Grinder device
AssigneeMcCormick & Company, Incorporated
InventorsMorgan LE ROUX, Olivier RATTIN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A grinder device is provided. The grinder device may include a container, a cap assembly configured to be friction-fit to the container such that the cap assembly is removably lockable to the container, and a grinding mill disposed within the cap assembly to perform a grinding operation of condiment disposed in the container. The grinding mill may include a movable grinder portion and a fixed grinder portion that are rotatable relative to each other, and the fixed grinder portion is engageable with the container to permit relative rotation between the cap assembly and the container.
Claims7
A cap assembly of a spice grinding device, the cap assembly comprising:
- a grinder housing that is couplable to a container configured to store a condiment, the grinder housing having a plurality of lock protrusions disposed at a first side of an inner circumferential surface of the grinder housing;
- and
- a grinding mill disposed within the grinder housing and configured to perform a grinding operation of a condiment;
- wherein:
- the grinder housing is sized such that the plurality of lock protrusions can be received within a recessed groove of the container to secure the cap assembly to the container while permitting relative rotation of the cap assembly and the container between:
- a locked position in which the lock protrusions are radially aligned with a plurality of lock beads that project radially outward from the recessed groove;
- and
- a removal position in which the lock protrusions are offset from the lock beads;
- and
- when the cap assembly is secured to the container and opposing separation forces are applied to the cap assembly and the container:
- the cap assembly is moveable relative to the container to a tilted position;
- and
- the cap assembly is not moveable to the tilted position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.