Grinding apparatus for grinding substances, such as tobacco. In certain embodiments, grinding apparatus with a plurality of receptacles which can be selectively filled with a ground product, such as tobacco. In still other embodiments, a grinding apparatus with a cone lifting mechanism, vibration inducing mechanism and/or with a selector capability or mechanism for selecting one or more of a plurality of receptacles, or storage area(s), for delivery of a ground product.

Grinding apparatus for grinding substances, such as tobacco. In certain embodiments, grinding apparatus with a plurality of receptacles which can be selectively filled with a ground product, such as tobacco. In still other embodiments, a grinding apparatus with a cone lifting mechanism, vibration inducing mechanism and/or with a selector capability or mechanism for selecting one or more of a plurality of receptacles, or storage area(s), for delivery of a ground product.

The invention relates to a grinding and extraction apparatus for roasted coffee beans comprising a grinding device (60) and an associated extraction device (70); the grinding device (60) comprising one or more housings for receiving one or more beans containers (10, 20) with roasted coffee beans of the same or different types; the grinding device (60) comprising a reader (62) to obtain the information of the product parameters of the roasted coffee beans of the one or more beans containers (10, 20); the grinding device (60) further comprising a control unit configured to adapt the grinding size and the quantity of roasted coffee beans for obtaining a certain coffee blend from each beans container to be grinded according to these product parameters and/or according to a recipes database (64) comprising the beverage information associated to the beverage to be prepared; the grinding device (60) further comprising an encoder (62) to encode the beverage information on programmable identification means (65) on a product holder (61) in the grinding device (60), to where the grinded coffee is sent; the extraction device (70) being configured for receiving the product holder (61) and comprising reading means (72) to identify the beverage information in the said product holder identification means (65), the extraction device (70) further comprising a control unit to extract the beverage according to the beverage information retrieved and/or from the beverage information retrieved from a beverage database in this control unit. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for grinding roasted coffee beans and preparing a beverage from them using a grinding and extraction apparatus as the one described, and also refers to the use of a grinding and extraction apparatus as the one described for delivering a certain beverage from roasted coffee beans.

The present invention relates to a coffee machine equipped with a grinder that grinds coffee beans, and a mechanism that reduces ground beans on an inner peripheral wall of a chute. A hammer includes a striking member that abuts against a chute by an elastic force in an initial state, and a second holding member that sandwiches and holds a cup with the first holding member by the elastic force, and enters a striking preparation state in which the striking member is temporarily separated from the chute by pivoting from the initial state, the second holding member is disposed at a position where a distance from the first holding member is smaller than a thickness of an peripheral wall of the cup in the initial state, and the striking member applies an impact to the chute when the hammer returns from the striking preparation state to the initial state by the elastic force.

The present invention relates to a coffee machine equipped with a grinder that grinds coffee beans, and a mechanism that reduces ground beans on an inner peripheral wall of a chute. A hammer includes a striking member that abuts against a chute by an elastic force in an initial state, and a second holding member that sandwiches and holds a cup with the first holding member by the elastic force, and enters a striking preparation state in which the striking member is temporarily separated from the chute by pivoting from the initial state, the second holding member is disposed at a position where a distance from the first holding member is smaller than a thickness of an peripheral wall of the cup in the initial state, and the striking member applies an impact to the chute when the hammer returns from the striking preparation state to the initial state by the elastic force.

In a grinder, inner and outer burrs are used for grinding condiment solids into fine grains with a grain size controllable by an inter-burr distance. The grinder has a first body part aligned with a second body part. A separation between the first and second body parts is adjustable by at most a predetermined limited distance, allowing a user to select the grain size by compressing the first and second body parts to alter the inter-burr distance. An undulating ring that is non-metallic and compressively resilient is positioned between the first and second body parts to push the two body parts away from each other after the user stops compressing the two body parts, avoiding the inter-burr distance to be stuck at a most-recently used value without a need of using a metallic spring to rebound the two body parts. A manufacturing cost of the grinder is reduced.

In a grinder, inner and outer burrs are used for grinding condiment solids into fine grains with a grain size controllable by an inter-burr distance. The grinder has a first body part aligned with a second body part. A separation between the first and second body parts is adjustable by at most a predetermined limited distance, allowing a user to select the grain size by compressing the first and second body parts to alter the inter-burr distance. An undulating ring that is non-metallic and compressively resilient is positioned between the first and second body parts to push the two body parts away from each other after the user stops compressing the two body parts, avoiding the inter-burr distance to be stuck at a most-recently used value without a need of using a metallic spring to rebound the two body parts. A manufacturing cost of the grinder is reduced.

The invention relates to a method and a device for treating granular grinding stock or grinding stock mixtures by way of controlled mechanical size reduction by means of a grinding mill or a combination of several grinding mills. The actual grinding process is controlled by externally provided data. The data is saved in a data memory unit that is connected to the packaging of the grinding stock, namely directly.

The grinder includes a container having a discharge opening for material to be ground; first and second grinding tools, the first tool rotatable relative to the second grinding tool about a rotation axis for crushing the material in a gap between the tools. The second tool has an inlet channel limited by a wall section around the axis for supplying material into the gap and is moveable relative to the first tool axially to the axis. A collar seal between container and second tool has a through-channel for discharging material into the inlet channel and is stationary relative to the container so that a first annular collar seal section limiting the through-channel contacts the container and overlaps the second tool wall section toward the axis. The collar seal includes a second annular section connected to the first annular section via an elastic spring and supported on a contact surface.