Abstract: An apparatus 10 for removing the skin of poultry pieces at a skinning station 12 includes an infeed conveyor 14 for transporting or feeding poultry pieces to the skinning station 12. The infeed conveyor 14 includes an endless belt 16 that is trained around an end roller 18 at the downstream end of the infeed conveyor. A pinch block 20 is configured with a concave pinch surface 22 having curvature closely following the curvature of the endless belt 16 trained around the end roller 18 to define a narrow gap 24 therebetween for capturing the skin of the poultry piece and forcing the skin through the gap 24, thereby pulling the skin away from the underlying flesh of the poultry piece. A transfer roller 26 assists in transferring the skinned poultry piece to an outfeed conveyor 28.

Abstract: An apparatus 10 for removing the skin of poultry pieces at a skinning station 12 includes an infeed conveyor 14 for transporting or feeding poultry pieces to the skinning station 12. The infeed conveyor 14 includes an endless belt 16 that is trained around an end roller 18 at the downstream end of the infeed conveyor. A pinch block 20 is configured with a concave pinch surface 22 having curvature closely following the curvature of the endless belt 16 trained around the end roller 18 to define a narrow gap 24 therebetween for capturing the skin of the poultry piece and forcing the skin through the gap 24, thereby pulling the skin away from the underlying flesh of the poultry piece. A transfer roller 26 assists in transferring the skinned poultry piece to an outfeed conveyor 28.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for removing a keel from a poultry carcass that is conveyed at a predetermined speed along a path. Planar members extend radially outwardly from a continuous loop driven adjacent the path at the predetermined speed. A keel-receiving gap is configured between a pair of planar members. At least one blade is disposed between the path and the continuous loop for severing the keel from the carcass. A ramp above the path has a downwardly-facing surface angled to the path for contacting the poultry carcass and adjusting its vertical position relative to the blade. A keel guide spaced from the plurality of planar members may contact the keel to adjust the keel relative to the blade.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for removing a keel from a poultry carcass that is conveyed at a predetermined speed along a path. Planar members extend radially outwardly from a continuous loop driven adjacent the path at the predetermined speed. A keel-receiving gap is configured between a pair of planar members. At least one blade is disposed between the path and the continuous loop for severing the keel from the carcass. A ramp above the path has a downwardly-facing surface angled to the path for contacting the poultry carcass and adjusting its vertical position relative to the blade. A keel guide spaced from the plurality of planar members may contact the keel to adjust the keel relative to the blade.

Abstract: An automated poultry skinning apparatus which includes a support frame having a product feed inlet and discharge outlet. The apparatus may house an upper conveyor aligned to engage the upper surface of a piece of poultry product entering the feed outlet. The apparatus is provided with a lower conveyor with a plurality of radially extending protrusions adapted to engage the lower surface of the piece of poultry passing between the lower conveyor and the optional upper conveyor. An arcuate pinch surface is provided which is mounted in closely spaced relationship to the arcuate path traveled by the protrusions of the translated belt and define therewith an opening for trapping the outer skin attached to the poultry product between the arcuate surface and the distal tips of the protrusions to entrap a portion of the skin and pull the skin from the poultry product piece.

Abstract: An automated poultry skinning apparatus which includes a support frame having a product feed inlet and discharge outlet. The apparatus may house an upper conveyor aligned to engage the upper surface of a piece of poultry product entering the feed outlet. The apparatus is provided with a lower conveyor with a plurality of radially extending protrusions adapted to engage the lower surface of the piece of poultry passing between the lower conveyor and the optional upper conveyor. An arcuate pinch surface is provided which is mounted in closely spaced relationship to the arcuate path traveled by the protrusions of the translated belt and define therewith an opening for trapping the outer skin attached to the poultry product between the arcuate surface and the distal tips of the protrusions to entrap a portion of the skin and pull the skin from the poultry product piece.

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 apparatus for chilling plucked poultry carcasses before evisceration. A reservoir, which can be formed in a housing, retains a chilling liquid. A first plenum is disposed above the reservoir and a second plenum is disposed above the reservoir. The plenums receive at least some of the chilling liquid from the reservoir. The second plenum is spaced from the first plenum and defines a gap between the first and second plenum through which the conveyor passes. A chilling liquid pump pumps liquid from the reservoir to one or both plenums, whereby the chilling liquid overflows out of the first and second plenums, cascades downwardly onto at least some of the plurality of carcasses and flows into the reservoir.

Abstract: An apparatus for splitting poultry mid-wings into separate radius and ulna portions. The apparatus includes a plurality of carrier blocks mounted to a drive chain that drives the carrier blocks along a path in a continuous loop around the apparatus. Each carrier block has recesses formed in it that cooperate with recesses formed in adjacent carrier blocks to form carrier slots that hold mid-wings in a predetermined orientation. A blade member having an upper blade and a lower blade extends into the path and is aligned with blade channels formed in the carrier blocks. The blade member bisects mid-wings that are held in the carrier slots as they move downstream. The carrier blocks rotate downwardly about the downstream end of the path and are separated from one another, thereby opening the carrier slots. The separated mid-wings contained in the slots are thereby allowed to fall out of the slots.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for preparing a poultry carcass for the removal of breast tenderloins therefrom. The apparatus includes a support frame positioned adjacent a conventional cone line that conveys poultry carcasses along a product path in a downstream direction. A cutting blade is mounted to the support frame and extends into the product path. The cutting blade has a piercing tip and a sharp edge that pierce and sever the connective tissue and tendon that connect a lower portion of a wishbone to a carcass that is conveyed along the blade. A separating fin extends from a top of the cutting blade for engaging the severed wishbone and folding it upwardly, away from the tenders of the carcass. A rotary tendon slicer is mounted to the support frame downstream from the cutting blade and extends into the product path for severing tendons that attach the tenders to the carcass.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for splitting and cleaning poultry gizzards. A poultry gizzard with proventriculus attached thereto is moved in sequence along a processing path, first along a pair of conveyor rollers that support the gizzard and pull the proventriculus downwardly between the conveyor rollers and then along a pair of engaging cutting spindles which sever the proventriculus from the gizzard. The gizzard is then transferred to a cutting station where a water knife cuts a slit into the gizzard, exposing the interior cavity of the gizzard and loosening ingest contained therein. The gizzard is then spread open by a spreading fin and adjoining rails that enter and enlarge the freshly cut slit. A water sprayer manifold then sprays pressurized water into the exposed cavity to flush and forcibly clean ingest out of the cavity.

Abstract: An apparatus for splitting poultry mid-wings into separate radius and ulna portions. The apparatus includes a plurality of carrier blocks mounted to a drive chain that drives the carrier blocks along a path in a continuous loop around the apparatus. Each carrier block has recesses formed in it that cooperate with recesses formed in adjacent carrier blocks to form carrier slots that hold mid-wings in a predetermined orientation. A blade member having an upper blade and a lower blade extends into the path and is aligned with blade channels formed in the carrier blocks. The blade member bisects mid-wings that are held in the carrier slots as they move downstream. The carrier blocks rotate downwardly about the downstream end of the path and are separated from one another, thereby opening the carrier slots. The separated mid-wings contained in the slots are thereby allowed to fall out of the slots.

Abstract: An automated apparatus for removing skin from the shoulder and neck areas of a chicken carcass that includes a neck skinner and a shoulder skinner mounted to an elongated support wall in a longitudinally spaced relationship. The neck skinner includes a rotatably-driven gripper having a plurality of fins extending radially therefrom. A pinch block with an arcuate surface is mounted in a close-clearance relationship with the gripper to form a pinch point therebetween. The pinch point of the neck skinner is positioned to engage the neck area of an incoming chicken. The shoulder skinner is substantially similar to the neck skinner except that the pinch point of the shoulder skinner is positioned to engage the shoulder area of an incoming chicken. The apparatus further includes a rotatably-driven indexing conveyor laterally adjacent the neck and shoulder skinners for maintaining a longitudinal separation between chickens that are conveyed through the skinning apparatus.

Abstract: A poultry skinner including a conveyor having ribs aligned to engage the upper surface of a poultry product. A rotatably mounted gripper has a plurality of radially extending fins adapted to engage the lower surface of the poultry passing between the gripper and the conveyor. An arcuate surface is mounted in closely spaced relationship to the arcuate path traveled by the rotating gripper fins and defines an opening for trapping the skin attached to the poultry product. The skin is trapped between the arcuate surface and the outer end of a rotating fin to pull the skin from the poultry product. A rotatably mounted cleaning roller having a plurality of fins is positioned in a close clearance relationship with the gripper. The rapidly rotating fins of the cleaning roller strip the poultry skin from the fins of the gripper and eject it into a collection bin below.

Abstract: An automated apparatus for removing skin from the shoulder and neck areas of a chicken carcass that includes a neck skinner and a shoulder skinner mounted to an elongated support wall in a longitudinally spaced relationship. The neck skinner includes a rotatably-driven gripper having a plurality of fins extending radially therefrom. A pinch block with an arcuate surface is mounted in a close-clearance relationship with the gripper to form a pinch point therebetween. The pinch point of the neck skinner is positioned to engage the neck area of an incoming chicken. The shoulder skinner is substantially similar to the neck skinner except that the pinch point of the shoulder skinner is positioned to engage the shoulder area of an incoming chicken. The apparatus further includes a rotatably-driven indexing conveyor laterally adjacent the neck and shoulder skinners for maintaining a longitudinal separation between chickens that are conveyed through the skinning apparatus.

Abstract: An automated poultry defatting apparatus which includes a housing having a product feed inlet and discharge outlet and housing a conveyor aligned to engage the upper surface of a piece of poultry product entering the feed inlet. The apparatus is provided with upper and lower peeling members for engaging the upper and lower surfaces of the poultry product passing between the conveyor and the peeling members. The peeling members have a plurality of grooved rollers that rotate in a cooperative manner to pinch and pull fat off the product while leaving the underlying muscle intact. The conveyor is pivotably mounted to the housing to permit automatic adjustment to a range of sizes of poultry product while maintaining a controlled downward force against the product to maintain firm engagement with the peeling members.

Abstract: An apparatus for spitting whole poultry mid-wing sections into a first radius portion that includes the radius bone of the mid-wing and its surrounding muscle, tissue, and skin and a second ulna portion that includes the ulna bone of the mid-wing and its surrounding muscle, tissue, and skin. The apparatus is provided with a rotatably driven carrier wheel having a plurality of product carrier slots formed therein for accepting mid-wings and moving them along a predetermined arcuate path. A splitting blade is mounted in the arcuate path for engaging and splitting the mid-wings into the desired portions. The apparatus is additionally provided with a retention fender for preventing mid-wings from exiting the carrier slots while the mid-wings are being split, and an ejector comb for forcing the mid-wings out of the carrier slots after they have been split.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing selectively sized multiple portions of meat from a larger piece of meat. A plurality of product carriers having open-top recesses are mounted on a conveyor for travel along a path. At least two transverse sets of parallel slots are provided in each carrier. Each product carrier is moved through a pair of cutting stations having a number of spaced knife edges extending downwardly into a passage that receive the product carriers. The blades are removably mounted to removable knife blocks. The product carrier is rotated via engagement between a rotation gear on the carrier and a rotation bracket along the path of travel. In this manner, a plurality of laterally spaced cuts are made in two directions through the larger piece of meat to produce a multiplicity of smaller portions having a similar size, shape and weight.

Abstract: An automated poultry defatting apparatus which includes a housing having a product feed inlet and discharge outlet and housing a conveyor aligned to engage the upper surface of a piece of poultry product entering the feed inlet. The apparatus is provided with upper and lower peeling members for engaging the upper and lower surfaces of the poultry product passing between the conveyor and the peeling members. The peeling members have a plurality of grooved rollers that rotate in a cooperative manner to pinch and pull fat off the product while leaving the underlying muscle intact. The conveyor is pivotably mounted to the housing to permit automatic adjustment to a range of sizes of poultry product while maintaining a controlled downward force against the product to maintain firm engagement with the peeling members.

Abstract: An automated poultry defatting apparatus which includes a housing having a product feed inlet and discharge outlet and housing a conveyor aligned to engage the upper surface of a piece of poultry product entering the feed inlet. The apparatus is provided with upper and lower peeling members for engaging the upper and lower surfaces of the poultry product passing between the conveyor and the peeling members. The peeling members have a plurality of grooved rollers that rotate in a cooperative manner to pinch and pull fat off the product while leaving the underlying muscle intact. The conveyor is pivotably mounted to the housing to permit automatic adjustment to a range of sizes of poultry product while maintaining a controlled downward force against the product to maintain firm engagement with the peeling members.