Abstract: The invention provides a device for changing the orientation of slaughter products, comprising an endless guide extending along a conveying path, product carriers which are movable along the guide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fish bone removal apparatus comprising a frame (1), a picking member (9) rotatably mounted in relation to the frame about a rotational axis (3), and an actuator arranged to rotate the picking member in a rotational direction. The picking member comprises a first and a second rotating element (10, 12) arranged to form a wedge-shaped gap (24) between them for receiving a bone. The wedge-shaped gap is tapered in a direction opposite the rotational direction of the picking member. The first rotating element is disc shaped and has two parallel radial surfaces and an outer circumferential surface (11c). The second rotating element (12) comprises a bent elongated body having a periphery with a bending radius corresponding to the bending radius of a periphery of the first rotating element, two radial surfaces and an outer circumferential surface (22).

Abstract: Collapsible vessels comprising a rubbery material can be folded or scrunched into a small volume, and then spring into a shape suitable for holding water or food such as for a pet.

Abstract: An animal part holder has first and second gripper plates between which an animal part can be slid. A mechanism coupled to the gripper plates for yieldably biasing the gripper plates toward one another so that the gripper plates engage and grip an animal part disposed between the gripper plates. In addition, the mechanism is configured to cause the gripper plates to tighten their grip on the animal part in response to a pulling force tending to pull the animal part out of the grip of the holder. A method of gripping the bone of an animal part includes disposing the bone between gripper plates and applying a biasing force to the gripper plates to cause the gripper plates to bear against the bone with a force. The method may further include applying a force to the gripper plates greater than the biasing force in response to a pulling force applied to the animal part to cause the gripper plates to grip the bone tighter.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for removing lesion material from poultry feet. The systems, for example, can include at least one spray head located along a travel path of a plurality of movable shackles within a poultry processing line. Each shackle can be configured to hold a poultry member in a processing position as the shackles are moved along the processing line. The spray head configured to spray feet of the poultry members held by the plurality of shackles to remove the lesion material from the feet.

Abstract: A pneumatic stunner for stunning an animal has a piston slideable within an inner chamber, and a stunning rod driven by the piston forward and rearward towards and away from the front end of the housing. The stunning rod has an elongated body having a longitudinal axis, with the forward end of the body having a two-radius configuration that is sized for striking an animal's head, and is adaptable for attaching a hardened tip. A valve system alternately controls flow of the pressurized fluid from a fire pressure chamber to the rearward end of the inner chamber to move the piston and drive the stunning rod forward to stun an animal, and from a return pressure chamber to the forward end of the inner chamber to move the piston and drive the stunning rod rearward and retract the stunning rod. The handle includes a cushioned mount adjustable in direction.

Abstract: A carcass washing cabinet having a plurality of spray arbors having a desired spray performance, which can rinse a carcass side with a reduced fluid flow rates through the spray arbors. The reduced fluid flow rates and increased pressure reduces volumes of water and/or other rinsing chemicals as well as by treating lower volumes of liquid waste that are generated by the carcass wash cabinets. Methods of rinsing carcasses with an apparatus having the plurality of arbors with high pressure nozzles and lower flow rates reduces water and/or chemical consumption without affecting microbial load reduction.

Abstract: A pneumatic stunner for stunning an animal has a piston slideable within an inner chamber, and a stunning rod driven by the piston forward and rearward towards and away from the front end of the housing. A fire pressure chamber has an annular configuration disposed adjacent the rearward or central end of the inner chamber. A return pressure chamber has an annular configuration disposed adjacent the forward or central end of the inner chamber. A valve system alternately controls flow of the pressurized fluid from the fire pressure chamber to the rearward end of the inner chamber to move the piston and drive the stunning rod forward to stun an animal, and from the return pressure chamber to the forward end of the inner chamber to move the piston and drive the stunning rod rearward and retract the stunning rod. The handle includes a cushioned mount adjustable in direction.

Abstract: An automatic animal watering apparatus includes a dish having an automatic watering valve disposed therein. When the valve is first closed, a water level in the dish is at a maximum level, and a hydraulic source pressure acts only across a smaller cross-sectional area of a valve seat which is closed by the valve, thus requiring only a first lower buoyancy force acting on a valve actuator float to maintain the valve closed. The water level can then drop from the maximum water level to a minimum water level before the hydraulic force action on the valve overcomes the first lower buoyancy force on the actuator float and reopens the valve. Then when the valve opens, the hydraulic source pressure acts against a larger cross-sectional area of the valve, thus requiring the buoyancy forces acting on the float to rise to a second higher buoyancy force to reclose the valve.

Abstract: A pet chew toy assembly including a body having a first component, wherein the first component comprises a thermoplastic, a bone meal, and an antler powder.

Abstract: A skinning machine for any meat product, and particularly for poultry cuts. The machine includes two or more skinning stations, each of which may remove skin between a gripper and a closely-fit pinch block. The skinning stations are vertically distinct so that the first skinning station skins a first side of the product, and the second skinning station receives the product at a position lower vertically and skins the second side of the product. The product falls through a path between the two skinning stations to permit the product to rotate about one-half of a rotation. The product lands on a conveyor beneath the first skinning station that transports the product to the second skinning station facing the opposite direction from when it was in the first skinning station. By making the vertical drop sufficient, the poultry cut rotates the unskinned face down prior to skinning.

Abstract: An animal hide removal apparatus is provided. The apparatus may have a plurality of pulleys and winches that are associated with cables that are selectively connected to a carcass. Operation of the winches moves the cables in opposite directions to remove the hide from the animal.

Abstract: A system for processing a carcass or carcass part of a porcine, bovine, ovine, or caprine slaughter animal involves a plurality of processing steps. The system includes a primary transport system that includes an overhead conveyor and a plurality of carriers for holding a carcass or carcass part, a plurality of processing stations, which processing stations are arranged along the track, each of the processing stations being adapted to carry out one or more processing steps on a carcass or carcass part, wherein in at least one processing station a step of removing a part of the carcass or carcass part is carried out, a secondary transport system, which secondary transport system is arranged adjacent to the processing station in which said part is removed from the carcass or carcass part, which secondary transport system is adapted to receive said part.

Abstract: An evisceration apparatus for eviscerating a poultry carcass suspended by the legs, including an evisceration tool is movable up and down, and into and out of, a body cavity of the poultry, and two bracket halves that connect to each other. A hinge at a lower extremity of the tool is embodied with cooperating clamping faces adjacent to the hinge for clamping a part of the viscera of the poultry when the two bracket halves are moved towards each other from an open position into a closed position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a guide device for guiding a suspension element, like a loop, being attached to one end of a sausage-shaped product, like a sausage, from a first apparatus, like an apparatus for producing sausage-shaped products, in a guide direction to a second apparatus, like a handling device for said sausage-shaped products. The guide device comprises a guide unit for guiding the suspension element and support means for radially and axially supporting the guide unit. According to the present invention, the support means comprise a first support unit and a second support unit for a functional separation of the axial support and the radial support of the guide unit.

Abstract: The invention is a Y-bone fish fillet knife, a specialized Y-bone fish fillet knife blade and methods of using same to debone fish having Y-bones. Features of the novel Y-bone fish fillet knife and its specialized knife edge include an intentionally unsharpened, or rounded edge, notched groove and an arcuate cutting edge. The rounded notched groove tracks and slides along the Y-bones during cutting. The cutting edge may have other shapes and be dual-edged according to other embodiments. The knife and its handle are designed for ambidextrous use.

Abstract: A shoulder-blade incision-making apparatus is provided and includes: a fixing jig on which the poultry carcass which is eviscerated and which has leg parts removed is to be placed and fixed; a fixing jig conveyer forming a conveyance path of the fixing jig and convey the fixing jig along the conveyance path; a first separating member disposed above the conveyance path movably upward and downward; and a first driving device for moving the first separating member in an upward and downward direction. The first driving device is operated to move downward the first separating member and move the first separating member along a surface of the shoulder blade of the poultry carcass in accordance with a timing when the poultry carcass fixed to the fixing jig reaches a meat-separation position below the first separating member, therefore the meat portion attached to the shoulder blade is separated from the shoulder blade.

Abstract: A stuffing apparatus includes a main body case, a stuffing nozzle for discharging a material, a material feed pump for feeding the material into the stuffing nozzle, a pump drive motor for driving the material feed pump, and a conveying device for conveying a stuffed casing in a direction in which the material discharged is discharged, wherein a hopper into which the material is charged from above is provided above the material feed pump, the material feed pump, the pump drive motor, and the hopper are provided on the main body case on which the stuffing nozzle and the conveying device are provided, and the material which is fed from the material feed pump is automatically stuffed by being fed into the stuffing nozzle via a material feed pipe.

Abstract: A contour measurement apparatus and a contour measurement method for measuring a contour of a poultry carcass, and a deboning device for a poultry carcass are provided. The contour measurement apparatus includes: a fixing jig on which the poultry carcass is placed and fixed; a conveyer forming a conveyance path for conveying the fixing jig; a contact element being supported movably in an upper and lower direction within a two-dimensional plane, and being able to be in contact with a measurement target portion of the poultry carcass; an upper and lower direction position sensor for detecting a position of the contact element in the upper and lower direction; a fixing jig position sensor for detecting a position of the fixing jig moving in a conveying direction; and a contour calculation unit for calculating a contour of a surface of the poultry carcass on the two-dimensional plane based on detected values.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a scrubber system for removing material from, or smoothing the surface of, an object. According to an example embodiment, the scrubber system comprises one or more scrubbing disks, spacer disks, and retaining collars configured for interlocking with other cooperatively configured scrubbing disks and spacer disks. The scrubbing and spacer disks are arrangeable end-to-end along a shaft extending therethrough and between opposed retaining collars to form a scrubber custom-configured for a particular application. The scrubbing disks may include one or more types arranged, with or without any spacer disks, in any desired configuration.