Patent ID: 7673828

Claim:
A pepper mill comprising: a hollow receiving unit surrounding an axis, defining a receiving space for receiving peppercorns, and having a discharge end for discharging ground pepper; a grinding unit including a coupling shaft that is disposed rotatably in said receiving space and that has a shaft hole extending therethrough along the axis, said grinding unit being operable for grinding the peppercorns in said receiving space to result in the ground pepper; and a closure unit including an elongated connecting rod that extends movably through said shaft hole along the axis, and a closure member that is secured co-movably to said connecting rod, and that is disposed under said grinding unit, movement of said connecting rod along the axis resulting in corresponding movement of said closure member relative to said grinding unit between a closed position for blocking discharge of the ground pepper through said discharge end of said receiving unit, and an opened position for permitting discharge of the ground pepper through said discharge end of said receiving unit.