US2582629A - Moisture tester - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1952 F N 2,582,629

MOISTURE TESTER Filed Jan 5, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR.

A. B. HILTON MOISTURE TESTER Jan. 15, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Jan. 5, 1949 I INVENTOR. .E z'Z $072 Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED ,sTATss' MoIsti'nRE TESTER A. Hilton, Laurel,.:JMiss., assignor of one-half to Grady-Tarn, Laurel, Miss.

Application January it, 1949, SerialNo. 69,363

1 Claim. (01.

1 s, This invention relates to a moisture testing device. 7 4 v An object of this invention is to provide a tesi ing device by means of which the moisture content 'of meats or other" food products'can'ibefi determined. In certain food products it is de-., sirable to cook the article until substantiallyfall of the moisture has been eliminated. In the. present invention the presence or absence of moisture in the article is determined by project ing a pair of pointedelectrodes into the article, the moisture closing an electric circuit to the"- electrodes, and the degree of moisture in the article being indicated upon a metensuch as-a galvanometer, which is interposed in the electric 15 circuit. w

The device embodied in this invention embodies I a-portable unit including a housing with a-haiidat one end and the article piercing electrodes projecting from the other end, so that the elec trodes can be readily projected into the article, whereupon any moisture in the article will form a conductor between the electrodes and thereby I close the electric circuit to themeter.

With the above and other objects in view,.;my invention consists in the arrangement, combi'n a. tion and details of construction disclosed infthe, drawings and specification, and then more par? ticularly' pointed out in the app nded jclaimsf In the'drawings, 7 1.: Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of a moisture" testing device constructed according to an embodiment of this invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, v 35 Figure 3 is a detail front elevation, partlyin section, of the device with the housing cover removed, r Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on thejjline 4-4 of Figure 3, 40 Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showingthe' electric circuits embodied in this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral, designates generally a housing which may;v be-' formed of either metal, plastic or other dielectric material. The housing I0 has mounted onthe upper wall ll thereof a handle I2 secured s-ubstantially centrally of the wall I I by fastening! means [3. The housing II) has projecting from? the bottom wall |4 thereof a pair of spaced prongs: or electrodes I5 and I6 which are of pointed constructicn and are adapted in the use of thisdevice to be projected into an article or sample of food such as a piece of meat M or the like oi a; predetermined quantity, for determining :the

moisture content of the article during the cooking thereof. "The electrode I5 is secured in the bottom wall l4 by means of a pair of insulating bushings l7 a'ndl8,'and the electrode I6 is secured inithe b'o'tton'rwall l4 by means of a'p'air of insulating bushings and 20. The electrodes l5 and |6 are spaced a predetermineddistance apart and are connected to a normally open electric circuit shown diagrammatically in Figure 5. A condu'ctor 2| is connected at one end to'the electrode l5 and is connected to one pole' of a battery B orother suitable source of electric current supply. The battery B is mounted in the housing It; being secured in a spring clip 22 which is fixed to the rear wall 230i the housing. As show'n'in' Figure 4 one end of the battery B has a contact 24 engaged therewith, and the'other endof the battery B has a second contact 25 engaged therewith. -These two contacts 24 and 25 are secured tofl'the rear wall 23 and where the housing is formed of metal the contacts 24 'and'25 will be insulated from the wall 23 by conventional insulating means. I

A meter 26 1s interposed in the conductor 2| and in the present instance the meter 26 is a galvanometer of conventional construction which includes a swinging pointer 21 and a dial or scale 28 across which the pointer 21 is adapted to swing." In the present instance the dial 2B is divided into three zones with one zone 29 thereof bearing the indicia Wet and constituting the starting point of the pointer 21, whereas an intermediate zone 30 bears the indicia "Testing period indicating the moisture in the food M after the food has been at least partially cooked. A third zone 3| bears the indicia Dry and the pointer 21 is adapted to swing into the zone 3| when the food has been cooked substantially dry so that very little or no electric current will pass between the electrodes l5 and l 6 when these electrodes are projecting into the food article.

A rheostat 32 is interposed in the conductor 2| between the meter 26 and the positive side of the battery B, and a resistor 33 having a predetermined resistance value is interposed in conductor 2| between rheostat 32 and meter 26. The electrode l3 has connected thereto one end of a conductor 34 which is connected at the opposite end to the negative side of the battery B.

A pair of resistors 35 and 36 having predetermined resistance values are also interposed in the conductor 34 between electrode l6 and the negative pole of the battery B to substantially balance the meter circuit with the normal predetermined resistance of a wet" sample to be tested. The meter 26 is secured to the rear wall 23 of the housing by fastening means 31, and the housing ID has mounted on the front thereof a front wall or closure 38 secured by fastening means 39. The face of the meter 26 projects partly through the front wall 38, the latter being formed with an opening 40 through which the meter 26 is adapted to at least partly project.

The rheostat 32 includes a knob 4| disposed on the outer side of the front wall 38 which is adapted to regulate the voltage and amount of current flowing from the battery B to the'electric circuit and the electrodes l5 and I6.

ture content by piercing the article with the electrodes l5 and ii. The moisture in the-article M will form a conductor for the electric current and in. the initial operation of this device the rheostat 32 is adjusted to match the. total resistance of the circuit with the resistanceof M so that-the pointer 21 will be in the starting zone. 23. The articlaM may then be cookedv and periodic testing of the article by projecting ofv the moisture content by; reason of the poor conduction of electric current caused by what'- ever moisture remains in. the article and is. disposed between theelectrodesli 5 and; I 6;.-

With'a testing deviceas hereinbefore described,

the article can be tested frequently during-the cooking thereof and when the pointer 21 swings to the left into the final zone '3-l indicative of amaximum allowable resistance the articlewiil be substantially free of moisture, By the term free of moisture is meant a, condition of the material of the articlewtested, wherein further removal of :moisture is to be stopped just short of a, condition susceptible to burning. In. the condition. termedfree of moisture 'the'moisture contentwill have been reduced. to substantially '2' .l

to 8% in which condition the article can be In the use and operation of this device, thefood article M may be initially tested as to mois- V readily formed into marketable cakes of uniform quality. Article material that has been overcooked becomes powdery in which condition it is unsuitable for forming into cakes for use in industry.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appendedcclaim.

What I claim is:

A moisture testing device comprising a housing including top, bottom, end, front and back walls, a. pair of spaced insulating bushings in said bottom wall, a pair of electrodes fixed in said bushings and. terminating in pointed portions extending a predetermined distance exteriorly of. saidbottom wall of said housing for insertion in a test sample of a meat product being cooked and having a minimum known resistance, said electrodes being connected in series with a source of. electrical energy, a fixed resistor, a variable resistor, and a resistance measuring meter, having, an. indicating arm movable in response to'changes in resistance of said circuit, said variable iresistorbeing adjustable to balance the resistance. of the circuit with said minimum resistance of the sample, a scale on said front wall traversible by said indicating arm and graduated for indication of three zones representative of wet, testingand dry conditions of the test sample, the extent of said; dry zone being materially less than that of said wet and. testing zones, movement of saidarm from the wet zone being efiected by anincrease in: the resistance of the sample, such increasebeing effected. by decrease in the moisture content thereof above said known minimum and to the dry zone on increase of; resistance of the sample tov a predetermined allowable maximum resistance.

' .A, B. HILTON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,610,563 McIlvaine Dec. 14, 1926 1,987,244 Moore l.. Jan. 8;, 1935 2,003,077 Heppenstall May .28, 1935 2,461,111 Flinspach. etal. Feb. 8, 1949

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