Patent Application
20220313020
The present disclosure relates to grinders and, more specifically, grinders that grind herbal matter.
Generally, herb grinders are cylindrical devices divided into two halves with sharp ridges or teeth aligned such that when the halves are united and rotated with respect to each other, the herb or other material inside is reduced in size. Many herb grinders also have cylindrical collection chambers connected to one of the two halves using a threaded attachment that collects the pulverized material. A by-product of the grinding process is resin that accumulates in the threaded attachment. The resin can make assembly and disassembly of the grinder more difficult. The object of the present disclosure is to facilitate access to herb after it is pulverized and avoid the need for frequent cleaning of the system.
In one implementation, a herb grinder system may have a tubular housing comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, an internal bore, and a side wall opening, the top portion having a top surface and a bottom surface, a first set of teeth extending away from the bottom surface of the top portion, a lid rotatably connected to the top surface of the top portion, the lid forming a grinding chamber configured to receive herb, a second set of teeth extending away from an inner surface of the lid into configuration with the first set of teeth, a plurality of apertures being defined by a floor of the grinding chamber, the apertures allowing ground herbs to exit the grinding chamber, and a collection chamber having a diameter less than that of the tubular housing, wherein the collection chamber is slidably removed from the side wall opening of the tubular housing.
In another implementation, a herb grinder system may have a tubular housing comprising a grinding chamber, a removably connected upper collection chamber, and a removably connected lower collection chamber, the upper chamber having a replaceable screen, wherein the upper collection chamber is configured to abut the grinding chamber and the lower collection chamber, wherein the upper collection chamber and lower collection chamber having a diameter less than that of the tubular housing, and wherein the upper collection chamber and lower collection chamber are configured to be slidably removed from the side wall opening of the tubular housing.
The illustrations provided herein are directed to an herb grinder system for grinding herb. At least one of the embodiments disclosed includes a tubular housing having a top portion and a bottom portion. The top portion of the tubular housing and a lid collectively define a grinding chamber where herb can be inserted to be made smaller. The bottom portion includes an internal bore and a side wall opening. The bottom portion of the tubular housing further includes a collection chamber that is slidably removable from the internal bore. The collection chamber is in communication with the grinding chamber which collects herb as it is ground.
The herb grinder system may be used to pulverize tobacco, herbs. spices, and, other materials. Previous herb grinders, such as those employing threaded collection chambers, suffer from resin accumulation in the threads, making it difficult to disassemble the collection chamber to access pulverized herb. The present disclosure provides an herb grinder system that is relatively easy to clean and improves accessibility to herb after it is pulverized.
Referring in more detail to
The tubular housing 12 may be made of machined metal and formed from round bar stock by subtractive manufacturing. The tubular housing 12 may also be made of plastic and formed in a mold. Other suitable materials and manufacturing methods may also be used to manufacture the tubular housing 12.
With continued reference to
The collection chamber 16 includes an interior region 48 defined by an outer wall 50 and an underside 52. The collection chamber 16 is slidably removed from the side wall opening 26 in a direction perpendicular to the central axis 38 of tubular housing 12. The diameter 54 of the collection chamber 16 is less than the diameter 56 of the tubular housing 12 such that when it is slidably inserted in the side wall opening 26, the outer wall 50 is adjacent and/or abuts the side wall 24 of the tubular housing 12.
The herb grinder system 10 may be used to grind herbs, spices, tobacco, and other dried plants into particulates. In order to grind herb, a user may remove the lid 14 and place herb in the grinding chamber 44. The user may then replace the lid 14 on the tubular housing 12 and rotate the lid 14 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Rotating the lid 14 rotates the first set of teeth 32 in a direction that is relative to the second set of teeth 40 which grinds, pulverizes, and makes the herb smaller. After one or more rotations of the lid 14, the herb may be reduced in size such that it begins to pass through the apertures 46. Herb is collected in the interior region 48 of the collection chamber 16. In some embodiments, very fine particles, such as trichomes or pollen, continue to pass through the replaceable screen 60 and collect in the second region 64 of the collection chamber 16′. After the grinding process is complete, the user may remove the slidably removable collection chamber 16, 16′ from the tubular housing 12 to access the herb particles.
Another embodiment of an herb grinder system 110 is depicted in
The side wall 128 having an internal key 132 protruding inwardly toward a central axis 134 of the tubular housing 112. The internal key 132 can assist with aligning and vertically constraining the upper collection chamber 118 and lower collection chamber 120 in the tubular housing 112. After herb is ground to make it smaller, the herb may be accessed by either removing the upper collection chamber 118, the lower collection chamber 120, or both. The internal key 132 can support the upper collection chamber 118 in the tubular housing 112 when the lower collection chamber 120 is slidably removed. The internal key 132 can also align the lower collection chamber 120 in the tubular housing 112 when the upper collection chamber 118 is slidably removed.
The upper collection chamber 118 may include an outer wall 136, an underside 138, and a notch 140. Similarly, the lower collection chamber 120 may include an outer wall 142, an underside 144, and a notch 146. Both the upper collection chamber 118 and lower collection chamber 120 share a similar diameter 148 that is less than the diameter 150 of the tubular housing 112, such that they are configured to be slidably removed from the side wall opening 130 of the tubular housing 112.
The notch 140 on the upper collection chamber 118 and the notch 146 on the lower collection chamber 120 align with at least a portion of the internal key 132 such that the internal key 132 allows each chamber to be slidably removed and inserted into the tubular housing 112. The internal key 132 does not interfere with grinding herb and does not prevent herb from traveling from the top portion 122 of the tubular housing 112 to the bottom portion 124 of the tubular housing 112. The internal key 132 also allows the upper collection chamber 118 and lower collection 120 to be slidably inserted such that the outer walls 136, 142 of both chambers are adjacent and/or abuts the side wall 128 of the tubular housing 112.
Now referring to
The upper collection chamber 118 is configured to abut the grinding chamber 116 and the lower collection chamber 120. The upper collection chamber 118 and the grinding chamber 116 are in communication with each other such that the upper collection chamber 118 collects particles that results when herb is made smaller and passes through the apertures 158 of the grinding chamber 116. The upper collection chamber 118 and the lower collection chamber 120 are in communication such that the lower collection chamber 120 collects fine herb particles that pass through the replaceable screen 156 of the upper collection chamber 118. The replaceable screen 156 is configured similar to the replaceable screen 60 of the first embodiment such that the upper collection chamber 118 collects herb with a coarser grain size than that collected in the lower collection chamber 120. The replaceable screen 156 may include mesh having holes with a diameter of 20 microns to 160 microns but ideally between 70 microns to 120 microns.
The disclosure is not limited to one of the embodiments described above but is able to be modified in many different ways.
All of the features and advantages disclosed from the claims, the description and the drawings, including structural details, spatial arrangements and method steps, may be essential to the invention both per se and in all types of combinations. It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one or more preferred exemplary 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.
As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63171108 | Apr 2021 | US |
