Condiment grinder-dispenser
OwnerTom Davidinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hand-held and hand-operated condiment grinder-dispenser includes a housing adapted to be held by an encircling grip of the user's hand, a grinding mechanism having a rotary grinding wheel and a driving mechanism having an operating lever coupled to the grinding wheel and arranged for a reciprocating motion composed of a manually-induced forward motion and a spring-induced return motion. An overrunning clutch couples the driving mechanism to the grinding wheel for transmitting a torque from the driving mechanism to the grinding wheel solely during the foward motions of the operating lever. The operating lever is positioned with respect to the housing such that it is included in the encircling grip of the user's hand.
Claims8
A hand-held and hand-operated condiment grinder dispenser comprising in combination:
- (a) a housing adapted to be held by an encircling grip of the user's hand;
- (b) a grinding mechanism mounted in said housing and including a rotary grinding wheel and a skirt surrounding said grinding wheel and cooperating therewith for comminuting and dispensing condiment upon rotation of said grinding wheel in a sole, operative direction;
- (c) an overrunning clutch mounted in said housing and having a driven part connected to said grinding wheel for rotating therewith as a unit;
- said clutch further having a driving part rotatable in an operative direction and in an opposite, inoperative direction;
- said driving part transmitting an operating torque to said driven part solely when said driving part rotates in said operative direction thereof;
- the direction of said operating torque coinciding with said operative direction of said grinding wheel;
- (d) an operating lever mounted on said housing to be movable in a forward direction and in a return direction;
- said operating lever being coupled to said driving part of said clutch for rotating said driving part in the operative direction thereof when said operating lever moves in said forward direction and for rotating said driving part in the inoperative direction thereof when said operating lever moves in said return direction;
- said operating lever being positioned with respect to said housing such that said operating lever being included in the encircling grip of the user's hand for effecting said forward motion;
- and
- (e) a spring urging said operating lever in the return direction, whereby upon release of said operating lever by the user's hand after a motion of said operating lever in the forward direction, said spring moves said operative lever in the return direction and further moves said driving part of said clutch in the inoperative direction relative to said driven part of said clutch and relative to said grinding wheel of said grinding mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.