Patent Publication Number: US-2021177209-A1

Title: Hand held herb or tobacco grinder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is related to and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/789,963, which was filed on Oct. 21, 2017 and the present application is related to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/437,053, filed on Dec. 20, 2016, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure is related to an apparatus for grinding of herbaceous materials and, to an improved handheld tobacco grinder having elongated impingement slots for use in cutting and grinding such materials. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This section is intended to provide background information to facilitate a better understanding of various technologies described herein. As the section&#39;s title implies, this is a discussion of related art. That such art is related in no way implies that it is prior art. The related art may or may not be prior art. It should therefore be understood that the statements in this section are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     The grinding of leafy herbs, including tobacco, is often performed in handheld devices that cut, shred or grind dried herbaceous materials. While ideally the material is sifted and selected such as to be of uniform grindability, such is not always the case. Being agricultural products, plants such as tobacco cloves, and other herbs or spices may result in nonuniformity of consistency. 
     Today, the most widely used tobacco grinder design is one with three cavities, a top cap, and a bottom cap. The top half of the first cavity is formed by the top cap. A plurality of grinding knives protrudes from the tip cap. The bottom half of the first cavity also has a plurality of grinding knives and several large holes that lead into the second cavity. The second cavity has a screen that leads into the third cavity. The bottom half of the third cavity is formed by the bottom cap of the grinder. A dried tobacco leaf is placed inside the first cavity. The top cap is then rotated relative to the rest of the grinder allowing the grinding knives to cut the tobacco into smaller pieces. The smaller tobacco pieces are then passed through the large holes into the second cavity and then through the screen into the third cavity. The pieces in the second cavity can then be directed back to the first cavity for further grinding. The ground tobacco in the third cavity is collected in the bottom cap, which is removed by the user when ready to smoke it. 
     A major disadvantage of today&#39;s popular tobacco grinder is the inadequate ability to easily grind nonuniform materials that may include saps, seeds, stems, veins or variations in leaf cuticle or dermis. 
     Consequently, the need exists for improvements in handheld tobacco or herb grinders that are capable of easily receiving nonuniform herbaceous materials. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present subject matter may include an electronic vaping device having a base and a mouthpiece having a monolithic construction. The mouthpiece may include a reservoir and a chimney. The reservoir may include a reservoir body that substantially includes a plastic. The chimney may be enveloped by the reservoir and have a chimney outlet at a first end of the mouthpiece and a chimney inlet at a second end of the mouthpiece. The base may include a base outlet connected to the chimney inlet and a base inlet connected to the reservoir. The first end may be opposite the second end. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The various features and advantages of the non-limiting embodiments herein may become more apparent upon review of the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are merely provided for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the claims. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. For purposes of clarity, various dimensions of the drawings may have been exaggerated. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a grinding device; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates sections of the grinding device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a first section of the grinding device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the first section of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a second section of the grinding device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the second section of  FIG. 4A ; 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates a third section of the grinding device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the third section of  FIG. 5A ; 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates a fourth section of the grinding device of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 6B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the fourth section of  FIG. 6A . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “n,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
     When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
     Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments. 
     Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, including those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
     The following embodiments are examples of the inventive subject matter. Any element not suggested by, not disclosed and/or not recited in the following embodiments or appended claims is not essential to the inventive subject matter. Any element recited in the following embodiments and appended claims is not, by virtue of its inclusion, essential. Any element of the present disclosure may be replaced with any other equivalent element. For example, where the term “may” is used, a specific element may or may not be included in the inventive subject matter. Where elements are not referred to as optional, i.e., by using the term “may,” that element is not necessarily essential to practicing the claimed invention. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a grinder  100 . The grinder  100  may include a first section  102 , a second section  104 , a third section  106  and a fourth section  108 . The first section  102  and the fourth section  108  may be on opposing ends of the grinder  100 . The first section  102  may be at a proximal end  110  and the fourth section may be at a distal end  112 . The second section  104  and the third section  106  may be at a mid-region  114  of the grinder  100  and may be sandwiched between the first section  102  and the fourth section  108 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded view of the grinder  100 . Each of the first section  102 , the second section  104 , the third section  106  and the fourth section  108  is illustrated as having a circular cross-section. However, it is not necessary that each of the first through fourth sections have a circular cross-section; some may have rectangular cross-sections, triangular cross-sections, oval cross-sections, irregular cross-sections, etc. 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates the first section  102 . The first section may be colloquially considered a “lid” of the grinder  100 . The grinder may be substantially closed to the outside environment. For example, contents within the grinder  100  may be maintained in the grinder  100 . The first section  100  helps retain contents within the grinder  100 . 
     The first section  102  may include a rim  302 , a connector rim  304 , a proximal surface  306  (e.g., a first surface), a distal surface  308  (e.g., a second surface), and a connector  310 . The distal surface  308  may define a plurality of grooves  312 . 
     The rim  302  may have a diameter that is larger than the connector rim  304 . The connector rim  304  may be provided to help couple the first section  102  to the second section  104 . A rim surface  314  may be an annular ring and may connect the rim  302  to the connector rim  304 . The rim surface  314  may engage the second section  104  by butting against the second section  104 . 
     Each of the plurality of grooves  312  may form an acute angle with a tangent line  316  of the connector rim that is an acute angle. For example, a centerline  318  at a distal end of a groove  312   a  may form an acute angle with the tangent line  316 . Each of the plurality of grooves  312  is illustrated as being arcuate; however, any or all of the grooves may be arcuate, linear, irregular or any combination thereof. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates a cross-section of the first section  102 . Outside of the plurality of grooves  312 , the distal surface  308  may be substantially flat. Each of the plurality of grooves  312  may be a defined recess in the distal surface  308 . A periphery  312   b  of each of the plurality of grooves  312  may be an acute edge, i.e., an edge that terminates in discontinuous surface rather than a substantially curved configuration. 
     A central axis  320  of the first section  102  may be coaxial with a central axis of the grinder  100 . The central axis  320  may be at a central region  322  of the first section  102 . The connector  310  may be located on the central axis  320 . The connector  310  may be any type of connector such as a magnet, a pin type connector, a threaded connector, etc. The connector  310  is configured to engage a corresponding connector on the second section. The corresponding connector will be discussed in more detail below. 
       FIG. 4A  illustrates the second section  104 . The second section  104  may include a plate  402  having a proximal surface  404  (e.g., a third surface) and a distal surface  406  (a fourth surface), an annulus  408 , a connector  410 . The plate  402  may define a plurality of through-slots  412 . 
     Each of the plurality of through-slots  412  may form an acute angle with a tangent line  414  of the annulus  408  that is an acute angle. For example, a centerline  416  at a distal end of a through-slot  412   a  may form an acute angle with the tangent line  414 . Each of the plurality of through-slot  412  is illustrated as being arcuate; however, any or all of the through-slot may be arcuate, linear, irregular or any combination thereof. 
     With further reference to  FIG. 2 , the plurality of grooves  312  and the plurality of through-slots  412  may have an identical configuration. For example, each groove  312   a  may form an acute angle with the tangent line  316 . Similarly, each through-slot  412   a  may form substantially the same acute angle with the tangent line  414 . Further, the number of grooves in the first section  102  may match the number of through-slots in the second section  104 .  FIGS. 2, 3A and 4A  illustrate the plurality of grooves  312  and the plurality of through-slots  412  in an identical pinwheel pattern. 
     A grinding chamber may be defined between the distal surface  308  of the first section  102  and the proximal surface  404  of the plate  402 . The grinding chamber may include a gap between the distal surface  308  and the proximal surface  404  or the grinding chamber may be a section of the grinder  100  occupied by contact between the distal surface  308  and the proximal surface  404 . 
       FIG. 4A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the second section  102 . A threaded portion  418  may be provided on an interior surface of the second section  102 . The threaded portion  418  may contain threads and may be provided to help couple the second section  104  to the third section  106 . 
     Outside of the plurality of through-slots  412 , the proximal surface  404  of the plate  402  and the distal surface  406  of the plate may be substantially flat. Each of the plurality of through-slots  412  may be a defined hole through the thickness of the plate  402 . A periphery  412   b  of each of the plurality of through-slots  412  may be an acute edge, i.e., an edge that terminates in discontinuous configuration rather than a substantially curved configuration. 
     The central axis  416  of the second section  106  may be coaxial with a central axis of the grinder  100 . The central axis  416  may be at a central region  420  of the first section  102 . The connector  410  may be located on the center line  416 . The connector  410  may be any type of connector such as a magnet, a pin type connector, a threaded connector, etc. The connector  410  is configured to engage the corresponding connector  310  on the first section. 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates the third section  106 . The third section  106  may include an annulus  502 , a proximal threaded portion  504 , a screen  506 , a distal threaded portion  508  and a proximal collection chamber  510  (e.g., a first chamber) defined by in inner surface  512  of the annulus  502 . 
     The second section  104  may be configured to engage the third section  106 . For example, the threaded portion  418  of the second section  104  may engage the proximal threaded portion  504  of the third section  106 . It is not necessary that the second section  104  be connected to the third section  106  via a threaded portion. It may be possible to connect the second section  104  to the third section  106  via connector mechanisms such as a key and slot connector, a magnetic connector, a force fit between a slot and tube, etc. 
       FIG. 5B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the third section  106 . The inner surface  512  helps define the proximal collection chamber  510  of the grinder  100 . The distal surface  406  of plate  402  defines a proximal limit of the proximal collection chamber  510 . The screen  506  is positioned at a proximal end of the distal threaded portion  508  may define a distal limit of the proximal collection chamber  510 . 
       FIG. 6A  illustrates the fourth section  108 . The fourth section may include a base  602 , a threaded portion  604 , an inner annulus  606 . The base  602  and the inner annulus  606  may help to define a distal collection chamber  608 . 
     The third section  106  may be configured to engage the fourth section  108 . For example, the distal threaded portion  508  of the third section  106  may engage the threaded portion  604  of the fourth section  108 . It is not necessary that the third section  106  be connected to the fourth section  108  via a threaded portion. It may be possible to connect the third section  106  to the fourth section  108  via connector mechanisms such as a key and slot connector, a magnetic connector, a force fit between a slot and tube, etc. 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the fourth section  108 . The distal collection chamber  608  is partially defined at is proximal limit by the screen  506  of the third section  106 . As the fourth section  104  is on a distal end of the grinder  100 , the fourth section  108  may be a distal lid of the grinder  100 . 
     The grinder is operated by placing material, i.e., tobacco, spices, flower, etc. in the grinding chamber. The first section  102  may be rotated about the central axis  320  relative to the second section  104  (or the second section  104  may be rotated about the centerline  416 ) by hand or by a mechanical mechanism such as a motor. The material may be ground to small components of the original material by interaction of the material with the periphery  312   b  of each of the plurality of grooves  312  and/or interaction of the material with the periphery  412   b  of each of the plurality of through-slots  412 . Ground material enters the proximal collection chamber  510  through the through-slots  412 . Smaller particles may be separated out from the ground material through the screen  506  through which they enter the distal collection chamber  608 . 
     Larger ground material in the grinder  100  may be removed from the proximal collection chamber  510  without disturbing smaller material in the distal collection chamber  608  by disconnecting the second section  104  from the third portion  106  without removing the fourth section  108  from the third section  106 . Likewise, smaller material may be removed from the distal collection chamber  608  without disturbing material in the proximal collection chamber  510  by disconnecting the third section  106  from the fourth section  108  without removing the second section  104  from the third section  106 . 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.