Mixture density control apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THE PERCENT OF FAT IN A FLOWING FAT-LEAN MEAT MIXTURE TO A PRESELECTED VALVE, COMPRISING A TUBE, A DEFORMABLE LINER POSITIONED TO EXTEND THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE TUBE AND ADAPTED TO PASS THE FAT-LEAN MEAT MIXTURE IN A COMPRESSED STATE THERETHROUGH, A WEIGHING MEANS, ONE PORTION OF THE TUBE BEING MOUNTED ON THE WEIGHTING MEANS TO GENERATE A PRESSURE SIGNAL THAT IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE WEIGHT OF THE FAT PASSING THROUGH THE LINER WHEN THE MIXTURE IS IN A PRESELECTED COMPRESSED STATE, A PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO THE LINER FOR MOVEMENT BY CHANGES OCCURRING IN THE PRESSURE OF THE MIXTURE ACTING ON THE WALL OF THE LINER AND RESPONSIVE TO ANY OTHER PRESSURE CHANGE THAT OCCURS IN THE COMPRESSED STATE OF THE MIXTURE FROM A PRESELECTED FAT-MEAT RATIO WEIGHT VALUE, SAID PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS BEING OPERABLY CONNECTED WITH THE WEIGHING MEANS TO APPLY A FORCE THERETO AT ANOTHER PORTION THEREOF THAT IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PRESSURE CHANGE OCCURRING IN THE MIXTURE, AND AN ADJUSTABLE RESTRICTING MEANS POSITIONED AT SPACED-APART PORTIONS OF THE TUBE, SAID RESTRICTING MEANS BEING OPERABLY RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES OCCURING IN THE PRESSURE SIGNAL GENERATED BY THE WEIGHING MEANS TO EFFECT AN INCREASE IN THE FLOW OF THE MIXTURE PASSING THROUGH ONE OF THE RESTRICTING MEANS WHILE EFFECTING A DECREASE IN THE FLOW RATE OF THE MIXTURE PASSING THROUGH THE OTHER RESTRICTING MEANS, A PRESSURE GAGE RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES OCCURING IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PRESSURE SIGNAL GENERATED BY THE WEIGHING MEANS TO CONTINUOUSLY INDICATE THE PERCENTAGE OF FAT IN THE FAT-LEAN MEAT MIXTURE PASSING THROUGH THE TUBE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THE PERCENT OF FAT IN A FLOWING FAT-LEAN MEAT MIXTURE TO A PRESELECTED VALVE, COMPRISING A TUBE, A DEFORMABLE LINER POSITIONED TO EXTEND THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE TUBE AND ADAPTED TO PASS THE FAT-LEAN MEAT MIXTURE IN A COMPRESSED STATE THERETHROUGH, A WEIGHING MEANS, ONE PORTION OF THE TUBE BEING MOUNTED ON THE WEIGHTING MEANS TO GENERATE A PRESSURE SIGNAL THAT IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE WEIGHT OF THE FAT PASSING THROUGH THE LINER WHEN THE MIXTURE IS IN A PRESELECTED COMPRESSED STATE, A PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO THE LINER FOR MOVEMENT BY CHANGES OCCURRING IN THE PRESSURE OF THE MIXTURE ACTING ON THE WALL OF THE LINER AND RESPONSIVE TO ANY OTHER PRESSURE CHANGE THAT OCCURS IN THE COMPRESSED STATE OF THE MIXTURE FROM A PRESELECTED FAT-MEAT RATIO WEIGHT VALUE, SAID PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS BEING OPERABLY CONNECTED WITH THE WEIGHING MEANS TO APPLY A FORCE THERETO AT ANOTHER PORTION THEREOF THAT IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PRESSURE CHANGE OCCURRING IN THE MIXTURE, AND AN ADJUSTABLE RESTRICTING MEANS POSITIONED AT SPACED-APART PORTIONS OF THE TUBE, SAID RESTRICTING MEANS BEING OPERABLY RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES OCCURING IN THE PRESSURE SIGNAL GENERATED BY THE WEIGHING MEANS TO EFFECT AN INCREASE IN THE FLOW OF THE MIXTURE PASSING THROUGH ONE OF THE RESTRICTING MEANS WHILE EFFECTING A DECREASE IN THE FLOW RATE OF THE MIXTURE PASSING THROUGH THE OTHER RESTRICTING MEANS, A PRESSURE GAGE RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES OCCURING IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PRESSURE SIGNAL GENERATED BY THE WEIGHING MEANS TO CONTINUOUSLY INDICATE THE PERCENTAGE OF FAT IN THE FAT-LEAN MEAT MIXTURE PASSING THROUGH THE TUBE.