Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
CUTTING AND CLEANING INTESTINES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present inventlon broadly relates to methods
and apparatus u~ed to clean lntestlnes from slaughtered
anlmal~. More speclfically, the present invention i8
directed to a methGd and an apparatu~ for cutting and
cleanlng small intestine~ of an animal, such as a hog.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Historically, animals have been slaughtered ln
backyards and on farms for thousands of years to provlde
food for indlvidual famllles. As the world
industrlalized, the slaughterlng of animals gradually
1~ became centrallzed as lt~ own lndustry now referred to
a~ the meat packlng lndustry. As countrles became
further urbanized and methods for refrigeration of meat
became common place!, the demand for meat products
lncreased and the meat packlng lndustry grew in
response. With the lncrease ln number of slaughterlng
plants, the meat paclclng lndustry correspondlngly became
more competltlve, and the meat industry, speclflcally
the pork industry, k~egan to attempt to increase profits
by flnding a market for as many parts of the slaughtered
animal as posslble.
In today's ma:rket very llttle of a slaughtered hog
is dlscarded. Pig skins are sold to handbag and boot
manufacturers. Organs of hogs are either sold to
..
- ~ .
gourmet food shops a~ gourmet delicacle~ or are sold to
the medlcal lndustry for rQsearch purpo~es. The
pancrea~ of a hog, once considered an unusable product,
now 1~ marketed to the medlcal fleld for the ln~lln
that can be extracted.
Another product of a slaughtered hog which was
hi~torically been consldQred a waste product 1~ the
~mall lnte~tlne. The meat packing industry normally
~ells only small quantitles of the hog's small
lnte~tines to two limlted markets. The small intestine
i8 marketed (1) for the extractlon of heparin, an anti-
coagulant drug, or (2) a8 a natural casing for sausages.
~ecause there is a limited need for heparln and for
natural casings, it hai been difficult for the pork
industry to avold wastiny the small intestine when there
has been a glut of hogs on the market. Therefore, the
the pork packing industry has continued to look for
other markets or uses for t:he hog's small intestines.
A market for small intestines that has not
heretofore been fully tapped by the pork indu~try is tlle
inte~tinal noodle market. In many foreign countries,
specif1cally those countries ln the Pacific Rlm, a hog' 8
small intestine i8 cons1dered an edlble food product. In
the~e countrie~ the ~mall lntestlne 19 removed and
manually cut and cleaned to fo.em lntestlnal strlps or
"noodlQ~" and the lntestinal noodle 18 commonly eaten ln
soups or stews. The rea~on thi~ export market for a
'I .
7 l3 ~
hog' 8 small lntQstlne ha~ not been pursuQd by meat
pac~ing plant~ 18 that the manual cuttlng and cleanlng
of the~e smflll lntestlnes 18 labor lntenslve thus
maklng the end product unprofitable. Furthermore,
severing lengths of the intestine to form the intestinal
"noodle" presents safety hazards to the person cuttlng
the slippery intestlnal material.
While the cutting and cleanlng of the large
inteRtine of a slaughtered hog has been automated, the
automation of the cutting and cleaning of the small
intestlne offers i~ own peculiar and difflcult
problems. Apparatus use~d for processing the large
lntestine utillzes a guide member which recelves the
large lnte~tlne, a spiked conveyor which plerces through
the intestinal wall and advances to drag the large
lntestlne along the guide, and a rotary saw whlch
operates to longltudinally cut through the intestinal
wall. The gulde i8 provided wlth an upstream nozzle to
flush-out the lnterlor of the large intestine as lt 18
placed onto the gulde. The small lntestlne, however,
has a dlfferent orqanlc structure than the large
lntestlne. Whereas the large lntestlne ha~ a slngle
layered wall, the small lntestlne has both an outer
lntestinal wall and ~n lnner mucosa llnlng. Penetratlon
through these two l~yer~ durlng cleanlns must be avolded
slnce penetratlon 1~111 usually contamlnate the reqlon
between the two layer wlth undeslrable contents of the
2~7~
small intestlne; thereafter, it 18 dlfflcult, lf not
lmpo~lble, to clean the contamlnated reglon.
Contamlnatlon o$ the lnterface reglon fouls the taste of
the lntestinal noodle. Therefore, the cuttlng and
cleaning process has been a manual procedure.
Accordingly, there exlsts a ~ignificant need for
an automated apparatus and method for ~afely and
lnexpenslvely ~llclng and cleanlng the small lntestlne
to form the noodle that 18 used a~ an edible food
product in order to address thls addltlonal, potentlal
market. There i8 a specific need for an apparatus and
method that can reduce the manual cuttlng and cleanlng
of the small lntestine wlthout contaminatlng the
interface region between the outer intestlnal wall and
the lnner mucosa linlng.
SUMMARY OF THE INVEN~ION
It is an ob~ect of the present lnventlon to
provide a new and useful apparatus and method for
cuttlng a length of intestlne and for removing the
lntestinal contents from the length of lntestlne ln an
economical manner.
A further ob~ect of the present inventlon 18 to
provide an efficient and economical method and apparatus
for cleaning a slaughtered animal's intestine for
processing lnto a food product.
97~
It i~ another ob~ect of the present lnvention to
provlde a new and u~eful apparatus and method for
cleanlng and preparlng a food product from anlmal
lntestlnes that were previously waste by-products of the
slaughtered anlmal.
It i5 a still further ob~ect of the presQnt
lnventlon to provlde a relatively automated apparatus
and method for forming an lnte4tinal noodle that 18 less
hazardous to use then 1~ the manual method of forming an
lntestinal noodle.
Yet another ob~ect of the present lnvention is to
provide an apparatus and method for cleaning and
sllttlng the small intestlne of a pig or hog
automatlcally wlthout permlttlng contamlnat~on of the
interface reglon between the outer intestinal wall and
the lnner mucosa llnlng wlth the undeslrable lntestinal
contents.
~o accomplish these ob~ects, the present inventlon
comprlses both an apparatus and the method employed by
such apparatus to cut and clean a length of anlmal
lntestine durlng the processlng thereof into a food
product. The apparatus 19 adapted to cut a length of
anlmal lntestine that has an outer lnte~tlnal wall and
lnner mucosa llnlng of the lntestlne wall whlch
respectlvely de~lne an exterlor and lnterlor surface for
the length of the lntestine and whlch together surround
an lnterlor that contalns lntestlnal contents that are
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7 ~ ~
removed during the cleanlng process.
The apparatu~ whlch cuts the lntestine broadly
includes a gulde member operative to receive snd support
a length of animal intestlne durlng the cleanlng to
remove the lntestlnal contents therefrom. Thls guide
member includes an upstream end portion slzed for
lnsertlon lnto the lnterior of a leadlng end of a length
of animal inte~tine and a downstream end portlon
opposlte the up~tream end portion with a mld-portion
located between the upstream and downstream end
portlons. The apparatus also lncludes a cutting member
and a drlve ~ystem that advances the length of the
anlmal lntestlna along the gulde member past the cutting
member. Thi~ drlve ~ystem lncludes engagement elements
that engage the exterlor surface of the length of anlmal
lntestlne when the upstream portlon of the gulde member
ls lnserted thereln. The engagement elements do not
penetrate through the lntestlnal wall but do grlp the
wall wlth sufflcient force 80 that the drlve system acts
to move the length of animal intestlnQ passed the
cuttlng member whereby the lntestlnal wall and the
llnlng are longltudlnally sevQred. The apparatus also
lncludes spray means that are associated with the guide
member and are in communicatlon with the source of
cleanlng fluid for dlrecting a spray of the cleanlng
fluld against the interior surface of the lntestlnal
wall. After the lntestinal wall and llnlng are severed
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2~977~
and cleaned the length of processed lntestine 19
dlscharged at the downstream end of the gu~de member.
Accordlng to the present lnventlon, the preferred
drlve system lnclude~ a plurallty of plastic paddles
which are carried on a conveyor. The paddle~ have a
relatively large bearing surface 80 that they are
operative to bear agalnst the exterlor surface of the
intestlnal wall along the length of the gulde member ln
the downstream direction. The cleats trap the
lntestinal wall and the lining against a portion of the
gulde member with sufflcient trapping pressure whereby
when the paddles are moved along the gulde member the
length of the anlmal lntestlne is correspondingly
advanced therealong, but the trapping pressure exerted
by the paddles i8 insufficlent to cause the paddles to
penetrate through the outer intestinal wall and inner
mucosa llnlng. To this end, the respective portions of
the gulde member and each of the paddles between which
the intestlnal wall is trapped may be slmllarly
contoured. This of course, helps to avold slippage of
the lntestinal materials that is being advanced along
the guide member. To further avoid slippage of the
intestlne on the guide member, the apparatus includes
means for ad~usting the trapping pressure exerted by the
paddles.
As noted, the paddles may preferably be carrled on
A conveyor, such as a contlnuous loop conveyor mounted
between two rotatable supports. ~J~,f ~ conveyor has
an advance portlon that moves in a downstream direction
and a return portlon that moves ln an Up9 tream
dlrectlon. The conveyor 1~ drlven by a rotatable drlve
that 18 operatlve to rotate at least one of the
rotatable supports, and the rotatable supports may then
be formed as sprockets which recelve a continuous drlve
chaln that 19 part of the conveyor structure.
Alternatlvely, the rGtatable supports can be formed as
rollers and the conveyor can be a continuous belt having
paddle-llke cleats that are operatlve to engage the
lntestlnal wall. In either structure, the rotatable
support~ are spaced-apart from one another at a
selectlve dlstance and lnclude means for ad~usting the
selectlve dlstance whereby the tension on the conveyor
may be ad~ustably varled. Alternately, a plurality of
paddle wheels may be provlded to advance the length of
intestlne along the gulde.
To further avold sllppage or upward deflectlon of
the conveyor belt from lts engagement wlth the
lntestlnal wall that 18 lnserted onto the gulde member,
the apparatus lncludes a stabilizing plate. The
stablllzlng plate bear~ agalnst and supports the advance
portlon of the conveyor to thereby supply a stablllzlng
force to the length of anlmal intestlne as lt ls
advanced downstream. The stabllizlng plate lncludes
ad~ustment means for varylng the stabllizing force
~97 gi~3
exerted on the advance portion of the conveyor by the
stabillzlng plate.
The cuttlng member i8 preferably a statlonary
blade havlng a cutting edge that ls operatlve to sever
the lntestlnal wall as a length of anlmal lntestlne ls
advanced thereby. The cuttlng edge ha~ an upstream edge
poxtion that ls posltloned at an acute angle with
respect to the guide member such that the upstream edge
portlon outwardly dlverges from the quide member ln the
downstream dlrectlon. The guide member may be formed a~
an elongated tubular member into whlch the cutting
member can be inserted and mounted at the deslred angle
80 that the incllned upstream edge portlon engages the
lntestlnal wall as lt ls advanced along the guide tube
by the conveyor. The cuttlng member and the conveyor
are prefsrably posltloned on opposlte sldes of the gulde
member. The tubular guide member has a surroundlng
sldewall that 18 ln fluld communlcatlon with the source
of cleanlng fluld whereby the cleaning fluid
continuously washes over,the cuttlng member to dislodge
any lntestlnal contents whlch contact the cutting
member. The apparatus lncludes a waste bln operatlve to
recelve the lntestinal contents dislodged from the
length of animal intestlne.
The gulde member has a plurallty of spray ports
that are formed through the tubular sldewall; the spray
port~ are each operatlve to dlrect a spray of cleaning
~ i3 ~
fluid from tha tubular gulde member in a radlal
dlrectlon agalnst thQ lnner mucosa lining of thQ length
of anlmal inte~tlne. This of course, removes most of
the undeslred lntestinal contents. The gulde member may
provlde two wash statlon3, one located upstream from the
cutting member and one located downstream of thQ cuttlng
member. Each of the wash statlons lnclude~ at least one
spray port formed through the outer perimeter of the
gulde member to define the spray means, and each of the
6pray ports ar~ operatlve to direct a spray of cleaning
fluid against the inner mucosa linlng of the length of
animal intestine.
Accordlng to thQ present lnventlon, the preferred
mQthod broadly includes the steps of: (1) providing a
guide member sized for telescoplc insertion into the
lnterlor length of the anlmal intestlne; (2) trainlng
the length of anlmal lntestlne over the gulde member 80
that the gulde member become~ lnserted lnto the lnterior
length of the animal lntestlne whereby the guidQ member
supports that length; and (3) mQchanlcally engaglng the
exterlor of tha length of animal intQstinQ wlthout
penetratlng through the lntQstlnal wall and therQaftQr
advanclng the length of animal lntestlne along the guide
member from an upqtream locatlon to a downstream
locatlon whlle cuttlng the length of anlmal lntestlne
longltudlnally and spraylng the lnterior surface of the
lntestlnal wall wlth cleanlng fluld havlng a spray force
r~ 7 5 ~
that is sufficiently forceful to remove lntestlnal
contents therefrom. The cleaned lntestlne i9 then
di~charged from the guide member proximate the
down~tream location.
These and other ob~ects of the present lnvention
wlll become ~or~ readily appreciated and understood from
a con~ideration of the following detailed descrlptlon of
the preferred embodlment when taken together with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIP~ION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure l is a side view in elevation and partially
broken away of the apparatus according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present lnvention shown wlth the
cover housing ln a closed positiont
Figure 2 i8 a perspective vlew of the apparatus
shown in Flgure l but wlth the cover houslng in an open
po~ition)
Figure 3 is a slde view in elevation of the
apparatus shown In Figures l and 2 (wlth the houslng
removed) and depicting an exemplary drive system and
guide member according to one em~odiment of the present
invention;
Flgure 4 is an end vlew ln elevation of the
apparatus shown ln Flgures 1-3;
Flgure 5 i8 a sldQ vlew ln elevatlon and partlally
broken sway o~ an upstream portion of the conveyor and
.
7 r~
guide member ~hown ln Figure 3;
Flgure 6 18 a cross-aectional vlew taken about
llne~ 6-6 of Flgure 5~
Flgure 7 1~ a perspectlve vlew of the gulde member
of the present invention; and
Figure 8 18 a cross-~ectional view of the guide
member shown in the engagement of a sectlon of ~mall
lntestlne at the downstream wash statlon;
Figure 9 1~ a perspective vlew of a palr of
ad~acent paddle~ formlng part of the drive system for
the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure
1-5;
Flgure 10 ls an end vlew ln elevatlon showing the
present lnvention with a flrst alternate embodiment of
the drive system~
Flgure 11 ls a slde view ln elevation of the
embodlment shown in F~gures 11; and
Flgure 12 19 a per~pectlve vlew of a ~econd
alternate embodlment of the drive system for the pre~ent
inventlon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EM~ODIMENT
The present invention relates to an apparatus and
method useful in cutting and cleaning a length of animal
intestine, such as the small inte~tine 80 that unwanted
intestinal contents are removed from the interior of the
lntestlne during cleaning in order to prepare such
lnte~tlne as nn edible food product, referred to a8
intestinal noodles. ~he broad a~pects of the prQsent
inv~ntion are shown ln Figures 1-4 wherein the cleanlng
and cuttlng apparatu~ 10 lncludea a gulde memb~r 20 and
a conveyor 36 posltioned above the gulde member 20. The
gulde member 20 and the conveyor 36 are visible ln
Figure l ln the sxposed, broken away portlon of the
v~ew, but are vlslble in Flgures 2 and 4 because housing
14 ha~ been placed ~n the open po~it~on. To thls end,
houslng 14 ls hingedly connected to framework 15 of
apparatus 10. When the apparatus 10 ls in operation,
the housing 14 is placed ln the closed posltion, shown
ln Figur~ 1, wherein the drive system including conveyor
36 and a ma~or portlon of gulde member 20 are enclosed
thereln. Thus, the housing acts as a safety feature.
Flgure 1 shows gulde member 20 receivlng a length
of anlmal lntestlne 11 for processlng by cleaning the
unwanted intestinal content from the interior thereof
and by longltudinally cuttlng through the intestlnal
wall. To thls end, a supply 5 of lntestlnes are placed
in a loading tray 12 supported by framework 13 connected
with framework 15. As shown ln Figures 1 and 2, loading
tray 12 has a drain 17. Guide member 20 has an upstream
end portion 22 that terminates at upstream end 23
located above tray 12. Guide member 20 18 operatlve to
recelve and support the length of anlmal lntestinQ
durlng the ~uttlng of the lntestlne and the cleanlng of
the lntestlnal contents from the lnterlor of the length
13
of animal lnte~tlne. whlle the pre~ent inventlon may be
u~ed to clean nny ~ultable 1ntestlne, lt 18 partlcularly
sulted for cleanlng the small 1nte~t1ne of an anlmal,
such as plg or hog, where that small lntestlne has an
outer intestlnal wall deflnlng an exterlor surface and
an inner mucosa llning definlng an interior surface.
Together, for cour~e, the wall and the llnlng surround
an lnterior that conta1n~ the unde~lred intestinal
contents to be cleaned therefrom. In operatlon, a
leading end of the length of anlmal lntestlne 18
inserted onto the upstream end portlon 22 of guide
member 20. The upstream end portlon 22 1s located
oppositely of the down~tream end portlon 26 and between
the upstream end portlon 22 and the downstream end
portlon 26 18 a mid-portlon 24 of gulde member 20.
After the leadlng end of the length of intest1ne ls
mounted on the gulde member 20 the remalnder of the
length of anlmal lntestlne whlch rests ln loadlng tray
12 18 fed onto gulde member 20. As the lntestlne
proceed~ toward the mld-portlon 24 of gulde member 20,
the length of lntestlne 18 engaged and advanced by
conveyor 36 along passed the mld-portion 24 to the
downstream end portion 26 of gulde member 20. The
conveyor 36 18 preferably drlven by a sultable motor
drlve 16.
~he cutting assembly of apparatus 10 19 best shown
ln Flgures 5 and 6 whereln lt may be appreclated that
cutting member 50 i~ formed2 ~ ~a7 ~atlonary blade
supported by a bracket 52. Cutting member 50 extend3
lnto the lnterlor 21 of guide member 20 through a
longltudlnal slot 51 and has a forward cuttlng edge 54
that faces the upstream dlrection. Cuttlng edge 54
extends at an acute angle 0 wlth respect to longltudinal
axl8 L of gulde member 20 80 that, a~ a length of anlmal
lnte~tlne 18 advanced ln the downstream dlrectlon, edge
54 present~ an lncllned attack edge 53 that acts to
longitudlnally sever the intestinal wall. Thus, as
shown ~n F~gure 5, an unseverPd length 11 of the
lnte~tlne 18 not cut before reachlng cutting member 50
but become~ cut as severed lntestlne length 11' after
passlng cuttlng member 50 when the length of animal
lntestlne i3 advanced in the downqtream direction. As
di~cussed more thoroughly below, slot 51 allows for the
escape of pressurized cleaning fluid to prevent bulld-up
of intestinal contents on cuttlng member 50.
It 18 preferred that the length of anlmal
intestine 11 move smoothly pa-~t cutting member 50. To
this end, as can be vlewed in Figure 1, axis L of guide
member 20 slopes slightly upwardly from the downstream
end of portion to the upstream end portion 22. This
slope permits the force of gravlty to asslst the loading
and advancement of the intestlne onto and along guide
member 20 towards cuttlng member 50. In order to cut
and clean the length of animal lntestine 11, though, it
.
18 al~o neces~ary to provide a means for posltlvely
advanclng the length of lntestine along gulde member 20.
To thls end, a drlve system 18 provlded ln all
embod1ments of the present invention, and lt should be
understood that other drlve system~ are within the ~cope
of this inventlon as would be apparent to the ordlnarlly
skllled person ln this fleld. Provlded, however, that
an lmportant feature of the present Invention 1~ that
the advancing means avoids penetratlon through the
intestlnal wall BO that the interface reglon between the
outer intestlnal wall and lnner mucosa linlng is not
contamlnated wlth the inte~tlnal contents.
Therefore, ln reference to Flgures 1-6, lt should
be appreciated that the purpose of conveyor 36 ls to
engage the outer wall of the intestlne proxlmate the
upstream end 22 of qulde member 20 and move the length
of 1ntestlne along guide member 30. To thls end,
conveyor 36 has an advance portion 44 that moves ln the
directlon of arrow "~" and a return portion 46 that
moves in the direction of arrow "8" (as shown in Figure
5). Conveyor 36 is preferably formed as a continuous
looped drive chaln 38 tralnlng around and supportably
driven by a pair of spaced-apart, rotatable sprocket~
42. Drive chain 38 of the conveyor 36 ls mounted on
rotatable supports 40 which are formed a9 sprockets 41
and 42. Ad~ustmQnt means are provided in the form of
bolts 43 and affixed nuts 45 that act on plllow blocks
2~977~9
40 whlch are movably mounted to framework 15 and support
the axle of ~procket 41 to permlt the dlstance between
the rotatable sprockets 41 and 42 to be ad~u~tably
varied. Thls in t~rn ad~usts the ten~lon on the
conveyor drlve chain 38.
Conveyor 36 18 preferably driven by a one-half
horsepower varlable feed drlve motor 76 whlch i8 mounted
on the frame 15 and is directly coupled to sprocket 42
through rotatable drlve ~haft 77. ThiR motor 76 is
preferably operated between 25 rpm and 250 rpm,
depending on the condition of the length of animal
lntestine. If the animal lntestlne i9 relatively
clogged wlth materlal, a hlgher rpm, such as 100 rpm to
250 rpm may be necessary, lf the lntestlne is relatively
empty, 25 rpm to 75 rpm may be the approprlate range.
The speed may typically be kept at about 50 rpm's for
sverage conditions.
Advance portion 44 of conveyor 36 moves ln the
downstream diredtion, and the return portlon 46 moves in
the upstream directlon, as noted above. Located between
the advance portlon 44 and the return portion 46 of
conveyor 36 i8 a stabllizlng plate 48. Stabilizlng
plate 48 has a lower edge 51 adapted to bear against the
advance portion 44 of the conveyor 36, and an upper edge
52 adapted to be ad~ustably mounted to the frame 15. As
is shown in Flgure 6, then, the stabllizlng plate 4a
has a mountlng plate 49 attached thereto by fasteners
: -
C~977~ .
such as nuts and bolts. The mounting plate 49 also is
ad~u~tably ~ecured to L-shaped bracket 30 that 18 ln
turn attached to a portlon of the frame 15.
Specifically, a plurality of threaded bolts 33 are
mounted to a plate 34 that i8 attached to mountlng plate
49. Bolts 33 are received through leg 31 of bracket 30
and the effective length of bolts 33 is varled by
ad~ustment of nut sets 35. Thus, the position of the
lower surface 32 of the stabilizing plate 48 can be
ad~usted relative to the conveyor 36. The stabilizing
plate 48 is operative to prevent the advance portion 44
of conveyor 36 from upward deflection away from guide
member 20. Ad~uqtment of nut sets 35 therefore permit
operative ad~ustment of the trapplng pres~ure exerted by
the conveyor a~embly 36.
In order to actually exert the trapping pressure
on a portlon of the lntestinal wall between guide
member 20 and conveyor assembly 36, conveyor assembly 36
lncludes a plurality of paddles 80 that form engagement
means for engaging the exterior surface of the lntestine
when it is mounted on the gulde member 20. The
engagement means are formed aq a plurality of paddles
80 on the conveyor 36. These paddles 80 are best viewed
ln Flgures 5, 8 and 9. The paddles 80 are each mounted
to the drive chain 38 in such a manner that the teeth of
the sprock~t can engage the area between the 11nks 39 of
chain 38. Paddles 80 are preferably formed of a
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polymerlc material, for example, a resillent plastic,
and each of paddle~ 80 are mounted to a palr of arms B4
extending from a respectlve chain llnk 39 of the
con~eyor 36. The contact surface 86 of each paddle 80
S 1s contoured similarly to the arcuate shape of the guide
member 20. Thls contoured shape of paddle 80 permits
the ensemble of paddles 80 to bear agalnst the exterlor
surface of the lntestlnal wall and trap It with the
selected trapping pressure. The drlve motor 16 advances
moves the conveyor 36 and the paddles 80 so that the
intestlne ls ad~anced downstream without perforatlon of
the lntestinal wall. The engagement of the paddle~ 80
with the intestine on the guide member 20 is essentlal
to avold sllppage, especlally since the posslblllty of
slippage 19 increased by the spray means used for
cleanlng the lntestinal contents out of the lntestlnal
wall. At the same tlme, it i9 important in the
processlng of small intestlnes, that the interface
reglon between the outer lntestlnal wall and the inner
mucosa llnlng not be compromised by mechanlcal
penetratlon of paddles 80 through the intest1nal wall.
Penetratlon would, of course, make possible the
introductlon of lntestinal contents lnto the interface
reglon and thus foul the taste of the ultlmate food
product.
In order to dlslodge the undeslred lntestlnal
contents during proces~lng, gulde member 20 has spray
19
., ' .
~97~
means assoclated therewith for directing cleanlng fluid
agalnst the lnner lntestinal wall, e.g., the lnner
muco~a llnlng of the ~mall lnte~tlne. Thls spray means
can be best seen ln reference to Flgures 6, 7 and 8.
In Flgure 7, guide member 20 ls shown to be preferably
formed a~ an elongated plpe or tube that ls sized for
lnsertion lnto the small intestine of a pig. The
upstream end portlon 22 may termlnate ln a nozzle 21
whlch ls operatlve to release a spray 100 of cleaning
fluid lnto the interior of the intestlne. To thls end,
gulde member 20 ls ln fluld communication with a source
102 of selected cleaning fluid, such as plain or treated
water, whlch i8 pumped by way of pump 104 lnto the
lntarior of guide member 20. Valve 106 is provlded as
an on/off valve for this fluid flow. The nozzle 21 may
preferably be located proximate the loading tray 12
whlch holds the lntestines. Loading tray 12 may or may
not be mounted to frame 14 of the apparatus. If loadlng
tray 12 18 mounted proxlmate nozzle 21 the loadlng tray
12 should have a drain therein to remove the cleanlng
fluld dlscharged by the nozzle 21 lnto loadlng tray 12.
Alternatlvely, the end of guide member 20 can be formed
as a closed tip which does not emlt any cleanlng fluld.
In the preforred embodlment of the present
invention, gulde member 20 has addltional spray
station~. Preferably, gulde member 20 has two wash
~tatlons. The fir~t wash ~tatlon is located on the
~ o ~ ~ r~ ~ ~
upstream end portion 22 of guide member 20 lmmedlately
before cuttlng member 50. Thls wash station comprises a
plurallty of ports 23 that proJect radlal sprays of
fluld Into the interlor of the lntestlne before lt 1~
longitudinally cut. The force of the radial spray from
ports 23 does not hlnder the advancement of the
intestine downstream, and these sprays actually serve to
expand the lntestlne so that lt balloons outwardly ln a
taut condltion. When the taut wall of intestlne is
advanced to cutting edge of cutting member 20, the
intestlne i8 cleanly severed and the lntestinal
contents of the intestine are dislodged with a bursting
~orce and cascade downwardly to the waste bln 64.
The second wash station 1~ located downstream from
cutting member 50 and compris0s a transverse slot 25 cut
approxlmately half way through the upper portion of
gulde member 20. Slot 25 emlts a fan shaped spray
pattern upwardly agalnst the lnner wall of the lntestlne
after lt has been longitudlnally severed. As ls shown
ln Flgure 8, lntestlnal sectlon 11' has the lnner mucosa
llnlng 108 and the outer intestlnal wall lOg. Fan spray
pattern 110 should exert sufficient spraying force
agalnst mucosa llnlng 108 to substantlally dlslodge any
remainlng lntestlnal content~ not prevlously removed by
nozzle 21 and ports 23.
As noted above, cuttlng member 50 ls mounted lnto
a sllt 51 made lnto gulde member 20. To stablllze the
,
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cutting member 50, it can also be mounted onto a waste
bln 64 or ~rame 14 of apparatu~ 10. The sllt 51 ln
gulde me~ber 20 ls slzed to permlt the cleanlng fluld to
contlnuously wa~h over the lnclined cutting edge 54 of
blade 50. Thus, contlnuou~ly washlng any dlslodged
intestlnal contents off of cuttlng edge 54.
It should be appreciated that the spray from wash
statlon~ 23, 25 and from sllt 51 renders that the
severed lntestine wet and sllppery. In operatlon, the
leading end of the intestine is placed on the upstream
end portion ~2 of gulde member 20 and a stream of
cleaning fluld from nozzle 21 of guide member 20 is
forced into the interior of the length of animal
intestine. The lntestlne then passes over first wash
statlon 23 whlch ls formed as a plurallty of spray ports
19 that have a spray of cleanlnq fluld pro~ecting
outwardly ln a radial directlon. The lntestlne wlll
tend to slide off guide member 20 if the trapping
pressure exerted by paddles 80 is not correctly
ad~usted. To this end, stabilizing plate 48 is formed
of a low friction material, for example
tetrafluoroethylene and has a lower 3urface 32 that i5
posltioned to engage the advance portion 44 of conveyor
36 to eliminate any upward deflectlon of the advance
portion 44 and paddles 80 from the lntestlnal wall as lt
travel~ down guide member 20. To facllitate thls, the
up~tream portlon of lower surface 32 of stablllzlng
plata 4B may be sprayed wlth water or other friction
reducing liquid.
ApparatUB 10 i8 praferably provlded wlth both an
lntestlne recelvln~ chute 60 proxlmate the downstream
end portion 26 of gulde member 20 and a waste chute 62
that communlcates with wa~te bln 64 that underlles gulde
member 20~
In Plgures 1 and 3, the intestine receiving chute
60 and the waste chute 62 whlch are positioned proximate
the downstream end portion 26 of guide member 20.
After the length of intestine ls advanced past the
cutting member 50 and severed thereby, the intestine
contents which were in the interior of the intestine are
released to be received in waste bin 64. This waste bin
64 slope~ upwardly from the waste chute 62 toward the
upstream end portlon of guide member 20. The force of
gravity causes the intestlnal contents that are released
lnto waste bin 64 to flow toward the waste chute 62.
Intestlne recelvlng chute 60 is downwardly sloping in
the downstream dlrection so that cleaned lengths of
animal lntestine may be discharged lnto any suitable
recelvlng compartment or container or into other
processing equlpment.
~ased on the foregoing, it should be appreclated
that the method accordlng to the preferred embodlment of
the present inventlon 18 dlrected to a method of cuttlng
and cleanlng a length of small lntestine durlng the
~7~
processing thereof lnto a food product. The preferred
method comprlses the broad steps of provldlng a gulde
member slzed for telescopic lnsertlon lnto the lnterlor
of the length of anlmal lntestlne; tralnlng the length
o~ anlmal inte~tine over the gulde member, ~o that the
gulde member becomes inserted lnto the interlor of the
length of anlmal lntestlne where~y the gulde member
support~ the length of anlmal lntestlne; mechanlcally
engaglng the exterior of the length of anlmal intestlne
without penetrating through the intestinal wall and
thereafter advanclng the length of animal intestlne
along the gulde member from an upstream location to a
downstream locatlon; cutting the length of anlmal
lntestine longltudlnally as it i8 advanced along the
gulde member ln order to expo3e the lnterior sprayinq
the interior surface of sald intestlnal wall wlth a
cleanlng fluld havlng a spraylng force of a sufflclent
force to remove the lntestlnal contents therefrom as the
animal lntestlne i9 advanced along the gulde member and
dlscharglng the length of animal lntestine from the
gulde member proxlmate the downstream location.
Naturally, the ordlnarlly skllled person ln thls
fleld should recognlze that modlficatlons of the
apparatus 10 as set forth ln the flrst exemplary
embodiment, above, may be modlfled without departing
from the scope of thls invention. For example,
dlfferently conflgured sprfly statlons could be employed
24
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and different drive system~ may be implemented. For
example, Figures 10 and 11 show a second embodlment of a
driv~ sy~tem that may be employed in the present
invent on, as a replacement for conveyor 36, and Figure
12 show~ a thlrd alternate embodlment of a drive system.
Turning, then, to Flgures 10 and 11, cleaning
apparatus 210 includes a drive system 236 in the form of
a plurallty of paddls wheel~ 240 each of whlch are
rotatably ~ournaled on a respective axel 241 to
framework 215. Framework 215 also ~upports a drive
motor as~embly 216 which has a drive shaft 277 coupled
to a selected one of paddle wheels 240. Paddle wheels
240 are each provided with a gear, such as a gear 250,
wlth gears 250 belng lnterconnected by means of a drive
chaln 252. Accordingly, the ensemble of paddle wheels
240 rotate ln a common dlrectlon, and, as shown ln
Flgure 11, this would be in a counterclockwise
dlrection.
Each of paddle wheels 240 is provided with a
plurality of resilient rectangularly shaped paddle
piece~ ~80 wlth paddle piece~ 280 belnq formed of any
suitable resillent materlal, such as plastlc or rubber.
each of paddle wheels 240 turn, paddle pieces 280 are
rotated lnto contact wlth gulde member 220 to exert an
advancing brushinq motion from upstrQam toward the
downstream end of gulde member 220. Thu9, a8 a length
of anlmal lntQstlne 18 engaged by paddle wheel 240
S3
located at the upstrQam end, lt 18 advanced past cutting
element 222, and each successlve downstream paddle wheel
acts to advance the length of animal intestlne untll lt
i5 dl3charged at chute 260.
A3 1~ ~hown ln Flgure 12, a modlflcation of the
drlve system Incorporate~ the paddle pieces of the
second alternate embodiment wlth the conveyor concept of
the flr~t exemplary embodlment. Thus, as i9 ~hown ln
Flgure 12, proce~sing and cleaning apparatu~ 310
include~ a conveyor belt 336 that lq trained around a
pair of rollers 340 and 34l. Roller 341 is drlven by a
motor assembly 316 so that conveyor 336 has an advanced
portlon 344 and a return portion 346. Conveyor belt 336
carries B plurality of paddle pieces 380 formed of
relatively soft, resllient material, such as plastic or
rubber. The mountlng of roller~ 340 and 341 are similar
to the mounting of sprockets 40 and 41 and sultable
ad~ustment means and stabilizing plates maybe provided
as noted wlth respect to the first exemplary embodlment,
above. Paddle pleces 380 bear agalnst gulde member 320
which receives a length of anlmal intestine so that a
trapplng of force is exerted between paddle pleces 380
and guide member 320 in a magnitude sufficient to engage
the length of anlmal intestine and to advance lt along
guide member 320, as described above.
Accordlngly, the present lnventlon has been
described with some degree of particularlty dlrected to
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the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It
should be appreciated, though, that the present
invention 18 defined by the following claims construed
in llght of the prlor art so that modificatlons or
changes may be made to the preferred embodiment of the
present inventlon without departing from the inventive
concepts contained hereln.
