Meat dressing/boning method and system

Abstract

A meat dressing and boning method and a system thereof can dress and bone meat and carcass in short work-hours, while avoiding bacterial contamination. The system includes a clamp mechanism for holding a meat block with bones, a hanger connected to clamp mechanism and movably suspended from a support rail, and a guide rail or rails having a tubular or rod-like configuration for supporting the meat block positioned along and below the support rail. The hanger has at least two pivots to allow the meat block held by the clamp mechanism to rotate about at least first and second axes, which are perpendicular to each other. The meat and carcass can be broken up and boned while being moved along the support rail, with the swinging directions of hanger regulated by the guide rail or rails.

Description

[0001] This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 11 / 363,529 filed on 27 Feb. 2007, which is a continuation of International Application PCT / JP2004 / 012596 having an international filing date of 25 Aug. 2004, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Application No. JP 2003-303712, filed on 27 Aug. 2003. The disclosure of the PCT and priority applications, in their entirety, including the drawings, claims, and the specification thereof, are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND [0002] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-83575 (hereafter Reference 1) and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-125752 (hereafter Reference 2) disclose a boning / dressing apparatus for processing a carcass of pig, chicken, cattle, etc., to obtain a meat block. Reference 1 discloses an apparatus for securing a pig carcass, with a dissection line rail from which the pig carcass can be hung with a hanger so that the carcass can be transferred along the rail by transfer...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention relates to a method and system for boning and dressing meat blocks with bones. The system includes a support rail, a clamp mechanism, a meat-block support, and a guide made of pipe or bar. The guide is designed to restrict the movement of the meat block with bones in at least two directions. The system allows for the meat block to be boned and dressed while it is suspended and transferred along the support rail. The guide makes it easy to dissect, boning, and dress the meat block with bones while keeping it stable. The system can be used manually or with a robotic arm. The technical effects of the invention include improved efficiency and accuracy in the processing of meat blocks with bones.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, the worker must perform the dissection and boning while pushing the carcass against the plate with one of his / her hand not holding a knife, making the work complicated and resulting in an increased operation time.

Further, in a conventional art like above, as the dissection and boning process is carried out while the back of the pig carcass is received in a groove formed on the upper surface of the flat plate to secure the pig carcass therein, the carcass comes into plane contact with the surface of the groove, resulting in an increased contact area, which tends to induce contamination of the pig carcass with various kind of bacteria from the plate side.

In the apparatus for taking out meat from the head of a carcass of cattle, etc., of Reference 2, as the head of the carcass is hung by a hanger while pulling the upper jaw and cheeks by means of the upper jaw removing means and cheek pulling means driven by driving means, while dissection and boning is carried out, the dissection and boning work is done with the head hung in an unstable condition, and work efficiency becomes low, resulting in an increased operation time.

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