Improvements in Machines for Cutting or Mincing Meat.
Year: 1892

page_text: ate of Application, 25th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by OLIVER DWIGHT WOODRUFF, of No. 6, High
Street, Southington, County of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of
America, Mechanic.]
Improvements in Machines for Cutting or Mincing Meat.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex. 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:-
Figure 1, represents a side view of the machine complete, a portion of the crank-
head broken away to illustrate the adjustment.
Figure 2, longitudinal section through the case; the forcer removed, broken
lines indicating the ribs of the forcer as they work against the ribs of the case.
Figure 3, longitudinal section of the case showing the forcer in place in
side view.
Figure 4, longitudinal section cutting through the delivery end of the forcer on
line of Fig. 3.
Figure 5, delivery end view of the forcer.
Figure 6, inside face view of the crank-head.
This invention relates to an improvement in that class of meat cutters which
consist of a substantially cylindrical case provided with a hopper at one end for
the introduction of meat, combined with a spiral forcer arranged longitudinally
in the case, adapted to force the meat as it is received from the hopper toward
the opposite end of the case, where the meat is operated upon to disintegrate
or cut it, and discharge it so cut or disintegrated from said other end of the case.
The object of the invention is to produce a machine simple in construction,
of few parts, and one which may be readily cleaned after use, and the invention
consists in the construction as hereinafter described and particularly recited in the
claim.
A, represents the case of the machine, which is preferably made tapering or
of conical shape, expanding toward the delivery end, it being constructed with
a hopper B, at the smaller end for the introduction of meat, and is formed as
a part of a bracket C, or other suitable support for the machine when in
operation.
Upon the inside of the case the surface is constructed with a series of spiral
ribs 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on, more or less, these ribs inclining from the hopper toward
the opposite or larger end of the case, and terminate near the open end, but so
as to leave a plain annular surface a, around the inside at the other or delivery
end; these ribs produce corresponding recesses b, between them, and are arranged
so near together as to attain the greatest practical number of such spiral ribs
within the case, all inclined from the hopper toward the other or delivery end
of the case.
Within the case the forcer D, is arranged in the usual manner.
The forcer is adapted to revolve within the case, also in the usual manner, and
it is constructed with a spiral rib E, at the hopper end, which under the revolution
of the forcer will force the meat from the hopper end toward the opposite or
delivery end. The forcing rib is spiral and inclined in the same direction as
the ribs of the case. Beyond the hopper the body of the forcer is somewhat
smaller in diameter than the internal diameter of the ribs of the case, longi-
tudinally this surface of the forcer is substantially parallel with the inner surface
of the case, but at the outer or delivery end the forcer is made of an external

page_text: Near
diameter substantially corresponding to the internal diameter of the ribs at that
end of the case, and of the plain surface a, as clearly seen in Fig. 3, and so
that this delivery end portion of the forcer will run substantially in contact with
the surface a, and the corresponding surface of the ribs within the case.
the outer end of the forcer and through the said plain surface of the forcer,
openings d, are formed, leading outward through the forcer, as seen in Figs. +
and 5. The openings d, work in conjunction with that portion of the spiral ribs
of the case over which they pass as the forcer is revolved. The body of the
forcer from the hopper to the said plain surface at the end of the forcer is con-
structed with spiral ribs inclined in the same direction as the spiral ribs in the
case, and like the ribs in the case should be as near together as they practically
may be, and like the ribs in the case are substantially parallel with each other;
they terminate at the said plain surface of the forcer, that is, circumferentially,
in a plane substantially at or near the inner side of the openings d, as seen in
Fig. 3.
As the ribs on the forcer incline in the same direction as the ribs on the case,
it follows that in revolving, the ribs on the forcer work diagonally across the
ribs on the case, as indicated in broken lines Fig. 2, the said broken lines indicating
the ribs on the forcer in the position in which they revolve against the ribs of the
case, and the ribs on the forcer thus working in conjunction with the ribs in the
case, serve as cutters and produce a shearing cut upon the material which may be
passing between the revolving forcer and the case.
In operation, the meat is introduced through the hopper in the usual manner,
and the forcer revolved, the spiral rib E, forces the meat forward into the spaces
between the ribs of the case and the ribs of the forcer, and as it is so forced, the
spiral ribs on the forcer working against the spiral ribs of the case, as before
described, cut or shear the meat as it so passes, producing a continuous cutting of
the meat from the time it passes into the case until it reaches the openings d, of
the forcer, so that when it reaches this point, it has been practically and thoroughly
cut, and the meat so cut continues its advance movement between the ribs of the
case into the space between the plain surface of the forcer and the case at the
delivery end, and thus forced into this space, it is driven into the openings d, and
thence out through said openings and delivered from the machine. The openings d,
work in connection with the spiral ribs over which they pass in the revolution of
the forcer, so that the meat is still further cut by the edges of the openings working
against the corresponding edges of the spiral ribs, which cut is a shearing cut, as
is the entire cutting of the machine, and such shearing cut is made with the least
possible power.
The plain internal annular surface a, in the case, fitting closely as it does upon
the plain surface of the forcer, makes a tight joint at that end of the case to
prevent the escape of meat otherwise than through the said opening d.
To adjust the forcer so that it may maintain its proper cutting relation to the
interior of the case, and to increase or diminish the closeness of the fit, as occasion
may require, or take up the wear which may occur from continued use of the
machine, the forcer is constructed at the receiving end of the machine with a pro-
jection E, which forms a shaft and extends through, the bearing F, on that end of
the case, the projecting end E, of the shaft being adapted to receive the head G,
of the crank H.
The shaft E, is constructed of non-cylindrical shape, here represented as a
cylinder flattened upon one side, and the head G, of the crank has an opening
through it of corresponding shape, as seen in Fig. 6. The inner face of the crank-
head rests against the outer end of the shaft bearing F, and then into the outer
end of the shaft E, an adjusting screw I, is introduced, which carries a collar J,
larger than the end of the shaft, and so as to bear upon the surrounding surface of
the crank-head, as seen in Fig. 1, and so that the screw turned inward, will force the
crank against the end of the bearing F, of the case, and thereby tend to draw
the forcer toward that end of the case, and this drawing effect may be greater or

page_text: less according to the extent to which the screw is so turned, consequently the forcer
may be adjusted with relation to the case by simply turning the adjusting-screw
accordingly. The screw is provided with a finger-piece K, by which it may be
conveniently turned by the hand of the operator.
The length of the projecting-shaft E, should be such with relation to the
thickness of the head of the crank, that the collar J, of the adjusting-screw will
not reach that end of the shaft, and so that the bearing of the collar will come
fully upon the crank-head.
In turning the crank by hand, it is difficult to continue the revolution of
the crank without producing thereon more or less force longitudinally of the
machine.
If the head of the crank bore upon the surface of the bearing on the case
adjacent to it, such swinging of the crank would produce a considerable leverage
longitudinally on the forcer, tending to draw the forcer into the case, and sufficient
to greatly increase the friction of the revolving forcer. To avoid such action of
the crank, the face of the head of the crank next to the surface of the bearing on
the case, is constructed with a diametrical projection or rib L, at right angles
to the line of the crank, as seen in Fig. 6, the face of the rib is rounded, so that
contact between the crank-head and the face of the bearing F, is made by the
said rib, and that bearing is in a central diametrical line, without other contact
between the crank-head and the surface of the bearing F, consequently any
lateral movement which the crank might receive, would be of a rocking
character upon the rib L, and without producing any longitudinal strain upon
the forcer.
While preferring to recess the forcer upon its outer end, and make the openings
through the plain surface of the forcer into that recess as shown, it will be evident
to those skilled in the art that the openings from the said plain surface of the forcer
may be turned outward longitudinally through the end of the forcer, so as to
dispense with the said recess.
While preferring to make the case and forcer correspondingly tapering, it will
be understood that they may be made of other shape without departing from the
spirit of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what claim is :-
First. In a machine for cutting meat and similar purposes, the combination of a
case provided with a hopper near one end and through which meat may be supplied
to the case, a longitudinally adjustable revolving forcer within the case, and the
case and forcer adapted to cut the meat and discharge it through the delivery end,
the end of the forcer opposite the delivery end, constructed as a shaft projecting
through a bearing in that end of the case, the projecting end of the shaft of non-
cylindrical shape, a crank having a head adapted to set upon said non-cylindrical
end of the shaft, the face of the crank next the end of the bearing constructed
with a diametrical projection across it, but at right angles to the line of the crank,
and an adjusting screw in the end of the shaft adapted to bear against the outer
face of the crank-head, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Second. In a machine for cutting meat and similar purposes, a case provided
with a hopper at one end opening into the case, the case within constructed with
spiral ribs running from the receiving end toward the opposite end, but with a
plain annular surface upon its inside, at the delivery end, the ribs within the case
abutting against the inner edge of the said plain surface, combined with a revolving
forcer arranged longitudinally through the case, the said forcer constructed at the
delivery end with a surface upon its outside adapted to fit closely upon the said
annular plain surface within the case, but extending inward onto the ribs within
the case, the said plain surface of the forcer constructed with openings through it,
and the forcer also constructed with spiral ribs upon its surface, which terminate at

page_text: the said plain surface on the forcer, and so as to work in contact with the ribs in
the case, substantially as described.
Third. In a machine for cutting meat and similar purposes, the combination of a
case provided with a hopper at one end, and upon its interior at the opposite end
constructed with an annular plain surface, and with spiral ribs extending from said
plain surface toward the hopper, with a revolving forcer arranged longitudinally
through the case, the delivery end of the forcer constructed with an annular plain
surface corresponding to the plain surface of the interior of the
case, but extending
inwardly beyond that plain surface of the case, the delivery end of the forcer
recessed upon its outer face, and constructed with openings through the plain
surface of the forcer into the said recess, the forcer also constructed with spirni
ribs which extend from its plain surface toward the opposite end, and adapted to
work in contact with the ribs upon the interior of the case, substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
Dated this 25th day of October 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.