Apparatus and method of edible feet harvest and paw production

A method for harvesting edible feet from a poultry carcass comprising the steps of:

• severing partially both hock joints of a carcass leaving both feet tenuously attached;
• folding the feet upward bending at the hock joint toward the leg fully exposing the hock joints for inspection;
• and
• hanging the carcass in a hanging shackle being conveyed through an evisceration line area by both partially severed hock joints with the hock joints extending through the shackle on a first side of the shackle and both feet extending through the shackle to an opposing side prior to inspection for systemic issues.

A method for harvesting edible feet from a poultry carcass comprising the steps of:

• conveying through an evisceration line area a carcass hanging from a shackle by both partially severed hock joints with the hock joints fully exposed for inspection and with the feet tenuously attached and extending from the shackle;
• presenting the carcass for inspection of systemic issues such that the feet can be rejected or accepted with the carcass;
• and
• segregating carcasses and attached feet that are rejected for the presence of systemic issues from carcasses and attached feet that are accepted during inspection.

A method for harvesting edible feet from a poultry carcass comprising the steps of:

• severing partially both hock joints of a carcass leaving both feet tenuously attached;
• folding the feet upward bending at the hock joint toward the leg fully exposing the hock joints for inspection;
• hanging the carcass having partially severed hock joints in a hanging shackle being conveyed through an evisceration line area by both hock joints with the hock joints fully exposed for inspection and extending through the shackle on a first side of the shackle and both feet extending through the shackle to an opposing side prior to inspection for systemic issues;
• presenting the carcass for inspection of systemic issues such that the feet can be rejected or accepted with the carcass;
• segregating carcasses and attached feet that are rejected for the presence of systemic issues from carcasses and attached feet that are accepted during inspection;
• and
• severing completely the hock joints such that the feet are no longer attached to the carcass after the carcass has been inspected for systemic issues for those carcasses and attached feet that are accepted.

An apparatus for harvesting edible feet from a poultry carcass comprising:

• an evisceration area further comprising:
• a main frame;
• an overhead conveyor rail mounted to said main frame and having evisceration shackles hanging therefrom and operable to convey the shackles through an evisceration line area with carcasses hanging on the shackles
• an inspection station positioned adjacent the overhead conveyor and optimal for viewing shackles where inspection for systemic issues of the carcass hanging in said shackles can be performed;
• and
• a hock cutting blade assembly mounted to said main frame and downstream from the inspection station and operable to sever both hock joints of the carcass to remove both feet from the carcass if accepted at the inspection station.

An apparatus for harvesting edible feet from a poultry carcass comprising:

• a frame;
• an upper and lower guide rails mounted to said frame having a uniform equidistant gap there between for receiving therein and capturing both feet extending from a shackle being conveyed, where said upper and lower rails are inclined upward;
• a powered sprocketed rotatable indexing wheel mounted to said frame adjacent the upper and lower guide rails for indexing the feet as they are conveyed along the gap;
• and
• a blade mounting assembly mounted to said frame adjacent the guide rails and having a hock blade extending therefrom for severing skin and tendons tenuously connecting a hock joint.

An apparatus for harvesting edible feet from a poultry carcass comprising:

• a main frame;
• an overhead conveyor rail mounted to said frame and operable to convey an evisceration shackle freely hanging from said conveyor rail where said shackle has adjacent left and right hanging loops and where the lower end of the loops each have a first section with inwardly narrowing tapered opposing inner sides below a second section where each have straight opposing inner sides forming an outward bend in each of the inner sides;
• an upper and lower guide rail mounted to said main frame adjacent said conveyor and having a uniform equidistant gap there between for receiving therein and capturing both feet extending from a shackle being conveyed, where said upper and lower rails are inclined upward;
• a powered sprocketed rotatable indexing wheel mounted to said frame adjacent said rails for indexing the feet as they are conveyed along the gap;
• and
• a blade mounting assembly mounted to said frame adjacent said wheel and having a hock blade extending therefrom for severing skin and tendons tenuously connecting the hock joint.