System and method for article processing using suspension

Abstract

A system (100) and method for processing articles using magnetic levitation includes moving a carrier (110) having drive magnets over an array of planar motors (104). The food piece (116) on the carrier is moved through the processing step. The system determines the weight of a number of food pieces and coordinates and arranges batches of food pieces totaling the desired weight from the assembly of available food pieces and presents selected food pieces to an operator (210) for further processing. The system moves the carrier to engage the food piece with a processing device, such as for attachment to a poultry shackle (242) or for cutting by a slicer.

Description

Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 370,171, filed Aug. 2, 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0002] The movement of an object through a processing system is affected by the characteristics of the object and the processing to be performed on the object. The processing of an object (such as a food portion) is based on the type, size, weight, and desired grouping of the food portion. Conventional processing techniques introduce errors into the processing system (such as the assembly of food portions for packaging or further processing). Summary of the Invention

[0003] The disclosed subject matter includes a food processing system that includes a plurality of planar motors that form a conveyance system, where the planar motors generate a magnetic field that suspends a plurality of independently movable carriers that support food portions. The assembly of the planar motors forms a conveyance system that has a storage area disposed between a first area and a second area. Food portions are conveyed to the carriers, and in an embodiment, the system determines one or more characteristics of the food portions, such as weight. The system assembles the loaded carriers in the storage area and selects carriers to move to the second area that meet the desired criteria for further processing. In some embodiments, the desired criteria are one or more food portions having one or more characteristics in a batch, such as food portions that total a batch weight. The system identifies one or more carriers that contain food portions that meet the total batch weight and moves the carriers to the second area for further processing, such as packaging the food portions into containers for distribution to consumers.

[0004] When a food portion enters the system, one or more characteristics of the food portion can be evaluated or determined by the system and assigned to the food portion to remain associated with the food portion during further processing, such as the form of the food portion (whole animal or part of an animal, such as a leg, thigh, half, quarter, etc.), the type of the food portion (poultry, fish, seafood, etc.), weight, grade, shape, orientation on the carrier, source identification information, etc.

[0005] In an embodiment, the system identifies one or more carriers having the desired criteria for further processing and rotates the carriers into position at the second area depending on the orientation of the food portions on the carriers. The positioning of the carriers with respect to the food portions facilitates the movement of the carriers to engage the food portions with processing equipment that includes a poultry shackler or a fish filleting machine. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] The subject matter of the present disclosure is described herein with reference to the following drawings, with more emphasis on clarity than on scale:

[0007] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

[0008] Figure 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, showing the processing of a food portion.

[0009] Figure 3 is a plan view of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, showing the processing of a food portion.

[0010] Figure 4 is a plan view of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, showing the processing of a food portion.

[0011] Figure 5 is a plan view of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, showing the processing of a food portion. Detailed Description

[0012] Apparatuses and methods for processing item 116 using a magnetic levitation system 100 are shown and described in the following detailed description and drawings. System 100 includes an electromagnetic transport system 102 having a planar motor 104, and a plurality of carriers 110 that are independently movable over an array or stator of drive coils 106. System 100 moves carriers 110 asynchronously from a first region or location 202 to a second region or location 222 during a processing operation 200, presenting item 116 on carriers 110 to an operator or processing equipment for sorting, batching, and loading. The electromagnetic transport system 102 is a conventional planar motor assembly, such as a system provided by Planar Motor of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Planar Motor owns several patents related to planar motor assemblies, including U.S. Patent No. 10,926,418, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference except for any definitions, disclaimers, denials, and inconsistencies. Refer to

[0013] Figure 1 ​, in one configuration, the electromagnetic transporter 102 includes a plurality of adjacent planar motors 104 having drive coils 106 arranged adjacent to each other, and a plurality of carriers 110 move around the configuration under computer control. In an embodiment, the carrier 110 is generally rectangular in shape, having a top surface 114 for receiving and supporting the member 116 and an opposite bottom surface 118. The carrier 110 includes drive magnets 111, and the drive coils 106 generate a magnetic field that interacts with the drive magnets 111. In an embodiment, the planar motor 104 is connected to a modulator 152 that controls the current 156 supplied to the drive coils 106. The controller 150 sends a control signal 154 to the modulator 152 to control the current 156 supplied to the drive coils 106, thereby establishing a modulated magnetic field that interacts with the drive magnets 111 of the carrier 110 to move the carrier 110 independently and controllably relative to the planar motor 104. The computer control of the system 100 may employ a carrier assignment computer 148. The carrier assignment computer 148 has circuitry connected to a memory. The circuitry may be a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. In operation, the carrier assignment computer 148 controls the movement of the carrier 110 around the transporter system 102. The carrier assignment computer 148 is constructed and configured to be electrically connected and communicate with the transporter system 102 through at least one communication network 146. In an embodiment, the carrier assignment computer is connected to the transporter system 102 through at least one controller 150.

[0014] The magnetic field positions the carrier 110 above the drive coils 106, separating the bottom 118 of the carrier 110 from the top 108 of the drive coils 106 to establish an air gap 124. The magnetic field is used to move the carrier 110 around the configuration of an array of two or more adjacent planar motors 104. The translation of the carrier 110 relative to the drive coils 106 is controlled by moving the controller 150 along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The X-axis refers to forward and backward movement on the drive coils 106 in an action called surge. The Y-axis refers to up and down or vertical movement relative to the drive coils 106 in an action called heave. The Z-axis refers to left and right movement on the drive coils 106 in an action called sway. The carrier 110 is also capable of rotating or turning to face different axes. The movement between the X-axis and the Y-axis is called pitch. The movement between the X-axis and the Z-axis is called yaw. The movement between the Z-axis and the Y-axis is called roll.

[0015] Reference Figure 2, showing an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, where system 100 is used for food processing operation 200. Although system 100 is used for food processing in the following description, the system can be used for processing non-food items. System 100 is used to move food item 116, such as a food portion. The food portion can take the form of a whole animal or a part of an animal, including but not limited to parts of poultry or whole fish. In an embodiment, system 100 causes carrier dispensing computer 148 to perform processing for moving poultry item 116 through the processing operations, whereby poultry item 116 reaches first position 202 and is moved by carrier 110 around a plurality of adjacent planar motors 104 from loading area 208 to storage area 212 or to unloading area 214 and then to second position 222, or from loading area 208 to unloading area 214 to second position 222 where item 116 next encounters a processing step. In an embodiment, processing operation 200 includes processing steps of a packaging operation that utilizes system 100 to assemble poultry items 116 into groups of two or more poultry items 116, which groups are then ready for sale and consumption.

[0016] The packaging operation includes a first transporter 204, such as a belt conveyor, for moving incoming poultry pieces 116 into an arrival position 206. One or more drive coils 106 are disposed adjacent to the arrival position 206. The system 100 is programmed to perform a process for moving one or more empty carriers 110 adjacent to the arrival position 206 to receive the poultry pieces 116 from the first transporter 204. A manual or automatic transfer device 207 moves the poultry pieces 116 onto the top surface 114 of the empty carrier 110. In an embodiment, the transfer device 207 is an arm that guides or moves the poultry pieces 116 from the first transporter 204 onto the carrier 110. In an embodiment, the transfer device 207 is pneumatic and uses an air pulse directed at the poultry piece 116 to move the piece from the first transporter 204 onto the carrier 110. Once the carrier 110 is loaded with the poultry piece 116, the system 100 is programmed to perform a process for determining the weight of the poultry piece 116 and associating that weight with the carrier 110, and optimally determining the type of the poultry piece 116 on the carrier 110, such as by photo imaging or using information associated with the piece 116 as the piece 116 travels along the first transporter 204. For example, determining the weight value of the piece 116 can be achieved by calculating the weight difference between the empty or unloaded carrier 110 and the loaded carrier 110 during the loading step. The unloaded carrier 110 has a known weight value. The controller 150 induces a current to levitate the carrier 110, maintaining an air gap 124, thereby separating the bottom 118 of the carrier from the top 108 of the planar motor 104 by a given separation distance. When the poultry piece 116 is moved onto the unloaded carrier 110, a displacement of the loaded carrier 110 above the planar motor 104 occurs along the Y-axis, causing the controller 150 to signal the corresponding modulator 152 to change the current 156 supplied to the drive coils 106 to compensate for the resulting displacement and ensure that the desired air gap 124 of the given separation distance is maintained. In an embodiment, the carrier distribution computer calculates the weight value based on the increased current output and associates it with the weight of the poultry piece 116, providing an indication of the weight value of the poultry piece 116.

[0017] The area of the first position 202 can be divided into multiple partitions, where each partition is designated for loading poultry parts 116 of a specific poultry type onto the carrier 110. The poultry type of the poultry pieces 116 includes any consumable part of the animal, such as wings, legs, breasts, and the like. Depending on the required characteristics of the container 224 in the unloading area 214, the system 100 is programmed to perform processing for moving the loaded carrier 110 to the storage area 212 or directly to the unloading area 214. The system 100 designates the required characteristics of the packaged poultry product composed of one or more poultry pieces 116 for the container 224 at the unloading area 214, such as the total weight or batch weight of the poultry product, and the system 100 moves the loaded carrier 110 from the loading area 208 or the storage area 212 to the unloading area 214 for transferring the poultry pieces 116 to the container 224. The system 100 provides the technical advantage of aggregating and assembling carriers 110 with pieces 116 having the required characteristics and determining the optimal combination of pieces that meet the required characteristics for presentation to the unloading area 214 for further processing. When the system 100 determines one or more loaded carriers 110 that meet the required characteristics of the packaged poultry product, the system 100 performs the processing of moving the carrier 110 to the unloading area 214. In an embodiment, the loaded carrier 110 is moved to the operator 210, and the operator 210 places the poultry pieces 116 into the container 224. Then, the container 224 is moved along a second transporter 220, such as a belt conveyor, for moving the container 224 for further processing operations, such as packaging for sale to consumers.

[0018] In an embodiment of the poultry processing operation 200, the system 100 is programmed to perform processing for establishing batches of poultry pieces 116. For example, the system 100 determines or verifies the weight of the poultry pieces 116 placed on the carrier 110 as described above and moves the loaded carrier 110 through the poultry processing operation 200. In the weight batching operation, the poultry pieces 116 on one or more carriers 110 have known weight values that are associated with the poultry pieces or are transmitted to the carrier from the arrival location 206, or are determined by the system 100 by weighing the poultry pieces with the carrier, and depending on the predetermined desired total poultry piece 116 target weight for the container 224 of the batches of poultry pieces 116, the system 100 moves the carrier to the operator 210. For example, it may be desired that the container 224 have a target weight total of two poultry pieces 116 at eight ounces. The system 100 moves the carrier 110a loaded with the poultry piece 116a weighing 3.5 ounces and the carrier 110b loaded with the poultry piece 116b weighing 4.5 ounces to the operator 210a for packaging the pieces 116a and 116b into the container 224a. The system 100 is programmed to perform processing to identify the weighed poultry pieces 116 and present the poultry pieces 116 to the operator 210 for batch placement into the container 224a containing batches of food pieces, providing an improvement over prior art poultry processing systems by minimizing the deviation of the final batch weight from the target weight.

[0019] The system 100 is programmed to perform processing to match the loaded carriers 110 by using the storage area in the system as a buffer to allow selection of the best piece weights for the batch and by using the storage area as a reservoir of available heavy weights for optimal pairing and combination, thus achieving an optimal weight combination not achievable with conventional manual animal processing operations. The system 100 provides a solution to the problem of processed poultry parts resulting in a final batch weight that exceeds or is below the desired target weight (which is described in the food processing industry as giveaway) by improving the accuracy of the final batch weight.

[0020] In the application of batch operations, poultry pieces 116 having known attributes are conveyed to a carrier 110 at a loading area 208. The attributes include animal type, animal part type, source of live animals, etc. In an embodiment, each area of the loading area 208 is intended for a specific type of poultry piece 116, such as wings, legs, breasts, lower legs, whole legs, legquarters, hind legs, whole carcasses, etc. In an embodiment, the carrier 110 is intended for a specific type of poultry piece 116. In an embodiment, each area of the unloading area 214 is intended for a specific type of poultry piece 116. In an embodiment, the loaded carrier 110 is associated with the attributes of the poultry pieces 116 on the carrier 110, the specific type of the poultry pieces 116, the orientation of the poultry pieces 116 on the carrier 110, and the weight of the poultry pieces 116. Combinations of two or more of the attributes, type of poultry piece, weight, and orientation can be the overall characteristics of the poultry pieces 116.

[0021] The loaded carrier 110 is moved independently by the system 100 around an array of drive coils 106. The system 100 is programmed to perform processing to define the array of drive coils 106 to one or more storage locations 213a and to arrange the loaded carrier 110 in a storage area 212. From the loaded carriers 110 available in the storage area 212, the system 100 is programmed to perform processing to calculate various possible combinations of overall characteristics to achieve the desired batch overall characteristics for the available empty containers 224 and to move a specific loaded carrier 110 to the operator 210 at the packaging position for conveying the poultry pieces 116 to the container 224. After removing the poultry pieces 116 from the carrier 110, the system 100 moves the empty carrier 110 to the loading area 208 to receive the poultry pieces 116.

[0022] The specific type of the poultry pieces 116 does not have a uniform or regular shape, and the orientation of the pieces in the container 224 determines the number of pieces that can be loaded into the container 224. In an embodiment, the carrier 110 has a first edge 112 and an opposite second edge 113. The unloaded carrier 110 is loaded with poultry pieces 116 such that the piece is oriented on the carrier 110 such that a first feature of the poultry piece 116 is adjacent to the first edge 112 and a second feature of the poultry piece 116 is adjacent to the second edge 113. The system 100 is programmed to perform processing to present the loaded carrier 110 to the operator 210 at the unloading area 214 with the first edge 112 closest to the operator 210 or the second edge 113 closest to the operator 210, whereby when presenting the poultry pieces 116 to the operator 210, they are oriented so as to be optimally placed in the container 224 and to minimize additional handling of the pieces 116 by the operator or processing machine, increasing the speed and efficiency of the processing operation.

[0023] In an embodiment of the poultry processing operation 200, the system 100 is used to sort and load poultry pieces 116. For example, the carrier 110 presents the poultry pieces 116 to the operator 210 for transfer to the processing line for further processing of the poultry pieces 116. Additionally, as the poultry pieces 116 move to the processing line for further processing, the carrier 110 conveys the overall characteristics of the poultry pieces 116 along with the poultry pieces 116. For example, the system 100 is programmed to perform processing to specify to the carrier 110 the overall characteristics of the poultry pieces 116 it is carrying, such as a whole chicken carcass weighing 5.5 pounds. In the application of the sorting and loading operation, the carrier 110 can hold live poultry, stunned poultry, eviscerated poultry, and partially processed poultry. In the application of the sorting and loading operation, the carrier 110 includes a poultry carcass as the poultry piece 116, and the system 100 is programmed to perform processing to synchronize the carrier 110 with the movement of the poultry shackles traveling along the unloading area 214 on the conveying system, whereby the carrier 110 positions the legs 130 of the poultry carcass 128 such that when the shackle 242 moves away from the carrier 110, such as by rising above the unloading area 214, the legs 130 engage with the shackle 242, allowing the shackle to remove the carcass from the carrier 110 for further processing.

[0024] Reference Figure 3 , which shows an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, wherein the system 100 is used in the processing operation 200 to move live poultry pieces 116, such as live birds, to processing lines 230 and 232, such as overhead conveyors. As described above, the poultry pieces 116 arrive at the loading area 208 and are held in the storage area 212 and leave the storage area 212 before moving to the unloading area 214. In this example, the operator 210 transfers the live poultry pieces 116 from the arrival position 206 to the carrier 110. In many poultry processing operations, in order for the machine to perform its function correctly, the machine is limited by the poultry pieces it can accommodate. For example, the physical size of a live bird is associated with the weight of the bird. In the processing operation 200, a first processing line can be set to accommodate live birds weighing between approximately three pounds and approximately five pounds, and a second processing line can be set to accommodate larger live birds, birds weighing between approximately five pounds and approximately seven pounds. Thus, two processing lines are set to accommodate poultry pieces within a specific size range. The system 100 is programmed to perform processing to weigh the loaded carrier 110 with respect to the pieces 116, and based on the weight of the pieces, the system 100 moves the weighed pieces 116c to the storage area 212 for presentation to the operator 210 to transfer the pieces from the loaded carrier 110e to the first processing line 230 or the second processing line 232 depending on the weight value of the pieces 116. Then, the system 100 associates the weight value of each weighed poultry piece 116 with the position of the piece on the processing line, and the value is tracked for further process optimization.

[0025] ReferenceFigure 4 , which shows an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, where system 100 is used in processing operation 200 to move a non-living poultry piece 116, such as a gas-stunned or water-chilled poultry carcass 128, to processing line 240 for further processing, such as cutting. In this example, operator 210 receives poultry carcass 128 and transfers the carcass to carrier 110. Carcass 128 has legs 130 as a first feature and an opposing neck cavity as a second feature. Operator 210 orients legs 130 adjacent to first edge 112 and the neck opening adjacent to second edge 113. System 100 is programmed to perform processing so that carrier 110 weighs carcass 128 and moves the piece to processing line 240 based on the weight of the piece, where carrier 110 is oriented with first edge 112 adjacent to empty poultry shackle 242, and the movement of carrier 110 is synchronized with the movement of poultry shackle 242 moving adjacent to processing line 240 (e.g., moving parallel to a second area). Carrier 110 positions components of poultry carcass 128, such as legs 130 of poultry carcass 128, so that they contact and engage with shackle 242, and shackle 242 removes carcass 128 from carrier 110 for further processing. Based on the weight of the piece, system 100 is programmed to move loaded carrier 110 to a processing line suitable for the weight of bird carcass 128, since the weight of the bird is a rough estimate of the size of the bird and the size of the processing equipment is set to accommodate birds within a specific weight range. For example, for carcass 228a weighing three to four pounds, carrier 110 positions the piece for further processing by traveling to shackle 242a of first processing line 230, and for carcass 228b weighing five to seven pounds, carrier 110 positions the piece for processing by traveling to shackle 242 of second processing line 232. Overall characteristic information associated with carcass 128, and this information is associated with the shackle and moves with the piece during further processing. When carrier 110 detects that carcass 228 has been removed, empty carrier 110 returns to operator 210 for reuse.

[0026] Reference Figure 5 , which shows an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, where system 100 is used in processing operation 200 to move a seafood piece 250, such as a fish, to a processing line. The processing line can include a first processing line 252 for a target batch of seafood pieces 250 having a specified total weight, a second processing line 254 for manually processing seafood pieces 250, and a third processing line 256 for processing seafood pieces 250 into slices.

[0027] In this example, an operator 210 receives a seafood piece 250 arriving via a first conveyor 204 such as a transporter, and the operator 210 evaluates various characteristics of the piece 250, including quality grade, weight, and color. The piece 250 is moved to an unloaded carrier 110, and the piece 250 is oriented on the carrier such that a first feature is adjacent to a first edge 112 and a second feature is adjacent to a second edge 113. A seafood piece 250 such as a fish, for example, has a head, a left side, a right side, a belly, and a tail, providing an irregular shape. The fish can be loaded onto the carrier 110 with the head 134 positioned adjacent to the first edge 112 and the tail adjacent to the second edge 113. The system 100 is programmed to perform processing to move the loaded carrier 110 to one or more storage locations 213 in a storage area 212. Based on the attributes of the pieces 250 on each loaded carrier 110, the system 100 is programmed to determine an optimal combination of attributes for each processing line. For example, if a target batch of two fish of the same weight is required at a first processing line 252, the system 100 identifies two or more loaded carriers with fish that match the required attributes and moves the identified loaded carriers 110 to the processing line 252 for packaging. The system 100 can present two loaded carriers 110 to the operator such that the carriers 110 are placed side by side, and the first carrier positions the carrier first edge 112 close to the operator and the second carrier positions the carrier second edge 113 close to the operator, thereby allowing the operator to efficiently load a tray with head-to-tail oriented fish. The loaded tray can then proceed to be wrapped and distributed to consumers, and now the unloaded carrier 110 is returned to the arrival position 206 for reloading.

[0028] In an embodiment, the loaded carrier 110 moves the piece 250 to a processing machine, such as a slicing machine, and the carrier 110 releases the piece 250 into the slicing machine causing the piece 250 to be cut. In an embodiment, the loaded carrier 110 moves the piece 250 through the slicing machine by suddenly changing the orientation of the carrier 110, for example, by any combination of pitch, yaw, and roll, and the resulting sliced pieces 250 of the piece 250 are moved by the carrier 110 to a processing operation, such as packaging.

[0029] Certain terms will be used in the following description for convenience of reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, top, bottom, front, rear, back, right, left, forward, backward, upward, and downward refer to the orientation of the disclosed subject matter in the indicated view or to terms that indicate the characteristics of components described in this specification. Such terms will include the specifically mentioned words, their derivatives, and words with similar meanings.

Claims

1. A food processing system, comprising: Multiple planar motors that form a conveying system, where the planar motors generate a magnetic field, and where the conveying system forms a storage area that is provided between a first area and a second area; Multiple carriers that are provided above the planar motors, where the carriers include one or more magnets that interact with the magnetic field, and where the magnetic field is modulated to move the carriers independently relative to the planar motors; wherein the carriers support food portions; and wherein the carriers are moved by the planar motors from the storage area to the second area, and where the food portions encounter a processing step at the second area.

2. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein, A carrier distribution computer determines a weight value of the food portion supported by the carrier.

3. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein, A first food portion is conveyed from a first transporter to the first carrier by a conveying device.

4. The processing system according to claim 1, further Comprising: wherein, the storage area includes a first carrier that supports a first food portion and a second carrier that supports a second food portion; and wherein the carrier distribution computer determines a first weight value of the first food portion, and the carrier distribution computer determines a second weight value of the second food portion; wherein the first food portion and the second food portion together total a first batch weight; wherein the first batch weight is the sum of the first weight value and the second weight value; and the carrier distribution computer commands the planar motors to move the first carrier and the second carrier to the second area.

5. The processing system according to claim 4, further comprising: wherein, The processing step includes the conveyance of the first food portion from the first carrier to a container, and the conveyance of the second food portion from the second carrier to the container.

6. The processing system according to claim 5, further comprising wherein the planar motor moves the first carrier and the second carrier to the first area.

7. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein, The characteristics of the food portion are associated with the carrier.

8. The processing system according to claim 1, further Comprising: wherein, the carrier includes a first edge and an opposite second edge; wherein when the carrier is adjacent to the first area, the first edge is adjacent to the first area; and wherein when the carrier is adjacent to the second area, the first edge is adjacent to the second area.

9. The processing system according to claim 7, wherein, The characteristics of the food portion are associated with the processing step.

10. The processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: A poultry shackle that moves adjacent to the second area; and wherein the planar motors move the carrier adjacent to the poultry shackle.

11. The processing system according to claim 10, wherein, The carrier is moved by the planar motors to engage the poultry portion with the poultry shackle.

12. A method for food processing, comprising: Provide multiple planar motors that form a storage area between a first area and a second area; Provide multiple carriers that are moved by the planar motors under the control of a carrier distribution computer, where a vertical distance between the carriers and the planar motors forms an air gap; Determine the characteristics of a first food item on the first carrier by the carrier distribution computer; and Move the first carrier from the first area.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprises: wherein, the characteristic is the weight value of the first food item.

14. The method according to claim 12 further comprises: Determine the characteristics of food items on multiple carriers; Determine a target batch weight of a batch of food items; Identify multiple food items that together total the target batch weight; and Move the identified multiple food items to the second area.

15. The method according to claim 12 further comprises: Determine the weight values of food items on multiple carriers, where the weight values are determined as a first weight value or a second weight value; Provide a first unloading area and a second unloading area for the second area; and Move the food item having the first weight value to the first unloading area and move the food item having the second weight value to the second unloading area.

16. The method according to claim 12 further comprises: Wherein, The moving includes moving each food item synchronously with the movement of the poultry shackle.

17. The method according to claim 16 further comprises: Adjust the air gap to engage the food item with the poultry shackle.

18. The method according to claim 12 further comprises: Move the food item through the food processing machine.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprises: Process the food item with a slicing machine.

20. The method according to claim 16 further comprises: Move the poultry shackle to engage with the food item.

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