US2497646A - Slicing machine - Google Patents

Description

Feb, M 3956 T. w. WKNEBERG ETAL 2,497,646

SLICING MACHINE Filed. Dec. 7, 1944! 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Tray/s W l V/nber'g Raymond 4. Ames M52 wa ATTORNEYS F 1950 T. w. WINBERG ET AL 9 5 I SLICING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR 1950 T. w. WINBERG ET AL 2 3 SLICING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TORS Tran 7'5 W l V/nber' Y Pay/wand A. Ames ATTORNEYS Feb. 14, 1950 T. w. WINBERG ET AL.

SLICING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. '7, 1944 I N V EN TORS T/aw's W. W/flb e/"g Raymond 4 4/7/65 f ATTORNEYS Feb. 14, 1950 T. w. WINBERG ET AL 2,497,646

SLICING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1944 s Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TORS Tra /s M4 W/nber'g BY Raymond A. Ame:

ATTORNEYS i atented CB. 1 4,

SLICING MACHINE Travis W. Winberg and Raymond A. Ames, Beaumont, Tex., assignors to Toledo Scale Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 7, 1944, Serial No. 566,983

3 Claims. (01. 146*105) This invention relates to slicing machines and in particular to improvements permitting automatic feeding of the commodity and precise stacking of the sliced commodity.

An ordinary slicing machine, as it is designed for use in retail butcher shops, has a commodity carrier or tray which may be reciprocated past the cutting edge of a rotary knife. There is no provision for automatically feeding the material against the gauge plate as each slice is removed without at the same time pushing it against the knife and knife guard. Neither is there any provision made for neatly shingle stacking the severed slices. The term shingle stacking is used to describe stacking the slices of the commodity with each slice laterally displaced from the adjacent slice like shingles on a roof Shingle stacking permits easy separation of the individual slices of the sliced commodity. Ordinary slicing machines of the manual feed type require the operator continuously to feed the commodity against the gauge plate and knife. Others employ gravity or a spring to feed the material. In any of these slicers appreciable friction is developed between the commodity and the gauge plate or knife because of the continuous application of feeding force. Another defect present in the ordinary machine is that no provision is made for taking care of the severed slices other than to allow them to drop haphazardly onto a receiving tray.

The object of this invention is to provide a slicing machine employing an automatically released commodity clamp to allow gravity to feed the commodity against the gauge plate at the start of each slicing motion and thereafter to clamp the commodity in the commodity carrier during the remainder of the slicing motion.

Another object is to provide a conveyor for the sliced commodity which is disposed to receive the slices as they fall from the knife and which is indexed forwardly during each slicing motion so that the severed slices are shingle stacked.

Another object is to provide a power driven slicing machine having a power driven commodity carrier adapted to clamp the commodity during the slicing stroke and to advance the conveyor at the end of each slicing stroke.

These and other objects and advantages are attained in the structure shown in the drawings which are used to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. I

In the drawings:

Figure I is a plan view of a slicing machine embodying the invention.

Figure II is a front elevation of the slicing machine.

Figure III is a plan view, with parts broken away, to show the operating mechanism of the slicing machine.

Figure IV is a fragmentary section taken along the line IVIV of Figure III.

Figure V has a fragmentary vertical section showing the gauge plate supporting means taken substantially along the line VV of Figure III.

Figure VI is a vertical section through the conveyor driving mechanism taken substantially along the line VI--VI of Figure III.

Figure VII is a vertical longitudinal section showing the gauge plate adjusting means and part of the conveyor driving mechanism taken substantially along the line VII--VII of Figure III.

Figure VIII is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially along the line VIII-VIII of Figure III.

Figure IX is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the conveyor drive as seen from the line IX-IX of Figure III.

' Figure X is a side elevation, with parts broken away, as seen from the line X--X of Figure III and showing the mechanism for reciprocating a commodity carrier.

Figure XI is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line X[-XI of Figure X.

Figure XII is a detail view, partly-in section, of the clamp release mechanism taken along the line XIIXII of Figure XI.

Figure XIII is a vertical section of the commodity clamp taken along the line XIII-XIII of Figure I.

These specific figures and the accompanying description are intended merely to illustrate the invention and not to impose limitations on the claims.

According to the invention, a slicing machine is provided with a horizontally disposed rotary knife'and a gauge plate radially adjacent the rotary knife. A commodity carrier is provided to carry the commodity to be sliced past an exposed cutting edge of the rotary knife. The commodity carrier incorporates a clamp which holds the commodity firmly in position while a slice is being severed and which at the end of each slicing stroke momentarily releases the commodity toallow it to drop against the gauge plate. In this arrangement the commodity is firmly gripped during the greater part of the time so as to ensure smooth, uniform slices and yet no undue pressure and friction is produced between the commodity and the gauge plate or knife. In addition to this self-feeding feature, the improved slicing machine also incorporates a conveyor adapted to receive the severed slices and deliver them neatly stacked ready to be wrapped or to be placed on display. In the improved slicer the commodity tray is mechanically driven from the same motor that drives the rotary knife. The

commodity clamp release and the intermittent.

drive for the conveyor are both actuated by the motion of the commodity tray in order to ob.- tain exact synchronism of these functions. This type of drive also permits the use of an easy. simple means for varying the advance of the conveyor per slice.

For convenience in cleaning, the conveyor isassembled on a frame which is removably mounted in the base of the slicing machine. The conveyor is driven from the slicing machine mechanism by a ratchet not only so that its ad- Vance per slice may be regulated but also so that it may be manually advanced to deliver the slices thereon after the slicing mechanism has stopped.

A slicing machine embodying these. improvements is. illustrated in the drawings. This slicing machine comprises a main frame I in which is mounted. a horizontally disposed rotary knife 2. The rotary knife 2 has, its; cutting edge raised above the plane of the remainder of the knife. The rotary knife isv covered by a guard 3 whose central area 4, is depressed to lie slightly below the plane of the cutting edge of the knife 2. A gauge plate is disposed radially adjacent the cutting edge of the rotary knife 2 and is adjustable in elevation with respect thereto so that the thicknesses of the slices may be varied. A commodity carrier 6 comprising a commodity clamp l and a vertical commodity tray 8. is supported so that it may be reciprocated along a path overlying the gauge plate 5, the edge of the rotary knife 2 and the depressed portion 4 of the guard 3. A conveyor 9 is: located below the gauge plate 5 and extends into the space beneath the rotary knife 2-, As a meat or other product is slicedduring a forward motion of the commodity carrier 6 the slices fall onto theconveyor 9 in position to bestacked. A deflector ID forming part of the main frame of the slicer aids in properly positioningthe slices onthe conveyor 9.

A motor ll (seeFi-gure III) mounted with-in the main frame I is provided with an armature shaft |-2- which extends intoa; gear housing, l-3. The armature shaft 52 is provided with a lefthanded double lead; worm l4 and a single lead right hand worm l5. The double lead lefthand form 14 meshes with a small worm wheel I6 mounted on a vertical shaft l1 carrying the rotary knife 2. The; right hand worm l5. meshes with a larger worm wheel l8 mounted on a vertical shaft 19 to whose lower end a crank, arm 20 is attached. The crank; arm- 20 acts through a connecting rod 2| to reciprocate a carriage 22 along a guide rod or way 23. The axis of the shaft 19. is displaced laterally from the extension of the path of movement of the carriage 22 so that during the, forward or slicing stroke the connecting rod 2| lies substantially parallel to the path of the carriage. This arrangement tends toward a slow forward stroke and a quick return stroke.

The details of construction of the knife guard 3; andits relation to the knife 2 are illustrated in- Figure IV. In the, space beneath the knife the base I is formed with a turned-in rim 24 to which a grease shield 25 is attached. The grease shield 25 is designed to prevent the ingross of meat particles and other debris into the space beneath the knife and around the gear housing l3. It will also be noticed in Figure IV that the depressed portion 4 of the knife guard 3 lies in a. plane slightly below the edge of the knife 2. 1

The gauge plate 5 has an arcuate edge shaped to fit along a portion of the periphery of the knife 2 and lies in the same general horizontal plane. Adjacent the gauge plate 5 the knife guard is cut away so that a commodity clamped in the commodity carrier may be carried past the rotary knife and a slice removed. By setting the depressed portion 4 of the knife guard 3 below the plane of the knife 2 rubbing friction between the clamped commodity and the knife guard is materially reduced. This presents. an improvement over the ordinary slicing machine in which the commodity is not clamped but is urged toward the knife at all times so that, unavoidably, a substantial force is exerted against the knife guard.

The gauge plate'5. is adjustably mounted on a bracket 26v which includes vertical rods 2.1. The rods 21 slide in holes. bored in bosses 28 and 29 formed integrally with the base I. One of the rods 21. has rack teeth 30 out. along one of; its sides so that, the height of the gauge plate may be adjusted by manipulation of a knob 34 attached to the'outer endof a shaft 32 whose inner end is provided with teeth 33, meshing with the rack teeth 3D. The end of the. shaft 32 adjacent. the teeth 33. is journaled in. an arm 34. extending from an inside wall 35 of the. base I- A collar 36 secured. o. the shaft 32 prevents longitudinal motion of the shaft 32 which might disengage the teeth 33 from the rack 30,. The collar 36 is held in frictional contact with the arm 34 by means of a second collar 31 and a compression spring 3.8 so as to produce enough friction between thefirst collar 36 and the arm 3.4. to hold the gaugev platefirmly in, adjusted position. I

The radial clearance between the gauge plate and. the rotary knife 2 may be adjusted, to compensate, for changes diameter of the kniffe as it is sharpened by loosening bolts 39 and, sliding the gauge plate with respect to the bracket. 26. The mounting holes 40in supporting arms 4| of the gauge plate through which the bolts 39 pass are elongated to provide for this adjustment. Further, to permit a smooth. continuous upper surface the, gauge plate; 5 is; secured to the arms 4| by means of screws; 4-2 which enga e nuts. 43 welded o he unde surfa e of the g u p ate (this construction is; shown Figure VIII).

The surface of the conveyor 9; is formed of a plurality of rods. 4.4 whose ends are connectedv by links 45. thereby forming; an, endless chain which runs over sprocket 4.6 arried on. anaaxl 11 1- naled in-one, end of a frame 48. At the other end of the frame 48; another axle. 4.95 iSjQu'rnaJ- h. hi axle carrying guide'pulleys 5.!) to. support, the other end, ofthe conveyor chain. When; assembled in the main base I; the; outer edge 5i of the conveyor frame 48 forms a continuation of the side wall of the main frame I. The, conveyor frame 48 is, lo.- cated and held in position by screw heads 52 which engage corresponding sockets. 53 in cross ribs of the main base I. The axle 4,1 carrying the driving. sprockets 4.6; is provided with squared ends 54 and 55 one of, which, engages; a square socket in the end of a stub shaft 56 journaled in the wall 5| of the frame 48. The outer end of the stub shaft 56 is provided with a knob 51 thus providing a means for manually advancing the conveyor. When the conveyor frame 48 is in position in the main base the other square end 55 of the axle 41 engages a square recess in the end of a' second stub shaft 58 which is journaled in the inner wall 35 of the main frame I. The other end of this stub shaft 58 carries a ratchet wheel58. (See Figure VII.) The ratchet wheel 59 is engaged by a pair of clicks 68, mounted in an oscillatory frame 6| which is pivoted on the stub shaft 58. The frame BI is provided with a. laterally extending stud 62 whose outer end is contacted by a finger 63 extending from the carriage 22 when the carriage reaches the end of its stroke. When the finger G3 strikes the stud 82 the frame 6| is rotated clockwise, as seen in Figure VII, to advance the conveyor a prescribed amount. The advance is controlled by a spiral cam 64 which, by engaging a second stud 65 extending laterally from the frame 6|, limits the counterclockwise movement of the frame 6|. The spiral cam 64 is formed with a sleeve 66 which extends through a side wall of the base and on its outer end is provided with an adjusting knob 61. The sleeve 66 accommodates the gauge plate adjusting shaft 32. A compression spring 68 located between the spiral cam 64 and the wall of the base provides sufficient friction to hold the cam in adjusted position. The cam 64 by engaging the stud 65 cooperates with a tension spring 69 connected between a stud 10 set in the wall 35 and the upper end of the frame 5| to position the frame and thus determine the number of teeth of the ratchet wheel 59 which are picked up by the clicks 60 and hence the advance of the conveyor for each reciprocation of the carriage 22. The clicks 60 are made of unequal length so that one or the other of the clicks will always do the driving thus having the effect of providing twice as many teeth on the ratchet wheel 59.

As was mentioned previously, the carriage 22 is reciprocated along the guide rod 23 by means of the connecting rod 2|. The carriage 22 is prevented from tipping sideways by a guide roller H journaled on a vertical axle "l2, and running between guide rails 13 and 14 formed integrally with the base The top of the carriage 22 extends upwardly through a slot 15 cut in the top of the housing to support the commodity carrier 6. The commodity carrier 6 at a point near its connection to the carriage 22 is provided with a vertical cylindrical portion 16 in which a vertical shaft 11 is journaled. The commodity clamp I is carried on the end of an arm 78 rigidly attached to the upper end of the vertical shaft 1'! and is urged into clamping engagement with the commodity by a helical spring 19 circumjacently mounted upon the vertical shaft 17 within the cylindrical portion 16 of the carrier. A ratchet wheel 80 and an actuator 8| are carried on the lower end of the vertical shaft 15, the ratchet wheel being pinned thereto and the actuator 8| being freely journaled thereon. The actuator 8| is urged in a clockwise direction, as seen from above, by a coil spring 82 acting between it and the commodity carrier normal position, the pawls 84 are held free from the ratchet wheel by pins 81 extending downwardly from the frame of the commodity carrier 6. In operation, when the commodity carrier approaches the end of its stroke and the commodity is over the gauge plate a finger 88 extending laterally from the actuator 8| contacts a post 89 erected from the top surface of the base and thereby rotates the actuator counterclockwise through a small angle. The counterclockwise rotation of the actuator 8| frees the pawls 84 from the pins 81 and allows them to come into contact with and rotate the ratchet wheel 80 against the tension of the spring 19 and thereby release the commodity clamp to allow the commodity to fall against the gauge plate. In the example shown three pawls areemployed and the ratchet wheel 80 is provided with sixteen teeth. Inasmuch as the pawls are evenly spaced only one of them will drivingly engage a tooth and therefore the effect is the same as if there was one pawl and forty eight teeth. Different combinations of pawls and ratchet teeth may be used to accomplish the same result.

In this commodity clamp as long as the commodity carrier 6 is not at the end of its travel the commodity is clamped securely under the influence of the tension of the spring 19. Therefore, regardless of the size of the commodity it will be adequately clamped. At the end of the stroke over the gauge plate the clamp actuator BI is rotated sufficiently to relieve the pressure, but not sufficiently to allow the commodity to fall out of the tray.

The improved form of commodity clamp affords the advantage that the commodity is securely clamped during the slicing operation and is not allowed to ride heavily upon the gauge plate or the knife guard, and yet is accurately fed at the start of each stroke to secure uniform slices.

This improved slicing machine thus affords in a compact structure the advantages of automatic feeding, adequate clamping of a commodity during slicing, substantial reduction of friction between the commodity and the gauge plate, knife, or knife guard, and automatic stacking of the severed slices.

Having described the invention, we claim:

1. In a Slicing machine having a base, a horizontally disposed rotary knife and a commodity tray mounted for reciprocation past the cutting edge of the knife, in combination, a guage plate positioned radially adjacent the knife and adjustable in elevation with respect to the knife, means for reciprocating the commodity tray, a commodity clamp pivotally mounted on the tray, a spring for urging the clamp against the tray, a toothed wheel attached to the commodity clamp, a ring carrying at least one pawl and encircling the toothed wheel, means for normally holding the pawl out of engagement with the toothed wheel and means for imparting rotary movement to the ring so that the pawl engages the toothed wheel and moves the clamp away from the tray against the force of the spring.

2. In a slicing machine having a base, a horizontally disposed rotary knife and a commodity tray mounted for reciprocation past the cutting edge of the knife, in combination, a gauge plate positioned radially adjacent the knife and adjustable in elevation with respect to the knife, means for reciprocating the commodity tray, a commodity clamp carried on the tray, a spring for urging the clamp against the tray, a ratchet Wheel operatively attached to the clamp, a pawl plate on the carrier adjacent the ratchet wheel, means for moving the pawl plate relative to the carrier as the carrier approaches one end of its stroke, at least one pawl carried on the pawl plate normally out of engagement with the ratchet wheel and adapted to cooperate with the ratchet wheel upon movement of the pawl plate to eifect release of the commodity clamp.

3. In a slicingv machine, in combination, a carrier that is reciprocated past the cutting edge of, a knife, a clamp that is carried on the carrier, a spring that is mounted on the carrier and connected to the clamp to urge the clamp toward the commodityeto be clamped, a ratchet plate operatively connected to the clamp, said plate having a plurality of teeth, a pawl plate carried on the carrier and movable with respect thereto to cooperate with the ratchet plate, a pawl on the pawl plate, means for holding the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth, and a stop that engages the pawl plate .at an end of the stroke of the carrier to drive the pawl into engagement with the ratchet plate to drive the clamp away from the commodity.

TRAVIS W. WINBERG. RAYMOND A. AMES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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