US2173336A - Slicing machine - Google Patents

Description

sept. 19, 1939.- J. J. A-me er AL SLIQING IACHYINE Filed June 22, 1937 2 sheets-sheet 1. v

Sept. 19, 1939. J..|. LAMERE i- Al. 2,173,336

' sLIcIuG MACHINE Filed .June 22, 1937 2 Sheets-SheetI 2 5 I ,f n 1.* 29.5

l l ---a ZIV/W AY/ Ef@ Eff [mentions @el waere .'mwslerry Patented Sept. 19, i939 UNITED STATES '2,113,336 sLlclNG MACHINE Joel J. Lamerc, Wollaston, and Francis A. Perry,

Malden, Mass., assignors, by -mesne assignments, to General Scafoods Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application 1111113.22, 1937, Serial No. 149,630

4Claims.

This invention relates `to an improved slicing machine and more particularly to such a machine for slicing or skinning fish fillets or the like. The present invention affords an improved machine of the Vgeneral type disclosed in the copendlng application of Robert F. Jones, Serial No. 149,109, filed June 19, 193'?. Such a machine is provided with a lower feeding belt on which irregular objects, ,such as fillets, may be advanced to ya cutting knife. An upper presser means is arranged to press the, distortable fillet or the like downwardly into firm engagement with a sur` face portion of the feeding belt that isparallel to the cutting edge of the knife. slice of uniform thickness may be severed from the irregularly shaped fillet or the like. Presser means of the type disclosed in the above-identil fied application may comprise a plurality of in- Provided' with separate yieldable means allowing the belts to conform to the shape of the fillet or the like, or a single loosely meshed belt may,

be associated with a plurality of suitable weighted rolls or the like, so that the belt is pressed into engagement with the irregular upper surface of the llets.

In accordance with this invention, the upper presser belt means is greatly simplified and .may comprise a single wide belt of elastic material which extends between two rolls, one of which is located in the region of the cutting knife. This roll is mounted on the ends of swinging arms so that it hasvsome freedom of vertical movement and is preferably formed of distortable material. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the presser belt is formed of a soft rather thick sheet of rubber, while the roll adjoining the knife is formed of soft, readily'distortable rubber.

40 A machine constructed in accordance with our invention may be provided with a single driving and 55 Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional detail showin Thus a thin dividual belts separately mounted on pulleys and y fords various advantageous mechanical arrange (cin-2) 4 the arrangement of the cutting portion of theY knife and of related parts.

A machine constructed in accordance with this invention may comprise a frame I having side bars 3 which may be conveniently vof angular 5 cross section and which are supported by legs,

l 2, 2*`ar id 2", the side bars being connected by suitable transverse connecting elements. Such a machine may be provided with a single driving motor 4 provided with a sprocket 5 from which a 10 chain 6 extends to a sprocket 1 (Fig. 2) on a `transverse l shaft 3. The-.shaft 8- also supports a pinion 9 which mesheswith a gear II rotat- ,able with a sprocket I2. A, second sprocket is .rotatable `with the sprocket I2 and the gear II 15 and drives a chain 2li which-'extends about a sprocket 2l mounted on a shaft 22. A second sprocket 23 on the shaft22 drives a chain 24 extending about a klarge sprocket 25 on a transverse shaft 26. A roll 42| (Fig. 1) is `mounted 20 on the shaft 26 and the feeding belt 30 extends\ about this roll 21 at one end of the machine, A large gear 29 is also mounted on the shaft 26 and meshes with a gear 30a which is arranged to drive a sprocket 3I and a chain 32 which in 25 turn drives a sprocket 33 on a shaft 34. The lati ter supports an upper roll about which the end portion of the presser belt 36 extends.

Theshaft 8 extends across the machine and into a gear housing I3 at the opposite side of 30 the machine from the driving motor 4. Suitable. reduction gearing is provided in the housing I3 to drive a shaft I4 on whichva sprocket 40 is located, Fig.. 3. A short chain 4I extends about this sprocket and about a sprocket 42 rotat- 35 able with a pulley 45. The band knife extends about Vthis pulley 45 and about a correspondingly freely rotatable pulley 45 at the opposite side of the frame I. Y* The sprocket I2 drives a chain I6 and a sprocket 40 I1 which in turny is connected to a sharpening disk. I3 which rotates in a planey perpendicular to the direction of extent of the upper or cutting run of the band. knife 50, the 'periphery of y this disk engaging the edge of the band knife 45 and thus sharpening the latter as it moves transversely above the upper run of the feeding belt 3u. The lower run of the belt 30 'passes over a Vtransverse bar. which extends between the frame members 3 at opposite sides of the ma- 5@ chine. and the belt extends about a roll 56 at the endof the machine remote from the roll 21. The pper run of the belt 30 mayv incline upwardly fromthe roll 56 and may pass onto a metal apron 51 which extendsbeneath the cut- 5| ting portion of the knife 50 and to the region of the roll 21. As shown, suitable adjustable supporting means 59 may be provided for the end of the apron 51 which is remote from the roll 21, thus permitting some variation in the height of this portion of the apron and of the belt and consequent adjustment in the angular relationship of the cutting portion of the knife and the adjoining surface of the feeding belt.

The feeding belt 30 may be formed of any suitable material, but we prefer to employ a reticulated wire belt such as is disclosed in the aboveidentified Jones application. Y Suitable spray means (not shown) may be provided over the lower run of this belt in the manner shownin the above-identified application, if desired, thus to facilitate cleaning of the belt. The presser belt 36 may extend from the roll 35 about a roll 60 which is supported on a shaft 6I extending between the ends of arms 62. The opposite ends 0f these arms are pivotally connected to uprights 64 so that the rolls 60 may move upwardly, but this upward movement is opposed by the weight of the roll and of the adjoining ends of the arms 62.

Preferably, as shown, the pulleys 45 and 45a are disposed in a plane which is inclined relative to the apron 51 and the adjoining portion of the belt 30. The upper run of the band knife 5D accordingly is inclined at an angle to the adfective even When no fillets are passing through the machine in diverting the adjoining portion of the rubber presser belt 30 from the cutting edge of the knife. Thus accidental cutting of* the presser belt itself is prevented.

Referring in more detail to the roll 60 it will be u. noted from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 4, that the cutting edge of the knife is disposed adjoining this roll but not directly beneath the axis of-the same. The ,roll is, however, close enough to the knife to cooperate with the yieldable and elastic presser belt 36 in 'pressing the upper portion of the fish llet downwardly so that its lower surface is pressed firmly against the planar surface of the feeding belt 3 0. Accordingly, since the cutting edge of the knife is in closely parallel relation to this surface of the belt 30, the knife may be effective in cutting a thin slice of uniform thickness from the irregularly shaped fillet. Infact the parts may be so positioned and adjusted that the thickness of this slice may be but little, if any, greater than the thickness of the skin itself. Accordingly, a machine of this type is adapted to skin fillets Without substantial waste. The roll 60, as shown in Fig. 3, preferably consists of a series of 'soft rubber disks 60* which are held in place on the shaft 6| by metal end plates B3. y

When this machine is in operation, a fillet is disposed on the upper run of the feeding belt 30 in the region of the roll 56 and is carried by thebelt over the metal apron 5T and beneath the presser belt 36 and the yieldable roll 60. Ihe manner in which the roll and belt are distorted as the llet F passes beneath the same is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The yieldable roll and the elastic nature of the belt itself cause the belt to be drawn downwardly in engagement with the irregularly convex'upper surface of the fillet, thus .distorting the same and pressing its lower surface downwardly so that it conforms to the planar surface of the lower belt. Accordingly the knife 50 may cut athin uniform slice S from the bodyportion of the fillet, this slice passing beneath the knife 50 and the knife guide 65, as

I shown in Fig. 4, while the fillet passes over the knife guide. The fillet and the slice or skin then p-ass along on the belt 30 over the roll 21. The skin tending to cling to the belt may pass downwardly and drop into a suitable receptacle, not shown, while the llet may be lifted therefrom.

It is evident that the present invention affords a simple, compact and convenient machine for slicing or Skinning fish fillets or the like, and that such a machine is characterized by a particularly simple presser means adapted yieldably to press down upon substantially all portions of the upper surface of the irregularly shaped llet.

We claim:

l. A slicing machine of the class described, comprising a knife providing a portion with a straight cutting edge, feeding belt means to carry an irregular distortable object to said knife portion, said means providing a surface in-parallel juxtaposition to the knife edge, and an upper presser belt having a lower run above the feeding belt means in the region of the knife, said upper belt being formed of yieldable and readily stretchable material having the characteristics of rubber, the belt being arranged to conform to the irregular shape of the object and press it -firmly against the said surface of the feeding belt means, and a yieldable roll disposed above the knife, the belt extending about said roll, the roll also being formed of resilient material having the characteristics of a rather soft rubber.

2. A slicing machine of the class described, comprising a. knife providing a portion with a straight cutting edge, a feeding belt means arranged to carry an irregular .distortable object to said knife portion, said means providing a surface in parallel juxtaposition to the knife edge, an upper presser belt of elastic resilient material arranged to conform to the irregular shape of the objectand press it firmly against said surface of the feeding belt means, and a yieldable roll disposed above the knife, the belt extending about said roll, the roll being deformable when tension is imposed upon the belt as it conforms to an irregular object.

3. A slicing machine of the class described,comprising a knife providing a portion with a straight cutting edge, a feeding belt means arranged to carry an irregular distortable object to said knife portion, said means providing a surface in parallel juxtaposition to the knife edge, an upper presser belt of elastic resilient material arranged to conform to the irregular shape of the object and press it firmly against said surface of the feeding belt means, said knife being a band knife -and having a run disposed at an angle of the to said knife portion, said means providing a surface in parallel juxtaposition to the knife edge, an upper presser belt ot elastic material arranged to conform to the irregular shape of the object and pressit firmly against said surface oi the feeding beit means, a first and a. second roll upon which the presser belt is mounted, said second roll being disposed abovesaid knife but not directly over 4the same whereby the presser belt l. is drawn over the knife, and. bars pivotally mounted on the frame and rotatably supporting said second roll, the weight' cf said second roll yand of the adjoining portions of the bars tending `to press the second roll yieldabiy downwardly so that a. yieldable pressure is imposed by the elastic presser belt upon the portion ci the irregular object being cut by the knife.

JOEL J. LAMERE. FRANCIS A. PERRY.

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