GRINDING APPARATUS

Abstract

A grinding assembly for grinding a partially dried or a dried substance is described. The assembly include a first component, a second component, a chamber component, a disc component, a first magnetic component, and a second magnetic component. The first magnetic component maintains a magnetic connection with the second magnetic component to affix the first component to the chamber component. Upon user rotation of the first component, a first set of protrusions of the first component are moved such that the first set of protrusions engage a second set of protrusions of the chamber component to grind the substance. In response to such rotation, the substance is ground into a much thicker consistency that resembles a hand-broken consistency. The ground substance falls through a plurality of openings of the chamber component into the second component for storage.

Claims

1. A grinding assembly for grinding a substance, the grinding assembly comprising: a first component comprising: a first side disposed opposite a second side; and a wall located around a periphery of and extending away from the second side; and a first set of protrusions extending away from the second side; a second component comprising: a first side disposed opposite a second side; a wall located around a periphery of and extending away from the second side to create a first concave portion; and a first threaded portion disposed on a periphery of the wall; a chamber component comprising: a body portion comprising a first side disposed opposite a second side, the second side comprising a second threaded portion configured to interact with the first threaded portion of the second component to affix the second component to the chamber component; a wall located around a periphery and extending away from the first side to create a second concave portion, wherein the wall comprises a first circumference, wherein the second component comprises a second circumference, and wherein the first circumference is less than the second circumference such that a lip portion is created between an exterior of the wall and an exterior of the chamber component; a second set of protrusions located on the first side of the concave portion and extending away from the first side; and a plurality of openings disposed through the concave portion; and a disc component configured to be received by the lip portion.

2. The grinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the substance is a partially dried substance.

3. The grinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the substance is a dried substance.

4. The grinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the ground substance is handled and smoked in a pipe.

5. The grinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the grinding assembly is cylindrical in shape.

6. The grinding assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first set of protrusions of the first component and the second set of protrusions of the chamber component comprise concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth.

7. The grinding assembly of claim 6, wherein the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions and the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the second set of protrusions are mirrored to form opposing parallel tapered faces.

8. The grinding assembly of claim 7, wherein each face of the parallel tapered faces is at a distance from each other to promote grinding of the substance.

9. The grinding assembly of claim 7, wherein each tooth of the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions comprises a quantity of hexagonal prismatic segments.

10. The grinding assembly of claim 9, wherein the hexagonal prismatic segments are stacked from a larger base to a smaller head to form a stepped hexagonal cone configuration.

11. The grinding assembly of claim 10, wherein the stepped hexagonal cone configuration comprises serrated edges.

12. The grinding assembly 6, wherein the second concave portion of the chamber component receives the ground substance.

13. The grinding assembly of claim 12, wherein user rotation of the first component moves the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions such that the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions engage the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the second set of protrusions in a motion to form cutting faces against one another to grind the substance.

14. The grinding assembly of claim 13, wherein the motion comprises a rotational pulling motion.

15. The grinding assembly of claim 13, wherein the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions are counter-rotated relative to the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the second set of protrusions.

16. The grinding assembly of claim 13, wherein the ground substance falls through the plurality of openings of the chamber component into the second component for storage.

17. The grinding assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a first magnetic component receivable by the second side of the first component; and a second magnetic component receivable by the first side of the chamber component.

18. The grinding assembly of claim 17, wherein the first magnetic component maintains a magnetic connection with the second magnetic component to affix the first component to the chamber component.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 depicts an exploded view of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0019] FIG. 2 depicts a side view of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0020] FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of a top component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0021] FIG. 4 depicts a side view of a top component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0022] FIG. 5 depicts a bottom view of a top component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0023] FIG. 6 depicts a front view of a top component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0024] FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of a bottom component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0025] FIG. 8A depicts a side view of a bottom component having a portion B of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0026] FIG. 8B depicts a perspective view of the portion B of the bottom component of FIG. 8A, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0027] FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of a ring component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0028] FIG. 10-FIG. 12 depict perspective views of a chamber component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0029] FIG. 13 depicts a top view of a chamber component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0030] FIG. 14A depicts a cut away view of a chamber component having a portion C of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0031] FIG. 14B depicts a perspective view of the portion C of the chamber component of FIG. 14A, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0032] FIG. 15 depicts a side view of a chamber component of a grinding assembly or apparatus, according to at least some embodiments disclosed herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

[0034] Reference will now be made in detail to each embodiment of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto.

[0035] An embodiment of the present invention describes and depicts a grinding assembly 100 (or a grinding apparatus 100) for grinding a substance in at least FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The substance may be a partially dried substance or a dried substance. In examples, the ground substance is tobacco, an herb, or cannabis. In preferred examples, the herb grinding assembly 100 is configured to grind the herb into a much thicker consistency that resembles a hand-broken consistency, which differs from the consistency formed from traditional systems. However, it should be appreciated that the ground substance may be another substance not explicitly listed herein. Moreover, in some implementations, the ground substance may be handled and smoked in a pipe. In other embodiments, the ground substance may be used in a handmade cigarette.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the grinding assembly 100 includes numerous components, such as: a first component 106, a second component 102, a chamber component 104, a disc component 108, a first magnetic component 110A and a second magnetic component 110B. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when assembled, the grinding assembly 100 is cylindrical in shape and is symmetrical about an A axis. However, it should be appreciated that the shape of the grinding assembly 100 is described for illustrative purposes only and other shapes are contemplated. Each component of the grinding assembly 100 will be discussed in turn herein.

[0037] The first component 106 (or a top component) of the grinding assembly 100 is shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the first component 106 of the grinding assembly 100 has a first side 136 disposed opposite a second side 138. A wall is located around a periphery of and extends away from the second side 138 of the first component 106 of the grinding assembly 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the first component 106 of the grinding assembly 100 also includes a first set of protrusions 140 extending away from the second side 138. It should be appreciated that in some examples, the first set of protrusions 140 are symmetrical about an A-axis, as shown in FIG. 5. Moreover, though a particular quantity of protrusions of the first set of protrusions 140 are depicted, it should be appreciated that any quantity of protrusions may be used herein.

[0038] Furthermore, various ranges of dimensions (“D”) of the first component 106 are depicted in Table 1 below. However, it should be appreciated that these dimensions are provided for illustrative purposes only and other dimensions are contemplated herein.

TABLE-US-00001 Dimensions of the First Component of the Grinding Assembly Dimension Range (mm) D1 11-22 D2 1-11 D3 5-15 D4 1-10 D5 11-22 D6 5-15 D7 5-15 D8 5-15 D9 1-10 D10 0.1-5 D11 55-75

[0039] The second component 102 of the grinding assembly 100 is shown in at least FIG. 7, FIG. 8A, and FIG. 8B herein. As shown in FIG. 7, the second component 102 of the grinding assembly 100 includes a first side 142 disposed opposite a second side 144, a wall 146 located around a periphery of and extending away from the second side 144 to create a concave portion 150, and a threaded portion 148 disposed on a periphery of the wall 146.

[0040] FIG. 8A also depicts a portion B that is expanded in FIG. 8B. Furthermore, various angles (“A”) and dimensions (“D”) of the second component 102 are depicted in Table 2 below. However, it should be appreciated that these dimensions are provided for illustrative purposes only and other dimensions are contemplated herein.

TABLE-US-00002 Dimensions and Angles of the Second Component of the Grinding Assembly Dimension/Angle Range (mm) D12 15-25 D13 10-20 D14 5-15 D15 5-15 D16 1-10 D17 55-75 D18 0.1-5 A1 35-55° A2 110-130° A3 35-55°

[0041] The grinding assembly 100 also includes a disc component 108 (as shown in FIG. 9). Further, the chamber component 104 of the grinding assembly 100 is shown in at least FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14A, FIG. 14B, and FIG. 15. As shown in FIG. 10, the chamber component 104 of the grinding assembly 100 includes a body portion 112 comprising a first side 114 disposed opposite a second side 116.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 14A, the second side 116 of the chamber component 104 of the grinding assembly 100 includes a threaded portion 134. The threaded portion 134 of the second side 116 of the chamber component 104 is configured to interact with the threaded portion 148 (of FIG. 7) of the second component 102 to affix the second component 102 to the chamber component 104.

[0043] The chamber component 104 also includes a wall 118 located around a periphery and extending away from the first side 114 to create a concave portion 122 of FIG. 10. The wall 118 of the chamber component 104 comprises a first circumference and second component 102 comprises a second circumference. The first circumference is less than the second circumference such that a lip portion 120 (of FIG. 11) is created between an exterior of the wall 118 and an exterior of the chamber component 104. The disc component 108 (as shown in FIG. 9) is configured to be received by the lip portion 120 of the chamber component 104 during assembly of the grinding assembly 100.

[0044] In some examples, and as shown in FIG. 11, protrusions 128 are located on an interior of the wall 118 and extend way from the interior of the wall 118 towards a center of the concave portion 122. The protrusions 128 depicted in FIG. 11 are rectangular in shape. However, other shapes are contemplated by Applicant. Moreover, any quantity of the protrusions 128 may be used herein.

[0045] Additionally, the chamber component 104 also includes a second set of protrusions 124 located on the first side 114 of the concave portion 122 and extending away from the first side 114. The second set of protrusions 124 are depicted, at least, in FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and

[0046] FIG. 14A. As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the chamber component 104 also includes a plurality of openings 126 disposed through the concave portion 122. The plurality of openings 126 may be arranged symmetrically about an A-axis, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0047] FIG. 14A also depicts a portion C that is expanded in FIG. 14B. Various angles (“A”) and dimensions (“D”) of the chamber component 104 are described in Table 3 below. However, it should be appreciated that these dimensions are provided for illustrative purposes only and other dimensions are contemplated herein.

TABLE-US-00003 Dimensions and Angles of the Chamber Component of the Grinding Assembly Dimensions/Angles Range (mm) D19 1-10 D20 5-20 D21 1-15 D22 1-15 D23 0.1-5 D24 0.1-2 D25 0.1-5 D26 0.1-5 D27 15-35 A4 35-55° A5 35-55° A6 65-85° A7 20-40°

[0048] Moreover, the chamber component 104 also includes a receiving portion 130 (of FIG. 12) extending away from the first side 114 of the concave portion 122. The receiving portion 130 receives the second magnetic component 110B therein. The first magnetic component 110A is receivable by the second side 138 of the first component 106 such that the first magnetic component 110A maintains a magnetic connection with the second magnetic component 110B to affix the first component 106 to the chamber component 104.

[0049] In an implementation, the first set of protrusions 140 of the first component 106 and the second set of protrusions 124 of the chamber component 104 comprise concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth. The concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions 140 and the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the second set of protrusions 124 are mirrored to form opposing parallel tapered faces. Each face of the parallel tapered faces is at a distance from each other to promote grinding of the substance. Each tooth of the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions 140 and the second set of protrusions 124 comprises a quantity of hexagonal prismatic segments. The hexagonal prismatic segments are stacked from a larger base to a smaller head to form a stepped hexagonal cone. The stepped hexagonal cone comprises serrated edges.

[0050] It should be appreciated that the description provided herein for the first set of protrusions 140 of the first component 106 and the second set of protrusions 124 of the chamber component 104 is for illustrative purposes only and other shapes, quantities, and dimensions are contemplated herein. For example, in other implementations, the first set of protrusions 140 of the first component 106 and the second set of protrusions 124 of the chamber component 104 may comprise teeth having one or more of the following shapes: a circular shape, an oval shape, a rectangular shape, a square shape, a triangular shape, a quadrilateral shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, a heptagonal shape, an octagonal shape, a nonagonal shape, or a decagonal shape.

[0051] Moreover, during use, the concave portion 122 of the chamber component 104 receives the ground substance. User rotation of the first component 106 moves the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions 140 such that the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions 140 engage the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the second set of protrusions 124 in a motion to form cutting faces against one another to grind the substance. The motion comprises a rotational pulling motion. Further, the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the first set of protrusions 140 are counter-rotated relative to the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the second set of protrusions 124. As a result of these actions/motions and based on the configuration of the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth, the herb is ground into a much thicker consistency that resembles a hand-broken consistency, which differs from the consistency formed from traditional systems. The ground substance falls through the plurality of openings 126 of the chamber component 104 into the second component 102 for storage.

[0052] It should be appreciated that the grinding assembly 100 described herein accentuates the consistency of the ground substance. In some examples, the herb grinding assembly 100 grinds the herb into a consistency resembling a hand-broken consistency. As such, the grinding assembly 100 is used to mimic a more natural hand-broken end product.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in at least FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 15, the body portion 112 of the chamber component 104 and the first component 106 may comprise a texturized grip. In examples, the texturized grip may comprise a knurl or a modified knurl. In specific examples, the texturized grip may comprise a knurl at a 1.5 mm pitch and at 0.5 mm deep. It should be appreciated that, as described herein, knurling is a manufacturing process, typically conducted on a lathe, whereby a pattern of straight, angled or crossed lines is rolled into the material. As explained, the concentrically arranged hexagonal teeth of the second set of protrusions 124, their placement, and the plurality of openings 126 of the chamber component 104 make this invention unique.

[0054] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others or ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0055] When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. Similarly, the adjective “another,” when used to introduce an element, is intended to mean one or more elements. The terms “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive such that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

[0056] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.