Improvements in Apparatus for Grating Vegetables or similar Substances.
Year: 1890

page_text: Dafte of Application, 10th June, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890.
Improvements in Apparatus for Grating Vegetables or similar
Substances.
communication from abroad by THOMAS CLARK PAGE and EMERSON GAYLORD,
both of Chicopee Falls, Hampden County, State of Massachusetts, United States
of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil 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:―
'
This invention relates to that class of implements or machines used for grating
vegetables or similar substances; and the invention consists in so combining and
arranging the grating surface, the holder of the material, and the mechanism that
imparts motion to the one or the other of said parts as to cause the one to move in an
elliptical path in relation to the other, as hereinafter more fully set forth.
Figure 1 is a perspective view, and
Figure 2 is an edge or plan view of the invention applied to a grater to be used
by hand.
:
Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the grating surface in relation
to the holder, or substance being grated.
The object of this invention is to so construct a grater as to cause the teeth of the
grater to travel in an elliptical path in relation to the substance on which they operate,
and thus prevent the teeth from merely cutting grooves in the substances, as is the
case in all graters in which the teeth and the substance being operated on move in a
right line in relation to each other.
In all ordinary graters, whether the grating surface be flat or cylindrical, the teeth,
being arranged to move continually in a right line, necessarily operate to cut a series
of longitudinal grooves or scores in the material, and as the operation is continued,
the material forming the ridges between these grooves is broken or rubbed off in
coarse particles or small chunks, and is therefore not in that finely comminuted con-
dition that is desired for culinary purposes.
For the purpose of illustration, the invention is shown as applied to a band implė-
ment, adapted to grate nutmegs or any similar article.
In the drawings
:-
Figures 1 and 2-A indicates a metallic bar, to which is secured the holder H for
holding the article to be grated. This holder is simply an open ended tube or box, in
which is placed loosely a spiral spring a and follower to press the nutmeg or other
article d against the teeth of the grater, the holler being provided with a cap J pro-
vided with right angle grooves to lock on pins, so it will be held in place with the
spring, and can be removed when desired, this being a well known style of holder.
At one end, the bar A has an arm 7 standing at a right angle, as shown in Figures 1
and 2, with a hole in its end for the reception of a reciprocating rod D, to which the
grating plate G is rigidly secured, and which, therefore, moves with the rod D. At
its opposite end this rod D is pivoted to a wrist or off-set which is located nearly
midway of a double crank arm C, C¹, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, one end of said
crank arm being pivoted by a screw p or similar means to the end of bar A, and
its opposite end being provided with a crank or handle R by which it can be turned:
C
It will at once be seen, that when the crank arm is turned, the wrist or offset c will
describe a circle around the point or pivot p, and that as the end of rod Dis connected

page_text: to and carried with said wrist or offset c, it will also be made to move in the same
circle, while its opposite end will be made to, slide to and fro through the hole or
bearing in arm of the bar A, the result being that the plate or grating surface G,
connected to and carried by said rod, will partake of these two movements, resulting
in its moving in an elliptical path, as clearly shown in, the diagram, Figure 3, in
which O indicates the circle in which the wrist c with the connected end of rod D
moves, while N indicates the elliptical path or movement of the plate G.
It will be seen that the teeth of the grater, instead of moving to and fro in a right
line across the nutmeg or substance d, are, during their entire movement, constantly
changing their line of motion, by which means, not only are they prevented from
merely cutting or scoring grooves in the face of the substance against which they
bear, but as each succeeding tooth operates on the substance at a slightly different
angle from the preceding one, each one cuts off a minute particle, the result being
that the substance as a whole is much more finely grated or comminuted, and is thus
much better fitted for culinary purposes.
In the illustration, the holder and bar A, being grasped and held by the hand, will
of coarse, be stationary, while the grating plate G will move; but it is obvious that
this, arrangement may be reversed by having the plate stationary and the holder
movable, the result being the same. It is preferable to arrange the rows of teeth on
the plate & diagonally as shown, as by such arrangement there is even less movement
in the line of the rows than there would be if they were arranged in lines parallel with
the rod D or the longer axis of the plate. Any ridges which may be formed on the
substance during the movements along the longer sides of the ellipse will be removed
during the movement along or around the ends of the same, as at such times the
movement, will be relatively at right. angles to the movements along the longer sides,
thus causing the teeth to cut across the ridges, if any should be there. As a matter
of fact, however, such ridges cannot be formed to any perceptible extent, for the
reason that the teeth are. constantly changing their movement from a right line.
As previously, stated, the drawing illustrates.a simple form of hand grater embody-
ing the invention, such as would. be used in households for grating nutmegs and the
like. It is obvious that with this form of the grater, the holder.and the grating plate
may be reversed in position, or that by applying a suitable handle to the plate G, or
to the rod to which it is attached, that part may be held by the hand, in which case
the holder will move in the same elliptical path, the result being the sanie...
To make larger graters for grating cocoanuts, lemon peel, or vegetables of any kind,
as will be necessary for use by pastry cooks in hotels and bakeries, the apparatus will
be mounted on a suitable frame, provided with a clamp for fastening it to the edge of
a table or shelf, as is now. customary with similar utensils; or, if it be desired to make
still larger machines to be operated by hand or by power, the parts may be mounted
on a frame provided with legs, the holder for the material being modified in any
manner found necessary, to adapt it to the various substances to be grated: As
however these inodifications are all within the knowledge of skilled mechanics, further.
description is,unnecessary, the gist of the invention consisting in the elliptical move-
ment of either the grating plate.or surface, or, of the holder or material to be grated,
and, which may be effected by various well known forms of mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
2:
1.A grater, consisting of a holder for the material to be grated, a grater plate or
surface for operating on the material, and mechanism, arranged to impart to one of
said, parts an elliptical.movement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.na
2.The combination in a grater, of a holder or hopper for holding the material to be
grated, a grating, plate properly located to operate on said material, and mechanism
arranged to impart to one or the other of said parts an elliptical movement, sub-
stantially as described.

page_text: 3. The combination of a bar or frame A and a rod D, said parts being connected at
one end by a sliding joint and at the opposite end by a double crank C C¹, with a
grater plate secured to one of said parts and a holder secured to the other, substantially
as shown and described.
Dated this 9th day of June 1800
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.