IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR MINCING SAUSAGE MEAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Williams, the younger, of West Smithfield, in
the City of London, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR MINCING SAUSAGE MEAT AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Williams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on, the 28th July 1880.
THOMAS WILLIAMS, the younger, of West Smithfield, in the City of London,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR
MINCING SAUSAGE MEAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
This Invention relates to what are commonly known as silent mincing machines,
wherein rotary knives or cutters work in conjunction with a horizontal rotary
bowl, and has for its object the simplifying the construction of the machine,
rendering its action more efficient, and enabling the machine to be more easily
driven, whilst affording greater facility for the lubrication of the pivot of the
bowl.
According to my Invention I combine a single horizontal shaft carrying one,
two, or more series of knives (disposed as hereinafter explained) with a horizontal
rotary bowl of the usual shape, the pivot or spindle carrying the said bowl (which
is fixed thereon) working in an oil cup, or in a footstep, or other suitable bearing
or bearings, and being capable of being lifted along with the bowl by a lever
connected with the pivot or spindle, such lever being actuated either directly by
hand or indirectly through a connecting rod and treadle by the pressure of the
foot, the object of such lifting motion being to facilitate the lubrication of the said
pivot or spindle and its bearing or bearings. The knives are secured in pairs, side
by side, to the opposite sides of bosses or collars on the cutter or knife shaft,
countersunk screws being by preference employed in order that all projections
likely to take up the meat and thereby derange the action of the machine may be
obviated. Each knife is slotted, and the securing screws pass through the said
slots, thereby enabling the knives to be readily adjusted, as desired, to compensate
for wear, any number of pairs of knives being thus secured to each boss. By
D

page_text: employing two or more series of knives working, say, on opposite sides and near
the middle of the bowl, the meat is cut in two directions at right angles to each
other, whilst the peculiar arrangement of the knives in pairs, side by side, on each
boss ensures that two knives shall always be cutting together in each series,
thereby cutting the meat or other substance cleaner and quicker than by the usual
arrangement wherein only one knive in each series is in action at one time. An
opening is left in the cover of the bowl at the front of the machine to facilitate the
feeding and turning of the meat, and the knives work through slots in the said
cover or in a single slotted plate secured to the cover of the slots extending not
quite up to the edge of the said opening or mouth, so that all risk of injury to
the fingers of the attendant is avoided. The knife table is brought to the front
of the machine, and is there secured by pins, hasps, or other suitable fastenings
in lieu of being secured at the side as heretofore, which is a less convenient
arrangement.
The shaft which carries the knives or cutters works in bearings on the rising
cover, and is the first motion shaft of the machine, it being provided with a driving
pulley and balanced fly wheel. This shaft also carries an endless screw or worm,
which transmits the rotary motion to the bowl through a worm wheel fast on a
short vertical shaft working in bearings at one side of the machine, the lower end
of the vertical shaft carrying a spur pinion or a strap pulley. In the former case
the pinion gears into a spur wheel fast on the spindle or pivot of the bowl, and in
the latter case a strap is passed round the pulley and round a corresponding pulley
on the spindle of the bowl, which thus receives in either case a rotary motion from
the cutter shaft. In order to admit of the rising plate being lifted up and lowered
an additional loose driving pulley is mounted on a stud fixed to a bracket on the
side of the machine in such a position as to admit of the main driving strap being
shifted from off the fast pulley onto the loose pulley when the said plate with its
cutter shaft is to be turned on its hinges.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
January 1881.
THOMAS WILLIAMS, the younger, of West Smithfield, in the City of London,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR
MINCING SAUSAGE MEAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
My said Invention relates to what are commonly known as silent mincing
machines, in which rotating knives fixed on a horizontal shaft operate in con-
junction with a horizontally rotating bowl. In machines of this class as heretofore
constructed the shaft, which carries the rotating knives or cutters, and is mounted
in bearings on the hinged rising cover, is driven as a second motion shaft by any
convenient arrangement of toothed or frictional gearing from a first motion or
driving shaft mounted in fixed bearings beneath the bowl, which latter shaft also
imparted the horizontal rotary motion to the bowl direct by a worm and worm
wheel or other gearing.
Now my improvements consist,-
First. In driving the knife shaft direct, so that it shall constitute the first motion
shaft of the machine.
Secondly. In the combination in this class of machines of a loose driving pulley
mounted on a separate and independent stationary stud or pin disposed in a line
with the knife shaft, with a fast driving pulley on the said shaft, or in lieu thereof
with a sliding clutch or other well known contrivance for throwing the said loose
pulley into or out of gear with the knife shaft in order to admit of the rising
cover with its shaft being turned up or opened on its hinges without being
interfered with by the driving strap when the loose pulley is out of gear.
Thirdly. In transmitting the rotary motion to the bowl from the knife shaft by
the aid of a vertical shaft and appropriate gearing.
By these improvements I am enabled to drive the machine more silently and with
less power than heretofore, whilst its construction is simplified and the cost of
manufacture reduced.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in both the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings is a front elevation of my improved silent mincing
machine, and Figure 2 is a corresponding side elevation of the same, looking on the
driving side thereof. In these Figures one corner of the framing is broken away and
a portion of the rising cover is shown in section.
A, A, are the cast iron standards or other supports of the machine, which is
provided with the usual rising cover B hinged at C, C, in any suitable manner to
the standards, and having the usual opening (not seen in the Drawings) for
facilitating the feeding and handling of the meat in the bowl, which opening I
prefer to make in the front portion of the said cover. D is the rotating knife or
cutter shaft mounted in bearings E, E, secured to the rising cover B, as is well
understood, but this shaft according to my Invention is driven direct, either by
hand or by power, and is made to serve as the driving or first motion shaft of the
machine, for which purpose, when driven by power, I mount on the said shaft, in
addition to the usual knives or cutters F, a fly wheel G and a fixed driving
pulley H, in order to enable it to be driven by power direct by an ordinary
driving strap. And in order to admit of the said shaft being lifted along with
the hinged rising cover B without interference from the driving strap, I mount a
loose driving pulley H' of the same diameter as the fast pulley H upon a stationary

page_text: independent stud or pin I, secured by a nut or otherwise into a fixed bracket K
(partly broken away in Figure 2) secured to the standard of the machine. The
stud or pin I, which is entirely separate and distinct from the combined driving
and cutter shaft D, is so situate as to be in a line with the axis of the said shaft
when the hinged rising cover is closed down, as shewn in my Drawings, thereby
admitting of the driving strap being readily shifted from off the fast driving
pulley Honto the independent loose pulley H₁ when required, in which latter
position of the strap the rising cover with its knife shaft is left perfectly free to be
opened or turned up on its hinges C without interference from the strap which
drives the knife shaft. It is obvious that the same arrangement of independent
loose pulley H mounted on a separate fixed stud or pin I may be employed in
combination with a fast driving pulley H on the knife shaft in cases even where
the knife shaft may be driven as a second motion shaft by an intermediate driving
strap; or, if desired, a single pulley H¹ might be employed, working loose on the
fixed stud I, and made so as to slide bodily along with its strap onto a feather on
the end of the shaft D, or otherwise brought into or out of gear therewith, by
means of a sliding clutch, as will be readily understood, but I prefer the
arrangement described and shown in my Drawings. When the cover is closed down or
restored to its normal position again, the strap in the one case can be readily shifted
back again on to the fast pulley H, or in the latter modification the loose sliding
pulley Hmay be slid onto or brought into gear with the shaft D. Any of the well
known methods may be adopted for securing the knives or cutters upon their
shaft, and the position of the knife shaft D as regards the axis of the bowl L, as
well as the form or construction of the bowl itself, may be such as to admit of the
rotating knives working either right across the bowl or across a portion of the
bowl only, both being well known arrangements in this class of machines. In
my Drawings I have shown, as an example, the knives as arranged to work across
a portion only of the bowl, the usual slots or narrow openings in the rising cover for
the knives to work through being provided, as is well understood. I may also employ
in my improved machine either one set of rotating knives or two or more sets of
such knives mounted on the same knife shaft, an additional set of knives being
shown at F in Figure 1. Each set of knives contains two, three, or more knives,
but I do not claim any particular arrangement of, or mode of mounting, the
knives as forming a part of my said Invention. I prefer to mount the bowl L
fast upon the upper end of a vertical spindle M rotating in an oil cup and footstep
bearing N, easily accessible for cleaning and lubrication, and made so as to be
adjustable vertically by an adjusting screw O in order to compensate for wear, the
spindle M being steadied by a collar bearing at P, but this mode of mounting the
bowl forms no part of my present Invention. I impart the requisite horizontal
rotary motion to the bowl in mincing machines of the class referred to from the
knife shaft D on the rising cover through a vertical shaft Q rotating in bearings
R, R, on the side framing of the machine, and driven preferentially by a worm S
on the shaft D gearing into a worm wheel T fast on the upper end of the said
vertical shaft. This shaft Q transmits its motion to the bowl either by means of
a strap and pulleys or an endless pitch chain U gearing into the chain wheels V
and W respectively fixed on the vertical shaft O and rotating spindle M of the
bowl, or (which I prefer) by the use of spur wheels respectively fixed on the said
shaft and spindle M and gearing together direct. It is obvious however that
other well known mechanical arrangements may be employed for transmitting the
motion from the vertical shaft Q to the bowl; X, X, are the usual catch lever
handles hinged to the front of the rising cover B for elevating the same and
securing it in its closed position, one of such lever handles only being seen in
Figure 1.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel and original,

page_text: and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. Driving the knife shaft of mincing machines of the class herein referred
to direct, so that it shall constitute the first motion shaft of the machine, as
herein before described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
Secondly. The combination in the class of machines herein mentioned of a fast
driving pulley mounted on the end of the knife shaft on the rising cover, and a
corresponding loose pulley mounted upon a separate and independent fixed stud or
pin disposed in a line with the knife shaft, substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described.
Thirdly. The application and use to and in the class of machines herein
mentioned of a loose pulley mounted upon a separate and independent fixed stud or
pin disposed in a line with the knife shaft, the said loose pulley being thrown in and
out of gear with the knife shaft, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
Fourthly. The combination with the knife shaft in machines of the class herein
mentioned of a vertical shaft geared direct thereto and transmitting the rotating
motion to the bowl, substantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Williams, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
THOMAS WILLIAMS. (L.S.)