Feather cap

Abstract

A poultry feather removal device includes a feather cap having a first opening configured to be connected to a hub; and a fingerboard having a plurality of second openings, each second opening being configured to be connected to a respective rubber finger, where a base of the respective rubber finger determines a distance between the feather cap and the fingerboard.

Description

[0001] Priority Information This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 531,313, filed August 7, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to poultry picking devices, and more particularly to devices that provide a more efficient method of replacing rubber picking fingers within a picking device. BACKGROUND

[0003] As described in U.S. Patent No. 10,785,988, millions of tons of poultry are raised, processed, and pushed to market each year globally. For example, in 2016, the United States alone produced over 8.78 billion broiler chickens and 244 million turkeys, with a total value of over $32 billion. Poultry is processed in an efficient manner through shackling, stunning, bleeding, scalding, picking, eviscerating, washing, chilling, splitting, and de-boning.

[0004] Decades ago, in poultry processing plants, machines replaced workers to pick the feathers off of poultry. Modern picking machines typically include a plurality of discs or drums to which fingers are affixed. Several discs are arranged on either side of the path traveled by the chain / hook that carries the poultry through the machine. These discs spin rapidly, ensuring that the fingers contact as much of the exterior surface of each bird as possible. As each poultry carcass is passed through the machine via the chain / hook, the fingers “pick” the feathers off of each poultry carcass. Unfortunately, due to the friction generated during the picking process, the fingers often break, break, or wear at a fairly high rate. This results in the need to replace thousands of fingers per month per processing line.

[0005] A plurality of fingers are mounted on each disc or drum. The fingers are typically shaped with a large base, a tapered body, and a small diameter tip. The tapered body is often ribbed, and most fingers include a groove next to the base. Each disc has a plurality of openings that are large enough for the body of each finger to pass through, but small enough to resist the base diameter. Each finger is secured by pulling the finger through the hole and placing the hole within the finger groove. A typical picking production line will include four feather-picking machines. Each machine can have 640 or more fingers, resulting in over 2500 fingers used per production line to pick the feathers off of poultry, and each machine utilizes a water sprayer to constantly clean the feathers off of the fingers and the poultry during processing.

[0006] In a typical construction, there are 64 units (e.g., disks) per machine. A single finger is pulled through a hole and locked in a multi (e.g., 6, 8, 10) hole finger plate (e.g., a round disk), which is the industry standard plate on the market. Each multi-hole finger plate is bolted to a corresponding drive shaft or hub of the epilator. The machine typically includes 64 hubs (with belt drive pulleys running on the hub drive side and extension shafts protruding from the front), to which the multi-hole finger plates are bolted.

[0007] Various epilation fingers have been used for decades. In an exemplary construction, the holes of the multi-hole finger plate are 18 mm in diameter. The rubber epilation finger is 23.50 mm at its widest point, then falls into a 19.30 mm slotted groove that locks the finger in place. Behind this groove is the head of the finger, which is nearly 29 mm wide and 11 mm thick, similar to a bolt head. When replacing the finger, the user must pull the finger into the slotted groove with considerable force. In some cases, soap or other lubricant is used to lubricate the finger before it is pulled. To remove these fingers, a technician cuts the finger into the slotted area and around it with a knife to remove the finger.

[0008] Replacing the fingers of previous epilators is both difficult and time consuming. In some constructions, each finger must first be cut by hand. This process is labor intensive and dangerous as it involves the use of a blade in a sealed, harsh environment. The replacement finger is then inserted into the vacant opening and pulled, often with some form of pliers and considerable force, to secure the opening within the groove of the finger. Epilators that utilize multiple epilation fingers remain the method of choice for depilating poultry. Unfortunately, the current devices and designs still lack an effective finger replacement.

[0009] U.S. Patent No. 5711703 to Peretz discloses a device for removing rubber fingers from a disk or rotating drum. The finger handle is inserted into the device, where a blade cuts the finger near the annular groove. The base of the finger can then simply pass through the back of the disk. The Peretz patent does not address the inherent difficulty of inserting a new finger into the disk, but rather concerns the removal of a worn finger.

[0010] U.S. Patent No. 7121941 to Turner discloses a support disk and a rubber finger structure that allows an operator to easily insert and remove epilation fingers from the support disk without exerting excessive force. To prevent unnecessary movement and possible displacement of the fingers within the holes, a back plate is provided to abut the back of the support plate and securely hold the fingers.

[0011] U.S. Patent No. 10,785,988 to Batty et al. discloses a hub drive shaft secured to a finger plate and a compression plate. The finger plate includes a central aperture and an annular abutment ring operably associated with the central aperture. The oversized base of each finger is compressed between the compression plate and the finger, and a mounting bolt is secured to the finger within a threaded aperture of the hub drive shaft.

[0012] As the inventors point out, there remains a need for a more efficient, less dangerous device to facilitate the removal and replacement of the fingers within a plucking device. SUMMARY

[0013] Accordingly, an embodiment of the present application is to provide a device that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

[0014] Additional features and advantages of the application will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or can be learned by practice of the application. The objectives and other advantages of the application will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims thereof as well as the appended drawings.

[0015] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present application, as embodied and broadly described, the feather cap assembly is a poultry plucking device including a feather cap having a first opening configured to connect with a hub; and a finger plate having a plurality of second openings each configured to connect with a corresponding rubber finger, wherein a base of each rubber finger determines a distance between the feather cap and the finger plate.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, the poultry plucking device includes a feather cap having a drive shaft opening configured to connect with a drive shaft of a hub; and a finger plate having a plurality of finger openings each configured to connect with a corresponding rubber finger of a plurality of rubber fingers.

[0017] In various embodiments, the base of the respective rubber fingers determines the distance between the feather cap and the finger plate. In various embodiments, the feather cap slides over at least a portion of the hub. In various embodiments, the drive shaft of the hub protrudes through the feather cap. In various embodiments, the drive shaft of the hub does not protrude completely through the finger plate. In various embodiments, the drive shaft of the hub is flush with the outer surface of the finger plate. In various embodiments, the finger plate is bolted to the drive shaft. In various embodiments, each of the plurality of rubber fingers is secured in place by compression between the feather cap and the finger plate. In various embodiments, the feather cap comprises plastic. In various embodiments, the feather cap has a thickness of 5 mm or greater. In various embodiments, the feather cap has a thickness between 6 mm and 9 mm. In various embodiments, the drive shaft opening is square or triangular. In various embodiments, the drive shaft opening is circular. In various embodiments, an adapter is used to physically connect the feather cap to the drive shaft.

[0018] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are intended to provide further explanation of the present application as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a feather cap assembly showing the new design according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 is a rear view of the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 is a left view of the embodiment.

[0024] Figure 5 is a right view of the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 6 is a top view of the embodiment.

[0026] Figure 7 is a bottom view of the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 8 is a context view of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Embodiments of the present application will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, which are by way of illustration only. Figures 1 to 8 An exemplary embodiment of the present application is illustrated.

[0029] Embodiments of the present application will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, which are by way of illustration only. As various changes could be made with respect to the embodiments described herein, it should be understood that the application disclosed herein is to be construed in all its embodiments only as illustrative and not as limitations. It is therefore contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present application.

[0030] The terminology used in the description of the application herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. In this description and in the claims that follow, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Additionally, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including" and the like can be used herein

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an overly literal or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0032] In describing the present application, it will be understood that a wide variety of technologies and steps can be disclosed. Each of such technologies and steps can have its own respective advantages, and each can be used in combination with one or more (or in some cases all) of the other disclosed technologies. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, the description will refrain from repeating a detailed description of all possible combinations of the various steps. However, it should be understood that these combinations are fully within the scope of the application and the appended claims.

[0033] Figure 1 A perspective view of a feather hat assembly showing a new design according to an embodiment. Figure 2 A front elevational view of this embodiment. Figure 3 A rear view of this embodiment. Figure 4 A left view of this embodiment. Figure 5 A right view of this embodiment.Figure 6 is a top view of this embodiment. Figure 7 is a bottom view of this embodiment. Figure 8 is a perspective view of this embodiment.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1 to 8 various embodiments include an assembly 100 that includes a quill cap 110 and a finger plate 120 that are operatively and physically joined, engaged, and / or connected by a bolt or bolted connection mechanism 130. The quill cap 110 has a quasi-cup or quasi-cylindrical structure with a smaller drive shaft opening 111 at one distal end and a larger hub opening at an opposite distal end for receiving a hub 150. The quill cap 110 is slidable over at least a portion of the hub 150. Optionally, in some embodiments, the quill cap 110 can be connected with the hub 150 by one or more screws / bolts that are disposed through corresponding through-holes in the quill cap 110.

[0035] The quill cap 110 includes a first opening or drive shaft opening 111 that is configured to physically connect the quill cap 110 with a drive shaft of the hub 150. The drive shaft opening 111 can take on a variety of shapes or structures (e.g., circular, square, triangular) in order to physically connect the quill cap 110 with various commercially available drive shafts of commercially available hubs. In certain configurations, one or more adapters can be used to physically connect the quill cap 110 with a commercially available drive shaft. For example, one end of an adapter can be configured to physically connect with a drive shaft, while the other end of the adapter can be configured to physically connect with the drive shaft opening 111 and / or an opening of the finger plate (e.g., triangular or square). Thus, various embodiments are intended to be universally applicable and not limited to any particular drive shaft or hub assembly.

[0036] The finger plate 120 includes a plurality of second openings or finger openings 121. Each finger opening 121 is configured to receive or connect with a respective finger 140. The finger plate 120 includes a central opening that enables access to a drive shaft received through the drive shaft opening 111. For example, the central opening enables access to a bolt / unbolt mechanism 130 by a drive shaft received through the drive shaft opening 111. Although the drive shaft of the hub 150 extends through the quill cap 110 to be received at the central opening of the finger plate 120, the drive shaft of the hub 150 can not extend completely through the finger plate. In some cases, the drive shaft of the hub 150 can be flush with an upper or outer surface of the finger plate 120.

[0037] The bolt 130 and optional washer are configured to physically join, engage, and / or connect the quill cap 110 and the finger plate 120 through the base of the rubber finger 140. In the bolted connection position, the base of the finger 140 is secured (e.g., compressed) between the quill cap 110 and the finger plate 120 of the assembly 100.

[0038] The corresponding positions of the finger openings 121 are spaced apart to apply pressure / compression evenly to the corresponding bases of the fingers 140. Therefore, movement and wear of the fingers 140 are reduced. Excessive movement and wear of the fingers 140 are known problems in current hair removal devices.

[0039] The components of component 100 can comprise a variety of materials, such as stainless steel, low-carbon steel, aluminum, metal alloys, durable plastics, and combinations thereof. The feather cap 110 can comprise a variety of durable and / or lightweight plastics. In various configurations, the components are configured to be durable. For example, the thickness of the feather cap 110 can be 5 mm or greater (preferably in the range of 6 mm to 9 mm).

[0040] The feather cap is a plastic device designed to prevent water and feathers from entering the bearing and sealing areas of the wheel hub. By increasing the thickness of the feather cap, it can also be used as a backing plate to press the rubber fingers into place. A typical finger plate has 19mm holes. By using the feather cap of this embodiment, the diameter of the finger opening can be increased to 24mm, thus facilitating the replacement of the rubber fingers.

[0041] Embodiments of the present invention can use a variety of commercially available fingers. In this respect, the embodiments are not limited to specific fingers from a particular finger manufacturer. Except for size, the fingers are generally interchangeable.

[0042] The list of components used in this article includes: component 100, feather cap 110, drive shaft opening 111, finger plate 120, finger opening 121, center, bolt 130, finger 140, and hub 150.

[0043] Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations can be made to the feather cap of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention covers such modifications and variations as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A poultry feather removing device comprising: a feather cap having a drive shaft opening configured to connect with a drive shaft of a hub; and a finger plate having a plurality of finger openings, each finger opening configured to connect with a respective rubber finger of a plurality of rubber fingers.

2. The poultry feather removing device according to claim 1, wherein, a base of the respective rubber finger determines a distance between the feather cap and the finger plate.

3. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the feather cap slides over at least a portion of the hub.

4. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft of the hub protrudes through the feather cap.

5. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft of the hub does not completely protrude through the finger plate.

6. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft of the hub is flush with an outer surface of the finger plate.

7. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the finger plate is secured to the drive shaft by a bolt.

8. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein, each of the plurality of rubber fingers is secured in place by compression between the feather cap and the finger plate.

9. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the feather cap comprises plastic.

10. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the feather cap has a thickness of 5 mm or greater.

11. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the feather cap has a thickness between 6 mm and 9 mm.

12. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft opening is square or triangular.

13. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft opening is circular.

14. The poultry feather removing device of claim 1, wherein an adapter is used to physically connect the feather cap and the drive shaft.

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