CA-3167951-C - ADJUSTABLE SPICE MILL

Abstract

The invention relates to a spice mill (2) having a container (9) and having a grinder (1) which comprises the following: a stator (6), wherein the stator (6) can be connected to the container (9) and the position of the stator (6), when connected, is substantially defined in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the grinder (1) relative to the container (9); an actuating unit (4), which has a rotor (5), wherein the rotor (5) is arranged at least in portions within the stator (6) and is mounted rotatably relative to the stator (6), wherein the rotor (5) is connected for conjoint rotation to an actuating element (4a) and the actuating element (4a) is rotatably connected to an adjusting element (3) and is secured in the direction of the longitudinal axis (18), wherein the adjusting element (3) has a thread by means of which it can be connected to the container (9) such that the position of the rotor (5) is adjustable in the direction of the longitudinal axis (18) by means of a rotation of the adjusting element (3) relative to the container (9).

Inventors

• Rudolf Fries

Assignees

• JOMA KUNSTSTOFFTECHNIK GMBH

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20210409

Priority Date

20200409

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A spice mill, comprising: a container, and a grinder, which comprises the following: a stator, wherein the stator is connectable to the container in a connected state, and a position of the stator in the connected state is defined in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the grinder relative to the container, an actuating unit, which comprises a rotor, wherein the rotor is at least partially arranged within the stator and is mounted rotatably relative to the stator, wherein the rotor is connected to an actuating element for conjoint rotation, wherein 15 the actuating element is rotatably connected to an adjusting element and is secured in the direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein the adj us ting element comprises a thread, with which the adjusting element is connectable to the container, and the 20 container comprises a mating thread for the thread of the adjusting element, such that a position of the rotor in the direction of the longitudinal axis is adjustable by means of a rotation of the adjusting element relative to the container. 25 2. The spice mill according to claim 1, wherein the adj us ting element and the container comprise interacting anti-reverse rotation elements, such that the adjusting element screwed onto the container is not detachable from the container without being destroyed. 3. The spice mill according to claim 2, wherein the container comprises, as one of the interacting anti-reverse rotation elements, a ramp-shaped projection with a run-up surface and a balking surface, and the adjusting element 35 comprises, as another one of the interacting anti-reverse rotation elements, a spring element projecting in a direction of a container, wherein when the adjusting element is screwed onto the container, the spring element is elastically deformed over the run-up 40 surface, and slides over the ramp-shaped projection, such that the spring element bears against the balking surface in a balking Date re<;ue/Date received 2024-02-14 manner in the event of a rotational movement counter to a screwing-on direction. 4. The spice mill according to claim 3, 5 wherein the adjusting element comprises, on an inner face, at least one cam projecting inwards in the direction of the container. 5 . The spice mill according to claim 4, wherein at least one outwardly projecting cam is provided on an outer face of the container. 6. The spice mill according to claim 5, wherein the at least one outwardly projecting cam is directly 15 adjoining a flank of the mating thread. 7. The spice mill according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said at least one outwardly projecting cam comprises at least two outwardly projecting cams provided on the outer face 20 of the container, arranged spaced apart from each other in the screwing-on direction. 8. The spice mill according to any one of the claims 5 to 7, wherein the at least one cam of the adjusting element bears 25 against the at least one outwardly projecting cam of the container in a first rotational orientation of the adjusting element, wherein when an increased rotational force is applied, the adjusting element is elastically deformable, such that the at least one cam 30 of the adjusting element is movable over the at least one outwardly projecting cam of the container. 9. The spice mill according to claim 7, wherein said at least two outwardly projecting cams comprise 35 first and second outwardly projecting cams, wherein the at least one cam of the adjusting element bears against the first outwardly projecting cam of the container in a first rotational orientation of the adjusting element, wherein in a second rotational orientation of the adjusting 40 element, the at least one cam of the adjusting element bears against the second outwardly projecting cam of the container and Date re<;ue/Date received 2024-02-14 the anti-reverse rotation elements bear against each other. 10. The spice mill according to any one of the claims 5 to 9, wherein the at least one outwardly projecting cam of the 5 container comprises a pair of cams, and the at least one cam of the adjusting element comprises a pair of cams, the pairs of cams of the container and the adjusting element being associated with a rotational orientation, wherein cams of the container and the adjusting element, in each case 10 arranged diametrically opposed, interact. 11. The spice mill according to any one of the claims 1 to 10, wherein the container comprises a circumferential snap-on groove, in an upper end section adjacent to an upper container 15 opening. 12. The spice mill according to claim 11, wherein the stator comprises a plurality of snap-on hooks, distributed over a circumference of the stator, for purposes of 20 connection to the circumferential snap-on groove of the container. 13. The spice mill according to any one of the claims 1 to 11, wherein adjacent to the upper container opening, the 25 container comprises a plurality of projections, distributed over a circumference of the container. 14. The spice mill according to claim 13, wherein the stator comprises a plurality of projections, 30 distributed over a circumference of the stator, for purposes of interaction with the plurality of projections of the container. 15. A grinder for a spice mill comprising a container, the grinder comprising: a stator connectable to the container, and a position of the stator in a connected state is defined in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the grinder relative to the container, and an actuating unit, which comprises a rotor, wherein the rotor is at least partially arranged within the stator, 40 and is mounted rotatably relative to the stator, wherein the rotor is connected to an actuating element for conjoint Date re<;ue/Date received 2024-02-14 rotation, wherein the actuating element is rotatably connected to an adjusting element, and is secured in the direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein the adj us ting element comprises a thread, with which the adjusting element is connectable to the container, the container having a mating thread for the thread of the adjusting element, such that a position of the rotor in the direction of the longitudinal axis is adjustable by means of the rotation of the 10 adjusting element relative to the container. 16. The grinder according to claim 15, wherein the adjusting element and the actuating element are connected to each other by way of a tongue-groove connection. Date re<;ue/Date received 2024-02-14

Description

ADJUSTABLE SPICE MILL The invention relates to a spice mill with a container and with a grinder, which comprises the following: a stator, wherein 5 the stator can be connected to the container and the position of the stator in the connected state is substantially defined in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the grinder relative to the container, an actuating unit, which comprises a rotor, wherein the rotor, at least in sections, is arranged within the stator 10 and is mounted rotatably relative to the stator, wherein the rotor is connected to an actuating element for conjoint rotation. In such spice mills, a grinding gap is formed between an outer surface of the rotor and an inner surface of the stator, in which the material that is to be ground is ground by means of 15 a relative rotation between the rotor and stator. The relevant surfaces of the stator and rotor can be configured differently, and can, for example, comprise teeth, between which the material that is to be ground is ground. Here the fineness of grinding of the grinder is determined by the distance between the surfaces 20 of the stator and rotor. In order to grind the material that is to be ground, the actuating element of the actuating unit is rotated, and the rotation is transmitted onto the rotor, which then crushes the material that is to be ground in an interaction with the stator. Such spice mills mainly find application as pre- 25 filled spice mills, especially disposable mills. A spice mill of this type is already of known art from EP 2 454 978 Al, in which a grinder is snapped onto a container, wherein it is advantageously possible to adjust the fineness of grinding in two stages. To adjust the fineness of grinding, the 30 grinder has a projecting rib on the stator, by way of which the rotor can be arranged in different axial positions. To adjust the fineness of grinding, an actuating element connected to the rotor for conjoint rotation can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the mill, such that the relative position of the 35 rotor with respect to the stator, and thus the fineness of grinding, is adjusted at the same time by way of the longitudinal displacement of the actuating element. In order to position the rotor in an upper coarse grinding position, a circumferential rib is provided on the container, against which projecting lugs abut 40 in an end position. Another grinder is of known art from WO 2015/181712 Al, which Date re<;ue/Date received 2024-02-14 can be snapped onto a container and which provides for an adjustment of the fineness of grinding in two stages. To adjust the fineness of grinding, the grinder comprises a projecting rib on the stator, which can engage in two different grooves on the 5 rotor of the grinder. The grooves are offset from each other in the axial direction. To adjust the fineness of grinding, the rib is displaced from one groove to the other. This displacement alters the distance between the stator and the rotor, on which the grinding surfaces are conically arranged. This allows the 10 fineness of grinding to be adjusted. WO 2005/046411 Al also shows a grinder that enables the fineness of grinding to be adjusted by axial adjustment of the rotor relative to the stator. For this purpose, grooves are also arranged axially offset from each other on the rotating part, and 15 a circumferential projection is provided on the stator for purposes of engagement in these grooves. The fineness of grinding is also adjusted here by a longitudinal displacement of the circumferential projection from one groove into the other. The grinder also has a thread for purposes of screwing the latter 20 onto a container. The disadvantage of these adjustment mechanisms is that the force required to adjust them, especially when pulling them apart, is not always smooth. In addition, it is difficult for the user to see in which grinding position the grinder is located. 25 It is the object of the invention to alleviate these disadvantages of the prior art at least partially, or to eliminate them entirely. In particular, it is the object of the invention to create a spice mill and a grinder, in which the fineness of grinding can be adjusted in a simple and user-friendly manner. 30 In accordance with the invention, the actuating element is rotatably connected to an adjusting element, and is secured in the direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein the adjusting element comprises a thread with which it can be connected to the container, such that the position of the rotor in the direction 35 of the longitudinal axis can be adjusted by means of a rotation of the adjusting element relative to the container. This makes it possible to dispense with circumferential grooves spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction, each of which defines a specific fineness of grinding. In contrast, a smooth 40 and precise adjustment of the fineness of grinding is made possible, since, with an appropriate design of the pi