A NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING OR MINCING MEAT, VEGETABLES, &c
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Willcock, Mechanical Draughtsman, of 89,
Chancery Lane, London, for the Invention of "A NEW AND IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR CUTTING OR MINCING MEAT, VEGETABLES, &c."-A com-
munication from abroad by Albert W. Hale, of New Britain, State of
Connecticut. United States of America.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 20th December 1859, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WILLCOCK, Mechanical Draughtsman, of 89, Chancery Lane, London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "A NEW AND IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR CUTTING OR MINCING MEAT, VEGETABLES, &c.," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her
Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn declaration that
the same has been communicated to me from abroad by Albert W. Hale, of
New Britain, State of Connecticut, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Willcock, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement, and
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters of

page_text: reference marked thereon and making a part of this Specification, that is
to say:
The nature and character of my Invention consists generally in the arrange-
ment and use of one or more grooved cylinders or rollers revolving in grooved
or ribbed cases, and against a stationary knife or knives, such grooves of the
cylinders tapering or diminishing toward one end so as to prevent the article
being cut from being discharged from the machine until finely enough cut,
and so as to keep the article continually against the knives, whereby I produce
a machine economical and simple in construction, not liable to get out of
order or difficult of repair, and which can be easily kept clean and sweet
for use.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine shewing the position of the
grooved cylinders and the construction of the interior of the case; Fig. 2 is a
view of the lower case, one cylinder being removed, and shewing also the
position of the cutting knife; Fig. 3 is a view of the machine, the cases closed
and stuffer detached; Fig. 4 is an end view of the cylinders and knife in
position; Fig. 5 is a view of that part of the lower case holding the knife;
Fig. 6 is a top view of a part of the machine with stuffer attached; Fig. 7 is
a sectional view of a machine using but a single knife.
The upper and lower cases A and B are made with ribs or projections a, a, 2
Figs. 1 and 2, upon their inner concave surfaces, which form, when the two
cases are slut, 'together a continuous spiral rib or screw inclining forwards and
towards the discharge orifice b. These ribs a, a, may have any angle or
Finclination more or less which will have the effect of causing any substance
to pass faster or slower through the machine, but I generally prefer to give 2
them such an inclination that in passing once around they shall have advanced
a distance about equal to the diameter of the feeding orifice C, so that any
thing fed into the machine would naturally in a single revolution pass beyond
such orifice C. These ribs need not however extend over all the inner surface
of the cases, but a part of the cases, about one-third nearest the discharge end 3
of the machine, may be made plain, the surface of such part being on a plain
with or of the same height as the highest surfaces of the ribs a, a; such a
construction is shewn by the Drawings. The cylinders or rollers D and E are
of such a size as very nearly to fill the space between the cases A and B, and
so as to prevent the passing of anything of much size or bulk between the 3
case and the rollers. These cylinders have also a number of spiral grooves c, c,
running lengthwise, the spiral curve of which may be greater or less as desired;
the number of such spiral grooves may also be varied as preferred. The
pumber of such grooves is generally greater, usually as many again in number

page_text: for about half the length of the cylinders, and at the ends nearest the discharge
orifice, such arrangement being found most effectual for the purposes of the
machine, this form of construction is seen in Figs. 1 and 2 and 4. These
grooves also vary in depth, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4, their depth at one end,
which may be called the front end, being about equal to the distance from the
shaft or axle F, to the periphery of the cylinder, and gradually diminishing
toward the other end until the bottom of the groove is but a little below the
periphery as seen in Figs. 1 and 4, the depth of the grooves at such end of
the cylinder being more or less, according as it is desired to have the article
cut finer or coarser, as from these ends of the grooves the cut material is
discharged, which can only be done when the article is cut fine enough to pass
through such diminished orifices. From such construction of the cylinders
and their grooves it is apparent that largish pieces of the thing to be cut are
prevented from into the shallower parts of the grooves, and are con-
tinually pressed backward and carried by the revolution of the cylinders
towards the knife hereafter mentioned, placed between the cylinders, and will
only be discharged when cut fine enough to pass through the shallowest
parts of the grooves. The diminishing of the area of the grooves may also be
effected by decreasing the diameters of such cylinders at one end, thus giving
the cylinders the form of a frustrum of a cone and in such cases making the
outer cases to fit such form and in other ways. The particular form is not
however material so long as the feature of diminishing the sectional area of the
grooves or spaces between the flanges is substantially preserved. The grooves
and flanges may also have a variable twist. The flanges e; e, or highest, parts
of such grooves make at the periphery of the cylinder edges which act against
the knives referred to with a shearing or drawing cut; the cylinders D and E,
are also so placed in their cases that the flanges or edges e, e, will lap a little
upon each other, as shewen in Figs. 1 and 4, so that the cylinder operated by
the crank F, will communicate motion to the other without gearing, and thus
also cause both cylinders to revolve towards the knife placed between them,
carrying with them, by means of the grooves c, c, the material to be cut, which
the diminishing depth of the grooves prevents from being discharged until
sufficiently cut and minced. Instead however of constructing the cylinders
with grooves as described, a shaft or axle may have flanges radiating
from it or placed tangentially upon it which shall act upon the knife H,
in the same way as the flanges e, e, the spaces between such flanges
being so filled, or the depth of the flanges being so diminished, as
substantially to secure the taper of the grooves above described. Nor is the
spiral direction of the grooves or flanges absolutely necessary, as their

page_text: ;
arrangement may be varied by making the flanges on the cylinders parallel
to their axes, and inclining the edge of the knife, & so adjusting the cylinders
as to preserve and secure the benefits and advantages of the shearing cut of
such edges upon the knife. The position of the knife or knives is shewn in
Fig. 2, and an end view also seen in Fig. 4. The knife extends the length of
the cylinders and rests in a slot or recess in the lower case directly between
the two cylinders, and is of such a height that the edge h will be at that point
or line at which the grooved cylinders in their revolutions leave each other :
as such cylinders revolve, their flanges e, e will be constantly acting upon the
edge of the knife with a drawing or shear cut, thus acting most easily and
effectually. The slot or recess in which the knife rests may be a little tapering
.on one side to allow the insertion of a small wedge f, Fig 5, to fasten the knife,
or such slot may be of uniform width and broader with tapering wedges placed
on each side of the knife and operated by screws at either end so that the
position of the knife may be varied as desired, or the slot may be only wide
enough to let the knife rest loosely in it, its edge being kept in position by
contact with the cylinders. To give the edge of the knife the proper position
in respect to the cylinders the ends of the back of the blade may be bevelled or
champered off, against which the screws g, g, may work to elevate it, or instead
of such screws, wedges may be inserted under each end of the blade, or the
blade may rest upon a small steel or other spring, or a strip of rubber or other
elastic material placed under such blade. In Figure 4, the cylinder E is changed
end for end from its natural position so as to shew more plainly the difference
in number and size in depth of the.grooves. Figure 6 illustrates the manner
of connecting the stuffer J to the machine, which is done by sliding such
stuffer over the projections K, on the discharge orifice 6, and then turning the
stuffer so that such projections will enter the right angled slot m.
The same
principle of construction may be secured by the use of a single cylinder as
represented in Figure 7; in such case the knife or knives are placed on one or
both sides of such cylinder in a recess or cavity G, made for such purpose, and
is supported at its ends. There is an open space or connection between the
cylinder case and such recess both above and below the knife, so that anything
cut will pass around the knife and then again under the cylinder and thus be
carried again and again in contact with the knives until cut fine enough.
The several parts of the machine may be cast and are at once ready for
use, or the rollers may be cast, rolled, or forged, and the knives may perhaps
be better rolled and then tempered or hardened. The whole is simple of
construction, not liable to get out of order, and every part is easily cleansed &
kept sweet for use. By the attachment of the funnel or stuffer J, casing of

page_text: any kind may be filled at the same time the meat is cut; without the stuffer
the machine is adapted for ordinary uses of cutting and mincing. The discharge
orifice 6, instead of being in the middle between the two cylinders, may also be
at the end of each & both, and around above and below the support of their
axles, but I consider the central position, as illustrated, the most preferable.
If it should be for any reason desirable, as for greater convenience of
seasoning or for any other reason, to cut the article, when casings are to be
stuffed, before it is stuffed and it is not desired to recut it or have it cut any
finer, the machine can be readily converted into a stuffer alone by simply
removing the knife H. The machine may also be constructed as and for a
stuffer without any knife, in which case also the grooves may be less tapering
and the cylinders may be shorter.
What is claimed as new and is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is
a cutting or mincing machine, substantially as described, operating by means of
a revolving cylinder or cylinders having tapering grooves extending from end to
end and acting against a stationary knife or knives placed in a plane parallel
to the axes of the cylinders, the whole arranged substantially as and operating
upon the principles set forth.
I also claim in combination with such grooved cylinders, acting as described,
the ribbed or fluted cases A and B, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth and described.
I also claim the use and application of such revolving cylinder or cylinders
either with or without the knife H, in combination with a funnel or stuffer J,
when such machine is used as a stuffing machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Willcock, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, A.D. 1859.
(L.S.) JOSEPH WILLCOCK.