Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Product with added inedible feature other than that which...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-19
2001-07-24
Weinstein, Steven (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Product with added inedible feature other than that which...
C426S129000, C426S393000, C426S420000, C426S523000, C426S524000, C426S644000, C099S419000, C099S426000, C099S428000, C099S450000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06265004
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to shaping the carcass of a previously eviscerated oven-ready carcass of a bird, so that the bird does not lose its shape when delivered to the market place, either in fresh or frozen condition. More particularly, the invention relates to a mandrel inserted into the eviscerated body cavity and neck cavity of a bird so as to distend the neck of the bird and fill the body cavity of the bird, to keep the bird from collapsing during storage, shipment, and display of the bird, when fresh or frozen.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When previously eviscerated, whole, oven-ready birds are prepared at the poultry processing plant and are to be shipped to the market, some of the birds are transported, stored, and displayed for sale without being frozen. These “fresh” birds are ready for cooking by the purchaser or by the retail store without the inconvenience or time delay involved in thawing a frozen bird. However, in many instances the purchaser wishes to receive the whole birds in a frozen condition or, in some cases, the purchaser will freeze the birds received from the processing plant so as to preserve the birds for later use and sale.
When the previously eviscerated oven-ready whole bird carcasses are frozen, there is a likelihood that the shapes of the birds will be changed, usually somewhat collapsed from their usual anatomical shapes, such as the neck of the bird bent and the visceral cavity of the bird somewhat collapsed or deformed. When the frozen bird is retrieved from cold storage to be placed in an oven, etc., it is very difficult to insert a spit or skewer through the bird so as to impale the bird and support the bird during cooking. The skewer could comprise an elongated, thin rod that is to project from the vent opening, through the visceral cavity and through the neck cavity so as to support the bird. In some instances, the bird might be placed with its visceral cavity mounted on a vertically oriented conical skewer for cooking. In either situation, the typical frozen bird is difficult to mount on a skewer. The elongated skewer is likely not to be able to protrude through the neck cavity because the neck of the bird would have been deformed, possibly bent downwardly during freezing and is too rigid to be straightened for receiving a skewer. Likewise, if the bird is to be mounted with its visceral cavity surrounding a vertically oriented conical skewer, the visceral cavity of the bird is likely to have been frozen in a shape that does not match the shape of the conical skewer. As a result, the bird must be thawed before it becomes flexible enough to conform in shape to the skewer or other mount. The thawing process requires a time delay and, therefore, delay in the cooking and other handling processes.
It is to the solution of the above noted deficiencies that this invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention comprises a method of shaping previously eviscerated oven-ready whole bird carcasses in a predetermined configuration that is compatible with the use of a spit, skewer or other internal support and which is compatible with storing, shipping, displaying and cooking the birds.
Once the whole bird has been properly eviscerated, including the drawing of the viscera from the visceral cavity of the bird as well as the drawing of the crop and other organs from the neck of the bird, a disposable mandrel is inserted through the vent, through the visceral cavity and into the neck cavity of the bird. The mandrel is of a size and shape compatible with the typical bird being processed, such as a three pound previously eviscerated, oven-ready whole chicken. Preferably, the mandrel is of a length suitable for extending from the vent through the visceral cavity and into the neck a distance so that the neck of the bird is distended from the main body of the bird without significant drooping of the neck occurring. The other end of the mandrel is of a larger size so as to fill and shape the visceral cavity of the bird. Once the mandrel has been inserted into the bird, the bird can be packaged, shipped, stored, displayed, purchased and even cooked without removing the mandrel and without the likelihood of experiencing a significant change in shape. Moreover, the bird can be frozen in this shape and later thawed. Usually, all of these functions can be performed without likelihood of significantly changing the shape of the bird.
The mandrels are formed in substantially duplicate size and shape so that all of the birds that receive the mandrels will have a substantially uniform interior dimension and shape that will be suitable for use on skewers of standard size and the standard inside dimensions of the birds as formed by the skewers tends to make the cooking of the birds more uniform and predictable.
The preferred embodiments of the mandrel as disclosed herein include a disposable, non-reusable cylindrical tube which is reshaped at one of its ends with longitudinally extending alternately facing parallel folds which reduce the diameter of the end of the cylindrical tube and form corrugations or alternate ridges and grooves about the tube. The reduced diameter end of the tube is approximately conical. The reduced end of the tube, because of its corrugations, becomes radially compressible in response to external forces, whereas the cylindrical end of the tube remains substantially radially rigid. T he tube, because of its shape, is longitudinally rigid.
The mandrel is inserted, smaller end first, through the vent of the bird through the previously eviscerated visceral cavity of the bird, and into the previously eviscerated neck cavity of the bird. In the course of inserting the mandrel into the bird, the smaller, corrugated end of the mandrel engages the internal surfaces of the bird, and this contact with the bird tends to squeeze the smaller, corrugated end of the tube to a smaller breadth. In the meantime, the overall tube exerts radially outwardly directed forces in the internal cavities of the bird, which tend to maintain the cavities in their more normal circular configurations.
When the birds that have the mandrels inserted therein are compressed, as when birds are stored one on top of the other, the forces of the weight of several layers of birds is not enough to deform or otherwise misshape the lowermost birds in the stack.
The insertion of the mandrel into the eviscerated cavities of the bird tend to cause the neck of the bird to distend axially with respect to the visceral cavity of the bird making a substantially rectilinear internal passageway through the bird. Therefore, if the bird is frozen, the neck of the bird more likely will be maintained in alignment with the visceral cavity of the bird, so that a skewer, etc. can be inserted through the frozen bird without having to straighten the neck and therefore without the hazard of breaking or otherwise damaging the neck of the bird when attempting to straighten the neck. Also, the visceral cavity of the bird which receives the cylindrical portion of the mandrel tends to maintain a rounded shape suitable for receiving a skewer or other internal mounting device.
The skewers which are inserted into the visceral cavities of the birds typically will be of a uniform size and shape, so that the circular end of the skewer will conform to the shapes of conical mounts or other items of a given size.
Typically, the mandrel will be made of flame-resistant material which is compatible with and usable in the cooking of the bird, so that the mandrel does not have to be withdrawn from the bird during thawing, cooking, etc.
In the first embodiment of the invention, the mandrel is formed of substantially impervious material. However, in another embodiment, the mandrel is formed with openings extending therethrough which more readily permit the movement of heat and vapor through the mandrel. Further, the material of the mandrel can be made so that it is pervious to heat and vapor without requiring the formation of holes in the material.
The shape of the man
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley
Weinstein Steven
LandOfFree
Poultry visceral cavity shaping method and product does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Poultry visceral cavity shaping method and product, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Poultry visceral cavity shaping method and product will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2520653