Portable electric spice mill
OwnerDianne Marie Wagnerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable electric spice mill is configured to be easily carried in a pocket or purse, having a grating wheel turning with a drive shaft extending perpendicularly to a motor shaft extending from a motor powered by a battery. These shafts are connected by a pair of gears. The grating wheel turns within a hopper supplying spices for grating, being disposed above a plate including a number of holes through which grated spices flow. A rear cover forms a battery compartment and a portion of the walls of the hopper, while an intermediate plate forms the remaining portion of these walls. A front cover extends around the motor and an electric switch, which is closed by the depression of a button to begin and maintain operation of the motor.
Claims18
A portable spice mill comprising:
- a battery;
- a manually operated electric switch electrically connected to said battery;
- an electric motor electrically connected to said electric switch and to said battery, powered by said battery when contacts within said electric switch are held together, wherein said motor includes an output shaft extending outward in a first direction from an end of said motor, with a drive gear attached to said output shaft;
- a wheel for grating spices, wherein said wheel is attached to a drive shaft having a driven gear in meshing engagement with said drive gear, with said wheel being driven in a direction of wheel rotation by said motor, and wherein said drive shaft extends horizontally, with said wheel rotating within a lower portion of a hopper holding said spices and supplying said spices to said wheel;
- and
- a housing surrounding said battery, motor, wheel, and hopper, with said housing including a loading opening above said hopper and a discharge opening below said wheel.
Apparatus for grating spices, wherein said apparatus comprises:
- a wheel mounted to rotate about a central axis in a direction of wheel rotation, including an outer, generally cylindrical surface with a plurality of flutes extending therealong parallel to said central axis, with each said flute having a sharp edge directed radially outward and in said direction of wheel rotation, with said central axis being horizontal;
- a hopper supplying spices to said wheel from above said wheel, with said hopper extending around and above said wheel;
- and
- a lower plate, extending adjacent and under said wheel, forming a lower portion of said hopper with said lower plate including a plurality of apertures through which grated spices can pass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.