US844074A - Chronometric culinary system. - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRONOMETRIC CULINARY SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application tiled October 31,1905. Serial No. 285,337.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. WOODWARD, Jr. a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ohronometric Culinary System, of which the following is a specification.

In the cooking of cotton-seed meats in a battery of heaters as at present practiced the charging, cooking, and discharging of the heaters is successive and so regulated by the cook, mainly by reference to a common clock, that the greatest amount of work may be accomplished in a limited time; also, in order to obtain a maximum yield of oil it is necessary to operate upon successive batches of meats in as uniform a manner as possible.

One of the serious objections to the present process is that owing to the absence of suitable automatic mechanisms it becomes practically impossible to maintain a system of strictest regularity at the heaters regardless of the temporary suspensionof one or more of them, and since the responsibility has rested entirely upon the cook the yield of oil has consequently varied considerably, according to his skill and knowledge;

My invention relates to an electric signaling system adapted to automatically and successively operate for definite intervals at certain predetermined periods a series of mu dible and visual alarms; and the objects are to enable the cook or others in charge of the operation of a batteryof heaters to uninterruptedly control the same more accurately and eflectively than can be done by any existing means, and thus insure against any ir regularity due to the temporary stoppage of any one or more of a battery of heaters and greatly increase the yield of oil obtained from the meats. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic View r of the system. Fig. 2 is an elevation in detail of a single disk and its corresponding adjustable brush. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the disks and time-shaft, illustrating the staggered arrangement of the respective commutator-bars on successive disks.

Similar numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

generator 1 supplies an electric current to the shaft 2 of the commutator and thence to the commutating- disks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

The shoulder 9 of the disk 3, which is typical of the others, is provided with an adjustingscrew 10, whereby the disk may be adjusted relatively to the shaft and held in any desired position. A constant-speed motor 11 of any common type, preferably a spring-motor, is adapted to constantly revolve the shaft 2, hereinafter designated as a time-shaft, in definite periods which may be varied at will. A brush 12 in my preferred embodiment is in circuit through wire 39 with a lamp 19 and a bell 20, arranged in parallel. Numerals 22 and 21 designate corresponding bells and light upon heater 1 1.

The numerals 13 14. 15 16 17 18 designate the respective heaters, which preferably have a series of electric lights to correspond to each heater either mounted thereon or adjacent thereto. 0

An automatic switch 23 of the solenoid type is connected by a shunt 37'with the main circuit 38 and is normally closed, but held open when sufiicient current is supplied to the main circuit 38 from the generator. A secondary battery (designated by the numerals 24 and 25) is so connected with the main circuit by wires 36 and 38 as to be automatically cut in when the current supplied from the generator falls below a certain predetermined amount.

Each brush is provided, as illustrated, with a sleeve 26 and an adjusting-screw 27, whereby the terminal 28 of the circuit 40 may be readily disconnected.

Commutator bars or segments 30 and 31, the former being relatively minute, are car ried by each disk and connected with the shaft 2 by insulated-wire conductors 83 and 32, respectively.

The numeral 34 represents the insulation on each disk, whereby contact is limited to the connections 33 and 32.

The shoulder of each disk is provided with a graduated dial 35 on its vertical face, whereby the commutatonbars of each disk may be set in a predetermined position with respect to an opposing index 35 upon the periphery of the shaft.

The construction of my improved system, will be more full illustrated by describing its operation an advantages, which are as follows: From habitual practice it has been determined that about two minutes is suflicient time to allow for the discharging and recharging of a single heater. If, therefore, the time-shaft is caused to revolve at a known speed-for example, one revolution in seventeen minutes-then a large commutator-bar is of a length sufficient to make the contact for two minutes, and thus flash a light and simultaneously operate an electric bell. For a seventeen-minute cycle each successive disk is adjusted upon the shaft so that a large commutator will contact with its respective brush just two and one-quarter minutes later than the next preceding commutator. Then for a series of six heaters, which is the customary number operated by a single cook, there will be a light, preferably red, flashed to indicate the particular heater which is to be discharged and recharged, a bell-signal will simultaneously be operated, and both preferably are caused to remain in circuit continuously throughout the twominute period. Exactly one-quarter of a minute later the signals upon the next heater will flash in a similar manner, and thus the heaters may be charged and discharged with exact uniformity, In operating with a seventeen-minute period it is obvious that a period of three and three-quarters minutes will elapse between the starting of the cooking period of the sixth heater and the expiration of the seventeen-minute cooking period of the first heater, and this period affords a brief rest for the cook, which is essential in thev practical working of such operations.

The relatively minute commutator-bars are for the purpose of operating reminder or warning alarms, and in practice the adjustment and length of such signals are preferably such that they will. operate one-half -minute prior to the main alarm and continue for one-quarterof a minute, thus affording both an indication of the approachingexpiration of the two-minute period and also of the longer resting period.

In the case of a breaking down of one or more of the heaters it is essential to the operation of the heaters that means be supplied for adjusting the alarms of the respective heaters so that those upon the particular heater which is cut out of operation will not be operated and cause confusion of the attendant. adjusting means, so that not only a brush can be cut out, but also that the disk immediately following the one cut out by the disconnection of its respective brush may be adjusted to cause the alarms to sound a certain period in advance, corresponding to the interval between the operation of the respective alarms as, for example, if heater 14 breaks downand is cutout of the operation then the disk 4 is cut out by disconnecting its corresponding brush, and then disks 5, 6, 7, and 8 are set To accomplish this, I provide.

upon the shaft by means of the graduated dials and a fixed arrow or point (not shown) upon the shaft, so that the commutator-bars of disk 5 are the same period behind those of disk 3 as were the bars of disk 4. Then the bars of disk 6 are circumferentially adjusted to occupy the previous position with respect to the fixed arrow upon the shaft as did the bars of 5, and similarly with the rest. Obviously this adjustment is made just prior to recharging a particular heater.

in providing means for regulating the length of the commutator-bars it is obvious that different disks having the suitable size of bar may be substituted, or the bars them selves may be removably attached to the disks. Also either a series of bells may be supplied or merely a single central gong, all without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim l. The combination of an electric alarn1- circuit including signaling means therein, a time-shaft, a series of disks thereon each provided with a large and a relatively rninute commutator-bar, means for accurately adjusting all of said commutator-bars peripherally of the time-shaft, brushes adapted to independently engage each commutator-bar and normally serving to automatically close a the circuit through the signaling means and successively operate the same for periods exactly corresponding tothe length of the respective commutator-bars, and means for independently disengaging each brush, substantially as described.

2. The combination of an electric alarmcircuit, a time-shaft, a series of disks provided with hollow shoulders, sleeved thereon. graduated dials upon the vertical faces of said shoulders, an opposing index upon the time-shaft, means for locking the disks upon the time-shaft, commutator-bars on each disk, brushes, having loose engagement with the terminals of the circuit and normally serving to automatically close the circuit through the signaling means and successively operate the same for periods exactly correspond ing to the length of the respective commutator-bars, means for locking the said brushes in engagement with the circuit-terminals, and means for supplying an uninterrupted current through the circuit when closed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT S. WOODVVARD, JR.

Witnesses: Y

M. G. Woonwann, W. Hasrmes SWENARTON.

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