Picker apparatus and method for defeathering poultry
AssigneeJohnson Food Equipment, Inc.
InventorsAntoine Winkelmolen, Frank Criscione
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A picker apparatus for defeathering or plucking of poultry and other avian in a food processing facility includes a universal mount picker assembly including a belt drive system for driving a plurality of rotatable picker members with a drive motor disposed centrally in relation to the picker members, and a quick release positioning adjustment for the operating components of a picker apparatus.
Claims60
An apparatus for defeathering or plucking of poultry and other avian in a food processing facility comprising:
- (a) a frame having a top cross member on each end for mounting adjustable carriers;
- (b) each cross member including releasable carrier stops and a lateral position adjuster for adjustment of the operating position of the carrier stops;
- (c) each carrier having a carrier support assembly and a latch assembly for engaging the carrier stops to hold the carriers in operating position;
- (d) each carrier further including at least one picker bank support bracket for mounting of picker banks including a plurality of rotatable picker disks for defeathering;
- and
- (e) at least one drive motor attached to each picker bank including a mounting location central to a plurality of picker disks.
An apparatus for plucking feathers from poultry and other avian, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a frame having a top cross member on each end for mounting adjustable carriers;
- (b) each cross member including releasable carrier stops and a lateral position adjuster for adjustment of the operating position of the carrier stops.
An apparatus for plucking feathers from poultry and other avian, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a frame having a top cross member including releasable carrier stops on each end for mounting adjustable carriers;
- (b) each carrier having a carrier support assembly and a latch assembly for engaging the carrier stops to hold the carriers in operating position;
- and
- (c) each carrier further including at least one picker bank support bracket for mounting of picker banks for defeathering.
An apparatus for plucking feathers from poultry and other avian, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) an elongated housing,
- (b) a set of picker members disposed in lateral alignment within the housing for abrading the feathers from poultry and other avian placed within and carried through the apparatus,
- (c) a drive system for operating the set of picker members, and
- (d) a motor for powering the drive system;
- (e) the drive system comprising a belt member adapted to engage each of the picker members in the set, the belt member being operably driven by the motor, the motor being disposed on the housing at a position centrally located in relation to the lateral alignment of the set of picker members, such configuration adapting the housing for uniform orientation placement within the apparatus.
A method of defeathering avian carcasses in a food processing facility comprising conveying the avian carcasses through an apparatus having a frame with a top cross member on each end for slidably mounting laterally adjustable carriers;
- each cross member having releasable carrier stops and a lateral position adjuster for adjustment of the operating position of the carrier stops;
- each carrier having a carrier support assembly and a latch assembly for engaging the carrier stops to fix the carriers in operating position;
- each carrier further having at least one picker bank support bracket for mounting of picker banks having a plurality of rotatable picker disks for defeathering;
- and at least one drive motor attached to each picker bank having a mounting location central to a plurality of picker disks.
A method of defeathering avian carcasses in a food processing facility comprising conveying the avian carcasses through an apparatus including a frame having a top cross member on each end for mounting adjustable carriers, each cross member including releasable carrier stops and a lateral position adjuster for adjustment of the operating position of the carrier stops.
A method of defeathering avian carcasses in a food processing facility comprising conveying the avian carcasses through an apparatus including a frame having a top cross member including releasable carrier stops on each end for mounting adjustable carriers, each carrier having a carrier support assembly and a latch assembly for engaging the carrier stops to hold the carriers in operating position, and each carrier further including at least one picker bank support bracket for mounting of picker banks for defeathering.
A method of defeathering avian carcasses in a food processing facility comprising conveying the avian carcasses through an apparatus comprising picker banks including an elongated housing, a set of picker members disposed in lateral alignment within the housing for abrading the feathers from poultry and other avian placed within and carried through the apparatus, a drive system for operating the set of picker members, and at least one motor for powering the drive system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.