US1806076A - Meat marker - Google Patents

Description

May E95 IQL v H MCKEE Y MEAT MARKER Filed June 29, 19::8 s sheets-sheet 1 ffl H. H. MCKEE May 19, i931.

MEAT MARKER Filed June 29,

5 Sheets-Sheet May E99 g. H, H., McKEE l@ mim* MARKER Filed June 29 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l Patented May I9,

HARRY HENRY MCKEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 yS\Wl -`li" COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS MEAT MARKER Application filed June 29,

This invention relates to meat ymarking devices and is particularly directed to certain improvements in the meat marking apparatus described and claimed in my c0- pending application, Serial No. 208,668, filed July 97, 1927. No claim is made herein to the method which constitutes the subject matter of my copending application, Serial No. 415,838, filed December 2l, 1929, for improvement in methods of marking meats.

The main objets of this invention are to provide an improved structure and arrangement of the various parts of the apparatus for greater ease of operation; to provide improved construction for the fountain whereby the ink feed is improved and whereby the capacity of the ink reservoir may be greatly enlarged by utilizing the space within the handle, without increasing the bulk of the apparatus; and to provide an improved structure and arrangement of the type needles, whereby the device may be more readily directed along a curved path, and whereby the risk of accidental breakage of the needles may be practically eliminated.

A specific construction embodying this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: o

Figure l is a front elevation of the improved meat marker, the inking wheel being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, a portion of one of the'side walls of the marking roller being broken away to illustrate the method of fastening the type plates.

Figure 3 is afragmentary sectional detail ofthe inking fountain and handle.

-the needles thereon. n this figure, as

Figure 4 is a section of the ink fountain taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 'is a fragmentary face View of the type wheel illustrating the diagonal arrangement of the type plate and the mounting olf we as in Figure 2, some of the banks of needles are indicated in` dotted outline to'simplify the work of illustration.

Figure 6 is an illustrative view of a ham showing applied thereto a band ofgmarkings, irhl as a trade mark or other desired' indicia f for the application of which upon meats the 1928. Serial No. 289,292.

herein described apparatus is particularly designed.

Figure 7 is a sectional view of one of the inking plates shown in connection with apparatus employed in the assembly thereof, when the needles are fastened by welding.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the general relation of the marker with respect to the piece of meat, while the band of markings is being applied to the latter by'rolling the roller over its surface.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the apparatus comprises in general an inking roller 1 having projecting needles 2, serving as ink carrying ingersarranged around its periphery in type form and carried by a handle 3 whereby 1t may be rolled over a piece of meat for the purpose of pricking the ink into the surface thereof and thereby applying thereto a band of markings of the general character described in m said co-pend.- ing application. Ink is applied to the sides of the needles by means of a brush 4 supplied by an ink fountain 5 associated with the handle, as will be hereinafter described.

The inking roller comprises a hub 6 journaled on a shaft 7 and having a central web or spider 8 carrying a broad rim 9 to which are bolted a series of type plates 10, each carrying a group of said needles 2 arranged in suitable relation to make the desired m1- print into the meat. The plates- 10 are preferably setso that the words appearing thereon will stand at an angle to the axis ofthe roller, since it is found that this arrangement allows the roller to be moved along a curved path over the surface of the meat while the needles are pricking the marking pigment into the same and with a minimum of resistance by the needles embedded in the meat. Each late 10 is preferablyseparately attached by E to permit the plates to be readily removed and replaced for the purpose of repair or substituting different type characters. The sides of the wheel 1 are preferably covered by plates l2 held by screws 13.

A preferred method of assembling the type plates is illustrated in Figure 7, wherein one olts or screws 11 to the rim 9- i between the having an oil bath 14 in which the hard points of the needles are submerged while the head ends thereof are welded to the plate 10. In this manner it is possible to weld the needles into their perforations in the plates without drawing the temper of the points of the needles, although the welding operation serves to anneal the parts of the needles in the immediate vicinity of the plate 10, whereby the risk of breakage of needles in the operation and handlin of the apparatus is practically eliminate since a lateral strain, which would ordinarily break a needle that is hardened throughout its length, will merely bend the needle having an annealed shank.`

The shaft 7 is carried by a frame comprising `a pair of sector-shaped side brackets 15 which are integral with the handle 3, which is of arcuate shape and lies in the plane of and substantially parallel with the adjacent part of the periphery of the wheel. A guard 16 prevents any possibility of injury to the operators ngers by the needles 2.

Ink is ap lied to the sides of the needles by means of t e brush 4, which is in turn supplied with ink by means of an inking fountain 5 comprising a reservoir back of the brush. The bristles of the brush are embedded in a plate 17 of rubber andare partly enclosed in a tubular sheath 18. The ink supply reservoir 19, which is immediately adjacent to the brush, is connected to the space fibres of the brush by small apertures 20 extending through the rubber disk 17. The handle 3 is hollow and contains a tubular reservoir 21.

The ink reservoir 21 communicates with the ink reservoir 19 preferably through a restricted orifice 22 which gives a further controll to the ink feed. The ink reservoir 21 is enclosed by a plug or ca Y 23 at its upper end and is preferably provided with a gasket 2li for air tight closure. In the form shown, this gasket bears upon the adjacent end of the handle 3 for the purpose of steadying the upper end of the ink reservoir within the handle.

The operation ofthe device shown is as folows:

In marking meat the operator grasps the handle 3 and sweeps the roller over the surface of the meat, as illustrated in Figure 8, so as to apply one or more bands of marks in order that the trade-mark or other marking, which is applied thereby, will appear upon any of the usual cuts or portions into which the piece of meat'is subdivided for various retail orders.

As the roller sweeps over the meat, the points of the lneedle penetrate the surface thereof and prick the ink into it. The needles, passing through the brush of the ink fountain, are coated with ink throughout the length of that portion of the needles which penetrates the meat, the ink is fed by capillarity to the bristles ofthe needles but on account of the presence of the restricted passages leading to the ink reservoirs, the ink does not feed in excessive amounts. The tight closure 23 at the top of the ink reservoir 21 prevents the inflow of vair and thereby prevents too rapid a flow of ink. v

The operator may control the iiow of lnk by occasionally unscrewing the plug 23to becomes familiar with the condltions of inkv flow and manipulates the cap at roper intervals without having to glve t e subject much attention.

Different kinds of meat require different arrangements of the band or bands of-markings and, since but few of the needles penetrate the meat at a time, it is possible to sweep `the apparatus over the meat in such manner as to make either a straight or curved band of markings without undue resistance by the needles and without having them tear the surface of the meat. Y

It has been found that the diagonal arrangement of the type plates on the surface of the roller contributes to the ease with which it may be swung around a curved path.

In Figure 6, I have illustrated the manner in which the markings are ap lied to a ham, injwhich 'case the band of marngs is preferably made along the broad strip of fat which appears between the edge of the skin and the exposed esh of the inner or cut side of the ham, and the individual trade-marks or other words, which indicate the source or qualit of the goods, read crosswise of the band of markings and would thus appear upon any of the minor cuts or `ortions into which the ham may be subdivi ed when sold inless than the complete unit, The butcher, in cutt' up a ham, usually cuts o the butt end on a line indicated by the line 25 in Figure 6, this particular cut being determined by the bone structure within the ham. Minor cuts are usually made along lines paralleltotheline25 and the heck is cut o' at a place indicated by the line 26, also approximately parallel to the line 25. It will be seen that when a band of markin sis a plied, as shown in Figure 6, the tra e-mar' will appear upon any of the minor cuts.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be ali 111g ne.

tered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims:

I claim: p

E l. A meat marker comprising a roller, needles projecting from the periphery thereof, a pair of spaced side brackets in Which said roller is journaled, a handle on said brackets lying in the plane of the roller and extending in the general direction of the periphery thereof, a brush carried by said frame for inking said needles and an ink reservoir mounted in said handle and communicating with said brush for supplying ink thereto.

2. A meat marker comprising a wheel, pointed type needles projecting from the periphery thereof, an inking brush arrangedl to ink the sides of said needles, a sheath en closing the base of said brush, an ink reser- Voirl having a contracted outlet orifice communicating with the interior of said sheath, and means for controlling the admission of air to said reservoir to regulate the ink feed.

3. A meat marker comprising a roller,

a plurality of ink carrying fingers projecting from the periphery thereof, a pair of spaced side brackets in which said roller is journaled, a handle on said brackets lying in the plane of the roller and extending in the general direction of the periphery thereof, a brush carried by said frame for inking said` fingers and an ink reservoir mounted in said handle and communicating with said brush for supplying ink thereto.

Signed at Chicago this 26th day of June,

HARRY H. MOKEE.

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