Improvements in Filling Machines for use in the Manufacture of Sausages.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application 30th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 31st May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filling Machines for use in the Manufacture of
Sausages.
We WILLIAM OVENS and THOMAS CHARLES OVENS of No. 54 St. John Street
Clerkenwell in the County of Middlesex Engineers do hereby declare the nature of
this Invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to machines for use in filling skins with minced or chopped
meat and other matters in the manufacture of sausages which machines as heretofore
constructed consist of a barrel or cylindrical receptacle for containing the meat or
other matter which barrel is mounted horizontally and is open at one end and furnished
at the other end with a cover or head having a nozzle screwed thereto to which nozzle
the skins to be filled are secured. In line with the said barrel a plunger is
mounted which is connected by a rack to toothed gearing so as to be capable of
being caused to enter the open end of the said barrel and advance toward the
cover end when the machine is in action the matter contained in the barrel being
thereby forced from it into the skins secured to the aforesaid nozzle.
The use of these machines is attended by certain objections which our invention
is designed to obviate. One of the said objections is that when the said machines are
driven by power they require careful attention while in operation in order that the
driving mecbanism may be stopped or reversed when the plunger has travelled the
required distance as if the said mechanism be not then stopped or reversed fracture of
some part of the mechanism or the gearing ensues. Another of the said objections is
that the time occupied by the return motion of the plunger (which requires but little
power) is the same as that occupied by the advance of the plunger which requires
considerable power in consequence of the resistance offered by the matter in
the barrel.
In order to obviate the former of the said objections we provide the said machine
with driving mechanism so constructed or arranged and so connected to the plunger
that if the driving mechanism be not stopped or reversed when the plunger has
travelled the required distance the said plunger is caused to return by the further
action of the driving mechanisni. In order to obviate the latter of the said objections
we connect the plunger to the driving shaft through the inedium of mechanism so
designed and arranged that the plunger is caused to advance slowly and to return
comparatively quickly the greater portion of the power available for driving the
machine being thus applied at the time when the resistance is greatest namely while
the plunger is advancing into the barrel.
According to one arrangement constituting part of our said invention we dispense
with the rack by which the plunger is ordinarily connected to the driving mechanism
and we connect the plunger to a crosshead working in or guided in its motion by
suitable guides and we also connect the said plunger by means of a rod to a crank
pin on a disc or wheel to which motion is communicated from a band pulley by means
of toothed wheels and pinions or by means of a worm gearing with teeth on the
periphery of the disc or wheel carrying the crank pin. In this arrangement the
continuous motion of the driving mechanism produces reciprocatory motion of
the plunger therefore no injury to the mechanism results from neglect to stop
the driving mechanism when the plunger has travelled the distance required to
expel the contents of the barrel therefrom or to withdraw the plunger clear of the
barrel.
According to a modification of the said arrangement instead of jointing the rod
connected to the cross head directly to the crank pin we connect the said rod to a
slotted lever jointed at one end to the bed plate or to the frame of the machine and

page_text: we engage the said crank pin with the slot in the said lever or with a slide or anti-
friction roller mounted in or engaged with the said slot. In this arrangement the
crank pin works in the portion of the slot. farthest from the fulcrum of the lever
while the plunger is being advanced into the barrel and the said crank pin works in
the portion of the slot nearest the fulcrum of the lever while the plunger is being
withdrawn from the barrel. Consequently the said plunger is advanced slowly and
withdrawn quickly and the amount of power exercised in advancing the plunger is
greater than that exercised in withdrawing it.
According to another arrangement constituting a further part of our said invention
we retain the rack by which the plunger is ordinarily connected to the driving
mechanism and we gear the said rack with a toothed sector or with a wheel having
teeth formed on a portion of its periphery and we connect the said sector or the said
wheel either directly or indirectly to an arm or rod or lever or the equivalent thereof
which is engaged with a cam or cams or cam groove or cam grooves formed on or in
a wheel or wheels to which motion is communicated from the driving shaft by means
of toothed wheels and pinions or other suitable gearing. In this arrangement the
plunger is or may be caused to advance into the barrel slowly and to return
quickly.
In each of the several arrangements hereinbefore described as of our invention we
prefer to provide for the connection of the gearing to the driving power and its
disconnection therefrom by means of clutches arranged to be actuated by suitable
mechanism from any convenient part of the machine which mechanism may be so
arranged as to be capable of being actuated at the required times either by hand
or automatically by contact therewith of a convenient moving part of the machine.
And we also prefer to connect the filling nozzle to the barrel by means of a bayonet
joint or similar fastening instead of by means of a screw as usual. And we also
prefer to support the barrel by means of trunnions formed near the middle of its
length and to secure the said barrel in position when the machine is in action by
means of a suitable lock which may consist of a lever capable of being turned
over or away from a lug on the barrel the said barrel being secured in its horizontal
position when the said lever is turned over the said lug and the said barrel being free
to be turned on its trunnions and removed from the machine when the said lever is
turned away from the said lug.
Dated this 30th day of July 1884
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filling Machines for Use in the Manufacture of
Sausages.
We WILLIAM OVENS and THOMAS CHARLES OVENS of No. 54 St. John Street
Clerkenwell in the County of Middlesex 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 :-
Our invention relates to machines for use in filling skins with minced or chopped
meat and other matters in the manufacture of sausages which machines as heretofore
constructed consist of a barrel or cylindrical receptacle for containing the meat or
other matter which barrel is mounted horizontally and is open at one end and
furnished at the other end with a cover or head having a nozzle screwed thereto to
which nozzle the skins to be filled are secured. In line with the said barrel a plunger
is mounted which is connected by a rack to toothed gearing so as to be capable of
being caused to enter the open end of the said barrel and advance toward the cover
end when the machine is in action the matter contained in the barrel being thereby
forced from it into the skins secured to the aforesaid nozzle.

page_text: The use of these machines is attended by certain objections which our invention is
designed to obviate. One of the said objections is that when the said machines are
driven by power they require careful attention while in operation in order that the
driving mechanism may
be stopped or reversed when the plunger has travelled the
required distance as if the said mechanism be not then stopped or reversed fracture of
some part of the mechanism or the gearing ensues. Another of the said objections is
that the time occupied by the return motion of the plunger (which requires but little
power) is the same as that occupied by the advance of the plunger which requires
considerable power in consequence of the resistance offered by the matter in the
barrel.
In order to obviate the former of the said objections we provide the said machine
with driving mechanism so constructed or arranged and so connected to the plunger
that if the driving mechanism be not stopped or reversed when the plunger has
travelled the required distance the said plunger is caused to return by the further
action of the driving mechanism. In order to obviate the latter of the said objections
we connect the plunger to the driving shaft through the medium of mechanism so
designed and arranged that the plunger is caused to advance slowly and to return
comparatively quickly the greater portion of the power available for driving the
machine being thus applied at the time when the resistance is greatest namely while
the plunger is advancing into the barrel.
According to one arrangement constituting part of our said invention we dispense
with the rack by which the plunger is ordinarily connected to the driving mechanism
and we connect the plunger to a crosshead working in or guided in its motion by
suitable guides and we also connect the said plunger by means of a rod to a crank pin
on a disc or wheel to which motion is communicated from a band pulley by means of
toothed wheels and pinions or by means of a worm gearing with a worm wheel keyed
to the shaft on which the disc or wheel carrying the crank pin is mounted or with
teeth on the periphery of the said disc or wheel. In this arrangement the continuous
motion of the driving mechanism produces reciprocatory motion of the plunger there-
fore no injury to the mechanism results from neglect to stop the driving mechanisın
when the plunger has travelled the distance required to expel the contents of the
barrel therefrom or to withdraw the plunger clear of the barrel.
According to a modification of the said arrangement instead of jointing the rod
connected to the crosshead directly to the crank pin we connect the said rod to a
slotted lever jointed at one end to the bed plate or to the frame of the machine and
we engage the said crank pin with the slot in the said lever or with a slide or anti-
friction roller mounted in or engaged with the said slot. In this arrangement the
crank pin works in the portion of the slot farthest from the fulcrum of the lever while
the plunger is being advanced into the barrel and the said crank pin works in the
portion of the slot nearest the fulcrum of the lever while the plunger is being with-
drawn from the barrel. Consequently the said plunger is advanced slowly and
withdrawn quickly and the amount of power exercised in advancing the plunger is
greater than that exercised in withdrawing it.
In each of the arrangements herein before described as of our invention we prefer
to provide for the connection of the gearing to the driving power and its disconnection
therefrom by means of clutches arranged to be actuated by suitable mechanism from
any convenient part of the machine which mechanism may be so arranged as to be
capable of being actuated at the required times either by hand or automatically by
contact therewith of a convenient moving part of the machine. And we also prefer to
connect the filling nozzle to the barrel by means of a bayonet joint or similar fastening
instead of by means of a screw as usual. And we also prefer to support the barrel by
means of trunnions formed near the middle of its length and to secure the said barrel
in. position when the machine is in action by means of a suitable lock which may
consist of a lever capable of being turned over or away from a lug on the barrel the
said barrel being secured in its horizontal position when the said lever is turned over
the said lug and the said barrel being free to be turned on its trunnions and removed
from the machine when the said lever is turned away from the said lug.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our invention we will proceed to describe the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings and to the letters and figures marked theron.
Figure 1 of the said Drawings is a side elevation of a filling machine in which the
plunger is connected to the driving mechanism by means of a rod connected to a pin
on a crank plate the arrangement illustrated for communicating motion to the said
crank plate from the driving shaft consisting of a train of toothed gearing.
Figure 2 of the said drawings is a side elevation and Figure 3 is a plan of a filling
machine in which the plunger rod is connected to a slotted lever engaged with a pin
on the crank plate the means illustrated for communicating motion to the crank plate
consisting of bevilled gearing and a worm and worm wheel.
In both the machines illustrated in the accompanying drawings the arrangements
hereinbefore described for throwing the machines into and out of gear with the
driving power and the arrangement hereinbefore described of the filling nozzle and
the means hereinbefore decribed of mounting and securing the barrel are illustrated.
The same letters and figures of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures
of the Drawings.
Referring to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 a is the bed plate of the
machine and bare standards by which the mechanism is supported. c is the barrel
c is the head thereof c is one of the trunnions on the barrel by which it is sup-
ported the said trunnions being engaged with slots in the standards bone of which
slots is shown in the said Figure 1.
The lock by which the barrel c is secured in the position shown in the Drawing
consists of a handle lever jointed to the frame so as to be capable of being turned in
a horizontal plane. The said lever when in the position shown in the Drawing lies
over a lug on the barrel and thus secures the said barrel in the horizontal position.
When the said lever is turned away from the barrel clear of the lug the said
barrel is released and may be turned on its trunnions in order to bring its open end
upwards for the purpose of charging it with meat preparatory to using the machine.
e is the nozzle of the barrel which nozzle is made separately from the head c¹ of the
barrel and is secured to the said head by a fastening resembling a bayonet joint and
consisting of a slot el in a socket e formed on the nozzle e which slot is engaged
with a stud projecting from a tubular part of the head over which tubular part the
socket of the nozzle fits.
f is the plunger. g is the crosshead to which the said plunger is connected and
which works in guides b' formed in the standards or sides of the frame b. is the
disc or crank plate having secured to it a pin to which is connected a rod i which
is also connected to the crosshead g. The form of the said crosshead as seen in plan
view is the same as that of the crosshead shown in Figure 3 and also marked g and
the guides in which the crosshead works are formed similarly to those shown in plan
in the said Figure 3 and marked 6. The crank plate his secured to a shaft to which
rotary motion is communicated from the driving shaft k of the machine by means of
toothed wheels and pinions m m. The machine is driven by a belt passing over a
pulley mounted on the driving shaft k, and capable of being geared with and
ungeared from the pinion on the same shaft by means of an ordinary clutch o operated
by means of levers ppp and a rod y the lever p¹ being in a position convenient for
manipulation by the attendant. The arrangement of the clutch mechanism pp P', I
is the same as the arrangement illustrated in Figure 3 in which Figure the said
mechanism and the clutch which is operated by it are shown in plan view.
In the machine illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawings the
cross head is connected by the rod i to a slotted lever engaged with the crank pin h¹
instead of being connected directly to the said crank pin and motion is communicated
from the driving shaft to the crank plate by means of bevil gearing and a
worm and worm wheel instead of by toothed wheels and pinions as in the inachine
herein before described with reference to Figure 1. The other parts of the machine
illustrated in the said Figures 2 and 3 are the same as in the machine illustrated in
the said Figure 1 and are marked with corresponding letters and figures of reference.

page_text: Referring to the said Figures 2 and 3 r is the slotted lever to which the rod i is
connected and with the slot in which lever the crank pin is engaged. The said
lever is joiniel at to a bearing secured to the base plate a. The crank plate
rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2 consequently the motion of
the plunger when advancing is considerably slower than when retiring. s is the
worm wheel keyed to the shaft carrying the crank plate k. t is the worm which
gears with the said worm wheel. is a bevil pinion on the driving shaft k and
vis a bevil wheel gearing with the said pinion and keyed to a shaft w which carries
the worm t.
In some cases we dispense with the worm wheel sand form teeth on the periphery
of the crank disc h and gear the worin t therewith.
When it is desired to operate the clutch o automatically by contact with a moving
part of the mechanism a lever in connection with the clutch mechanism inay be
arranged in the path of motion of the crosshead y in such a position that by contact
of the crosshead with the said lever the driving pulley will be disengaged from the
driving mechanism when the plunger reaches or nearly reaches the end of its forward
stroke.
23
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven
tion of "Improvements in filling machines for use in the manufacture of sausages
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The connection of the plunger of such machines to the driving mechanism
by such means that reciprocatory motion of the plunger is produced by continuous
motion of the driving mechanism.
Secondly. The connection of the plunger of such machines to the driving
mechanism by such means that continuous motion of the driving mechanism at a
uniform speed causes the plunger to be advanced in the barrel slowly and to be with-
drawn rapidly.
Thirdly. The connection of the plunger of such machines to a crank plate or disc to
which rotatory motion is communicated by any suitable means.
Fourthly. The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
machine hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fifthly. The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
machine hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
Dated this 20th day of Annil 1800
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.