Improvements in Curing Bacon and Hams.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Curing Bacon and Hams.
1, EVAN ROBERTS DOWN, of Station Yard, Gillingham, in the County of
Dorset, Bacon Curer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follons.-
--
My invention relates to a method of curing bacon and hams.
In carrying out my invention Inject brine into the sides or parts to be curod,
then subject the parts so treated to a vacuum and theu introduce brine into the
vacuum chamber under atmospheric or other pressure, whereby the brine is caused
to thoroughly impregnate the parts.
In order to facilitate the introduction and removal of the sides into the vacuum
chamber, make the chamber large enough to contain a truck or trucks having
removable trays upon which the sides are placed and designed to run upon rails
which extend into the chamber.
In order that the door or cover which closes the ends of the said chamber may
be quickly secured with a hermetic joint, I provide for forcing or diawing the
cover into tight contact with the adjacent joint surface by hydraulic pressure, and
I advantageously accomplish this by arranging behind the flange against which the
cover joints a series of hydraulic rams each of which carries a crosshead upon
which is pivotally mounted a stirrup, the several stirrups being designed to enter
slots in the cover and to engage therewith in such a manner that when the
hydraulic rams are operated the stirrups will draw the cover firmly against the
Joint surface.
To provide for rapidly moving the cover away from the opening in the vacuum
chamber, 1 sling the cover from an overhead carrier running upon a rail or rails;
o suspend the said cover from a craue which is operated by a hydraulic ram
upon the top of the vacuum cbainber.
Dated the 5th don of Ontaber 1805
improvements in ouring Dacon and T
I, EVAN ROBERTS DOWN, of Station Yard, Gillingham, in the County of
Dorset, Bacon Curer, 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 :-
My invention relates to a novel method of curing bacon and hams.
In carrying out my invention 1 inject "pickle" (by which I mean brine or other
suitable preserving solution) into the sides or parts to be cured or salted, by means
of a syringe or its equivalent having a nozzle, which penetrates to the required
depth, then subject the parts so treated to a vacuum and then introduce pickle
11م
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page_text: into the vacuum chamber under atmospheric or other pressure, whereby the pickle
is caused to thoroughly unpregnate the parts.
In order to facilitate the introduction and removal of the meat to be treated
into the vacuum chamber, I make the latter large enough to contain a truck or
trucks having removable trays upon which the meat is placed and designed to run
upon rails which extend into the chamber.
To provide for rapidly moving the cover away from the opening in the vacuum
chamber, I sling the cover from an overhead carrier running upon a rail or rails :
or suspend the said cover from a crane which is operated by a hydraulic ram
upon the top of the vacuum chamber.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus suitable for use in carrying out my
invention :
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a front view of the carrier for moving the cover away from the
opening in the chamber
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the end of the vacuum chamber and the door
drann to an enlarged scale
Figure 5 is an elevation of the door.
Figure 6 is a plan partly in section shewing a hydraulic ram for securing the
door to the chamber:
Figure 7 is a side view of the hydraulic rain.
Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6 ·
•
Figure 9 is a side elevation shewing a hydraulic crane in position for raising the
door or cover.
a is the vacuum chamber in which the sides or parts to be cured or salted are
introduced after having had pickle injected into them. 6 is a truck provided
with removable trays c, e to receive the sides or parts to be cured, aud d, d are
the rails which extend into the chamber a and upon which the truck or trucks runs
or run.
One end of the vacuum chamber a is permanently closed, the other end being
temporarily closed by means of the door e adapted to be fixed against the end of
the vacuum chamber with a hermetic joint. In order that the said door or cover e
may be quickly secured with a heimette joint, I advantageously employ the
following aangement. Around the periphery of the said door e are arranged a
number of lugs, each lug having formed in it two slots g. g. The inner face of
the door or covei e is provided with a circular access into which the projecting
end of a ring on the end of the vacuum chamber a is designed to pass when the
door is placed in position for closing the said chamber. Suitable packing, is
provided in the circular slot for making a tight joint.
Rivetted or otherwise suitably attached to the chamber a 18 a series of hydraulic
rain cylinders k, k, k, the 1ams 1, 1, 1 working in which are each packed with a cup
leather in the ordinary manner. At its outer end each ram is rigidly attached
to a crosshead n provided with a guide-rod o working in a guide p secured to the
vacuum chambei a. 7,9 are links forming a stirrup and pivotally mounted upon
the cross-head to which they are connected by means of the scrows g', q', the said
links being formed at their free cuds with heads and being 'designed to outer into
the slots g, g in the lugs ou the door or plate e aud to pull the door on cover, by
means of the heads, into tight contact with the vacuum chamber when the ram is
forced outwards. ', ' are bars attached to the cylinders & for limiting the
movement of the links g, 9 on the crosshead and are pins which pass through
holes in the said bars for preventing the links q from accidentally leaving, the
slots g.
g
The rams are all connected to a single source of pressure and are actuated
Bimultaneously.
As the mode of tightly closing the door or cover by means of hydraulic rams

page_text: forms the subject-matter of my application of later date than this application,
viz. No. 14285 of 1896, I wish it understood that I make no claim to it in this
application.
To provide for rapidly moving the cover e away from the vacuum chamber a
when the links q have been removed from the slots g I sling the same to the
overhead carries, the said cartier being provided with rollers t, adapted to run
on the rail u. The carrier s can be set in motion by means of the pulley v and
gearing w
Figure 9 shews an alternative device for removing the covel. This device
consists of a bydraulic ciane & mounted on the top of the vacuum chamber a, the
cover e being suitably connected to the chain y of the crane.
The chamber is provided with an inlet and outlet for the pickle and is connected
to suitable apparatus for producing the vacuum, and with means for subjecting the
pickle to pressure.
a
The process is as follows -The sides or parts to be cured, which have been
treated with pickle injections as above described, are placed on the trays c, c of the
truck or trucks b which is or are 'then run into the chamber a. The door e is then.
placed in position over the opening and the links q, 9 are placed in the slots g, g in
the lugs of the door e and retained thereby, the pins, and the rams are-
then forced outwards whereby the door e is pulled against the end of the cylinder e
so as to cause the ring to enter the recess in the cover e thereby making a
hermetic joint. The chamber is then exhausted of air so as to cause the sides o
parts to give up the free gases they contain and afterwards filled with pickle which
is subjected to atmospheric or other pressure and forced into the pores of the sides
so as to thoroughly impregnate the same. When the operation of impregnation is
finished the pickle is run off, and the rams are relieved from pressure thereby
enabling the links q, 9 to be removed from the slots g, g so that the door can be
moved from the front of the opening in the chamber a by means of the carriers on
the crane and the truck or trucks containing the cured sides or parts is or are
then run out from the chamber.
Although I have described my invention as applied for curing bacon and hams,
it is obvious that my process can be used for preserving other kinds of meat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is.
The method of curing or salting bacon, hams and the hike wherein the sides ol
parts to be cured have pickle injected into them and are then placed in a chamber
which is first exhausted of an and then filled with pickle, pressure being-
subsequently applied, substantially as, and for the
herciubefore
described.
purposes,
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant..