Apparatus for the Marking of Meat by Electricity, and other analogous purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Marking of Meat by Electricity, and other
analogous purposes.
MONTAGU FULLERTON ARMSTRONG of Horton Court, Horton Kirby, near
Dartford, Gentleman, and JOSEPH KINCAID, JOHN EDWARD WALLER and
EDWARD MANVILLE of 29 Great George Street, Westminster, Engineers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A want has been felt for a means of indelibly marking imported meat so as to
shew its place of origin. Such a method of marking meat whilst leaving plain
indelible marks of various forms must not injure the appearance of the meat.
We
propose to effect this marking by the application of various forms of the electric
cautery. A rod or wire of platinum or other suitable material may be raised to a
suitable temperature by the passage of an electric current through it and can be so
used that it may burn through the skin covering the meat without injuring the
meat underneath. In carrying this application into effect we prefer to so arrange
the cautery that a newly heated surface may be constantly presented to the meat
during the operation of marking so that those parts of the cautery that are cooled
down by contact with the meat may have time to be re-heated before being again
brought into use. A convenient method of arranging the cautery to effect this is
to have it mounted on a wheel or drum so that in drawing the cautery over the
meat the drum revolves. The proper manipulation of the cautery may be effected
by the use of resistance coils in series or in parallel with it to enable the most
effective temperature to be attained with ease and certainty. The marks may be
made in such parts of the carcase as may be desired either on the skin or
ctherwise.
Dated 22nd day of June 1893.
MONTAGU FULLERTON ARMSTRONG.
JOSEPH KINCAID.
JOHN EDWARD WALLER.
EDWARD MANVILLE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Marking of Meat by Electricity, and other
analogous purposes.
We MONTAGU FULLERTON ARMSTRONG of Horton Court, Horton Kirby
near Dartford Gentleman and JOSEPH KINCAID, JOHN EDWARD WALLER and
EDWARD MANVILLE all of 29 Great George Street, Westminster, Engineers, 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:—
We
A want has been felt for a means of indelibly marking imported meat so as to
shew its place of origin. Such a method of marking meat whilst leaving plain
indelible marks of various forms must not injure the appearance of the meat.
propose to effect this marking by the application of various forms of the electric
cautery. A rod or wire of platinum or other suitable material may be raised to a
suitable temperature by the passage of an electric current through it and can be so
used that it may burn through the skin covering the meat without injuring the
Price &dl

page_text: meat underneath. In carrying this application into effect we prefer to so arrange
the cautery that a newly heated surface may be constantly presented to the meat
during the operation of marking so that those parts of the cautery that are cooled
down by contact with the meat may have time to be reheated before being again
brought into use. A convenient method of arranging the cautery to effect this is
to have it mounted on a wheel or drum so that in drawing the cautery over the
meat the drum revolves. The proper manipulation of the cautery may be effected
by the use of resistance coils in series or in parallel with it to enable the most
effective temperature to be attained with ease and certainty. The marks may
be made in such parts of the carcase as may be desired on the skin or otherwise.
The accompanying drawing represents a convenient form of apparatus according
to our invention and according to the form hereinbefore referred to as preferred.
a represents a wheel or dium made of an insulating material such as for example
slate earthenware or the like which will withstand the electric heat to which it is
subjected, b is a wire or strip preferably of platinum which is arranged around the
periphery of the wheel or drum in accordance with the device design or lettering
of the brand which is required to be applied to the meat and it may be arranged to
give repetitions of the same device design or lettering. The portions of the wire
which are not required to form part of the device design or lettering of the brand
are led through the body of the wheel or drum or beneath the surface thereof
those portions only which are to constitute the brand being sufficiently above the
surface of the periphery of the wheel or drum to effect the branding when the wire
is heated and the wheel or drum is rolled along over the meat. Ör the portions
not intended to constitute the brand may be made sufficiently conductive to prevent
heating to a degree that would mark the meat. The wires are led through the
axis of the wheel or roller and they are connected to the negative and positive
wires or leads from any suitable source of electricity which will heat the wire or
strip sufficiently to effect the branding of the meat. The wheel or drum a is
mounted upon or in centres on or in a frame c to which a handle d is attached so
that the wheel or drum can be readily run over the surface of the meat. The contacts
may be arranged so that the current always passes equally through the whole of
the device as above described or to a greater extent through any special portion
such as that in contact with the meat or about to come into contact.
This is effected by dividing the portion which is electrically heated into two or
more sections which are successively brought into circuit by means of a commutator
or equivalent device. The arrangements above described can be employed for
effecting the branding operation continuously without removal from the meat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.―
1. Apparatus for making meat or the like consisting of or comprising a
branding device which is heated by electricity and capable of being applied to the
meat or the like substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. An apparatus for marking meat or the like consisting of a wheel or drum
having on its periphery a wire or wires or strip or strips or the like forming part
of an electric circuit and combined with a source of electricity by which the said
wire or wires or strip or strips or the like can be heated to branding heat sub
stantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The several arrangements of apparatus for branding meat or the like by
electricity herein described.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.