USRE14704E - Potato-cutting machine - Google Patents

Description

B. O. CUDD IGAN.

POTATO CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1|. 191a.

2 SHEETSSNEET I.

Reissued Aug. 12, 1919.

Wificefi; I I a d, 22

'rnl mum! PumonAvu cm, WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

BARTHOLOMEW 0. CUDDIGAN, OF WADENA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO W. H. GEHR, F WADENA, MINNESOTA. i

POTATO-CUTTING MACHINE.

Original No. 1,278,039, dated July 16, 1918, Serial No. 218,855, filed February 23, 1918. Application for re- Specification of Reissued Letters Patent. Reissued Aug. 12, 1919- issue filed December 11, 1918. Serial No. 266,307.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BARTHOLOMEW O. CUDDIGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wadena, in the county of Wadena and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Potato-Cutting Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cutting seed potatoes into several parts or pieces Preparatory to the planting and the object isto provide a cheap, simple and practical potato cutting machine which may be .operated partly or entirely by hand power.

In the accompanying drawings:

' Figure 1 is a top vlew of my improved potato cutter.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, and F Fig. 3 is a cross sexztion on the line 33 in Fig. 4 is Fig. 2 seen from left to right.

Fig. 5 is a portion of Fig. 4 viewed from left to ri ht.

Fig. 6 18 a detail section on the line 66 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the plunger or head that presses the potatoes against the cutter blades.

Fig. 8 is a portion of Fig. 5 enlarged.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 1 designates legs upon which a main frame 2 is mounted and made firm by braces 3. In an upward extension 2 of the frame is journaled a shaft 4 having a crank 5, which operates two rods 6 and 7. Said shaft is provided with a sprocket 8, which is driven by a link-belt 9 from a sprocket 10. The latter is secured at 10 to a pulley 11 and with the pulley rotatably mounted on a stud 12. Said pulley may be driven .by a belt 13 or a handle 14 where belt power may not be available.

ear what may be termed the rear end of the main frame is fixed a cutting device composed of crossing cutter blades 15, (see Fig. 6) arranged with their edges upward. In upon said cutting device the potatoes are moved one by one, in the position indlcated by a potato 16, by a horizontal sl1d e 17 which is mounted in guides 18 formmg a channel 30 and operated by the rod 7.

The other rod, 6 is pivoted at 19 to a skeletoned plunger 20, which has its corners guided in upright angle iron bars 21 of the frame and has its bottom end or face formed w th pro ections 22, (see Fig. 7') adapted to push the potato through the set of knives or blades until it drops as indicated at 16 in Fig. 4.

The chamber 23 in which the plunger moves may have its front side open and its rear side closed by a wall 24 see Figs. 4 and "6); and in each of the ot said plates converge together and serve to hold each potato, Whether small or large, at the middle of the cutting device 15. Each plate is at all times impelled inward by springs 27 (best shown in Fig. 8), and is pivoted in a pair of arms 28 which are secured on the frame work each one by single bolt or screw 29.

In the operation of the machine if power is available the belt 13 is driven and while the machine is thus run, the operator drops the potatoes one by one into the channel 30 (see Fig. 6) as fast as the slide 17 gets into position to permit it, p

and as the plunger 20 descends upon each potato and acts upon the inner sides of the plates 26 to spread them and leave the potato resting upon the cutters in position to be cut, and is cut by being pushed through the cutters.

As the plunger ascends again the springs 27 close in the plates 26 until their shoulders 26* (see Fig. 8) stop against the posts 21 and leave the lower edges of the plates so close together as to guide even the smallest seed potato to the center of the cutting device 15. If the potatoes operated on are extra small or extra large the space between the lower ends of the plates may be varied by loosening the screws 29 and changing the arms 28 to a more or less inclined position. For it is obvious that the more horizontal those arms stand the farther the plates will close against the posts 21, and the more the arms are lowered the earlier said shoulders 26 will touch the posts and limit the closin of the plates.

If no power is available the machine may be operated by a handle placed either in the pulley 11 as 14, or in the sprocket 8, as 14. When operated by hand one person may turn the crank shaft 4, and another person feed in the potatoes, or for light potato farming the same person may turn the ma- 7 er sides is pivoted at 25 a plate 26. The lower ends of chine with one hand and feed it vwith the other-hand. In any casea receptacle .(not shown) is placed underneath .the frame to receive the cut potatoes.

I claim as my invention: a

1. a potato cutting machine a frame, I movable therein, a cuttlng device in the base of the frame for dividing and sub-dividing the article and curved guide tral 'deviee,and operating means for the -timed substantially as described.

2; in a potato cutting machine, a frame fllll ptont nflybe owned support, a cutting device a vertically reciprocating plunger, ,awcham'ber in which the plunger operates, spring plates constituting part of'the wall of the chamber and a horizontally moving plunger adapted to feed the potatoes laterally beneath andbetween the spring plates, as described.

3. In ,apotato cutting maehine, air-awe the plunger substantially support, a cuttingdevice, a vertically reciprocating plunger, angle bars in which the plunger is guided, aninelosingwall and movable spring pressed plates=adjustably supported for guiding the potato tothe center of the cutting device, said plates-being curved and adapted to be pushed aside in the descent of theplunger and meanswfor feeding the potato laterally into the space beneath the plunger and between the spring plates.

' "BARTHGLOHEW 0. CIJDBIGA-N.

tormve cents lath, acuum the Stmlildw M =-rmm :mmngton, $.10."

Images