Butchering – Viscera processing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-12
2001-10-23
Little, Willis (Department: 3643)
Butchering
Viscera processing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306026
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to Dutch application no. 1012307, filed Jun. 11, 1999, which application is hereby incorporated in its entirety by this reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for parallel processing of a plurality of cattle carcasses suspended from a conveyor. The apparatus comprises at least two similar processing stations that displace along a common guide. Coupling mechanisms between the stations, the guide and the carcasses function to vary the interval between the stations as the stations operate on the passing carcasses. Methods for moving the processing stations parallel to the conveyor and varying their separation are also disclosed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Large scale processing of cattle and other slaughtered animal carcasses generally takes place automatically. Carcasses are suspended from a conveyor by their hind legs and are transported for processing along a prescribed path. Adjacent the path are a number of processing stations that perform operations such as: opening the breast and abdomen, cleaving, vent-cutting, neck-cutting, leaf-fat stripping and evisceration. Because, among other reasons, not all operations take the same amount of time and in order to have the conveyor advance at a constant speed, the plant could decide to situate a plurality of similar processing stations parallel to the transporting direction of the conveyor.
In practice, the separation between carcasses suspended from a conveyor varies for a number of reasons. For instance, wear of the conveyor, varying intervals in the (partially manual) hooking of the carcasses to the conveyor, varying size of the carcass (for larger animals especially), etc. are some of the factors that change the spacing between carcasses. This makes impossible, or at least inefficient, the use of multiple parallel processing stations that displace in a fixed mutual orientation along a guide.
Notwithstanding such problems, a British patent application, GB 2 095 973, describes a device for processing poultry provided with a guide running parallel to a conveyor and along which at least one tool displaces synchronously with the poultry carcasses in an active position. The tool can be moved back to a starting position. A device is also described with a plurality of tools displaceable along the guide, where the tools are assembled on a common carriage.
A Netherlands publication, NL 9 001 591, describes apparatus for exerting a tensile force on the halves of a slaughtered animal in order to improve the meat quality. The stretching apparatus travels along a track in the transport direction of a slaughterhouse line. But there is no reference to a parallel arrangement of multiple such stretching apparatuses.
Several U.S. patents reveal similar systems. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,945 describes a device for cleaving carcasses. A cleaving saw moves along a frame to process the carcass during transport. While a number of saws may operate in parallel, plant workers cannot adjust the interval between the saws. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,126 describes a device for removing pig's heads. Hooks separated by a fixed, common distance line up to the carcasses and move more or less parallel to the direction of movement of the carcasses. A hook snags the pig's head, after which the pig conveyor moves away from the hook, causing the head to separate.
Collectively, none of the above approaches provide for parallel, but flexible, processing of the carcasses. In other words, in order to make most efficient use of plant processing space, it would be desirable to provide mechanisms and methods for parallel processing where the processors at least somewhat independently move relative to one another as they also move alongside the carcass conveyor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention aims to provide an apparatus and method for parallel processing of a plurality of cattle carcasses suspended from a slaughter line by which a plurality of carcasses separated by varying distances can be processed simultaneously and in parallel in an efficient and effective manner.
The invention provides for this purpose an apparatus having processing stations located alongside a carcass conveyor. Each station may be outfitted with means for realizably coupling the processing stations to the conveyor so that the interval between the processing stations in a position coupled to the conveyor is variable relative to the interval in a position disconnected from the conveyor. The variability in interval allows the same operation on a plurality of carcasses to be performed in parallel and accurately by multiple independent processing stations. This invention achieves increased accuracy because it individually positions the processing stations relative to the carcasses. Despite varying intervals between the carcasses, the processing stations can each be placed in the desired orientation in relation to an associated carcass; the intervals between the processing stations are correlated to the intervals between the carcasses being presented for processing. This invention thus makes it possible, even efficient, to process cattle or other large animal carcasses suspended from a conveyor by means of a number of processing stations placed in parallel and co-displaced with the conveyor. Such results could not before have been achieved in view of the varying intervals between suspended carcasses.
In a preferred embodiment the processing stations displace along a guide. The guide can be common to both processing stations or separate. The processing stations may move along the guide(s), to at least a limited extent, independently of one another. The processing stations preferably couple to one another with mutually variable spacing. The mechanism for displacing the processing stations parallel to the conveyor can be formed by coupling means for releasably coupling the conveyor and the processing stations.
In another embodiment, the processing stations also may connect flexibly or retractibly to each other. The advantage of the flexible coupling of the processing stations is that the processing stations can be returned to a starting position —e.g., in a direction opposite to the transporting direction of the conveyor. This displacement can take place with a single drive, wherein, for instance, the foremost processing station pushes back the subsequent station(s) or the rearmost processing station pulls back the preceding station(s).
Configuring multiple processing stations to displace independently of each other allows for optimal positioning relative to successive carcasses on the conveyor—irrespective of the intervals between the carcasses. The coupling with mutually variable intervals enables the processing stations to engage at the precise position where the carcasses are located. In another configuration, the coupling may allow the processing stations to be displaced simultaneously with the conveyor by means of the same drive used to drive the conveyor. The processing stations may engage on a chain of the conveyor, the drive of the conveyor, the shackle connecting conveyor to carcass, the carcass itself or any other structure sufficiently strong to allow the coupling mechanism to displace the processing station with its respective carcass.
Using the individual coupling means the processing stations can be attached to the conveyor at the position where the carcasses for processing are located. After effecting a coupling between a processing station and e.g., the conveyor the processing station is carried along with the conveyor and the processing of the carcass can take place. In practice the engagement can advantageously take place on the carrier or spreader of a carcass.
In a preferred embodiment the processing stations may connect by means of a resilient coupling, such as via air cylinders, mechanical springs, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders or the like, so that the processing stations are biased toward one another. The processing stations can be co
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
Little Willis
Stockwell Mitchell G.
Stork MPS B.V.
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