Improvements in Meat Chopping Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1887
Specification Accepted. 2nd Mar., 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Meat Chopping Machines.
I, WILHELM SCHEFFEL of Remscheid, Rhenish Prussia Germany 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 present invention relates to various improvements which I have made in the
meat chopping machine patented to me December 13th 1886 No. 16307. These
improvements are represented on the accompanying drawings No. 1 & 2, of which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a complete machine with the new knife box.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the knife box shown separately.
Figure 3a is a cross section of the machine through line I II of fig. 1.
Figure 3ẞ is an end view of the machine.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the end part of a machine showing an improved
knife box with a distance ring in place of missing knives: 3 rotating knives with
broad edges being placed immediately between the 4 discs or fast knives.
Figures 5a & 5ẞ are respectively sections through fig. 4 along lines III IV
and V VI.
Figure 6 is a similar section as fig. 4 but showing an arrangement with two disc.
knives only & with 4 sharp rotating knives.
Figures 7a & 7ẞ are respectively cross sections through lines VII VIII and IX X
of fig. 6.
Figure 8 shows a longitudinal section of a machine with the knife shaft introduced
into the machine from the back of it instead through the centre of the hollow conveyor.
shaft.
Figure 9 is a horizontal section of a similar arrangement with several knives.
Figure 1 is a back view of this arrangement.
A considerably better result, easier working and a greater efficiency is obtained.
with my improved meat chopping machine, if the cutting of the meat is done
gradually, that is to say, if the meat is forced at first through discs with large
holes and if it gets reduced gradually through discs having always smaller holes, but
Pria J I

page_text: a larger number in proportion towards the end of the machine as shown by figs. 1,
3a & 3ẞ.
The arrangement of the gearing of the new machine and the manner of working the
rotating knives remains the same as in the old machine.
A are the legs on which the machine stands, B is the casing with the feeding
hopper C D is the conveyor receiving motion from the main shaft F by means of
the gearing G, I; E is the knife shaft put in quicker rotation than the conveyor by
the spur wheels Ĥ & K.
Thus far the machine contains nothing new; it differs however from the old
machine by the multiple fast & rotating knives M M & L L respectively.
For this object the machine casing is made longer in its hind part and it is bored
out exactly to receive the knife box P (fig. & 2) the interior diameter of which
corresponds to the diameter of the cutter discs. The box P is provided with longi-
tudinal grooves R to take up the notches S of the disc knives & thus preventing these
from turning when placed in the knife box.
In order to procure an easy and convenient fitting and mounting of the knives in
the machine-casing, I put them on a mandril T (fig. 2) of same thickness as the knife
shaft and then I shift them together with the box ring into the machine casing and on
the knife shaft all at a time & I secure them by the nut N.
A further improvement which I have made consists in making the knife box as
shown by figs. 4-7 and providing them with the distance rings W, W if the machine
is to work only with a reduced number of knives instead of a complete set.
The box P¹ is provided with a projection U and a thinner part X, the outer end of
which is turned inwards so as to form the flange V. The box nut N₁ fits on the thin
part X & by screwing it fast it bears against the projection U and draws the knife
box into the machine casing and the knives are held therein by the flange V. If
however instead of a complete set of knives only a few of them, say 4 instead of 5
as shown by fig. 4 or only 2 (fig. 6) shall be used, I introduce in place of the missing
knives the distanco rings W, W which correspond in length to one, two, three etc.
sets of knives as the case may be. The flange V presses the distance ring against the
disc knives and secures them in the box.
Figures 4 & 6 show two different arrangements of knives, one or the other of which
may be preferable if raw meat or boiled meat is to be chopped.
In figure 4 rotating knives with broad edges are used, only one between two disc
knives and in fig. 6 the rotating knives have sharp edges and two are placed between
the disc-knives, one acting in front, the other at the back of the disc knives.
My improved meat chopping machine is based on the use of a knife shaft rotating
independently from the conveyor. To obtain this I have formerly placed the knife
shaft into the conveyor shaft.
The same end may be obtained by making the machine as shown by figs. 8-10.
Here it will be seen the conveyor is set in motion from the first motion shaft by means
of the spur wheels g & h. The shaft is prolongated beyond the end of the machine
casing and is provided here with the spur wheel h which is in gear with a pinion k
keyed to the knife shaft d.
This shaft is supported in the boss of the bracket a.
Shaft d is concentrical with the conveyor shaft c and it enters into the machine from
the exit end as shown by figs. 8 & 9; its inner end is turned conically and fits in the
end of the conveyor shaft which is bored accordingly.
It will thus be seen that the knife shaft rotates independently from the conveyor
and that it may be fitted with one or two or more knives as may be desired. It is a
matter of course that the machine with the knife shaft so arranged may also be supplied
with the knife box and with the distance rings shown by figs. 1-7 and described
above.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1) In a meat chopping machine with an independently rotating knife shaft the

page_text: fitting out of this shaft with any number of rotating knives and fixed disc cutters, the
latter having the cutting holes diminishing in size and increasing in number in the discs
nearer the end of the machine.
2) In combination with such a meat chopping machine with any number of knives
a knife box P fitted to the prolongated end of the machine-casing (fig. 1, 2 & 3).
3) In combination with a meat chopping machine with any number of rotating
knives and cutter discs a knife box P¹ provided with a shoulder U and a flange
and fitting into the machine casing, distance rings W or W' in place of missing
knives and discs for securing any number of knives and discs in the same knife
box, (fig. 4-7).
4) The arrangement shown by figs. 8-10 with the independently rotating knife
shaft being introduced into the machine casing and the knife box from the back end
of the machine and being carried by a separate bracket a and by its pointed inner end
by the conveyor shaft and which arrangement may be used with or without the knife
box and distance rings.