A New or Improved Apparatus for Automatically Weighing and Grading Carcases of Meat on a Rail Track without Removing the Carcases from said Rail Track.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Automatically Weighing and
Grading Carcases of Meat on a Rail Track without Removing the
Carcases from said Rail Track.
1, GILBERT ANDERSON of Christchurch, Canterbury, in the Colony of New
Zealand, Managing Director Christchurch Meat Company Limited do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus, whereby carcases of
meat can be automatically weighed and graded without removing them from the
rail track, upon which they are caused to travel.
The apparatus is more particularly adapted for use in freezing works and
consists of a weighted lever attached to a fulcrum rod, the ends of which, work on
bearings fitted in hangers or brackets; the lower end of this lever is connected by
means of a coupling rod to another lever forming a pointer and working on centres
in a hanger or bracket, the lower end of pointer being bifurcated, in order to work
over a curved dial plate suspended from another hanger or bracket. The fulcrum
rod is provided with a projecting arm and pin to which a hanger is suspended; this
hanger having a plate of the same thickness as the rail track, and which fits into a
gap formed in such rail track.
The lever and pointer are so adjusted that when each travelling hook carrying a
carcase, passes over the plate attached to the hanger, the said hanger is depressed
thereby turning the fulcrum rod and causing the weighted lever to raise the
lower lever and pointer and thus indicate upon the dial plate the weight of said
carcase.
For the better comprehension of my invention I will now proceed to describe the
same, having reference to the annexed drawings wherein :-
Fig. 1. is a front view of my new or improved apparatus.
Fig. 2. is an end view of same.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in each figure.
A is the weighted lever attached to a fulcrum rod a the ends of which are fitted
with (preferably) steel V shaped or knife edged pins which work on bearings fitted
in hangers or brackets B. The lower end of this lever is connected by means of a
coupling rod b to another lever C forming a pointer which is hung on centre pins c
to another hanger or bracket D; the lower end of pointer is bifurcated and works
over a curved dial plate E suspended from another hanger or bracket F; this dial
plate is provided with two rows of figures, one row representing the weight of the
carcases when hot, whilst the other row represents the weight of the carcases when
frozen. The fulcrum rod a is provided with a projecting arm d having a pin to
which a hanger G is suspended; this hanger having a plate e of the same thickness
as the rail track f, and fitting into a gap, formed in said rail track.
As each travelling hook carrying a carcase passes over the plate e the hanger G
is depressed thereby turning the fulcrum rod a and causing the lever A to raise
the lever and pointer C which indicates upon the dial the "hot" and "cold"
weight of the carcases at one and the same time, thus the said carcases are auto-
matically and expeditiously weighed and graded at one operation and without
removing them from the rail track upon which they hang.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-.
In apparatus for automatically weighing and grading carcases of meat on a rail
track:
(1.) The combination with a suspended dial plate such as E of a lever aud
pointer, such as C, hung on centres, to a hanger or bracket such as D, and
connected by means of a coupling rod to a balanced lever such as A, attached to a
fulcrum rod, working in hangers or brackets such as B, and provided with a pro-
jecting arm supporting a hanger such as G, having a plate e fitting in a gap
the rail track, substantially as herein described and illustrated in the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 19th day of February A.D. 1895.
in
GILBERT ANDERSON.