IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MAKING POUND AND OTHER CAKES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Meredith, of Commercial Road East, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR MAKING POUND AND OTHER CAKES."
Sealed the 13th May 1879, and dated the 22nd March 1879.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Frederick Meredith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1879.
WILLIAM FREDERICK MEREDITH, of Commercial Road East, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MAKING POUND AND OTHER
CAKES."
My Invention relates to an improved machine for automatically filling the heart.
or other shaped moulds with dough, and distributing upon the filled moulds
currants and other dried fruit usual in pound and other cakes.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated it
in the annexed Drawings, and will proceed to describe it in detail with reference
thereto. Figure 1 is a top view, and Figures 2 and 3 are elevations of opposite
sides of the inachine. Figure 4 is a rear end elevation, and Figures 5 and 6 are
longitudinal and cross sections of the machine on lines 1-1, 2-2, Figure 1,
respectively.
A is the main frame supporting a table A', upon which travels an endless apron
or carrier B, passing round rollers at the ends of the table A. C is a tray of
moulds placed upon the carrier B, which is supported by the table A¹, and receives
an intermittent motion as hereafter described to carry the tray C along, and present
the rows of moulds e to be filled successively. D is the dough box firmly mounted
in the upper part of frame A at a sufficient height above the table A' to allow the
tray of moulds to pass beneath it; it is provided with a hinged lid D', which is
raised in order to fill the box with dough, and closed down and firmly secured when
the machine is at work. E is a follower or piston fitting the dough box with
tolerable accuracy and carried on a piston rod E', which passes thoough the rear.
end of the dough box, and is actuated by the mechanism hereafter described. d are
a row of orifices at the front end of the dough box at which the dough is expressed;
they have a downward inclination through the front end of the dough box, and
through a metal plate or block D thereon, as shown in Figure 5, and terminate
just above the lower edge of the outer face thereof. These orifices d, correspond in
number and position with the row of moulds e, which come directly. beneath them
D077-

page_text: as the tray is carried along by the apron, and they are of such a size that at each
descent of the knife the proper quantity of dough is struck off to fill the moulds.
F is a guillotine knife working as close as possible against the face of the block D²,
which has an outward inclination as shown, so that the knife meets the dough at
an acute angle to prevent the dough adhering, and the knife is kept close up to its
work by having slides g fixed to its extremities working in guides G in the side
frames A, and inclined parallel to the working face of block D². To ensure the
dough being struck off cleanly by the knife, it is absolutely necessary to prevent
the knife springing and yielding to the outward pressure of the dough compressed
in the dough box by the piston, and the blade of the knife especially towards the
.back edge, must be made sufficiently thick to give it the necessary stiffness, and the
guides G must be sufficiently accurate to keep it close up to its work. H is a semi-
cylindrical trough containing currants or other dried fruit supplied to it through
orifices i from a hopper I above. K are circular discs equal in number to the
orifices d of the dough box, and corresponding to the curvature of the trough H,
thus dividing it into so many compartments with which the orifices i of the hopper
I communicate, so that if the hopper I be divided by cross partitions, different
kinds of dried fruits may be distributed to the different moulds at the same time.
The discs K. are keyed on the main or driving shaft L, and have each one or more
small cups K at one side like a Persian wheel, by which the currants or other
condiments are raised from the trough H, and dropped in regular quantities into
corresponding spouts M fixed to the edge of the trough, and leading down to points
just opposite the orifices & respectively, by which the currants are delivered upon
the dough immediately it is struck off by the knife, and dropped into the moulds e.
The main shaft L is mounted in suitable bearings on the side frames A, and may be
rotated in the direction of the arrow by a winch handle or by power. It has a
flywheel keyed on it at one end, and is geared at the other end by two equal spur
wheels L', M', with a cranked shaft M², by which the knife F is operated.
This shaft is also mounted in bearings on the side frames A, and has two cranks
m, m, one near either end connected to journals on the knife by connecting rods
N, N.
o is a crank pin on the wheel M¹, and O is a connecting rod coupled at one
end to said crank pin, and at the other to a pin p on a lever P which rides loosely
on a worm shaft R, and is oscillated to and fro as indicated by the dotted lines at
cach revolution of wheel M. q is a pawl mounted on said lever P, and engaging
with the teeth of a ratchet wheel keyed on shaft R, which thus receives an
intermittent rotary motion in the direction of the arrow, and equal in extent to one
or more teeth of the ratchet wheel Q at each oscillation of lever P. The shaft R is
mounted in bearings across the end of frame A, and has fixed or formed upon it a
worm R¹ that gears with the worm wheel S on a longitudinal screw shaft T,
mounted in a bearing in the end frame of the machine with collars at either side
to take the thrust, and prevent any longitudinal movement of the screw shaft T.
The screwthreaded portion of this shaft works through a nut t on the end of
the piston rod E', which is bored to receive the screw shaft as the nut travels back
along it. The piston and piston rod being square are incapable of turning, and are
therefore pushed forward a sufficient distance along the dough box, to express the
proper quantity to fill the moulds each time the shaft is rotated in the direction of
the arrow Figure 4. The worm wheel S is fitted on a squared portion of the
screwed shaft T, to enable the wheel to be slid along the same until it is out of gear
with the worm R', to enable the wheel to be rotated in the reverse direction by a
winch handle 8, in order to bring back the piston E quickly when the dough box
is to be refilled, after which the wheel is again pushed into gear with the worm,
and secured by a cross pin through the shaft. U is a connecting rod at the opposite
side of the machine to the rod O. It is coupled at one end to a crank pin u on
the main shaft L, and at the other to a pin v on a lever V that rides loosely on an
extension of the journal of the roller X, round which the carrier B passes. wis a
pawl carried by said lever, and engaging with a ratchet wheel W keyed on the
journal of the said roller, whereby an intermittent motion equal to the distance of
one or more teeth of wheel W is communicated thereto at each revolution of the

page_text: main shaft L, and the apron B is moved along a sufficient distance to bring a
fresh row of moulds e under the orifices d. The crank pins o and u are so placed
relatively to one another and to the cranks m, m, that the pawl q is moving
backward when the pawl wis moving forward, and vice versa, in order that
when the piston is moving forward to express the dough from the orifices, the
apron B carrying the mould tray C shall be stationary to receive the dough struck
off by the knife which descends for the purpose, while the pawl g is moving
backwards and the gear R, S, and piston E are at rest. The table A is supported
at one end in frame A by side pivots a, to allow it to be adjusted at the other
end to suit the height of moulds c. The roller Y of carrier B is mounted between
arms on this end of the table A', and its journal bearings slide in grooves and have
screws y to regulate the tension of the carrier apron B.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st. The improved machine for making pound and other cakes consisting of the
various parts herein described, constructed, combined, and operating substantially
as specified.
2nd. In a cake making machine having a dough box and follower working
therein as herein described, providing a row of downwardly inclined orifices at tlie
end of the dough box opposite the piston or follower, and the employment in
combination with such downwardly inclined orifices in the end of the dough box
of a guillotine knife working across the said orifices, substantially as and for the
purpose herein specified.
3rd. In the cake making machine herein described, constructing the said knife of
great stiffness or rigidity to prevent it springing under the pressure of the dough,
and fitting its ends to slide in guides in the frame of the machine parallel to the
face against which the knife works in order to keep it at all times close up against
said face, substantially as shown and described.
4th. In a cake making machine the employment in combination with the
apparatus for filling the moulds with dough as herein described, of the apparatus
consisting of the discs and cups working in a trough, and the spouts, substantially
as shown and described, for delivering currants or other seasoning on to the dough in
the moulds,
5th. In a cake making machine as herein described, the combination and
arrangement of mechanism for imparting a slow intermittent forward motion to
the piston or follower in the dough box, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Meredith, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.