Other

Cantrell Machine Company, Inc.

Johnny R Graham

Kenneth Z Graham

Apparatus for seating resilient fingers of a poultry feather picking machine has a housing 30 in which a sleeve 54 is reciprocally mounted that carries collet camming means 55. A collet 57 is slidably mounted in the sleeve 54 which has an annular array of resilient collet fingers 59. Pressurized fluid drive means are provided for moving the sleeve within the housing.

Apparatus for installing poultry feather picking fingers

An apparatus and method are disclosed for pulling out and separating the viscera from a fowl carcass during food processing. The apparatus includes a rotary carrier (B) on which are carried a plurality of gripping devices (A). A rotary axis (35) of the rotary carrier (B) mounted on a frame (70) is inclined to the horizontal at such an angle that the gripping devices (A) penetrate the cavities (24) of fowl carcasses (F) conveyed sequentially past the frame (70). The gripping device (A) includes serrated gripping jaws (10, 14) which clamp a viscera track (18) between the crop and stomach. The jaws are carried by spoke arms (48) carried radially on a hub (36) forming the rotary carrier (B). A spring (61) closes the jaws and cam plates (62, 63) open the jaws through a cam roller (64). Cam roller (64) pushes forward a rack gear (58) to open the jaws via a rotary shaft (54) having a jaw (14) affixed thereto. The carrier (B) and gripping devices (A) are driven in synchronism with an overhead conveyor (116) on which the fowl carcasses are carried. The gripping jaws (A) are closed and begin insertion at about four-o'clock. The jaws open at about five-o'clock when cam (62) is engaged and close at about the six-o'clock position when spring (61) is released after cam (62) is past over. The viscera track (18) is positively clamped between the jaws. During retraction, about six to eight-o'clock, the viscera is harvested by complete removal from the carcass which continues its travel on the conveyor. At about the eight-o'clock position, and after retraction, cam (63) is engaged again opening the jaws to release the harvested viscera.

Rotary viscera harvester

A line of poultry suspended on hangers and moving in alignment in series through a processing plant is divided by engaging and urging alternate one of the engaged hangers laterally with respect to the direction of movement of the hangers along the conveyor line, substantially without deflecting the hangers or the poultry carried thereby from their longitudinal movement with the conveyor line. In one embodiment, paddles carried on a continuous separator conveyor move along a path that diverges laterally beneath the conveyor line and the surfaces of the paddles which engage alternate ones of the hangers are oriented at an angle that does not impart movement to the hangers or the poultry carried thereby along the conveyor line. In another embodiment, a helical engaging member of increasing radius is located beneath the conveyor line and rotates to engage and to progressively urge alternate ones of the hangers laterally with respect to the conveyor line without imparting longitudinal movement to the hangers or poultry carried thereby.

Line divider

Poultry gizzards with entrails such as gut and stomach attached are supported at first on a rotary drum with a helical tread and a rotary support bar whereupon the gizzards are urged along a path and are oriented so that the entrails hang therebelow as they move along the path. As the gizzards move beyond the rotary drum they move onto a stationary support bar that also cooperates with an extension of the rotary support bar, and a conveyor moves down into engagement with the gizzards and urges the gizzards further along the path. A rotary cutting disc extending over the support bars severs the entrails from the gizzards, and a second rotary cutting disc protrudes upwardly between the support bars and splits the gizzards. The split gizzards then straddle a support rail and move up on and over helical cleaning wheels which further separates the cut-apart portions of the gizzards to permit water spray to remove the particles from the gizzards. The gizzards are discharged to a peeling mechanism where the outer cover of the gizzards is pulled off.

Poultry gizzard processing system

In a poultry processing plant where birds are conveyed in a suspended series through the plant in a neck-down attitude, a series of bird holders are moved up an incline from below the path of the birds in timed relationship with the movement of the birds until the bird holders at least partially support the birds. The bird holders are then moved with the birds, and cutting implements cut the neck skin and other neck tissue and break the neck of the bird as the bird and bird holders continue to move in the system. Each bird holder comprises a pair of legs formed in a V-shape with the apex of the V lower than the diverging ends of the legs, and the legs receive a bird about its shoulder area so that gravity and the incline of the diverging legs of the bird holder tend to place the neck of the bird at the apex of the V-shape and to tilt the bird so that its usually arcuate neck extends more in a downward direction.

Growing community of inventors

Gainesville, GA, United States of America

Johnny R Graham