Apparatus for testing meat and the like

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TESTING MEAT, OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING, (A) A CUTTING BLADE POSITIONABLE INTO CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE MEAT, (B) DRIVE MEANS ACTUATING THE BLADE OVER A PLURALITY OF MEAT-CUTTING CYCLES DURING A PENETRATION, (C) MEANS MAINTAING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT BLADETO-MEAT PRESSURE DURING THE SAID CUTTING CYCLES, (D) TRANSFER MEANS PROVIDING AN OUTPUT VOLTAGE WHICH VARIES IN MAGNITUDE WITH DISPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSDUCER MEANS, (E) MEANS COUPLING THE TRANSDUCER MEANS TO THE BLADE SUCH THAT THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSDUCER IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE DEPTH OF PENETRATION OF THE BLADE INTO THE MEAT, (F) VOLTAGE-INTEGRATING MEANS, (G) CIRCUIT ELEMENTS IMPRESSING THE SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE ACROSS THE INTEGRATING MEANS FOR A FIRST PREDETERMINED TIME PERIOD DURING A FIRST SELECTED MEAT CUTTING CYCLE OF THE BLADE, THEREBY PROVIDING A FIRST VOLTAGE SIGNAL, (H) CIRCUIT ELEMENTS IMPRESSING THE SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE ACROSS THE INTEGRATING MEANS FOR A SECOND EQUAL PREDETERMINED TIME PERIOD NOT INCLUDED IN SAID FIRST TIME PERIOD, DURING A SECOND SELECTED MEAT-CUTTING CYCLE OF THE BLADE THEREBY PROVIDING A SECOND VOLTAGE SIGNAL, (I) AND READ-OUT MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE DIFFERENCE OF THE SIGNAL VOLTAGES.