Combined salt shaker and pepper mill
First Claim
1. A combined food seasoning shaker and pepper mill, which comprises:
- (a) a first, pepper dispenser;
(b) a second, food seasoning dispenser having a perforated end wall spaced from the pepper section for dispensing food seasoning therefrom, wherein the food seasoning dispenser and the pepper dispenser are mounted together along a longitudinal axis of the dispensers for rotational movement around the axis relative to each other;
(c) connection means that extends between and is partially mounted in each dispenser with a first end of the connection means mounted on an inner portion of the food seasoning dispenser;
(d) a pepper grinder means mounted at a first, open end of the pepper dispenser, opposite the food seasoning dispenser, the grinder means including a rotor means that is mounted on a second end of the connection means in a closely spaced relationship with a serrated stator portion of the pepper dispenser;
(e) a closure means mounted inside the pepper dispenser, spaced from a second, open end of the pepper dispenser to segregate the pepper dispenser from the food seasoning dispenser, with the connection means mounted through an opening in the closure means to provide for partially mounting the connection means in each dispenser; and
(f) a biasing means biasing the rotor means towards the serrated stator portion of the pepper dispenser, wherein the connection means is rotatable with the food seasoning dispenser to rotate the rotor means and activate the grinder means on relative rotation of the pepper and food seasoning dispensers and wherein the connection means provides for relative movement between the salt dispenser and the pepper dispenser so that the food seasoning dispenser and the connection means with the rotor means are moveable axially away from the pepper dispenser and against the bias of the biasing means to provide a spaced relationship between the grinder element and the serrated stator portion of the pepper dispenser to provide for loading the pepper dispenser and to provide a spaced relationship between the food seasoning and pepper dispensers to permit loading the food seasoning dispenser with food seasoning.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A food seasoning shaker and pepper mill unit (10) for dispensing salt and the like and for dispensing pulverized peppercorn. The shaker and pepper mill unit is comprised of a food seasoning shaker (11) for dispensing food seasoning (13) and a pepper mill (15) for grinding peppercorn into a food seasoning. The shaker is mounted on the pepper mill by a coil spring (23) mounted on a central shaft (17) that connects between the shaker and the pepper mill. The shaft and coil spring also serve to hold a rotor (19), which is mounted on the shaft, in a spaced relationship with a stator (27) portion of the pepper mill. The rotor is adjustable on the shaft to enable a user of the unit to regulate the fineness or coarseness of the pulverized peppercorn leaving the pepper mill. The peppercorn are ground between the rotor and the stator by rotating the shaker relative to the pepper mill. This causes the shaft to rotate, which in turn rotates the rotor relative to the stator. To fill the unit, the shaker and the pepper mill are held in an inverted position and the pepper mill is moved axially away from the shaker. This causes the pepper mill to partially separate from the food seasoning shaker and causes the stator to move away from the rotor. The peppercorn and food seasoning can then be introduced into the respective pepper mill and the food seasoning shaker.
36 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A combined food seasoning shaker and pepper mill, which comprises:
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(a) a first, pepper dispenser; (b) a second, food seasoning dispenser having a perforated end wall spaced from the pepper section for dispensing food seasoning therefrom, wherein the food seasoning dispenser and the pepper dispenser are mounted together along a longitudinal axis of the dispensers for rotational movement around the axis relative to each other; (c) connection means that extends between and is partially mounted in each dispenser with a first end of the connection means mounted on an inner portion of the food seasoning dispenser; (d) a pepper grinder means mounted at a first, open end of the pepper dispenser, opposite the food seasoning dispenser, the grinder means including a rotor means that is mounted on a second end of the connection means in a closely spaced relationship with a serrated stator portion of the pepper dispenser; (e) a closure means mounted inside the pepper dispenser, spaced from a second, open end of the pepper dispenser to segregate the pepper dispenser from the food seasoning dispenser, with the connection means mounted through an opening in the closure means to provide for partially mounting the connection means in each dispenser; and (f) a biasing means biasing the rotor means towards the serrated stator portion of the pepper dispenser, wherein the connection means is rotatable with the food seasoning dispenser to rotate the rotor means and activate the grinder means on relative rotation of the pepper and food seasoning dispensers and wherein the connection means provides for relative movement between the salt dispenser and the pepper dispenser so that the food seasoning dispenser and the connection means with the rotor means are moveable axially away from the pepper dispenser and against the bias of the biasing means to provide a spaced relationship between the grinder element and the serrated stator portion of the pepper dispenser to provide for loading the pepper dispenser and to provide a spaced relationship between the food seasoning and pepper dispensers to permit loading the food seasoning dispenser with food seasoning. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A combined pepper mill, which comprises:
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(a) a container portion having a sidewall extending along and around a longitudinal axis of the pepper mill from a bottom to an open, upper end of the container portion; (b) a cover means removeably mounted on the open, upper end of the container portion to form a closure for the container portion; (c) connection means that extends between and is partially mounted in the container portion and the cover means with a first end of the connection means mounted on an inner portion of the cover means; (d) a pepper grinder means mounted at the bottom of the container portion, opposite the cover means, the grinder means including a rotor means that is mounted on a second end of the connection means in a closely spaced relationship with a serrated stator portion of the container portion; (e) a biasing means biasing the rotor means towards the serrated stator portion of the container portion, wherein the connection means is rotatable with the cover means to rotate the rotor means and activate the grinder means on relative rotation of the cover means and the container portion of the pepper mill and wherein the connection means provides for relative movement between the cover means and the container portion so that the cover means and the connection means with the rotor means are moveable axially away from the container portion and against the bias of the biasing means to provide a spaced relationship between the grinder element and the serrated stator portion of the container portion to provide for loading the pepper mill. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification