Abstract: Method for filleting carcass members of poultry containing breast meat, particularly breast caps, wherein the carcass members are placed on holders that have been disposed one after the other on a conveyor driven so as to circulate in a vertical plane, wherein the holders with carcass members are passed through a skinning station for removing the skin, wherein the carcass members are subsequently, in a lower track of the circulating path, passed through a filleting station, where by means of cutting edges the meat is detached from the chest, the wishbones and the coracoids, as well as separated on both sides of the keel bone.

Abstract: Previously eviscerated poultry carcasses with legs and backs remaining are suspended from shackles (25) by their legs and moved in sequence along a processing path. The backs are received on a surface conveyor (18) having parallel conveyor flights (36, 37), so that the rounded portions (31) of the surfaces of the backs (30) seek the space between the conveyor flights, thereby tending to center the carcasses moving along the poultry path. The backs are turned from inverted attitudes to upright attitudes while the legs remain inverted, thereby tending to rotate the thighs with respect to the backs, loosening the sockets between the thighs and backs, and the visceral cavities are placed on a rotary disk (28) formed of UHMW and having peripheral teeth with radially extending teeth surfaces which engage the backbone areas of the visceral cavities of the carcasses.

Abstract: A wing remover (10) for removing the wings from birds as the birds are conveyed along an overhead conveyor line (13) includes wing guides (66 and 67) that engage the birds and cause the shoulder joints between the wings and shoulders of the birds to be opened as the birds are moved towards a cutting station (29). As the birds enter the cutting station (29), they are engaged by a set of first cutting blades (80 and 81) that cut into the shoulder joints of the birds to initiate the separation of the wings therefrom. As the birds are carried further forwardly through the wing remover (10), the wings are urged rearwardly and downwardly as the shoulder joints are carried into engagement with and cut by second cutting blades (95 and 96) to complete the separation of the wings from the birds.

Abstract: A poultry breast filleting mandrel 10 for carrying an eviscerated poultry carcass along a processing path through a breast filleting process in which the meat of the poultry carcass is removed from the skeleton of the carcass, includes a base 12 for mounting to a conveyor, a shroud 14 removably mounted to the base for receiving thereabout the visceral cavity of the breast of a poultry carcass, and a movable clamp 46 for grasping the breast of a poultry carcass for holding the breast of the poultry carcass on the shroud. A shroud lock 112 is provided for locking the shroud to the base during processing and a shroud lock release 117 is provided for disengaging the shroud lock and allowing removal of the shroud for cleaning, repair, etc.

Abstract: The poultry cut-up apparatus receives vertically halved poultry carcasses in an inverted attitude transported along an overhead conveyor. Vertically spaced, horizontally oriented pairs of circular cutting blades (21, 22) cut the carcasses into segments as the carcasses are maintained in desired attitudes by flight blocks (17) that move in unison with the shackles of the conveyor, with the cutting blades extending into aligned grooves (48) of a flight block to reach and cut the poultry carcasses into segments, as guide bars (19 and 20) are received in similar grooves of the flight block to hold the carcasses in the proper location for cutting.

Abstract: Previously eviscerated poultry carcasses are moved in series along a conveyor (26), mounted upon a series of mandrels (33). As the poultry carcasses are moved along their processing path and are mounted on their mandrels (33), the carcasses are automatically engaged by a clamp tool (77) that clamps the poultry carcasses against their mandrels (33) in tight locking engagement to hold the poultry carcasses on their mandrels (33). A series of processing stations (42-50) engage and remove the wings, skin and progressively separate the meat from the skeletal structures of the poultry carcasses as said poultry carcasses are moved along their processing path (27) by the conveyor (26).