AU781907B2 - Food grinder - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION NAME OF APPLICANT(S): Chung Lun Yip 0* ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

INVENTION TITLE: Food grinder *t *o ft* *ft The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- PAOPERSASUa-JN 05U352297 Ip doc-2I1X4X5 -1A- The invention relates to food grinders.

The invention relates more particularly to manual food grinders especially for grinding coffee, beans, peppercorns and the like. Currently, conventional grinders consist of a grinding wheel with a part conical peripheral end that is arranged to rotate within a fixed conical ring. The cooperating surfaces are formed with grinding surfaces, generally in the form of "gearing", that are used to crush 10 coffee beans as they are passed between the cooperating surfaces. A working separation, usually adjustable, provided between the cooperating surfaces allows coffee grounds to fall through into a grounds collecting chamber.

Traditionally, both the grinding wheel and the fixed ring 15 are each formed of metallic material integrally formed with suitable gearing. The suitably prepared metallic materials parts tend to be expensive.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention seeks to overcome or at least reduce this problem.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a food grinder to grind particulate material into powder-like consistency in which the grinding elements P.AOPERlSASUan-lu 052352297 Ipa doc-2104A) -2comprise a cylindrical upstanding housing having a central longitudinal vertical axis, a food particle feeding screw rotatable mounted about the axis within the housing to urge the food particles downwards, and an apertured plate closing off a bottom of the housing and adjacent to which lower surfaces of the screw are held so that food particles are forced against and swept over and through the plate by the screw to grind the food particles in use to powder-like consistency.

The inner surface of the housing is preferably formed with a plurality of ribs each extending generally vertically downwards.

15 The housing may have a number of external protruding ribs that are held stationary in a frame of the food grinder to prevent rotation of the housing.

The plate may be circular and provided with a number of short wings that are held in a frame of the food grinder to prevent rotation of the plate.

The housing and screw are preferably formed of porcelain.

P XOPER\SASU.N-.m 0SU52297 ISOa d.o-27AJ4 -3- The plate is preferably formed of stainless steel.

A food grinder according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the grinder; and 10 Figure 2 is an exploded isometric view of grinding elements for the grinder.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 the food grinder is of a generally conventional form having a bean hopper 10 and 15 a grounds collection chamber 11 which supports the hopper.

A removable lid 12 for the hopper has a central aperture 13 through which a drive shaft 14 of a handle 15 passes to engage and rotate a grinder feeding screw 16.

Grinder elements of the food grinder comprise the screw 4 16, a cylindrical housing 17 and an apertured plate 18, all of which are shown more clearly in Figure 2. The screw 16 and the housing 17 are formed of porcelain, and the plate 18 is made of stainless steel. The inner s surface of the housing is integrally formed with a plurality of vertically extending ribs 19.

In use, the hopper 10 is charged with coffee beans and the drive shaft 14 fitted to rotate the screw 16. Beans 10 are forced downwards by rotation of the screw 16 and restrained from moving easily around inside the housing 17 by the ribs 19. This resistance causes some crushing of the beans in use. The beans are forced against plate 18 and swept by discontinuous lower surfaces 20 of the screw formation over the plate 18. The screw 16 is held down so that the surfaces 20 are adjacent the upper surface of the plate 18. As a result coffee grounds are produced and pass through the plate into the chamber 11.

:The handle 15 is turned until all the beans originally placed in the hopper 10 have been ground and collected in the chamber 11.

It will be noted that the housing 17 is formed with outer ribs 21 that can lock to a frame 22 of the coffee grinder to prevent rotation of the housing 17 in use.

Likewise, the plate 18 is provided with -four short wings 23 that also prevent rotation of the plate 18 when it is fitted in the frame 22.

The screw 16 and the housing 17 are formed of porcelain which is much cheaper than suitably prepared metal parts used as grinding elements in present day grinders.

Porcelain is also generally harder and more suitable to use in grinding operations than most metals especially for foodstuffs. The ground coffee produced in the described grinder is more evenly formed and can be provided in grounds of generally smaller grain size, where required. As grinding is carried out over a relatively larger effective area as compared to prior art arrangements, the grinding capacity of the described grinder is, "size for size", greater and so speedier grinding is possible.

Embodiments of the invention can be used for grinding coffee beans as described and also peppercorns, and relatively dry salt crystals for example. Other oo": foodstuff may also be ground that can be generally crushed down from relatively large particles to smaller powder like constituency. The grinder is therefore described as a "food grinder" and the coffee beans, peppercorns, "salt crystals" and so forth, are referred to generically in the claims as "food particles" Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims (8)

1. A food grinder to grind particulate material into powder-like consistency in which the grinding elements comprise a cylindrical upstanding housing having a central longitudinal vertical axis, a food particle feeding screw rotatable mounted about the axis within the housing to urge the food particles downwards, and an apertured plate closing off a bottom of the housing and adjacent to which lower surfaces of the screw are held so that food particles are forced against and swept over and through the plate by the S- screw to grind the food particles in use to powder-like consistency.

2. A food grinder according to claim 1, in which an inner surface of the housing is formed with a plurality of ribs each extending generally vertically downwards.

3. A food grinder according to claim 1, in which the 20 housing has a number of external protruding ribs that are 0000 held stationary in a frame of the food grinder to prevent •rotation of the housing.

4. A food grinder according to claim 1, in which the plate is circular and is provided with a number of short wings that are held in a frame of the food grinder to prevent rotation of the plate.

A food grinder according to claim 1, in which the housing is formed of porcelain.

6. A food grinder according to claim 1, in which the screw P.%OPERZASUa9.ihmO5Uf52Z97 lip. doc.2S04MS -7- is formed of porcelain.

7. A food grinder according to claim 1, in which the plate is formed of stainless steel.

8. A food grinder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. Dated this 28th day of April, 2005 Yip Chung Lun d by DAVIES COLLISON CAVE *Patent Attorneys for the applicant(s) 1