120results about "Rind cutting-off apparatus" patented technology

A method and apparatus that uses safety apparel that has an identification element so that a sensor on a machine may detect the presence of the identification element. Upon detecting the presence of the identification element, the sensors electronically activate a series of switches and relays that allow the machine to operate. A plurality of relays can be set up so that when certain operational parameters occur, or do not occur, the machine is shut down. This includes a timing circuit to ensure the machine is being properly operated. Once the machine shuts down the operator must repeat the procedure of placing the identification element in communication with the sensors.

A rotary knife includes a handle, a rotatable annular blade, and a blade carrier assembly. The blade carrier assembly includes an expandable blade housing operably coupled to the handle and configured to removably support the blade. The blade housing is movable relative to the handle between a blade-securing condition, in which the blade housing securely supports the blade for rotational operation, and a relatively expanded blade-releasing condition, in which the blade housing permits removal and installation of the blade relative to the blade housing. The carrier assembly includes a lever mechanism shiftably mounted relative to the handle and configured when shifted to expand the blade housing from the blade-securing condition to the blade-releasing condition.

A tool device for rotary knives of the type that comprises a handle associated with a tool supporting assembly and an actuation for the rotary actuation of the tool with respect to the tool supporting assembly, the tool comprising a substantially tubular coupling body that is associable with the tool supporting assembly and being provided with a coupling to the actuation, and a cutter that is rigidly associated with the body and is arranged so as to protrude substantially radially with respect to the body.

An automated apparatus for removing skin from the shoulder and neck areas of a chicken carcass that includes a neck skinner and a shoulder skinner mounted to an elongated support wall in a longitudinally spaced relationship. The neck skinner includes a rotatably-driven gripper having a plurality of fins extending radially therefrom. A pinch block with an arcuate surface is mounted in a close-clearance relationship with the gripper to form a pinch point therebetween. The pinch point of the neck skinner is positioned to engage the neck area of an incoming chicken. The shoulder skinner is substantially similar to the neck skinner except that the pinch point of the shoulder skinner is positioned to engage the shoulder area of an incoming chicken. The apparatus further includes a rotatably-driven indexing conveyor laterally adjacent the neck and shoulder skinners for maintaining a longitudinal separation between chickens that are conveyed through the skinning apparatus.

A method for trimming an undesirable portion of a metatarsal pad of a chicken paw using a power operated rotary knife. The steps of the method include: a) providing a power operated rotary knife including an annular knife blade rotatable about a central axis and defining a central open area; moving one of the rotary knife and the chicken paw with respect to the other to position the rotary knife with respect to a bottom of the chicken paw such that the undesirable portion of the metatarsal pad is within the central open area of the blade and the cutting edge of the blade is proximate to a periphery of the undesirable portion; and moving one of the rotary knife and the chicken paw such that the cutting edge of the blade slices a layer of the metatarsal pad thereby removing at least part of the undesirable portion.

A combined hoist and skinning apparatus which is readily assembled and disassembled in the field for use and transportation. An animal to be skinned is raised on the hoist and a skinning assembly is provided at or near the base of the hoist. In order to skin the animal, cuts are made in the skin, which frees a segment of the skin, the end of which is then inserted into the skinning assembly, where it is wound onto a rod. The process is repeated until the animal has been skinned.

An apparatus and method for non-invasive lean recovery from a sparse lean product, where the method can include conveying ground sparse lean product through a conveyance channel where the conveyance channel extends along a path that extends through a scanning position adjacent a scanner. The process includes scanning along a predetermined length with the scanner the ground sparse lean product traveling through the conveyance channel and further analyzing the scan and determining the percent fat content for each ground sparse lean product segment which is defined by the predetermined length of the ground sparse lean product within the volume of the conveyance channel and the cross section areas of the conveyance channel. The process can further include directing each ground sparse lean product segment down one of a plurality of processing paths corresponding to the one defined fat content range in which the corresponding percent fat content falls.

A device and a method are proposed for de-rinding or trimming a piece of meat or piece of a slaughtered animal, in which an arrangement device for the arrangement of the piece, an industrial robot with a manipulator arm and a sensor system, which detects the part that is to be separated, are provided. The sensor system comprises a camera and ail image processing system as well as, if necessary, a distance measuring system, which determines the distance between a predefined zero point and a measuring point on the surface of the piece. Further, a cutting tool is provided, which separates the part from the piece.

A selectively locking plier-type tool for use in skinning game has a pair of opposing jaws, a main handle and a clamping handle for articulating the opposing jaws with respect to one another. A pair of plates are formed respectively on the pair of jaws such that the pair of plates each have straight teeth that mesh with one another whenever the pair of opposing jaws is brought into an apposed position. A pulling handle extends downwardly from the main handle of the tool and a weighted member is removably attached to the pulling handle.

A skinning machine for separating skin from the tissue of a poultry part is provided, which includes a frame supporting a skin roller comprising bands of teeth and grooves for engaging the skin, a pressure shoe disposed adjacent to the skin roller for removing the skin from the tissue, a pressure roller assembly for biasing the skin and tissue against the skin roller, and a scraper interfacing with the skin roller for removing the skin from the skin roller. The pressure shoe is releasably mounted to the frame allowing removal and cleaning thereof. The pressure roller assembly includes a body that deforms against the poultry part to accommodate parts of varying sizes and thickness without damaging the tissue. The scraper interfaces with the teeth and grooves of the skin roller allowing removal of poultry skin and fat from the roller with little or no need for water.

The invention relates to a device for skinning and de-rinding a product to be treated such as pieces of meat or fish and similar products (2), said product to be treated being first skinned from one side by means of a first skinning unit (3). A combination of a first conveyer belt (12) and a reversing belt (13) reverses the piece of meat. A second skinning unit (15 removes the remaining fat and skin (10) from the other side of the product (2) to be treated.

A counterbalanced handheld dehider includes a pair of cutting disks driven in opposed cutting oscillations by a motor through an eccentric shaft turned by the motor. Two pushrods, one for each cutting disk, are connected between the eccentric shaft and respective cutting disks. The dehider is dynamically counterbalanced by a first counterbalance mass located on one side of the pushrods and a second counterbalance mass located on the opposite side of the pushrods from the first counterbalance mass. The counterbalance masses are located close to the plane of the pushrods. The invention also includes the counterbalanced eccentric shaft with an integrated first counterbalance mass, and a counterbalance cup with an integrated counterbalance mass.

A hide puller for skinning an animal with telescoping upright support member that is retractable for storage. The puller mounts on a truck hitch receiver. A pulley system with movable mounting bracket attached on an upper end of the support member and wings provided on a lower end of the upright support member. Button and loop fasteners are employed for securing the animal's hide to one end of the support member via either the mounting bracket or the wings and means for securing the animal's carcass to the opposite end of the upright support member via either the wings or the mounting bracket. A cable is attached to the pulley system and attached to means for retracting and releasing the cable to raise and lower the mounting bracket relative to the wings to remove hide from the carcass. A hunter's gambrel may substitute for the movable mounting bracket.

An animal skinner with a base attached to a support having an arm and a crank positioned thereon. A skin retainer is positioned on the base. A hang line is engaged to the crank at one end, travels through a hang line guide attached to the arm, and is engaged to an animal fastener at the other end. The animal skinner is attached to a brace. In operation, an animal is attached to the animal fastener. The animal's skin is positioned in the skin retainer. The crank is operated, hoisting the animal and pulling it out of its skin.

A method of animating feather elements includes: specifying initial positions for a skin surface and for feather elements; specifying positions for the skin surface at an animated time; determining a feather-ordering sequence for placing the feather elements on the skin surface; determining positions for skirt elements that provide spatial extensions for the skin surface at the animated time; determining positions for feather-proxy elements that provide spatial extensions for the feather elements at the animated time; and determining positions for the feather elements at the animated time by extracting the feather elements from the feather-proxy elements. The feather-proxy elements are determined from the skirt elements according to the feather-ordering sequence, and the feather-proxy elements satisfy a separation criterion for avoiding intersections between the feather-proxy elements.

A method of assembling a flexible shaft drive transmission (4701) coupled between a drive motor and a power operated tool including the steps of: providing a drive transmitting shaft assembly (4800) including a flexible, elongated flex shaft (4702); providing an outer casing assembly (4702) including an outer casing (4704) defining a longitudinally extending throughbore and having a motor end (4710) and a tool end (4780); sliding a lock sleeve (4750) onto the motor end of the outer casing to a recessed position with respect to the motor end of the casing; inserting the motor end of the flex shaft through the tool end of the outer casing; affixing a driven fitting (4814) to the motor end of the flex shaft; advancing the lock sleeve to overlie the motor end of casing; and affixing a casing portion (4762) of the lock sleeve to the outer casing.

A precision micro taxidermy cutting instrument is provided which includes a single hold tailless frame member to which a pivotable body member is attached. The body member can provide a blade element which is concave and through which a lifting edge which cuts and a retention edge which cuts can both combine to provide a centering feature. This centering feature can be enhanced by blade body designs which also center through the use of an offset concave element. A chisel element can separate the hide from the viscera and through the selection of appropriate angles and the like, a continuous and precise cut can be made in taxidermy operations. The frame member can include a thumb rest as well as a rotational restraining element which are diametrically opposed and which can present roughly orthogonal forces. Flared separators can be included on the blade body member to further enhance the operation of the device. The open design, trademark named the "Flying Eagle(TM)" feature is also provided through a variety of releasable locking mechanisms which permit pivoting and locking in place at various locations.

A rotary knife includes a handle, a rotatable annular blade, and a blade carrier assembly. The blade carrier assembly includes an expandable blade housing operably coupled to the handle and configured to removably support the blade. The blade housing is movable relative to the handle between a blade-securing condition, in which the blade housing securely supports the blade for rotational operation, and a relatively expanded blade-releasing condition, in which the blade housing permits removal and installation of the blade relative to the blade housing. The carrier assembly includes a lever mechanism shiftably mounted relative to the handle and configured when shifted to expand the blade housing from the blade-securing condition to the blade-releasing condition.

A skinning machine includes a frame, a linkage assembly mounted to the frame, and a skinning assembly mounted to the linkage assembly via lift arms. The linkage assembly raises and lowers the skinning assembly via the lift arms from an open to a closed position, wherein the linkage assembly is located on one side of the skinning assembly. A spring cartridge is operatively associated with the lift arms via an intermediate link to equally apply bias force from the spring cartridge to the independently rotatable lift arms. The linkage assembly includes a cam slot provided through a cam arm to slidably receive a pin therein. The cam slot is shaped to lock the pin when the linkage assembly is in the closed position. A cam block is mounted to the frame and includes a cam notch adapted to slidably secure the end of the pin in a locked open position.

A handheld skinning device having a tooth roll, which is retained motor-driven in a housing with side arms and rotating about an axis, and having a blade which in an operating position is positioned with a gap parallel to the tooth roll and is retained in a blade mount, which is formed by side parts fixed to the side arms of the housing and a blade holder. The blade mount in the operating position is fixed in the side arms by releasable locking, and in an opened position of the blade mount the blade can be removed from the blade holder. The locking of the blade mount in the operating position occurs by two spring-loaded locking pins in the arms, which are releasable together via a disengaging plate and in the opened position the blade holder remains connected to the arms of the housing.

A knife includes a body that includes a handle section, a blade housing section, and a blade that includes a skinning edge and a cutting edge. The guided skinning edge extends below a bottom edge of the blade housing section, wherein proximity of the bottom edge to the guided skinning edge enables the bottom edge to function as a guard that prevents the skinning edge from entering a carcass deep enough to damage meat and internal organs of the carcass during field dressing. The hook cutting edge extends above a top edge of the blade housing section, wherein the top edge terminates in a hook portion that extends beyond the hook cutting edge and lifts skin and hide of a carcass away from meat and internal organs of the carcass as the cutting edge is moved through the carcass during field dressing, preventing the cutting edge from contacting meat and internal organs of the carcass.

A dehider tool has first and second blades arranged in contact with each other that rotate in opposite directions on a common blade axis. A drive assembly having a pneumatic motor and respective drive belts drives the blades in opposite directions about the common blade axis. The blades each have an outer cutting edge in the shape of a regular convex polygon, such as a decagon. The blades have an inner opening for coupling with a blade holder of the drive assembly. The inner opening has the shape of a regular convex polygon, such as a pentagon. The blades are covered with a hard surface coating to extend their service life.

A blade mounting device for the mounting of blades, in particular, for skinning and stripping machines with a blade mount fixing (1), a blade support (3), a retaining strip (6) and a tensioning device (8) for holding the blade support and retaining strip together is disclosed. A swallow-tail shaped recess (17, 18) is provided across the total width of the facing surfaces of the blade support and retaining strip. A shaft (9), centrally mounted in the retaining strip (6) and eccentrically mounted in the blade mount fixing (1) serves as tensioning device.

Aspects of a method for preparing a chicken thigh product are provided. In this regard, a chicken thigh product may be prepared by seasoning and smoking a skinless bone-in oyster-cut chicken thigh, where the skinless bone-in oyster-cut chicken thigh comprises a thigh bone, thigh meat, and oyster meat. Preparing the chicken thigh product may comprise separating an uncooked chicken leg from an uncooked chicken carcass such that the oyster meat is separated from the pelvis of the uncooked chicken carcass and remains attached to the uncooked chicken leg. The skinless bone-in oyster-cut chicken thigh may be smoked until a texture of the skinless bone-in oyster-cut chicken thigh is substantially similar to the texture of cooked pork ribs.