US1335136A - Apparatus for cooking and drying canned food - Google Patents

Description

M vH. STUART. v APPARATUS FOR COOKING AND DRYING CANNED FOOD.

APPLICATION FILED ssPT.4, |919.

Patented Mar. 30, 192:0.

M. H. STUART'.

APPARATUS FOR COOKING AND DRYING CANNED FOOD.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.4, 1919.

mmm i ttaznu iof 'rss PATENT onirica. l

MARVEN-H. STUART, 0F SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA.

APPARAU FOR COOKING AND DRYINGI- CANNED FOOD- To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARvnN H. STUART, a citizen of the United States, residin at Santa Cruz, in the county of Santa ruz and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cookin and Drying Canned Food, of which the vollowing is a specication, reference being had to thel accompanyto travel through a steam chamber or cooking chamber, then these cans automatically overturned to drain the contents of the cans while the material is being dried, and then the cans are discharged from the conveyer whereby they are carried through the cookin chamber and the drying chamber.

-)ther objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My inventlon is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away of'my cooking and drying apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional v1ew through the table showing Ithe manner in which the cans are tipped within the heater 13;

Fig. 3 is a.fragmentary top plan view of the carrier and the can holders, the housing 13 being in section;

Fig. is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through the lower Hight of the endless carrier and the rails 25;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional View of the housing 13 and the table, showing another rnanner of tipping the cans.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a table, platform, or like support of any suitable character having at its opposite ends the sprocket wheels or rollers 11 and 12. Disposed on the table intermediate the ends is a steamer or cooking chamber 13, which is illustrated diagrammatically and whose detailed construction forms no part of my invention, having openings 14: at its opposite ends and connected to a source of Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed September 4, 1919, SeriaI No. 321,582.

Patented MaLBO, 1920.

steam under pressure. Also disposed upon the table 10 intermediate the ends thereof and beyond the chamber 13 is a drying chamber 15 having entrance and eXit openings and heated in any suitable way to dry` the material passing therethrou h. This chamber is shown diagrammatica 1y, as the .details of construction form no part of my mventlon.

Disposed upon the face of the table and extendin longitudinally thereof is a track compose of the rails 16 and moving over the face of the table between said rails are the sprocket chains 17 which pass over the rollers or sprocket wheels 11. Power may Ybe applied to the rollers 11 orto the sprocket chains in any suitable manner to cause the sprocket chains to travel in the ydirection of the arrow in Fig. 1. Preferably, in one form of my invention, the sprocket chains are connected at intervals by transverse bars 18, and disposed between the sprocket chains are a series of can holders 19 which are made in any suitable manner, which are preferably rectangular and designed to contain 'a plurality of cans filled with yish or other food to be lpreserved or canned.

I have illustrated each .holder as being adapted to contain a single transversely .eX- tending row of cans, but the holder might be formed to support a plurality of rows. The holders or carriers are pivotally connected to the chains, as for instance, by arms 21 extending from one end of the carriers and having eyes through which the rods 18 loosely pass. The holders or carriers are adapted to rest upon the tracks. As the conveyer formed of the chains 17 travels along the upper face of the table, the series of carriers or holders will be caused to travel along over the tracks and will be carried by these tracks into the heating chamber or cooking steamer 13.

One face of each holder or carrier is formed of perforated metal or reticulated material and designated generally 23, and preferably one end of each holder or carrier is open for' a'purpose which will be later stated.' Now it is desired thatthe holders shall pass through the steamer or cooking chamber 13 withthe open ends of the cans upward so that the steam may have access to the contents of the cans to thoroughly 'cook them and that before the holders can pass into the drying`chamber, the cans shall be overturned so that the open ends vare downward, to thus permit the liquid contents of the cans to drain away. -In Fig.

2 I have shown a means for securing thls overturning of the cans which consists in causing the tracks 16 to be downwardly delected ad'acent the exit end of the chamber 13, the ta le being, of course,.cut awa at this point for the same purpose, if t ere is a top to the table, the tracks being so located that as theholders reach this downwardly bowed portion, they will swing down to a depending position, as illustrated in Fi 2, the cans at this time being on their si es, and then will strike the upwardly inclined portion of the track and will continue on their way with the screened faces of the holders or carriers downward so 'that the cans are inverted and the liquid contents of the cans may be drained away. This reversing or overturning of the cans may occur either in the steamer 13 or in the drier 15, and

while I have illustrated this occurring at the end of the steamer 13 and before the entrance of the cans into the drier, yet I do not wish to be limited to this. It is ysufficient that the cans be overturned during a portion or the whole of their travel through the steamer.

The holdersl or carriers with the cans therein travel in an inverted position through the drierl to the end of the table where the chains carry the carriers and the cans over the sprocket wheels or rollers 12, and then the cans travel along beneath the table, with the terminal Aends 22 of the prolongations 21 resting upon the upper ends of the rails 2,5. At a certain point in the return travel of the cans, the rails 25 and the carrier `chains are tipped by depressing one of the rails 25, for instance, and elevating the other rail so that the carriers are disposed at an angle, as shown-in Fig. 5 and with the open end of each carrier downward so that the-cans slide out onto the conveyer 26 to be carried to another portion of the plant where the proper oils, condiments, and spices are added and the cans sealed.

In Fig. 6 I show another means for inverting the holders, in which each holder 19 is provided at its forward end with lateral trunnions 27 which rest upon rails 28, these rails extending gradually upward within the chamber 13, and then at the exit end of the chamber being downwardly turned, as

at 29. In this case, the carriers will be shoved along the table and along the tracks 16 until the trunnions reach the lifting rails 28 which gradually elevates the forward end of the holder or carrier until when a carrier arrives at the' rends 29 of the rails, the holders are nearly vertical, the open ends of the holders being, of course, upward. At this point the movement of the chains 17 causes that end of the holder which has heretofore been rearward tobe drawn ahead of that end of the holder provided with the trun nions 27 and the holder or carrier will be inverted, as illustrated in Fig. 6. The remainder of the performance 1s exactly the same as that heretofore described.

-It will be understood, of course, that the openings for the entrance and exit of the carriers to the ends of the 'chamber 13 and the ends of the drier chamber 15 are to be made of suitable size to just admit the carriers, and may also be formed with flaps of flexible material which will rest upon the carriers, brid e the space between them, and prevent, as ar as possible, the outlet of steam or of heat.

As before remarked, the holders or carriers may be inverted either in the chamber 13 or the chamber 15, and it is obvious that they might be inverted between these chambers. It is simply suicient that the holders be inverted while passing through all or a portion of the steaming chamber. Within the drying chamber, hot air is used to secure ra id drying.

his machine maybe made of any desired capacity and if the holders are only six cans wide, the machine will take the place of ten men. Of course, it is understood that the cans are disposed in the holders at the place marked A as the holders pass this point.

While I have illustrated a construction which I believe to be thoroughly effective for the purpose indicated and which is simple, I do not wish to be limited to this, as it` is obvious that many changes might be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit thereof.

vI claim 1. In canning mechanism, a cooking chamber, means for passing open-ended cans containing the food to be canned through this chamber with the open ends of the cans upward, a drying chamber, and means for passing the cans through this drying chamber with their open ends downwardly to allow the cans to drain while the contents are being dried.

2. A mechanism of the character described including a cooking chamber and a drying chamber, an endless conveyer passing through the cooking and drying chambers, means for supportlng open-ended cans on said conveyer and supporting said cans with their open ends upwardv as they pass through the cooking chamber, and means for automatically reversing the cans to dispose their lower ends downward when they pass throu h the drying chamber.

3. n canning machinery, means for cooking, drying, and draining` cans containing food' products comprisin an endless conveyer, a series of can hol ers pivotally connected to the endless conveyer to swing from an upright to an inverted position, the under lojo sides of said holdersfbeiv perforated, and means disposed in the pat of travel of the conveyor for causingxv said can holders to swing from an uprig tto an invertedposi'- tion.

kLi. In canning machinery, meansrfor 'cookeV ing, drying, and draining cans containing food products compl-isi an endless conveyer, a series of can hol ers pivotally connected tothe endless conveyer to swing from an upright to an inverted position, the under sides of said holders beingperforated, means disposed in the path of travel ofthe conveyer `for causing said can holders to swing from an upright to an inverted osition, and means for returning the'can ho ders to their upright position, and 4means for automatically discharging the cans therefrom.

5. In canning machinery, an endless con# veyer, tracks extending series 'of can holders pivotally connected to the `endlessconveyer and traveling on said tracks, and means disposed in thelen'gth of the tracks for causing the invertion of the can holders as'theyare carried along by theA endless conveyor, the under side'of the can ,holders being formed of perforated material.

6. In canning machinery, an'endldss conv3.0

Yas

veyer, tracks extending parallel thereto, and can holders pivotally connected to the ends of the conveyer for movement from an 'upright to an inverted position, the can holders having perforated material on the bottom, the can holders normallybeing su ported upon said tracks, and means being disposed along the length of the tracks for shifting one end of the holder away from the track until the holder is in a vertical position and 40l causing the free 'en'd of the holder'to move rearward relative to that end of the holder which` is pivotally `connected to the conve er whereby to'cause the invertion of the hoders.' ,Y

7.1m .canning machinery, an endless con- V'eyer, tracks extending parallel thereto, and can holders pivotally connected to the ends ofthe conveyor for movement'from an upright to an inverted position, theholders parallel thereto, a:

having perforated material on the bottom, the can holders normally being supported upon said tracks, and means being isposed a ongv the length of the tracks for shiftin one end of the holder away from the.trac

until the holder is in a vertical position and causing the free end of the holder to move which is pivotally connected to the conveyer whereby to causethe invertion of the holders, said means consisting in interrupting the continuity of the trac s at one point whereby the holders may 'swing to a vertical position from saidconveyer.

8. In canning mechanism, a table having thereon a steam chamber having an entrance and an exitl opening at its opposite ends, a drying chamber also having an entrance and exit opening, tracks extending -along the 'table and through said chambers, an endless conveyor havin its upper flight -dis osed between the trac and passing throug said' rearward relative to that end of the holder chambers and the lower flight extending besaid holders and the cans supported therein. during the passage of the cans between the:

entrance end of the coolri4 chamber and theexit end of the dr ing c amber, whereby the contents rof said cans ma drain, a

lateral Aconveyor extending para lel to the.

underight of the first named conveyer and toone si e thereof, and meansffor tilting thev l conveyer along itsu'nder flight to discharge the cans through the open ends of the holders yonto said conveyor.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix' my MARVEN H. STUART, Witnesses :4 l

LUcAsF. SMITH,

Lucas F. SMITH, Jr.

signature in the presence of two witnesses. A

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