# US 11,432,556 B2 · Poultry defeathering apparatus

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- Number: US 11,432,556 B2
- Document ID: US11432556B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/859,268
- Filed: 2020-04-27
- Published: 2020-10-22
- Granted: 2022-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-19
- Assignees: Mattco Industrial Products, LLC
- Applicants: Harry Alfred Batty, Jr.; Ellis Clif Haislip; Brandon Daniel Poston; Meir Toshav
- Inventors: Harry Alfred Batty, Jr.; Ellis Clif Haislip; Brandon Daniel Poston; Meir Toshav
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432556B2

## CPC

- A22C 21/022: {with fingers}
- A22C 21/02: Plucking mechanisms for poultry
- B25J 11/0045: {Manipulators used in the food industry}
- B25J 15/12: with flexible finger members
- A22C: PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH (preserving A23B; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs A23J1/00; fish, meat or poultry preparations A23L; disintegrating, e.g. chopping meat, B02C18/00; preparation of proteins C07K1/00)
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})

## Abstract

A poultry defeathering apparatus comprising a compression plate with a central aperture operationally associated with a hub drive shaft of a feather plucking machine, wherein the compression plate is secured to the hub drive shaft, a finger plate operationally associated with the hub drive shaft and the compression plate, the finger plate includes a central aperture, an annular abutment ring operationally associated with the central aperture, a plurality of finger apertures surrounding the central aperture, a plurality of fingers secured to the finger plate by insertion through the finger plate, with the body extending through a finger aperture, wherein the hub drive shaft is secured to the finger plate and wherein the oversized base of each finger is compressed between the compression plate and the finger plate and a mounting bolt secured on the finger plate within the mounting hole of the hub drive shaft.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A poultry defeathering apparatus consisting of:
a compression plate comprising:
a front side;
a back side;
a central aperture operationally associated with a hub drive shaft of a feather plucking machine;
wherein the hub drive shaft has a mounting hole;
wherein the compression plate is secured to the hub drive shaft by inserting the hub drive shaft through the central aperture;
a finger plate operationally associated with the hub drive shaft and the compression plate, the finger plate consisting of:
a front side;
a back side;
a central aperture;
an annular abutment ring secured to the front side of the finger plate and operationally associated with the central aperture forming a recessed opening on the back side of the finger plate;
a plurality of finger apertures surrounding the central aperture;
a plurality of fingers comprising an oversized base and a body extending from the base;
wherein each finger is adapted to be secured to the finger plate by insertion through the back side of the finger plate, with the body extending through a finger aperture and through to the front side of the finger plate and the oversized base being retained on the back side of the finger plate,
wherein to the hub drive shaft is secured to the finger plate by insertion into the recessed opening and engaging the annular abutment ring; and
wherein the oversized base of each finger is compressed between the compression plate and the finger plate and held substantially stationary during use; and
a mounting bolt secured on the front side of the finger plate within the mounting hole of the hub drive shaft.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The poultry defeathering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the compression plate is secured to the hub drive shaft with the assistance of a fastener.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The poultry defeathering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fingers are tapered beginning at the base and decreasing in size as the body extends away from the base.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The poultry defeathering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base of each finger has a shape selected from the group including: flat, convex, concave, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The poultry defeathering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fingers are made of a natural rubber, a synthetic rubber, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The poultry defeathering apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fingers are made from a material selected from the group consisting of styrene-butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, butyl rubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, and combinations thereof.