IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR MINCING MEAT, VEGETABLES, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR MINCING MEAT, VEGETABLES, AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad by David Lyman, of
Middlefield. Connecticut. in the United States of America.
Sealed the 7th January 1868, and dated the 12th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson, at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th July 1867.
1, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR MINCING MEAT, VEGETABLES,
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," a communication to me from abroad by David Lyman,
of Middlefield, Connecticut, in the United States of America, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for
mincing, cutting, or chopping meat, vegetables, and other substances, whereby
a great saving of time is effected, and the operation is more easily performed
than when the ordinary methods are employed.
The principal featnre of novelty of this Invention consists in giving to the
cutter or chopper & chopping and a draw-cut motion, and to the tub or

page_text: receptacle in which the substances to be operated upon are placed an intermittant
or a continuous rotatory motion. To the framing of the machine a hand wheel
provided with internal or external teeth is centered, and into this wheel a
pinion fitted on to one end of a cross shaft or spindle is made to gear. To the
opposite end of this spindle there is fitted a fly wheel, and to a crank pin on
this wheel is attached one end of a lever arm which carries the stem of the
cutting blade, at or near the centre of this lever arm there is attached one end
of a short lever, the other end being connected to another lever or arm fitted to
turn freely on the cross spindle before referred to. On to the cross spindle there
is also fitted a worm, which is made to gear into a worm wheel or pinion
carried on one end of an inclined spindle carried in bearings on the frame of
the machine, and to the opposite end of this spindle there is fitted a bevel
pinion which gears into a horizontal bevel wheel turning freely on a pin in the
lower portion of the framing of the machine. The tub or receptacle in which
the cutting or chopping is effected is fitted to and turns with the bevel wheel.
When a rotatory motion is imparted to the hand wheel an up-and-down as well
as a to-and-fro motion is imparted to the cutting or chopping blade by means
of which a chopping as well as a draw cutting action is obtained, and at the
same time an intermittant or a continuous rotatory motion is imparted to the
tub or receptacle through the agency of the worm fitted to the cross shaft or
spindle. On the upper side of the arm to which the short lever carrying the
cutter lever is attached there is formed a bracket, and to this bracket is
attached by means of a set screw the lid or cover of the tub or receptacle,
which cover is provided for the purpose of preventing the material from being
thrown from the receptacle whilst being operated upon. A slot or opening is
made in the cover in order to permit of the free action of the cutting blade.
A guide or scraper having a blade of a twisted or spiral form is fixed by a
set screw to the bracket before referred to, and is so arranged within the
receptacle as to cause the material when being operated upon to be brought
under the action of the cutting blade. The cutter together with the guide or
scraper and also the cover are so arranged as that they may be simultaneously
elevated or turned back so as to allow of the receptacle being removed when
the material has been sufficiently operated upon; this is effected by simply
turning a button or fastening which holds the bracket in position, and to which
bracket the cutter, guide, and cover are attached. The apparatus may be fixed
to a table or dresser by means of screws or by clamps.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, 'within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS POR CUTTING OR MINCING MEAT, VEGETABLES,
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," a communication to me from abroad by David Lyman,
of Middlefield, Connecticut, in the United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do bereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say: -
The said Invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for
mincing, cutting, or chopping meat, vegetables, and other like substances,
whereby a great saving of time is effected, and the operation is more easily
5 performed than when the ordinary methods are employed.
The principal feature of novelty of this Invention consists in giving to
the cutter or chopper a chopping and a draw-cut motion, whilst the tub or

page_text: receptacle (used in connection with such peculiarly acting cutter or chopper) in
which the substances to be operated upon are placed receives an intermittant
or a continuous rotatory motion. To the framing of the machine a hand wheel
provided with internal or external teeth is centred, and into this wheel a
pinion fitted on to one end of a cross shaft or spindle is made to gear; to the
opposite end of this spindle there is fitted a fly wheel, and to a crauk. pin on
this wheel there is attached one end of the lever arm which carries the
chopper or cutting blade; at or near the centre of this lever arm there is
attached one end of a short lever, which is connected to another lever or arm
fitted to turn freely on the cross spindle before referred to. On to the cross
spindle there is also fitted a worm, which is made to gear into a worm wheel
or pinion carried on one end of an inclined spindle working in bearings on the
frame of the machine, and to the opposite end of this inclined spindle there is
fitted a bevel pinion, which gears into a horizontal bevel wheel turning freely
on a pin in the lower portion of the framing of the machine. The tub or
receptacle in which the cutting or chopping is effected is fitted to and turns
with the bevel wheel. When a rotatory motion is imparted to the hand wheel
above mentioned an up-and-down as well as a to-and-fro motion is imparted
to the cutting or chopping blade, by means of which a chopping as well as
a draw cutting action is obtained, and at the same time an intermittant or a
continuous rotatory motion is imparted to the tub or receptacle through the
agency of the worm fitted to the cross shaft or spindle; on the upper side of
the arm to which the short lever carrying the cutter lever is attached there is
formed a bracket, and to this bracket is attached by means of a set screw the
lid or cover of the tub or receptacle, which cover is provided for the purpose
of preventing the material from being thrown from the receptacle whilst being
operated upon. A slot or opening is made in the cover in order to permit of the
free action of the cutting blade. A guide or scraper having a blade of a twisted
or spiral form is fitted to the bracket before referred to, and is so arranged
within the receptacle as to cause the material when being operated upon to be
brought under the action of the cutting blade. The cutter together with the
guide or scraper, and also the cover, may be so arranged as to be simul-
taneously elevated or turned back so as to allow of the receptacle being removed
when the material has been sufficiently operated upon; this is effected by
simply turning a button or fastening which holds the bracket in position, and
to which bracket the cutter, guide, and cover are attached. The apparatus
may be fixed to a table or dresser by means of screws or by clamps.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now. proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall

page_text: refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters
of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a front elevation of the improved
mincing machine; Figure 2 a corresponding plan, and Figure 3 a back
elevation.
A is the framing of the machine, which may be permanently fixed to a
dresser or table by screws, or temporarily attached thereto by means of clamps.;
B is a hand wheel carried by the stud centre C; this wheel is provided with
internal teeth, into which is made to gear the spur pinion D keyed on one end
of the shaft or spindle E working in bearings F in the framing of the machine,
the other end of the shaft carrying the fly wheel G. H is a lever which
carries at one end the chopper or cutting blade I, which is attached to the lever
by the set screw K; the opposite end of the lever H is connected to the fly
wheel G by the crank pin L, and is also connected at G₁ to a short rocking
lever M fitted to oscillate or rock on the centre N on the lever or arm O,
which latter is carried loosely, and is free to turn on the shaft or spindle E.
By imparting a rotatory motion to the fly wheel G by means of the toothed
hand wheel B and pinion D an up-and-down as well as a 'to-and-fro or draw-
cutting motion will be imparted to the cutting blade I by causing the lever to
which the cutting blade is attached to oscillate on the centre G¹, and at the
same time cause the lever to oscillate on the centre N; this draw-cutting
action effects in a better and quicker manner the cutting of the substances
than when a chopping action only is employed. P is the receptacle in which
the substances to be operated upon is placed, and to this receptacle a continuous
or an intermittant rotatory motion is imparted at the same time that the cutting
of the substances is effected in order that the whole of the substances contained
in the receptacle shall be brought under the action of the chopper or cutting
blade. This intermittant or continuous rotatory motion is obtained in the
following manner :-R is a worm fitted on the spindle E, and made to gear
into the worm wheel S carried on the upper end of the inclined spindle T
working in bearings U; this inclined spindle carries at its lower end a bevel
pinion V, which is made to gear into the bevel wheel Q to which the receptacle
P is attached. In order to obtain an intermittant motion of the receptacle P.
the worm R is constructed with a thread or spiral, which extends only once
round the spindle, as shewn clearly in Figure 2, so that it is made to gear with
or act on the worm wheel S, during only one half of its revolution, the receptacle
remaining stationary during the remaining half of the revolution of the worm.
The worm is so arranged on the spindle E as that the dwell of the receptacle
shall take place at the time that the cutter is making its draw cut. By con-

page_text: structing the worm with a thread extending once and half or twice round the
spindle a continuous rotatory motion of the receptacle may be obtained. W is
a stationary guide or scraper which is made to bear against the internal
circumference and bottom of the receptacle, and is twisted or formed in such a
manner as that it shall cause the substances being operated on to be subjected
to the action of the chopper or cutting blade by throwing the substances
over (after the manner of a ploughshare), as the receptacle revolves the stem
of this scraper is fitted into a socket formed in the bracket X fitted to or
formed on the lever O; the bracket X also carries the stem of the lid or
cover Y, which is firmly secured to the bracket by the set screw Z; this lid
or cover is provided for the purpose of excluding dirt, and also to prevent the
substance when being operated upon from being thrown from the receptacle;
an opening or slot is made in the cover to admit of the free action of the cutter,
an opening being also provided in the cover for the stem of the guide or scraper
to pass through. It will be observed on referring to the Drawings that the
guide W, cover Y, and lever H carrying the cutter are all connected to the
lever O, and this léver being free to turn on the shaft or spindle E may be
elevated or turned back, as shewn in red lines in Figure 3, in order to allow of
the receptacle being removed when the substance contained therein has been
sufficiently operated upon. a is a catch or button for holding the lever O and
the parts connected thereto in position when effecting the chopping operation;
6 is a projection formed on the lever O for the tail c of the lever M to bear
against and to serve as a guide to ensure the proper action of the cutter.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, imparting to the cutter of mincing machines a chopping as well as a
draw-cutting motion for the purpose of more effectually cutting or dividing the
substances to be operated upon, as herein-before described.
Second, the peculiar arrangement of machinery or apparatus for effecting a
chopping as well as a draw-cutting motion of the cutter of mincing machines,
as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Third, the peculiar construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for imparting a continuous or an intermittant rotatory motion to the receptacle
containing the substance to be minced whilst such substances are being
operated upon, substantially in the mauner herein-before described and illus-
trated by the Drawings.

page_text: Fourth, the general combination and arrangement of apparatus for cutting
or mincing meat, vegetables, and other like substances, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.s.)