Improvements in Apparatus for and Method of Preparing Eggs for Commercial Use.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Apparatus for and Method of Preparing Eggs for
Commercial Use.
I, CHARLES EGBERT MCCLURE, Gentleman, residing at No. 1309 Prairie
Avenue, St. Louis, State of Missouri, United States of America, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved "apparatus for and process of preparing
eggs for commercial use," and consists specifically in the said apparatus and in the
various steps through which the egg passes from the raw state to the dried and
powdered product ready for use.
Former methods of preparing eggs for storage, by disintegration and drying, have
all failed to retain in the product obtained the former nutrition and flavor of the
fresh egg.
Common prejudice against innovations of this kind has deteriorated the develop-
ment of the art, but it is believed that the product will be found satisfactory,
containing all the elements of the raw egg, as has been fully demonstrated by
practical experiments.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the disintegrator, performing the first
step of the process.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the revolving drying plates used to carry out the
second step of the operation.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section taken on a line A-A in Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on a line B-B in Fig. 6.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the device used to disintegrate the dried material and
perform the third step in the process.
Referring to the drawings:
I will first describe the machine used to carry out the first step of the method of
preparing eggs for commercial use.
1 indicates a circular casing or shell supported by standards 2 above the floor 3
in the second storey of a building.
The casing 1 is provided with a hood 4 having handles 5 to facilitate its
removal, and a hopper 6 through which the eggs are thrown into the interior of
the disintegrator.
Adapted to revolve within the casing 1 is a circular basket 7 having an
imperforated bottom 8.
The basket 7 consists of an exterior perforated copper shell 9, lined upon the
inner side with a gauze netting 10, made of steel or some equally non-corrosive
and firm material.
The bottom 8 is provided in its center with a concave portion 11 having
upwardly and inwardly converging walls 12.
The walls 12 are surmounted by a circular casting 13 which has a removable
hood 14.
The casting 13 is provided with an interiorly screw-threaded vertical opening 15
into which is secured the upper end of the vertical shaft 16.
A flange 17 upon the shaft 16 rests immediately under and adjacent the
casting 13, and a jam nut 18 is screwed down upon the shaft against the upper
end of the casting 13, thus making the centrifugal basket 7 revolvuble with said
shaft 16.
The bottom 19 of the casing 1 is provided with a circular opening 20, having an

page_text: upwardly projecting casting 21 surrounding its periphery, and which forms a vertical
bearing for the shaft 16, the upper end of said casting 21 being immediately under
and adjacent the flange 17.
The lower end 22 of the shaft. 16 is conical in form, and has a bearing in a
block 23, having a cavity to receive the end 22 of the shaft 16, and in which the
same revolves.
Intermediate of the bottom 19 of the casing 1 and the floor 3, upon the shaft 16,
is located a horizontal pulley 24 having a belt 25 leading therefrom to the source
of power.
The revolving of the shaft 16 therefore revolves the basket 7. The upwardly
extending peripheral portion 12 and the casting 13 with its hood 14 form what
may be termed sloping sides for the center of the basket 7, the tendency of same
being to throw the material out towards the wire screen 10 and the perforated
copper shell 9.
The basket 7 is surmounted by a peripheral rim 26 which prevents the over-
flowing of the material from the basket.
By reference particular to Fig. 1 it will be seen that a chamber 27 is formed
between the shell 9 and casing 1 and between the bottom 8 of the basket 7 and the
bottom 19 of the casing.
A pipe 28 leads downwardly from the bottom 19 of the casing 1 through the
floor 3 into the room below the one wherein the disintegrator is located, and
should be provided near its lower end with a common valve to control the flow of
material.
It will be seen from the above description that the disintegration of the egg
meat and the separation of the shells therefrom, take place simultaneously, as
the shells remain within the basket 7 and are removed therefrom at different
intervals.
The second step in the method consists in eliminating the moisture from the
disintegrated material, and to do this I have provided a series of revolving, non-
corrosive heated shells upon which the material is placed. A construction 29 built
upon the floor has a number of projecting arms 30 providing bearings for vertical
shafts 31, which are provided with Hanges 32 to prevent the vertical movement of
said shafts 31.
The lower ends of the shafts 31 are provided with pinions 33 which mesh with
pinions 34 located upon a horizontal shaft 35 which is driven by a belt upon the
pulley 36.
Each of said vertical shafts 31 is surmounted by a circular hood or shell 37 which
is open at the bottom.
The shells are made of some non-corrosive material which will not affect the
disintegrated egg, and are adapted to revolve with said shaft 31.
A longitudinal air chamber 38 is located in alignment below the shells 37 and
adjacent the inner periphery of same.
The hot-air chamber has pipes 39 leading up into each of said shells 37, so
that in rotating, said shells are equally heated by the heat emanating from said
pipes 39.
The hot-air chamber is heated by hot air blown into same by common fans, and
is super-heated by a steam pipe 39 which runs longitudinally within the same, and
in which live steam is injected.
The disintegrated material is discharged by the spout 28 upon the heated
shells 37 and is dried by the heat thereof, all moisture being eliminated.
The temperature of said shells may be varied from 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit,
which as is well known is not enough to cook the material or otherwise change its
elements.
The third step of the method consists in further disintegrating the material after
the moisture has been eliminated.
The necessary machinery consists of a trough 40 supported by standards 41, and
having a sloping bottom 42 terminating in a spout 43.

page_text: The sides 44 of said trough are provided with rectangular grooves 45 into which
fit and operate rectangular guides 46 upon the lower sides of a screening box 47
having a reticulated bottom 48.
The forward end of the box 47 is connected by a rod 49 with a crank 50, the
revolving of which imparts to the screening box 47, a longitudinal, reciprocating
movement which thoroughly breaks, disintegrates and shakes up the dried material
after being scraped or removed from the revolving shells 37, and screens it through
the reticulated bottom 48, the size of the openings in same determining the
consistency of the product.
The dried, powdered and screened product is taken off through the spout 43 into
cases for handling or shipment as is desired.
Included in the first step of the method, is a thorough mixing with the material
of a preserving compound. This compound consists of a combination of sugar and
salt, or of either of said materials alone, as well as other common mixtures which
need not be herein described.
The eggs before thrown into the hopper 6 may be broken up if desired, or may
be thrown in and broken by the force of the revolving basket.
Having fully described the mechanism used in carrying out the method of
preparing eggs for commercial use, I will now further detail the steps.
If no other safeguards against the introduction of unsuitable or stale eggs are
taken, the same are broken up before thrown into the hopper.
The preserving compound, preferably salt, is introduced into the revolving
basket together with the eggs, and the entire material is thrown by centrifugal
impulse against the wire screening and perforated shell.
The shells of the eggs do not pass through the screening, owing to their
consistency and lightness of weight, and therefore the matter which passes down-
wardly through the pipe 28 is the meat of the egg thoroughly shredded and mixed
with the preserving compound.
The next step includes the elimination of all moisture from the egg in its
disintegrated state and this is done by transferring the same from the pipe 28
and slowly covering the revolving shells 37, which being heated dry the material,
and it is now in a state to be removed and again disintegrated.
After being scraped off of the heated shells 37 into suitable receptacles, the
material is ready for the third step of the method which consists in screening the
dry material to a desired consistency by the rapid shaking up of same in the screening
box having the longitudinally reciprocatory movement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in which manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The herein described method of preparing eggs for commercial use, consisting
first in simultaneously disintegrating the meat of the egg and separating the shells
therefrom, secondly collecting the disintegrated material, and drying the same upon
revolving heated shells or plates, and thirdly disintegrating or pulverizing and
screening the dried material, substantially as set forth.
2. The herein described method of preparing eggs for commercial use, consisting
first in simultaneously disintegrating the egg meat, and separating the shells there-
from and mixing a preserving compound with said material, second the collecting
said disintegrated and mixed egg meat and preservative and drying same upon
revolving plates heated to about 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and third removing the
dried mixture from said plates and disintegrating and screening same ready for use,
substantially as set forth.
3. The herein described method of preparing eggs for commercial use, by first
disintegrating the egg meat, separating the shells therefrom, and mixing said
disintegrated meat with a preservative, all of said steps consummated simultaneously
by centrifugal force, substantially as set forth.
4. The herein described apparatus for use in preparing eggs, comprising revolving

page_text: heated non-corrosive plates, mounted upon vertical shafts provided with gears
meshing into gears upon a horizontal driving shaft, a longitudinal hot-air chamber
located immediately under said plates, said plates in the form of circular shells,
pipes leading upwardly from said hot-air chamber to within said shell, and said
shell revolvuble around said vertical heating pipes, which equally heat the surface
of said shells for the elimination of the moisture in the material placed thereon,
substantially as set forth.
5. An improved egg disintegrator and dryer having a rotating basket provided
with an imperforated bottom, a perforated exterior shell forming the sides of said
basket, and a reticulated lining located interior of and adjacent said perforated
shell, substantially as set forth.
6. An improved egg disintegrator and dryer having a rotating basket, a
perforated shell forming the sides of said basket, a wire netting located interior of
and adjacent said perforated shell, and the strands of said netting adapted to cross
said perforations and adapted to disintegrate the eggs by the centrifugal force
throwing the material through the strands of the netting and the perforations,
substantially as set forth.
7. An improved egg disintegrator and dryer having a rotating basket mounted
upon and adapted to rotate with a vertical driving shaft, a casing surrounding said
basket, a chamber formed between said basket and the sides of said casting, a
chamber between the bottom of said basket and casing, substantially as set forth.
8. An improved egg disintegrator and dryer having a rotating basket located
within a circumferential casing, a vertical bearing located in the center of said
casing, a vertical shaft revolvuble in said bearing, the bottom of said basket
provided with an upwardly projecting central portion having an interiorly screw-
threaded vertical opening to fit over said vertical shaft, a jam nut to secure said
basket by its central portion, and said basket adapted to revolve with said shaft,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 29th day of August 1893.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.