Abstract: A projectile has fins that are hingedly coupled to a fuselage. The fins are configured to wrap around the fuselage, assuming a location as close as possible to the fuselage, when the projectile is in a gun or launch tube. The fins have spiracles, one or more openings in each of the fins that allow pressurized gases to pass therethrough. The spiracles may be always open, or may open only when there is a sufficient pressure differential between the sides (major surfaces) of the fins. The spiracles allow release of pressurized gases that are trapped between the fins and the fuselage during the launch process. This prevents undesired outward movement or bending of the fins when the projectile reaches a muzzle brake during launch, a structure which causes a sudden release of pressure at radially outer locations of the launch tube.

Abstract: To obtain a quality-meat-attached backbone part suitable as a material for minced fish the invention proposes cutting off a fin part and a kidney from a meat-attached backbone part obtained when filleting a fish into three pieces. The meat-attached backbone part is conveyed by a pair of upper and lower conveyor belts while being sandwiched and held between the belts. When the backbone part reaches a fin cutter arranged in a midstream of the conveyance, a belly part is pushed by a first pushing lever while a back part of the meat-attached backbone part is received and stopped by a receiving and stopping lever, and the back skin from a back fin to a tail fin is cut off by the fin cutter. Then, when the meat-attached backbone part reaches a kidney cutter, the belly part of the meat-attached backbone part is pushed by a second pushing lever to position the kidney-attached backbone section of the meat-attached backbone part at a cutting position by a kidney cutter.

Abstract: A meat pulling apparatus having a hopper and a rotating drum with a plurality of pins or rippers capable of pulling or shredding a food material. The hopper having one or more meat stops which assist in the pulling or shredding and prohibit the food material in an upper portion of the hopper from entering a lower portion of the hopper until the food material is pulled or shredded. The apparatus is capable of resting on or positioning over a receptacle which collects the pulled or shredded food product. One or more comb strips separate or clean the pulled or shredded food product from the drum and the pins or rippers. The drum is preferably rotated via the coupling of an electric motor therewith yet may utilize manual or other rotary type drives. A feed cover having a magnetic safety portion assists in food product feeding and promotes user safety.

Abstract: A liquid absorbent pad particularly useful for pet maintenance activities.

Abstract: In a method for the processing of fish, poultry or other meat products being conveyed in a plurality along a processing line, components which are to be excluded from consumption are separated and edible products obtained as a result for consumption are checked with an automatic inspection device for residues left behind. Separation takes place in such a way that, in the case of a number of edible products, minimized residues of at least one kind are deliberately permitted and induced for further processing of the edible products, in particular to optimize the edible product recovery. The automatic inspection device is adjusted to detect the minimized tolerance residues, and inspected edible products with and without the tolerance residues are separated from each other.

Abstract: A crustacean preparation utensil kit for cracking the shell of and opening a crustacean body which includes an multi-rod opening device encompassing a shaft with spring-loaded rods on a front end which are released into a crustacean body upon activation of an internal rod release mechanism by pushing a push button as well as a reinforced spring-loaded shell-cracking device having operationally communicating teeth on an inside edge of each of a top portion and a bottom portion and a contoured thumb rest member atop the top portion and a contoured grip member disposed on the bottom portion allowing the user to have a firm grip on the shell-cracking device while pressing the top and bottom portions together.

Abstract: Computer program products are configured to allow dual operational modes of packaging systems to produce encased products using interchangeable first or second horns.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and associated devices for rucking sleeves of covering material onto a chute body include a translating member disposed in a housing having an axis of movement configured to reciprocally translate a chute body about the axis of movement; and at least one gripping member disposed in the housing in cooperating alignment with the translating member. Each at least one gripping member has a gripping edge portion that defines a gripping surface. The at least one gripping member configured to reciprocally translate substantially orthogonal to the axis of movement.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for dividing a continuous sausage into portions, in particular sausage links. The invention includes at least one pair of opposing clamps which can be moved towards one another by actuation means in order to crush the sausage. Each clamp includes at least a first plate (141, 151) and a second plate (142, 152), each of said plates having front clamping edges (141a, 151a; 142a, 152a) and being arranged such that the front edge of the first and second plates form respectively first (181) and second (182) variable-cross-section passages. The invention also includes at least one blade associated with the pair of clamps, which can be moved transversely to the plates between the first passage and the second passage in order to cut the sausage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for safer and more effective deep trans-cervical intra-uterine artificial insemination (AI) is provided. Such a deep AI catheter causes minimal discomfort and risk of trauma, and does not require the services of a highly trained AI professional. First, a catheter is inserted into the cervical tract of the animal. A membrane, initially positioned inside a tube section of the catheter, is then extended from an opening in the tube and into the tract under pressure. The membrane extends into the tract without friction thereby reducing the discomfort and the risk of trauma or injury to the animal. When the membrane is fully extended into the tract, pressure causes the tip of the membrane to open thereby releasing the AI fluid and depositing the genetic material suspended in the fluid into the reproductive tract.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for raising poultry, such as chickens, for food production. A facility for housing the poultry includes a wall with at least one light-absorbing ventilation fan for ventilating the facility and a movable curtain covering a curtain opening. A controller operates the movable curtain to expose an interior of the facility to natural light cycles of an outside environment for a first period and regulating light cycles of the interior for a second period, thereby mimicking daylight duration variation representative of seasonal changes for stimulating sexual development of the poultry. Alternatively, the controller operates the movable curtain to limit exposure of an interior of the facility to light to produce a brown-out effect therein for enhancing physical development of the poultry. The light absorbing material of the fan facilitates the lighting effect achieved by the controller's operation of, for example, the movable curtain.

Abstract: An automatic apparatus includes an input platform, a creature shaking mechanism, a flushing unit and an output platform. The input platform has a transporting unit. A creature container containing at least one creature is placed on the input platform. The creature shaking mechanism is connected to the input platform. When the creature container is transported to a positioning region of the creature shaking mechanism, the creature container is subject to a shaking operation in response to a power source, thereby turning over the creature and exposing different surfaces of the at least one creature. The flushing unit generates a spout of water to flush the different surfaces of the at least one creature so as to sufficiently shed superficial adherent substances off the at least one creature. The output platform is connected to the creature shaking mechanism for receiving the creature container that is departed from the positioning region.

Abstract: A method for the harvesting of back skin from a carcass part of slaughtered poultry, from which carcass part the breast cap has been removed, wherein the carcass part initially consisting of at least a part of the upper back and at least a part of the legs connected to the back, wherein the part of the upper back consists of back meat and back skin, and wherein the leg parts consist of at least the thighs and are provided at least partially with leg skin, the leg skin being connected at least partially to the back skin, which carcass part has a front, a rear and two sides.

Abstract: A process includes contacting a feathered poultry carcass with an ammonia-based treatment material to increase the pH at the skin of the carcass and thereby effect a loosening of the feathers on the carcass. After the contact with the ammonia-based treatment material, mild heat may be applied to the feathered carcass to further loosen the feathers. The prepared feathered carcass is then defeathered in a suitable defeathering process. Ammonia may be removed from the carcass before, after, and/or during defeathering. The defeathered carcass is then passed on for further processing to produce the final poultry product.

Abstract: A dehider includes a pneumatic motor driving a pair of disk blades in opposed cutting oscillations and a governor that controls the speed of the motor. Governor balls, acting as centrifugal weights, spin with the motor and push against an inclined flange on a valve head to move the valve head towards a valve seat. The motion of the valve head compresses a biasing spring and restricts the flow of pressurized air as the desired speed is exceeded. As speed decreases, centrifugal force decreases and the biasing spring opens the valve to provide additional power to the motor. The disk blades are provided with a cylindrical central lip that substantially increases the area of the central bearing that the blades turn on and produces significantly longer blade life.

Abstract: A cooked and de-boned substantially intact slab of rib meat is provided. A process for preparing a de-boned rib meat product from a pork or beef rib cut is also provided. The process for preparing the rib meat product involves cooking a length of rib meat having rib bones embedded therein at a temperature and for a time sufficient to enable the removal of the rib bones from the length of rib meat, while maintaining a substantially intact length of rib meat.

Abstract: An aircraft has a streamlined structure (10) pierced by an air flow duct (20) having an axis of symmetry (AX) contained in a plane of symmetry (P) perpendicular to a longitudinal axis (AL) of the aircraft, the aircraft possessing a shrouded rotor (1) having a plurality of blades (2) arranged in the air flow duct (20). The aircraft is also fitted with blower elements (40) suitable for propelling compressed air towards a first injection zone (44) opening out in a first front inject (22?) of a first lip (22) of the periphery (21) of the duct (20) and towards a second injection zone (45) opening out in a second front portion (24?) of a second lip (22) of the periphery (21) of the duct (20).

Abstract: Provided is poultry processing equipment and more particularly, an improved evisceration device and subassemblies thereof for removing organs from a membrane-covered socket in the body cavity of a poultry carcass, such as the lungs.

Abstract: Methods for rucking sleeves of covering material onto a chute body include a plurality of spaced apart rotatable wheels having a primary axis of movement, wherein, in operation, the plurality of wheels have an automated stroke cycle whereby each is configured to travel inwardly a distance sufficient to snugly abut an outer surface of a chute body and remain in contact with the chute body while the wheels travel in a first direction about the primary axis of movement and in an opposing second direction about the primary axis of movement.

Abstract: This invention relates to a hub and belt assembly for driving a poultry de-feathering machine and more particularly to a multiple bearing heat dissipating hub driven by a serrated timing belt. The hub assembly incorporates seals along a drive shaft to reduce wear caused by dirt. The timing belt synchronizes multiple picking hubs and reduces the friction driving required. The combination of a heat dissipating hub and the placement of seals along the drive shaft within the hub minimize maintenance and replacement.