Cooking and Pressing Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1899
Cooking and Pressing Apparatus.
We, JOSEPHUS FRANKLIN BUSSELLS, of the City of Irvington, and State of
Virginia, and ALDRO JARED MORSE, of the City of Harborton, and State of
Virginia, both Citizens of the United States, Manufacturers of Fertilizers, 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:
This invention relates to an apparatus for cooking and pressing the material
cooked for the purpose of extracting the oil, juices and water.
One object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for cooking fish or other
material by the direct application to the fish of steam under pressure, the apparatus
to be capable of continuous operation--that is, to admit of constant cooking,
charging and discharging without intermissions.
Another object is to provide for subjecting the cooked material while hot and
without exposure to the atmosphere to compression in order to separate any oil or
water contained in the material.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation, partly in section, of the complete apparatus
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the compressor case.
Figure 3 is a cross-section of the compressor case.
Figure is a detail view of one of the agitator arms in the cooking cylinder.
Figure 5 shows the yielding plate employed at the discharge end of the
compressor.
The cooking cylinder, A, is substantially horizontal, though it might be used
on an incline. It rests on suitable supports, b. At the feeding-in end the cylinder
is closed by a head, c, and at the discharge end by a head, D. A tubular shaft
or pipe, F, extends lengthwise through the cylinder and revolves in a hole or
bearing, g, in each head, and the ends of this shaft project on the outside of the
hends. At one end the shaft is fitted to a stuffing-box, h, to which a steam supply
fixed on this projecting end for a
pipe, h, is attached, and a sprocket-wheel, i,
chain, by which the shaft, F, may be revolved. Within the cylinder the hallow
shaft has small holes, f, for steam to pass from the shaft to the cylinder, and a
spiral flange, j, is fixed around the shaft in the cylinder and extends from one end
to the other.
Agitator arms are attached to the spiral flange f; one of the arms is shown in
Figure 4, and comprises a shank, k, at the end of which is an angle blade, 4, one
side of the angle blade being secured to the shank and the other projecting and
serving as a paddle or stirrer.
An opening, e, is in the bottom of the cooking cylinder at the discharge end, and
a vertical cylindric neck G, is secured around this opening and projects down below
the cylinder and connects with the top of compressor case, P.
The feeding-in device is constructed and arranged to permit the entrance to the
oylinder of a continuous supply of fish or other material to be cooked and at
the same time to prevent the escape at such device of steam under pressure from the

page_text: cylinder. This device comprises the feed neck, L, opening into the cylinder and
having a funnel or hopper mouth and a force-feed screw, m, revoluble in said neck.
The feed-screw, m, is fixed on a shaft, n, which has on its end a bevel-pinion, o,
which gears with and is driven by another wheel, of.
The case, F, of the compressor is tapered and its large end is joined to the
cylinder neck, G, which serves as a passage for the material. This neck encloses
a force-feed screw, 7, mounted on a shaft, gl, projecting below; at its lower end
this shaft has a bevel pinion, q, which gears with another pinion, r.
The large section end of the compressor case to which the neck, G, is attached,
is cylindrical and not tapered, and is tight or entirely free of outlets, or perforations.
The tapered part of the compressor case has its large end attached to the cylindrical
part and is made of longitudinal bars or slats, p, with open spaces, between
them. Hoops, p, surround these bars on the exterior and are riveted thereto.
The compressor case is supported on standards, b¹.
A tapered compressor screw, s, is on a pipe or hollow shaft, t, within the case.
This hollow shaft has holes, u, along its length; these holes admit oil, juices and
water into the shaft. The shaft at one end turns in a hole, V, in the closed head
and in a bearing, ', supported on a standard, . A stationary oil-delivery pipe, c',
is coupled to the end of the hollow shaft, this latter pipe discharges into an oil and
water receiver, y, inmediately below the case, P; the said receiver has a discharge-
opening, y. The hollow shaft, t, in the compressor case projects from both ends
thereof; one end has a gear wheel, (, rigidly mounted on said projecting end:
another wheel,, of the same size, is rigidly fixed on the other end of the same
shaft. By this means the power of driving the compressor screw, 3, is applied at
both ends of the shaft.
At the small end, or discharge end, of the compressor case and loosely mounted
on the hollow shaft, t, is a closing plate, w, circular in shape with a central hole, ',
which takes on the shaft, t, so as to slide thereon; a spiral spring, z, is around the
hollow shaft and presses against the closing plate, w, and keeps it normally against
the said discharge end of the compressor case. When the material, fish, or
whatever it may be in the case, is being pressed by the tapered screw, s, this spring-
pressed plate offers some resistance to the discharge of said material, and thereby
ensures that the oil, juices and water will be expressed therefrom. The plate, of
course, will yield to allow the pressed product in the case to discharge therefrom.
The mechanism for driving the moving parts will now be described.
We employ a main shaft, 2, which extends the entire length of the apparatus;
this shaft is mounted in as many bearings, 3, as may be deemed necessary. A large
geur-wheel, 4, is on the shaft, and is engaged by a smaller wheel, 5, on the drive
shaft below it. The drive shaft has a driven pulley, z, to which power is applied.
The main shaft, 2, has at the cooker end two sprocket wheels, 6, 7, and a drive
chain,, connects from the wheel, 6, to the sprocket, i, on the shaft, F, by which
the latter is driven. A drive-chain, , connects from the wheel, 7, to a sprocket
ou the same shaft with the bevel pinion, o, by which the feed-screw, m, is driven.
The drive shaft has a sprocket, 8, and a chain, 9, connects therefrom to a
sprocket on the same shaft with the bevel pinion, r, and thereby the force-feed
screw, q, is driven.
The main shaft, 2, has a small gear, 10, which engages the gear wheel, I, on the
hollow shaft, t, of the compressor, and a like small gear, 10', also on the main shuft
engages the other wheel,, and thereby the compressor shaft is driven.
A pressure gage, T, and blow-off valve, U, may be employed on the cooker
cylinder.
The operation, in addition to what has already been explained, is as follows:
The fish or other material that is to be cooked will ordinarily not quite half fill
the cylinder, but will extend along the bottom and will by the action of the screw f,
be tumbled and kept in motion and forced along and constantly keep the discharge-
opening e gorged or choked. This latter condition will, moreover, be promoted by
the action and speed of the tapered screws in the compressor, which will remove

page_text: the material discharging through the said opening so slowly as to maintain the
gorged condition referred to. The steam in the cylinder & will thus be unable to
escape at the discharge opening e, and it has been already explained why it cannot
escape at the feeding-in end. It will therefore be seen that provision has been
made in a continuous apparatus for cooking the material by the direct application
to the material of steam under pressure. This affords important advantages. It
enables the maintenance of a much higher temperature. The pressure of the
steam insures a penetration of the entire mass of material and a much more rapid
cooking process. Besides the product turned into the compressor P is in condition
to more freely yield its oil.
The apparatus thus combines a cooker to cook the fish and a compressor to
compress the cooked fish and extract the oil and water therefrom in a continuous
operation. There is no handling of the fish in transferring same from the cooking-
cylinder to the press and no intermission in charging the cooking apparatus or in
discharging the cooked and pressed dry fish product.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a cylinder; a revoluble spiral or
screw extending lengthwise within the cylinder; inlets for steam under pressure
and opening into the cylinder; a feed-neck opening into the cylinder at one end;
a force-feed screw revoluble in said neck which will keep the neck closed to the escape
of steam; and a discharge-opening at the other end of the cylinder that will be
kept closed to the escape of steam by engorgement of the escaping cooked
material.
2. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a cylinder; a revoluble spiral or
screw extending lengthwise within the cylinder; inlets for steam under pressure
and opening into the cylinder; a feed-neck opening into the cylinder at one end:
a force-feed screw revoluble in said neck which will keep the neck closed to
the escape of steam; a tapered compressor-case having its large end joined to a
restricted discharge-opening in the cylinder; and a tapered screw revoluble in
said case.
3. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a cooking-cylinder; a revoluble
spiral or screw extending lengthwise within the cylinder: inlets for steam under
pressure and opening into the cylinder; a feeding-in device at one end of the
cylinder which permits continuous feeding of the material to be cooked and at same
time prevents back escape of steam and a discharge-opening at the other end of
the cylinder that will be kept closed to the escape of steam by engorgement of the
escaping cooked material.
4. The combination of a cooking apparatus having a discharge for the cooked
material a tapered compressor-ease having its large end placed to receivo the
said discharging cooked material and said case having outlets or holes in its wall
for the escape of oil and water; a receiver below said case; a pipe through the
center of the case and having holes to receive oil and water from the case; and a
tapered screw around said pipe, and a pipe connected at one end of the center pipe
and leading to the said receiver.
5. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a cooking-cylinder; a revoluble
spiral or screw extending lengthwise within the cylinder; inlets for steam under
pressure and opening into the cylinder: a feeding-in device at one end of the
cylinder which permits continuous feeding of the material to be cooked and at
same time prevents back escape of steam; a discharge-opening at the other end
of the cylinder that will be kept closed to the escape of steam by engorgement of
the escaping cooked material; a compressor-case having one end joined to said
discharge-opening of the cooking-cylinder and having outlets for the expressed oil
and water and a discharge-opening for the dry cooked product; and a compressing-
screw in said case.

page_text: 6. The combination of a cooking cylinder; an agitator in the said cylinder to
stir the material that is being cooked; a compressor case having means for pressing
the cooked material after it has passed from the cylinder: a neck joining a dis-
charge opening in the cooking cylinder with the said compressor case: and a force-
feed screw revolving in suid neck.
7. In a cooking apparatus the combination of a cooking cylinder; a revoluble
agitator extending lengthwise within the cylinder; inlets for steam under pressure
and opening into the cylinder; a feeding-in device at one end of the cylinder which
permits continuous feeding of the material to be cooked and at same time prevents
back escape of steam; a discharge-opening at the other end of the cylinder: a
compressor case having means for pressing the cooked material after it has passed
from the cylinder: and a force-feed device interposed between the said discharge
opening of the cylinder and the entrance to the compressor.
8. The combination of a cooking cylinder; an agitator in the said cylinder to stir
the material that is being cooked; a compressor case below the cylinder; a neck, G,
connecting the side of the cylinder with the side of the compressor case; a shaft
extending longitudinally through the compressor case and projecting from both
ends thereof; two gear wheels, one on each of said projecting ends of the com-
pressor shaft a driven shaft extending lengthwise of the compressor case and
having two gear wheels each of which meshes with a different one of said wheels
on the compressor shaft.
9. The combination of a tapered compressor case having its small end open; a
revoluble compressing screw in the said case and having its shaft-end projecting
from said small end; and a spring-pressed plate around the shaft-end and closing
the small end of the said case.
10. In a compressor case the combination of a large section end cylindric in
shape and imperforate; a tapered section having longitudinal bars or slats with
open spaces between them and its large end joined to said cylindric section end;
and hoops exteriorly surrounding the bars or slats of said tapered section.
A 1908
THEO. MCKENNA.
17 & 18, Basinghall Street, London, E.C., Applicants' Agent.