Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
201 words
In an apparatus for comminuting meat and similar material, a combination comprising housing means having an inlet for material to be comminuted; a first comminuting assembly arranged in said housing means in the path of material entering through said inlet, and including a pair of concentric annular comminuting members each having a set of circumferentially distributed cutting edges facing the corresponding set on the comminuting member so that material passing between said comminuting members is comminuted by said cutting edges; a second comminuting assembly arranged downstream of said first comminuting assembly in the path of material comminuted by the same, said second comminuting assembly comprising a stationary apertured plate member having a major surface facing said first comminuting assembly, a cutter member being slidable axially and mounted adjacent said major surface of said plate member for rotation about an axis transverse to said major surface in sliding contact with the latter and biasing means bearing against said cutter member and urging the same into sliding contact with said major surface; and drive means for rotating one of said annular comminuting members with reference to the other, and for rotating said cutter member about said axis with reference to said plate member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
201 words
In an apparatus for comminuting meat and similar material, a combination comprising housing means having an inlet for material to be comminuted; a first comminuting assembly arranged in said housing means in the path of material entering through said inlet, and including a pair of concentric annular comminuting members each having a set of circumferentially distributed cutting edges facing the corresponding set on the comminuting member so that material passing between said comminuting members is comminuted by said cutting edges; a second comminuting assembly arranged downstream of said first comminuting assembly in the path of material comminuted by the same, said second comminuting assembly comprising a stationary apertured plate member having a major surface facing said first comminuting assembly, a cutter member being slidable axially and mounted adjacent said major surface of said plate member for rotation about an axis transverse to said major surface in sliding contact with the latter and biasing means bearing against said cutter member and urging the same into sliding contact with said major surface; and drive means for rotating one of said annular comminuting members with reference to the other, and for rotating said cutter member about said axis with reference to said plate member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, said housing means defining an interior chamber, and said first and second comminuting assemblies both being arranged in said interior chamber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said drive means comprises a rotary shaft, and wherein said one annular comminuting member and said cutter member are both mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said spring means comprises a biasing spring bearing against said cutter member and one of said annular comminuting members.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 3; and further comprising means maintaining for said cutter member freedom of limited rocking movement about and with reference to said shaft.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 3, said cutter member comprising a support and a plurality of knife blades; and further comprising securing means securing said knife blades to said support with limited freedom of rocking movement relative thereto.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
75 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 6, said knife blades each having an elongated edge face facing a surface of said support, said edge face having opposite ends and being provided intermediate said ends with a protuberance abutting against said surface of said support; and wherein said securing means comprises a plurality of securing screws each securing one of said knife blades to said support with freedom of rocking movement about the respective protuberance.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 7, said cutter member being slidable axially of said shaft toward and away from said major surface; and spring means biasing said cutter member towards said major surface so as to maintain said knife blades in sliding contact with the same.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 8, said cutter member further comprising a plurality of adjusting screws each threaded into said support and each having a free end portion, and wherein each of said protuberances abuts against one of said free end portions.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 1; and further comprising guide means for guiding comminuted material from said first comminuting assembly to said second comminuting assembly.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 10, said guide means comprising a tubular member extending between said assemblies and having an inner circumferential surface along which comminuted material moves from said first to said second comminuting assembly.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
75 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said tubular member comprises two spaced end portions one of which has a first internal diameter and surrounds said first comminuting assembly radially outwardly thereof and the other of which has a smaller second internal diameter and surrounds said cutter member radially outwardly thereof, and an intermediate portion connecting said end portions and having an internal diameter which converges in direction towards said other end portion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
79 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 3, said housing means including a circumferential wall and a transverse wall defining downstream of said second comminuting assembly an annular space into which material comminuted by said second assembly enters; and further comprising a plate element mounted in said annular space adjacent to said end wall in parallelism with said apertured plate member, said plate element being rotatable together with said cutter member about the axis of rotation of the latter.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
60 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 13, said plate element including a sleeve portion penetrating said apertured plate member through a central opening thereof and concentrically surrounding said shaft connected to the latter for rotation therewith, and wherein said cutter member is mounted on said sleeve portion surrounding the same and having limited freedom of rocking movement relative thereto.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 13, said plate element having a surface facing said apertured plate member, and being provided on said surface with a plurality of radially extending ribs.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein said plate element has a diameter greater than the diameter of said apertured plate member.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
44 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 15, said plate element including a central opening and said ribs extending radially of said opening, and wherein said surface is provided with a radial groove encircling said central opening and the bases of the respective ribs.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said second comminuting assembly is replaceably mounted in said housing means so as to be replaceable with a comminuting assembly similar to said first comminuting assembly at the will of an operator.