Townsend Engineering Company

Marel Meat Processing Inc.

Marvel Meat Processing Inc.

Stephen H Cate

Vincent L Basile, Ii

David S Hamblin

Steven P Hergott

Kenneth Leon Lebsack

Michael S Simpson

Marcellinus Franciscus Ottow

Jay D Thomas

Colin Ray Hart

Douglas N McCloskey

Rudolf P T Enklaar

Matthew A Bergman

Donald D Holms

William A Johnson

Ryan J Rohe

Rudolf Pt Enklaar

Joseph A Gross

Gregory Anderson

Darin F Dostal

An automatic skinning assembly having a loading station, a first device, and a conveyor assembly extending between the first skinning device and the second skinning device.

Automatic leg skinner

An automatic skinning mechanism having an inlet conveyor, a take away conveyor, a skinning mechanism and a hold down mechanism that removes pressure form a food product as the skinning mechanism begins skinning food product.

Automatic skinning device

A method of filling a natural hollow elongated casing with meat emulsion involves placing a natural casing on an elongated meat emulsion stuffing tube having a meat emulsion discharge end, closing an extended end of the natural casing over the discharge end of the stuffing tube so that meat emulsion exiting the discharge end will push the natural casing longitudinally by pumping meat emulsion through the stuffing tube for expansive discharge into the natural casing at a sufficient volume and velocity to provide the primary energy within the natural casing to move the natural casing forwardly off of the discharge end of the stuffing tube. The casing is extended through a hollow chuck (). A resilient brake element () in the chuck is extended around the casing to impede its longitudinal movement. A thrust collar () is slidably mounted on the stuffing tube and is intermittently manually pushed against the casing to limit the length thereof but is insufficient to create compression pressure thereon. An apparatus for filling a natural casing has a thrust collar on the stuffing horn () for pushing the natural casing longitudinally, and a casing hopper () that can be pivoted from a forward operating position to a rearward inoperative position.

Method and means for filling natural casing sausages

A method for filling a natural hollow elongated casing with meat emulsion that involves placing a natural casing on an elongated meat emulsion stuffing tube and longitudinally pumping meat emulsion through the stuffing tube for expansive discharge into the natural casing at a sufficient volume and velocity to provide the primary energy within the natural casing. The method also involves providing a casing hopper that can be pivoted from a forward operating position to a rearward inoperative position.

A method of filling a natural hollow elongated casing with meat emulsion involves placing a natural casing on an elongated meat emulsion stuffing tube having a meat emulsion discharge end, closing an extended end of the natural casing over the discharge end of the stuffing tube so that meat emulsion exiting the discharge end will push the natural casing longitudinally by pumping meat emulsion through the stuffing tube for expansive discharge into the natural casing at a sufficient volume and velocity to provide the primary energy within the natural casing to move the natural casing forwardly off of the discharge end of the stuffing tube. The casing is extended through a hollow chuck. A resilient brake element in the chuck is extended around the casing to impede its longitudinal movement. A thrust collar is slidably mounted on the stuffing tube and is intermittently manually pushed against the casing to limit the length thereof but is insufficient to create compression pressure thereon. An apparatus for filling a natural casing has a thrust collar on the stuffing horn for pushing the natural casing longitudinally, and a casing hopper that can be pivoted from a forward operating position to a rearward inoperative postion.

A conventional meat skinning machine has a frame, a horizontal auger on the frame having a forward end, a tooth gripping roll rearwardly mounted on the frame and extending across the forward end of the conveyor, and an elongated cutting blade mounted on the frame adjacent the gripping roll to remove material from the outer surface of a meat product coming in contact therewith. An elongated flipper plate is mounted on the frame adjacent the cutting edge of the cutting blade. A pair of parallel arms are pivotally secured to the frame adjacent the sides of the conveyor and extend upwardly and forwardly from their pivotal connections. A resilient hold down roll is rotatably mounted between the forward ends of the arms. A lifting mechanism is provided on the frame and connected to the arms for raising and lowering the arms at selected intervals. A link extends from at least one of the arms and is connected to the flipper plate so that when the arms are raised, the flipper plate is partially erect so as to block the movement of a meat product moving forwardly over the plate and to allow the meat product to be rotated by the gripper roll and the conveyor across the cutting edge of the blade. A method is provided for automatically removing material from the outer surface of a meat product, as described above, including the further steps of simultaneously lowering the hold down roll and the flipper plate so that the hold down roll contacts the meat product.

Machine and method for automatic muscle fat and membrane removal

A method of trimming cuts of meat by imposing on an electronic controller the trim parameters for a meat portion. The meat portion is then scanned with an electronic ultrasonic sensor to locate and identify the natural physical makeup of the meat portion. After determining the natural conditions that exist in the meat portion, the sensor transmits signals to the controller to advise the controller of the nature and location of the sensed condition. That data is compared to the trim parameters imposed on the controller which then determines the trim requirements for that meat portion in that sensed condition. The controller then controls a meat trimming mechanism to trim the meat portion consistent with the parameters of the foregoing evaluation.

Growing community of inventors

Johnston, IA, United States of America

Stephen H Cate