Patent Application
20050016554
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a homogenizer for grinding tobacco and other leaves and herbs. The homogenizer can be included in a smoking accessory purse. The invention also encompasses a method of homogenizing a tobacco product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tobacco and other leaves that are smoked grow to a size that is too large to smoke in a pipe or cigarette. To be smokeable, the leaves must be homogenized to a smaller size through shredding, cutting, pulverizing, or grinding. Once in a smaller size, the pieces of leaf can be wrapped in a cigarette rolling paper or placed in a pipe for smoking.
Pre-ground tobacco can be purchased. This tobacco has a pre-selected particle size. Many of the smoking qualities of the tobacco are determined by the particle size. Because the particle size of pre-ground tobacco is pre-selected by the manufacturer, the particle size may not match the preferences of the smoker.
Homogenizers such as blenders and coffee makers are known. Prior art homogenizers place a blade at the bottom of a container. The product is added over the blade. The blade is then rotated and cuts the product to a particle size. The term “particle size” stands for the average particle size of the pieces of leaf being homogenized. The resulting particle size is generally a factor of the speed of the blade. Higher blade speeds produce smaller particles.
For a single prior art homogenizer to produce different particle sizes, the speed of the blade must be turned at different speeds. To control the blade speed, expensive electronic components must be added.
Prior art homogenizers and blenders are typically kitchen countertop appliances. Accordingly, these devices are sized for use with large mixing bowls. In addition, kitchen appliance homogenizers and blenders in the prior art work by connecting via a cord to the household electrical outlet.
Prior-art kitchen homogenizers (i.e. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,480,926, 5,639,161, and 5,425,579) work by having a propeller blade on or near the bottom of a closable vessel. The vessel is filled with a raw product to a level above the blade. When the motor is activated, the propeller blade creates a vortex within the vessel and the product is sheared by the blade and the product is mixed. Due to the vortex action, the blade must be stopped to stop mixing to allow viewing and sizing of the contents. In addition, a complicated propeller blade is required to create a vortex. A simple horizontal blade will not create a vortex that is required for mixing. Propellers are significantly more expensive than a horizontal blade.
In contrast to the kitchen type homogenizers, Johnson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,808) shows an apparatus for refining herbage. Johnson pulverizes leaves by battering the leaves against a screen with metal balls. Johnson does not allow the particle size to be adjusted without changing the screen size. In addition, Johnson does not include a blade. Furthermore, Johnson pulverizes the leaves and does not cut them. By pulverizing the leaves, the leaves may become damaged.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a homogenizer for tobacco and other leaves and herbs that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type. With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a homogenizer including a cylinder for holding a product. The cylinder has a base and an axis. The axle in the cylinder is coaxial with the axis. A blade connects to the axle. The blade is above the product when the cylinder is stationary and the blade contacts the product when the cylinder is axially reciprocated.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the homogenizer can include a cap covering an opening defined in the cylinder.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the homogenizer includes a motor turning the axle.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the homogenizer includes a battery powering the motor. By being powered by a battery, the homogenizer is portable and can be used at any time, even away from an electrical outlet.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the homogenizer includes a switch selectively powering the motor. The switch interrupts the electrical current to the motor.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the homogenizer is pocket-sized so it can be carried and used at any time when the user might want to smoke.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a smoking system including a homogenizer as described above and a purse or pouch holding the homogenizer. The purse can include a pocket for holding smoking accessories. These smoking accessories include but are not limited to a lighter and cigarette rolling papers.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the smoking system can include a strap connected to the purse. The strap is used to secure the purse to a user.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a method of homogenizing products such as tobacco and other leaves for smoking. The method is to be used in conjunction with the homogenizer described above. The method includes the following steps: inserting a product in the cylinder below the blade; turning the blade; and reciprocating axially the cylinder to move the product into contact with the blade.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the method includes continuing the reciprocating until the product has a desired particle size. By using this method, the particle size of the product can be controlled by changing the length of time over which the cylinder is shook.
In the case of transparent cylinder, the particle size can be periodically viewed to determine the particle size.
In accordance with a further object of the invention, the blade is suspended above the bottom of the container. This allows the product to rest below the blade when the homogenizer is not being shaken. The particle size of the product can then be viewed. Furthermore, if the blade is flat (as opposed to being propeller like) no vortex is formed so the product will settle even when the blade is turning but the cylinder is not being shaken. In addition, the blade should be disposed higher than a de minimis amount above the bottom so as to allow a significant volume of the container to be filled with the product. Experiments have shown that placing the blade at at least one third of the height of the container (i.e., the distance from the base to the cap) from the base to allow sufficient product to be placed in the container while allowing enough room to shake the product into the blade. Furthermore, it has been shown that placing the blade at one half of the cylinder height is most preferable because it allows room for the product to be mixed by shaking while holding a sufficient amount of product.
In accordance with a further object of the invention, the grinder has holes in the bottom of the vessel. The holes are pre-sized to an optimal size for the product. The grinder is thereby shaken until the product has been ground to a point where it can pass through the holes. Furthermore, because the product exits the vessel once it has been ground, it will not be “over ground” to too small of a particle size.
In embodiments with holes in the base, a second container can be added to catch the ground particles falling through the holes. This second container should be removable from the base for example by unscrewing from the base.
In accordance with a further object of the invention, a mesh sleeve can be inserted in the container with the blade. The mesh size governs the ultimate size of the ground particles. Preferably, the mesh takes the form of a mesh cylinder that encloses the blade and that screws into the base and abuts the cap of the container. The mesh can be used in conjunction with holes, where the ground product passes from the volume with the blade, through the mesh, and then through the holes to a second container.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a homogenizer, smoking system, and method of using the homogenizer, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to
Once the product P is inserted into the cylinder 2 below the blade, the cap 6 is attached to the cylinder 2 to seal the cylinder 2. Next, the blade 7 is operated. The cylinder is then shaken axially to force the product P into contact with the moving blade 7. The blade 7 reduces to the particle size of the product P. Preferably, the cylinder 2 is transparent. This allows the smoker to judge the particle size without removing the cap 6. To reduce the particle size of the product P, the cylinder 2 is shaken for a longer time.
As seen in
Preferably, the smoking system is pocket sized. This allows the user to carry the smoking system to any location where smoking might be allowed. In addition, by being pocket sized the smoking system is light enough that the cylinder can be easily reciprocated during grinding.
The blade 7 is preferably horizontal and has a sharp leading edge. As stated previously, the blade 7 shears the product P when the cylinder 2 is shaken axially. Because the blade 7 is horizontal, the blade 7 does not create mixing in the cylinder 2. A horizontal blade contrasts prior-art bent blades that act like propellers to create a vortex and mixing.
An advantage of a horizontal blade is that they are significantly cheaper to manufacture than propellers than must be shaped.
Because the horizontal blade does not create a vortex, the particle size of the product P can be monitored even though the blade 7 may be turning. As a result of the horizontal blade, the method of using the homogenizer allows for the particle size to be checked while the blade is still operating or turning (i.e. coasting with the motor off).
As shown in
A mesh 33 can be included to filter the particle size. The mesh 33 is not required. The mesh forms a closed space within the cylinder 2 preferably by abutting the cap 6 and screwing into the base by a thread 33. The mesh has holes formed therein with a size equaling the desired particle size of the product. Raw, unrefined product is placed within the mesh. Then, the motor is turned on and the homogenizer is axially shaken to force the product to contact the blade 7. Once the particle size of the product is sufficiently reduced by the blade 7 it can pass through the mess 33. The refined product can then be collected in the cylinder 2 or in a container 52, if it is included.
To ease assembly and cleaning, the cylinder 2 and the container 52 can include threads 20 and 51, respectively, for screwing into the housing 60. Likewise, the container lid 54 screws onto a lid thread 53 on the container 52.
