BOWL AND CAP ASSEMBLY FOR SPICE GRINDER

BOL ET CAPUCHON POUR UN BROYEUR D'EPICES

English Abstract

A bowl and cap assembly for use with a spice grinder has a bowl and a
cap. The bowl has an open end at the top, a floor, and a sidewall. The cap is
a
generally flat, circular disc having a circumferential wall. The cap's outside

diameter is less than the inside diameter of the bowl at the bowl's top rim.
At a
location vertically below the rim, the bowl's inside diameter is less than the

outside diameter of the cap. This causes the cap to hang up at that vertical
location, which is beneath the rim, in order to sealingly enclose a volume of
the
bowl interior during spice grinding. This reduction in inside diameter can be
made by tapering the sidewall of the bowl.

French Abstract

Un ensemble bol et couvercle à utiliser avec un moulin à épices est pourvu dun bol et dun couvercle. Le bol comporte une extrémité ouverte à la partie supérieure, un plancher et une paroi latérale. Le couvercle est un disque circulaire généralement plat doté dune paroi circonférentielle. Le diamètre externe du couvercle est inférieur est inférieur au diamètre interne du bol au bord supérieur de ce dernier. À un endroit situé verticalement sous le bord, le diamètre intérieur du bol est inférieur au diamètre extérieur du couvercle. Cela fait en sorte que le couvercle saccroche à cet emplacement vertical, situé sous le bord, afin de former une enceinte étanche à lintérieur du bol durant le broyage des épices. Cette réduction de diamètre interne peut être obtenue en rendant conique la paroi latérale du bol.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A bowl and cap assembly for use with a spice grinder,
comprising a bowl;
a cap;
an open end at the top of said bowl, said open end defining an inside diameter

as a first diameter;
a floor at the bottom of said bowl;
a bowl sidewall joining said floor and said open end, said bowl sidewall
having a
varying sidewall inside diameter in which at least a portion of the sidewall
defines a second diameter that is less than said first diameter ; and
said cap being a generally flat, circular disc having a circumferential wall
and an
outside diameter that defines a third diameter, wherein the third diameter is
less
than the first diameter and greater than the second diameter such that when
said cap is placed into said bowl open end said cap rests at a position below
said open end and in contact with said sidewall at a location coinciding with
said second diameter.
2. The assembly according to Claim 1, wherein
at least a portion of said sidewall is tapered such that said varying inside
diameter decreases in a direction downward from said open end.
3. The assembly according to Claim 1, further
comprising at least one handle attached to said cap.
4. The assembly according to Claim 2, wherein
said circumferential wall of the cap is tapered to match the taper of the
sidewall.

5. A bowl and cap assembly for use with a spice grinder, comprising
a bowl;
a cap;
an open end at the top of said bowl, said open end defining an inside
diameter as a first diameter;
a floor at the bottom of said bowl;
a bowl sidewall joining said floor and said open end, said bowl sidewall
having a varying sidewall inside diameter in which at least a portion of the
sidewall defines a second diameter that is less than said first diameter; and
said cap being a generally flat, circular disc having a circumferential wall
and an outside diameter that defines a third diameter and having a flange
attached at the top of and radially extending from the circumferential wall
where
the flange defines a fourth diameter, wherein the third diameter is less than
the
first diameter and the fourth diameter is greater than the second diameter
such
that when said cap is placed into said bowl open end said cap rests at a
position
below said open end and in contact with said sidewall at a location coinciding

with said second diameter.
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Description

CA 02718672 2015-04-10
BOWL AND CAP ASSEMBLY FOR SPICE GRINDER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electric appliances and, more particularly,
to electric grinder appliances having an electric motor and a rotationally
driven
blade extending into a bowl that holds spices or food product for grinding.
Description of Related Art
Various design exist for spice grinders in which a bowl rests on a base
that houses a motor and driven blade. The bowl has a cover that fits over the
outside of the bowl and contacts the base, forming a seal at the top rim of
the
bowl to prevent escape of spices during grinding. One known drawback of such
designs is that when a relatively small amount of spice is being ground in the

bowl, the vortex caused by the rotating blade causes the spices to lift and
scatter
upwardly out of the path of the blade and the result is no grinding. This is
due to
the relatively light weight and low density of the spices.
OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of
known spice grinders and described above.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention disclosed
herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a specialized cap for use when
grinding a relatively small volume of spices is provided. The specialized cap
is
sized and shaped to be received inside the inner diameter of the bowl. This
allows that cap to seal relative to the bowl at a location below the rim of
the bowl,

CA 02718672 2015-04-10
thereby reducing the effective volume inside of the bowl during grinding in
order
to keep the spices confined in blade path.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a
bowl and cap assembly for use with a spice grinder, comprising a bowl;
a cap;
an open end at the top of said bowl, said open end defining an inside
diameter as a first diameter;
a floor at the bottom of said bowl;
a bowl sidewall joining said floor and said open end, said bowl sidewall
having a varying sidewall inside diameter in which at least a portion of the
sidewall defines a second diameter that is less than said first diameter; and
said cap being a generally flat, circular disc having a circumferential wall
and an outside diameter that defines a third diameter, wherein the third
diameter
is less than the first diameter and greater than the second diameter such that

when said cap is placed into said bowl open end said cap rests at a position
below said open end and in contact with said sidewall at a location coinciding

with said second diameter.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is
provided A bowl and cap assembly for use with a spice grinder, comprising
a bowl;
a cap;
an open end at the top of said bowl, said open end defining an inside
diameter as a first diameter;
a floor at the bottom of said bowl;
a bowl sidewall joining said floor and said open end, said bowl sidewall
having a varying sidewall inside diameter in which at least a portion of the
sidewall defines a second diameter that is less than said first diameter; and
said cap being a generally flat, circular disc having a circumferential wall
and an outside diameter that defines a third diameter and having a flange
attached at the top of and radially extending from the circumferential wall
where
the flange defines a fourth diameter, wherein the third diameter is less than
the
first diameter and the fourth diameter is greater than the second diameter
such
that when said cap is placed into said bowl open end said cap rests at a
position
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below said open end and in contact with said sidewall at a location coinciding

with said second diameter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a front view of an assembly according to a first embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure 2 is a front, cross-sectional view of an assembly according to a first
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a front, exploded view of an assembly according to a first
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a side, exploded, cross-sectional view of an assembly
according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a partial, side cross-sectional view of an assembly according to
a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a front view of an assembly according to a second embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a front, cross-sectional view of an assembly according to a
second embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a front, exploded view of an assembly according to a second
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a front, exploded, cross-sectional view of an assembly
according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE
PRESENT INVENTION
In the drawing Figures for both embodiments, dimensions are shown and
are intended to be examples only in order to illustrate tapering, and in no
way are
intended to limit the scope of the invention.
A first embodiment is shown in Figures 1 - 5, a bowl and cap assembly 1
for use with a spice grinder is shown and comprises a bowl 2 and cap 3. The
2a

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bowl has an open end 4 at the top, a floor 5, and a sidewall 6. The cap 3 is a

generally flat, circular disc having a circumferential wall 7, and at least
one
gripable handle 8. The cap's outside diameter 9 is less than the inside
diameter
of the bowl 2 at the bowl's top rim 11. At a location vertically below the rim
11,
the bowl's inside diameter 12 is less than the outside diameter 9 of the cap
3.
This causes the cap 3 to hang up at that vertical location, which is beneath
the
rim 11, in order to sealingly enclose a volume of the bowl interior during
spice
grinding. This reduction in inside diameter 12 can be made by tapering the
sidewall 6 of the bowl 2, as shown by way of example as angle a of one degree
in Figures 4 - 5, or simply by altering its geometry. Optionally, the
circumferential
wall 7 of the cap 3 is tapered to match the taper of the sidewall 6.
Alternatively,
the circumferential wall 7 may be vertical and it will still function because
the
sidewall 6 is tapered.
A second embodiment is shown in Figures 6 - 9, wherein a bowl and cap
assembly 100 include a bowl 102 and a cap 103. The bowl 102 has an open end
104, a floor 17, and a sidewall 18. The sidewall's interior has at least two
distinct
inner diameters because of the existence of a horizontally aligned shoulder
109 extending around the circumference. The first inner diameter 120 above
the shoulder 109 extending to the rim 110 at the opening is greater than the
greater outside diameter 109 of the cap 103. The second inner diameter 112
below the shoulder 109 is less than the greater outside diameter 122 of the
cap
103. The cap 102 has a lip 123 at its upper end and the remaining outside wall

107 of the cap extends below it. The cap 103 has a lesser diameter 125
corresponding to the section below the lip 123. The lesser outside diameter
125 of the cap 103 is less than the second inner diameter 126 of the bowl 102.

The greater outside diameter 122 of the cap is greater than the second inner
diameter 126 that begins at the shoulder 109. Therefore, the cap 103 hangs up
on the shoulder 109 in order to sealingly enclose a volume of the bowl
interior
during spice grinding.
During use, for either of the two above-described embodiments, the
respective bowl is placed on a conventional electric grinder base (not shown).

Each bowl has a hole in the floor of the bowl through which extends a driven
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shaft and attached blade, as is generally known to those skilled in the art.
The
shaft is driven by an electric motor (not shown) and causes the blade to
rotate.
While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed
herein, it is understood that various modification can be made without
departing
from the scope of the presently claimed invention.
4

Representative Drawing