Patent Publication Number: US-2017354278-A1

Title: Percolator with removable grip

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&#39;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  13 A and a lower chamber  13 B, which are separated by a perforated basket  13 C and in fluid communication by a tube  13 D, 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&#39;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&#39;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.