Abstract
A spice mill part, more particularly a spice mill lower part, for a spice mill, having a housing, which consists at least in part of a plastic material and which can be rotatably connected to a further spice mill part, more particularly a spice mill upper part. A receiving element is provided on the housing, in which receiving element there is arranged a milling element being particularly a milling ring, made from a ceramic material, with the milling element being clamped in the receiving element in a frictionally engaged manner by a compressive force directed substantially radially inwardly and acting on a self-contained outer bearing face of the milling element, the compressive force acting substantially along the entire circumference on the external bearing face of the milling element.
Claims
1. A spice mill part, in particular a spice mill lower part, for a spice mill, with a housing, which at least partially consists of a plastic material, and can be rotatably connected to another spice mill part, in particular a spice mill upper part, wherein a receiving element is provided on the housing, in which a milling element, in particular a milling ring, made from a ceramic material, is arranged, wherein the milling element is clamped in the receiving element in a force fit, by a compressive force which is directed essentially radially inwards, and acts on a closed outer bearing face of the milling element, and wherein the compressive force acts on the outer bearing face of the milling element essentially along the entire circumference.
2. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein the receiving element has at least one, preferably two, in particular opposing spreader recess/es for purposes of the at least partial spreading apart of the receiving element.
3. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein the receiving element has a step, in particular a circumferential step, on an inner bearing face.
4. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein the outer bearing face of the milling element has a step, in particular a circumferential step.
5. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein the milling element has at least one projection on the outer bearing face, preferably extending over the entire height of the outer bearing face.
6. The spice mill part according to claim 5, wherein the receiving element has at least one, preferably two, in particular opposing spreader recess/es for purposes of the at least partial spreading apart of the receiving element, and wherein the projection has essentially the same contour as the spreader recess, and the projection preferably protrudes from the outer bearing face essentially in accordance with an upper collar.
7. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein the nominal diameter of the inner bearing face of the receiving element is selected during its production such that it is between 1% and 3%, preferably is between 1.5% and 2.5%, even more preferably is essentially 2% smaller than the nominal diameter of the outer bearing face of the milling element.
8. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein taking into account the manufacturing tolerances of the receiving element and the milling element, the largest possible diameter of an inner bearing face of the receiving element essentially corresponds to the smallest possible diameter of the outer bearing face of the milling element.
9. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein the receiving element forms on an inner face a supporting projection for the milling element, which projection extends radially inwards essentially at right angles to the inner face of the receiving element.
10. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein the housing is made from polyoxymethylene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, ABS, (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers), polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene, polyolefin and/or biopolymers.
11. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein a thread is provided for purposes of connection to a spice container.
12. The spice mill part according to claim 1, wherein a preferably circumferential snap-on projection is provided for purposes of connection to the other spice mill part.
13. The spice mill for a spice grinder, wherein a spice mill lower part according to claim 1 is provided, which is rotatably connected to a spice mill upper part by way of a snap-on connection, wherein the spice mill upper part has another milling element, in particular a milling cone.
14. The spice grinder with a spice container and a spice mill, wherein the spice mill is designed according to claim 13.
15. A method for producing a spice mill part, in particular a spice mill lower part, for a spice grinder, comprising: producing a milling element, in particular a milling ring, consisting of a ceramic material; producing a housing with a receiving element for the milling element by a plastic injection moulding process; insertion of the milling element into the receiving element, so that the milling element is clamped in the receiving element in a force fit by a compressive force directed essentially radially inwards, and acting on a closed outer bearing face of the milling element.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the milling element is inserted into the receiving element before the receiving element has cooled down to room temperature, in particular below 35° C.
17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the receiving element has at least one spreader recess and the receiving element is spread apart for purposes of inserting the milling element.
Description
[0030] In what follows, the invention is explained in more detail with the aid of figures, to which, however, it is not intended to be limited:
[0031] FIG. 1 shows a milling element in the form of a milling ring in accordance with a first form of embodiment;
[0032] FIG. 2 shows a plan view onto a spice mill part in accordance with a first form of embodiment with a milling ring;
[0033] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the spice mill part along the sectional plane III-III from FIG. 2;
[0034] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the spice mill part along the sectional plane IV-IV from FIG. 2;
[0035] FIG. 5 shows a side view of a spice mill part in accordance with the first form of embodiment;
[0036] FIG. 6 shows a milling element in the form of a milling ring in accordance with a second form of embodiment;
[0037] FIG. 7 shows a plan view onto a spice mill part in accordance with a second form of embodiment with a milling ring;
[0038] FIG. 8 shows a cross-section of the spice mill part along the sectional plane VIII-VIII from FIG. 7;
[0039] FIG. 9 shows a cross-section of the spice mill part along the sectional plane IX-IX from FIG. 7;
[0040] FIG. 10 shows a side view of the spice mill part in accordance with the second form of embodiment;
[0041] FIG. 11 shows a milling ring and a receiving element in a detail view in cross-section;
[0042] FIG. 12 shows a milling ring in a side view; and
[0043] FIG. 13 shows a cross-section of a spice grinder.
[0044] Two forms of embodiment of the invention are described in more detail below. First the first, and then the second, form of embodiment will be explained.
[0045] FIG. 1 shows a milling element 1 in the form of a milling ring 2 made from a ceramic material. The milling element 1 has milling projections 3 on its inner face, which can interact with milling projections of another milling element, for example a milling cone (not shown, see FIG. 13), in order to mill a material that is to be milled in a milling gap located between the two milling elements. The milling ring 2 shown has two different types of milling projections 3 on its inner face, namely coarse milling projections 4 for coarse milling, and fine milling projections 5 for fine milling.
[0046] On its outer face, the milling ring 2 has a closed outer bearing face 6 and at least one projection 7, which thickens the milling ring 2 at that position. On an upper edge 8, the milling ring 2 has an outwardly projecting collar 9. The projection 7 adjoins the collar 9, and, in the embodiment shown, extends as far as a lower edge 10 of the milling ring 2, and thus essentially over the entire height of the outer bearing face 6. The collar 9 runs along the upper edge 8, and has a flat 11 on each of two opposing faces, which flats can interact with blocking elements 12 of a receiving element 13 so as to secure the milling ring 2 in the receiving element 13 against rotation (see FIG. 2).
[0047] FIG. 2 shows a plan view onto a spice mill part 14 in the form of a spice mill lower part 15 in a first form of embodiment. It can be seen that the milling ring 2 from FIG. 1 is inserted in the receiving element 13. Furthermore, it can be seen that the flats 11 of the collar 9 interact with the blocking elements 12 of the receiving element 13 so as to achieve security against rotation.
[0048] FIG. 3 shows the spice mill lower part 15 in cross-section along the sectional plane III-III from FIG. 2. The spice mill lower part 15 has a housing 16 made from a plastic material, with a receiving element 13, which has an inner bearing face 17, and into which the milling ring 2 from FIG. 1, as shown, is inserted with a force fit. For the insertion of the milling ring 2, the receiving element has an insertion opening 18 on its upper face. The force fit is created by the compressive force of a wall 19 of the receiving element 13 acting on the milling ring 2 (illustrated by arrows). The compressive force acts radially inwards onto the outer bearing face 6 of the milling ring 2 towards a central longitudinal axis 20 of the spice mill part 14. The application of force, and the intimate reception of the milling ring 2 in the receiving element 13, prevents the formation and propagation of hairline cracks in the milling ring 2. The compressive force arises because the receiving element 13 has a (nominal) inner diameter 21, 21′ during production that is smaller than a (nominal) outer diameter 22, 22′ of the milling ring 2. This is illustrated by the overlapping cross-sections of the receiving element 13 and the milling ring 2. In other words, in a bearing region the milling ring 2 is larger in cross-section than the inner diameter of the receiving element 13. By the insertion of the milling ring 2 into the receiving element 13, the receiving element 13 is widened. By virtue of the restoring force of the material of the receiving element 13, the compressive force acts on the outer bearing face 6 of the milling ring 2. The compressive force acts essentially along the entire circumference of the outer bearing face 6. The wall 19 is essentially cylindrical in shape and therefore has a round inner contour when seen in plan view. The outer bearing face 6 of the milling ring 2 is also essentially round.
[0049] In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 it can be seen that the outer bearing face 6 of the milling ring 2 has a circumferential step 23. The circumferential step 23 of the milling ring 2 can, for example, be formed by an inclined surface. This divides the outer bearing face 6 into an upper region 24 and a lower region 25, each with a different outer diameter. Furthermore, it can be seen that the receiving element 13 also has a circumferential step 26 on the inner bearing face 17, which also divides the receiving element 13 into an upper region 27 and a lower region 28, each with different inner diameters. The circumferential step 26 of the receiving element 13 can, for example, be formed by an inclined surface. The lower region 25 of the milling ring 2 has a smaller outer diameter compared to the upper region 24 of the milling ring. For example, the outer diameter 22 in the upper region 24 of the milling ring 2 can be essentially 23.5 mm, and the outer diameter 22′ in the lower region 25 of the milling ring 2 can be essentially 22.7 mm. The lower region 28 of the receiving element 13 has a smaller inner diameter compared to the upper region 27 of the receiving element 13. For example, prior to insertion of the milling element 1, the inner diameter 21 in the upper region 27 of the receiving element 13 can be essentially 23.0 mm, and the inner diameter 21′ in the lower region 28 of the receiving element 13 can be essentially 22.4 mm. The insertion expands the inner diameters of the receiving element 13. The upper region 24 of the milling ring 2 abuts against the upper region 27 of the receiving element 13. The lower region 25 of the milling ring 2 abuts against the lower region 28 of the receiving element 13. By virtue of this configuration, the milling ring 2 can initially be inserted into the receiving element 13 without the application of an inward compressive force, or with only a low inward compressive force. After the transfer of, in each case, two loosely connected parts into a press, a plurality of milling rings 2, for example, up to 24 milling rings, are usually pressed into the respective receiving elements 13 at the same time, with the application of a compressive force of approximately 30 to 100 kg per milling ring. The total inward-pressing force of the press is usually designed for approx. 5,000 kg.
[0050] In FIG. 3 it can be seen that the spice mill lower part 15 has a thread 29 for connection to a spice container 60 (see FIG. 13). The thread 29 is located on the inner face of a connecting element 30, on the upper face of which is arranged the receiving element 13. In addition, a circumferential snap-on projection 32 is provided on an upper edge 31 of the connecting element 30 for purposes of a rotatable connection to another spice mill part 33 in the form of a spice mill upper part 34 (see FIG. 13). In order to support the milling ring 2 in the receiving element 13, and/or to prevent another milling element 35, for example, a milling cone 36, from penetrating too deeply into the spice mill upper part 34, a supporting projection 38 is formed on the inner face 37 of the receiving element 13 in the example of embodiment shown, which projection extends radially inwards essentially at right angles to the inner face 37 of the receiving element 13.
[0051] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional illustration of the spice mill part 14 in accordance with the first form of embodiment. The cross-section corresponds to the sectional plane IV-IV from FIG. 2. It can be seen that two projections 7 on opposite sides of the milling element 1 are in each case inserted into spreader recesses 40 of the receiving element 13 (compare FIG. 5). It can also be seen that the collar 9 abuts against an upper edge 42 of the receiving element 13.
[0052] FIG. 5 shows a side view of the spice mill lower part 15 in accordance with the first form of embodiment. Here, the receiving element 13 has at least one spreader recess 40 in the form of a slot 41. The spreader recess shown extends downwards from an upper edge 42 of the receiving element 13, and enables the receiving element 13 to be spread apart for purposes of inserting the milling ring 2. In addition, a projection 7 of the milling ring 2 can be inserted into the spreader recess 40 (compare FIG. 4). For this purpose, the projection 7 can expediently have essentially the same contour as the spreader recess. 40.
[0053] FIG. 6 shows a milling ring 2 in accordance with a second form of embodiment, which differs from the first form of embodiment in that no projections 7 are provided.
[0054] FIG. 7 shows a plan view onto a spice mill part 14 in the form of a spice mill lower part 15 in accordance with a second form of embodiment.
[0055] FIG. 8 shows the spice mill lower part 15 in cross-section along the sectional plane VIII-VIII from FIG. 7.
[0056] FIG. 9 shows the spice mill lower part 15 in cross-section along the sectional plane IX-IX from FIG. 7. It can be seen that, in contrast to the first form of embodiment, the milling ring 2 does not have any projections 7, which could be received in spreader recesses 40 (which are also not provided in this form of embodiment). After production, when the spice mill part 14 has not yet cooled down to room temperature, the receiving element 13 is (still) larger in circumference. The greater expansion of the receiving element 13 can be used in order to insert or press the milling element 1 into the receiving element 13. With the cooling of the spice mill part 14, the shrinkage of the material sets in, whereby the inner diameter of the receiving element 13 decreases, so that the milling element 1 is clamped in a force fit. Spreader recesses 40 are therefore not necessary.
[0057] FIG. 10 shows a side view of the spice mill lower part 15 in accordance with the second form of embodiment. Here, the wall 19 of the receiving element 13 is completely closed along the circumference, that is to say, it is free of openings and recesses, such as spreader recesses 40, etc.
[0058] FIG. 11 shows a detail of a milling ring 2 with outer diameters 22, 22′ (see FIG. 3 or FIG. 8) and a receiving element 13 with inner diameters 21, 21′, (see FIG. 3 or FIG. 8). The following comments apply to both forms of embodiment of the spice milling element 14. The receiving element 13 is present in the unexpanded state, in which the milling element 1 is not yet inserted. The cross-sections of the milling element 1 and the receiving element 13 are shown overlapping so as to illustrate the differences between the respective diameters. The expansion of the receiving element 13 in the assembled state of the spice mill part 14 takes place, because the outer diameters 22, 22′ of the milling element 1 in the upper 24 and the lower region 25 are larger than the corresponding inner diameters 21, 21′ of the receiving element 13 in the upper 27 and the lower region 28 respectively. The difference between the inner diameters 21, 21′ of the receiving element 13 and the outer diameters 22,22′ of the milling element 1 can be essentially 0.5 mm, for example, as shown in the illustration. In this example, by the insertion of the milling element 1 into the receiving element, the wall 19 of the receiving element 13 is therefore pressed outwards by approx. 0.25 mm in both regions 27, 28.
[0059] FIG. 12 shows a side view of a milling ring 2. The milling ring 2 shown has no projection 7 and corresponds to the second form of embodiment. The following statements can also be applied to the milling ring 2 in accordance with the first form of embodiment. In FIG. 12 it can be seen that the milling ring 2 has a transition region 43, between the upper region 24 and the lower region 25, in the form of a step 23 that converges conically. The transition region 43 is formed by an inclined transition surface 44 in the illustration shown. Compared to the surface of the upper region 25, the transition surface 44 is inclined by more than 10°, preferably by more than 15°, in particular essentially by 20°.
[0060] FIG. 13 shows an upper detail from an assembled spice grinder 61. The spice mill lower part 15 is connected to the spice container 60 by way of the thread 29. The spice mill upper part 34 has a circumferential snap-on projection 62, which can be snapped onto the circumferential snap-on projection 32 of the spice mill lower part 15. The spice mill upper part 34 and the spice mill lower part 15 are rotatably connected to each other. A cap 63 is removably connected to the spice mill upper part 34.
