Handheld meat skinner with pinned hybrid tooth roll

Abstract

A handheld teeth skinning tool is provided with a head assembly having at toothed roller with interchangeable teeth rings, with the rings having different tooth configurations. The teeth rings are securely mounted on the insert arbor using male and female connections. The teeth rings may include pointed teeth for aggressively gripping the skin for direction into the blade of the head assembly, while square teeth allow for easy manual maneuverability of the head assembly on the meat carcass or head. The roller provides increase life expectancy and improved handling for lower costs and higher productivity.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to the meat processing industry, and particularly to a handheld skinner to manually remove skin, hair, and fat from meat. The skinner has improved tooth rolls with a hybrid tooth configuration, and which are fixed on the arbor or insert by pins, keys, or splines.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Handheld, powered meat skinners have been used for decades in the meat packing industry to remove skin, hair and fat from the carcass and head. One example of a prior art skinner device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,780. These prior art skinner devices include a roller with teeth to grip the skin as an operator manually moves the device so that a blade separates the skin from the meat. The roller is driven with worm gears.[0003]A typical packing plant will skin thousands of hogs by each operator during their work shift. Regulations require that the skinner be sanitized after each hog so as to avoid cross contamination. The operator will ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a handheld tool that has a blade for skinning and a roll with teeth. The teeth are mounted on a plastic insert using pins, keys, or splines to prevent rotation. This connection makes the roller more durable. The hybrid teeth design also makes the tool more maneuverable, which results in decreased skinning time and increased productivity.

Problems solved by technology

Eventually, the tooth rings loosen on the arbor, and may be come misaligned.

Also, since teeth rings are manually pressed onto the arbor, there is human error which leads to misalignment of the teeth on each end of arbor.

Misalignment of the teeth rings causes excessive side loading on the roller, and there by decreases life of the roller.

These problems of short roller life and teeth misalignment have been present in the industry for at least 30 years.

Satisfactory solutions have not been developed, such that there is long felt need for an improved roller for these handheld skinners.

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