Abstract: Wings are automatically severed from birds while the birds are suspended inverted from shackles in a commercial poultry processing line. This is done by guiding the wing elbow joints with guide bars and directly pushing the torso between a pair of cutting blades. In this manner the balls and sockets of the shoulder joints are dislodged whereby the blades pass therebetween without chipping bone fragments from the shoulder joints.

Abstract: The filleting apparatus for removing fillets from poultry carcasses comprises a tabletop chain onto which at regular distances retaining means are provided which move the carcasses through a gate member so that the fillets are mechanically pushed off from the carcass.

Abstract: Poultry wings are automatically cut into pieces by mounting them in troughs formed in the periphery of a wheel and moving them into sliding contact with rigid guide bars which, in conjunction with the shape of the troughs, guide their elbow joints and flipper joints into severing contact with cutting blades.

Abstract: Birds are moved in series along an overhead conveyor about a rotary support assembly 22, a spreader tool 45 moves down into the previously eviscerated cavity of each bird, a first disk cutter 68 cuts behind the spreader tool through the tissue extending from the breast to the back about the cavity, the spreader tool is withdrawn from the bird, and a second disk cutter 69 cuts through the backbone of the bird.

Abstract: A worker hangs birds on a series of movable modules M by placing the hocks of previously slaughtered and eviscerated birds in the pair of forks 30 affixed to the support plate 29 of each module. The thighs are received in the pair of tiltable forks 31. As the modules are conveyed about the machine a mandrel 28/70 carried by each module moves down into the cavity of the bird to stabilize the bird, and the bird is moved with the module through several cutting discs 1-7 which cut the carcasses into sections. The modules are rotated to orient the bird with respect to the cutting discs, and the legs of the bird are stretched by the tiltable forks 31 as the leg joint is cut. The mandrel 28/70 has a slot 77 through which a blade 5 passes in bisecting the backbone and the breast with the bird backbone lodged in the slot.

Abstract: A worker hangs birds on a series of movable modules M by placing the hocks of previously slaughtered and eviscerated birds in the pair of forks 30 affixed to the support plate 29 of each module. The thighs are received in the pair of tiltable forks 31. As the modules are conveyed about the machine a mandrel 28 carried by each module moves down into the cavity of the bird to stabilize the bird, and the bird is moved with the module through several cutting discs 1-7 which cut the carcasses into sections. The modules are rotated to orient the bird with respect to the cutting discs, and the legs of the bird are stretched by the tiltable forks 31 as the leg joint is cut.

Abstract: Two banks of feather pickers 65 and 66 are suspended from overhead parallel support beams 22 and 23 on opposite sides of the path of travel of a series of poultry carcasses moving along an overhead conveyor system. A pair of movable frame members 30, 31 and 32, 33 extend downwardly from each support beam, and each bank of pickers is rotatably supported at its opposite ends on a support sleeve 45 mounted to a movable frame member, with an elevator screw 48 arranged to lift and lower the support sleeve on each movable frame member. The picking fingers 98 protrude from rotary picking disks 91 that are supported on platforms 70-72 mounted within a cabinet 62, with the picking fingers normally protruding from an open side of each cabinet toward the opposite bank of pickers. The picking finger support platforms are tiltable with respect to one another so as to locate the ends of the picking fingers in positions to engage the birds.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting out the vent of a bird being made ready for consumption substantially comprises a number of rotatingly driven hollow cylindrical knives which each are secured to a slide. Each slide is provided with a roller which engages a curved cam surface of the apparatus. A corresponding number of positioning means are also provided with a roller which engages another curved cam surface. The problems relating to different dimensions of the birds and their legs are overcome by a structure which enables the rollers to depart from the paths determined by the curved cam surfaces.

Abstract: A device for cutting slaughtered poultry in separate pieces. A bird is held by at least one radial processing device which is movable on a frame by a driving device which is provided with a processing arm, at the side facing the frame being provided with an adjustment mechanism which can reorient the processing device during the movement of the arm in a number of various positions of rotation with respect to the arm and a blocking mechanism which can fix the processing device in said positions of rotation, with a deblocking mechanism for unlocking the processing device, and said processing arm at the side facing away from the frame being provided with a stretching mechanism for holding the bird.

Abstract: Poultry gizzards with gut and stomach attached thereto are moved in sequence along a processing path, first along a pair of helically threaded conveyor rolls which supports the gizzards and permits the stomach and gut to hang freely below the gizzards between the conveyor rolls and then along a pair of engaging cutting rolls which separate the gut and stomach from the gizzard. The gizzards are transferred to a trough where a water flume transfers the gizzards to a chain conveyor. The chain conveyor transports the gizzards beneath a stationary elongated knife which progressively cuts into the upper surfaces of the gizzards and a presser fork straddling the knife spreads the cut apart portions of the gizzards as the gizzards move along the knife, and rotary brushes further spread the cut apart portions of the gizzards to remove the debris. The gizzards are dropped to peeling rolls for removing the lining from the gizzards.

Abstract: Poultry gizzards with gut and stomachs attached thereto are moved in sequence along a path, first with the gut and stomach suspended freely below the gizzards. As the gizzards continuing to move along the path, the gut and stomach are cut from the gizzards, a cut is made upwardly into the lower portion of the gizzards, and the cut-apart lower portions of the gizzards are lifted and separated to remove loose matter from inside the gizzards. The gizzards are then peeled. A pair of side-by-side parallel rolls with externally protruding spiral threads are used to initially orient the gizzards and locate the gut and stomach below the gizzards and chain conveyors subsequently move the gizzards through the system as the gut and stomach are severed from the gizzards, the cut is made upwardly into the gizzard, and the cut side portions of the gizzards are lifted for cleaning.

Abstract: Apparatus for eviscerating a continuous succession of birds, fowl, poultry, or the like and adapted to form a part of a fowl processing line. The apparatus includes a plurality of viscera removing members each being pivotally mounted with respect to two pivot axes for movement through a path to remove the viscera of a single, pre-positioned fowl. The viscera removal members and pivoting means therefor extend radially outwardly from a central shaft over a cylindrical housing. Means are included for clamping each bird against the housing in position for removal of its viscera through a previously made cut in its vent. The viscera removal apparatus and housing are rotated in synchronism with an overhead conveyor from which the fowl are individually suspended. The removal apparatus may be disengaged from the conveyor for repair or adjustment while the conveyor continues to operate whereby complete shut-down of the fowl processing line is avoided.