Safety device for bacon press

Claim 2

A bacon press for molding slabs of bacon into preselected shapes, a base, a generally rectangular-shaped mold for receiving therein a bacon slab to be molded and including a bottom, opposed vertical front and rear walls, and opposed vertical side walls, at least one of said vertical side walls being shiftable relative to the other vertical walls between extended compressing position and a retracted open position for applying lateral compression to the bacon slab, a horizontal ram connected to said one vertical wall and being extensible and retractable to move said one vertical wall between said compressing and retracting positions, a vertically shiftable ram shiftable between elevated retracted and lowered compressing portions, said vertical ram having a lower surface engageable with the slab of bacon within the mold to vertically compress the same, when the ram is shifted to the lowered compressing position, an operating circuit connected to a source of electrical current, an electrically operated control valve in said operating circuit and controlling sequential operation of said vertical and horizontal rams, said operating circuit and control valve serving to cause said horizontal ram to be extended to first laterally compress the bacon, and thereafter causing said vertical ram to be extended to then vertically compress the bacon slab, a photoelectric control circuit connected to said operating circuit and including a plurality of vertically spaced apart light receiving components mounted on said base and spaced forwardly and laterally of said mold, a plurality of vertically spaced apart light producing components disposed in spaced opposed relation to said light receiving components and mounted on said base and forwardly and laterally of said mold, said light receiving and light producing components extending vertically from said base upwardly beyond the lower surface of the vertical ram when the latter is in the retracted position and being automatically operable to open said control circuit and operating circuit when an obstruction obstructs the passage of light to any of said light receiving components to thereby instantly stop operation of said vertical ram.

Claim 3

A bacon press for molding slabs of bacon into preselected shapes, a base, a generally rectangular-shaped mold for receiving therein a bacon slab to be molded and including a bottom, opposed vertical front and rear walls, and opposed vertical side walls, at least one of said vertical side walls being shiftable relative to the other vertical walls between extended compressing position and a retracted open position for applying lateral compression to the bacon slab, a horizontal ram connected to said one vertical wall and being extensible and retractable to move said one vertical wall between said compressing and retracting positions, a vertically shiftable ram shiftable between elevated retracted and lowered compressing portions, said vertical ram having a loWer surface engageable with the slab of bacon within the mold to vertically compress the same, when the ram is shifted to the lowered compressing position, an operating circuit connected to a source of electrical current, an electrically operated control valve in said operating circuit and controlling operation of said vertical and horizontal rams, a photoelectric control circuit connected to said operating circuit and including a plurality of vertically spaced apart light receiving components mounted on said base and spaced forwardly and laterally of said mold, a plurality of vertically spaced apart light producing components disposed in spaced opposed relation to said light receiving components and mounted on said base and forwardly and laterally of said mold, said light receiving and light producing components extending vertically from said base upwardly beyond the lower surface of the vertical ram when the latter is in the retracted position and being automatically operable to open said control circuit and operating circuit when an obstruction obstructs the passage of light to any of said light receiving components to thereby instantly stop operation of said vertical ram, and a pair of spaced apart activating levers on said press, each being shiftable between operable and inoperable positions, said operating circuit being energized only when both of said levers are in the operable position and being de-energized when either of said levers are in the inoperable position, the spacing between the levers being of a magnitude to require an operator to use both hands when simultaneously closing the levers.

Claim 4

A bacon press for molding slabs of bacon into preselected shapes, a base, a generally rectangular-shaped mold for receiving therein a bacon slab to be molded and including a bottom, opposed vertical front and rear walls, and opposed vertical side walls, at least one of said vertical side walls being shiftable relative to the other vertical walls between extended compressing position and a retracted open position for applying lateral compression to the bacon slab, a horizontal ram connected to said one vertical wall and being extensible and retractable to move said one vertical wall between said compressing and retracting positions, a vertically shiftable ram shiftable between elevated retracted and lowered compressing portions, said vertical ram having a loWer surface engageable with the slab of bacon within the mold to vertically compress the same, when the ram is shifted to the lowered compressing position, an operating circuit connected to a source of electrical current, an electrically operated control valve in said operating circuit and controlling operation of said vertical and horizontal rams, a photoelectric control circuit connected to said operating circuit and including a plurality of vertically spaced apart light receiving components mounted on said base and spaced forwardly and laterally of said mold, a plurality of vertically spaced apart light producing components disposed in spaced opposed relation to said light receiving components and mounted on said base and forwardly and laterally of said mold, said light receiving and light producing components extending vertically from said base upwardly beyond the lower surface of the vertical ram when the latter is in the retracted position and being automatically operable to open said control circuit and operating circuit when an obstruction obstructs the passage of light to any of said light receiving components to thereby instantly stop operation of said vertical ram, and a pair of spaced apart activating levers on said press, each being shiftable between operable and inoperable positions, said operating circuit being energized only when both of said levers are in the operable position and being de-energized when either of said levers are in the inoperable position, the spacing between the levers being of a magnitude to require an operator to use both hands when simultaneously closing the levers.

Claim 5

A bacon press for molding slabs of bacon into preselected shapes, a base, a generally rectangular-shaped mold for receiving therein a bacon slab to be molded and including a bottom, opposed vertical front and rear walls, and opposed vertical side walls, at least one of said vertical side walls being shiftable relative to the other vertical walls between extended compressing position and a retracted open position for applying lateral compression to the bacon slab, a horizontal ram connected to said one vertical wall and being extensible and retractable to move said one vertical wall between said compressing and retracting positions, a vertically shiftable ram shiftable between elevated retracted and lowered compressing portions, said vertical ram having a lower surface engageable with the slab of bacon within the mold to vertically compress the same, when the ram is shifted to the lowered compressing position, an operating circuit connected to a source of electrical current, an electrically operated control valve in said operating circuit and controlling operation of said vertical and horizontal rams, a photoelectric control circuit connected to said operating circuit and including a plurality of vertically spaced apart light receiving components mounted on said base and spaced forwardly and laterally of said mold, a plurality of vertically spaced apart light producing components disposed in spaced opposed relation to said light receiving components and mounted on said base and forwardly and laterally of said mold, said light receiving and light producing components extending vertically from said base upwardly beyond the lower surface of the vertical ram when the latter is in the retracted position and being automatically operable to open said control circuit and operating circuit when an obstruction obstructs the passage of light to any of said light receiving components to thereby instantly stop operation of said vertical ram, and a control switch disposed in circuit controlling relation with said photoelectric cell control circuit and being shiftable between manual and automatic positions, said control switch when shifted to the automatic position electrically interrelating said photoelectric cell control circuit with said operating circuit, and when shifted to the manual position, permitting said operating Circuit to control operation of said rams when both of said levers are in the operable position while rendering said photoelectric cell control circuit inoperative.

Claim 6

A bacon press for molding slabs of bacon into preselected shapes, a base, a generally rectangular-shaped mold for receiving therein a bacon slab to be molded and including a bottom, opposed vertical front and rear walls, and opposed vertical side walls, at least one of said vertical side walls being shiftable relative to the other vertical walls between extended compressing position and a retracted open position for applying lateral compression to the bacon slab, a horizontal ram connected to said one vertical wall and being extensible and retractable to move said one vertical wall between said compressing and retracting positions, a vertically shiftable ram shiftable between elevated retracted and lowered compressing portions, said vertical ram having a lower surface engageable with the slab of bacon within the mold to vertically compress the same, when the ram is shifted to the lowered compressing position, an operating circuit connected to a source of electrical current, an electrically operated control valve in said operating circuit and controlling operation of said vertical and horizontal rams, a photoelectric control circuit connected to said operating circuit and including a plurality of vertically spaced apart light receiving components mounted on said base and spaced forwardly and laterally of said mold, a plurality of vertically spaced apart light producing components disposed in spaced opposed relation to said light receiving components and mounted on said base and forwardly and laterally of said mold, said light receiving and light producing components extending vertically from said base upwardly beyond the lower surface of the vertical ram when the latter is in the retracted position and being automatically operable to open said control circuit and operating circuit when an obstruction obstructs the passage of light to any of said light receiving components to thereby instantly stop operation of said vertical ram, and a control switch disposed in circuit controlling relation with said photoelectric cell control circuit and being shiftable between manual and automatic positions, said control switch when shifted to the automatic position electrically interrelating said photoelectric cell control circuit with said operating circuit, and when shifted to the manual position, permitting said operating Circuit to control operation of said rams when both of said levers are in the operable position while rendering said photoelectric cell control circuit inoperative.