US1849674A - Ham retainer - Google Patents

Description

March 15, 1932. R. E. JORDAN HAM RETAINER Filed Feb. 4. 192e W/ 17M MWII f iw@ j w .mw ab /72Z707 @567215 @dem M Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT E. JORDAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR T'O R. E. JORDAN & C0., INC.,

F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND' HAM RETAINER Application led February 4, 1928.

My invention relates to ham retainers in which the hams are cooked Vunder pressure and has for its principal object the provision Y of improved means for holding the retainer cover against a ham within the retainer under suitable pressure.

In ham retainers of this character it is customary to press the cover down by some sort of resilient means which willV give a continuous but yielding pressure at all times upon the contents of the container.

It is also a purpose of this invention to provide such a resilient means which will distribute the pressure on the cover evenly throughout the length thereof.

A further purpose of the invention is toA provide a mounting for the resilient means whereby the pressure may be easily applied or easily released by a simple operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel means for supporting the cover and resilient means that will serve to guide the cover and said resilient means in the movement of the cover downwardly to compress the contents Vof the retainer and that cannot be displaced by the rough handling to which these retainers are subjected. This guiding of the cover is particularly advantageous in that it enables'the ham to be compressed into evenfcross section, that is, of the same thickness from side to side, thus avoiding a lop-sided product.

It is also an object of this invention to so mount the springs which are utilized to press the cover downwardly upon the contents of the retainer that the cover may have a wide range of movement while under pressure from the springs without permanent distortion of the springs.

Otherobjects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be distinctly understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details shown and described, but that I intend to avail myself of all such modiications ask would occur to one skilled in this art and as fall within the scope of the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l isv a top plan view of the retainer Serial No. 251,893.

with portions thereof broken away for the sake of clearness;

i g. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l; an

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates the container which may be made of any suitable metal for this purpose, the top edge of this container 5 being fiared outwardly as at 6 to facilitate the application of a cover thereto. The cover is illustrated generally by the numeral 7 and has its outer edge curved downwardly as indicated at 8 in Fig. 2 so as to fit snugly within the container 5.

In order to provide means for pressing the cover downward upon the contents in the container, I mount at the opposite ends of the container a pair of upwardly extending posts 9 and 10 which project above the top of the container and are provided with the ratchet teeth indicated at 11 and 12 on their adjacent faces. I then provide a channel bar 14 which channel bar has mounted adjacent the ends thereof a pair of ratchet dogs or pawls 15 and 16 which as shown clearly in Fig. 2 are adapted to swing about their pivots away from the teeth 1l and 12 as bar 14 is pressed downwardly, but which normally lie in the position shown in Fig. 2 so as to engage beneath the ratchet teeth 11 and 12 and hold the bar 14 againstmovement away from the container 5.

Depending from the bar 14 and secured thereto by means of the bolts 17 and 18 are a pair of spring members 19 and 20 each of which is coiled around its respective bolt and has a pair of depending diverging spring arms indicated by the numerals 21, 22, 23, and 211. The free ends of these spring arms arek turned up as at 25 so as to provide a smooth rounded surface for engagement with the top of the cover 7. The bolts are provided with loose sleeves as indicated at 17 about which the springs are coiled.

Thus it will be seen that upon applying pressure to the bar 14.1, this pressure will be communicated to the cover 7 by means of the springs 19 and 2O and their respective 100 saV fil

spring arms at four different points along the top of the cover. This evenly distributes the pressure on the cover and tends to hold it more nearly in the proper position than is the oase with the fewer number of supporting points on the cover. It is also to be noted in this connection that applicant has in reality only two springs but each by being provided with a pair of diverving arms applies pressure to the cover at 2 spaced points. It is obvious of course that a greater number of springs may be used it considered necessary.

'lhe cover is provided with a cliannelled member 2G extending longitudinally thereotI and secured thereto in any suitable manner. This channellcd member as shown clearly in Fig. 3 is divided by means ot the partition 27 into a pair of channels each ot which is adapted to receive one ot the legs of each spring. That is to say the spring arms 22 and 24 will ride in the channel 28 while the spring arms 21 and 23 will be guided in the channel 29. This insures that the spring arms will be directed in the proper direction at all times and that the adjacent arms of two springs will not bump into each other and in this way be distorted out oi' their normal shape. The spring arms oi' the springs by sliding longitudinally in their respective channels permit ot' a large variation in the position of the cover relative to the bar 14 without distorting the spring permanently since the spring arms 21 and 22 may be flexed through a considerable distance owing to the length thereof and the space between the supporting points at 17 and 18 and their free ends.

I also provide upstanding pins or bolts 8O secured to the cover which bolts pass through openings 31 in the channel member 14 in order to serve as guides for the channel 14 in its movement up and down relative to the cover. These bolts also serve with the nuts 32 as a means for holding the cover and the spring means carried by the member 14 together as a unit.

The uprights 11 and 12 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 extend through apertures at the ends of the cross bar and serve not only as ratchet posts but also as guides to direct the cross bar in a true downward path as it is pressed down toward the receptacle. Since the cover itself cannot move laterally in the casing, the holding of the cross bar above it in true vertical alignment together with the bolts prevents lateral tipping of the cover and thus insures a product of even thickness from side to side. The uprights holding the cross bar, the cross bar guiding the pins or bolts 30, and the cover iixed to these bolts and held by the receptacle against swinging around the cross bar as a pivot all combine to insure the compression of the ham without making it uneven in thickness. This also prevents any danger of the cross bar and cover being knocked oil by rough handling. This construction with the guide rods 30 insures proper positioning of the cover and the ratchet and dog construction makes a quick releasable means for holding the cover under the required pressure at all times.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and advantages of this device will be clear to those skilled in this art and having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A ham retainer comprising a receptacle constituting a mold for a ham or the like, a. cover fitted slidably within the receptacle for compressing the ham, a member extending across said receptacle above said cover, a plurality of springs having coiled portions pivotally secured to said member and spaced from each other each of said springs having downwardly diverging spring arms slidably engaging said cover and yieldingly pressing said cover away trom said member, and means connecting said member and receptacle 'for preventing movement ot said member away from said receptacle.

2. A ham retainer comprising a receptacle constituting a mold for a ham or the like,

a cover titted slidably within the receptacle tor compressing the ham, a member extending across said receptacle above said cover, a plurality of springs having central coiled portions pivotally secured to said member and spaced from each other, each of said springs having downwardly diverging spring arms slidably engaging said cover and yieldingly pressing said cover away from said member, guide means on said cover :tor guiding the free ends of said spring arms in their sliding movement on said cover, and means connecting said member and receptacle for preventing movement of said member away from said receptacle, said last named means including uprights projecting from said receptacle upwardly through said member and preventing lateral movement of said member relative to said receptacle.

3. A ham retainer comprising a receptacle constituting a mold 'for a ham or the like, a cover fitted slidably within the receptacle tor compressing the ham, a member extending across said receptacle above said cover, a plurality of springs secured to said member and spaced from each other, each of said springs having downwardly diverging spring arms slidably engaging said cover and yieldingly pressing said cover away from said member, said cover having a pair of channels thereon, one of said channels receiving one arm of each spring and the other channel receiving the other arm thereof, and means connecting said member and receptacle for preventing movement of said member away from said receptacle. A

4. A ham retainer comprising a receptacle constituting a mold for a ham or the like, a cover fitted slidably within the receptacle for compressing the ham, oppositely disposed uprights rigidly secured to said receptacle and projecting thereabove, a member having its opposite ends connected with said uprights for vertical sliding movement, said uprights having a close fit with said member thereby preventing lateral or endwise movement of said member, resilient means connecting said member and said cover, and means for preventing movement of said member away from said receptacle, said cover having guide means thereon projecting upwardly through said member whereby sidewise tipping of said cover is prevented.

In witness whereof, I hereunto ksubscribe my name this 6th day of January A. D. 1928.

ROBERT E. JORDAN.

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