Improvements in the Treatment of Frozen Meat to Prepare it for Use, and in Store Rooms to be used for the purpose.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Frozen Meat to Prepare it for
Use, and in Store Rooms to be used for the purpose.
I, LOFTUS PERKINS of 6 Seaford Street. Gray's Inn Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
When frozen meat is taken from the store rooms in which it has been maintained in
a frozen state it is usually delivered in the frozen state to the retail dealers and is by
them more or less exposed to air during the time that it is being thawed.
The carcasses being extremely cold rapidly cool the air which comes in contact with
them and a brisk circulation of air is quickly set up the cold air dropping away and
warmer air laden with moisture constantly descending on to them.
As the air cools
moisture is deposited from it on to the carcasses and so in a short time these become
sodden on the surface and their appearance is greatly impaired.
To remedy this I cause the carcasses when taken from the cold room to be hung up
in a comparatively air tight room heated by steam or hot water pipes or it might be
by the circulation of hot air. The room in which the carcasses are so placed to be
heated should be kept say at a temperature of 40 to 45° and in summer at a somewhat
higher temperature.
In a room so heated the carcasses will take about three days to thaw throughout and
as no moisture can get to them whilst they are being thawed they will not be disfigured
and discolored as they now are when air is allowed to get to them during the tha wing
operation and they will have precisely the same appearance
as freshly killed
meat.
In order that the carcasses may readily be treated in this manner I construct the
frozen room with entrances into it from the top only by staircases or otherwise. The
warm room I place above it and I line this room with a sheet metal lining or in other
ways make the walls and roof impervious to air. The steam or hot water pipes by
which the room is to be heated should be distributed over the floor of the room in as
uniform a manner as may be so that all parts of the room may be uniformly heated
and provision should also be made for hanging up the carcasses just as in a butchers
shop.
The entrances to this heated room may also be made through the top so that when
the doors are opened there may be but little entrance into the room of the still warmer
air on the outside.
In all cases also the entrances may be provided with double doors and intermediate
space between them to prevent all direct access of outer air.
If desired two three or more such warmed rooms may be made above the top of the
cold store room so that the room need not be opened to the outer air until after the
carcasses have been hung up say about 3 days in them and are completely thawed and
ready for use. Or there may be one large heated room divided into compartments.
Both the heated room and the cold room are lighted by electric lamps so that the air
in the room does not become vitiated by the lamps.
The heated rooms might be at the sides of the cold room but not so advantageously.
Dated this 26th day of November 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Frozen Meat to Prepare it for
Use, and in Store Rooms to be used for the purpose
I, LOFTUS PERKINS, of 6 Seaford Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of
Middlesex, 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:-
==
When frozen meat is taken from the store rooms in which it has been maintained in
a frozen state it is usually delivered in the frozen state to the retail dealers and is by
them more or less exposed to air during the time that it is being thawed..
The carcasses being extremely cold rapidly cool the air which comes in contact with
them and a brisk circulation of air is quickly set up the cold air dropping away and
warmer air laden with moisture constantly descending on to them.
As the air cools
moisture is deposited from it on to the carcasses and so in a short time these become
sodden on the surface and their appearance is greatly impaired.
By providing for hanging up the carcasses when taken from the cold room in a
comparatively air tight heated room I entirely remedy this evil. The heated room
should be kept say at a temperature of 40 to 45° and in summer at a somewhat higher
temperature.
In a room so heated the carcasses will take about three days to thaw throughout and
as no moisture can get to them whilst they are being thawed they will not be disfigured
and discolored as they now are when air is allowed to get to them during the
thawing operation-and they will have precisely the same appearance as freshly killed
meat.
In order that the carcasses may readily be treated in this manner I prefer to construct
the thawing room over the top of the freezing room as shewn in the drawing in vertical
section. A is the freezing room. The entrance into it I make through a door B at
the top from the thawing room C. The thawing room 1 line internally with a metal
lining impervious to air. The entrance into the thawing room I also make
preferably through a door E at the top so that when the doors are opened there may
be but little entrance into the room of air from the outside. If desired the entrances
may be provided with double doors and intermediate space between them.
the steam or hot water pipes by which the room is to be heated-these should be
distributed over the floor of the room in as uniform a manner as may be so that all
parts of the room may be uniformly heated and provision should also be made for
hanging up the carcasses just as in a butcher's shop.
F F are
Above the pipes is a perforated floor G which permits air to pass freely to and from
the pipes. H H are two pipes passing down from the thawing room into the top of
the freezing room. These pipes are for drying the air of the thawing room; when they
are left open any moisture there may be by degrees descends and the frost separates it
from the air.
If desired two, three or more such warmed rooms may be made above the top of the
cold store room so that the room need not be opened to the outer air until after the
carcasses have been hung up say about 3 days in them and are completely thawed and
ready for use. Or there may be one large heated room divided into compartments.
Both the heated room and the cold room are lighted by electric lamps so that the air in
the room does not become vitiated by the lamps.
The heated rooms might be at the sides of the cold room but not so advantageously.
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 herein described process of preparing frozen meat for use consisting in
hanging it up in an approximately air tight room kept at a temperature of some
degrees above the freezing point until it is thawed.

page_text: 2. A cold store room impervious to air with a heated thawing room above it also
impervious to air and with the entrance into the cold room through the floor of the
thawing room.
3. The combination of a cold store room A a thawing room C above it having an
internal metallic lining D-an opening fitted with a door B between the bottom of the
thawing room and the cold room-and steam or hot water pipes F ranged over the
bottom of the thawing room and perforated floor G above the pipes.
Dated this 18th day of August 1890.
LOFTUS PERKINS.