Butchering – Deboning
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-30
2001-10-23
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3643)
Butchering
Deboning
C452S125000, C452S128000, C452S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306028
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to recovery of meat from the head of a slaughtered animal such as slaughtered cattle.
In an abattoir, the recovery of meat such as the cheek meat and papillae from cattle heads is generally a manual operation in which an operator cuts along the surfaces of the bones of the skull and jaw and through connecting tissues. The operation is labour intensive and frequently much of the meat recovered is in the form of relatively small pieces which have low value. Frequently also substantial amounts of meat remain attached and are not recovered.
In US Pat. No. 4,543,689 there is described an apparatus for recovering head meat from a cattle skull. The skull (with the lower jaw already removed) is located and held on a table. Two sets of projections are engaged with opposite sides of the skull and are hydraulically moved rearwardly to pull the cheek meat from the skull. Some preliminary cuts to tendons facilitate removal of the meat. This apparatus requires substantial preliminary work in separating the jaw and it is doubtful that any additional meat to what is recovered by purely manual methods will be recovered using this apparatus.
It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for use in effectively recovering meat from the head of a slaughtered animal in a partially mechanised manner.
It is a preferred object to provide apparatus enabling recovery of greater amounts of head meat.
It is a further preferred object to provide apparatus enabling recovery of meat in dentifiable portions so that the meat has a higher saleable value.
According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for recovering meat from the head of a slaughtered animal, the apparatus including: a jaw support for supporting the head of a slaughtered animal, cheek pullers for engaging with and holding the cheeks of the animal head in the vicinity of the mouth, and a drive arrangement for moving the cheek pullers outwardly relatively away from each other and also relative to the animal head held by the jaw support in the posterior direction so as to pull tissues from both the jaw and the skull.
The jaw support preferably comprises a support member and a jaw support clamp operative to clamp the jaw against the support member to restrain the jaw against movement. The jaw support is preferably arranged to support the jaw so that the muzzle of the animal head is directed upwardly. In this embodiment, the jaw support may be arranged to support and hold the jaw at an angle to the vertical so that the skull tends to fall away from the jaw and thereby open the mouth.
The apparatus preferably further includes a mouth opening projection, the projection in use passing through the jaw from the underside of the jaw towards the skull so as to contact the surface of the palate of the skull when the jaw is held by the jaw support whereby the skull will be pushed away from the jaw by the projection and held so that mouth remains open.
Each cheek puller may comprise a cheek clamp for positioning at a respective one of the opposite sides of the mouth, each cheek clamp comprising two clamp jaws, one of the clamp jaws being located against the inside papillae and the other clamp jaw being located against the outside muscle surface. The jaw support may be selectively rotatable about a transverse axis enabling selective rotational movement of the head to present the cheeks at a substantially fixed location regardless of the size of the animal head.
Preferably the drive arrangement for moving the cheek pullers comprises a lateral drive which is selectively operable to move the cheek pullers outwardly away from each other so as to thereby pull the cheeks away from the skull and jaw, and a posterior drive for moving the cheek pullers relatively to the head in the posterior direction. The lateral drive is preferably operable to move the cheek pullers outwardly away from each other in a first stage of operation of the drive arrangement and, in a second simultaneous or subsequent stage, the posterior drive is operable to move the cheek pullers relative to the head in the posterior direction.
The cheek pullers may be mounted by a support structure, the posterior drive being operable to linearly move the support structure relative to the animal head in the posterior direction. In this embodiment, the lateral drive may comprise support arms having outer ends to which the cheek pullers are mounted, the support arms being pivotally mounted to the support structure and the lateral drive being operable to pivotally move the support arms selectively away from each other about their pivot connections to the support structure.
The apparatus may include a jaw separation means operable to separate the skull from the jaw during and/or after the cheek meat is removed from the animal head. The jaw separation means preferably comprises a head clamp arranged to be fitted to the snout of the skull and drive means for moving the head clamp so as to move the skull relative to the jaw held by the jaw support with an at least partially arcuate path of movement so as to continue to open the mouth wider as or after the cheek meat is removed from the animal head. The head clamp may comprise a snout ring which encloses the snout of the skull when the jaw is mounted by the jaw support. The snout ring may be mounted at the end of a support arm which projects out above the animal head when supported by the jaw support, the support arm being movable downwardly to engage the snout ring around the snout.
In the preferred embodiment, the drive means associated with the head clamp is operative to move the head clamp relative to the jaw with a linear component of movement in the posterior direction. The drive means associated with the head clamp may be operative to effect the linear movement in the posterior direction for a predetermined distance followed by a combined arcuate and linear movement in the posterior direction. The support arm for the snout ring may be pivotally mounted to the support structure which mounts the cheek pullers whereby, as the support structure is moved in the posterior direction, the pulling force applied to the snout through the support arm and snout ring together with the intact connection of the jaw to the skull will open the mouth wider by arcuate movement of the skull relative to the jaw supported by the jaw support.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1059339 (1913-04-01), Bloss
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patent: 2186273 (1940-01-01), Schmidt
patent: 4237580 (1980-12-01), Croasdell
patent: 4262386 (1981-04-01), Saget
patent: 4543689 (1985-10-01), Couture
patent: 4918788 (1990-04-01), Passchier
patent: 5372538 (1994-12-01), Ketels
patent: 5512013 (1996-04-01), Passchier
patent: 5533928 (1996-07-01), Karubian et al.
patent: 158354 (1983-01-01), None
patent: 197615 (1986-10-01), None
patent: WO 88/07329 (1988-10-01), None
patent: WO 91/19422 (1991-12-01), None
patent: WO 93/20703 (1993-10-01), None
patent: WO 94/02024 (1994-02-01), None
Finney Andrew Leslie
Ross Michael George
White Raymond Malcolm
Carone Michael J.
French III Fredrick T.
McDermott & Will & Emery
The Commonwealth of Australia Commonwealth Scientific and Indust
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