Food Chopper or Mincing Machine.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 8th Jan.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Food Chopper or Mincing Machine.
I, LEVI TRACY SNow, of No. 698 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut, United
States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to food choppers, and I have chosen to call my improve-
ment a food chopper rather than a meat cutter, inasmuch as I have constructed
it with particular reference to comminuting or cutting up not only meats, but
also vegetables and other foods which it has been customary to prepare by cutting
up in a bowl with a chopping-knife, or to break up by a rolling-pin. While
meat cutters are particularly designed for the comminution of plastic substances,
my device is adapted to chop not only plastic substances, but also comparatively
friable substances, and all without mashing or pulping them
The object of my invention is to produce an extremely simple device, composed
of few parts, adapted to be readily taken apart for cleaning, and as readily re-
assembled, and constructed with particular reference to cutting up all kinds of
food without mashing or pulping the same.
With these ends in view, my invention consists in a food chopper having certain
details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described
and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Figure 2
is a vertical section and elevation of my improved machine. Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
and 9 are detail views of parts or portions and certain modifications as will appear
from the following description.
As herein shown, I employ a short cylindrical case or receiver A, provided with
an integral, upwardly extending hopper A¹, and with an integral depending foot-
standard, or stem A³, which carries a clamping screw A³ of ordinary construction.
What I particularly wish to emphasize in this case is the comparative shortness
of the cylindrical case A, which I make short so as to reduce to the minimum the
travel and time of confinement of the food to be chopped as I desire to pass the
food as quickly as possible, and with the least possible forcing or jamming, through
the device so as to avoid mashing or pulping it. With the same end in view,
the throat of the hopper, or the point where the hopper intersects the case, is made
very large, so as to allow the food, without crowding, to come very freely under
the action of the screw-like forcer B, a comparatively large portion of which is
exposed directly under the hopper.
The case is provided upon its inner face with a series of spirally arranged ribs C,
and with a circular series of longitudinally arranged ribs D. The ribs C, I call
forcing ribs, as their main function is that of co-acting with the forcer B to force
the material forward through the case. On the other hand, I call the ribs D
cutting ribs, as their main function is to co-act with the cutter to be hereinafter
described, in cutting up or chopping the food as it is forced out of the case A.
The said forcing ribs C are located within the body of the case, while the said
cutting ribs are located beyond or forward of the forcing ribs, and within the

page_text: outer end of the case, beyond which, indeed, their outer ends project, as clearly
shown in Figure 3. The said cutting ribs grow gradually wider, from their inner
to their outer ends. In referring to the width of the cutting ribs, I mean their
inward extension toward the center of the case. The inner and outer faces of
the projecting outer ends of the said cutting ribs are rearwardly beveled, their
outer faces being beveled on the sharpest pitch. The projecting outer ends of the
cutting ribs together form a circular series of wedge-shaped discharge openings or
passages D, clearly shown in Figure 4. As these openings are wider at their outer
than at their inner ends, their form promotes the free feeding of the food to he
chopped, whatever its character may be, through the device, and hence helps to
prevent it from being mashed or pulped. The beveled inner faces of the project-
ing ends of the said ribs form a bearing for the outer end of the screw-like
forcer B, which is provided at the forward end with a bevel B', conforming in
pitch to the pitch of the bevel of the inner faces of the projecting ends of the
cutting ribs. The said screw-like forcer as shown, has a deep, widely pitched or
coarse thread at its inner end, which gradually decreases in with and depth to
its onter end. But the particular form of the forcer may be varied as required,
it being only necessary that it shall be adapted to force the material forward
through the discharge openings. The outer edge of the case A. is formed with a
clearance bevel A, as shown in Figure 3, whereby the discharge openings are
virtually enlarged, so as to give additional relief to the food as it emerges from
the case, whereby also its mashing or pulping is minimized.
As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 the cutter is made double, and reversible end
for enil, one end having moro cutting teeth than the other. The more numerous
the entting teeth, the finer the chopping. The cutter is composed of two cutting
disks E and E. rigidly secured together by rivets 1, only one of which is shown
and that in Figure 5. The disks might be made integral with each other, but I
have found it more convenient to make them independently and secure them
together. The disk E is provided with ten cutting teeth, while the disk F
is furnished with three cutting teeth E', but the number may be varied, and will
be determined by the charmeter of the fond to be cut, or the range of comminution
which it is desired the machine shall embrace. The inner faces of the teeth
and E are beveled to conform to the hevel of the outer faces of the projecting
outer ends of the cuiting ribs with which the teeth co-act to chop the food.
Although there is some considerable prdliminary cutting, or rather stripping
within the case, my improved chopper is designed particularly to effect the main
cutting not only at a point outsides the onse, but preferably at a point beyond that
where the forcer stops forcing the material. Under this construction, the material
to be chopped is supplied directly from the forcer to the cutting teeth, whereas in
prior devices of this type the material has not been so supplied but has been
pressed forward from the forcer to the cutting teeth by a portion of the material
interposed between the forcer and cutting teeth. Under my construction, there-
fore, I am enabled to force the material through the case and present it to the
action of the cutting knives without the imposition upon it of as much pressure
as the prior devices have required, making my device casier to operate, and avoid-
ing the mashing and pulping effect of too much pressun upon the material.
The cutter may be coupled with the outer end of the forcer in any convenient
manner. As herein shown, the end of the forcer is formed with a circular
shoulder B, which enters a shallow, centrally arranged recuss e formed for its
reception in the disk E, as shown in Figure 2, and also, when the cutter is
reversed, a shallow centrally arranged, circular recess e formed for its reception
in the cutter disk E. The said shoulder when entered into either one of the
said recesses centers the cutter with respect to the forcer, and preserves the right
relation of the cutter teeth to the projecting ends of the ribs. The shoulder Be
also co-acts with the cutter to give outward direction to the erude food material
as it issues from the case, and prevents it from being forced inward between the
inner portion of the cutter and the outer end of the forcer.

page_text: The outer end of the forcer is furnished with an axially arranged screw B³,
and with two coupling lugs B' located opposite each other at the inner end of
the screw.
For the reception of the said screws and lugs the disks E and E¹ are
each formed with a slot E, centrally enlarged to receive the screw, and adapted
at its ends to receive the said lugs. After the forcer has been inserted into the
case, the cutter is slipped over the end of the screw, after which a thumb-nut F
is applied to the end of the screw, and screwed down upon the outer face of the
outermost cutter disk. To take the device apart it is only necessary to remove
the said thumb-nut, after which the cutter may be slipped off the screw, and the
forcer pulled out of the case. The rear end of the forcer is formed with a bearing
disk B, which bears in a circular opening A5 formed in the rear end of the case A.
The rear end of the forcer is also formed with a projecting hub B, which provides
for the attachment of the handle G, which is secured to the hub by a screw G',
but the construction of the handle and the mode of securing
to the forcer, may
he varied as desired.
My improved device is composed of few parts, all very simple in form, and it
may be easily taken apart and put together, and operated without the exercise of
any special skill. But I wish to specially emphasize the fact that the device is
constructed so that meat, vegetables or other foods may be chopped up or com-
minuted with the imposition upon them of the minimum of pressure, and there-
fore without the mashing or pulping as in ordinary meat cutters. Thus, juicy
fruits like apples, may be cut up in small, clean-cut or well defined pieces, and
without having their juice expressed to any extent.
In carrying out my invention some modifications of the construction shown and
described may be made. Thus I may, if desired, reinforce the device by con-
necting the projecting outer ends of all the cutting ribs together by means of an
annular reinforcing hand D, as in Figure 7. This band does not materially
modify the action of the device, but does strengthen it. In Figure 8 the cutter
is strengthened by uniting the outer ends of its teeth by a band E6, which may
be employed or not. I prefer to employ reversible cutters having an unequal
number of teeth, but instead of employing double cutters, I may employ a
plurality of single cutters having a different number of teeth. Such a single
cutter, F, having a comparatively large number of teeth, is shown in Figure 9.
I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to the exact construc-
tion herein shown and described.
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. In a food chopper, the combination with a case provided with a circular
series of cutting ribs, the outer ends of which project beyond its outer end and
the spaces between which form discharge openings, of a rotatable forcer located
within the case, and a cutter provided with teeth which are extended rearward
back of the outer end of the forcer and which co-act with the projecting outer
ends of the said ribs to cut the material at a point within that where the outer
end of the forcer ceases to exert feeding pressure upon the material.
2. In a food-chopper, the combination with a case having a screw-like forcer
located within it, and a double or reversible cutter having radially arranged teeth
applied to the outer end of the forcer, located entirely without the case and having
more teeth at one end than at the other.
3. In a food chopper, the combination with a case provided with a circular
series of cutting ribs, the outer ends of which project beyond its outer end, and
have their outer faces rearwardly beveled, and form a circular series of wedge-
shaped discharge openings the outer ends of which are larger than their inner
ends, of a forcer located within said case, and a cutter removably applied to the
outer end of the forcer, located entirely without the case and furnished with

page_text: cutting teeth having their inner faces beveled to conform to the bevel of the outer
faces of the projecting ends of the ribs.
4. In a food chopper, the combination with a case provided with a circular
series of cutting ribs, the outer ends of which project beyond its outer end, and
the spaces between which form discharge openings, and having its outer end
formed with a clearance bevel which virtually enlarges the said openings, of a
forcer located within the said case, and a cutter applied to the outer end of the
forcer and furnished with teeth conforming to and co-acting with the outer faces of
the projecting outer ends of the said ribs for chopping the food.
5. In a food chopper, the combination with a case provided with a circular
series of cutting ribs, the outer ends of which project beyond its outer end and
having their inner faces beveled, of a forcer located within the case and bearing
at its outer end upon the said beveled Inces of the said ribs, and a cutter applied
to the outer end of the forcer, and furnished with cutting teeth extending rear-
ward back of the outer end of the forcer and co-acting with the projecting outer
ends of the said ribs.
6. A double or reversible cutter, said cutter being composed of two independently
formed disks furnished with radially arranged cutting teeth, rigidly secured
together, and adapted to be removably coupled to the outer end of the forcer of
a food-chopper, the said disks being differentiated as to the number of their
cutting teeth, so that the cutter may be used for chopping coarse and fine.
1. In a food chopper, the combination with a case provided with a circular
series of cutting ribs, the outer ends of which project beyond its outer end, and
having their inner faces heveled, of a screw-like forcer focated within the case,
having its forward end furnished with a bevel hearing upon said beveled inner
faces of the ribs, and also having its forward end formed with a circular shoulder;
and a cutter connected with the outer end of the forcer, located entirely without
the case, co-acting with the outer faces of the projecting outer ends of the said
ribs, and having a recess for receiving said circular shoulder of the forcer.
Dated this 11th day of October 1897.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agents,
02 Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents for the Applicant.