US629617A

US629617A - Rotary retort.

Info

Publication number: US629617A
Application number: US64863397A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank W Smith
Original assignee: FREDERICK O CONANT
Current assignee: FREDERICK O CONANT
Priority date: 1897-08-18
Filing date: 1897-08-18
Publication date: 1899-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 1916-07-25

Description

No. 629,617. Patented July 25, I899.

F. W. SMITH.

ROTARY BETUBT,

(Application filed Aug. 18, 1897.) (No Model.)

ml'rzess 66 THE Noam PETERS cu. Pno'roumo \w-aumomn. n c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK V. SMITH, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK O. OONANT, OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY RETORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,617, dated July 25,1899.

Application filed August 18, 189 7. Serial No. 648.683. (No model.)

Be it known that I, FRANK 'W. SMITH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Retorts; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to retorts by which meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods contained in hermetically-sealed vessels or in other packagesmay be subjected to the action of heat or steam; and it consists in certain mechanism by which the contents of the vessels or packages may be agitated while subjected to the action of the steam or heat.

The'mechanism referred to embraces a box or cylinder in which the vessels or packages containing the substances to be treated are packed, a steam or heat supply connecting therewith, and means by which such box or cylinder may be rotated during the process.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva-' tion with a part of the cylinder broken out. Fig. 2 is an end view with a part of the cylinder broken out. Fig. 3 is a detail of part of the end of the cylinder, showing the'inechanism for opening and closing the same and feeding device.

My invention may be embodied in various mechanical devices.

Referring to the drawings, A A are standards, on which are supported the trunnions B B, through the center of which passes the hollow shaft (1, which within the cylinder, hereinafter described, is perforated, as seen in- Fig. 1. Supported by the trunnions B B is the casing b, cylindrical in shape and provided at one or both ends with the stops 0 c, of suflicient length to engage the supports A A. This casing b is provided with a narrow opening 00, preferably extending from end to end, which is closed by means of the door d, hinged to the casing, which is sethe nuts U.

cured over the opening a: by the bolts 6 e and Within the casing b and supported by and fixed to the hollow shaft or is a cylinder f, the surface of which is provided with means for securing and holding the vessels or packages to be processed. These means may-consist of flutings in the surface of the cylinder f or of angle-irons h, fixed to the surface, as shown in the drawings. They may extend from end to end of the cylinder in straight lines parallel with the axis, or-a construction which I prefer and which is shown in Fig. 1be carried spirally around or partially around the cylinder. The shaft (1 is provided at one end with the gear i, which matches with the small gear j on the shaft Z, which carries the pulley 76.

The operation of the device described is as follows: Assume the door d to be open and the stop 0 engaging the standard A, as shown in Fig. 1. The cans, vessels, or packages g g are placed within the angleirons h, fluting, or other means for receiving thesame, and can be reached through the opening. When these are filled, the cylinder fis rotated sufficiently to expose through the opening the next adjacent angle-irons, which are then filled, and so on in succession until all have been filled. The opening is now closed by means of the door d, which is firmly fixed in place by the bolts 6 e and nuts a Steam or heat is then admitted through the hollow shaft a, a-stuffing-box'w being provided at one end for the connection and the other end being closed, and passes through the perforations thereof into the casing 12. By means of power applied through the pulley k the cylinder f is rotated for a sufficient length of time to cook the substance being processed to the required degree. WVhen this is accomplished, the heat is shut off, the power withdrawn, and the casing turned so that the stop 0 encounters the standard A, when the door d will be downward, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The door at is now opened and the cylinder f slowly rotated, permitting the cans g to fall upon the floor, where they can be removed and the machine again charged.

By the use of devices constructed upon the principles before'described the contents of the cans or vessels or packages during the to the same degree of heat and the mass uniformly affected.

WVhat I claim is-- 1. In a machine for processing food or other substances contained in cans, other vessels or packages, the combination of a steam-tight hollow cylinder provided with a steam or heat supply, a longitudinal opening and steamtight door, a cylinder within the first-named cylinder having upon its surface means for holding said vessels or packages in position, together with means for rotating said lastnamed cylinder, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for processing food and other substances contained in vessels and packages, the combination of a hollow cylin-