Premark Feg L.l.c.

Townsend Engineering Company

Grimes Aerospace Co.

Other

Baader North American Corp.

Richard P Scherch

Timothy Allen Schrand

Horst K Braeger

Ellis G Short

Danny J Mitchell

Robert E Neer

Mark Mingjun Xie

Gongpu Yan

Harvey A Kasinoff

James Alan Shirk

Brian A Tweed

Peter M deBakker

Ralph Berliner

Frank Gransee

Michael W Osborne

Holger Jorgan

Tom B Heckman

A catfish fillet machine for filleting fish, such as a catfish, with ribs extending through the belly flesh up to the skin. The catfish fillet machine includes a pair of scraping tools for dividing the flesh of each fish half into at least two independent segments up to the skin. Advantageously, the belly flesh is stripped from the ribs on both sides, thereby resulting in a minimum wastage of fillet flesh. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the catfish fillet machine includes a pelvic fin and bone cutter/remover. A mechanism advantageously stretches the nuggets (belly flaps) of the fish tightly against the scraper knives and cutting support of the scraper tools. A fish saddle which engages and moves the fish along the conveyance path has top rail removably fastened to a base and made of a polymer material softer than the cutting blades.

Catfish fillet machine

In a fileting process for fish of the Siluridae species, for instance, catfish (,), the bone plate present in the area of the dorsal fin of these species for supporting the dorsal spike is first undercut from the dorsal area without cutting through its connection to the bone structure, in order to obtain largely trim-free filets. This takes place by means of a cutting tool that makes incisions under the bone plate up to the ventral bones, so that, in the subsequent cutting free of the filet meat from the ventral bones, the outer parts of the bone plate accumulate separately from the filet meat.

Process for fileting fish and machine for performing this process

A conveyor for moving an extruded strand of sausage from an extruding machine for coagulating the outer surface of said strand of sausage has a frame, a continuous conveyor on the frame sloping downwardly from a point of beginning to a discharge station, and thence back to the point of beginning, a brine fluid circuit disposed on the frame above the conveyor with a plurality of discharge nozzles thereon to spray brine on a strand of sausage moving with the conveyor, the conveyor being comprised of a plurality of link elements pivotally secured together, each link element having a generally flat supporting surface, the supporting surface having a plurality of protruding support elements thereon with liquid channels therebetween so that the strand of sausage can have a lower surface supported by a plurality of laterally extending elements whereupon brine fluid in the channels can contact the lower surface of the strand of sausage above the channels.

Conveyor for coagulating the outer surface of a sausage strand

An adjustable gauge plate for a food slicer comprising a front plate and a rear plate attached to the front plate, such that a cavity is defined between the plates, the rear plate having at least one hole therethrough. The gauge plate further comprises an indexing member attached to a slicer base, an adjustment plate mounted to the indexing member, the indexing member and adjustment plate being shaped to fit in the cavity between the front and rear plates, and a fastener shaped to be inserted in the hole in the rear plate and adjustably connected to the adjustment plate such that the gauge plate is capable of being adjusted relative to the adjustment plate and the gauge plate is capable of being adjusted relative to the food slicer.

Method and apparatus for adjusting a gauge plate of a food slicer and a

A conveyor assembly for moving an extruded strand of sausage from an extruding machine and for coagulating the outer surface of the strand has first and second conveyor elements mounted on a frame. The conveyor asssembly on the frame slopes downwardly from a point of beginning to a first discharge station and thence back to the point of beginning. A brine fluid circuit is disposed on the frame above the conveyor with a plurality of discharge nozzles thereon to spray brine on a strand of sausage moving with the conveyor assembly. The first conveyor element extends from the point of beginning to an intermediate discharge station upstream from the first discharge station. The second conveyor element extends from the immediate discharge station to the first discharge station. The second conveyor element has a plurality of openings therein so that brine fluid can pass therethrough by gravity.

Conveyor for supporting sausage strands during coagulation cycle, and

A clutch mechanism for use in a windshield wiper system having a park eccentric, the clutch incorporates a unidirectional sprag clutch bearing and a torsional return spring to provide the clutch function.

Windshield wiper clutch assembly

An interlock mechanism for a food product slicer that prevents the carriage support of a reciprocating carriage from being removed from the slicer housing unless the gauge plate of the slicer is closed and the carriage is positioned along a predetermined portion of the path of reciprocation of the carriage. The interlock mechanism includes a pivoting interlock plate and a stationary interlock bar. The pivoting interlock plate extends along the predetermined portion of the reciprocation path and the stationary interlock bar extends along the rest of the carriage's reciprocation path. The interlock plate is pivotally mounted on the housing and is movable from a blocking position, which it blocks pivoting and removal of a carriage support, to a free position, which it permits pivoting and removal of the carriage support. The interlock plate cooperates with the gauge plate adjustment control mechanism such that when the gauge plate is adjusted to an open position, the interlock plate is pivoted to the blocking position, and when the gauge plate is adjusted a closed position, the interlock plate is pivoted to the free position. Because the stationary bar is always in a blocking position, blocking the pivoting and removal of the carriage support, the carriage support can never be pivoted or removed when the carriage is positioned in the portion of the reciprocation path covered by the bar.

Food product slicer having an interlock mechanism

A food product slicing machine includes a coupling and associated interlock mechanism for connecting and disconnecting a carriage arm of the food slicing machine to and from a reciprocating carriage base mounted to the housing of the machine. The coupling includes a cylindrical mounting head which is rotatably mounted in the carriage base by a bracket. The mounting head contains a slot for slidably receiving a foot of the carriage arm, and the bracket also contains a slot with which the mounting head slot can be aligned through rotation of the mounting head within the bracket. The mounting head slot and bracket slot must be aligned in order to attach or remove the carriage arm's foot to or from the carriage base. The interlock mechanism is provided to prohibit the alignment of the slots when the gauge plate of the slicing machine is not in a safe position. Accordingly, the carriage arm may not be removed from the carriage base when the gauge plate is not in the safe position.

The invention is a sharpener for a knife of a food slicer. The sharpener includes a base assembly and a sharpener assembly. The base assembly includes a lever mounted thereto on a pivot; the lever carrying a cam member which extends therefrom. The sharpener assembly includes a housing and a longitudinal cavity, a sharpening wheel mounted for rotation on an axle which reciprocates lengthwise in the cavity, a compression spring positioned in the cavity at the base of the axle, and an actuator which reciprocates in the cavity portion on the side of the spring opposite the axle. Upon moving the lever about its pivot, the cam contacts the actuator and moves the actuator in the direction of the axle and compresses the spring. The spring moves the plunger lengthwise within the cavity and urges the sharpening wheel against the knife.

Sharpening device for food slicer

A replaceable windshield wiping element for a windshield wiper system, including an insert end being made relatively rigid in comparison to the windshield contact end of the wiping element so that the insert end may be fastened with a fastener within a holder of the wiper blade assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Johnston, IA, United States of America

Richard P Scherch