US807052A - Machine for cracking nuts. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

0. J. WERNER.

MACHINE FOR CRACKING NUTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27. 1905.

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PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

0. J. WERNER. MACHINE FOB. CRACKING NUTS.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 27. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. WERNER, OF RIDGEFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF oNE- HALF TO EDWARD o. EUSTACE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR CRACKING NUTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed January 27, 1905. Serial No. 242,821.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLEs J. WERNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ridgefield. Bergen county, New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cracking Nuts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for cracking food-nuts in such a manner that the shell is quickly separated from the kernel without injuring the latter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my improved machine for cracking nuts; Fig. 2, a front elevation thereof; Fig. 8,

a horizontal section on line 3 3, Fig. 2', with some of the parts omitted; Fig. 4, a vertical section on line L 4, Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a vertical section on line 5 5, Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a detail of the slide-operating device, and Fig. 7 a perspective view of one of the blades.

The letter a represents a table supported upon legs a and provided with a circular rim (5*, which is set back from the edge of the table so as to form a horizontal circumferential flange a a cover 7), having a central perforation b. This perforation registers with a vertical bore 0 of an upright tubular head 0, centered upon table a and made, preferably, integral with the same. To the cover 6 is pivoted eccentrically This bottom is provided with a number of openings (i arranged in a circle, the radial distance between the pivot d and each of the openings (Z being equal tothe distance between the pivot d and opening 7). Thus when the hopper is intermittently rotated in manner hereinafter described the openings 03 will consecutively become alined with the opening 6 and permit a nut A to drop from the hopper into the bore 0 of head 0. In order to close the outer openings the cover I) has an extension or shelf Z2 Fig. 5.

The head 0 is provided with a number of radial slits for accommodating the inner ends of radially-movable knives or crushing-blades e, the outer ends of which are guided in corresponding slits of rim o The inner upright edge of each blade 6 is concaved, Fig. 7, to conform substantially to the contour of the nut to be cracked, and is sharpened, as at c, to form a combined crushing and cutting edge. When the knives are moved inward,

Upon the rim a is supported they will enter the bore of head 0 to attack the nut, while when they are retracted they will clear the bore to release the nut. The means for actuating the knives 6 simultaneously are as follows: To table a are fulcrumed at f aseries of elbow-levers f. The inner arm of each lever operatively engages a notch e of blade 6, while its outer arm passes through a slot o of rim 64 A pin f engaging a slot 9 of an oscillating ring g, connects each of such levers to the ring. The ring 9 is supported'upon the flange a and is actuated in the following mannor: In bearings a of table a is journaled the driving-shaft la, intergeared by wheels 7b 11 with upright shaft 2', carrying eccentric 6 Fig. 6. The strap j of this eccentric is connected by a coupling with a link 1' engaging one of the pins f In this way the rotating movement of shaft it is converted into the desired oscillating movement of the ring. The ring in turn by vibrating the levers f upon fulcrums f will impart the desired reciprocating movement to knives a. The shaft 'ialso serves to impart the intermittent rotatory movement to hopper d in the following manner: A crank-arm 2' of shaft 6 is pivoted at is to one end of a link 70, the other end of which is pivoted at k to a slide Z. This slide is supported upon cover I) and is guided by a pin 5 of the cover that engages a first slot Z of the slide and also by the shaft '5, which engages a second slot Z of the slide. To the slide Z is pivoted at m a spring-influenced pawlm, adapted to consecutively engage ratchet-teeth (2*, formed on the edge of hopper-bottom d, Fig. 1. When the slide is moved to the left, the pawl on will cause the hopper OZ to be turned for the distance of one tooth, while when the slide is moved to the right the pawl will be brought into engagement with the succeeding tooth. The number of teeth 6Z4 is equal to the number of perforations d and the parts are so adjusted that each stroke of the slide Z advances one of the perforations d into alinement with perforation b,

To support the nuts dropped into head 0 and to eject them after being cracked, there is mounted upon a counter-shaft a an upright mutilated disk 0, Fig. 5. Shaft n receives continuous rotatory movement from shaft /1. by gear-wheels b n. The disk 0 extends across the lower discharge end of opening 0 and is provided with a bulged edge 0 and with a recessed or cut-away edge 0 Of these the edge 0 when uppermost supports the nut, while the edge 0 when uppermost releases the nut and permits it to drop into a suitable receptacle (not shown) placed beneath head 0. To prevent nuts from sticking in the head, I

- provide the disk 0 with a finger or stripper 0 which is adapted to traverse the bore 0 near the top thereof and to push the nut downward. To accommodate the disk 0 and its turned to bring its recess 0 to the top, and thus permit the cracked nut to drop out of the machine, any nut which may have become stuck being ejected by stripper 0 What I claim is 1. A machine for cracking nuts, provided with a table having a tubular slotted head and a slotted rim, radially-movable blades guided in said head and rim, an oscillating ring, and elbow-levers having inner arms that engage the blades and outer arms that project through the rim and are operatively connected to the oscillating ring, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for cracking nuts, an upright tubular head combined with a series of blades adapted to enter the head, and with an upright recessed disk having a stripper and projecting across the lower end of the head, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan,) New York, this 25th day of January,

CHARLES J. WERNER. Witnesses:

EDWARD C. EUsTAoE, FRANK v. BRIESEN.

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