Improvements in Cake Cutting Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in Cake Cutting Machines.
I, PEMBROKE DECATOR HARTON, of Fairmount Avenue, and 15th Street,
Philadelphia, County of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, United States
of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this
specification:-
This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in cake cutting
machines, and has for its object to provide a simple and effective means for feeding
the pans to the cake blanks in order that the latter may be properly deposited
thereon; and a further and improved object of my present improvement is to.
provide for the automatic insertion of the pans to the feed mechanism; and a
still further object of my invention is to so construct the ratchet mechanism for
jumping the pans so as to avoid depositing the cake blanks upon the edges thereof
as to bring each pan when jumped to the same position, whether the distance to
which the pans are moved be more or less, an incidental object of this invention
is to cause each pan, when inserted in the train of pans, to gain upon the pans
preceding so as to overtake and become the feeding force of the. train.
With these and other ends in view, this invention consists in the details of
construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically
designated by the claims.
In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may
understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will
now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawing forming a
part of this specification, in which-
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a portion of a cutting machine having my improve-
ment applied thereto;
Fig. 2, a similar view, looking in the opposite side of the machine;
Fig. 3, an enlarged section of that portion of the machine in which the pan
feeding mechanism is located;
Fig. 4, a horizontal section at the line x, x, of Figure 3;
Fig. 5, a diagrammatical view of the pawl mechanism for jumping the pans,
and showing one pan just prior to receiving the last row of cake blanks;
Fig. 6, a similar view, but showing a new pan having been jumped into place,
the ratchet jumping mechanism being in a position which corresponds thereto,
and
Fig. 7, a detail view of the ratchet mechanism for operating the carrier chain
of the pan feeding mechanism;
In carrying out my invention as here embodied, A represents the frame of the
machine which is of any suitable construction, and B the head in which the cutter
plunger is carried; this plunger receives its motion from the eccentrics C carried
upon the main shaft D, said shaft receiving its motion through the gear F meshing

page_text: with the drive-pinion G. Upon the opposite end of the shaft D is secured a short
crank H, to which is attached the rod I, said red extending rearward and being
pivoted to the rod J, this connection being an ordinary arrangement and not
here shown. The rod J is connected at its inner end, as indicated at L, to the pawl
disk M, said disk carrying the pawls N, here shown as three in number, the
object being to avoid lost motion as far as possible by these pawls upon the
ratchet. O. The ratchet O is secured to the shaft P, and this shaft is suitably
journaled within the frame of the machine and carries a sprocket wheel Q. A
corresponding sprocket wheel R is secured upon the shaft S which is adjustably
journaled in the framework by means of suitable boxes and adjusting screws Si,
and these two sprocket wheels are connected by the sprocket chain T so that they
move in unison during the travel of said chain, which latter has projecting there-
from at given intervals the pins T¹, said pins being for the purpose of feeding the
pans, as will be hereinafter set forth. A friction wheel T is also secured upon
the shaft P, and a friction dog T3 is so pivoted as to enter into engagement there-
with in such manner as to prevent the retrograde movement of this friction wheel,
and consequently the retrograde movement of the sprocket wheels and chain
carried thereby.
A rail or support U is so arranged that the upper portion of the chain passes
thereover in a horizontal tangential line from the sprocket wheel Q while travelling
downward from the rail to the sprocket wheel R, and the object of this is to cause
the pins T to travel in a horizontal line through a certain distance, and then
recede from the plane of this line so as to pass out of engagement with the pan
last operated upon.
An angular cross bar V is so located relative to the sprocket wheel Q as to
support one end of the pan W in such manner as to permit the pins T¹ to come
in contact therewith when reaching the upper side of this wheel, so that thereafter
these pins may force the pan forward. The opposite end of the pan is supported
in an angular swinging bar X, as clearly shown in Figure 3, and this bar is
pivoted at X¹, and is weighted at Y so that normally it will hold the pan in
position when once inserted between the cross bars V and X until sufficient force
has been exerted upon the pan to swing the bar X to the position shown in dotted
lines in Figure 3, which will free the pan so that it may drop from the cross bar X
into proper position relative to the train of pans, and thereafter form one of said
train. Secured upon the shafts P are pulleys or drums a, over which run the
belts b, and these belts are supported upon their upper side by the boards d, and
when a par. is freed from the cross bar X and drops downward it rests upon these
belts, and in practice the belts travel at a slightly less rate of speed than the
chain T, so that when the pins T¹ pass out of engagement with the pan by
travelling down the incline from the end of the support U to the sprocket wheel R,
the movement of the pan which will thereafter be brought about by the belts
alone will be at a slightly reduced rate, thus permitting the next pan which is
dropped upon the belts and forced forward by the pins to overtake the pan just
preceding and abut thereagainst, after which it will serve as the motor power for
continuing the movement of the train of pans, as will be readily understood.
e represents the endless apron which serves to convey the blanks from the cutter
to the pans as well as feed the dough to the cutter; and this carrier apron passes
over a series of guide rolls f, and down and around a foot-board g, which is wedge
shape in cross section to cause the carrier apron to make a short turn at this point
and bring it into close proximity to the pans travelling therebeneath. h represents
the blanks carried by the endless apron and, as will be seen by reference to
Figure 3, when these blanks reach the turning point of the apron around tho
foot-board g they will be deposited upon the pans row by row. The scrap dough,
indicated at i, is led upward from the endless belt ; and passes rearward and is
deposited in a receptacle k.
As before described the ratchet wheel is revolved intermittently step by step,
and this in turn through the shaft P and sprocket wheel R actuates the chain T,

page_text: so that the pins thereon will cause the pans to travel step by step beneath the
foot-board for the reception of the cake blanks, and this necessitates a similar
feeding of the blanks which is brought about by the intermittent motion being
imparted to the endless apron e by the ordinary mechanism, here not shown. A
corresponding intermittent motion is given to the scrap dough by the ratchet
mechanism which is connected through the rod m to the arm n projecting from
the ratchet disk M, as will be readily understood.
When each of the pans has been filled with the cake blanks it is necessary that
it shall be given an extra movement forward so as to carry it out of action and
bring the next pan into position for the reception of the blanks, and this is accom-
plished by placing a single toothed ratchet wheel upon the shaft S, and
journalling a pawl lever q upon this shaft carrying a pawl adapted to engage
with the tooth of the ratchet at predetermined intervals; that is to say-once
in every revolution of the ratchet wheel, and in order to prevent an overthrow of
the ratchet, and consequently a displacement of the pan, I construct the pawl
lever in the form of a right angle, as clearly shown, having a slot t formed tan-
gentially to the movement of the pawl, so that when the block u, to which is
pivoted the rod v, is adjusted within this slot to increase or decrease the throw of
the lever, and consequently the distance through which the ratchet wheel is to be
turned, no additional movement will be added to the end of the active stroke of
the pawl, but the entire increase or decrease will be added to or
taken from the retrograde movement of said pawl, thus always bringing
the ratchet wheel to the same point, though giving it a greater
movement by the pawl engaging with the tooth thereof sooner when
adjusted for a longer stroke than when adjusted for a short stroke, and this will
have the effect of jumping the pans for various sized blanks, and always bringing
them to the proper relative position to the foot-board to properly receive said
blanks. This is a very important feature of my present invention, since it over-
comes many of the difficulties which have heretofore existed in the adjustment
of such machines.
The adjustment of the block u in a slot to vary the throw of the pawl lever is
preferably accomplished by means of the threaded rod which passes through
said block and feeds it in one direction or the other when the threaded rod is
revolved. The rod which is pivoted to the block u is pivoted at its opposite end
to the small crank arm y carried by the crank H, and thereby given its recipro-
cating motion for the actuation of the pawl lever 9.
A gauge plate a' is carried by the adjustable clamps b' which are attached to
the frame of the machine by suitable set-screws, so that this board may be adjusted
to limit the movement of the pan when being inserted upon the cross bar, as
before set forth, thus always bringing each pan in exact position; and a suitable
guide is so arranged as to assist in the insertion of the pans
From the foregoing description the operation of my improvement will be
obviously as follows:
After the dough has been properly started upon the carrier apron it first reaches
the cutter where the blanks are severed from the strip, and the scrap and blanks
pass forward until reaching the belt j, from whence the scrap is led upward from
this belt, while the blanks, pass onward to the foot-board where they are deposited
upon the pans: in the meantime the pans are inserted, one by one, between the
angular cross bars V and X, and when a pan has been thus inserted, one of
the pins T will come in contact with its lower edge and force it forward, which
process will swing the cross bar X to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3,
and free the upper edge of the pan so that it may drop upon the belts b, and the
movement of the pan will be continued by the action of the pin until the latter
passes out of engagement therewith in travelling down the incline, as before set
forth, after which the pan would continue to move with the belts until another
pan has been similarly brought into place and has overtaken the first named pan
by receiving all the faster movement of the pins over that of the belts, thus

page_text: closing the space between the two pans and propelling the train directly from
the pins.
One of the principal features of my improvement is the arrangement for inserting
the pans, one by one, within the train, which greatly facilitates the operation of
the machine and avoids the possibility of a blank space being left, which has
heretofore caused the waste of the blanks in being fed from the carrier apron when
not being received upon the pan, but by my present arrangement a pan may be
inserted between the cross bars V and X at leisure, and when the proper time
arrives it will be placed within the train of pans automatically and without
liability of missing.
It is to be noted that the foot-board has no adjustment longitudinal of the
machine, but in this respect any adjustment needed for the carrier apron is
provided at the opposite end of the machine; this has the effect to always maintain
the foot-board in the same position relative to the feed mechanism and pans
which pass therebeneath.
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
1. In a machine of the character described, an endless apron for feeding the
dough and blanks, two endless belts arranged to pass beneath said apron, means
for supporting a pan above the belt, means for forcing said pan from its support
into the train of pans, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In combination with a machine of the character described, a cake blank
feeding mechanism, a pan feeding mechanism, and supports for the reception of
a pan so arranged that said pan may be forced by the feeding mechanism from
the support into the train of pans, as specified.
3. In a machine of the character described, suitable feeding mechanism for the
cake blanks, a sprocket chain, pins carried thereby for feeding the pans, a stationary
cross bar upon which one end of the pan may rest, a swinging cross bar upon
which the opposite end of the pan may rest, and over which it may be forced by
the pins so as to be put into the train of pans, and means for intermittently
operating the sprocket chain, as shown and described.
4. In combination, an endless apron for feeding the dough and blanks, two
belts travelling beneath said aprons, longitudinal boards upon which the upper
side of said belts travel, a sprocket chain, two wheels over which said chain runs,
a rail arranged to support a portion of the upper side of the chain, pins carried by
said chain, a stationary cross bar for supporting one end of a pan, a swinging
cross har for supporting the opposite end of the pan and adapted to be forced out
of engagement with the pan by the pins, a ratchet wheel secured upon the shaft
of one of the sprocket wheels, pawl mechanism for supporting said ratchet, a
single toothed ratchet secured upon the shaft of the other sprocket wheel, a right
angle pawl lever pivoted concentric with the single toothed ratchet wheel, a pawl
carried by said lever for actuating the ratchet, means for oscillating the pawl
lever, and means for adjusting the throw of said lever, as specified.
5. In combination with the pan feeding mechanism of a machine of the character
described, a single toothed ratchet wheel secured upon the shaft of one of the
sprocket wheels of said mechanism, a right angle lever pivoted upon said shaft,
said lever having a slot formed therein tangential to the ratchet wheel, a.pawl
carried by the lever and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, a block fitted to
slide within the slot formed in the lever, means for adjusting said block, and means
for imparting an oscillatory movement to the lever, as and for the purpose set
forth.
6. A pan feeding mechanism for machines of the character described consisting
of two sprocket wheels both exactly the same size, a sprocket chain connecting
said wheels, a rail for supporting a portion of the upper side of the sprocket chain
whereby a portion thereof will pass downward at an angle in leaving the rail to

page_text: reach one of the sprocket wheels, and pins carried by the sprocket chain for
feeding the pans and then passing out of engagement therewith, as and for the
purpose set forth.
7. In a machine of the character described, an endless apron or the like for
feeding the dough and blanks, two endless belts, chains or similar members
arranged to pass beneath said apron, means for supporting a pan above the belts
or chains, means for forcing said pan from its support into the train of pans, and
means for actuating the machine, as shown and described.
1000
J. P. BAYLY,
18, Fulham Place, London, W.,
Agent for Applicant.