PERCOLATOR WITH REMOVABLE GRIP

Abstract

A percolator for brewing a heated beverage has a percolator main body and a handle having a handle body and a flexible removable grip. An inner wall of the removable grip defines a handle cavity to enclose a lengthwise extending portion of the handle body. A first edge and a second edge of the removable grip extend from a grip first end to a grip second end along the length of the removable grip. The first edge and the second edge are separable from each other to define a gap through which the handle body may be selectively inserted into the handle cavity and withdrawn from the handle cavity.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to percolators for brewing a heated beverage.

BACKGROUND

Percolators may be positioned directly over a heat source to brew a heated beverage. Some percolators designed for home-use include a handle comprising a heat-resistant grip. A user may heat a home-use percolator over a stove-top heating element to brew a beverage and grab the heat-resistant grip handle to remove the percolator. Outdoor-use percolators, on the other hand, typically have an exposed metal handle instead of a heat-resistant grip. Outdoor-use percolators having the exposed metal handle may be placed directly into or over an open fire to brew a beverage. Thereafter, the user is required to grip the exposed metal handle with an insulator, such as a wet cloth, to remove the percolator from the fire. The heat-resistant grip handle of a home-use percolator is not designed to be placed directly into or over an open fire. The heat-resistant grip handle when placed into or over an open fire may still absorb enough heat to burn a user's hand. Additionally, exposure to open fire may damage, deteriorate and/or deform the heat-resistant grip. In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a percolator having a handle equally adapted for heating with a stove-top heating element and an open fire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a percolator according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the percolator of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a grip of the percolator of FIG. 1 in a closed configuration.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the grip of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the grip of the percolator of FIG. 1 in an opened configuration.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the grip of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A percolator 10 according to a first embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. The percolator 10 includes a beverage container portion 12 for containing, and preparing a brewed beverage, such as coffee or tea. The beverage container portion 12 is of a conventional design, having an inner chamber 13 comprising an upper chamber 13A and a lower chamber 13B, which are separated by a perforated basket 13C and in fluid communication by a tube 13D, as shown in FIG. 2. The percolator 10 further includes a handle portion 14 attached to a side of the beverage container portion 12 for safe and convenient handling of the percolator 10. The handle portion 14 includes a handle main body 22, a first connector member 16 and second connector member 18. The handle main body 22 is laterally spaced apart from the beverage container portion 12. The first connector member 16 is attached to an upper end of the handle main body 22 and extends inward to the beverage container 12 to which it is attached, and the second connector member 18 is attached to a lower end of the handle main body and extends to the beverage container portion to which it is attached. In the present embodiment the inward ends of the first and second connector members 16 and 18 are rigidly affixed to the beverage container portion 12, although other connections thereto are contemplated.

The handle main body 22 has an elongated shape extending between the first connector member 16 and the second connector member 18. A removable grip 24 covers an exterior surface of the handle main body 22. The grip 24 is a resiliently deformable member molded into a shape facilitating handling of the handle main body 22 by a hand of a user. The grip 24 may be molded from an elastomer, polymer or rubber material having a durometer sufficiently high to return to its original shape after deformation by an external force. The grip 24 may be comprised of a material having a high specific heat capacity and a low thermal conductivity. For example, the specific heat capacity of the grip material may be between 1050-1760 J/kg-K, inclusive, and the thermal conductivity of the grip material may be between 0.09-2.5 W/m-K, inclusive. The material comprising grip 24 may be silicone rubber or neoprene, by way of non-limiting example.

The grip 24 of the present embodiment has a substantially cylindrical shape with an outer wall 26 having a circular or elliptical cross-sectional shape to facilitate a comfortable and secure grip by the user's hand. An inner wall 28 of the grip 24 has a cylindrical shape with a circular cross-sectional shape corresponding to a shape of the outer surface of the handle main body 22. The outer wall 26 and the inner wall 28 extend between an upper first end 30 of the grip 24 and a lower second end 32 opposite to the first end. The inner wall 28 defines an elongated cavity 34 extending along the length of the grip 24 for receiving the handle main body 22.

A plurality of protruding members 35 may project radially inward along the inner wall 28 of the grip 24, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The protruding members 35 may be arranged circumferentially along the inner wall 28 of the grip 24 and spaced equidistant from each other. Each of the protruding members 35 may extend along all or part of the length of the grip 24 between the upper first end 30 and the lower second and 32. The protruding members 35 space the inner wall 28 apart from the handle main body 22 and further insulate the user's hand from heat radiated from the handle main body.

A junction or seam 36 extends along the full length of the grip 24 from the first end 30 to the second end 32, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The seam 36 is defined by a first side edge 38 extending lengthwise down the grip 24 and a second side edge 40 extending lengthwise down the grip and opposing the first side edge. When the grip 24 encloses the handle main body 22, the first side edge 38 is immediately adjacent to or abuts the second side edge 40 along the entire length of the seam 36. The first side edge 38 and the second side edge 40 comprise complementary interlocking portions that engage with each other. The complementary interlocking portions prevent one of the first side edge 38 and the second side edge 40 from sliding longitudinally relative to each other along the handle main body 22.

The interlocking portion of the first side edge 38 includes one or more first protruding portions 42 extending across a center line C of the seam 36 in a first transverse direction and one or more first recess portions 44 extending across the center line of the seam in an opposite second transverse direction. Conversely, the interlocking portion of the second side edge 40 includes one or more second protruding portions 46 extending across the centerline C of the seam 36 in the second transverse direction and one or more second recess portions 48 extending across the centerline of the seam in the first transverse direction. As shown in FIG. 3, each first protruding portion 42 extends into a corresponding second recess portion 48 and each second protruding portion 46 extends into a corresponding first recess portion 44 to form the seam 36. The first protruding portions 42 and the first recess portions 44 may be alternately arranged with each of the first protruding portions 42 immediately adjacent to one or more of the first recess portions 44 along the first side edge 38. The second protruding portions 46 and the second recess portions 48 may be alternately arranged with each of the second protruding portion 46 immediately adjacent to one or more of the second recess portions 48 along the second side edge 40.

Each of the correspondingly located interlocking portions (i.e., first and second protruding portions 42 and 46, and first and second recess portions 44 and 48) may have an angled side portion in locking engagement to help prevent one of the first side edge 38 and the second side edge 40 from sliding in the longitudinal direction (i.e. a direction parallel to the centerline C) relative to the other. Each of the interlocking portions may have a flat portion extending in parallel with the centerline C of the seam 36.

A user may separate the first side edge 38 and the second side edge 40 from each other, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, to attach the grip 24 to the handle main body 22 or remove the grip from the handle main body. Separating the first side edge 38 from the second side edge 40 forms a gap 50 sufficiently large through which the handle main body 22 may be laterally inserted to install the grip 24 on the handle main body 22. When the handle main body 22 is lengthwise installed or positioned within the cavity 34, the user may release the resiliently deformable grip 24 to allow the gap 50 to close, enclosing the handle main body within the inner wall 28. That is, the grip 24 with the gap 50, when released, will return to its original shape (i.e., grip 24 in FIGS. 3 and 4) causing the first side edge 38 and the second side edge 40 to become immediately adjacent to or in contact with each other to reform the closed seam 36. Conversely, the first side edge 38 and the second side edge 40 of the seam 36 may be separated to form the gap 50 sufficiently large through which the handle main body 22 may be laterally withdrawn to remove the grip 24 from the handle main body 22.

The removable grip 24 makes the percolator 10 equally suited for heating/brewing over a stovetop heating element or an open flame. When the grip 24 is installed on the handle main body 22, the percolator 10 may be positioned on an active stovetop heating element to brew a heated beverage. When the beverage is sufficiently brewed, the user may safely grip the grip-covered handle portion 14 to remove the percolator 10 from the heating element. The grip 24 may be removed as described above for placement of the percolator 10 on an open fire (e.g., campfire). The percolator 10 with an exposed main handle body 22 may be positioned over or partially within the open fire to brew a heated beverage. When the beverage is sufficiently brewed, the user may grip the heated handle main body 22 with an insulator, such as a damp rag or pot holder, to remove the percolator 10 from the open fire. Once the percolator is removed from the open fire, the user may quickly and easily install the grip 24 on the handle main body 22 to safely grip the grip-covered handle portion 14 with a bare hand and handle the hot percolator 10 without burning the hand. Alternatively, the user may install the grip 24 on the exposed handle main body 22 when the percolator 10 is on or in an open fire if the handle main body 22 is not exposed to direct flames to safely grip the grip-covered handle portion 14 with a bare hand to remove the hot percolator from the fire and subsequently handle the percolator.

The handle main body 22 in the present embodiment has a cylindrical shape, but the shape of the handle main body 22 is not particularly limited. For example, the handle main body 22 may have other cross-sectional shapes, such as a rectangular shape or an elliptical shape. Accordingly, the inner wall 28 of the grip 24 preferably has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the handle main body 22. The handle main body 22 may be attached to the beverage container portion 12 by only the first connector member 16. In such a configuration, the grip 24 may have a second end portion covering the cavity 34 at the second end 32.

The interlocking portions have polygonal shapes with straight edges in the present embodiment, but may have different shapes in other embodiments. For example, the complementary interlocking portions may have triangular shapes with straight edges or curved shapes with rounded edges. In some embodiments, the polygonal shapes may have rounded corners between the straight edges.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.).

It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A percolator comprising:

a percolator main body;

a handle including an handle body having an elongated shape and a connector portion connecting the handle body to the percolator main body; and

a flexible removable grip enclosing a length of the handle body, the removable grip including opposing first and second side edges extending along the full length of the removable grip, the first and second side edges being adjacent along the length of the removable grip and being selectively separable for removal of the removable grip from the handle body.

2. The percolator of claim 1, wherein the first side edge includes a first interlocking portion and the second edge includes a second interlocking portion, the first and second interlocking portions being sized and shaped to interlock.

3. The percolator of claim 1, wherein the first side edge includes a first projecting portion and a first receiving portion, and the second side edge includes a second projecting portion and a second receiving portion.

4. The percolator of claim 3, wherein the first receiving portion is sized and shaped to receive the second projecting portion and the second receiving portion is sized and shaped to receive the first projecting portion.

5. The percolator of claim 3, wherein the first projecting portion and the first receiving portion are immediately adjacent to each other, and the second projecting portion and the second receiving portion are immediately adjacent to each other.

6. The percolator of claim 3, wherein the first side edge includes a projecting portion and the second side edge includes a receiving portion sized to receive the projecting portion therein.

7. The percolator of claim 1, wherein the grip portion is comprised of a material with a specific heat between 1050-1760 J/kg-K, inclusive, and a thermal conductivity between 0.09-2.5 W/m-K.

8. The percolator of claim 7, wherein the material is an elastomer.

9. The percolator of claim 1, wherein the grip portion has a cylindrical shape.

10. A percolator comprising:

a percolator main body;

a handle including an elongated handle body having an exterior surface portion extending in a lengthwise direction, and a connector portion connecting the handle body to the percolator main body; and

a flexible removable grip selectively positionable on the handle body, including a grip sidewall extending from a grip first end toward a grip second end, the grip further including a first seam portion and a second seam portion, each extending in the lengthwise direction fully from the grip first end to the grip second end, the first seam portion being immediately adjacent to the second seam portion when the grip is positioned on the handle body to cover an exterior surface portion thereof.

11. The percolator of claim 10, wherein the first seam portion and the second seam portion are separable to allow for selective removal of the removable grip from the handle body.

12. The percolator of claim 10, wherein the grip sidewall is resiliently deformable.

13. The percolator of claim 10, wherein the first seam portion has a first edge portion with a first shape and the second seam portion has a second edge portion with a second shape, the second edge portion being complementary to the first shape.

14. The percolator of claim 13, wherein the first edge portion has a first lateral portion extending transverse to the lengthwise direction, the second edge portion has a second lateral portion extending transverse to the lengthwise direction, the first lateral portion being parallel to the second lateral portion.

15. The percolator of claim 14, wherein the first lateral portion abuts the second lateral portion when the exterior surface portion of the handle main body is enclosed within the removable grip.

16. The percolator of claim 10, wherein the first seam portion has a projecting portion and the second seam portion has a recess portion, the recess portion being sized to snuggly receive the projecting portion therein.

17. The percolator of claim 16, wherein the first seam portion has a recess portion and the second seam portion has a projecting portion, the recess portion of the first seam portion being sized to snuggly receive therein the projecting portion of the second seam portion.

18. The percolator of claim 10, wherein the first seam portion has a first undulating shape, and the second seam portion has a second undulating shape complementary to the first undulating shape.

19. A removable grip for a percolator handle, comprising:

an elongated grip sidewall extending in a lengthwise direction from a grip first end to a grip second end, the grip sidewall having a cross-sectional shape enclosing a lengthwise extending handle cavity; and

a first edge portion and a second edge portion, each extending along the lengthwise direction fully from the grip first end to the grip second end, the first edge portion being immediately adjacent to the second edge portion along the lengthwise direction, the first edge portion and the second edge portion being selectively separable from each other to allow passage of the percolator handle therethrough to selectively insert the percolator handle into the handle cavity whereupon the first edge portion returns to immediately adjacent to the second edge portion the handle cavity and to allow withdrawal of the percolator handle from the handle cavity.

20. The removable grip of claim 19, wherein the grip sidewall resiliently deformable.