Two-Chamber Spice Grinder for Complete Soft Spice Comminution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing spice grinders incompletely grind soft spices, leaving between 2g and 6g of unprocessed material in the spice jar.

Innovation Solution

A spice mill design featuring a toothed rotor with sharp-edged teeth in the second chamber, where pre-ground material is further cut and discharged, with the rotor's wing-like teeth in the first chamber and conically extending stator teeth in the second chamber, ensuring complete comminution of soft spices without additional components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional grinder teeth are used, then the structure is simple, but soft spices are only ground incompletely with 2g-6g remaining in the container

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of spice grindingVSAvoidgrinder structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The grinding chamber is divided into two distinct chambers: a first chamber with wing-like teeth for preliminary grinding and a second chamber with conically extending teeth for final comminution. This segmentation allows each chamber to perform a specific function, achieving complete spice grinding without requiring additional external components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different tooth configurations are applied to different regions of the grinder. The first chamber has wing-like teeth with specific geometric characteristics for initial grinding, while the second chamber has conically extending teeth with sharp edges for final comminution. This local differentiation optimizes grinding effectiveness for soft spices throughout the entire grinding process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If additional cutting organs are added to achieve complete grinding, then completeness of spice comminution improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of spice comminutionVSAvoidnumber of grinding components
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple grinding functions are merged into a single integrated grinder structure. The two chambers with different tooth configurations work together within one device, eliminating the need for separate cutting organs or additional grinding mechanisms that would increase device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The grinder is designed to perform multiple functions within a single device: preliminary grinding in the first chamber and final comminution in the second chamber. This multi-functionality achieves complete spice grinding without requiring separate specialized components for each stage of the process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design enables the complete grinding and discharge of even soft spices, such as chili, by utilizing sharp-edged teeth in the second chamber for effective cutting and comminution.

Implementation Method 1

the teeth of the rotor are sharp-edged for cutting the pre-ground material in the second chamber, i.e. their cutting edges have a maximum rounding radius of 0.1 mm

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical cutting: Mechanical Force

Implementation Method 2

a grinder 3 placed on the container neck 2 of a container 1, in particular a bottle. The grinder 3 consists of a stator 4 with inwardly projecting teeth 5 and a rotor 6 mounted in the stator 4 with teeth 7 which cooperate with the teeth 5 of the stator 4 for grinding a spice contained in the container 1

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP2474256B1Spice mill with a grinder
Publication Date: 2013.11.13 JOMA KUNSTSTOFFTECHNIK GMBH
  • EP2474256B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2474256B1 patent drawingFigure 2~7

AI summary

The spice grinder is provided with a grinding mechanism and teeth (5) provided with stator (4), where the passage of the ground material through the grinder is divided in two chambers. The teeth of the stator run in passage direction of another chamber in conical manner.