U.S. patent application number 11/900245 was filed with the patent office on 2009-03-12 for spring handle kettle.
Invention is credited to Samuel Lebowitz.
Application Number | 20090065534 11/900245 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40430762 |
Filed Date | 2009-03-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090065534 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lebowitz; Samuel |
March 12, 2009 |
Spring handle kettle
Abstract
A kettle includes a kettle body defining an interior chamber
with a spout positioned on the kettle body. The spout has a pour
opening in communication with the interior chamber. The kettle also
features a handle having a leading end, a gripping portion and a
leaf spring. The leaf spring includes a leading portion attached to
the gripping portion and a trailing portion attached to the kettle
body. A spout lid is pivotally attached to the kettle body so as to
selectively cover the pour opening. The leading end of the handle
is pivotally mounted to the spout lid at a position where the leaf
spring urges the leading end of the handle in a direction away from
the trailing portion of the leaf spring so that the spout lid
covers the pour opening when the kettle is in a level position. The
leading end of the handle travels towards the trailing portion of
the spring when the kettle is moved towards a pouring position so
that the spout lid is lifted from the pour opening and ultimately
to an angle sufficient to clear the stream of liquid flowing from
the spout when the kettle is inverted.
Inventors: |
Lebowitz; Samuel; (Shelter
Island, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
R. Blake Johnston;DLA PIPER US LLP
Suite 1900, 203 N. LaSalle
Chicago
IL
60601
US
|
Family ID: |
40430762 |
Appl. No.: |
11/900245 |
Filed: |
September 11, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/469 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J 27/21191
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/469 |
International
Class: |
B65D 47/08 20060101
B65D047/08 |
Claims
1. A kettle comprising: a. a kettle body defining an interior
chamber; b. a spout positioned on the kettle body and having a pour
opening in communication with the interior chamber; c. a handle
having a leading end, a gripping portion and a leaf spring, said
leaf spring including a leading portion attached to the gripping
portion and a trailing portion attached to the kettle body; e. a
spout lid removably covering the pour opening of the spout and
pivotally attached to the kettle body; and f. said leading end of
the handle pivotally mounted to the spout lid at a position where
the leaf spring urges the leading end of the handle in a direction
away from the trailing portion of the leaf spring so that the spout
lid covers the pour opening when the kettle is in a level position,
and the leading end of the handle travels towards the trailing
portion of the spring so that the spout lid is lifted from the pour
opening when the kettle is moved towards a pouring position.
2. The kettle of claim 1 further comprising a pivot mount attached
to the kettle body, said pivot mount pivotally supporting the spout
lid.
3. The kettle of claim 2 wherein the pivot mount includes a base
portion and a pair of horizontally-spaced pivot arms with said
spout lid pivotally mounted between the pivot arms.
4. The kettle of claim 3 wherein the spout lid includes an arm
featuring a cam with said cam pivotally mounted between the pivot
arms and pivotally mounted to the leading end of the handle.
5. The kettle of claim 4 further comprising a pivot tang attached
to the leading end of the handle and wherein the cam features a
pair of horizontally-spaced prongs with the pivot tang pivotally
received between the prongs of the cam.
6. The kettle of claim 1 further comprising a ribbed sleeve
covering the leaf spring.
7. The kettle of claim 6 wherein the ribbed sleeve is constructed
of silicone.
8. The kettle of claim 1 wherein the leaf spring is constructed of
steel.
9. The kettle of claim 1 wherein the spout lid includes a whistle
housing.
10. The kettle of claim 9 wherein the spout lid includes an arm
attached to the whistle housing on one end and a cam on an opposite
end with said cam pivotally mounted to both the kettle body and the
leading end of the handle.
11. The kettle of claim 1 further comprising a rear mounting
bracket and a pair of clamping members and wherein the trailing
portion of the leaf spring is secured to the kettle body by the
rear mounting bracket and clamped between the pair of clamping
members.
12. The kettle of claim 11 wherein the pair of clamping members are
secured together by a clamp screw.
13. The kettle of claim 1 wherein the gripping portion of the
handle is molded over the leading portion of the leaf spring.
14. A kettle comprising: a. a kettle body defining an interior
chamber; b. a spout positioned on the kettle body and having a pour
opening in communication with the interior chamber; c. a handle
having a leading end, a gripping portion and a leaf spring, said
leaf spring including a leading portion attached to the gripping
portion and a trailing portion attached to the kettle body; e. a
spout lid pivotally attached to the kettle body so as to
selectively cover the pour opening of the spout; and f. said
leading end of the handle pivotally mounted to the spout lid so
that said spout lid covers the pour opening of the spout when the
kettle is in a level position and said spout lid uncovers the pour
opening when the kettle is moved towards a pouring position.
15. The kettle of claim 14 further comprising a pivot mount
attached to the kettle body, said pivot mount pivotally supporting
the spout lid.
16. The kettle of claim 15 wherein the pivot mount includes a base
portion and a pair of horizontally-spaced pivot arms with said
spout lid pivotally mounted between the pivot arms.
17. The kettle of claim 16 wherein the spout lid includes an arm
featuring a cam with said cam is pivotally mounted between the
pivot arms and pivotally mounted to the leading end of the
handle.
18. The kettle of claim 17 further comprising a pivot tang attached
to the leading end of the handle and wherein the cam features a
pair of horizontally-spaced prongs with the pivot tang pivotally
received between the prongs of the cam.
19. The kettle of claim 14 further comprising a ribbed sleeve
covering the leaf spring.
20. The kettle of claim 19 wherein the ribbed sleeve is constructed
of silicone.
21. The kettle of claim 14 wherein the leaf spring is constructed
of steel.
22. The kettle of claim 14 wherein the spout lid includes a whistle
housing.
23. The kettle of claim 22 wherein the spout lid includes an arm
attached to the whistle housing on one end and a cam on an opposite
end with said cam pivotally mounted to both the kettle body and the
leading end of the handle.
24. The kettle of claim 14 further comprising a rear mounting
bracket and a pair of clamping members and wherein the trailing
portion of the leaf spring is secured to the kettle body by the
rear mounting bracket and clamped between the pair of clamping
members.
25. The kettle of claim 24 wherein the pair of clamping members are
secured together by a clamp screw.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to kettles of the type used
to heat liquids and, more particularly, to a kettle with a spout
closed by a lid which opens automatically due to the action of a
spring handle when the kettle is rotated for pouring.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Kettles used for brewing coffee or simply heating hot water
for tea, baths or for cooking have long been known in the art. The
basic design of a kettle includes a kettle body for holding the
water and a spout connected to the body. The spout is used for
pouring hot water or other liquids out of the kettle and is
sometimes used also to fill the actual kettle body. A whistle is
typically located in a lid which removably covers the spout. The
whistle produces an auditory alert when steam is present due to the
liquid in the kettle body boiling. A kettle also typically features
a handle for lifting and tilting the kettle for pouring the heated
liquid into a cup or other receptacle.
[0003] Opening the spout lid with additional actions such as
pressing a button or flipping a lever can be burdensome and
awkward. In response, kettles allowing for automatic opening and
closing of the spout lid with a simple rotation of the kettle
handle have been developed.
[0004] Prior art automatic-opening kettles include kettles with
handles pivotally connected by their trailing ends to the kettle
bodies and by their leading ends to the kettle lids, which are also
pivotally attached to the kettle bodies, to permit users to open
the lids simply by lifting the kettles. With such kettles, the
weights of the kettle bodies create pulling forces that open the
spout lids as the elevated handles are held by users. Examples of
such kettles include U.S. Pat. No. 1,486,802 to Royse, U.S. Pat.
No. 2,624,493 to Porter, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,128 to Kuhn. A
difficulty with the kettles of these patents, however, is that
there is no controlled or gradual opening of the lids as the
kettles are lifted by the handles. More specifically, the lids of
these kettles fully open instantly when the kettles are lifted.
This may result in heated liquid splashing out of the open spout,
which is undesirable. In addition, such functionality makes
controlled and gradual pouring of the liquid in the kettles
difficult.
[0005] Another prior art kettle, which is illustrated in U.S. Pat.
No. 6,006,959 to Naden et al., features an automatically opening
spout lid pivotally connected to both the kettle body and the
leading end of a handle. The handle is pivotally mounted to the
kettle body by its middle portion. As a result, the handle can
alternate between two distinct positions, with one position causing
the spout lid to be open and a second position causing the spout
lid to be closed.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 7,225,952 to Naden discloses a kettle
featuring a handle having a fixed rear portion and a front portion
having a trailing end that is pivotally attached to the fixed rear
portion and a leading end that is pivotally attached to a linkage
whereby the spout lid of the kettle is pivotally connected to the
kettle body. As a result, the spout lid remains closed when the
kettle is lifted by the front portion of the handle. The spout lid
opens, however, when the kettle is tilted for pouring.
[0007] As with the prior art kettles described above, the kettles
of the '959 patent and the '952 patent each also lack a gradual and
controlled opening of the lid. In addition, the kettle of the '952
patent requires a spring to keep the spout lid closed when the
kettle is resting on a surface. The combination of the spring and
linkage of the '952 patent restricts the angle that the spout lid
is permitted to pivot with respect to the kettle body when opening.
This may result in hot liquid deflecting off of the open lid when
the kettle is inverted so as to empty its liquid contents.
[0008] A need therefore exists for a kettle that permits automatic
and gradual opening of the lid to allow for smoother and more
controlled pouring with a reduced chance of hot liquid splashing
from the kettle spout. There is also a need for a kettle with a
spout lid that opens sufficiently to be clear of a stream of liquid
flowing from the spout when the kettle is inverted.
[0009] The handle and lid opening arrangements of the above prior
art kettles also result in their lids being open when the kettles
are lifted and transported. It is desirable for the lid of a kettle
to be closed when it is lifted and transported to prevent
undesirable cooling of the liquid in the kettle body and, once
again, to reduce splashing of liquid from the kettle spout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the kettle
of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the kettle of FIG. 1
taken along line 2-2 with the kettle in a level position;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the kettle of FIG. 2
after being lifted and tilted into a pouring position;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the kettle of FIGS. 1
and 2 after being inverted.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0014] An embodiment of the kettle of the invention is indicated in
general at 100 in FIGS. 1 through 3. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the
kettle. 100 features a spout 102 that is attached to a kettle body
104. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the spout defines a conduit 103 that
communicates with an interior chamber 105 defined by the kettle
body 104. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the upper end of the spout
features a pour opening 107. While the spout and body are
preferably formed from steel, other materials capable of
withstanding high temperature liquids may be used instead.
[0015] A pivot mount, indicated in general at 106 in FIGS. 1 and 2,
is attached to the spout 102 and body 104 of the kettle. The pivot
mount is preferably constructed from die cast stainless steel and
is secured to the kettle body by and spout by mounting tab 109
(FIG. 2) and screw 111. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a tab-like rear
mounting bracket 108 is attached to the kettle body at a position
diametrically opposite to the spout 102. A fill opening 112 is
positioned on the top of the kettle body between the pivot mount
106 and the rear mounting bracket 108. A cover 114 is removably
positioned within the fill opening 112 of the kettle body.
[0016] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the kettle also features a handle,
indicated in general at 120, having a leading end 122 and a
trailing end 124. As illustrated in FIG. 2, where the trailing end
of the handle is indicated in general at 124, the trailing end of
the handle includes a pair of clamping members 126a and 126b, the
function of which will be explained below.
[0017] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pivot tang 128 is secured
to the leading end 122 of the handle. More specifically, the handle
features a rigid gripping portion 132 that is preferably molded
from nylon. Pivot tang is preferably constructed from stainless
steel and is secured within gripping portion of the handle via over
molding of the gripping portion. Other fastening arrangements may
be used to attached the tang 128 within the gripping portion 132 of
the handle. A leaf spring, illustrated at 134 in FIGS. 2 and 3,
features a leading portion 136 and a trailing portion 138. The
leading portion 136 of the spring is secured within the gripping
portion 132 of the handle by over molding of the gripping portion.
As with the tang 128, other arrangements may be used to attach the
leading portion 136 of the leaf spring to the gripping portion 132.
The leaf spring 134 is preferably constructed of steel. A ribbed
sleeve 142, preferably constructed of silicone, is preferably
molded over the middle portion of the leaf spring 134.
[0018] As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the trailing portion 138 of
the leaf spring is secured and clamped to the rear mounting bracket
108 of the kettle by clamping members 126a and 126b and a pair of
clamp screws 144a and 144b. Clamping members 126a and 126b are
preferably constructed from die cast stainless steel.
[0019] A spout lid, indicated in general at 146 in FIGS. 1 and 2,
has a whistle housing 148 and a whistle housing arm 152 having one
end attached to the whistle housing. A whistle housing cam,
indicated in general at 153 in FIG. 2, is positioned at the
opposite end of the whistle housing arm. The whistle housing cam
153 of the whistle housing arm is bifurcated into a pair of
horizontally-spaced prongs 154a and 154b. As illustrated in FIGS. 1
and 2, the leading end of the pivot tang 128 is positioned between
prongs 154a and 154b of the whistle housing cam via pin 156 so that
the whistle housing arm 152 pivots with respect to the pivot tang
128. As is well known in the art, a whistle is positioned within
the whistle housing 148 so that a audible indication is provided
when steam exits the lid through opening 158 (FIG. 1).
[0020] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pivot support 106
features a base portion 162 and a pair of horizontally-spaced pivot
arms 164a and 164b. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cam end of
the whistle housing arm is pivotally positioned between the pivot
arms 164a and 164b by pin 168
[0021] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the kettle resting on a generally
horizontal surface (indicated at 172 in FIG. 2) so as to be
generally level. When the kettle is in the level position
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leaf spring 134 is under tension
and continuously pushes forward on the pivot tang 128, that is, in
a direction away from the trailing end 138 of the leaf spring. The
direction of the spring force when the kettle is in the level
position is illustrated by arrow 174 in FIG. 2. The whistle arm cam
153 converts this force to constant downward pressure of the
whistle housing 148 on the spout, so that the pour opening of the
spout remains covered by the spout lid. The strength of the leaf
spring 134 is such that the spout lid covers the pour opening even
after the kettle is lifted, as long as it is held generally
level.
[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates the kettle 100 after a user has grasped
the gripping portion 132 of the kettle handle, and lifted and
rotated it into the pouring position. When the kettle is rotated to
pour, the weight of the kettle body, and the liquid in the interior
chamber of the kettle body, causes the spring to flex so that the
pivot tang 128 travels in the direction of arrow 176, that is,
towards the trailing portion 138 of the leaf spring. As a result,
the whistle housing cam 153 pivots in the clockwise direction about
pin 168 and the whistle housing 148 is lifted off of the spout 102
by whistle housing arm 152 so that the pour opening 107 is
uncovered. As a result, liquid may be poured out of the spout.
[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates the kettle after the user has tilted the
kettle further in the counter-clockwise direction, while continuing
to grasp gripping portion 132 of the handle, so that the kettle is
inverted. With kettle positioned in such an inverted orientation,
the axis of the spout 102, which is illustrated by dashed line 182,
is generally vertical so that the liquid remaining in the kettle
may be poured out of the pour opening 107. As the kettle is tilted
into the inverted orientation illustrated in FIG. 4, the whistle
housing arm 152 travels further in the direction of arrow 184 of
FIG. 4 so that the whistle housing 148 pivots further away from the
spout 102 and spout opening 107. As a result, the liquid stream
flowing from pour opening 107 does not encounter the whistle
housing 148 so that undesirable splashing is avoided.
[0024] The kettle of the invention therefore provides for a gradual
opening of the lid when the kettle is rotated. This is in contrast
to the prior art kettles which feature spout lids that partially
open immediately to a restricted angle when those prior art kettles
are lifted. In addition, the kettle of the invention features a
spout pour opening that remains covered by the spout lid when the
kettle is in a level position, such as when resting on a surface or
being carried in a generally horizontal, non-tilted orientation.
The kettle of the invention also uses the variable deflection of
the handle spring so that the spout lid opens to a position that
fully clears the stream of flowing liquid when the kettle is
inverted.
[0025] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been
shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the
art that changes and modifications may be made therein without
departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is
defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *