Method and Means for the Reduction of Grain to Threadlike or Shredded Form, and for the Disposition of the same in the Manufacture of Articles of Food.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1896-Accerted, 20th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method and Means for the Reduction of Grain to Threadlike or
Shredded Form, and for the Disposition of the same in the
Manufacture of Articles of Food.
1, HENRY D PERKY, of Number 57 Jackson Street, in the City of Worcester,
County of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, in the United States of
America, Manufacturer, 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 :-
The object of this invention is the reduction of grain in large quantities to
threadlike or shredded form wherein the exterior and interior portions of the grain
or berry are intimately commingled and the rapid disposition of the reduced
product in layers sectionally divided and suitably arranged for convenience in the
manufacture of articles of food.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of mechanism adapted to carry out the
end in view.
Figure 2 is a front view of one of the reducing machines.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the upper portion of the same.
Figure 4 is a side view of the section cutter detached..
Figure 5 is an end view of the trough, feeding and returning device, and
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a section of the trough carrier with the sectional
receivers mounted thereon.
In carrying out this invention, I provide upon a suitable frame F, a series of
reducing machines or shredding heads A, which are arranged in line with each other,
as indicated in Figure 1.
Each reducing head is provided with a pair of reducing rolls C and D, whereof
one roll C is grooved. The grooves of the roll extend circumferentially and are of
small or fine character, and usually V-shaped in cross-section. The number of
grooves should be about twenty to the inch. A groove having a width of one
fiftieth of an inch by about the same depth, and a bottom surface of about
one sixth of the depth will serve an excellent purpose. The back roll D of the
pair is smooth and its cylindrical surface is designed to be in exact and neat
contact with that of the grooved roll. The rolls are geared together to run in
contact as indicated at E. The bearings for one of the rolls, preferably the back
roll, are adjustable as indicated at d. The rolls are provided with annular rebates
at their ends, as indicated at c, to form bearings for the inside faces of the
concaves h of the lateral walls h2, of the hopper H, which is removable. The grooved
roll is provided with a notched circular cam C, at each end, the notches of the
two cams being exactly opposite to each other.
G indicates the driving shaft carrying a clutch pinion G³ adapted to engage the
gear wheel G of the front roll. A shifting lever engages the clutch and enables
the operator to disengage the driving mechanisin from the rolls of the head, in an
instant, causing said rolls to cease working.
Each driving shaft G, is provided with a pulley G', which is belted to a line
shaft G, whereby it is designed that all the rollers of the reducing heads shall be
run at the same speed.

page_text: Each reducing head is provided with a comb or scraper a, which is provided with
teeth to engage the grooves of the roll C. A spring actuated cleaner b, located in
inclined position above the comb, is carried by the lever arms e which are provided
with adjustable lugs e to engage the notches of the cam of the grooved roller.
This cleaner has thereby an intermittent motion towards the surface of the grooved
roller and serves to push back to this roller such accumulations of the product
material as may occur upon the comb or scraper a.
The hopper H is provided with sectional lateral walls at A, which have a sliding
connection with the main frame of the hopper, and are adjustable in order to
provide for the proper accommodation of the inside bearings of their concave edges
to the bearings of the reducing rolls. Inclined cut-off slides are seated in ways
of the hopper walls, and are provided with rack and pinion devices in order to
adjust the feed of the grain to the rolls, or to cut it off. The inclination of the
slides enables the operator to cut the flow off close to the rolls. The hopper is
supported upon adjustable set screws as at 2.
Underneath the series of reducing heads, the frame F is provided with a roller
way for the feeding branch of the endless receiver belt B, and below this with a
return way. The travelling belt B is provided with lateral studs or guides b²,
B indicates the driving and take-up pulleys for this belt.
At one end of the machine is provided a trough-feeding ledge or table J, having
an adjustable guide or flange (see Fig. 5) to insure feeding the troughs or sectional
receivers I, Figs. 5 and 6 in line with the receiver belt B. This table is provided
with a short feeding, belt K, which is designed to be driven at a speed a little
faster than that of the main belt B, in order to insure closing the troughs or
sectional receivers in abutted end to end position on the main belt. These sectional
receivers have lateral flanges or walls, and are open at their ends which are shod.
with metal, as indicated at 12, to avoid undue wear. At one end each trough or
receiver is provided with catch lugs or projections L' for the automatic operation
of the cutters L.
This cutter, (see Figure 4,) is secured upon the frame L beyond the last reducing
head. Its frame L is provided with bearings for a parallel-motion hanger, which
consists of two parallel bars or beams 1, 1, pivoted at their upper end portions at the
points, and connected at their lower end portions by a link-bar 12. Secured to the
frame L is a knife-frame N, in which is a knife m. Connected to the knife-frame
is a retracting spring N', and at its lower corner portions are lugs a which are
designed to be engaged by the catch-projections L' of the travelling receiver
sections. The link bar above referred to is pivoted to the knife frame; and the
stud or pivot which connects said link bar to the rearmost bar I is extended to
engage an arcuate guide-slot in the frame L. Usually one of these slots is
formed in each side portion of the frame L and the said stud or pivot is made to
engage with both slots. K2 is a lever which is pivoted to the hanger at the
point k. One arm of said lever engages a bearing K in the knife frame N, and its
other arm carries an anti-friction roller 2 which engages the upper surface of a
cam-arm N2, as shown. Said arm N2 is pivoted to the frame L at the point n' and
carries a counterbalance weight N³ to give it an upward movement at the proper
time. p is a trip-arm which is pivoted to the frame L at the point and which
has a notch or recess p' adapted to engage and secure the said arm N2 in the
manner shown. W is a weight which is attached to the hanger for the purpose of
returning it to its original position after operation.
The operation is as follows:
As the lugs L' of the travelling receiver come in contact with the lugs n of the
knife-frame, the banger, with said frame and its knite, is swung or carried forward
with the receiver in the direction of arrow, Figure 4, to the position indicated in dotted
lines in said figure, and by reason of the bearing of the lever K upon the arm N³, and
the engagement of the stud with the guide-slots P, the knife frame is forced down
to the position also indicated by dotted lines, and in this manner causes the knife to
make its cut. It will be understood that during this movement of the knife-frame

page_text: and knife they do not change their relative positions with reference to the receiver
as they are being moved forward in unison therewith. As soon as the roller k³ on
lever K comes in contact with the trip arm p, the latter is forced from engagement
with the arm N' and thereby releases said arm and permits the retracting
spring N¹ to retract the knife-frame and knife, while at the same time the weight W
acts to return the hanger to its first position. The weight N' then acts to raise the
arm N' back into engagement with the trip-arm p ready for the next operation.
P is a stop device for limiting the return movement of the hanger.
Below the receiver helt is the trough return belt R, which runs upon a roller way
and is provided with driving and adjusting pulleys, indicated at R. An upwardly
inclined chute G is provided under the trough feeding table J, in order to raise
the troughs automatically to convenient position for feeding.
The grain having been boiled and salted, and dried to proper consistency, is fed
into the hoppers of the reducing machines, and is reduced by their rollers to shred
or thread-like form, each head depositing, through the action of its comb, a layer
of the thread-like product upon the travelling sectional receiver. As these layers
are deposited at the same time by the series of reducing heads, the thickness of the
product upon the receiver is gradually increased to the thickness required, which
is in accordance with the number of reducing heads, or such proportion of them as
may be in gear.
In order to obtain a deposit of shredded material of proper thickness it is-
desirable to use some thirty odd heads in the gang. As each trough or section of
the receiver becomes charged and engages the hanger of the cutter, the knife
frame is swung forward, and the knife is automatically reciprocated vertically in
such a manner as to transversely divide the product at the junction of this trough
with the preceding one. The cam arm of the cutter striking the trip arm becomes
disengaged, the trough passes forward off the belt, and the hanger returns to its
original position. The cam arm rising is set in engagement with the trip ready for
the next receiver section or trough.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
The method and means of, first, reducing cooked grain to thread-like or shredded
form, wherein the exterior and interior portions of the grain or berry are intimately
commingled, and simultaneously and continuously disposing the reduced product in
superposed layers upon a sectional removing carrier, and secondly, dividing the
said superposed layers, by the automatic action of said carrier upon the cutting.
apparatus, in convenient sectional form, substantially as specified.
Dated this 10th day of November 1806
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.