A Machine for Making Sandwiches.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
A Machine for Making Sandwiches.
I, SEVERIN AUGUSTE GAGE, of 13 Rue de Presbourg, Paris, France, Pastry-
cook and Ice Dealer 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 :-
This invention relates to a machine for making sandwiches, and will be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification,
wherein
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a plan, of the machine.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 shew, in elevation and plan, the gearing for producing the
various movements.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The machine comprises essentially, two bread containers a a, a butter container b,
and a meat container c, all made of the form and dimensions required for the kind
of sandwich to be made. The containers a are filled with superposed slices of
bread and beneath each of them extends a guideway d towards the meat container c
the upper one of these guideways leading to a gride formed of a series of tubes in
which slide a series of wires carried on a cross-head 9 receiving a forward and
backward motion from levers h. The grid e on its forward movement supports
the upper slice of bread in order to allow the slice of meat to be inserted
between it and the underneath slice of bread and on its backward movement
the wires are withdrawn within the tubular grid so as to allow the upper slice
of bread to be deposited upon the meat. The cams by which the several move-
ments are imparted to the different parts are all keyed on the main shaft i
which receives motion from a worm j. A lever k operated by one of the cams
actuates through connecting rods and levers two parallel slide rods to which
are connected pusher plates m working beneath the containers a a and adapted
to remove at cach forward stroke the lowermost slices of bread from the piles
contained in the said cases a and advance them a distance equal to their own
breadth along the guideways by which they are conducted to the point nat
which the sandwiches are made. On the pushers m receding, they allow the
pile of slices to descend by gravity, in cases a in readiness for the next stroke,
a train of slices being thus fed forward on each guide-way. The slices of bread
in passing between the pairs of rollers o are slightly pressed by them and receive
therefrom a layer of butter with which the rollers are charged by the container b,
the rollers being for this purpose grooved both longitudinally and circumferentially.
The rollers have the same surface speed as the rate of advance of the slices,
which they assist to propel. Simultaneously with the movement of the rollers,
the screw which is rotated by ratchet and pawl gear, whose rate of feed may
be regulated, propels a plunger 7, whereby the butter is expressed through two
narrow slits made in container bat the level of the axes of rollers o and becomes
spread on the grooved surfaces of said rollers. Instead of regulating the rate of
feed by the ratchet and pawl movement, the slits may be made variable in width, in
order to vary the thickness of the layer of butter, or when mustard, anchovy paste,
or other preparations are to be applied. The rollers o are driven by a train of
gear wheels from a ratchet wheel operated by a clawker r carried by a lever
pivoting on the axis of the ratchet wheel and being one of the levers through
which the rods are operated. s is a knife which receives a constant rapid recipro-
cating motion in the transverse direction of the machine, and is also caused to
advance beneath the open bottom of the meat container c so as to cut a slice of

page_text: meat, of which the thickness is regulated by the rate of feed of the meat deter-
mined by the stroke of a levert operated by a cam on shaft i acting through a
pawl upon the rack rod of a plunger pressing on the meat in the container c.
2
-
The mechanism whereby the knife receives two independent motions, as above
referred to, is shewn in Figures 3 and 4, and comprises a rack-bar u gearing with
pinions carried by cranks whose pins engage in slots in the ends of the
frame y which carries the knife s. The rack-bar u receives reciprocating motion
through a connecting rod from a crank on a shaft z which is geared with shaft i by
abelt. 1 is a horizontal elbow-lever, receiving motion from a cam on shaft i for
pressing the knife-frame y forward formed in a direction at right-angles to its
reciprocating motion, that is to say in the longitudinal direction of the machine, the
two movements being simultaneous like that of a saw, the lever 1 being connected
to a pair of slide rods 2 fixed to a crosshead carrying two anti-friction rollers 3
working in a slot 4 in the knife-frame y, permitting of the reciprocating movement
of said frame. The slice of meat thus cut off is received on a small grooved
carrier plate by which it is placed beween the buttered slices of bread whereupon
the carrier plate is withdrawn at same time as the grid bars e carrying the upper
slice of bread so as to allow the meat to drop upon the lower slice and be then
covered by the upper slice, thus forming the sandwich. To prevent the meat from
adhering to the carrier on its backward movement, a small metallic curtain 5 raised
by a series of levers and arm 6 carried by the knife-frame y is caused to drop on to
the carrier and so prevent the meat from being drawn back with the carrier. The
sandwich made at point n as described is finally delivered at one side of the machine
by the device 7 which consists of a plate, connected by means of a stud 8 on its
underside sliding in a slot 12 in the frame, with an arm 9 pivoted at point 10 and
receiving reciprocating motion, in a transverse direction from a cam 11 keyed on
shaft i.
The sandwich may be slightly compressed between two rollers and automatically
deposited in a box.
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 1
-claim is :-
1st. In a machine for the mechanical manufacture of sandwiches, the means for
delivering the slices of bread singly from the cases a, consisting in the combination
of the pusher slides m and rods with the guideways d, lever k, grid e, wires,
crosshead levers h, shaft i, and worm j, all operating substantially as described.
2nd. In a machine for making sandwiches, the combination of rollers o and butter
box b, piston y, screw p, pawl lever r, and shaft i, all operating substantially as
described.
3rd. In a machine for making sandwiches, the combination, with a meat
container C of the guideways d, knife s, levert, rack-rod u, pinions v, cranks x,
knife-carrying frame y, shafts and i, lever 1, curtain 5 and arm 6, all operating
substantially as described.
4th. The herein-described machine for making sandwiches, consisting of the
combination of the devices and arrangements herein before specified and of the
delivery device 7 substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 17th day of March 1802.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
S. A. GAGÉ,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
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