in the figures). The housingincludes a suction deviceand a communication channel or path that provides fluid communication between the openingin the head portionof the first tool memberand the debris collection component. The collected debris can be discarded by removing the basefrom the housing. Alternatively, the collected debris can be discarded by an access door that allows communication with the debris collection component.

Typically, manually removing debris from a smoking component is time consuming, thus, the addition of the electric drive deviceand the suction devicemakes the process of cleaning a smoking component quicker and more efficient. Further, the ability for the cleaning assemblyto suction the debris as a user is cleaning the smoking component also makes the cleaning process faster and more sanitary.

Referring to, a second tool memberis illustrated. The second tool memberis provided with a stem portionand a tapered head portion. The stem portionof the second tool memberis sized to fit within the proximal endof the housingof the cleaning assembly. The tapered head portionis provided with an abrasive surfaceto aid in removing resin, tar, and other debris from the smoking component. The tapered head portionis illustrated inwith a cylindrical shape, however, any suitable shape may be used. The second tool memberis provided with an openingthat communicates with the suction device, the passage and the debris collection componentin the same way as described above with respect to the openingof the first tool member.

With reference to, the cleaning assemblyis illustrated with two tool members in total: the first tool memberand the second tool member. However, any number of tool members is contemplated. Additionally, the shape and size of the tool members may vary and the illustrations inare not intended to be limiting. For example, in an alternative embodiment, a tool member could be provided with a curved tapered head portion that is used to collect and remove resin, tar, and other debris from the smoking component. The curved tapered head portion could be smaller in size than the first tool memberand the second tool member. The curved tapered head portion could also be provided with sharp edges so that a user may scrape the sides of the smoking component to remove any debris that is stuck in the smoking component.

Furthermore, the ability for the tool members,to be interchangeable provides convenience to the user. Rather than purchasing multiple cleaning devices, a user only has to purchase one device and then can use different tool members to clean various smoking components. This is more cost effective to a consumer and is also more cost effective to a manufacturer in terms of packaging and shipping expenses.

illustrated an attachment memberof the housingof the cleaning assembly. The attachment memberis connected to the distal endof the housing, according to an embodiment. However, the attachment membermay be connected to any portion of the housing. The attachment memberis sized to receive the stem portion,of the first tool memberand the second tool member. This is so that a user may store one of the tool members,when the user is not utilizing it. The attachment membermay be adjustable in size to accommodate various dimensions of different tool members. The attachment memberis removably connected to the housingof the cleaning assemblyaccording to an embodiment. In an alternate embodiment, the attachment memberis permanently affixed to the housingof the cleaning assemblyand cannot be removed from the housing.

Referring to, the housingof the cleaning assemblyis also provided with a cavity. The cavityis sized to receive a filterof a smoking device/component. The cavityis provided with a closure pieceto keep the filterof the smoking device clean and secured within the housing. The cavitymay be entirely hollow, allowing the filterto freely sit within the cavity. The cavitymay also be provided with a clasp or retaining component to hold the filterin place, ensuring that the filterdoes not fall out of the housingwhen the closure pieceof the cavityis opened. In, the cavityis illustrated located at the distal endof the housing, however, the cavitymay be located at any portion of the housing. The cavitymay be provided with a tool member, as shown in. The tool memberis used to aid a user in removing the filterfrom the cavityof the housing. The tool memberis provided with a pointed endand a ribbed or grooved end, according to an embodiment. The tool membermay be provided with any suitable shape or size that can fit within the cavityof the housing. Similarly to the filter, the tool membermay sit freely within the cavity. In an alternate embodiment, the cavitymay be provided with a clasp or retaining component to hold the tool memberin place, ensuring that the tool memberdoes not fall out of the housingwhen the closure pieceof the cavityis opened. In another alternate embodiment, the tool membermay be retained within the attachment memberof the housing.

Referring to, the baseof the housingis provided with a rechargeable electric power source. The baseis also provided with an indicatorin communication with the electric power sourceto indicate a charge level of the electric power source. According to an embodiment, the indicatoris provided with a controllerand an LED. According to another embodiment, the indicatoris provided with controllerand a plurality of LEDs. The controlleris programmed to receive a signal indicative of the charge level of the electric power sourceand turn on the LED(s)in response to the charge level of the electric power source. When the baseis provided with only one LED, the controllerwill turn on the LEDin response to the charge level of the electric power sourcebeing below a predetermined threshold. In the alternate embodiment when the baseis provided with a plurality of LEDs, the controlleris programmed to turn on a selective number of the plurality of LEDsbased on the level of charge left in the electric power source.

illustrates the cleaning assemblybeing utilized to clean a smoking device/component.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one or more embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.