Acraloc Corporation

Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.

Other

Rheem Manufacturing Company

Tipper Tie, Inc.

Marlen Research Corporation

Harrison A Ailey, Jr

Dennis J May

Samuel D Griggs

Lawrence D Boody

Richard Scott Bruce

Bradford L Brewster

L George Andre

Richard G Powers

James E Anderson

Scott E Andre

Roman M Tomczak

E Scott Pierce

Charles M Heard

Lester H Sirois

An apparatus for processing a carcass middle portion of an animal includes a working surface onto which the carcass middle is positioned, the working surface supported by a frame above a support surface. A loin knife assembly for separating a loin portion from the carcass middle is disposed at a first selected location on the frame. A skinner assembly is disposed at a second selected location on the frame for skinning skin and fatback from the loin portion. A conveyor conveys the carcass middle past the first selected location to engage the loin knife assembly and past the second selected location to engage the skinner assembly. In preferred embodiments, the skinner assembly includes a contoured blade using a tooth roll assembly having tooth rolls of varying diameters driven by drive rolls having varying diameters based on the tooth roll diameters.

Loin pulling and skinning system

An apparatus for defining a loop handle in a tubular covering, such as an expanded mesh plastic covering, for a food. The apparatus of the present invention includes a frame for supporting the various assemblies that comprise the apparatus and for engaging a support surface such as a floor. The apparatus of the present invention further includes a conveyor assembly, which conveys the food product from a production line and into the slide area or chute. Positioned proximate the distal end of the chute is a voider assembly defined by a stationary set of voider gates and a movable set of voider gates. Further, the apparatus of the present invention includes a handle formation assembly for engaging the compressed cord of tubular covering and forming the compressed cord into a loop handle and a clipper device for engaging the handle formation assembly, and the engaged compressed cord of tubular covering and securing two clips to the cord, one to secure the bottom of the tubular covering for the previously processed food product, and one to secure the loop handle and for severing the compressed cord of tubular covering at a point disposed between the two securing clips.

Device for defining a handle in a tubular covering for a food product

An apparatus for defining a loop handle in a tubular covering, such as an expanded mesh plastic covering, for a food. The apparatus of the present invention includes a frame for supporting the various assemblies that comprise the apparatus and for engaging a support surface such as a floor. The apparatus of the present invention further includes a conveyor assembly, which conveys the food product from a production line and into the slide area or chute. Positioned proximate the distal end of the chute is a voider assembly defined by a stationary set of voider gates and a moveable set of voider gates. Further, the apparatus of the present invention includes a handle formation assembly for engaging the compressed cord of tubular covering and forming the compressed cord into a loop handle and a clipper device for engaging the handle formation assembly, and the engaged compressed cord of tubular covering and securing two clips to the cord, one to secure the bottom of the tubular covering for the previously processed food product, and one to secure the loop handle and for severing the compressed cord of tubular covering at a point disposed between the two securing clips.

A preferred sizer (10) for stuffing flowable materials such as sausage into a flexible casing (24) includes a horn assembly (12) having inner and outer concentric tube (28, 34) presenting an evacuation chamber (46) therebetween connected to a vacuum source (50a) for deaerating material within the inner tube (34). The tubes (28, 34) are shiftable relative to one another between an open position in which the chamber (46) communicates with the interior of the inner tube (34) through an open space (48) adjacent the discharge ends (30, 36) of the tubes (28, 34) for evacuating air from material within the inner tube (34), and a closed position in which the open space (48) is sealed to prevent communication between the chamber (46) and the inner tube (34) interior thereby preventing entry of material into the chamber (46).

Sizer apparatus having shiftable horn

Dehiding device

A butchering saw (10) particularly suited for splitting hogs is provided. The saw (10) includes a cutting blade (70) which rotates in the preferred embodiment. A drive shaft (48) is provided which has a power take-off location at one end (50) operatively associated with the blade. A motor (38) serves to rotatably drive the drive shaft (48) for turning the blade and performing the cutting operations. A driving mass mechanism (86) is carried by the drive shaft (48) to assist in maintaining a constant motion of the drive shaft during butchering operations in which the blade (70) cuts through soft tissue and bone which apply varying resistances or loads to the cutting motions.

Butchering saw

A head-held, pressurized fluid operated, shears unit for use in the processing of poultry and the like. The shears unit has a body member having a weight and size for ready grasp by a user. One of the cutting blades is fixed in position, and the second blade is pivotally-mounted so as to move toward and away from the first blade to effect a cutting action. The motion of the pivotal blade is effected by connecting that blade, through a pivotal linkage, to a reciprocatable piston rod that extends from a forward end of the body member. This piston rod is fastened at a second end to a double-acting piston within a piston cylinder in the body member. A master valve operated by a lever for grasp by a user directs the pressurized fluid to one of two sides of the double-acting piston so as to effect moving of the piston and piston rod and thus opening or closing the pivotal blade with respect to the fixed blade. When the body member is fabricated from machinable plastic, the master valve includes a valve body received in a cavity within the body member with the valve stem moving within this valve body.

Fluid operated shears

A high speed evacuation chamber packaging machine (10) and method is provided. The machine (10) includes a frame (12) which carries a plurality of stations (18). Each station (18) includes a platen (32) which faces upwardly and carries the bagged product during the evacuation operations. A hood (34) is associated with each platen and is selectively operable between an open position for loading and unloading the bag product and a closed position which defines an evacuation chamber (34) with the platen. Means are provided for selectively evacuating and reducing the vacuum level within the chamber (36) containing the bagged product and for selectively evacuating the bag itself to a preselected level which has a lower pressure than the pressure within the chamber. A device (84) for sealing and trimming the bag subsequent to the evacuation is also provided and carried along a path of travel similar to the travel of the bag position on a station platen.

High speed evacuation chamber packaging machine and method

Sharpening mechanism for moving at a variable speed along the length of the sharp edge of a reciprocating knife used in cloth cutting machines is disclosed. The apparatus includes a driven grinding apparatus (26) such as is known in the art for contacting an edge of a reciprocating knife (24). Driven grinding apparatus (26) is moved by a tubular carrier member (44) which moves the grinding mechanism (26) along the edge of reciprocating knife (24) in a manner also known in the art. A traverse mechanism for moving the carriage along the knife edge includes a guide mechanism (52) attached to tubular member (44) for following left and right hand peripheral threads (34) cut in the drive shaft (32). To achieve the variable speed, the peripheral left and right hand threads (34) cut in drive shaft (32) have a first pitch at an uppermost portion (56) and a pitch different from the first pitch in a lowermost portion (54) such that the traverse speed of the grinding mechanism (26 ) varies at selected portions of the reciprocating blade. In a preferred embodiment, the uppermost peripheral threads (34) have a higher pitch than the lowermost peripheral threads such that additional contact time is available for the grinding apparatus (26) at the lower tip of the reciprocating blade (24).

Reversing screw/high-low speed level wind screw

A high speed evacuation chamber packaging and clipping machine for the high speed evacuation and positive sealing of filled, flexible receptacles such as thermoplastic bags in order to preserve the contents of the receptacle. A first endless conveyor carries a plurality of bagged product carrying platens. The first conveyor conducts the platens along a horizontal path of travel with the platens facing upwardly. A second conveyor carries a plurality of hoods. The second conveyor conducts the hoods between and along upper and lower paths of travel and is so located with respect to the first conveyor that when each hood is shifted from its upper path of travel to its lower path of travel, it will engage one of the platens traveling in its horizontal path of travel to form a chamber therewith. Means are provided in association with each chamber for evacuating the chamber. Means are also provided in association with each chamber for applying a clip to the bag to close the bag about the product. Means are provided in association with each chamber to trim the excess of the bag following clipping. Finally, means are provided to devacuate each chamber after the bag has been clipped and trimmed. The second conveyor is so configured that when each hood is shifted from the lower path of travel to the upper path of travel it disengages from its respective platen, exposing the clipped and trimmed bagged product on the platen for further processing.

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Harrison A Ailey, Jr