Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
284260
POULTRY ~3REAST FILLETING SYSTEM
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus
for automatically separating the meat from the
skeletal structure of the breast and adjacent back
portions of a previously eviscerated poultry carcass.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the processing of edible poultry, such as
chickens and turkeys, it is desirable to separate the
meat from the skeletal structure of the poultry
carcass so that the meat can be marketed separately,
without the bone contained in the meat. The all meat
30 product can be attractively packaged and sold at the
grocery store, and can be sold to restaurants where
the meat can be cooked and served in sandwiches or
served in relatively small portions which are easy to
eat and without requiring the consumer to separate the
meat from the bone.
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The in past, the process of filleting poultry
parts, such as thighs and breasts, has been achieved
by hand, with workers manually stripping the meat from
the bone. More recently, automated equipment has
become available which will function to separate the
meat from the bone of poultry thighs, wherein the bone
is of substantially rectilinear shape and the meat can
be scraped longitudinally off the bone. For example,
U.S. Patents 3,402,423, 3,533,128, 3,672,000,
104,068,350, 4,327,463, 4,377,884, 4,402,112 and
4,495,675 all disclose apparatus for deboning poultry
thighs and similar products wherein the bone is moved
along its length through scraping blades which tend to
scrape the meat from the bone.
15Although automated equipment has been developed
which succes~fully functions to debone poultry thighs,
the 8keletal 8tructure of the breast and related parts
of the poultry carcas8 are of more complex
configuratlon, and it i5 more difficult to separate
the meat and bone from this portion of the carcass.
As a result, the conventional methods for separating
the meat from the skeletal structure of the poultry
breast and related poultry parts has been performed by
hand. For example, U.S. Patent 4,385,419 illustrates
equipment wherein eviscerated poultry carcasses are
conveyed on supports along a path and workers cut the
poultry parts erom the carcass by hand at several
stations along the path.
More recently, automated equipment has been
developed which operates to remove the meat from the
breast portion of the poultry carcass. For example,
U.S. Patent 4,593,432 discloses a system by which
previously eviscerated poultry carcasses with the
wings and the legs removed therefrom are eviscerated
by mounting each carcass with its visceral cavity
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extending about a mandrel, and moving the mandrel
along a path through a gate which tends to gouge and
scrape the meat from the carcass.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention comprises
a poultry breast filleting system by which previously
eviscerated poultry carcasses are automatically
filleted, by mounting poultry carcasses with wings and
legs removed on a series of mandrels or carcass
carriers and moving the carcasses on the carriers
along a work path where a series of implements engage
and remove the meat from the skeletal structure of the
carcass.
Rach carrier is of duplicate design and includes a
leading portion that generally conforms to the shape
o~ the eviscerated cavity of a bird, and a pair of
wing socket protrusions extends in the direction of
movement of the carrier. The wing socket protrusions
are sized and shaped 80 as to have the carca~s mounted
with its open wing sockets mounted on the
protrusions. The mounting of the carcass on the
carrier in this manner positively locates each carcass
ln a preaetermined attitude on its carrier, and the
carrier i8 8haped 80 as to support the remaining
skeletal structure in a predetermined configuration 80
as to prevent the skeletal structure from collapsing
as the carcass is p~ocessed.
As the carcass is moved by its carrier along the
processing path, the implements that engage the meat
; of the carcass tend to apply forces to the carcass
- that are directed toward the skeletal structure and
along the surface of the skeletal structure, which
tends to cause the skeletal structure to be supported
by the carrier, resulting in little if any damage to
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the skeletal structure during the meat removal process.
Thus, this invention seeks to provide an
automated poultry breast filleting system wherein the
previously eviscerated poultry carcasses with legs and
wings removed can be moved in series along a processing
path and the meat can be progressively separated from
the skeletal structure of the carcasses substantially
without causing the breakage of bones of the skeletal
structure.
Further this invention seeks to provide an
automated system for reliably and rapidly filleting
poultry breasts.
The invention in one broad aspect pertains to
a method of removing meat from previously eviscerated
poultry carcasses with wings removed therefrom
comprising, mounting each carcass on a carrier with a
pair of protrusions of the carrier extending into the
wing sockets of the carcass, moving the carriers with
carcasses mounted thereon in series along a processing
path with the protrusions facing in the direction of
movement, and, as the carriers with carcasses mounted
thereon move along the processing path, engaging and
retarding the movement of the meat of the carcass so as
to remove the meat from the skeletal structure of the
carcass.
Another aspect of the invention comprehends
filleting apparatus for removing the fillets from
previously eviscerated poultry carcasses of which the
legs, the wings and the skin have been removed already.
The apparatus comprises a frame, a conveyor mounted on
and movable about the frame, and a plurality of carcass
carriers mounted on the conveyor at spaced intervals
and movable along a path about the frame. Each carcass
carrier includes a carcass moulding portion that is
sized and shaped to approximately fit the previously
eviscerated body cavity of a poultry carcass so that
the body cavity of a poultry carcass can be mounted on
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and carried along the path by each carcass carrier with
the moulding portion maintaining the shape of the body
cavity and a pair of protrusions for engaging the wing
sockets of the skeletal structure of the carcass to
hold the carcass on the carcass carrier. At least one
meat removing implement is mounted along the path of
the carcass carrier and formed with a shape t~at
corresponds to the profile of the skeletal structure of
the poultry carcasses, whereby when a poultry carcass
is carried by a carcass carrier adjacent the meat
removing implement, the meat of the carcass is
separated from the skeletal structure of the carcass.
Other aspects, features and advantages of
this invention will become apparent upon reading the
following specification, when taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
BRl:EF DESCRIPMON OP THE DRAWINGS
Flg. 1 is a side elevational view of the poultry
breast filleting system.
%0 Pig. 2 is a plan view thereof.
Pig. 3 is a 8ide elevational view of a carcass
carrier, showing a previously eviscerated poultry
carca88, with legs and wings removed, mounted thereto.
Pig. 4 is a front elevational view of a carcass
~5 carr~er, with a poultry carca88 mounted thereto.
Pig. 5 i8 a detail illu8tration of the stationary
blade8 of the 8ystem, demonstrating how the carcass
carrier pa88e8 between the blades7 shown with Fig. 2.
Fig. 6 i8 a detail illu8tration of the 8ide block
as8emblie8 and bottom block assembly and how the
carcas8 carrier passes adjacent these assemblles.
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F ig . 7 is a detail illustration of the tunnel
assembly and how the carcass carrier passes through
the tunnel assembly.
Fig. 8 is a detailed illustration of the fillet
catcher with the fillet remover and fillet roll
positioned below the fillet catcher, and demonstrating
the manner in which the carcass carrier passes over
the fillet catcher.
DETAILEI) DESCRIPTION
Referring now in more detail to the drawings,
wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout
the several views, Flg. 1 illustrates the poultry
breast filletlng system 10 which includes a framework
lS 11 8upportlng a continuous conveyor system 12 that
includes an upper horizontal flight 14 and a lower
horizontal flight 15 formed of a series of hingedly
connected conveyor plates 16 ~ Fig . 2) extended about
sprocket elements 18 and 19 which are supported by the
framework.
A plurality of mandrels or carcass carriers 20 are
mounted in spaced series on the conveyor system, by
connecting each carcass carrier to one of the conveyor
plates 16. This causes the carcass carrier~ to be
moved in series along an upper horizontal processing
path and then along the lower horizontal proces~ing
path of the conveyor sy~tem. An electric motor ( not
shown) drives conveyor sprocket 18.
As illustrated in Fig. 3-5, each carcass carrier
20 compri~es a base 21, a tapered middle body portion
22 and head 24. Base 21 is generally of rectangular
configuration and includes elongated parallel grooves
25 on opposite sides thereof. The grooves 25
cooperate with a pair of parallel rails 26 ~ Fig . 1 )
which extend longitudinally ad~acent the lower
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flight lS of the conveyor system, and the grooves 25
ride on the rails 26 as the carriers move along the
lower processing path. The rails tend to stabilize the
carriers as the carriers move along the processing
line, keeping the carriers in a predetermined attitude
as the meat is stripped from the poultey carcass.
A~ further illustrated in Figs. 2-5, the tapered
middle body portion 22 of the carcass carrier 20 is
tapered upwardly and inwardly from base 21, and head
24 is wider than the middle body portion 22. Head 24
overlies both sides of the middle body portion and
def~nes 8ide recesses 28 on opposite sides of the
middle body portion beneath the head. ~he middle body
portion 22 also tapers upwardly and forwardly at 29
and forms a Porward facing recess 30 above base 21.
W ing socket bracket 31 is mounted at the apex of taper
29 and includes a palr of forwardly facing wing socket
protrusions 32 and 33 and an intermediate protrusion
34. A slot 35 18 formed in the tapered portion 29 of
mlddle body 22.
As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, a poultry carcass
38 is mounted on the carcass carrier 20. The poultry
carcass is a previously eviscerated carcass with its
neck, wings and ~addle (including both legs and a
portion of the back) removed, leaving the breast 39
and a portion of the back 40. The carcass 38 is
mounted to the carrier 20 by mounting the larger
opening 41 of the carcass over the wing socket bracket
until the breast 39 eests on the head 24, the back 40
engages the taper 29 and the wing socket protrusions
32 are inserted into the wing sockets of the skeletal
structure of the carcass. The intermediate protrusion
34 of the wing socket bracket 3t is inserted into the
carcass, above the skeletal portion that defines the
wing sockets~ 80 as to clip this portion of the
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4260
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skeletal structure of the carcass to the wing socket
bracket. This causes the major portion of the
skeletal structure to extend rearwardly from the wing
socket bracket 31. The general shape of the carcass
carrier 20 is such as to generally fill the visceral
cavity of the carca~s, so as to support the carcass in
a prescribed shape. It will be seen that when the
carcass is engaged by the various implements of the
system, the skeletal portion of the carcass will be
pressed toward engagement with the carrier, causing
the carrier to functlon as a mandrel that supports the
skeletal structure in a predetermined position during
the meat removlng process.
As illustrated in Pig. 1, the continuous conveyor
system 12 operates to move the carcass carriers 20
along the upper horizontal flight 14 where the
carcasses 38 are mounted on the carcass carriers 20,
and then the carcass carriers move about the conveyor
sprocket 19 80 as to become inverted and move in the
oppo~ite dlrection along lower horizontal flight 15.
Carcass guide rails 44 extend about sprocket 19 and
continue along the lower flight 15 of the conveyor
system, and functlon to engage the carcasses 38 of
each carrier ~ust as the carrier is beginning its
inversion from the upper flight to the lower flight,
and the guide rails 44 continue along the length of
the lower horizontal flight of the conveyor, 80 a~ to
! continue to support the carcass of each carrier. A
worker platform 45 is supported by framework 11, and
workers stand on the platform 45 and mount the
carcasses 38 on the carriers 20 as the carriers move
along the upper flight of the conveyor system.
As the carcasses are carried along the lower
horizontal flight, the carcasses pass a series of work
stations where several meat removing implements engage
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the carcass and tend to pull the meat from the
skeletal structures of the carcasses. The first
implement comprises a pair of stationary blades 46 and
47 which are positioned on opposite sides of the path
of the carcass carrier 20 (Pigs. 1 and 5). The
stationary blades 46 and 47 each compri6e a
substantially flat plate 50 mounted in an attitude
such that its flat surface is approximately parallel
to the side surfaces of the tapered middle body
10portion 22 of the carcass carrier. The flat plate 50
of each stationary blade 46 and 47 is supported by
telescopic support 51 which permits the flat plate to
be moved closer to or further away from the path of
the carcass carrier 20 by loosening the set screw 52
15and ad~usting the relative positions of the telescopic
elements. ~he rearwardly facing edge 54 of each flat
plate 50 is tapered upwardly and rearwardly from the
lower edge 55 80 as to form a pointed portion 56
ad~acent the upper edge 58. With this shape and
20placement, when a carcass 38 is moved by a carrier 20
between the stationary blades 46 and 47, the blades
tend to slice into the meat beginning at the front of
the carcass and the blades tend to separate the meat
erom the skeletal structure of the carcass. As the
25blades perform their separating function, they also
tend to urge the skeletal structure toward the carrier
20, 80 that the carrler tends to support the skeletal
structure as the meat i8 removed from the skeletal
structure. Plates 50 tend to push the ribs of the
30 skeletal structure of the carca~s into the side
recesses 28 of the carrier, and the plates engage the
relatively thin layer of meat which extends from the
breast about the ribs ad~acent the back bone,
loosening and removing the rib meat. The removed meat
35then is attached only to the breast meat and continues
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to be carried by the carcass on through the subsequent
work stations.
As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6, the carriers 20
next move the carcasses through the work station that
includes the bottom block a~sembly 60, and the side
block assemblies 61 and 62 which are positioned just
before bottom block assembly along the direction of
movement of the carriers 20. ~ottom block assembly 60
is mounted on a rotatable cross shaft 64 and includes
support plate 65 and resiliently supported breast
block 66. 8reast block 66 is slidably received ln a
pair of slots (not shown) of support plate 65, and
includes a stem 68 that has a coil compression spring
69 mounted thereon and which passes through an opening
in a spring plate 70. A pair of nuts 71 and 72 are
mounted to the stem 68 on opposite sides of spring 69,
with nut 71 being on the remote side of spring ~plate
70, 80 that spring 69 biases breast block 66 upwardly
w ith re~pect to support plate 65 to the position
illustrated ln Flg. 6. P.reast block 66 can be moved
downwardly agalnst the bias of its spring.
Breast block 66 i~ bifurcated in its upper
portion, defining a central slot 74, and a pair of
upwardly extending wlng protrusions 75 and 76 are
formed at the upper portion of breast block 66. Wing
protrusions 75 and 76 are tapered outwardly so as to
form a concave recess on opposite sides of slot 74
which generally corresponds to the shape of the breast
bones and keel of a bird as carried on a carrier, and
the upper edges 78 of each w~ng protruslon are curved
upwardly and reaewardly from a forward point 79.
The bottom block assembly 60 is mounted by bracket
80 to shaft 64, and cylinder 81 is connected to lever
82 whlch rotates shaft 64 and bottom block assembly
60. Cylinder 81 18 mounted to lts own cross shaft
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_ 84. With this arrangement, bottom block assembly 60
is pivotable between an upright position as
illustrated in Fi9. 6 to a downward retracted position
when it moves in response to the action of its
cylinder 81 in the directions as indicated by arrow
B5.
When bottom block assembly 60 is in its upright
position, its wing protrusions 75 and 76 generally
tend to conform to the breast bone and keel of the
breast 39 of the poultry carcass 38 mounted on the
carrier 20. Therefore, when a carrier brings the
carcass to the bottom block assembly, the wings 75 and
76 tend to push and slice the meat of the carcass away
from the skeletal structure thereof. The pointed
portlons 79 of each of the wing protrustions 75 and 76
tend to slice and gouge into the meat toward the
skeletal structure, and the following tapered upper
edges 70 tend to continue this gouging and slicing
function to remove the meat from the skeletal
structure. The pointed portions 79 of the bottom
block cuts the muscle of the breast which is connected
to the wing ~oints and extends through the breast
tissue. The breast generally comprises two portions,
the main fillet and the inside fillet, and this muscle
should be cut in order to avoid having the main and
inside fillets from becoming separated. The edges
sloping down from the pointed portions 7a of the
bottom block remove the meat from about the wishbone.
In the meantlme, the breast block 66 has the ability
to move against the bias of its spring 69 through the
support plate 65 so as to avoid destruction of the
skeletal structure of the carcass.
As further illustrated in Fi9. 6, each side block
assembly 61 and 62 is of similar construction, with
the parts being mirror images, and each includes a
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pressure plate 88 mounted on and extending rearwardly
from a support plate 89. Pivot links 90 are attached
at one end to support plate 89 and pivot about pivot
pins 91. A cylinder 92 is connected to the distal end
of the pivot links 90 and cause the pressure plate 88
to move toward and away from the path of the carcass
carrier 20 as indicated by arrow 94. Pressure plates
88 are arranged to engage the carcass 38 to be carried
by a carrier 20 at a position at the head 24 of the
carrier, 80 that the pressure plates 88 tend to engage
the areas of the wing sockets and urge the carcass to
properly seat on the carrier as the bottom block
performs its work. The side blocks tend to laterally
compress the wishbone so that the wishbone will pass
by the pointed portions 79 of the wing protrusions and
through the central slot 74 of the bottom block and
the bottom block wlll not break the wi5hbone. The
bottom block a8sembly 60 removes a sub8tantial amount
of the breast meat from the skeletal structure and the
meat clings to the skeletal structure and tends to
hang from the skeletal structure.
After the bottom block assembly has performed its
meat removing function, it is desirable to have the
bottom block assembly 60 and the side block assemblies
61 and 62 retracted out of the way of the carrier and
the carcass. The cyllnders 81 and 92 function to
pivot these elements away from the processing path as
indicated by arrows 85 and 94. The meat is then
permltted to hang away from the ~keletal structure of
the caeca8~ as the carrier and carcass contlnue toward
the next work statlon.
As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7, the tunnel
assembly 96 is located next in the path of travel of
~he carcass carriers 20. Tunnel assembly 96 includes
a pair of tunnel plates 98 and 99 of reverse,
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1284Z60
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complimentary shape, with each tunnel plate being
generally of L-shaped configuration including side
wall 100, bottom wall 101, tapered rearwardly facing
edge 102. Each tunnel plate 98 and 99 is supported by
a support plate 104 which is mounted on its hinge
pivot 105 about a pivot pin 106, and lever 108 extends
from the hinge pivot away from plate 104, so that
cylinder 109 is connected to the distal end of the
lever and functions to pivot each tunnel plate towards
and away from the other tunnel plate as indicated by
arrows 110 and 111. When the tunnel plate~ are moved
together they form a tunnel through which the carcass
carrier 20 and the carcass mounted thereon passes.
When the tunnel plates 98 and 99 are moved toward
each other to the positions shown in Fig. 7, the
carrier 20 wlll have moved its poultry carcass to a
position where the wing joints are just inside the
tunnel 80 that the inward closing movements of the
tunnel plates 98 and 99 will tend to press the wing
sockets of the carcass inwardly toward the carrier.
The spacing of side walls 100 is such that the
skeletal structure of the carcass with the wing
sockets compressed ~ust fits inside the side walls 100
and ~ust above the bottom walls 101, so that the
rearwardly facing edge 102 of the tunnel plates 98 and
99 tend to cut and scrape the meat away from the
skeletal structure of the carcass as the carrier and
carcass move through the tunnel. It will be noted
that a slot 114 is formed between the tunnel plates 98
and 99 when in their closed positions, so that the
keel bone of the carcass can partially protrude
through the slot and leave a small amount of
connection between meat and skeletal structure of a
carcass as the carrier and carcass move on beyond
tunnel a88embly 96.
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As illustrated in Fig. 8, the fillet catcher 116
and its fillet remover gears 118 and remover roll 119
are positioned further along the processing path from
tunnel assembly 96. Fillet catcher 116 is a
bifurcated structure that includes tines 120 and 121
that form a slot 122 therebetween, with outside
fenders formed on each tine, with the tines supported
at one end on stationary support rod 126 and
pro~ecting rearwardly along the processing path from
the support rod 126. The tines 120 and 121 diverge
away from each other at the rearward ends of the tines
80 as to form a wedge shape at this portion of the
slot 122.
Plllet remover gears 118 comprise a pair of gears
118 mounted on a common shaft 128 and the gears rotate
in the direction as indicated by arrow 129, such that
the rearward facing surfaces of the gear~ 118 rotate
downwardly with respect to the oncoming carrier and
poultry carcass. Likewise, fillet remover roll 119
rotates on its shaft 130 in the direction indicated by
arrow 131 80 that its rearwardly facing surface
rotates in a downward direction with respect to the
oncoming carrier and poultry carcass.
When the carcass carrier 20 approaches the fillet
catcher 116, a substantial amount of the meat will
have been removed from the skeletal structure still
supported on the carcass carrier, and most of the meat
will be hanging in a downward direction from the
carcass carrier. The downwardly hanging portion of
the meat will pass beneath the fillet catcher 116 and
become engaged by the downwardly moving rearwardly
facing surfaces of the fillet remover roll 119, which
tends to apply a downward and rearward force to the
oncoming meat, tending to pull the meat away from the
skeletal structure of the carcass. Further, the tlnes
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-- 120 and 121 of the fillet catcher tend to further
guide the clinging portion of the meat toward the slot
122 so that further friction is applied by the tines
to the meat. The keel bone tends to pass through the
slot 122 between the tines 102 and 121 and the teeth
of the gears 118 tend to brush against the keel bone
and remove the fleece from the breast and keel bone.
The additional friction applied by the tines 120 and
121 and the teeth of the gear 118 tends to strip any
remaining portion of the meat from the carcass carrier
20, and the meat tends to drop in a downward direction
away from the carcass carrier 20, while the skeletal
portion of the carcass tends to remain on the carcass
carrier.
As illustrated in Fig. 1, stripper wheel 135 is
positioned at a processing station further along the
direction of movement of the conveyor system from
fillet catcher 116. Stripper wheel 135 rotates on
axle 136 80 that its upper surface rotates as
20 indicated by arrow 138 in the direction of movement in
the carcass carriers 20. Stripper wheel 135 is
located just below the path of movement of the carcass
carriers 20, and its upper moving surface tends to
engage the skeletal structure remaining on the carcass
25 carrier and move the skeletal structure in the
direction of movement of the carcas~ carrier but at a
faster rate than the carcass carrier, which tends to
pull the sJceletal structure off the carcass carrier.
The skeletal structure tends to fall by gravity away
30 from the carcass carrier, leaving the carcas~ carrier
free at this position 80 that it can be moved with the
conveyor system about conveyor sprocket 18 and
inverted baclc to an upright position and moved along
the upper flight of the conveyor system.
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1;284260
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It should be understood that the just described
embodiment merely illustrates principles of the
invention in one preferred form. Many modifications,
additions and deletions may, of course, be made
thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of
the invention as set forth in the following claims.
