Improvements in Meat Cutters.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Meat Cutters.
I JOHN WILSON BROWN Junior of Dauphin and Third Streets in the City of
Philadelphia State of Pennsylvania United States of America Mechanical Engineer
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:-
My Invention relates to that class of meat cutting machines which operate by
forcing the mass of meat into the apertures of a perforated plate and cutting from
the mass the portions which project into the apertures by means of rotating knives
working against the face of the plate and the objects of my Invention are to
simplify and cheapen the construction of such machines to more nearly equalize the
feeding and cutting capacities, and to prevent the clogging of the knife or knives by
strings or sinews.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved
meat cutter. Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 1-2 Figure 1. Figure 3
is a perspective view showing the parts detached; Figure 4 is a longitudinal section
of a modification; and Figures 5 and are views of modified forms of ribbed
shaft.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, A is the casing, preferably cast in one piece;
a is the hopper, situated at one end of the casing, and for the purpose hereinafter
described, somewhat eccentric therewith, as shown in Figure 2.
The casing A is supported, in the present instance, by a leg B, cast with the
casing and adapted to be secured to a table or other support, although the leg may
be provided with a clamp, by which it is secured to the table, as in other machines of
this class, and as shown in Figure 4.
The casing A is provided with an internal spiral rib b, and in the present instance
is of greater pitch at the rear or hopper end of the casing than at its front or
delivery end.
The rear end of this casing is closed, while the front end is open and provided
with a perforated plate D, which is prevented from turning in the casing by a pin d
entering a notch in the periphery of the plate D which plate is secured to the casing
by a confining ring E, having a screw thread or cam adapted to a screw thread or
cam on the casing.
Contained within the casing A is a shaft or spindle F having a series of longi-
tudinal ribs or wings f (four as shown in the present instance). This shaft has its
bearings in the rear casing g and in the perforated plate D, and is provided with a
suitable handle G, preferably detachable.
The outer end of the shaft F is reduced considerably and over a squared portion
at e thereof fits the hub of a many bladed knife H which may be of the construction
usual in this class of machines or as shewn in figure 4 a projection h on the
back of the knife H may fit into a cavity in the end of the shaft F and the bearing
in the perforated plate be dispensed with.
In the present instance I have shewn a knife having four blades to correspond
with the number of the ribs f of the spindle and radiating on the same lines with
said ribs which extend to or as nearly to the rear of the blades as possible and
yet allow the knife the slight amount of play on the shaft necessary at all times
to secure by adjustment operative contact between the blades and the face of the
plate.
The extension of the ribs to or nearly to the knife, prevents to a great extent the
accumulation around, and in rear of the blades of the knife of stringy sinews of
meat to be cut thus avoiding clogging of the knives and consequent friction from this

page_text: The hopper a is placed somewhat eccentrically of the casing, as shown in Figure 2,
so that the ribs of the shaft may seize upon a greater mass of, and thus more
powerfully and firmly act upon the meat than would be the case if the hopper were
placed centrally above the casing.
The action of the machine is as follows:-
Meat being placed in the hopper a and the shaft revolved, the ribs on the shaft
seize the meat and draw it into, and give it a motion of rotation within the casing,
while the spiral ribs b force the meat to take a spiral path towards the perforated
plate D.
By this combined action, the meat is forced forward within the casing and against
and into the apertures of the perforated plate, at or about the speed of revolution of
the shaft, and with a power depending upon the pitch of the spiral rib of the casing;
consequently, when the meat is presented to the plate, it is travelling at or about the
same speed as, and in a direction corresponding to some extent with that of the knife,
hence friction caused by the knife being compelled to cut its way through a
surrounding mass of meat is avoided, the knife is free to do its intended work of
cutting off from the mass the small portions which. protrude or extend into the
perforations of the plate, and thus the machine may be much more easily and evenly
operated than would otherwise be the case.
It is obvious that the winged shaft F is a considerably simpler and cheaper device
than the powerful feed screws which it has heretofore been considered necessary to
use for forcing the meat forward within the casing in this class of machines, while the
casing itself is no more complex or expensive. The reaction of the pressure of the
meat against the plate is taken directly by the casing and not indirectly through
the median of the shaft as heretofore. I have found, furthermore, that by my plan
of construction I can materially reduce the size of the machine, and consequently its
cost, without material decrease in efficiency or capacity.
By continuing the shaft in its full diameter to or nearly to the knife, practically all
the meat that enters the machine is cut up and forced through the perforations in
the plate.
The longitudinal ribs on the shaft F may be made slightly spiral at the feed end
of the machine as shown in Figure 4, throughout their length, as shown in Figure 5
or the continuity of the ribs may be broken as shown in Figure 6, and the pitch of
the spiral rib of the casing may be made greater or less than that shewn without
departing from the nature of my invention so long as the ribs of the shaft F operate
substantially only to rotate the meat within the casing while the ribs of the casing
operate to modify this motion into a forward motion in a spiral path.
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 :-
1. The combination of a casing having an internal spiral channel, a perforated plate
and rotary knife co-acting therewith, and a shaft having longitudinal ribs which carry
the meat around with the shaft and cause it to travel in the spiral channel towards
the perforated plate, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination, with the spirally ribbed casing of a meat cutter, of a shaft F
having longitudinal ribs, substantially parallel throughout or nearly throughout, their
entire length with the line of the shaft, a perforated plate secured to the casing, and
a knife carried by the shaft, and co-acting with the perforated plate to sever small
portions from the meat, substantially as herein before described.
3. The combination of the casing having a spiral channel therein, a perforated
plate, and a rotary knife co-acting therewith, and a shaft having longitudinal ribs
which are in line with and extend to the blades of the knife substantially as herein-
before described.
4. The combination of a casing having a spiral rih therein, forming a continuous
spiral channel from the hopper to the end of the casing, a perforated plate and a
rotary knife co-acting therewith and a shaft having projections which carry the meat
1.2

page_text: around with the shaft and cause it to traverse the spiral channel in the casing
substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The combination of a casing having a hopper at one end and a perforated plate
at the opposite end, an internal spiral rib in said casing of a greater pitch at the
hopper end than at the delivery end with a longitudinally ribbed shaft a knife carried
thereby co-acting with the perforated plate, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Thind this 1nt JCA 1900
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.