Infusion/dispersion device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9814333-B2
Application number	US-201314380171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2013
Priority date	Feb 27, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

An infusion/dispersion device includes a handle, a tube, a rod, and a basket. The handle includes a first section and a second section. The first section is rotatable with respect to the second section. The tube is connected fast with the first section of the handle. The rod is received in the tube and is connected fast with the second section of the handle. The basket includes an outer shell and an inner shell that is receivable in the outer shell. The outer shell connects fast with the tube and the inner shell connects fast with the rod such that rotation of the first section of the handle with respect to the second section of the handle results in rotation of the inner shell with respect to the outer shell.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a handle including a first section and a second section, wherein the second section is rotatable with respect to the first section;
a tube connected fast with the first section of the handle;
a rod received in the tube and connected fast with the second section of the handle;
a basket including an outer shell and an inner shell that is receivable in the outer shell, the outer shell connects fast with the tube and the inner shell connects fast with the rod such that rotation of the second section of the handle with respect to the first section of the handle results in rotation of the inner shell with respect to the outer shell; and
a detent mechanism in the handle, wherein the detent mechanism is operable in a locked position in which rotational movement of the second section of the handle with respect to the first section of the handle is inhibited,
wherein the detent mechanism includes a translating member received in one of the first and second sections of the handle and a spring biasing the translating member toward the other of the first and second sections of the handle, wherein the translating member includes a passage through which the rod extends.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outer shell and the inner shell includes perforations.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the basket is movable into a closed position where the basket confines articles larger than the perforations within the basket and an open position where the inner shell is received within the outer shell and the basket defines an opening through which the articles can be loaded into the basket.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the basket is spherical in configuration when in the closed position and the basket is hemispherical in configuration when in the open position.

5. The device of claim 3 , wherein the second section of the handle rotates 180 degrees with respect to the first section of the handle when the basket is moved from the open position to the closed position.

6. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first section of the handle is disposed forward from the second section of the handle toward the basket, wherein a forward surface of the second section of the handle is covered by the first section of the handle when the basket is in both the open position and the closed position.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein a side portion of the forward surface of the second section of the handle is exposed when the basket is in a position other than the closed position or the open position.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the translating member includes a bump and the other of the first and second sections includes a recess that receives the bump when the detent mechanism is in the locked position.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the translating member includes a recess and the other of the first and second sections includes a bump that is received in the recess when the detent mechanism is in the locked position.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first section of the handle includes a through bore extending through the first section of the handle, the rod is received in and extends through the through bore.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first section of the handle includes a non-cylindrical rear counterbore that receives the translating member.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is one of a tea ball, a flour sifter or a flour wand.

13. A device comprising:
a handle including a first section and a second section, wherein the second section is rotatable with respect to the first section;
a tube connected fast with the first section of the handle;
a rod received in the tube and connected fast with the second section of the handle, the rod defining a rotational axis about which the second section of the handle rotates; and
a basket including an outer shell and an inner shell that is receivable in the outer shell, the outer shell connects fast with the tube and the inner shell connects fast with the rod such that rotation of the second section of the handle with respect to the first section of the handle results in rotation of the inner shell with respect to the outer shell,
wherein the first section of the handle is disposed forward from the second section of the handle toward the basket,
wherein a forward surface of the second section of the handle is covered by the first section of the handle when the basket is in both the open position and the closed position, and
wherein a side portion of the forward surface of the second section of the handle is exposed when the basket is in a position other than the closed position or the open position,
further comprising a detent mechanism in the handle, wherein the detent mechanism is operable in a locked position in which rotational movement of the second section of the handle with respect to the first section of the handle is inhibited,
wherein the detent mechanism includes a translating member received in one of the first and second sections of the handle and a spring biasing the translating member toward and against the other of the first and second sections of the handle.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the translating member includes one of a bump and a recess that receives the bump when the detent mechanism is in the locked position and the other of the first and second sections includes the other of the bump and the recess.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first section of the handle includes:
a through bore extending through the first section of the handle, the rod is received in and extends through the through bore, and
a non-cylindrical rear counterbore that receives the translating member, the translating member includes a passage through which the rod extends.

16. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first section of the handle includes an external upper surface, an external lower surface, and external first and second side surfaces, a width of the first section is measured perpendicular to the rotational axis between the first and second side surfaces, the upper and lower surfaces of the first section are each wider than the side surfaces of the first section, and
the second section of the handle includes an external upper surface, an external lower surface, and external first and second side surfaces, a width of the second section is measured perpendicular to the rotational axis between the first and second side surfaces, the upper and lower surfaces of the second section are each wider than the side surfaces of the second section.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the basket is movable into a closed position where the basket confines articles within the basket and an open position where the inner shell is received within the outer shell and the basket defines an opening through which the articles can be loaded into the basket,
wherein when the basket is in both the open position and the closed position the width of the second section is parallel to the width of the first section, and when the second section is rotated to move the basket from one of the closed and open positions to the other of the closed and open positions the width of the second section is rotationally offset from the width of the first section.

Assignees

• Helen Of Troy Ltd

Inventors

• Vernon Ryan
• Kennedy Timothy Jude
• Forlee Sherwood
• Johnson Jens
• Stein Benjamin Jeffrey

Classifications

• A47G19/16 Primary

  Tea infusers, e.g. infusing bags, egg-shaped infuses (for using only once, e.g. made of paper, B65B, B65D) · CPC title