Abstract: An apparatus for and method of cleaning cutting residue from one or both sides of cut meat. Meat, after being cut, for example with a band saw or the like, is passed through a curtain of fluid to impinge fluid on to at least one side of the meat for removing a substantial portion of the deleterious residue. The cleaned meat surface may then be passed through a drying area for removing cleaning fluid if the cleaning fluid contains liquid. After passing through a drying zone, brine or other ingredients may be applied to one or both sides of the cut meat.

Abstract: An item handling system that sorts and packs items in a storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically designed to handle items such as sub-primal cuts of beef or pork or items of like size and weight. The system is adapted to sort items based on product type or based on system capacity. The packing mechanism is adapted to properly orient the item prior to placing the item in the storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for effecting the formation of a packaged food product with the food being contained within a receptacle having a cover adhered to the receptacle. Prior to securing the cover to the receptacle, the surface that is to be sealed to the cover is cleaned by wiping with towel material. The towel material is advanced from a supply to a cleaning position to wipe a cover engaging surface to remove at least a portion of contaminants or foreign material present on the container, thereby improving adhesion of the cover to the receptacle. Towel material can be advanced from time to time from the supply to a take-up mechanism to present clean or fresh towel material at predetermined intervals. A method for cleaning container-sealing surfaces is also provided.

Abstract: An item handling system that sorts and packs items in a storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically designed to handle items such as sub-primal cuts of beef or pork or items of like size and weight. The system is adapted to sort items based on product type or based on system capacity. The packing mechanism is adapted to properly orient the item prior to placing the item in the storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes.

Abstract: An item handling system that sorts and packs items in a storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically designed to handle items such as sub-primal cuts of beef or pork or items of like size and weight. The system is adapted to sort items based on product type or based on system capacity. The packing mechanism is adapted to properly orient the item prior to placing the item in the storage or shipping receptacle. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes.

Abstract: An autonomous remote controlled vehicle for use in the automation of an existing refrigerated flow through storage facility food processing application. The remote vehicle is specifically designed to operate within a network of centrally controlled remote vehicles that are adapted to receive selectable items from production and temporarily store them for later retrieval. The system is adapted to minimize travel time for the remote vehicle and optimize cycle time. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes containing meat products.

Abstract: An automated cleaning system for an endless belt conveyor. The cleaning system having a central control which controls pump supplying hot water, soap and a sanitizer to a plurality of controllable spray valves for plural spray bars.

Abstract: An autonomous remote controlled vehicle for use in the automation of an existing refrigerated flow through storage facility food processing application. The remote vehicle is specifically designed to operate within a network of centrally controlled remote vehicles that are adapted to receive selectable items from production and temporarily store them for later retrieval. The system is adapted to minimize travel time for the remote vehicle and optimize cycle time. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes containing meat products.

Abstract: An autonomous remote controlled vehicle for use in the automation of an existing refrigerated flow through storage facility food processing application. The remote vehicle is specifically designed to operate within a network of centrally controlled remote vehicles that are adapted to receive selectable items from production and temporarily store them for later retrieval. The system is adapted to minimize travel time for the remote vehicle and optimize cycle time. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes containing meat products.

Abstract: An autonomous remote controlled vehicle for use in the automation of an existing refrigerated flow through storage facility food processing application. The remote vehicle is specifically designed to operate within a network of centrally controlled remote vehicles that are adapted to receive selectable items from production and temporarily store them for later retrieval. The system is adapted to minimize travel time for the remote vehicle and optimize cycle time. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes containing meat products.

Abstract: An autonomous remote controlled vehicle for use in the automation of an existing refrigerated flow through storage facility food processing application. The remote vehicle is specifically designed to operate within a network of centrally controlled remote vehicles that are adapted to receive selectable items from production and temporarily store them for later retrieval. The system is adapted to minimize travel time for the remote vehicle and optimize cycle time. The system is specifically adapted to handle cardboard shipping boxes containing meat products.

Abstract: An automated cleaning system for an endless belt conveyor. The cleaning system having a central control which controls pumps supplying hot water, soap and a sanitizer to a plurality of controllable spray valves for plural spray bars.

Abstract: A partially automated decoring saw having a tubular blade and a table surface partially blocking the saw blade opening and means decreasing the blockage temporarily to allow for passage of an enlarged portion of the core into the saw. A core knocker can also be provided, as can air purge of blade seals to achieve partial self-cleaning.

Abstract: A sharpener has two sharpening members pivotally mounted on opposite sides of a reference plane. Each sharpening member includes a counterweight portion below its pivot and a sharpening portion above its pivot. The sharpening portions have convex sharpening edges which overlap laterally to form a vertically movable V-shaped slot for receiving a cutting blade. A cutting blade is placed in the slot and moved lengthwise and downwardly. The downward movement causes the vertex of the V-shaped slot to move down, but the slot's vertex angle remains substantially constant because the curvatures of the sharpening edges increase progressively from upper regions to lower regions of the sharpening edges. The centers of gravity of the sharpening members are laterally inboard of the pivots, and the sharpening edges are higher than the pivots. The sharpening forces exerted by the sharpening edges against a cutting blade increase in response to downward movement of the slot vertex.

Abstract: A paperboard container is provided with a plurality of internal vertically extending triangular-shaped columns and on the top edges of the columns there is a design feature which allows the edges to be relieved thereby forming inclined edges to reduce package tearing or product damage. The inclined edge can be provided either when the container is erected by a machine or later by hand depending upon the selected design.

Abstract: A hide is pulled from the sides of a suspended livestock carcass by gripping the hide with two grippers in the belly area, and pulling the grippers and the hide toward the back of the carcass. The pulling direction is changed by supporting the pulling devices on transversely movable carriages which are moved toward each other during the pulling action. The transverse movement enables the grippers initially to reach farther around the belly to grip the hide, and finally to pull farther toward the spine.

Abstract: Hides are pulled over the heads of horizontally moving animal carcasses while the carcasses are simultaneously supported by a trolley rail and a pair of leg gripping assemblies. Each leg gripping assembly has a pair of extensible jaw members which, when closed, form a leg receiving space which has a generally vertical inclined axis. The leg gripping assemblies are mounted on a frame which is driven forwardly parallel to the trolley rail by a pusher dog on a chain. The pusher dog chain is drivingly connected to a chain which drives the trolleys along the rail.

Abstract: Cheek meat is removed from the skull of a slaughtered animal by a method and apparatus wherein the skull is held at a given orientation in a skull-holding device; a hook is brought into engagement with the cheek meat; and, an actuator produces forcible relative movement between the hook and the skull to strip the cheek meat from the skull.

Abstract: A cleansing solution is formed by injecting a pressurized gas into a liquid, subjecting the liquid to high shear forces to divide the gas into small bubbles, and pressurizing the gas to cause a significant portion of the bubbles to become dissolved in the liquid. The cleansing solution is depressurized and applied to an animal carcass, enabling the dissolved gas to come out of solution as bubbles. The bubbles lift contaminants from the surface of the carcass by migrating outwardly from the carcass surface to the air-liquid interface.