US1997966A - Clamping means for slicing machines - Google Patents

Description

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April 16, 1935e E. A. FORD 1,997,966

CLAMPING' MEANS FOR SLICING MACHINES Original Filed NOV. 5, 1928 4'S'Ihee'LS-Shee1, 2

A A-A-A 'y INVENTR w rroRNl-:Y

April 16, `1935. E. A. FORD CLAMPING MEANS FOR SLICING MACHINES .Flc-5.3.

- M ||I Hu -1 Imm I NvENToR BY MM Amai 16, 1935.. E. A. FORD 1,997,966

CLAMPING MEANS FOR SLICING MACHINES Original Filed Nov. 3, 1928 4 Sheetsheet 4 lll ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1935 UNI-TED STATES. PATENT OFFICE l K 1,997,966 y i CLAMPING MEANS FOR SLICING MACHINES Eugene A@ Ford, 'Scarsdale, N. Y., assignor, -by

mesme assignments, to The Hobart Manufacturing -C:mpany,"Troy, Ollio, a corporation ofV Ohio ' Original application November 3, 1928, Serial No.

316,942. Divided and this application September 30, 1933, Serial'No. 691,587 A 8 Claims.

'This case is a division of my `application Serial No.k 316,942 for an improved slicing machine and is lparticularly*directed to the novel clamping means-of the machine. Various other objects and advantages lof my inventionwill'be obvious fromthe'following particular description of one formv of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspection of the accompanying drawings; and the invention also constitutes certain new and novel features of the construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

rgIn the drawings: l l'lig;- v1 is a top plan view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of the machine, partly sectioned; y Fig. 3 is a side elevational'view of the machine, partly sectioned;

,Klis a top detail View of the end clamp applied to themeat holder; l d jFig. 5 is a detail side View partly sectioned of saidend clamp; and

Fig.A 6 is a section'on line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a ,detail .section through the cutting portion of the machine, showing the adjacent edge of the gageplate. f

In. detail, referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the machine comprises a base I onwhich is supported alpair of Vertical parallel standards Il andI2. Secured to the top ofl the standards at the front end of the machiney is a horizontally disposed plate I3. Thestandards Il and I2 are provided on their outside surfaces near their upper edges With guide slots I4 and I5, respectively, cooperating with similar guide flanges yI6 at each side of a horizontal vplate I1 formed with a s lot 'IB open at the front and having two sides in the rear which are disposed' at an angle to the aforesaid parallel flanges I6 rigid with the plate l1.

Iltiveted, or secured in any 'other desired manner toy the top of plate I1V along the sides of the slot I3 is an open meat holder chute I9 having vertical sides 20 and 2I coincident with and extending upwardly from the sides of said slot I8.

A vertically disposed post 22 is fixed to and between the plate I1 and a bracket 23 attached to the chute side 23. The lower portion 21 of the post is circular in cross-section while theupper portion 28. is cutaway to provide flat parallel vertically disposed sides 29 for a purpose to be hereinafter made clear. A meat clamp support 30 .is slidably mounted on the post by means of a collar 3l fitting over the post. A'The inside of the collar is circular 'to lit the circular cross- (ol. 14a-217) section of portion 21 of the post. By reference toFig. 6 it willbe seen that collar 3l has a slot 32 cut therein which is wide enough to permit the Vpassage therethrough of the portion 28 of the post; When the clamp support is raised to its uppermost position and swung outwardly `clockwise (as Viewed in Fig. 6) until the sides of slot 32 are in line with the sides 29 of portion '23 of the post, the support maybe slipped oi the post, the slot 32 passing over the portion 28. In a similar manner, the support may be slipped onto the post and by'turning or lowering it slightk ly will be retained on the post. To manipulate Athe clamp, a handle 35 is revolubly journalled the latter is placed withits long side against the plate 2| and is clamped thereto by plate 31 so that the knife will cut the bacon on a bias, providing an easy shearing cut. n

The meat rests on tcp of a horizontal table 38 (Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 7) which is adjustable vertically to permit slices of different thicknesses to be cut vfrom the bottom of the piece of meat by the knife blade 40 disposed at a slight angle to the horizontal. Fig. '1 illustrateshow the distance between the knife edge of bladeV I0 and the edge of table 38 determines the thickness of the slice cut oli. The depending extension 4I of table 38 guides the slice of meat as it is being cut. A pan may be placed onthe base Il) to receive the meat when it dropsfrom the knife.

The means for adjusting the heightof table 38 comprises a hexagonal shaft 4.5 rotatably mounted between the standards II and I2 below the table. A pair of like cams 46 approximately spiral shaped arelocated at opposite ends of the shaft and iixed thereto. Eachof a pair of parallel, like levers 41 extends to the right (as seen in Fig. 3) is pivoted intermediately and has its forwardend engaging the vcam surfaces of cams 46. 'I he rear ends of levers 41 are providedwith pins i8 seated in notches 49 of brackets 50 attached to the bottom of table 38 at the right end thereof. Similar levers 5I, one at each sidey ofthe machine, extending to the left have theirrear ends providedwith pins 52 coacting with slotted brackets at the left end of the table 38. Theforward ends of the levers I rest on like spiral cams 53 xed to shaft 45. A spring 54 is xed to each lower end of a pair of adjacent levers 41 and 5| urging the levers toward each other and into yielding engagement with their respective cams.

Extending from plate I2 is a fixed hub 55 adapted to serve as a bearing for the shaft 45 and provided with an index mark 55 and a stop lug 51. The end of shaft 45 projects from hub 55 and has a knob 58 pinned thereto. The knob is provided with an index wheel 59 having numbers inscribed thereon representing different thicknesses of slice to be cut. To'prevent the index wheel 59 being rotated past the zero point, the wheel is provided with a lug 60 to abut stop 51 when in zero position. y

The rotation of shaft 45 by means'o'f knob 58 will turn cams 46 and 53 which through coaction with levers 41 and 5I will raise or lower the table 38 to provide for a thickness of slice shown on the index wheel 59.

To the right of standard I2, the base I carries a motor 65'for driving a flywheel 10 and an eccentric disk 1| rigid with the flywheel. An eccentric sleeve 13 embraces said disk 1I and is oscillated thereby. Arm 14 extending from the eccentric sleeve 13 is pivoted to the lower endof a lever 15 which has at its upper end a segmental rack 16 for cooperating with a rack 11 fixed to the right hand end of a knife holder 10. The knife holder has disposed along its length a number of pins 19 which serve to locate and hold the-knife blade 4I)y against displacement laterally.v The blade similar to a safety razor blade maybe lifted off the pins to remove it from the holder. The previously mentioned top plate I3 mounted on standards I and I2 is provided with a guide slot 83 in which the knife holder 18 and knife blade 40 are located.

In operation, a piece of meat to be sliced is placed on the table 38 between clamp plate 31 and one of the walls 20 or 2| of the meat chute I9. The index wheel 59 is rotated until the desired thickness of slice to be cut is opposite the index mark 56. The table 38 is thereby adjusted to the necessary height relative to knife 40. The motor switch |00 (Fig. 2) is then turned on to start the motor which drives the gear 16. The latter coacts with rack 11 on the knife carrier 18 to rapidly and noiselessly reciprocate the knife blade 45 in its guides in the top plate I3. The operator with one hand grasps a handle |0| attached to the plate I1 at the right side thereof and beyond the adjacent ange I and with the .other hand grasps the handle 35` of the meat clamp to keep the meat firmly in position in the meat chute. By pulling on the handle |0| the operator slides the meat chute and plate |1 on which it is fixed towards and past the knife which cuts a slice from the bottom of the piece of meat as it passes onto the top of plate I3. When the operator pushes the meat chute to the rear of the machine after a slice is cut off, the clamp 31 being slidably mounted on post 22, the meat held thereby is free to move downwardly until the bottom of the meat contacts table 38. The meat holder or chute is moved backand forth until the required number of slices are cut off.

To clamp the end piece of the meat a special end clamp is provided comprising a horizontal pronged plate |05 (Figs. 4 and 5) and a vertical member |05 rigidly joined to the pronged plate. The member |06 has a vertical slot |01 therein fitting over the side plate 2| of the meat chute. The side plate 2| has fixed thereto a pair of strips |08 forming between them a guide slot |09 for restraining the rear portion of member I 06 to move vertically.

The end clamp holds the end piece of meat on table 38 and by actuation of handle |0|, the meat is moved by the pronged plate |05 relative to the knife. The downward movement of the clamp is limited by the end of slot |01 engaging the top of plate 2|.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intentiontherefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A slicing machine comprising a knife, an article holder movable to and from the knife, and a" clamp` mounted on the holder for clamping the article in the holder, said clamp comprising a face plate, a guard plate extending at an angle to and in back of the face plate, a plate parallel to the guard plate fixed to the face plate, and a handle provided at one side of the guard plate and carried between the two parallel plates in back of the face plate, the guard plate being located between the handle and the knife during cutting of the article.

2. A slicing machine comprising a-knife and means for feeding an article to and from `the knife, said means including a chute open at both ends and an end clamp having a face plate extending at an angle to the sides of the chute and a supporting element rigidly fastened to one side of the face plate and extending over an edge of one side of the lchute and'provided withfa slot for receiving the said side ofthe chute, the movement of the end clamp being limited by contact of the closed end of said slot with the said edge of the chute. A

3. The invention according to claim 2, in which the said side of the chute isprovided with guide means for restraining the supporting element to slidable movement on the chute ina fixed path.

4. A slicing machine comprising a movable knife, la. holder for carrying an article to the knife to be sliced, a clamp for engaging the article in the holder, a guide device on the holder extending transversely to the planerof the knife, a device on the clamp coacting with the guide device and movable therealongtowards and away from the knife plane, one of aforesaid devices having a slot extending parallel to the direction of movement of the clamp and through which the other device may freely pass when alined with the slot whereby the devices may be disengaged from each other by relative movement transverse to the direction of movement of the clamp.

5. Inra slicing machine, a knife and means for holding an article to be sliced thereby `comprising an article support, a clamp associated therewith, a carrier, a guide on the carrier and a coacting guide on the clamp for guiding the clamp to move towards said support, and one of said guides being slotted to permit the other guide to pass therethrough upon movement of the guides transversely to the direction along which the clamp moves towards the support, whereby the guides may be disconnected and theclamp removed from the carrier.

6. A slicing machine comprising a movable knife and means for carrying an article to the knife to be sliced thereby comprising a clamp for engaging the article, an underlying article support associated with the clamp, a guiding device for the clamp extending transversely to said support, a coacting guiding device on the clamp movable along the first-mentioned guiding device towards said support, one of aforesaid devices having a slot extending parallel to the direction of movement of the clamp and through which the other device may freely pass when alined with the slot whereby the devices may be disengaged from each other by relative movement transverse to aforesaid direction of movement of the clamp.

'7. In a slicing machine, a knife, a gage plate generally parallel to the knife, a carriage, means for reciprocatingly mounting the carriage for movement across the gage plate and knife to cause the latter to cut a slice from an article in the carriage, a clamp for holding the article in the carriage, a guide on the carriage extending transversely to the gage plate, a portion on the clamp coacting with the guide for slidably mounting the clamp for movement towards the gage plate, said guide and said clamp portion being constructed with interlocking parts yso arranged as to interlock with each other to prevent removal of the clamp from the guide except at the outer end of the travel of the clamp on the guide and to there permit the clamp to be freely removedfrom the guide by movement transversely to the guide substantially parallel to the gage plate, and means on the carriage for preventing removal of the clamp from the outer end of the guide by movement longitudinally of th guide.

8. In a slicing machine, a knife, a gage plate generally parallel to the knife, a carriage, means for reciprocatingly 'mounting the carriage for movement across the gage platev and knife to cause the latter to cut a slice from an article in the carriage, a clamp for holding the article in the carriage, a guide rod on the carriage extending transversely to the gage plate, a portion on the clamp slidably and rotatably coacting with the guide rod to mount the carriage for rmovement towards the gage plate and for pivotalmove ment in a plane generally parallel to the gage plate, said guide rod and clamp portion being constructed with parts interlocking to prevent removal of the portion from the guide rod except when the clamp is swung to a predetermined position in which said parts release each other to permit removal of the clamp from the guide rod by movement transversely to the guide rod, and means preventing removal of the clamp from the guide rod by movement of the clamp longitudinally of the guide rod.

EUGENE A. FORD.

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