GB699248A - Improvements in and relating to refrigerating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

699,248. Freezing food &c. DOUGLAS, J., and STERNE & CO., Ltd., L. Feb. 6,1952 [Nov. 13, 1950], No. 27664/50. Class 29 [Also in Groups XXX and XXXIV] In a chamber for freezing foodstuffs or hardening ice-cream wherein air is circulated by a fan over refrigerating coils and over the goods, the goods are carried on trays which are automatically and successively loaded at the top of the chamber on to L-shaped bars 18 each pair of which carries a plurality of trays, the bars being carried on two pairs of endless chains 16, 17 driven intermittently by an electric motor 21A so as to lower the trays step by step which are ultimately deposited on a conveyor 25 which removes them to a roller conveyer 36, control means being provided so that the bars 18 are stationary when the loading and discharge is being effected. Conveyer 25 may be reversible to discharge in either direction. A feed conveyer supplies trays through an opening 2 and the leading one is engaged by a pivoted finger 33 on a pusher block 27 reciprocated through links, 28, 30, a crank 29 and a belt 31 by the shaft of one end of the con veyer 25. The finger 33 pushes the leading tray on to a table 34 aligned with the topmost pair of bars 18 and in its return motion, the finger 33 rides under the next tray. The trays push preceding trays along the table 34 and on to the bars 18. A safety switch on the feed conveyer responds to a misaligned tray to stop the machine. The conveyer 25 is driven through shaft 26 and variable gearing 37 by a motor 21. Adjustment of the gearing 37 adjusts the time taken for a tray to transverse the machine. Conveyer 25 may have a dog fixed thereto to engage positively the trays. Conveyer 36 may have an end stop operating a switch so controlling the machine that a second batch of trays cannot be discharged as long as a batch is on the conveyer 36. The motor 21A drives a cam 22 actuating a switch 22A to stop motor 21A and to start motor 21. Motor 21 drives a cam 26A actuating a switch 26B to stop motor 21 and to start motor 21A. The travel of the bars 18 between stops may be varied. Two assemblies of the bars 18 and their associated supports may be arranged in longitudinal alignment. In a modified loading arrangement, fingers on a horizontally disposed endless chain arrangement pick trays from the feed conveyer and carry them to the bars 18. The bars 18 may be cut-away or ribbed to reduce the area of contact with the trays. To prevent freezing up of any pivoted part of the apparatus, a bearing (Fig. 7) may comprise an outer stationary part 43 having drainage holes and an inner rotary part 44 of triangular cross section, only the apices of which bear on the part 43. According to the Provisional Specification, the control circuits may include a timing device and loss of cold can be prevented by feeding the trays into the chamber through a revolving door device.