PEPPERMILL HAVING DISPOSABLE CARTRIDGE

Abstract: A peppermill includes an outer casing (12) receiving a disposable cartridge (14) containing a supply of peppercorns (24) to be ground in order to dispense fresh pepper. Legs (28) project radially from the grinding end of the cartridge into blind slots on an interior surface at a corresponding end of the casing. A cartridge cap (18) operatively connected to a grinding element (22) at the bottom of the cartridge includes a dovetail shape for receiving a rotatable member. An extension member having ribs and grooves for mating with the knob and the rotatable member, respectively, may be inserted between the knob and the rotatable member to extend the length of the peppermill. Plastic embodiments and wooden embodiments are disclosed. The wooden embodiments include a wooden casing, a wooden handle portion connecting with the cap of the cartridge, a first plastic adaptor defining a dovetail-shape bar on the lower end of the wooden handle portion, and a second plastic adaptor defining the blind slots on the casing.

Description: PEPPERMILL HAVING DISPOSABLE CARTRIDGE Background of the Invention The present invention relates to food grinding devices and, more particularly, to large peppermills of the type commonly used in restaurants. In restaurants, it is customary for the waiter to dispense freshly ground pepper from a large peppermill on the order of 10 inches to as much as 24 inches long, which enables the waiter to center the working end of the peppermill over the center of the food to be seasoned, without reaching unduly over the food or over the patrons seated at a table. Conventional restaurant peppermills have several disadvantages. Peppermills which are in constant use require frequent refilling with peppercorn kernels, a chore which is disdained by waiters and busboys alike. Pouring the peppercorn kernels from a container into the comparatively narrow orifice provided in the peppermill often results in kernels being spilled onto the floor, which not only- results in waste, but also requires cleanup.- Further- more, constant use of the peppermills results in clogging of the grinding surfaces in the peppermills, which impairs performance and requires disassembly of the peppermills for wire brushing and cleaning. Taking a peppermill apart and putting it back together again requires some skill, in addition to tools such as screwdrivers. Sometimes, both a Phillips type screw and a slotted screw are used by a peppermill manufacturer. In addition to all of the foregoing is the need to replace the entire peppermill because repeated use has deteriorated the grinding surfaces beyond use even though most of the peppermill is in good-as-new condition. Faced with the foregoing obstacles, many restaurant proprietors end up with a number of peppermills which simply languish in the kitchen either worn out or in need of refilling or cleaning. Since they need operating peppermills, the proprietors often resort to the quick, though expensive, remedy of simply buying additional peppermills. Although the problems described above pertain especially to the large peppermills used by waiters in restaurants, many of the same problems, such as the disassembly, filling, spilling and deterioration apply as well to smaller peppermills, such as those used in the home and those which might be provided on each table in a restaurant. Summary of the Present Invention In order to overcome the drawbacks of conventional peppermills, the peppermill according to the present invention includes an outer casing and a disposable cartridge which fits into and cooperates with the casing, thereby avoiding the problems of filling, spilling, disassembling, cleaning and reassembling which are associated with the conventional peppermills. The cartridge can be full of peppercorns and can be used as the package in which a fresh supply of peppercorns is displayed and sold. In addition, the grinding surfaces are in the cartridge, so that sharp new grind-ing surfaces are included with each new charge of peppercorns, and the problem of deteriorating grinding surfaces is avoided. The cartridge is cylindrical in shape and includes a body having interior grinding surfaces and a cap rotatable relative to the body. The cap is connected to a bottom member defining the bottom of the cartridge and having grinding surfaces cooperating with the interior grinding surfaces on the body so that rotation of the cap relative to the body causes the grinding of peppercorns and dispensing of pepper. The body has radially projecting legs which are received in blind slots defined on an interior surface at the lower end of a lower tubular member, or "trunk", of a casing of the peppermill. The casing, or peppermill tree, also includes a connector member having a depending bar or ridge, dovetail-shaped in cross section, which slides into a dovetail-shaped groove or slot in the cap of the cartridge, so that the cap of the cartridge rotates with the connector member. The connector member has a portion overlying the body of the casing, and includes vertical ribs which fit into mating slots on a knob so that rotation of the knob causes rotation of the connecting member and, thereby, rotation of the cap of the cartridge. The body of the casing includes a notch in general alignment with the dovetail-shaped groove in the cap of the cartridge, the notch being large enough that the depending dovetail-shaped bar of the connector member can slide therethrough. In the operating position of the peppermill, the bottom surface of the dovetail bar lies slightly below the bottom surface of the notch in the body of the casing so that the removal of the dovetail bar from the dovetail groove and the removal of the cartridge from the casing are both prevented. In order that the dovetail bar may be removed from the dovetail groove in order to permit the change of cartridges, the blind slots on the casing body are made taller than the projecting legs on the cartridge body so that the bottom of the dovetail bar may be raised to a level above the bottom surface of the notch in the casing body, whereby the connector member can be separated from the cartridge and the cartridge can be removed from the casing. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, an extension member is provided between the connector member and the knob in order to provide a longer peppermill. In another embodiment according to the present invention, the cap of the cartridge has no dovetail groove. Instead, a pair of parallel grooves are defined in the top surface of the cap for receiving depending legs on an adaptor member which includes a dovetail groove for receiving the dovetail bar of a connector member in a manner similar to that of the first-described embodiment. Some embodiments of the present invention are made of plastic, wherein "plastic" means "synthetic resin". The various parts of the peppermills in these embodiments are molded and assembled. In other embodiments, the casing, or peppermill tree, is made largely out of wood, which can be configured in any desired shape or size without the need of molds. Moreover, the use of wood for the peppermill tree makes it possible to use the natural beauty of wood in the design appearance of the peppermill. In the wooden embodiments, the lower tubular section, or body, is often referred to as the "trunk", and the peppermill tree further includes an upper section referred to as the "stem", which has a dovetail-shaped bar formed on the lower end thereof for mating with the dovetail-shaped slot in the cap of the cartridge. Adaptors made of hard plastic are provided in the wooden embodiments to define the blind slots in the lower interior surface of the trunk and to define the dovetail-shaped bar on the lower end of the stem. One. plastic adaptor fits over the lower end of the trunk to define the blind slots. Another adaptor made of plastic fits on the bottom of the stem and slides into the corresponding dovetailed slot in the cap of the cartridge. By making these adaptors out of hard plastic instead of defining them in the wood of the peppermill tree, th'e peppermill tree can be manufactured with a lot less waste. When the intricate shapes such as the dovetailed bar or the blind slots are attempted to be formed from a wooden blank, there is a tendency for the wood to splinter and, when splintering occurs, the blank has to be discarded. Because the wooden embodiments are made out of wood except for the adaptors, the wooden peppermill trees can be made of any desired length and of substantially any desired shape, and different lengths and different shapes for the peppermill tree are readily provided. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a cross section of the peppermill according to the present invention showing the cartridge within a plastic casing; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the connector member of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the knob of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the cartridge of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the cartridge of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the casing of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the casing of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the casing of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a front elevation of an extension member for use in the peppermill according to the present invention; Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of the extension member of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the extension member of Fig. 9; Fig. 12 is an exploded view showing the extension member of Fig. 9 in connection with the peppermill; Fig. 13 is a cross section of an alternate cartridge cap for use in the peppermill according to the present invention; Fig. 14 is a view in elevation of a peppermill of the invention, shown in partial axial section, having a peppermill tree made of wood: Fig. 15 is a bottom plan view of the peppermill of Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is a view in elevation of the disposable cartridge employed in the peppermill of Fig. 14; Fig. 17 is a cross sectional view of the peppermill of the invention taken along the line 17-17 of Fig. 14; Fig. 18 is a top plan view of the adaptor employed to connect a handle portion of the peppermill to the rotary portion of the disposable cartridge employed in the peppermill of Fig. 14; Fig. 19 is a cross sectional view of the peppermill taken along lines 19-19 of Fig. 14; Fig. 20 is an elevational view of the lower wooden part of the outer casing of the peppermill shown in Fig. 14; and Fig. 21 is a top plan view of the part shown in Fig. 20. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments As can be seen from Fig. 1, the peppermill according to the present invention, which is designated generally by the reference numeral 10, includes a casing 12, or peppermill tree, which is designed to be kept and reused and a cartridge 14, which is disposable. Both the casing 12 and the cartridge 14 are cylindrical in shape, and the cartridge 14 includes a tubular body 16 having open ends and grinding surfaces on the interior of the body 16 at one of the ends. Although the casing 12 described and shown herein is generally cylindrical, a wide variety of designs and configurations are possible, especially when the casing 12 is made from an acrylic resin, such as LUCITE. Of course, the casing can also be made in a more traditional style, using fine woods with appropriate finishes. Because of the need for rigid grinding surfaces, the cartridge 14 is best made from a tough plastic resin, such as a polycarbonate. A cap 18 is positioned at one end of the body 16 for rotation relative to the body and includes a depending shaft 20 connected to a grinding element 22 which closes the end of the body 16 having the grinding surfaces so that a supply of peppercorns 24 can be retained in the cartridge 14. Rotation of the cap 18 relative to the body 16 causes rotation of the grinding element 22 relative to the grinding surfaces on the body 16 so that the peppercorns 24 can be ground and pepper can be dispensed. An open—ended groove 26, dovetail-shaped in cross section and having a bottom and an open top, is defined in the cap 18 across a top surface thereof. A plurality of legs 28 project radially from the end of the cartridge body 16 having the grinding surfaces. The legs 28 are received in blind slots 30, which are defined at one end of a hollow cylindrical body or trunk 32 of the casing 12. As can best be seen from Fig. 1, the height of the blind slots 30 is slightly greater than the height of the radially extending legs 28, for reasons which will be described later. The opposite end of the casing trunk 32 is surmounted by a connector member 34 having a depending bar 36 or ridge of dovetail—shaped cross section which mates with the dovetail groove 26 of the cap 18 of the cartridge 14. The dovetail groove 26 is slightly wider than the dovetail bar 36, for example, .625 inches for the groove compared to .500 inches for the bar. The connector member 34 includes an upstanding rim 38 defining a plurality of internal axial ribs 40. The ribs 40 are received in slots 42 formed in a skirt 44 depending from a knob 46, which provides a surface suitable for grasping to rotate the cartridge cap 18 relative to the cartridge body 16. The interengagement of the ribs 40 with the slots 42 causes the connector member 34 to move with the knob 46 when the knob is rotated. The interengaging portions of the connector member 34 and the knob 46 are also illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. As can best be seen from Figs. 4 and 5, four of the radially projecting legs 28 are evenly spaced around an exterior surface at one end of the body 16 of the cartridge 14, each leg 28 having a width just slightly less than the width of a blind slot 30, so that the cartridge body 16 is prevented from rotating relative to the casing trunk 32. A corresponding number of index ridges 48 are provided at the opposite end of the cartridge body 16 and are centered in alignment with the legs 28. The index ridges 48 are flat, having a thickness on the o.rder of .003 inches. A pair of diametrically opposed index ridges 50 are provided on an exterior surface of the cap 18 of the cartridge 14 in vertical alignment with the ends of the dovetail groove 26. Therefore, when the index ridges 50 on the cap 18 are aligned with any two of the index ridges 48 on the cartridge body 16, the ends of the open ended dovetail groove 26 are in alignment with two of the ra.dially projecting legs 28, which is important for the assembly of the peppermill, as will be described hereinafter. The cylindrical trunk 32 of the casing 12 is open at opposite ends and is sized to receive the cartridge 14. For example, the inner diameter of the casing 12 can be on the order of .010 inches larger than the outer diameter of the cartridge 14. The blind slots 30 are- defined in the wall of the casing trunk 32 in an interior surface thereof, each blind slot 30 having an open end opening at the bottom end of the casing trunk 32 and a closed, or blind, end defined by a shoulder 52 positioned a predetermined distance above the bottom end of the casing trunk 32. As can be seen from Fig. 6, a -notch 54 extends through the rim of the casing trunk 32 at the top end of the casing trunk 32 and is wide enough that the dovetail bar 36 of the connector member 34 can be slid through. In the normal, assembled condition of the peppermill, a bottom surface of the notch 54 is at a level slightly above the bottom surface of the dovetail groove 26, the position of which is shown in dashed lines in Fig. 6, thereby obstructing the groove and preventing access to the groove by the dovetail bar 36. Thus, the upper portion of the casing trunk 32, including the notch 54, releasably locks the dovetail bar 36 in the dovetail groove 26 after the dovetail bar has been slid into the dovetail groove. In order to permit the dovetail bar 36 to be moved into the dovetail groove 26, the cartridge 14 must be raised relative to the casing 12 to the point where the bottom surface of the notch 54 is flush with the bottom of the dovetail groove 26. In this position, the dovetail bar 36 can be inserted all the way into the dovetail groove 26 until the bar hits the opposite side of the casing 12, where there is no notch in the rim of the casing. In order to permit such raising, the position of the shoulders 52 in the blind slots 30, that is, the height of the blind slots 30 above the bottom end of the casing 12 is sufficiently greater than the height of the radially extending legs 28 to permit the cartridge 14 to be raised enough so that the bottom surface of the notch 54 in the casing trunk 32 no longer prevents the entry of the dovetail bar 36 into the dovetail groove 26. Thus, the difference in height defines a clearance between the closed end of the slots 30 and adjacent surfaces of the radially projecting legs 28, thereby permitting limited movement of the bottom of the notch 54 relative to the dovetail groove 26. When the cartridge 14 is permitted to descend to its normal, operative position, after the dovetail bar 36 has been inserted into the dovetail groove 26, the bottom surface of the notch 54 again obstructs the dovetail groove 26, thereby preventing the separation of the connector member 34 from the cap 18 of the cartridge 14. Alignment of the dovetail groove 26 with the notch 54 in the top of the casing trunk 32 is ensured when the index ridges 50 on the cartridge cap 18 align with any two of the index ridges 48 on the cartridge body 16, since the dovetail groove 26 is aligned with the index ridges 50 on the cartridge cap 18, since each index ridge 48 on the cartridge body 16 is centered over a radially extending leg 28, and since the • radially projecting legs 28 are received in the blind slots 30, one of which is aligned with the notch 54 at the opposite end of the casing trunk 32. As can be appreciated from Figs. 1, 5 and 7, the reception of the radially projecting legs 28 in the blind slots 30 prevents rotation of the cartridge 14 relative to the casing trunk 32 and assures that the grinding element 22 rotates relative to the cartridge body 16 when the connector member 54 rotates relative to the casing trunk 32. In the assembled condition of the peppermill 10, the cartridge 14 is prevented from being lifted out of -the casing by the engagement of the radially projecting legs 28 on the cartridge 14 with the shoulders 52 at the closed ends of the blind slots 30 in the casing 12. In addition, the cartridge 14 can only be pushed down until the bottom of the cartridge 14 is in the same plane as the bottom of the casing 12. At that point, a flange 56 (Fig. 1) on the connector member 34 engages the top rim of the casing 12. When the flange 56 is in engagement with the top rim, the bottom surface of the dovetail bar 36 is below the bottom surface of the notch 54 in the rim, and movement of the dovetail bar 36 along its axis is prevented. The peppermill 10 described thus far and illustrated in Figs. 1-8 is especially well suited for the relatively small sizes of peppermills common in domestic use and for placement on restaurant tables. However, the peppermill 10, according to the present invention, can be made longer for commercial or restaurant use and especially for use by a waiter by inserting an extension ' member 58, which can be seen from Figs. 9-11. The extension member 58 includes a cylindrical trunk portion 60 having the same diameter as the upstanding rim 38 on the connector member 34 and a height equal to the desired increase in length of the peppermill 10. Internal axial ribs 62 corresponding to the internal axial ribs 40 on the upstanding rim 38 are provided so that they may interengage with the slots 42 on the depending skirt 44 of the knob 46. The extension member 58 includes its own skirt 64 which corresponds in shape and dimension j o the skirt 44 of the knob 46, including slots 66 which receive the internal axial ribs 40 of the upstanding rim 38 on the connector member 34. As can best be seen from Fig. 12, the interengagement of the extension member 58 at one end with the upstanding 'rim 38 of the connector member 34 and at the other end with the depending skirt 44 of the knob 46 permits the length of the peppermill 10 to be increased while maintaining operational engagement between the knob 46 and the connector member 34, whereby the cartridge 14 may be operated and freshly ground pepper dispensed. Because of the configurations and dimensions of the trunk portion 60 and the skirt 64, a plurality of extension members 58 can be stacked on one another to extend the length of the peppermill 10, instead of employing a single extension member. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 1, the cap 18 of the cartridge 14 is illustrated as a single piece in which a dovetail groove is formed. As an alternative, which is illustrated in Fig. 13, a cartridge cap 68 may be employed which includes a cylindrical base element 70 having an upper surface which is planar except for a pair of parallel grooves 72 which are formed chordally in the upper surface. The grooves 72 receive depending prongs 74 of an adaptor member 76 which has defined therein an open ended slot 78 of dovetail cross section for receiving the dovetail bar 36 of the connector member 34, The adaptor member 76 includes a central portion 80 which defines the open ended slot and a depending flange 82 which is flush with a bottom surface of the central portion. The prongs 74 project below the bottom surface of the central portion 80 and the flange 82 so as to extend into the parallel grooves 72 when the bottom surface and the flange contact the planar upper surface of the base element 70. The prongs 74 are permanently cemented in place in the grooves 72. As shown in Fig. 14, the peppermill of the present invention which is made of wood comprises a peppermill tree 90, and the disposable cartridge 14, which serves to contain peppercorns to be ground as well as to grind the peppercorns and dispense the ground pepper from the peppermill. As can be seen from Fig. 16, the index ridges 48 and 50, which were on the body 16 and cap 18, respectively, of the cartridge 14 in Fig. 4, have been omitted from the cartridge 14 as shown in Fig. 16, although they could be provided if desired. In all other respects, the two cartridges are the same. The peppermill tree has a lower trunk 92 as shown in Fig. 14 made primarily of wood and upper stem 93 also made primarily of wood. The lower trunk 92 is in the form of a hollow cylinder having open ends. The trunk 92 comprises a wooden cylindrical tubular body 95 and an adaptor 96 fitted on the lower end of the body 95. The wooden body 95 has a section 97 at the lower end with an enlarged internal diameter, which defines an internal shoulder 98. In addition, flats 99 are formed on diametrically opposite sides of the outside surface of the lower end of the cylindrical body 95. The adaptor 96 is made of a hard plastic, such as polycarbonate, and fits within the lower end of the cylindrical body 95. The adaptor 96 comprises an inner cylindrical tubular section 103 which fits with the enlarged diameter section 97 of the body 95 and a radial section 104 which abuts against the lower axial end surface of the body 95. On the outer edges of the radial section 104 are upstanding legs 105 which fit into the flats 99. As best shown in Fig. 19, the outer radial surfaces of the legs 10 are cylindrical and form a continuation of the outer cylindrical surface of the body 95. The inner cylindrical surface of the tubular section 103 is provided with ribs 106 extending axially inward and positioned at 90 degree intervals. Each rib 106 extends over an angle of about 30 degrees. The inner surfaces of the ribs 107 are cylindrical and form a continuation of the inner cylindrical surface of the upper portion of the body 95. The spaces 109 between the ribs 106 define blind slots in the bottom of the trunk 92. The blind slots extend up to the shoulder 98 defined by the upper end of the enlarged diameter section 97. These blind slots each extend over angles of 60 degrees and are distributed at 90 degree intervals. The blind slots 109 receive the radially extending lugs 28 on the cartridge body when the cartridge is inserted into the trunk 92, and prevent the cartridge from rotating relative to the trunk 92. The lugs 28 extend over angles of 45 degrees so they fit loosely within the blind slots 109 to facilitate insertion of the cartridge into the trunk 32. The stem 93 comprises a wooden handle portion Ul¬ and an adaptor 113 at the lower end of the stem. The handle portion 111 has a reduced diameter cylindrical extension 115 which has flats 117 formed on the opposite cylindrical sides thereof as shown in Fig. 17. The adaptor 113 has a radial outer section 119 which abuts against a lower radial end face of the handle portion 111, as shown in Figs. 14 and 18, and a center section 121 which is shaped to fit over the cylindrical wooden extension 115 and cover the lower surface of the extension 115, as shown in Figs. 14 and 17. The center section 121 has cylindrical sidewalls 123 with flats 125 to correspond in shape to the extension 115 of the handle portion 111 and it also has a radial wall 126 covering the bottom of the extension 115. The cylindrical walls 123 of the center section are sized to and fit within the upper end of the cylindrical bore in the trunk 92. Extending across the radial bottom wall 126 of the center section 121 of the adaptor 113 is a dovetail- shaped downwardly projection bar 127, which is shaped to fit within the dovetail-shaped groove 26 in the cap of the cartridge. At the top of the trunk 92, a cut out 131 is provided extending through the wall of the trunk to the cylindrical bore of the trunk as shown in Figs. 20 and 21. The cut out 131, which has vertical sidewalls, is sized to be a little larger than the width of the bar 127 so that the bar 127 will fit through the cut out 131. To assemble the cartridge into the peppermill tree, the cartridge is inserted into the bottom of the trunk 92 with the lugs 28 of the cartridge sliding into the slots 109 defined between the ribs 106 in the adaptor 96. The cartridge is pushed upwardly as far as it will go in the trunk so that the lugs 28 are pushed against the shoulder 98. When the cartridge has been moved upwardly to this extent within the trunk 92, the dovetailed groove 26 within the cap 18 will be fully exposed by the cutout 131; that is, the bottom of the dovetailed groove 26 will be above the bottom surface of the cutout 131. This arrangement allows the dovetailed bar 127 formed on the adaptor 113 on the bottom of the stem 93 to be inserted into the groove 26 through the cutout 131, thus completing the assembly of the cartridge in the peppermill tree. By virtue of the dovetailed bar 127 being in the dovetailed groove 26, when the stem 93 is turned on its axis relative to the trunk 92, the cap 18, the axle 20, and the grinding element 22 will be rotated within the body 16 of the cartridge and, thus, effect grinding of the peppercorns and dispensing of the ground pepper from the cartridge. As the cap and grinding element are turned, the lugs 28 in the slots 108 prevent the cartridge body from turning with the cap and grinding element. In the normal operating position, the cartridge 14 will be positioned so that the bottom of the trunk 92 and the downwardly facing radial surface of the radial section 119 of the adaptor 113 will be in engagement with the top planar surface of the trunk 95. The normal tendency to exert downward pressure on the stem 93 during the grinding operation will tend to maintain the cartridge in this position. In this operating position, the slot 26 in the cap 18 of the cartridge will be below the cutout 131 so that the step 93 cannot be easily removed from the cartridge without prior knowledge of how to effect this removal and the cartridge cannot be easily removed from the tree. This structure is to hinder theft of the cartridge when the peppermill tree is being used in a restaurant or in other similar applications. The above-described wooden peppermill tree and cartridge combination of the present invention operates mechanically similar to the plastic embodiment of the peppermill tree described earlier. The peppermill tree of the wooden embodiment differs from that of the plastic embodiments in that the wooden peppermill tree is largely made of wood facilitating of the manufacture of different sizes and shapes of the peppermill tree as well as improving the design appearance of the peppermill tree. The plastic adaptors in combination with the wooden components of the peppermill tree make it possible to manufacture the wooden components of the peppermill tree with simple wood forming steps, reducing the incidence of splitting and cracking of the wooden components and thus reducing the amount of waste in the manufacturing process. As indicated above, the invention is primarily for the purpose of facilitating making the peppermill tree largely out of wood. However, it will be appreciated that the concept of using adaptors in combination with the ' trunk body 95 or the stem handle portion 111 is also applicable to having the trunk body 95 or handle portion 111 made of other materials. For example, to reduce the cost of the peppermill tree or provide a design variation in the peppermill tree, it may be desirable 1 to make the trunk body 95 or the step portion 111 out of a paperboard product or other material which presents problems in forming the blind slots 109 in the trunk 92 or the bar 127 on the stem 93, or which is not strong enough to coact with the lugs 28 or the groove 26 of the peppermill cartridge. The use of the adaptors on the trunk and the stem permits the material from which the peppermill tree is made to be selected from a wide range of different materials. Although the term "peppermill" has been used throughout in connection with the device according to the present invention, and the invention has its widest application as a peppermill, it is understood that other foodstuffs, such as salt, nuts and hard cheeses, such as parmesan, can be ground in and dispensed from the device according to the present invention. It will be apparent that the above descriptions -are of preferred embodiments and that additions and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but determined by the appended claims.

Claims: Claims 1. A food grinder comprising: a casing; a disposable cartridge removably mounted in ~ said casing, said cartridge being adapted to hold a supply of food to be ground and dispensed; means for restricting movement of said cartridge relative to said casing; means in said cartridge for grinding the food; 0 means for dispensing the food from said food grinder; and means external to said cartridge and movable relative to said casing to operate said grinding means, said operating means being removably connected to said 5 grinding means and accessible to a user. 2. A food grinder as recited in claim 1, wherein said disposable cartridge is removable from said casing by being axially slidable in said casing when said operating means is not connected to said grinding 0 means . 3. A food grinder as recited in claim 1, wherein said operating means operates said grinding means by rotatingo relative to said casing and wherein said mean S for restricting movement of said cartridge relative to 5 s a i d ca sing res tric ts ro tati onal movement o f said cartridge relative to said casing . 4. A food grinder as recited in claim 1, wherein: said cartridge includes a body and a cap rotatably mounted relative to said body, said cap being operatively connected to said grinding means; said casing includes a body and a stem rotatably mounted relative to said casing body, said means to operate comprising said stem; said means for restricting movement comprises means for preventing rotation of said cartridge body 0 relative to said casing; and the food grinder further comprises means for connecting said stem to said cap. 5. A food grinder as recited in claim 4, wherein said connecting means comprises a groove defined in 5 said cap of said cartridge and a bar depending from said stem, said bar being positioned in said groove. 6. A food grinder as recited in claim 5, wherein said groove has a bottom, an open top, at least one open end, and sides which converge from said bottom to 0 said top , and said bar has diverging sides complementary to the converging sides of the groove, whereby said bar can be slid into said groove and held fixed against movement relative to said cap of said cartridge in a direction transverse to the direction of -* sliding. 7. A food grinder as recited in claim 6, wherein said groove and said bar have in cross section the shape of a dovetail. 8. A food grinder as recited in claim 5, further comprising means for locking said bar in said groove. 9. A food grinder as recited in claim 6, further comprising means for locking said bar in said groove. 10. A food grinder as recited in claim 9, wherein said locking means comprises a portion of said casing body obstructing said open end of said groove. 11. A food grinder as recited in claim "10, wherein said locking means further comprises a notch in a rim on an end of said casing body adjacent to said cap of said cartridge, said notch including a bottom having a width greater than the width of said ridge, and means for permitting limited movement of the bottom of said notch relative to said groove between a first position, in which the bottom of said notch is above the bottom of said groove, and a second position, in which the bottom of said notch is flush with the bottom of said groove. 12. A food grinder as recited in claim 11, wherein said means for preventing rotation of said cartridge body relative to said casing body comprises at least one slot in said casing body at an end of said casing body distal to said cap of said cartridge, said slot having an open end at said casing end of said casing body and a closed end opposite to said open end, and at least- one element projecting radially from said cartridge body and positioned • in said slot, and said means for permitting limited movement comprises clearance between the closed end of said slot and an adjacent surface of said radially projecting element. 13. A food grinder as recited in claim 4, wherein said means for preventing rotation of said cartridge body relative to said casing body comprises at least one slot in said casing body at an end of said casing body distal to said cap of said cartridge, said slot having an open end at said distal end of said casing body and a closed end opposite to said open end, and at least one element projecting radially from said cartridge body and positioned in said slot. 14. A food grinder as recited in claim 12, wherein said notch is in alignment with said slot in said casing body in an axial direction with respect to said casing body, said food grinder further comprising a first index mark on the body of said cartridge at an end of the casing body adjacent to the cap of said cartridge, said index mark being in alignment with said radially projecting element in an axial direction with respect to said cartridge, and a second index mark on the cap of said cartridge in alignment with an open end of said groove in an axial direction with respect to said cartridge, whereby alignment of said first index mark with said second index mark results in registration of the open end of said groove with said notch. 15. A food grinder as recited in claim 4, further comprising a knob connected to said stem. 16. A food grinder as recited in claim 15, wherein said stem includes an upstanding rim and at least one rib defined axially on said upstanding rim, and said knob includes a depending skirt defining at least one slot, the rib on said upstanding rim being positioned in the slot on said depending skirt, whereby said stem rotates when said knob is rotated. 17. A food grinder as recited in claim 15, further comprising an elongate extension member positioned between said stem and said knob. 18. A food grinder as recited in claim 16, further comprising an elongate extension member positioned between said stem and said knob, said extension member having a depending skirt defining at least one slot engaging the rib on said upstanding rim, said extension member also having a rim and at least one rib defined axially on said rim of said extension member and engaged with the slot on the depending skirt of the knob, whereby said stem rotates when said knob is rotated. 19. A food grinder as recited in claim 4, wherein said cap of said cartridge includes a base member having a surface and at least one groove defined in said surface, and an adaptor member mounted on said base' member and having at least one prong projecting into said groove of said base member, said adaptor member further including a groove defined in a surface on a side of said adaptor member opposite to said prong, and said stem includes a depending bar, said bar being positioned in the groove of said adaptor member. 20. A food grinder as recited in claim 1, wherein: said cartridge comprise a container for containing food to be ground and a rotatable member connected to said grinding means; said casing comprises a tubular section surrounding said cartridge and a handle section rotatable with respect to said tubular section, said cartridge and said handle section having means to connect said handle section to said rotatable member to rotate said rotatable member with said handle section relative to said tubular section; said tubular section comprises a tubular member made of a first material and a first adaptor made of a different material mounted in one end of said tubular member, said first adaptor defining slots in one end of said tubular section; and said container has lugs disposed in said slots to prevent rotation of said container relative to said tubular section. 21. A food grinder as recited in claim 20, wherein said adaptor is made of plastic and said tubular member is made out of wood. 22. A food grinder as recited in claim 20, wherein said handle section comprises a major portion and a second adaptor on said ma or portion made of a different material than said major portion, said second adaptor and said rotatable member having means to couple said rotatable member for rotation with said handle section relative to said tubular section. 23. A food grinder as recited in claim 22, wherein said first adaptor and said second adaptor are made of plastic, and said tubular member and said major portion are made out of wood. 24. A food grinder as recited in claim 22, wherein said coupling means comprises (1) a cap on said cartridge connected to said rotatable member for rotation therewith, (2) said second adaptor, (3) means defining a recess in one of said cap and said second adaptor, and (4) means defining a projection on the other end of said cap and said adaptor received in said recess. 25. A food grinder as recited in claim 24, wherein said recess comprises a groove, and said projection comprises a bar which can move in said groove only by sliding longitudinally in said groove. 26. A food grinder as recited in claim 25, wherein said groove and said bar are dovetailed in shape. 27. A food grinder as recited in claim 1, wherein: said grinding means comprises a grinding mechanism to grind the food contained in said container and to dispense the ground food from said container; said grinding mechanism comprises a rotatable member which effects grinding of said food by rotating relative to said container; said casing comprises a tubular section surrounding said cartridge and a handle section rotatable with respect to said tubular section; said handle section has a major portion and an adaptor mounted on said major portion, said adaptor being made of a different material than said major portion; said adaptor and said rotatable member have means to couple said rotatable member to said handle section for rotation therewith; and said container and said tubular section have means to prevent rotation of said container relative to said tubular section. 28. A food grinder as recited in claim 27, wherein said adaptor is made of plastic and said major portion is made of wood. 29. A food grinder as recited in claim 27, wherein said coupling means comprises said adaptor, a cap connected for rotation with said rotatable member, means defining a recess in one of said cap and said adaptor, and a projection formed on the other of said cap and adaptor fitting within said recess. 30. A food grinder as recited in claim 29, wherein said recess comprises a groove and said projection comprises a bar, said groove and said bar being shaped so that said bar is movable in said groove only by sliding longitudinally in said groove. 31. A food grinder as recited in claim 30, wherein said groove and said bar are dovetailed in shape.

Inventors: PONCY GEORGE W, PONCY, GEORGE, W.
Applicants: PONCY GEORGE W, PONCY, GEORGE, W.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A47J42
IPC codes: A47J42